Blended Learning in Norwich

Day Four

2015-08-06T10:41:00.003+01:00

What did you do in the lesson?

We learnt about Quizlet.
We learnt how to make a YouTube video with a webcam capture and how to embed it in a blog.
We listened to Karl's presentation on his previous experience with Blended Learning.

What technologies did you cover?

Quizlet is an easy flash card tool for learning and teaching vocabulary of many world languages. Both students and teachers can create study sets which are then arranged into a number of engaging vocabulary activities. You are allowed to use flashcards made by others or you can make them on your own. The technology offers possibility of copying sets of cards, embedding in your website or blog, creating folders and classes, which makes teacher's work easier. Cards and tests can be printed out.

Quizlet Inc.

Example of a study set: Materials

YouTube has an easy-to-use tool for video recording. A gmail account is required.

Google Inc.

How might you use the technology in your own teaching and learning?

Quizlet can be used for introduction of vocabulary, practice, revision and production of tests. Students can use study sets prepared by teachers or create their own. The use of the technology allows teachers to meet students needs in terms of individualized learning time and the range of vocabulary that students study. It might be a solution for multilevel classes.
YouTube, like Vocaroo, could be used either by students or by teachers. Students can record themselves either in class or at home. Both technologies give students a better opportunity to control how and what they say and that is why students may want to practice more until they obtain a desired effect. Availability of simple recording tools allows not only improving speaking skills of students but expanding the range of oral genres in a foreign language course as well.

You can learn about the above technologies from How to you Quizlet, Advanced features of Quizlet and How to work with you You Tube Channel sections on TTV by Russell Stannard.

Day Three

2015-08-05T02:37:00.000+01:00

What did you do in the lesson?

First we were shown two interesting websites by Sean Banville. They both offer tasks based on the news.We tried out a few exercises ourselves. Next we tested our skills with a website containing quizzes.
We recorded news reports.
We started working on our own blogs.

What technologies did you cover?

Websites

1. Breaking News English is one of the largest sites for learning English. It contains lessons based on the current news and followed by numerous varied activities. There are plenty of tasks that can be used as interactive activities related to listening, reading, speaking, writing, grammar and vocabulary for all levels of students. In fact, you cannot appreciate the comprehensiveness of the source without looking at it.

Breaking News English.com

2. Listen a Minute is another interesting site by Sean Banville. It is similar to Breaking News English but it is more focused on listening and reading skills for lower level students.

Listen a Minute.com

3. Quizicon contains a few interesting quizzes.

Quizicon.com

Tools

1. Blogger is a free tool provided by Google. It enables you to keep as many blogs as you want.

Google

Blogger may turn out to be extremely useful in your teaching. If you decide to design a distance or blended learning course, it will be necessary to know two sorts of technology tools. The first one includes these devices with which you will create the content, such as Google Forms for quizzes, surveys; You Tube for videos; SoundCloud for podcasts, Snagit for screencasts, etc. The other type refers to places which provide space for all the content, in other words these tools constitute repositories. Namely, Blackboard, Edmodo, Moodle, Blogger and others are examples of such repositories.

Technology Tools

2. Vocaroo is a very easy free tool for recording your voice and sending the file anywhere on the web.

Vocaroo.com

Example: Vocaroo

How might you use the technologies in your own teaching and learning?

Blogger - a useful tool for creating courses, in particular blended learning and distant courses; blogs can be written by students as writing activities, for example: diary, set of reports, set of completed assignments; both teachers and students can develop their own interests.
Breaking News English and Listen a Minute - teachers can select activities based on authentic texts for their classes, especially their blended learning classes; student can use both websites for self-study.
Vocaroo - students can record their oral texts for teacher or peer feedback, for practice and assessment. Teachers can record their instructions and comments. If you want your students to record in class, you will probably be able to do it with only less numerous groups of students because of the background noise.
Quizicon - quizzes from the website can be used as a warm-up in class or in self-study.

Important Texts

Examples of good blogs:

You can learn about these technologies from Breaking News English, Listen a Minute, Introduction to Blogger, Making you Blogger site more interesting, Vocaroo sections on TTV by Russell Stannard.

Day Two

2015-08-05T01:14:00.000+01:00

What did you do in the lesson?

We listened to and watched some people talking about blended learning. We took notes and then discussed the concept in groups. Our task was to answer the following questions: Is this blended learning?; Is this your idea of blended learning?; What do you agree or disagree with?.

Video 1

Video 2

Then we learnt what Google Forms tool is and how to use it.

First we drew up questionnaires in pairs: The Simple Past Tense.
Then we participated in a collaborative task for the whole group: 6 Student Quiz.

What technologies did you cover?

Google Forms a tool to gather data and analyze it. Forms include different types of questions such as: text, paragraph text, multiple choice, checkboxes, choose from the list, scale, grid, date, time.

Google

How might you use the technologies in your own teaching and learning?

The teacher can prepare questionnaires, quizzes, surveys, forms, tests.
Students can make their own questionnaires, quizzes, surveys, forms, tests for their partners (for example for peer feedback).

Important texts

You can learn about this technology from Google Forms section on TTV by Russell Stannard.

Day One

2015-08-03T15:33:00.000+01:00

The day the course starts. The students are a group of six teachers from five countries and two continents: Maria, Petruschka, Erick, Karl, Gianni and me. The teacher is Russell Stannard.

What did you do in the lesson?

We used spider graphs to get to know each other.
We were to find information about our teacher on the Internet and then from the teacher himself.
We tried to define the concept of blended learning.

What technologies did you cover?

TodaysMeet - a backchannel chat platform for classroom teachers and learners.

TodaysMeet LLC

How might you use the technologies in your own teaching and learning?

brainstorming
pair work
group work
whole class discussion (you may use the transcript)
writing (you may use the transcript), for example: a report, a story
scaffolding

Important texts

Top Ten Things Employers Look for tin New College Graduates

You can learn about the technology from TodaysMeet section on TTV by Russell Stannard.