New feature from Google. Go into Google Docs
and create a form for your friends… or for your students… and why not a test? It is veeeeeery easy to create and to embed in your blog. Here’s an example:
Google Docs forms in your blog
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Category Archives: Internet
Lingorilla
Watch the telly and learn languages! Lingorilla is a very interesting initiative where you can watch TV episodes to practise English , be part of language groups where you can talk and also keep your own folders with your favourite resources to learn English… or other languages! There are tests, quizzes and other very helpful resources. You only have to register and there you are!!
Young Bond
Wordshake
The British Council’s site Learningenglish brings us Wordshake, a nice online word game for students of all levels. With a very good interface, its easy rules will quickly motivate students in your class.
Poptropica
This is a nice way to introduce internet guided chat in the classroom.
Thanks to amycapdet, author of the ELT blog Cloudy Seaside Mood, who has showed us this interesting website.
Poptropica is a website where young people can create a very simple character which can be customized with a few details.
This character is taken to Poptropica, a world with different continents where he/she will be able to carry out different activities: Chatting with friends in a very guided way (the content of what is said comes out of a list offered to the player, so everything is under control as players can choose out of a limited list of possible sentences).
As players travel to the different parts of Poptropica, they can play different games, and what is most important, pay attention to what people in Poptropica say to them, as they must gather information and objects in order to succeed in carrying out different missions across that world. Once all activities are carried out, theer’s nothing to be done. That will avoid having students constantly hooked on the game.
A nice way to introduce Primària students to the world of adventure games and quests, simple, catchy and always under your control (as long as they play in the school, of course)
The Power in your Hands
This a really nice game! It’s not a simple click and go thing, you must think as a responsible manager, a responsible mayor who wants to run a clean city with happy citizens. The main focus is the wise use of energy, but it appears together with other aspects that create an extremely catchy educational game. Take some time to learn the rules, and you’ll be able to get the most of the game with your students next school year!
Social Network
If you are familiar with Facebook, here’s a nice and easy way to create your own social network: Ning :
With a few mouse clicks, you can create your network of EFL teachers, or of teachers interested in ICT, for example:
Take part in forums, upload files, images and videos, and share all your knowledge through an easy method of communication.
We’ll be probably creating an ELT Ning shortly. If you are faster, just let us know and we’ll join your network!
Typeracer
Have your students glued to their chairs in front of the screens as they practise their typing skills and subsequently learn a lot of vocabulary. Typeracer is a free Internet application where students test their typing speed and challenge their colleagues to see who’s the fastest in the group. It’s online, it’s easy and catchy. Have a look!
On writing
Do you remember ZimmerTwins? There’s a tutorial in this blog. It was a very good example of Internet resources that foster creativity and help students to improve their writing skills. we are going to see some other possibilities we can find in the www.
Short Stories is a very simple application in edu365
Teachers and students upload sets of 3, 6 or 9 pictures, and they are stored for their use within the application. You only need to choose the set of pictures, and order them as you like, write the story, be it short, long, complex or simple and have it printed. It is a very simple tool basically for primary students, with direct tangible results. You ca also record voice to be played. Stories cannot be stored yet, although this feature will be available very soon.
Bookr lets you create your own picture books out of the photographs you have previously uploaded in flickr. Even though it is more of a photo album than a book, it can be used by your students to make albums of the school trips or more visual projects they can carry out. Here’s an example from a couple of pages of a very simple but nice book:
Bubblr creates comic strips out of the whole flickr archive. add bubbles and create the stories that your imagination can produce. Primary school students will love it. They can also upload their own pictures.
These easy and rewarding tools show us writing activities are not only limited to pen-to-paper drills.
In plain English
This is a good way to teach things! Visually, and with a very easy script. The Lefever brothers have created a series of videos with easy explanations on diverse issues, mostly ICT related. Information is easy and the pace is not too fast. Students will easily undertand it. You can find them in their own Youtube page
Why not trying to create similar presentations with our students?
Here’s a video on how podcasting works:
[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/y-MSL42NV3c" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]
This one is a very clear explanation on blogging:
[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/NN2I1pWXjXI" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]