Web Tools in the English classroom

by Alfonso, RocíoAyala, JulietaImperi, TatianaJukic, MarielVertullo, Jorgelina

Técnicas informáticas May of 2014Prof. María Laura García

Webtools● Blabberize http://blabberize.com/

● Go animate http://goanimate.com/

● Voki http://www.voki.com/

● Tellagami https://tellagami.com/

● MailVu http://mailvu.com/

Content● Make: edition of the

blabber / 30 secs.● Browse: search

other blabbers● My stuff: stores

users’ blabbers

A website to create monologues out of pictures. You need a microphone or any recorded material to upload.

Evaluation of the site❖ Login required to

make a blabber (but not to see others).

❖ Easy and simple format to use - Visually attractive design.

❖ Audience: children - adults ->check content appropriacy

❖ Supports visual and auditory learners.

❖ Difficult to find relevant blabbers for educational purposes-> no explicit educational content ->no categorization into topics ->MAIN DRAWBACK

❖ Links updated and valid ->New blabbers->Constant contribution

❖ Downloadable into video format: A)check compatibility and quality B)expires ->Premium account

❖ Publishing: easy and varied->embedded/url code - social networks (Facebook-Twitter-Blogger, etc.)

❖ Edition: not possible once the blabber is finished -> only tags and name.

Blabberize the English classroom

❖ Sts do some research about a famous personality and then record themselves pretending they are that person.

❖ Sts talk about their routines, holidays, plans for their holidays (present/past simple - future forms)

❖ T makes a blabbler to present a topic (Environmental issues - life in the future - friendship, etc)

❖ Sts do storytelling.

❖ Sts do retelling : a short interview

❖ T does listening comprehension.

❖ Sts practice pronunciation. T gives feedback with Blabberize.

❖ Sts do physical descriptions

Useful links● How to make a blabber PDF

● Archamedis talking about himself

● Lesson plan: talking poetry with blabberize

● Lesson plan: Digital storytelling

Go Animate is an on-line web tool to create business-related videos.

Content:● Regístrate● Inicia sesión● Explora (Blog, videos, foros)● Planes y precios● Crea un video

Evaluation of

❖ Sign up is required

❖ The website can be used for free, but users have to pay to access to certain options

tutorialsThe web page offers a wide variety

of tutorials about how to use the site (there are links to videos and there are transcripts of what is said in the videos; besides, there are two options as regards the videos: one of them is made up of images, the other is exactly the same, but with a woman talking. All these options are excellent for teachers who work with students of different levels).

● Themes/settings● Characters● Props

(saw, sword, ball, ring, microphone, feather)

● Speech balloons

● Background music and sounds in the scenes

Making the characters move:● Movements

● Emotions (body)

● Motion

● Expression (face)

Making characters speak:

● Mic recording

(record your own

voice)

● Upload file

● Your library (file

from GoAnimate

library)

● Text-to-speech

(only 180

characters; wide

variety of accents

to choose from)

Save and share your video:

● Share by copying and pasting a link

● Embed the video on other sites

● Download as MP4 file available to subscribers only

http://goanimate.com/videos/08pYxBIJq7C4

in the English Classroom❖ After having been introduced to certain topics (introducing yourself,

present continuous, and certain situations at an office, for instance), students think of a conversation that may take place between two people (secretary and boss, two employees, etc.). Students write the conversation including all necessary details like setting, the names of the characters, what they are doing at the moment of speaking, etc. Students go to www.goanimate.com and choose a template and the characters they need to animate the dialogue they created.

❖ Students can narrate the continuation of a story they have read.

❖ Roleplaying of a certain topic or scene

❖ Teacher may provide a certain video (with a certain setting and characters) so that students create and record a dialogue.

❖ After having read a story, students recreate a scene. They create a GoAnimate video, they write a dialogue and record themselves acting it out.

❖ Teacher may introduce a new topic by creating a video of a conversation (Teacher can intervene and create a text according to her students’ level)

Useful links● Go Animate for schools

Educational version of Go!Animate

● YouTube tutorials

YouTube channel with tutorials, webinars and samples

● Go!Animate lesson plan

Lesson plan with Go!Animate

● Other ideas on Go!Animate

Evaluation of the site

● Using Go!Animate for e-learning

Prezi presentation giving ideas to use Go!Animate for e-learning

Voki is a FREE service that lets you create customized speaking characters

Content:● voki● voki classroom● voki presenter

Evaluation of the site❖ Login is NOT

required to create a VOKI❖ you can record up to 1

minute long messages

❖ Easy and simple to use -

Visually attractive design.

❖ Supports visual and

auditory learners.

❖ VOKI Classroom and VOKI

presenter are not for free

❖ VOKI was created with Teachers and Students in mind

❖ the web page is full of tutorials on how to use the different sections

❖ VOKI offers tips for teachers on how to use VOKI in the classroom

❖ VOKI has a section called Lesson Plan. It is a database with different lesson plans that teachers around the world have shared

❖ If you have used VOKI in your lessons. you can share your ideas here!

❖ This is a VOKI lesson Plan

❖ you can select a character from one of VOKI many styles: Classic, Animals, Oddballs and more.

❖ you can change your characters’ looks, clothes and accessories.

❖ you can choose a background from VOKI’s library or upload one of your own

❖ you can record by phone number, type your message, record with a microphone or upload an audio file

❖ you can reshape your

VOKI

❖ you can post your VOKI

to your social networks

- facebook, twitter…

❖ you can copy and paste

a permalink

❖ you can embed it to

your webpage.

In the English classroom

❖ Teachers can use VOKI to exemplify activities or give instructions❖ Students can publish their class progress protecting their identity, very

useful for primary students, especially.❖ Students can introduce themselves, describe characters (their monsters,

book character….)❖ Students can talk about their routines or somebody else’s routine❖ Voki can be used for Storytelling❖ Voki can be used for Roleplaying❖ Teachers can use the lesson Plan section to get new ideas on how to use

VOKI in the classroom❖ Students can also practice writing summaries or any type of text and

then everybody can listen to it. They can also record the same text as a separate activity.

❖ Students can share VOKI with classmates.

Useful linksVOKI FAQ

VOKI Getting started

VOKI Tip of the Week

VOKI tutorials on youtube

VOKI Lesson Plan

About the App- Tellagami is a downloadable application to create short animated

movies called “Gamis.” - It allows you to create a customized character, and choose a

background image. The background can be chosen from a set of given options, or uploaded from your device.

- You can then give voice to your character in two different ways: you can record your voice, or type a text so the app ‘reads’ it for you.

- When your ‘Gami’ is ready, it can be saved in your device, watched online, e-mailed or shared via Facebook or Twitter.

This ‘Gami’ very

clearly explains

what Tellagami

is.

Good and bad points- When it comes to designing your character’s physical appearance, the options

are quite limited. However, it is possible to select the character’s emotion or facial expression which best represents the general mood of the movie.

Good and bad points

- The app allows the

user to take a

picture and upload

it as background

image, making it

possible to have as

many a number of

background

options as there

can possibly be.

Good and bad points

- If you want to record a message, you only have 30 seconds to do so.

- If you type your speech, the application has male and female voices, as well as different accents to choose from.

Good and bad

points:

Once your ‘Gami’ is

ready it can be

saved,, sent by e-

mail, shared via

Facebook or

Twitter, or just

watched online.

Good and bad pointsOther aspects to take into consideration

- It is possible to record many movies and put them together to

make a longer one, but a different tool is necessary for this

purpose.

- The app does not require internet connection since it is

downloadable. It is not necessary to create an account, either.

However, it can only be used with devices such as iPad, iPod,

iPhone, or Android.

Uses in the EFL classroom - Some examples:- Create narrated animations -either adapted from a story students

have read or made up from scratch-- Talk about holidays - describe places visited.- Retell anecdotes- Read a poem or speech- Create a character -might be a famous one- and have it introduce

itself

Some other examples:After reading the first

part of a story, students were asked to imagine and develop an introduction to the beginning of the following episode of the story.

Retrieved from http://ictwithmissc.weebly.com/tellagami.html

Some other examples:

As part of a history

lesson, students can

go back in time;

describe a

significant event or

period, an

important character,

etc.

Some other examples:

As part of a

geography lesson,

students can take a

trip to any place and

describe its

landscape, climate,

flora and fauna,

whatever!

Useful sitesLesson ideas

Example: Weather forecast

'Bring Common Core Alive With Tellagami'

The Tellagami Project

MAILVU is a web tool to send free video

emails

Content:

✓ Home✓ Products and Pricing✓ About us✓ Sign up✓ Login

Describing the site● You can try it free without signing up. ● It’s very easy to record.● You just need a video camera● Once you record you can share it or send it by email

straightaway.● You have 10 minutes to record.

● You can record videos in mov, mp4, wmv, flv, 3gpp, mts and avi formats.

● You can set a self-destruct time or number of views.

● You can play the videos not only on computers but also on new smartphones and tablets.

● You can store your videos in a private online account.

● Depending on the services you need, you have to pay for a specific account.

● You can watch this video to get a better idea.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei2WIa3erko

● You can send 10 minute videos by e-mail for free.

● You do not need to download anything. You just record and send it.

● Good sound and video quality.● Very simple format● Not so attractive for children.

Especially for intermediate students and adults.

● Although teachers are mentioned on the webpage, there is no specific educational focus found.

● Teachers sending video emails will help auditory and visual students.

Evaluating the site

● Webpage looks professional and it’s easy to follow.

● The webpage looks professional. You can learn about the software company and about the people managing it.

mailVU in the English Class● Teachers can record themselves while telling a story, for example, and send it

to students so that they can practise listening skills in a non-traditional way.

● Students can work in pairs and record themselves as if they were in an

interview (role playing).

● If students have to deliver a presentation on a specific topic, they can record

themselves and the teacher can play it in the classroom. This will help

students who are shy or feel peers pressure.

● Teacher can deliver different topics so that students prepare their own videos

and send them to the teacher so that they have to bear in mind pronunciation

and fluency.

● Students can also record themselves as one character of any book or short

story they have read. They can also dress up as that character and choose a

specific scene they want to show.

Interesting LINKS

● How To Create a Connected Classroom with MailVU

● Secret tips for English Success

● mailVU’s Video Mail: Another Boost to Online EducationmailVU API Video Recorder and Uploader Display Videos on Your User Pages Email Videos or Share Link

● Private Label Offer branded video email service, user accounts, and mobile video email apps