The following links are to help English as a Foreign Language (EFL) instructors find content and create assessments for the their students. The links could be used by any teacher but were curated to help instructors here in Korea to create interesting lessons that are interesting and culturally relevant.
Content links
Video Links
Ted Talks
https://www.ted.com/talks
The goal of the Ted Talk is to improve listening and speaking. A student can listen to how accomplished speakers use tone and rhetoric to make their speaking more interesting. Also, much like reading, the listener can experience new vocabulary in context and learn to use it correctly. TED also introduces the listener to a number of different accents, which is important for learners who will be traveling abroad.
99U
https://99u.adobe.com/videos
These videos are designed for creative types and business majors so they are a bit less versatile than other organizations videos. However, they are good for high level students that need a challenge or are from those fields. The site is less intuitive than TED because it is hard to sort videos, for instance it is impossible to sort by length.
Great Big Story
https://www.greatbigstory.com/
This site is a great alternative to TED that has a lot of short video files that student can use. The topics are empowering and into some interesting categories such as flavors that won't be found on TED or 99U. The site is also sponsored by Genesis, a Korean car company, so it has a number of Korea based videos. However, the search function is extremely limited so you have to know what you are looking for.
Reading Links
Breaking English News
https://breakingnewsenglish.com/
The readings from this site are based off of current events and are taken from major news sources, such as the BBC. The articles help with reading, critical thinking skills and give you topics for discussion. The best thing about the articles are that they also include a number of activities. The only downsides are that the website is updated only about once a week and some articles are less engaging than others. Both of these make it easy to run out of current material.
6 Minute English
http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english#navIndex-1
6 minute English is similar to Breaking English News but is available in an audio format. It also has a transcript that students can read along with. It helps with listening skills as well as creates discussion. Like Breaking English News, it is only updated about once a week at most. The speakers are always British, which maybe a positive or a negative depending on your work context and student needs.
NEWSELA
https://newsela.com/
NEWSELA is designed for American teens but is a good way to improve reading skills for English language learners as well. It is also good for challenging students because the difficulty of the articles can be changed.
Times in Plain English
http://www.thetimesinplainenglish.com/
This source takes articles from famous newspapers and simplifies them to fit the needs of EFL learners. These articles help learners ability to have discussions and think critically about ideas. It is updated often, which gives it an advantage over the other reading links.
Ted Talks
https://www.ted.com/talks
The goal of the Ted Talk is to improve listening and speaking. A student can listen to how accomplished speakers use tone and rhetoric to make their speaking more interesting. Also, much like reading, the listener can experience new vocabulary in context and learn to use it correctly. TED also introduces the listener to a number of different accents, which is important for learners who will be traveling abroad.
99U
https://99u.adobe.com/videos
These videos are designed for creative types and business majors so they are a bit less versatile than other organizations videos. However, they are good for high level students that need a challenge or are from those fields. The site is less intuitive than TED because it is hard to sort videos, for instance it is impossible to sort by length.
Great Big Story
https://www.greatbigstory.com/
This site is a great alternative to TED that has a lot of short video files that student can use. The topics are empowering and into some interesting categories such as flavors that won't be found on TED or 99U. The site is also sponsored by Genesis, a Korean car company, so it has a number of Korea based videos. However, the search function is extremely limited so you have to know what you are looking for.
Reading Links
Breaking English News
https://breakingnewsenglish.com/
The readings from this site are based off of current events and are taken from major news sources, such as the BBC. The articles help with reading, critical thinking skills and give you topics for discussion. The best thing about the articles are that they also include a number of activities. The only downsides are that the website is updated only about once a week and some articles are less engaging than others. Both of these make it easy to run out of current material.
6 Minute English
http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english#navIndex-1
6 minute English is similar to Breaking English News but is available in an audio format. It also has a transcript that students can read along with. It helps with listening skills as well as creates discussion. Like Breaking English News, it is only updated about once a week at most. The speakers are always British, which maybe a positive or a negative depending on your work context and student needs.
NEWSELA
https://newsela.com/
NEWSELA is designed for American teens but is a good way to improve reading skills for English language learners as well. It is also good for challenging students because the difficulty of the articles can be changed.
Times in Plain English
http://www.thetimesinplainenglish.com/
This source takes articles from famous newspapers and simplifies them to fit the needs of EFL learners. These articles help learners ability to have discussions and think critically about ideas. It is updated often, which gives it an advantage over the other reading links.
Technology Choices
Kahoot!
https://kahoot.com/what-is-kahoot/
Kahoot! is a free app based system that can be used to administer quick quizzes in class. All of the answers can be saved into google drive making it an excellent way to record participation points as well as check for overall understanding. There are some limitations to the basic program. Only a set number of options are available. For example, I cannot see every students answer, only how many students gave an answer. Nor, can I see each students score. However, for quickly checking for understanding in large classes, Kahoot! is tough to beat.
Padlet
https://padlet.com/
Padlet is a tool that allows students to anonymously ask questions or post comments using a short answer pad. Students can also post links as needed within their pads. All of the pads are visible at once, which allows the reader to see others ideas and even piggy-back off those ideas. It is incredibility intuitive and easy to use. It is recommended for classes with high level students who can address issues on their own without direction.
Screencast-O-Matic
https://screencast-o-matic.com/
This program allows for the recording whatever is happening on a portion of the screen. The user can also put a video of themselves up during the screencast. This is an especially useful program for teaching students how to use programs on their computers or phones. I often use it explain how to access Google Classrooms and how to download and use certain apps.
https://kahoot.com/what-is-kahoot/
Kahoot! is a free app based system that can be used to administer quick quizzes in class. All of the answers can be saved into google drive making it an excellent way to record participation points as well as check for overall understanding. There are some limitations to the basic program. Only a set number of options are available. For example, I cannot see every students answer, only how many students gave an answer. Nor, can I see each students score. However, for quickly checking for understanding in large classes, Kahoot! is tough to beat.
Padlet
https://padlet.com/
Padlet is a tool that allows students to anonymously ask questions or post comments using a short answer pad. Students can also post links as needed within their pads. All of the pads are visible at once, which allows the reader to see others ideas and even piggy-back off those ideas. It is incredibility intuitive and easy to use. It is recommended for classes with high level students who can address issues on their own without direction.
Screencast-O-Matic
https://screencast-o-matic.com/
This program allows for the recording whatever is happening on a portion of the screen. The user can also put a video of themselves up during the screencast. This is an especially useful program for teaching students how to use programs on their computers or phones. I often use it explain how to access Google Classrooms and how to download and use certain apps.
Life in Korea
Ask A Korean
http://askakorean.blogspot.kr/
https://twitter.com/AskAKorean
Ask a Korean (An anonymous Korean –American Lawyer) is a go to for information about Korea. His blog and twitter account link to important political information and explanations about culture. His ability to explain information about Korea to westerners in lawpersons’ terms is unparalleled. It is an excellent source for discussion topics as well as good way to be culturally literate and avoid mistakes.
Korea Herald
http://www.koreaherald.com/
This website gives news that focuses on Korea from the Korean point of view. It is updated throughout the day and has a variety of sections, including an education section. The articles are written at a level that most intermediate-level English speakers (as determined by OPiC and TOIEC). There are some articles that have errors or use vocabulary that could be considered archaic or inappropriate so some explanation or editing may be required.
Chosun Ilbo (English Edition)
http://english.chosun.co.kr/
This site is very similar to the Korea Herald, with two key differences. First of all, it is much better written than the other English language Korean newspapers in Korea, with fewer errors and less flowery language. Second, Chosun Ilbo is a conservative news organization so some students, especially younger, more progressive students may not be happy if you use it in class.
http://askakorean.blogspot.kr/
https://twitter.com/AskAKorean
Ask a Korean (An anonymous Korean –American Lawyer) is a go to for information about Korea. His blog and twitter account link to important political information and explanations about culture. His ability to explain information about Korea to westerners in lawpersons’ terms is unparalleled. It is an excellent source for discussion topics as well as good way to be culturally literate and avoid mistakes.
Korea Herald
http://www.koreaherald.com/
This website gives news that focuses on Korea from the Korean point of view. It is updated throughout the day and has a variety of sections, including an education section. The articles are written at a level that most intermediate-level English speakers (as determined by OPiC and TOIEC). There are some articles that have errors or use vocabulary that could be considered archaic or inappropriate so some explanation or editing may be required.
Chosun Ilbo (English Edition)
http://english.chosun.co.kr/
This site is very similar to the Korea Herald, with two key differences. First of all, it is much better written than the other English language Korean newspapers in Korea, with fewer errors and less flowery language. Second, Chosun Ilbo is a conservative news organization so some students, especially younger, more progressive students may not be happy if you use it in class.