Fun Web Tasks for English Learners

Classroom Cultural Exchanges

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Spending as little as one hour of class time per week on such a project, cultural exchanges, perhaps by email, let a class know about people in another part of the world while writing with a purpose in English. It is not necessary to have computers in your immediate classroom, and some classes would even like to interact by snail mail.

Check out this example that took place between American 5th graders and 6th grade students in Portugal. Be sure to notice that this teacher was even nice enough to post her original messages between her and her American counterpart. (Scroll down to see some of the recipes they exchanged.)

The Spirit of Christmas Email Exchange

For other ideas about possible topics for an email exchange, click here.

For a “safe” site for finding partner classes and posting your own class profile try Epals.

(Tip: When posting your own classes profile, be specific in your project guidelines and give a detailed, personable description of your class! You are more likely to find willing classes and teachers to partner with!)

Take a few minutes to search on possible parter classes for an email exchange using Epals. What do you notice about those descriptions that catch your attention?

For a site offering other international, collaborative projects check out elanguages.

Do you see any projects here that your class would want to collaborate on?

Podcasts

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A podcast is an audio (or video) file that you download from the Internet. After you download it, you can listen to it on your computer or on an MP3/portable music player (for example, an iPod). You can subscribe to a podcast so that it is delivered to you automatically each day, just like a newspaper. (from ESLpod)

Read more about the history of podcasting from Wikipedia.

You can usually hear podcasts over the Internet, download them to your computer, or listen to them from a portable MP3 player.

To try this, go to English as a Second Language Podcast and look for ESL Podcast 325 - Describing People's Moods. Click on the link so your screen shows, Listen, Learning Guide, counter settings, and the dialog. Click the Listen botton so you can hear the podcast without downloading it. (A small player in a new window should appear.)

Notice the Audio Index above the dialog:

Slow dialog: 1:21
Explanations: 3:03
Fast dialog: 10:50

Now, to download the podcast and save it to your computer to hear later or play offline for your class, right click over the hyperlink Download Podcast, select "Save target as" choose where to save the file on your pc (i.e. Desktop) and click Save. You can open the file immediately or play it later with your favorite player on your computer (i.e. Windows Media Player).

(The Learning Guides on ESLpod are paid.)

Now, browse some of the podcasts linked to below and discuss with a partner some of the benefits and challenges of integrating them into your curriculum. How could they be used?

ESL/EFL Podcasts

ESLpod
http://www.eslpod.com/website/index.php
China 232
http://www.china232.com/
ELT Podcast (lower levels)
http://www.eltpodcast.com/
English Language Listening Lab Online
http://www.elllo.org/
TOEFL Test Podcast from ESLpod.com
http://www.eslpod.com/toefl/scripts/scripts.html
Breaking News English
http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/
Language Caster – English Through Soccer
http://languagecaster.com/
UGoEigo ESL Phonics Video Podcast (beginners)
http://www.ugoeigo.com/
EFL Videos from Better @ English
http://www.betteratenglish.com/videos/

ESL/EFL Podcast Links

The Internet TESL Journal’s Podcast Links
http://iteslj.org/links/ESL/Listening/Podcasts/
The Internet TESL Journal’s Video Links
http://iteslj.org/links/ESL/Video/

General Podcasts (by genre or search)

Podcast.com
http://podcast.com/
Podcast Alley
http://www.podcastalley.com/
Yahoo! Audio Search
http://audio.search.yahoo.com/audio

WebQuests

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Webquests were invented by Bernie Dodge at San Diego State University in 1995. According to the original paper by Dodge, a WebQuest is "an inquiry-oriented activity in which some or all of the information that learners interact with comes from resources on the internet." The WebQuest is valued as a highly constructivist teaching method, during which students actively build their own understanding of a topic. "Authentic," or real-world questions or problems are often researched and students work cooperatively to find solutions. (From Wikipedia)

Read the original article by Dodge, Some Thoughts About WebQuests, or see a clear definition of a WebQuest at Wikipedia.

As you can see, some attributes of WebQuests include:

Authentic tasks (something students may need in the real world)
High student interest
Role-play (students may assume the roles of researchers, scientists, investigators, etc.)
Interdependent group work (Students rely on each other to complete a larger task)
Attention to higher thinking skills
Attention to multiple intelligences

Also WebQuests usually contain these critical components:

Introduction
Task
Process
Resources
Evaluation
Conclusion

Now browse these two examples of WebQuests, one is for young learners and the other for advanced students, and notice how they both fit the criteria and display the attributes mentioned above:

After you have browsed these WebQuests, consider how they might rate using the BestWebQuest Assessment Matrix developed by Tom March, another guru of WebQuests.

Now, take some time to search for a WebQuest that might suit your own teaching environment using one of the following search engines:

Now consider one last example of a WebQuest that was designed specifically for Mexican students of English. Could you use this in your class?

Mrs. Garrison's Spanish Class

Other Cool Web Resources

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General ESL Links

Benjamin Franklin Library English Teaching Links http://mexico.usembassy.gov/bbf/bfingles.htm

University of Oregon Online English Language Center
http://oelp.uoregon.edu/teach.html

Dave’s ESL Café
http://www.eslcafe.com/

Interesting Things for ESL Students

http://www.manythings.org/

Listening & Reading Texts

Documentary: Teaching in NYC (video, articles, photos, transcripts)http://www.pbs.org/merrow/tv/make_grade/index.html

Videos of controversial issues from Public Television http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/view/

Online lesson plans with multimedia materials for adult & young learners http://www.pbs.org/teachers/

Short (2 min.) stories told by native speakers
http://www.antimoon.com/other/shaggydog.htm

Education items in the news: articles, audio, video and transcripts http://www.npr.org/templates/topics/topic.php?topicId=1013

Education & Student news with listening and/or reading worksheets
http://www.cnn.com/EDUCATION/

Integrated skills lesson plans with reading & listening materials http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/index.shtml

The popular editorial TV show “60 minutes” online
http://60minutes.yahoo.com/

Connecticut Education Network – Audio Content for K-12 http://www.ct.gov/cen/cwp/view.asp?a=2268&q=393388

Randall’s ESL Cyber Listening Lab
http://www.esl-lab.com/

Tools for Teachers

4 Teachers.org: Teach with Technology
http://4teachers.org/

OneLook Dictionary Search
http://www.onelook.com/

BLOGS

2007-11-27T16:42:00.000-06:00

Let's see how a blog is defined at Wikipedia.

"Blog" is short for "Web log" and is different from normal Web pages in the following ways:

Information is displayed in reverse chronological order, so that the newest information appears at the top, like a periodical or a journal
Blogs are interactive. Readers can add "comments" to posts creating a dialog between the blog's author and readers, and between other readers

People keep for blogs for different reasons. There are blogs as online "personal" diaries, travel logs, political forums, fashion updates, bulletins and announcements, etc.

Teachers can use blogs to communicate messages to other teachers, parents, or their community as bulletin boards, as in these examples:

Teachers can also use blogs to communicate directly with their students; to publish a class syllabus, to post assignments that can be found online (articles, podcasts, videos, Webquests, etc.), and direct learners to English langauge learning Web resources for self-study.

Notice in some of the following examples, teachers post assignments on their blogs (can be just a journal question, for example), and students are expected to leave their response to the question as a "Comment" on the same blog. They can then read each other's responses and start a dialog. Or students may keep their own blogs to post their responses, and students leave comments on each other's blogs. In either case, the result is interaction.

Lastly, teachers can use blogs as a platform for international dialog, such as in these examples:

To start blogging, open your own account by signing in with your full email address at http://www.blogger.com/. (Be sure to remember your login name and password!)

While Blogger gives you the option of working in Spanish or other languages, it is important that you and your students operate Blogger in English! Not only will directions and technical terms be more clear with everyone working in the same language, but even making the blog becomes a task-based language learning activity! To view Blogger in English, use the drop-down box at the top right of the screen.

Be prepared to choose a "Display name." This is the public name that will sign all posts you make on your blog and any comments you leave on other's blogs while you are signed in. (Later, you may choose to add your photo to your personal profile so that too will appear next to your comments and if you wish on your blog.)

When you "Create a blog," you will need to decide a "title" (i.e. Fun Web Tasks for English Learners) and an address (i.e. http://funwebtasks.blogspot.com). The address does not contain www and will always be followed by .blogspot.com while using Blogger. The part of the address you choose can not have any spaces, is subject to availability (must be unique in the world), and usually works best when it does not contain any additional punctuation or capitals. The title and the address do not have to be the same, but it is logical when they are the same or similar.

Practice creating a blog and add some posts! Be creative and have fun! Before you leave the workshop, see if you can complete the following:

WORKSHOP OBJECTIVES

Hyperlink text in your blog (Link to other Web pages or blogs)
Add photos to your blog
"Embed" a video in your blog
Leave some comments on the blogs of your colleagues

You will need to publish at least one post- even a brief "welcome" message of a few words- before you can view it online.

***Once you have your blog created give the blog address to your workshop facilitator.***

She will post a list of your blogs so you can browse the blogs of your colleages to gather ideas and leave some feedback as comments.

To hyperlink text in your blog:

Select the text you want to hyperlink. Click the small icon of the world with chain links on it at the top of the dialog box where you write your new post (next to the T with colored sqares to change font color). When prompted, enter the Web address or URL of the Web site you want to link to. Click Ok.

To add a photo to your blog:

First select a photo you want to add. Try http://www.google.com/ and click Google.com in English at the lower right. Then, at the top left, click Images. Now, type some key words for pictures you would like to post on your blog. When you find an image you like, right click on it and select Save image as. Choose a place on your pc where to save it temporarily, like your Desktop, and a name for the image to make it easy to find. Save.

(Tip: When making blogs, it is useful to keep a few windows open at once to easily search for pictures or other media as you work and insert them straight into your blog, which is kept open in another window.)

Now click the small icon at the top of this dialog box that looks like a picture (between the spell check icon and the icon of a film strip). In the new window that appears, click Browse to Add an image from your computer. Select the image you saved earlier. Choose a layout (position and size) for the picture, then click Upload image. Wait for the image to load and you can click the Done botton. Your image will appear at the top of your current post. You may select and drag the image after if you want to reposition it.

(Note1: The first time you add images to your blog, you will have to check the box accepting the Terms and Conditions. Note2: When you add pictures to your post, it changes the spacing between pieces of text and photos. You should review spacing remove unwanted space.)

To embed a video in your blog:

First, select a video you want to appear on your blog. From Google.com in English, at the top click the arrow next to more, and select Video at the bottom. Now search on key words of a video you would like to appear on your blog (i.e. spanish love song). Click One Semester of Spanish Love Song that appears at the top. To the right of the video screen on the YouTube page, you will find Embed with html code in a dialog box under it. Select and copy all of the code in the dialog box. It should look like this:

In a new post, type any text you want to introduce the video on your blog, then click the Edit Html tab at the top of this dialog box. On a new line, paste the html code you copied before. Publish Post.

Your embedded video will appear in your blog, like this example:

To leave comments on other's blogs:

While you are signed in to Blogger, you can read read blogs of others and any comments you write on their blogs will be automatically signed by you, so others can click to see your personal profile and look at a list of any blogs you author from that account. At the bottom of any author's post will be "Posted by Luigi," for example with the time. Next to that, will be a caption bubble and "0 Comments" or "7 Comments" or however many comments appear on that post. Click the number of comments to leave your own in the new dialog box, and Publish your comment. You may need to enter words you see there if it asks you for word verification.

Important changes to your blog's Settings:

Some changes to the settings of your blog will improve it for use in your classroom.

Settings - Formatting - Show: Change this setting from "7 posts" to "50 posts." This will make your blog "longer," but more post titles will show on the front page and it will be easier for you to give directions to students.
Settings - Formatting - Time Zone: Change this to "Mexico City," or to the time zone of your region. This will accurately time stamp your posts and the comments of your visitors.
Settings - Formatting - Language: Be sure this setting is "English." This will change any peripheral text, like time stamps or "published by" lines to English. Again, it is important that the langauge be consistent to not distract students.
Click SAVE SETTINGS at the bottom of the page.
Settings - Comments - Who Can Comment: Change this to "Anyone." You can restrict access to allow only members of a certain blog the right to leave comments, but this is much more labor intensive, and this option allows the blog to be more easily accessed by your students or target group.

There are of course many more changes you may make as you become more familiar with Blogger, but these seem to be the most important. You may eventually want to change the layout, colors, or appearance in other ways. You might add permanent links on the columns. You may add a discription at the title, change the URL, request an email be sent to friends alerting them of updates, or to you when there are new comments.

You may want to fill out your personal profile, so your readers or students can get to know you better, including adding a photo that can appear each time you leave a comment. You may operate many different blogs from same account. When signed in, click "Dashboard" at the top right to see a list of all the blogs you manage.

Happy blogging!