Glosor.eu is a free website available for anyone who wants to learn English. Being a free website there will be advertising, not necessarily in everyone's taste but a part from this I find it a very useful tool. Glosor.eu can be used by teachers who have embraced internet as part of their learning method.
From a teacher's point of view there are several advantages using glosor.eu. One can get inspiration, create networks and exchange tasks with other teachers. Tasks can be created from the website and handed out to the pupils in class, or you can use the diffrent tasks at glosor.eu as they are. Homework can be set up on the website where then the pupils access through your class network. No need to carry home books (or forget to do so!)
For pupils glosor.eu is a new and modern way of practice English. Glosor.eu can be set up and personalized, there is a method for everyone who will make the study more efficient and funny, i.e. there is a spelling/pronunciation function where difficult words will be spelled and read back and there are many games for learning. Who said study is hard or boring? Another aspect is the parent’s participation in the children's education, the website will engage everyone.
However, there are a few things to take into consideration before getting all excited and online. First of all, make sure all the pupils have access to a computer and internet at home. In case there are children without, are there any computers at school that can be used for the purpose? Second, everyone needs to create an account, this is an easy step-by-step set up, all written in Swedish on the website. My suggestion is to make sure everyone has an account before getting started.
The curriculum of the Swedish compulsory school states that pupils should be put in condition do use different tools while learning, creating, understanding and communicating. In this case the process should stimulate the interest in learning languages. Further should pupils use modern technics when searching for knowledge, when communicating, creating and learning. The teachers will be there to give support but the pupils should take responsibility for their own studies
I believe using glosor.eu will improve the level of English in the Swedish compulsory school and help both teachers and pupils to reach the set goal.
Think of how many great free programs that are available to use on your computer. I think it seems unnecessary to spend all that money on expensive programs that require scool license when there are such good free programs, like glosor.eu.
ReplyDeleteMy own children used glosor.se in elementary school. They entered the words they had for homework, then they trained until they had learned all the words.
I have never heard of glosor.eu before, so I wonder what´s the difference between glosor.se and glosor.eu?
Is glosor.eu for older pupils or is it almost the same thing? If you can´t reply to this, Victoria , maybe someone else can.
Your post has made me curious about this program and tomorrow I will ask my colleagues if anyone is familiar with it or have used it. It´s good to be able to inspire each other and to give each other tips and ideas.
/Marianne Öggesjö
When I read your text about this website ”glosor.eu” my first thought was; “Think if I had had this opportunity when I was young”. I was studying with a pen and paper, writing down the words over and over again, testing myself. When I thought that I knew all the words then my mother questioned me. It would have been so much funnier and more affective if I had had this website with puzzles and games instead.
ReplyDeleteIt´s very good that it´s a free website, because then it´s possible for everyone who has a computer to use it. I also think, as you say, that it´s good to help the pupils to create an account and help them get started. It was easy to create an account and it was ready to use in a minute.
When I opened up the website for the first time, I was thinking that it looked a bit messy, the advertisement is a disturbance for me. I started with adding some own vocabulary, just a few words, to try it out. Then I wanted to hear an English voice read my words aloud, but that was not included for free. That made me a bit disappointed. To be able to hear somebody read the words and to practice pronunciation, then you´ll have to pay 25 sek per month. If you decide to pay this amount every month you will also get rid of the advertisement.
I think it´s great to be able to create networks with own tasks and then share it with others. The pupils might find it a lot more amusing doing their homework on the website instead of writing on a paper. Many children spend a lot of time in front of the computer nowadays so it might be more satisfying for them to do their homework on the internet.
I asked my eleven years old son if he had tried this website “glosor.eu”, but he hadn´t. I was playing and trying out some of the tasks and games on the website and after a little while my son came up to me and asked; “-May I? -Let me try!” I saw that he liked it, so hopefully he will use the website again practicing his own homework.
Something I find really useful is that you can also download “Glosor”, which is the app for “glosor.eu”, to your IPhone. You always bring your phone with you so then you can study where ever you are and at any time.
I believe that when you find a funny way to study and learn, then you´ll probably do it a lot more and you´ll also learn more.
When I read your Blog Post I was thinking the same as Linda Åström. All the possibilities for today’s students, it´s a big difference from when I was a pupil in elementary school.
ReplyDeleteMy own children are in a school where they have one computer per two pupils. They have almost all their homework’s at free websites on internet. In English they are using Glosor.se and it works very well.
In my daughter’s class the classmates has discovered that they can create their own “homework” for each other. So first she is doing the homework that her teacher has uploaded, and then she creates her own task for her friends. Then she completes the tasks that her friends has created for her and she think it`s fun and almost like a game. This is possible when the students become friends with each other on the site. I don´t know if it works in the same way at Glosor.eu.
Maybe my daughter is so enthusiastic because they recently started with English homework’s at Glosor.se but for now she is learning a lot of new words.
Most of the children today are interested in technology as computers and iPads and as a teacher you can use this to inspire them to practise tasks. The same tasks that we thought was rather boring, like writing words on a paper over and over again.
Of course it`s important that you as a teacher make sure that all pupils have access to a computer either in school or at home.
I also think that you should take a close look at the website that you are going to use. To make sure that you know how to use it, but also check out what kind of ads are displayed, so they are okay for your students.
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting blog you posted!
I must say that I am glad that you take in consideration in the access of computers at home. I am a parent where my kids teachers have taken this for granted.
I entered the website and tried to practice irregular verbs and it was fun. I noticed that it is a little bit similar Glosboken.se particularly when I did wrong. At this website a pink line appeared and the right word came up and I went on to the next word. At the end all the words I had missed came once again and kept on like this until I passed. This is a good way to remember the spelling. Like Glosboken website you can also listen to the pronunciation of the words and like most children the like to compete though the exercises is on time. With glosor.eu I am sure the pupils can make the glossary practice more fun then and this is a way for pupils to take responsibility for their own studies on a reasonable level.
You mentioned the part about the advertising and this is a thing that I dislike about the website, even if it is harmless advertising. I still think it affects children in a negative way though advertisement starts the clock in children’s head “can´t we buy, everyone else has it” to mention one example.
To tie together this blog comment I agree with you that the website will improve the level of English among the children in the compulsory school.