What is this Blog about?

Introduction

The purpose of this blog is to provide English teachers with a number of Web 2.0 tools useful in the EFL classroom. The first four posts are Web 2.0 tutorials that may be handy for students when using the tools. The last four posts are examples of EFL tasks for different levels and ages, implementing the use of the previous tools. 

The Web 2.0 tools chosen for this blog are:

1. Cambridge English Online  - Flashcard Maker
http://www.cambridgeenglishonline.com/Flashcard_maker/

2. Prezi - Presentation Software
http://prezi.com/

3. Wigflip - Meme Maker
http://wigflip.com/roflbot/

4. Postermywall - Poster Maker
www.postermywall.com

Why using Web 2.0 tools in the EFL classroom?

As Nik Peachey suggests,Web 2.0 enables:

• Socialisation - Through socialisation our students can use the language and skills they are learning to build networks and develop relationships with real people.

• Collaboration - They can work together with others to construct and share real knowledge.

• Creativity - They can create genuine products, in a wide range and combination of media to high standards, which will have a real audience.

• Authenticity - The tasks and activities they do and the people they communicate with to do them are real and motivating.

• Sharing - They can share what they create and learn from each other.

Michael Thomas claims that Web 2.0 tools enhance learning by allowing students to engage in self-directed learning and gain skills and resources that are transferable to their informal, lifelong language learning.He coincides with Owen in that nowadays, students must develop 'the resources and skills necessary to engage with social and technical change, and to continue learning throughout the rest of their lives." He explains that 'pedagogy based on a learner-centric, social-constructivist (Vygotsky, 1978) approach and supported by tools readily available online and part of the every-day lives of students can help create an active learning environment in which students and instructors work together to solve problems contextualized in the real world.'

How can Web 2.0 tools be implemented in the EFL classroom?

As Paula Ledesma suggests in her article 'Creative Applications of Web 2.0 Tools in ELT (2012), there are plenty on websites that allow students to work with language in various ways. For instance, storytelling techniques can be fostered when using flashcard makers. There are also other examples such as comic makers and poster makers, wich can be easily implemented in many different ELT activities. These Web 2.0 tools 'help students develop communication skills as most of these tools facilitate the creation of user-generated content and its publication,' P. Ledesma explains. Examples of different tasks including the use of Web 2.0 tools will be displayed in this blog.