TASK: Select one English language textbook from the list to evaluate:
•Cutting Edge (New Edition)—Longman
•Top Notch—Longman
•Academic Connections—Longman
•Market Leader—Longman
•Interchange—Cambridge
On Location—McGraw Hill
•Interactions/Mosaic—McGraw Hill
•Let’s Go—Oxford University Press
•Oxford Picture Dictionary—Oxford University Press
Evaluate the selected textbook or textbook series in depth in terms of the supporting technology tools that it offers to the students and teachers. Comment on any or all of the following: audio, video, companion website, interactive whiteboard, test creation tools, teacher training, and language lab materials. Use at least 250 words in your evaluation.
I chose Interchange (4th Edition) by Cambridge University Press.
The website for this book offers a considerable selection of resources for teachers and students.
1. There is an Audio Download Center where the class can access online all the audio corresponding to activities in the textbook. These files are downloadable for their use in portable devices.
2. There is a “self-study website for students, that includes fun activities for expansion or extra practice”. This contains the following types of activities: choose the right word, drag and drop, fill in the blank, guess the word, matching, multiple choice, put the sentences in order, unscramble the sentence, reading, What do you hear?, and What do you see?
3. There is an online workbook with interactive activities, accessible from a computer or an iPad.
4. For teachers the website offers lots of downloadable activities to present in class and offer valuable keys as for what online resources would be more convenient for the different parts of a lesson: Arcade, Student’s Book, Self-study, DVD-ROM, Teacher Support Site, Video DVD, Video Resource Book, or Workbook.
5. Finally the site offers professional development articles and videos that help the teachers to become better instructors.
Generally what can be said about this Textbook and its website is that it offers teachers a lot of documentation to support their instruction. By documentation I mean downloadable documents that the teacher can use to prepare his or her lesson. However it does not allow teachers to create personalized tests.
On the side of the students, the textbook seems to be designed with the assumption that they are technology-driven. With the exception of the printed book, if the student chooses this version, all what is available to support his or her learning requires access to a computer or an iPad.
