Teaching with Technology

Here you can find apps, tools and teaching ideas for using technology in the real or virtual classroom.

Web Apps & Tools

Random Question Generator

This is a fabulous tool for conversation classes or one on one lessons. As a warmer or filler just pull up this app and it will give you a completely random conversation question from a deck of more than 500. If it’s not the right question, just hit ‘Next’.

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500 Conversation Questions

This web app features categorised conversation questions from the book 50 Conversation lessons.

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Random Topic Generator

Great for filling gaps and taking a break from proceedings. Pop up a completely random topic to talk about. I like to hand over control to a student who can talk about something related to the topic, ask their classmates questions, or select another topic if the current one doesn’t inspire them.

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Story Cards

Give your students a creative push with these story cards. Eight are selected randomly and from these your students must try to come up with a tale using as many elements as possible. It’s a great group-work activity and also works well as a writing assignment.

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Scrambled Sentence Maker

Make your own online scrambled sentence puzzle. Just enter the sentence you want to scramble and you will be given a shareable URL to your puzzle.

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Short News Article Finder

The Short news article finder allows you to search a wide variety of news sites and blogs to find texts which are the perfect length to use in class.

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Fortune-Telling Runes

Want to play the fortune-telling game without cutting up all those bits of paper? Then use this web app with your phone or tablet. Students tell the fortunes of their classmates by casting runes. This app was designed to practice using the going to form of the future.

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Countdown

This simple web app is based on the UK game show Countdown. Students choose ten letters and the team who can make the longest word wins.

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What Happens Next?

Use this web app for practising describing a situation and predicting what will happen next. Students watch the short clip and describe what the situation is, then try to guess what happens next.

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Describe the (Imaginary) Picture

Students are served up a picture which they must describe to their classmates, however, sometimes instead of a picture the student will see a simple written scene description and must use their imagination to convince the class that they are describing a real picture.  See Describe the (Imaginary) Picture for instructions on how to play the non-tech version.

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Phrasal Verb Match-Up

Get students familiar with phrasal verbs with Phrasal Verb Match Up. Students are presented with random combinations of verbs and prepositions and must decide whether they are actual phrasal verbs. More on how to play in this article.

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Random Verb Card

Displays a random item from a list of commonly used verbs.

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Random Adjective

Displays a random adjective.

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Random Idioms and Sayings

A collection of idioms and sayings, perfect as a warmer / filler.

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Picture Taboo

Now you can play Picture Taboo online with your phone or tablet. Students pass around the phone/tablet and describe the object they are looking at. Only works with phones or tablets.

Picture Taboo: In the Office, Summer, Halloween, Christmas

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Snap (to be)

Play Snap! to practise forms of to be. First to five is the winner. A game for two students, if the answer matches the question, the first to tap on their side gets a point, if they’re wrong they lose a point.

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Number Bingo Master

This handy web app will help you keep track of the numbers when you play Number Bingo!

Lesson ideas

Photosets

These are picture slideshows which can be used to illustrate and elicit particular vocabulary or grammar points.

Guess the sound

In this activity, students hear a variety of audio clips and try to identify the source of the sound. Includes household sounds, sounds of summer, street sounds and the scary sounds of Halloween.

Picture Taboo

Picture taboo is a describing game where students pass around a tablet or smartphone and describe the object displayed for the others to guess.

Powerpoint Lessons

A very generous teacher has made available her powerpoint lessons to us. These slideshows were designed to be used for 60 minute lessons and work well with larger classes.

Videos for describing action

A pairwork activity using video clips to practise the present continuous.

Short and funny video clips

On this page, I am assembling a collection of light-hearted comedy clips which can be used in an English class.

Who lives in a house like this?

A guessing game where students see photos of each other’s rooms and have to discuss who they belong to.