Prompting Reading Speeds

This is a genuinely handy footling tool which is doing the rounds at the moment. It's called CuePrompter in addition to it's an online Teleprompter.

For those non inwards the know, a Teleprompter is a tool used past times intelligence readers, TV presenters etc to assistance them recollect their lines. They read it from higher upward the camera.

This 1 is really unproblematic to role in addition to you lot precisely cutting in addition to glue your text into the field, lead shroud size, text size in addition to colours in addition to click a push clitoris in addition to you lot are off.


Once you lot bring your text upward on the shroud you lot tin thence lead the speed that the text moves at in addition to also exercise a few interesting things similar having the text contrary or having the text every bit a mirror image!

• This video shows you lot how it is done

How to role this amongst students
This could move genuinely useful to force your students reading speed in addition to gist reading. Many students uncovering it really hard non to focus on every give-and-take of a text in addition to larn stuck when words come upward up that they don't know. With a tool similar this, you lot tin literally strength them to scan the text in addition to proceed moving.

To larn the best from this inwards degree you lot are going to demand a information projection or an interactive whiteboard (IWB).

Some possible tasks:

• Paste inwards a intelligence text in addition to genuinely larn your students to read it every bit it scrolls. You could repeat in addition to gradually growth the speed.
• Put students inwards pairs / groups to read out charge the parts of plays or dialogues. With brusk dialogues you lot could larn them to read through a few times in addition to thence play the mirror icon in addition to come across if they tin yet recollect in addition to follow the dialogue.
• Play the text through inwards it's mirrored inversion outset in addition to come across how much Sts empathize (make it a brusk text though in addition to don't facial expression also much)
• With brusk texts you lot could movement to larn students to read the text the write downwards what they bring read. You'll demand to re-show the text a release of times if you lot desire them to larn every word, or they could precisely summarise later a dyad of times through.
• Try playing your text through at high speed the outset fourth dimension in addition to larn students to movement to justice what it's close in addition to thence gradually tiresome downwards the speed each fourth dimension thence they educate a improve understanding.
• To larn students doing some TPR ( Total Physical Response), write a listing of instructions in addition to larn the students to exercise them inwards the lodge they seem on the prompter. It powerfulness also move fun to gradually growth the speed of the text in addition to come across if the students tin proceed up!

If you lot determine to larn students to read out loud from the text thence I think it's handy to role texts that were designed to move read aloud such every bit plays, poems or the text from a intelligence report. You could fifty-fifty larn students to arrive at their ain texts or texts for each other.

What I liked close this

• It's free
• It's genuinely unproblematic to use
• You tin create materials inwards seconds
• It doesn't involve downloading anything or using loads of bandwidth
• It gives the instructor command of the text
  

What I wasn't thence certain about

• It doesn't move thence good inwards the Firefox browser, though it's fine inwards IE
• It would move useful to move able to relieve in addition to embed the texts into other pages
  
• It gives the instructor command of the text

Hope you lot uncovering this useful in addition to if you lot bring whatsoever other suggestions for tips or activities past times all agency add together a comment below.

Best

Nik

Goolge Maps For Directions

Love them or loathe them, y'all accept to acknowledge that Google does offering us all trend of useful gratuitous tools. One of my favourites is Google Maps, specially useful on my strange trips to London (when I never look to last able to shout out upward my A-Z!)

So, I've been thinking nearly how nosotros could purpose this 'real world' tool to assistance our EFL students too to railroad train their abilities to seat too empathise directions. It's truly quite elementary to use. You simply acquire to http://maps.google.co.uk/ or http://maps.google.com/ Click on 'Get Directions' too and thence come inwards your showtime indicate too destination. Click the Google logo below for a quick video tutorial that shows some of the features.

Click for flash video tutorial (1.4 Mb)

So how tin nosotros purpose this alongside students?

• Choose a place too finish too acquire Google Maps to practice your directions, too thence impress upward a map of London alongside the 2 destinations on too inquire your students to score the road on the map.
• A variation on this would last to accept the map printed alongside the road on too cutting upward the directions too inquire your students to position them inwards the right order
• Print upward a road map too directions too edit out some of the telephone commutation words, too thence acquire your students to write inwards the missing words.
• Give your students a map showing exclusively the showtime indicate too read out directions for them to follow. They accept to nous too say y'all what the finish is.
• Print out unopen ups of each phase of the journeying too purpose them equally flash cards. Get your students to tally each pace of the journeying to the right flashcard.
• Print out a road map too inquire students to write their ain directions for the map (You could seat 2 groups unlike destinations too thence acquire them to commutation directions to meet if the other grouping tin purpose their directions to uncovering the right destination.)
• To download an instance gear upward of directions + road map too blank map to impress upward too purpose for these activities click here: Example materials >> (500k pdf)
• To impress upward maps too directions for yourself simply click on the Google maps 'Print' icon.
  

What I similar nearly it

• Google maps is gratuitous too truly elementary to use
• If y'all accept an i-pod deport on or an i-phone, at that spot is a fantastic Google Maps widget which y'all tin install (great for mobile learning)
  
• Gives proficient clear instructions too slowly to impress maps (just purpose the 'Print' icon)
  
• A truly useful 'real world' tool
• You tin purpose it alive if y'all accept a figurer room or information projector / interactive whiteboard inwards class, or simply impress upward materials for purpose off line.
  

What I'm non thence certain about

• The particular of the maps for some developing countries is pretty sparse

Hope y'all uncovering this tool useful too if y'all accept suggestions for other activities I'd dear o listen them.

Best

Nik

Immersive Picture Environments

If yous bask working alongside images alongside your EFL students, specially on an IWB (interactive whiteboard) or a information projector, thus PicLens is just what yous need.

PicLens is a plugin (small program) that plant inside your spider web browser (there are versions for Firefox, Safari in addition to IE 7) in addition to it converts many of the measure icon sharing websites, similar flickr, Photobucket, Google Images, Yahoo Images etc. into "3D immersive environments"!

To sympathise what that hateful conduct keep a aspect at this brusk flash video tutorial which shows how to role PicLens.

Click here or on the icon to persuasion the painting exhibit (5Mb Flash)
OR
Download a version of this painting exhibit for i-pod / i-tunes here

At the click of the mouse the normal 2D spider web pages are converted into a wall of images which yous tin explore in addition to enlarge.

How to role this alongside ELT students on your information projector or IWB

• Pull upwards a wall of images in addition to pull i field your students endeavour to justice which i it is. Then larn a pupil to pull an icon in addition to the others justice which one. (This volition operate best alongside quite similar images). You tin thus larn students to exercise this inward pairs.
  
• Type inward a search term in addition to inquire students to pull the connectedness / relevance of the icon to the term (This plant best when yous larn inward abstract nouns similar politics, alienation, paranoia etc.)
• Use the resources for whatever novel vocabulary words that come upwards up inward your lesson. Simply collect the words, type them inward in addition to detect images that relate to the word. (This won't operate for every word)
• Get students to compare in addition to contrast 2 images (A mutual chore inward EFL exams such equally FCE)
• Play simply a infinitesimal in addition to conduct an icon for each student, they thus conduct keep to beak for i infinitesimal most that icon alongside repeating them selves or pausing (This is hard to do, thus don't aspect besides much) honour points for the pupil who manages to speak for the longest.
• Put students alongside their dorsum to the images, conduct i in addition to the other students (in 2 teams or groups) conduct keep to pull the icon to the pupil who can't meet it. The pupil thus has to justice which icon they described.
• Pull upwards a unmarried icon in addition to inquire students to mean value most the photographer's intention.
  
• Why did the lensman accept the image?
  
• What did they desire to say?
  
• What is their human relationship to the icon content?
  
• What were they doing before, afterwards they took the image?
  
• Etc etc.
• Students tin conduct their favourite icon in addition to explicate why they similar it, or the i they similar least.
• Students tin endeavour to role their imagination to pull the infinite around the icon that yous don't see.
  
• What's happening around the lensman that yous don't see?
  
• What is the lensman wearing?
  
• What's happening behind the photographer?
• Describe the lensman (age, gender, nationality, personality etc.)
  

What I similar most it

• The Plugin is gratis in addition to real uncomplicated to download in addition to install in addition to less than 2 Mb
• The interface is actually slowly to role in addition to real attractive
• It actually highlights the images in addition to frees thus from the textual distraction that yous oftentimes detect on a spider web page
• There's no advertising on it
• You larn access to some actually fantastic images inward bird without having to download them or violate anyone's copyright
• The most recent version also enables yous to exercise immersive walls of videos from YouTube !!! Fantastic!
  

What I'm non thus certain about

• As alongside whatever icon sharing / search depository fiscal establishment yous conduct keep to endure careful alongside younger students that inappropriate images don't appear. You tin larn around this though yesteryear setting upwards your ain delineate concern human relationship on something similar Flickr and alone using specific images from your account. This could endure fourth dimension consuming, but if yous got other teachers in addition to students to help, it could endure a fantastic resource.
• If yous are on a irksome connectedness it could accept a fighting longer for the images to load.

If yous desire to role PicLens thus yous tin download it from here:

• Version for Internet Explorer 7
• Version for Safari 2 + 3.0
• Version for Firefox

This is a actually smashing tool for the connected ELT classroom in addition to also smashing to role at home. I promise yous are able to bask using it alongside your students. Do drib me a lne alongside whatever other ideas in addition to activities yous role alongside it.

Best

Nik