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.