MailVU (Week 9)

What?

MailVU is the greatest tool I ever seen in my life. It is a website that allows users to create a video message on their own preference. The website is free and users friendly. What you need to have in order to record you video is a webcam. After finish recording, you can send it to others via e-mail. The activity is suitable for secondary students age 14-17 years old.

MailVU webpage

How to do it?

Step 1: Go to MailVU website.
Step 2: Click at the record button and start record
Step 3: Send you 'product' to others via e-mail

* If you want to have a clear instruction on how to use mailVU, you can visit Russell Stannard's website

Suggested activites:

1. The best activity that can be used with the tool is speaking activity. Students will talk about their background using mailVU. After finish the recording, they will send an e-mail to the teachers. Teacher can give a feedback if necessary.

2. Moreover, it can be used as a listening activity. Teacher can create an information gap between students in a task. Students need to listen to the video made by their friend in order to complete the task.

I like it because:

1. It creates variation of learning styles in a classroom. It makes the learning become meaningful to the students.
2. Personalization in learning happens as students freely can choose their own topic of the video as long as it is relevant for them as student. It motivates them to explore more on the language
3. It provides an authentic listening materials for students. It puts their language leaning in a meaningful context.
4. It suitable for all level of students. Students will speak using their own level of competency. The affective filter may reduce as there is no stress at all for the students.

I don't like it because:

1. some technical problems whereby the website is not suitable with certain browsers
2. It cannot be embedded into blogs.

Reference Site:

mailVU on Youtube!

Elllo (Week 8)

What?

Elllo stands for English Listening Lesson Library Online which have lots of listening lessons that teacher can use for a lesson specifically listening activity. The materials are divided into few parts which are Mixer, Video, Games, View, and News. Besides, the tool is focusing on vocabulary quiz, speaking quiz and vocabulary focus. The activity is suitable for secondary students age 14-17 years old.

Elllo webpage

How to do it?

Step 1: Go to Elllo Website and you will find as above
Step 2: Click which articles would you like to explore on
Step 3: You can listen to the audio and answer the questions given

*If you want to have a clear instruction on how to explore Elllo, you can listen to Russell Stannard's video about it

Suggested activities:

1. Teacher can use it in a classroom. Teacher can download the audio available on the web and have a try with the students in order to test their listening skills. Besides, teacher can print out the activity that had been provided in the web for comprehension activities

2. In addition, the tool is good for teachers to check their students' vocabulary. This is because the tool is looking at vocabulary focus. It becomes more interesting for students to learn a new vocabulary instead of memorizing the words.

I like it because:

1. It is free and can be access by anyone
2. It promotes students' autonomous learning as they will explore the web by their own
3. Content-based and Language-based can be integrated as one type of activity. It is better known as CLIL
4. It can enhance students' vocabulary widely
5. For teachers, the activity creates variation in their teaching

I don't like it because:

1. Not all the video can be downloaded. It is quite disappointing if the audio which students prefer the most can be played.
2. The label at the left site of page is about numbers. If it is stated the topic, it might help the learners a lot to find the suitable topic for them

Reference Site:

Elllo as an materials for learning language on Youtube!

Audioboo (Week 7 part 2)

What?

Audioboo a simple way of recording audio while on the move and adding as much useful data to it as possible, such as photos, tags and location. The recording will link to Audioboo website itself, facebook, twitter, youtube as well as itunes. Users can add image and location of where they record their 'boo'. Recently, users can download the Audioboo application for smartphone either it is Iphone, Android or Nokia. Most of the students have smartphone, so they can just record and send it to others using their own phone!

How to use it?

Step 1: Go to the http://audioboo.fm/



Step 2: Get yourself an account. You need to fill in e-mail address, user name and password
Step 3: Check your email to verify your Audioboo account
Step 4: Click 'make a recording/upload file'
Step 5: For full tutorial on how to use Audioboo, you may click at Russell Stannard's Website


Suggested activities:

1. Pair work in a classroom. Students work in pair to talk about their opinion about learning English. Later, the teacher select a recording and play it to the class. Otherwise, teacher can ask students to e-mail the recording.

2. As a homework. Teacher asks students to record using Audioboo and e-mail it to the teacher. The topic is based on their own interest such as sport, hobby and so on. Teacher may reply the e-mail as a form of personal feedback.

I like it because:

1. Students get a real-life communication. They can interact with the others using feedback/comments on the podcast. It motivate them to write as it creates an authentic audience for the learners.

2. The website is free. There is no administration fee. So, it is practical for students to use it anytime they want either at school or home.

3. It creates personalization in learning. Students may record the voice based on their own interest. It encourages them to use the target language because they enjoy doing it!

I don't like it because:

1. There is no privacy as it can be view by anyone. Students may feel ashamed if they make a wrong using of language. Thus, it demotivates them to learn more.

2. Limited time to record. Learners have 3 minutes to record. If they want more, they need to pay for it.

3. Students need to have an access to the technology equipment such as internet connection and microphone

The example of Audioboo made by myself:

Wordsift (Week 7 part 1)

What?

WordSift was created to help teachers manage the demands of vocabulary and academic language in their text materials. This tool is helpful in supporting English Language by providing a fun and visually pleasing. Wordsift can be seen as a toy in a linguistic playground that is available to instantly capture and display the vocabulary structure of texts, and to help create an opportunity to talk and explore the richness and wonders of language. The tool works likely the same with Wordle. It is suitable to be used for 8-11 years old.

How to do it?

Step 1: Go to Wordsift website where you will find as below
Step 2: Select your text and paste it on the provided box
Step 3: Click the 'sift' button. You can sort the word from commonly use to rarely used as well as the opposite.

* If you want to know more about wordsift, you can visit Russell Stannard's website

Step 1 and 2

step 3

* The tool is different with Wordle as it can link with a thesaurus and grabs pictures that is associated with the word. For example as shown in the picture below:

Using thesaurus for a specific word

Suggested activities:

Creative teachers will find an endless variety of uses for WordSift, but here are some ways:

Lesson preparation: A teacher can use WordSift to review assigned text to identify challenging words or concepts prior to a lesson, and identify images and videos to use in class. The videos (hidden but displayed by hitting “>Video”) can be especially useful in the preview function since many schools do not allow access to YouTube, but a teacher can download useful videos (such as a science lab demonstration) onto his or her laptop computer from home.

Previewing text: In whole class or individually, students can preview text. Reading comprehension research suggests that previewing text is a useful strategy for improving comprehension. Using WordSift to identify the key vocabulary, and playing with the images and to use the example source sentence feature to “skim” the text can help students who might otherwise struggle with the complexity of the text.

Group activities: Teachers have found simple activities using small portions of WordSift useful. For example, one teacher has developed a simple routine in which she gives students the TagCloud, and has them working in small groups to write or draw a page using the words in the cloud. Another possibility would be to take the Visual Thesaurus® display of a word web and have students identify and discuss related words.

Literacy support: Individual students can use WordSift as they read text, or as they write a response or summary. Adult users of WordSift have reported using WordSift for their own purposes to skim text and also to review their own writing drafts. The creator of WordSift, Kenji Hakuta, uses it to preview and scout around documents that promise to be boring, such as long education policy documents, clicking on key words.

I like it because:

1. It is a fun way to learn language other than the traditional way which is quite boring
2. It can expand student's vocabulary with the help of thesaurus
3. It is marvelous for teacher to help students in finding key words in text

I don't like it because:

1. It is not good for a colour blind student. It may demotivate them to learn the language
2. Nothing more rather than highlighting few words from a text. Teacher needs to explore more on the tool to expand the activity.

Reference site:

Worsift on Youtube!
http://www.wordsift.com/site/about

Wordle (Week 7 part 1)

What?

Wordle is a toy for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes. The images you create with Wordle are yours to use however you like. You can print them out, or save them to the Wordle gallery to share with your friends. The tool is suitable for young learners at the age of 8-11 years old. The images can stimulate students' awareness of the topic.


How to do it?

Step 1: Go to Wordle website and you will see as below
Step 2: click at 'create' button on top of the page and paste your own choice of text
Step 3: click submit and choose the style, layout, font and the color that you want your visual to be.

* If you need more information about Wordle, you can visit Russell Stannard's website

step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Suggested activities:

1. The tool is suitable to be used as a pre-reading activity. For example, teacher gives students a paper consist of wordle words in it. As we know that, the bigger word means it is a key ideas of text. So, students need to guess the main ideas of the text before they read it.

2. Besides, teacher can use it for speaking purposes. The tool encourages students to talk during the discussion. It creates a communicative task for learners by giving up their opinion of the upcoming text.


I like it because:

1. It is free and everyone can assess to the tool
2. It motivates students to think creatively during their own learning
3. The tool suitable for any text and languages
4. It creates communicative task for students

I don't like it because:

1. It is not suitable for colour blind. They might find it useless to use in class
2. Students need to have a better internet connection to use the tool


Reference site:

Wordle on Youtube!

myBrainshark (Week 5)

Hi, today we gonna look at myBrainshark website. It is cool because you can combine both presentation slides and your own voice in it.

What?

myBrainshark is a tool that allows users to insert narration to their powerpoint presentation, word document, video or photo album. The tool is suitable for primary or secondary school students aged between 10 to 17 years old. It can also be used for adult learners.

myBrainshark

How to do it?

Step 1: Go to myBrainshark webpage and you can see like above
Step 2: upload your document that you want
Step 3: Add your audio on your document
Step 4: Share your myBrainshark with others via e-mail or embed it on blog

*For more information on how to use it, you can visit Russell Stannard website which has First and second part of it.


Suggested acivities:

1. Teacher can use brainshark during oral activity. Teacher may ask students to talk about their own life such as family background, hobbies or leisure time. It can help students to reflect their own oral presentation in using a target language.

2. It can also be a homework for students to work out by their own. It needs a quiet environment for students to add on the audio in the document. So, home is the best moment of it. Besides, it provides a platform for shy students to express themselves in the video. Teacher can give a personal feedback when the students email it using their brainshark.


I like it because:

1. It involves multitasking skills of students. For example, Oral skills when they add on the audio and writing skills when they want to describe the slide show

2. The tool can reduce affective filter of students. This is because students are free from all the pressure to speak as they can do it by their own. It makes the fluency of the speaking become clearer.

3. The 'Product' of learning can be shared with the others such as via e-mail or embedded it into blog.

I don't like it because:

1. It needs a proper technology facilities to do the task such as internet connection and microphone. If the students do not have it, it will demotivate them to explore more on the language.

2. It takes time for students to narrate their document and finish up their work. Teachers need to have a better time management plan if they want to do it in a classroom

Reference site:

Watch myBrainshark on Youtube


The example of myBrainshark:

Wallwisher (Week 5)

Hi everyone, we meet again. this time, i am going to tell you about a tool called wallwisher.

What?

Wallwisher is a Web 2.0 free online tool where anyone can build a “wall”. Discussing a new idea? Taking notes? Giving feedback? Voicing opinion? Wishing a happy birthday? Your students can then go onto the internet and stick post-it notes electronically onto your wall. The notes can include linked pictures, You Tube videos, PowerPoints, PDF documents, Excel Spreadsheets, or web page links.

wallwisher webpage

How to do it?

Step 1: Browse to wall wishers website.
Step 2: Create an online noticeboard and check out ideas for using Wallwisher with the students.
Step 3: Have students add to teacher's wall/notice board.



*If you want to know more about wall wishers, you can view This site taken from eduTecher.

Suggested activities:

1. Teacher can use wall wishers as a platform of feedback from students. At the end of lesson, teacher gives time for students to reflect their own learning by put it up on the wall board.

2. Teacher can use it at the beginning of lesson. Wall wishers being used to generate ideas or points to write such as during writing activity.

I like it because:

1. Students can express themselves on the 'wall' even the quiet or shy students in a classroom
2. Good ideas to get feedback from students during lesson.

I don't like it because:

1. During discussion, students may post unnecessary comments on the wall. Teacher needs to make sure that the students do not lose focus in contributing the ideas.
2. Teacher find it a bit difficult to identify the students if they use an anonymous name to post on the wall.