MailVU

Screenshot 1: Home page of MailVU

Description

MailVU is a tool that allows recording using web camera or other type of camera and send to other person through their emails. The receiver can then listen and reply if he or she wants to. It is very simple, fast and easy too.

Steps

1. Click the record button at the home page with maximum of 10 minutes record time and start recording.

2. After finish recording you can preview the video before you send it to anyone.

3. After you are satisfied with the video recording, click the send button to send it to your receiver. Enter the necessary details such as the name and email of your receiver and you too.

4. Simply, wait for reply. ;)

Using mailVU in class

If I were to use mailVU in classroom, I will use it as a homework with my classroom hour being the preparation class. I will use a task based approach so the students can find satisfaction in finishing their task.

The task is recording a v-log of yourself talking about yourself, family or other things that interest you for at least 2 minutes.

First I would focus on the language details such as related vocabulary that might be useful for them. I would ask them to list down things they feel like talking about too. Then the students can make sentences themselves and ask teacher to check for them.

Finally when ready, they can go home and record their speech or dialogue and send to the teacher. Teacher can then put up in front and show to the whole class a couple of the videos which are good.

This way, students can improve their vocabulary, speaking skills and also writing skills at the same time.

Advantages

1. It is free and easy to use.

2. Gives room for students to practice and interact with teacher at a personal basis. Teacher can give personal feedback straight to students.

3. Encourages speaking. Students also will write more and learn new words throughout the process.

4. The tool is fun to experiment thus making it interesting for students. They can do activity together using the tool too.

Disadvantages

1. The video is only limited to 10 minutes.

2. There is no way to comment on the video.

3. Video can only be shared online through email.

4. The video received cannot be download and can only be watched online in email.

5. The video cannot be embedded if user is a free user.

6. There is no opportunity to pause or edit the video. We need to record it in one go which might be a bit hard for low level learners.

Suggestions to improve

This blog can be greatly improved if the video limit is taken up and chat box function is added for other guest to comment on the video. Comments can be filtered to avoid unwanted comments. It will also greatly help if the video received can be downloaded by receiver and saved in their computer.

TodaysMeet

Screenshot 1: Home page of TodaysMeet

Description

A website where many users get to meet up in a chatroom and discuss using chat function (Screenshot 2)

Screenshot 2: Create or choose a room with delete options

Steps

1. Visit the website at http://todaysmeet.com/

2. Firstly create a room by entering the room name and delete time. After you create the room, you can key in your user name and wait for others to turn up.

3. You can give the link of the room to others so they can access the room and start chatting with you.

Advantages

1. All data and chats wil be stored as long as the time you want.

2. You can also save the date and put it up on display online for others to view.

Disadvantages

1. You cannot filter the chats so things might get out of control in the chat room.

2. There is no one moderator that can lead. It all depends on everyone's cooperation.

Suggestions to improve

This website can be improved if it can have smaller rooms specialised for group discussion and chatting while lesson in case any group discussion is needed among the students.

Brainshark

Screenshot 1: Home page of brainshark

Description

Brainshark is a tool that allows user to insert narration into presentation such as word document, video, powerpoint and photo album. What users need to do is upload their files and add audio files into it.

How to use in classroom

1. Teacher can use brainshark in classroom by asking students to do a powerpoint presentation of anything they are interested in or about their family or life.

2. Upon finishing the powerpoint presentation, students can add audio files, recording of their own voice explaining the powerpoint presentation. After that students can email the powerpoint file with audio to their teacher.

3. Teachers can then reply giving comments on their language use or just focus entirely to the discussion of the topic the student write to further encourage speaking and discussion session.

Advantages

1. The tool is free.

2. Help improve multiple skills such as speaking and writing at the same time.

3. Can be set private or shared public.

4. The tool allows students to be more creative with their presentation style. Allows freedom to be creative.

5. Students can practice at home. This will reduce their anxiety filter and make them calm. They can also practice at their own pace to produce the presentation that they want.

6. The presentation can be emailed and embedded to the blog.

Disadvantages

1. Time consuming to construct the narration and the powerpoint. Cannot be done at class, needs to be homework. Classroom for preparation only.

2. Cannot be download to computer but only can be viewed online. Might be troublesome for places with no internet connection.

3. Needs to have microphone, computer and internet connection. So, some students might not be able to afford to do it at home if they do not have the necessary equipment. However teacher can try to make it a group task and assign each group to have members with the equipments at home. Or simply ask them to come and record their voice using school or teacher's computer one person or one group at a time.

Suggestions to improve

This tool will be next to complete if the presentation can be downloaded to computer and saved.

Elllo

Screenshot 1: EllloEnglish home page

Description

This is a website filled with activities that suit all type of learners with all different levels provided targeted to help improve listening skills. This website has 5 different main columns, Views, Mixer, Games, News and Scene. Let's first try to understand the function of each column.

a) Views

When you open the Views column, you wil come across audio files with speaker talking about some issue and expressing their views. You will find lots of interesting issues and different type of speakers from all over the world expressing their views.

Screenshot 2: Various audios in the View section

b) Mixer

In the column Mixer, you will come across audio files with 6 speakers talking about the same issue. The speakers might varied from native speaker to other foreign speakers as well. Here you will get to listen to the discussion and debate over the same issue by 6 speakers with different views.

Screenshot 3: Various audios in Mixer section

c) Games

In the Games section, you will come across audio files with a speaker expressing their view on something with games and fun activities to do in regards to the speakers dialogue. You will get to test your skills by playing the games and fulfilling the instructions.

Screenshot 4: Various audio files in Games section

d) Videos

The Video section offers various type of videos with different type of speakers speaking about different things. Here you get to listen and watch the speakers' facial expression at the same time. 

Screenshot 5: Various videos in the Videos section

e) News

Lastly in the News section, you will come across news audio files with different topics and current updates from time to time for the purpose of listening.

Screenshot 6: various news up for listening in News section

Advantages

This website offers different type of audio files, single speaker, group speaking, audio or video and with fun activities for users to choose from. It will not stop to entertain frequent user in many ways too with all the current updates of news and activities. It also has twitter accounts for user to follow to new updates. Furthermore it expose learners to various accents of speakers from around the world. Some of the audio in the new version is also downloadable.

Disadvantages

1. Some topics might not be appropriate for young learners.

2. The accent might make it a bit difficult for young learners to understand.

Suggestions to improve

This website will be able to be more suitable for younger learners if it has automatic under-18 filter function. Apart from that, it will be very much useful for learners to improve their learning skills.

Wordle

Screenshot 1: Home page of Visuwords

Description

This is an interesting website where user get to create word cloud from a text they want to discover. The word cloud comes in different shapes and can be stored in the website's archive. 

Steps

1. First you need to create your own cloud if you want to try make a text into a word cloud.

2. Then you need to paste the text into the space provided.

Screenshot 2: Paste your text and click Go to make a word cloud.

3. You can get different type of clouds from your text. Adjust the shape and size according to your liking. You can change the layout and design too.

4. The word which is bigger is being repeated more often in the text.

Advantages

1. The word cloud can be used for pre-reading purposes. The colour and interesting sizes, design and layout will make it pleasurable to view.

2. You can change the layout and design according to your likings.

3. You can save and store your creation in the website archive or check out the creation by others and try to guess what the text is all about.

4. You can also print the word cloud you like.

Disadvantages

1. User cannot edit the format of words in the word cloud.

Suggestions to improve

It will be very exciting if the website allows editing of word format in the word cloud.

Visuwords

Screenshot 1: Home page of Visuwords

Description

A website which focus more on word type relationship with many functions to be used. You can simply key in one word you want to discover and then a mind map or diagram will come out with other words related in the word you keyed in in many other ways.

Steps

1. First open the home page: http://www.visuwords.com/.

2. Then key in the word you want to discover in the word search section.

3. Next you can analyse the diagram appeared.

Screenshot 2: Analyse the diagram and find out word relationships

4. You can further choose any other related words and further discover other related words then.

Advantages

1. Provide detail information at word level with different sort of diagram indications to show different relationship. There are nouns, verbs, adjectives and other type of classes.

2. Diagram is colourful and interesting. This might attract the interest of learner.

3. The diagram can be made bigger or smaller according to user's interest.

4. By pointing the mouse pointer to a word in the diagram, description and information of the word will appear for users to check.

Disadvantages

1. Although the function in this website is fancy and fun-looking, it does not really serve any very useful purpose. I mean if I want to look up word meaning, I would rather open up a dictionary rather than going on the website and try to understand all the different colours and type of diagram indications.

2. This website can be quite hard for colour-blind people because of all the colours shown.

Suggestions to improve

1. It can have a simple dictionary function to ease meaning finding task.

Phrasr pimpampum

Screenshot 1: Home page of Phrasr pimpampun

Description

This is a website where you can copy a text or sentences and paste. When you click start, you will get images connected to the words you typed in.

Steps

1. First open the home page at http://www.pimpampum.net/phrasr/.

2. Then type in or paste your sentences in the space provided and click start.

3. Then you can rearrange or choose another photo that appeared. Upon finishing that you can publish your work and spell in your name and your work title (Screenshot 2)

Screenshot 2: Rearrange images and publish your work from here

4. After publishing, your words and images will play as slideshow for you to view. You can share the slideshow afterwards online.

Advantages

1. User get to play with images and matching activity. They get to be creative as well to choose the most suitable images to their words.

2. The website is free and very easy to use. You only need to type in your sentences and click start then go through the simple process and produce your own work.

3. You can share your slides by any means online with only few clicks such as using twitter, facebook or other social networking sites.

Disadvantages

1. Images might not be appropriate as they are no automatic filter to remove inappropriate images.

2. No efficient function to monitor sentences typed in and images chosen.

3. Images are limited and at many times images that appear are not relevant and not related to the words and sentences.

Suggestions to improve

One way to improve is by providing more images to suit in more sentences and context. Such archive of images is needed to make sure the website can be fully utilised and made useful.

After building up the images archive, this website can add in some effects of slide transition to make it more interesting and perhaps add in music tracks to suit in the mood and make it smooth.

WordSift

Screenshot 1: Home page of WordSift

Description

The tool for introduction today is WordSift. It is a very simple and easy to use application currently maintained by Stanford University. This tool can generally be used to manage the demands of vocabulary and academic language in a text. First of all, you can try the video tour at the home page to listen to the tutorial videos. I have done it and it is quite useful and helpful for new users. If you are too lazy to go to the website, I have make it easier for you to click the link to the video tour below. Have a try.

Video tour
Click HERE for a free video tour! (of how to use WordSift)

Steps

1. It is very simple to use WordSift. First you need to have a text according to any language you prefer. Then copy and paste part of the text you want to have a check on. Then click 'Sift'.

2. Then you will find words in random sizes connected to your text. Here comes the interesting bit. You can arrange the words to appear according to your liking.

Screenshot 2: Sort the text from Common to Rare or any other and check on the outcome

3. Next below the random words, you can have a look at the images which appeared and choose the image you might want to use. Besides that, you can also find some examples from your text sources with highlighted words. The highlighted word is the word clicked from the diagram above. You can also click on any sentence you want and have a look at the entire text yourself with an indication to the sentence you clicked earlier.

4. By clicking on a word too you will find a cloud of inter-related words in the Visual Thesaurus section.

Screenshot 3: On the right the Visual Thesaurus. On the left the images from the internet suggested by the search engine.

Advantages

1. WordSift helps you sort out your text to find out common words or information useful for your lessons or text reading.

2. There is also a choice of images from the internet you might want to use.

3. You can also separate the text and read by sections.

Disadvantages

1. Some of the images might not be be appropriate or even related to the word clicked.

2. Words can be quite confusing when students need to look at so many words with different sizes at the same time.

Suggestion to improve

One way to improve is by filtering the images to make sure the images that appeared are related to the word clicked.

Next it will also be useful if the tool has the function to make notes and save it as readable document for users to use in the future.

Listen and Write

Screenshot 1: Home page of Listen and Write

Description

A website that offers many listening activities taken from audio, video files or youtube. Various types of activities offered with many different levels to suit every learners needs. It is a free listening practice. Hear about current news and improve your listening skills. Easy access and instruction is clear to learners of all level.

Screenshot 2: Different 7 columns in the home page and facebook login button

Steps

1. You can choose from different type of columns in the home page. First is the level column. You can try levels from 1 to 33. So you can do the low level ones to enjoy it or try a slightly harder to test or improve your skills.

2. Next you can choose the column Youtube where many videos from youtube are being suited to listening task. Be it music video or an intellectual TED discussion video. Various types of videos are there for you to pick and choose.

3. Then there is the Groups column where you can get to create or join any group with similar interest that you want. However you will need to log in an account with the website.

4. Besides that, there is also the column Categories where all listening items being put into category to categorised them. There are categories such as interview, learning, news, music, kids, movies, TED and many others. So there are much for you to discover in this column which is still in Beta mode.

5. After that you can try looking at the column Channels where users of the website posted their videos from all sort of sources. It is like a small youtube with many users, channels and video posted.

6. Lastly you can choose the column Language where you will find columns with other languages written on it. Here you can try clicking to listen to videos of other language. However many languages written there have very few and limited videos with some of them having none. The languages are only there for show with no real videos in it.

Advantages

a) It's free!

b) It's fun and easy to do for all types and level of learners.

c) Can do at home. Helps develop autonomous learning.

d) Various type of levels to choose from.

e) Few selections of videos in other languages.

f) Many selections of columns from home page for you to explore. In fact this whole blog will not be enough to fully mention and explore the functions provided in this website.

g) You also have a forum or group where you can interact and communicate with other user. Furthermore, you can upload your own video or audio of listening and turn it into listening activity for the website.

Disadvantages

a) Lack of resources and facilities at places with no internet connection.

b) Facebook login and youtube link function might be distracting for learners as they might be distracted from doing the task given.

c) To try some column function user may need to log in. This can be quite troublesome for visitors who visit to try the website.

d) Lack of video in other languages in some item in the Languages column.

Suggestion to improve

One way to improve such an excellent blog for listening purposes is by uploading and providing more videos in other languages to cater to more language user around the world. Such website with more other language function will become a world-known website to many users.

Lyrics Training

Screenshot 1: Home page of lyricstraining website

Description

A website with fun and easy method of learning language through the use of lyrics and music videos with interesting activity. You can choose from a simple description of easy, medium or hard language level. Easy Facebook login function with rooms to comment on each videos. Various selection of videos for you to choose from. You can also keep high score by registering as a website user and make new friends around while improving your listening, spelling and even social skills!

Advantages

a) Assist in vocabulary building where user can take step by step and learn vocabulary from the simplest one to the hard ones according to their own time.

b) Fun and interesting materials with various videos to suit anyone interest. They can choose videos with topics they like or even the celebrity they adore and do the activity with the video with full motivation until the end.

c) Can do activities at own pace while it encourages autonomous learning. User will be able to take their time doing the activity during their free time.

d) If you feel like taking a break you can click the Karaoke button and sing along with the artist in the video.

e) If there are videos in other languages, this website allow the function to choose other languages to filter videos in languages you want to.

Disadvantages

a) Sufficient amount of internet and computer accessories are needed if not the website cannot be used efficiently.

b) Some songs might be inappropriate for younger learners and it might be quite hard to filter the videos as there are no efficient automatic function.

c) Again, Facebook login and youtube link function can be quite distracting for learners as they might get attached to other things and not do their activity.

d) There is an awesome translation function where you get to choose from many languages. However, the big turn off is I tried clicking few languages but nothing comes out except for 'unable to perform translation' on my screen which is quite disappointing.

Suggestion to improve

One way to improve is by having an automatic under-18 restriction function to allow more room and freedom for younger learners. If this can be done, such website can attract older as well as younger learners.

Dvolver

Screenshot 1: Dvolver home page

Description

Dvolver is a simple movie-making website which allows users to work through and produce their own short clips. Users can choose and customise the situations, contexts and characters according to their creativity.

Suitable for: Users with intermediate level of English language proficiency and technical knowledge of computer skills.

Steps

1. First search 'http://www.dvolver.com/moviemaker/' in the internet.

2. At the home page, click 'Make a Movie' to start making your movie (screenshot 1)

Screenshot 2: choose the background and sky for your movie

3. Then you will come across a webpage (screenshot 2) where you can customise the context of your movie. Here you can choose the type of background and sky for your movie.

4. After clicking next you can choose type of conflict and plot from the given selection (screenshot 3).

5. Next, you can choose 2 characters (screenshot 4) from a list given and then after finishing start typing the dialogues with a limit of 100 characters per character line.

6. Then you can choose the music from a given playlist to suit your story mood.

Screenshot 3: 4 plots to choose from

7. Then you can click finish movie. Write in your name and email.

8. After having done that, you can preview and then email the short movie to your friends.

Advantages
a) Helps develop students' creativity.

b) Encourages real communication during classroom interaction.

c) Change of focus in learning style.

Screenshot 4: Choose character from a list given

d) Can be interesting to students.

e) Students can personalise the short movie to their interest and liking with limits set by teacher.

Disadvantages
a) Limited contexts - Can be a bit boring for advanced learners because limited choice in context, background, character, plot and music.

b) No method to filter use of improper language or situations. Students might abuse the freedom they get  when using this tool at home.

c) The technical bits may be difficult and demotivating for new learners who are not used to technology. Thus further interaction hour to train them into efficient user might be needed.

d) Dependent on resources available in classroom - Some schools might not have internet connection or enough computers. In order to overcome this, teacher can make the task as a homework. Hence no internet connection is needed during classroom hour. However teacher will need to demonstrate effectively during classroom interaction.

Ways to improve

One way to improve such a brilliant internet tool is to allow more freedom to personalise context by giving rooms for customised context in many more ways. If this can be done, the tool might be able to attract more professional users.

Another way to improve is by raising the word limit. The limit of 100 words can be quite distracting if user wants to make complicated dialogues. Thus by raising word limit, more efficient language user might be attracted to use this tool.

One last way to attract younger learner is by adding extra add-ons such as automatic dictionary, storyline suggestion from famous stories and vocabulary suggestion tool or simply an interactive thesaurus online.

Example of short-clip