my first attempt at limericks and artisancam_picturebookmarker

http://www.artisancam.org.uk/flashapps/picturebookmaker/captures/stf/index.php?incomingNum=3102

Zooburst

To start us off, I had a look at Zooburst.

It allows you to create an online 'popup book' using text and pictures. Very easy to use; you can use pictures from the cliparts provided or upload your own. I was thinking maybe you could give learners a set of pictures to work from and create their own story ie an interpretive story or give them scope to search for their own but you can waste a lot of time there. You can really manipulate the pictures much on screen so not much scope for very sophisticated graphics:-)

The text for each page of the book probably needs to be quite short but at higher levels the challenges could be to write a pithy story in 6 lines for example.

The books can be embedded as I've done here in a post, in a blog or your wiki.

Here is my rather uninspired (visually) attempt to produce a popup story of the carpetfitter and the canary:-)

Web 2.0 MOODLE

MOODLE (Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment) is a FREE open-source e-learning software. It allows you to create an online course for students focussing on interaction, collaboration and construction. Supposedly very popular in the teaching world. I have not had a try at creating anything yet, just been exploring and investigating looking at the possibilities of using it with my class.

A great site for writing with YLs

Me again,

Just came across this via twitter (it's great, join in!). It's a fantastic site.

Have a watch of Russell Stannard's (web legend) intro video here.

This is Russell site, it's well worth a visit: Teacher Training Videos

A Class Blog

Here's a really simple blog that a teacher in France is using with her students. She has various different sections and is using it to communicate with her students to provide reminders, class summaries and links for extra practise.


Have a look!


http://dpaci.blogspot.com/

Richard

Young learners producing vokis

This is a blog for young learners of French as a foreign language. Here they produce their own vokis. The 'voices' are not their own but those of the 'synthesised' selections you can choose from. So rather than the learners recording orally, then type in the text for it to be 'read' by the synthesised voice.

Young learner vokis

In French but transferable to Engish as a FL. The blog is clearly a space to which learners post their vokis for others to share and this seems to be a common use of blogs - more than a collaborative space as such perhaps? Maybe worth thinking about their affordances with these particular aims in mind - teacher blog, class blog, individual blog; task management, sharing, collaboration...

Social networking

A Teachers' TV clip demonstrating ideas for social networking in the teaching of foreign languages:
Twitter in Spanish;
e-Twinning project;
Vokis;
wikis;
Voicethread

Social networking in language teaching

As you watch:
find out about technologies you are unfamiliar with;
how does the teacher respond to questions about privacy and security.

Technology in school contexts: teacher site

An example of video clips from Learning and Teaching Scotland. Although UK based, there is a wealth of resource here that you can browse. This is one from the podcasting series Voice thread and vokis

Each clip brings with it associated tagged clips as this one does.

There are various interesting clips showing IT use with younger learners. This one about e-twinning between primary children in a Scottish primary and a Polish school. E-twinning

Interesting comments by teacher about the project which she describes as happening 'outwith' the classroom, although very 'controlled' within - relates to the points I have made about careful planning and sequencing of activity that moves beyond the classroom walls.

Embedding Wordles

When you publish a Wordle you can copy an embed code to add it to your posting. Could be useful when creating a teacher blog or indeed to get learners to share their clouds.