Chances are you are in this last group: comfortable with some technological equipment but hesitant about using the complete range of available technologies. Much can be done in the classroom to improve this situation using items that you probably already have gathering dust in the cabinet, or that you use but would like to take to the next level of utilization.

One fairly common piece of equipment that most teachers have access to is the tape recorder. They're great for listening exercises, playing the tape that comes with the textbook and singing ESL songs. They're easy to use and most people aren't apprehensive about using them in the class. But have you thought of taking the tape-recorder to the next level? Get yourself a Karaoke box. Karaoke is the sing-along musical form popularized in Japan. Kara-oke players can be attached to a TV and when used with the special Karaoke cassettes and Compact Disks, students can sing along as the words are projected on the screen. The latest versions have images like in a music video. I have an extra long cord on the microphone so that I can move around the classroom and get otherwise shy students to sing along. An added bonus is that the typical Karaoke player has larger speakers then the typical cassette deck and can be heard from the back of the room.

Did I mention a TV? The classroom has a 25" TV with a built in video cassette player. The screen is large enough so that all of the students can easily see it. It's always available for ESL tapes or general release movies with content of interest to the ESL class.

Next on the technology ladder is the overhead projector. I find overhead projectors to be the single most useful piece of equipment that one can bring into the classroom. In fact, I have two set up all of the time so that I can use them simultaneously. The main screen is used for introducing new material. Instead of getting stuck waiting for the slower students to finish working with the material, I can put the "old" page on the second projector so they can finish and introduce the new information on the first projector. I have also made transparencies of every page in the textbook. Honor the copyrighted work of the textbook authors and quit making copies for the students. With the page projected on the screen for all to see, nobody is left out. My students soon learn the mantra "If you have the book, use the book.

If you don't have the book, COPY!" Students who really can't afford the text book or don't want to buy it can still participate and they get extra writing practice when they copy the conversations into their own notebooks. More students purchase the book because they know they aren't going to have photocopies passed out and I protect myself from publishers' lawsuits.

There are a lot of creative techniques that are especially suitable to the overhead projector. One of my favorites is the "Concentration Game for the OHP." In this game, students uncover items on a grid in order to find matching pairs of grammatically related words or pictures. Another lesson that works especially well is describing locations on a map. Given a transparent grid of city streets you can move various pieces representing buildings around the map with ease. Students have to describe the various locations. "The gas station is on the Northeast corner of Main Street and 1st Avenue across from the market." etc. The more you use the overhead projector in your class, the more uses you will discover.

Of course, the "hot" area of the moment is introducing computers into the ESL classroom. Whether you choose a desktop model or a laptop will depend on several factors. Can you leave the computer in a secure location or would it be safer to take it with you? Do you have more than one class? Would you like to be able to economize and use the same computer in all of your classes? Do you have unlimited funds to buy as many computers as you want? Buying a single laptop might be more expensive per unit, but since you can carry it around to all of your classes it might be more economical. What funds do you have available to purchase software that will be helpful to your students? Will you want to have Internet access for either your own professional growth or for your students to visit ESL-related Web'ster for individual study? Are you interested in custom-built programs that meet your students' needs because you have designed them yourself or do you just plan to buy commercially produced CD-ROMs? Would you like to have the ability to professionally print out student-created projects or written work? New easy-to-use digital cameras allow you to take photos of your students or school site and incorporate them into your work.

Do you remember the TV? It sits up high on the computer cabinet. With a special adapter, the output of the computer's monitor signal can be displayed on the TV. Using the TV together with the computer allows me to teach and use the computer with the whole group at the same time. Those with larger budgets can do the same with an LCD panel or LCD projector.

There are many areas where technology can enhance the educational experience for your students. It is not; however, automatic that technology will make your workday any easier. Many technological innovations require a concerted effort to learn their proper use and to meaningfully incorporate them into the daily lesson. Training students to use a computer program can be very time-consuming. What will the rest of the class be doing while you are helping one or two students work their way through a program? How will you respond when the student working at the computer gets an error message or the program freezes while you are in the middle of a lesson directed at the rest of the class? How will the student working at the computer learn the material that was introduced while at the computer? What happens when the overhead projector bulb burns out? The instructor who introduces technology into the ESL classroom will undoubtedly be spending a lot of time grappling with these and other issues. Feedback from your students will help you decide if your efforts will have been worth it. My students show me by their words and attendance that the time spent writing grant proposals, looking for and installing the equipment and software, and preparing lessons is time well spent.