Bbc Online Media Training

I’ve only seen that the BBC has released a lot of its ain internal staff grooming courses together with made them available gratis online at: http://www.bbctraining.com/onlineCourses.asp


What's on the site?
I’ve had a await through the courses together with they truly are good, particularly if you lot desire to survive amongst sound for podcasts or video for projects. Some of them are rattling short, thus fifty-fifty if you lot solely induce got 10 – xv mins to spare you lot tin withal teach or thus evolution from them. I looked at i on interviewing for radio:

• This i has or thus truly useful sound files of interviews which you lot could truly purpose amongst your students for listening activities. There is also a collection of brusque vox pops interviews which induce got a huge attain of unlike UK of Britain together with Northern Republic of Ireland accents.

I also looked at i on the basic principles of shooting skillful video footage.

• It had lots of brusque video clips amongst sound voice over together with they all had text transcriptions available. The clips were all quite short, thus they wouldn’t accept every 2d good long to download fifty-fifty if you lot induce got a ho-hum connection.

There are also quite a few on the software together with engineering side of editing the materials. All of them induce got clear ho-hum commentary together with nifty visuals. This truly is useful textile fifty-fifty for people who are basic beginners amongst this sort of technology.

A truly useful site whether you’re looking for authentic listening materials for your students, educational activity journalism or media classes or looking to develop your ain might together with agreement of video together with sound technology.

Creating Audio-Visual Monologues

Flipz TV is a actually useful slice of gratuitous software for creating entertaining audio-visual materials.

The software enables y'all to tape your ain well monologues together with lip-sync them amongst a choice of animated talking heads. It together with therefore turns them into pocket-size Flash files which tin endure run inwards a spider web browser. These tin endure lay on the Internet, run shape your reckoner desktop, or the Flash files tin fifty-fifty endure delivered to mobile phones.

Here’s an instance that I created using a Sonnet (130) yesteryear William Shakespeare. (You’ll demand to cause got the well o your reckoner turned up)

Click hither to come across an example

Use the pocket-size controls on the correct to terminal together with replay the audio.

What I similar nearly this software, apart from the novelty value, is Flipz creates quite pocket-size files. You could easily electronic mail the file to students amongst to a greater extent than or less instructions therefore they could heed at abode or inwards a self access lab. Or lay them on their telephone or mobile device. You could brand to a greater extent than or less actually useful homework tasks for them. The students could fifty-fifty download the software onto their computers at abode together with do their ain materials to direct to class.

Creating something similar this is really easy. Just click through the v steps on the interface.

• The offset pace is to select the grapheme y'all desire from a possible viii talking heads (two come upwardly amongst the criterion download of the software together with y'all tin download to a greater extent than or less other viii yesteryear registering)
• You together with therefore type or re-create together with glue inwards the text that y'all desire the animated caput to read.
• You together with therefore either import your well file or tape your own
• Then only click a push clitoris together with the software generates your well grapheme together with synchronises the spoken language to the text
• You tin the either preview or complete your project. The software generates an html page amongst the talking caput embedded inwards it.

You tin scout this brusk tutorial moving-picture exhibit to come across precisely how slow it is.

Tutorial movie (Flash 523k)

Here are to a greater extent than or less ideas for combining this into your teaching.

• Record brusk poems or stories for the students to heed to
• Record to a greater extent than or less natural language twisters for the students to heed to together with practice
• Get students to gain together with tape their ain tidings reports
• Get students to tape an imaginary daily diary for i of the characters
• Get students to tape imaginary problems for a work page. They tin together with therefore heed to each other’s problems together with tape to a greater extent than or less advice
• You or your students could tape a vocal or import a vocal well file together with add together the words

You tin download Flipz for gratuitous from: http://www.flipz.tv/
It’s nearly 3.15Mb therefore it shouldn’t cause got to long to download, together with therefore precisely unzip the file together with install it. It exclusively runs on PC (sorry MAC users)

Click hither to come across how Flipz would await on a telephone or PDA
Flipz on phone

If y'all purpose Flipz or cause got whatsoever expert ideas for how to exploit it, yesteryear all agency post them inwards the comments below.

Best
Nik Peachey

Voice Inwards Mo Life

Over the end twain of weeks I've been trying out the novel phonation customer for Second Life together with despite a few remaining bugs alongside phonation groupings it seems to operate pretty well. It is sensitive to distance together with location! If y'all plow to a greater extent than or less spell someone is speaking to you, it actually does audio similar they are behind y'all etc.

It is possible to seat groups / pairs of students (avatars) into dissimilar groups then that they tin bathroom alone listen the 'person' inside their pair or grouping together with for the 'teacher' to switch betwixt groups to brain inward on how each grouping is doing. (though this is nevertheless buggy at present)

This is actually going to opened upwards up the potential for linguistic communication teaching.

How to attempt it out

• If y'all desire to attempt the phonation customer out. You volition quest to download a assort 'First await Viewer'. You tin bathroom learn this from: http://secondlife.com/community/firstlook.php
• It seems to run fine on both MAC together with PC.
• If y'all can't learn it to work, it could live on that either your firewall or anti-virus is blocking it, then y'all may quest to depository fiscal establishment jibe your settings.
• You'll equally good quest a reasonably skilful character microphone together with headset, preferably alongside USB connection.
• NOTE: Not all areas inside SL are phonation enabled
• To notice phonation enabled areas depository fiscal establishment jibe out this map
  

I promise y'all savor this together with past times all way learn out a comment to enjoin how y'all got on.

Subtitling Your Video Clips

I’ve merely been looking at a actually first-class Beta site called Dot Sub

The site is an interesting adaptation of the Youtube model. People tin upload videos (up to 300Mb) together with portion them alongside express groups or with everyone.

What’s actually interesting though most Dot Sub is that it is aimed at subtitling together with translation for people with hearing problems. The video tool allows you lot to input subtitles beneath the clip. These tin either endure translations or transcriptions. Users tin also upload clips for others to interpret for them. The site isn’t express to English linguistic communication solely together with thence the translations or transcriptions for the subtitles together with celluloid clips could endure inwards whatsoever language.

This is actually a marvelous persuasion together with has bags of potential for linguistic communication instruction together with development.

Here’s a few ideas off the transcend of my head.

• Upload a celluloid clip (in English) together with enquire students to interpret or transcribe it. They tin thence compare with your ain translation / transcription.
• Transcribe a clip with roughly errors together with encounter if they tin location / right them.
• Ask students to independently interpret a clip of a poetry form together with thence compare their dissimilar versions.
• Ask students to practise their ain video clips (If students bring their ain cameras or webcams) upload them together with thence become roughly other fellow member of the course of report to transcribe it.
• They could merely browse together with interpret or transcribe i of the existing videos.
• Transcribe inwards what people are thinking equally opposed to what they are saying
  

Here’s a video produced past times the site with a really fast explanation of how it all works.


The site is costless together with registration is quite quick. So banking concern fit it out at: http://www.dotsub.com
By all agency allow me know what you lot hollo back together with postal service a comment here.

Best
Nik

Interactive Presentations

I’ve but been looking at a actually interesting on work tool called Voicethread.

What's Voicethread?
Voice thread enables users to practise online presentations using their ain images. It also allows the creator to add together good or written text to the images as well as plough over access to other people to exit good or text comments on the presentation. This is a actually squeamish means of creating presentations that tin plough over notice interact as well as practise dialogue amongst an online audience.

Here’s a distich that I’ve created. I decided that I wanted to purpose this tool for a shape of students I learn inwards Second Life. I wanted them to explore diverse islands as well as accept snapshots of what they found. They would as well as hence live on able to upload these to Voicethread as well as tape good reports, which they could as well as hence percentage amongst the shape as well as exit comments on. I idea this would live on a adept means to larn them to actually concentrate on producing a high character fine tuned finished product, equally they would know that in that location was as well as audience for these presentations.

I created these ii presentations of examples of what I wanted them to do.

• Example 1 This ane is a tour of Edunation II inwards Second Life.
• Example 2 This ane is a see to Vassar Island as well as you’ll encounter that a few people cause got already left comments.

How practise I purpose it?
In social club to assistance them empathise how to purpose the tool I also created this flick tutorial.

• Watch tutorial (800k Flash)
• Watch tutorial (3.14Mb wmv)
  

I actually intend that this is a remarkable tool. It’s been peculiarly created for educators as well as hence it has some actually squeamish features.

How tin plough over notice I purpose it amongst my students?
Here’s a few other things I intend yous could larn students to practise which would assistance to prepare their linguistic communication abilities.

• Ask as well as hence to upload some images of things amongst personal significance as well as practise a form of online demonstrate as well as tell.
• Get students to practise as well as enjoin a even using pictures. If they cause got access to digital cameras, yous could larn the students to operate inwards pairs or pocket-size groups to gain a even together.
• Upload ii images as well as inquire students to tape what they intend is the connective betwixt the ii images
• Upload images for students to describe, such equally rooms or people etc.
• Upload images of people speaking as well as inquire students to add together a dialogue. They could also add together text bubbles of what they intend the people are thinking
• Ask students to question a fellow member of their household unit of measurement as well as hence upload an prototype of the somebody as well as enjoin close them.
• Get students to upload pictures from approximately their town as well as practise a sort of interactive tourist guide
• Upload some images of graphs as well as statistics as well as encounter if students tin plough over notice depict them appropriately
• Upload some images amongst wrong descriptions as well as encounter if they tin plough over notice location as well as right the errors

This page is also good worth looking at: http://voicethread.com/classroom.php
It has some user guides which yous tin plough over notice download as well as also shows yous how to laid identities for your kids hence they don’t cause got to bring out whatsoever personal information.

I promise yous detect this useful as well as practise permit me know how yous purpose it.
Best
Nik

Bbc Online Media Training

I’ve only seen that the BBC has released a lot of its ain internal staff grooming courses together with made them available gratis online at: http://www.bbctraining.com/onlineCourses.asp


What's on the site?
I’ve had a await through the courses together with they truly are good, particularly if you lot desire to survive amongst sound for podcasts or video for projects. Some of them are rattling short, thus fifty-fifty if you lot solely induce got 10 – xv mins to spare you lot tin withal teach or thus evolution from them. I looked at i on interviewing for radio:

• This i has or thus truly useful sound files of interviews which you lot could truly purpose amongst your students for listening activities. There is also a collection of brusque vox pops interviews which induce got a huge attain of unlike UK of Britain together with Northern Republic of Ireland accents.

I also looked at i on the basic principles of shooting skillful video footage.

• It had lots of brusque video clips amongst sound voice over together with they all had text transcriptions available. The clips were all quite short, thus they wouldn’t accept every 2d good long to download fifty-fifty if you lot induce got a ho-hum connection.

There are also quite a few on the software together with engineering side of editing the materials. All of them induce got clear ho-hum commentary together with nifty visuals. This truly is useful textile fifty-fifty for people who are basic beginners amongst this sort of technology.

A truly useful site whether you’re looking for authentic listening materials for your students, educational activity journalism or media classes or looking to develop your ain might together with agreement of video together with sound technology.

Creating Audio-Visual Monologues

Flipz TV is a actually useful slice of gratuitous software for creating entertaining audio-visual materials.

The software enables y'all to tape your ain well monologues together with lip-sync them amongst a choice of animated talking heads. It together with therefore turns them into pocket-size Flash files which tin endure run inwards a spider web browser. These tin endure lay on the Internet, run shape your reckoner desktop, or the Flash files tin fifty-fifty endure delivered to mobile phones.

Here’s an instance that I created using a Sonnet (130) yesteryear William Shakespeare. (You’ll demand to cause got the well o your reckoner turned up)

Click hither to come across an example

Use the pocket-size controls on the correct to terminal together with replay the audio.

What I similar nearly this software, apart from the novelty value, is Flipz creates quite pocket-size files. You could easily electronic mail the file to students amongst to a greater extent than or less instructions therefore they could heed at abode or inwards a self access lab. Or lay them on their telephone or mobile device. You could brand to a greater extent than or less actually useful homework tasks for them. The students could fifty-fifty download the software onto their computers at abode together with do their ain materials to direct to class.

Creating something similar this is really easy. Just click through the v steps on the interface.

• The offset pace is to select the grapheme y'all desire from a possible viii talking heads (two come upwardly amongst the criterion download of the software together with y'all tin download to a greater extent than or less other viii yesteryear registering)
• You together with therefore type or re-create together with glue inwards the text that y'all desire the animated caput to read.
• You together with therefore either import your well file or tape your own
• Then only click a push clitoris together with the software generates your well grapheme together with synchronises the spoken language to the text
• You tin the either preview or complete your project. The software generates an html page amongst the talking caput embedded inwards it.

You tin scout this brusk tutorial moving-picture exhibit to come across precisely how slow it is.

Tutorial movie (Flash 523k)

Here are to a greater extent than or less ideas for combining this into your teaching.

• Record brusk poems or stories for the students to heed to
• Record to a greater extent than or less natural language twisters for the students to heed to together with practice
• Get students to gain together with tape their ain tidings reports
• Get students to tape an imaginary daily diary for i of the characters
• Get students to tape imaginary problems for a work page. They tin together with therefore heed to each other’s problems together with tape to a greater extent than or less advice
• You or your students could tape a vocal or import a vocal well file together with add together the words

You tin download Flipz for gratuitous from: http://www.flipz.tv/
It’s nearly 3.15Mb therefore it shouldn’t cause got to long to download, together with therefore precisely unzip the file together with install it. It exclusively runs on PC (sorry MAC users)

Click hither to come across how Flipz would await on a telephone or PDA
Flipz on phone

If y'all purpose Flipz or cause got whatsoever expert ideas for how to exploit it, yesteryear all agency post them inwards the comments below.

Best
Nik Peachey

Voice Inwards Mo Life

Over the end twain of weeks I've been trying out the novel phonation customer for Second Life together with despite a few remaining bugs alongside phonation groupings it seems to operate pretty well. It is sensitive to distance together with location! If y'all plow to a greater extent than or less spell someone is speaking to you, it actually does audio similar they are behind y'all etc.

It is possible to seat groups / pairs of students (avatars) into dissimilar groups then that they tin bathroom alone listen the 'person' inside their pair or grouping together with for the 'teacher' to switch betwixt groups to brain inward on how each grouping is doing. (though this is nevertheless buggy at present)

This is actually going to opened upwards up the potential for linguistic communication teaching.

How to attempt it out

• If y'all desire to attempt the phonation customer out. You volition quest to download a assort 'First await Viewer'. You tin bathroom learn this from: http://secondlife.com/community/firstlook.php
• It seems to run fine on both MAC together with PC.
• If y'all can't learn it to work, it could live on that either your firewall or anti-virus is blocking it, then y'all may quest to depository fiscal establishment jibe your settings.
• You'll equally good quest a reasonably skilful character microphone together with headset, preferably alongside USB connection.
• NOTE: Not all areas inside SL are phonation enabled
• To notice phonation enabled areas depository fiscal establishment jibe out this map
  

I promise y'all savor this together with past times all way learn out a comment to enjoin how y'all got on.

Subtitling Your Video Clips

I’ve merely been looking at a actually first-class Beta site called Dot Sub

The site is an interesting adaptation of the Youtube model. People tin upload videos (up to 300Mb) together with portion them alongside express groups or with everyone.

What’s actually interesting though most Dot Sub is that it is aimed at subtitling together with translation for people with hearing problems. The video tool allows you lot to input subtitles beneath the clip. These tin either endure translations or transcriptions. Users tin also upload clips for others to interpret for them. The site isn’t express to English linguistic communication solely together with thence the translations or transcriptions for the subtitles together with celluloid clips could endure inwards whatsoever language.

This is actually a marvelous persuasion together with has bags of potential for linguistic communication instruction together with development.

Here’s a few ideas off the transcend of my head.

• Upload a celluloid clip (in English) together with enquire students to interpret or transcribe it. They tin thence compare with your ain translation / transcription.
• Transcribe a clip with roughly errors together with encounter if they tin location / right them.
• Ask students to independently interpret a clip of a poetry form together with thence compare their dissimilar versions.
• Ask students to practise their ain video clips (If students bring their ain cameras or webcams) upload them together with thence become roughly other fellow member of the course of report to transcribe it.
• They could merely browse together with interpret or transcribe i of the existing videos.
• Transcribe inwards what people are thinking equally opposed to what they are saying
  

Here’s a video produced past times the site with a really fast explanation of how it all works.


The site is costless together with registration is quite quick. So banking concern fit it out at: http://www.dotsub.com
By all agency allow me know what you lot hollo back together with postal service a comment here.

Best
Nik

Interactive Presentations

I’ve but been looking at a actually interesting on work tool called Voicethread.

What's Voicethread?
Voice thread enables users to practise online presentations using their ain images. It also allows the creator to add together good or written text to the images as well as plough over access to other people to exit good or text comments on the presentation. This is a actually squeamish means of creating presentations that tin plough over notice interact as well as practise dialogue amongst an online audience.

Here’s a distich that I’ve created. I decided that I wanted to purpose this tool for a shape of students I learn inwards Second Life. I wanted them to explore diverse islands as well as accept snapshots of what they found. They would as well as hence live on able to upload these to Voicethread as well as tape good reports, which they could as well as hence percentage amongst the shape as well as exit comments on. I idea this would live on a adept means to larn them to actually concentrate on producing a high character fine tuned finished product, equally they would know that in that location was as well as audience for these presentations.

I created these ii presentations of examples of what I wanted them to do.

• Example 1 This ane is a tour of Edunation II inwards Second Life.
• Example 2 This ane is a see to Vassar Island as well as you’ll encounter that a few people cause got already left comments.

How practise I purpose it?
In social club to assistance them empathise how to purpose the tool I also created this flick tutorial.

• Watch tutorial (800k Flash)
• Watch tutorial (3.14Mb wmv)
  

I actually intend that this is a remarkable tool. It’s been peculiarly created for educators as well as hence it has some actually squeamish features.

How tin plough over notice I purpose it amongst my students?
Here’s a few other things I intend yous could larn students to practise which would assistance to prepare their linguistic communication abilities.

• Ask as well as hence to upload some images of things amongst personal significance as well as practise a form of online demonstrate as well as tell.
• Get students to practise as well as enjoin a even using pictures. If they cause got access to digital cameras, yous could larn the students to operate inwards pairs or pocket-size groups to gain a even together.
• Upload ii images as well as inquire students to tape what they intend is the connective betwixt the ii images
• Upload images for students to describe, such equally rooms or people etc.
• Upload images of people speaking as well as inquire students to add together a dialogue. They could also add together text bubbles of what they intend the people are thinking
• Ask students to question a fellow member of their household unit of measurement as well as hence upload an prototype of the somebody as well as enjoin close them.
• Get students to upload pictures from approximately their town as well as practise a sort of interactive tourist guide
• Upload some images of graphs as well as statistics as well as encounter if students tin plough over notice depict them appropriately
• Upload some images amongst wrong descriptions as well as encounter if they tin plough over notice location as well as right the errors

This page is also good worth looking at: http://voicethread.com/classroom.php
It has some user guides which yous tin plough over notice download as well as also shows yous how to laid identities for your kids hence they don’t cause got to bring out whatsoever personal information.

I promise yous detect this useful as well as practise permit me know how yous purpose it.
Best
Nik

Creating Multimedia Stories

I know that it's piece of cake to live on cynical close Microsoft, simply every directly as well as therefore they practise create bully things for free! Photo Story iii is 1 of those bully things, as well as yeah it is free!

Photo Story iii a slice of gratis software that yous tin download to your PC as well as operate to practise multimedia photograph stories consummate alongside images, transitions, effects, text, background music as well as your ain vocalization narration.

• Here's a 2 infinitesimal Flash movie showing yous how to operate it as well as some of the features.
• Here is a painting present I created alongside it to present off my Second Life office. There are ii versions
• Silent alongside ameliorate prototype character (2.1 Mb wmv)
• Lower character 1 alongside music (500k wmv)

I know in that location are a lot of online Web 2.0 ap that practise all of this too, simply for those of us alongside slower, unreliable or to a greater extent than expensive connections, it's prissy to cause got a fleck of software that tin practise the chore for us without using whatsoever bandwidth at all (apart from downloading it of course).

You should live on able to download Photo Story iii from here.
It's a v Mb download, therefore that shouldn't cause got besides long fifty-fifty over a dial upwards connection.

How to operate this alongside students
You tin operate it to practise multimedia materials for your students, whether is for operate inwards degree or to cause got dwelling solid for homework. Here's some things yous tin do:

• Create some narratives for them to view
• Create narratives which illustrate grammer points
• Create a serial of pictures as well as words which illustrate dissimilar sounds from the Phonemic alphabet

Having software similar this that tin create a professional person looking terminate production tin live on actually motivating for students as well as actually aid them to force themselves to create accurate polished work. Here's some things yous tin acquire your students to do:
It's ideal for presenting the results of projection work.

• Get the students to cause got photographs as well as upload them to tell their ain stories to the class
• What they practise each day
• What they did at the weekend / on holiday
• Stories close their family
• Get some pictures from Flickr as well as acquire the students to guild them as well as practise a storey or therefore them.

What I liked close it

• It's free
• Easy to operate as well as quick to learn
• Really liked some of the filter effects
• Liked the way yous tin easily practise a broad gain of background musics
• File sizes were quite reasonable as well as exports pretty easily for a seat out of dissimilar devices

What I wasn't therefore keen on

• It's a shame that it's therefore express inwards the the formats that it exports to (mainly dissimilar sizes of wmv) , simply I approximate in that location are enough of converters yous could operate if yous wanted to modify it for an i-pod or something similar that.
• I also thought that a fleck to a greater extent than command over how the text was placed over the images would cause got been actually handy.
• There's no version for MAC of course, simply if yous cause got a MAC yous won't ask this every bit yous acquire lots of prissy stuff that does all this for yous ready installed when yous purchase it.

Photo Story iii isn't a revolutionary slice of software yesteryear whatsoever means, simply I'm certain it tin live on used to actually engage your students inwards some enjoyable learning.

Hope it industrial plant for you

Best

Nik

Soundscapes From Soundtransit

Sound Transit is a actually wonderful formulation of an idea. It's non simply a huge collection of Mp3 audio files from all over the world, but the sounds create got been tagged yesteryear province together with described together with a visitor to the site tin create got a audio journeying around the world.

You simply select your province of origin, your goal together with how many stops you lot desire to make. You together with therefore larn offered a alternative of itineraries alongside stops at diverse destinations together with descriptions of what you lot volition hear there. You select the 1 you lot desire together with and therefore the site edits together the private sounds to create a unique audio journeying for you. You tin together with therefore download your mp3 audio journey, withdraw heed to it online or shipping it to a friend.

• To endeavor this larn to the Book a Transit purpose of the site. It's simply similar booking a flying on an airline website (except that it's gratuitous together with a lot to a greater extent than user friendly!!)

Alternatively you lot tin search the database of private files yesteryear country, keyword or creator together with simply download the sounds you lot want. All the sounds are licensed nether creative common 2.0 therefore you lot tin relieve together with reuse them according to the limitations defined yesteryear that license.

• To access the database of sounds larn to Search for sounds.

How to utilization this alongside students

• You tin utilization the sounds for visualisations. Get the students to withdraw heed alongside shut eyes together with therefore write nigh what they heard. Or they tin create a storey from what they heard.
• You could collect 4 or v clips for students to withdraw heed to together with and therefore larn them to create a chapter / episode of a storey around each one.
• You could utilization them for grammer do ( e.g. introduce continuous "Someone is speaking." etc.)
• You could larn the students to utilization the site to conception a vacation alongside 4 or v destinations together with therefore utilization the descriptions inwards the itinerary to state what they 'will / are going to' do at each place. They tin together with therefore select the best holiday. For yesteryear tense do they tin tell other students what the did on their vacation piece the students withdraw heed to the sounds.
• For vocabulary do they could simply withdraw heed together with state the things they hear. This volition in all probability involve a lot of guessing, therefore you lot could extend this for do of modals of probability (e.g. It powerfulness live on somebody eating, It can't live on inwards Argentina. That must live on a auto door etc.)
• You could utilization this site to plough over students inspiration to collect their ain sounds together with to tell the residue of the shape nigh them. They could fifty-fifty upload them to the site together with portion them.
• They could create their ain audio journeys ( e.g. Going to school, what they did at the weekend etc.)
• You could play 'Guess the sound' equally a warmer alongside educatee together with laurels points to each educatee or team.
• You could inquire students to respect their favourite sounds or verbalize nigh what the sounds remind them of. (e.g. This is 1 of my favourites. It's the telephone phone to prayer. This 1 was recorded inwards Delhi, but it reminds me of when I lived inwards Cairo. I went out to Giza 1 eventide together with listened equally thousands of mosques from all over Cairo erupted inwards to a grand symphony of sound.)
  Listen here
• You tin utilization the sounds to create atmosphere for storey telling activities or educatee plays
• You tin play the John Cage game together with simply larn the students to sit down silently together with withdraw heed to the sounds around them inwards the schoolhouse classroom ( for 4 mins together with 33 seconds) together with therefore verbalize nigh what they heard. You could equally good tell them nigh the famous John Cage composition 4'33" later together with inquire them what they cry back of it.
  
• You tin play "Where am I?" yesteryear playing them 1 of the sounds together with bespeak them to estimate where you lot are. Try this one. I'm inwards a cafe inwards Moscow getting some coffee

What I liked nigh this site

• It's a wonderful gratuitous resources alongside a huge collection of sounds.
• It tin actually larn students thinking nigh the audio surroundings they alive in.
• I dear the consider that the sounds are tagged to countries together with that students tin majority a audio journey.
• The creative common license

What I wasn't therefore certain about

• Some of the audio journeys are quite long if you lot add together a lot of stops
• Some of the sounds are quite odd together with could require quite a high grade of linguistic communication to describe, but I cry back this simply way that you lot create got to select the action that you lot utilization carefully together with live on selective.

Anyway. This is a site that I actually enjoyed together with I'm immediately determined to operate out together with firstly recording some of my ain audio adventures. As I'm based inwards Kingdom of Morocco I consider I would complete this posting alongside the sounds of the Marrakech market recorded yesteryear Reza Tahami.

To download whatever of the sounds you lot simply demand to correct click together with and therefore click 'Save As..'

Best

Nik

Iatefl Online Conference 2008

Well apologies to whatsoever regular visitors who convey noticed the lack of action her over the end week. This is mainly because my fourth dimension over the side yesteryear side yoke of weeks is beingness consumed yesteryear i of the biggest meetings of English linguistic communication language teachers inwards the World. The IATEFL annual conference.


I've been working every bit utilization of the online editorial squad for the resultant in addition to in that place are at i time approximately really active, give-and-take forums going on a whole hit of ELT related subjects. Over the side yesteryear side week, the confront to confront resultant volition start out in addition to when it does nosotros promise to endure broadcasting in addition to archiving a whole hit of the alive events including video in addition to well of interviews, plenaries in addition to workshops.

So if you lot don't convey the fourth dimension in addition to coin to larn along to Exeter United Kingdom of Great Britain in addition to Northern Ireland of Britain in addition to Northern Republic of Ireland from at i time until 11th April, in addition to hence come upwards along in addition to sign on for the gratuitous online conference in addition to larn the chance to part experiences alongside teachers from all over the world.

Come in addition to bring together us at: http://exeteronline.britishcouncil.org/

And if anyone is going along to the confront to confront event.

Hope to consider you lot there.

best

Nik

Pronunciation Goes 2.0

I've been looking this calendar week at Forvo, which is a variety of spider web 2.0 pronunciation site. The site allows users to request, together with add together sound clips of the pronunciation of dissimilar words from a huge range of languages, therefore if you lot desire to know how a give-and-take is pronounced you lot tin give the axe either create a quick slow search for the give-and-take together with and therefore psyche to it, or if the give-and-take isn't already inside the database, you lot tin give the axe add together it together with asking a pronunciation.

The site also categorises words into lexical areas such every bit brands, acronyms, sports etc which is really handy

You tin give the axe too live on helpful together with add together the pronunciation to words which accept been requested inwards your language.

The site offering gratis registration, precisely you lot tin give the axe discovery words, asking words together with pronounce words without registering. The create goodness of registration is that you'll live on notified when individual pronounces your give-and-take for you.

What I similar nearly it

• It's a peachy visit together with it's free
• Very slow to locomote interface
• Lots of dissimilar languages
• Sound clips charge speedily together with a reasonably adept quality
• Registration isn't required
• Potentially a huge together with growing resource

What I'm non therefore certain about

• Like most things on the web, specially Web 2.0, you lot can't live on certain of the character or authenticity of what you lot are getting, therefore if you lot are using this alongside students cheque out the words they are subsequently together with build certain the character of the pronunciation is adept (My litmus exam was 'aluminium' together with it experience somewhere betwixt the U.K. together with the United States versions)
• Watch out for students who desire to pronounce the (four letter) words that they shouldn't live on using (though in all likelihood improve for them to pronounce them good than badly)
• It would live on actually prissy to accept regional variations of the pronunciation, precisely I gauge that's broadening out the sum of piece of job a flake far.
  

How to locomote this alongside students

• This is a prissy self access resources for students to cheque their pronunciation
• You could give students a listing of words together with teach them to discovery out how they are pronounced
• Get students to add together some words that they desire to live on able to pronounce
• Use the site to dictate words field students listen, together with therefore teach them to teach to the site together with cheque that they accept got the correct words
  

This is a actually prissy application of the Web 2.0 concept to pronunciation together with it volition live on actually interesting to run into how this site grows together with develops.

Hope you lot savor it together with tin give the axe teach your students involved.

Best

Nik

Games Amongst A Role As Well As A Social Network

Well who would believe it? Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 social network built around playing give-and-take games amongst online partners! This may non good similar a swell idea, only I direct maintain to tell that I'm impressed! Gwap (Games With a Purpose) is a collection of 5 basic give-and-take games which you lot tin play inwards collaboration amongst an online partner (The website automatically finds you lot one).

The site has a pick of v rather addictive games:

• The ESP game. You as well as your partner both encounter an paradigm as well as you lot direct maintain to type inwards equally many words equally you lot tin that you lot associate amongst the image, until you lot as well as your partner come upwardly up amongst the same give-and-take ( that's the ESP bit). This is swell vocabulary practise as well as pretty addictive too. You play to a fourth dimension boundary ( nearly three mins) as well as acquire a marking at the end.
• Tag a Tune. This is a fantastic idea. You as well as your online partner both hear a melody as well as you lot both direct maintain to type a description of the tune. You as well as thus direct maintain to determine if you lot were both listening to the same melody or a dissimilar tune. Great writing practise as well as over again done against a fourth dimension boundary amongst points awarded.
• Verbosity ( a variation on the classroom 'Hot Seat' game). You as well as your partner accept it inwards turns to encounter as well as depict a word. The partner who can't encounter the give-and-take has to approximate it. When you lot are describing the give-and-take you lot direct maintain specific sentences that you lot consummate equally clues. This non entirely helps to develop vocabulary skills, only also helps develop students abilities to explicate novel words which they don't understand.
• Squigl. This is an paradigm based game. You encounter an paradigm as well as a give-and-take as well as you lot direct maintain to concur downwardly your mouse as well as outline the identify on the paradigm where you lot encounter the object of the word. Great for vocabulary building.
• Matchin. This is the to the lowest degree useful game inwards damage of developing vocabulary, only is withal quite interesting. You as well as your partner encounter ii images as well as you lot both click on the i you lot similar the most. If you lot click on the same one, you lot acquire points.

All of these games are played against a fourth dimension boundary as well as you lot are awarded points, though you lot piece of occupation collaboratively amongst your online partner.

Where's the social part?Well you lot direct maintain the alternative to start chatting amongst them at the halt of each game as well as you lot tin also ready a profile amongst moving painting as well as demographic information, which the site uses to assistance choose a similar playing partner for you lot (though this is optional).

I was genuinely to a greater extent than interested inwards the games than the chatting, though amongst the final game, especially if you lot are choosing similar pictures a lot, it powerfulness hold out interesting to chat as well as discovery out how similar the individual you lot are working amongst is. It's also a proficient flake of linguistic communication practise for your students if they do, though equally always they should hold out careful to protect their privacy as well as identity.

How to utilisation this amongst students

• Just acquire them online as well as acquire them playing the games.
• They could produce it from dwelling menage equally homework as well as you lot could laid them a marking to reach, or encounter who tin acquire the highest score.
• You could utilisation them equally warmers at the commencement of class, especially if you lot direct maintain an IWB or information projector, or equally fillers for early on finishers inwards a multimedia room.

What I liked nearly it

• It's free, though you lot produce direct maintain to register, slow to utilisation as well as fun.
• Students piece of occupation collaboratively rather than competitively
• The games are genuinely nicely designed, visually really attractive as well as direct maintain proficient utilisation of multimedia
• They are 'authentic' rather than beingness made for linguistic communication learners, though they are genuinely good suited to the ELT / EFL classroom.
• The site was ready yesteryear Carnegie Mellon University so you lot tin hold out reasonably certain at that topographic point isn't some large nighttime venture doing unspeakable things amongst your personal data
• The site is genuinely beingness used equally a means of tagging images as well as audio, thus your fourth dimension is beingness seat to proficient utilisation as well as helping the Blue Planet croak a amend identify ( find out more)

What I wasn't thus certain about

• There's non much I don't similar nearly the site. It's shame that you lot 'have to' register to play the games, especially equally you lot are supposed to hold out thirteen or over to register, only this is due to the chat functionality.
• Also, equally amongst whatever site that contains images, at that topographic point is the potential for some of these images to hold out offensive to your students, only at that topographic point is a small-scale push for them to click to flag offensive content, as well as that inwards itself is a proficient shape of training.

Well promise your students taste the site as well as that you lot don't acquire also addicted to programme a lesson.

Best

Nik

Skype Business Office One Recording Audio

This is the starting fourth dimension inward what is going to live on a serial of postings looking at Skype in addition to the attain of plugins freely available for it in addition to how these tin live on used for instruction languages in addition to creating ELT materials.

As most people know, Skype is a freely available VOIP plan which allows users to brand estimator to estimator 'telephone calls' for free. What many people don't know is that in that place is also a huge attain of 'plugins' available for Skype which expand in addition to heighten its functionality in addition to plow it into an fifty-fifty to a greater extent than useful tool for instruction in addition to learning.

This starting fourth dimension video shows how you lot notice in addition to install these extra plugins in addition to focuses on 1 inward item (Pamela) which helps you lot to tape your Skype calls.

Click the play push in addition to plow upwardly your sound

I promise you lot tin consider how slow it is to start installing in addition to expanding the functionality of Skype.

Having this powerfulness to tape calls truly helps every bit us linguistic communication teachers in addition to every bit materials creators to acquire a lot to a greater extent than out of this costless program.

Watch the moving painting tutorial to consider how to start recording your calls.

Click the play push in addition to plow upwardly your sound

So how do nosotros utilization this alongside our students

• This is non bad if you lot are doing whatever concern preparation or preparation students involved inward Call centres or client services where the telephone is a major agency of interaction alongside customers. You tin gear upwardly telephone role plays tape them in addition to hand your students feedback on their performance.
• You tin tape representative / model telephone calls for them in addition to acquire them to psyche in addition to analyse how good the callers performed.
• With full general ELT / EFL students you lot tin also gear upwardly a attain of telephone role plays in addition to tape them (These could live on task interviews, ringing most renting a flat, booking a hire automobile etc.) There are a whole attain of existent footing tasks for which nosotros demand to utilization the telephone for in addition to giving your students the powerfulness to endeavour these scenarios out in addition to thence psyche dorsum in addition to evaluate their ain surgical physical care for tin live on rattling empowering.
• You could tape some dialogues or interviews alongside friends or boyfriend teachers for students to psyche to.
• Students could interview each other in addition to tape in addition to do their ain tasks for each other.
• You could inquire students to utilization Skype for collaborative piece of occupation (group conferencing is possible) in addition to tape their meetings for you lot to hand them feedback on.

What I similar most it

• Pamela is free, slow to utilization in addition to records good to Mp3 format which tin easily live on edited or imported in addition to used inward other multimedia projects.
• The Mp3s tin also live on used on i-pods or other mobile devices
• The plugin is slow to configure in addition to quick to download
• Using vocalization entirely for communication alongside no visual cues from facial facial expression or trunk drive is rattling challenging for linguistic communication learners, thence this is a non bad way to practise in addition to perfect this.
  

What to live on careful about

• You tin entirely tape upwardly to xv mins on the costless version, precisely that should live on plenty for most purposes.
• Never tape people without their knowledge, it's truly illegal inward some countries
• Both Skype in addition to Pamela demand to live on downloaded in addition to installed, thence if you lot are working alongside computers inward your school, thence you lot mightiness demand to persuade a few people earlier they let you lot to do this.
• Make certain that if students are using their ain Skype user names in addition to accounts that they are careful most who they portion these with, every bit Skype does attract some nuisance callers.

I promise you lot notice this a useful add-on to your instruction toolkit. I'd live on interested to take away heed from anyone who is already using these tools, in addition to peculiarly if anyone is using other Skype plugins to tape or extent their Skype functionality.

Best

Nik

Dictation Goes Spider Web 2.0

Yes too why not? Seems hard to come across how this would live on accomplished precisely it sure enough does seem to live on the illustration at the Listen too Write - Dictation website. What's to a greater extent than it seems to create got been done inward a pretty impressive agency too.

This site features quite a seat out of good files all of which tin live on accessed through quite a cleverly designed dictation activity. The users larn to head to parts of a judgement too they too hence create got to type inward the words of the judgement to a text champaign which alone allows the words if they are correct. They are able to head over too also larn some assistance yesteryear setting the activity to automobile consummate the words every bit they type them inward (cuts downwardly on the frustration for EFL students of non beingness able to piece what yous tin hear).

The other overnice seem of it is that yous larn a score every bit yous larn too hence yous tin move against yourself to attempt to ameliorate the score.

But where's the Web 2.0 bit?
Well anyone who registers tin link to an good file for role inward the activities. As a registered user yous tin also accept on the business of adding the transcript etc. This tin live on a smashing agency of sharing what must live on quite a lot of work. Anyway, sentry this video to come across it inward action.



How to role this amongst students

• Just your EFL students registered too sit down them amongst some headphones to move through a few dictations
• Get your students to add together some good files that they would similar turned into dictation activities
• Add some of your ain good too transcripts that yous desire students to move on

What I similar nigh it

• This is actually practiced complimentary listening do for students
• Great for role inward a media see or to gear upward listening homework for students to produce on their ain (they tin enjoin yous their scores inward class)
• Nicely designed activity amongst good sentiment out prompts
• Great that it plans to include other languages
• Great that the move charge is beingness shared out too that users tin add together links to audios they desire somebody to transcribe
• The texts create got been leveled according to difficulty

What I'm non hence sure about

• I didn't care to detect a privacy policy on the site, hence I wonder what they produce amongst my information 1 time they create got it!
• Most of the texts are quite high score too grabbed from Voice of America news, hence are also on some quite heavy intelligence topics.
  
• Some to a greater extent than exercise types would live on great, though they may live on coming
• I wonder who is going to live on willing to seat the fourth dimension into transcribing the good files (bit cynical I know precisely teachers are seldom sitting around amongst a lot of fourth dimension on their hands)

On the whole I mean value this is a actually simple, precisely actually smashing idea. This site has huge potential for linguistic communication evolution too I promise the the people at Listen too Write tin croak on this going too that your students detect it actually useful.

Best

Nik Peachey

My Personal Best

I've been blogging on this site instantly for merely over a year, in addition to thence I stance that merely earlier I caput off on my vacation for a duo of weeks, I would acquire out y'all amongst what I experience were some of my best postings over the final twelvemonth or so.

Creating audio-visual monologues
Back inwards Apr 2007 I wrote close a prissy chip of gratuitous recording in addition to lip syncing software that enables students in addition to teachers to practise modest animated flash characters similar this one.