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There are many new technologies that can be beneficial to students. Access to the internet via the use of smartphones and tablets, and the use of video streaming services and video calls is rapidly increasing throughout the world. By incorporating technology in teaching English, teachers should be able to help students learn English both faster and more accurately. Smartphones and tablets are becoming more and more common. Because of the rapid technological increases in these devices, they can quickly become out of date, leading to many people replacing their phones regularly. This, in turn, leads to a surplus of used and older phones that can be easily accessed, even by poorer individuals throughout the world. Because of the portable nature of these devices, one has almost instantaneous access to the internet, allowing access to the largest database of information in human history. If students can be provided a smartphone or tablet they can have English dictionaries readily available, they can practice their writing skills on forums, and they can be assigned and complete homework; all at a time that is convenient for them. Another technology that can benefit students is video streaming services. Free websites, such as YouTube or Dailymotion, host large libraries of videos that can be streamed in the classroom. English at various levels can be found on these websites, allowing the teacher to find examples that would be appropriate for their class. If the class is for children, English videos showing songs that teach colors, numbers, letters or basic words can be used. For intermediate learners, streaming news casts about specific topics can help them to learn words related to that topic. Advanced students can benefit from English videos used for entertainment, as they could be shown how stressing different words in a sentence can completely change the meaning, or could learn English idioms that they would not hear elsewhere. In English, there are many different types of accents that a student might hear. American, British and Australian English are probably the most common accents. Yet, among these accents, words can be pronounced vastly different. If someone has learned English later in life, they probably will have an accent very different than these. All of these accents can cause confusion for students. If the student is not familiar with a particular accent, they might not be able to understand what the speaker is trying to say. The use of video calling can help students hear and become acquainted with accents used in the English-speaking world. A teacher can use their contacts and connections to arrange video calls with English speakers who have different accents. The students will be benefited by live conversations with individuals who speak English in a different way. This exposure will help students so that they will be able to understand individuals no matter what accent they might use. A key to learning English is exposure to the language. With technology, a student can listen to English at any time that is convenient for them. Technology can also provide numerous examples of English at a level that is appropriate for the student. Also, technology can provide access to other English speakers throughout the world, exposing the student to different accents, helping them to expand their understanding of others. This only touches on a few types of technologies and ways that they can be beneficial to students learning English. By being familiar with emerging technologies an experienced teacher can provide many ways to help students progress.
