ICT in ELT Teaching

TP # 4: Web 2.0 Tools

Student: Florencia BrañaLecturer: Paula Ledesma

INSPT-UTN

Web 2.0 Useful Tools This blog has been created for an assignment for the subject called ICT Applied to English Teaching at the INSPT-UTN, Argentina. Our teacher is Paula Ledesma.

W E L C O M E ! The purpose of this blog is to design ELT activities which involve the application of different Web 2.0 tools. You will find seven samples os different websites used as tools and reviews and activities of four of them.

Hope you can get advantage of this, discover new and useful tools and enjoy trying them!

Sample # 1: TAGXEDO Tagxedo is a word cloud generator that turns text, into a visually stunning cloud of words, individually sized appropriately to highlight the frequencies of occurrence within the body of text.

Sample # 2: AVATAR MAKER Avatar-Maker provides users to create a virtual picture of a user of a social network, MSN Messenger or a player in a game that characterize that person. You can chose its hair, clothing, facial gestures, etc.Here there ir an example:

Sample # 3: GLOGSTER This tool allows you to create posters. With this you can let your imagination fly. It has many settings to create a very unique poster!You can add from pictures and videos to songs, colours and text!

Sample # 4: ANIMOTO This is a tool to create videos from a collection of pictures. You can either upload pictures from your computer or select them from the website's collection. Also you can add audio files to it. The following link is a video sample to see how Animoto works.

SALTA LA LINDA

Sample # 5: SKETCHCAST With this tool you will be able to create videos. It is like paint program. The website will record everything you draw. Also you can add your own voice to it while drawing. See this example and try your own!

Sample # 6: TAG GALAXY This tool allows you to find lots and lots of pictures by just writing a word. Afterwards the website will provide you with different classifications for you to choose one. Finally the website will provide you with many images.Here is an example for you to see. 

Sample # 7: GIZMOZ This is the final product you get by trying this website. With this tools you can create funny avatars. You can choose a predetermine face and outfit but also you have the possibility of taking yourself a picture and choose every single clothing, make up, gestures, scars, etc.To make one only takes a couple of minutes, try one now! Here you can see an avatar with Ricardo Fort's face...but... there is no much difference with the real one ha?

Description of GIZMOZ WHAT and HOW:

Gizmoz is a tool that provides users to make avatars. You choose faces, hairstyles, make up, accesories, shoes, predetermined outfits, chlothing, etc. You only need to sign up and then in less than 3 minutes you can create one on your own.

WHY:

I find this website uselful mainly for little and preadolescents boys. You can use it for description exercises or also to use children's imaginations providing them with a more sofisticated avatar-maker, since the items the website provides are not the common ones.

Description of AVATAR MAKER WHAT and HOW:

This website is an avatar maker. The website provides users with many different features to customize and create their avatars.You can change different things of the body (back hairstyle, eyebrows, eyes, nose, mouth, body, hands), shoes, make-up and colorations (a section that lets users edit the colours of the features they have included in their avatars). When the avatar is finished, it can be downloaded in “.GIF” format. This application is free and you don't need to sign up to star using it.Avatars makers are useful tools for the English classroom especially for people’s descriptions.

WHY:

In my opinion this website is useful to work with children and why not adults? It's a good way to put into practice all the teacher teaches to their students among descriptions. It's a funny way to draw children's attention. Instead of asking students to draw a picture of themselves or decsribe a picture of their favourite famous person you can ask them to create an avatar.

Description of SKETCHCAST WHAT and HOW:

Sketchcast is a voice and video recording and a written and visual explanation all in one! It's very easy to use it. First of all you need to sign up. Then it very similar to use paint program. While you draw and write the website is recording everything!

WHY:

In my opinion this is a usefull tool for children to create their own projects. Children coul duse a wirelss microphone and the smart board to explain a particular maths concept. I think children would feel motivated to create these explanations if they know their tutorial can be played back at the end of the lesson or even published to a blog for others to revise from.

Description of TAG GALAXY WHAT AND HOW:Tag Galaxy is a website that provides users with lots of images. It's very easy to use it and you don't need to sign up or log in. You just need to write any

word and afterwards a lot of planets with related names of the word you had typed in will appear for you to choose what best suits your research.

HOW:I find it useful because children not only can find lots of pictures in a more entertaining way than googleimages.com but also because of the related words the website provides you. Children can start typing any word it comes to their minds and the website itself will provide them with related topics. So children can start making connections betweens words and that is a good way to learn new vocabulary.

ACTIVITY # 1: Avatar-Maker CREATE YOUR AVATAR

LEVEL:IntermediateSKILLS: Reading comprehensionEVALUATION CRITERIA: T will evaluate reading comprehension skill. If the students have understood correctly all the pieces of papers they had been given. 

INSTRUCTIONS:T will make students pick pieces of papers from different plastic bags. Each bag will belong to the different things an avatar is made of. For example: There is a bag for skin colour, another one for tops, pants, etc.Once each student has all the items to create one they will form it following what the differents pieces of papers say.

For more help follow these links:

Sample:  http://webtools4english.blogspot.com/2010/11/sample-avatar-maker.html

Description of the site: http://webtools4english.blogspot.com/2010/11/description-of-avatar-maker.html

In order to do this follow the following steps:

1) Go to  http://avatarmaker.abi-station.com/index_en.shtml

           

                                       

   2) Click on one of the following sections.

 

3) Now choose the one that you like most!

 4) Keep on choosing all the items unitl your avatar is ready!

5) Now T will print them so students can see in paper their productions and all together will make a poster to share with the whole school.

ACTIVITY # 2: Tag Galaxy HOLIDAYS

LEVEL:IntermediateSKILLS: WritingEVALUATION CRITERIA: Stds are expected to write a narration about where they would like to go on holiday or visit.

INSTRUCTIONS:For more help follow these links:

Sample: http://webtools4english.blogspot.com/2010/11/sample-4-tag-galaxy.html  

Description of the site: http://webtools4english.blogspot.com/2010/11/description-of-tag-galaxy.html

1) Go to www.taggalaxy.com and you'll find this:

2) Tag the word of the place you dream of going on holiday or visiting. Then you'll find lots of related words.

 

3) Now click on the biggest planet and look all the amazing pictures!

 4) Choose one! In this case I've typed for the word "weddings"

5) Now you are ready to get inspired and write you decsription!

ACTIVITY # 3: SKETCHCAST BEGIN A STORY

LEVEL: Beginners/ Intermediate SKILLS: WritingEVALUATION CRITERIA: Stds will be asked to follow their partners instructions and T will evaluate their accuracy to write a narrative and how well he or she followed their classmate's choice.INSTRUCTIONS:Stds will be asked to draw something and write a phrase at the bottom of the page. Then stds will exchange by e-mail their works with a classmate and this one will have to write a short story. For more help follow these links:

Sample: http://webtools4english.blogspot.com/2010/11/sample-1-sketchcastcom_09.html

Description of the site: http://webtools4english.blogspot.com/2010/11/description-of-tag-galaxy.html 

1) Go to www.sketchcast.com and you'll se this.

 

2) Now you will need to sign up and then click on "create"

3) Now you will see this. Press on the "start recording buttom".

4) Now click on the pencil buttom or press "control" in you keyboard to start drawing.

 

5) You can erase to correct your drawing by pressin again on the pencil buttom.

6) You can press "space" in your keyboard to change colours and press on "T"  buttom to write a text.

 

7) It's very important for you to press "pause recording buttom" to stop it.

8) Now click on "publish" buttom to be able to send this to your clasmate!

ACTIVITY # 4: GIZMOZ HOW WOULD I CHANGE MY COUNTRY?

LEVEL: Pre-Intermediate adults courseSKILLS: WritingEVALUATION CRITERIA: Stds will be asked to write sentences about what they think they would do if they were superheroes. T will evaluate conditional sentences.INSTRUCTIONS:   Stds will be asked to create a superheroe and then write sentences about whay they would do if they were a superheroe and could change some things in our country.

For more help follow these links:

Sample:http://webtools4english.blogspot.com/2010/11/sample-2-avatar-makercom.html

Description of the website: http://webtools4english.blogspot.com/2010/11/description-of-gizmoz.html 

1) Go to www.gizmoz.com

2) Sign up

3) Click on "create your avatar" and you'll see this:

 4) Start selecting the items you like in each section

5) Once you have chosen everything click on the "publish"

6) Download it into your computer and send this file together with the sentences to my e-mail address.