Advantages of Using Realia in a Classroom (vantagens do uso de material concreto no ensino)
The Advantages of Virtual Realia
- It can be easily reproduced and shared. You can email each of your students a copy they can use.
- It can be used in interactive formats. You can use virtual realia in the class blog or website, and even create quizzes or tests with this authentic material.
- Students may have access to material from different cultures across the globe. Thanks to the ol’ World Wide Web, you can probably find all kinds of things you would not normally have access to due to geographic limitations.
- Digital copies may be altered without damaging the original. Did you bring a menu or flyer from a recent trip to the UK? Chances are you don’t have many of those lying around. You can scan a copy of the original and alter it for gap-filling exercises – your souvenir will remain intact!
- Virtual realia can be easily stored, carried and accessed. No need to bring a big bag of brochures or heavy catalogs. No need to sort through a box of flyers to find the one you need.
So, as you can see, the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. If you’re an ESL teacher living outside the US or UK, you will be able to open a window into the target culture, something that is of tremendous value to ESL students.
