Group items tagged

Somewhere between a PowerPoint presentation and a full-fledged video is the audio slideshow.

Blubbr is a neat quiz creation service that you can use to create video-based quizzes. Using Blubbr you can create interactive quizzes that are based on YouTube clips.

  38   SOCiaL-NetwOrKiNg SiteS 2001). This difference in ‘lifestyle’ gives educators reason to believe we shouldincorporate SNS usage into our class-related activities, to capture these students’imaginations and t their thought patterns and socializing habits (Godwin-Jones,2008; Winke & Goertler, 2008).However, although technology is an integral part of neomillennial students’lives, they often do not know how to use technology in ways that would benet them in computer-assisted language learning (CALL) (Dieu & Stevens, 2007;Kolaitis, Mahoney, Pomann, & Hubbard, 2006; Winke & Goertler, 2008). Suc - cessful CALL activities, then, often require a substantial training period at theoutset (Jones & Bissoonauth-Bedford, 2008; Kolaitis et al., 2006), and studentsmay be less enthusiastic about a class’s language and culture projects if the formof computer-mediated communication ( CMC) employed is not the type they areaccustomed to using (McBride & Wildner-Bassett, 2008; Thorne, 2003). A usefulresponse may be to craft CALL activities more to the practices that our studentsare familiar with (Winke & Goertler, 2008). SNSs are an obvious possibility to consider, given their tremendous popularity.If we can get our F

we can get our FL students to interact socially on SNSs, then they may beengaged in more authentic social and communicative behavior than typically hap-pens in classrooms, because “instead of merely simulating other modes of interac-tion, technology mediated communication is, in and of itself, the real thing

  40   SOCiaL-NetwOrKiNg SiteS and sites like it, knowing, socially and technically, how to re-use media in thisparticular way has become foundational for communication and creative expres- sion over the Web” (Perkel, 2008, p. 218). We can call this activity of writing/remixing the self through the manipulationof text and media ‘ self-authorship.’ Within the framework of CALL, this term refers to students authoring their own materials which can then serve as the basisfor learning and lessons. Using student-created materials as the center of a lesson ts with a student-centered pedagogy (Dieu, Campbell, & Ammann, 2006). Self-authorship activities can increase interest and time on task, and they put students in a more active role in their own learning process (Kramsch, A’Ness, & Lam,2000; Nikolova, 2002).Students must take an active role in their learning. They cannot simply be handed knowledge from an expert because understanding is the result of a cre- ative process one must work through over time with other people (Bereiter, 2002). Learning

We aim to provide examples of authentic language spoken in its natural cultural environment so that students of all ages can better understand the interplay between a language and its culture. The videos were filmed with handheld camcorders and microphones provided by the Center. The video and audio quality varies.

Students should be aware that we have tried to remain true to the language our subjects actually uttered. Therefore, we have not corrected grammatical errors and the videos sometimes show highly colloquial language, local slang, and regional specific speech patterns.

The Advantages of Media for Students: Popular media (films, music, YouTube) are a familiar medium to students that helps gain attention and maintain student interest in the theories and concepts under discussion. Students can see the theories and concepts in action. In more than a figurative sense, theories and concepts leap from the screen. Students can hone their analytical skills by analyzing media using the theories and concepts they are studying. The use of media in the classroom enables students to see concepts and new examples when they are watching television, listening to music, or are at the movies with friends. Students can experience worlds beyond their own, especially if the media is sharply different from their local environment.

Using media requires a complete understanding of copyright law, an appreciation of the workload involved, and some skill in recognizing content that will enhance learning, instead of becoming a distraction.

magine students’ artwork hanging in your school’s hallway and beside each masterpiece is a QR code. When parents, students, and other teachers scan the code using a mobile device, they hear the student telling about themselves and the relevance of their art... Or what about a QR code in the back of a library book that allows you to hear a student’s review of the book? Or a QR code sent home to parents that allows them to listen to their 1st grader reading or telling a story?

I made sure that they understood why I felt using a translator for work that the students were supposed to do is plagiarism. This has to be the first step.

On one of the very first days, I take the lyrics of a popular song that most students would know and paste it into a translator.

Used wrongly, computers could even damage learning. "Technology can be a distraction," says Warschauer. "I remember observing a beginners' French class a number of years ago, the teacher bragged about how engaged the learners were in creating multimedia in French. However, the students were spending most of their time and energy talking with each other in English about how to make PowerPoints, when, as beginning learners, they really needed to be spending time hearing as much French as possible."

Ideas for K-12 Classrooms

Gamic’. A gamic is a combination of a Comic and a Gam

ransfer it to a computer

viewers click around a large "mind-map," which can feature text, images, and videos,

equates Prezi to an "infinite whiteboard" wherein the audience can see an overview of a topic, or zoom in to see the relations between topics.

Rich Internet Applications project is to create tools that are informed by language acquisition research, and engage language learners in active learning.

Mashups

Rich Internet Applications project is to create tools that are informed by language acquisition research, and engage language learners in active learning.

I've used Google Drive nearly every year that I've taught. In my opinion, it's one of the best tools to impact the writing process since the red pen. In the classroom, Google Drive can be leveraged in a variety of ways. However, this post is about finding a happy balance between teaching and integrating technology. The last time I used Drive, I created a shared class folder with students before the first day of school. I populated it with dated folders and assignments that all students had access to. Similarly, I had students share a folder with me for homework on their first day. This folder would be their digital dropbox.

5. Blabberize Funny way to make pictures talk. Click here for an instructional video.

Ideas for Student Projects

Literally translated, the word Affenhitze means "monkey-heat" (or "ape-heat"), but it has little to do with monkeys