Moovly for classroom presentations

When I first saw Moovly I knew it was a tool that could be used in education for creating animated videos and interactive presentations on condition that you are really interested in technologies because the tool is not the easiest of those I have tried.

What slowed me down was the process of adding animation to my slides. For a non-professional user, it is rather challenging. Had I persisted, I may have come to some result but luckily I had an idea of asking my students to test the tool. So, in a few days the video was ready. It was made by a 15 year old student Raitis who is good at English and brilliant at computers.

We had recently studied the topic of environment and he used this theme in his presentation. See what you can come up with using the Moovly tool.

How to reinforce student vocabulary skills

This school year I am determined to think more carefully about the ways how I teach vocabulary to my students, as this is one of their weakest skills. The results of the state exams regularly show that the lack of sufficient knowledge of vocabulary leads to making lots of mistakes and getting lower scores.

One of the most efficient ways to reinforce students' vocabulary skills is to use videos.

Below is a great video showing a method of building students' vocabulary by using special word cards. The video is taken from Teaching Channel which is a fantastic site for teacher professional development.




The next is a video which explains the most common mistakes learners make. The presenter on the video is a teacher but not the one standing in front of the classroom, so perhaps they will listen more carefully?
(I have removed the video as it was really slowing down my site but you can click on the link.)
The Most Common Mistakes in English

Another helpful video deals with the most common pronunciation mistakes. The humorous way of talking and the presenter's personality may appeal to the students and make them remember the most important points.
79 Common Mispronunciations


Besides videos, there is another simple way to learn the new words, i.e. flashcards.
There are numerous sites for creating interactive flashcards. The latest I have tried and used with my students is ExamTime flashcard builder. Below you can see a flashcard set Clothes: materials. Students learn at home, at their own pace returning to the hardest words until they have been memorized.




More resources:
Edutopia have published a great article giving 11 tips on teaching vocabulary.
On Edudemic you can find another great article with 4 activities to teach vocabulary.
Learn English is a marvellous website for learning vocabulary. Each topic comprises some theory and online practice.
The article Presenting Vocabulary published on iTDi.pro website gives fantastic practical suggestions on teaching vocabulary.
Finally, read the post about 4 online vocabulary resources on WizIQ website.

Ending the school year

The school year has reached its final stage, with the English exam already done. Students are dreaming of summer holidays (as are teachers). More interesting things are happening outside school, and who could blame them for wishing to be part of real life?

To say good-bye to school 2012/2013, I am posting here a video made by one of my students. Their task was to make a short speech on a topic of their choice.
"Everyone should believe in something" - that is what Dzenita [dʒenɪtɑ] is speaking about.

Watch videos on Wimp

If you are looking for flashy, colourful and feature-laden sites, this is not for you. Because Wimp is plain, bare and colourless. But don't get discouraged by the first look. Explore the videos which have been grouped according to the date (it is the only organisation apparent).
The creators of the site say:

Wimp.com is a mainstream, user generated, family friendly video website...

We are not a funny video website; rather, we feature all kinds of videos: funny, educational, inspirational, cute, science, news, pretty much anything we think that might add 'value' to your life in some shape or form. We are anti-sensationalistic...

Once I had watched the first random video (which turned out to be totally entrancing - Tokyo timelapse by Samuel Cockedey), I delved deeper and found more and more fascinating films.
There is one disappointing drawback (deliberate?) - you cannot download the videos.

Some more captivating videos:
Nuit Blanche: Most beautiful four minutes ever
Why is the sky dark at night? (with a narrative)
Wingsuit proximity flying in Switzerland and Norway

Teaching topic - Banksy

When the curriculum says "next topic - contemporary British art", you certainly cannot bypass Banksy, a notorious figure in British and world art.
Here is a video that will help you to present this artist to your students.



There is a nice online exercise based on this video at
http://www.esolcourses.com/content/lifeintheuk/britart/banksy-videoquiz.html

I have prepared a worksheet about Banksy with 3 reading tasks which you can see in the preview.
You can download it here.

Singing with The Wiggles

Had I taught little kids, I may have discovered these fantastic singers - The Wiggles, children's musical group from Sydney, Australia - a couple of years ago. But I did it only now, and like a kid myself, I kept listening to their songs and crooning along until I thought I had heard enough.

It is a must for those who work with little children! Check The Wiggles on YouTube or search Google or Yahoo videos. Even adults might love listening to these cheerful, catchy and relaxing songs!

Sir Ken Robinson on creativity

In this fascinating speech creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson challenges the way we're educating our children. He believes that schools kill creativity. He is an amazing speaker, never tiring or boring, with the typical British sense of humour. It's worth watching!

Dinner for one

I have come across the most hilarious video ever! I fell about laughing while I was watching this old film made in 1963. It may be a little naive but you still have to see it. Just be patient and wait until the plot develops....
Part 1



If you wish to see the 2nd part - the staggering ending - then go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPVCtpNjMtY&feature=player_embedded.

Music is the universal language

Watch this amazing short episode showing the 10-time Grammy Award winner Bobby McFerrin (Don't worry, be happy) getting the audience to perform music which they have never heard before. It reveals a surprising result of the way our brains are wired.

A video for teaching Conditionals

Use this great video at the lesson when you are teaching conditionals. You may also watch it on YouTube or download it to your PC.

Another online task

Here is another task which I made for teaching Present Continuous. It contains a video (a popular song by Fool's Garden) so you will need loudspeakers. Enjoy!
TASK 2