Open-source software: use, study, share, improve

Olia | Jul 12, 2024Jul 11, 2024

LESSON OVERVIEW

The main objectives of this ESL lesson about software are to:

• explore open-source software and watch a video;
• learn collocations related to the topic;
• discuss experiences, challenges, and other issues connected to open-source software.

In this ESL lesson about software, students talk about personal experiences with software use and learn about open-source software. They practise verb-adverb collocations (e.g. modify freely, continuously improve) and watch a video about open-source software in which they complete comprehension tasks. Students also discuss the current status of open-source software, its future, and its challenges and solutions. Finally, they look at the open-source principle and apply it to various areas.

WARM-UP & VOCABULARY

This ESL lesson about software begins with a warm-up in which students analyse their personal experiences with software and share what factors they consider when choosing software (e.g. cost, user support, reviews, etc.). Then, students provide more details about their current software (e.g. how satisfied they are, if there’s anything they’d change). Next, students study some sentences to find verb-adverb collocations (e.g. collaborate effectively, actively contribute). After that, they put the vocabulary into practice by completing sentences with their opinions.

VIDEO & DISCUSSION

In this part of the ESL lesson about software, students match the definitions of open-source and proprietary software and watch the video to check their answers. Then, they complete a comprehension exercise in which they guess the correct information from the video and then listen to check their answers. After the video, students discuss questions and share if they have used any open-source software (e.g. Mozilla Firefox, WordPress). They also discuss various opinions from the speaker in the video regarding open-source software etiquette and conduct, as well as its future, impact of AI and big tech. Students then move to an exercise on the challenges of open-source software and complete sentences with the verbs. Then, students brainstorm some solutions to the challenges, as well as think of additional problems. Students finish up by looking at the open-source principle and applying it to various areas (e.g. education, environment) discussing real-life examples, advantages, disadvantages, and challenges. 

HOMEWORK/REVISION

This lesson plan also includes an additional task that you can use as homework or revision. In the task, students read a job listing and complete gaps using vocabulary from the lesson. They also have to come up with a short job ad using three of the phrases. The task is available in the teacher’s version of the worksheet. You can print it and hand it out to your students. It’s also included in the e-lesson plan.

WORKSHEETS

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