The use of computer-assisted language teaching, particularly on mobiledevices, has enabled students to be more interactive and creative intheir study of English, education experts said at a recent conference inHo Chi Minh City.

Web-based and mobiletechnologies in English-language teaching are helping students becomemore proficient in the language, said Doan Kim Khoa, a lecturer at HCMCity University of Foreign Languages and Information Technology.

Khoa spoke at the annual Teaching English to Speakers of OtherLanguages (TESOL) conference, annually organised by Vietnam-USA SocietyEnglish Centres (VUS).
More than 2,000 English-languageteachers, including those from Thailand , the Philippines andCambodia , attended the event.

Also speaking at theconference, Clyde Fowle, a manager of product development and teachertraining for East Asia-based Macmillan Education, said that more andmore learners of English in Vietnam were taking international exams,such as Cambridge English's First Certificate in English andInternational English Language Testing System.

DavidPersey, a training specialist at National Geographic Learning, saidthat super-realistic images in photos and videos also contribute tobetter learning. These images help children visualise what they actuallysee on a trip, at home or on TV, he said.

However, traditional teaching has often discouraged children from using their creativity in the classroom, he added.

At the conference, Sadie Maddocks, a Southeast Asia product managerat Oxford University Press, spoke about the benefits of digitalstory-telling.

Stories help children make sense of the world around them and share that understanding with others, she said.

Many new web tools allow teachers to use digital stories as a means ofenabling young learners to collaborate, communicate and connect in anengaging and motivating way, she added.-VNA