By Voki, we can create our own avatars and customise them by changing clothes, hairstyles, bling and so on. To end, we add voice to our Voki avatars by recording our voice, typing massage, or uploading sound data. Moreover we can post our Voki avatars to our blogs or websites. If we get a 'Voki classroom's account, we can do far more additional things; such as, managing our classes, lessons, and students.
Vocaroo is a premier voice recording service. We can record our voice very easily with this simple tool and send it by e-mail, upload it, and embed it in the blog.
This is the site where we can create the mouth which speaks in stead of us. First, we select an image from our data or by a search engine. Secondly we make a mouth on it. Thirdly we record our voice into the image. Finally, the mouth starts speaking out our idea in our voice. Even the student who is reluctant to speak in public can set forth his/her idea into the public just by recording his/her voice. That is also a good tool for practicing speech repeatedly, based on a cycle of "try and check". Moreover it is lots fun to make a mouth.
PresentME
PresentMe allows us to upload word-document, PDF document, pictures and PowerPoint presentation, and to add our voice and web-cam. We can record our voice or upload sound materials and videotape ourselves' speaking. Moreover, we can share it by E-mail, on web pages or blogs. Two screens appear side by side and the audience can watch the speaker and the presentation plot at the same time; two types of views. Moreover the audience can listen to the presenter speaking; visual & sound. That must give a big impact to the audience.
I tried making a presentation by this 'PresentME'.
mybrainshark
This is a online video presentation tool. We can upload the presentation file and add our voice to it by recording. Video can make a huge impact on an audience. We can rerecord repeatedly until we are satisfied with it.
Why those recording tools?
My students in Japan do not know the main theme of English learning, which is probably a better communication with a variety of people in society whose cultures, customs, and thoughts are considerately vary. What is worse, they have little opportunity to speak English, once they leave a classroom, unless they find out it. Some students go to a private English language school, some listen to the radio programs of English learning regularly, and most of the students are struggling with a large amount of reading and listening materials of English for the entrance examination of universities. The delight of expressing themselves in English is far beyond the reach of them.
Therefore, we teaches would like our students to express their idea and opinion in English confidently as well as Japanese. In order to do so, they have to try using English positively in their daily life, because English is a foreign language in Japan. If we teachers let our students know those recording tools and give them a initial instruction as to how to use the tools, they can make use of them for English speaking practice at home, even though they leave a classroom.
There may be a important procedure for English learners to speak to some extend; that is, record own speaking, listen to and check it, notice faults, correct own speaking, practice it repeatedly, and record it again. Through that process, learners can evaluate themselves and progress in speaking English. If they can share their outcome with others, they can enjoy the process of practice and subsequently expressing themselves in English. As a result, they may be motivated to learn English positively.
How to use those recording tools
to foster language learning.
We can record our own voice, upload sound data, videotape our own, and/or share it with other people on websites by those recording tools. There is no doubt that such tools are useful and a fun. However, it is a important thing how to use them in our teaching context.
For one example, after some instruction of the tools, I can assign a presentation task to students; they have to decide a topic which is desirable to be related to themselves or their life, prepare presentation slides, practice the presentation, and record it. Finally students bring it to the class and have their classmates listen to or watch it, all the class can enjoy it and give some comments to the speaker. In that case, even the students, who hesitate to speak out in front of the class, can challenge a presentation like other more confident students.
On a weekly basis, I can assign a small speaking task to the students as homework; they take homework with some referential materials, practice, recording their speaking task, and sent it attached to e-mail to me. I give them some feedback and sent it back to the students.
For another example, I can collect students' voice reports or presentation slides in a showcase on the website and share them with other people. If I upload some of them to the class blog in turns, every member of the class can look at or listen to other students' works. The positive reaction of the audience may motivate students to speak out their thought in English.
Russell claims that those tools can connect a classroom to the outside. Hopefully, through those tools, students can have a sufficient opportunity to share their voice with others and enjoy expressing themselves in English not only in a classroom but also out of the classroom.
Limitations
If students get used to using those tools, it is a real fun to create own works and show them to other people. Students get too deeply absorbed in their works to lose sight of their learning purpose. Therefore, an appropriate direction of teachers is really important. Therefore, the main role of the teachers is a skilful detector. On the other hand, as students repeat the same process, some students tend to lose their interest in such a learning method. It is also necessary to arrange the content, evolve the process, and evaluate the students' result properly. Appropriate evaluation can lead to a positive wash-back.
Another problem can be caused from the fact that ICT learning needs computers and the Internet connection. Only under such a condition, it can be introduced to the language learning context and conducted out of the classroom. Though we use computers and the Internet system as a matter of course, some areas or some students in the world can not share in the benefit of ICT learning. This situation may widen the gap between students or countries.
Fumiko, I like your "Present Me" video very much and I absolutely love the Angela Lee Duckworth video you included here. Yes, I firmly believe a "growth mindset" is something we need to encourage in youngsters if they are to cope with life's occasional reverses and disappointments successfully. Perhaps Asian cultures have something to teach us in the West here? I believe I'm right in saying that it was Confucius who said: "Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but rising every time we fall".
ReplyDeleteYea! I really agree with you. Growth of mindset is very important in our life. But it looks a considerable tough work to grow children's mindsets. I don't know how to do it exactly and am just exploring for it.
ReplyDelete