Use Dvolver to Make Movies

what is it? What does it do?

This is a very  simple tool for making short and interesting movie. You can choose background, character, music and add lines.

Why is this particular tool or technology relevant to language learning? What approaches to language learning or research underpin the use of this technology?

This tool is extremely easy and users just need to follow the step by step guidance and the movie is done. This tool will be very attractive to studenst with its colorful interface and it can be a great way for the comprehensible output and better student's sommunicative competence.

• Step one, open the website and a lovely interface will come in front of you.

• Step two, just click make a moive and start your movie-making journey. You can choose the scene and background of the movie.

• Step three, choose the type of the scene.

• Step four, choose the characters of the movie and make up their conversation.

• Movie is fninshed and it can be sent to friends. The following one is a movie directed by myself as an example.  

 

How might you use this to foster language leaning in class/outside class?

• Teachers can show students new vocabluary in the conversation and teach them how to use these words in apscific context.

• Teachers can ask students to work in pairs to make a movie on a topic and use as many words and sentence patterns they've learned as they can in this movie.

Limitations:

• Only a few choices on background, characters, music, etc.
• Limits for the number of script.

 

Use Wordle to Change Word

What is it? What does it do?

Wordle is a unique visual representation tool for all the words in a pasted text and creat a word cloud with different colors and layout to choose from. The size of the word in this cloud is accrodance with its use frequency in the specific text.

Why is this particular tool or technology relevant to language learning? What approaches to language to language learning or research underpin the use of this technology?

Here is the video about how to use wordle.

This is a free tool and uses a Java  to produce the 'magical' clouds. These clouds can be instantly uploaded to a public gallery for the world to see or printed off.  You can also trace your own wordle cloud if you named your product and search them in the repository for all kinds of clouds across the globe. The biggest feature of wordle is that it can present a text in a totally fashionable and attractive way and users can choose the layout, color and font on their own. These novel features can make teaching materials more movitating for studens. The following one is a paragraph in a blog-related article. The bigger the word is, the more frequent it's used in this text.

How might you use it to foster language learning in class/outside class?

• Teachers can show the new vocab in a interesting way and make them more impressive for students.
• Teachers can show the wordle cloud of an reading material and design something pre-reading activities like work in pairs to discuss what's this text is talking about based on the keys words presented in the cloud.
• Students can also use wordle to better their writing skills. For instance, they can avoid overusing some particular words and try to come up with some subsitutable words to polish their product.

Limitations:

• Moodle's normal running should depend on Java.
• It's not easy to find your wordle cloud once it's going into the gallery becasue thousands of clouds are going there nearly every second.

Use Bubblr to Enrich the Story

What is it? What does it work?

Bubblr is an web photo-based tool which is easy to search for a wide range of photos on flickr and add comments on the photos to make the comic-strip.

Why is this particular tool or technology relevant to language learning? What approaches to language learning or research underpin the use of this technology?

• Step one, just type the keyword in tag box and relevant photos will show up in a slidable line.

• Step two, click anyone of the photos and choose the shape of bubble. Then drag it into a proper position and size. you can add your comments into it. You can drag the bubble and make it more fit into the photos. After finish this photo, you can choose another one as the follow-up.

• Step three, press done button and fill in the title and name. Then you are free to send this to different email addresses.

 It's obvious that Bubblr is very easy and interesting to use with loads of pictures to choose from. Students can choose pictures they like and add comments on within bubbles.

How might you use it to foster language learning in class/outside class?

This  tool can be widely used in classroom in the classroom for the speaking activities. Teachers can design a attractive topic and students will be motivated into doing this task. Some activities are shown in the following:

• Students can use Bubblr to make a self-introduction with showing their photos of their hometown, school, tourist attractions or etc. Their short conversations could make this introduction more elaboratly and vividly.
• Students can use Bubblr to make a storytelling in class.

Limitations:

• Limited and no copy right photos
• The interface is not so attractive and  no choices for the size or color of the font.
• No other available options for the adding stuff like Mp3 file or other forms.

Mailvu

What is Mailvu?What does it do?


Mailvu is a total free and handy tool to send video email just like sending normal ones. The time limit is 10 minutes. This process includes three steps and they are making the webcam ready for recording,clicking to start record and sending it to different email adresses including yours.Besides, if you sign for the free account, you can enjoy some options to edit your video before sending it.


Why is this particular tool or technology relevant to language learning? What approaches to languague learning or research underpin the use of this technology?


This digital tool can be well applied into practicing speaking in Enlish teaching. It is generally acknowledged that speaking ability is comparatively the weakest skill amang the four language skills. In China, students mainly foucus on listening, reading as well as writing rather than speaking under the national education system. But this technology can alter the traditional ways of homeworks as well as the way of submitting the them.




How you might use it to foster language learning in class/outside class?


This tool can be used for the after-class assignment based on developing speakig. Teachers can ask students to record their speeches or work in pairs to produce something together and send these to teachers. Teachers can also send their feedbacks via mailvu.


The advantages of Mailvu:
. Teachers can record a video and send this directly to students as feedbacks.
. Students can also record their speeches or prononciations and send these to their teachers.
. This kind of video email can save both students and teachers time to interact with each other.


Limitations:
. The length of this recording is only 10 minutes.
. Students may lose their interest on speaking to a machine after several times if no stimulating activities are involved.
. The process of handing homework and waiting for teacher's feedback has time delay problem.

Jing

Link to Jing Download

What is Jing? What does it work?

Jing is a very useful screen-capture tool with lovely interface. This tool can make it easy and simple to share your screen. All you need to do is click one button and record it. Once the video is finished, it can be shared or sent via emails.

How to use Jing?

Why is this particular tool or technology relavant to language learning? What approaches to language learning or research underpin the use of this technology?

Jing can be both used by the teachers and students. As for the teachers, teachers can easily give vivid feedbacks to their students with sharing their screen. They can marking their homework online and highlight the mistakes and explain in detail. Students can understand better with watching the whole process and make them feel like their teacher is right in front of him. However, in the traditional ways of giving feedbacks, students just see the result and probably don't know how to correct their homework. Jing has overcome this difficulty and creat this platform for bettering their after-class academic interactions.

How might you use it to foster language learning in class/outside class?

Jing can be used in language teaching in various ways. As for the teachers, they can use it in the following ways:

• Teacher can do some Jings about preclass warm-up activities like introducing some new words and how to pronounce and use them.
• Teacher can show students how to do some academic research online before or after class to enrich their knowledge with providing them some websites and keywords.
• Teacher can give feedbacks in a more attractive way to stimulate learner's autonomy and encourage them to make use of the digital tools to improve their learning.

The advantages of Jing:

• By using Jing, teachers can give personal feedback to students with corrections or suggestions on their homework efficiently.
• Teachers can make this video with their voice to show the students their computer screen and explain more explicitly than traditional feedbacks.
• The interface is user-friendly and easy to use.

Limitations:
. The free version can only video five minutes.

WEBQUEST

http://webquest.org/

What is webquest? What does it do?

Webquest is an inquiry-oriented lesson model in which most or all the information that learners deal with are from the web. This can be used for integrating information technology with lesson activities.
Questgarden is a online place for teachers to designing their task-based webquests under the direction of lots of example templates and guidelines out there. Additionally, the webquest can be built together by several co-authorr or search for the specific ones and adapt them into corresponding teaching context.

Why is this particular tool or technology relevant to language learning? What approaches to language learning or research underpin the use of this technology?

Webquest definitely provides a new way of the language teaching. First, let's take a look at the composition of webquest.

Composition of Webquest:

.Introduction
.Task
.Process
.Resources
.Evaluation
.Conclusion

The layout of the webquest is clear and teachers or students can design and accomplish this task step by step. The aim of webquest is to encourage students to work together to learn the language while they are searching for the information and solving the task. The materials usually are authentic and attractive than the coursebook. According to thses, teachers set the goal and can scafford students during their learning.

How might you use it to forster language learning in class/outside class?

To do the webquest, students are required to explore information and cope with the task apart from English learning. This kind of creative activity compared to the traditional methods can effectively stimulates learner's intrinsic autonomy. Especially when it comes to the teamwork, students probably get more actively involved in the process with mutual interations. I prefer to use this within the class targeting on scaffroding them properly while they are dealing with this. Besides, teacher can start with introducing this elaboratively and end with concluding this activity breifly in class.


Here is the example for a webquest: Dinosaurs Before Dark

The advabtages of webquest:

• The aim of the task is clear
• The format is explicit and can help learners think and research by themselves
•  Lots of information are availvable on the web
•  Promote learners motivation and autonomy with choosing the stimulating topic, doing reaearch indepently or within a team.

Limitations of webquest:

• The evaluation criterion is not clear
• The process of planning and designing a suitable webquest is very time-consuming with loads of preparation works even adapting an existing webquest.
• Age limit

Self Introduction

What is it? What does it do?

My brainshark is kind of software that can add sound easily into different kinds of file such as powerpoint presentation, document, PDF etc.

Why is this particular tool or technology relevant to language learning? What approaches to language learning or research underpin the use of this technology?

In the four interrelated skills, speaking is becoming increasingly significant in current world. Generally speaking, speaking is an ability based on the other three skills and a quite number of students are afraid of speaking English in the public because they worry about making mistakes. This obstacle is a big barrier for language learners and in this case attractive learner-centered speaking tool need to be come up with. Mybrainshark is one of them. This tool can be used to practice students speaking and get them another stimulating way of speaking.


How you might use it to foster language learning in class/outside class?

There are numerous ways of using mybrainshark on ELT. As for the language trainers, they can use it in all the three phases of teaching like pre-class, in-class as well as after-class activities. They can make the PPT and add their voice into each page correspondingly about the teaching material, homework etc. Similarly, students can make presentation with sound to practice their speaking. For instance, making a self-introduction PPT and could let the audience know more vividly with their vocal narration. The following one is my self-introduction with using my brainshark. Please feel free to comment on it.




Limitations of mybrainshark:

• Some hardware equipments requirements for using mybrainshark like the quality of the microphone and good connection with the Internet.

lyricstraining

What is it? What does it do?

http://www.lyricstraining.com/

Lyrics Training is a website utilizing embed YouTube music videos of popular songs to provide language learners with a interesting way to practice listening and speaking skills. Users can choose from 6 languages (English, Spanish, German, French, Italian and Dutch) and videos are categorized into three levels of difficulty (easy, medium and hard). The song will pause after each line and wait for the user to fill in the blanks. Users can also choose the Karaoke pattern to see the full lyrics as the song plays along.

Why is this particular tool or technology relevant to language learning? What approaches to language learning or research underpin the use of this technology?

This website can be used for practicing listening, word-spelling and learn the authentic pronounciation.

User can search their favourite songs and doing the lyrics filling game while enjoying the song. There are three levels to choose from like beginner, intermediate and expert. Different levels need to fill in different amount of words.As for the beginner, they've got 10% blanks to fill in. And 25% for the intermediate level. AS for the expert, they need to fill in all the missing lyrics.

How might you use it to foster language learning in class/outside class?

Nowadays, tons of students are fond of  listening to music and this website is like a warehouse including many kinds of songs in different languages. They can search for what they like and this pattern makes this learning activity inside this process more feasible with combining entertainment and learning together. During this process of learning how to sing the song, they will learn the words and correct pronounciation as well. Even some authentic sentence patterns can also be picked up. I prefer to give them some follow-up activities to  on this website.

Limitations:

• Some students may just choose the karaoke pattern to see the full lyrics without challenging themselves to listen and fill in the blanks.
• Some videos maybe not suitable for kids with violent scenes inside.

Leaning Chocolate for Teaching Vocabulary

http://www.learningchocolate.com/content/animals-1

What is it? What does it do?

This website provides English learners a stimulating platform to get to know new words and memorize them better with these well planed activities.

Why is this tool or technology relevant to language learning? What approaches to language learning ir research underpin the use of the technology?

As for language learners, the majority of them go through a difficult time of remembering the new words especially when they are faced with a boring vocab list. This website can support them to learn and memorize them easier and more efficiently. For instance, the following picture is full of words about animals with their cartoon pictures and pronounciation. These can be an attractive and brand new way for learners espacially the kids to learn them.

How might you use it to foster language learning in class/ouside class?

• Teachers can use this website to support their vocab teaching in the class with using these vivid pictures and interesting exercises.
• Within the class, teachers can ask students to work in pairs to pronounce each word and help corret each other.
• Teachers can ask students to go over ther new learned vocab through this website.

Limitations:

• Vocab exercises are fixed and not versatile.
• The words on this website are not fully covering daily words.

Todays Meet

An Great Platform for the Online Group Discussion

What is it? What does it do?

Todays Meet is a convenient online website for posting different kinds of ideas in a online room which can be simply built. This website is extremely suitable for the group discussion in class.

Why is this particular toolor technology relevant to language learning? What approaches to language learning or research underpin the use of this technology?

In a classroom, teahers always try to encourage students to speak out their own thoughts. However, owing to the limited time, only a few can get the chances to express their ideas. Todays Meet can make everyone in class have the opportunity to convey what's in their minds on Todays Meet. Additionally, for those who don't have the courage to deliver their opinions in  front of people, this is also an absolutly great tool to them. Most importantly, via this tool, the organiser can get all the messsages from all participants without missing any.

How might you use it to foster language learning in class/outside class?

The biggest advantage of it is it's so simple to use. Just name your room, set the time for deleting the room and yolur room is ready to use. All participants only need to enter the built room and they are free to post their ideas out there. I prefer to use it within the class in the purpose of encouraging all of them to have their own thoughts expressed freely.

Limitations:

•  Limits of 140 characters of each comment.
•  Todays Meet have the only function of posting messages.