Library Journal "Teaching English with Technology"

Found in Feb. 2010 journal of "Teaching English with Technology: A Journal for Teachers of English IATEFL Poland Computer Special Interest group" a couple of articles.
http://www.iatefl.org.pl/call/callnl.htm
The first concerns "blended learning" where the classroom is supplemented with email pen pals in English. The article used as its basis Nation, "
The blended approach also encompasses all the processes necessary for establishing
vocabulary knowledge, namely noticing, repetition/retrieval and generative use (Nation,
2001)"
Of particular interest to me was the article's preference for controversial topics. Although the article doesn't cite studies to back up the assertion. My preference is to not encourage controversial issues in class. See the mention to controversial issues below:
"In order to make the research meaningful for both sides the participants chose the topics which were a combination of controversial discussion provoking subject matters and those which demanded a comparison between the two cultures, introduced cultural differences and raised cultural awareness."
...
"Additionally, they had to be controversial enough so
that they kept the participants engaged in the conversation."

One of the topics they gave was:
Why we believe Americans are
stupid.
And with the video below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6r1IcY1pv0&feature=PlayList&p=4CBF1FEE217056E9&index=1
I think examples above are why I tend to stay away from controversial topics in the classroom. I don't want to be a kind of teacher who misuses the bully pulpit.


Although the journal also has some lesson plans which don't meet the criteria we aim for assessment of student language outcomes. Here is an example,
Aims:
To expand students’ knowledge about different countries
To encourage students to use the Internet while searching for a specific information
Objectives:
Students know countries’ names
Students know how to form country adjectives
Students practice stress patterns
T tells Ss to match 10 flags with the names of the
countries they present using the following website:
http://3dflags.com/world/index.html
Pairwork Handout - reading for detail
- to practice browsing
the Internet
5 min

The Digital Games article in the same issue does have a lord of the flies game, which I thought was interesting given our discussion earlier in the semester on this topic. Although, once again, I wasn't sure the game they gave would provide any benefit to the student:

http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/literature/golding/index.html