Youtube

Youtube.com is a website which I believe most of you ave heard of. On this site you can look at different kinds of videos and upload your own videos. All you need is a computer with an Internet access. It is, however, a good thing to have a projector or an interactive whiteboard so that the students can watch the videos together.

I believe this site is a huge resource in the English language teaching since it has such a wide range of different things you can use in education. Due to my experience I believe that students often find it quite entertaining watching videos which make them attentive during the lessons. By letting students take part of things on Youtube you give them an opportunityto hear the language in many different situations and you let the students listen to the language in it´s real context.

For example you can watch short stories or divide longer stories into smaller parts. The students can work with the videos on their own or you can show it to the whole class at the same time, depending on which resources you have got in class and which strategies you prefer. You can watch video clips from real life situations and take part of actual lessons. Depending on which age you teach there are different kinds of videos appropriate for different ages.

Another good thing to do is to let the students choose songs they like which you can listen to. By doing this you can either use it as a listening exercise or you could print out the lyrics and let the students translate them to increase their vocabulary. There are also plenty of songs that are made to be used in education, for example grammar songs and songs about different topics. You just have to type in what you are looking for on the top of the website and then you hopefully get a huge amount of videos which are useful.

Is is very important though that you take a look at the videos in advance, before you show it to your students. Since this is a site where anyone can upload their videos you never know what might appear in the video. Remember that the video it self does not turn into actual knowledge, you have to discuss the video and do something with it to get the actual learning! :)

//Malin Arkad

Learn by using Skype

Skype

The best way to learn a foreign language, I believe, is to communicate with other people. In this case, I talk about the English language and the people you communicate with can have English as their native language or as a foreign language. They say that the best way to learn a new language is to be staying in the country where the language is spoken ( or to get an English speaking loverJ), but it might only be possible for some of us. But there is another magnificent way of meeting people, over the internet. You can download a free program to your computer called “Skype”. You use it over your ordinary internet connection and there is no connection charge, minute charge or subscription fee, you only pay for your internet connection.  Skype is like a telephone connection over the internet. You just have to open an account and then you can get in contact with friends all over the world. You can also use your webcam, if you have one installed on your computer, so that you can see the person you are talking to. If you want to, you can talk to more than one person at a time. You can also use an ordinary “chat- function”, which means that you can also write a text and communicate that way. 

As the teacher I might be the person to help my pupils to find appropriate friends to contact and talk to, by using Skype. The best idea, I think, is to get in contact with another teacher and connect my pupils with her/ his pupils. Then you will have to give them material to work with, like topics to talk about and later on also tasks that they can solve together.

The first thing they must do is to get to know each other, so at their first meeting they must do a presentation. They will of course tell each other their names, ages, where they live, family, class, interests, favorite things and so on.

For me as a teacher it gives a lot of possibilities to work closely with other teachers all around the world. We can share lots of knowledge and cooperate with our teaching.

This cooperation might lead up to a class trip and we all can meet up in real life. What an interesting and lovely experience it would be!

Screenr.com

During the autumn holiday I have discovered a website called Screenr (www.screenr.com). It is a web-based screen recorder that does not cost you anything and you do not need to download any software. Therefore you do not need to ask anyone for permission to purchase or downloading it. I think that is great!

At first sight it seems to be a quite simple resource to use though I had some another experience at first…

On the home page you can read that it is just to click on the record button, capture your screen & voice. When you are done you just share your screencast through a link. You can also watch a 1-minute tour movie were they tell you and show you how easy it is. And it is very EASY if everything works out like it should!

http://www.screenr.com/

One important thing that they do forget to tell you in the beginning is that you must be logged in to be able to publish or download your screencast. When you sign in for the first time do it right at the beginning because you can not change your username afterwards! If you want to have another username you will have to make a new account with another email address. I had that experience when I realized that I wanted to change my username. They say (in FAQ) that you can delete your account but I have not found how to do it yet!

Yesterday when I made my first screencast test I could not find it afterwards even though I was logged in. All I could see was that I had made a screencast and posted it… This morning I logged in again but it looked the same. Maybe I did something wrong because a couple of hours later it just popped up when I tried to make a new screencast test. I deleted it because I did not want it and started to do the new one. Now it worked like a clock and after a few recording attempts I published it on my class blog (http://katarinasdiamanter.blogspot.se/search/label/Engelska). I must say that I am quite satisfied with it!

As a teacher I can see many opportunities how to use screenr.com. For example I can record an assignment that I want my pupils to make (like I just did), I can record a presentation to show in class or I can record a lesson review. I think it can make it easier for my pupils to understand me. Afterwards I can put it on the class blog or on the schools website so that the pupils and their parents can watch it at home. I think I can use screenr.com in all school subjects!

Most of my pupils have Swedish as their second language and many parents often wonder how we do things at school. They think that they can not help their children at home. Here I think the screencasts will help to explain for example how we count when we have math, how some English words are pronounced or what to think about when you are supposed to write a narrative report etc.

For my pupils there are also a variety of opportunities with screenr.com and I think they can use it in every school subject. For example I can let them do animated movies, presentations about their family, guided tours about their home town or home countries etc. In English I am going to use it together with Google map and Google earth, letting my pupils make guided tours about Hastings (next chapter in our English book).

I only have one or two problems left and one is that it does not work on my own laptop computer at home. It says that I do not have Java installed but I have! In FAQ they talk about some problems with Google Chrome, which I use. Then I did try it in Internet Explorer as well and it did not work there either, though it works perfectly on my desktop computer! On Monday I will have to ask the computer guy at work about that. I will also have to try it on the computers at school to see how it works…. Exciting or…… ;-)

I also have to start download and install Google earth on the school computers... Lucky me, I have admin permission! :-D

//Katarina Forsell

Story Bird

In the autumn holidays I had the opportunity to go on short lectures on “teachers resources” online. This suited me perfectly as we would look at different resources. What I understood during these days was that there is unlimited with resources online. There is an infinite treasure online; you just have to find the gems.

A resource that I fell for is called Story Bird ( http://storybird.com/ ) and it's free. The only requirement is an Internet connected computer. Story Bird is a site for creating digital stories. Story Bird offers a range of images to illustrate your own texts and images that can also help those of us who have a poor imagination to create stories. Of course it’s also good for those of us who are not very good at creating professional pictures and stories. Another great feature is the ability to have an on-line collaboration.

To create a story in Story Bird you need to select a theme. Then drag and drop the images where you want them in your story and then you add your text. When the story is finished, it can be published online so that everyone can see it, or you can choose to keep it in your own private archives. It is also possible to invite other partners to take part of the story.

As a teacher, I can write custom stories to pupils depending on their progress in their reading and writing skills. I’m thinking especially in the subjects English and Swedish. I think this is strength, since a class has so different maturity levels. I can even do stories that fit into a theme work.

When the pupils got started with their writing skills, I think (because I have not tried this site yet) that younger pupils can be introduced to the resource. In the beginning we can also print them and have texts in the class’ "library". These stories can be stored in the pupils’ portfolio through the school year so that they can see their writing skills developing.

My class enjoys fairy tales and stories in various forms so I believe this resource will suit them well.

//Lena Marmont

British council websites for learning and teaching English

I have found three connected websites from the British Council which are absolutely great both for teachers of English and also for students as they are learning to speak English as a foreign language. To be able to use these ICT resources you will need a computer with an internet connection and a web browser. It is also possible to download files so that they can be viewed offline.

The websites are divided into three parts; one part for children which is called “Learn English Kids” (http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/), one part for older students called “Learn English” (http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/) and one part for teachers called “Teaching English” (http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/). Everything on these sites is free of charge and on all the sites you have an option to become a member. Therefore you do not need to do anything to be able to start learning or teaching English with the assistance of these sites. All sites encourage the students to both listen and interact in various ways.

On the site “Learn English Kids” there is plenty of fun for the children such as games, craft downloads, songs and short stories that they can enjoy at the same time as they learn a new language. There are a wide range of topics to choose from like time, witches and wizards, animals, family, dinosaurs, football and much more. The site is divided into ‘games’, ‘listen and watch’, ‘read and write’, ‘make’ and ‘explore’. The children can choose to become a member of the site and are then able to enter competitions, make comments and create their own characters. Teachers and parents are also encouraged to become members so that they are able to watch videos and read articles regarding learning a language. There is also a parent’s forum where parents can share their different ideas. For teachers, there is a section with information on how you can use the site in the classroom. A special section on the site, “Little Kids”, is aimed at very young children, where you can find nursery rhymes, play games and do crafts.

The “Learn English” site caters for older students. This site also contains games, stories, grammar exercises and listening activities. The site is divided into ‘listen and watch’, ‘grammar and vocabulary’, ‘fun and games’, ‘business and work’ and ‘IELTS’ (the International English Language Testing System). To make it easier to find out where everything is there is a search facility and a site map. If the student chooses to become a member, he or she can get help with their English and be able to comment on the site.

The last site of the three is the “Teaching English” site which is a co-operation between the British Council and the BBC. For the teacher, there is an abundance of activites, tips and other inspiration. As a teacher you will find lesson plans with activities, procedure and worksheets to download as well as teacher development and teacher training material. The site is divided into ‘teaching resources’, ‘teacher development’, ‘training courses’, ‘articles’ and ‘community’ (forums and networks). The articles that you find range from methodology to pronunciation and vocabulary. On this site you can also become a member so that you can contribute in the various discussions on the site.

As I mentioned previously, I think these sites are brilliant as there is so much to discover. They are also free providing you have access to a computer and the internet. I especially like the children’s site which my children found very easy to use. This site is also very colourful and inviting so that the children really want to work on it. My own children love it!

//Maria Jeffs

Digital Camera

The digital camera is an underestimated resource in teaching. The teachers use the camera to take pictures and document the pupils learning processes. But why not let the pupils use the camera? This way they would be able to actually use it as a resource in their learning process.
To make the camera work you just have to know how you turn it on and how to take pictures. Then you´re free to go!

With the camera you can document different things like,

- What the pupils do in the classroom
- How the pupils corporate
- What they are learning

The camera helps the teacher and pupils to go back and look at the pictures and discuss what they have done and what they can do to develop the assignment, so the pupils can learn more. The camera becomes like an extra set of eyes and a way of going back to look at the assignments and the results from perhaps even a different view. It could also help you as a teacher to develop your lesson planning for the class. The camera is also a help to show parents and other teachers what you are doing in your class.
The teachers can also use the camera to take pictures to use in their teaching. You could for instance take pictures of imaginary characters for a role-play or simply have the pupils discussing the pictures.

If you let the pupils take control of the camera to document what they think is interesting and what they see in the assignment the pupils enhance their learning and involvement in the assignment at hand. All this at the same time as you´ll get another view of the assignment as the pupils might see it from a different angle than you as a teacher. When you let your pupils take the pictures they might not see same things that you as a teacher would. You might not document the same things.

Other ways for the pupils to use this resource are to:
• Take pictures and make PowerPoint fairy-tales and presents for the friends in the class.
• They can also take pictures in the same way that the teachers and use the pictures for role-play or just discuss.
• Take pictures of colours and furniture in the classroom. Or take pictures of family members. Then the pupils can show it to their friend and they can discuss it in class.

These are just a few examples of how you could use a digital camera in class and learn English.
This resource could be seen as a powerful learning tool. It could be a different and useful way of learning, a way to involve the pupils in the learning process.

My StoryMaker

My StoryMaker

http://www.carnegielibrary.org/kids/storymaker/embed.cfm

I have just found an absolutely wonderful website to inspire students to write in English.
The applications name is My StoryMaker and it is published by Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.
The program is free and easy to use.

In this interactive picture book pupils get help on their way through a story. Can a Fox be in love with a mermaid? Nothing is impossible only the pupils’ imagination sets the limits. The pupils have full control over characters and objects and the program helps the pupils to create sentences to the story. When the pupils are done with their story, they can print it out or share it with others.

What you need
You need Adobe Flash Player and Adobe reader, and both these programs are free to down load on internet.

How to use

First you select a main character in your book. Then you decide what the book should be about. When that is completed you choose different characters, items, objects and settings depending what you want shall happen in the book. Only your imaginations set stop for the story.
There is so much you can do; move objects, change feelings for the characters, write texts. When you are finished, with your story, you can share your book with others or print it out. And then it’s time to write a new one.

Why and Who

I have some students that find it difficult to work with different texts. Often it takes stop when it's
time to construct their text. This is a website I think really can help these students. In Lgr 11 it says in the purpose text that the student should be able to; formulate in writing, use linguistic strategies to make them understood and customize language for context.
In the central content it’s written that the student shall work with dramatized stories and fairy tales for children and young people, which I think is well consistent with this interactive book.

Today students are accustomed to make use of different types of technology, it is not alien to them. Many students will be encouraged to work with computers, and it becomes more fun,
which really get them to work more active. I’m also of the opinions that with this program it’s easy to work in different levels in the class, as we all know, our pupils are in different stages in life.


//Lotta Lundberg