ESL Podcast 911 – Correcting and Explaining in Conversation

I find a podcast about correcting and explaining in a conversation. It is ESL Podcast 911. This podcast is very good for students who want to learn some communication skills in their daily life. There are scripts, so if students do not understand, they can refer to the scripts to get exact understanding of what is going on. Another best aspect of this podcast is that the host will explain those dialogues in detail. In this way, students can learn better individually.

I can use this podcast in my teaching. For example, I can first ask students to listen to the podcast by themselves after class. Students are not given the scripts. We can discuss the content of this podcast during the class. Students can also learn some expressions and vocabularies from the dialogue. This podcast is great because the speaking speed is proper to students who are not very proficient. Second, students can practice listening skills. They can listen to the podcast by downloading it in their MP3. The podcast of normal speed version can put students in a situation of real conversation. Listening can be improved by listening to it again and again. Third, this is a good material for speaking class which aims to practice conversation skills. This podcast explains the dialogue in details. I can get some ideas of explaining and teaching conversation skills for my speaking class. Last but not least, this podcast episode can be recommended to students to learn by themselves after school.

ePals

In ePals Global Community, you can find a classroom by narrowing results according to region. There are three types of collaboration: email exchange, skype or video chat, and project workspace. Also, you can search by key words. There are a lot of projects which are categorized into types like culture, music, math, science, reading, writing and so on. Those projects can last for weeks, or just one semester.

There are two projects related to endangered species. One Indian project was approved on July 6, 2013. It says that enthusiastic Grade 4 students in India want to connect with an equally enthusiastic class and are waiting to explore their Saving Endangered Species Project with partners. So if my class is also interested in this project, we can match and work together in this project. It is great for my students to work with partners around the world.

Another project that was approved on December 17, 2012 is from an international school in Shanghai, China. They will record a video of students explaining/doing warm up exercises. Then the receiving class will try their workout and record a new exercise/warm up for them to try. This is a great resource for collecting some ideas of warm-up activities. Teacher can learn and share with each other from all around the world.

The best way to learn culture is to learn from a person from that culture. So I can use projects about culture to let students find their partners and get in touch with them through email or skype. In this way, students from this program can exchange and learn from each other. In addition, there are activities, games, videos which can be used to explore cultures around the world.

One most useful feature is the teaching resources. Although a lot of them are not free, I can download some of them which are free if I log in. Those resources are categorized into different grades, prices and languages. For example, there is a packet called “‘Dragon them back to school’” which is designed to help teacher bring all of the individuals together into a unified team. There is a description about the contents of this packet. I can first review the description and then decide whether I will download it or not.  This packet is really interesting. It includes some interview questions, some activities with colorful pictures and students can really be motivated in completing those tasks.

GoAnimate

GoAnimate is an easy way to make a dialogue because all characters, scenes and actions are already there.I would use this tool to ask students to do pair work. That is, they need to work with one partner to create a short dialogue. This can be followed by a class presentation of this dialogue. If it is a speaking class, I will ask students to record their own voice for the dialogue. In this way, students can practice speaking with partners and I can also assess students' pronunciation by watching their short videos.

If we have a paid version, I would encourage my students to create their own characters, their hair styles, eyes and so forth. In this way, students are doing what they like using their imagination.

With such a tool, learning can be switched from boring classroom dialogue practice to dialogue performance in a real scene. Students will be motivated by this.

Animoto

Animoto is a good tool to make short videos. We can make a 30-second video for free. For teacher, this tool can be used for introduction. Photo story is more attractive than just introducing a story orally. By using digital storytelling which includes music and photos, the texts which present the topic are emphasized. Students can be motivated to learn the texts. So I can use this tool when I want to explain an important concept. With such a video clip, the complicated concept can be simplified and be more comprehensible to students. If I want to use a longer video, I can upgrade and pay for that.
For students, this is also a great tool. Students can be asked to make a short video based on what they have learned. Such a short storytelling asks students to conclude details into general ideas and present within 30 seconds. Teacher can check students' understanding by reviewing their videos. Moreover, students can make their own stories by using topics they are interested in. This is helpful for creative thinking.

Digital Storytelling

In the article 7 things you should know about Digital Storytelling, Digital storytelling is defined as ‘the practice of combining narrative with digital content, including images, sound, and video, to create a short movie, typically with a strong emotional component’. According to the Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling, ‘Digital storytelling at its most basic core is the practice of using computer-based tools to tell stories’. Digital storytelling can be used by every one. Users with little technology can practice using it starting from simple application. The storyteller will first create the scripts and then apply media elements such as images, videos, music into the movie. It is an effective tool to connect technology with language learning. It is widely used in teaching nowadays.

By digital storytelling, students can promote language proficiency because they need to organize a complete story to empress their thought. So target language function will be practiced repeatedly. In this way, students can also develop critical thinking. One application of digital storytelling mentioned in the article 7 things you should know about Digital Storytelling is to let students keep an e-potfolio. The teacher can have a good understanding of students’ development through portfolios. I looked over some examples of digital storytelling from the Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling and found that this way of illustrating a concept or topic is more effective than just teacher’s lecturing. With those technology added into the scripts, students can get a better understanding of what is being talked about. If the teacher could combine class contents with digital storytelling, the teaching might be more beneficial to students. 

Use Serious Game Outside of the classroom

For the game that I want students to play outside the classroom for autonomous learning, I choose the Trace Effects.    

This game is designed to learn American English and culture. This game will ‘complement students’ classroom English language instruction through interactive 3D multimedia learning adventures’. The game ‘exposes users to American society and explores themes related to entrepreneurship, community activism, empowering women, science and innovation, environmental conservation, and conflict resolution’. ALL in all, this game provides some real American life. Students can not only learn language but culture of that language.

I played Chapter one of this game 3 times and get familiar with how to play it and then the whole game. I find this game great for learning outside of the classroom because it is divided into different chapters. During the game, students can learn vocabulary and some communication strategies. In order to get score, students need to communicate with people, for example, students and library staff. Students can talk with different people and hear Native American English with some body language when they are asked to do various actions. In this way, Students can experience real campus life. During the conversation, students need to be polite which means students have to follow basic communication rules. When students complete some of the conversation completely, they can get a score. Students can be motivated in this way so that they will engage more in the following game. One great practice is that after some actions, students will be asked to have a small quiz. Students can take notes and review the dialog whenever they want.

My language learning objectives would be SWBAT infer the meaning of some words in context; apply American daily communication skills in their own life and describe the problems and ask for help from others with target language.

I can use this game in my teaching because after asking students to play the game at home, I can design some role plays using scenes in the game to see if students can perform successfully using target vocabulary and expressions. This is one way of assessing. Also, I can make students into groups and assign each group different topics in the game to do a presentation. Last but not least, I can ask students to write an essay explaining the problems Trace encountered and how he solved them. 

How to Use Casual Game in Classroom

Gamification is the concept of applying game-design thinking to non-game applications to make them more fun and engaging.

One rational for using games for language learning is that games can provide interactive experiences which engage and motive students. Students will have a positive attitude toward their language learning tasks.  Game is one great way to keep students engaged in language learning process. For example, by using walkthroughs, students can concentrate on teacher’s instructions which engage students into reading or listening. Students will find those walkthroughs very helpful for completing the game, so they will pay more attention to teacher’s direction. In addition, games are filled with language features such as new vocabulary, new sentence structure which provide useful language learning resources. So students can learn in a relaxed atmosphere.

I choose a game called Phantasy Quest. Personally I played the game first 3 times without the walkthrough but I got stuck.  After 3 tries with the help of the walkthrough, I completed the game. Even with the help of walkthrough, it is very difficult at some steps; for example, using the lantern to find the plant. I tried several times before I found it in the black hole. Another hard part is going out from the cave. I had to try different ways to get to right exit so that I can move on to continuing steps. The step14 should have been ‘go back once and go top right, go to middle door, go to middle door, and go left’.

My language learning objective would be SWBAT

Recognize and understand some new vocabulary; develop listening skills by focusing on details; understand my oral walkthrough and complete the task and use the vocabulary in their daily life.

The role of the teacher would be the resource and tutor. The teacher acts as a controller at the very beginning to explain the game and to teach some new vocabulary. Then the teacher acts as a resource because the teacher provides the walkthrough to students. During the game, the teacher acts as a facilitator. When students have some problems or when they get stuck, the teacher will be supportive.

I think the students would be actively involved because there is a clear goal of this game. Once students begin to play the game, they will be motivated because they eager to finish the game successfully. Also this engagement enforces the language learning objectives.

I would use a walkthrough for the game because I found it hard to complete separately when I play the game individually before the class. Students will be frustrated if they could not find the way out. I would use the walkthrough as a listening test. Students need to listen to and understand my instruction before moving on. I would use images from the game to introduce some vocabulary before playing the game. For example, lantern, skull, plant, rope, fishing pole, skeleton, key and the theory of how to use the stick to move the rock. I would write those words on the blackboard.

I can assess whether my learning objectives had been met by using the walkthrough. If students can escape from the desert successfully following my instruction, it means they can understand the listening part. To put the game into small part will work better because I can see if students can complete each step after each walkthrough. That is, we play the game step by step and I assess one by one. Also, I can have a vocabulary test after the game to evaluate students’ mastery of those words.