So you're wondering how you can use your computer to practice speaking.  There are literally countless ways, but I'm just going to very quickly review two here today.

Both of these require a little extra hardware

• a microphone, and
• Headphones

You should be able to get a decent microphone/headset for about $30-$40 easily.  We use the Logitech USB Premium 30 Headsetshown on this Amazon page. It works really well and is quite inexpensive.

Interview Transcriptions for Fluency Development

In the First Activity you pair up students and have them record an interview where they ask each other a set of questions that must be answered within a specific time frame; say 2 minutes or less.

Make sure that the questions are reasonable for their level, and have some kind of continuity in them.  For example these simple questions should easily occupy 1 person for 2-3 minutes:

1. Can you describe how you spent your free time before you came to Canada to study English?  What did you do, with whom, where, how often?
2. How has this changed since you came to Canada?  Why?

As Person A is interviewing Person B, the entire thing should be recorded.

Then repeat the process with Person B interviewing Person A with the same questions.  Record this audio as well.

You can use any software for doing the recording (heck you can use a tape recorder if you don't have a computer), but I usually use Audacity, which I've written about on here before.

Now have the students transcribe EXACTLY what they spoke onto paper or a word processor document.  This really highlights their pauses, grammar mistakes, and other spoken 'errors'.  While they find it hard, my students always comment on how valuable they find this activity.

 Pronunciation Practice Using a Reading Cloze

This is really easy. 

PREP:  Simply put together a few short readings that are suitable for your students' level.  You might choose 3 or 4 different readings.  Make each one into a Cloze, as well as keeping the original.  Make enough copies for all students.

1. You will give one non-clozed story to each student to record into their computer.
2. Their task is to read out loud as clearly as possible in order to make  a clear recording
3. Once the recordings are complete, hand out the clozed versions of the readings so that students get clozed versions of the OTHER stories (the ones they didn't record).
4. They then switch seats and attempt to complete the cloze by listening to the recordings of other students.

Don't know what a COZE is?  Well it is just a reading that has words blanked out so the reader needs to guess what belongs in the spot of the missing word.

There you have it.  Two very simple and effective speaking activities for the call lab.

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