Equipment priorities (in order)
| Item | Why it matters for language teaching | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Connection | Freezes break listening and turn-taking | Ethernet if possible; 3+ Mbps upload for HD video with margin (most platforms need about 1.5 Mbps for standard group video); test at lesson time |
| Microphone | Learners need a clear model of sounds and stress | Headset with boom mic or USB microphone; avoid laptop mics |
| Headphones | Prevents echo when learners speak | Closed headphones or headset |
| Light | Learners read your mouth and expressions | Light in front of you (window or lamp), not behind |
| Camera | Face and gestures carry meaning | Eye level, head and shoulders, plain background |
| Second screen | See learners and materials at once | Optional but helpful |
| Backup | Lessons continue when something fails | Phone hotspot, second device, alternative link, offline task by email |
Platform features to check
| Feature | Use in language classes |
|---|---|
| Breakout rooms | Pair and group speaking (essential for groups of 4+) |
| Share computer audio | Listening tasks, songs, videos |
| Whiteboard / annotation | Board work, timelines, error correction, games |
| Chat | Answers from everyone at once (chat waterfall), spelling, links |
| Polls / reactions | Quick checks, voting, hinge questions |
| Recording | Learner self-review, absent learners (with consent) |
| Captions / transcripts | Accessibility; check accuracy before relying on them |
| Spotlight / pin | Showing the speaker in presentations |
Most mainstream meeting platforms (for example Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet) offer most of these, but breakout rooms, audio sharing and whiteboards differ by plan and settings: check the current version and your institution's licence.
Complementary tools (examples)
| Purpose | Examples |
|---|---|
| Collaborative writing | Google Docs, Microsoft Word online, Etherpad |
| Boards and walls | Padlet, Miro, FigJam, Microsoft Whiteboard |
| Quizzes and games | Kahoot!, Quizizz (Wayground), Wordwall, Blooket, Quizlet |
| Recording speaking | Flip-style video responses, voice notes in the LMS, Vocaroo-type recorders |
| Course hub | Google Classroom, Moodle, Microsoft Teams classes, Canvas |
Check each tool's data protection terms (GDPR, COPPA for children in the US) before asking learners to sign up.
Safeguarding and privacy
- Young learners and teens: parental consent, school-approved platform, no private one-to-one chats outside agreed channels, waiting room on, unique links, an adult available at home for young children.
- Recording: written consent, a stated purpose, where recordings are stored, who can see them, when they are deleted.
- Do not share learners' contact details or faces outside the class.
- Cameras: allow cameras off when needed (bandwidth, privacy) and give alternative participation (chat, voice).
Before the first lesson
- Test the platform with a colleague: audio, screen share with audio, breakout rooms, whiteboard.
- Send learners a one-page guide: link, how to join, microphone/camera check, what to do if disconnected.
- Plan a 10-minute tech check at the start of lesson one.
- Prepare an offline version of the lesson in case the connection fails.
Run scripts/setup_check.py setup.json to check the setup against the class.
academic-english-eap-course-planner
Plan English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses: pre-sessional, in-sessional, foundation, IELTS preparation and discipline-specific EAP, with syllabus strands (academic reading, lecture listening and note-taking, essay and report writing, paraphrase, summary and synthesis, referencing and plagiarism, seminars and presentations, academic vocabulary, critical thinking), a 10-week pre-sessional outline, exit assessment, IELTS-CEFR alignment and academic style (formality, hedging, cohesion, reporting verbs). Estimates study hours and weeks to close an IELTS gap from overall or per-skill scores (IELTS rounding, minimum per skill, priority skills, feasibility before a deadline), and checks learner texts for contractions, informal words with academic alternatives, unhedged claims, 'you', And/But/So starts, rhetorical questions and missing citations.
actfl-proficiency-curriculum-mapper
Map world language curricula to the ACTFL framework: proficiency levels (Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, Superior, Distinguished with sublevels), functions, contexts, text types and accuracy, proficiency vs performance, the three modes of communication (interpretive, interpersonal, presentational), the 5 Cs World-Readiness Standards, backward-designed thematic units with Integrated Performance Assessments, typical programme targets and FSI time estimates. Looks up approximate ACTFL-CEFR-ILR equivalences with what each level can do, and checks a unit map for missing modes, rehearsed skits mislabelled as interpersonal, translation or word lists as interpretive tasks, and units without an integrated performance assessment.
adult-literacy-esl-lesson-builder
Build lessons for adult ESL learners who are developing literacy (LESLLA learners: pre-literate, non-literate, semi-literate, literate in a non-Roman script): learner profiles and sensitive initial assessment, principles (oral language first, known to new, systematic phonics with adult-relevant text, repetition, classroom skills, respect for experience), a lesson routine (oral warm-up, review, new grapheme, blending, segmenting, decodable text, writing, functional literacy, Language Experience Approach), a phonics sequence for adults, sight words, functional literacy targets (forms, signs, medicine labels) and portfolio assessment. Checks whether a reading text is decodable with the letter-sound patterns and sight words taught so far, catching untaught digraphs, listing non-decodable words with the untaught part, and suggesting the most useful next patterns.
authentic-material-lesson-adapter
Turn authentic material (news articles, podcasts, videos, songs, menus, timetables, adverts, social media posts, forms, infographics) into language lessons by grading the task rather than the text. Selects texts for interest, relevance, exploitability, coverage, cultural load and rights; finds the 4-6 words to pre-teach, words to gloss on the page and words learners can ignore, plus names and cultural references to explain, with reading time by level; and builds a lesson shape (lead-in, pre-teach, gist or scanning, graded detail task, language focus on chunks and register, response) with task ideas per material type and level from A1 to C1. Covers copyright, fair dealing and fair use, Creative Commons and attribution.
can-do-statement-writer
Write and review can-do statements for language courses, units, lessons and learner self-assessment, CEFR or NCSSFL-ACTFL style: action (observable verb) + text or situation + level-specific conditions, learner ('I can') and descriptor ('Can') versions, progressions of one activity from A1 to C1, and coverage of reception, production, interaction and mediation. Includes a verb bank by mode and level and condition and text-type banks. Lints statements for teacher-centred phrasing, knowledge instead of use (learn, know, understand the passive), missing context, two skills in one statement, vague quality words, grammar items as outcomes, overlong statements and missing modes in a set.
cefr-aligned-syllabus-builder
Build language course syllabuses aligned to the CEFR (A1-C2, plus levels, Companion Volume 2020): entry and exit levels, guided learning hours and course length (with an L1-distance adjustment), syllabus type (topic, functional-notional, task-based, skills-based, multi-strand), unit-by-unit can-do outcomes, grammar from a core inventory by level, vocabulary, functions, pronunciation, balance of reception, production, interaction and mediation, recycling and assessment points. Checks a syllabus for units without can-do statements, core grammar for the level not covered, items above the course level, skills missing from most units and units with no vocabulary or functions.