Helpful Online Resources

The way we teach and learn changes. Especially in this 21st century, there are modern and online ways of teaching and learning. Everything is easier, thanks to the Internet, we are connected to the world. I am not digitally native like the children nowadays to be honest, I did not use online resources back when I was in primary or secondary school but now as I am an English teacher, I use some online resources for ELT. There is no more just the traditional way of teaching, because in the modern way of teaching the lessons are more students-centered.In this post I would like to share with you some useful online resources both for teachers and students.
I would like to start first with some useful resources for the teachers.

http://www.cultofpedagogy.com/

This is a great website for basically anything teachers need.You can find videos, articles and resources.It is more than activities resource, this page is great for the art of teaching and problem solving within the classroom.This is also a podcast! If you do not have time to sit and browse the website, you can put on one of their podcasts in the background.

http://www.ted.com/

TED talks are just great.These are presentations from various people, professions, and backgrounds.While there are plenty of other topics to listen to, TED talks hit education from all different angles, and it is a great resource for methodology and difficulties we face as teachers.

https://www.teachingchannel.org/

The videos presented on this website are much more topic-specific.They are short, all around 10 minutes and most of them are filmed in the classroom, so it is a good place to see the ideas put into practice.

https://www.edx.org/ / https://www.futurelearn.com/

Both of these platforms offer free online courses given by international universities and private organizations. You can do them at your own pace, and for most of them you get a certificate at the end!


For student enrichment/activities:


 http://www.starfall.com/

An interactive website for beginners of ESL.There are all different subjects on the website, but the main focus is on ESL.It is also good to use as enrichment to homework.

http://bogglesworldesl.com/
Lanternfish

All different levels of ESL are available, but the activities are mostly for young learners.It provides worksheets, flashcards, ideas for activities within the classroom, and sample lesson plans.It also has a lot of links to other resources as well.


http://busyteacher.org/

This website is great for all learners of ESL.It has worksheets and articles for you to read on your own time. It is easy to navigate and learn the site, and has activities all subjects of ESL learning.Documents that teachers create,themselves and then post to the website, and although you cannot download them, you can preview them all.


http://www.education.ie/en/The-Department/

It is age targeted.Also has lists of activities for all topics, broken down into categories of talking, reading, writing, playing and counting.It gives activity ideas to teach the topic presented, as well as printable directions.


https://www.edmodo.com/ / https://moodle.com/

These websites are educational platforms, or online classrooms.Both students and teachers create accounts, and you have the ability to assign and grade work, post links and have online discussions.