Pupils from St. Thomas More R.C. High School visited Longbenton City Learning Centre recently to promote their speaking skills in French using CrazyTalk. Once finished, they transfered the clips they made to each other's mobile phones via Bluetooth.
Have a look at the example above.
Check out too the Thomas Hepburn School blog Qué me dices? where there are some great examples of Vokis being used to enhance speaking as well.
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 :)
Monday night's MFL Flashmeeting was a special occasion in so many ways. It was the first time as far as I am aware that 20 plus language teachers from the UK, the USA and New Zealand had met up in a videoconferencing session to talk about their passion for using ICT in the classroom. Secondly, it facilitated a huge amount of sharing and honest discussion about many practical issues we face on a daily basis in our teaching. Thirdly, it generated a great deal of excitement and reinforced the power of Twitter to help people connect with each and be part of a community.
Hearing about everyone's experiences was a joy and a validation of how much language teaching can be enhanced by the use of technology. The discussion was supportive and encouraging throughout and as I said at the time the learning was palpable. One of the tools which seemed to receive the most praise was Edmodo which according to Alex Bellars, Kath Holton and José Picardo, their pupils LOVE to use. Love was also a word used by Val McIntyre about her Flip Video camera and by Amanda Salt when describing her pupils publishing their Vokis and GoAnimate presentations on her Spanish wiki.
It was also wonderful to hear how colleagues have been offering their pupils distance learning opportunities by recording model questions as mp3 files and publishing them on blogs, wikis or Edmodo for them to download. Likewise, it was great to learn how excited Lisa Steven's primary pupils had got listening to themselves on their iPods and on their parents' iPods and on their next door neighbour's iPods to boot!
The most flattering comment for me was when Alex Bellars described the combination of my blog and Twitter as being the best CPD in the world! Wow! (I'll pay you later Alex ;))
So thanks to everyone for giving up your Monday evening to take part in developing your own CPD and I hope to see you all again soon on Flashmeeting, Twitter, in the blogosphere or even face to face (perish the thought!).
Download MFL_Flashmeeting_May_2009.mp3
Summary
(José Picardo contemplating the prospect of inspiring his department next year by rewriting the schemes of work and including lots of references to the use of Web 2.0 tools)
Show Notes
Ballard LangBlog and speaking revision in French and German
Edmodo: microblogging for the classroom
Edmodo and First impressions of Edmodo
Flip Video - solving video codec blank video problems
Solving the Flip Video Codec problem
Using Voki and a blog in a sequence of three lessons
Text to speech movies with Xtranormal
Scripted Movies in Language Teaching
My Class has a Conversation with the World
EdTechRoundup Special on virtual learning environments
Whitehouse Common Primary School wiki
Some ideas of using VoiceThread in Primary MFL
ToonDoo (see MakeBeliefsComix and Pixton too)
Use a comic strip to understand a conversation
Adding Glogster to blogs and wikis and other problems…
Creating online posters with Glogster
More examples of Glogster and ToonDoo
Even more examples of Glogs from All Saints Languages Blog (Eddy, Lizzie, Alice, Nok, Michael, Aoife)
Using Animoto to promote speaking in the foreign language
Diigo links tag cloud on Langwitch! blog
23 Ways to use Wordle in the MFL Classroom
10 ways to use Wordles in the Classroom
5 reasdons to use Wordle in the classroom
Barack Obama's Wordle of his inauguration speech
Ten tried and tested internet tools for teachers
Creating your PLN using Twitter
Networking over cake and cocktails
ICT for the non-specialist is a new series from Teachers TV which features some great examples of schools around the country integrating technologies such as podcasting, blogs, wikis, mobile devices and virtual worlds across the curriculum.
The programme on podcasting showcases the wonderful work of West Point Primary School in Runcorn Cheshire and demonstrates the practicalities of preparing and recording a podcast in a primary school class as well as the benefits of doing so in literacy and French lessons.
In the clip, headteacher Noreen Curphey explains
"One of the concerns of the school was to develop speaking and listening skills and also to give the children a reason for writing. Podcasting has fulfilled both of those requirements. From 11% Level 5 at Keystage 2 two years ago, last year it was actually 50% of the children. I'm not saying it's all down to podcasting, but certainly podcasting has had a huge effect on that."
ICT co-ordinator Chris Bayne got the ball rolling when he showed staff how easy it was to record audio with a minidisk, edit it in Audacity and upload it on to a free podcasting portal like PodBean. His enthusiasm and drip-feed approach gave them the belief that they could do it for themselves and at a pace which suited.
In the footage we see Year 6 pupils confidently collaborating with each other and creating the 24th episode of their podcast on their recent residential visit to the Isle of Wight (lovely place, I'll have you know). One pupil illustrates perfectly the motivational nature of writing for a real audience when he says
"When you're writing out a full script, it's quite boring, like if you are like writing out a page of work, but when you are writing a script for a podcast, it's good because in the end you know that you'll get something worth writing it for."
Their teacher Pat Murphy says emphasises how podcasting can be adapted to all abilities and how it gives everyone the opportunity to express themselves as an example of pupil voice:
"It is a normal class in a normal school with differing abilities so some children require a bit more time to produce, but everybody has a voice on the podcast and everybody's voice is heard."
As well as producing audio podcasts, the school has started creating video podcasts too. Year 5 teacher Tom Paul has been recording short scripted clips using puppets and a digital video camera to motivate pupils and involve them in engaging group work. You can see what they've published so far by watching the clips at the top of this post or on the school's website or blog. As with the audio podcasts, the pupils protect their identity by using DJ names instead of their own.
As we see, once recorded, the footage is edited in Movie Maker and uploaded on to their PodBean site. Tom explains how important it is to carefully plan this type of creative activity to achieve positive outcomes:
"You have to ensure that the vocabulary is spot on before the children put anything on a podcast so working more closely with smaller groups is more beneficial so we do the input as a whole class and then we rotated small groups to take it in turns to produce something for a podcast ... It's bad enough for some children with confidence doing it in English, when you come to do it in a different tongue it can be really daunting, daunting for myself and daunting for the children, but with time and it does take time, they love it."
In 2008, the school won an award from UniServity for their work in podcasting and you can find out more background information on the project, by looking at these links from the Open Source Schools site and TeacherNet.
If you'd like have a go yourself, check out Paul Carney's useful guide for teachers on how to create an mp3 file using Audacity and watch these two YouTube clips on how to create an account with PodBean and upload some audio or video. The results could prove to be amazing.
As we enter the exam run-in for the GCSE speaking test in modern foreign languages, it is a pleasure to see teachers around the country using the power of blogs and podcasts to support their students and offer them distance learning opportunities.
Helena Butterfield from Ian Ramsey C of E School from example has published some model answers as mp3 files for her pupils to download and listen to on their computers or iPods. Likewise, the MFL department from Seven Kings High School has created a blog in French and Spanish with embedded sound files and answers graded for their performance from A* to F.
At Millthorpe School, language teachers have created podcasts for the higher and foundation papers including transcripts for pupils to follow while they listen. Likewise, Alex Bellars from Ballard School has produced GCSE speaking revision in French and German on his Ballard LangBlog, Jill Royall from Mangotsfield School has published a number of different resources to support her pupils and there are some similar podcasts which can be downloaded from Reepham Languages too.
By taking the RSS feed from each of these sites, pupils could easily download the podcasts and transfer them on to mobile devices so they could revise wherever and whenever they choose. Hopefully, this option would provide them with the incentive to do so and take advantage of these useful resources to help them prepare thoroughly for their upcoming tests. Fingers crossed.
See also MFL podcasting experiments a sound idea? and MFL Karaoke and Role Play Raps for more ideas
Download New_tools_new_curriculum_new_opportunities_Language_World_2009.mp3
Attending Language World organised by The Association for Language Learning at the University of Leicester was very memorable for me this year as it was my first talk for 2009 and I was very much looking forward to meeting up with friends and networking face to face rather than just online for a change.
The conference certainly lived up to my expectations and I attended some fascinating sessions on a variety of topics. Thanks to modern technology and the kind permission of speakers such Lisa Stevens and Alex Blagona, I was able to record everything on my iRiver and therefore not miss out on talks that clashed on the programme.
Moreover, having digital versions of their words of wisdom meant I could send Lisa and Alex the mp3 files so they could then transform their presentations Absorbing Language Learning and Using Wikis in MFL into slidecasts and share them with a much wider audience than those present on the day.
I wish this sort of practice happened more often as the benefits to the MFL community would be considerable. This really should be a no brainer in the 21st century and an opportunity to put into practice the theme of the conference of grasping the nettle.
That said, I was delighted to see a healthy Twitter backchannel going on throughout the conference as well as speakers readily referring to their blogs at the beginning or end of sessions as a means of offering their audience the opportunity for accessing further materials and support.
The new ALL magazine Languages Today also included the article My Top 10 Blogs (written by some ‘star blogger’ from the Isle of Wight) and as you can see below bloggers speaking at the conference were highlighted with a red pin raising their profile further. This was a welcome development and an indication of how blogging is coming of age and moving more into mainstream education.
In my talk I encouraged colleagues to create their own personal learning network by subscribing to blogs, listening to podcasts and using sites such as Del.icio.us and Flickr to keep their continuing professional development up to date. As an attempt to show how much teachers already value these types of social networks, I sent out a request on Twitter before starting my session asking what people's PLNs meant to them. I was touched by the response and very grateful for the wonderful tweets from:
jonsim29, blagona, HGJohn, carolrainbow, russelltarr, skinnyboyevans, markw29, DoBeLou, daibarnes, dominic_mcg, peterford, dannynic, winetimejs, teachernz, jennyluca, dannynic (again), lynnehorn, islayian, nickdennis, langwitch, lynnehorn (again), theokk, timrylands, daibarnes (again), adamsutcliffe, mrmackensie, ajep, don_iain, pilsward, lisibo, willie42, kenny73, snbeach, GeoBlogs, wmchamberlain, oide, pearlyadder, gusleonard, tonycassidy, kenroyal, MaryHr, jmlesoleil
and here they are:
@joedale the ability to collaborate instantly with other educators is one of the greatest tools I use in the classroom
@joedale Twitter is great for putting out new ideas, seeking out advice, and keeping up to date with the latest developments.
@joedale What better way is there to link in to a global network of educators for inspiration, ideas and support?
@joedale it means being given the opportunity to keep up to date with current thinking, articles & research by people with similar interests
@joedale PLN allows sharing of links to top resources in just a few words. Easy to scan lots of ideas in minutes (unlike email/forums)
@joedale personal network is more than googling answers from people its debating the answers with those people
@joedale My PLN (mainly via Twitter) is a great way of sharing ideas with some amazing educators, who are always creative and supportive.
@joedale I get a lot of interesting stuff from some really interesting people that otherwise I wouldn't get or know!
@joedale my PLN is how I met you, & 800 other teachers. Best professional move I ever made. It is my working community.
@joedale Twitter is the best way to share ideas and experiences. There is no hierarchy and everyone's voice is the same volume.
@joedale A drip-feed of creative ideas, discussion and prof. develop. potential. Beats normal force- or spoon-feeding of irrelevant CPD
@joedale my PLN gives me easy access to some amazing educators - can share ideas and expertise. Lots of talented people out here
@joedale Network helping me and my students learn Twitter, locate resources, find impt links, generate ideas. 2 weeks using twitter.
@joedale My PLN means that if I need support, answers, a laugh or collegiality they can ALL be found there. :-)
@joedale PLN means access to a supportive community with great minds to match. It's where I do most of my learning now.
@joedale have learned more, for free, in 9 months of Twitter than in 3 years of being a Naace subscriber
@joedale Allows me to meet + keep in touch with language teachers (+other subjs) all over UK, great for new ideas + help when needed.
@joedale Keeps connected to what is happening and to a support network even from an isolated place
@joedale Twitter is a place to bounce ideas and get expert advice from people that are willing to help :)
@joedale Twitter is great for finding out about new ideas and for support at times when you need it most!
@joedale Also about to start a bit of collaborative work between my class and class elsewhere in UK, all started via Twitter.
@joedale PLN gathers 'lots' of opinions, ideas and data to aggregate, greater than sum of parts
@joedale my PLN is a mix of analogue and digital. It is so good to meet the REAL hooman beings behind incredible digital ideas. :-)
@joedale more like minded educators on twitter than in the average staffroom. its a virtual staffroom, minus the coffee smell
@joedale twitter is my extended staffroom where links are shared, questions answered + there r lots of interesting conversations
@joedale PLN keeps me informed and up to date. Shows me fantastic resources, answers questions and fills me with enthusiasm. Inspiring.
@joedale I get to tap in to the minds of some great, innovative teachers for help, classroom ideas and new web tools.
@joedale - Twitter allows me to keep in touch with what's going on in the world, to share, to ask question and get answers
@joedale Started my PLN 6 months ago it's become my most used tool for garnering & sharing uptodate and innovative ED news & views
@joedale inspiration, support, sharing and the odd random conversation (as necessary as the others at times)
@joedale my learning network creates a "learning w/o boundaries" experience. I become a part of all from whom I learn with online.
@joedale advice, inspiration, tip-offs, CPD, technical support, a daily smile and traffic updates...
@joedale Hello from Noel, MO. Twitter = connections.
@joedale With 9 yrs to retirement. My PLN is a finely tuned amalgam of like-minded peers that assist in my CPD where official channels fail.
@joedale I have made so many contacts and learnt so much with the free share of ideas on Twitter. I wouldn't want to be without it.
@joedale PLN keeps me current in the field via live tweets during conferences. eg. #bootcamp #iatefl. Follow trends and ongoing events
@joedale moral/emotional support, learning, sharing, and a laugh...
@joedale It gives me the same opportunities e-mail did in the 14.4 modem days--only now, collaboration isn't such a hunt.
@joedale it provides access to online sages; serves as my interactive reference library and helps build my academic "social capital"
Below is a summary of the main points of my talk along with all the supporting links you should need to find out more.
Summary
Show Notes
SSAT Annual Languages Conference 2008
Kathy Wicksteed at Language World 2008
Typical teacher network v the networked teacher
Google Reader in Plain English
European Day of Languages 2008 on Flickr
The Isle of Wight Conference 2007 on Flickr
SSAT Annual Languages Conference 2007 on Flickr
Video VoxPop at Language World 2008 on Flickr
Lisa Stevens' puppets set (lisibo)
Alex Blagona's EDL and LAFTA set (Blaggers)
Isabelle Jones' del.icio.us tags
The Isle of Wight Conference Ning
Creating your personal learning network with Twitter
Twitter film from IOW Conference 08
The Isle of Wight Conference 2008
Embedding YouTube and Google videos into PowerPoint
Download video clips with Real Player 11
Search YouTube via username with RSS
Subscribe to YouTube video tags via RSS
MFL Karaoke and Role Play Raps
Recording Skype calls with Pamela
Record and Edit Skype calls from a USB stick
Bucharest eTwinning Conference 2008 and using a USB modem abroad
Audacity Anytime Anyplace Anywhere
Interview with Kathleen Holton
Kathleen Holton at The Isle of Wight Conference
Podcasting and Language Skills
eTwinning ambassador John Warwick and his email contact
Flashmeeting project for Primary Languages
Live Blogging with Cover It Live
Making Use of Blogging, Podcasting and Wikis in the MFL Classroom
Peter Morris and his CILT Wikimania project
Making Languages Count: CILT Cymru DVD
Using SkypeOut credit with Utterli
The educational value of podcasting presentation at Jersey e-Learning Conference
CILT video case studies on effective use of ICT
Nodehill French Grammar Podcasts
Nodehill French Grammar Podcasts go from strength to strength
Nodehill French Grammar Podcasts now on iTunes
Spread the IOW Conference Wordle
Tumblr + Kwout for simple tumbleblogging
Learning languages with VoiceThread
Mobile revision with eBook to images
Posts on blogging, podcasting, moblogging and mobile phones
Thank you to The Association for Language Learning for organising such a great conference and for providing so many learning and networking opportunities for ALL our needs. See you next year.
Language teacher Miss Wybrow from The Clere School in Hampshire has been helping her Yr10 pupils learn how to form the future tense in French by getting them to record a visual explanation of it on a mobile phone. I'm sure you'll agree the pupils' performance is highly effective and it is clear they are well prepared. It also seems clear that they are enjoying working on this collaborative task by their facial expressions and the plan is for them to make a whole series of grammar podcasts of this kind to help them to revise for their GCSE exams next year.
Here is the RSS feed so you can keep track of any future episodes in Google Reader: http://missvww.blip.tv/rss
Creating video podcasts in this way will no doubt help them to embed the key concepts of the essential points of grammar they will need to know and also allow them to watch the results of their efforts as many times as they want on their home computers, mobile phones or other handheld devices.
Well done Miss!
Have a look at this earlier post Making perfect sense with old and new tech for further ideas on how you can make useful videos for distance learning.
In this clip, we see pupils with special educational needs from Louisa-Muscatine Elementary in Iowa using Video iPods to help them do better in their basic skills tests and personalise their learning. The pilot project set up in 2005 allows students to listen to each question being read aloud while they follow the text on the screen and paper.
"Because of the capability of the Video iPod, students will be able to pause the test and advance to the next question at their own pace. Viewing the questions on the screen will help students with the one to one correspondance of each test question allowing the teacher to observe and assist individual students without interrupting others".
As the teacher Michelle Ryan says, the great thing about the iPods is that the pupils can work more independently from her and she can focus in on how each child is coping with the demands of the test.
The project report does highlight some teething problems with the initiative such as the time-consuming process of scanning in the papers and transferring them on to the portable devices as well as concerns over the security of the iPods and the test papers. Some have criticised the cost of purchasing the iPods in the first place, suggesting the money could have been better spent on traditional technologies such as pen and paper!
If you would like to make tests for iPods or mobile phones, have a look at the following links:
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