Technology has become a very effective tool for instruction in this our modern world.  To the extent that some of the electronic materials which were once viewed as negative passive endeavor are now used in classroom in very constructive ways.  Many students have cell phones, iPods and have access to internet either in their houses or at public libraries.  The implications are overwhelming because students can judiciously interact by a press of  a key through all the different media that are available now – the face book, texting, blogging, emailing, MySpace, YouTube videos and eBook just to site a few.  As teachers we have so much that we could use to make life a lot easier both for our second language learners and for us as facilitators of learning. 

The advantageous effect of the explosion of mass media is that information can easily be found and instruction could be made a lot easier by using them.  Educators can easily integrate different content areas by using the internet and searching for simple articles that students at every levels can read with understanding.  Take the eBook for example, as it relates to the science as a content area, abstract concepts can easily be simulated and animated so that second language learners can easily see and understand what is being taught.  The eBook also contains activities that students can do after listening to a reading.  Alternatively, there is DVDs to go with certain concepts taught in class.  So between the reading, discussion and viewing the DVD on that particular concept, each student will always leave the class with a better understanding of what they a supposed to learn.  There is also the doing part with technology.  As students are now quite adept with the use of some of these electronics, the opportunities for them to create things by themselves are limitless. 

 The use of eBook I consider a very effective tool for students in all levels.  One of the reasons is that it can be used as Text Aloud where the student can read the assigned passage silently while the passage is read aloud electronically.  The implication is the students learn the first language user pronunciation of the word and learn the reading at the same time.  I will also assign the eActivities that go with that passage and the students can complete them on line and is corrected at the same time.  The activities include all kinds of concept maps, puzzles, animation and simulation of some natural processes and unscrambling of words that they can use to learn the content power words. The next stage of my using the eBook is by giving homework assignments that the students will do and the teacher will grade and publish the results to individual students.

Gwinnett County Public Schools have a lot of paid and free web sites that are available for their teachers to use.  Some of the sites include but not limited to Brianpop.com, Studyjam.com, and Middleschoolscience.com.  I will show the students the topic that I want them to learn about after a brief discussion with some guided questions then they will write down important things they heard from what was shown to them.  Some of the guided questions will include writing down the power words and defining or explaining them.  Others will include writing processes in Chronological sequence as they happen.  Actually the guided questions will depend on the concept that I plan to teach at that time.  The students will watch and listen to the script more than once before a group discussion. After the group discussion, there will be a class discussion with a replay of the script and then they will answer some questions individually from what they have watched.  Of course, there are limitless activities one can derive from using technology in classroom.