Using Multimedia in the Foreign Language Classroom | Page 28

Activity 5 min
3

the internet, and try to put
them in the correct order.
To do so they use the
word processor which
gives them the chance to
experiment without being
afraid that their choices
are not reversible. In
parallel, they acquire
computer skills through a
purposeful activity.
After finishing, students
can click on the hyperlink
in order to see the
original text and check
the accuracy of their
choices. In the case there
is a mistake in their
choices, they can go back
and
rearrange
the
paragraphs again.
Teacher provides any
help students might need
with the computers
Children work in threes.
They read the text again
in order to find answers
to the questions they had
formulated in activity 1b.
If they find some
answers, they write them
under each question using
a different typing style.

organization of the text
without having the need
to stick to every detail.
The computer becomes
an environment where
students work together
discussing the possible
arrangement
of the
paragraphs. This activity
is more effective on the
computer than on paper
as it allows students to
view the text as a whole
and change the order of
the paragraphs again if
they believe that their
choice was not correct.
Finally, the fact that
students can view the
original text and monitor
their choices contributes
towards
their
development
as
autonomous learners.
Students
practice The text
scanning as they read
the text in order to get
the information they are
looking for. The activity
is motivating as they are
trying to find answers to
their own questions. It is
possible that not all
questions
will
be
answered,
something
which can initiate a
further search on the
internet, at a later stage.
Once
again,
the
computer supports a
process approach to
writing as it gives them
the chance to draft and
revise till they feel they
have created a final text.

computer skills are
placed together with
weaker ones so that
they can provide
scaffolding.

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