Picture presentation with Bubblr

What computer tools that you can think of when you have to make a presentation? Microsoft PowerPoint? Any other? This entry, therefore, will show you how we can make presentation by using another interactive medium called Bubblr. Bubblr is a website that allows people to make picture presentations or comic strips by using images that are based from flickr.com. It is free and no registration is needed. Easy and convenient for teachers, students and even anyone from any background fields. 

Website URL: http://www.pimpampum.net/bubblr/

   

How it operates?

• Have a topic of your presentation and you can just insert some key words of pictures that you imagine in a tag box. Pictures that are under that particular tag will be listed and the numbers of it are depends. You can choose any suitable pictures that you think could fit with your presentation.

•  On each picture, you can insert a bubble; whether to have dialogue or even a descriptive sentence that related with the picture. The slides can be added by clicking 'after current' or 'before current' button, depending on how you want to arrange your slides.

• After you have done, simply click publish and you need to fill in the title and your name. By giving this information, you can search for your work in Bubblr archive. You do not have to worry of losing it, it is saved. You can also email your work to other people. 

• You could always change information in your presentation by clicking 'Recycle This Strip' button. 

Below is my version of Bubblr slideshow. Enjoy!

How can teacher use it?

Presentation of topic of interest.

Brainstorm with students some ideas that are appealing to them and some topics like holiday, my hobby and favourite food might be mentioned. This indirectly would make students feel involved in the classroom activity and lowered down the authority of the teacher. Ask students to choose any of the topics that interest them the most. However, you could also be flexible by giving them freedom to choose any other ideas that appeal to them. Encourage students to write sentences and describe a little more about the pictures in the slides. To make it more interesting, you could assign students to present their works orally in front of the whole class.

Correcting ungrammatical sentences.

You could also test students' awareness on grammar rules of language. As a teacher, create a description or narration using Bubblr that contains grammatical errors in each slides. Present the slideshow to the students and ask them to edit and correct ungrammatical sentences as well as noting the reason of the mistakes. Do you remember that Bubblr has recycle button? By only clicking on this button, the content of the slideshow could be changed. Moreover, you do not have to worry about lack of internet-access computer in your school (if you have this problem) since this activity is not only for individual, but it could also be a group or whole class task.
  

What do I say about this website?

Thumbs up points :)

1) Students can use picture to create vision aids about the information in slides.

2) Practice writing short descriptive sentences.

3) Personalisation as activity could cater individual interest.

Thumbs down points :(

1) Not all pictures that we want available in flickr.

2) Cannot reposition the slides which is difficult!

3) The dialogue boxes cannot be expanded and they might block pictures.

4) Limited font and size of it. 

I hope you use it and ENJOY!

ClicknLearn: Play language game!

As a teacher, I believe you might think that teaching grammar rules and vocabulary are not an easy task. Constant teaching of similar methods like drilling and memorization would be boring sometimes. So, how can learning these aspects of language be more interesting and enjoyable? Here, I could help you a bit. Let's come with me exploring this website, ClicknLearn. 

ClicknLearn is a website that provides many language games related with vocabulary, grammar rules and current issues. Here, people could learn not only English, but other several languages as well like French and Spanish. Also, the language games could accommodate many levels from easy, intermediate to difficult. There are also many interesting features in it like sounds with pronunciation of words and colourful pictures, in which I believe could assist language learning. So, let's explore more on this website!     
    

Website URL: http://clicknlearn.net/  


How it operates?

• Once you click on the link, you will see ClicknLearn website. Just click the 'Enter Site' button to view the whole website. A pop-up will come out, so I will suggest that you allow all sites to show pop-ups link beforehand.

• A welcoming words will welcome you on the new link. Choices of language to learn would also be shown and you can choose any language that you want to explore. As this blog is about learning English, I should then proceed with English language.

• Roll over to open a 'Menu' button. Links to various language games would be shown at the upper left corner of the site. Try to look at any category and I hope you will find one that is suitable for your students' levels and interesting enough for them to enjoy.

• In every language games, scores will be given and this could indicate how much we have understood about language aspects that are being taught.

A 3 ESO, Intermediate language game about searching for Wally.

How can teacher use it?

>>As a supplement for the main lesson

Having a single lesson on grammar points and vocabulary is just not enough to ensure students' understanding. So, teacher could use ClicknLearn as an extra activity to introduce the lesson or strengthen their comprehension on the previously taught lesson. Search and choose any games that are related with the lesson and have students to complete it in groups or pairs.   


>>A medium to practice autonomous learning

Teacher could encourage students to browse ClicknLearn and explore the language by themselves outside the classroom. As this website is full of language games, students from any levels of proficiency with different levels of motivation towards learning language, would possibly be interested to explore and learn language. When they are learning by themselves; making errors, understanding language forms and listening to pronunciation, students are gradually practicing autonomous learning.      

What do I say about the website?

Thumbs up points :)

1) Variety of interesting language games!
2) Can cater all level of students.
3) A platform for autonomous learning.
(When students make mistakes, they would continue to use try and error method and also search for answers' hints by clicking help. These are all made by themselves and hence, encourage them to be independent on their own learning.)

Thumbs down points :(

1) Some levels are not functioning or under construction. It would be better in the future I hope.

I hope you use it and ENJOY!

Brainshark: The Power of Voice

Have you ever experienced: 1) limited time to finish all the lessons? 2) difficulty to give feedback to each and every students' works? 3) lacking of activity that could assess students' speaking skills? If you have these problems, or at least one of it, let's come with me and I will share with you a website that could solve your worries.

Brainshark, a new innovation of slides presentations, is a website that allows people to insert their voices into a static content slideshow of PowerPoint Presentation, video clips, documents files and collection of photos. Create, share and track online and mobile video presentation are the important elements that serve as the basis for Brainshark's formation. It is a free website but a registration is required to get you started.         

Website URL: http://www.brainshark.com/ 

How it operates?

• Since Brainshark has various functions, it is thus better to hear an aural and visual presentation on how to use it rather than reading all lengthy instruction. So, here is Brainshark tutorial with Russel Stannard. 

Have an idea on how it operates? Just in case you want to see an example of it, below is my own version of Brainshark presentation. Enjoy!

How can teacher use it?

Presenting the lesson

It is sometimes difficult to finish all the lesson due to time factor. So, by using Brainshark, you could cover any extra items and make a presentation that includes slides, pictures as well as audio explanation to students. Moreover, some aspects of lessons that have been taught in class would be very important for students' future challenges like examination and interview for higher education. You could then present these language aspects through Brainshark and this could give students opportunity to refer back to the lesson and learn it more intensively. 

Practicing and assessing speaking skill through presentation 

Students' speaking skills could also be fostered through Brainshark. Assign your students to create a presentation of any topic of interest by using this website. Plus, you should encourage students to imagine that they are presenting their works in front of the audience and insert any conversation items that portray a possibility of two ways communication. For example, ask students to post questions or use some word chunks like "are you with me?" and "do you guys feel excited?". Although this depends on students' imagination ability, but still by making them use the language, the familiarity towards the language structure would be enhanced and indirectly helps them improving their speaking skills.

At the same time, this presentation could also be a record to assess students' speaking skills. You could check students pronunciation, sentence making, creativity in relating slides with audio record and so on. Note down any mistakes that students made and try to improve it in the next lesson.   

A medium for giving feedback

Feedback on students' works is important to enhance learning. You might be so used to written feedback, so, how about changing it a little bit and give an oral feedback instead. Therefore, through Brainshark, this type of feedback could be presented. Similar like the written one, you should highlight good qualities as well as errors that students have made in their works. Suggested solutions and explanations on how the works could be improved should be given too. Students, hence, would take note on which aspects that should be improved and which one should be retained.

What do I say about this website?

Thumbs up points :)

1) A new way of presenting information that could be useful for many language activities. 

2) Enhance students' speaking skill.
3) Allows room for assessing students' speaking ability. 

4) Develop confidence on using language to speak.

Thumbs down points :(

1) Practice speaking with no real audience might affect the real feeling of talking in front of people.

I hope you use it and ENJOY!