Drama Projection Tools

Moviestorm if yous were thinking of launching into a Machinima projection as well as would attention yous as well as your students to maintain runway of the run yous create inside the motion-picture demo creation software.

I've genuinely downloaded this myself as well as started using it amongst around of my ain creative media projects, as well as thence I'll permit yous know how I decease on.

Hope yous discovery it useful

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

Microblogging For Efl Alongside Plurk

Well I never idea I'd enjoin this, but I've travel a fan of Twitter vs Plurk comparison. Now almost half-dozen weeks later, I convey to enjoin that for me Plurk has come upwards out every bit a clear winner. Watch this exhibit to encounter why.

Here's a quick exhibit of Plurk together with some of the features.

• To sentiment the demo inwards a novel window click here (2.7Mb)
• Download the exhibit every bit Quicktime movie (4Mb)
• Download the movie for i-pod (5Mb)

What I similar near microblogging

• One employment that I constantly convey is the amount of data together with novel things I honour that I'd similar to portion but simply don't convey fourth dimension to enquiry together with write about. What I convey institute over the final few weeks is that mircoblogging allows me to portion this information, admittedly amongst less depth, but I've been able to portion links to resources that people powerfulness honour useful, but which I don't convey the fourth dimension to explore inwards depth.
  
• See my Plurk business hither if you'd similar to banking corporation fit out the sites I don't convey fourth dimension to write about: http://www.plurk.com/user/NikPeachey
  

What I similar near Plurk

• For me the best Plurk characteristic is the powerfulness to embed video from YouTube together with images into the Plurk. This enable users to scout the clip or picture without leaving the Plurk interface.
• I too actually similar the horizontal fourth dimension business together with the agency you lot tin scroll dorsum through fourth dimension lines together with thread inwards comments. Threaded give-and-take tin oft travel real disjointed together with difficult to follow on Twitter, but Plurk makes it much clearer which comments are related.
• I similar the distinction betwixt friends together with fans (friends Plurks tin too seem on your line, whereas fans simply subscribe to your feed)
• I similar the feel of accumulating 'karma' every bit you lot educate your plurk presence.
• I dear the Plurk widget (you tin encounter it embedded towards the bottom of the right manus column on this page).
• I actually similar that Plurk gives a alternative of verbs for the message
  

So how near using microblogging amongst EFL studnts
As a instructor you lot could operate microblogging to:

• Share resources together with links to useful websites or videos (they opened upwards inwards the interface together with then students don't convey to search around YouTube for them.
• Send out prompts together with reminders to students near assignments together with due dates.
• You could simply operate the social facial expression to portion a chip of what you lot exercise each twenty-four hours amongst them
• Send students images to comment on / describe
  
• Send out words together with inquire students to answer amongst a definition.
• Create unmarried judgement assignments that students answer to wit unmarried sentences.
• Create sentences for the students to correct.
• Create a collaborative story. You outset the floor amongst i business together with each educatee has to add together some other using the response feature.
  

Your students could operate microblogging to:

• Create a learner diary, recording briefly their linguistic communication learning activities together with insights through the day.
• Ask questions to the groups together with acquire back upwards amongst novel words they honour or things they don't understand.
• Post a brusque judgement each twenty-four hours using a dissimilar i of the verbs inwards the Plurk line
• Share expert websites etc.
• Share a footling of their the world together with what they exercise when they aren't inwards class.
  

What I'm non together with then certain about

• It's actually difficult for a contender similar Plurk to interruption into a marketplace that Twitter almost invented, together with then despite the fact that I operate Plurk to a greater extent than oft together with it seems to me a much improve product, I've got far to a greater extent than followers on Twitter than I convey on Plurk, together with then the audience potential is much greater amongst Twitter.
• As ever privacy is something you lot postulate to hold upwards careful of, together with I've institute that a few people who convey requested friendship exclusively exercise together with then to 'spam' my fourth dimension line. Though that's slow to form out together with stop.

Well which ever you lot use, whether it's Twitter, Plurk or something else I promise you lot relish your microblogging experience.

Drop me a business if you lot know of other alternatives, or if you lot convey used these microblogging applications inwards other ways. As ever you lot comments are welcome (though moderated!).

Best

Nik Peachey

Related links:
See Wikipedia's Definition of microblogging
See My Plurk microblog
See My Twitter microblog
See My Plurk exhibit video on YouTube together with catch an embed code.