Podcast--how to describe people's look

   

    Have you heard Podcast before? It's an excellent tools for teaching and learning a second language.

    What is Podcast? According to the Wikipedia, it said that, "A Podcast (or non-streamed webcast) is a series of digital media files (either audio or video) that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication." (Wikipedia, 2011)

    Anyone can make a podcast by recording a audio or video just with a microphone or video camera, a computer, and web. In addition, you can subscribe it, and also download it to your computer or MP3/MP4 player to watch and listen it whenever and wherever you want. Here's a short introduction about Podcasting and its usage which named Podcasting in Plain English.

 

 

   Furthermore, I'd like to use this piece podcast from ESL Podcast to teach you how to describe people's look. In our daily life, sometimes it is necessary to descrie one's look. A effective way to describe can make some identification during people's interaction much easier. In this episode, the host gives detailed explanations about how to describe the features of one person.

    I want to you listen to it carefully and design a short conversation depends on the 'describing people's look' topic. You can choose whatever scene or people you want, and bring it to our next class. We will share these conversations together and act it out in pairs or groups in the classroom.

    After that, I would like you to choose 2-3 partners of your classmates and make a podcast by yourselves together in gorups. And this will be your final project for this semester.

 

 

Photo Show Videos in Teaching

   
     This is a short video of Easter Day I made using Animoto, which is a digital tool to tell stories using photos, texts, and videos.

    I can use this video to in an English as a second-language classroom. The level of the students will be Grade One children of elementary school. With such a video, I can not only teach students some vocabularies, but also introduce them the imporatant festival--Easter Day. I gave some extra information about Easter Day such as its orign, meaning, and ways of celebration and features.

    For those higher level students, I can show this video as a model of small project. I can let students to make a 2-3 minutes video to introduce one kind of American holidays using whatever pictures or informations related to it. They can make it by themselves or work as a groups.

    It's a good way to teach and learn by digital materials like this.

Journey of Voice Thread

I think Shan’s and Meng’s Voice Threads were designed very interesting and useful. Meng’s incorporated the use of adjectives to describe a picture. That will be a useful tool for ESL learners practice the use of adjectives. At the same time, it can improve the students practicing  using their speaking or writing skills. And Shan’s thread has clear and instructions and example. That makes the students not confused what they should do. I also like the pictures she posted. That is a really good example for ESL learners.

In my Voice Thread , I required the learners to respond orally and in written. It refers to choose one what their preference is and talk about it based on their experience. In my thread, I think that this will be a helpful tool to make the learners show their opinions and suggestions to teachers what can make the learners gain the knowledge in a most efficient way.

ePaLs

ePaLs is a excellent website which can be used by both teachers and learners as a communication and collaboration tool. These are many useful features provided that you can benefit from it.

• It's a vast information bank that you can find whatever educational information you want from 'collaborate' forum.
• You can search any classrooms of different subjects around the world, and find descriptions and course information about that class. Besides, you can also contact with that teacher directly via messages if you really feel interested in it.
• You can use 'advanced search'  to narrow your search ranges to specific country, langaue, category, class-size etc.
• You can also send and check your e-mail conveniently with other teachers and students.
• You can also make a address book as a contact/friend list, and send e-mail to a group or several individuals.

   
    It's really a easy way to communicateand collaborate with educational people online.  You can contact with people no matter which countries they live or what areas they majored in.

Publish a book for your teaching and learning

  

This is a book of a story talking about American Tour which is published by me online. I made it through the website Bookr which is a digital tool to tell stories using photos.

   I can use this video to in English as a second-language classroom. The level of the students will be Grade One children of elementary school. With such a book, can not only teach students some vocabularies, but also make students enjoying and having a further understanding of the knowledge. Through this, they will have an impressive memory about what the teacher is talking about.

   For those higher level students, I can show this book as a model of small project. I can let students to make their own books. It might be homework or notes or something else. They can make it by themselves or work as a groups, and for each person has a different role.

   It's a good way to teach and learn by digital materials like this way.

Digital storytelling

Everyone has his/her own stories, and everyone has their own way to tell their own stories. Today I want to introduce you a newway to tell stories which is called Digital storytelling. In the Educause article of 7 things you should know about Digital storytelling, the writer describes it as follow: "Digital storytelling is the practice of combining narrative with digital content, including images, sound, and video, to create a short movie, typically with a strong emotional component."(Educause, 2007)

    In the modern society, it's adapted to education and used as a teaching method. in the UH article called Educational Uses of Digital storytelling, it said that, "The topics that are used in Digital Storytelling range from personal tales to the recounting of historical events, from exploring life in one's own community to the search for life in other corners of the universe, and literally, everything in between."(UH, 2011)

     Moreover, both of the teachers and learners can get profit from Digital storytelling program. Teachers can present a theory or give an instruction with Digital storytelling to create an audio-visual classroom. In this way, it makes courses more understandable and more interesting. In addition, 7 things you should know about Digital storytelling also said that, "Digital stories let students express themselves not only with their own words but also in their own voices, fostering a sense of individuality and of owning” their creations." (Educause, 2007)

    Furthermore, through completing Digital storytelling, storytellers can be given an opportunity to learn and improve own technological skills. Besides, it's a good way to connect content with realistic practice.

  by  BryanAlexander 

For searching more information, please refer to following links:

 7 things you should know about Digital storytelling

 Center for Digital storytelling

Educational Uses of Digital storytelling

Twitter--Popular way to teach

There are many different kinds of free technologies you can use in your teaching. Today, I want to introduce a excellent tools for you -- Twitter!

    Here's an article which can teach you How to use Twitter for Social Learning. It contains specific methods you can use in Twitter, for example, how to get started, how to creat your own twitter group, and how to use Twitter in lectures, classes and workshops. I can use this website to make students get understood of every steps clearly and impressively. This is a good and excellent guide absolutely.

    Moreover, you can also find some Best Individual Twitters as useful sources. There are some selected best twitters for different categories. And they are ranked alphabetically. You can choose those which are you think the most useful twitters conveniently and quickly. As a teacher, I can give these choices to students so that they can get the knowledge on their interestes in a specific area.