Document camera

At my school, every classroom has a document camera. It works like a digital overhead projector where the mirror on the top is replaced by a digital camera. You install the software that comes with the camera on a computer. The document camera is then connected to the computer. The computer is connected to a projector or a smart board. It’s not complicated to install the software and get the document camera to work.

I teach beginners in second and third grade and have used the camera for several different things. For example I had a couple of children’s books in English. I put the book under the document camera and the whole class could see the pictures and the text when I read it.

 

You can also put pages from the workbook or worksheets under the camera so the whole class can see the task. It makes it easier for the learners to ask questions about the task and for the teacher to create a discussion around the subject when everybody sees the same thing.

 

When the students have completed a task, for example drawing a picture and writing an easy text about it, they can show it under the camera. Most of my learners have enjoyed showing their texts or other works for the rest of the class. This is a good way of learning from each other. 

 

With this camera you can also take pictures and record movies.
Taking a picture can be a good thing to do if you want to save something interesting for future lessons. It could be an instruction or a page in a book that you and the class find useful or a project that the class has done together, for example a text.

 

Recording things are often a success among the children. We have recorded English songs that we learned together and they really like listening to them over and over again.
You could also record rhymes, both those that the pupils have written themselves or those that they have learned from a book or an English webpage.
We also use the document camera to record scenes from short plays that the students have created. By doing this the students can watch themselves act and hear themselves speak English. It´s not always that everybody feels comfortable to look at themselves on the screen. But if you have the opportunity, you can make it a habit.

 

You can also upload images and movies to blogs and intranet where the parents can view the students work.
      
I really like the document camera and are using it a lot. It´s so easy to just put pictures or tasks under the camera and get everybody involved in the discussion.

 

Maria Asp

Mobile applications

For about two months ago I had the opportunity to get a new telephone because my mobile subscription was approaching its due date. I chose an Iphone 5 (although the new subscription cost was not exactly for free) and I found out that a whole new world opened to me.

Before I got Iphone 5 I had an Android telephone. For those who are not that oriented in mobile technics Android is a kind of operating system launched by Google, while iPhones, iPads and iPods have an operating system called iOS: iPhone operating system launched by Apple. These are the two software that the devices are built upon. Android was a nice operating system but I felt that the iOS was more advanced and developed than Android.

If I were to give you an advice if you are new in the ‘iPhone jungle’, my advice to you would be to go into ‘App Store’. There you will find everything you need and everything you thought you didn’t need but needed anyway and so on. There are a lot of things that are for free or to little or almost none cost at all. With ‘things’ I mean applications or they are more known as apps. Applications are programmes invented by companies, institutions, associations or private persons. You may find apps about food, health, games, employments, job offers and I could go on forever.
I then wondered if I could combine these apps with my English teaching with my Swedish students. I started to look and searched for English pedagogical apps and I find a few for free which caught my eye.

 The first one is called 'Awesome Memory App'. In the free version you can play memory games about animals, flags and vehicles. You may choose how big game plan you would like to have. You can have everything from 2 x 2 to 5 x 4. When you have decided you start playing and for every 'wrong pair' you will get minus points and the opposite for every 'right pair'. When you have got a 'right pair' a picture of the animal (if you have chosen to play the animal memory) comes up with the name written beneath it and a voice will pronounce the word in English and you may repeat the word. You can play this app in different language so if you feel like learning Italian or Chinese - here is an app for you! ;) If you would like to get all 11 categories you will have to pay 22 kr.
I find this app suitable for children in kindergarten up second grade. If you wish to pay some amount of money you may find other categories suitable for older children.



Another app I found was this one on the right called 'Engelska för barn -
 English for kids'. It is for free and is built up as a game with three different levels: 1. Hello! 2. More! 3.For Big Kids (5+)
I find all three levels suitable for children in kindergarten up to second grade.

On the first picture you will find some sub categories in the first level. The second picture shows you how the app works. You will get two,
three och four pictures. The picture the game is looking for is written on the top and a voice will pronounce it for you and you will be able to repeat the word after the voice. After repeating you will have to choose
which photo/picture that belongs to the word written and spoken. All games can be played as many times as you want. I feel that the benefit
with this app is that the student will see a picture and at the same time see and listen to the word connected to the picture. A lot of senses are included and both crebral hemispheres will be included and hopefully activated. ;)

The last app I wanted to share with you is the one called 'Fun English'. The negative part is that you can only work with colours for free but a whole lot of other categories is available if you want to pay a share. If you want to buy the whole lesson pack it will cost you 75 kr which isn't a lot.. But still..

For each category there are a lot of things to do. You can play 'Bubbles' which aim is that a voice will pronounce a colour and your goal is to click on the bubble with the right colour and get points for every bubble you catch.
The Memory game is almost like the 'Awesome Memory App' but you will hear each colour everytime you choose a square, even though you may be wrong.
In the Color game you will get a picture which is in black and white and it is your purpose to colour it. A voice will tell you a colour and you will now click on all the things in the picture and guess which colour that belongs to which item.
In the game called Palette you will get a picture and a voice will tell you which colour the item is supposed to have. You will get a palette with six colours and it is up to you to mix them in order to get the right colour.

In the game called Two by two it is up to you to pair pictures together in pairs or in groups of three in order to get points and 'buy' more time. You will play the game by rearranging the order of the items in order to get the pairs.

 The last game called 'Spellbounce' you are supposed to spell different colours. You will get all the letters that are supposed to be included but  they are in the wrong order and the background is coloured in the colour you are supposed to spell.


I think that using apps in my teaching will help my students to evolve and strengthen their knowledge they learn in class and where I fail to plan my lessons using different kinds of learning processes, these three apps can help me with that.

Some things to bare in mind is that in order to be able to use these apps you will have to have an iPhone or an iPad and an internet connection. I don't know if there are available in the Android system but it isn't impossible. One other thing is that some of these apps are limited in the free version. In order to get the best out of the app you will sometimes have to pay an amount of money. But it will not ruin you - I will promise that!

//Jonna Lengstedt

Skype

This weekend I gathered up my kids for our weekly Skype call to their grandparents in Sweden. My sons showed our Christmas tree and my mother and father showed all of the snow outside of their window. Living on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, away from friends and family, Skype has become an essential tool for staying in touch.

Skype is an application for your computer and smartphone that allows you to call other Skype users, as well as land lines and cell phones.  It also supports video calling between two or more Skype users. You can start using Skype at no cost. If you need group video calling or want to call real world phones, there is a charge. Prices are reasonable though. 

Getting started is easy. Simply go to http://skype.com and follow the instructions. When you have downloaded the application and signed in, you are ready to place some calls. The first thing you are going to want to do is add some contacts to your address book. The easiest way to add someone to your contacts is to know their Skype name. 

Remember: Your computer needs to have a microphone and speakers attached. 

There are a lot of ways that Skype can be used in education. It opens up the world to the students and allows them to connect with people from all over the globe. It is common for schools to have sister schools in other parts of the world. By using the video calling feature of Skype you can bring the students closer together. 

Skype calling with English-speaking sister classes provides a great way for students to practice their English. You can remotely collaborate on projects, learn more about the other students’ culture, and gain a greater understanding of other people. Even small things like seeing that it is dark outside the other class’ window while the sun just rose where you are increases the students’ understanding of the world.  Your students can also use Skype to talk to various subject matter experts. For example, if your class is doing a dinosaur project you can set up a discussion with a paleontologist where the students can ask prepared questions in English.

Skype has made an educational portal where teachers can find Skype lessons, get in touch with experts from different fields who want to share their knowledge, or other teachers who want to collaborate. You can sign up at http://education.skype.com. By using this portal you can find sister schools and experts to get in touch with.

When setting up a video call there are a number of things you can do to improve the experience. Ensuring that you have adequate Internet bandwidth helps you avoid problems like frozen or jerky video. By using an HD webcam, a TV/projector, and speakers, you can improve the feeling of presence. It’s good to agree on a routine for how to go about asking questions during the Skype call, to minimize confusion.

Video calling with my family in Sweden has made a world of difference when it comes to staying in touch. For my children to be able to *see* their grandparents is a whole new level of communication quality. Similarly, Skype can open up a whole new world to students that they never knew existed. 

// Rebecca Montag 

Espresso

In the technological world we live in, there are infinitely you can use to acquire knowledge and to make it fun to learn.

 

At the school where I work, we got a chance to for a certain period to test Espresso, a multimedia archive that comes from Liber. Check out http://www4.liber.se/liber_espresso/ or search Liber Espresso on Google.

This educational tool, we were so pleased that we ordered it (unfortunately it costs a buck, but it's worth it).

Espresso is directed at several ages, both young and older as an aid in teaching and continuously updated for the information to be fresh for the students. On Espressos homepage, you can make different choices, based on the age, topics or current news. When you select this, you can get started. There are now a variety of tools to use, such as movie clips, images, articles and interactive exercises.
An example is here:
Work with English in Year 3 and students practicing among colors. In Espresso, one can find a small short film of about 3 minutes of Winnie the witch. The witch and her cat living in a castle. The story repeats the same phrases several times and students both see colors and hear its pronunciation.

After seeing the film there are various interactive exercises related to the film and LGR 11, reading comprehension exercises where you can both read and hear the questions and answers, put pictures in the right order, songs and games that is linked to the topic and Winnie the witch. 

It is easy for the teacher to plan and fun for students to learn.

Various interactive tools as movie clips, games, texts and exercises are linked even to such as history, social studies, math, Swedish, religion, and more.

The best thing of all is that it is linked to LGR 11 order to get as much as possible of teaching using these ICT tools.

/Nathalie Sandher

Glosboken.se

Glosboken.se

I don´t have much experience in teaching children since I am in school educating myself to become a teacher. I have though three children and I have seen what use Glosboken.se has been for them. 

Glosboken is a programme which helps pupils to practice at glossary in any language the pupil chooses. The pupil can use glosboken in school, at their holiday, at home, just about anywhere, as long as the pupil has access to internet. To get access to Glosboken.se the pupils get their access by their teachers account or the pupils can create an account by themselves. If the teacher has an account, he or she invites the pupil to his or hers group by given them a password for their own. Then the teacher creates the glossaries for the pupils to practice on either by only translate them in writing or/and listen to them threw “talsyntes”. 

Glosboken even has games which fit all pupils regardless age, language, special needs. Even when the pupil starts to learn a new language he/she can create their own set of glossaries to practice on. The account the pupils has is not locked for a certain school. If your child changes school it can still use Glosboken.se.

This has been an effective and positive way to practice glossaries for my son. He has difficulties in writing and spelling and this is a perfect way to put focus on how the pronunciation and spelling of the words sounds. He doesn´t have to put any focus or energy on the handwriting. For my eldest daughter this has not been an interesting way to learn glossaries. She likes the old traditional way when I say the words in Swedish and she writes the answer in English on a piece of paper and at the end I correct the glossaries.(My youngest is in first class and has not started to use Glosboken.se)

Photostory 3

Photostory 3 as an ICT-resource

I would like to share my thoughts about an ICT-resource called Photostory 3. During my two and a half years of being a teacher, I have used this program on a regular basis and my believe is that it is a fun and educational resource that can be used for many purposes. Photostory 3 is a computer programme which helps you to organize photos, pictures and even scanned drawings into an animated film. It is supported by operation systems such as Windows Xp, Windows Vista and Windows 7 and is an easy and fun way to create stories and school projects in English as well as in other subjects. You can download it for free at http://microsoft-photo-story-3.swedish.toggle.com/.

When using Photostory 3, you approach several goals from the syllabuses regarding, most of all, the ability to use digital tools which is central for the new curriculum LGR-11. I will now try to give you a short explanation of how to use the program. First of all, you import pictures you have saved on your computer. On the next step you have the opportunity to write a text to your picture. When writing in English, you get the chance to develop your vocabulary and grammar structures. However, it’s the next step I find particularly exciting since you now get the opportunity to record yourself. Many students find it hard to talk in front of other people, a fright that according to my opinion is quite natural since the uncertainty becomes even more significant when talking a second language. I definitely believe that the part with “live” presentations is important too, but listening to yourself on a recording sometimes is a good compliment. It also gives the class the opportunity to develop abilities regarding pronunciation and to discuss variations in the English language such as American and British dialects. I’m currently doing own versions of English fairytales with my fifth graders, and we have been using our animations for peer assessments as well as self assessments combined with feedback from me and my colleague – a work that I found developing in so many areas.

Anyhow, on the next step when using Photostory 3, you edit the movements and transitions between the different images. I often discover that this is the part my students appreciate the most since the transitions can take exciting forms such as for example stars or spins! The next step is to choose appropriate music to the film. You can choose from your music library, create your own music using the program or download music or sounds from websites such as www.multimedia.skolverket.se . This part is by the way a great opportunity to discuss copyrighted material and critical aspects of different sources. You then save your film in a Windows Media Video format and when done, your film is set to be played on your computer, send by an e-mail or burned into a CD.

I strongly recommend using Photostory 3 as an ICT resource. I have been using it with six year olds as well as 12 year olds and it’s a remarkable easy programme to use, with the right guidance from you as a teacher! Please check out an example of a story I made with some help from two of my wonderful students! The music is downloaded from www.multimedia.skolverket.se.

To use IPad in education

A relatively new tools to use in teaching is the IPad. My school have during the autumn purchased IPads, but unfortunately only one/grades, which means that about 30 pupils have to share one IPad. But luckily we will get another one/grades after Christmas.

Since you can have many different functions in the IPad it can be used from preschool and up in the school years. For preschool children and younger pupils in school  there are different play-apps to use for example Fun English, which mixes different simple and everyday concepts through memory, songs, games and functions to recording speech. The children can work individually or together in small groups. For the school pupils there are different translations-apps or apps to training "glosor". Another app that could be useful is Book Creator. In this  app can the pupils individually or together in small groups making their own books with pictures, text and speech. This app can be used by both younger and older pupils, because they decide by their own the level of their work.

Have you then got a projector or a SmartBoard in the classroom can you easily by using a connection cable connecting the IPad to the projector or SmarBoard and show the work to the whole class as an accounting or to play games together.

As a teacher I can use the IPad to make different presentations to show the class on a projector or SmartBoard. There are many great apps for example Apples own: Pages (same as Word), Keynotes (same as Power Point). You can also go on the Internet and show for example clips from Youtube or films from AV-media.

Personally I feel that this is a tool that I want to learn more about.  So I can use it more in my teaching in the future.

One disadvantage is that it costs money to invest in IPads and since moste schools already have computers, both destops and/or laptops. This could make it differcult to get the school to invest in IPads too.