Good+Websites

[|www.dvolver.com] A site where you can make an animated clip.

[|www.lyricstraining.com] Students type the lyrics as the song plays.

[|www.prezi.com] Like a powerpoint, but more interesting... Could also use Prezi meeting..try it it is awesome!

[|www.pimpampum.net/bookr] Create an online book.

[] A fantastic site where you can subtitle an old bollywood film clip.

[|www.voki.com] Create an avatar that can speak. This is awesome! Classroom managment!!! (Avatar can give instructions!)

[|www.mailvu.com] Video email

[|www.vocaroo.com] Sound email.

USING SKYPE TO INVITE STUDENTS TO SPEAK TO A GUEST SPEAKER


Hey guys! I just wanted to tell you a bit about a really successful listening lesson that I did with my Advanced class. Thanks to a great suggestion from Amy, I decided to try Skype in my class and allow my students to practice a bit of "Interactive" listening (if this is confusing, check out our discussion on the Adult Intermediate Page). One day in class we were talking about yoga, and my students had a lot of questions, and I was thinking, "If only I knew a yoga instructor who could be a guest speaker in our class!". And then, I realized that I //did// know a yoga instructor, but she lives in Chicago! Now with Skype, it really doesn't matter! I contacted her and she agreed to be "interviewed" by our class. This is how I presented the topic and got them thinking: Click here 1. They wrote some questions before hand, which I then sent on to her so she would feel a little more comfortable. 2. I got them pumped before the activity by setting the task.
 * What did you find the most interesting about the talk?
 * Were there times you didn't understand her? What strategy did you use when that happened?
 * How did this activity allow you to practice your speaking and listening skills? Would you like to do it again?

3. We called our speaker and had her on the projector and the camera pointing at all of us. 4. I let them lead the class, asking her questions and such, while I wrote down all the FANTASTIC real idiomatic expressions she used. 5. They talked for nearly 45 minutes! (I planned on 15! But she wasn't busy and they were having a great time!) 6. We went over the task I had set and all the "new" language that she used in the conversation. The language they learned was totally real and most of it they had understood, but wouldn't be able to use, so we practiced some sentences with it.

Some suggestions....
 * Make sure your guest speaker is actually interesting!
 * My guest speaker was an English teacher, so she knows how to slow down her speech if necessary...maybe for the first time you try it, you will want to have a speaker who at bleast tries to slow down...confidence is important!
 * prep them before...less wasted time and a bit of build up before the "event"

I have just signed up with Skype in the Classroom, which is a directory of teachers all over the world who want to join classes or are willing to be guest speakers. People send me messages all the time, but I now have very few adult classes, so I don't have the classes to share! If you are interested (especially teens or kids) let me know and I can send you on some people to get in contact with.