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Spelltube is a great site designed to improve pupils' spelling at KS2 and cater to a variety of learning styles. The comprehensive collection of videos cover over 3000 words from the National Spelling Bank and are convincingly performed by children playing amusing characters.
The approach is very effective and could inspire a similar project for learning spelling strategies in MFL too. Check it out now.
Free online voting system, Poll Everywhere has introduced Twitter and PowerPoint functionality to its service making it now possible for users to tweet their responses anonymously in real time and have them displayed on a webpage, in a slideshow or as an embedded widget.
At first glance, this new feature creates a number of exciting possibilities for teachers and trainers. For example in the classroom, Poll Everywhere could
Likewise, in a conference session, the voting tool could
If Twitter is blocked in your school, pupils can vote via the web without the need to register or post their names online. The number of polls you can make is always unlimited even in the free version and you can generate an RSS feed of the results too if you want. Do note though, you need to have PowerPoint 2007 to display votes. I can see the multiple choice poll being useful for topics such as brothers and sisters, hair and eyes, sports, pets etc.
Expect this to be big in the edublogosphere!
For this year's educational visit to Brittany I will be attempting to send voice messages live to my blog from my mobile phone or netbook using iPadio. This morning I chatted with Mark, CEO and founder of the free phlogging tool about the idea and he assured me it should work without a hitch.
This is great news and I look forward to trying to follow in the footsteps of other teachers who have inspired me in recent years with their smooth moblogging experiences and engaging use of technology outside of the classroom. Have a look at the Musselburgh Grammar S2 France trip blog for a great example and in particular the podcasts they made during the visit to see what I mean.
One of the organisers and CDT teacher at the school, Suzanne Watson told me in an email just how easy it was to post while away,
"There was nothing technical about our France blogs. We simply took away with us an ipod and a voice recorder plug in. Each day one pupil would record our events. I did had to convert the sound track to mp3 as it saved as an mp4 file on the ipod but I just used free software I downloaded from the internet.Once I had it as mp3 I simply uploaded each file the same way as I would upload a word file for example. The way its displayed on the website is just the way wordpress displays these types of files. Fortunately each of the hotels we stayed in had wifi so I was able to use my own laptop for the process."
To use iPadio all you have to do is register your mobile phone number on the site, then, ring the London number 02033842843, enter your 4 figure pin, record your message and press the hash key. Job done. If you want to use a different mobile phone, landline or Skype, simply ring the same number, enter your registered number and then proceed as before. Once you hang up, your phlog will be sent automatically to your account as an mp3 file and your RSS feed will be updated so your subscribers can download the latest episode.
Since Vodafone decided to abolish their roaming charges this summer, calling from France should cost the same as in the UK as long as you sign up to their passport scheme. But check the small print!
You can also add a player to your blog if you wish. Unfortunately there isn't a listen again option, so you need to be sure of what you want to stay. However, if you do make a mistake, you can just go to your account and delete the message from there.
For those who may be interested in listening to my future phlogs, here is my home page and RSS feed which I will be updating in a couple of weeks time when we set off. Wish me luck!
Oh, by the way, I'm sorry I coughed at the beginning of my message. I think I must have had a phlog in my throat ;)
Walking through Audioboo from Mark Rock on Vimeo.
AudioBoo is a British designed free iPhone app which allows you to record voice messages of up to 5 minutes and post them online along with an image and your location on a Google Map. 'Boos' as they are known are automatically saved in users' accounts as mp3 files and joined to the same RSS feed meaning they can be subscribed to in iTunes or Google Reader. See this screencast for more information. Individual messages can also be embedded on a blog or website and their links cross-posted to Twitter.
Since its launch in March, AudioBoo has caught the public's imagination due to its ease of use, excellent sound quality and social networking credibility. Some journalists are even suggesting it could be used for reporting local stories quickly and easily.
Conceived & developed by Best Before Media and partly funded by Channel 4's 4iP project, AudioBoo also works on an iPod Touch with a wifi connection and external microphone. However, for those who don't have an iPhone or iPod Touch, but still wish to create short podcasts on the move, the team has created a new service PhoneBoo which can be accessed by ringing a UK number from any mobile phone, landline or Skype. All you need to do is register a number on the website, obtain your access code and you're good to go.
Phonecasting of course is not a new phenomenon and has been possible for quite a while for those wanting to create simple podcasts without the need of a computer. Have a look at this earlier post for a great example and listen to this Wes Fryer podcast comparing different ways of producing digital recordings via cell phone.
Unfortunately for UK based audio mobloggers, platforms such as GCast, Drop.io, GabCast and Utterli present certain drawbacks because they either only support US numbers or require paid for credits to use. The latter is possibly due to the worldwide economic downturn, but is frustrating none the less for teachers wishing to regularly create audio from their mobile phones without costing them a fortune. No such problem with PhoneBoo though.
Early adopter, Neville Hobson admits the audio quality of PhoneBoo is not as good as AudioBoo but this is because the latter saves the file locally before uploading it to the web whereas the former captures the sound remotely which typically produces a poorer outcome due to the limitations of recording on a phone. Listen to Neville talking about this in more detail on his FIR podcast with Shel Holtz.
Download AudioBoo_on_The_Hobson_and_Holtz_Report
Other fans of AudioBoo include James Clay, Documentally (Christian Payne) and Drama Girl (Kate Foy). Click here to listen to Kate's recent interview with Spencer Howson on the ABC Breakfast Show in Queensland, Australia about the new tool.
John Johnston has been reflecting on how AudioBoo could be used in education allowing pupils to make short audio recordings as podcasts and have others subscribe to them. To hear more of John's thoughts listen here.
AudioBoo is still very much a work in progress at the moment and has experienced growing pains in the first few months. Once these are ironed out and the infrastructure is established, Mark Rock, CEO of Best Before Media will be encouraging others to develop third party apps to create a range of exciting possibilities for users to share their boos in the future. Bootiful!
Have a look too at iPadio which also lets you create instant podcasts or 'phlogs' via the phone. Here's one about collaquialisms from the Isle of Wight from Mr Caulkhead. Makes for interesting listening!
So if ever language teachers and iPhone owners such as Lisa Stevens, José Picardo, Alex Blagona, Chris Holbrook, Laura Walker or Suzi Bewell ever find themselves disheartened by the state of language learning in this country, my advice to them would be to just start 'booing' and I'm sure they'd feel a whole lot better afterwards :)
Using foreign language versions of well known websites in the MFL classroom can motivate pupils and provide authentic opportunities for them to be exposed to real language. Google Maps is an ideal example as it is available in French, Spanish and German and can be used to teach directions in a different and engaging way.
To get started in French, go to Google Maps France and click on the Itinéraire link. Put in the start and end point for your search next to the A and B boxes and click the Itinéraire button. The picture above was generated by running a search for Montpellier La Place de la Comédie and Le Polygone and selecting En Voiture as the mode of transport. The latter produced 7 results and I had to select the correct one by clicking the appropriate link under Essayez sur.
As you can see on the left hand side of the page each part of the journey is magically broken down in step by step chunks in easily understandable language making it suitable for comprehension exercises for KS3 students.
e.g.
Itinéraire en voiture vers Polygone
1. Prendre la direction nord-est 11 m
2. Tourner complètement à gauche vers Tunnel de la Comédie 15 m
3. Tourner légèrement à gauche vers Tunnel de la Comédie 54 m
4. Tourner à droite sur Tunnel de la Comédie 0,1 km
5. Tourner légèrement à droite sur Rue Michelet 0,1 km
6. Tourner à droite pour rester sur Rue Michelet 0,3 km
7. Tourner légèrement à droite sur Avenue des Etats du Languedoc 15 m
8. Tourner à gauche à Rue Jeanne d'Arc 37 m
9. Continuer tout droit sur Rue des Pertuisanes 0,1 km
10. Tourner à gauche 60 m
As Montpellier has undergone the Street View treatment, small camera icons appear next to each direction making you feel as if you are actually there travelling through the streets of a foreign city. You can also drag the markers into different positions and hit the Itinéraire button. This will automatically renew the steps needed on the left.
If pupils took screenshots of each movement they make, they could paste them into a presentation and add a voiceover describing how they got from A to B.
For further ideas on using Google Maps in the classroom, have a look at 50 Things to do with Google Maps Mashups, Google Maps Inservice, Podcasts meet Google Maps and Chris Betcher's video tutorials on Mapping with Google Spreadsheets and Personalising map data with Google MyMaps.
There's also Stweet a Twitter and Google Maps mashup which displays the location of the latest tweet sent in a particular city. If the destination you are interested does not appear in the given list, you can change the city and country code in the URL and that should do the trick. If it doesn't you will see the message -
Bernie Goldbach has published a useful clip on Flickr describing the mobile recording gear he uses for working on the move. This includes:
The MXL is a condenser studio mic powered by a 9V battery and the Beyerdynamic is a shotgun mic powered by an AA battery. Both of the microphones connect to the AR-133 which needs its own 9V battery too and the cables are XLR. The clip was recorded at Tipperary Institute as a DictaPause moment from the Broadband Edutainment Resource Network. Great setup for the pro-level podcaster!
Educational consultant Jacqui Sharp from New Zealand has written a great post on using the free web tool BeFunky to transform digital photos into cartoonised versions and producing cool personalised comics in Word or PowerPoint. As the site does not require you to register and lets you save images straight to your desktop, it seems perfectly safe to use in the classroom. Likewise, comics could be embedded on a school blog using SlideShare presuming you have parental permission and encourage pupils to develop their writing skills knowing they are publishing to a real audience.
Jacqui suggests importing images into Word or PowerPoint and using Autoshapes to add narrative text and speech bubbles (known as Callouts). Alternatively, you could try out free sites such as ComicBrush, Comiqs and Tabblo to give you more options in bringing your comic creations to life.
Have a look at her Slideshare presentation for further examples on how BeFunky can promote writing in the classroom in a fun and motivating way. Check out Gemma Fordyce's video tutorial for the CILT project on the effective use of ICT too which also looks at creating comics using Word and earlier posts Comic books in the languages classroom, Using Photo Story 3 to bring photos to life in the classroom, MFL adventures in Comic Life and Never miss a photo opportunity.
When I started this blog 3 years ago, I could never have imagined the impact it would have in the MFL blogosphere. Well here we are 3 years later celebrating its 3rd blogoversary. Thanks for all of your support to date and roll on blogoversary number 4!
In this week's The Gadget Show, presenter Jon Bentley ran an informative piece on video blogging or vlogging where he test drove three webcams for their suitability for creating a video diary or vlog from your PC or Mac. These included the Microsoft LifeCam Show, Philips Webcam SPC1330NC Pro and Logitech QuickCam Sphere and John was certainly adept at putting them through their paces. Interestingly, the Philips webcam came up trumps with a 4G rating although he did admit that HD quality let the impressive device down.
John also had a look at the features of different video-sharing sites for capturing or uploading your clips once recorded. Unsurprisingly, his favourite was YouTube for its capability of attracting a large audience although he did also recommend DailyMotion for hosting longer vlogs and Blip.tv for its audio only feature (a good tip for podcasters out there) and download option.
You can watch Jon's review here and find out more about his tops tips on the best kit to get started with vlogging. Enjoy!
Primary language teacher and MFL blogger Lisa Stevens is an inspiration to many thanks to her indefatigable enthusiasm and willingness to experiment with new technologies. Lisibo talks! is one of her latest projects and brings together the audio of some of her recent sessions from The CILT Primary Languages Show and Language World as her very own podcast.
Using the mp3 files of her talks recorded on her trusty Toblerone iRiver, Lisa has also created slidecasts of her presentations thus allowing virtual colleagues such as Andrea Henderson in the USA to listen to her wise words from across the pond. This is the power of publishing on the web and an example of how 21st century teachers can share their work with anyone wanting to take notice.
With this in mind, I would encourage anyone interested in getting into Web 2.0 tools to heed Lisa's 'have a go' attitude and watch this great clip from TeachMeet BETT 09. Her clarion call to techno-curious colleagues is both compelling and inspirational proving she is the sort of lady who can not only talk the talk, but walk the walk too!
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