Looking At There.Com

For a spell straight off I’ve been a fan of the virtual 3D globe guide on how to create machinima inward There.com

Organise a hover-boarding tournament for your students

Take a serial of pictures in addition to choke the students to create a storey some them

Really though I intend for these environments to piece of job good for linguistic communication learning you lot involve to piece of job them amongst distance learners or inside a blended learning context. Not i where students are coming together regularly confront to face.

Conclusion
On the whole I intend There.com is a fun in addition to real sociable surroundings where teens are probable to relish hanging out in addition to coming together people. There are things to practise at that spot in addition to it has the potential to survive quite accessible because the makers’ claim that it tin run on much lower spec computers without broadband. It doesn’t convey the visual comport upon in addition to programming potential that to a greater extent than complex worlds similar Second Life have, but if you lot merely desire to brand a get-go on agreement how these worlds piece of job in addition to what the potential is, earlier you lot invest serious coin inward a powerful computer, thus There.com is good worth a look.

I'd survive actually interested to listen what other people intend of There.com, specially amongst ideas to piece of job amongst students.

best

Nik

Creating A Mobile Outcry Upward Website

With the increment inward involvement inward mobile too handheld learning, I idea I’d investigate 1 of the many novel Web 2.0 type start ups that are offering gratis (at the minute at least) services for setting upwards websites too spider web based communities to live on accessed on mobile phones too other mobile devices.

The 1 I’ve started alongside is a service called Winksite. On the dwelling identify page of their website the society claims that, “Winksite makes it slow to issue mobile websites too communities that tin live on viewed worldwide on whatever phone.” So I idea I would crusade to ready my ain site equally an extension of this blog.

What’s practiced virtually it
I was genuinely quite impressed at merely how slow it is too at the number of features on offer. Once you lot get got registered, Winksite offers users the chance to ready equally many equally five websites for mobile devices. Each site tin get got a make of features that you lot tin pick out too edit from a fairly slow to role spider web based interface. Some of the possible features for your mobile website include:

• Announcements
• Blog entries
• Journal entries
• Field reports
• Profile information
• User surveys
• Chat rooms
• Forums
• Feed syndication
• Plus a few others

I spent virtually an lx minutes on Winksite, yesteryear which fourth dimension I had;

• set upwards my mobile site
• added my profile
• personalised the expect of the site
• created a duet of surveys
• added chat too a forum
• posted a weblog entry too an announcement.

Once you’ve created your site at that spot is also a tool that allows you lot to import e-mail addresses from your address majority to shipping out invitations to join, thus you lot tin quite easily acquire people onto your site too publisise it to your friends.

The sites that Winksite creates comply to all the established standards for mobile site, thus that’s swell likewise too also way that the site tin live on accessed through other mobile devices. I role an Opera browser on my Nintendo DS Lite equally a sort of wireless palmtop equally I roam unopen to the identify too garden, thus to live on able to access the site on that for me is genuinely a swell bonus.

• Here’s a motion-picture present showing what my site should expect similar on a mobile phone.
  Winksite demo
  
• Here’s some other motion-picture present showing how to create your ain site
  Tutorial motion-picture present 1
  
• An this motion-picture present shows how you lot edit too modify the site
  Tutorial motion-picture present 2
  
• You tin crusade the alive site on your PC
  Interact alongside the alive Winksite

The Featured books department is also interesting equally it provides a way to access books on your phone, page yesteryear page too chapter yesteryear chapter, equally they are written. This also enables you lot to interact alongside the author equally the majority is written too hash out diverse elements through the forums too surveys.

What’s non thus practiced virtually it
From the Winksite homepage you lot tin also get got a expect unopen to at the other sites that are existence created. This isn’t thus impressive, equally it seems that lots of people are interested inward finding out how this industrial plant etc, but it’s hard to abide by whatever sites that get got to a greater extent than than 1 or ii members signed up, too non many get got much content added. That isn’t a criticism of the tool though, I scream upwards it’s merely that the audience / marketplace for mobile spider web content is soundless quite novel too at that spot is manifestly huge potential here. The makers get got also tried to steer you lot towards the best content yesteryear adding an Editor's choice section, equally good equally having a regular Featured site.

Unless you lot get got a practiced contract alongside your telephone provider that gives you lot enough of spider web access included, accessing the site could live on expensive. Having said this the pages the site create are all pretty visible lamp too should charge pretty quickly, thus comparatively, this won't live on such an expensive site to access.

How to role it alongside my students
This is a hard one. If you lot get got students who come upwards to degree regularly, are they genuinely going to desire to role a στοιχείο based spider web community to interact alongside their instructor too the other students from the class? I scream upwards belike not. There is also the work that some students may good non get got phones that are capable of browsing websites.

• If nonetheless you lot get got distance or online classes too thus I could meet the possible potential of using a tool similar this inward conjunction alongside other spider web based materials to back upwards students too locomote into easier for students to operate together too locomote on inward impact alongside you.
• The site could live on useful for a degree project. Get the students to determine on issues that they experience are of import to them, too thus ready the site based unopen to 1 of these issues too crusade to acquire students from other classes or schools exchanging opinions too polling each other.
• You could ready polls too surveys on Winksite equally a shape of activity inquiry to acquire anonymous feedback from students too create dialogue alongside them virtually some of the methods you’re using inward class.
• You could acquire students to create their ain site equally a shape of learner diary.
• You could ready a site to locomote on inward contact alongside the parents of your students too assist to locomote on them informed virtually what’s going on alongside their children too whatever events etc that are happening at the school. You could fifty-fifty post your homework assignments on the site thus that the parents cheque to meet that their children are doing the operate you lot laid them.
• You could crusade to acquire students to collaboratively write a book/ floor from their telephone or computer. Decide on the theme outset too and thus inquire students to get got it inward turns to add together a page each. Others could interact too vote on what they would similar to hap adjacent using the survey feature.
  

Conclusion
If you lot desire a multi-featured στοιχείο website alongside lots of interactive features, too you lot don’t desire to pay anything for it, this is a swell identify to start. The characteristic laid is rich too varied too the interface seems to live on pretty slow to use. It’s hard to enjoin though at the minute if having a website that is accessed though a στοιχείο has whatever genuinely meaning advantages over 1 that is purely accessed through a computer. I suppose a lot depends on how much modify at that spot is inward coming months / years regarding access the spider web through mobile phones. The popularity of Apple’s novel I-phone surely points towards, this happening, but looking at the costs involved at present, it’s soundless going to live on a spell earlier this sort of access is available to many inward poorer countries.

If you lot crusade out this tool or get got tried similar 1 delight acquire out a comment.

Best

Nik

Phonology Tin Last Fun Too Free

Phonetics Focus is a actually wonderful novel costless resources produced past times Cambridge English linguistic communication Online Ltd.

Basically it is a collection of interactive multimedia Flash based games together with resources that tin hold upwards accessed through the CEO website at http://cambridgeenglishonline.com/Phonetics_Focus/

What is it?
In all in that place are almost twenty dissimilar interactive tools all accessible through the 1 page. These vary from an interactive phonemic nautical chart where users tin click on the symbols to listen the sounds together with thence prepare their cognition of the nautical chart together with the phonemic alphabet, through to to a greater extent than fun games which demand shooting the right sounds to brand a discussion inwards a ‘duck shoot’ type game.

What I liked almost it
All of the action types are pretty intuitive every bit they depict on standards similar hangman, strange 1 out, discussion searches etc together with they all convey clear instructions. Many of the games together with quizzes also convey to a greater extent than than 1 score thence this isn’t only for beginners.

Some of the actually particular features are:

• ‘Record together with Practice’ which is a small-scale tool that users tin download to assist them tape together with heed dorsum to what they are saying.

• ‘Flashcard Maker’ which helps y'all to brand your ain flashcards past times either using images from an prototype library or sketching y'all ain pictures on the program, together with adding phonemic symbols to them. You tin together with then impress them upwards for purpose inwards class.

• ‘Entry together with Exit’ tests thence that students tin banking concern represent their score earlier using the tools together with and then banking concern represent in 1 lawsuit again every bit ofttimes every bit they desire afterwards.

What wasn’t thence good
I can’t intend of anything much incorrect alongside this

Conclusion
I convey to enjoin that it’s rare to notice actually skilful reckoner based pronunciation materials, but to notice them for costless is a existent exception. They are actually nicely designed, operate well, charge pretty apace together with convey made actually skilful purpose of multimedia. This is a fantastic costless resources that volition hold upwards useful for teachers together with for students of whatever score or historic current too.

Be certain to check it out

Please experience costless to larn out a comment if y'all purpose these tools together with permit me know how it goes.

Best

Nik

Creating An Interactive Cloze Text

This is the instant business office inward a serial of tutorials based precisely about using discussion processors to practise interactive as well as multimedia materials.

This tutorial looks at how you lot tin exercise a discussion processor to practise a closed text - also known equally a 'gap fill'- that users tin interact amongst on their computer.

This is quite a mutual type of activity that nosotros exercise inward the classroom. The students commonly practise it inward a majority as well as thus the instructor tells them the answers. But nosotros tin practise these materials to live on used on the computer.

Here is an illustration text that I created based precisely about a Shakespeare sonnet. Click on the gaps as well as thus hitting F1 at the elevation of your keyboard. You should larn a clue to assistance you lot fill upwardly inward your gaps.

• Example: Sonnet 130

At the goal you lot tin scroll downwards as well as banking concern check the answers.

Here is a brusk tutorial film showing how the interactive 'gaps' were created (Using MS Word 97)

• Tutorial movie: Adding assistance text

How to exercise this amongst students
This characteristic could live on used inward a lay out of dissimilar ways. You could exercise the text to give the students:

• The right answer
• The offset alphabetic lineament of the missing word
• A synonym
• Some instructions telling them to add together to the text
• A textual clue or prompt

The payoff of getting students to practise these activities on the computer, is that past times adding prompts or clues at that topographic point is some nub reason for evolution betwixt getting the respond right as well as getting it wrong, thus this isn't but a test.

Close activities similar these tin live on used for a lay out of purposes:

• Students tin brain to an well file as well as fill upwardly inward the missing word
• Students tin scout a video as well as consummate a description of the action
• You tin delete all the prepositions as well as larn students to add together them
• Delete all the verbs as well as students supervene upon them
• Take out all the vocabulary words of a lexical group
• Delete words at random ( every 5th, tenth discussion etc.)

Making the right gaps
Generally I retrieve it's best to accept out words where at that topographic point is some direct chances that the students volition live on able to operate out the important of the missing discussion from the context that surrounds it.

• Example 1: "He went to the store as well as bought a ____ " doesn't give you lot much clue to the important of the missing word, but
• Example 2:"He reached into his pocket, took out a _________ as well as lit a cigarette" gives you lot a much improve direct chances at guessing the important of the missing discussion ( Probably check or lighter)
  

The same tin live on truthful of grammatical words.

• Example 1: " He had an functioning on his __ final year" Not much direct chances of guessing this, though you lot would know it was in all likelihood a business office of the body.
• Example 2: " He had an functioning __ his leg final year" Good direct chances of guessing this. If your students know their prepositions they'll know that the missing discussion is 'on' (operate on).

Hope you lot honour this useful. The tutorial film higher upwardly was done on MS Word 97, I'm guessing that other versions of Word operate inward a similar way, but if anyone knows how you lot tin practise the same affair on other costless software similar Open Office, thus delight practise exit a comment.

For anyone interested inward using the Sonnet worksheet above, at that topographic point is also a recording of Alan Rickman reading it here on Youtube (Thanks to Jo Bertrand for the link)

Best

Nik

Teacher Preparation Videos

Over the in conclusion few weeks I’ve been exploring some of the content on Russell Stannard’s http://www.teachertrainingvideos.com/ website. The videos aren’t pedagogical type classroom videos of teachers working amongst students, equally y'all mightiness at offset assume from the title, but are video tutorials which demonstrate how to usage diverse software together with websites to develop your teaching.

What’s on the site
The site is aimed at ELT teachers who are interested inward developing their applied scientific discipline skills for instruction purposes. The top dog content of the site is dissever into 3 top dog categories, which y'all tin uncovering inward the left-hand column of the homepage.

• The offset is ‘General instructor grooming videos’
  This contains video tutorials on how to practice some pretty useful stuff from how to usage ITunes together with download podcasts to how to practice a Blog together with PowerPoint tips. There’s a really useful serial on how to practice a Wiki together with I actually enjoyed the ones 1 PhotoShop basics ( H5N1 plan that I direct maintain tried to original a let on of times!)
• The 2nd is ‘ELT instructor grooming videos’
  This department is peculiarly aimed at the ELT instructor together with looks in-depth at some ELT related sites together with how best to usage them. There’s a actually useful review of some of the best ELT podcasts equally good equally a serial of videos on how to usage Podomatic to practice together with upload your ain podcast.
• The concluding department is ‘Multimedia learning videos’
  This contains videos that volition move peculiarly useful for anyone who wants to larn how to usage some of the major authoring programs existence used to practice e-learning materials. The top dog focus at the instant seems to move on Flash together with Director. The videos acquire from the basics of agreement the tool laid to some of the to a greater extent than demanding tasks, such equally animation.

Each 1 of the topics higher upwardly is covered past times a whole serial of equally many equally twenty brusk two infinitesimal video tutorials amongst sound narration which direct maintain y'all through the processes involved pace past times pace showing y'all just what to do.

What I liked virtually it

• The tutorials are really clear together with are actually good staged.
• You tin easily saltation to simply the video y'all desire to lookout adult man from the side menu
  
• The videos are brusk together with download reasonably speedily (on my broadband connection)
  
• They encompass a existent multifariousness of software tools together with websites
• It’s free

What wasn’t together with therefore good

• This is a huge collection of actually good prepared together with presented FREE grooming materials together with therefore what’s non to like?

Conclusion
This site actually represents a wealth of complimentary evolution for anyone actually interested inward improving the tech skills together with using ICT amongst or to practice materials for their students. Russell has patently pose inward hours of fourth dimension together with a huge amount of function on the site to render a actually first-class resources that I’m certain teachers around the the world tin practice goodness from. Check it out at: http://www.teachertrainingvideos.com/

Exploiting 2 Computer-Based Rpgs

In this article I’d similar to expect at how nosotros could purpose 2 reckoner based RPGs (Role playing games) every bit the the world for linguistic communication development.

The 2 RPGs that I’m suggesting yous purpose are both really similar in addition to really different.

• They are really similar inward that they are both simulations of everyday life scenarios in addition to involve 24-hour interval to 24-hour interval ‘survival’ type choices.
• They are really unlike inward that the situations they are based around are a stark contrast betwixt life inward a rural developing acre in addition to life inward an urban developed nation.

The showtime is called Stick RPG in addition to features a minor blueish human living inward a hotel. The histrion manipulates the human in addition to makes choices for him whilst helping him to endure life inward the city. The histrion has diverse options each 24-hour interval including fining a job, studying, eating diverse foods, gambling etc.

The histrion has to keep wellness in addition to boot the bucket along his finances inward depository fiscal establishment gibe in addition to meet what he tin attain inside the cycle of the game.

• You tin meet how the game is played past times watching this 'Stick' game tutorial movie
• To play the game acquire to: http://www.eskimo.com/games/stickrpg/

The minute game is called Third World Farmer in addition to features a minor rural family. In this game the histrion needs to brand decisions close how to pass the yearly budget, what crops to constitute in addition to what tools or animals to invest in.

At the cease of each turn, the histrion gets a yearly study showing how successful the yr was in addition to how much coin they accept for the adjacent year.

• You tin meet how the game is played past times watching this 'Third World farmer' game tutorial movie
• To play the game acquire to: http://www.arcadetown.com/3rdworldfarmer/gameonline.asp

The games would live appropriate for teens or older learners alongside an intermediate+ score of English.

How to purpose these games alongside students.
Here are some suggestions for using these games inward class. You could combine all or simply some of the suggestions.

• Get one-half of the cast to play 1 game in addition to the other one-half to play the other. Then inward cast acquire them to describe, compare in addition to contrast the games inward pairs.
• Get the students to collect whatsoever novel words they honour patch playing the games.
• Get each twain to depict their ain ‘story’ inward the game. What happened to them in addition to what was their outcome?
• Get the students to compare the unlike problems their grapheme had inward the game. Which game practice they mean value was harder?
• Ask them to compare strategies. What things did they practice inward the game that helped them to live to a greater extent than or less successful? How did they alter their strategy?
• Ask them to charge per unit of measurement the game. How expert practice they mean value it was? Did they bask playing it? Would they recommend the game?
• Develop some of the themes from the games for a cast debate.

• Who practice they mean value these games are aimed at?
• What did they larn from the games?
• How accurately practice they depict the 2 unlike lifestyles?
• Does playing a game similar this trivialise the situations?
• Can reckoner games similar these educate people in addition to alter their opinions?
• Do these games depict stereotypes rather than realities?
• What practice they mean value the makers of these games wanted to achieve?
• What other political or educational reckoner games practice they know about?

Of course of instruction yous could simply forget close all of the suggestions to a higher house in addition to acquire the students function past times play the games at dwelling in addition to meet what they larn from them.

I promise yous in addition to your students bask these games. Please experience gratuitous to function out a comment in addition to propose other games yous accept used for linguistic communication learning.

Related links:

• Tools for learners 
• Technology inward English linguistic communication Language Teaching
• Adventure Narratives for EFL ESL Students
• Commercial Software in addition to Apps for Learning

Best

Nik

Machinima Alongside Moviestorm

I late came across a real impressive slice of software for making Machinima. It’s nevertheless inwards Beta at the moment, in addition to it’s free, in addition to thus I’ve spent a chip of fourth dimension looking at it in addition to seeing how it works.

For those of you lot who don’t know, machinima is a cast of animated cinema, which is produced inwards reckoner games or virtual worlds. In some representative the animated characters are ‘played’ past times avatars in addition to inwards others the characters are figures inside a virtual footing which are controlled past times a ‘producer’.

Moviestorm offers the 2nd of these 2 options, in addition to thus ane time you lot accept downloaded it from the Moviestorm site, you lot no longer bespeak an meshing connectedness in addition to you lot tin piece of employment lonely or amongst a grouping to create your machinima project.

The software is pretty impressive in addition to tin enable you lot to make many things. You can;

• create phase sets in addition to characters,
• place the characters on the set
• get them to displace in addition to interact amongst each other in addition to diverse props
• place cameras around the laid upwardly to celluloid the activity from unlike places
• create in addition to tape a script for your characters
• lip-sync the animated characters amongst the recorded dialogue
• cut, edit in addition to homecoming your terminal motion painting inwards a format which tin easily move distributed on the spider web or CD.

So this is pretty much all you lot bespeak to acquire started creating machinima movies.

• Here’s a demo motion painting to exhibit how to create the action
• Here’s a demo motion painting to exhibit how to celluloid the action

So why make this amongst students?
The learning potential of the software is huge, fifty-fifty if you lot don’t ever acquire your students to a phase where they tin create their ain movies.

• You tin acquire them to create characters in addition to alter them to exercise linguistic communication of description
• You tin utilisation it to exercise a whole hit of clothing, colours in addition to textures
• You tin acquire them to create a laid upwardly in addition to house things to exercise prepositions of place
• You tin create your ain movies to demonstrate a whole hit of prepositions of movement, diverse tenses
• You tin add together dialogue to the movies to demonstrate functional in addition to intercommunicative language

Personally I experience though that the software is ideal for projection work. You tin acquire your students working together inwards groups on their ain machinima projects. They tin correct a enshroud play in addition to a script it. Record themselves in addition to lip-sync to the animated characters, create upwardly one's hear on in addition to create their ain scenes in addition to phase sets. Even the deed of learning ho to utilisation the software would brand for an fantabulous project. There is an online forum where users of the software tin telephone substitution ideas in addition to aid each other.

You would in all probability bespeak to run the projection over the infinite of a few weeks or fifty-fifty months in addition to move certain to specify to students earlier they start how you lot intend to evaluate their piece of employment on the project. I’m certain that most students would detect this a motivating in addition to creative agency to exercise language.

What I liked virtually it

• It’s free, non also hard to larn in addition to doesn’t involve whatsoever programming skill.
• Once you’ve downloaded it you lot don’t bespeak an meshing connectedness to utilisation it
• The tool laid upwardly is swell in addition to you lot tin brand the animated characters make a whole hit of things in addition to celluloid them from loads of unlike angles
• It’s fun to utilisation in addition to larn in addition to slow plenty in addition to thus that you lot tin install the software in addition to create a brusk clip inside an hour
• Any films you lot create amongst the software are your ain belongings in addition to you lot accept the correct to sell in addition to distribute them!!

What I wasn’t in addition to thus certain about

• It’s a large download (almost 200Mb) in addition to thus you’ll either bespeak a adept connectedness or a lot of patience to download it.
• There are expansion packs amongst to a greater extent than phase sets, props in addition to characters only you lot accept to pay for these (not that you lot actually bespeak them)
• There’s no MAC version in addition to you lot bespeak a pretty adept graphics carte du jour in addition to a lot of RAM for it to run easily

On the whole I recollect this is actually ane to watch. As to a greater extent than people commencement using it in addition to the forum / user community builds upwardly I recollect this volition plough into an fantabulous resource.

If you lot desire to detect out to a greater extent than virtually Machinima accept a await at a few of these links.

Machinima.com
The abode of machinima in addition to in all probability ane of the biggest collection of machinima films in addition to links.

Machinima in addition to education
An interesting article from Futurelab on the uses in addition to benefits of including machinima inwards education


SecondLifeVideo.com
A site designed to aid machinima creators inside the virtual footing of Second life to upload in addition to portion their creations.
Here’s a widegt from their site that shows some of the arts machinima existence created inwards SL



Wikipedia
More information in addition to a Definition from Wikipedia

I promise you lot taste the software in addition to I would dearest to hear comments from anyone who gets their students working amongst it.