Quick answer: The easiest ways to use technology in TEFL are still the low-prep ones: student voice and video recordings, simple animation tasks, video calls with English speakers, word clouds and a class group online. This article was first written in 2012 and fully updated in July 2026 – some original tools have disappeared (including Skype, retired in May 2025), so each activity below now names a free, working alternative.
Want to inject a bit of life into your class with technology but don’t know where to start? Or are you put off by the amount of choice and limited by time and technical know-how?
If so, this article is for you. We have identified 5 easy-to-use technologies to spice up your TEFL classes and get your students enjoying learning English using IT. Each idea requires minimal set up and know-how, and free options exist for every one.
We are assuming that there is 1 PC or laptop with internet access in your classroom and that your students will have internet access at home. We have also also pointed to a few offline related activities for optimum exploitation. Also, most of our activities are suitable for adult classes, but some could easily be adapted for teens or even younger learners.
OK, let's go.
1) Student video and voice responses
(2026 update: this activity originally used a video-response site called Intervue.me, which no longer exists in that form. The activity works just as well with Vocaroo – a free one-click voice recorder – or with students recording video on their own phones.)
The idea: post up a question and then have students respond to it in a recording, giving them valuable speaking practice, and you the opportunity to review their comments.
Idea for use in class: in pairs, students write and refine a response to your question and then come up, a pair at a time, to record their response to your set question.
At home: students listen to their classmates’ responses, vote on the best response or the most entertaining for feedback in class. You review the response to ensure corrections for word use, pronunciation and fluency.
Extra: a good extension idea is to use it for practising reported speech - e.g. ‘Julian said he liked relaxing holidays’.
2) Animated dialogues
At Vyond, you and your classes can create animated stories and dialogues. It is quite easy to do. Firstly, choose the setting from one of the templates, then select your characters and type in or record your character's dialogue. Once it is complete, click 'View' and your students will be able to see their videos. Very easy. As it is web based, students can use it from home as well. (2026 note: Vyond has moved upmarket into business video and is now a paid tool with a free trial – fine for a short class project, but budget accordingly.)
In class: students prepare a dialogue (maximum of 10 exchanges) around a theme or language point of your choice.
At home: Students make the animation incorporating their prepared dialogue.
Extra: if they have chosen to type in the dialogue, the words will be spoken by an ‘actor’s’ voice. This has a slightly unusual intonation since the individual words are spliced together. Get students to role-play with the correct intonation. Excellent for pronunciation and fluency development.
3) Video calls with English speakers
(2026 update: this section originally featured Skype, which Microsoft retired in May 2025. The same activities work on Teams free, Zoom or Google Meet – see our full guide to teaching English by video call.)
Free video calling is one of the most powerful classroom tools there is. Have you considered how useful it can be in a lesson?
Idea for use in class: have an English speaking friend or relative call in by video during one of your lessons and allow your students 2 minutes each to ask questions of them in English. My daughter did this in her Arabic class and it really bought the language to life.
At home: they prepare questions to ask in advance. Think of typical questions for a person who comes from that country. Refine in class in pairs and by guessing how the relative/friend might respond ahead of the call. Only those who have prepared get the chance to speak on the call!
Extra: Group calls are easy on all the main platforms. Divide your class into conversation groups with 3 or 4 in each, set questions for discussion each week and encourage them to meet online to discuss. Have a regular feedback slot in class.
4) Word clouds
This is just so fun and visual we had to include it. We also think it is the easiest of the 5 technologies to access. With Word Clouds any text you type in can be rearranged at the click of a button to create 'word clouds' with higher frequency words given prominence on the page.
Ideas for use in class and home: students prepare a short list of things that are important to them or that they enjoy doing and then type this into Word Clouds. They rearrange the list in a style to suit their personality and share the results with the class.
5) A class group online
One for adults, this, but can be quite effective if your students are into social media. Everyone knows Facebook and we can harness its power, allowing our students to connect socially. (Be aware that FB has a minimum age restriction – for younger classes or students who avoid social media, a private Padlet board does the same job.)
Start a group for your class/school. OK. If you’re not a FB user, there is a little more to it than ‘click and go’ but once set up, you can use it as an interactive forum, a place to extend studies and even 'socialise' in English. It will require monitoring, and an effective group needs the administrator to be consistent, not just leaving the the odd response or post. Otherwise students will get bored and leave.
Ideas for use in class and home:
*Post homework on the group. This requires students to log in and interact.
*Set a question as a simple poll or survey. Get students to explain their choice and award a prize for the best response.
*Find a good video on YouTube, or post your own. Have students view it and then answer simple questions about it. This enables them to practise English listening and writing skills.
*Get students to give you ideas for materials for homework - or to post an interesting clip (in English) on a theme your group chooses. Ask them to explain what is good about it.
*Start writing a group story - where each member has to write the next sentence of the text. Or share jokes, poems and new articles.
*Post a Phrasal verb and see who can get the most uses out of it, e.g. to give up.
Extra: elect a sensible, keen user from the class as ‘admin’ who can monitor and will take a lead in posting comments as well as you and get ideas for great free TEFL sites to link to in your posts.
Which classroom technology tools still work in 2026?
Fourteen years is a long time on the internet, so here is the honest status of the tools in this article, checked in July 2026:
| Tool | Status in 2026 | Free? |
|---|---|---|
| Intervue.me (original tip 1) | Gone – the domain now hosts a tech-interview product. Use Vocaroo or phone recordings instead | Vocaroo: yes |
| Vyond (tip 2) | Still running, now aimed at business video | Paid, free trial |
| Skype (original tip 3) | Retired by Microsoft in May 2025 | Use Teams free, Zoom or Google Meet |
| WordClouds.co.uk (tip 4) | Alive and well | Yes |
| Facebook groups (tip 5) | Still work; Padlet is a good class-friendly alternative | Yes (Padlet: free tier) |
| Kahoot / LearningApps / LyricsTraining | Newer additions worth exploring for quizzes, games and song-based listening | Free tiers |
If you want to take online teaching further than the odd class activity, our 20-hour Teaching English Online course covers tools, lesson design and finding students, and our tips for TEFL discussion classes plus these 5 TEFL warmers supply the speaking material to use on any platform. For no-tech insurance, keep a set of ready-to-print instant TEFL lessons in your bag.
Frequently asked questions
How can I use technology with beginner English classes?
Choose tools where the language load is small and visual: word clouds of new vocabulary, voice recordings of short model sentences, and picture-based quiz games. Keep instructions in simple English supported by demonstration – show the class the first example on the projector before asking them to try.
Do these activities work in online lessons?
Yes – most were ahead of their time. Voice recordings, word clouds and class groups all transfer directly, and the video-call activity simply becomes inviting a guest speaker into your online lesson. Use the chat box for instructions and links so students can click rather than type URLs.
What if my classroom has no reliable internet?
Set the online parts as homework and keep class time for preparation and feedback: students draft their recording script or dialogue in class, record at home, and you review the results together next lesson. Every activity in this article splits cleanly into an offline class stage and an online home stage.
Which free tool should a new TEFL teacher try first?
A word cloud generator – it needs no accounts, no set-up and thirty seconds of explanation, yet produces something visual students genuinely enjoy. Once that feels comfortable, add voice recordings with Vocaroo for speaking practice, then a class group for homework and discussion.
Enjoy using technology in your class! If you are using some already, why not share your ideas below.
Useful urls
https://vocaroo.com/
https://www.vyond.com/
https://teams.live.com/free
https://www.wordclouds.co.uk/
https://www.wikihow.com/Create-a-New-Facebook-Group
https://nikpeachey.blogspot.com/ More ideas from ELT /technology guru Nick Peachy
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Louisa Walsh, Course Director, Global English
First published January 2012; tools audited and updated July 2026.