Before we broke up at the end of last term, an enthusiastic bunch of us took part in another MFL Flashmeeting in which we discussed a range of topics including blogging, podcasting, new continuing professional development models and ideas for European Day of Languages. My favourite quote of the evening was from Alex Bellars, Head of Languages at Ballard School who emphatically characterised the learning potential of like-minded individuals networking with each other online and face to face with the following:
"If you think, sitting on our own in our departments we learn so much and then Twitter, our network and we learn so much more; with a Flashmeeting like this you actually see the faces of the people you are twittering with and we learn even more, but get us all in a room and we'll be unstoppable!"
A clarion call to be sure!
Hope you find the discussion and links useful. Here is a link to the original Flashmeeting as well as an audio version of the best bits:
Download MFL_Flashmeeting_July_2009
Summary
- Introductions
- what is your favourite post as a MFL blogger?
- learning how to put a podcast on to iTunes
- favourite posts v most popular posts
- what is an online friend and why do we form friendships online?
- moblogging in Belgium and France and receiving great appreciation from parents and colleagues for doing so
- learning about the Congo by producing radio shows
- creating resources to practise MRS VANDERTRAMP verbs and being Googled left, right and centre!
- enjoying Nik Peachey's and Stephen Smith's blogs
- writing a blog about a school exchange which was loved by parents and pupils alike
- finding photos brought the blog alive
- letting children lead the way and take control of their own learning
- making a photo story and animating with modelling clay
- stunning a class with the instantaneous nature of moblogging a photo of a child's poem on the interactive whiteboard and motivating others to want to raise their standards and have their work published too
- publishing video clips to help students learn more about Moroccan culture and letting them do their homework online by answering five questions as a comment
- Yr 7 and 8 pupils loving having their Vokis and WeeMees published on the class blog
- using avatars to protect the identity of pupils online and encouraging them to write in the foreign language
- moblogging with a MacBook and vodcasting with a Flip camera
- Bill Bailey doing Das Hokey Kokey
- using Wordle in the languages classroom and writing pro-active posts for other teachers to use
- using blogs to inform and inspire ourselves and each other
- getting started with podcasting
- podcasting oral work with Gcast using mobile phones
- trying to phonecast for free and audio moblogging from the sidebar of your blog
- podcasting poems and songs to Podomatic and seeing pupils being motivated by having their work online
- Being excited about being 'stars' on iTunes and having their work downloaded by their parents and grandparents so they can listen on their iPods and mp3 players
- podcasting conference talks
- using AudioBoo on the iPhone
- the Modern Foreign Languages Environment guide on learning how to podcast
- creating a podcast radio station and 'massively' improving pronunciation particularly with reluctant readers
- not being too preoccupied by learners making mistakes as long as they are enjoying themselves
- finding students wanting to listen back to their recordings so they can identify where they've gone wrong and what they need to do to improve
- recommending our favourite podcasts
- getting started with podcasting
- listening to podcasts while shopping
- learning how to communicate basic phrases in a foreign language by listening to short podcasts
- raising language awareness in class by playing podcasts
- articles and case studies on integrating podcasting in the MFL classroom
- learning French verbs through meditation techniques and seeing test results improve to 80%
- deepening learning through recording and editing
- improving pronunication and giving a real purpose for speaking practice
- creating distance learning opportunities by encouraging pupils to make recordings at home on handheld devices or with Audacity and emailing them to the teacher as homework
- using the Levelator to balance the audio of different speakers
- creating a podcast on induction day
- finding pupils prefer to be voice recorded than video recorded
- dealing with issues surrounding making videos and e-safety
- using puppets instead of pupil faces or asking the pupils to wear a disguise
- discussing ideas for the European Day of Languages
- celebrating languages with a week of activities
- involving parents who speak other languages
- finding out how many pupils have relatives who could speak a foreign language
- find out how many staff can speak a foreign language and to what extent
- organising an assembly which celebrates languages
- giving a prize to the teacher who speaks the most in a foreign language during the day
- collaborating on the EDL2009 ideas wiki
- creating a collaborative VoiceThread and encouraging thinking skills
- collaborating with your Personal Learning Network
- comparing cultural differences from different countries
- using talking postcards to record 10 second snippets in a range of foreign languages, to do roving listening comprehensions and illustrate ideas with a non-permanent marker
- using Easi-teach microphones to quick and easy audio recording
- discussing CPD opportunities for the new academic year
- organising the MFL Show and Tell event on Twitter in two hours
- having a break from the Isle of Wight Conference, but still having face to face opportunities to meet up
- networking over cake and cocktails
- meeting up for The Language Show Show and tell
- the TeachMeet model giving more colleagues the opportunity to share ideas in short bursts
- keeping a work/life balance and not feeling pressured to blog
- creating RSS feeds in Twitter Search to keep track of your 'core group' followers
- checking updates on an iPhone when you have a spare moment
- a few final thoughts
Show notes
European Day of Languages
¡Vámonos!
Podcasting and language skills
What sort of friend are you?
A brilliant trip
SCIAF
Citizenship in the Modern Languages classroom
Mrs Vandertramp verbs
Nik's Learning Technology blog
Valerie McIntyre's Spanish and French blog
Frenchteacher
Let the kids lead the way!
La Primervera
Antonio Machado
All Saints Languages blog
Louise Crossley
5 min video clip about Morocco
Voki
WeeWorld
Wee Me of Madame Bewell
WeeMe Image - Physical descriptions, character and size
Year 8 French Vokis and GoAnimate
Simpsonize Me
Guess who? COMPETITION
Flip camera
Flip video for the YouTube generation
TGStv on Blip.tv
MFL/History trip Thursday and Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday
Brittany - a few final thoughts
Bill Bailey doing Das Hokey Kokey
23 ways to use Worlde in the MFL Classroom
Using Wordle in the Classroom
La Vaca Lola
Toni Theisen and her Loveland High School wiki
ACTFL
21st Century Tools to Teach, Learn, Collaborate and Advocate for Languages
Gcast
GarageBand
Gabcast
Utterli
iPadio
Phlogging the French Trip
Whitehouse Common Primary School
WCPS Spanish
WCPS Wiki
Podcasting and language skills
Lisibo talks!
AudioBoo
Sounding out AudioBoo and PhoneBoo
StephenFry's AudioBoos
MFLE guide to podcasting
Rosbif Radio
Podcasters' Emporium is the Ducks Guts
Creative Use of ICT in Primary Spanish
ArabicPod
Langsam gesprochene Nachrichten from Deutsche Welle
Radio Lingua Network
Blogs and podcasts in the 14-19 curriculum
The VerbCast returns
Mon JT Quotidien
Listening practice for AS/A2 students
Chris Fuller's Spanish Grammar Podcasts
Spanglovision
Schoolovision
Rothervision
The Rhyme Celebration
Le French Factor
Discover Languages
Nodehill French Grammar Podcasts
Nodehill French Grammar Podcasts now on iTunes
The Levelator
Balance your podcasts with The Levelator
Nodehill welcomes its new leader of French
Mrs Vandertramp song
European Day of Languages
Highlights from European Day of Languages
European Day of Languages - Pupil Survey
EDL2009 ideas wiki
What Could it Mean?
What could this mean?
Language Awareness with VoiceThread
Creating your PLN using Twitter
Voices of the World Ning
Voices of the World wiki
Where the hell is Matt?
Jess McCulloch's Lunch Box project
Sound of Music - Central Station Antwerp Belgium
LAFTAs
LAFTAs on Youtube
ACTFL video contest
Talk Time Postcards
Easi-speak microphones
MFL Show and Tell
MFL Show and Tell 09 wiki
MFL Show and Tell 09: Sent to Coventry for a New Life
Networking over cake and cocktails
London Show and Tell at The Albion
Maximising Twitter Search
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Dear Joe
Thanks for compiling such a thorough account of our FlashMeeting. I know that putting all the links and audio together is very time-consuming but it is so useful to everybody whether they took part directly or not.
Thanks again-I am sure your effort is much appreciated by all your readers.
Isabelle
http://isabellejones.blogspot.com
Posted by: Isabelle Jones | 03/10/2009 at 22:15
Thanks Isabelle. It does take a long time to put this all together, but I believe it is worth it to help the community. I appreciate the spirit of your comment ;)
Posted by: Joe Dale | 07/10/2009 at 11:50
Hi there,
I am trying to help support a teacher who wants to use audacity (or an alternative) to allow conversation homeworks - teachers would leave gaps and kids would fill them with responses. Have you expereinced trying to do something like this? if so, do you have any advice? Thanks.
Posted by: twitter.com/adgibbs | 22/10/2009 at 13:51
Hi Dave,
I suggest you have a look at this earlier post which explains how Audacity can be used in this way: http://joedale.typepad.com/integrating_ict_into_the_/2009/09/using-audacity-to-practise-dialogue-work.html
Hope that helps ;)
Posted by: Joe Dale | 22/10/2009 at 15:58