Wordle + VoiceThread + Ipad

After reading Jose Picardo's post about having used only one iPad in class, I decided to give it a go. I've recently got an iPad as a gift and wanted to see what I could do with it in class.

Well, this afternoon I took my iPad to class as I wanted to record students reading their own sentences to a voice thread created by a colleague (AureaStela). Stela had the brilliant idea to create a wordcloud with verbs which take GERUND and INFINITIVE and then asked her students to record sentences using the given verbs.

This is what I proposed to my students today:

1. First, I opened her voice thread on the IWB and played the recordings for them.
2. Then, I assigned a different verb to each student and asked them to make a sentence using Gerund or Infinitive. I monitored helping them out with their sentences.
3. I gave them a hand-out with a grammar exercise on the same topic and asked students to complete the exercise in class. Meanwhile, I would use my iPad to move round the class to record each student reading their own sentences ( I used the voicethread app for recording) . To make it faster, all students used my voice thread account.
4. After I had saved all recordings, I played their recordings on the IWB for everyone to listen to.

   Impressions? I would definitely do this again. Students were involved and seemed to have enjoyed listening to all the sentences in class.

PROJECT: Describing pictures / Making deductions

Last week, the focus of the lesson was MODALS TO MAKE DEDUCTIONS: must, may, might and can't. Students, listened to dialogues and did exercises.
Today, I had planned something different for them:

1. I gave each student a different picture and asked then to write a written description where they would also use modals for makind deductions.
2. While students wrote the descriptions I helped with vocabulary and had a look at some mistakes.
3. I asked students to practise reading their texts in pairs so that they would pay attention to words they could not pronounce and pauses.
4. I used a voicethread presentation I had prepared beforehand to record sts reading their descriptions.
5. After doing all the recordings, I showed them the full voicethread presentation so that they could listen to different descriptions. (They really paid attention!)

MY OBJECTIVE: to show students what kind of picture description is expected of them on the final oral exam at the end of term, to help them notice how important pronunciation/ rhythm is when recording, provide students with various picture descriptions.

FCE - Describing Pictures

Dear FCE and CAE teachers,

I've just made a VOICETHREAD in which all sts can practise recording picture description. The recording can be done in class or for HW. For the first slide I invite teachers to record a tip to help sts describe pictures and the other slides are for sts to try it out.

http://voicethread.com/share/655485/

To record, click COMMENT, and RECORD (you need a microphone). You can also type your tip instead of recording it (if you're shy :o)

I hope you can all make good use of the tool. The more students record their descriptions the more examples (ideas) they will have.

SUGGESTED ACTIVITY:
1. Show the voicethread in class. Show the first picture (second slide) and ask sts to brainstorm vocabulary they can use to describe the picture (in pairs)
2. Sts write down a picture description for the picture. (the script should have no more than a minute ) (Teacher should be going round the room monitoring)
3. Ask St A from the pair to practise reading the picture description to his/her partner.
4. Get some volunteers to record their picture descriptions in class with a microphone to the voicethread.
5. Assign more picture description for Homework.

Language Learning Tools

I´ve just found this voicethread created by SecondLifeEnglish in Youtube and wanted to share with you. He talks about really useful tools he uses to learn languages. Plan to get some of the tools myself.

Trip: Mato Grosso + Foz Iguaçu

I´d like to share pictures taken during our trip in January 2009. Our first stop was Cuiabá in Mato Grosso, Brazil. It was a 12-hour-trip by car. The temperature was milder than usual, it was 25°C. We visited friends and also traveled to Chapada dos Guimarães in order to take the kids to the beautiful waterfalls there. Second stop: Tangará da Serra. We lived in Tangará da Serra for 10 beautiful years when my children were born. We visited friends for 3 days.

Third stop: Foz do Iguaçu (Paraná - south of Brazil). We had to sleep somewhere in the midle of the way but got to Foz do Iguaçu after 17 hours driving. The city is on the border of Brazil/ Paraguay/ Argentina. It´s the second city with more foreigners in Brazil and has wonderful places to visit: Itaipu dam, Iguaçu falls, the borders, a Mosque, a Budhist temple and many more. As a whole we travelled about 4,000 km in 9 days. Yes, Brazil is huge!

Hope you enjoy the pictures I´ve added to this voicethread.