EFL ACTIVITIES using SILENT VIDEOS

My inspiration for these video activities was this post by David Deubelbeiss.

• the activities are short.
• the videos are all found in Youtube.
• there's no need to prepare any extra material.

1. Predicting what's going to happen.

• turn volume off.
• play parts of the video, stop and brainstorm with the whole class what  they think is going to happen. Ex: I think he will .......
• Play and check their prediction.

Suggested video:  http://youtu.be/L6Cuq-BueEs

2. Taking notes / reconstructing scene

• Students watch the video and take notes of what happens in the scene.
• Pairs compare their notes and write a description of the whole scene.
• Students then read each other descriptions.
• Teacher can build a description of the scene with the whole class using http://livetyping.com

Suggested video: http://youtu.be/bS1ePEZZCDY

3. Describe what you see

• turn volume off
• get students into pairs.
• they stand up, one facing the screen and the other with the back to the screen.
• the one facing the screen describes what's happening in the scene.
• teacher pauses the video and students swap places.
• do the same for the rest of the video (or for as long as the teacher decides)
• Students write down a summary of the whole scene.
• If students want to, show the whole video with sound to the class.

Suggested video: http://youtu.be/1Efrg23Sqe8

4. Imagining thoughts

• Divide students in pairs.
• You can turn off the sound or not.
• While students watch the video, they try to write down what the girl and the man might be thinking. 
• Teacher pauses video when necessary.

Suggested video: http://youtu.be/8yIuiXxwUtw

5. Predicting + Retelling

• Show the wordcloud below and ask students to predict  the story of the video. (PAIRS)
• Students watch the video .
• Pairs try to reconstruct or retell the story using the wordcloud (Speaking or Writing activity).

Suggested video: http://youtu.be/rHKV92sNFVM

6. Imagine an ending

• Students watch the video up to 1.59 mins.
• Pairs tell each other what they remember.
• Pairs imagine an ending to the story and write it down.
• Students read their ending to the class.
• Show the rest of the video to the class.

Suggested video: http://youtu.be/GJbiw_bOFmY

7. Vocabulary List

• ask students to write the heading for  two lists in their notebooks (CITY LIFE / NATURE)
• Students watch the video and have to complete the lists by writing down vocabulary related to each topic as it appears in the video.
• Debriefing: ask students what words they've written down.
• In pairs students discuss what they understood about the video.

Suggested video: http://youtu.be/qdxbIRkITBk

For more suggested animations, check out this playlist I've put together:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL47140F33A452888D

TUBEIT - developing a discussion with Teachers

I've posted about TOKBOX many times before, and it used to be my favourite site for video messaging. However, with the changes that happened to the site and their choice to focus on the chat feature, I ended up giving it up, at least for teaching purposes.

This afternoon, I invited some teachers from CULTURA EDTECH (online course I facilitate) and a couple of friends from facebook to join me in a new trial.

The site we tried was TUBEIT . It allows you to create an instant chat room where participants have access to their webcam and microphones and also watch a selected YOUTUBE video chosen by the person who sets up the room.

Today, I chose a video interview with Marc Prensky, where he discusses about the ROLE OF TEACHERS TODAY.


I guess there's a limit of participants for the session (I"m not sure) as I could see the possibility of 7 webcams in the room. It's extremely easy to use. You just go to http://tubeit.opentok.com/ write your name, paste the video URL (from Youtube), grab the link to the room in TUBEIT, share with invitees via twitter, facebook or e-mail and start your discussion.

This is how I planned it:
1. I greeted participants.
2. Participants had the chance to introduce themselves (webcam)
3. Pre-question to start the discussion. ("What's the role of teachers?")
4. Participants gave their opinion.
5. We watched the video interview.
6. Used quotes from the interview to promote discussion.

Problems: well, the sound wasn't 100% (some speech breakdowns) but we managed to develop a discussion.

These are the screenshots I took of the session with Roberta Righetto (Mato Grosso), Gildeta (Campinas), Ana Lucas (Uberlandia), Nina (Ukraine),  Angeles Berman (Mexico?).

Flying in my Dreams

I've always dreamed of watching a performance of Cirque du Soleil. What I like about it? I love the way they have turned the circus into a stage of pure ART, full of enchantment, wonderful music and jaw-dropping performances.

Next week, it is my birthday and last week I got the BEST PRESENT EVER. Guess what?
Yes, a ticket to see the show Varekai from Cirque du Soleil in São Paulo. Although, I could not take pictures during the show (it's forbidden), let me share a bit of one of the most poetic moments.



THANK YOU, MOM!

15 Cool things to do with YOUTUBE VIDEOS

This is the collection of links I shared in Twitter today.

They are all Youtube related sites.

Click on the image to see the JOGTHE WEB page

http://www.jogtheweb.com/run/xR4Bt3pPSkfz/Cool-things-to-do-with-YOUTUBE-videos#1

My Picks from YOUTUBE this week

Have a look at these great videos.

1.  All you need is love - a beautiful video of kids from India and Africa singing  the Beatles song.
2. Glogster in the classroom - high school students talk about their projects with Glogster.
3. For the birds - cute animation that could be used as a discussion starter about "Bullying".
4. Education is broken - great talk by Chris Lehmann
5. Reel Wisdom - a collection of quotes from famous films
6. Porcelain Revised Score - beautiful short movie about 2nd world war
7. What teachers make - great video about education
8. What's the role of teachers today? - Interview with Marc Prensky
9. Acceptance speech by Alfred Hitchcock - fantastic, a must-see
10. Language as a Window into Human Nature - RSA animation 

Oh, I used TUBESNACK to make the video playlist above. There are other video templates to choose from.

YOUCUBE: a cool way to share youtube videos

Let's imagine you want to share a list of videos with your students in an interesting way.

Well, I guess, YOUCUBE could be your choice. You can easily enter 6 Youtube URLs, and then click share your cube to grab the link to it.

This is a YOUCUBE I've created with 6 videos I like very much. Hope you like my selection.

Video Quiz: Films based on Novels

I´d like to share a video I´ve put together for a class of mine next week. It shows excerpts of 6 movie trailers of films based on novels. Students will watch it and try to identify the films. The activity will be used as a warmer for a lesson we´ll be talking about novels.

Teaching SPORTS vocabulary

If you´re teaching about SPORTS, then this post is for you. I´ve just found a series of YOUTUBE videos which feature olympic sports in a fun way. Check them out: