Hot Potatoes

Hot Potatoes: The Excellent Tool for Quizes

Dear Colleagues,

The ubiquitous technology and online tools have made teachers' job much easier than before. The various use of online tools has led be here today to share with you an assessment tool with you. I am going to share a much user-friendly tool called Hot Potatoes. It gives you the opportunities to create quizzes and games, like cloze, matching, crossword offline and uploading it in moodle for learners.

Home screen of Hot Potato

How can I create Hot Potatoes exercises?

Hot Potatoes is a kind of tool which you need to download on your computer. In the home page of Hot Potatoes we canl find different installers for different PCs (Windows, Vista, Linux or Mac). We have to select the most appropriate one for our computers, download and install them.

This tool will then give us the following options for test items-

1. JCloze:  

    We can create simple gap fill activity or cloze test with this tool as reading or listening task. We can embed a reading text, audio or video and blank out several key phrases in the summary (or transcript) to practice comprehension. In case of a passage text, it gives the opportunity to select every nth word as a blank space as per instruction. Here is the video on making JCloze.

2. JQuiz: 

   This part is for creating quiz for multiple choice, short answers and multi-select answers as while reading or listening tasks. The following video gives the clear instruction about this.

3. JCross: 

   This part helps to create the cross-word puzzles for learners. We only have to type in the words for answers, and Hot Potatoes will arrange them into grids. Then we have to add the clues for each word. Here is the video for JCross.

4. JMatch: 

    JMatch supports in creating a matching (drag-drop) exercise or drop-down menu type of exercise. Vocabulary exercise, reordering texts and matching parts of sentences can be designed by this tool. Now you can have a look of the procedure from the following video.

5. JMix: 

   This is a listening task and rearrange words. You can have a better idea watching the following video.

How to embed text or you tube video in the assessment

In order to insert a video or a text for listening or reading, we have to click on the icon with picture of a book, a window will pop up there. In oreder to include text we have to copy text from source and paste it in ‘Include Reading’ box, add a title. For video, we have to paste the HTML codes from the YouTube video on the Reading text space. 

Application in Classroom and Limitations

Now, how can we use these exercises in our classrooms? We can pre design quizzes and after we finish teaching content we can check learners understanding very soon with these online quizzes. We can give a listening activity or a reading activity for extra practices as well as homework for flipped classroom. Moreover, the feedback is very prompt, as such students also can have quick feedback.

One of the shortcomings of this tool is that the result is not archived in the moodle. So, it is supporting learners by giving formative feedback, teacher cannot have any idea about their progress.  Moreover, so far you have understood that we need to have a website to upload this kind of tasks. In Bangladesh, most of the institutions do not have their websites, but as you know, government has circulated that gradually all institutions will have to create their own websites. And in those websites you have to create moodle in order to upload curriculum, content, reading materials, quizzes etc. So, hopefully, in near future we will reach to that destination, but gradual preparations should be taken for paving the way.

 I will try my best to come back to you with the other necessary tools as early as possible.

Till then, good bye.

Urmila Khaled

What can I do with movenote and how!

Dear friends,
Again I have an opportunity to present before you with a new tool  called Movenote. Movenote is a free tool by  which we can add voice to the powerpoint presentation and use it in our classroom. Let us see in the video how can we use Movenote.

 
Movenote helps the teacher with the preparation of the class which can be used both online and offline. Since it is a recording, you can play the video file in the classroom as many time as possible according to the learners' needs. So, it helps a teacher to clarify subject without putting much effort.

A teacher can bring varieties in the type of assigned tasks for the learners. They may be present powerpoints, or interview someone, describing a place, or record a conversation and submit as an assignment. Students motivation can easily be created with these kinds of tasks. It is also suitable for introducing flipped classroom where teacher assign some homework and the class can be conducted with the discusssion on the topic. Teacher or learners can prepare it at their own time and pace and repeat the process until perfection. However, it has got one limitation that powerpoint animations can not be shown using it.
Now, let us have a look of a video where I have put voice on a powerpoint.

While recording the video I faced a problem which you may face too. When I tried it for the first time, I saw that the word are being broken and same word is being shown in two lines. Then I thought of a solution which worked! I edited the main powerpoint file, enlarged the textboxes, uploaded the edited one and recorded again. So, if you face the same problem please do the same.
Since this a free tool it is also applicable to the context of Bangladesh. So, have fun in using this kind of tool!

Videos on trigger

Dear friends,
Here I am uploading the video of my webinar conducted on trigger. Please go through it and comment.

Here is a video on the application of trigger in ELT classrooms.

Friends, hope these videos will enable you to be creative in language classroom using trigger.

Blended Learning & Teaching

Dear all,

 Here is a small effort of a video of a lesson based on blended learning and teaching. Please view it and comment in the comment box.

Hope this video will give you some idea about using these online tools.

How to create and use voki

 

 Creating a Voki

Hi all, let us talk about voki to day. Voki is a useful tool in language teaching and learning. It is built with an imaginary character called Avatar. By creating an Avatar through Voki, we can make students learning enjoyable. Let us see how to make voki in the following video.

How to create a voki

How to publish a voki in a blog

After you finish saving the voki, you can publish it by clicking on the "publish your Voki' button under the voki screen. Copy the code from the box appeared, open the blog screen, position the cursor where you want to insert the voki, go to HTML option beside Compose and paste the code there. Go to preview option and check the preview. The following voki has been inserted in the same way.

How to use voki in teaching

Voki helps in technology enhanced learning. It promotes creativity in teaching and learning. It helps in assessment, giving feedback, engages students in varieties of presentations, stimulates learning by creating imaginary characters, creating dialogues etc.
The limitations that voki has is it can not create more than one character for creating a dialogue. It can not create the whole activity, rather form a part of  the activity.

 Applicatio of Voki in teaching

Twitter for teachers

Using Twitter

Dear friends, some of us are already language professions and others are going to start your career in this area. In the days where professional development are give the ample importance, we need to stand with other people I the same professional platform and share new ideas and information. Twitter creates us opportunities for the same.

What is Twitter?

Twitter is a professional network which include of 140-character messages These messages are called as Tweets like birds. The symbol of Twitter is also a bird. The news you are interested in can be easily found by Twitter. It is designed to help us dive into Twitter’s world of information and find things of our interests.

Why should we use Twitter?

Twitter provides information valuable to you according to your interest. Messages from your selected persons or account will be shown on your home page so that you can easily have the updated news and information. It works like newspaper news of your interests – you can discover news as it’s happening, learn more about topics that are important to you, and dig deeper in real time.

We may read Tweets and discover new information whenever you check in on your Twitter timeline.. Some people find it useful to contribute their own Tweets, but the real magic of Twitter lies in reading information that matters to you.

How to start using Twitter:

If you go to https://twitter.com , you will have the home page of twitter. You have to sign up by your user name, phone or email address and password and by following instructions. Your user name should start with @ and your name with no space in between. After you finish creating the account, you can login by using your user name and password. When you log in, you will have your home page.

DISCOVER SOURCES: Find and follow others

The main job of using Twitter is to follow other interesting Twitter accounts. You may follow people you are interested about, businesses you love, professional group, celebrities, or news channel you prefer. (Click here to have a look of some of the accounts).  You have to search the account you are interested in the ‘search Twitter’ box. If you find it useful, you have to click ‘Tweet’ and you will start following the account. You can find more by the interesting accounts by checking the accounts your admirers are following.

How to check your timeline

When you log in Twitter, the page you view is the“Timeline.” Here you will have all the messages from the accounts that you follow. This page will have all the new information of your interest. You may click links in others’ Tweets to view articles, images or videos they’ve linked to. If you are looking for a topic, you have to write ‘hashtag(#)+keywords’ without any space between them in the search box to view all Tweets about that topic. 

 Using Twitter in your mobile

You can also use Twitter in your mobile so that you can get all the news updates that you need. Using Twitter via SMS allows you to pick and choose which updates you want from those you follow, so you can get mobile updates from the accounts that matter most to your life on-the-go.

Post your own Tweets

You can contribute to Twitter by posting your own Tweets. You may share any link to your own creation or writing on your home page. However, the link should not be too long. For this reason, the link can be shorten with the help of the website like Bitly Url Shortener and Management Platform  (http://bitly.com) and use the shorten for in your twitter post. People who are interested in what you have to say may follow you and they’ll see all the Tweets you share with them.

Building a voice by Retweet, reply, react

You can present your voice by clicking the icons at the bottom of each Tweet. These icons are ‘Reply’, ‘Retweet’, ‘Like’ and ‘More’. Using these icons, inform   existing information (other people's Tweets) on Twitter to find your own voice and show others what you care about. Retweet messages you've found and love, or @reply with your reaction to a Tweet you find interesting.

How to mention others in your content

Once you're ready to begin authoring your own messages, consider mentioning other users by their Twitter username (preceded by the @ sign) in your Tweets. This can help you think of what to write, will draw more eyes to your message, and can even start a new conversation. Try posting a message mentioning a celebrity or person you admire – they often respond to fans. You’ll see their response on your Mentions tab. 

How to explore advanced features

As you become more engaged on Twitter, others will begin to find and follow you. Once you're familiar with Twitter basics, consider exploring the site’s more advanced features: lists, direct messages, and likes. Learn how to include images or videos in your Tweets, or consider connecting your Twitter account to your your blog, Facebook, or website. You can gain followers on Twitter by regularly engaging yourself and contributing in a meaningful way.

Using Twitter in mobile

By installing Twitter account to your mobile phone number, you can receive and write Tweets via text message.

How can Twitter support a teacher

Twitter link people with other people who can contribute to his learning. A teacher is a lifelong learner. If she or he can be connected to other teachers, teacher educators, researchers, specialists, he or she can have updated knowledge, link to new readings, researches, which will reduce the distance among the people, overcome the national boundaries of knowledge and create a free flow of knowledge and skill. It can bring a change in the attitude among people by sharing local and global knowledge among people. A teacher can apply the knowledge, skill and attitude gained through this network to her practice which in turn will bring greater benefit for the learners.

Using Triptico Text Spinner

Dear friends, in my last post I talked about Triptico, a nice online interactive tool. We learnt that Triptico offers a variety of interactive tasks for supporting teachers in planning their lessons. Today, I am going to focus on only one game called 'Text Spinner'.

What is a Text Spinner

Text spinner is a kind of task which looks like a round shaped spinning board. Here a teacher can put as many options as possible. It helps choose any one from them. When it is rotated, it moves round360 degrees for several times and finally one option is selected randomly. Teachers may use that for selecting from different options like students’ names, countries, words etc.

 

How to make the task using Text Spinner

Let us see how to create the Text Spinner using Triptico. Suppose, we want to select some students one by one to present something or find out who will work with whom. In this case, we can make Text Spinner with the names of students.

To go to Text Spinner, you have to go to account holder’s home page at first. Then click ‘Resource’, after that click on ‘Text Spinner’, then click on ‘MENU’ and click “I’D LIKE TO CREATE A NEW TEXT SPINNER”. If you want to select from an existing list, you have to click ‘I’D LIKE TO LOAD ONE OF MY LISTS’.

In order to create a new list, you have to choose whether you want to take a short guide or not. To create, just click on ‘NO’. You will then see the following screen.

Type each of the segments (name of each student) of the list separately on the white narrow box at the middle written ‘Label’. After writing each segment, click the ‘+’ at the bottom and the word or part will appear at the top black box.

If you want any writing to appear when a specific name or segment is selected, you have to write them at the same time at the white larger box at the bottom each time each segment is written. After the segments are added in the list above, you can select and do editing or deleting. The circle on the right will display preview of the spinner.

After you finish writing all the segments, click on the green box written ‘I’D LIKE TO SAVE MY SPINNER’ to save your spinner at the Triptico Cloud. It will be saved in your home page.

When you click the saved file to open, it will look like the following picture.

 

If you draw the cursor on it in a circular way, the circle will spin and will stop at any random segment.

Text Spinner is a free task of Triptico which you can use any time you wish. Now can you please workout some other ways of using this Text Spinner?