CALL - Computer Assisted Language Learning at Luna

Gaining keyboard fluency

Three 'go for it' boys, gagging for a new game...three computers just sitting there waiting for some warmth!

Last week in class we played a simple bingo game with prepositions, some of them new, some already tackled with our classbook. Playing the same game again was quicker as they remembered a bunch more (and knew how to play/to ask if they couldn't remember). I cheated but still lost!

Why is the screen pink?!

Post game deflation. Done that. Old hat. Bored! I asked each boy to find a PC & press 'learn' (already fired up & at the start page). This task on Quizlet required them to type in the word which the picture represented (familiar images...from the game we'd just played). Ah! Can we have the game back? (Say 'please' then!)

The bingo cards did not have all the images, obviously, so there was still some running around/sharing/helping to do, and the clock was ticking (literally) while they did this. Pressure!

I was so delighted with how the took to this task that I just had to show them off to their mums, waiting downstairs. They barely noticed the intrusion and stayed on task! That's one of the great things about our new classrooms - SPACE. I explained to the mums what the boys were learning (besides a dozen words).

Building mouse skills

• keyboard layout
• typing skills
• matching upper/lower case letters
• independent thirst for English

We moved on to a game - 'scatter' - where the challenge was to drag & drop an image to the corresponding word, or vice versa. This was also against the clock, and they would not stop 'play again' as one of them had set a cracking 'record'.

The beauty of Quizlet is that you can find freinds' sets or just go hunt for something. Beauty for us is that we can embed or link any set in Edmodo class reports for learners/parents to follow up on at home. Which will hopefully increase out of class English activity & free me up in the classroom to push the analog boat out a bit further :)

Champion demo job today boys - proud of you. Now go away and learn the words!