Thinking Outside The Classroom Box Language Show 2008

ICT- thinking outside the classroom box [email_address] www.chrisfuller.typepad.com – where all of today’s presentations will be available to download www.edgehillcollege.typepad.com

First, important things to know...

I AM NOT AN ICT EXPERT!!!

I am a Spanish teacher, who was taught how to use PowerPoint 4 years ago.

I do not know how the Internet works, I just push buttons, especially the back button when things go wrong.

First, important things to know...

2) The ideas that I pass on in this session are not...

Completely comprehensive

They will not destroy your life

3) No notes needed- will be on www.chrisfuller.typepad.com

“ If school is to be a truly rewarding experience for today’s students, it must be relevant to them.” Connected magazine, Learning and teaching Scotland

what a blog actually is

ways to use a blog to enhance teaching and learning

how to use moblogging to complement and enhance use of a blog

how to create podcasts and add them to iTunes

how podcasts can be used in the classroom

how mobiles and ipods can be used to enhance learning beyond the classroom

During this session we will look at…

Is this the future?

“ Young people’s familiarity with ICT offers a great opportunity to language teachers. It seems to us that a determined commitment to use this world, which is so familiar to young people, is a key to increasing the engagement of young people of all ages with languages. New technologies can facilitate real contacts with schools and young people in other countries. They can also provide stimulus for creative and interactive work .”

(Lord Dearing - Languages Review March 2007)

What is a blog?!?!?!

Blog= web log

Traditionally used as an online diary

A typical blog combines a variety of media forms

Key element is huge increase in interactivity- INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY.

Blogging

Who uses blogs?

Teachers for motivation

www.edgehillcollege.typepad.com

www.roydslanguagesdepartment.typepad.com

Teachers for reflections / to share ideas

http://tinyurl.com/ycdamq (Neil Jones, resources)

www.boxoftricks.net (Jose Picardo, ideas)

Blogging

What can we actually use a blog for?!?!

Showing pupils’ work

Sharing files

Showing pupils’ videos etc

Increasing Assessment for Learning

Increasing self-evaluation

Blogging

Why use blogs?

Motivation - make the world your classroom wall

Learning no longer confined to exercise books

Who is the audience for work which goes into an exercise book?

Truly global perspective

Can be demonstrated by visitors maps on blogs

Blogging

The last 100 visitors to the Spanish blog

Why use blogs?

Writing

Increased motivation- will be viewed by more than just the teacher

Blogging

Why use blogs?

Reading

pupils constantly reading and re-reading each other’s work

Allows for dissemination of good ideas

Allows free choice of which sections to read

Aids pupil independence

Blogging

Why use blogs?

Speaking

Pupil and teacher generated podcasts

Speaking tests / exercises

=learning opportunity rather than just an assessment opportunity

- can be done in the form of vokis, podcasts etc

Provides a platform for pupil-made videos

Blogging

Why use blogs?

Listening

To podcasts (on the blog or via links)

To videos (pupil created, music, adverts, football commentaries etc)

To peers’ work

Blogging

Why use blogs?

Assessment for Learning

Comment function allows peer assessment using “Two Stars and a Wish formula”

= 2 positive elements

+ 1 element to work at next time

Self-assessment as pupils comment on their own work and thus self target set.

Blogging

Music video - great cultural input - an interesting homework to find body parts/ weather types - Year 8 pupils were mostly humming the song round school for next few days Ideas for use… Blogging

Pupil-made videos - high level of motivation - Provides for easy review of work which might otherwise be lost Blogging

www.voki.com

- Pupils write scripts

Peer assess

Practise

Record

High level of enjoyment

Blogging

Year 8 wrote Guess Who style self-descriptions

For next homework, pupils read the descriptions and left a comment saying who they were

Blogging

Who provides the blog facility?

TypePad - www.typepad.com

Easiest for inserting fun stuff (provider that I use)

Blogger - www.blogger.com

Edublogs - www.edublogs.org

Wordpress - www.wordpress.org

Many, many more…

Blogging

To learn about further tools to complement blogs

www.slideshare.net - embedding .ppt

www.blip.tv - uploading pupil videos easily

Blogging

Frequently Asked Questions

Won’t it all take ages?

Will anyone actually look at the blog?

What effect will it have on my department?

What about Child Protection?

Blogging

Moblogging across the universe

Moblogging What is moblogging? Mo bile blogging - the ability to update a blog from a distance e.g. on a visit / exchange Seize the moment

www.shozu.com - Send media straight to blog from phones Moblogging

Uses: Record reports after incidents Allow pupils to create video diaries without your supervision Document REAL conversations Moblogging

Allows you and pupils to leave voice messages on the blog Uses: - more detailed update messages - maintain interest amongst those left behind - genuine motivation for oral activities Moblogging

Flip Ultra video cameras Video-documentaries Plug into any USB and upload to blog / www.blip.tv - no converters needed Moblogging

Effective use of Podcasts and iTunes

Podcasting What is a podcast? - effectively an audio file which is then put onto the Internet

Podcasting How have I used them? - Grammar series - role-play raps - pupil recordings - pupil grammar explanations

Podcasting Grammar series created to help reinforce grammar learning OUTSIDE of the classroom - responding to a request by a pupil - FANTASTIC for audio learners

Podcasting Role-play raps Created to strenghten knowledge of key role-play scenarios - each set to a different musical style to aid recognition

Podcasting Pupil grammar explanations - benefit of explaining to others - need for script - peer assessment on podcasts - minimal teacher input, maximum output - pupils then have an immediate revision tool

Podcasting

Sounds hard, but isn’t!

Record podcast...

Podcasting How to record a podcast... 1) Recording material

Podcasting

How to record a podcast...

Recording material

Podcasting

Recording material

Podcasting

Recording material

Podcasting

Recording material

Audacity for PCs- www.download.com

+ LAME FE

(allows you to export as MP3)

OR Garageband for Macs

Easy way to change volume levels Highlight sections then delete Podcasting

To finish the podcast, export as MP3… Podcasting

Podcasting

So we have our finished podcast, now what?

Insert it into a blog post as an .mp3 file

Add it to iTunes- very easy to do thanks to www.podomatic.com and www.jellycast.com

Podcasting

Adding the podcast to iTunes

Motivation

Can put onto MP3 players / computers and listen to work again, rather than just forgetting it

Podcasts as listening materials...

Coffee Break Spanish

-excellent topic explanations

2) Notes In Spain

- come with supporting materials

- based around topics effecting life in Spain

Podcasting

Podcasts as listening materials...

3) Elliot school podcasts

- KS5 topics, with exercises

Podcasting

Using mobiles in the classroom…

Using mobile phones

Issues:

Banned in many schools

Risks of inappropriate behaviour

Fear of pupil intercompetition

Concern of pupils not having a phone

Using mobile phones

However, there are huge benefits...

Enjoyment and motivation- MFL becomes cool again

Speaking the pupils’ language whilst teaching them ours

Increasing range of services available via WAP

e.g. YouTube

Extension of learning beyond classroom

Lasting motivation is about students feeling a genuine emotional investment in the activities they undertake. This will come about through a learning process that centres around rich, real experience with relevance in the wider world. Connected magazine, Learning and teaching Scotland Using mobile phones

Using mobile phones

Useful tools available on most mobile phones...

Voice recorder

Camera

Video camera

Stop-watch

Bluetooth

Ability to play-back videos and music

How much would it cost a department to have enough of these to share between 2?

Using mobile phones

Ideas for video projects using mobiles...

Describing school as go round it

Describing local area

Guide to saving the environment

Following and giving directions

Describing friends

Recording grammar explanations during the lesson

Issue: how to get the recordings back to the teacher Options- 1) bluetooth them to a computer 2) bluetooth them to teacher’s phone 3) other options? Using mobile phones

For example, directions: - in pairs, pupils decide which room they will give directions to -write script - walk around the building and record the directions - swap phones / bluetooth to each other and follow the instructions - find out whether they followed instructions appropriately FOR EXAMPLE Using mobile phones

House and home - pupils build up to estate-agent style description of their house - free choice of recording manners - mobile phone - voice recording - video on camera Using mobile phones