MY PLN - MOOC COURSE ABOUT GAMES spring-summer 2015

After a  first MOOC with this European organization I  took a second  course about  Games:  this is  the link to the course provider http://www.europeanschoolnetacademy.eu/

It was something new for me, but it offered interesting ideas about the best ways for  using computers and  games in projects and  school activities.
I also carried out  my personal research about games in ELT and  I discovered interesting websites.
This is my  learning  diary and the final activity which I have submitted.

Created with Padlet

After I finished each module I took a test and got a badge. The final project made me think about the many possibilieties of using games in education. Here is a list of useful websites, more can be found in my learning diary which you can find in the padlet I have embedded .

The following  link offers a useful  guide for  teachers of ENGLISH  and  games in education:


http://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/2015/06/13/the-best-online-learning-games-of-2015-so-far/

The course  provided us with a list  of  commercial  games and we could  discuss them and introduce more  games:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZvlHGXJEPBRcPi7Gm_Tsroq6CaoW6rrj3JWs9YU5Fp0/edit?pli=1


My personal research made me try  and see more  games and their use in  ELT:

http://www.teachercast.net/check-out-these-great-livebinders-to-support-english-language-education/

http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?id=331059

This link  can offer  links to many   useful activities

http://www.e-learningforkids.org/

SCIENCE

http://www.e-learningforkids.org/science/lesson/shaping-the-earths-surface/

http://www.e-learningforkids.org/science/lesson/air-pollution/

LIFE  SKILLS

http://www.e-learningforkids.org/life-skills/

ELT games  can be found  by  following this link:

http://www.cambridgeenglish.org/learning-english/games-social/

There are different levels and you should see which is the right one for your students: this is  a useful game for  students whose level is B1- C1.




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 To be continued........................................

MY PLN- A COURSE ABOUT THE USE OF TABLETS

EUROPEAN SCHOOLNET ACADEMY- COURSES FOR TEACHERS ON LINE 

Spring can be a busy  period for  a  teacher but  I am going to present my learning diary about an interesting MOOC which  I did after I finished the Course about  WEB 2.0 TOOLS with  COURSERA. For me last spring was inspiring because I learnt a lot, first of all we could  share ideas about  new technologies and see what other  teachers have  done or  are going to do thanks to the new learning  environment that is changing the way we  work at school now.  This is their presentation on line:

This time the course was run by a European institution, while COURSERA  is  based in the USA but  they offer courses from AUSTRALIA and other  countries, and  this MOOC made me learn more about the use of  tablets and how to make  lessons more engaging.  It is not  a rule to use them in all the lessons but you can discover a new  world of learning.
Here is my diary- at the end of the course I had to create a lesson/project using  tablets: I wish I could do this with my classes next year. Maybe lessons would be  less boring and  everybody would be  an active  learner. What I could see on line  was great: have a look and you will understand that education  is   improving now ....
SHARING ideas   was  great and I learnt from the  others.

Created with Padlet

This padlet is a summary of some the works teachers worked on while doing the MOOC: you will find  great activities and lots of ideas based on what we learnt.

 

Created with Padlet

IATEFL CONFERENCE MANCHESTER 2015

Manchester Online 2015 LINK

I have  just  received the invation from ManchesterOnline IATEFL  2015 : it is my first time on line and I am going to  see this  Conference on line from  home. It is an important event and I am going to  see what is  happening, what  new  ideas  are  developed.  If you  click and follow the link you will be able to have  access to it. I must  confess that it is a new experience and  I am  eager at learning more. The event can be followed on twitter   @iateflonline and  even if  I am at school I am willing to see some  parts of the  Conference.  I am attending  this Conference as a virtual blogger but  the curiosity has made me decide to see it.

This is the blog where I am going to post my comments about  what I have learnt:

MY BLOG ABOUT EDUCATION

I have already found some interesting  speakers at the  Conference and their  presentations: this is my website, the new one which I have  just  started and where I am going to write more. 

https://sites.google.com/site/thenewworldoflearning/home/iatefl-on-line-manchester-2015

So let's start the journey and see what is going on!!

Friday   10th April  2015 

PLN and what I have learnt from the WEB 2.0 TOOLS course with COURSERA

The journey into my  WEB 2.0 TOOLS  course has ended, I am still waiting for my  certificate and yet I am missing the lessons, the forums and the interesting people I have met because I have learnt a lot from them!
I have seen nice projects, I have learnt about  new tools and  now  I am eager to learn more.






   I have developed my PLN and I will continue to do this in the future.
I wish to thank all the people from COURSERA who  ran this  great  course which was so interesting and provided us with plenty of ideas.

But I would also say thank you  to people I have met thanks  to TWITTER  because I have  learnt more about teachers who are  sharing and learning.
The following link can provide you with more information about   these tools which  should be known by  most of  teachers and students:

http://www.livebinders.com/shelf/search?search=&terms=Web 2.0&type=3


https://www.pinterest.com/esheninger/web-2-0-tools-for-educators/


One of the  teachers has  shared this  teaching-Toolbox :

https://papaly.com/User42095/b5dZ/My-Teaching-Toolbox


In  Italy there is  a thriving community on line  where  teachers  share their  experience 

https://insegnantiduepuntozero.wordpress.com/



So .... there is more to learn  about   and  BECOME  A BETTER  TEACHER!

WEB 2.0 TOOLS to start working with from COURSERA MOOC 2015

             Tools which are worth  trying 

I have just found this  great presentation on line which I would like to share with you: they give us an idea of what is going on and how  the world of education is going to continue changing........ What tools  would you like to use ?  I think I will use many more.........  because  I am curious..............




What I like is the idea of  having a lot of tools which are  FREE, so  for me   Google is still one of the best  tools, this presentation on line can give you an idea of the many opportunities we have  and  we should all share and use:   




                           
   Interesting   Tools
The following   WEB  2.0 TOOLS  were presented in the course which is going to finish this week. I feel that we should all try to use them because  they are   so  POWERFUL and they can make a  difference!!!
1) Communication   PADLET

2)  Collaboration    -  REALTIMEBOARD                                          

3) Creativity    Storyboard                                                      

                                                    

4) Mind  Mapping Tool  -Mindomo                                                       

 5)Bookmarking                                                    It is a free social bookmarking tool that allows you to organize, store, and share digital resources online. 

  

                                  

                               

USEFUL WEBSITES FOR  SEARCHING  NEW  WEBTOOLS

1) http://newtech.coe.uh.edu/                                                         

2)http://web20guru.wikispaces.com/Web+2.0+Resources   

3)http://cooltoolsforschools.wikispaces.com/Creativity+Tools

4)http://webtools4u2use.wikispaces.com/Finding+the+Right+Tool?5)responseToken=0d9ae180fc1df7c1bdcb8d9f7e356e9ec

6) http://www.web2teachingtools.com/   

7)http://www.teachercast.net/5-best-online-presentation-tools-for-the-classroom/  ( published on line    Febbruary 2015)

8)http://oedb.org/ilibrarian/101-web-20-teaching-tools/ 

9)http://www.teachertrainingvideos.com/     

10) http://edjudo.com/web-2-0-teaching-tools-links

11)http://edjudo.com/web-2-0-teaching-tools-links#anchor10       

12)  http://www.webenglishteacher.com/tech.html     ( interesting section for  English Language Teachers and  other  teachers)  

13)https://www.pinterest.com/esheninger/web-2-0-tools-for-educators/   

14)https://www.edsurge.com/n/2013-08-21-teachers-favored-web-2-0-tools 

15)http://www.edutopia.org/technology-integration        

My mini-action research project presentation

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What you can see now is my mini-action research project.
I teach English in a secondary school in ITALY: I teach general ENGLISH  and also  ENGLISH for BUSINESS and  for BUILDING and CONSTRUCTIONS.

The project is aimed at my 5th year class of students of  BUILDING and CONSTRUCTIONS.
Their level of English is lower intermediate but they are required to  make presentations in English and they are used to working together for school projects in many school subjects.

They are going to be guided by me in making presentations on line about  architecture and great Masters of Architecture of the XX-XXI century.

The teacher sets rules about   TIME for on line presentations and WHO/WHAT they are going to present by using  Google.
They need to have  an internet access from home and  a Gmail account.
They already know how to use e-mails and  GOOGLE-DRIVE.
They will have to work in groups  by collaborating and using  Google for their presentations. They need to be able to use 
GOOGLE Drive, GOOGLE Docs and  GOOGLE presentations.
The teacher will follow their  activities on line : 4 people in each group . In my class there are only 16 students and so it will be easy for me to monitor them and how they are making progress. I might have to make  a lot of suggestions and help them  with their English descriptions in the slides.
Google Presentations is good : you can write texts, use images for your  presentations by using  Google and  also adding  VIDEOs from the YOUTUBE.

The research will be guided by the TEACHER who will provide them with websites to use while they are searching on line for more information.

Possible problems:
-  internet cannot  be  fast and not everywhere in my area  they can work well and they are expected to work from home in the afternoon
- not everybody can work well with schoolmates
- students need to know how they will be assessed 


What's next?
If the presentations on line can work well I will continue working by using  presentations on line so that they are more engaged and like what they are doing, maybe next time I will make  presentations by using   Thiglink or Prezi and teach them how they work. Since  Google is free and  quite easy to use  I decided to use it.  As a teacher I like the way it can integrate a lot of  tools.

My presentation on line explains  how I have started to work and what type of problems may come to my mind in the next weeks. For sure I would like to have their presentations on line and presented in my blog or  in the school website.  
           

More about WEB 2.0 TOOLS

Some Interesting   Tools you might  like to use when  working on line to make your lessons better and create a better learning  environment for your  students  :

An interesting  Tool for  Collaboration and  also  Brainstorming  ideas and   organizing  activities     PADLET

  

Visuword  for  languages: you have a dictionary on line based on a visual presentation. A  great Tool for teachers of Languages!!! 

SYMBALOO FOR  ORGANIZING  YOUR  CLASSROOM AND MORE  FOR YOUR PERSONAL LIFE  . You need to register and have an account      

Meetingwords for  writing and collaboration. The best Tool for helping your students write and  create texts on line 

http://piratepad.net/front-page/
A great  Tool for collaborating on documents!
The same can be done with this  tool: you do not need to sign up!!
https://titanpad.com/

https://quip.com/about/tour 
I have just come  acroos  quip, it is something similar to Google doc but it is easy to use as you do not need an e-mail and  people can collaborate ............ it can be used with pc, smartphones but not all the smartphones.......   just have a look at it ...
Another interesting Tool:

http://www.plotbot.com/

With Plotbot, you can create private screenplays to work alone or with invited friends, or you can create public screenplays to find new friends. All changes are tracked to each writer, and you can revert to prior versions at any time.

A nice Tool for creating  a journal on line , or your diary on line, you just need an account  and then  you can write............just think about the many possibilities for your  students........  You need to register and have an account.

https://penzu.com/

http://www.wordle.net/

This tool enables you to write nice word clouds ...... and  you can use your imagination ..........   

WORDITOUT

http://worditout.com/

Another  tool : this  one  helps you create word clouds and you can share  them thanks to a link.   You can choose the size and the colours of your word clouds.                                                     

More information can be found on line or  by following this  link                                                                                                     

 http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2010/02/word-it-out-like-wordle-with-more.html                                 

ZAPTION

https://www.zaption.com/                   

This tool enables you to create video-lessons by choosing videos and  then creating a lesson  about the topic/or a listening/video activity   based on what you  have   presented. Videos can be  shared  thanks to a link or embedded .  

This is my first presentation :    this is the link 

     http://zapt.io/t79t7mub

To create such videos you need to have an account : you need an  e-mail and  then a   password which you can choose.

Have a look at what I  created... it can be  better ... but I liked it.                                                                                                     

                                              

GOOGLE  HANGOUTS   : an interesting Tool for chatting and  having   discussions on line.............you  just need to have an account with  Google +and   then you  start.......  and get connected with everyone from anywhere in the  world.                                                                                                  

https://tackk.com/

A tool which enables you  to create webpages and add videos, it can be used for presentations and for photos.                               

Once more  look for information  and see how  useful it can be :

http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2014/04/tackk-create-webpages-for-announcements.html                                         

MORE ON  COLLABORATION ON LINE....................


These are  just  a few   tools, but  you will fall in love with  them because   they make your life as a student much  better ...................and  also teachers will be  much  happier.

TO BE  CONTINUED....................................