úterý 29. března 2022

Kahoot, Mindmeister, Prezi et al.

  Do you know kahoot?

It is a fast developing commercial platform which aims at techers, offering a space to create fast quizzes to be played online - on a PC or a phone. The scores are registered and compared, which makes the game highly competitive and motivating. Therefore the platform becomes still more popular among the teachers and students.


TASK 1

  1. Play this kahoot quiz (click the link, choose play as a guest, wait for generating the PIN. then go to www.kahoot.it and enter the pin).
  2. Summarise the advantages and disadvantages of such activity in English language teaching. Consider both the views of students AND teachers. Write your opinions in this blog entry comments.

TASK 2

  1. Make pairs. 
  2. Register into Kahoot and create a quiz of your own.
  3. List the types of questions which are offered (including the premium version). Compare with the types available in Moodle.
  4. In pairs, try out the quizzes you made. Share the links in the excel chart, so that more people can try them out. 

To consider:
Would you prefer Moodle or Kahoot for constant teaching/learning support? What are the criteria? Enter your considerations into the comment to this blog.

TASK 3
Go to https://prezi.com/. Explore the possibilities. 
What do you prefer, prezi or powerpoint? Why?

TASK 4
Go to https://www.mindmeister.com/. Explore the possibilities.
Is this an useful tool for you? How does it help?
Would you like to include a mindmap into your topic presentation?

úterý 22. března 2022

CALLing for Practice

 


CALL = Computer Assisted Language Learning

e.g. Moodle, Duolingo... or any other way of studying with the support of ICT

even has its own journal!

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Usual techniques for practice and testing

  • yes-no/true-false
  • matching
  • ordering
  • multiple choice
  • gap fill/cloze test
  • open questions
  • creative production
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TASK 1

Study the pros and cons of various test types HERE. Any disagreements?

What is your favourite test technique - from the different point of view:

  1. as a  student
  2. as a teacher
Add your answer into the comments to this blog entry. Sign your comment.
Read the other comments and try to identify the  reasons why people prefer specific techniques - and what are the T's and Ss' reasons.


More techniques to consider: which can be used to practicing language skills, and which focus mainly on memorised factual knowledge? 
















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TASK 2 - see the Moodle Blog entry.

úterý 15. března 2022

Working with sound

  


Audio material is regularly used when teaching speaking and listening in foreign languages. Therefore the teachers and the students should be able to edit and modify audio as well as texts.
Probably the best freeware available for editing sound is called AUDACITY.


Audacity Basics - you should be able to
- install Audacity and the lame library which enables export to mp3
- open a file in Audacity
- edit the file: cut and paste, fade in/out, change speed, delete, add silence
- create a new file
- combine two files (e.g. speech + background music)
- insert silence (e.g. as a space for an answer)
- change the speed or pitch (carefully!) to make understanding easier (or to have fun)


TASK 1 - WEB SEARCH
Choose an online audio resource - a podcast or TED you consider useful for an English teacher. Listen, and share the link and your opinion in the comments to this blog entry.

Inspiration/hint: What does the word "podcast" mean? Go to Podomatic, create an account and browse the site. How can we use it in teaching English?

Good examples - Teacher LukeSplendid Speaking for advances learners
Podcast on podcasting in ELT

More online podcasts and streams
Ted Talks on Education - free online lectures!
Paramind
Oxford University Podcasts

Free text to audio:
http://www.fromtexttospeech.com/

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TASK 2 - THE CREDIT PROJECT
  • to be done in groups of max. 4 people
  • Product: high quality audiorecording 5-10'. 
  • Content: audio dramatisation of a literary scene according to your own choice; may include special sound effects.
Objectives:
  • to practise pronunciation, including peer correction; 
  • to revise British and American literature and support learning for lit. exams; 
  • to master basic sound editing skills in Audacity; 
  • to design a system for recording within online communication; 
  • to develop cooperation and organisation skills; 
  • to list a set of  criteria and evaluate the schoolmates' projects objectively.

Tips:
  • Prepare a scenario. Rehearse before recording. Give each other feedback on pronunciation and acting.
  • Find a silent space for recording, avoid unwanted background sounds (a train, a lorry, a neighbour's parrot...)
  • Record, listen, re-record, listen, re-record... focus on quality!
  • Edit the recording in Audacity. Create and add appropriate sound effects if suitable. 
  • Make the drama credible :) explore your acting talent.
  • Finalise the file, export it and save as mp3, and add to your personal webpage (each member of the group).



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EXTRAS
Sound files extensions:
wav -  Standard audio file container format used mainly in Windows PCs. Commonly used for storing uncompressed (PCM), CD-quality sound files, which means that they can be large in size—around 10 MB per minute. Wave files can also contain data encoded with a variety of (lossy) codecs to reduce the file size (for example the GSM or MP3 formats). Wav files use a RIFF structure

mp3 - compressed, MPEG Layer III Audio. Is the most common sound file format used today

flac - Free Lossless Audio Codec
ape - Monkey's Audio lossless audio compression format
ogg - A free, open source container format supporting a variety of formats, the most popular of which is the audio format Vorbis; compression similar to MP3

webm - Royalty-free format created for HTML5 video
aiff - Standard audio file format used by Apple. It could be considered the Apple equivalent of wav

ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_file_format



Sluchové pole (nebo oblast slyšitelnosti) je rozsah všech zvuků, které dokáže lidské ucho vnímat. Vnímání zvuku je u člověka omezeno slyšitelnými frekvencemi (přibližně 16–20 000 Hz). U každé frekvence je odlišný rozdíl intenzit, jež slyšíme. Lidský sluchový orgán je nejcitlivější v oblasti frekvencí 1–5 kHz.

http://www.wikiskripta.eu/index.php/Pr%C3%A1h_sluchu_a_sluchov%C3%A9_pole



úterý 8. března 2022

Moodle tasks all in one place

TASK 6  20.4.2022

Student's view on Moodle 

Make pairs. Try out each other's materials and offer feedback.

Following the tutor's presentation, THIS video and this LINK, find out which data about the student's progress you can gain through the tests.

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TASK 5     23.3.2022

Test techniques - focus on Multiple Choice.

Focus on feedback in your test. A good feedback should

  • present appropriate input - high amount of correct language
  • be positive! do not criticise, rather include hints and ideas (not solutions)
  • bring new information outside language
  • be true
  • prompt and motivate
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How do I make a good feedback in multiple choice?
Just follow these simple tips:
- DO NOT use capitals, exclamation marks, "NO!" "Unfortunately..." etc.
- be positive :) - do not start the feedback with "Sorry, no..."
- add extra information, eg.
Where do lions live? Chosen answer: "India"
Feedback: "Tigers live in India, but lions live in Africa."

*Examples of inacceptable feedback:
Sorry, try again
Are you serios?
almost THEREEEEE
you should have studied mnore
No way.
You should think before you click.
This is not the right answer.

Examples of suitable feedback:
Q: What do you use for reading?
A a book
B a toy        FDB: We use toys for playing. (IMAGE)
C a table      FDB: We eat on a table. (IMAGE)
D a dog        FDB: Dog is a friendly animal. (IMAGE)


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TASK 4     16.3.2022

  1. Find an audio link you want to add to your topic. Consider the length, language quality and info reliability!
  2. Add the link into your moodle space. Include questions/tasks, e.g.: "Based on the audio, define... describe... decide..." YOu can either add an URL only, or a whole page.
  3. Add a quiz to the listening - use the MATCHING technique. 

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TASK 3         9.3.2022

Make pairs. Visit each other's moodle topics and compare the approaches  - give your friend a valid and useful feedback! e.g.

  • What is missing in the planned structure? 
  • Would you prefer a different approach?
  • Is the text understandable and correct?

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 TASK 2       2.3.2022

In the view of today's lesson (How our brain works), consider the structure of your Moodle task. 

  1. Presentation should include the main facts about the problem (focus on learning the knowledge) and  involve as many senses as possible. (e.g. use colours to mark keywords).
  2. To support connecting information and critical thinking, add questions to be answered after studying the introductory  material.
  3. Practice should give the user a chance to apply the knowledge and train the targetted skill. Add several types of tests, ordered form the simple to most difficult level.
____________________

TASK 1     23.2.2022

  1. Go to moodle ujep - https://moodle.pf.ujep.cz/course/view.php?id=1177
  2. Open menu Course Administration/Sprava kurzu; check the settings
  3. Go to the the main screen (https://moodle.pf.ujep.cz/course/view.php?id=1177&notifyeditingon=1)
  4. Click on Turn Editing On/Zapnout rezim uprav - upper right
  5. Scroll down, choose Pridat temata, add one; 
  6. Edit its heading: use your own name + the chosen topic instead of TopicXX/TemaXX.

            example: Novak_The Age of Shakespeare


Now you have created your personal training field :)

    7. Search the web, find a useful site related to your topic, and add the URL to your area. Explore         the settings available.

Photos, images and Hoaxes

  


SUMMARY

The principles defining a good (=memorable) photograph are identical to principles enhancing acquisition, learning + remembering. Therefore, they should be applied in teaching, especially when using images as visual support for presentation or language production.

TASK/HOMEWORK

1. Take some pictures of your hometown. Be creative :)

2. Make a collage of two or more chosen photos from your set of pictures. Insert the final photo with a suitable comment into your Homepage (index.html) and publish online. 
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Visual support is vital in any teaching situation. As English teachers, we use pictures of objects to teach vocabulary, photos of situations to stimulate communication, authentic visual materials to teach realia and culture...

What characteristics of an image influence its effect on remembering the vocabulary?
  • context or the absence of context
  • vivid colours
  • contrast
  • golden ratio
  • the size of the target object
________________________________________________

Language production
One image is worth a thousand words. One image can stimulate thousands of words. 
How can you use images in language teaching? Take a photo and...

________________________________________________

Compare these two photos:




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Making a simple collage in Photoshop:
1. ^A^C^V inserting img2 into img1
2. ^T for transformation - shift, rotate... place img2
3. Mask  - cover all (a black mask)
4. B - brush - paint into the mask (white brush) and uncover img2
5. X - switches between black and white brush (undo)
experiment with the brush settings (krytí, hustota)

Making a collage in GIPM - Youtube

inspiration Martin Stranka
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 WHAT ARE THE KEY SKILLS IN THE FIELD OF PHOTOGRAPHY FOR  THE ENGLISH TEACHER TO MASTER?

My suggestion:
1. Basic knowledge of the electronic image formats and their specifics.
2. Basic editing abilities: crop, contrast, colour adjustment
3. Basic photo-making skills and knowledge (to be able to prepare original materials, and to document school events, projects, students'activities and products).

4. Advanced editing abilities - collage (to create more original materials, and to be resistant to hoax), inserting text to the image...

Typical Viral :D

Any other suggestions?
____________________________________________________

What shall we know?

1. How to compose a photography

Practical tips:
concentrate on a single idea, object, feeling
get closer, fill almost the whole field with the target object/situation


2. How to save an image
raw - full data
jpg - compressed (lossy)
tiff - for print, usually lossless; can handle CMYK
bmp - full data (bitmap)
gif - small (and animated); saves only used colours; 8bit
png - lossless, successor of gif, 8-24-48 bit

For web, an image with the longer side of 1600px is big enough, Let's say the size limit is cca 50KB - to save space.
When reducing the size, always keep the original untouched! Save the small version as a new file, say, IMG2345_Small.jpg. 
JPEGS reduce the size exponetially, so if you reduce the original at 80%, the amount of data may be reduced form 12MB to 1,5 MB. 


More in Wiki (in Czech)
and Wiki (in English)


3. The basic editing skills you should master:
1. Compressing, saving in various formats (with different extensions) and size
2. Crop (ořez)
3. Changing brightness, sharpness, hue and other basic features
4. Making a part of the image transparent

Collage in Photoshop - tutorial in Czech
List of  Photoshop Hotkeys - EN
List of  Photoshop Hotkeys - CZ

Useful Photoshop Hotkeys
B - Brush
C - Crop
H - Hand
J - Healing brush
L - Lasso
S - Stamp
W - Wand

TIPS
How to make things transparent in Photoshop:
New Image - Background transparent
Import the image into a new layer
Magic wand - choose parts which should be transparent

Layer - Mask - Hide the choice (Vrstvy - maska - skrýt výběr)

How to make things transparent in GIMP:
Layers – Transparency – Add alpha channel
Choose the background using the magic wand.
The simplest method is to use Edit → Clear

You can also test transparency in Word - add the image into text and choose Formát obrázku - pozice - před textem.


Want a top quality image legally?
Visit Getty.
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... want to know more?



Interesting sites

Data visualisation Beta

100 Tools for teachers

CUP Digital Week: A teacher’s experience of… using technology in language teaching


středa 2. března 2022

Memory, Acquisition and Learning

 How does human brain work?



TASK 1

Browse the internet. Try to find answers to the following questions:

  1. What does language acquisition mean?
  2. Do all human brains acquire the first language the same way?
TASK 2
What is the function of Brocca's area and Wernicke's  area? 
When were they discovered?

Find and download an unlabeled image of a human brain. Label the two areas there. 


TASK 3 - Moodle

In the view of today's lesson, consider the structure of your Moodle task. 

  1. Presentation should include the main facts about the problem (focus on learning the knowledge) and  involve as many senses as possible. (e.g. use colours to mark keywords).
  2. To support connecting information and critical thinking, add questions to be answered after studying the introductory  material.
  3. Practice should give the user a chance to apply the knowledge and train the targetted skill. Add several types of tests, ordered form the simple to most difficult level.