Web 2.0 and Emerging Learning Technologies/Yappr

Yappr is a website where you can practice your English language. This offers you a variety of multimedia material which will help you to improve your listening comprehension and your pronunciation, too. Different kind of videos by native speaker allows you to listen and read the subtitles and at the same time you will find a "video screen" and a "subtitle section" next to it. The web also gives you the possibillity to login in and chage the subtitles.

In this website you can find software that helps you to improve your pronunciation. If you want to download it, you should follow three important steps. Firstly, click on the buttom to install the "Eduspeak". Secondly, select "install this add-on..." Thirdly, select install.

Main characteristics of Yappr

1. Select a phrase of the list on the right to load it. 2. Click on "record" to check your pronunciation. 3. Keep your mark. 4. Click on "hear example" to listen to a sample of recording. 5. Record your voice again to improve your pronunciation. 6. To change the categories, click on "click to choose a phrase".

If you are not interested in watching video or in speaking, you can also play games focused on vocabulary and spelling.

1- Alphabet soup: This gives you the possibility of playing according to the vocabulary you have. You have to find as many words as it is possible in three minutes. The more words you find the more coins or points you will get. 2- Bank robber: This is a very interesting game. You have to alert the guard before the thief steals all the bags of money. You have to find out the word selecting different letters. Each time you choose a wrong letter, the thief gets a bag. Guess the correct word before all bags disappear. You should prevent the bank from losing all the money, and help capturing the thief. 3- Twist list: In this game you have to create words by selecting different letters. The more words you create, the higher you score!

Teaching and learning possibilities

Yappr is a very useful website full of interesting material for teachers and also for students. You can find videos, pronunciation sets and games, too. So, it is useful for adults and for little children. For example, children can acquire a large amount of new lexical items playing games.

Students can be exposed to the language watching videos; if they can not understand the video clearly they have the option of checking with the subtitles. Also if you have an advanced level, they can practice their pronunciation.

We know how difficult is to speak in the right way or to acquire all the specific vocabulary needed. In other words, Yappr is the key website because you learn while you play. You can also encourage your students to visit this website and play with the English language.

Using multimedia material is very important nowadays. Internet and webpages have become widely used in education because of their capability to present information in an orderly, attractive way. It is believed that it can improve the effectiveness of ELT.