Click & Learn

ClicknLearn is an interactive learning site that offers students with numerous activities and exercises to help in language learning. Even though this educational website is originally developed for Spanish language teaching, it then offers other languages, including English, French and Valencia. 

"Education is not the filling of a bucket but the lighting of a fire" 

                                                                                       -William Butler Yeats

ClicknLearn upholds the educational principle that language teaching and learning process should be carried out in a fun and enjoyable way. Fun is the big word for language acquisition! It is the source of motivation, the driving force and the stimulation. The sense of joy develops students' interest and commitment in language learning. Without which, language acquisition may face the risk of stagnation. 

ClicknLearn is a helpful site for both teacher and students in English Language Teaching  (ELT) classroom. Some of the features of ClicknLearn that make it a useful tool for ELT:

• It has hundreds of graded units. Each focuses on a different topics, teaching about vocabulary, grammar and cultural issues. 

Online English learning units

• It offers wide variety of Flash-based activities and exercises with sound

The flash-based activity (related to the topic - family) with audio aids

• It also provides printable handouts for teachers to use in classrooms

The printable documents related to the learning units

• Scoring is obtained after the completion of the language task. 

The test scoring

How can teacher use ClicknLearn in the classroom teaching?

1. As a form of 'blended' learning

• A "blended' learning classroom situation means the incorporation of technology as a mean to support language teaching. In this case, teacher integrates ClicknLearn as a helping tool or a supplementary activity for English language teaching. For example, teacher may select a related activity from ClicknLearn and let students to do after a lesson. The topics ranges from shops, clothing, weather, etc. 

2. To teach vocabulary 

• The activities and exercises in the site are arranged accordingly to the topics; therefore, teacher may use them to introduce topic-related vocabulary. Learning is made more effective as these vocabulary comes with images and illustrations. Pictures allow students to visualise the words, enhancing their vocabulary learning. 

3. As an online test

• After a topic or a grammar point is introduced, teacher choose a related activity for the class to attempt as an informal test. The score reading, which comes after the activity, gives teacher a general overview of students' current understanding towards the lesson learnt. This activity can be carried out constantly as a formative assessment on students' English language progression and proficiency. 

4. As a dynamic homework

• The activities and exercises in ClicknLearn can also be applied as a form of homework assignment. Unlike the conventional form of homework, students can attempt an electronic exercise as their homework. By doing so, students can be seen more committed in completing their homework. For instance, teacher may pick a relevant activity and ask students to attempt the questions repeatedly until they score perfectly in the exercise.

What do I like about ClicknLearn?

1. Language activities and exercises cater learners of various levels.

• Students from lower-intermediate, intermediate, or upper-intermediate can attempt any English learning units in accordance to their language proficiency. In other words, ClicknLearn gives students of all language competency the equal opportunity to use the tool. 

2. The English language units can act as a curriculum syllabus

• English learning units are compelled together systematically  to form a self-contained syllabus for students of different levels. Language teacher can always refer to the site while constructing lesson plan. Teacher can also print out some worksheets and give to students as classroom exercises.

3. It is an integrated approach to language learning. 

• The online English language units have reading, listening, grammar, vocabulary and cultural points covered simultaneously. 

4. Language learning becomes fun and enjoyable.

• Language activities and exercises are presented in a dynamic contexts, with animated characters, interesting backgrounds, visual aids, and comprehensible audio elements. These elements may attract students, especially younger learners, to tackle the exercises and activities. Language learning affective filtered becomes lowered when students are doing tasks that is of their interest. Students, thus, become more engaged and motivated in learning.

5. The flow of the activities and exercises is fast and quick. 

• Students can instantly progress to the next exercises or questions after the completion of the previous one. It is dynamic. 

6. The activities and exercises are interactive.

• ClicknLearn is an interactive tool. It can tell whether the students acquire the right answer or not. If students choose the right one, he/she can progress to the next one; otherwise,  they have to try it again. Hints and explanations are given as a support when they fail to acquire the right answer. 

7. Autonomous learning is encouraged. 

• Teacher may introduce this website to the students so that they can try out the exercises on their own. With the tool, students can self-direct their learning and progress at their own pace, promoting independent learning. 

What are the limitations of this tool?

1. The activities and exercises in the topic is non-reversible. There is no 'back' button for us to press and look back at the previous questions or exercises that we have done. All we can do is to finish the activity and start all over again. 

2. Certain activities and exercise require students of the cultural knowledge of the western countries. 

3. Students need to have internet access if they ever want to try the activities and exercises out at home. 

Podcasts made easy with Vocaroo

Podcast - The buzz word

Podcast is an online audio content. The audio file is downloadable to iPod or other portable media players on demand. Listeners can then listen to it anytime and anywhere at their convenience. To produce a podcast, we can use a tool, called Vocaroo, to record voice or audio with much simplicity! 

What is Vocaroo? 

Vocaroo is one of the online voice recording services that allows us to send voice messages across the interwebs. Vocaroo has slowly gaining its popularity for podcasting purposes. Let's look at its specialties:

1. Free! 

Vocaroo is a free service! We can create audio recordings without the need to install any software! We don't even have to create an account to use it. Even if we would like to create one, it is free of charge. All we need is a microphone or a built-in one. 

2. Easy to use

To create a voice recording, we just have to

• plug in a microphone or use the built-in microphone, 
• click record, and 
• start speaking.

"Click to Record" button

The tool has also allowed us to review our audio and try a second or third take. After listening to the recording and If we are not satisfied with it, just click "Retry" button. Otherwise, we can just choose to publish it without going through a another attempt. 

"Retry" button

3. Cool

What is so great about Vocaroo is that it offers us to

• embed our voice recording to blogs or other websites using the HTML code provided, 
• download it as a MP3, Ogg, FLAC, WAV
• share the audio file to other social networking sites, and 
• email it to friends or anyone. 

Sharing options

How can teacher use Vocaroo in classroom teaching?

1. To allow students to practise reading independently

• Teacher can ask students to read a text (of any genre) aloud and record their own reading using Vocaroo. The text can be a story, a speech, a poem, a report, a news etc. Learning takes place as students listen to the audio recording, determining how fluent and smooth is their reading, checking on the accuracy of their pronunciation and intonation. In other words, students learn as they compare their own reading to what is considered a good reading. 

2. To assess students' speaking skills

• Teacher can assign any topic for students to talk on and listen to the audio recording created using Vocaroo later on. While listening to the file, teacher may make evaluation towards students' speaking skills. This includes checking on students' fluency, pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary choice, sentence construction, etc. Other than having teacher to do the evaluation, teacher may also allow students to exchange their recordings so as to promote peer-assessment and feedback. 

4. To give students oral exercise as a homework

• Teacher may design a speaking task and ask students to complete it using Vocaroo at home. The tool brings innovation to the design of homework. Students can have oral exercises, other than just writing, listening and reading exercise. In this way, students are encouraged to use English both in the class and out of the class, hence, maximising the opportunity for students to speak in a second language.

5. To record students discussion in a communicative activity

• Recording what has been discussed allows students to review on the points  that have come up with. Nevertheless, it also allows both teacher and students to evaluate the latter's communicative skills. Both teacher and students can access on latter's linguistics knowledge, pragmatic competence (how to use language to achieve communicative goals), discourse competence (how to perform turns-taking, how to maintain a conversation, how to develop the topic), strategic competence (how to express successfully with the lack of resources) as well as fluency. Communicative activity often exhibits a real communicative situation; therefore, the recording can tell how well students can use language in a meaningful way. 

Why would we use Vocaroo?

1. To promote autonomous learning

• The tool encourages students to take responsibility and self-direct their own learning. As discussed above, students can listen back to their own recordings and self-evaluate their speaking abilities. If they find their speaking skills below the desirable level, they might do something to improve their competency. 

2. To create E-portfolio

• As the audio file can be downloaded, shared via emails or other social sites and can even be embedded in the blogpost, both students and teacher can have a record of all the voice recording created. With a record of the audio files, they can review the recordings from time to time and observe how much is students' progression in speaking and communicating. 

Limitations of Vocaroo

1. We cannot edit the recording. If any mistakes occurs, we have to begin recording again from the very beginning.

2. The recorded files are deleted after one year for those without a Vocaroo account.

3. We need to have access to internet in order to use the tool. 

Here is an example of my audio recording created using Vocaroo. 

Record and upload voice >>

Try out this tool yourself now! 

My Brainshark

Bring your presentation to a new level using myBrainShark 

An outlook of mybrainshark site

MyBrainShark is now a leading tool to create, share and track online video presentations. It transforms static content into voice-enriched video presentations that can be accessed anytime and anywhere. 

To create myBrainShark online video presentation is quick and easy. You just need to upload a content, be it a powerpoint, document, video clip or photo, and then enrich it with voice narrations, transforming the-otherwise-boring presentation of information into an engaging, interactive one. The video presentation can then be shared via e-mails, posted to social network sites (Facebook, Twitter, Youtube or Linkedln) or embedded in blogs or websites. Furthermore, you can track the viewing details, following up with who view, what they view, when they view or even where they view your presentation effectively. 

To get a better grip on how to use myBrainShark? Here is a free online tutorial with Russell Stannard. 

How can we use mybrainshark in the language classroom?

1. virtual learning

• MyBrainShark is a useful tool for long-distance learning. Teacher can easily create a video presentation using myBrainShark and share it to students in a website, class blog or via e-mail. Students can then watch the online lesson at their convenience. This method is very useful when teacher wants to provide students with more knowledge about the syllabus or when teacher is not able to finish the syllabus within the classroom hours. 

2. oral exercise

• Apart from assigning students with writing and reading exercises, teacher can design speaking tasks using myBrainShark for students to do at home. For instance, teacher may assign students a speaking homework after teaching the topic 'Global Warming'. Teacher may ask students to create a powerpoint presentation and enrich it with voice narrations on the concept of global warming, its impacts and the solutions for this environmental problem. The task can be done individually or as a group work, depending on the level of difficulty of the task itself. In this way, students are encouraged to use English both in the class and out of the class. Thus, the tool maximises the opportunity for students to speak in a second language.

3. give feedback to students' work

• Teacher can use myBrainShark as a mean to provide oral feedback to students' works. For example, teacher can upload students' works into the video presentation, give comments and email to the students. 

What is good about myBrainShark?

1. The video presentations can be kept as e-portfolio. 

• As an example, video presentations can be embedded in teacher's blog or class blog in order for students to keep track of what they have learnt.  

2. It promotes an autonomous learning. 

• With myBrainShark, students can independently access to a range of e-learning contents available so as to gain extra knowledge about the topic learnt in the class. Also, students can self-direct their own learning by accessing to the online-lessons created by their teacher using this tool. 

3. It exhibits an interactive way of learning. 

• Even though the speaker and the listeners of the presentation are both separated in space, the presentation can still be made interactive as myBrainShark allows presenter to add polls, surveys or questions to the video presentation. 

4. It motivates speaking. 

• Students' effective filter for speaking is low because they can discard or retry their voice recording before saving it to their video presentation. In other words, students' anxiety to speak is lower than that of doing a presentation in front of the class.

5. It develops the sense of ownership. 

• Students can personalise their own video presentation and share it to the public in myBrainshark site.  

6. It is very quick and easy to use. 

• MyBrainShark comes as an Application for mobile devices. Therefore, it allows users to access to web-based information anytime and anywhere at their convenience.   

What is its limitation?

1. The facial expression or the gesture of the presenter cannot be seen.

2. Both the presenter and the listeners are not interacting in real time. Response or feedback given is not immediate.   

3. The tool needs internet to access. 

Lyric Training

Improve your foreign language skills through musics

Lyrics Training is a fun approach for language learning. It aims to sharpen learners' language skills through music and song lyrics. 


In this language game, students need to read and listen to the lyrics, and then fill in the gaps of the song's lyrics appear underneath a Youtube video. 

Features:

1. free. 
2. songs are offered in 7 different languages (Dutch, English, France, German, Italy, Portuguese and Spanish)
3. Score reading is displayed after the you finish playing the songs.

To use Lyrics Training: 

1. Choose your preferred YouTube-hosted music video
2. Select one of three mastery levels: Beginner, Intermediate, and Expert.
   *The level of difficulty decides how many words that go missing 
3. Fill in the missing words as the video begins to play.
   *The video will stops playing if you get stumped. It will resume after you come up with the right word. Click "withdraw" or "restart" button if the words elude you. 

Now you can have a try at http://www.lyricstraining.com/

How to use Lyrics Training in language classroom?

1. To introduce new vocabulary and grammar

• Song is a form of creative writing text. Undeniably, it is enriched with vocabulary and grammar which is useful for language learning. Teacher may elicit the language patterns in a song and teach students 

2. To practise listening skills

• In this language game, students need to pay attention to the song in order to identify the right words to fill in the gaps. At the same time, students may also learn the correct pronunciation of the words.  

3. To held a spelling game

• Teacher can select a suitable song, which is not so often heard by the learners, as the song for competition. Student, who scores the highest point and complete the gaps in the shortest time, win the game. 

The advantages of Lyrics Training

1. It get students to be engrossed in language learning

• Lyrics Training is a fun and easy tool for learning language. Students can listen to the songs they fancy while doing the filling the gap game. This triggers students' interest; therefore, they can be seen more engaging and  motivated in language learning. 

2. It promotes autonomous learning

• Lyrics Training is a tool whereby students can apply on their own. Teacher does not have to supervise or intervene. Independent learning is, therefore, fostered as students may use the tool to practise their language skills anytime and anywhere they like according to their own learning pace. 

3. A more interacting way of doing fill in the gaps exercise

• Unlike the conventional form of paper-based fill in the gap exercise, Lyrics Training offers students to do the same exercise electronically. Additionally, the tool can tell students if the answers they provide are right or wrong.  

The limitations

1. Certain songs may contain inappropriate or negative content for targeted students.

2.  Some songs use colloquial language, like 'wanna', 'gonna', 'gotta', etc which might be an inappropriate language forms for language learners.

3. Proper earphones or headphones are needed for classroom learning so as to give learners a clearer audio listening.