Sound Cloud is a web 2.0 tool with an easy-to-use iPad/iPod app. It’s designed for musicians, but language teachers should take advantage for in-class voice recording. Students need to create a free account, then make their recording, which can be emailed to the teacher, or posted directly to a Twitter account. Since the sounds are hosted online, you can embed them on a class website or blog.
Posted in Technology
If you use the iPod/iPad for creating student videos, Splice is a really easy way to have them “splice” scenes together. You then export the spliced video to your camera roll and can email it, upload to YouTube, or upload to your computer. Very easy!
Posted in Technology
UrTak is a free site that allows you to create yes/no/don’t care questions, then embed them in your class site or blog. You can also set the language (oui/non/je m’en fiche). Students can add questions as well.
Posted in Technology
GoAnimate is a free site that allows you to create cartoon animations and either record voice or type text that the program reads for you. It also has authentic foreign language accents and voices.
Posted in Online Activities, Technology
Storybird is a free site that lets you choose artwork to create a story. You choose your art, then type in your story. The final product reads like a book and can be embedded easily on class sites or blogs.
Posted in Online Activities, Technology
LinoIt is a free message board. You create a board where students can post “sticky notes,” including video clips.
Posted in Online Activities, Technology
This activity gets students writing sentences with correct verb forms that demonstrates that they know the meaning of the verb and its various forms. Begin each slide with a single click that reveals the verb (infinitive) and 3 subject pronouns with question words. Students have 40 seconds (the line on the bottom of the slide disappears to show time passing) to write three sentences that include the subject, the correct form of the verb and the additional information based on the question word(s). The next screen shows the three verb forms that students should have written so that they can check their work. The teacher then has students share their examples with a partner or with the class. This activity works well individually or in pairs. Students can write the sentences on small white boards or on a sheet of paper.
This activity can be done using Powerpoint animation. Below are some complete activities to practice various French and Spanish verb forms.
French:
Spanish:
The activities on the links below are great for students to individually practice many vocabulary topics in a very interactive way. Some of the activities include sound and students can practice their listening comprehension as well as their ability to recognize words when they see them in print. These are also effective for the smartboard as well. The activities work just as well on an individual computer screen.
These are very interactive music activities that I came across on Lyricsgap.com. The songs are on video (linked to youtube) and for each song there are 2 types of activities to practice the lyrics: Fill in the missing word or phrase (three levels) and karaoke.
There are lots of song in different languages and you can even add to the activities or upload your own song to the site. The song and activities are assessed and approved before they are placed on the site. These are fun activities for students to do individually or in pairs:
Posted in Listening, Online Activities, Technology
Wordle is a resource for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes. The images you create with Wordle are yours to use however you like. You can print them out, or save them to the Wordle gallery.
These word clouds can be used as a pre-reading activity in a a second language. Students can look for the most prominent words and begin to decipher what the text will be about. Student writing can also be put into a word cloud and you can have other students visually look at the text. There are many interesting uses for this free tool.
Here is an example using a Neruda poem:
SABRÁS QUE NO TE AMO
Sabrás que no te amo y que te amo
puesto que de dos modos es la vida,
la palabra es un ala del silencio
el fuego tiene una mitad de frío.
Yo te amo para comenzar a marte,recomenzar el infinito
y para no dejar de amarte nunca:
por eso no te amo todavía.
Te amo y no te amo como si tuviera
en mis manos las llaves de la dicha
y un incierto destino desdichado.
Mi amore tiene dos vidas para amarte.
Pore eso te amo cuando no te amo
y por eso te amo cuando te amo.
Check out the site HERE.
Posted in Online Activities, Reading, Technology
