Technology in testing: the present and the future

In Alderson's article, he talks about how the use of IT for language testing is begining to emerge into this mulitimedia world. More and more tests are carried out using cd-roms, students can now learn and be assessed just by using the computer, this is most popular for distance learning students. I think one advantage of this is that it can accomodate many people's busy schedules, they can be assessed and complete assignments just by using their own computer which can save a lot of time. The downside of it is that it is hard to speak to classmates or even your teacher face to face. Sometimes people gets confused and may convey the wrong message just by communicating through the internet. And if any instant help is needed that could be a struggle too.

E blocks

Here is a picture of an equipment I use at work to teach English to my students in a fun and enjoyable way.

Week 7 posting

Liou's paper talks about using movies to make the classroom learning more interesting. Personally I believe this is true because students often find it boring to learn in the same enviornment everyday, its quite interesting how student's reactions can tell you so much on what they enjoy. Movies can give students an opportunity to learn without the strict and boring rules of the classroom, and most often they learn without noticing. I find that my students talk and play less with each other and is the time where they pay most attention in my classroom. I would pause in between scenes to ask them questions regarding what they have watched. It is an interesting excercise where I incorporate it into my lesson plan once a week.