Something new that people are talking about is Poll Everywhere. I haven’t actually used this yet, but it looks like it could be very useful and a lot of fun. It allows students to use shortcode texting on their cell phones to take polls. The polls can be conducted in class, and the results are available almost immediately. These polls could be learning objects or practice quizzes. The lowest level of service is free.
I have experimented a little bit with Poll Everywhere. Be aware that while most cell phones will allow shortcode texting, some may not. In my case, I am on a family account and shortcode texting is blocked, so I am unable to submit answers using my phone. One way to ensure that all of your students can participate is to put them in pairs, making sure that students who do not have phones that allow shortcode texting are paired with students who do.
I would like to adapt an interactive PowerPoint presentation I made on Fact or Opinion to Poll Everywhere and see how it works. In the meantime, let me know if you have any ideas or something you would like to share.
This video was very useful as an example of language that gives instructions. I used it today in my writing class, and it worked well as an introduction to several teaching points. The first time my class watched the video, pencils were down, and the students just watched for enjoyment and to get the general idea. The second viewing included a closer look and an analysis of the language used in the video. The video offers some good examples of features found in language that gives instruction.
Imperative Verbs
start
push
rest
cut
select
serve
enjoy
cajole
assure
Expressions That Are Useful When Giving Instructions
You will need _____
You will have to _____.
You need to_____.
A Reminder
Be(ing) careful not to _____.
The video also gave students exposure to interesting and slightly more complex introductions and conclusions than they have written so far this semester.
In my experience it is more difficult for my writing students to choose interesting controlling ideas for essays on similarities than it is for them to choose interesting controlling ideas for essays about differences (contrast). One key to writing about similarities is finding two topics that at first glance appear to have very little in common. Recently a friend who admires Fred Astaire shared a You Tube video about some mirroring that Michael Jackson did of Fred Astaire. Although this topic is not particularly academic, the video illustrates some interesting similarities between a piece of work by Michael Jackson and some work by Fred Astaire.
I plan to use this later this semester in my writing course when we work on writing about similarities. I will either use it at the beginning of the unit as a “buy in” or at the point when the class is preparing to choose their topics.
Many of my grammar students are not aware that when it comes to modals, some of the same words have very different uses. Can, for example, is used for ability and also for requests. Could is used for past tense ability, but it is also used for slightly more formal requests. In an effort to increase my students’ awareness of these different uses for the same words, I made an interactive chart. Viewing the chart allows them to see the modals and their many uses. They can then follow their curiosity by clicking on the check marks to see examples (with photos) of how the words are used.
I used this with my class last week. I asked them what modals were and then showed them the chart, pointing out the different uses for the same words. I then asked them what they would like to know more about, and we clicked to our hearts content. I will also connect this to the course management system that I used for the class, so they can use the chart and the examples when they study independently.
The chart (Modals) is a work in progress, so if you have any suggestions I would greatly appreciate them.
A few months ago I started a nonlinear PowerPoint presentation on the parts of speech. After a lot of consideration, I decided to stick with the traditional eight parts of speech. I realize that this categorization is not without its disadvantages, but I felt that using the traditional eight would be most efficient for my students. This presentation, however, has turned into a bigger project than I had imagined, and as a result I have decided to post it in small bits. This first post is the one on the noun. It covers count nouns, noncount nouns, infinitives as nouns, and gerunds. The level targets the particular students that I teach. They are at the intermediate level. And here it is…
Perhaps you are already aware of this, but there are some new tricks in Internet Explorer 8, and one of them in particular might be of assistance to language learners. I recently attended a workshop given by one of my colleagues, Nancy Woodard. She specializes in and teaches technology. One of the things she talked about was using Accelerators. Her explanation was very helpful and clear, and so I asked her if I could add her explanation to this blog. She very kindly said yes. Nancy explains Accelerators in Internet Explorer 8 as follows:
“Internet Explorer, or IE for short, is Microsoft’s browser. A new feature in IE8 is Accelerators. Highlight a word or phrase on a web page and the blue arrow accelerator icon will pop up. Click on the Accelerator to quickly do things without copy-paste, and without navigation to other sites. Need to map an address? Highlight the address and use a mapping accelerator. Want to define a word? Install your favorite dictionary as an accelerator. Would you like to forward a link? Accelerators can help you do this quickly. Need to translate a word? Easily translate with Bing translator or many other translators.”
This feature will enable students to highlight a word and quickly
access a definition in English
access translations into other languages
view images associated with the word by choosing an internet search and then selecting images
This little presentation allows students to categorize the uses of the simple present tense. It also demonstrates how movement in PowerPoint can be used to allow students to actively categorize. To add movement to PowerPoint, use animation.
This is a little presentation that I use to quickly review how to change singular count nouns into plural nouns. It covers
- spelling rules
– nouns that are always plural
– irregular plural nouns
You can start this part of the lesson by asking your class what singular and plural mean, what count nouns and noncount nouns are, and what vowels and consonants are. Then ask them, “How do you change a singular count noun into a plural (count) noun?” Cajole them into giving you a more complex answer than, “Add an s” and you’re off.
The fun thing about this particular presentation is that is demonstrates how you can turn an image into the background for a slide. To do this in PowerPoint, go to Design > Background Styles > Format Background > Picture or Text Fill > Insert from — File > (Browse to choose the file.) > Close.
At the beginning of the semester when I ask my grammar class when to use the present simple tense, I always get a few students who answer “now.” This is only partially correct. The present simple tense is really not so simple. When you are writing about something that is happening right now, you use the present continuous (progressive) tense.
Hopefully I can help my grammar students understand when to use the present simple tense and when to use the present progressive tense. To this end, I have created a short interactive PowerPoint presentation that reviews the uses of both tenses and then gives the students a chance to quiz themselves on what they remember. If you are interested, please link to the presentation below.
The discovery of this video is an example of the benefits of wandering. I am not sure why or how I found this fine piece of student work, but I am sure that it was the result of following curiosity and also some rather inefficient, but enjoyable, wandering. In any case, I wanted to share it with you.
It was made by young learners of English, and even though I teach college students, I use it at the beginning of a speech class I teach because it is so nicely organized.
My students are in a language program that develops their English language skills, so that they can take content courses in college. One of the skills that is vital when taking college courses is the ability to both recognize and use organization. Especially in college where students are processing large amounts of information, this understanding is useful for both comprehension and recall. In speech class, students are required to write an outline, give a speech plan or preview in their introduction, and use signal words so that their audience can clearly recognize the parts of the speech. This video is a useful and interesting introduction to organizing a speech. After viewing it, we discuss how it is organized and then, in pairs, students write a phrasal outline of it.
Something new that people are talking about is Poll Everywhere. I haven’t actually used this yet, but it looks like it could be very useful and a lot of fun. It allows students to use shortcode texting on their cell phones to take polls. The polls can be conducted in class, and the results are available almost immediately. These polls could be learning objects or practice quizzes. The lowest level of service is free.
