Video Journals

Can the benefits of journaling be used to improve speaking?

After reading an article about recording students speech, I am thinking it would be worth a try.

The Idea

The original article focused on recording journal entries on tape and having students exchange them, which sounds like a whole lot of work on the teacher's end.

What I propose is that a student video journals and asks a question to the audience. They upload it to something like Youtube. Other students watch it and answer the question.

How to Do It

Students start with a topic related to class. Based on their level, they must speak about the topic for a predetermined period of time.  They record their spontaneous speech using a web cam (you can do this directly on Youtube).   At the end of the talk, the student must ask one or two questions to their audience. They upload it to YouTube.  Have your students "tag" the video with the name of your class so it is easier for everyone to find it.

To follow up, have students trade Youtube usernames.  The goal is to then have students listen to each other and give feedback, answering the questions either by a responding video, or in the comment section.

Example

Here is an example topic that could be given to students.

Read the Quote

"If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter."
George Washington

Without planning beforehand, answer the following questions in about 3 to 5 minutes.


1. What do you think this quote means?
2. Do you agree or disagree? Why?

3. What current events do these quotes remind you of?
4. Ask a question to your audience at the end (What do you know about... How do you feel about...)

As the follow up assignment:

Listen to a partner's monologue and answer their question at the end.  On their video, comment on one thing that you enjoyed about their talk.

Benefits

I've found that ungraded journals has really improved my students writing. When they are forced to produced for a certain amount of time but only for a participation grade, they feel like they are doing a good job.

It helps confidence. They know they can produce a certain amount of English. It also helps them hear their peers and learn from them as well.

Let me know if you give it a chance! How did you do it and how did it work out? Do you feel like it improved their speaking?

Source

Mir, M. (2006). Idea: Using "Oral Journals" to Develop Speaking Fluency, Self-Confidence and Much More! Hispania, 89(3), 559-561.

Back to It

After a bit of a hiatus, finishing classes and thinking about comp exams, I'm going to try to get back on the horse and start sharing again.

Photo Stream

What it is...

A talented student draws pictures of animals that will be the story.

Do you have students taking pictures of the board? Have a good picture someone drew? Have a lecture you'd like saved? Have notes on the board? Do students create interesting things you'd like to keep?


 Now how do you feel about being able to share those moments with students outside of class?

Using something like photo stream is a great way to share those in class pictures with students.

How to do it

If you have an iPhone it is crazy easy.  Just take a picture like normal, except create a new album. You then have the option of sharing that album. Now you have a collection of pictures that will always sync to your phone, that also lives online.

Other options would be to go the Flickr route and just upload into a "set". You could then share the set with your class.

Examples

Classroom Photostream

Here is an example of some vocabulary pictures that I've taken.  Students have decided which words they believe are the most important. Essentially they create their own tests.  I then share the link (or shorten it). They can then see it.

Ideas

Quiz Review

This would be a neat way to keep:

• Lectures
• Student posters
• Examples
• Student work in general

Expansion Questions from a Listening

It could help students wanting to review or keep some ideas.

What better way to remember is there than to see something you did again?

Class Blog

The Idea

Do you wish your students would write more? What about think more consciously about what they say? What about building a community of writers out of your class?  Try a classroom blog.

What to do

Make a new blog for your students to follow. Students are getting more and more techno savvy and you'd be surprised at how easy it is for them to sign up on their own. After you give them a day or two to catch up, you can pick up the stragglers.

Example

Here is an example for a reading and writing class. I try to make sure they are not only writing regularly but also making comments on what other students are say. The assignments ask them to reflect their writing and what the class is reading.

This could be a really easy thing to do after you get it set up. Once you have the prompts, they are there forever.

Other Uses

What are some other ways you think you could use a blog? Write a comment.

Tweet Your Class

The Idea

Students need to be reminded about home work or a quiz? Do you ever find a great website or something that is a bit of a tangent? Do you feel like if you students just focused on making one or two sentences correct they could benefit? Try tweeting!

Come On, Just Try

I took some selling for the concept. Now I'm a convert. Try it for a month. Make your students participate. See what they have to say. They are using social media to improve their English, not distract from it.

Tweet Once or Twice a Day

I think it works well to send out one tweet a day about what you did in class or the homework. Put "#Name of your class" at the end so then everyone can see what everyone is saying if they search "#Name of your class"! It's really neat to see the discussion evolve and you are the architect.

Some things to Tweet

• Homework
• Extra credit 
• Questions for discussion
• Topic preview
• Blog posts that may be helpful
• Websites to supplement what we did in class
• Discussion questions
• Vocabulary practice tweets
• Test taking strategies
• Learning strategies
• Student Interest based tweets- music, soccer, University

Example Tweets

http://goo.gl/S9IFU Leadership styles of famous leaders. What kind do you admire? Post your thoughts. #MastersLS

HW: Write a paragraph about General Sherman's transformation as a leader. #mastersls

Extra credit tweet: Whose speech today do you remember the most and why (not your own) #MastersLS

#MastersLS Take this leadership quiz. Tweet your style and why you are that leader. http://goo.gl/eb1I9

Rules

• Don't respond too much. It'll seem like you are controlling the conversation.
• Don't go more than a few days without tweeting or people will think you gave up.
• If students make a mistake, privately send them a message with the correction; I made this mistake and the person never tweeted again.
• Make a policy- Be nice, be helpful, etc.
• Make tweeting mandatory if you are going to do it.
• Use goog.l, bit.ly, or tinyurl to save characters

The Future

How would you use this? Think of the possibilities! Succinct discussion about class, outside of class. Follow me and Tweet your thoughts, or comment on the blog.
Twitter: drnagy86

Web Quest

The Idea

Ever have students have problems finding proper resources? Are you worried that they are just reading it in their first language and not in English?  These problems could be solved with a thing called a WebQuest.

What is a WebQuest

A WebQuest has a task, a procedure to complete it, and a final production goal at the end. You write goal for them, walk through the steps giving websites to scaffold and research. In the end, they have a paper, presentation, poster, or project of some kind. It can be individual or group.

Where?

There are a lot of things labeled "WebQuest" out there. A good place to start is Quest Garden. It has a variety of types and resources. While the ESL specific content is a little low, it is an interesting way to get students to work with area specific items and practice their English. They can kind of follow your or their interests.  You can always just Google Web quest and maybe get lucky. People post them all over.

Example

Try doing this WebQuest I found on the quest garden. It is an interesting one about the English language and it is geared towards linguists called "Whose English is it, Anyway?". Here is another about the history of English as well.

Try this one I made for a class. I hope to use it many times in different forms because it is a general "argumentative" speech topic, of which it seems like my syllabii call for frequently.

Expansion

On the WebQuest website, you can make your own. It costs a fee though after the first month. What is really nice about it though is that it comes with procedural checkpoints so you can insure that the quality is high. If you are going to make one for the first time, I'd start there and move it somewhere else after you make it.

You can make this on any free website program such as GoogleSites, Weebly, or others if you have the patience to make it. If you are using GoogleSites, there are some templates out there if you search for them while you are making it. It makes the design process really slick.

Have a Webquest you like? Post it and share!

Three Indispensible Teacher Tools

What do you think that you can't live without in your classroom? I've become so relent on using technology to not only make classes more interesting, but also to increase my productivity. So here is a list of things that make you more interesting, but make life easier.

Google Drive

I use this everyday, for everything. If you are not using Google Drive, you are doing a disservice to yourself. Reasons for using Google Drive:

Organize

Organize all the things that you would use in your class in one spot. Make a folder for each class, just like you would on your own computer. The difference? Now you can access it everywhere!

Edit

It can edit any Google documents on the fly. I can edit something on my iPad or smart phone before I send it away to be printed on a cloud printer. Great!

Make Documents

Make word processing, spread sheet, and presentation documents. It isn't super fancy but it works great for simple things, things you would use everyday in class. You can also make forms which can become questionnaires  quizzes, or grammar exercises.

Upload

Upload everything to your drive so you can look at it later. This includes not only documents, but also videos, pdfs, or pictures.

Share

Share it! I took all our materials that the teachers had shared on our computer and collected it on one drive. Now, anyone who wants to access this material can do so at home. Not only that, but it is super easy for them to add their work anytime, anywhere.

Delicious

Do your bookmarks explode out of your bookmarks bar? Mine do. So, give some love to this bookmark site.

Collect

Collect your websites all in one place. Now you don't have to email yourself links, only have them on one computer, etc. It's all in one place where you can access anywhere.

Tags

What would this website be good for? Hmm, maybe vocabulary, or an interesting reading. So I tag it as vocabulary, reading. Write a little blurb about what is on it. And do this for every new website that you find useful. Works great because when I am then looking for something, I just look for the proper tag.

Search

You can then search what other people have tagged as well. If you are looking for anything at all, you then have a website with a short description of what that site is all about. It's a great tool for finding resources.

Share

Share your bookmarks. Everything that has the same tag GETS ITS OWN WEBSITE! I don't capitalize often, but that is awesome. I like it for letting students research pre-selected websites. It works well for finding speech or writing topics. It's also good for those students who say, "Hey, I would like some TOEFL information, can you help me?" Sure.

Evernote

Where do you keep all your lesson plans and lectures? In your head? What about notes about a class? Consider using Evernote as a way to organize your paperwork.

Organize

Make folders and "tag" your materials as topics. For instance, everything you have to say about "topic sentences" could easily be kept in one spot.

Immortal

Make your lectures immortal. You will never lose any information again. Get an idea? Write it down. Think you said a good lecture? Why not record it? Ever come up with something on the fly that worked really well in that moment? Take a picture of the white board and upload it to your notes straight from your smart phone!

Share

You can send these documents to anyone. Send your lecture to your class to help them review. Share with other teachers some interesting ways that you explain things. It is truly endless.