ICT in the PLL classroom - Lisa Stevens
LOG IN User name- plconference Email address -plconference@googlemail.com password -wolverhampton
Voicethread – www.voicethread.com
A collaborative online tool that enable you to make slideshows (can be kept private or made public) and then invite comments in text, sound or video from collaborators. Examples of use – eTwinning projects, practicing vocabulary, creative writing References for explanations http://primarymfl.ning.com/profiles/blog/show?id=738935%3ABlogPost% 3A8621
Voki – www.voki.com
A Voki is a talking avatar! You choose your avatar – could be an animal, anime, alien etc and background, then either record or upload sound (or you can type and the site turns it into speech!) press Ok and you have a talking avatar that can be downloaded or just kept on the site. Could be used for recording and assessing speaking in a fun way – and as saved online, can be reviewed later, allowing teacher to work with some whilst others record. Avoids the issue of videoing children and saving. Lots of examples of Voki (and many other uses of technology!) on this school’s blog http://roydslanguagesdepartment.typepad.com/my_weblog/
Weemee – http://www.weeworld.com/
Create your own avatar (mine is at the bottom of the page!) Good for avoiding ‘no photo’ policies as each chills has their own avatar and can be identified by you without breaking rules. Also they’re fun!
Buildyourwildself http://www.buildyourwildself.com/ Another avatar building site – this time allowing you to be a hybrid animal! Uses as above, but also for animals, descriptions, habitats. (http://lisibo.blogspot.com/2008/06/qca-unit-11el-carnaval-de-los-animales.html gives details of how I used it for QCA unit 11)
Audacity – download from http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
For recording sound! Really simple to use and versatile – sound can be easily recorded edited and saved (in a variety of formats) with just a computer and a microphone. Use for recording voice – speech and song- stories – whatever! Advice http://joedale.typepad.com/integrating_ict_into_the_/2008/06/aguide-to-reco.html http://joedale.typepad.com/integrating_ict_into_the_/2008/06/how-tocreate-a.html
Tutorials – http://joedale.typepad.com – Joe is a complete star and is
full of really great information and advice for using ICT in the classroom. There are a number of online tutorials on Joe’s blog. Also Brendan of MLPSI has made these tutorials for Voki http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=eb6736086aaac09 250f7&page=&viewtype=&category=&action=addfavour Audacity – http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=43aecabacc452bc 5dbd2 Photostory http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=1503fbd55b97ba5 dc4b7&page=&viewtype=&category=&action=addfavour
Twitter – I’m lisibo - http://twitter.com Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that allows users to send "updates" (or "tweets"; text-based posts, up to 140 characters long) to the Twitter web site, via the Twitter web site, short message service (SMS), instant messaging, or a third-party application
such as Twitterrific or Thwirl. NB as social networking tool, it will be blocked in your classroom but can be accessed via mobile phone, and is good for your PD! I use it to stay in touch with what’s going on in the world of education, and also to ask questions!
Youtube – great source of videos and stuff.
If it’s blocked at school, use Zamzar www.zamzar.com or Youconvertit www.youconvertit.com to download the video you want to use for free and save it to your memory stick. Can also use the latest version of Realplayer but you have to have the same versioj on the machine on which you play it.
If you’re really interested in technology and Web2.0… http://edtechroundup.com/ Join the weekly Flashmeeting and share in the techno-banter :o) I’ll put notes and stuff on my blog (see below) but if you’ve got any questions, feel free to ask – I may not know the answer but I’m sure to know someone who does! lstevens@whitehousecommon.bham.sch.uk nocilla13@yahoo.co.uk