Notes for "Web 2.0: Tools for the MFL Teacher"

1. MYLO
www.hellomylo.com
You can try out the exercises on MYLO without logging in…
Storybird
Storybird is an online storytelling tool. Pupils can use art
provided on the site to illustrate their story and crate an
online storybook. This can then be emailed, embedded etc. Great for
creativity. Fiona Joyce’s excellent wiki hosts Storybirds written by MFL
teachers.
1. Register at www.storybird.com
2. Click on “Create” at the top, choose an artist, and click on “create a
storybird with …’s artwork”… and away you go!
3. When you have finished your Storybird, you can set privacy options,
publish your storybird, embed it, and email it to friends.
Task: Write a short Storybird
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2. Xtranormal
Xtranormal is a text-to-movie website which allows you
and your students to create short films with your own scripts using very clever
text-to speech technology. This means your students write a script and then feed
it into Xtranormal to produce films with characters enacting it. The free version
of Xtranormal allows for a maximum of two characters, so dialogues, which are
much beloved by us language teachers, are not a problem. Xtranormal have now
introduced a points system aimed at making us pay for it eventually – but it is
free to post your first few videos. There is also an edu version – pricing below:
However, you should be able to use the 14-day free trial with no problems.
To see the short example Simon showed, click here.
Here’s how students did this at Nottingham High in sixth form Spanish, with
thanks to José Picardo:
You do have to sign up to Xtranormal to use it. A guide to the educator platform
is here. However, you could just sign up and have a play with it first!
Quizlet
Quizlet is a site for making and finding flashcards. These can
be used for a variety of purposes.
Click here for a video tutorial: http://quizlet.com/demo/ - Quizlet is very
intuitive! You can set up groups for your students to join, and paste the
address of your Quizlet into your blog if you want them to revise a
particular set of flashcards.
Task: Create a set of 10 flashcards for your subject.
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3. Wallwisher / Linoit
Click here to add a note to our linoit page, or here to add a note to our
Wallwisher page!
1. Go to www.wallwisher.com
2. Click on “Login/Register” in the top RH corner (you can login using your
Google account/ OpenID if you have one and don’t want to register), and
fill out the form
3. Click where it tells you to to build your first wall
4. Edit your wall, choose a url, change the title and subtitle, edit the
permissions, select an image and click on “done”
5. Voila! Your wall is ready to receive posts. You can add one yourself to
check it works
Prezi
Prezi is a dynamic presentation tool. It is very flexible and
you can easily embed various media into it. There is a lot
of potential here for group work, revision notes etc.
The online tutorials are excellent and
can be found here – just follow them through!
Edmodo
Edmodo is an online version of a Virtual Learning
Environment. There is a guide to Edmodo here. You can set
assignments, share video and audio, links and so on.
Task: Set up a class and send them a note or embed a video.
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4. Lingro allows you to lay a dictionary over any web page.
Click on a word and it gives a definition.
www.twitter.com – Your PLN starts here. It’s not just about what Lady
Gaga has for tea!
Setting up an account is easy. Once you have done so, search for @joedale and
click on his lists. Click on the plus
sign to “follow” the list get updates
from everyone on the list – a great
way to get a feel for what is going on
The basics of twitter are here – and
there is more on the “help” section of www.twitter.com
www.linkedin.com – more serious networking here
www.evernote.com – note anything, anywhere. A fantastic planning
tool with real potential for sharing. “How to” page is here.
www.youtube.com – set up your own channel with
appropriate content.
www.flickr.com – great for sourcing pictures for languages. Try
Isabelle Jones’ great French pics here .
www.posterous.com – quick and easy blogging.
www.dropbox.com – share files with colleagues and the wider MFL
community. Send Simon a Direct Message (DM) on twitter and he will
invite you to the MFL Twitterati Dropbox!
www.diigo.com
Diigo is a social bookmarking site. You need to register an
account and (optionally) download the Diigo toolbar for your
browser. When you see a web page you wish to keep simply click on the icon,
add a description and “tag” the page – in other words add a search label - and
it will be in your Diigo account for future use!
There is much more you can do with Diigo – check out the video tutorial on
this page. You can set up an MFL department group, so whenever you see
something of interest, you can add it. Group members can be sent periodical
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5. emails updating them with what’s been put on. And there is already an MFL
sharing group on diigo: http://groups.diigo.com/group/resources-for-
languages
Task: Sign up for Diigo and create a group for your Department
Slideshare
With Slideshare you can upload and share your PowerPoint & Keynote
presentations, Word & PDF documents online. You can also add audio to make a
webinar. I have used this to show off students work on a VLE. There is also a
social networking aspect to it – you can follow and message other users and it
can be an excellent source of CPD. My profile on Slideshare:
http://www.slideshare.net/simonhowells
Task: Register on www.slideshare.net , upload a document, and follow
simonhowells!
Classtools.net
This site features lots of really useful resources.
Task: Explore and get to know two different tools from this site.
NB http://e.ggtimer.com is a very good whiteboard timer!
Languages/ICT blogs of note:
www.joedale.typepad.com
www.boxoftricks.net
www.amandasalt.blogspot.com
http://isabellejones.blogspot.com
http://monsieurh.posterous.com (ok not “of note” yet but give me time!)
http://www.rachelhawkes.com/
http://froggyval.blogspot.com
http://chilternedgemfl.typepad.com/chiltern-edge-mfl
http://chrisharte.typepad.com/learner_evolution_chris_h
http://lingualiciousblog.typepad.com
http://spanishstpauls.blogspot.com/
http://michellecairnsmfl.wordpress.com
http://aliceayel.posterous.com/
To watch today’s Prezi back again: http://prezi.com/9smptstbjskk/web-20-
tools-for-the-mfl-teacher/?
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6. auth_key=51a8785bdc48a474d5314254f2ed0cf16b03930c
Copies of these documents will be available on Simon’s Slideshare page too.
Thanks for your attention!
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