Vice President & Chief Technology Officer, Smith Micro Software
Search every verified David Sperling interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. In a 2003 presentation to the KOTESOL International Conference, Dave Sperling discussed strategies for integrating internet-based activities into English language teaching. He advised teachers to "not be afraid of knowing less than your students" and to "take your ego and leave it at the door" when working with high-tech students. Sperling recommended pairing students at computers to make activities "social, not antisocial," and suggested that teachers coordinate pen pal exchanges themselves to avoid the arrangement falling apart. He also cautioned that "gestures can be very dangerous" across cultures and that teachers should "prepare for the worst and hope for the best" because website links can change quickly. Sperling described video conferencing as "powerful" and noted that students become "really, really excited" when they see their pen pals live. He characterized the era as "still the early days for online learning and online education," telling teachers that by using the internet in class they could "consider yourself a pioneer."
“Don't be afraid of knowing less than your students; sometimes it's hard — a lot of the students, especially here in Korea, they're very high-tech and you have to take your ego and leave it at the door.”
“Don't abandon pen and paper — I like to have my students keep a notebook when they're going online and actually copy down information they're learning.”
“Make it social, not antisocial — when I paired students up two in front of a computer the dynamics completely changed and the class became communicative and fun.”
“If you just tell your students to go find a pen pal sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't; I like to arrange it myself with another teacher so it's more coordinated and there's less chance the whole thing will fall apart.”
"Elements of a Successful Internet ELT Activity" Dave Sperling's 2nd presentation at the 2003 KOTESOL International Conference ...
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