Welcome

Dear colleagues,
On behalf of the organizing committee, we have the pleasure to warmly welcome you to the national symposium on “Present and Future of English in Saudi Arabia: Research Concerns” which is organized by the College of Languages and Translation, King Khalid University. This symposium will be held at Abha during 25-26/12/1435 corresponding to 19-20/10/2014. The symposium shall include presentations to be given by distinguished speakers from Saudi universities ant it will focus on the following themes:

  • Language, literature and methodology
  • Language and culture
  • Language planning and the ELT curriculum
  • Language learning and technology

 

We look forward to welcoming you at the lovely city of Abha.

Gingerly Speaking, Technology & Blackboard Tools in the EFL Classroom

Dr. Afeefa Banu

Abstract— Communication skill is an important and sometimes decisive factor in job interviews. However, in the context of Saudi Arabia, this skill is not accorded the importance it deserves; as a result, the majority of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) major students are not fluent in speaking English. The reluctance of students to speak is a problem faced by teachers in most EFL contexts. This paper reports the issues related to the English speaking skill of low-proficiency Saudi students in Level 2 at King Khalid University‟s Parallel Undergraduate Program for Girls, and the efforts to solve them. The paper focuses on the use of the following technologies to enhance students‟ communicative confidence and speaking fluency: iPad or smart phone; the free software game „Talking Ginger‟; free downloadable recording software for making MP3 files; and Blackboard tools. The paper also concentrates on helpful strategies used in the evaluation of speaking skill.
Keywords—English Speaking Skill, EFL Classroom, Evaluation of Speaking, Technology for Speaking

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Document: 
PDF icon 12 Afeefa Banu.pdf