Among professional online trainers, Skype is perhaps the best known and most popular voice application for teaching english or any other subject over the internet. Skype, along with the likes of Google, MSN and Yahoo is among the top internet companies to support free voice, chat and video. Skype is also helping to fuel and further the interest in distance education and online tutoring.
With online tutoring a typical ESL student can now take up one-to-one english class in the comfort of their own home. All they need is a computer running Skype, an internet connection and an ESL instructor willing to tutor them online. Online tutoring is instant, interactive and it's becoming a popular alternative to classroom learning. Students can also expect to get personalized help such as grammar, sentence construction, essay writing, proof reading, conversational english practice and much more.
But its not just ESL students who are enjoying the fruits of online learning, English teachers are also reaping the benefits of these web-based communication technology. TEFL (Teachers of English As A Second Language) teachers who were once restricted to working in private language schools, or to traveling abroad and to working in temporary positions, can now conduct their own private online classes with an ESL student from any part of the world. VoIP software such as Skype has empowered and allowed TEFL teachers to work from home, allowing them to start up their own online tutoring service with low risk, and little to no capital investment. Online learning has grown so much in popularity that even English language schools are now offering online training in addition to traditional classroom learning.
DISCUSSION
- In your country, how do English teachers teach English?
- In your school, does your teacher also use computers in teaching? How about the internet?
- What do you mean by online education?
- Who introduced you to online education?
- What are some of the popular applications in your country where you can chat, talk and use videos? Are these applications free?
- How often do you chat? How often do you use voice and camera?
- What do you think about learning English online?
- In online education, you get to speak a lot. Is this the same when you study English in school or in academies?
- What do you think are the advantages of studying online?
- What do you are the disadvantages of studying online?
- When did you learn how to use computers? How about the use of internet?
- They say that one bad point in studying online is that while having classes, some kids play games on their computer while others do other things like surfing some sites. What do you think about it? What should be done to avoid this problem?
- Some students study online without their cameras on. They just want to talk via voice chat. Which do you think is better, having classes with the camera on or with the camera off?
- Do you think just plain talking is studying? Is there a need to really have a topic everytime you have your conversation class?
- You have been using skype for quite some time now. How do you compare skype with other kinds of voice and video applications such as camfrog, MSN, yahoo messenger, and nate on?
- In your country, what is the most popular video and voice chat application?
- Skype and other applications are free to use. What if they change their policy and start asking money everytime you use them? Would you still continue having online classes?
- Which do you think is more expensive, having online classes or going to academies to learn English?
- When you study online, you just stay inside your house. Do you think this is better than going out to study English?
- Which would you prefer, having one-to-one english class or doing it in a group?
- Two of the most common problems in online education are powercut (no electricity) and not having internet connection. What suggestions do you have to ease if not solve this problem?
- Aside from online learning, what other benefits can you gain from skype?
- Some colleges and universities in Korea, for example, have their students taught by Filipino teachers through skype during their official English classes. Their Korean English professors do nothing but supervise while these classes are going on. What is you idea about this? Do you think this is good?
- Is there a reason for Korean English teachers to be afraid that they might lose their job because of online education?
- Would you recommend online education to your family and friends?
- If you could choose your online teacher, which would you rather have, an American teacher, a Canadian teacher, a British teacher, or an Australian teacher? Why?
- Some online classes are affected because of computer-related problems. What advise can you give in terms of taking care of their computer sets?
- Those who cannot sit in front of their computers because of a busy schedule do phone English. The teacher calls them wherever they are, on the bus, inside thier car, in the office. Do you think this is also good? Why? Compare this with learning using a computer.
- Do you think online English is also good for kids like 4 to 8 years old?
- Overall, do you think online English is good? Why?
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