Using Dvolver in Classroom

This week I used Dvolver in order to create a mini digital story about going to the movies. I really liked this website. I first tried using Strip Generator, but after I got errors each time I tried to publish my story, I turned to Dvolver. I liked Dvolver because you can easily choose from many different characters, music and settings, but I would have loved it more if it had let us customize it all a little bit more.




By creating their digital story, my students could demonstrate the following performance indicators:

ESL.1.5-8.4.1.9: Students use appropriate vocabulary, expressions, language, routines, and interaction styles for various audiences and formal and informal social or school situations, noticing how intention is realized through language.

ESL.1.5-8.1.1.12: Students convey information and ideas through spoken and written language using conventions and features of American English appropriate to audience and purpose.

I would assess my students on the basis of their content being meaningful. If I make it clear that I want students to use certain forms, terms, words in their dialogues, I can check and see if they used them properly, I could also have them act out their role plays in the classroom and assess their spoken performance based on stress, intonation, and pronunciation.

Using Animoto in Classroom

This week, I have learnt about an amazing website, Animoto, which is used for creating videos. People use this website for many reasons but mainly for business and education. You can create educational videos by using pictures, music and text. Animoto offers great background themes and music you can choose from. It is very easy to use. I usually watch Youtube tutorials before I start using this kind of tools, but I did not really need it for Animoto.



I prepared a video about the life cycle of a frog using Animoto this week. Using this video, I can make an introduction to teaching storytelling and how sequencing helps order events or steps. Students will also learn and practice the use of transition words such as first, second, third, next, then, after that, etc. I can ask students to create a video using Animoto. I could ask students to make a video about how they spent their last birthday, or I could ask them to create a video about a simple recipe. When I assess them, I would consider how they used the pictures and text- if the picture really represents the text. I would also consider their performance in using transition words correctly and efficiently.

Performance Indicator- ESL.1.5-8.1.1.9: Students convey and organize information using facts, details, illustrative examples, and a variety of patterns and structures.

Performance Indicator- ESL.1.5-8.1.1.12: Students convey information and ideas through spoken and written language using conventions and features of American English appropriate to audience and purpose.
   

TED-Ed Lesson

I have created my first TED-Ed lesson today, and I must say that the website is very easy to navigate, and you can use these TED-Ed lessons for a lot of purposes. In this lesson, I imagined that I am teaching adult English language learners. I designed this class as a pre-reading task for my students to complete before we read an article on what minimalism is. In the video, Graham Hill talks about what he means by "Less Stuff, More Happiness". It is about 5 minutes long, which is good for a pre-reading task. Students are expected to watch the video, answer two detail questions and discuss what minimalism means to them.














Below are my objectives:

1) Students will be able to relate what they know with the text they will read.
2) Students will be able to listen for details to answer the comprehension questions.
3) Students will be able to understand what minimalism is.

I could test the first and last objective by reading their response to the discussion question. Their response to the discussion question will show how much they relate to their background knowledge, and what they understand from the concept of minimalism. I could test the second objective by looking at their answers to the comprehension questions as they will show if students were able to catch those details.

Flipped Classroom

I think the idea of flipped classroom became popular a few years ago (Dear readers, please leave a comment below if you think I am wrong), and I have just found out about it this week! These articles here and here summarize the flipped classroom approach very well. It is a new approach to teaching which is reversing our understanding of traditional teaching by having students learn about the subject at home, and classroom time is used for exercises, projects, and discussions. 

I love the idea of flipped classroom as a teacher and a student! Here are a few reasons. First, each student learn at a different pace and flipped classroom strategy gives them freedom to learn at their own pace. If they are using a video as the instructional material, they can rewind and watch again if need be. Second, classroom time is precious, and with this strategy you use it to solve problems and strengthen comprehension, which I call a better use of time. Third, flipped classroom promotes learner-centered classroom where a lot of time can be allotted to collaborative exercises.

I also have some concerns about this approach. First of all, flipped classroom means students will need technology outside of class. Not every student has a computer and internet at home. Second, flipped classroom means that students will need to spend a lot of time in front of their computer. If all their lessons are flipped, it means hours and hours of studying at home. Lastly, it will sound selfish but will my students think that I am not needed anymore? I understand that flipped classroom is more than assigning videos to students, but what will parents think? It is not always easy for people to embrace something so untraditional like this. It is a big change!