Have a look at this site… CREA is a section of edu365.cat. It offers reference of different collaborative and innovative tools, most of which can be successfully used in our English classrooms.
I’ll be posting articles about these so called 2.0 tools. Let’s create cartoons, movies, stories, posters, polls… let’s create real time collaborative writing, timelines, and many other things… let’s make things catchier in our lessons!
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:
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!!
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!
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.
If you really think the future in ICT-based English teaching is in Web 2.0. Your website is Go2Web20.net
The most extense directory of 2.0 websites. Collaboration, creativity, sharing and learning in a nutshell. Make sure you visit it!
