Wordia--Online Visual Dictionary

What is this?

This is an online visual dictionary which aims to redefine the dictionary and asks members of the public and celebrity 'orators' to upload videos explaining what words mean to them. You can enter a word in the bar and click 'search'

 

 Then the following is the video about the definition of the word. Play it.

 The right side shows the definition on the dictionary

Also you can see some associated words

Why is the content good for language learning? 

• The video per se is an authentic listening material that can decrease the distance between language learners and native speakers.
• The speakers in the video are funny, hansome, attractive, they are at different ages and have different social background. The definition given by them is much more practical and functional in real-life use.
• It covers a large number of technical items and vocabularies that could be used in real world and the definition is easy to understand. It helps learners to increase their vocabulary volume and language comprehension.
• The definition showen in the right side can give students more detailed and specific explanation.
• The associated vocabularies provide a resouce to extend their understanding.
• Learners can record their own video and definite a word, then upload and share with others.

How might you use it in a language teaching context?

• Teacher collects some new vocabularies first, and searches relevant videos before class. Then show the video to students and asks them to discuss the exact meaning of each word with their peers. Then they need to give their own definition about the words.
• After learning some new vocabularies, teacher can play some videos about some words as a supplement of teacher's explanation.
• Teacher sellects some useful words and distribute them to different students groups. Every student in a group is in charge of a particular word. Teacher asks every students to search relevant video about the definition of that word and then explain it in his/her word to the other group members.

Limitation

• Too advanced to young learners and language learning beginners.
• Some definitions are too narrow and subjective.
• Not all often-used words accompanied with a video.
• Some vacabularies are rarely used.

Visuwords ---- online graphical dictionary

What is this?
Visuwords is an online graphical dictionary which can be used to look up vocabulories, English explanations and other associated words and concepts. It is an useful online dictionnary for students to increase their motivation and autonomy in terms of vocabulary learning.

How might you use it in a language teaching context?
For example,
Enter a word you want to look up  into the search bar

The tree below shows various meaning and related words of the target word. . Besides, you can click and drag the node to zoom and clarify connections. The bar on the left side is to explain different colors and shapes indicate different relationship.

You can double-click a node to expand the word tree for more words and concepts or just put the cursor on one particular node for more specific word definition

Why is the content good for language learning?

• Visual word network stimulate learners to dig more associated words in depth.
• Clear words categories and definitions. Learners can search any new words on it by themselves rather than rely on teacher's explanation.
• Increase student's autonomy.

   Limitation

• Too much signs (colors and shapes) of indicating the words relationship to remember.

 

Wonderful Quizzes ~~Come on

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/quizzes/ 

What is this?

 

This is an online quizz website from BBC learning English. It contains a lot of interesting quizzes on various hot topics.

Why is the content good for language learning?

 

• Some questions in quizzes cover a lot of language points and daily use language that are easily confusable. For example:  The word pairs below

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• Learners can distinguish them through exercising and will be able to use it into real communication.
• Every question is followed by a relevant picture which can indicate the context of the question or give some clues. It is easy to understand and enables learners to make quick decision.
• Learners can take self-test and self-correction, in order to increase their autonomy and achieve self-improvement in language learning. After finishing the quizzes, just 'check the answer', you will get the feedback.
• Every feedback, both correct and wrong, will give learners an explanation or Synonyms of the answer, which motivates learners to learn more.
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• The topics are various and almost cover a lot of subjects in the world. Topic-based quizzes will give learners more  choice to do the quizzes according to their interests.
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• There are several types of quizzes, learners may never feel boring.
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• The quizzes are short (six questions per quizz) and it takes learners only few minutes to do it.
• The cloze test pattern is expecially good for those test-centered learners to do self-test.
• All the quizzes can be downloaded as PDF file.
• The resources will be updated weekly. Learners can do the latest quizzes and know the hottest topics as they want.

 How might you use it in a language teaching context?

 

• Teacher pre-select a topic-based quizz which is relevant to today's lesson and hand it out as a warm-up activity before the class.
• Or after the class, the quizz can be used as a review material.
• For oral English class,
• The quizz can be used as an oral material. Because some of the quizzes have a strong association with daily life communication.
• For example:
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• Teacher can ask students to do a role play or make up a story or practice a dialogue according to the quizzes.
• 'Beat the keeper' is a flash game combined with language practice. Teacher can apply it into class and encourages students to work in pair or group to play it.

 

 Limitation

 

• The quizzes are not classified based on learners' different level. Some quizzes are not very suitable for young learners or beginners.
• No matched audio materials.
• No topic search bar.

 

 

How do you think the technology might change teaching and learning

 

Classroom Discussion:

 

Topic: How do you think the technology might change teaching and learning

Positive:

• Learning will be more autonomous
• It can be free life-long learning achieve distance language teaching or on-line learning
• offer more or less equal opportunities for education
• Modernizing language learning (up-to date)
• Much greater potential for a 'connected classroom' ie the learning doesn't stop at the classroom door enrich the learning style
• Learning for multiple intelligences applies to learners' different styles
• It can motivate the students by offering the update information.
• easier access to other learner or teaching communities
• We think it will be the basis and drive for changing pedagogical approaches and sprucing them up!
• Broadens the field of opportunities for language learning and its application
• Make the learning process more motivating
• No more boring lessons!!
• It enables students to communicate in English within the whole world.
• really learner-centered language teaching
• will enhance interdisciplinary studies
• Development of technology awareness and skills becomes available through language learning
• Ss are more exposed to authentic language environment.
• Technology helps language learners develop more efficient learning strategies.
• Learners can have access to any materials. Also, learners can listen to an English story while watching 3 dimentional play just in front of

Neutural:

• Learning might not take any in any one place
• May increase divide between haves and have nots
• No text books are needed There might not be traditional classrooms anymore as anyone would have access in the resources any time.
•  handouts and coursebooks may no longer be used
• If technology reaches the level of AI, maybe we won't have to learn any foreign languages anymore. For example, we can talk in any language

Negative:

• distract the students
• students may rely on the technologies too much
• Less face-to-face communication
• There might be the danger of how to utilise all this knowledge.
• Danger of adapting lesson to technologies than the other way round.
• harmful to physical heath eg. eyes, muscle
• too much overloaded input will add pressure on students' mind which distract students' selection of the valuable information
• Multi-tasking might not be appropriate for variable learning styles. The beginning of another digital gap?
• overload psycho- cognitive processes- might be too much
• Less teamwork

Slideshare

Halloween 6 (Planning A Party)

View more presentations from Anna Smith.

What is this?

This is an example slide about planning a halloween party from http://www.slideshare.net/.  It was created and shared by Anna from skype English school. Eight slides contain planning ideas, party tips and so on, which provide a lot of interesting activities and useful information. It can be used in English language learning classroom as a activity material and resource.
Slideshare is a website that allows everyone to share his/her slides, presentations and perspectives. Also, it provides rich resources for everybody to watch, download and share those slides.

Why is the content good for language learning?

• The content in this slide is interesting and creative, which provides rich information and cultural background for learners to learn the language as well as western culture, especially the traditional festival.
• Learners may be motivated to search and learn more relevant language and culture in order to implement a specific activity or step in this slide, in other words, it can increase learners' autonomy.
• The slides in this website is totally free and can be embedded.
• Slideshare contains a lot of authentic learning materials and resources which can be used in classroom.
• It allows learners to upload and share their own slides.

How might you use it in a language teaching context?

• Teacher asks students to work in group and prepare a real Halloween party based on given information and tips in this slide. This activity needs the students to understand the target language itself as well as western culture and to work collaboratively.
• Teahcer can play this slide as a demonstration of a task which asks students to design a party or a small gathering in group.  Then, teacher is responsable for explaining the language difficulties in the slide and giving specific instruction of the task.
• Students can select any topic they are interested in (or the topic introduced in class) and create their own slides and share it with teachers and peers.

 Limitation

• This website may not be accessed in China.
• Instructions in some slides are too complicated to understand.
• Teacher need to do some changes in order to make the material suitable for a specific class and teaching context.

TED Ideas worth spreading

What is this?

• TED(Techonology, Entertainment and Design) is a collection of hundreds of award-winning talks videos, the open translation projects and conversations. It can be widely used in language learning context as authentic learning materials and extend training.
• Why is the content good for language learning?
• Learners can access these videos for free.
• TED provides learners abundant authentic English listening and speaking materials, which allows learners to get in touch with English speakers from all over the world regardless of the time and space limitation.
• The videoes are categorised by themes. Learners can search videoes based on the topic they are interested in.
• Most of the videoes are tagged.
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• The content of the talks might associate with learners' main subject or major, which will motivate them to enchance not only English proficiency, but also facilite specific professional knowledge learning.
• Learners can regulate the time bar of a video based on their understanding, which enables them to keep their own learning process.
• Some newest releases videoes will be posted on the homepage. Learners can asscess the updated materials.
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• The topics of the talks per se are good resources for speaking and writing.
• Through observing the speekers' spoken language, behaviour, anddressing, learners will strengthen their presentation skills.
• Language beginners can choose to add subtitle of their L1. In this way, they may feel comfortable and understand easily when they watch it.

How might you use it in a language teaching context? 

• Teacher firstly select an interesting video that can resonate with students interest and concerned topic.
• Then play the video as a pre-task activity.
• Teacher asks students to discuss about the main meaning of the speech.
• If the students can hardly understand the main meaning of the speech, teacher may add L1 subtitle in the video and play it again to help them to understand.
• Teacher can express his/her own opinion towards the topic of the video, and demonstrate how to talk about a topic in an appropriate way.
• Then divide students into different group and ask them to discuss or write a short passage.

Limitation

• Chinese students may hardly understand western jokes in the talks, therefore, they may feel embarrassed when the audience in the video laugh.
• Some topics of the speeches are too technical and professional.
• Not very suitable for young learners.