Internet and the Foreign Language Conversation Class

The Internet is a powerful resource in our lives. It can be used to find information on almost any topic. We can use it to plan trips, decide what to buy, make informed decisions concerning our health, keep in touch with what is happening around the world and discover new and interesting things. Because the Internet is immediate, captivating, real-life, and can be used and steered in almost anyway that suits our individual needs and tastes, it is a natural motivator in providing students with interesting material to get them talking in the second or foreign language conversation class. This page provides links to various lessons that use the resources of the Internet as a basis for lively in-class conversations.

About the Lessons

• Why Use the Internet for Conversation Practice?
  Simple outline of key points for using the Internet
• Using the Internet for Conversation Practice
  Web page explaining how to set up lessons using the Internet as a resource
• Using the Internet in the English Conversation Class
  Paper describing how to use the Internet in the conversation class
• Lesson FAQ
  Explanation and important pointers on the lessons listed below

The Lessons

• Travelessons
  Travel to a foreign country provides the focus for conversations based on compromising to combine plans
• Camping
  Choice of camping gear ending in a rating activity
• Food
  Food list ending in a categorization activity
• My Picture
  Pictures posted on MySpace by students for classroom Q&A type of exchange
• Picture Contest
  Pictures posted on MySpace by the class for consensus-building conversations and whole class discussion
• PB Picture Contest
  Pictures posted on PBwiki by the class for consensus-building conversations and whole class discussion
• Music
  Music uploaded to the Web by students for information exchange
• Sports
  Sport research ending in trivia-type exchange
• Topic Talk
  Students choose their own topic and material for information exchange

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