Re reading for week 4 by Jannie Roed of UCL

This is the reading by Jannie Roed of UCL entitled Language Learner Behaviour in a Virtual Environment. Roed mentioned that a student felt that they were unattractive and kept quiet in class as a result. Using a computer to communicate enabled the student to participate in classes. Students studying Danish were taken to a virtual garden party and assigned roles to play. So this could be described as a virtual mingle activity.
The students were assigned characters and the other students had to guess who they were by asking questions. Some students gave out too much information, some did not pay that much attention, one arrived late, in short it was just like the real world.
It did reveal that some students online personalities appear to change. The more able students appeared to dominate and others just did not "listen". I can find nothing to indicate whether this was the students first exposure to this sort of activity. Sometimes students take time to adjust to new activities. If this had indeed been the students first exposure to this activity I suspect it would have a detrimental effect on their performance.
I wonder if this sort of activity would be more effective if a weak student was paired with a stronger student. They could take turns at using the keyboard.

IMHO there are far more benefits than downsides to using this type of activity. I believe that in the future there will be more virtual classrooms where the students are scattered to the four winds but there are online together at the same time. It strikes me that "Second Life" could take this a step further, for the better I would hope.
Back in the real world, software improvements have happened. People are more used to synchronous communication methods. It is possible to have online "conversations" with people in different continents. It is possible for students to have keypals around the world. I keep in contact with my ex students in this manner. When they make a mistake I correct them. Some pay attention and some do not !
The reverse of this type of game is called Headbandz, where the students have to guess their own cards which are affixed to their foreheads. I have used this game with great success. It also revealed traits about the students. One student had a particularly logical mind and guessed very quickly indeed.

In 1998 I worked in Taipei and was assigned to teach English to corporate classes at Acer. I used e mail to communicate with my students. It became rapidly apparent that some of my students would not speak out in class as their bosses were present. I was asked by one student to maintain confidentiality as she was hoping to study in the US. I maintained that confidentiality and as a result she continued to e mail me and I continued to correct her where necessary. Unfortunately SKYPE was not available at that time. An advantage of SKYPE is you can type messages and talk at the same time. If a student does not understand the spoken word you can type it for them. Video phone calls are also possible. I have not tried a conference call, but I believe that it is possible with SKYPE.

In Taipei a student did mention that one advantage of using a computer to communicate was that it was possible to communicate, yet remain anonymous. In short, anybody could be anybody. This is however, a double edged sword. This is very well illustrated by The Foomeister's blog.

A motley collection of web sites

Here is a motley collection of web sites, there has to be something to suit you !
http://www.bygosh.com/index.htm
http://www.manythings.org/
http://www.online-literature.com/
http://www.the-office.com/bedtime-story/indexmain.htm
http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/collections/languages/english/
http://www.literatureproject.com/index.htm
http://people.ucalgary.ca/~dkbrown/stories.html
http://www.theteachersguide.com/
http://aesopfables.com/
These are colouring pages.
http://www.coloring.ws/coloring.html
http://www.dltk-kids.com/coloring.htm

Materials !

Starfall is a very popular web site to locate material.
http://www.starfall.com/
Another good site is Kidsinglish.
http://www.kidsinglish.com/

The Big Pig Song

The Big Pig Song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOu-QkmInKc
is a great song for young kids. However, as a teacher trying to find resources is a major challenge. Have a look at the video clip and see if you like it. If you like it go to "More From: HookedOnPhonicsTV" there may well be more there. This is how I have located most of my video clips. I would like to capture images from these video clips, however I am not skilled enough to know how to do this. If anybody out there knows how to do this, do tell !

A wonderful video, but how would you use it ?

OK, so I was blessed with a warped sense of humour. How would you use this in a classroom ? Maybe you would not bother.

OK then would you use this one ?

Amazing footage of penguins !

This film footage came from the BBC.

I have never seen anything like this before !

The Meatrix !

http://www.themeatrix1.com/

Confucius and the wok.

We all know that Confucius was a teacher. Very few people realize he also invented the wok. Long ago frying pans in China were flat, much like a western frying pan. Confucius would hit his students on the head if they made a mistake. He would say to his students "I will wok some sense into your thick head !". Over the years the frying pan took on the shape of the students' heads and started to look like a modern day wok. Confucius discovered that the frying pan worked well. It is named after the verb to wok, which means to strike smartly. An example of this usage is sometimes heard in the wok wok jokes. To this day the wok it is still used in China and many other places as well.

A site to help the teacher and student alike !

I have just stumbled on this site so I thought I would pass it on.
http://www.englishclub.com/learn-english.htm

Boggle's World

A truly excellent resource is Boggle's World. One day I will learn to embed the link, but I have not quite got there yet ! If any of my far more geeky peers are able to explain how to do it, please do so.
Well now I know how to do it !

Firefox and add-0ns

I use Firefox as it has some very useful add-ons. On top of that Firefox is the right price i.e. free ! Download the latest version of Firefox, currently version 3.6. Go to the menu, click on tools and then go to add-ons. At the top of the screen there is a panel, go to get add-ons, click on it and go to Search All Add-ons and look for a dictionary. I am using British English Dictionary 1.19, there may be others there. When I make a typo the add-on will underline in red, right mouse click to find alternative spellings.

Re spelling and Firefox

I am using Firefox and I have installed a spelling checker with one of the add-ons. I am a native speaker and I also get spelling errors ! When there is a spelling error on this new post it is underlined in red and I can spot it before I publish the post.

Re gadgets

For those of you who are not very geeky this might be of help to you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OVRlXn9mAs

Sample Web Projects Reading week 3

Warschauer, M., Shetzer, H., & Meloni, C. F. (2000). Internet for English teaching: TESOL Alexandria, VA. [Chapter 7]

Siemens, G. (2004). Learning management systems: the wrong place to start learning. Retrieved November, 2006, from http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/lms.htm


Way back in 1994 I used to teach in Thailand in BKK (OK BKK as everybody knows is the flight code for Bangkok). I was playing around with a desktop publisher where you made a picture and then wrote about it. My supervisor noticed this and wondered about using it with her student who, like many Thais, did not like writing. The student readily made a picture and then to the amazement of her teacher proceeded to write about it. In Thailand, if it is not fun then the students young and old will not do it. So this girl found it was fun to write about her picture.

Software and hardware have improved a lot since then.

Chapter 7 is a little bit dated as the articles seem to be dated in the late 1990s. I think computers have come a long way since then and the Internet is far more commonplace than it was back then. The net result will be that students are far more familiar with computers and almost all students in Hong Kong will have Internet access in their homes.

Briefly, various schools were using computers and the Internet to broaden the students exposure to English. This was done by e mail exchange with students in native English speaking countries. Native English speaking countries could also include the UK, NZ, Australia, Canada, Ireland and some people in South Africa. Home pages were written, virtual classrooms were started, projects were undertaken, all in English. All of this helps students by increasing their exposure to English. It broadens their horizons, this would apply both ways. Sometimes American students' knowledge of world affairs is appalling. Search engines enable netizens to find out about all sorts of things, hopefully this research will be done in English.

The university project used the Internet to follow follow stocks, http://www.hangseng.com is a web site that gives up to the minute stock prices. Basic stock vocab was introduced to aid the students. They then went on to design their own web sites. A Japanese university used the Internet so the students would glean the required information and learn English at the same time. The overseas holiday project sounded interesting, students would use the Internet to gather information about the other country. The online writing course is self explanatory.
Other courses included writing CVs and business letters and gaining much authentic material.
The environmental project from Finland had students trying to solve the world's ills by working as an international team using e mail to find solutions to environmental issues.

The bottom line is the Internet has made international communications much easier and cheaper. Programmes such as SKYPE has made oral communication even easier. I would suggest that mainland students open a SKYPE account here in Hong Kong as it is a bit more secure here. http://www.skype.com/intl/en/ Conference calls are possible with SKYPE. SKYPE also permits the transfer of rather large programmes. Further SKYPE to SKYPE calls are the right price as well !

Pang da hai

Pang da hai is a Chinese medicine that is good for sore throats. I have lost my voice completely twice while teaching. On the second occasion I was in Taipei and I was sent to a Chinese pharmacy to get pang da hai. If you add 4 of the pods to a glass and add boiling water it will make a sort of tea. This will help to restore ailing throats. I used to carry some pang da hai whenever I was teaching. Losing your voice is an occupational hazard and this will help you retain your voice.

Re: Stupid questions

The most stupid question is the question not asked !

The wish list !

I wish I was a bit better at computers. I am not really very savvy at all. With luck when I finish this MA course at CityU I will be a bit better.

Strange words in English

English is a very odd language. Worthless and valueless mean the same, whereas priceless is the opposite. Lisp has an s in it, most unfortunate as somebody with a speech impediment will have problems saying lisp ! Maybe the oddest of them all, contrary to popular belief there is no such word as gullible in the English language. If you do not know what a word means look it up in a dictionary http://www.onelook.com better still click on that link and bookmark it. I tend to use YouTube frequently, I also use Firefox, now I am using an add-0n called 1-Click YouTube Video Downloader. If I see a video I like I can save it easily to my hard disk.

Keeping in touch

I sometimes keep in contact with my ex students using e mail, Windows Live Messenger or SKYPE. SKYPE and Windows Live Messenger are good because I can help ex students with their pronunciation. I do correct my ex students, and my peers as well !

Backups

It is always a good idea to back up vital material. Attach a file to an e mail and send it to yourself. Or save that vital file to a flash RAM or an external hard disk. An external hard disk is a case that holds a hard disk, of what ever size you want or can afford.

Just before Christmas 2009 my computer started to crash. It had been thinking about it for a few days. I had saved essays to my e mail address, to a flash RAM and to an external. So when my computer fell over just before an essay had to be handed in it was not quite as catastrophic as it could have been.

I have a collection of externals and they are very useful for long term storage. Computers do fall over (crash), sometimes they get stolen. If you have all the vital information on an external you can get started again relatively painlessly. If you are saving an essay give it a new name each time...ie the date and the time it was saved. Then it is easy to identify the most recent version.

Flash RAMs can have a big capacity these days. Currently I am using a 16Gb flash RAM. I have a collection of external hard disks ranging from 6Gb to 320Gb. I prefer the 2 1/2 inch hard disks as they go into a notebook or a netbook. I do have a 3 1/2 inch external hard disk, but it is a bit on the big size. A 2 1/2 inch external will fit into your pocket.

Save your vital data or you may well regret not doing so !

Life cycle of the butterfly

If your students like butterflies maybe they would be interested in this animation. It is based on a book by Eric Carle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qoYPLtqqVk&feature=related
Another nice animation is this would give lots of opportunities for colouring activities.

If you find a video that you like on You Tube go to More From: and also the Related Videos. There may be something else of interest there.

Making butterflies

Your students can make nice butterflies by folding a piece of paper in half. The shape of half a butterfly is then cut out. The butterfly is unfolded, liquid paint is applied to one half and then folded again and squeezed together. When it is unfolded there will be a butterfly that can be taken home or used in the classroom for decoration. Alternatively old crayons can be shaved, put onto one half and then folded. An iron will melt the crayon shavings and will produce a pretty butterfly !

Rikki Tikki Tavi

For those teachers that have older students some classic literature like Rikki Tikki Tavi might be useful. There is also a You Tube cartoon of Rikki Tikki Tavi that follows Rudyard Kipling's book closely.

When Rudyard Kipling tried to publish his books they were rejected by the publisher as not being very good. The British public thought differently and Kipling is a classic English writer.

Conrad was a Pole who became a naturalized British citizen. If you wish to improve your vocabulary read Joseph Conrad, but have a dictionary handy.

Do you want to know about Britain ?

Here is an excellent web site about Britain.
http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/index.html
I am British and there is plenty that I have learnt from this site.
Mandy Barrow has done a wonderful job.

More ideas

Sometimes teachers get tired. At the end of the day give your younger students a sheet of paper and some crayons and ask them to draw something. When they have finished ask them to tell you about it. This is very simple, but very effective. Younger students love to colour, they always appreciate a colouring activity. I have put a table cloth on the wall before and got the students to colour in pictures to put on the picnic. If they can put their names on their pictures, so much the better.

I often look for the odd new in http://news.yahoo.com when a suitable article is found I will photocopy it, cut it into strips and let the students piece it together.

If you make up cards for your students, use A4 paper, laminate it to make it last longer. A corner cutter will round off the corners and make them last longer.

Try and get a set of gaming dice, not all dice have 6 sides, some have 4, 8, 10, 12 or 20 sides. They can be used to randomize events. If you have a big class give each student a number and role a die to decide who is going to answer. The student who answered can role the die to select the next victim.

If you are able to use You Tube videos in the classroom, do not rely on the Internet, save the video to a flash RAM. Firefox has add-ons that can do that. Click on the More from: button on You Tube, there may be more material there.

If there is a singing activity a plastic microphone will help the quieter student. Pens, bananas and pencil cases make good substitute microphones.

If you need to tire students out get them to do jumping jacks to this !


If students will not stop speaking the L1 in class get them to do 10 jumping jacks, it might not stop them speaking the L1 but at least they will get fit ! Or get them to dance to the Wiggles.

A good quiz !

Here is a nice web site that helps you with your vocabulary.

http://www.freerice.com/

It does more than that, when you play it you donate a few grains of rice to the hungry people around the world.
Another site where you can make free donations is http://www.thehungersite.com
If you need a clue you can always try http://www.onelook.com/ this is an online dictionary. Here is a thesaurus http://thesaurus.reference.com/ it will help you find similar words eg expensive and costly.

Grammar points

The longest word in the English language is "smiles", this is because there is a mile between the Ss.
The longest sentence in the English language is "I do.".

More from You Tube

This is an example of the Haka, it is a traditional welcoming dance performed by the friendly Maori people who were the original inhabitants of New Zealand. The rough translation into English is "Welcome to our land, please come and sit down with us and eat dinner.". This is why the world famous All Blacks rugby team perform this at the start of a match. To wish for peace and tranquility during this relaxing and non competitive game. For those of you who are not familiar with rugby it is a bit like a group ping pong game, however the ball is slightly larger and has a different shape.

It is plainly apparent here that the French have got it wrong, yet again. Rugby is a relaxing game played by gentlemen who are civilized enough to never drink alcoholic beverages.

Welcome to Gibble's Blog.
And welcome to the Green Anaconda.



This is from You Tube. I have used You Tube extensively with students. There is some excellent material on You Tube, there is also a lot of garbage out there.