Here are some ideas and sample lessons for using one computer in a classroom. There are also links to web sites with further tips and techniques. The sample lessons are based on the ideas on these web sites and other sites. Here is a link to dictionaries for your students. They can access it from the student center.

The Computer as a Cooperative Tool
Have students use the computer in your classroom to cooperate with students in other classrooms.

Beginning Example
Students in one class make a monster out of basic shapes. They then use e-mail to describe the monster to another class. The students in the second class have to make the monster. Students can then compare to see how similar/different the monsters are.

Beginning/Intermediate/Advanced Example
Choose an important health issue, such as AIDS, or spousal/child/elder abuse. Give each class a different task regarding this issue. Have classes share the information via e-mail, or post the information on a common web page. For example, one class could make a list of web sites with useful information on the topic. Another class could use the web to find places in the area that provide information or services related to that issue. A third class could come up with specific questions about the issue and find answers on the web. A beginning class could find copyable pictures and collect them to make a picture dictionary for that issue or for health in general. The classes could e-mail the information to each other, print it out, and create a booklet with all the information. Or, all the classes could put the information together on a web site that other students could access.

Sample Activity Researching Weather
from "Using the World Wide Web with Adult ESL Learners" by Kathleen Flanner Silc


Beginning to Advanced
1. Have students check the weather for San Mateo online. Go to www.yahoo.com and click on "weather." Enter San Mateo, CA.

2. Have students enter their hometowns to find the weather there. For example, Lima, Peru.

3. High beginning students can track the weather for a week and make a bar graph comparing the temperature or rainfall in San Mateo and their hometown day by day.

Intermediate and Advanced
Have students track the weather (as above) in San Mateo and/or in their hometowns for a period of time, such as a month or a whole semester. Then have them graph the information. They could graph how the temperature changed over the month, or how the rainfall changed over the month; or, they could graph the total rainfall, average temperature, how much snow there was, how many thunderstorms, etc.

Students could then compare their hometown weather with San Mateo's.

Useful Links:

CALL, or Computer Assisted Language Learning
There are various sites on CALL. This one has cutting-edge demos, including stories you can watch and listen to, with quizzes and interactive activities.

"Strategies and Applications for the One Computer Classroom"
Tips for using the computer as a teacher tool, a cooperative learning tool, as part of a project, more.

"Using Technology in the Classroom: Projects"
Excellent list and examples of the kinds of projects you can do with one computer. May be adapted to ESL.

The One Computer Classroom
Further examples of kinds of activities you can do with one computer. Some examples.

"Using the World Wide Web with Adult ESL Learners"
by Kathleen Flanner Silc
This articles explains what skills students develop using the web, how to prepare students for web searching, gives tips on preparing lessons, and provides a sample activity researching the weather (see above). References included.