Teaching English with tools 2.0

The aim of this website

This assignment has been created for a subject which is part of an assignment. The aim is to create different 2.0 activities.

The word blog is short for weblog. A weblog is an online journal or diary. It consists of a chronological list of entries or posts. Every blog entry is made up of two basic parts: a tittle and the text. The people who are allowed to contribute to the blog are called team members. Blogs

offer many opportunities to language teachers because they are easy to set up and operate and can be an effective way of communicating with learners outside lesson time. They also allow the learner the opportunity to do extra work. If classroom time is limited, you can use a blog to make

vocabulary available to learners before the lesson. A blog can have a mailing list. This means that when you post a new entry, it is emailed to everyone on the list. The use of hyperlinks in blogs can inject an element of interactivity. Pictures and diagrams are vey useful in language teaching and can be incorporated into blog entries. Using a blog takes the pressure off you to

finish the lesson with a detailed and legible feedback sheet, but also makes sure that the feedback is available to your learners before the start of the next lesson. Using a blog can

establish good practices of learner autonomy. Learners have to be proactive in accessing the information you have posted to the blog and following the links to online resources. Learners can provide feedback on the blog entry. They can add their own ideas, thoughts, vocabulary,

etc. You can create personalized exercises that they can complete as self- study or homework. The best kind of exercises to place on a blog involves texts. These can be used to create a gap-

fill exercise, or you can remove elements of the text such as articles or auxiliary words. Vocabulary can be substituted or mixed up. Paragraphs can be mixed up, or learners can be

asked to match headings to paragraphs.

A wiki is a website on which the pages can be edited by the users, as well as the creator of the website. The users can change the content by adding or removing information or editing the

existing content. One of the most powerful benefits of using wikis in language learning is as a collaborative tool. One of the interesting features of wikis is that they blur the distinction

between author and audience. Rather than somebody owning a document, its composition becomes a joint effort. A wiki could allow your class to share notes. The wiki could be a place where learners communicate with each other outside lessons, replicating some of the benefits of a VLE. There are a number of exciting activities which can be done using wikis. One idea

called "branching story" taps into the imagination of learners. You start the story with an introduction, then leave the protagonist of the story with three choices. By clicking on one of the options, the learner is taken to a new page in the wiki. The learner then becomes the writer, and

he or she continues the story. Activities using wikies involve ceding a degree of control to the learners. Instances of malicious use of wikis seem to be rare.

Chapter 9 Creating and using your own resources, Blended Learning, Pete Sharma and Barney Barret (2007)

Chapter 12 Preparing for the future, How to teach English with technology, Gavin Dudeney and Nicky Hockly (2007)

Dvolver I have chosen this tool because I think that is interactive and very useful to make films online. Here is my sample:

Step 1

Go to the following link

http://www.dvolver.com/moviemaker/make.html

Step 2

In this part, you are going to choose the scene and the background of your film.

When you have decided on a proper scene and background, click on next and go to step 3.

Step 3

Here, you are going to select a plot, so just click on the one you would like for your film. Here you have a sample:

Once you have chosen the plot, click on next and go to step 4.

Step 4

On this step you are going to select the characters by clicking on them. Here is the sample:

Once you have decided on the characters, click on next and go to step 5.

Step 5

On this part, you are going to type in the character’s dialogue. Here is the sample:

Once you have decided on the character’s words. Click on next and go to step 6.

Step 6

On this step you are going to select the background music. You do this by just clicking on the piece of music you like and you think it is appropriate for your movie. Here is the sample:

Once you have chosen the piece of music click on finish movie and go to step 7.

Step 7

On this step you are going to select the movie tittle and the design of it. You are also going to type in the names of the directors (the people who made the film). Here is the sample:

Once you are sure that you like and feel comfortable with the movie click on preview and send movie and go to step 8.

Step 8

On this part you are going to see your film already done. Show it to your classmates and enjoy it. Here is the sample:

Make beliefs comix I have chosen this tool because it is an entertaining way of making up comics. As I said before you can make comics online with the topic you want. Here is my sample:

Step 1

Go to this site

http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/

Step 2

Once you are there click on Enter here. Here is the sample:

Once you have clicked on that, go to step 3.

Step 3

On this step you are going to select the number of panels you want for your comic strip. Take a look at the squared red line on the sample and you just click on the number of panels you want. Here is the sample:

Step 4

On this step you are going to select the characters you would like for your comic strip. You do this by clicking on a character. The character will appear on the white square you have on the left. You can change the emotion of the character by clicking on the red arrows below the square and then, to insert the character, you just click on it and it will appear on the strip. Bear in mind to select the strip you want that character to be. Here is the sample:

Step 5

Now it’s time to write the words for the characters. So click on Talk balloons. It will appear the speech bubble on the white square, the same place where the character appeared. What you have to do is to select the strip and click on the speech bubble and it will appear on the strip. To write, you just place the mouse on the speech bubble, eliminate what it is said on it and use the keyboard to write. Here is the sample:

Step 6

Now it’s time to colour the background. So what you are going to do is to choose a colour from the background colours button and also you have to select the strip where you want that colour to be. Here is the sample:

Step 7

When you have finished your comic strip, click on the next button and there you have two options: print it out is the first one or the second one is to e- mail it to your friends. For this activity, I would choose to e- mail the activity so other students can see what others have done. Here is the sample:

FodeyI have chosen this tool because it is a very easy way of creating newspapers online. With this tool you can make newspapers easily only in a few seconds. Here is my sample:

Step 1

Go to this site

http://www.fodey.com/generators/newspaper/snippet.asp

Step 2

Insert the name of the newspaper by typing it on the Name of the newspaper box. Here is the sample:

Step 3

Now you are going to insert the date on the date box. Here is the sample:

Step 4

Now insert the headline of the newspaper report. Here is the sample:

Step 5

Now it’s time to write. Write your report on the Enter your story box. Here is the sample:

Step 6

Once you have written the report click on the Generate! Buttom and your report will apper on the screen. Here is the sample:

PenzuI have chosen this tool because you can make a journal online. As I said before you can make a journal online and save it and you can also add photographs to it. Here is my sample:

Step 1

Go to this site

https://penzu.com/p

Step 2

Before starting writing, you should create an account. So, click on Sign up, a form will appear, complete the form and then click on the submit button. Here is the sample:

When your account is ready you can start your work. Now, go to step 3.

Step 3

Now it’s time to write what you did last week. Divide the journal in the seven days of the week and state what you can also add images to what you are writing. The page where you should do all your work looks like this sample:

Dvolver activities

Christmas night Objectives:

To create a film on- line To encourage students to use their imagination To encourage students to use the items of language and grammar they know

Before doing the task go to the following link and look at a sample production:

http://vero2523.blogspot.com.ar/

Task:

This activity is to be done after students have watched a film on Christmas. Here I suggest one but the teacher can choose one linked to this topic. The film I have chosen is called “Home Alone”. While watching the film students are asked to do some activities related to it. After this, students are going to choose two characters and they are going to make a dialogue between them, the dialogue should be about their plans for next Christmas. Students are going to use the following grammar: “Going to” seen on New English File Pre- Intermediate Unit 3.

Evaluation criteria

Student’s creativity Student’s use of language Student’s showing the film to their classmates on the time decided by the

teacher Student’s sharing ideas if the film is made in twos

Make beliefs comix activity

Ordering a meal

Objectives

To use the language in order to order something in a restaurant or bar To use the different functions seen in class for ordering food To use the language politely for ordering food To use student’s creativity for making a comic strip online

Before doing the task go to the following link and look at a sample production:

http://vero2523.blogspot.com.ar/

Students have finished a unit on New English File Elementary where they have learnt how to order food or drink in a restaurant or bar. Throughout this unit students saw different models and ways of ordering food and drink. Now they are going to make a comic strip using this function and applying what they have learnt so far. Tell students to choose only two characters (Waitress and customer) and to include different functions.

Evaluation criteria

Students using the function of ordering food and drink in a restaurant or bar Students using the language politely Student’s creativity Students presenting the work on time Use of vocabulary on food and drink

Fodey activity

Three is a lucky number

Objectives

To write a crime report on a newspaper To use vocabulary related to crime To use items of language already learnt To foster creativity To use student’s imagination

Before doing the task go to the following link and look at a sample production:

http://vero2523.blogspot.com.ar/

Students have read this story “Three is a lucky number”. This story is about a crime, a woman’s crime. After reading the story, tell students that now they are news reporters and their job is to write a report on the newspaper about this crime. They should include what happen, the name and age of the victim, the place, hour and describe the steps that lead to the crime. All this information must be included in the newspaper.

After doing the task, teacher can ask students to read each other’s version of the report and the teacher can make a competition on the best crime reporter. Teacher can ask students to vote who they liked most.

Evaluation criteria

Students use of language on crime

Students creativity Students composition writing Good use of grammar structures learnt so far Handing in the work on time Being polite as regards votes (When competing to select the best news

reporter)

Penzu activity

What I did last week

Objectives To use the past simple to talk about things I did last week To practise writing To use vocabulary related to everyday activities

Before doing the task go to the following link and look at a sample production:

http://vero2523.blogspot.com.ar/

Students have learnt the past simple and they saw the activities different people did last week. Now it’s their turn to write a journal on what they did last week and they can also include images.

Once you work is ready don’t worry about saving it, the system will do it automatically. Ask students to change the journal with another partner and ask another partner (not the one they have chosen) the following question: What did (Tomas) do on Saturday?

Evaluation criteria

The use of the past simple The use of vocabulary related to everyday activities Handing in the assignment on time Speaking and writing work