Using authoring software in MFL

What is authoring software?

Authoring software enables teachers to create interactive materials specifically to meet the needs of their students. Interactive materials allow students to select a correct answer to a question. The materials created often have a game format and students use the mouse to rearrange text, to input text into gaps, to drag images to match text, or to match sound with text or images. The key feature of such materials is that the user receives immediate feedback and can start again in order to improve performance. 

For the teacher, this type of software enables the creation of appealing activities for students to consolidate learning. Tasks can be at the level of word recognition, gap-fill, grammar practice, sentence and paragraph reconstruction, or comprehension. Moreover, materials can be used on the interactive whiteboard or placed on the school network for students to access remotely.

Key features

• Ease of use: no programming skills are needed. Choose an activity type and input the language or sound file and the activity is created. Many activities can often be created from one idea or input.
• Versatility: interactive materials can be used for whole-class teaching or for independent work by students in school or elsewhere. It is easy to edit or improve existing activities.
• Multimedia capability: text, sound recordings and image files, such as digital photographs, can be incorporated into activities.
• Focus on language: while there is a game element to many activities, the emphasis is always on language, whether working at the level of word recognition, grammar exercises, or more demanding text reconstruction. 
• Focus on learning: activities created with authoring software can be used to promote independent learning away from the classroom. The use of images and audio suits the different learning styles found among students.
• Instant feedback: materials created with authoring software give students immediate scores, allowing them to re-try and sometimes indicating the correct answer if a user opts to seek help.
• Use for assessment: students can keep track of their scores and identify areas for improvement. Sometimes, scores can be recorded and stored for the teacher to access.
• Appeal to students: the game format of many activities created with authoring software is both familiar and appealing to students. They often enjoy interactive exercises, which, if presented on paper, might not be so engaging.