Week 9. Online Tools and Softwares for Reading and Vocabulary in Second Language Learners.

By Vanesa Paniagua

Articles: Online English-English Learners Dictionaries Boost Word Learning.

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Article: Using Technology to Assist in Vocabulary Acquisition and Reading Comprenhension.

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When learning a new language it is necessary to develop each language learning skill in order to acquire and produce the language properly. Moreover, one of the skills that we as teachers should improve in our students is reading and vocabulary and a way to help students with this it is using Internet tools. For example, teachers must encouraged students to use online dictionaries but taking into consideration some aspects:

1.Corpus based compilation of words: which means the content based on real –world spoken and written.

2.Word frequency data: high words frequency and low words frequency.

3.Collocation guides: the use of Corpora, which is the word combination that normally go together.
4.Authentic examples of how words are use: the abundance of examples sentences.

      5.Topical vocabulary: indicates how the words relate semantically to different categories.

However, multimedia can be use as well for vocabulary-building, since it is a central component of good computer-assisted skill-building software. One example is CAVOCA which is an interactive program where students have different stages “deduction, consolidation, long term retention”, when acquiring new vocabulary.

To sum up, reading and vocabulary are very important abilities that needs to be developed in students and can be accomplished by implementing different software and internet tools in second language classes.