Blogs: Publishing 100!

All these great ideas we share with you are made possible via the use of the free publishing tool called: a blog. In this way you can really create a reasource, share ideas, invite your friends around and ask them to comment on your work, with no cost added to your school bill.

Set up a blog account on a free blog website - we use BLOGGER.

1. Set up the account
2. Create idea pages and share them with the world!
3. Check the unit sample pages from the Voki section on this blog to see how you can make entire lessons using a blog, a voki or many vokis, some audio-pal tools and even share your story-bird book.

Here another cool idea that I used a blog for: http://circleswitchesit.blogspot.com/

FINAL POLL

Please take a few minutes to answer the questions below - if you have attended a session where I speak about the technology tools we have around for our language classes. This will help us make things better for the future. Thanks for your time!

Select all statements that you can relate to below.

I have truly enjoyed the session. Please do more of these inthe future!

I have learned new ways to use technology in my language classes!

I have been inspired by yoru session. Very informative session!

I have felt overwhelmed by the new technologies!

I feel I have new ideas I can bring to my class as soon as next week!

or View Results

Create your own poll at Flisti.com

Vokis: Little Avatars!

Here again a new simple and free tool for SL classes! This is a really great animation tool that you can make so many different activities based on for your SL classes.  You will be addicted to it!

1. Go to the webpage: http://www.voki.com/
2. Make an account
3. Create a new voki using the tools available
4. Make your voki say something in yoru voice or write a text in the text box.
5. Save your voki
6. Send it to yourself and your friends
7. Post the code on a blog

Check out these great uses on Valeria's blog:

Unit Sample - Italian Speed Dating

Word Clouds

Now that we know more about audio tools, how to make a book and how to use Google maps for some cool ideas for SL classes, here is a new tool for some strategies on reading text. New text and old text, introduce new vocabulary and review old words. Create word cloud pages!

Here is how you can do it:

1. First select a text in your language - let's say something you want to read,  I add some links below.
2. Copy a chunck of that text.
3. Open the word cloud page at: http://www.wordle.net/
4. Select the Create your own wordle link
5. Paste the text in the box and click on "Go"
6. A word cloud will show up. The cloud will show in big fonts the words that are used most often in your text. This means your students can view what are the words that are most important to understand the text. (see this sample page link: sample)
7. Or you can use this page (you can print it and publish it) to ask students to go and check their dictionary to find the meaning of these key words before they use the text for reading or research.

Check this page for additional ideas:  More on Wordles -

Audio Pal

This is another really cool free tool available online. Especially good for your SL classes: a free recorder!  Imagine what you can do with a tool that lets you record and share audio files without the need to save or access complicated tools!

This is how you do it!

1. Go to http://www.audiopal.com/
2. Click on: get your's: it's free - button.
3. Record your message as you best can (you can do it in different ways)
4. Send the code to yourself via e-mail
5. Receive the message and listen to it! Or post it on a blog!
6. It is very easy.

Google Maps

Using google maps is now a special tool that can help you in your SL classes.  Here a few tips and ideas:

1. The entire google interface can be set up in available different languages. This means that the screen will give you instructions and tips in the SL available.  This is a great practice opportunity for real life use for your students.
2. The google maps search is now able to give you a great 360 degrees picture of the place you are looking for. Imagine what that can do for your classes! Check the page at this link to see just a few ideas on how to make this work: Activity ideas on google maps
3. Remember: this feature works for you only if the "orange" guy is active.

The Story-Bird tool

This tool is a special free website that allows you to create a storybook using images and art from a moltitude of artists around the world.

The tool is available at: http://storybird.com/.

1. first you will need to create an account - this requires your email address. They will not send you spam or any undesired messages.
2. Once you have an account you can start your new book.

3. Click on the button : Start a Storybook" now 

4. select an art piece or an artist - then choose the artist work and begin the story.

5. Once your dashboard looks like the image below you can begin to create pages and pages in your book. You can drag an image in your book and then write a story in the blank space.  If the image does not fit your story drag a new one in and the old one will disappear.

I suggest you decide how many pages you want your book to have. Create the blank pages and then drag and drop your images in the right spots.

The blank spaces do not let you edit your text - so you can work with a word document to create your text and then copy and paste into your space.

Make sure you create the cover page of your book.

Once your book is saved you can publish it.

If you write your book in languages other than English you can only publish it to your private library. YOu can send a link to your friends or post the link on a blog.

Check the books I have made in Italian at this wikispace page: StoryBook samples by Valeria

A couple more info and details can be found also at this other wiki-page: Set up a story bird account

THE LIST

The list of the tools we will discover during our session:

1. The Story-Bird book maker - http://storybird.com/
2. Google Maps - The magic of the orange guy! :) - Google Maps
3. Audio-Pal - http://www.audiopal.com/
4. Word Clouds - a strategy for SL classes! - http://www.wordle.net/
5. Vokis - making little avatars speak our language! - http://www.voki.com/
6. Blogs - publishing 100 - super easy way to make resources available to all your students. - http://www.blogger.com/home
7. Gmail - the easy contact for all accounts - https://mail.google.com/

 Two really good places to get loads of free pictures and clip art we usually go to are:

• Microsoft.com - search for clip art, download it on your favourites in your computer and off you go!  www.microsoft.com 
• Desktopnexus.com - this is a website that has screen savers - but you can save the images in your desktop and use them for presentations, blogs, wikis and everything else. http://www.desktopnexus.com/

We may be able to explore a few more pieces during our sessions. Check Valeria's wikispaces place for more resources: they are all free!

http://paperellalanguages.wikispaces.com/

http://technotoolsforslclasses.wikispaces.com/

http://advancedtechnologyintegration.wikispaces.com/

TECHNOTOOLS FOR THE HERITAGE AND SECOND LANGUAGE CLASSROOM

This blog contains the key information shared at the Techno-Tools PD session offered by IHLA on march 25, 2010 at the IHLA office.

We welcome everyone to visit this blog and gain interesting ideas around the links and tools on this blog.