Dear iEngage teachers,
In December and in January we are going to share with you a few extremely useful online tools which will help develop your students e-skills in addition to linguistic skills. When you will use these tools while implementing your international collaborative projects, you will offer your students the opportunity to connect to students from around the world in various fun, interactive ways.
In December and in January we are going to share with you a few extremely useful online tools which will help develop your students e-skills in addition to linguistic skills. When you will use these tools while implementing your international collaborative projects, you will offer your students the opportunity to connect to students from around the world in various fun, interactive ways.
Task 1: Using Vocaroo to create and share free audio messages
Vacaroo is a new service for sending voice messages to students by email or blog. It is a free service that allows users to create audio recordings without the need to install any software. You don't even have to create an account to use Vocaroo. All you need to provide is a microphone. To create a recording just go to Vocaroo.com, click record, grant Vocaroo access to your microphone, and start talking.
Watch the video embedded below, explore the links below, and post 3 ideas on how Vocaroo could be used by you and your students in the classroom or when submitting the homework.
Vacaroo is a new service for sending voice messages to students by email or blog. It is a free service that allows users to create audio recordings without the need to install any software. You don't even have to create an account to use Vocaroo. All you need to provide is a microphone. To create a recording just go to Vocaroo.com, click record, grant Vocaroo access to your microphone, and start talking.
Watch the video embedded below, explore the links below, and post 3 ideas on how Vocaroo could be used by you and your students in the classroom or when submitting the homework.
Task 2: Using Blabberize to add student voices to fun animations
Blabberize is a photo editing tool that creates talking animations from a photo or other image. Within minutes you have a talking photo and the novelty factor of this will never wear thin for students. They absolutely love Blabberize. Make a famous person speak, give an animal a voice, even add a mouth to an inanimate object like a hamburger and discuss its nutritional value.
a) Explore the Blabberize Gallery and post the links of 2 projects you liked most of all - tell us why those projects got your attention (For example: Shakespeare Project, Newton Project, David Beckham Project, etc).
b) Read the teacher ideas posted in the links below and make your own suggestions - how could your students use Blabberize to develop their speaking skills or engage in international projects as related to your school curricula (no less than 2 ideas linked to 2 different topics from your textbooks)?
Blabberize is a photo editing tool that creates talking animations from a photo or other image. Within minutes you have a talking photo and the novelty factor of this will never wear thin for students. They absolutely love Blabberize. Make a famous person speak, give an animal a voice, even add a mouth to an inanimate object like a hamburger and discuss its nutritional value.
a) Explore the Blabberize Gallery and post the links of 2 projects you liked most of all - tell us why those projects got your attention (For example: Shakespeare Project, Newton Project, David Beckham Project, etc).
b) Read the teacher ideas posted in the links below and make your own suggestions - how could your students use Blabberize to develop their speaking skills or engage in international projects as related to your school curricula (no less than 2 ideas linked to 2 different topics from your textbooks)?
Task 3: Using Voki to develop student speaking skills
a) Explore this online assignment and write 3-4 sentences on what Voki is and what opportunities it could offer to EFL/ESL teachers - EFL Blogging School Assignment 4. b) Explain how Ana Maria Menezes, an EFL teacher from Brazil, used Voki to introduce a new project to her students - Voki Project with EFL students. Was she happy with the results? Why? c) How was Voki used by a teacher from Overhills Elementary School? Which of the Voki recordings was your favourite? Why? |
Task 4: Choose one or two of the three tools introduced above: Vocaroo, Blabberize and Voki. Explain in an extended paragraph (100-200 words) how you could use the tool to engage your students in an international collaborative project. Answer these questions:
- Why you chose this particular tool?
- Would your students use it to introduce themselves, to play the role of a specific character, to present the results of a research/home study or in any other way?
- How would your international partners give feedback to your students' digital projects: via iEARN forums, via email, using your class blog, through Facebook or any other way?
- Why you chose this particular tool?
- Would your students use it to introduce themselves, to play the role of a specific character, to present the results of a research/home study or in any other way?
- How would your international partners give feedback to your students' digital projects: via iEARN forums, via email, using your class blog, through Facebook or any other way?