Google Sites
About.
Google Sites is a free online web page creation and hosting tool. It was launched as a free software by Google in 2008. It offers it’s users free email, host space and a domain. The web page creator is a very easy tool to use. And should you get stuck there are an assortment of help guiedes, youtube videos and so forth. But the software is pretty simple so there should’nt be any problems. It’s quite simple, and anyone should be able to set it up. Members can add or remove apps and/or features they find useful/unuseful. They can also design the homepage to look the way they want . A teacher that creates a homepage for her/his class, The owner or administrator of the web page can then decide who to invite. . That way the site can stay private if that’s the purpose. But the web page can also be open to anyone who comes across it. The administrator of the site can also decide which options are available to only the administrator and which are available to everybody. Such as design, color coding etc.
Tools.
Google Sites can be a very useful tool for a class since it comes with a assortment of applications and features. Pupils, teachers and parents can all share information, join discussions through the their own private class web page. Some features that are very useful for a class are, Announcements which can be used to share important information that all users see. For an example if the teacher is sick or other important imformation. Another great feature is Homework Assignments. Members can share homework assignments so that parents for instance know what needs to be done each week. This is also a great way for sick students to keep up with schoolwork. Calender is another great feature. Members can plan their work, and other appointments or exams directly on the site. Docs is used to upload and save files, schoolwork etc.
Those are just a few of the applications that Google Sites has to offer. There is an array of applications available so each group or class can design their homepage with what they need. The site can be modified so that each class can have the features they want and fit them. Students can also create study groups. This is a great tool when working in smaller groups. Within these groups students can chat, share files and so on.
Conclusion
Based on my personal experience with Google Sites i would use in the future without hesitaion. It is incredibly easy to create a own web page. It offers its users great tools that most times come bundled with expensive packages or are very complex to programme yourself. There is no need for previous knowledge of PHP, MySQL or HTML. It all comes bundled with Google Sites.
Matej Ladan
Sunday 8 January 2012
LearnEnglish Kids- http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/
What is it?
This is a free online page by the British Council used worldwide. It includes free activities, games, stories and songs.
This is a page for:
· how to teach English
· how to learn English
· how parents can help their children to learn English
You need to be a member to use it.
There are many topics to choose from such as animals, colours, food, sports and numbers. Therefore it is an easy way for children to find something that they are interested in and make learning fun.
How the resource can be used by teachers
This website is a resource for teachers who teach English as a second or foreign language. It can be used both in the classroom and at home. As a teacher you can pick topic, level and age-group. You can choose many different activities such as spelling, reading, listening and writing as well as improving your vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar.
How the resource can be used by children
The children can do these activities at school or at home, for fun or as homework. They can also make comments and give scores for the different activities.
Here are some of the activities:
· Listen and watch
· Speak and spell
· Read and spel
To consider
You need to be a member, this is easy and all you need is an e-mail address. You need a computer in the classroom or preferably a few. The children can work on this page by themselves, in pairs or in groups with some guidance from the teacher to start with.
What is it?
This is a free online page by the British Council used worldwide. It includes free activities, games, stories and songs.
This is a page for:
· how to teach English
· how to learn English
· how parents can help their children to learn English
You need to be a member to use it.
There are many topics to choose from such as animals, colours, food, sports and numbers. Therefore it is an easy way for children to find something that they are interested in and make learning fun.
How the resource can be used by teachers
This website is a resource for teachers who teach English as a second or foreign language. It can be used both in the classroom and at home. As a teacher you can pick topic, level and age-group. You can choose many different activities such as spelling, reading, listening and writing as well as improving your vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar.
How the resource can be used by children
The children can do these activities at school or at home, for fun or as homework. They can also make comments and give scores for the different activities.
Here are some of the activities:
· Listen and watch
· Speak and spell
· Read and spel
To consider
You need to be a member, this is easy and all you need is an e-mail address. You need a computer in the classroom or preferably a few. The children can work on this page by themselves, in pairs or in groups with some guidance from the teacher to start with.
Friday 6 January 2012
Storybird
Storybird enables users varying from small children to adults to create their own stories by combining pictures and typing lines corresponding to them. It can be sent as a card to readers which is a very unique way of expressing one’s feeling. After creating your own story, you can watch it on screen, print it or share it with people all over the world. If you are talented, there might be your fan who will expect you to make stories one after another.
Teachers can let their pupils to make stories by using computers in classroom or they themselves can use storybird to make interesting lessons. Teachers can educate and amuse their pupils at the same time without putting so much effort.
How to use storybird!
Do not worry even though you are unfamiliar with computer. It’s easy and simple. First you pick up one image and type a few words for it. Then you add more words and pictures to make a story. It doesn’t necessarily have to be individual work. You can work in a pair or make a group. Each person can take one or two turns and share a Storybird as well.
What is good about storybird?
Storybird enhances pupil’s imagination, literacy, and self-confidence. According to storybird maker, kids who play with words and pictures early in life tend to score higher in cognitive and aptitude tests later on. It’s absolutely more effective than those traditional educations such as letting pupils read already-made stories out loud in classroom. It stimulates their brain, enables them to improve their comprehension skills by reading others stories and creativity when they make their original stories. Furthermore, they feel pleasure and confidence through coming up with own ideas.
How the resource can be used by pupils:
-Target pupils can be varied from 5 years old (first grade) to 12 years old (sixth grade)
-Pupils can make their own stories in English individually.
-Pupils can make comments in English by reading other pupils’ stories.
-Teachers can find out their frequently occurred errors through reading their stories
(wrong vocabs, wrong grammar and etc.)
How the resource can be used by teachers:
Don’t you happen to assume that grammar class can never be interesting for pupils? Then, you know nothing about how you can use storybird to entertain pupils. You can teach various things from verbs, numerals, adjectives and many more to them by including a lot of vocabularies in a story. You can for example create imaginary family by selecting pictures available on the website, introducing a father who is always ‘angry’ a mother who is always ‘kind’, a daughter who is always ‘hungry’, a son who is always ‘sleepy’. Then you can also let their pupils to introduce their family or friends by using storybird. They will succeed in acquiring adjectives easily! Not only for English lesson but also storybird can be used in mathematics, science and other subjects. Visualization will motivate pupil’s concentration and interests towards class for sure.
Yuriko Koga
Work cited
Storybird official website http://storybird.com/
Studentsoftheworld.info
The resource that I want to share with you all is a website called studentoftheworld.info, you can access it by following this link http://www.studentsoftheworld.info/. The creators’ purpose with this site is, as they express it themselves, to open the doors of world’s cultures and to further communication between young people all over the world.So, what is this resource?
Studentsoftheworld.info is a site that has been up and running since 2001 and it does not cost anything to use. It is designed for teachers and students of all ages and nationalities. You do not have to become a member of this site all you need is a computer, e-mail and access to internet, then you are ready to go. There are a lot of things to do and explore on this website but there are three functions that I find especially useful.
The first is the opportunity to find pen pals from all over the world. Students can go in and choose from which country they want their pen pal to come from, how old he or she should be and what language they want to use. When they have done that they will be able to see possible pen pals and their profiles. These profiles contain some information about the user and make it easy for the students to choose a pen pal they want to get to know. This is a great way for teachers to engage their student in a writing task where the purpose of English knowledge is clear for the students. They can see the benefits of being able to communicate in a foreign language and practice that ability in a realistic situation. This activity demands that students have quite a lot of English knowledge since they have to be able to express themselves in writing which can be difficult. One idea if you as a teacher wants to use this site with younger students, who has not come as far in their development, can be to let them work in pair so that they can take advantage of each others knowledge. Another idea can be to have one pen pal for the whole class so that all students work together with the teachers support when they are writing letters. In addition to extend students vocabulary this can be a great opportunity to make students pay attention to grammatical features such as past tense, present tense and irregular verbs. Having a pen pal in another country might also motivate students to learn more about the people, living situation and culture of that specific country. So it can be useful for the teacher to use when the class is working with geography.
The second function I think is useful for teachers is the possibility for students to publish blog posts on the site’s blog. Here students can publish texts they have written on various subjects so that other people can read and comment on them. Teachers can use this function when students have different writing assignment, both individual or in groups. Students can post something on the blog when they feel they have written something they want to share or they can be asked to post something on a more regularly basis. The fact that students’ texts will be published and accessible to others can work as a motivation for language accuracy.
The last function that I would really consider using in my classroom is the different forums on the site. There are several different chat rooms with subject such as hobbies, debates and homework help where the students can ask questions or just publish their thoughts and have people comment on them. Students can for example go in and ask for help with their homework and get response from students all over the world. Teachers can use the forum for debate when they are talking about current events or news. Students will then practice to formulate opinions and argue for what they believe in. They will see that people have different opinions and that it is important to respect people even if you do not share their beliefs.
Things to consider when using this page
I believe that using this site is a great way to motivate your students to learn more English and I think that they will perceive these exercises as fun. However, I think it is important to talk to your students about cautiousness when they are using this site. They should for example never give out their address or phone number since they really do not know the person receiving it. It can also be a good opportunity to talk about how personal you should be on internet, not only when using this site. How much private information and pictures should they publish about themselves? It can also be important to keep in mind that students might need some extra time and help when they are writing texts and e-mail that someone will read. They should not be forced to publish something that they do not feel proud about.
There are a lot of useful resources on the Internet and this site is just one of them. I think it is important that all teachers take advantage of these resources that are available in order to create a fun and motivating English education for all students.
// Tove Åslund
Thursday 5 January 2012
Photostory - by Annika Lönn
Photo Story
Dear classmates,
Probably Photo Story is not something unknown for you but since it is very useful in school and it is quite simple to use it is important to emphasise. All you need to do before you start is to download the program and you can find it at Google search. You need some pictures or photos and an idea about what you want to do. Then it is time to start.
How to do
The instructions in Photo Story are in English but it is anyway quite simple to use if the English language knowledge is not so good. There will be many choices during the creation of a Photo Story but the first is very simple: Begin a new story is the only alternative in the first page.
In the next page you will choose pictures. It is possible to choose own photos from the computer or find pictures or photos from the internet. Do not forget the copyright if photos or pictures from the internet are used. It is always safer to use own photos just to be sure. When the order of the photos is chosen it is time to rotate them, cut them down and remove red eyes and so on.
Then it is time to write at each picture if you want to. It is necessary to mark the picture which needs the text. It is possible to choose size, type and colour of the letters. Where they will be at the picture is another choose to do. In this page it is possible to change effects of the picture like colour and so on.
The next step is to record sound, speech or something else at each picture. It is possible to record the sound several times if it does not sound good at the first time. When the Photo Story is ready every picture is shown so long there is a recorded sound. If there is no sound the picture is shown five seconds if the creator does not change this. The way of changing from a picture to another can be decided by the creator. There is a few different ways to use. For instance the picture can fade out and the new picture fades in or the pictures come up from the left and disappear to the right.
The last step is to put background music. It is possible to use the same music for all pictures or every picture can have different music or no music. It is possible to use a ready music or create own music in the Photo Story.
Then it is time to choose how and where the Photo Story will be saved and when the button Next is used the transformation to a viewable Photo Story begin.
How to use it in school
Photo Story can be used in many different ways in school. The teacher can use Photo Story to show something special for the pupils. For instance, it can be a fun and interesting start point for a new project or a summary of a finished one. Storytelling is another topic which suit for Photo Story. Photo Story is an excellent thing to use for pupils too. Probably the pupils like more to make own Photo Stories. If the pupils are in an early grade they can do it together with a teacher or a pupil from a higher grade. Almost all children are very good at computer work nowadays but Photo Story may be too difficult to use for a pupil in the first or second grade with poor English language knowledge. Perhaps, all pupils need to be taught how it works if they have not used it before. The best way to teach them is to sit next to a computer with two or three pupils and let them try to use it at once. If this is not possible a projector may be used to show the whole class at the same time. This way is not preferable but perhaps necessary. The quantity of computers in the class room may cause problems. On the other hand it is not necessary for everybody to make Photo Stories in the same time. Probably they will enjoy it more if they do not have to watch too many in a short time.
The pupils can use Photo Story in a presentation of a group work or an individual work. Another way of using it is to show something they have been through either the whole class or some of them. This can be interesting for the whole school and for the parents to watch. If there are some pupils who are uncomfortable to speak in the front of the class this recourse can be a help. Of course the pupils do not always think it is fun to listen for their own voices but it can be beneficially to hear their own pronunciation. Photo Story can be used in all kind of subjects and if there are several subjects which cooperate about a theme it is excellent to use. The teacher´s and the pupils´ imagination is the limit for the use of Photo Story.
Annika Lönn
Starfall.com- Where children have fun learning to read
Starfall.com-
Where children have fun learning to read
What it is?
This website is for younger children and
it teaches children to read with phonics. Starfall.com is made for preschool,
kindergarten, first grade, second grade, special education and homeschooling.
The website is also good for kids who have English language as their first
language. The website focuses on how to pronounce letters and read smaller
phrases and dialogues. It also includes colors, songs, numbers, math, ABC
rhymes and so one. The website is very colorful and it looks interesting.
Starfall.com has two different websites.
http://www.starfall.com/
http://more.starfall.com/
How to use it?
As a teacher you can use starfall.com in
many different ways. If the classroom is installed with smartboards you can use
almost every exercise on this site. You can listen to letters, words, sing
songs, and repeat numbers and colors with the whole class.
You can also use the website for
homework, for example the children get an exercise about colors to do on their
own.
Starfall.com is a good website for the
pupils as well, they can practice at home and it is an easy website to
understand. It has many different kinds of exercises so hopefully they will not
be bored very easily.
How do you become a member?
You do not have to be a member on this
site. Starfall.com is a free public service and helps children to become good
readers. The website opened in September 2002.
To consider?
You need at least one computer when
using starfall.com. If the classroom has a smartboard there is no problem for
you as a teacher to use the site in front of the whole class. The pupils will
probably enjoy working with the exercise by themselves or in pairs. You can
make up a schedule for whose turn it is to use the computer.
/Johanna Åkesson
Where children have fun learning to read
What it is?
This website is for younger children and
it teaches children to read with phonics. Starfall.com is made for preschool,
kindergarten, first grade, second grade, special education and homeschooling.
The website is also good for kids who have English language as their first
language. The website focuses on how to pronounce letters and read smaller
phrases and dialogues. It also includes colors, songs, numbers, math, ABC
rhymes and so one. The website is very colorful and it looks interesting.
Starfall.com has two different websites.
http://www.starfall.com/
http://more.starfall.com/
How to use it?
As a teacher you can use starfall.com in
many different ways. If the classroom is installed with smartboards you can use
almost every exercise on this site. You can listen to letters, words, sing
songs, and repeat numbers and colors with the whole class.
You can also use the website for
homework, for example the children get an exercise about colors to do on their
own.
Starfall.com is a good website for the
pupils as well, they can practice at home and it is an easy website to
understand. It has many different kinds of exercises so hopefully they will not
be bored very easily.
How do you become a member?
You do not have to be a member on this
site. Starfall.com is a free public service and helps children to become good
readers. The website opened in September 2002.
To consider?
You need at least one computer when
using starfall.com. If the classroom has a smartboard there is no problem for
you as a teacher to use the site in front of the whole class. The pupils will
probably enjoy working with the exercise by themselves or in pairs. You can
make up a schedule for whose turn it is to use the computer.
/Johanna Åkesson
Canon in the classroom
Hey everyone!
I have just had my teacher practice and while I was there they installed a canon in the classroom and I got the opportunity to work with it. It was really fun for me and the pupils!
What is a canon?
Canon is a projector that resembles a cinema since the projector is put op on the wall and the light shows the picture on the whiteboard. The canon is connected to the computer and through the computer you can choose the document you want to show. This is an easy way for the teacher to teach because it is easy to work with. As a teacher you can show what you wish since you are connected to the Internet. The teacher can choose different kind of websites, films, clips, etc to show in a way that the pupils are used to since nowadays pupils are familiar with computers. However a canon is nothing teachers can offer to the pupils on their own conditions. The school as a collective function must decide whether they should use this form of tool for teaching or not.
How can you use it?
An example is when I had my teacher practice; the teacher typed the words that they had for the week in English on a website (glosor.nu) instead of writing them down or giving out papers. In that way, the students logged in on that specific site where the teacher had uploaded the words and read them there instead of reading from the book. The teacher could attach the canon and show the words from the screen, this was a positive experience for both the teacher and the pupils. This example was only one of many, they could use the canon for every subject and showing them a new easy way of learning.
Pros and cons
According to me, this made it easier for the teacher to teach since they could point, show their own notes or projects that they have done on the board such as; PowerPoint presentations,clips from the Internet etc. This gave a more interesting view on what they were learning, I think. Another advantage is that pupils can use it too, it gives them more room to show their fantasy. They can show something from the Web or any of their projects that they have done. Having in consideration that the Internet has a huge part in our everyday lives and more in the young pupils lives, it is good to show them that the Internet can be used for different purposes. A con is that canon projectors have not shown any big difference in schools but I believe that it makes it more interesting, exciting and fun for the pupils. That is because they can see a picture, clip or film about it and not only hear the teacher speak about it.
Zejnebe Musliu
I have just had my teacher practice and while I was there they installed a canon in the classroom and I got the opportunity to work with it. It was really fun for me and the pupils!
What is a canon?
Canon is a projector that resembles a cinema since the projector is put op on the wall and the light shows the picture on the whiteboard. The canon is connected to the computer and through the computer you can choose the document you want to show. This is an easy way for the teacher to teach because it is easy to work with. As a teacher you can show what you wish since you are connected to the Internet. The teacher can choose different kind of websites, films, clips, etc to show in a way that the pupils are used to since nowadays pupils are familiar with computers. However a canon is nothing teachers can offer to the pupils on their own conditions. The school as a collective function must decide whether they should use this form of tool for teaching or not.
How can you use it?
An example is when I had my teacher practice; the teacher typed the words that they had for the week in English on a website (glosor.nu) instead of writing them down or giving out papers. In that way, the students logged in on that specific site where the teacher had uploaded the words and read them there instead of reading from the book. The teacher could attach the canon and show the words from the screen, this was a positive experience for both the teacher and the pupils. This example was only one of many, they could use the canon for every subject and showing them a new easy way of learning.
Pros and cons
According to me, this made it easier for the teacher to teach since they could point, show their own notes or projects that they have done on the board such as; PowerPoint presentations,clips from the Internet etc. This gave a more interesting view on what they were learning, I think. Another advantage is that pupils can use it too, it gives them more room to show their fantasy. They can show something from the Web or any of their projects that they have done. Having in consideration that the Internet has a huge part in our everyday lives and more in the young pupils lives, it is good to show them that the Internet can be used for different purposes. A con is that canon projectors have not shown any big difference in schools but I believe that it makes it more interesting, exciting and fun for the pupils. That is because they can see a picture, clip or film about it and not only hear the teacher speak about it.
Zejnebe Musliu
Student of the world
Students of the world
http://studentsoftheworld.info/infopays/menu_XNA.html
What is it?
This is a French non-profit website which started 1995. The aim of this website is that all children over the world should have an opportunity to learn about other countries. It is also that children should get to know people in other countries. On this website you can choose the country you find interesting and learn more about it. You can find much fact of almost every country in the world. One of the aims on this website is also that children should have the opportunity to choose a language and develop that knowledge. The site is mostly made for kids, students and teachers. There are many things you can do on this website, like read blogs from all over the world, have one or more pen pal, get homework help, read about schools in different countries, play games, chat, learn about different animals, jobs and sports and read and participate in different forums.
This website is opened for everyone and all services are free. You do not have to be a member; you can use all services anyway. Only if you want to have a pen pal you have to register yourself and fill in some things. Like your name, email and your age. The start page on this website is really clear and it is easy to find what you want. On the left side you will find all headlines about what you can do on this site.
How the resource can be used by teachers?
This website can be really useful for teachers. They can find much information about countries, animals, jobs, sports. Teachers can start many projects and different themes with help of this site. It can be a theme that is about the world’s countries, Scandinavian, Animals or schools in other countries. They can start cooperation with other schools and classes in the world. There is also a forum that is only for teachers, where they can discuss, change experiences and ideas.
How the resource can be used by pupils?
This website is a really good source of learning material for pupils. They can (just like teachers) find much information and fact. They can also get to know friends from other countries and chat with them or get a pen pal. They can get help to do their homework and play learning games. They can also participate in clubs with different themes. Most of the services are divided in age groups. If you want to have a pen pal for example you will find a friend in approximately your age.
To consider
It can be hard to work with this site if you do not have enough with computers, but it can work anyway if you have a smart board that everyone can see. Another negative point of this is that the site looks really boring and is not inspiring at all. You can do much on this site; it is only your creation that is the limit.
/Hanna Nygren
http://studentsoftheworld.info/infopays/menu_XNA.html
What is it?
This is a French non-profit website which started 1995. The aim of this website is that all children over the world should have an opportunity to learn about other countries. It is also that children should get to know people in other countries. On this website you can choose the country you find interesting and learn more about it. You can find much fact of almost every country in the world. One of the aims on this website is also that children should have the opportunity to choose a language and develop that knowledge. The site is mostly made for kids, students and teachers. There are many things you can do on this website, like read blogs from all over the world, have one or more pen pal, get homework help, read about schools in different countries, play games, chat, learn about different animals, jobs and sports and read and participate in different forums.
This website is opened for everyone and all services are free. You do not have to be a member; you can use all services anyway. Only if you want to have a pen pal you have to register yourself and fill in some things. Like your name, email and your age. The start page on this website is really clear and it is easy to find what you want. On the left side you will find all headlines about what you can do on this site.
How the resource can be used by teachers?
This website can be really useful for teachers. They can find much information about countries, animals, jobs, sports. Teachers can start many projects and different themes with help of this site. It can be a theme that is about the world’s countries, Scandinavian, Animals or schools in other countries. They can start cooperation with other schools and classes in the world. There is also a forum that is only for teachers, where they can discuss, change experiences and ideas.
How the resource can be used by pupils?
This website is a really good source of learning material for pupils. They can (just like teachers) find much information and fact. They can also get to know friends from other countries and chat with them or get a pen pal. They can get help to do their homework and play learning games. They can also participate in clubs with different themes. Most of the services are divided in age groups. If you want to have a pen pal for example you will find a friend in approximately your age.
To consider
It can be hard to work with this site if you do not have enough with computers, but it can work anyway if you have a smart board that everyone can see. Another negative point of this is that the site looks really boring and is not inspiring at all. You can do much on this site; it is only your creation that is the limit.
/Hanna Nygren
Wednesday 4 January 2012
Glosboken
What the resource is and how to get it 
This is a smart website for pupils who want to study for a test in a more fun way; http://glosboken.se/ . This website is very similar to www.glosor.eu, but the difference is that Glosboken offers more functions.
You as a teacher have to create an account and can then create different courses that contain tests that the pupils can take before the real test at school, but first you have to send them an invitation. After that, the pupils can log in as often as they want to.
How the resource can be used by teachers
You can create different courses, for example “English – Christmas” with tests that focus on vocabulary or/and grammar. First you choose language and as you write the word in (for example) Swedish the website will give suggestions on the word in the second language.
Before you save the question you need to decide in what way you want the question to be asked. You can choose between:
Fill in the gap
Choose the right alternative
You can also create courses like “Chemistry - atoms” where the pupils can test their knowledge in that particular subject.
How the resource can be used by pupils
For studying! As soon as they have a test, they can use this site as a study-help. Of course there is no harm in visiting this site once a day, whenever there is time for it. All participants will automatically receive access to all the exercises and messages you put into the course. Students can thus use exercises (Learn, Play, Print) - But it's still only you as a teacher that can remove and change the exercises.
When they click on the test, it will lock like this:
After a pupil have taken a test the computer will give him a grade depending on how he did on the test.
In addition to three rehearsal modes, there are also various games based on the words you post; hangman, memory, puzzles, hit-the-right-word and so on. Thus pupils will learn vocabulary while playing and having fun - work and pleasure at the same time!
Other considerations when using t
his resource
For the pupils to be able to use all functions that the site provides, they need to pay a small amount of money, for premium. The website suggested that the school pays for that. One function that you wont get unless you get premium is that you cant click on the speaker and here how to pronounce words.
Personally I think this is a great website even without this extra function and I really recommend you all to join this site. It is easy to navigate on it, which I think is important so that every pupil will want to use it!
Tuesday 3 January 2012
Sheppard software
Sheppardsoftware is a large website for learning English. The slogan is: We make learning fun! If you can live with all the Ads on this site it is free but if you wish to have a Ad-free version it will cost 300 dollars a year. Here is what this site contains.
There is much information on start site. I looked at the version with Ads and sometimes it is hard to tell what an Ad is and what is not. To understand and work with this page you need quite some
time. It is easy to get lost. The start page is divided in two parts with place for Ads in between. On top you have the following choices:
· Animals for kids
· Preschool & Kinder garden
· Math Games
· U.S Geography Games
· Animals, Articles & Quizzes
· PreK & K Animals
· Science Games
· Language Art Games
· World Geography Games
Under each category use find many options so I have chosen two categories to take a closer look at. Under the Ad space you find following categories:
· ChemistryQuizzes
· HealthGames
· AnimalGames for Kids
· BrainGames
· HistoryQuizzes
· Nutritionfor Kids
· PaintActivities
· USA4 Kids
· Seasonsfor Kids
· Puzzels
Since I want to work with English for younglearners (beginners) I have choose two categories to look at. The first one is PreK & K Animals. Here youget to know different types of Animals. The types are: Ocean , Jungle, Forestand Farm Animals. For each type you can do five different exercises :
· Look: here you watch a little cartoon movie with a speaker voice (a child). The language is clear and easy tounderstand for beginners and the movie helps to clarify the meaning of
difficult words.
· Create: here you create your own setting for example of the ocean. You chose how many crabs and whales you want in your ocean setting. The same speaker guides you through how it is done. This is also easy for beginners to understand.
· Play: here you play a guessing game in what animal the speaker describes.
· Learn: Pure and simple vocabulary learning
· Find and count: here you have to find and click onthe animal the speaker asks for. There is more than one so you have to count them as well.
This category I found useful for beginners to listen to spoken English and follow simple instructions. The pupils also get to meet vocabulary in different shapes such as spoken, written and drawing form. I have the opportunity to have children on my own and I tried this one out on my son who is 9 years old. He liked it a lot and has marked it as a favorite onhis computer. As a teacher I would use this category as a listening exercise.
My next Category to dig into is Language Arts Game and it isreally another word for grammar. This category also contains different options such as:
· Grammar tutorial: here you learn the differencebetween nouns, verbs and adjectives in a fun and easy way.
· Verbs in space: this is a game were you punch downall the verbs in space. If you punch at another word it will be marked with a red cross.
· Adjective adventure:in this game you put a fly on the spider with an adjective on it. If it
is right the spider eats the fly and if it is wrong a red cross marks it as wrong.
· Noun explorer: in this game you feed a fish with anoun written on it with a worm. Again, if it is wrong the cross appears.
· Comma Chameleon: in this game you mark where you should put comma, question marks, full stop and so on.
· Magical Capitals: in this game you mark where you are suppose to have capital letter. When you put it at the right place a speaker tells you the rule that goes with it. It also appears in written form on your screen.
This category describes the difficulties with English grammar in a clear and understandable way. To understand and use Language Art Game you have to know quite a bit of vocabulary. As a teacher I would use this source to help the pupils learn the difference between words. Maybe I would play some of the games together so they could help each other to know what the
tricky words means. They could also work in pairs with these games. I tried this one on my son to but it was much too difficult for him. He barely managed to figure Grammar tutorial out but after a while he did.
Other considerations when using this resource is that it covers all ages and it is rather big and in my point of view kind of messy in the lay out . It is like I said in the beginning very easy to get lost
and not finding your way back. On the positive side I think if you put some kind of effort and time in to learning how this website works you will probably find many useful ideas here. Another thing is that it is covering reading,writing, listening and understanding English.
here is the link to this website: http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/
LearnEnglish Kids
My teacher showed me this website during my first teacher training practice and I think that it is a very easy and fun site to use.
What is it?
This is a free website and you can find it easy by searching for “LearnEnglish Kids”. It is available for teachers, parents and children. You can use it in many different ways, the website offers different sorts of games, short stories, songs and other activities. It is an easy and fun way to explore the English language. The website is colorful and inviting for children.
How to use it?
You as a teacher can use it in many different ways, we used a short story for inspiration when the pupils were to write a short Christmas story on their own. We also used a feature called Word of the week. You get a new word each week and you get to see the word in different contexts so that you can see how it is used and what it means.
There are some worksheets that you can print and use if you would like to. You can also print words for the songs and they have some examples on how you can do some follow up activities after listening to a song.
You can also use it for homework for example, the pupils can get an exercise to do on their own, maybe play a game or watch a short story.
If you have a couple of computers your pupils can use it to do different exercises on their own and explore the website and its’ different functions.
So you can either use it on a smart board with the whole class or the pupils can use it on their own. I think that it is a good way to make learning fun and more motivating than just working with a coursebook.
How do you become a member?
All you have to do to become a member on the site is to fill in your personal information and then you have your own account and access to everything on the site. It Is free to become and to stay a member.
This works for both students and teachers and it is easy for the pupils to use it at home if they want to.
To consider
You need at least one computer when you work with this site. If you want to use it in your whole class just one computer works very well, you might want to use some kind of smart board or something so the whole class are able to see that you want to show them.
If you want your pupils to work with this on their own as a part of your lesson you will need more computers.
Funbrain
http://www.funbrain.com/
This is a website with math-games and other games for the pupils. There are also books and comics to read online.
A good thing with this website is that the teachers can search after games and activities that are appropriate for the class accordning to age, skills and subjects.
Parents also have their own page at the website where they can find activities for their childen. This could be used as an alternative to traditional homework in math - if the teaches feels that a pupil needs to practice more on something, this page can be recommended as something fun and not as a boring homework that has to be done.
The parents' page also contains ideas for activities at home and there is a message board where parents can talk to each other.
Pupils can use this website in class when there is something special they need to practice, or at home for practice or just as a fun activitie. They can choose how hard they want the activities to be and make it harder and harder as they learn. If it is a Swedish class all games can contribute in the pupils' English learning since the page is all in English.
This website creates an opportunity for parents to be involved in some of their childrens work at school.
What should be considered when using this page is that the pupils can go in and look at what the parents wright to each other and it is a possibilaty that the things they can read there are not always appropriate.
This is a website with math-games and other games for the pupils. There are also books and comics to read online.
A good thing with this website is that the teachers can search after games and activities that are appropriate for the class accordning to age, skills and subjects.
Parents also have their own page at the website where they can find activities for their childen. This could be used as an alternative to traditional homework in math - if the teaches feels that a pupil needs to practice more on something, this page can be recommended as something fun and not as a boring homework that has to be done.
The parents' page also contains ideas for activities at home and there is a message board where parents can talk to each other.
Pupils can use this website in class when there is something special they need to practice, or at home for practice or just as a fun activitie. They can choose how hard they want the activities to be and make it harder and harder as they learn. If it is a Swedish class all games can contribute in the pupils' English learning since the page is all in English.
This website creates an opportunity for parents to be involved in some of their childrens work at school.
What should be considered when using this page is that the pupils can go in and look at what the parents wright to each other and it is a possibilaty that the things they can read there are not always appropriate.
LearnEnglish Kids
Hi class!
I have come across a website called http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/arnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/ .
Here is the colourful start page of the website.
I have come across a website called http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/arnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/ .
Here is the colourful start page of the website.
What the resource is and how to get it
This website is easy to access online, all you have to
do is to search for ‘learn English kids’ on Google. The website is available
for children, parents and teachers. It offers a variety of free online games,
songs, stories and activities for children. The children encounter the English
language in a fun and exciting way. The website also contains some grammar
exercises and games where the children can learn new words.
This website is easy to access online, all you have to
do is to search for ‘learn English kids’ on Google. The website is available
for children, parents and teachers. It offers a variety of free online games,
songs, stories and activities for children. The children encounter the English
language in a fun and exciting way. The website also contains some grammar
exercises and games where the children can learn new words.
If you want to become a member, LearnEnglish Kids is a free website with no extra
How the resource can be used by teachers
Teachers can become members of the website. To become
a member, all you have to do is to fill in the account information and personal
information, and then you are good to go. As soon as you have become a member
you have free access to different exercises and activities. The online games
and activities are about topics that feature in many textbooks and in the
syllabuses. You can download worksheets to the stories and the
songs and use them in the classroom.
Teachers can become members of the website. To become
a member, all you have to do is to fill in the account information and personal
information, and then you are good to go. As soon as you have become a member
you have free access to different exercises and activities. The online games
and activities are about topics that feature in many textbooks and in the
syllabuses. You can download worksheets to the stories and the
songs and use them in the classroom.
There is also a forum where teachers can write to other teachers, but also to parents. This is a great way of receiving teaching tips, but also to communicate with parents.
How the resource can be used by pupils
The pupils can also become members on the website. They can create fun characters and
enter competitions. When the pupils are members they can make comments on the
website and answer questions. They have free access to all activities, both in
school and at home. On the website the children can play games, create stories
and pictures. They can also learn new words and practice grammar. In this
exercise the pupils get to listen at a story and find the words in plural. For
example: women, babies and children.
The pupils can also become members on the website. They can create fun characters and
enter competitions. When the pupils are members they can make comments on the
website and answer questions. They have free access to all activities, both in
school and at home. On the website the children can play games, create stories
and pictures. They can also learn new words and practice grammar. In this
exercise the pupils get to listen at a story and find the words in plural. For
example: women, babies and children.
Other considerations when using t
his resource
If you are going to use this website in the classroom,
there has to be at least one computer. It would be great if every pupil could
have their own computer. Then everyone could try out different activities and
choose games of interest. The website also has a youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/BritishCouncilLEKids.
his resourceIf you are going to use this website in the classroom,
there has to be at least one computer. It would be great if every pupil could
have their own computer. Then everyone could try out different activities and
choose games of interest. The website also has a youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/BritishCouncilLEKids.
Here are some of the videos and songs you can find on the original website.
Good to know is that the website takes internet safety very seriously. It is
not possible for the children to send private messages to each other, and
children and adults cannot write to each other. Over all this is a very
innovative and fun website for children, especially in the lower grades.
Good to know is that the website takes internet safety very seriously. It is
not possible for the children to send private messages to each other, and
children and adults cannot write to each other. Over all this is a very
innovative and fun website for children, especially in the lower grades.
Sara Lundin
Superteachertools.com-A fun way to learn.
I will tell you about webpage superteachertools that have loads of quiz games that you as a teacher can use in your work.
The page has loads of games that you can have in your class to teach different subjects
in a fun way the page have such games as jeopardy, board games and different quiz
that you as a teacher can compose as you find it suitable for the age group you
have.
So for example you can make a Jeopardy quiz with this tool you can create a custom
jeopardy review game for use in classrooms, training sessions, or anywhere else
a fun, team based review game is appropriate. You can even download the
Jeopardy Flash Player file to use games that you have created offline without
an Internet connection!
The web page also has tools that can help you as a teacher when sorting the pupils in to
groups, or placing them in the classroom. You can also instead of still using Popsicle
sticks to draw student names? Step into the 21st century with the Flash Random Name
Generator. Use your class list page created with the Class List Maker form; and
in this way you can randomly draw student names with your computer.
This page as is said in the text takes us into the 21st century and I as a
teacher wants to be there because that is where the children are. I like this
page it is playful and helpful. And I will use it in my classes.
http://www.superteachertools.com/
Maria Jederyd
The page has loads of games that you can have in your class to teach different subjects
in a fun way the page have such games as jeopardy, board games and different quiz
that you as a teacher can compose as you find it suitable for the age group you
have.
So for example you can make a Jeopardy quiz with this tool you can create a custom
jeopardy review game for use in classrooms, training sessions, or anywhere else
a fun, team based review game is appropriate. You can even download the
Jeopardy Flash Player file to use games that you have created offline without
an Internet connection!
The web page also has tools that can help you as a teacher when sorting the pupils in to
groups, or placing them in the classroom. You can also instead of still using Popsicle
sticks to draw student names? Step into the 21st century with the Flash Random Name
Generator. Use your class list page created with the Class List Maker form; and
in this way you can randomly draw student names with your computer.
This page as is said in the text takes us into the 21st century and I as a
teacher wants to be there because that is where the children are. I like this
page it is playful and helpful. And I will use it in my classes.
http://www.superteachertools.com/
Maria Jederyd
Monday 2 January 2012
Lektion.se - a great resource for teachers
I will tell you about lektion.se, a website which can be a very time saving and inspiring as a teacher.
How the site works
When you first visit lektion.se you will need to create an account for yourself. This is very easy, you just fill in your personal details and e-mail adress. Once you have created your account, the site is very easy to use.
There are a lot of lessons which are ready to be used in all of the subjects from pre-school to class 9. For example, if you want to find a good lesson in English that deals with Christmas, you just search for "Christmas", select the subject English and the age of your class. You will find lots of well-planned lessons with different difficulty levels. People rate the uploaded lessons which means you can sort your search by popularity. That way, you will most likely get the best lessons first. Once you find a lesson you like, you can download it as a .pdf file and it is ready to use.
The lessons are the main function of lektion.se, but the site also has a very active forum where you can discuss lessons, different subjects, there is even a category for librarians. The "lessons" category is the biggest one, it has over 38,000 posts in it! The forum is also a great place to find inspiration and tips.
Different ways for teachers to use lektion.se
The teacher can simply download a lesson and use it straight away. But if you want to make it more personal you can look at different lessons, take the parts that you like and combine them into a lesson of your own and make it more personal. By doing that, you can adjust the difficulty level to make it fit your own class. You can also just use the site to get inspiration and ideas you might not have came up with otherwise. The forum is a great place to discuss the work as a teacher, there are many active teachers with much experience who are active on the forum.
Lektion.se truly is a useful site that is both inspiring and saves time. Try it out!
Jonas Nilsson
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