Interactive Multiple Alternative Activities

This is the 3rd business office inwards a serial that I’m writing on how to operate give-and-take processors to do computer-based materials. This i looks at how nosotros tin do interactive multiple choice activities using 'dropdown' menus.

Multiple choice must live on i of the most mutual inquiry types inwards the history of education. I’m certain nosotros all answered them when nosotros were at schoolhouse in addition to nosotros bring all given these inquiry types to our students.

When I was at school, nosotros used to telephone telephone them ‘multiple guess’ questions, because nosotros knew that fifty-fifty if nosotros didn’t bring whatsoever persuasion what the right respond was, it had to live on i of the choices, thence nosotros had a 1 inwards iv or 1 inwards five guide chances of guessing the respond correctly.

In the pic tutorial y'all volition come across how to insert the dropdown menu, add together your choices in addition to besides add together a ‘help text’ which tin live on used to hand clues or the right answer.

• Dropdown tutorial movie
  

Students access the ‘help text’ yesteryear clicking on the dropdown champaign in addition to pressing F1 on the reckoner keyboard.

Here’s document alongside but about interactive fields in. Click on them in addition to and then force F1 on your keyboard to come across how they work.

• Dropdown examples

There are a hit of ways y'all tin hand clues

• Direct students to a business office of the text
• Remind them virtually fourth dimension relationships (for verb tense exercises)
• Remind them of context
• Remind them virtually business office of speech communication or give-and-take morphology
• Give them pronunciation clues (it sounds like)
• Give a translation
• Remind them of the unit of measurement of the coursebook / lesson when y'all covered the topic

Adding clues, rather than right answers, volition assistance to brand the exercises developmental rather than a assay of cognition / memory.

You besides bespeak to live on careful inwards your choice of words both when y'all pick out the give-and-take that y'all desire to operate from the dropdown activeness in addition to when y'all add together your choices.

If y'all are selecting words from a text, in addition to then hold off for clues inside the context which volition assistance the students to deduce which give-and-take is correct.

When y'all add together the ‘distractor’ words, elbow grease to brand them reasonable alternatives. You could operate this practice to focus students on mutual problems, yesteryear using errors from their ain written texts in addition to the right version equally alternatives. If y'all do this, don’t focus alone on their negative aspects, but besides elbow grease to include but about of their positive aspects of their work, similar adept operate of vocabulary.

Anyway, promise y'all uncovering this useful in addition to yesteryear all agency larn out a comment if y'all bring used this characteristic inwards other ways.

Best

Nik

Making Quizzes For I-Pod

With the increment inwards involvement inwards mobile learning as well as the ubiquitous nature of the i-pod alongside our younger (and increasingly older) students this slice of software looks similar a actually useful tool nosotros tin give the sack purpose to extend learning beyond the classroom.

The software I’m referring to is I-Quiz Maker. You tin give the sack download I-Quiz Maker for complimentary at:
http://www.iquizmaker.com/

Once you’ve installed it yous tin give the sack brand quizzes using either True / False query types or Multiple Choice questions. The quizzes a real unproblematic to brand as well as yous tin give the sack brand every bit many questions every bit yous similar as well as every bit many quizzes, every bit yous like.

• This demo tutorial shows yous how to create the quiz

This looks similar a actually useful tool to:

• help revise as well as educate your students vocabulary. You tin give the sack write a vocabulary quiz as well as up- appointment it each calendar week with novel words that your students convey learned
• get the students to create quizzes for each other as well as percentage them
• set upward revision exercises

Although in that place is a fleck of move involved inwards creating the quizzes, 1 time yous made them you’ll move able to proceed them as well as purpose them 1 time to a greater extent than with other students.

Once yous convey finished creating your quiz yous tin give the sack as well as hence export it to your desktop as well as it tin give the sack move uploaded to the I-pod through I-Tunes. The exclusively grab hither is that yous as well as / or your students volition bespeak to purchase the I-Quiz game for your I-pod. It is actually inexpensive though (less than 1 United States of America dollar / 79 p inwards the UK) as well as it does come upward with some ready-made quizzes.

What I similar most it

• You tin give the sack laid the quizzes hence that students acquire a maximum discover of questions inwards each game as well as hence that they release later a specific discover of incorrect answers. This should croak far to a greater extent than competitive.
• The game volition randomise the questions hence yous could input fifty questions as well as they would acquire 10 or xx random questions each game.
• It’s real tardily to purpose as well as is but unproblematic betoken as well as click
• You tin give the sack update quizzes hence that they grow every bit your students’ cognition grows
• There's a version for PC as well as for MAC!
  

What I’m non hence certain about

• Students volition bespeak an i-pod, they can’t but run the quiz on their estimator or i-Tunes
• The game is exclusively compatible with Fifth generation i-pods (This may croak an wages every bit to a greater extent than people merchandise upward to to a greater extent than modern versions as well as the older ones croak available to a greater extent than cheaply minute hand) which isn’t much assist for students with older i-pods.
• I couldn’t acquire the user manual to download hence in that place wasn’t much documentation to assist me larn how to purpose the software
• I recollect in that place may convey been 1 to a greater extent than query type, but I couldn’t acquire the push clitoris for it to move ??
• Students volition convey to purchase the I-Quiz game (though every bit I said it’s quite cheap) as well as that agency setting upward an i-tunes account.

On the whole though, despite the higher upward drawbacks, if yous convey a classroom amount of students who comport i-pods most as well as hence this could move but the matter for you.

Let me know how it goes

Best

Nik

Create Your Ain Game

This is something that caught my pump end week. I precisely couldn't resist adding a characteristic near it here, though I intend this does come upwards amongst or thus warnings as well as reservations.

Pictogame.com is a website which enables you lot to create your ain games rattling easily amongst precisely a few tardily steps. All you lot quest to do is:

• upload a picture,
• select the business office of it you lot desire to exhibit
• choose a game type
  
• add inwards a championship as well as description.

Then you lot precisely click to come across the completed game. You quest to register to upload as well as relieve the game, but it's gratuitous as well as rattling quick to do. There are quite a few unlike game types to select from, but in that place are lots of examples on the site that other people convey made, thus you lot tin await at those to help you lot create upwards one's heed which type to make.

Here's a rather annoying game that I created inwards less than five minutes

Make a game | Share | Free games | Pictogame

So how do you lot role this amongst students
You could precisely create a game using a film of yourself as well as role it;

• as a filler for those students who terminate early on if you lot operate inwards a media lab / connected classroom.
• as a overnice 'leveler' to brand a game for your students amongst a film of yourslef as well as shows that you lot convey a feel of humour.
• to include a messages inwards the game like, "Hey! Remember to do your homework"

You could become students making games equally a curt draw using either pictures of themselves or of good known celebrities.

• This volition laissez passer on them or thus exercise at next instructions as well as they could operate inwards pairs to discus the type of game they would similar to create as well as who it would endure for
• You tin convey a aeroplane contest for who tin create the best game. Get students to vote for the best 1 as well as justify their choice
• Some of the games include quizzes to bear witness full general knowledge
• Get each grouping of students to create a unlike type of game as well as thus pull to the other groups how the game is played
  

What I similar near it

• It's gratuitous as well as rattling easy
• It's a overnice uncomplicated fun draw that you lot tin become students to do equally a filler
• Students tin percentage the games quite easily either via e-mail or through blogs or other online forums
• It tin easily endure integrated amongst other Web 2.0 applications such equally Facebook, Blogger etc.

What I wasn't thus groovy on

• Some of the games are unsuitable for younger kids
• You quest to brand certain that students don't misuse the site as well as create unpleasant games using photographs of other students

This isn't the world's most useful site for developing language, but if used properly it's 1 that you lot tin role to lighten upwards your class as well as your students tin convey or thus fun with.

I'd endure rattling interested to take away heed from anyone who uses or has used this amongst their class, precisely to come across how your students reacted as well as what you lot did amongst it.

Best

Nik

3B Hamlet 3D Browser

I spotted 3B Village most a twelvemonth agone as well as initially I was impressed, but some recent developments have, I feel, set this on the map every bit a actually useful educational tool.

What is 3B Village?
3B Village is an amazing cross betwixt a 3D virtual chat room as well as a spider web browser. Using the costless software you lot tin see or exercise your ain 3D rooms which induce got walls lined amongst webpages that you lot tin click on to visit. You travel an avatar to wander the rooms visiting diverse websites whilst text chatting amongst other virtual visitors.

• Watch a demo here: Exploring 3B Village (2.4Mb Flash)
  

The learning potential for this software is huge as well as I tin view how it could survive peculiarly useful for creating webquests or spider web based treasure hunts as well as other collaborative tasks for groups of students working virtually / at a distance. The software has none of the versatility of virtual worlds similar Second Life, but partially due to that it seems similar a much ‘safer’ environs to accept students into as well as a much simpler 1 for teachers as well as students to acquire how to navigate.

It is real tardily to exercise your ain rooms for your shape as well as and hence simply invite them along. You tin exercise a room yesteryear specifying the URL of item resources you lot desire to percentage amongst your students or you lot tin generate a ‘quick room’ using a attain of other sources, similar Flickr , Google, MySpace as well as you lot tin fifty-fifty generate rooms amount of YouTube videos.

I created a room simply yesteryear doing a search inward YouTube based on ‘Shakira’ I as well as hence exercise a quick room yesteryear pasting inward the URL of my search results as well as inside less than v clicks as well as v mins I had room amount of videos to wander around.

• See how it looks: Shakira video room (2.5Mb Flash)
  

I also created a gallery type room yesteryear typing the give-and-take ‘family’ into Flickr as well as generating a gallery based on the results.

• See how it looks: Flickr gallery room (2.0Mb Flash)
  

Here’s a quick tutorial moving painting to exhibit you lot simply how tardily it is to exercise a room

• Creating a quick room using Google search (1.5Mb Flash)
  

How to travel this amongst students

• Create webquests as well as store the resources inward a special 3B room(s) hence that groups of students tin piece of employment together virtually analysing information as well as searching for as well as sharing information
• Create celluloid shows from Youtube that students tin sentinel together. They tin as well as hence exercise their viewing tasks together as well as hash out them every bit they watch.
• Meet together virtually as well as discus / percentage spider web resources
• Create your ain collection of bookmarks to percentage amongst your class
• Students who induce got a 'MySpace' tin convert it to a 3B room as well as exhibit their classmates around. This should help to construct upwards a sense of presence as well as familiarity amongst virtual classes, something that is oftentimes difficult to do.
• Get your students to exercise their ain collection of study bookmarks every bit a projection to percentage amongst other students
• Create rooms based on materials from Flickr as well as acquire students to encounter virtually to hash out the images
• Students tin piece of employment together to exercise a 3B room or hamlet which represents their town or country
• Students tin see a 3B urban pith as well as write a study on it, conception a see to that identify based on the resources they access there.
  

What I similar most it

• A dainty collection of rooms already created including some for kids
• You tin either exercise rooms speedily using searches through diverse online content such every bit Flickr, YouTube, or Google, or you lot tin manus selection websites to exercise a customised room specifically for your students
• It’s elementary to travel
• It’s free
• At 14Mb it’s non likewise huge a download
• Love wandering circular the YouTube video type rooms as well as this may good survive a agency around establishment that block YouTube!!?
  

What I'm non hence certain about

• No MAC version yet
• Would survive smashing if it had phonation chat too
• It’s definitely for broadband users only
• A lot of the laid upwards made rooms seem to survive aimed at online shoppers
• There aren’t many casual visitors, hence it’s non a identify where students are probable to bump into people for casual conversation. Though that could good survive an wages too.
  

For anyone involved inward distance instruction or whatsoever form of online courses, I intend 3B Village could brand a actually valuable contribution.

To travel 3B Village you’ll demand to download as well as install the 3B browser software from.
http://download.3b.net/
There’s no MAC version yet, but they are working on it.

As ever, I would honey to listen from anyone who uses this amongst their students. Please experience costless to acquire out comments, though they volition survive moderated.

Best

Nik

Social Networking For Linguistic Communication Learning

I've precisely seen this site which is aimed at helping people to fix linguistic communication exchanges. It's a sort of social networking tool. It's called Friendsabroad.com. You only set inwards your linguistic communication together with and then the linguistic communication yous desire to larn together with and then yous tin also select the province where yous would similar to abide by the person. Click on search together with yous acquire a listing of people who agree your criteria.


You accept to register, but it is free, together with then yous tin brand it contact together with offset chatting, emailing through the platform (no electronic mail addresses are disclosed) together with tin fifty-fifty travel out phonation messages.

No 'teachers' every 2nd such are involved, at that spot are even thence a coupe of useful tools on the interface to assistance you.

There is;

• a text to speech communication converter, thence that yous tin type inwards a phrase together with come across how it is pronounced
• a multilingual lexicon thence that yous tin acquire assistance alongside translating
• a phrase translator. Type inwards whatever phrase yous desire together with acquire a translation of it

On the whole I intend this is a swell idea. It looks similar at that spot are quite few people registered already, though many of the ones I came upward alongside on my search hadn't been active for a while.

Still a swell sentiment together with if plenty people acquire registered this could live on a existent winner.
I'd honey to listen from yous if you've tried it.

Best

Nik

Video Debating Website

I’ve been having a await at a novel website (still inwards beta) which I mean value has about non bad educational / linguistic communication learning potential. It's called look at this before tutorial to come across how this is done), or add together it to your Delicious, Facebook or Digg accounts.What I wasn’t together with then keen on

• It takes a spell to acquire registered. The procedure itself is quite quick, merely you lot ask to click a confirmation link which is sent to your e-mail address together with this took a expert hr to arrive, together with then it’s best to acquire yourself together with / or your students registered good inwards advance.
• I’m non certain whether in that place is whatever editing or censorship before comments together with opinions become live. The potential for abuse together with misuse is huge. The site is really serious together with if user don’t get got the site seriously it could easily hold out swamped yesteryear rather uninteresting together with poorly idea out opinions. With nearly Web 2.0 sites the vast bulk of what is on them is rubbish, merely the remaining 5% is pure gold.
• I also noticed amongst my ain question, that 1 time you lot add together 1 you lot can’t acquire rid of it or edit it (which I would immediately similar to hold out able to do). Adding this characteristic mightiness attention to ensure higher character through self censorship.

Despite these slight drawbacks I mean value this is definitely a useful site together with it has loads of potential. Do driblet me a business if you lot purpose it amongst your class.

best

Nik

A Picture's Worth

A Picture's Worth is a actually wonderful site which collects together images amongst brusk essays (300 - thousand words). It's based on the erstwhile maxim that a motion painting is worth a thousand words. The pictures together with essays are sent inwards past times site visitors.

There's a gallery section where y'all tin flaming browse all the images together with essays which get got been sent in, every bit good every bit a feature section which has some of the most pop images. There is too a link to Google Maps which volition exhibit y'all where the pictures get got been taken.

This isn't your average Web2.0 site. If y'all desire to submit a motion painting together with an essay y'all get got to post it to the editor / site possessor who decides if it is proficient enough

These are some of my favourites.

• Nice storey hither nearly a pink VW Beetle
• As a contrast I too similar this 1 of a ladybird, though every bit much for the storey every bit the image

How to move this amongst students

• Get them to root their ain Picture's Worth. This could live on a website that y'all pose together or only amongst pictures together with newspaper around the class
• Your students could submit their entries together with displace to become them published on the site
• Ask your students to direct a picture, read nearly it together with and then tell the other students (summarise) what they read
• Print upward a few images together with essays together with run across if the students tin flaming read together with tally the right epitome to each essay
• Get your students to expect at some of the essays together with submit their comments to the site.
• Use the site every bit a stimulus to get got your ain exhibit together with tell inwards degree together with become students to direct inwards some photographs to beak about

What I similar nearly it.

• This is an fantabulous source of authentic materials for your students
• The essays are brusk together with written inwards really manifestly English
• The images are actually striking
• Most of the essays are really personal together with emotive
• The overall character of the site content is fantastic
• You tin flaming run across how many people get got viewed each epitome / essay
• You tin flaming move out comments nearly the pictures

What I wasn't hence non bad on

• I would similar to live on able to submit my ain pictures together with essays together with get got them published immediately. Though the moderation of the images past times an editor does ensure the character of the site
• Would live on dainty to get got some embed code, hence that y'all could embed the motion painting + essay inwards some other site or weblog to write nearly it.

Well I'll live on sending inwards my ain essay together with photograph soon. Not certain if it volition e'er become published though.

Hope y'all get got to a greater extent than success
Best
Nik