No Computer Lab for the Grammar Class?
It’s not a problem - you can still use CALL activities!

This semester, for my Grammar 1 class, I often used the Internet for finding interesting lesson plans, activities, worksheets, and especially for finding good resources for self-study. In addition, at the end of each unit, I assigned Internet projects, which my students found to be interesting and engaging. Furthermore, during the warm-up sessions I sometimes asked about the meaning of certain words related to American life and culture such as Florida Manatee and Guavaween. If the students did not know the meaning and the cultural practices related to them, I would ask them to make a search on the Internet in order to find the meaning and to explore how the words are used in the language and what real-life practices are related to them. We then used this information when practicing the grammar structures we were studying.

To organize the Internet resources for my students, I used Nicenet. I found this courseware to be also very helpful when assigning online tests and quizzes for additional practice. In addition, Nicenet helped me to increase the communication between the students in the class and me.

In the beginning of the semester, I introduced Nicenet to the class in the computer lab. This introduction was an eye opener for me - I had to make great changes in the lesson plan during the lesson: it was the first time I observed the students’ computer skills, and some of them needed a lot of help when using the computer. I realized that we need to know more about our students’ computer skills before the semester begins. I shared this realization with my colleagues and was happy to participate in administering the Computer Skills Diagnostic Pilot Test this semester.