VOCABULARY practice in a flash

I love sites which can make my teaching life easier.

SPELLINGCITY helps your students learn / memorize words by focussing on spelling, pronunciation and contextualisation.
http://www.spellingcity.com/



First, you add the words you wish to memorize. Then, the site generates sentences with those words so that you can learn it. You can then, click the TEST button to hear the words and test your spelling or choose one of the GAMES available.

An example:

1. I created a list of words related to MONEY

 2.Once you click spelling test, you can hear the isolated word and then the word in a sentence for to type the correct spelling. LISTENING AND WRITING practice.

3. Games you can use to practise VOCABULARY, WRITING and SPELLING

HOW TO USE THE SITE IN CLASS

With an IWB

• In the last 15-20 minutes of class, elicit the new words learned that day from students while you insert the word in Spellincity. Sts can dictate the spelling as teacher types in the words. Then, all we have to do is click spelling test and start using the practice exercises the site generates.
  

•  You can also, assign a specific student to keep a record of the new words throughout the class and then use the list close to the end of the class to generate exercises.

• Another alternative is to use the practice exercises at the beginning of the following class for revision.

MAGIC STUDIO - creative tools

This is a fantastic site I haven't explored to its full potential yet but found it so interesting that had to share it.

With Magic Studio, you can create quizzes, drag n' drop activities and other interactive presentations.
http://www.magicstudio.com/

SOME EXAMPLES:

- Once you've dragged the right word over the image, you can hear the sound of the animal.

- click on the objects to hear the pronunciation.









 - an interactive timeline where you can include images, audio files, links to videos and other files.

TUBEOKE - watch and sing

I have a very bad memory for lyrics but love singing. If you are like me, tubeoke is just great. You can watch the music clip and read the lyrics all in the  same screen.


HOW TO USE THIS SITE WITH STUDENTS?

• For warmer - have students choose a song they like and have them sing together while reading the lyrics.
• Use a song lyrics to highlight a grammar structure or to call attention to specific vocabulary.
• Or just have fun and sing, sing , sing.

If you want to find a song for a specific structure, try LYREACH, a site you can use to find songs by typing a sequence of words you expect to find in a song.

Another great site for practising with lyrics is http://www.lyricstraining.com/

Animate a text

Want to animate a short text for a blog, wiki or to send your students a cool message?
Use WONDERSAY to help you create the animation and then embed it or share it via twitter or facebook .
Found the site while exploring David Kapuler's great blog.



made on Wondersay - Animate text with style

Gems of the week

These are some of the sites I came across this week via my PLN in twitter and facebook:

 Anithings is a brand new children's creativity tool. It enables animated stories to be created simply and quickly, allowing children's creativity to run wild.
http://www.anithings.com/ 

 Write a personal journal via e-mail.
http://ohlife.com/

Turn what people post on social media into compelling stories.
You collect the best photos, video, tweets and more to publish them as simple, beautiful stories that can be embedded anywhere.
http://storify.com/

Take a note right away wherever you are, create reminders, arrange your pictures and movies as you like, share ideas with group members, use stickies to share files.
http://en.linoit.com/

Should I say ..... or .......?
Great for discovering the right collocation.
http://phras.in/

Cloze test creator - paste a text and then select what you want omitted. 
http://l.georges.online.fr/tools/cloze.html

Type in a text and have it phonetically transcribed.
http://www.photransedit.com/Online/Text2Phonetics.aspx

Super easy PODCASTING - Audioboo + Posterous + iphone

PODCASTING can't get easier than this. After reading a great post by NIK PEACHEY I decided to give it a try.

 First, I downloaded the audioboo app to my iphone.
Then, I went to my audioboo account and changed the settings to synch my audioboos with my posterous blog. (You can also synch your audioboo with your facebook and twitter)
To make the recording, I used my iphone (audioboo app), published my recording, attached an image to it, wrote a description and VOILÁ , it was automatically published in my posterous blog.

HOW TO USE THIS WITH STUDENTS

• record students reading dialogues and then with a simple click publish it in a class blog. 
• record yourself reading a text and then add comprehension questions to your posterous post.
• record yourself reading a text for your students as a dictation to be done at home.
• record your students interviewing each other.
• record interviews when you go to workshops / conferences and automatically share them in twitter.

If you don't have an iphone, the same can be done using an ipad or recording directly in the audioboo website.

AUDIOBOO   +  POSTEROUS

Strategies for using COMICS in the classroom

I've recently fallen in love with comic creators and its various possibilities of use in the classroom.

This WONDERFUL presentation shared below, not only brings several links to comic creator sites but also provides suggestions for teachers.

Tap into the World of Comics Primary School version

View more presentations from S. Hendy.

These are some of the COMIC CREATOR sites suggested by S.Hendy

• http://www.toondoo.com/
• http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/comic/
• http://www.professorgarfield.org/comics_lab_extreme/
• http://www.garfield.com/fungames/comiccreator.html
• http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/Comix/
• http://myths.e2bn.org/story_creator/
• http://www.bam.gov/sub_yourLife/yourlife_comiccreator.html
• http://www.pixton.com/uk/
• http://www.creaza.com/
• http://www.chogger.com/
• http://comiqs.com/editor/
• http://www.comeeko.com/
• http://www.pikikids.com/
• http://superherosquad.marvel.com/create_your_own_comic
• http://cpbherofactory.com/
• http://www.scholastic.com/charlottesweb/comic/index.htm
• http://www.scholastic.com/goosebumpsgraphix/makeyourown/index.htm
• http://www.scholastic.com/dogslife/createtale.htm

Web 1.0 , 2.0, and now 3.0!

I've always been excited about what is to come in terms of technology and its implications in our lives.


If you want to learn more about the terms WEB 1.0 / 2.0 / 3.0 , I suggest the wonderful post by NIcky Hockly.

Teachers & Web 3.0 – A Beginner´s Guide to Webs 1,2,3, x – e-moderation station via kwout

Below is a presentation, shared by Nicky and devised by Steve Wheeler from the University of Plymouth.

Web 3.0: The way forward?

View more presentations from Steve Wheeler.

Picture Description with GEOCAM. tv

Sharing an idea for using the webcam images from GeoCam.tv 

Describing pictures in one of skills required for the Cambridge exams, therefore, if you're helping your students to do that, you could show students the various webcams around the world and ask them to choose a place. Click on the camera icon and have students describe what they can see to each other (pairwork). You can then debrief by asking for descriptions from some volunteers.

These are live webcams from Natal, Brazil and Liverpool, UK.

You can also have students predict what they might see before clicking on the image icons. In France, students might say they will see the Eiffel Tower, in Egypt the pyrammids, and so on.

Discovered GEOCAM.tv via @NikPeachey 's tweet.

SCREENCASTS + Grammar explanations

I've recently discovered I could create screencasts to offer grammar explanation recordings to my students. After sharing the idea  in a workshop, a colleague of mine (Angela Gonçalves), has made some really good recordings I wish to share with other teachers. The first three were created by Angela and the last one is mine.

• Making Deductions (must , can't , might)

• Obligations (have to , must, don't have to)

• First and Second Conditional

• Narrative Tenses (S. Past , Past Cont., Past Perfect)

Take and share your notes at Noterr

Simple application which you can use to write notes to yourself or to others. Each sticky note can be shared with others via link or sent via e-mail. http://noterr.com