A tool that we have had the opportunity to learn a little bit more about and use at the university is Photo Story. It is a tool that Microsoft has created and you can download it to your computer for free at Microsoft's website www.microsoft.com/photostory. To download this programme you need to have some version of Windows XP installed in your computer and to play it you need a programme called Windows Media Player.
Photo Story is easy to learn because you can follow it step by step in the way to create your own Photo Story. It is a programme where you can add pictures and decide in which order you want them to be shown. You can write a text to each picture, add music and record your own voice and add to the pictures. You can also edit the pictures. You can for example take away red eyes, turn the pictures in the way you want them and use different effects to create more dynamic pictures like using the zoom effect to zoom in or out in the picture. You can also choose how long you want each picture to be shown, maybe some of them need to be shown a little bit longer than others.
Both pupils and teachers can use the tool Photo Story. Teachers can use it to introduce a theme that the class is going to start working with or an assignment that the pupils are going to do. When a teacher is going to introduce the subject English to young learners it can be a good idea to create a Photo Story where you can add pictures on for example animals and add a text saying what the animals are called in English and also record your own voice so the pupils can hear how different words are pronounced.
If a teacher works with a picture book in a class the teacher can create a Photo Story and add the pictures from the book by scanning them into the computer or use a digital camera to photograph the pictures and then add them to the Photo Story. In this way the teacher can show the pupils pictures from the book at the same time that she reads it. Often there are a lot of things that you can discuss by looking at pictures and Photo Story is a great tool to use in exercises like this one.
Pupils can also use the tool Photo Story. They can include it in an oral presentation. Pupils who think it is scary to stand in front of the whole class can have good use of Photo Story. They can prepare themselves in advance, maybe this can help them in not becoming too nervous and thinking that giving an oral presentation is the worst thing in the whole world. Pupils can also use the tool when they are going to present other things like introducing themselves or their families and where they live or if they have other excercises that they are working with in school. By using a digital camera it is easy to take own pictures to include in Photo Stories. The pupils can also download Photo Story to their own computers at home so that they can use it when doing for example homework.
The tool Photo Story can be used in all subjects and there is no limit for when or how much it can be used. When using a tool like this, there are some things that you as a teacher must have in mind and inform your pupils about. You have to think about the fact that you are not permitted to download any pictures or music you want from the Internet and use them in your Photo Story because then you can be accused for stealing. That is something that teachers and pupils have to be aware about. The programme Photo Story includes some pictures and music when downloading it and these are of course totally okay to use like your own photos from a digital camera.
To be able to show Photo Stories in the classrooms there must be a computer connected to a projector so that the pupils can see the Photo Stories on the whiteboard or smartboard. Many schools have these functions in almost every classroom nowadays. If a teacher does not have these functions in her classroom maybe she can change with another teacher in some lessons so that class can be able to work with Photo Stories as well.
Photo Story is a really good tool to use in school and at the same time that it is fun and creative it is also of good use.
Tuesday 28 December 2010
Saturday 11 December 2010
Using Power Point in ICT teaching
I will show you how you can use Microsoft PowerPoint to teach your pupils english. PowerPoint is a programe linked to the Microsoft Office package and most computers (at least PC) has got the office package bought and installed.
How PowePoint works
Microsoft PowerPoint is a program were you can construct and present. You can put text, pictures and sounds into a slideshow.
How PowePoint works
Microsoft PowerPoint is a program were you can construct and present. You can put text, pictures and sounds into a slideshow.
PowerPoint is very effective and easy to use when you want to present something for a group of people.
When using PowerPoint you can import pictures, videoclips and audio (both music and voices, and you can import it or record yourself). You can write text and put in animations and transits, you can also choose if you want animations or slides to move automaticly or by you clicking.
PowerPoint is easy to use and easy to learn. Therefor I find it usable in teaching, both teachers and students can use it.
How can PowerPoint be used in the teaching?
I find that PowePoint can be used with children in most ages and grades, the teacher just has to adapt the exercise so that it suits the students thats it's aimed for.
My thought is that you can use PowerPoint when you want your students to work either in groups, pairs or individualy. The students will have to have a subject to work with and then construct the PowerPoint. When the PowerPoint is finished the students are going to present it to each other and then they have to speak. The exercise will include reading, writhing and speaking, the PowerPoint will become a resource and aid when the students communicate.
Here is an example on how the exercise can be:
You and your partner are going to make a PowerPoint presentation about dubble decked buses. You will there after make a presentation and "teach" you classmates about the buses. The PowerPoint must include at least two questions that will require you "pupils" to discuss the question or topic at hand. You have to use both text, audio and pictures in your PowerPoint.
The aim with this exercise is for the students to use the English language in a communicative and interactive way. They will also have to find information about their topic for their PowerPoint and prepare for their presentation. This will require the students to use the English language.
Many more ways.
This was just one example of an exercise you can use PowerPoint in. I think PowerPoint can be used in many more ways. When teaching beginners you can make a PowerPoint presentation with pictures and then talk about the pictures with the students. Ask them to describe the picture. You can put sounds in to give the students more understanding of the word and what they are seeing/ hearing. This may help the students learn words and to speak and describe. Only the teachers imagination sets the limit for how to use PowerPoint in teaching.
// Joy Andersson
Friday 10 December 2010
British Council
British Council
I have picked the website from British Council to write about in my Blog post. You can become a member but you do not have to. If the children become members on the page at home or in school there are “House rules”. These you need to read together with your class before you start and keep the parents informed what the rules say!I have been working with young children in grade 1-3 and I find this website perfect for them. The layout is very easy to understand, the design feels very friendly, nice pictures and funny exercises.
This is how it works
There are many different activities like games and then you have a number of activities to pick from .Here you can learn about for example “The Rainforest”, Christmas game match words and pictures.Listen &watch with a number of things to choose from like, listen to stories, tongue twister, kids talk and more.
Read &write, make things and explore works in the same ways as games and Listen & watch. At the moment they have a Christmas story that is called “Santa´s little helper”. The children can listen to the story, play language games about Christmas, practice listening, sing Christmas songs and write with help from questions that is given about their own Christmases. I find this a good balance of activities.
How can I use it working as a teacher?
I find this webpage very useful, the children can work in pair getting to know the possibilities of the page. I can connect the page to the classroom Smartboard and the whole class can sing songs together, looking at the pictures and read the lyrics. Here I can decide the speed of the song that is very good when you learn something new. We can listen to the Stories and here I can click on “next” when we are ready for the story to continue. You can listen to the story first and then the whole class can read aloud from the text.
Other options
There are also words matching with activities and the songs and these can be used as homework. At the end of the page there is a possibility to print these out that is very good.
I also thought about the children that need to listen many, many times to things, this way of working if perfect for them. Then you always have the children that is very advanced in the subject and for them working with a web page means that they can challenge themselves.
Ann-Sofie Warringer
Sunday 5 December 2010
Storynory
In my blogpost I will tell you about an Internet page called Storynory. On this page you can find a great numbers of different Audio stories that you and your students can listen to and read. There has been a new story published every week since November 2005. Therefore, you have a great amount of stories to choose among. I think that the pupils in 5th or 6th class can be able to understand the stories.
You find the page on:
To use the page you need a computer with Internet connection, headphones or loudspeakers. If you have a projector, it is an advantage, than you can work with the whole class on the same story. A printer is useful too, than you can print out the stories and use them to further work. You can also download the stories to iPods if you have iTune on your computer, or have it as an app on your iPhone.
I think this page is easy to use for the students. There are not a lot of commercials popping up, distracting them. It has a two-click system, first click on the kind of story you want, second click on the story you have chosen and now you can start listen. There are five different categories of stories:
Original stories
Fairytales
Classic
Educational
Junior
You can either just listen to the story or both listen and read at the same time, while the stories also are on your computer screen. They also have a translation tool on the site. If you double-click on a world, there come up a list of different languages, choose the language you want, and then double-click at the worlds you will have translated. All worlds have not a translation, but many have so I think it could be a good help for the children.
How the teacher can use the page.
On this page you can get a great amount of material to raise the pupils listening and reading skills. You can let the students’ just listen to a story that you selected. Before that I think you have to prepare a list of some words they have to know before they start listen to the story. To be sure that they have understood it you can give them some Task1 and Task2 questions (Harmer 2007). Since you have the story even on the screen it is easy to print it out and continue to work whit it. Many of the stories you can let the students’ dramatizes in groups and play for each other. They can also rewrite them into our time; many are old stories. Here they can get inspiration to write own stories in English, either one by one or in small groups. They can illustrate it and make a Photo Story, that they can show the class, their parents or publish on the class’ wikipage.
How the students can use the page.
They can listen and read the stories. Many of the stories are famous stories that are told all around the world. That makes them easier to understand, while they have got a pre-understanding of the stories. It can also be fun to compare how the story is told in Great Britain with the way we tell it in Sweden. The storytellers also give a small background to the story, which could be nice to know. Here they are given the ability to listen to how a native English speaker pronounces worlds and the intonation of the language. Even the children can download the stories to iPods and iPhones and just listen to them for fun before they shall sleep or on a long boring journey.
Wednesday 1 December 2010
GoAnimate and Animatedcards
Goanimate and Animated cards
I work with the youngest pupils and I wanted to find something I could use for beginners. I have chosen the animation theme. That is because it appeals to my primary school students. I would like to recommend two different websites available on the internet: http://www.goanimate.com and http://www.animatedcards.org
This is how it works
Both of them are websites available on the internet. I will tell you about goanimate first. The basic version of it is for free, but it has limited possibilities. There is also a version you can use if your school is willing to pay for it. The pay- version gives you even more opportunities, but the free version is a great start, especially for young learners.
To be able to use it you need a modern version of Windows, like Windows XP and onwards.
You have to start an account the first time you sign up. Before you start using goanimate you can watch a short instruction demo. It will show you how to use the website.
With this programme you can create your own animations, like a cartoon or comic strip.
You can choose backgrounds, characters and how you want the characters to move. The free- version allows you to create one character of your own or you can use the ones already on the website.
One of the great advantages with goanimate is that you can make the characters speak and they will speak English. You just write what you want your character to say and it will say it. I think this is a valuable function for my young learners. They get to hear “real English”. You can choose from different voices or record your own voice. You can also add music or sound- effects either your own or use the ones on goanimate.
Once you have made your animation of maximum two minutes length, you can save it and play it over and over again. You can let it out on youtube, facebook or even make a DVD.
Animated cards are very much like goanimate. You can use the website for free. Animated cards is even easier to understand and use. It has several prepared themes to choose from, but also gives you free space to write personal greetings. When you have opened the website you choose a theme, a picture and then you can write whatever you want. When you are satisfied with your card you can send it to an e-mail address.
How can we use these websites?
Both these websites are very easy to learn and understand. I am not surprised that my pupils learned to work with them faster than me. We are quite short of computers in my school and these websites allows the pupils to create great things in a short time. I let them create in pairs and it has worked out very well.
The websites allows you to create suitable learning situations for beginners. They can be used for many different topics and subjects.
-I like…..
-Favourite food, colour, animal……
-To work with feasts and holidays.
-Nursery rhymes and poems
-Feelings and friendship
-Presentation of a friend, pet, family- member…..
-As a teacher you can create the beginning of a story and let the pupils end it.
Every pupil can feel success. You do not have to be an artist. They feel proud of their work.
They can show it to each others and to their parents. Their animated cards has a receiver. It is fun to send a card and it is fun to get one. They can send their cards to people outside school.
I work with the youngest pupils and I wanted to find something I could use for beginners. I have chosen the animation theme. That is because it appeals to my primary school students. I would like to recommend two different websites available on the internet: http://www.goanimate.com and http://www.animatedcards.org
This is how it works
Both of them are websites available on the internet. I will tell you about goanimate first. The basic version of it is for free, but it has limited possibilities. There is also a version you can use if your school is willing to pay for it. The pay- version gives you even more opportunities, but the free version is a great start, especially for young learners.
To be able to use it you need a modern version of Windows, like Windows XP and onwards.
You have to start an account the first time you sign up. Before you start using goanimate you can watch a short instruction demo. It will show you how to use the website.
With this programme you can create your own animations, like a cartoon or comic strip.
You can choose backgrounds, characters and how you want the characters to move. The free- version allows you to create one character of your own or you can use the ones already on the website.
One of the great advantages with goanimate is that you can make the characters speak and they will speak English. You just write what you want your character to say and it will say it. I think this is a valuable function for my young learners. They get to hear “real English”. You can choose from different voices or record your own voice. You can also add music or sound- effects either your own or use the ones on goanimate.
Once you have made your animation of maximum two minutes length, you can save it and play it over and over again. You can let it out on youtube, facebook or even make a DVD.
Animated cards are very much like goanimate. You can use the website for free. Animated cards is even easier to understand and use. It has several prepared themes to choose from, but also gives you free space to write personal greetings. When you have opened the website you choose a theme, a picture and then you can write whatever you want. When you are satisfied with your card you can send it to an e-mail address.
How can we use these websites?
Both these websites are very easy to learn and understand. I am not surprised that my pupils learned to work with them faster than me. We are quite short of computers in my school and these websites allows the pupils to create great things in a short time. I let them create in pairs and it has worked out very well.
The websites allows you to create suitable learning situations for beginners. They can be used for many different topics and subjects.
-I like…..
-Favourite food, colour, animal……
-To work with feasts and holidays.
-Nursery rhymes and poems
-Feelings and friendship
-Presentation of a friend, pet, family- member…..
-As a teacher you can create the beginning of a story and let the pupils end it.
Every pupil can feel success. You do not have to be an artist. They feel proud of their work.
They can show it to each others and to their parents. Their animated cards has a receiver. It is fun to send a card and it is fun to get one. They can send their cards to people outside school.
AlphaSmart
Teachers and pupils are priviledged nowadays since there are a lot of ICT resources available in schools. I have chosen to tell you about a brilliant and fun device for teachers and pupils. This device is called AlphaSmart.
What AlphaSmart is and what you need to make it work
AlphaSmart is a digital notebook, which gives you a lot of opportunities. You can write long texts or take notes wherever you are and whenever you want. It looks like a laptop, but can only be used for writing. This device costs about $200-300 US Dollars and weigh 1 kilo.
AlphaSmart is popular in school since it is very affordable. It is also ergonomic and durable, so it is a perfect educational aid for pupils.
You need AA-batteries in order to use AlphaSmart. It has excellent battery life since the uptime is about 500 hours! You also need a PC when you are finished with your text and want to edit something. At last, you need a printer in order to print out your text.
How AlphaSmart can be used by pupils and teachers
AlphaSmart is perfect for pupils who need to write stories and letters, for example. Pupils don't need pens, papers and rubbers to write long texts nowadays. This device helps pupils to increase their writing skills. AlphaSmart can't connect to the internet, so pupils don't get distracted with web surfing. Furthermore, this device is similar to a laptop, so pupils don't usually have a problem with using it. You can't hear when someone is writing on AlphaSmart since the keyboard is soundless, so it is not disturbing other persons in the room.
AlphaSmart is also a fantastic tool for pupils with dyslexia, dysgraphia or other learning disabilities. Pupils' motivation increases and they are often proud of their work. These pupils can print out their completed work and feel positive and satisfied. They also feel that their work is of a similar standard to the rest of their peers. In addition, AlphaSmart has an in-built spell-check, which is a support for pupils with dyslexia. The screen is small, so pupils can only see a few lines at a time. Therefore, they can focus better on their texts.
It is important for teachers to remember that AlphaSmart is not suitable for all pupils, since they have different conditions of learning. However, most teachers are positive to this device since it is easy to use for both them and their pupils. As already mentioned, AlphaSmart looks like a laptop, so teachers must teach their pupils that AlphaSmart is an educational aid and not a toy.
Other considerations
In conclusion, pupils and teachers have a large amount of opportunities in the classroom with AlphaSmart. This device encourages and motivates most pupils' lust to write. Hopefully, more teachers realize that AlphaSmart has a lot of advantages and start using this fantastic resource!
What AlphaSmart is and what you need to make it work
AlphaSmart is a digital notebook, which gives you a lot of opportunities. You can write long texts or take notes wherever you are and whenever you want. It looks like a laptop, but can only be used for writing. This device costs about $200-300 US Dollars and weigh 1 kilo.
AlphaSmart is popular in school since it is very affordable. It is also ergonomic and durable, so it is a perfect educational aid for pupils.
You need AA-batteries in order to use AlphaSmart. It has excellent battery life since the uptime is about 500 hours! You also need a PC when you are finished with your text and want to edit something. At last, you need a printer in order to print out your text.
How AlphaSmart can be used by pupils and teachers
AlphaSmart is perfect for pupils who need to write stories and letters, for example. Pupils don't need pens, papers and rubbers to write long texts nowadays. This device helps pupils to increase their writing skills. AlphaSmart can't connect to the internet, so pupils don't get distracted with web surfing. Furthermore, this device is similar to a laptop, so pupils don't usually have a problem with using it. You can't hear when someone is writing on AlphaSmart since the keyboard is soundless, so it is not disturbing other persons in the room.
AlphaSmart is also a fantastic tool for pupils with dyslexia, dysgraphia or other learning disabilities. Pupils' motivation increases and they are often proud of their work. These pupils can print out their completed work and feel positive and satisfied. They also feel that their work is of a similar standard to the rest of their peers. In addition, AlphaSmart has an in-built spell-check, which is a support for pupils with dyslexia. The screen is small, so pupils can only see a few lines at a time. Therefore, they can focus better on their texts.
It is important for teachers to remember that AlphaSmart is not suitable for all pupils, since they have different conditions of learning. However, most teachers are positive to this device since it is easy to use for both them and their pupils. As already mentioned, AlphaSmart looks like a laptop, so teachers must teach their pupils that AlphaSmart is an educational aid and not a toy.
Other considerations
In conclusion, pupils and teachers have a large amount of opportunities in the classroom with AlphaSmart. This device encourages and motivates most pupils' lust to write. Hopefully, more teachers realize that AlphaSmart has a lot of advantages and start using this fantastic resource!
Wikispaces for K-12 educators
When I had read ”Lära engelska på internet” av Maria Estling Vannestål I sat for hours in front of the computer, and I got lost in cyberspace. I soon realized that I had to decide what my Blog Post would be about. I had great fun though. I asked myself; Is there a way to make it easier for my students to take responsibility for their own learning? I was looking for something that would be a challenge for me, and something that I would have use for in my teaching right away.
I always make my homework on a paper. I try to add some useful links to every homework, but I have noticed that many of my students think it is hard to get to them. So, I went back to the computer searching for information about wikispaces. I had read about it in “Lära engelska på internet” by Maria Estling Vannestål, and I thought it sounded interesting. After gathering information about wikispaces I decided to start a Wikispace for K-12 educators, where I can collect homework, links and other things that my students might find useful when they want to learn more about English. For those of you who like working with Storylines I can strongly recommend reading the article about wikis and storylines on www.multimediabyran.se.
What is a Wikispace for K-12 educators?
It is a wikispace, a space out in the cloud, which you can start for K-12 educational use. K-12 means kindergarten through secondary school. It is free and it is free from advertising. It is a web site, where you can make uppdates directly on the page just by pressing the Edit–button. Wikispaces require access to Safari, Firefox or Internet Explorer. From the start you get 2 GB as space usage.
As the space organizer you can choose what kind of accessibility you want your wikispace to have. You can choose between public, protected and private. Public means that the page is completely open, and anyone can edit and make changes to it. Protected means that the page is open to the public to read, but only invited members can make changes and edit it. Private means that the wiki can only been seen and edited by spacemembers.
As the space organizer you can invite and create accounts for all your students, even if they do not have an email. You can also promote members to organizers when ever you need it. You can change look and feel on your wiki by setting colours and theme, and you can uppload a costumlogo.
If you want to create a wiki K-12 you can go to
http://www.wikispaces.com/site/for/teachers.
It can be good to know that you can not change the name of your wikispace once you have named it.
How students and teachers can use it
On a wikipace you can write text, uppload images and files and add links. You can also embed media. When you edit your wiki there is a toolbar that reminds a lot of Microsoft´s Word. Under the Help link you can find many great documents and video tutorials that will help you to find out how to manage your wiki.
I look forward to use my wiki with my students. I can see a lot of possibilities to what it can be used for. I already have in mind to collect reviews and wordlists, from books my students are reading, into the page. We can make videos and add them on the wiki. The page can perhaps work as a ”classportfolio”. Hopefully our wiki will become a natural tool both for me and my students, but to begin with I must learn the basics. I know it will require a lot of patience on my part. One of my problems is that I always want to be able to understand everything immediately. Then it is very easy to seek help from my tech-savvy husband, but not this time. I will take one step at a time, and I will be good at managing the wiki. I have started to collect useful links on the page. Next step is to learn how to change size of pictures I want to add. I have done it before, a long time ago, so it would not be that hard. I just have to remind me how to do it. One thing leads to another, and I am on my way managing my wiki.
Friday 26 November 2010
Photostory
There are many inspiring and useful ICT recources that can be exploited when teaching and learning English as a foreign language. However, in this blog post I've chosen to restrict myself to one of all these recources. I'd like to recommend Photo Story and its usefulness in the education of English.
How it works
Photo Story is a Microsoft provided software, which is free and available for anyone who has a modern version of Windows, i.e. from Windows XP and onwards. This software is used for creating presentations out of digital photos. These photos could be own taken photos, scanned pictures or pictures found at the Internet. A useful sight on the Internet to find photos without worrying about the copyright issue is Fotofinnaren. This is an archive of photos which constantly grows larger and it is available to anyone. You'll find the sight on: http://fotofinnaren.se/
Besides working with pictures, Photo story allows to add narration, background music and many other effects. Once a photo story has been created, you will need Windows Media Player in order to able to play it.
It's easy to learn how to work with Photo Story and the best part of it is that it'll cost you nothing, since it's freely downladable!
Instructions of how to use Photo Story are found at:
http://www.rexnet.se/larwei1/it_stordammen/html/photostory/index.htm
Photo Story is downloadable at:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/photostory/default.mspx
How teachers and pupils can use it
A positive part with using Photo Story in your English education is that it allows you to create learning situations that could be suitable to all your pupils. Photo story can be used as a creative tool in order to suit all pupil's levels of language.
The many different ways of how you could use Photo Story in your English education are more or less unlimited. As a teacher you are able to create a lot of different tasks to your pupils and here I'll give you a small selection of topics of presentations that I think could be approprate to work with at earlier levels:
Once a photo story has been created, you also have the possibility to have it published at You Tube for example. Publishing work created by your pupils on the Internet will probably have a highly motivating effect. Knowing that it'll not only be your teacher or your peers but also your parents, relatives and friends who will be able to see what you've created will most likely have the effect of pupils making harder efforts to have their work done correctly!
How it works
Photo Story is a Microsoft provided software, which is free and available for anyone who has a modern version of Windows, i.e. from Windows XP and onwards. This software is used for creating presentations out of digital photos. These photos could be own taken photos, scanned pictures or pictures found at the Internet. A useful sight on the Internet to find photos without worrying about the copyright issue is Fotofinnaren. This is an archive of photos which constantly grows larger and it is available to anyone. You'll find the sight on: http://fotofinnaren.se/
Besides working with pictures, Photo story allows to add narration, background music and many other effects. Once a photo story has been created, you will need Windows Media Player in order to able to play it.
It's easy to learn how to work with Photo Story and the best part of it is that it'll cost you nothing, since it's freely downladable!
Instructions of how to use Photo Story are found at:
http://www.rexnet.se/larwei1/it_stordammen/html/photostory/index.htm
Photo Story is downloadable at:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/photostory/default.mspx
How teachers and pupils can use it
A positive part with using Photo Story in your English education is that it allows you to create learning situations that could be suitable to all your pupils. Photo story can be used as a creative tool in order to suit all pupil's levels of language.
The many different ways of how you could use Photo Story in your English education are more or less unlimited. As a teacher you are able to create a lot of different tasks to your pupils and here I'll give you a small selection of topics of presentations that I think could be approprate to work with at earlier levels:
- My holiday
- My pet
- My family
- My trip
- My interests
- Create an ending of a story
Once a photo story has been created, you also have the possibility to have it published at You Tube for example. Publishing work created by your pupils on the Internet will probably have a highly motivating effect. Knowing that it'll not only be your teacher or your peers but also your parents, relatives and friends who will be able to see what you've created will most likely have the effect of pupils making harder efforts to have their work done correctly!
Thursday 25 November 2010
CleverBoard and Lynx
I would like to recommend CleverBoard and Lynx 4 for you in my Blog post. CleverBoard is an interactive whiteboard and Lynx is the software that follows. Many schools have got this already or are going to. In my school we have those in all our classrooms and we have been using them for a couple of years now. With CleverBoard and Lynx you can create lessons by using resources from the internet or from your computer and mix it with “traditional teaching”.
What you need to make it work
First of all you need a computer, PC with at least Windows 2000 or a Mac with Linux. Then you need a CleverBoard. The CleverBoard can be installed instead of a whiteboard, you can use it like that as well. Or you can have the CleverBoard somewhere else in the classroom. The CleverBoard is connected with the computer. You navigate the computer with a pen by clicking on the CleverBoard. The pen has the same function as a computer-mouse. A scanner can also be useful to have, if you for example want to use a page in a textbook or something like that.
How to be used by teachers
Lynx is an “empty” program, e g it is you as a user who creates lessons or presentations in the program.
You can for example do notes on the whiteboard with the pen or by using the computer- keyboard and then save them on the computer. Next time you can continue with the notes or print them out or send them as an e-mail. If you want to put in pictures you can use the clip-art gallery or use own pictures. You can also use music-, film- or sound-files in your lesson or presentation.
You have a remote control which helps you to manage the computer and in the same time use the tools in Lynx. If you are watching film with your class, you can save parts of it in Lynx. After the film is finished you can put the scenes on the CleverBoard and work with them, the same with websites. If you have a scanned page in a textbook or a storybook saved on the computer, you can do a lot of things with it by using the tools in Lynx.
How to be used by students
The students can interact in the lesson by using the pen and moving things on the whiteboard. They can also do exercises from websites on the internet together or write answers with the pen. Often the students learn to work with Lynx faster than the teachers and they also find and explore the functions easier.
Other considerations
The CleverBoard and Lynx is a really good resource in your teaching. You need though use it often in otherwise it is easy to forget how to work with it, because it takes some time to learn how to use the tools. Time is not a thing we have lot of in school, at least not time to plan lessons, so you have to decide yourself to give priority to this.
Sometimes the technique doesn´t work, someone has pulled out a cable or it has been a power outage. It is frustrating when the CleverBoard doesn´t start and your lesson plans go up in smoke. If this happens I bet you hope that another classroom is available, so you can be there instead.
You can read more on these pages:
http://www.saharaplc.com, about CleverBoard and Lynx
http://wiki.iwbsupport.com, about Lynx
Camilla Sunesson
2010-11-25
Fronter – a Course Management Systems
Fronter provides many different tools for teaching and learning
· You can find tools to make folders where you can put learning activities and weblinks.
· You can find tools to assess the pupils.
· You can create tests and hand-in assignments.
· There is a news tool where you can write the news from school.
· Fronter provides tools for collaboration and communication.
· Shared documents allow the pupils to work together and comment on each other’s work,
· while the chat and discussion forum can be used to share ideas.
You need access
The school or the school aria needs to pay for this service. In Gislaveds kommun, all schools can access Fronter. In Fronter you participate in different rooms and you have to be a user to enter the room. I have a room to my class where the pupils are users and their parents are guests. The teacher can decide who can be able to enter the room by inviting them.
You do not need anything else than Internet unless you have posted a document or want to open a document. Then you need a text processor like Microsoft Word or Open Office Writer that is a free software to download.
A resource to the teachers, pupils and the parents
There are different ways to use Fronter as a teacher and a pupil. I have folders where I submit pictures, homeworks and other tasks so all pupils and parents can access them. Then they do their tasks and hand-in them in the hand-in-folder. There are also portfolios with all the work they have done.
Fronter provides a link tool where I submit useful web links. The pupils use the links in school and at home to do their tasks or to play a game. There is also a sound-recorder. I use it when I want my students to tell something or read something in English. Then they can do it by their own in school or at home and I have a chance to listen to everyone when they are talking.
I also write all information to the pupils and to the parents on Fronter – in the news tool.
I think Fronter is an easy information tool to use between the school and the pupils and the parents. I think the parents now know more what we do in school. They always have the homeworks at home – not forgotten at school. If the pupils are ill, a lot of what we are working with is available in Fronter.
· You can find tools to make folders where you can put learning activities and weblinks.
· You can find tools to assess the pupils.
· You can create tests and hand-in assignments.
· There is a news tool where you can write the news from school.
· Fronter provides tools for collaboration and communication.
· Shared documents allow the pupils to work together and comment on each other’s work,
· while the chat and discussion forum can be used to share ideas.
You need access
The school or the school aria needs to pay for this service. In Gislaveds kommun, all schools can access Fronter. In Fronter you participate in different rooms and you have to be a user to enter the room. I have a room to my class where the pupils are users and their parents are guests. The teacher can decide who can be able to enter the room by inviting them.
You do not need anything else than Internet unless you have posted a document or want to open a document. Then you need a text processor like Microsoft Word or Open Office Writer that is a free software to download.
A resource to the teachers, pupils and the parents
There are different ways to use Fronter as a teacher and a pupil. I have folders where I submit pictures, homeworks and other tasks so all pupils and parents can access them. Then they do their tasks and hand-in them in the hand-in-folder. There are also portfolios with all the work they have done.
Fronter provides a link tool where I submit useful web links. The pupils use the links in school and at home to do their tasks or to play a game. There is also a sound-recorder. I use it when I want my students to tell something or read something in English. Then they can do it by their own in school or at home and I have a chance to listen to everyone when they are talking.
I also write all information to the pupils and to the parents on Fronter – in the news tool.
I think Fronter is an easy information tool to use between the school and the pupils and the parents. I think the parents now know more what we do in school. They always have the homeworks at home – not forgotten at school. If the pupils are ill, a lot of what we are working with is available in Fronter.
Friday 4 June 2010
Portfolio Task 3
Web 2.0: Cool Tools for Schools
I have found a huge website called Web 2.0: Cool Tools for Schools. This is a website that is full of cool tools that can be very useful for students and teachers in school.
Here is the address:
http://cooltoolsforschools.wikispaces.com/
You can can get help with ýour students presentations, images, drawings, research and much more from this website. Here is a list of tools that you can choose among:
I have found a huge website called Web 2.0: Cool Tools for Schools. This is a website that is full of cool tools that can be very useful for students and teachers in school.
Here is the address:
http://cooltoolsforschools.wikispaces.com/
You can can get help with ýour students presentations, images, drawings, research and much more from this website. Here is a list of tools that you can choose among:
- Presentation tools
- Collaborative tools
- Research tools
- Video tools
- Slideshow tools
- Audio tools
- Images tools
- Drawing tools
- Writing tools
- Music tools
- Organising tools
- Converting tools
- Mapping tools
- Quiz and poll tools
- Graphing tools
- Creativity cools
- Widgets
- Teachers Resources
- File Storage & Web Pages
This is a useful website for teachers who have a lack of own ideas. Any tools on the website contains many useful links to other sites. Under teachers resources there are many resources to choose among. Here is a list of teachers resources:
- Classroom resources
- Reading resources
- Oral and written language resources
- Mathematics Resources
- Science and social studies resources
- Inquiry Resources
- Health and Physical education resources
- ICT resources
- Foreign language resources
- Art and craft resources
- Quizze, games and activities
- Professional development
- Tests and assessment
- Planning and classroom management
I as a teacher can get help in many different ways through this website. It is a well filled website, but still easy to find what you are looking for. The website is easily foreseeable. The negative of the website is that it provides me with many choices and it can be difficult wich ones are best. I would really recommend this website, it is worth a visit.
Portfolio task 2
eTwinning - The community for schools in Europe
I would recommend a useful website for teachers who want to work internationally in their schoolwork. Maria Estling Vannestål (2009) writes in her book Lära engelska på internet about this organization, which is a part of a Comenius Programme of the European Commission. This website is for teachers who want to find partners in Europe to cooperate with. The website is full of information on how to find a suitable partner and information on how to move forward in their cooperation.
Here is the address:
http://www.etwinning.net/en/pub/index.htm
On the eTwinning website you are able to search for schools, individuals and projects. You as teachers can choose what topic you want to work within and through this way find appropriate cooperative schools. You can choose which country you want to find a cooperative school in. There i a start page that helps the teacher with the most necessary details. You and your school must register and create your own eTwinning profile.
Here are some of the subjects available to choose among:
I would recommend a useful website for teachers who want to work internationally in their schoolwork. Maria Estling Vannestål (2009) writes in her book Lära engelska på internet about this organization, which is a part of a Comenius Programme of the European Commission. This website is for teachers who want to find partners in Europe to cooperate with. The website is full of information on how to find a suitable partner and information on how to move forward in their cooperation.
Here is the address:
http://www.etwinning.net/en/pub/index.htm
On the eTwinning website you are able to search for schools, individuals and projects. You as teachers can choose what topic you want to work within and through this way find appropriate cooperative schools. You can choose which country you want to find a cooperative school in. There i a start page that helps the teacher with the most necessary details. You and your school must register and create your own eTwinning profile.
Here are some of the subjects available to choose among:
- Art
- Foreign language
- History
- Mathematics
- ICT
- Music
There are designed project kits for teachers who are looking for concrete ideas on how to implement a European collaborative project in their on school.
In inspiration you can choose among:
- Kits
- Moduels
- Gallery
- TwinSpace
- Subjects
eTwinning is a difficult webside to understand, much because I personally find it difficult to know how to get started with a collaboration with students in any other European country. It has taken me a long time to figure out how this website is working, but I know now that this website is very useful and valubale for teachers how want to work internationally. I have used this website in my ICT project.
Monday 17 May 2010
Portfolio task 1
Students in a 6th grade, where I use to teach, showed me a web-site where they practice their vocabulary. The web-site is called glosboken. This is a fun way to practice vocabulary, better then the old fashioned way with pencil and paper. This is one way for the pupils to use ICT in their English learning. I think this is a useful and creative way to learn new words, that is why I want to tell you about this web-sit. I hope you will like it too.
Here is the address:
http://www.glosboken.se/pages/go.php?&language=en
You just have to create a user and the logon to this web-site, you can logon as a pupil or as a teacher or as a parent. Glosboken is useful in many ways, you can create exercises and make vocabulary lists. You do not have to make your own exercises, you can fetch pre-made exercises if you want to. You can learn your vocabulary by using this friendly exercise system, where the computer asks you questions based on the Flashcard theroy. You can print the vocabulary list as Flashcards, if you want to. You may even print the vocabulary list if you want to practice them in the old fashioned way.
This is not a complicated web-site, just follow the instructions and do as you are told, then everything will work out just fine. The teacher, parents or students writes the word that the student will practice. This is a fun way to learn new words and the pupils may use ICT and their computers in their learning. I hope you will find this website useful and fun.
Here is the address:
http://www.glosboken.se/pages/go.php?&language=en
You just have to create a user and the logon to this web-site, you can logon as a pupil or as a teacher or as a parent. Glosboken is useful in many ways, you can create exercises and make vocabulary lists. You do not have to make your own exercises, you can fetch pre-made exercises if you want to. You can learn your vocabulary by using this friendly exercise system, where the computer asks you questions based on the Flashcard theroy. You can print the vocabulary list as Flashcards, if you want to. You may even print the vocabulary list if you want to practice them in the old fashioned way.
This is not a complicated web-site, just follow the instructions and do as you are told, then everything will work out just fine. The teacher, parents or students writes the word that the student will practice. This is a fun way to learn new words and the pupils may use ICT and their computers in their learning. I hope you will find this website useful and fun.
Monday 10 May 2010
Starfall.com
When searching for an ICT resource to share with you in my blog post, my mind fell on Starfall (http://www.starfall.com/ ). It is a free phonic based “learn to read” website. With the remission of the English syllabus and its modifications, such as the introduction of English in the 1st grade, Starfall could be an excellent early exposure to the language in a fun and interactive manner, without any emphasis on the learning aspects. In the early years children are enthusiastic and keen on new experiences. English from an early age creates a significant opportunity to stimulate learning in an informal and playful manner. Starfall presents such a method using a motivational approach. It induces laughter and gives a stress-free acquaintance to the language.
What you need in order to use Starfall:
(The minimum system requirements)
o Windows 95, Macintosh OS8, or Linux
o Internet connection
o 64 MB Ram
o 200 MHz processor
o Internet Explorer 4 or Netscape 4
o Flash Player 4
o Speakers
o Adobe reader
How Starfall is constructed
The Starfall website opened 2002 and is primarily designed for those who are in the beginning stages of reading. It has both an educator´s and parental guide. It is highly interactive using both sound and pictures, while requiring the user to participate actively with the mouse or keyboard.
The website is divided into various stages with reading activities. The ABCs Let´s get ready to read section has activities and games where users view and manipulate pictures to distinguish the letters of the alphabet. E.g. a train would appear with the lower and upper case letter t/T while the sound of the letter is heard. This exposes users to the letter- sound relationship in a fun and relaxing environment. Sign language is also presented in this section.
The second stage, Learn to read, takes the learner beyond the sound-letter relationship where they get the opportunity to enunciate and blend words as they read along, or write a letter to grandparents by clicking on their choice of word etc.
Thirdly, the category It is fun to read presents texts in different contexts and genres such as poetry, music, riddles, tongue twisters, and also has a section called “It is all about me” which gives the pupil a chance to construct a character to look like themselves. This stage even uses a TPR approach in some activities.
Finally, the I´m reading stage is more advanced and present learners with a variation of frequently used words. It focuses on fluent reading, intonation and expression etc.
In addition to the above mentioned categories there are thirteen links to different topics. For example Earth day, an interactive game where users work to clean the planet.
How teachers can use Starfall
Starfall presents a nonthreatening and supportive environment for students new to the English language. With anxiety and feelings of embarrassment removed from the process, the user can learn without inhibitions.
The website is extremely content rich so guidance in the beginning might be necessary. No official lesson plans are offered but there are many possibilities for a creative teacher, almost limitless. Usually there are some pupils in first grade that already can read. Others are on their way and some have not yet realized the purpose of reading. This is a flexible tool for the teacher despite their different stages. Additionally, the site is equally practical for use in collective learning, with the whole class or groups. Practice pages can be downloaded, and teachers can create portfolios for each student.
How pupils can use Starfall
Children in the first grade are of course at different stages of reading development. Starfall gives a useful tool for pupils despite their level.
Beginning readers with no prior knowledge of the English language can independently explore activities and games; they can let their curiosity lead the way. All the words in the activities are clickable and read out aloud. The website’s various categories can also be used with pupils who are already fluent readers in Swedish. A child with pronunciation difficulties could turn to the section of the website that aids in the improvement of pronunciation and students with difficulty repeating the alphabet will find immediate practical help etc. Starfall’s approach is extremely user friendly for beginners.
Their work can be printed out, saved or emailed which makes it possible to have their own electronic portfolio or to email tasks to parents.
Other conciderations
Starfall’s ease of navigation along with its read aloud features and slow moving graphics, presents an effective environment for young children wanting to learn or improve their English skills. There are no distractive links to other website, minimizing the risk of children being accidentally lured away to other websites.
As earlier mentioned, my reason for selecting Starfall was its appropriateness for exposing young learners to the English language in a fun and interactive setting. Older students starting to learn English according to the previous curriculum might find the site more juvenile.
My son learned the English alphabet before Swedish because he loved navigating the activities of Starfall. Through browsing the various activities, listening to the sounds and viewing the pictures, it never occurred to him that he was literally acquiring the language.
I hope you will find this useful.
Helené
Learn English Kids
Learn English Kids.
I searched on the internet for several hours. I wrote many different words but I did not found anything that I liked. Finally I wrote learnenglishkids and when I did that I found a website that I liked. I found something called learnenglishkids from British council. The address to learnenglishkids is:
http/www.leaenenglishkids.britishcouncil.org.
Introduction.
This website is for kids learning English as a second or a foreign language and it contains a lot of things to do. It contains songs, games, stories and many other things to do to when you are learning English. The site has also pages for teachers and parents that shows how the website works and there are also links to other websites by British council, for example one about stories. The site is most built up in nice orange and yellow colors and therefore I think it will be attractive for the pupils. There are also links to topics like rainforest, sports, bugs, dinosaurs and others so I believe that there is something for everyone to like.
How it works.
This page can be used in many different ways. For younger learners there are games to play and for the older ones there are writing tasks and something called word of the week. There are also some tongue twisters to use. The pupils can easy find their way to the tasks and there are several levels to choose so that they are on the right level when they are learning. This site can be used in school or at home as homework. It can also be used independently or by working in pairs or a group. If the pupils are using it as a site for homework and the parents wants help with pronunciation they can register and download tools to get help for that.
In this website you can find a lot of stuff to do. You can create your own cool character and you can click and find out which are the most popular songs, games and stories at the time. You can click on “did you know” and learn more about teeth’s, animals, a writer or about something else. There are also three boxes in the page, containing possibilities to click on for the parents, the teacher or little kids. In the little kids box there are some exercises for the pupil’s younger brothers or sisters so they also can be involved in the learning.
On this website you can also find.
Games: several on line games and activities about different topics.
Listen&watch: animated songs and stories for children, some of them have worksheets to download and use.
Read and write: contains worksheets to download to help children develop their language skills in reading and writing.
Make: Online activities where the children are able to create something.
Explore: contains a list of links to other websites and here they also get help in how to use this particular website.
When you click on one of these headlines you get several opportunities of things to do.
How to be used by teachers.
I believe that this is a good website for teachers. There are lots of tasks to use in the classroom and also as extra homework when necessary. Another good thing is that there are links to other websites as you might need in your teaching. I am going to teach English next autumn and I am certain of that will use this website and several others in my classroom. This site can be used both as a test but also just to let the pupils have fun while they are learning. By letting them work in pairs or to have an on line homework I believe that they will learn in different ways which is good for their development.
How to be used by pupils.
The pupils and even other children can use this website in many different ways. They can use it for learning or just for fun. I believe that if they think that they are using it only for fun they might learn a bit more because almost everything they do involves some kind of learning and if they enjoy their tasks it is even better. Younger learners probably will need some help when they are starting up an activity and they also might needing some help to choose one in the right level. Older users probably can work it out by themselves or with a friend if they are working in pairs.
This is a good site for children, teachers and parents to use in learning a second or foreign language. I think I sometimes I would use this site as a carrot for the children, something they can work with if other tasks have been done. Maybe I also will use it as homework, just to make them more fun for the pupils. The box with topics can be used as extra exercises and the children can choose something from the box that they want to learn more about. However, I miss opportunity for the children to save their work they have been done but as a hole I think that this website contributes to pupil getting lots of learning opportunities.
Camilla Ljungberg Hultsfred
I searched on the internet for several hours. I wrote many different words but I did not found anything that I liked. Finally I wrote learnenglishkids and when I did that I found a website that I liked. I found something called learnenglishkids from British council. The address to learnenglishkids is:
http/www.leaenenglishkids.britishcouncil.org.
Introduction.
This website is for kids learning English as a second or a foreign language and it contains a lot of things to do. It contains songs, games, stories and many other things to do to when you are learning English. The site has also pages for teachers and parents that shows how the website works and there are also links to other websites by British council, for example one about stories. The site is most built up in nice orange and yellow colors and therefore I think it will be attractive for the pupils. There are also links to topics like rainforest, sports, bugs, dinosaurs and others so I believe that there is something for everyone to like.
How it works.
This page can be used in many different ways. For younger learners there are games to play and for the older ones there are writing tasks and something called word of the week. There are also some tongue twisters to use. The pupils can easy find their way to the tasks and there are several levels to choose so that they are on the right level when they are learning. This site can be used in school or at home as homework. It can also be used independently or by working in pairs or a group. If the pupils are using it as a site for homework and the parents wants help with pronunciation they can register and download tools to get help for that.
In this website you can find a lot of stuff to do. You can create your own cool character and you can click and find out which are the most popular songs, games and stories at the time. You can click on “did you know” and learn more about teeth’s, animals, a writer or about something else. There are also three boxes in the page, containing possibilities to click on for the parents, the teacher or little kids. In the little kids box there are some exercises for the pupil’s younger brothers or sisters so they also can be involved in the learning.
On this website you can also find.
Games: several on line games and activities about different topics.
Listen&watch: animated songs and stories for children, some of them have worksheets to download and use.
Read and write: contains worksheets to download to help children develop their language skills in reading and writing.
Make: Online activities where the children are able to create something.
Explore: contains a list of links to other websites and here they also get help in how to use this particular website.
When you click on one of these headlines you get several opportunities of things to do.
How to be used by teachers.
I believe that this is a good website for teachers. There are lots of tasks to use in the classroom and also as extra homework when necessary. Another good thing is that there are links to other websites as you might need in your teaching. I am going to teach English next autumn and I am certain of that will use this website and several others in my classroom. This site can be used both as a test but also just to let the pupils have fun while they are learning. By letting them work in pairs or to have an on line homework I believe that they will learn in different ways which is good for their development.
How to be used by pupils.
The pupils and even other children can use this website in many different ways. They can use it for learning or just for fun. I believe that if they think that they are using it only for fun they might learn a bit more because almost everything they do involves some kind of learning and if they enjoy their tasks it is even better. Younger learners probably will need some help when they are starting up an activity and they also might needing some help to choose one in the right level. Older users probably can work it out by themselves or with a friend if they are working in pairs.
This is a good site for children, teachers and parents to use in learning a second or foreign language. I think I sometimes I would use this site as a carrot for the children, something they can work with if other tasks have been done. Maybe I also will use it as homework, just to make them more fun for the pupils. The box with topics can be used as extra exercises and the children can choose something from the box that they want to learn more about. However, I miss opportunity for the children to save their work they have been done but as a hole I think that this website contributes to pupil getting lots of learning opportunities.
Camilla Ljungberg Hultsfred
Friday 7 May 2010
Audacity
I would like to recommend the program Audacity to you. It is a free program in which you can record or play different music files. It is also a so called wiki program with an open source, which means that anyone can make changes if they want to and know how. Most often it is users of the program who makes the changes which means that the program improves constantly.
With this program you can do a lot of things. For example you can edit sound files, turn your cassettes and vinyl into digital music files and record several tracks which will overlap each other. For instance I did a recording when I sang Brother Jacob in canon with myself :-).
The program is easy to use. Just start the program put your headset on, press the record button and that is it. You can easily edit your sound files or other sound files. There is also a possibility to put effects on your sound, for instance make the recording go backwards, tune in or out, noise cancelling, change speed and many more effects.
You download the program from this website:
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/?lang=sv
You can export your sound files to Ogg Vorbis, MP3, WAV or AIFF files. To export to MP3 you need a decoder which you can download here:
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/help/faq?s=install&item=lame-mp3
Read the instructions and then click on “LAME download page”. When you get to the new page click on the link: “Lame v3.98.2 for Audacity on Windows.exe” and you are on your way.
The program has many functions and there are several tutorials on the Internet to get you going. Here you can find Audacity’s own tutorial:
http://wiki.audacityteam.org/wiki/Category:Tutorial
To use Audacity for both teacher and pupils
This program is useful when working with the children’s ‘Personal Development Plan’-PDP (IUP in Swedish). You can let the children read and save the recording in a digital PDP-portfolio. In this way it is easy for the children, their parents and you to hear the improvement in the children’s reading. This is an excellent alternative for children’s self assessment. They can do the recording in their own time and pace. And they can re-record until they are satisfied.
It is also easy for you as a teacher to record audio home works for your children. A possible way of helping those children who have difficulties in learning to read, they can look at the text and listen to your voice at the same time. When doing a recording with Audacity it is very easy to make as many copies of the files as you need.
The children can do interviews with each other instead of a regular test. Since they record the interview you can listen to it later and see how they managed.
The children can do presentations as if it was a radio program.
One of the possibilities with this program is to record several audio tracks to play parallel to each other, as I mentioned earlier, I sang Brother Jacob in canon with myself ;-). For instance, if you or the children are doing a digital story in Photo Story or PowerPoint and want more than one sound to every picture. You can make them ready in Audacity and then import them to your story in Photo Story or PowerPoint.
I am sure that you can find other use of this program once you started using it.
With this program you can do a lot of things. For example you can edit sound files, turn your cassettes and vinyl into digital music files and record several tracks which will overlap each other. For instance I did a recording when I sang Brother Jacob in canon with myself :-).
The program is easy to use. Just start the program put your headset on, press the record button and that is it. You can easily edit your sound files or other sound files. There is also a possibility to put effects on your sound, for instance make the recording go backwards, tune in or out, noise cancelling, change speed and many more effects.
You download the program from this website:
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/?lang=sv
You can export your sound files to Ogg Vorbis, MP3, WAV or AIFF files. To export to MP3 you need a decoder which you can download here:
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/help/faq?s=install&item=lame-mp3
Read the instructions and then click on “LAME download page”. When you get to the new page click on the link: “Lame v3.98.2 for Audacity on Windows.exe” and you are on your way.
The program has many functions and there are several tutorials on the Internet to get you going. Here you can find Audacity’s own tutorial:
http://wiki.audacityteam.org/wiki/Category:Tutorial
To use Audacity for both teacher and pupils
This program is useful when working with the children’s ‘Personal Development Plan’-PDP (IUP in Swedish). You can let the children read and save the recording in a digital PDP-portfolio. In this way it is easy for the children, their parents and you to hear the improvement in the children’s reading. This is an excellent alternative for children’s self assessment. They can do the recording in their own time and pace. And they can re-record until they are satisfied.
It is also easy for you as a teacher to record audio home works for your children. A possible way of helping those children who have difficulties in learning to read, they can look at the text and listen to your voice at the same time. When doing a recording with Audacity it is very easy to make as many copies of the files as you need.
The children can do interviews with each other instead of a regular test. Since they record the interview you can listen to it later and see how they managed.
The children can do presentations as if it was a radio program.
One of the possibilities with this program is to record several audio tracks to play parallel to each other, as I mentioned earlier, I sang Brother Jacob in canon with myself ;-). For instance, if you or the children are doing a digital story in Photo Story or PowerPoint and want more than one sound to every picture. You can make them ready in Audacity and then import them to your story in Photo Story or PowerPoint.
I am sure that you can find other use of this program once you started using it.
What you need to make it work
- To use this program you need a computer with 512 mb RAM (work memory) and 1 Ghz processor speed if you run Windows XP, or 2 Gb RAM and 1 Ghz processor speed if you run Vista. Since this is below what an average computer has you can go right ahead and install it.
- To download you need a connection to Internet but after that you work directly from the computer’s hard drive.
You need a microphone and speakers, even though I recommend you to use a headset because it gives a better recording sound with less disturbing surrounding sounds. - The rest is up to you and your pupil’s creativity :-D
/Kicki :-)
Babelnet Theme Park
I found this site called Babelnet Theme Park. At this web site you can find four various themes that are called Nature Reserve, Castle, Services and Attractions. In the different themes you can play games, practise grammar and words and find tasks that are listening comprehensions, oral or spelling tasks. All the tasks are in different difficulty levels so you can always find something that suits your pupils.
You can find the web site here:
http://babelnet.sbg.ac.at/themepark/index.htm
How the Babelnet Theme park site can be used by teachers
This site has different themes that could interest most pupils in school. When you click on the Site Map you will find a list of all the games and tasks that are on the site. They are divided in the different themes so it is easy to find what you are looking for. The exercises on the site are a great complement to the teaching in class. They deal with the words and grammar in various ways in the exercises and I think that the pupils will find it fun to work with them. As a teacher I need to have chosen the exercises on the site that the pupils are supposed to work with before the lesson. Otherwise I believe that the pupils will try to do tasks that are too difficult for them.
As a teacher I can see that there are many tasks and exercises that I can use as ideas in the classroom. E.g. in the theme Services the pupils are going to write about when they have been pick-pocketed. This is something you can use in drama class and let the pupils write a play about the episode and give a performance.
There is a link bank where you can find other sites with tasks in English within the themes that are on the Babelnet site. I think that these links are very useful to give you more ideas about what you can do with your class.
How the Babelnet Theme Park site can be used by pupils
When the pupils are doing the exercises they will get response right away. They will be able to see if they are right or wrong in their answers. Doing the exercises I think the pupils will have fun and will be learning spelling, grammar and talking at the same time. With a few clicks the pupils have done one exercise and can continue to do it again or move on to the next one.
It is not necessary that the pupils work individual. The exercises and games can be done in pairs and a lot of discussions will be done while they sit together trying to solve the tasks.
What you may need to think about when you use this site
As the teacher you need to have been looking through the site so you know what you will be able to use with your pupils or not. There are a lot of exercises, games and links in different levels so it will take some time to go through them but I think it is worth the time. I am sure that you and your pupils will have a lot of fun with this site.
Many of the tasks are trial and error exercises. I therefore believe that it is necessary that the pupils are a little bit familiar with the words before they start to work with them on the computer. If not I think that some pupils only will click on the different alternatives and never consider why.
You only need a computer that is connected with the Internet. Start having fun!
Thursday 6 May 2010
My ICT resource; “Digger and the gang”
I have found a website that I believe could be very useful and fun for both teachers and pupils. It is called “Digger and the gang” and it is BBC which is the creator of the site. In the website there are many different things that you can use when teaching/learning English, within different projects or not. There are also many ways for you as a teacher to work with other subjects and at the same time having the children learning English.
The website aims at English speaking pupils at the age of 5-7, 7-9 or 9-11. I have concentrated on what the pages has to offer pupils at the age of 5-7 English native speakers, which would probably be a couple of years older with English learning pupils. All you need for this website to make it work is first of all a computer with access to the internet. When clicking on a picture there is either a photostory shown or a photo with parts of it moving around. For some there are sound, but not many. I tried to see if there was anything specific that you need to install to make it work (something that I already have installed) by I could not see that there was.
Three pages from the website
These aim at my chosen age group. The first one is called “Welcome to Adventures”, the second one is “Welcome to fun and games” and the third is called “Science clips".(I had a picture from each of the sites which showed the different clickable pictures, but it did not work when I were to put it in the blog).
"Welcome to adventures"
English
To grandma’s party
• An invitation
• Presents
• At the party
Maths
Sports day
• Get up and go
• Up and jump
• Cool down
Science
To the animals
• Into the boat
• Float and sink
• Animal park
"Welcome to fun and games"
• Send an e-card
• Create your own picture
• Create your own story
• I’d like to be...
• Create an animation
• Create a turtle tune
"Science clips"
Ages 5-6
• Our selves
• Growing plants
• Sorting and using materials
• Light and dark
• Pushes and pulls
• Sound and hearing
Ages 6-7
• Health and growth
• Plants and animals in the local environment
• Variation
• Grouping and changing materials
• Forces and movement
• Using electricity
How does it work?
First we look at “Welcome to Adventures”. The pupils click on one of the pictures above. There are three different subjects with each three different stories. Each picture opens a whole new window that contains a photostory. Within the photostory there are tasks to be solved. Ones the pupil has solved one task the next one becomes available. Within each picture there are “print to do” available. That is a task within the subject chosen, that the pupil or teacher can print out and do.
When it comes to “Welcome to fun and games” there are many different things to do, all on a very basic level. You can for instance create your own photostory (from a selection of alternative), learn how an animation is done by creating a small one yourself or way not create a turtle singing song etc.
The “Science clips” page is divided into the ages 5-6 and 6-7 (and older but I have focused on the tasks for younger children). There are six pictures to click on for every age group. Inside a picture there are various kinds of tasks, that all have to do with science. E.g. One in the 5-6 year old group, you are to water a plant with enough water to make it grow big and there is one that wants you to decide what is living and non-living things. For 6-7 year old children, there is e.g. one called “Variation” were the children are to sort living things into the groups of insects, mammals, birds and plants. When it comes to both of these age group’s tasks, there are almost always a quiz about the theme. If there is not a quiz there is a task called “Labels”, where the children can practice new words e.g. stem, leaf, root and flower.
How can the webpage be used.
This site contains a lot of English on a level that is easy enough for the pupils to manage and understand with some support. It is also created in a way that will able the pupils to handle the technical parts by themselves, with just a bit of experience with computers. I believe that teachers can use parts of the site as a complement to other materials and teaching resources.
When working with a site like this I believe that it is very important to get the pupils to talk as much English as possible with each other while solving the tasks. The site contains tasks that practice the alphabetic order, logic thinking, problem solving and vocabulary etc.
Even though I believe that this site brings up many good things that children need to practice, I think it is of great importance that teachers don’t leave the pupils alone to solve the tasks. For the site to be useful and not just something to “click and be done with”, there has to be some kind of follow up tasks. E.g. write a list of the new words you learnt from the site and write your own story with the new words in it. There is one story about the children buying some ice cream, where the pupils need to know how much to pay etc. This task could in different ways be redone in the classroom. The pupils could answer similar questions where they are to know how much they need to pay. They could also create tasks for their friend to solve or even using drama when solving the task. I see the tasks on the site as idea breakers or a fun way for the pupils to get into a new theme or area within a theme, or practice the new theme in a different way. I guess it is only the imagination that stands in the way of how to use it successfully.
Another thing that is good with using a site like this on the internet, is that if the pupils find it fun they might even return to the site on their spare time. If they do, this will give them even more time learning and experiencing the English language.
Things to think about
When using an English site like this where the ages of the tasks are younger than the pupils are in the English learning classroom, it is important to talk about this so that the pupils do not get a lack of confidence.
I do not know if the characters on the site are well known from e.g. tv, but the site is created by BBC. If that is the case there might lay some advertising thoughts behind the site, which is not particularly good.
Work of reference
BBC. Digger and the gang. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/digger/index.shtml Accessed: 2010-05-02
“Welcome to Adventures” and “Welcome to fun and games” are available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/digger/5_7entry/5_7.shtml
“Science clips” is available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/index_flash.shtml
By Susanne Åberg 1EN30L VT-2010 Module 1, part B. ICT
The website aims at English speaking pupils at the age of 5-7, 7-9 or 9-11. I have concentrated on what the pages has to offer pupils at the age of 5-7 English native speakers, which would probably be a couple of years older with English learning pupils. All you need for this website to make it work is first of all a computer with access to the internet. When clicking on a picture there is either a photostory shown or a photo with parts of it moving around. For some there are sound, but not many. I tried to see if there was anything specific that you need to install to make it work (something that I already have installed) by I could not see that there was.
Three pages from the website
These aim at my chosen age group. The first one is called “Welcome to Adventures”, the second one is “Welcome to fun and games” and the third is called “Science clips".(I had a picture from each of the sites which showed the different clickable pictures, but it did not work when I were to put it in the blog).
"Welcome to adventures"
English
To grandma’s party
• An invitation
• Presents
• At the party
Maths
Sports day
• Get up and go
• Up and jump
• Cool down
Science
To the animals
• Into the boat
• Float and sink
• Animal park
"Welcome to fun and games"
• Send an e-card
• Create your own picture
• Create your own story
• I’d like to be...
• Create an animation
• Create a turtle tune
"Science clips"
Ages 5-6
• Our selves
• Growing plants
• Sorting and using materials
• Light and dark
• Pushes and pulls
• Sound and hearing
Ages 6-7
• Health and growth
• Plants and animals in the local environment
• Variation
• Grouping and changing materials
• Forces and movement
• Using electricity
How does it work?
First we look at “Welcome to Adventures”. The pupils click on one of the pictures above. There are three different subjects with each three different stories. Each picture opens a whole new window that contains a photostory. Within the photostory there are tasks to be solved. Ones the pupil has solved one task the next one becomes available. Within each picture there are “print to do” available. That is a task within the subject chosen, that the pupil or teacher can print out and do.
When it comes to “Welcome to fun and games” there are many different things to do, all on a very basic level. You can for instance create your own photostory (from a selection of alternative), learn how an animation is done by creating a small one yourself or way not create a turtle singing song etc.
The “Science clips” page is divided into the ages 5-6 and 6-7 (and older but I have focused on the tasks for younger children). There are six pictures to click on for every age group. Inside a picture there are various kinds of tasks, that all have to do with science. E.g. One in the 5-6 year old group, you are to water a plant with enough water to make it grow big and there is one that wants you to decide what is living and non-living things. For 6-7 year old children, there is e.g. one called “Variation” were the children are to sort living things into the groups of insects, mammals, birds and plants. When it comes to both of these age group’s tasks, there are almost always a quiz about the theme. If there is not a quiz there is a task called “Labels”, where the children can practice new words e.g. stem, leaf, root and flower.
How can the webpage be used.
This site contains a lot of English on a level that is easy enough for the pupils to manage and understand with some support. It is also created in a way that will able the pupils to handle the technical parts by themselves, with just a bit of experience with computers. I believe that teachers can use parts of the site as a complement to other materials and teaching resources.
When working with a site like this I believe that it is very important to get the pupils to talk as much English as possible with each other while solving the tasks. The site contains tasks that practice the alphabetic order, logic thinking, problem solving and vocabulary etc.
Even though I believe that this site brings up many good things that children need to practice, I think it is of great importance that teachers don’t leave the pupils alone to solve the tasks. For the site to be useful and not just something to “click and be done with”, there has to be some kind of follow up tasks. E.g. write a list of the new words you learnt from the site and write your own story with the new words in it. There is one story about the children buying some ice cream, where the pupils need to know how much to pay etc. This task could in different ways be redone in the classroom. The pupils could answer similar questions where they are to know how much they need to pay. They could also create tasks for their friend to solve or even using drama when solving the task. I see the tasks on the site as idea breakers or a fun way for the pupils to get into a new theme or area within a theme, or practice the new theme in a different way. I guess it is only the imagination that stands in the way of how to use it successfully.
Another thing that is good with using a site like this on the internet, is that if the pupils find it fun they might even return to the site on their spare time. If they do, this will give them even more time learning and experiencing the English language.
Things to think about
When using an English site like this where the ages of the tasks are younger than the pupils are in the English learning classroom, it is important to talk about this so that the pupils do not get a lack of confidence.
I do not know if the characters on the site are well known from e.g. tv, but the site is created by BBC. If that is the case there might lay some advertising thoughts behind the site, which is not particularly good.
Work of reference
BBC. Digger and the gang. Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/digger/index.shtml Accessed: 2010-05-02
“Welcome to Adventures” and “Welcome to fun and games” are available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/digger/5_7entry/5_7.shtml
“Science clips” is available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/index_flash.shtml
By Susanne Åberg 1EN30L VT-2010 Module 1, part B. ICT
Barnaby Bear
This is a website aimed at children 5-7 years who has English language as their mother tongue. However, I find it useful for language learners at the age of about eleven. The website is based on Barnaby Bear and his travels to Australia and Paris. There are also games where the children can practice their English skills and take instructions in English.
The address to the Barnaby Bear website is:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/barnabybear/
How it works
To make this website work the user needs internet connection, the features can not be downloaded and saved to the computers hard drive, but only streamed online. Speakers are also required.
I find two features on the website to be useful for language learners in the Swedish elementary school, that is ‘the stories’ and ‘the games’ sections. ‘The stories’ page has two stories where Barnaby Bear, a cartooned bear from England, travels to Australia and to Paris. The stories are, more or less, travelling guides told in an easy language and are supported by pictures and text, which makes the story fairly easy for language learners to follow. The games are a fun way for the children to learn about everyday life activities at the same time as their English vocabulary grows.
How the website can be used
When using the Barnaby Bear website English class can be integrated with Geography class. The travel guides gives a good introduction to the countries, but the teacher needs to introduce the videos because of new words that can be hard to understand. Before showing the story, the teacher can briefly tell the story, using words that are important for the context, and explain the meaning of them and write them on the board or hand out a glossary list. The children will now have an idea of what the story is about and will have it easier to follow.
The stories give the teacher many opportunities to do follow up tasks. For example the children can get a task of finding more information of a place or something else in the story that they found interesting. They can present their new information by doing a play or telling about it with help of pictures, perhaps making a photo story.
Another task can be to formulate new sentences with key words from the stories that the teacher gives the children. By this, it gives the language learner a greater chance to learn the words.
There is also a section on the website where the children can e-mail Barnaby Bear. The children can formulate a few questions and send an e-mail to him.
The game section gives the children a chance to learn new English words at a fun way. They also learn to take instructions in English. ‘The recycling game’ can be a part of environmental projects and might be a fun way to test their knowledge on how to recycle.
Other contributions
On the ‘Teacher & Parents’ section there are more information about the website and some useful links.
I found The Barnaby Bear website on the Norwegian Schoolnet (www.skolnettet.no), where it was linked. There you can find many links to different websites and to different subjects.
Note! The videos in the ‘videos section’ are only available to users within the UK.
The address to the Barnaby Bear website is:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/barnabybear/
How it works
To make this website work the user needs internet connection, the features can not be downloaded and saved to the computers hard drive, but only streamed online. Speakers are also required.
I find two features on the website to be useful for language learners in the Swedish elementary school, that is ‘the stories’ and ‘the games’ sections. ‘The stories’ page has two stories where Barnaby Bear, a cartooned bear from England, travels to Australia and to Paris. The stories are, more or less, travelling guides told in an easy language and are supported by pictures and text, which makes the story fairly easy for language learners to follow. The games are a fun way for the children to learn about everyday life activities at the same time as their English vocabulary grows.
How the website can be used
When using the Barnaby Bear website English class can be integrated with Geography class. The travel guides gives a good introduction to the countries, but the teacher needs to introduce the videos because of new words that can be hard to understand. Before showing the story, the teacher can briefly tell the story, using words that are important for the context, and explain the meaning of them and write them on the board or hand out a glossary list. The children will now have an idea of what the story is about and will have it easier to follow.
The stories give the teacher many opportunities to do follow up tasks. For example the children can get a task of finding more information of a place or something else in the story that they found interesting. They can present their new information by doing a play or telling about it with help of pictures, perhaps making a photo story.
Another task can be to formulate new sentences with key words from the stories that the teacher gives the children. By this, it gives the language learner a greater chance to learn the words.
There is also a section on the website where the children can e-mail Barnaby Bear. The children can formulate a few questions and send an e-mail to him.
The game section gives the children a chance to learn new English words at a fun way. They also learn to take instructions in English. ‘The recycling game’ can be a part of environmental projects and might be a fun way to test their knowledge on how to recycle.
Other contributions
On the ‘Teacher & Parents’ section there are more information about the website and some useful links.
I found The Barnaby Bear website on the Norwegian Schoolnet (www.skolnettet.no), where it was linked. There you can find many links to different websites and to different subjects.
Note! The videos in the ‘videos section’ are only available to users within the UK.
Tuesday 4 May 2010
My ICT Resource
Introduction, the ICT resource I have chosen is http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/. This is a website for kids between 4 and 13 years old learning English, as a second or foreign language, which contains texts, songs, games and much more. The site has pages with information for parents and teachers about how to use this site and how to navigate on the website. This site also has links to other sites by the British council for learning and teaching English.
How it works, this site has many activities for many different ages, games and painting pictures for younger children and writing activities and word of the week for older children. Overall the page is easy to navigate on, but it is good with the navigating page for parents and teachers anyway.
On this site the children can create an account and do their own character. They will need an e-mail address when signing up and maybe some help to fill in the form. Because this site is only for children between 4 and 13 years, you as a teacher cannot sign in. When you have got started it is not hard at all to use this site, the children can choose what they want to do, and there are a lot of pictures to make understanding easier for them who cannot read yet.
On this site you can find:
· Games, jokes
· Songs, listen to texts, tongue twisters
· Read and write activities, word of the week
· Make your own…, downloads
· Themes with different activities
and much more.
The activities creates good learning situations for the children, when for example playing memory, make pairs of the word and the picture of animals, the game provides a bit more information about the animal, it can be for how long a guinea pig lives or where a turtle lives.
What you need to make it work, on this website you do not need anything to do the most activities, for a few of them you will need a printer and if you are a group of children working with the site at the same time, a headset would be great so they do not disturb each other.
How to be used by teachers, for the teachers this site is good, you can get some inspiration from the activities and you can also use these activities as they are on the website. This website also has links to other pages for language teachers. I would use this site both for inspiration and use the activities as training exercises, tests and learning while having fun, a perfect site to visit when you have some time left, or as a closing activity on a Friday afternoon.
How to be used by pupils, for the children this site can be used in many ways, for fun, for practicing or for testing their knowledge. When working with this site with younger children an adult can be used for some help to start an activity, but for older learners it is easy for them to use this site on their own. This website is also good in consideration of the two-click principle; it does not take long to get to the activities you are looking for.
I think this site is very useful for teachers, pupils and parents. It is fun and easy, and provides a lot of learning opportunities. A good function that does not exist is saving the activities and results on them you have done, to compare and see your own development in the language learning.
/ Ronja Rydberg
How it works, this site has many activities for many different ages, games and painting pictures for younger children and writing activities and word of the week for older children. Overall the page is easy to navigate on, but it is good with the navigating page for parents and teachers anyway.
On this site the children can create an account and do their own character. They will need an e-mail address when signing up and maybe some help to fill in the form. Because this site is only for children between 4 and 13 years, you as a teacher cannot sign in. When you have got started it is not hard at all to use this site, the children can choose what they want to do, and there are a lot of pictures to make understanding easier for them who cannot read yet.
On this site you can find:
· Games, jokes
· Songs, listen to texts, tongue twisters
· Read and write activities, word of the week
· Make your own…, downloads
· Themes with different activities
and much more.
The activities creates good learning situations for the children, when for example playing memory, make pairs of the word and the picture of animals, the game provides a bit more information about the animal, it can be for how long a guinea pig lives or where a turtle lives.
What you need to make it work, on this website you do not need anything to do the most activities, for a few of them you will need a printer and if you are a group of children working with the site at the same time, a headset would be great so they do not disturb each other.
How to be used by teachers, for the teachers this site is good, you can get some inspiration from the activities and you can also use these activities as they are on the website. This website also has links to other pages for language teachers. I would use this site both for inspiration and use the activities as training exercises, tests and learning while having fun, a perfect site to visit when you have some time left, or as a closing activity on a Friday afternoon.
How to be used by pupils, for the children this site can be used in many ways, for fun, for practicing or for testing their knowledge. When working with this site with younger children an adult can be used for some help to start an activity, but for older learners it is easy for them to use this site on their own. This website is also good in consideration of the two-click principle; it does not take long to get to the activities you are looking for.
I think this site is very useful for teachers, pupils and parents. It is fun and easy, and provides a lot of learning opportunities. A good function that does not exist is saving the activities and results on them you have done, to compare and see your own development in the language learning.
/ Ronja Rydberg
ESL.Galaxy.com
I have found a useful and creative web-site that I want to share with you all. This web-site is called ESL.Galaxy.com. ESL means English as a Second Language. This resource portal is for educators and students.
Here is the address:
http://www.esl-galaxy.com/forum/index.html
ESL-galaxy is a resource portal filled with lesson plans, fun games and grammar & vocabulary exersices online. ESL-galaxy is a web-site so you need internet connection on your computer. There are e-books that you have to download for to get access to, and they cost money, but most of the material on this site is printable and free to use. This web-site was established in 2005 and has now expanded into a portal site with subsites. ESL-galaxy includes six-in-one website: ESLtower.com, English-4kids.com, EnglishMediaLab.com, DownloadESL.com, Chinesefortravel.com, ESLKIDLAB.com and ESLgamesworld.com.
How teachers can use this web-site
ESL-galaxy offers lesson plans for teachers to print out and use in the classroom. Teachers can even print out free grammar, reading and spelling worksheets. There are phonics and phonetics worksheets available on this site as well as coloring worksheets and video and music worksheets. The web-site provides teachers with beautiful coloured flaschcards that are printable. The site has free printable boad and card games and lots of game ideas useful for teachers in classroom teaching. This site provides teachers with ideas that will increas pupils foreign language learning.
How pupils can use this web-site
There are meaningful pronunciation exercises which can be downloaded on mp3 to ensure that pupils can listen over and over again. There are fun games, vocabulary quizzes, crosswords and listening exersices available on the site for students to use on there own. There are English beginner video slide lessons that will increase pupils vocabulary. The video allows pupils to practice listening and prononciation.
Other considerations
ESL-galaxy is a resource portal filled with ideas and activites for both students and teachers. It is a useful site but it takes a while to figger out how everyting works. This is a site that is useful for me as a teacher, it provides me with ideas, and it is useful for pupils when they are working on there own. The games and activities on this site are divided into skill levels so it is only to choose the most suitable.
This is a web-site that I am going to use in my teaching, I hope you will find this site as useful as I do.
Here is the address:
http://www.esl-galaxy.com/forum/index.html
ESL-galaxy is a resource portal filled with lesson plans, fun games and grammar & vocabulary exersices online. ESL-galaxy is a web-site so you need internet connection on your computer. There are e-books that you have to download for to get access to, and they cost money, but most of the material on this site is printable and free to use. This web-site was established in 2005 and has now expanded into a portal site with subsites. ESL-galaxy includes six-in-one website: ESLtower.com, English-4kids.com, EnglishMediaLab.com, DownloadESL.com, Chinesefortravel.com, ESLKIDLAB.com and ESLgamesworld.com.
How teachers can use this web-site
ESL-galaxy offers lesson plans for teachers to print out and use in the classroom. Teachers can even print out free grammar, reading and spelling worksheets. There are phonics and phonetics worksheets available on this site as well as coloring worksheets and video and music worksheets. The web-site provides teachers with beautiful coloured flaschcards that are printable. The site has free printable boad and card games and lots of game ideas useful for teachers in classroom teaching. This site provides teachers with ideas that will increas pupils foreign language learning.
How pupils can use this web-site
There are meaningful pronunciation exercises which can be downloaded on mp3 to ensure that pupils can listen over and over again. There are fun games, vocabulary quizzes, crosswords and listening exersices available on the site for students to use on there own. There are English beginner video slide lessons that will increase pupils vocabulary. The video allows pupils to practice listening and prononciation.
Other considerations
ESL-galaxy is a resource portal filled with ideas and activites for both students and teachers. It is a useful site but it takes a while to figger out how everyting works. This is a site that is useful for me as a teacher, it provides me with ideas, and it is useful for pupils when they are working on there own. The games and activities on this site are divided into skill levels so it is only to choose the most suitable.
This is a web-site that I am going to use in my teaching, I hope you will find this site as useful as I do.
Monday 3 May 2010
A Sample Blog Post
Ustream and Ustream Producer
The resource I want to tell you about is Ustream and Ustream Producer. Ustream is a free service which allows you to show live video from any computer that's connected up to the Internet - or even from an iPhone! In other words, you can make your own TV shows about anything you like and broadcast them live to anyone who's interested! Your viewers just need your Ustream URL (web address) and they'll be able to see your show directly.
You can also choose to have your Ustream programme saved on the server, which means that anyone can see the recording of your programme too.
There are thousands of Ustream programmes which other people have made available. Some of them are about outer space, others are about animals, sports programmes, lectures … you name it!
Ustream is an on-line live broadcasting service, which you can find here:
http://www.ustream.tv
Ustream Producer is a free programme you can download from this address:
http://www.ustream.tv/producer
Ustream Producer allows you to prepare the programmes you want to broadcast in advance. One of the options is to include pre-recorded videos with the live show. Let's say that your pupils want to broadcast a show about their favourite beach to their partner schools in the UK. They could have taken a video camera (an ordinary home video camera will do fine) down to the beach and taken some footage of what it looks like and what facilities it's got (… so make sure that they know what 'ruschkana' 'gungor', etc are called in English) … or perhaps they want to make up a play about something that happened there. They can then insert this pre-recorded material directly into their live broadcast.
How teachers can use Ustream
For teachers Ustream can be an invaluable source of live, authentic material. However, since you can also watch recordings, it gives you a chance to prepare study materials around the Ustream broadcast. At present, for example, there's a camera out at the International Space Station, which is broadcasting footage of what's going on their continuously live. There are other cameras watching nests and dens for birds and animals all over the world.
Teachers will need to prepare viewings of the recorded Ustream sessions in the same way that they'd prepare viewings of any recorded videos. A good start is to prepare a list of words which come up in the commentary which you think the pupils might need help with. One standard procedure then is to prepare a worksheet where the pupils tick a box as they hear each word (you could start with the words in order and progress to not having them in the order they appear). You'll also need to prepare some check questions to make sure they've understood what they saw and some exploitation questions which provide the reason for using the resource in the first place.
How pupils can use Ustream and Ustream Producer
This could be a very quick and easy way for your pupils to become producers and directors of movies (stars too). If you have a partner school in another country, this is an excellent way for your pupils to publish work to their tandem class - and to have that class produce programmes for them.
What you need in order to use Ustream:
The resource I want to tell you about is Ustream and Ustream Producer. Ustream is a free service which allows you to show live video from any computer that's connected up to the Internet - or even from an iPhone! In other words, you can make your own TV shows about anything you like and broadcast them live to anyone who's interested! Your viewers just need your Ustream URL (web address) and they'll be able to see your show directly.
You can also choose to have your Ustream programme saved on the server, which means that anyone can see the recording of your programme too.
There are thousands of Ustream programmes which other people have made available. Some of them are about outer space, others are about animals, sports programmes, lectures … you name it!
Ustream is an on-line live broadcasting service, which you can find here:
http://www.ustream.tv
Ustream Producer is a free programme you can download from this address:
http://www.ustream.tv/producer
Ustream Producer allows you to prepare the programmes you want to broadcast in advance. One of the options is to include pre-recorded videos with the live show. Let's say that your pupils want to broadcast a show about their favourite beach to their partner schools in the UK. They could have taken a video camera (an ordinary home video camera will do fine) down to the beach and taken some footage of what it looks like and what facilities it's got (… so make sure that they know what 'ruschkana' 'gungor', etc are called in English) … or perhaps they want to make up a play about something that happened there. They can then insert this pre-recorded material directly into their live broadcast.
How teachers can use Ustream
For teachers Ustream can be an invaluable source of live, authentic material. However, since you can also watch recordings, it gives you a chance to prepare study materials around the Ustream broadcast. At present, for example, there's a camera out at the International Space Station, which is broadcasting footage of what's going on their continuously live. There are other cameras watching nests and dens for birds and animals all over the world.
Teachers will need to prepare viewings of the recorded Ustream sessions in the same way that they'd prepare viewings of any recorded videos. A good start is to prepare a list of words which come up in the commentary which you think the pupils might need help with. One standard procedure then is to prepare a worksheet where the pupils tick a box as they hear each word (you could start with the words in order and progress to not having them in the order they appear). You'll also need to prepare some check questions to make sure they've understood what they saw and some exploitation questions which provide the reason for using the resource in the first place.
How pupils can use Ustream and Ustream Producer
This could be a very quick and easy way for your pupils to become producers and directors of movies (stars too). If you have a partner school in another country, this is an excellent way for your pupils to publish work to their tandem class - and to have that class produce programmes for them.
What you need in order to use Ustream:
- A computer connected to the Internet
- A webcam (and/or a DV camera)
- A class of pupils with plenty of imagination who want to appear on TV!
Thursday 8 April 2010
The course is now underway …
I met some of you on-line yesterday at Connect Lesson 1. If you couldn't make it, you can watch the recordings, which are available via the Connect Lesson 1 link on the right-hand side of the course home page. I try to remember to make the recordings, and to split a two-hour session into two one-hour recordings, so that they're easier to navigate your way through.
Now everyone on the course has had an invitation to become an author on this blog, which means that you'll now have access to some some more sophisticated tools with which to make your blog postings, such as the opportunity to link pictures, videos and web sites.
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