This document provides instructions for 4 activities using different online tools. Activity 1 has students research a foreign community in their city and write a 80-100 word newspaper article about it using Fodey.com. Activity 2 has students create a 25-30 second video about their favorite things using OneTrueMedia.com. Activity 3 has students write a 150 word piece about their hometown for Penzu.com, including relative pronouns. Activity 4 has students work in pairs to create a 25 second video promoting acceptance of others using Xtranormal.com. Students are evaluated on their use of vocabulary, structures and the online tools.

1. Assignment N°4 – Tools 2.0
Link to my Wiki: https://wikiinspt.wikispaces.com/home
1 – Onetruemedia.com:
 What is it?
One True Media is a page where you can create videos by mixing many the kinds of media
(images, video, and audio) as well as a sophisticated set of templates.
Published videos can be shared to Facebook, sent to YouTube, or shared by email. You can also
invite other people to add media to your story for a collaborative project. In addition, you can
allow remixes to be made from your montages.
 How does it work?
First, sign into the One True Media account. Next, go to your “My Videos” page. Click on "Create a
New Video". Begin uploading your photos and video clips. You can select music from their
collection or upload your own. Once you have the photos, video clips and music you want, you can
customize your Video by changing transitions or special effects, editing video clips, and
rearranging photos and video until you're happy with your project.
 Why I found it useful:
- Accuracy: This page is a service of SpotMixer, Inc. SpotMixer is the leading provider of
web-based video creation and distribution services for businesses and consumers. Its
managers and board hold different degrees, such as Physics, MBA and a MA in Education
from Stanford University and a BA in American Studies from Georgetown University and
Masters from Harvard University. The page content is reliable.
- Currency: The content is updated (2012).
- Content: The site is interesting and stimulating. And very easy to navigate. Instructions are
very clear, and examples are shown so as to know what to do next.
- Functionality: The site works properly and it does not use alternative technologies.
I think students will enjoy working on this page; it is users-friendly. It is attractive and in few
steps students will be able to watch their own creations.

2. 2- Penzu.com:
 What is it?
This is a page where you can create your own personal journal and online diary. Your entries are
always safe and you can access the page anywhere you are: wherever you have internet, you will
be able to write and add something to your diary.
 How does it work?
To create an account, you must sign up. You can also do this by clicking the green sign-up button
at the top right your screen in the Pad interface, or the Free Sign-Up button on the landing page. It
requires only your name, email address, and password to get started.
In the Entries page you can sort your entries by time (last week, yesterday, today), by title, date
created, size, Image, shared, or locked. You can search all of your entries quickly with the filtered
search. You can rename and print single or multiple entries at once.
 Why I found it useful:
- Accuracy: The managers of this page have a background on related topics: product
development and marketing, graphic designer and branding consultant, domain
registration, web hosting, e-commerce, online job banks, mobile social networks, user-
driven content, rich media collaboration tools, and the latest in cloud computing,
Computer Science, with Bachelors and Masters degrees from Carleton University in
Ottawa. The content of the page are reliable.
- Currency: It is updated (2012)
- Content: This page is very easy to navigate. The visual structure is nice and invites to write
(“calm” colors are used which call for relaxation)
- Functionality: The site works well with no broken links. Google Chrome or Mozilla are
required for using it.
I found this page very interesting and different from all the others: in general, pages on the
internet are very stimulating, with lots of colors, movement, etc. This page invites students to
be calm, relaxed and connect to themselves.

3. 3 – xtranormal.com:
 What is it?
Xtranormal is a page that helps to create amazing interactive stories, instantly turning your words
into a 3D animated movie.
 How does it work?
Go to the home page and click the SIGN UP button in the top right corner of the screen. Take a
moment to fill out your Username, Email Address, Password. Click Sign Up to continue. You should
receive your Account Activation email from “xtranormal” shortly thereafter. Click the activation
link to activate your account, and you can start creating your story.
- Click the "Create" tab from any page on the website to get started. Pick a Collection. Each
collection contains a unique style of actors and sets. Then, select either "1 Actor" or "2 Actors"
to start your movie.
- Select a Set: On the Sets tab, click any thumbnail image to preview a set. Once you've
chosen a set, move on by clicking the Actors tab.
- Choose Actors and Voices: Actor 1 is the character on the left-hand side of the set, and
Actor 2 is the character on the right-hand side. Click any thumbnail image to preview that
actor in the set. Then, pick a voice for each actor using the drop-down menu.
- Add Sounds: On the Sounds tab, you can choose to add background sounds and music to
your movie. Click on any item from the list to hear a preview. Keep in mind that the
sounds and music selected here will play continuously during your entire movie.
- Enter Dialog: Using the text-to-speech voices, anything you type in a Text bubble will be
spoken by the actors you've chosen. You can add additional bubbles using the plus (+)
symbol, delete bubbles using the X symbol, and rearrange bubbles by dragging and
dropping.
- Direct the Action: Action icons are used to add things like animations and camera angles
to your movies. Simply drag and drop an action icon into any text or voice bubble to add
the action at that part of of your movie.
- Listen: The Listen button will give you an audio-only preview of your entire movie.
- Preview: Click the Preview button to generate a quick, full-motion render of your entire
movie. Keep in mind that the audio and video quality of a preview will be much lower than
that of a published movie.
- Save: We recommend that you save your work often. If you want to take a break and
finish your movie.

4. - Publish: When you're done making changes and wish to create a final version of your
movie, click the Publish button. You will be able to set the movie's title, tags, description,
and content rating before Xtranormal renders the movie for you.
 Why I found it useful:
- Accuracy: The creators of this page are a collection of media industry innovators,
technology futurists and creative studio artists from San Francisco (HQ) and Montreal who
bring together their best talent and ideas from all areas of modern storytelling, helping
people tell stories in a way that's never been possible.
- Currency: It is updated (2012)
- Content: The site is surely stimulating and interesting! It is attractive and very easy to use.
The instructions are stress-free to follow and students, to my point of view, will go back
and forth to improve their work and make a really attractive video.
- Functionality: The site works well, with no broken links or alternative technologies to be
used.
I think students will use this page many times after knowing it and working at school. The
possibilities are immense and funny for sure.
4 – fodey – newspaper:
 What is it?
Fodey.com is a Web 2.0 tool that allows users to generate their own authentic newspaper clipping
or one of the other "talking choices”. Students can do research on a topic and create a newspaper
story. It allows students to create their own realistic or fictitious newspaper clippings.
 How does it work?
You do not have to register or sign up. Students simply enter the name of a fictitious newspaper,
date, headline and story. The image of the newspaper is visualized in seconds. Images can be
included too.
 Why I found it useful:
- Accuracy: I just found that the owner of the page is Christian Hirche, a German who is
owner of 5 popular domains. The content is reliable.
- Currency: It is not stated when the last updating occurred.
- Content: The site is very simple and easy to navigate. To my point of view, it is not the
most attractive one, but I would use it anyway. “All that glitters is not gold”.

5. - Functionality: The site works well and there are not broken links. No alternative
technologies are required.
I would use it with my students as it reading a newspaper is something we daily do. It is connected
to their real lives and it is interesting for them to create their own article.
Resources:
- Love, J & Lovejoy, I & Farley, K & Latham, L (2012). One True Media. Retrieved from
http://www.onetruemedia.com/
- Mimran, A. & Lawlor, M. & Wilkinson, S. (2012). Penzu. Retrieved from
https://penzu.com/p
- (2012). Xtranormal. Retrieved from http://www.xtranormal.com/
- Hirche, C (N.D.) Retrieved from
http://www.fodey.com/generators/newspaper/snippet.asp
Activity N°1: Create your own story...in your own newspaper!
Level: Intermediate – Secondary school
This is an individual activity about a foreign community in your city. It should be about 80 and 100
words.
What to take into account:
1- The story you will write on the newspaper will be about a foreign community that lives in your
city.

6. 2- Do some research and include: name of the community, number of people living in our city,
their favourite food, where this community is settled, traditional festivities and customs.
3- Start working on a Word document, including all the information you have gathered. Remember
that your newspaper article is about 80 to 100 words, so make a summary if you need to.
4- Once your story is ready, send it to your partner, who will try to improve it. You will have one
week from the day you have to send it and receive it back. During that period of time, you will
correct another story.
5- When you receive your story corrected, make the necessary changes, if needed, and send it to
your teacher, for a final revision.
You will be evaluated on: - research about a community that lives in your city.
- making summaries.
- vocabulary
- use of Fodey as a 2.0 tool
Activity N°2: Now it´s your turn to create your short video!
Level: Beginners – Secondary school
What you will do on this page is to create a video where you will show "My Favourite things"!
•First, sign into the One True Media account.
•Next, go to “My Videos” page and click on "Create a New Video".
•Begin uploading your photos and video clips. You can select music from their collection or
upload your own.
•Once you have the photos, video clips and music you want, you can customize your Video by
changing transitions or special effects, editing video clips, and rearranging photos and video until
you're happy with your project.
•Add a comment to each photo, explaining what your favourite things are!! Include: food, sports,
city, film, singer, actor or actress and any other thing you may want to.
•Also, include the new vocabulary (adjectives) in your descriptions.

7. •The video will last between 25 and 30 seconds.
You will be evaluated according to: - use of new vocabulary (adjectives)
- use of structures.
- use of One True Media.
Activity N°3: Writing about your city!
Level: Pre Intermediate – Secondary School
•The idea is that you write about your home town.
•You have to include some basic information as: - where it is, part of its history, what it is like. You
have to include also your personal opinion about it (what you like/don´t like about it, and why).
•Moreover, you will have to include at least three instances of relative pronouns.
•The lenght of your writing will be of 150 words aprox.
Remember to save your work each time you write something! You will be able to see everything
you have written each time you log in!
The evaluation will be based on: - clarity of ideas
- correct paragraphing
-use of relative pronouns
- use of Penzu
Once your work is ready, a partner will be able to suggest corrections and/or add information that
he/she thinks is important.

8. Activity N°4: Xtranormal!!!
Level: Intermediate – Secondary School
•The idea is that in pairs you will create a short video of about 25 seconds.
•You will have to work on "accepting others" putting all the new knowledge about "Communities"
together. You will have to include new vocabulary and structures.
How to start:
•First of all, make a list of some of the structures and vocabulary you may want to include in the
dialogue.
•Check the characters that are avialable on Xtranormal; they may give you some ideas about what
the story can be about. Also take a look at the different settings, these may help you too.
•Once you have the idea of the setting and characters, and the structures and vocabulary, you can
start creating the story and dialgues on a Word Document. This will facilitate your work
afterwards.
•Remember that you can add music, change the angles of the camera... you can be very creative
while doing the activity!
The evaluation will be based on: - the use of new vocabulary and structures.
- acceptance and respect for others.
- use of Xtranormal as a new tool.