Using social media to help your students get real English practice

publication date: Oct 1, 2009

author/source: Jason West

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"Hi, I've been spending a great deal of time on your website and related places and am very interested in the approach you are promoting. I do have a question though about the VoiP option. How do you get instant conversation partners in iTalki? I know, I know, you can browse. But iTalki is supposed to be two way exchange, not just our students learning English but also their partners learning the students' native language. So where is that in the equation? And how can you guarantee that if I start a class on Monday morning that all 12 of my students will be able to hook up with a language partner immediately at the appointed stage of the lesson?
Socialnetworking is all about the building of relationships over time so I have difficulty with the apparent instant 'add water and stir' aspect of the Voip option?".

Answer: how to make freinds online english out there

(BTW the image on the right is called, 'how to make friends online')

LATEST UPDATE: go to www.Facebook.com/EnglishOutThere

Hi there, so sorry for the delay in replying, thanks a lot for your message and questions. Really good ones!

Yes, italki.com and other similar sites are 'language exchange' but if your students go on there and explain that they just want 4 or 5 minutes to ask a few questions when they see them online and that they will be quick and to the point, they will get people saying 'ok'.

Time is something that people value and once, like you say they have built up relationships with 5, 10, 20 English speakers and done it a few times they should (if they have people spread across different time zones) be able to get some practice with a few practice partners whenever they need to. They can say they are following a programme that just requires them to ask a few questions and then they will leave them in peace or answer a few in exchange.

The key is to have lots of partners spread across different times zones and to spend just a few minutes with each of them using the same questions/language.

You can also teach your Monday class and just do the first part of the lesson (Input) then give the speaking task as homework for them to do in their own time and record. Then they can email you their best audio clip for your comments and then you can do the third part (Result/Feedback) at the start of the next classroom session and listen to a few of them speaking to their practice partners. You'll hear the practice partners using the language and it will be useful as a listening exercise. Just put the MP3s they send you onto an MP3 player/ipod and take some small speakers with you (not sure what if any classroom kit you have).

So yes, the key to getting the online practice is for your students to build some online relationships and to start with a message something like this:

"Hi, I hope you don't mind me contacting you but I am following a new English course that involves me asking fluent and native English speakers like you a few quick questions on easy and interesting topics every now and then.

When I have done a class and I need to practise the language from it all I will need is about three or four minutes with you to ask my questions and have a quick chat. Then I will go and speak to someone else or you can ask me some questions in my first language if you prefer.

I hope that sounds ok and that we can get to talk about some interesting topics in the coming months". (copy that and use it if you like)

Facebook is going to be voice enabled very soon, so if your students build up some English speaking friends on here, once it become voice enabled they could have a good selection of willing practice partners. They could use Skype too, or Google Talk or Messenger...whatever they have their friends on and can see when they are online. They should send a short text chat message rather than just call...saying 'Hi can you talk I'd like to ask you a few questions from my English class, you don't need to be prepared it is just a chat'.

Does this help? I hope you have a go with your students and do let me know what how it goes if you do. Even send some audio or video in and we can put it on the site and link it to the lesson it is from so others can see or hear it in action.

Cheers

Jason

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