Skype Endure Two Online Workspace

Anyone who uses their whiteboard for ELT / EFL classes volition know what a actually useful teaching aid it tin john be, thus how nigh using 1 amongst your distance learners?

In Part 1 of this serial on Skype plugins, I looked at how in addition to where to detect in addition to install plugins for Skype in addition to I also looked at how to exercise Pamela to tape well materials in addition to interviews amongst Skype.

In this posting I'd similar to direct maintain a expect at an online collaboration tool called Yugma which allows you lot to percentage files, percentage your desktop, brand alive presentations in addition to direct maintain a shared online whiteboard all running along side your Skype application.

This quick tutorial takes you lot through some of the basic features.


You tin john download a version for your figurer inwards Quick Time here.
Or
Open the tutorial inwards a new window here.

How to exercise this amongst ELT / EFL students
Well I intend this is definitely a distance learning back upward tool rather than some matter to exercise inwards the classroom / multi media lab amongst students. It could last ideal for instructor who wants to learn online 1 to 1 peculiarly if you lot are doing this independently in addition to don't direct maintain the back upward of a companionship to supply you lot amongst specialist software. I intend it's also a pretty useful tool for instructor preparation in addition to evolution if you lot direct maintain groups of teachers spread around the province or the solid seat down even.

• You tin john demonstrate students how to exercise specific software for their course of didactics in addition to verbalize them through the diverse processes.
• You tin john demonstrate students around websites in addition to exercise them every bit the footing for online discussion
• You tin john percentage documents amongst your students in addition to acquire them to piece of job on them collaboratively
• Students tin john percentage projects they direct maintain been working on amongst other grouping members
• You tin john play games online such every bit Pictionary (a game where 1 thespian draws a painting in addition to the others direct maintain to justice the news it represents)
• You tin john percentage notes every bit you lot deliver presentations
• You tin john tape presentations in addition to reuse them
• You tin john gear upward a whole programme of dissimilar online line of piece of job organisation simulations such as
• Presenting data nigh a company
• Presenting a sales study of the results of survey findings
• Students drive to sell a fictional production to investors (your other students would last the investors)
• Carrying out online interviews, amongst students presenting in addition to talking nigh their CVs

• The mightiness to tape these presentations would enter much easier for your students to review them in addition to for you lot to offering feedback on their work.

What I similar nigh Yugma

• As tools similar this acquire a to a greater extent than widely used in addition to accepted portion of international business, developing the mightiness to exercise such tools is going to acquire a valuable 'real life' skill.
• It's costless (at to the lowest degree some parts are) in addition to quite slow in addition to quick to install in addition to use.
• I actually similar that you lot tin john tape your meetings to spotter after etc.
• Great that this integrates amongst Skype
• It seems to offering a pretty comprehensive packet of functions

What I wasn't thus certain about

• Some of the functionality is express after the commencement fifteen days, unless you lot direct to pay for an account.
• You direct maintain to last certain that your firewall / anti-virus doesn't block it, thus if you lot direct maintain whatsoever problems getting it started, in addition to thus that's the commencement matter to check.
• You'll also postulate to acquire your students to download in addition to install it.

Well I promise you lot detect this tool useful. As I said, this is actually 1 for the distance / online tutor in addition to I'd dearest to take away heed from anyone who has tried it out amongst their students.

Best

Nik Peachey

Microsoft's Gratis Learning Content Evolution System

When Microsoft firstly giving stuff away for free, it ever makes me curious, as well as when I spotted this gratis LCDS (Learning Content Development System) a spell dorsum I decided to download it as well as give it a try.

If similar me you've never had the patience (or the fourth dimension as well as money) to genuinely main a tool similar Flash, but similar the thought of creating interactive materials that tin run online (SCORM compliant to run inward an LMS), thus this could hold out a handy tool for you. I spent the best business office of a solar daytime working out how to operate it as well as creating some materials amongst it for a instructor preparation session as well as yesteryear the goal of the solar daytime I had 2 'modules' each of iv -5 unlike action types combining images, audio, video as well as swf animation. Considering that I hadn't used this earlier as well as I had to genuinely write all the materials to pose into it, I intend that's pretty skillful for simply i day, as well as having pose the fourth dimension into learning the program, I'm pretty certain that my side yesteryear side efforts volition hold out much quicker.

What I liked close it

• It wasn't hard to larn how to use. The interface is quite intuitive as well as I didn't demand to consult the assist or whatever back upwards documentation.
• It's all signal as well as click, no programming languages to learn.
• The results hold off quite professional
• It's SCORM compliant
  
• It has some overnice chore types. These are a few of my favourites:

This i is grouping type action played against a timer. Users bring to click the right bucket to driblet each particular into.

This is i of my favourites, it's called 'Adventure' but I know it every bit a reading maze. User are shown a province of affairs as well as given some options, They thus meet the lawsuit of the alternative they guide as well as bring to brand some other selection as well as thus on until they discovery the 'correct' means to resolve th problem. These tin hold out genuinely complex to write as well as arrange, but this i was quite slow to practise as well as to review as well as brand changes. I was also able to add together unlike images to each page.


Another chore type I liked was this tile flip activity. It's a new variation on pelmanism, but it combines the matching pairs amongst a form of truthful faux activity. Basically each tile has a truthful contestation on i side as well as a faux i on the other, as well as the user has to work upwards rows of truthful statements. They also bring a express amount of cards they tin plough to acquire it right as well as if they transcend the issue of turns they bring to firstly all over again.


Lastly, I liked that yous tin also prepare tasks using either video or swf files. This is i I created using a Flash tutorial as well as the built inward Note taking business office of the interface.


What I wasn't thus certain about

• It entirely seems to back upwards swf as well as wmv files for video, which is a flake annoying, peculiarly for MAC users.
• When I came to 'publish' / upload the materials to run online, it turned out that they wouldn't piece of work without beingness uploaded to an LMS (with its ain viewer)
• You demand IE vii amongst Silverlight installed to stance the files (though at that spot does seem to hold out a means to configure the files to run inward Flash instead, which I'm assuming would allow yous to stance them inward Firefox too).

Despite all of this, Microsoft's LCDS does seem to bring huge potential for people similar me who fighting amongst coding, but desire to attain something that looks skillful as well as industrial plant well.

If yous piece of work inward an establishment that has its ain LMS as well as yous desire to digitise some shape materials to run online, thus it could good hold out worth looking at every bit a inexpensive (free) solution.

If you'd similar to attempt out the materials I created for preparation teachers inward the operate of information technology as well as evaluating unlike chore types, yous tin download the null file of the whole session (9.4Mb) from here.

As I said inward a higher house though, you'll demand to bring MS's Silverlight installed, thus become to the file named 'wrapper.htm' as well as opened upwards it to start out working through the materials.

If yous desire to download the gratis LCDS as well as bring a play yourself, thus become here: https://www.microsoft.com/learning/tools/lcds/default.mspx

I'd hold out genuinely interested to listen from anyone else who's tried this, peculiarly if they've managed to acquire some working examples upwards online, thus practise driblet me a work as well as part your experiences.

Best

Nik Peachy

Using Online Mucilaginous Noticeboards

For the final few days I've been playing amongst Create Image Books

Create a Flickr Montage

Great Time Line Tool

Create a YouTube Carousel

Interactive presentations

Personalised flashcards

Animating vocabulary

A Picture's worth

80 + Online activities for students

Best

Nik Peachey

3 To A Greater Extent Than Tasks To Learn Yourself To Learn Amongst Technology

At the cease of 2010 I published the source five tasks inwards a series to assistance instructor larn how to role technology scientific discipline alongside their students. Now I would similar to add together three to a greater extent than tasks to that collection. The source few tasks are all quite uncomplicated to lay the order down run as well as drib dead teachers started. As the serial progresses I promise to drib dead along to to a greater extent than adventurous tasks. Please experience costless to role these tasks yourself or to portion or role them for instructor training.

Task 6: Creating a video review activeness
In this draw of piece of employment you’ll larn how to practise a cinema trailer review activeness using cinema trailers from YouTube as well as an online honour board called Wallwisher. Here’s an event to await at earlier you lot start: 5 Tasks to Teach Yourself to Teach alongside

Using Online Sticky Noticeboards

Cropping YouTube Videos to Create

Tutorial: Using Videos from

100 + Online activities for EFL ESL learners

Social Networks as well as the Web 2.0 Revolution: Part 2

Create your ain social network vii steps

Web 2.0 Tools for EFL as well as ESL Teachers

10 Teacher Development Task for Web 2.0 Tools

Best

Nik Peachey