Web 2.0 for Rookies

What I would like to talk about is just a part from "Web 2.0 for Rookies" : Twitterfiction

The principle is simple: it's a way to make people like writing, so they have to find it interesting to like it. With this application, people just have to invent a short story on any subject, using only 140 characters. 

Here is an example that I took on Twitterfiction:

"As she left, the sun broke through and hope sprung up like an explosion. She had tried for a scholarship and got none, but she went anyway."

Here is mine:
"She smiled, while looking at him. They ran as fast as they could and they laughed loudly. He took her hand and they lay down in the grass. Here began the best day of their life."

10 Reasons to Use Technology in Education

This video is very interesting. It exposes the best 10 reasons to use technology like Ipads, Tablets, Computers, Listening centers... You should watch it and try to see how it could help as a teacher.

Technology in Education

1) Students love it

2) It engages the four key components to learning

3) Professional development

4) Makes life easier for Teachers

5) Improves test scores

6) Helps students with low attention spans (duration)

7) Learn from the experts

8) Encourages completion (achievement) of homework

9) Saves money

10) Remove obstacles

I think that the most interesting ideas that I would retain are the first, the second, the sixth, and the tenth because they would be the most useful for the students. But as a teacher, I wouldn't abandon the traditional methods of teaching because they are very useful too. Links have to be made between the two methods, it's my opinion.

Story Maker

If you want tocreate, invent your own story, this website is very well-done and it takes a few time to make it ! Try and tell me if you like it :) Enjoy ! You can also look at the story I've done and comment !

Story Maker

Help me Grow

A podcast from Family & Childcare (Teaching and Education)
To find it quickly, do a research on ItunesU and you'll have the podcast
Watch the video and answer the 20 questions ! Good luck !!

1)In which state was it realized ? 

Minnesota

2)Complete the sentence: When parents ....., Children ......

Know, Grow

3)Which age does the video deal with ?

Five-year-old

4)Which type of development is analyzed ?

Cognitive development

5)Which colours are children able to pick up ?
-Red, Blue, Grey and Black
-Red, Yellow, Green and Blue
-Red, Yellow, Blue, Green and Orange                                          Red, Yellow, Blue, Green and Orange  

6)How far can the little girl count ?

Up to ten and perhaps beyond

7) What is the second type of development that is analyzed ?
-Social and cultural development
-Social and emotional development                                                         Social and emotional development
-Emotional and cultural development

8)Are Five-year-old children more sensitive to the needs and feelings of others around them ?

Yes, they are

9) Complete: They can sometimes be ...... about the other children

Critical

10)Write the third kind of development:

Large and small Muscle development

11)What is the child writing on his sheet of paper ?

The beginning of his first name: Colli

12)What is the child able to do at 5-year-old ? (2:35-2:57)

                                                                                                 They are able to use building toys, they can go down the stairs, they can run and skip

13)What is very important for children's learning ?

Physical exercice

14)Complete the fourth type of development: ........................ Development

Language and Communication

15)What is the child able to do concerning the language skill ? (3:19-3:40)

                                He can speak clearly enough so that he can be understood, he can use longer sentences and tell longer stories. He can use future tense in his communication.

16)What can parents do to help their children grow and learn ? (3:55-4:45)

                                  To get ready for the kindergarten, to play fun games, to provide a lot of opportunities to practice writing letters, to sing songs together, to read books and tell stories

17)Complete the following sentence: Sometimes, children ..........................................................................

aren't developing as typically expected

18)What indicate these signs ?

                                                                                                        That your child may not be developing as other five-year-old children

19)Quote at least three signs of unusual development of the child:

-Unable to separate from parents without major protest

-Seems unhappy or sad much of the time

-Has trouble eating or sleeping

20)How many signs can help parents to understand their child's problem ?
-Two                                                                                                                                                 Eight
-Five

-Eight                                                                  

WORDLE

A very useful website if, as teachers, we want to teach our pupils some specific vocabulary. The idea is to create a kind of poster that we could put in the classroom, so that pupils would be able to remember the words easily. My vocabulary was about the Bathroom.
 Here is the link, you should click it !

WORDLE

My Poster

Using Facebook to teach

I really liked the video that Carmenne posted on her blog so I want to share it with you.

It deals with the using of Facebook to teach. I think that this teacher had a very good idea when she decided to use it in her class. It's very interesting to use a modern tool to work on past events, History. 

Her pupils appreciated to use Facebook to speak about religious leaders, politicians, people who were part of the History. Each of them was in the skin of one of these people. It feels like they were still alive ! They gave them a second life writing on Facebook as if they were speaking themselves ! I think that the project was really interesting because the teacher made it attractive, lively and interactive whereas it could have been boring. 

This is a way of teaching that we could use in our future classes :)

Using Facebook to teach

Reflection

Do you think it is possible to incorporate a social networking website like Facebook for teaching English as a foreign language? Why or why not?

How would you do so as a primary/ middle/ high school teacher? 

Any concrete ideas on how you would use a particular element from Facebook?

* I think that it could be a good idea because children and students are fond of social networks ! But I also think that a special group should be created, concerning English and its learning. In this way, only people concerned by this topic would be members of the specific group. 

* As a primary/middle or high school teacher, I would post videos they would have to watch and comment; I would ask them to post on Facebook a photo report on a topic they would choose, concerning English culture. We could also use it to help some associations, I mean pupils would have to create a group in English and raise money for a cause they would defend. People from every country could participate but pupils should only speak English ! 

* The particular element I would use from Facebook is "Articles". People can write articles on every subject they want. We could, as teachers, use it and ask pupils to write an article, as if they were newspapers' agents. The whole article would be in English, they would have a given time to inquire about a topic they like and then write the article. Or I also think that they could write an article about memories of their holidays or special events of their life. They could improve their english.

To sum up , I think that Facebook could be useful if its using is interesting and helpful for pupils. :)