Module 3

Using Open-ended tools in Facilitating Language Learning

For language teaching and learning can be maximized by integrating them into
the curriculum, providing students with opportunities to use these tools in
real-world contexts, and encouraging students to reflect on their learning
experiences.

2. The open-ended tools for language teaching and learning can be used to
develop the following skills:

- Listening: These tools can be used to listen to various audio materials, such
as songs, podcasts, and speeches, which can help students improve their
listening skills.

- Speaking: These tools can be used to practice speaking with others, such as
through online language learning platforms or language exchange programs.

- Reading: These tools can be used to read a variety of texts, such as novels,
magazines, and online articles, which can help students improve their reading
skills.

- Writing: These tools can be used to write essays, letters, and other forms of
writing, which can help students improve their writing skills.

Open-ended tools for language learning are resources that

allow students to explore and engage with language in flexible
ways. These tools can be maximized for language teaching and
learning by:

1. Integrating them into the curriculum - Aligning the tools with

learning objectives and activities.

2. Providing real-world application - Giving students

opportunities to use the tools in authentic contexts.

3. Encouraging reflection - Prompting students to think

critically about their learning experiences. These open-ended
tools can develop various language skills:

Listening - Using audio/video players, transcription software.

Speaking - Practicing with voice recording, presentation apps.

Reading - Engaging with texts using word processors, mind

mapping.
Writing - Developing written work using collaborative writing
tools.

By leveraging these open-ended, flexible tools, language

educators can create interactive, student-centered learning
experiences that build a range of linguistic competencies.
.

Lesson1

Productivity software applications For Language Teaching and Learning

1.They were used to create lesson plans and assessments.

2. They were used to facilitate communication between teachers and
students.
3. They were used to create multimedia presentations for language learning.
4. They were used to manage student data and progress.
5. They were used to create interactive learning materials.
6. They were used to facilitate online learning.
7. They were used to create digital portfolios for language learning.
8. They were used to facilitate collaborative learning.

Using presentation software applications in language teaching

enhances students' four language skills, as shown by Schcolnik
and Kol (1999).
-
1. Reading In our courses, students first read some of academic articles
on a topic of their choice, knowing that they will have to present their
conclusions in class. hey critically analyze, compare, synthesize,
and evaluate the ideas presented. This process mirrors the
steps students take when reading to write a paper. Whether
reading for a presentation or to write, the goal is to clarify
ideas and present them in a way that is easily understood by
others for effective information transmission.

2. Writing
When creating slides, students condense gathered information
to focus on main points, practicing 'minimalistic writing' by
retaining key concepts and discarding unnecessary details.
This process involves organizing points into slides, ensuring
clarity, legible font, and balanced layout. Students repeatedly
review, evaluate, and revise their content, enhancing language
skills through concise and effective communication.

3. Speaking
Students must orally present the material they have read,
organized, and summarized to effectively communicate with
their peers. They rehearse the pronunciation of challenging
words, time themselves, and ensure they have the necessary
English vocabulary. Computer presentations offer added value
by providing extensive exposure to the content, aiding
memory retention and boosting self-confidence. For many
students unfamiliar with public speaking in their native
language, the computer format reduces tension and insecurity
when speaking in English.

4. Listening - The class listens to the oral presentation, aided by

visual elements for better comprehension. Listeners are tasked
with noting three new facts and posing a question to the
speaker. Focused listening makes comprehension easier.
Studies show that presentation software enhances the
acquisition of language skills. Teachers emphasize the
importance of the spoken aspect in presentations, requiring
students to speak, research, and structure their academic
presentations. This process enhances reading and writing
skills. Students practice writing when preparing visual
components for presentations, such as posters or PowerPoint
slides.

With the advent of web-based word processing software and with the
exposure of a lot of students in exploring new innovative media tools, explore
the following online Microsoft Word Alternatives (Investintech, 2020).

1. Drop Box Paper

Dropbox Paper is a free online word processor offered by
the online cloud storage provider. To start using it, you will need a
Dropbox account. Once logged in, you get full access to the online
suite. The minimalist interface is very intuitive and its simplicity
allows you to focus on your content. You can also do many things that
go beyond creating a textual document. You can add rich media, such
as audio, video and images. Dropbox Paper also allows you to access
apps that let you embed Trello cards; Youtube videos or SlideShare
decks. Other collaborative features include document link-sharing,
creating and assigning checklist items to members or embedding
one of your Dropbox documents. Dropbox Paper, overall, does an
excellent job at creating dynamic documents you can share and access
online.

2. Office Online
For Microsoft Word and Office aficionados, the best possible free
online alternative for their document editing needs is Word online,
which comes as part of the Office Online suite. Although free MS
Word web app is not a full-fledged version of its paid counterpart, it
allows you to open, create and edit Word documents online. Also, it
offers some additional benefits of online software tools. For example,
enables you to access and see updates from co-authors literally from
anywhere in real time with only an Internet connection and the
latest 2016 version. You can share and collaborate on documents.
An equally alluring feature of Office Online is its cross-platform
compatibility. So, if you're a Chromebook or Linux OS user, MS
Word web app is the most elegant way to get access to Microsoft's
document editing features for free!

3. Google Docs
Google Docs allows you to create, collaborate and share
documents, spreadsheets, presentations, drawings and even forms.
Google Docs is packed with features, which can be further extended
with various add-ons. While it will automatically save the file online
and store it there, you can also have the documents published as a
web page, downloaded or emailed as an attachment in Word, ODT,
PDF, plain text or RTF formats. You can invite collaborators to work
on the document with you or only allow others to view it without the
ability to edit. If you are apprehensive of having to depend on the
Internet connection for document processing, don't worry. You can
enable Google Docs offline access and keep editing your documents
even when you are disconnected from Internet. All it takes is a free
Google account.

4. Etherpad
Etherpad is an online document editor primarily intended
for collaborative editing in, as the site claims, "really real time".
It's an open source, highly customizable tool for online document
collaboration with friends, fellow students and classmates, or
colleagues at work. One of its advantages, especially appealing
to users who are reluctant to use services which require email
registration, is that there is no sign up with Etherpad. All you need to
do is start a new pad and share the link to it with your collaborators.
You can also invite them by email if you prefer. After that, you can
start working on the planned writing project together, in real-time,
even if you are miles apart.

5. Zoho
Zoho offers around 20 free online applications including Writer
for word processing. You can link your Zoho account to your Google
and Yahoo accounts, as well. The Writer's interface should not cause
anyone problems as it is comfortably familiar. When working online
there's always the risk of losing data due to a lost network connection,
accidentally closing your browser or having your browser crash.
Luckily Zoho automatically saves your documents for you, as you
Technology for Teaching and Learning 2
for Language Education - English/Filipino

finish typing. Zoho Writer is well-equipped with features that allow you to
work easily online: two-way desktop sync, large file transfer, encryption, file
recovery, two-step authentication, in-app chat, and more. You can import and
work with MS Word documents, allowing you to insert images, and edit
content as needed. Zoho Writer offers all the standard text formatting and
document creation features and can export to DOCX, ODF, PDF, Latex, RTF,
TXT and even HTML. It can plug into Echosign for digital signatures, publish
the document to a blog or make it public for all to see. Zoho Docs is
completely free to use.

6. OpenOffice
The OpenOffice package includes six programs that use the same engine
making them inherently the same and extremely easy to learn and use. The 6
applications included in the OpenOffice suite are: Writer (word processor),
Calc (spreadsheets), Impress (presentations), Draw (graphics) and Base
(database manipulation) and Math (mathematical equations). Writer can even
natively do some things that Word cannot, like open PDF files without the
addition of a plug-in or commercial add-on. As the software is open source, it
is maintained by a large community meaning help and bug fixes are freely
available and quickly created. This is perhaps the leading free desktop
alternative to Microsoft Word/Office. You can install this suite on Windows XP
to Windows 10, macOS (OS X) and Linux.

7. AbiWord
is a free word processing application very similar to Microsoft Word. It is
available for Linux distributions only. The software is fully compatible with not
only Microsoft Word, but also OpenOffice.org, Word Perfect, Rich Text Format
and more. It has advanced document layout capabilities and can do mail
merge as well, which allows you to automatically fill in specific form fields in
documents with information from databases and comma separated or tabbed
text files. It is a highly useful feature if you need to work with many formats at
the office. Additionally, the software can be enhanced and expanded with
freely available plug-ins that will give you even more features and functions.

8. Jarte
Jarte is a free alternative to Microsoft Word, based on the
WordPad Engine, with compatibility for Word and WordPad
documents. It offers features like small resource requirements,
portability, touchscreens support, spell checking, and export to
HTML and PDF. It allows insertion of images, tables, hyperlinks,
and other standard Word features. WPS Office 2016 Free is a
document processing suite with WPS Writer as a Word
alternative, supporting popular file formats like docx and doc.
It offers a tabbed viewing window for multitasking, multiple
language options, and includes WPS Cloud for up to 1GB of
free storage, making it suitable for team collaboration.

10. SoftMaker FreeOffice

FreeOffice is a comprehensive Microsoft Word alternative with
TextMaker for document creation, offering essential editing
features, basic templates, tables, charts, and graphics.
Available for Windows, Linux, and Android, this suite ensures
seamless document processing across devices. When
developing your learning plan, use the provided template to
map out the content based on ICT-pedagogy integration
principles. This plan will evolve as you progress through the
course activities in subsequent modules.