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Articles

<p>In the age of artificial intelligence, this is the million-dollar question:</p>

<blockquote>
<p>How can we prevent our students from cheating with AI tools?</p>
</blockquote>

<p>AI tools such as <strong>Google Bard</strong> and <strong>ChatGPT</strong> are freely available for everyone to use (and abuse).&nbsp;Within seconds, these tools can write emails, create stories, and give lists of useful vocabulary, so it&rsquo;s no wonder that students may be tempted to use AI&nbsp;to cheat on their language learning assignments.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In this blog post, I&rsquo;ll explore some ways to ensure learners use AI&nbsp;responsibly.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>1. Teach them to use it to help them learn</h2>

<p>I have been using ChatGPT recently to help me learn Spanish. I have found it invaluable as I can ask it to give me translations, corrections, linguistic tips, example texts, explanations, and even regional differences or recipes.&nbsp;</p>

<p>I have never used AI&nbsp;to write an email, text, or homework assignment for me because I am aware that doing so would not help me learn. This is much like if a teacher gives students the answer without allowing them the opportunity to find it for themselves.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Teaching students to develop their AI&nbsp;skills will help them to use it to aid learning and will reduce the risk of misuse.&nbsp;</p>

<p>I&rsquo;ve outlined some ways to develop learner autonomy and support language development using AI&nbsp;in this blog post: <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/developing-learner-autonomy-with-ai">Developing Learner Autonomy with AI</a>.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>2. Make them aware of the consequences</h2>

<p>I often found that when my students submitted work that was not their own, I could immediately tell.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Here&rsquo;s why:</p>

<ul>
	<li>Two (or more) students made exactly the same mistake&nbsp;(e.g., incorrect spelling).</li>
	<li>The work had no errors at all or minimal errors.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>They had used above-level language&nbsp;(e.g., a beginner using the word &quot;submit&quot;&nbsp;or the past perfect progressive).</li>
</ul>

<p>If the suspicious work was word-processed, I&rsquo;d often find myself copying and pasting it into a search engine to see what appeared. On occasion, I discovered that students had copied and pasted from websites.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Tools such as <a href="https://www.turnitin.com/" target="_blank">Turnitin</a> and <a href="https://www.grammarly.com/" target="_blank">Grammarly</a> can also detect plagiarism, but sadly can&rsquo;t yet tell if a text has been generated by AI.&nbsp;</p>

<p>I always found that making students aware of the consequences of cheating&nbsp;and how teachers can identify it had a strong impact. Not only might they fail or be removed from the course if they get caught, but also their language learning will remain at the same level, which is a big motivator for many learners.&nbsp;</p>

<p>At the end of the day, learners who cheat are only cheating themselves.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>3. Focus on the process</h2>

<p>One of the best ways to prevent learners from cheating is by designing assignments that make it impossible!&nbsp;</p>

<p>Some ways to do this are:&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li>Incorporating unique contexts or case studies that are not readily available online</li>
	<li>Personalizing tasks so that students must write about themselves</li>
	<li>Providing real and local examples where students need to add their own thoughts and ideas</li>
	<li>Using a combination of assessment tasks (e.g., presentations, blogs, interviews)</li>
</ul>

<p>At ElliiCon2023, Dr. Amin Davoodi advised teachers to use process writing strategies to ensure learners submit their own work. This involved:&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li>Writing a first draft of their work and submitting it to an AI&nbsp;tool for feedback</li>
	<li>Responding to the feedback and creating a second draft&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Submitting the final piece, drafts, and a copy of the AI&nbsp;prompts and responses&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

<p>The students are then learning to use AI&nbsp;to support their learning&nbsp;and the teacher is also reassured that the work is original.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Here is a sketchnote summarizing the key points of Dr.&nbsp;Davoodi&rsquo;s webinar:</p>

<p><img alt="Dr. Davoodi ElliiCon2023 session sketchnote by Emily Bryson" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/3466/content_Dr_Amin_Davoodi.jpg" /></p>

<p>It was absolutely fabulous, and I highly recommend you watch the full session to find out more (and why fridges can be scary)!</p>

<div class="videoWrapper"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/P_cwm_Hyc-8?si=ExY6g8JzN7oA84vx" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>You can watch other <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1mxLSUQDvw&amp;list=PLP0N5nuiA3aOIoCMzz9RNamAKTpqXQTvQ&amp;ab_channel=ElliiforTeachers%28formerlyESLLibrary%29 " target="_blank">AI-themed ElliiCon2023</a> sessions on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@elliiteachers" target="_blank"><strong>Ellii for Teachers</strong></a> YouTube channel. <strong>Subscribe</strong> so you don&#39;t miss a helpful video!</p>

<h3>Related</h3>

<h4><strong>Lessons</strong></h4>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/1679-artificial-intelligence">Artificial Intelligence</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/that-s-news-to-me/4579-when-chatbots-get-it-wrong" target="_blank">When Chatbots Get It Wrong</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/that-s-news-to-me/4500-tutoring-with-chatgpt" target="_blank">Tutoring with ChatGPT</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/4468-ai-generated-content">AI-Generated Content</a></li>
</ul>

<h4>Blog Posts</h4>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/10-practical-ways-teachers-can-excel-with-ai" target="_blank">Ten Practical Ways Teachers Can Excel with AI&nbsp;</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/blog/developing-learner-autonomy-with-ai" target="_blank">Developing Learner Autonomy with AI&nbsp;</a></li>
</ul>

<blockquote>
<p>What experience do you have of cheating and AI? What are your top tips for preventing it? We&rsquo;d love to hear your ideas.</p>
</blockquote>


How To Prevent Students from Cheating with AI

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Posts describing lessons or activities for the ESL classroom.

Activities

<p>Artificial intelligence (AI) has become the hottest topic of 2023. It exploded shortly after I submitted my <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/6-english-language-teaching-trends-in-2023" target="_blank">6 English Language Teaching Trends to Watch in 2023</a> post.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Who could have predicted just how much AI could change the world we live in, the way we teach, and the way our students learn? Not me!</p>

<p>There is always a fear that students use tools such as translation apps or AI to cheat on their assignments.&nbsp;However, harnessing AI&#39;s potential can be a fantastic way to learn a language.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In my last post, I wrote about <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/10-practical-ways-teachers-can-excel-with-ai" target="_blank">10 Practical Ways Teachers Can Excel with AI</a>. In this related post, I&rsquo;d like to explore ways teachers can show students how to become more autonomous by&nbsp;using&nbsp;AI tools like <a href="https://chat.openai.com/" target="_blank">ChatGPT</a> or <a href="https://bard.google.com/" target="_blank">Bard</a>&nbsp;responsibly.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<h2>1. Tricky questions</h2>

<p>AI chat tools are a wonderful, nonjudgmental&nbsp;source of information. They are perfect for asking difficult questions or queries that students may not feel confident to ask their classmates, teachers, or other English language users.&nbsp;</p>

<blockquote>
<p>For example, if a student is struggling with the difference between &quot;there,&quot; &quot;their,&quot;&nbsp;and &quot;they&rsquo;re,&quot;&nbsp;they could ask AI&nbsp;about it and receive a succinct, bullet-pointed response.&nbsp;</p>
</blockquote>

<p>To practice this in class, ask students to make a list of things they find difficult in English. Support them to ask an AI tool about one or two items on&nbsp;their list and then share the answers they received with the rest of the class.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>2. Error correction</h2>

<p>What we don&rsquo;t want is for students to ask AI to write entire essays, emails, or presentations for them. However, AI can give pretty accurate feedback on their written work or phrases they want to use.&nbsp;</p>

<p>For example, they could ask:&nbsp;</p>

<blockquote>
<p>Is this correct English?&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;<em>I hope that I will speaking English well.</em></p>
</blockquote>

<p>ChatGPT can provide a corrected version.&nbsp;</p>

<blockquote>
<p>The sentence that you provided is not grammatically correct. It should be:</p>

<p><em>I hope that I will speak English well.</em></p>
</blockquote>

<p>Students could then ask it to clarify the reason for any corrections.&nbsp;For example:&nbsp;</p>

<blockquote>
<p>Why is &quot;will speaking&quot;&nbsp;not correct?&nbsp;</p>
</blockquote>

<p>The AI tool can then offer an explanation that the student can explore further.&nbsp;</p>

<p>This error correction technique works best with short phrases, sentences, or paragraphs. Longer texts can be more complicated, but can still be helpful to higher-level or more confident learners.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>3. Translations</h2>

<p>Translation tools can often be quite literal in their translations. AI tools seem to have a better grasp of idiomatic language or regional language variations.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Students can ask AI to translate words or phrases from one language to another.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>4. Inspiration</h2>

<p>AI chat tools can provide simple writing frames for learners. If their homework is to write a letter of complaint, students could ask AI to give an example, some structural tips, and a few useful phrases.&nbsp;</p>

<p>For example, the prompt could be:&nbsp;</p>

<blockquote>
<p>I have to write a letter of complaint for my English homework. Can you give me an example? What do I need to include? What phrases might be useful?&nbsp;</p>
</blockquote>

<p>In this instance, make sure students are aware that they are only cheating themselves out of learning if they copy the example&nbsp;rather than use&nbsp;it for inspiration!</p>

<h2>5. Synonyms &amp; alternative phrases</h2>

<p>As students progress through the levels, they&rsquo;ll want to use a greater variety of lexical items. AI tools can provide a variety of rich language ideas.</p>

<p>For example, a prompt of &quot;How else can I say &lsquo;very good&rsquo;?&quot;&nbsp;returned the following responses on ChatGPT:&nbsp;</p>

<ol>
	<li>Excellent</li>
	<li>Outstanding</li>
	<li>Superb</li>
	<li>Impressive</li>
	<li>Exceptional</li>
	<li>Marvelous</li>
	<li>Terrific</li>
	<li>Wonderful</li>
	<li>Brilliant</li>
	<li>Splendid</li>
</ol>

<p>Students can also do this with phrases and longer expressions. Here are some suggestions to try in class:&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li>I was late.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>I don&rsquo;t understand.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>When is break time?&nbsp;</li>
	<li>What&rsquo;s the homework?&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Do we have class tomorrow?</li>
</ul>

<p>You could add an extra element of fun to this by asking students to predict what the chat tool might say and then comparing the responses.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>Learn more at ElliiCon2023</h2>

<p>If you loved this post, why not join us at <a href="https://ellii.com/conference/2023" target="_blank">ElliiCon2023, Ellii&#39;s FREE virtual conference</a> on September 14 and 15? We will be exploring <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/behind-the-scenes-choosing-the-theme-for-elliicon2023" target="_blank">Humanity &amp; Technology in ELT: Striking a Balance in the Age of AI</a>!</p>

<p>We&rsquo;ve got an all-star lineup with digital experts such as <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/elliicon2023-speaker-spotlight-nik-peachey" target="_blank">Nik Peachey</a>, <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/elliicon2023-speaker-spotlight-jamie-keddie" target="_blank">Jamie Keddie</a>, <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/elliicon2023-speaker-spotlight-charles-browne" target="_blank">Dr. Charles Browne</a>, <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/elliicon2023-speaker-spotlight-russell-stannard" target="_blank">Russell Stannard</a>, <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/elliicon2023-speaker-spotlight-dr-amin-davoodi" target="_blank">Dr. Amin Davoodi</a>, <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/elliicon2023-speaker-spotlight-angela-tribus-ramos" target="_blank">Angela Tribus Ramos</a>, and the fabulous Ellii crew: Tara Benwell, Ann Dickson, Tanya Trusler, Jen Artan, Lise Papineau,&nbsp;Ben Buckwold, and Eduardo Prause. Plus special guests <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/diego-boada/" target="_blank">Diego Boada</a>&mdash;instructional designer from the Catholic University&nbsp;of America&mdash;and Shelynn Riel and&nbsp;Anna Ciriani-Dean from the <a href="https://www.teacherthinkaloud.com/" target="_blank">Teacher Think-Aloud Podcast</a>!</p>

<p><a href="https://ellii.com/conference/2023" target="_blank">Sign up for free now!</a></p>

<blockquote>
<p>How do you use AI with your learners? We&rsquo;d love for you to share your own tips and activities.&nbsp;</p>
</blockquote>

<h2>Related Lessons</h2>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/1679-artificial-intelligence" target="_blank">Artificial Intelligence</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/4579-when-chatbots-get-it-wrong" target="_blank">When Chatbots Get It Wrong</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/that-s-news-to-me/4500-tutoring-with-chatgpt" target="_blank">Tutoring with ChatGPT</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/4468-ai-generated-content" target="_blank">AI-Generated Content</a></li>
</ul>


Developing Learner Autonomy with AI

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<p>When ChatGPT was released at the end of 2022, people around the world trialed it (and other AI tools) with awe and trepidation. There was surprise and admiration at the ease it could generate texts and find solutions to complex problems. There was also concern that students may misuse it for written tasks. And, of course, there was the little voice at the back of our heads saying, &quot;How long will my job exist?!&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<p>Personally, I like to believe that teaching roles are safe. AI is fabulous in many ways, but us teachers have empathy and creativity on our side! We&rsquo;re pretty awesome. And now we have AI to make us even more so!</p>

<p>In this post, I&rsquo;ll explore 10 ways that teachers can use AI to their advantage&nbsp;to make their teaching even more fabulous&nbsp;and&nbsp;save time!&nbsp;</p>

<h2>1.&nbsp;Example texts</h2>

<p>AI can generate texts for a specific topic, level, and language focus. These texts are not always super engaging or creative, but they&rsquo;re definitely functional. This can be really useful when you&rsquo;re rushing to cover a lesson&nbsp;or when your lesson goes off on a tangent and you want something tailored to the students&rsquo; needs immediately.&nbsp;</p>

<p>You can, of course, generate the text in class with the students&rsquo; input and have them rewrite it,&nbsp;or you can add your own unique style to it. And if you need comprehension tasks too, AI will also generate these&nbsp;with answers.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><img alt="AI prompt" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/3363/content_AI-1.png" /><br />
2.&nbsp;Lesson planning&nbsp;</h2>

<p>Planning what to teach is probably one of the most time-consuming tasks for teachers. Using Ellii materials is one of the simplest ways to reduce this time. A quick search of Ellii resources usually returns a number of options, but occasionally you&rsquo;ll be searching for something a bit more obscure.&nbsp;</p>

<p>This is when you can ask AI to plan your lesson for you! I was surprised just how comprehensive a lesson plan it provided.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><img alt="AI prompt" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/3364/content_Screen_Shot_2023-09-12_at_10.15.07_AM.png" /></h2>

<p>It gave the following information:&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&bull;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Objective<br />
&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&bull;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Level<br />
&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&bull;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Duration<br />
&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&bull;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Materials<br />
&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&bull;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Warm-up<br />
&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&bull;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Introduction activities<br />
&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&bull;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Vocabulary activities<br />
&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&bull;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Grammar activities<br />
&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&bull;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Discussion<br />
&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&bull;&nbsp; &nbsp; Final reflection<br />
&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&bull;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Homework tasks<br />
&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&bull;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Assessment ideas<br />
&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&bull;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Extension activity suggestion</p>

<h2>3.&nbsp; Extension activity ideas</h2>

<p>Finding the perfect activity to match the lesson topic can sometimes be tricky. AI chatbots, such as ChatGPT or Bard, can give suggestions.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Take this Ellii sample lesson on <a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/2719-online-privacy" target="_blank">Online Privacy</a>, for example. It&rsquo;s already pretty comprehensive with a reading text, comprehension questions, vocabulary review, discussion and debate topics, and a written task.&nbsp;Perhaps you want to review the topic in your next session with the class, but you&rsquo;re not sure how.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><img alt="AI Prompt" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/3365/content_Screen_Shot_2023-09-12_at_10.15.14_AM.png" /></h2>

<p>These prompts returned the following activity suggestions:&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li>A debate (which students would already have done)</li>
	<li>A role-play for a data breach response team (sounds fun)</li>
	<li>A news report about an online privacy scandal (intriguing)</li>
</ul>

<h2>4.&nbsp; Homework ideas</h2>

<p>Much like extension activities for inside the classroom, AI tools can help you create and select tasks for outside the classroom. Asking for a specific number of tasks will provide you with a selection of options to choose from.&nbsp;</p>

<p><img alt="" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/3369/content_Screen_Shot_2023-09-12_at_10.25.05_AM.png" />This prompt gave the following ideas on the topic of &quot;accidents&quot;:&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&bull;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Accident story rewrite: Rewrite a story about an accident they or someone else had.<br />
&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&bull;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Accident timeline: Draw a timeline with key moments. Write sentences to describe each one.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&bull;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Accident interview: Interview someone about an accident they or someone else had.</p>

<h2>5.&nbsp; &nbsp;Vocabulary lists</h2>

<p>One of the things I love most about Ellii is that you can create your own flashcard deck. With <a href="https://ellii.com/media/flashcards" target="_blank">4,500+ flashcards</a> to choose from, deciding which words to focus on can sometimes be a challenge.&nbsp;</p>

<p>You could use one of Ellii&rsquo;s lessons for inspiration, or you could ask an AI tool for ideas.&nbsp;</p>

<p><img alt="AI Prompt" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/3366/content_Screen_Shot_2023-09-12_at_10.15.26_AM.png" /></p>

<h2>6.&nbsp;Mnemonic ideas</h2>

<p>Spelling in English is notoriously difficult, so we need to give students strategies to help them remember. <strong>Mnemonics</strong> are a great way to do this, but they can be tricky to create, especially at lower levels when vocabulary is limited.&nbsp;</p>

<p>I used this prompt with ChatGPT:&nbsp;</p>

<p><img alt="AI Prompt" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/3367/content_Screen_Shot_2023-09-12_at_10.15.32_AM.png" /></p>

<p>It suggested <strong>&quot;Funny Rabbits In Every Neighborhood Dance,&quot;</strong>&nbsp;which is pretty good. Though I feel that &quot;neighborhood&quot;&nbsp;might be a bit difficult for some learners. I&rsquo;d perhaps change it to <strong>&quot;Funny Rabbit Is Eating New Dinner&quot;</strong>&nbsp;or work together with the students to create their own, using AI to help them.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>7.&nbsp; Apply for a job</h2>

<p>AI can provide helpful support with creating CVs, cover&nbsp;letters, or personal statements. You can enter your specification, plus your skills, qualities, and experience, and ask it to generate text suited to you.&nbsp;</p>

<p>It&rsquo;s obviously wise to use the generated text as a guide and to add your own personality!</p>

<p><img alt="AI Prompt" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/3368/content_Screen_Shot_2023-09-12_at_10.15.37_AM.png" /></p>

<h2>8.&nbsp; Answer tricky questions</h2>

<p>We&rsquo;ve all been there. That moment when a student asks you something really hard and you think, &quot;I have no idea!&quot;</p>

<p>We can always throw these questions back at the class and see if another student can provide the answer&nbsp;or <strong>swot up</strong> (British English slang&nbsp;meaning <em>study intensively</em>)&nbsp;on the topic before the next class.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Now teachers can sneakily ask AI during a quiet moment in class&nbsp;or get students involved in creating their own AI prompt to find the answer.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>9.&nbsp; Give feedback</h2>

<p>Teachers can copy and paste students&rsquo; written work into AI chatbots and ask them to grade it or give feedback. The tools can give advice on grammar, vocabulary, style, punctuation, and structuring. Teachers can then decide which suggestions they&rsquo;d like to share with the learner.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Alternatively, teachers can do this with the student present to show learners how to use AI to improve their own work.&nbsp;</p>

<h2>10. Support learner autonomy</h2>

<p>Training students to use AI effectively can help them be more self-directed and ensure that they&rsquo;re not tempted to submit AI-generated work instead of their own. This reduces the time that teachers spend checking homework so they can&nbsp;support learners in other ways. Here is a related post on <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/developing-learner-autonomy-with-ai" target="_blank">Developing Learner Autonomy with AI</a>.</p>

<p>Did you know #Elliicon2023 is AI-themed this year? We have some incredible speakers who will be exploring humanity and technology in ELT. <a href="https://ellii.com/conference/2023" target="_blank">Join us for free on&nbsp;September 14 and 15!</a></p>

<blockquote>
<p>How do you use AI to help you as a teacher? We&rsquo;d love to know how you&rsquo;re using it! Share your ideas in the comments.&nbsp;</p>
</blockquote>

<h2>Related Lessons</h2>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/that-s-news-to-me/4579-when-chatbots-get-it-wrong" target="_blank">When Chatbots Get It Wrong</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/lessons/that-s-news-to-me/4500-tutoring-with-chatgpt" target="_blank">Tutoring with ChatGPT</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/4468-ai-generated-content" target="_blank">AI-Generated Content</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://app.ellii.com/lesson/1679-artificial-intelligence">Artificial Intelligence</a></li>
</ul>


10 Practical Ways Teachers Can Excel with AI

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Learn how to make the most of your Ellii subscription with tips from our publishing team.

Teaching with Ellii

<p>As Ellii&rsquo;s Chief Impact Officer, I&rsquo;ve enjoyed a long and passionate career in the EdTech space.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Starting in the mid &lsquo;80s when email in schools didn&rsquo;t exist, I&rsquo;ve observed the transformation and impact technology can have on the education sector. Some EdTech tools are great at giving teachers flexibility over their courseware, personalizing student learning, and driving student outcomes. Others leave much to be desired.</p>

<p>Many of us tend to go for the latest EdTech tool on the market thinking that new means better. But if there&rsquo;s one thing I&rsquo;ve learned throughout the years it&rsquo;s that just because an EdTech tool is new, colorful, and game-based doesn&rsquo;t mean it&rsquo;s <strong>engaging</strong>, <strong>user-friendly</strong>, or <strong>effective</strong> for teachers and their students.&nbsp;</p>

<p>So how do you know which digital learning tool to choose?&nbsp;</p>

<p>To help you identify the right EdTech tool for your school or district, it&rsquo;s important to ask the following questions:</p>

<ol>
	<li data-stringify-border="0" data-stringify-indent="0">Does the tool really focus on <strong>what teachers value</strong> and will actually use? Or does it try to be the solution for everything?</li>
	<li data-stringify-border="0" data-stringify-indent="0">Does the tool promote <a href="https://edtechdigest.blog/2014/04/04/concept-mastery/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">concept mastery</a> and does it correlate with the student&rsquo;s academic success?</li>
	<li data-stringify-border="0" data-stringify-indent="0">Does the tool heighten&nbsp;<a data-remove-tab-index="true" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-stringify-link="https://eleducation.org/resources/collaborative-culture-academic-talk" delay="150" href="https://eleducation.org/resources/collaborative-culture-academic-talk" rel="noopener noreferrer" tabindex="-1" target="_blank">academic conversations</a>&nbsp;and leverage existing knowledge?</li>
	<li data-stringify-border="0" data-stringify-indent="0">Does the tool support <strong>learning design</strong> for both the teacher and the student?</li>
</ol>

<h2>EdTech Tools Should Leave Room for Teacher-Student Interactions</h2>

<p>No matter which tool you go with, <strong>teacher interaction </strong>still remains incredibly important when it comes to personalized learning. When a teacher is less involved in their students&rsquo; learning journey, students tend to disengage, regardless of platform interactivity.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Now more than ever, students are craving connection and meaningful learning experiences where teachers can guide knowledge transfer.</p>

<h2>Choose an EdTech Tool That Makes Your Teachers Feel Valued</h2>

<p>In addition to facilitating a positive learning experience between teachers and students, a good EdTech tool should also make your teachers feel<strong> recognized</strong> and <strong>valued</strong>.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
English language teachers value EdTech tools that...</p>

<ul>
	<li>provide students with interesting and relevant content</li>
	<li>use the advantages of technology to enhance reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills</li>
	<li>are simple to use</li>
	<li>provide teachers with high-quality, ready-made lessons and the flexibility to modify as needed</li>
	<li>have multimodal assessment tools, such as the ability to record feedback (this is faster than writing, more personal, and builds students&rsquo; English listening skills)</li>
	<li>can be used at home and at school, and includes both digital and paper-based options</li>
	<li>gives students and teachers agency, allowing for teacher and student-driven experiences (e.g., the option to activate learning tools, like <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/how-to-use-microsoft-immersive-reader-on-ellii" target="_blank">Immersive Reader</a>, or not based on needs)</li>
</ul>

<p>Above all, a good EdTech tool should give teachers and students meaningful and personalized control&mdash;not just choice&mdash;over their teaching and learning.</p>

<p>Valuable learning tools&nbsp;like <a href="https://ellii.com/" target="_blank">Ellii</a>&nbsp;recognize that every classroom, teacher, and student is unique and has different needs.</p>

<div class="white-box">
<h5>Ready to get started with Ellii?</h5>

<p>If you&#39;re a teacher or part of a school, please contact Lei at <a href="mailto:lei@ellii.com">lei@ellii.com</a>. If you&#39;re from a district or an adult education organization, please contact Mari at <a href="mailto:mari@ellii.com">mari@ellii.com</a>.</p>
</div>


How to Choose the Right EdTech Tool for Your School or District

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Tour around the ELT conference circuit as our team shares conference highlights and session reviews.

Conferences

<p>From January 25 to 28, ESL&nbsp;Library attended the 2022 <a href="http://www.fetc.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Future of Education Technology⁠⁠&reg; Conference</a>&nbsp;(FETC) as an exhibitor! FETC takes place in Orlando, Florida, and explores how technology is shaping the future of education. We chatted with Ken Volcjak, our Director of Strategic Partnerships, and asked him a few questions about his time at FETC. Here&rsquo;s what he had to&nbsp;say.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>MELISSA: What&#39;s your history with FETC? Have you been to an FETC conference&nbsp;before?</strong></p>

<p>KEN: Actually, this was the first time I&rsquo;ve attended FETC in person. I&rsquo;ve known about the conference for years and the excellent reputation it carries as a crossroads for (predominantly) US and Canada-focused EdTech knowledge sharing and dealmaking. In years past, I&rsquo;ve unfortunately had timing conflicts with other conferences or other obligations, so I&rsquo;m incredibly happy to have been able to finally attend this&nbsp;year!</p>

<p><strong>MELISSA: Why was it important for the ESL Library team to attend the FETC&nbsp;conference?</strong></p>

<p>KEN: Visibility as an exhibitor at FETC immediately elevates your status in the EdTech industry. It speaks to the dedication and passion your company places on innovative, balanced, and proper application of technology solutions to the betterment of teaching and learning outcomes. So, our booth presence alone, expertly managed by our amazing team, placed us in a very positive, visible&nbsp;light.</p>

<p><strong>MELISSA: Can you set the FETC stage for us? How was the conference set&nbsp;up?</strong></p>

<p>KEN: The stage at FETC was arranged in&nbsp;similar fashion to many&nbsp;conferences:&nbsp;</p>

<ol>
	<li>Hundreds of (typically) one-hour sessions offered up&nbsp;a multitude of EdTech-related topics&nbsp;spread out over the course of four&nbsp;days.</li>
	<li>A large Expo Hall was&nbsp;open for three days where hundreds of companies displayed their various EdTech solutions to an audience of teachers and administrators. Of particular note, the ESL Library booth looked incredible&mdash;very bright, fun, and super inviting. Equally important, it was well placed. Our team secured a primo spot near the hall entrance with close proximity to the main&nbsp;sponsor, <a href="https://www.prometheanworld.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Promethean</a>, so that helped immensely in steering traffic to ESL&nbsp;Library.</li>
</ol>

<p><img alt="ESL Library booth at the FETC 2022 conference" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/2066/content_esl-library-booth-fetc-conference.jpg" /></p>

<p><strong>MELISSA: What sessions did you attend? What were some of the key takeaways from those&nbsp;sessions?</strong></p>

<p>KEN: I managed to attend several sessions in between meetings and researching companies in the Expo Hall. Here&rsquo;s a&nbsp;sampling:</p>

<ul>
	<li>&ldquo;Immersive Reader is Everywhere&rdquo;
	<ul>
		<li><strong>Key Takeaway:</strong> Immersive Reader is an amazing tool for ELLs. It checks several boxes for accessibility and is easy to&nbsp;integrate.</li>
	</ul>
	</li>
	<li>&ldquo;Interoperability: EdTech Stuff Should Just Work Together&rdquo;
	<ul>
		<li><strong>Key Takeaway:</strong> There are still multiple education data standards floating out there for US K&ndash;12. We need to keep our finger constantly on the pulse of this topic to determine which/when to&nbsp;implement.</li>
	</ul>
	</li>
	<li>&ldquo;A District LOR Solution to Support Flexible Digital Lesson Design&rdquo;
	<ul>
		<li><strong>Key Takeaway:</strong> Some companies, such as <a href="https://www.safarimontage.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">SAFARI Montage</a>, are creating large-scale (i.e.,&nbsp;state-wide) content distribution solutions using a Learning Object Repository (LOR) that&#39;s&nbsp;cloud-hosted by <a href="https://azure.microsoft.com/en-ca/free/search/?&amp;ef_id=CjwKCAiAo4OQBhBBEiwA5KWu_99C_XOjUrToxlCPun6kz-2TPUrzKr7-kMdHFPSi9dEyQAjODojvjhoCNpEQAvD_BwE:G:s&amp;OCID=AID2200157_SEM_CjwKCAiAo4OQBhBBEiwA5KWu_99C_XOjUrToxlCPun6kz-2TPUrzKr7-kMdHFPSi9dEyQAjODojvjhoCNpEQAvD_BwE:G:s&amp;gclid=CjwKCAiAo4OQBhBBEiwA5KWu_99C_XOjUrToxlCPun6kz-2TPUrzKr7-kMdHFPSi9dEyQAjODojvjhoCNpEQAvD_BwE" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Microsoft Azure</a>.</li>
	</ul>
	</li>
	<li>&ldquo;Leadership + Innovation + ELLs = Vocabulary Achievement&rdquo;
	<ul>
		<li><strong>Key Takeaway:</strong> As we create tools and activities focused specifically on vocabulary acquisition, it&rsquo;s helpful to consider a semantic reasoning approach as evidenced in products such as <a href="https://infercabulary.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">InferCabulary</a>, whereby students acquire an understanding of words in multiple contexts, mimicking to some extent how young children first acquire vocabulary understanding in their native&nbsp;language.</li>
	</ul>
	</li>
</ul>

<p><strong>MELISSA:</strong> <strong>What session was your favorite and&nbsp;why?</strong></p>

<p>KEN: There were a lot of great sessions, but I think my favorite was coined &ldquo;No Questions Should Go Unanswered.&rdquo; This session was hosted by <a href="https://paper.co/" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Paper</a>, a fast-growing startup, that&nbsp;provides 24/7 academic support to help students with what they need, when they need it. Especially recognizing the degree of unfinished learning caused by&nbsp;the pandemic, this represents a solution for many school districts struggling to catch up and level the playing field for their student body, including large ELL&nbsp;populations.&nbsp;</p>

<p><img alt="ESL Library Team selfie photo and booth at the FETC 2022 conference" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/2067/content_esl-library-team-booth-fetc-conference.jpg" /></p>

<p><strong>MELISSA:</strong> <strong>What was the best part about the FETC&nbsp;conference?</strong></p>

<p>KEN: There were so many super positive aspects of the conference, but I have to say that the best part of the conference was to finally meet in person and work alongside some of my amazing ESL Library colleagues! Video conferencing technology has come a long way, but there&rsquo;s still a dimension that can&rsquo;t be replaced by in-person exchanges. I hope there will be more opportunities in the future for such interactions within the&nbsp;company!</p>

<p><strong>MELISSA: Is there anything else you&rsquo;d like to share about FETC?</strong></p>

<p>KEN: There is one other item that should be illuminated. ESL&nbsp;Library&rsquo;s attendance at FETC this year was an incredibly smooth, professional, and highly successful endeavor for the company. Rightfully, huge kudos need to be extended to everyone who was on the ground in Orlando, the team orchestrating all of the logistics behind the scenes, everyone involved with the continual betterment of our incredible content and platform, and those providing second to none service to our customers. I know I left the conference with a great sense of pride for what we&rsquo;ve accomplished, but also immense optimism for the plethora of opportunities that lie ahead&mdash;and that&rsquo;s attributable to EVERYONE on the awesome ESL Library team. Thanks, all!</p>

<div class="whiteBox"><span class="label hangingLabel">Related Lesson</span>

<p class="circleThumb"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/72/lessons/2120"><img alt="a touchscreen with a map on the screen" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/2032/content_72_classrooms-of-the-future.png" /></a></p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/72/lessons/2120" target="_blank">Classrooms of the Future</a></h2>

<p>In this lesson, students discuss the effects of technology and what school might look like in the future. In addition to discussion questions, this lesson also includes a vocabulary review and a group&nbsp;task.</p>
</div>

<p>Did you attend this year&rsquo;s FETC conference? If you went, share your FETC reflections in the comments&nbsp;below!</p>


Our 2022 FETC Reflections

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<p>From January 25 to 28, ESL Library will be attending the 2022 <a href="http://www.fetc.org/" target="_blank">Future of Education Technology&reg; Conference</a>&nbsp;(FETC) as an exhibitor! FETC takes place in Orlando, Florida, and explores how technology is shaping the future of education. We chatted with Mari Lasnetski, our Chief Impact Officer, and asked her a few questions about FETC. Here&rsquo;s what she had to say.</p>

<p><strong>MELISSA: What&#39;s your history with FETC?</strong></p>

<p>MARI: I&#39;ve been attending FETC for over 20 years. It has truly become a gathering place for the most innovative education leaders from around the world. &nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>MELISSA: Why is it important for the ESL Library team to attend the FETC conference?</strong></p>

<p>MARI: I&#39;ve gone to FETC as both an attendee and a vendor. Whether I attended as an attendee or as a vendor, it has always been a collaborative place; a time for exploring best practices and important topics that are top of mind to education leaders. It&#39;s a fully engaging experience. &nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>MELISSA: What have been some of your biggest takeaways from past FETC conferences?</strong></p>

<p>MARI: I always leave FETC with a more precise notion of what is really important to education leaders. I develop professionally by learning from pioneers in the educational technology space. It&#39;s also an opportunity to reconnect with friends and make new lifelong professional friends that are as passionate as I am about educational technology.</p>

<p><strong>MELISSA:</strong> <strong>What are you most looking forward to about the 2022 FETC conference?</strong></p>

<p>MARI: I&rsquo;m looking forward to heading down those escalators and feeling the energy and anticipation that starts&nbsp;to creep up as soon as the venue opens its doors. Then the fun, reconnecting, and learning begin!</p>

<div class="whiteBox"><span class="label hangingLabel">Related Lesson</span>

<p class="circleThumb"><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/72/lessons/2120"><img alt="a touchscreen with a map on the screen" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/2032/content_72_classrooms-of-the-future.png" /></a></p>

<h2><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/72/lessons/2120">Classrooms of the Future</a></h2>

<p>In this lesson, students discuss the effects of technology and what school might look like in the future. In addition to discussion questions, this lesson also includes a vocabulary review and a group task.</p>
</div>

<p>Are you attending this year&rsquo;s FETC conference? If you&rsquo;re going, let us know what you&rsquo;re most excited about in the comments below!</p>


ESL Library at the 2022 FETC Conference

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<p>January 6 is National Technology Day. National Technology Day celebrates the world&rsquo;s technological achievements and explores how technology positively impacts our daily lives. In honor of this day, we&rsquo;re celebrating the ESL Library platform and recognizing the hard work that goes into it. We chatted with Eduardo, our CTO, and asked him a few questions about the technology behind our platform. Here&rsquo;s what he had to say:</p>

<p>MELISSA: <strong>How has the ESL Library platform changed over the years?</strong></p>

<p>EDUARDO: Over our 20 years in the industry, the technology behind ESL Library has changed a lot. Our engineering team grew exponentially, ensuring we can build a better, more complete, and more reliable system. We are running on more powerful servers&nbsp;so every class can be taught without delay. Our software is built using the latest development frameworks, giving our team the ability to incorporate the best techniques and newest technologies to our platform in order to deliver the best experience to teachers and students.</p>

<p>MELISSA: <strong>What have been some of the biggest challenges?</strong></p>

<p>EDUARDO: The increased demand caused by the pandemic was both a blessing and a curse. Scaling up our servers to support 10x its usual traffic was not an easy task, and the team had to work around the clock to make sure the system was working properly. We are all humans, and even with the uncertainty of those moments&mdash;with our personal and professional lives being affected&mdash;the team had&nbsp;the massive change that was happening for educators and learners around the world in mind. We knew every second was important and wanted to help our users making this transition easier, as much as we could.</p>

<p>MELISSA: <strong>What are you most proud of?</strong></p>

<p>EDUARDO: I am proud to be creating technology that aims to empower teachers, not replace them. Education is what drives the world towards a better future, and it should never lose its human touch, its collaborative aspect. A computer will never be able to understand and enlighten a student mind as well as a teacher can. A computer can, however, assist a human teacher to accomplish their mission in the best possible way.</p>

<p>MELISSA: <strong>What will the ESL Library platform look like in the future?</strong></p>

<p>EDUARDO: We are working towards making ESL Library easier to use, more accessible, more personalized, and more insightful. We are looking forward to making ESL Library even better with the numerous features, integrations, games, and real-time activities we have planned.</p>

<p>Teachers, how does technology positively impact your life? What are some of your favorite technologies? How do you use the ESL Library platform and what is your favorite part about it? We&rsquo;d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.</p>


Celebrating the ESL Library Platform for National Technology Day

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Learn tips on how to teach grammar and usage from our editors and grammar experts. 

Grammar & Usage

Discover what's new or coming soon, including upcoming lessons and resources and product feature updates. 

Announcements

<p><strong>Update 09/2023: Please note that our company name and platform has changed a lot since 2020. You will find all our video content in Ellii&#39;s <a href="https://ellii.com/media/videos">Media Gallery</a>.</strong><br />
&nbsp;</p>

<p>ESL Library now has video content! Videos provide English language learners with many benefits, and they are a great way to increase student engagement and comprehension.</p>

<p>You can watch our Simple Present video here on the blog. Read on to learn more about the videos we currently offer and the ways they can enhance your&nbsp;class!</p>

<div class="videoWrapper"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/429774530" width="640"></iframe></div>

<h1>Grammar Videos</h1>

<p>Our Simple Present video is available to watch above, but you will also find it in the Video Intro task for the&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons/2403">Simple Present</a> lesson in our&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/courses/88/lessons">Grammar Practice Worksheets</a> section.</p>

<p>Take a look at the&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/folders/published/69792">ESL Library Videos Folder</a> for a complete list of the grammar videos we currently have available. We&#39;re adding more every&nbsp;month!</p>

<p><a href="https://ellii.com/pricing">Plus</a> members&nbsp;can play our videos in a live class or an online class using a shared screen. Our videos are also&nbsp;assignable as homework tasks.</p>

<p>To play a video in a live or online class, click on the Task Player on the grammar lesson landing page. Within the Task Player,&nbsp;start the Video Intro task. For more info, see <a href="https://help.ellii.com/article/200-how-to-broadcast-tasks">How to Broadcast Tasks</a>.</p>

<p><img alt="" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1045/content_Screen_Shot_2020-10-28_at_10.55.02_AM.png" /></p>

<p><img alt="" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1046/content_Screen_Shot_2020-10-28_at_10.57.01_AM.png" /></p>

<p>To assign a video as homework or to send it to students&rsquo; own devices in class, click on the Assignment Manager&nbsp;on the grammar lesson landing page and choose who to assign it to. For more info, see <a href="https://help.ellii.com/article/122-how-to-assign-digital-homework">How to Assign Digital Homework</a> and&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/blog/how-to-assign-grammar-tasks-online">How to Assign Grammar Tasks&nbsp;Online</a>.</p>

<p><img alt="" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/1047/content_Screen_Shot_2020-10-28_at_10.58.13_AM.png" /></p>

<h1>Benefits of Grammar Videos</h1>

<p>Our grammar videos:</p>

<ul>
	<li>make learning grammar fun (which is often a&nbsp;challenge!)</li>
	<li>offer a condensed version of our comprehensive grammar&nbsp;notes</li>
	<li>can be used for multiple levels and&nbsp;ages</li>
	<li>appeal to all types of learners (especially visual and auditory&nbsp;learners)</li>
	<li>provide the opportunity for students to strengthen multiple skill sets (grammar, listening, reading, and pronunciation in some cases)</li>
	<li>offer a more engaging way to present the grammar notes/explanation of a&nbsp;target</li>
	<li>show grammatical forms, functions, and patterns visually to aid&nbsp;comprehension</li>
	<li>show animated images of examples to really drive a target&nbsp;home</li>
	<li>help learners comprehend and retain info better than a text-only presentation</li>
</ul>

<h1>More Video Content</h1>

<p>Videos can do a lot more than clarify&nbsp;a grammar target! Videos can bring a dialogue to life or shed light on difficult concepts and vocabulary. They also make tasks more engaging and can facilitate conversation. Our video development team is busy creating videos for&nbsp;the following sections:</p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/76/lessons">Everyday Dialogues</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/72/lessons">Discussion Starters</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/131/lessons">Phonics Stories</a></li>
	<li><a href="https://ellii.com/courses/93/lessons">Holidays &amp; Events</a></li>
</ul>

<p>For a complete list of the videos we currenly have on our site, see the&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/folders/published/69792">ESL Library Videos Folder</a>.</p>

<h1>Feedback &amp; Requests</h1>

<p>We have so many ideas for future videos, but we&rsquo;d also love to hear yours! Teacher feedback and requests have always guided what we do at ESL&nbsp;Library, and our videos will be no&nbsp;exception.</p>

<p>What would you like to see in terms of video content on our site? Drop us a line or leave a comment below. We&rsquo;d love to hear from&nbsp;you!</p>

<p><em>PS. Did you know that we have many teacher-training videos already available? Check out our <a href="https://help.ellii.com/collection/1-how-to-videos">Help Docs video section</a> for demos and guidance on the content and features of our&nbsp;site.</em></p>


Introducing Videos on ESL Library

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<h1>Google Classroom Integration</h1>

<p>Are you using Google Classroom to communicate with your students? We&rsquo;ve launched the first phase of our Google Classroom integration. You can now post ESL&nbsp;Library assignments directly to Google Classroom so that your students can access all of your assignments in one place. Here&rsquo;s a quick&nbsp;demo.</p>

<div class="videoWrapper"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lWwONcT-VGs?si=ptvF9zQ21YQGUVvS" width="560"></iframe></div>

<p>Watch for further integrations coming soon, including the ability to import your Google Classroom classes and students directly to the ESL&nbsp;Library platform.</p>


How to Post ESL Library Assignments on Google Classroom

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<blockquote>
<p>&ldquo;We learn geology the morning after the&nbsp;earthquake.&rdquo;</p>

<p class="attribution">&mdash;Ralph Waldo Emerson</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Metaphorically speaking, I suspect we all feel as if we&rsquo;ve taken a crash course in geology after the current earthquake struck earlier this year. For many of us, both teachers and students, we approached this crash course in &ldquo;geology&rdquo; (aka, distance learning) with both excitement and trepidation. We were eager to succeed in our new endeavor&nbsp;but also realized how much we had to learn about this new&nbsp;&ldquo;science.&rdquo;</p>

<p>The technical challenges came&nbsp;first:</p>

<ul>
	<li>How to navigate a virtual&nbsp;platform</li>
	<li>How to make students comfortable online (see our earlier post on <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/virtual-icebreakers">5&nbsp;Virtual&nbsp;Icebreakers</a>)</li>
	<li>How to assign online homework (see our <a href="https://help.ellii.com/article/122-how-to-assign-digital-homework">Help Doc</a> that explains how to assign ESL&nbsp;Library&rsquo;s digital&nbsp;tasks)</li>
</ul>

<p>These were the basic skills for online instruction. In my case, my students and I tackled them with a mixture of trial, error, and (on our good days) humor. We are now fairly connected and comfortable with the online framework&mdash;at least we generally know what to&nbsp;expect.</p>

<p>But now, many weeks later, I am discovering a new set of challenges in my&nbsp;classes:</p>

<ul>
	<li>How to keep students&nbsp;motivated</li>
	<li>How to encourage student&nbsp;attendance</li>
</ul>

<p>Let&rsquo;s face it&mdash;keeping students motivated and engaged through distance learning is sometimes hard. Add a pandemic to the mix, and this challenge can feel overwhelming, if not impossible. Yet teachers are given the task to do just that. As my own students&rsquo; attendance to our class&rsquo;s Zoom meeting became erratic&mdash;and during some weeks, rather sparse&mdash;I&nbsp; had to reconsider my online teaching methods. I&rsquo;d like to share a few of my observations about the importance of relevance, flexibility, and&nbsp;feedback.</p>

<h2>Relevance</h2>

<p>Perhaps you&rsquo;ve opened your textbook to the unit that is slated for this week on the syllabus only to find that it concerns travel: <em>Did you take a vacation last year? Where did you go? How did you get there?</em> There is nothing wrong with the lesson&mdash;it teaches valuable question-and-answer structures&mdash;but it falls flat. Students may not be interested in talking about last year&rsquo;s travels; they are preoccupied with this year&rsquo;s&nbsp;problems.</p>

<p>Our lives have been affected by the pandemic in unexpected ways. Many students have found themselves unemployed and under tremendous stress, wondering how they will pay the bills. In many cases, they are suddenly responsible for homeschooling their children, and their schedules have been&nbsp;upended.</p>

<p>An English class can be a break from these concerns, but it also needs to acknowledge that these events are all taking place. The class needs to connect to students&rsquo; current lives. Here at ESL&nbsp;Library, we have been working hard to keep students engaged with relevant materials in a number of our lesson categories: <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/feelings-coronavirus">Expressing Feelings During the Coronavirus Outbreak</a> (blog post); <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/113/lessons/3249">COVID‑19</a> (Word Bank);&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/courses/95/lessons/3247">The Coronavirus (COVID‑19)</a>&nbsp;and <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/95/lessons/3302">Contact Tracing</a> (Health Matters); and <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/72/lessons/3238">Pandemics</a>, <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/72/lessons/3250">Social Distancing</a>, and <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/72/lessons/3285">Scams</a> (Discussion Starters). You can also find a lesson about the <a href="https://ellii.com/courses/82/lessons/3286">World Health Organization</a> in our Famous Things&nbsp;section.</p>

<p>Of course, everything in class doesn&rsquo;t need to be about the pandemic, but acknowledging it in some way in every class will validate students&rsquo; feelings as they navigate this&nbsp;crisis.</p>

<h2>Flexibility</h2>

<p>If you teach adults like I do, you have no doubt found that just finding a time to hold a class session is tough now that students&rsquo; lives have been upended. Suddenly, the hours between 9 and 11&nbsp;am on Mondays and Wednesdays might no longer belong to students for their own&nbsp;education.</p>

<p>Changing class times is not always possible, but to insist that 9 to 11&nbsp;am on Mondays and Wednesdays is the only time for class is to ignore one of the advantages of distance learning:&nbsp;flexibility.</p>

<p>My solution has been to adapt my class times in two&nbsp;ways:</p>

<ul>
	<li>First, instead of teaching one class for two hours, I teach the same (shorter) class twice. Two hours is a long time for a single online class, and the shorter class keeps students fresher and more engaged. More importantly, though, offering two times for the class gives students slightly more flexibility to fit their class into their current situation. This solution is not available in all educational systems, but it is worth exploring when&nbsp;possible.</li>
	<li>Second, I have begun carving out some time from scheduled classes in order to offer a new weekly or biweekly class session at odd times. This might be 30&nbsp;minutes in late afternoon or early evening or on a different morning. In these cases, this session is not the same as a regular class&mdash;it focuses on only one language&nbsp;skill.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Feedback</h2>

<p>Many of us can relate to this experience: You&rsquo;re the one speaking in an online gathering, and you finish what you have to say. You pause and expect someone to respond, but there is just silence. It is disconcerting. Others might be listening, but we want confirmation. We need a&nbsp;response.</p>

<p>This need for a response is true for teaching and learning online as a whole, not just in a single virtual conversation. But more than in physical classrooms, teachers in virtual classrooms need to be deliberate in acknowledging students&rsquo; work and in giving direct and prompt feedback. If students do not sense that their assignments are being read&mdash;if the feedback loop is not overtly completed&mdash;their motivation will quickly decline. Fortunately, you can now leave comments on all scorable digital task types on ESL&nbsp;Library&rsquo;s digital platform. (Learn more about this feature&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/blog/how-to-leave-comments-on-student-homework">here</a>.)</p>

<p>We welcome your own reflections on ways to increase student motivation. Remember that motivation is not for students alone. Teacher motivation is equally important. If I look at what keeps me motivated as a teacher, it is the effort to make connections and to foster students in connecting to a new language and a new culture&mdash;no matter what the circumstances, whether in the physical or the virtual&nbsp;classroom.</p>

<blockquote>
<p>&ldquo;Motivation is the art of getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do&nbsp;it.&rdquo;</p>

<p class="attribution">&mdash;Dwight D. Eisenhower</p>
</blockquote>


How to Keep Students Motivated During Distance Learning

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<h1>11 Digital&nbsp;Task Types</h1>

<p>To digitize our 1,000+ <a href="https://ellii.com/lessons">lessons and resources</a>, the publishing team is currently using 11 different task types. The task types and corresponding results are designed specifically for English learners and teachers and built by ESL&nbsp;Library&rsquo;s talented designers and engineers. All digital tasks and features are mobile friendly for you and your&nbsp;students.</p>

<p>The task type name is now available for teachers to see underneath the title of each digital task when a lesson or resource is open on a digital&nbsp;tab.</p>

<p><img alt="Screenshot showing a list of tasks and their task types" src="https://esllibrary.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/ckeditor/pictures/291/content_Screen_Shot_2020-05-13_at_9.08.24_AM.png" /></p>

<h1>Demos of Digital Task&nbsp;Types</h1>

<p>Here are video demos for teachers that show how each of our existing task types looks for you and your&nbsp;students:</p>

<ol>
	<li><a href="https://help.ellii.com/article/229-read-listen">Reference</a>: a multipurpose, non-scoreable instructional task type (Read &amp; Listen, Grammar Notes, Warm-Up/Discussion Questions,&nbsp;etc.)</li>
	<li><a href="https://help.ellii.com/article/230-dialogue">Dialogue</a>: a non-scorable task type for reading and listening to&nbsp;dialogues</li>
	<li><a href="https://help.ellii.com/article/238-image-match">Image Match</a>: a vocabulary preview or review task with&nbsp;visuals</li>
	<li><a href="https://help.ellii.com/article/239-matching">Matching</a>: a text-only vocabulary preview or review&nbsp;task</li>
	<li><a href="https://help.ellii.com/article/235-see-spell">See &amp; Spell</a>: a low-level, vocabulary-building task that is not case sensitive and often includes&nbsp;audio</li>
	<li><a href="https://help.ellii.com/article/237-open-ended-questions">Open-Ended Questions</a>: a written response task or assessment with optional feedback and ratings (suggested answers available where&nbsp;applicable)</li>
	<li><a href="https://help.ellii.com/article/231-listen-type">Type in the Blanks</a>: a case-sensitive task used for listening practice (Listen &amp; Type), sentence completion, grammar/vocabulary practice, and&nbsp;assessment</li>
	<li><a href="https://help.ellii.com/article/240-true-or-false">True or False</a>: a reading comprehension&nbsp;task</li>
	<li><a href="https://help.ellii.com/article/232-multiple-choice">Multiple-Choice</a>: a reading or vocabulary comprehension task, also used in grammar lessons, may include images or audio (Listen &amp;&nbsp;Respond)</li>
	<li><a href="https://help.ellii.com/article/234-story-scramble">Put in Order</a>: a follow-up&nbsp;reading comprehension task for dialogues (Story&nbsp;Scramble)</li>
	<li><a href="https://help.ellii.com/article/233-timeline">Sequencing</a>: a reading comprehension task for historic events and biographies&nbsp;(Timeline)</li>
	<li><a href="https://help.ellii.com/article/236-picture-dictionary">Picture Dictionary</a>: a vocabulary slideshow with audio</li>
</ol>

<h2>Additional Notes</h2>

<ul>
	<li>Teachers can now leave comments after viewing results for all scorable task&nbsp;types.</li>
	<li>Time spent on each task is available on the results&nbsp;table.</li>
	<li>A digital&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/blog/flashcard-player">Flashcard Player</a> is also available as a presentation&nbsp;tool.</li>
	<li>All ESL&nbsp;Library subscribers receive 100 free student accounts and can broadcast all digital task types on a shared&nbsp;screen.</li>
	<li>Standard subscribers can assign limited task types for homework (Read &amp; Listen or&nbsp;Dialogue).</li>
	<li>Plus subscribers can assign all digital task types, view class and students results, and leave feedback. See our <a href="https://ellii.com/pricing">Pricing</a> page for plan&nbsp;details.</li>
</ul>


Digital Task Type Demos

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<h1>Automated Assessment</h1>

<p>One thing students need to get used to when it comes to&nbsp;digital learning&nbsp;is that a computer often marks their work. This can be a blessing for busy teachers, especially when students are able to make&nbsp;multiple attempts for each task. However, you probably make a lot more exceptions for your students than a programmer does!</p>

<p>While <em>you</em> might consider an answer to be acceptable, the system will mark it as either <strong>correct</strong> or <strong>incorrect </strong>unless it&#39;s an <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/open-ended-questions">open-ended question</a> type.</p>

<p>Some digital platforms allow teachers to go in and change a result&nbsp;depending on their expectations. Other platforms, including ESL Library,&nbsp;do not yet have this feature, and you and your students are stuck with the score that the system assigns unless you contact someone.</p>

<h1>ESL Library&#39;s Digital Tasks</h1>

<p>With each ESL Library task type, the publishing team (made up of teachers and former teachers) has had to make some decisions about what type of responses will be accepted or not. In our <strong>Type in the Blanks</strong> tasks, we decided that proper capitalization should be required. This means that in&nbsp;a task titled&nbsp;<a href="https://ellii.com/blog/blended-learning-listening">Listen &amp; Type</a>, students have to type a capital letter at the beginning of a sentence. Students also have to type proper nouns with initial capital letters.</p>

<p>For example, if your student types <strong>CAT</strong> instead of <strong>cat,</strong>&nbsp;the system will mark the answer&nbsp;wrong. Likewise, if your student types <strong>english</strong> instead of <strong>English </strong>or <strong>it&#39;s</strong> instead of <strong>its</strong>,&nbsp;the answer will be marked as incorrect. This can become a big problem if your students are used to using a backquote&nbsp;(`) instead of a proper&nbsp;apostrophe (&#39;) or, more commonly, have a bad habit of typing&nbsp;with the caps lock on.&nbsp;</p>

<p>What we hoped would happen is that students would quickly learn that typing with the caps lock on is a mistake, as is leaving out an apostrophe (or using the wrong one). After all, ALL CAPS&nbsp;is not an acceptable style of writing in academic or business writing (except in rare situations, such as&nbsp;on envelopes). In fact, in English, using ALL CAPS&nbsp;can be seen as rude. <a href="https://ellii.com/resource_categories/107/resources/3292">Digital literacy</a> is an important skill to learn and can be taught along with language learning.</p>

<h1>Teacher Feedback</h1>

<p>Since making this decision, a number of teachers have written in to let us know their thoughts. Some&nbsp;think their students&#39; answers should be marked as correct&nbsp;regardless of case, especially in grammar exercises that are not full sentences. Others have let us know where instructions need to be more clear about how an answer should be styled to ensure students have a good model to follow&nbsp;(very helpful, thank you!).&nbsp;</p>

<p>For our <a href="https://ellii.com/blog/see-and-spell">See &amp; Spell</a><strong> </strong>task type, which is mainly&nbsp;used in beginner-level lessons, we do allow for mixed-case responses&nbsp;due to feedback from literacy and low-level teachers. However, some teachers may prefer that all typing tasks have the same requirements so that students know what not to do for other tasks.</p>

<h1>Survey Question</h1>

<p>We&#39;d love to know what you think about this question:</p>

<p><em>On an educational&nbsp;platform or app such as ESL Library, should the system accept all&nbsp;correctly spelled answers regardless of case?&nbsp;</em></p>

<p>Please respond in the comments!</p>
