THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS OF EMERGENT TECHNOLOGY IN ELT CLASSROOMS: HOW THE 'BLOG' CAN CHANGE ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING

摘要

＜正＞ The classic picture of the ELT （English Language Teaching）classroom is one in which there are rows of desks, a blackboard,students, a teacher, paper and pencils. Even with the advent ofinstantaneous information via the World Wide Web, the ELTclassroom remains relatively unchanged. However, the winds ofchange are upon the ELT profession. Many educators are nowtaking advantage of the vastness of the Internet. Moreover,most teachers are using the Internet for planning, research andthe exchange of ideas. There is so much more to be found andused. If harnessed correctly and constructively, the Internet canbe a priceless tool for the ELT classroom. This paper will discusscurrent practices for reading and writing in the ELT setting, andmore specifically, the use of "web logs" or "blogs" in the ELTclassroom. First, a discussion covering common methods used inmost ELT classes and move to a more progressive approach toalternative assessment, portfolio assessment, and journaling.Next, an explanation of this technology, its uses, and potentialwill be given. Finally, suggestions for use, ideas, and linkswill be listed. The sky is truly the limit where the ELT professionis going and it is an exciting time to be involved.