Group items tagged

HistoryPin is a free Web 2.0 tool that allows users to "pin" photos, audio, or video to a particular world map location, much like the Google Earth program. The main idea is that, with enough participation, users will be able to get a sense of the history a location - both the visual and narrative aspects of it - as photos or videos from various time periods are pinned to that location. I can envision my students using it in partnership with another class of L1 students to share the concept of how people and places can change. For instance, both groups might focus on how a major city in their own country has changed, in order to demonstrate that to the other class via HistoryPin. Students would collect and upload photos or videos that show how the respective cities grew, how building or even fashion styles changed. They would use the HistoryPin audio option to describe the changes, my L2 students in Spanish, the L1 students in English. Once the L2 learners had "pinned" their photos on the map, L1 students could review and e-mail corrections so that L2 students could return to HistoryPin and edit their contribution. My students would do the same in return in English for the L1 students (assuming they are learning English, possibly). In this way, through collaboration, all students can gain a new perspective on how people and places look and change in another culture, while honing "technical" language skills.

Padlet is tool for asynchronous (or synchronous) posting of comments and images on a wall by multiple users.  This tool is much like a discussion board, but it's a bit more visually stimulating and motivating for students, as they get to choose where on the wall they will leave their note (kind of like a sticky note on a bulletin board). This also works great for department-wide discussions. Users do not need a login to post.

Blogger is a free site for blogging. It is incorporated with Google, so if the user has a Google account, he automatically  has a Blogger account. This site (as well as any simple blogging site) can be used for students to publish their writing and receive a world-wide audience. Additionally, students can keep a reflection journal of their own progress, feelings, and questions regarding their learning. Finally, instructors can use blogs to communicate important information to their students as well as share their voice in an easily-accessed, asynchronous means.

some good tools for organizing your action research.  Non of them, unfortunately, analysis the data for you. 

LanguageGuide.org is an online language learning resource available in numerous languages ranging from English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, German, Dutch, Turkish, Arabic, Russian, Mandarin, Japanese, to Korean. This illustrated vocabulary guide contains sound-integrated exercises at three levels -- beginner, intermediate, and advanced, and allows for independent practice at the learner's own pace. These practice exercises are appropriate for elementary and middle school students and this resource would be well suited on a teacher webpage. Thematic topics vary by language but generally include numbers, parts of the body, clothing, food, animals, weather, home, and school. There is an option menu on each screen for listening, speaking, and reading practice, as well as a quiz for students to check their comprehension. Some languages also feature a Grammar and Readings section for more advanced learners.

embed-ible resources for all sorts of visual learning.  One could use some of the data visualizations to show the importance of learning a second or third language.

I like how visual the site is. Other than infographics it incorporates videos and other interactives. I even saw Venn Diagrams. It has a lot to offer to use in the classroom for students and outside the classroom with other teachers or administrators.

Explain Everything is a screencasting app for the iPad. It costs $2.99 in the App Store and no account is needed to use it. This iPad app is designed for educational professionals and students alike, to create projects and record them as screencasts. It is a powerful tool and flexible app that is easy to use. Students use Explain Everything to make collaborative projects using multiple mediums. The recording feature allows foreign language students to create speaking samples with their projects, which can be used to measure progress with language proficiency in a digital portfolio. Teachers can use the recording feature to create a lecture capture. Projects can be designed directly in Explain Everything or files such as presentations, photos, notes, and videos can be imported into the app to create a project that can be annotated with pencil or text, narrated, recorded, and shared in a variety of ways, uploading to Photo Roll, You Tube, Email, Drop Box, and Evernote. Explain Everything can be used by both teachers and students as an interactive whiteboard tool for presentational purposes, when connected to an Apple TV or projector.

Account is free; find collaborative projects with students around the world. Has a limited number of free student epals account too.

ePals is a free web 2.0 resource that provides language classes the opportunity to connect with target language speakers around the globe. Communication can range from simple email messages to wiki and blog collaboration to multimedia presentations and even Skype video chat. Teachers can monitor all activity, for the sake of student security. A potential project would be for both groups - advanced level students in the local L2 group - to read the same story or poem and then use the ePals blog tool to share opinions (targeting writing skills) and later the Skype video chat to discuss (or perhaps debate) the text (targeting oral skills).

The FLTmag is a practice-oriented online publication dedicated to the field of foreign language technology. Its goal is to provide useful and practical information about technology integration in the classroom such as emerging technologies, interesting books, classroom projects, institutional initiatives, conferences and symposiums and language centers worldwide. Its hoping to become a public forum promoting engaged and productive discussions around burning issues in the field of language technology in the U.S. and beyond Currently there is very few things posted, but I see this as eventually becoming the 'go-to' site 

 a really good review of the French vs. English numbers, especially how to count at 70 and above.  A look at transcribing telephone numbers and the comma vs decimal point.