I was reminded of this site by Bob Palmer's post in his blog. He suggests giving dictations with the videos you create. It's a text-to-speech application, or better the character speaks whatever you type in.
GOOD POINTS: it's very cute, easy to use and you can type in various languages. BAD POINT: you can't publish all your creations ( found no embed code for some) but you can grab a link. :(
This is a dictation I've created:
Another cute card As this one does not provide the embed code for publishing, I used screenr to record it.
How can you use this with students?
as suggested by Bob Palmer, create dictations for your students.
create vocabulary dictations with words from previous lessons.
Create a listening comprehension activity where sts listen to a character introducing himself and answer questions.
Have sts create their own speaking character using language they've studied.
Paul E. Glott can tell you how to say lots of things in many languages. Try it out! You type in the sentence, choose the language and Paul helps you out. Cute!
Adding audio files to a web page can be quite tricky depending on the site you use. Today I tried AUDIOPAL and found it amazingly easy and practical. You can record your audio by phone, use a microphone or upload an existing audio file, then you type in your e-mail address and you get an e-mail with the link to an embed code you can publish. It's that easy! No registration needed. I learned about this site via Technology Tidbits
The second site for audio recordings is RECORDR You can record VIDEO or AUDIO only, then grab the embed code and publish it. You can also tweet your recording with a simple click.
You can leave messages for your students in class blogs.
You can have students record dialogues in class and then publish them in the class blog.
You can send sts a dictation they have to write down for homework.
You can read a text about a content sts are going to see in the future.
After a comment left by Alex, this is a trial using VOCAROO Vocaroo is also very simple. No need to sign up. YOu record and can get a link or an embed code. You'll see the quality of the recording was not so clear.
Chirbit is slightly more complicated than the others, you have to sign up, and after recording it provides you with a link and the possibility to share in various sites. Couldn't find an embed code though. Sound quality was not the best either.
Well, my evaluation would be the following: if you want to record something simple, audio only, my choices would be AUDIOPAL and VOCAROO (sound was not so good).
With RECORDR I have the option of having a video made and it's as simple as Audiopal. The only thing I didn't like so much was that even recording audio only the embeddable player is very big.
It's never been easier to create tutorials like now with SCREENR.
This is how to do it. Sign in with your TWITTER account, then click on RECORD. Resize the shooting screen to focus on the area you would like to record on your screen. Click RECORD and start speaking. It records everything you say and do with your mouse. When you're done, click DONE , write a text to go with your tweet and wait a while (about 2 minutes). After it's been tweeted, you can also grab an embed code to publish it in your blog, have a URL address, publish it in youtube (if you have a youtube account) or download it as an mp4 file. The quality of the image is superb.
It couldn't be easier!
This is a screencast I made to show two colleagues how to remove a student from an edmodo group you've created.
Xtranormal is a wonderful webtool you can use to create animated movies.
Dianne Krause has created a nice xtranormal movie talking about education in 2025. Interesting stuff!
This is another example we can use for language teaching. By selecting a character, a scenario and a script we can introduce any language point. This is an example of another movie created by Dianne Krause, this time in French.
You can also ask sts to create their own movies with language you've focussed. Isn't it a fantastic tool?
A video my son made while learning how to deal with xtranormal
To use Xtranormal, create a free account and then click on MAKE MOVIES. Select what kind of character you want, select the scene, write the script and then add animations, looks, music and so on. Click on ACTION to have a preview and when it's done, click on IT'S A WRAP. After your video has been published in Xtranormal, you can also publish it in youtube by clicking on a button. Simply and easy. I'll definitely use it in my classes.
I'm totally into the future. I guess I was born in the wrong era. While reading David Kapuler's Blog Companion Volume 3 I learned about AR Sights. After downloading AR sights, you can use google earth to look for landmarks, then after printing their MARKER you will be able to see the monument in 3D. It is truly amazing! You know, like in Star wars.
Check out this video
This is another video about Hitlab and how augmented reality will affect learning.
I decided to use this post to share 3 sites I've just come accross in Twitter.
The first one is KIDEOS. A place where you can find videos for children. You can find videos according to age group or search the categories. I loved watching Caillou's videos, they're so sweet and cute. Teachers can also use the nursery rhymes videos. Check some of them.
Can you tell a story in 6 words? This is the idea behing 6-WORD MEMOIRS. In Smith Magazine (online) you can tell your own 6-word story.
Finally, the third site would be Youtube Doubler. (via Nik Peachey)
A great resource to help sts compare cities, animals, people. Just type in the URL of the first video, then the second and both will appear side by side.
