Class 6: VIDEO PROJECTS

Your assignment for this class is to create the best video project.

You will work in groups of 2-4 which you can choose by yourself

What you need:

1. A camera that shoots video (photo camera, mobile phone with good video quality).

2. A group of people you can work with.

3. Creative ideas.

4. Good sense of humour and desire to win.

Please remember about the structure of your project. It has to be logical:

1. Introduction.

2. Main part.

3. Conclusion.

Your video should be 5-10 minutes long. It can be in the form of a news report, a talk-show, a quiz-show, documentary, mockumentary, tv-series and so on.

The topic of your project is “Student Life”.

GOOD Luck!!!

Listening to English

One of the best ways of learning foreign language is listening to it and watching videos. There are numerous websites where you can do it.

Your assignment for this class will be to make a "media library entry" of resources on the particular topic (the one that you subscribe to here 141a 141b 142a 142b).

You can use the resources you find. There should be at least 10 resources in your "media library entry". 
Only one link from each website is allowed!

Add your resources to the "Media library" wiki page here .

You might find these helpful:

Audio resources

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/newsaboutbritain/2009/02/090127_soaps.shtml (and don’t forget about bbc.co.uk where you can listen to the live radio)

http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/listen-and-watch

http://www.englishmeeting.com/esl_podcast_page.htm

http://www.englishclub.com/listening/index.htm

http://www.manythings.org/ (go to “Listening and Reading” and “Singing” parts)

http://www.podcastsinenglish.com (only listening – the other features are paid)

Video resources

http://www.youtube.com/

http://www.sidereel.com/_home (TV shows, movies, TV programs in English)

Class 7: EFL/ESL Websites

Your next assignment is to find and analyze a website that can be used for learning English.
You need to post the link to your website in the comments to this post and then present it during our class.

Here you can find a short example of how to do that and 4 questions you have to answer while analyzing your website (all the questions in bold).

Website
What features (services) does the website provide?
You can read the news from all over the world on this website. It is updated every day, so it helps you to keep track of what is going on in the world. Also you can listen to some of the news (ths developing your listening skills) and learn new vocabulary from the material you are reading or listening to. As well as listening online you can download the article, exercises and the mp3 file so that to work with it in an offline mode.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/
There are different categories. For example, you can choose between GRAMMAR, VOCABULARY and PRONUNCIATION, or GENERAL and BUSINESS English. So you can choose and work with the area you need to develop.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/general/index.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/index.shtml
Also you can find cultural references from which you can get to know a lot about different cultures (not only about British). For example, there are 2 categories: COSTUMES AND CELEBRATIONS and RECIPES where you can learn a lot about different holidays and national cuisine of the country.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/specials/
To addition there one can also find crosswords, quizzes, blogs and numerous discussions.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/quizzes/crossword/101119_crossword_school.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/quizzes/index.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/community/index.shtml

What do you like about it?
You can work with it for free (including the download of the files). It is extremely useful both for my English and the general development - I am always aware of what is going on in the world. I enjoy reading and istening to the news and stories as well as doing crosswords and quizzes.

What don’t you like about it?
You can forget about time if you get to the website, because it really makes one interested in what’s going on there.
Sometimes the news are rater short, so one need to reasearch te topic on other addditional websites, but that is not such a big problem.

How many points would you give this website (out of 10)? And why?
10 points, because it is possible for everyone to use it: for people from every part of the world (with Internet), and with all levels of knowledge.It is user-friendly and easy to use.

Classes 2- 3: WebQuests

WebQuests

WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented online tool for learning, says workshop expert Bernie Dodge. This means it is a classroom-based lesson in which most or all of the information that students explore and evaluate comes from the World Wide Web. Beyond that, WebQuests:

• can be as short as a single class period or as long as a month-long unit;
• usually (though not always) involve group work, with division of labor among students who take on specific roles or perspectives;
• are built around resources that are preselected by the teacher. Students spend their time USING information, not LOOKING for it.

Today we are going to try one of the WebQuests. Your assignment will be to complete a WebQuest about your learning style.Please read carefully and follow all the instructions in the following WebQuest http://www.zunal.com/webquest.php?w=68399

Step 1 (this class):
Today you need to define a learning style that fits you, to help me place you into one of the groups that we'll get and to start working on the group part of the WebQuest.
Here are links to the personality tests: 1 , 2 (and you can also find your own tests to find out your learning styles)
Step 2 (the next class):
Your groups will have to make presentations during the next class.

GOOD LUCK!

CLASS 4: GOOGLE DOCS AND PRESENTATIONS

For the first task please follow the link:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lY-9BB94w05w-sVpP0rrG-CRuFdTn5thr_bFZphZwxE/edit

After finishing the first task, please follow this link and choose a topic of your presentation by writing your first and second name in the appropriate column. You will work in groups of 2-3, so there should be the names of all group members next to the topic.

141

142

So for the next class your task is to create a presentation (in google docs) on the topic you chose. After finishing it - share it with me (olga.anikina@gmail.com).

Now more about the format of your presentation.

This is going to be Pecha Cucha presentation (which is a 20-slide presenattion where each slide is shown for 20 seconds). In your presentation should contain 20 slides 15 seconds each. There shouldn't be much text on the slides - try to use imges to support what you are talking about.

Here you can read about and watch examples of Pecha Kucha presentations ad see some tips on creating them: 

http://www.pechakucha.org/

http://catherinecronin.wordpress.com/2012/06/13/pecha-kucha/

Here you can find tips on how to make and deliver an effective presentation:

http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/presentationskills.htm

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/powerpoint-help/tips-for-creating-and-delivering-an-effective-presentation-HA010207864.aspx

http://www.accuconference.com/resources/effective-presentations.aspx

http://www.instigatorblog.com/how-do-you-prepare-for-presentations/2008/01/16/

Please make sure you practice before presenting. The better sprepared you presenattion will be the higher mark you'll get.

I am looking forward to listening to your presentations. Good luck :)

Evaluation spreadsheet 

Class 1: Introduction and Blogs

Class 1: BLOGS

Hi everyone!

During our classes we are going to work with different media that can be used for learning foreign languages (English in particular).

Before we start I would like to ask everybody to think How often do you use computer technologies in your everyday life?

What about Internet? What do you use it for?

How often do you communicate with people on the Internet? Search for information? What language(s) do you use? Why this particular language?

In groups of 3-4 discuss the following questions:

Do you think computer technologies could contribute to the process of learning English? Can they help you in learning English? How? 

Why use technology at all? What are the advantages? 

Our first class is devoted to Weblogs.
Today your assignment is to create your own weblog (if you already have one, please create another blog in English ) 

GO TO blogspot.com

CREATE A BLOG

CREATE A GOOGLE ACCOUNT (if you do not have one)

NAME YOUR BLOG

CHOOSE A STARTER TEMPLATE

START BLOGGING

TITLE

TYPE YOUR MESSAGE IN THE WINDOW

PUBLISH POST

VIEW POST

To view blogger control panel

GO BACK

SETTINGS

PERMISSIONS (here you can assign who will be able to read your blog)

COMMENTS

SAVE SETTINGS

VIEW BLOG 

Here you go! Congratulations on creation of your own weblog.

Home assignment:
1. Post autobiography on your blog (with pictures, video and everything you can think of).
2. In comments of this post answer the following questions:
a. How would you like to use weblogs on your classes of English?
b. What project(s) could one carry out using weblogs? 
P.S.: I am looking forward to reading your blogs. 

WebQuest "INTERNATIONAL EATING ETIQUETTE"

http://zunal.com/webquest.php?w=89960