01 May 2015 / by Vincent Chieppa

How to... design paperless ESL activities





Be economical with word use and avoid excessive scrolling.  Make sure that the text is easy to read by using a clear typeface with a legible font size (on average between 14 – 16pt) and 1.5 line spacing. Also chunk longer texts in paragraphs.  Also remember to accompany your texts with visuals (e.g. images or video clips).  Remember that if you have text for reading to highlight the new target language in bold and/or capitals.



Tables should be numbered so that when teaching, both you and the students know exactly which cell you are referring to.  Also make sure that you randomise the table for activities where students have to match new target language with definitions/images.  This is also to ensure that students engage with the new target language rather than just no-effort reading from their part.

table



Remember to always use large images & rescale to keep quality rather than the opposite & be stuck with pixelated images.  Also try to save multiple images as a single picture when creating paperless ESL activities in order to ensure that you don´t lose picture integrity.



Keep in mind when using video clips in paperless ESL activities how appropriate the video is in terms of level, topic & the objective of the activity.  Aim for short & sweet – that is roughly 2 minutes.





When designing paperless ESL activities remember to apply the KISS principle & don´t forget that – as with most things – there are limitations and drawbacks to any tool:

https://youtu.be/HHEYtw4IMpY

27

January 2012
Pretty....
by Radmila Gurkova
Pretty has many different meaning depending on how it is used. Adjective Adverb Verb Noun ...

27

January 2012
Try something new for 30 days…
by Radmila Gurkova
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnfBXjWm7hc Matt Cutts was “stuck in a rut” with his life so he took the advice of a fairly modern American philosopher – Morgan Spurlock – which was to, “do something new for 30 days”. So he thought of doing something straightforward that he has always wanted to try and add it to his life but for ...

27

January 2012
Friday Fun: The History of English #4
by Radmila Gurkova
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kN7-EvgKAsk&feature=relmfu The Friday posts about the history of English continue with this video about the impact of the King James Bible. Have you heard any of these terms and phrases? Why not try using some of them to talk about contemporary events. ...

24

January 2012
S1: Learn the Alphabet...
by Radmila Gurkova
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpIhzFh0yw8 Can you say the English alphabet? This musical video helps you to remember and pronounce the alphabet. ...

20

January 2012
I am rowing... subject + 'ing'
by Radmila Gurkova
The present continuous We use the present continuous to talk about actions in progress: I am reading I am swimming I am eating ...

20

January 2012
Roz Savage – Rows across the Pacific and embraces another big adventure
by Radmila Gurkova
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXqPaHQp4Xw Roz Savage rows solo across many oceans – the Atlantic and the Pacific to name a few. She has rowed over 8,000 miles and taken over three million oar strokes and spent more than 312 days alone on a 23 foot rowboat. Roz has a love hate relationship wi...

20

January 2012
Across the river......preposition
by Radmila Gurkova
The preposition across talks about movement from one side to another, usually two-dimensional lines for example Room, or a River. How are we going to get ...

20

January 2012
Therefore......Connector
by Radmila Gurkova
Therefore is a connecting adverb that can be used instead of SO, it is formal.  It can come at the beginning of the clause or after the...

20

January 2012
If you read this post, you will understand the zero conditional
by Radmila Gurkova
We use the zero conditional when we talk about something that's generally true. For example. If I study, I will pass the exams. if +...

20

January 2012
€4,000 For a child's birthday party?
by Radmila Gurkova
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zn9B9cwZY4Y&feature=related Stephanie Kaster of Manhattan set out to plan the birthday party of a lifetime for her daughter. Little three year-old Sophie, had not have many birthday parties to compare to, so after careful deliberation and her mother Mrs Kaster saying: "I just thought,...