Activities using Printable Crossword Maker

Crosswords are a great alternative to practice meaning and spelling. They are suitable for any age in primary and secondary school as well as adult learners. Here a propose two ways of working with puzzles.

Grade: 1st and 2nd Grade

Level: Beginners

After working with animals and animals description, the teacher can create a puzzle that suits the students' knowledge of animals. The hints in the puzzle will contain animals' descriptions for students to practice their reading skills as well.

Students will be graded according to their performance in solving and understanding the activity.

You can find some suggested crosswords puzzles here:

http://www.whenwecrosswords.com/

Grade: 4th Grade and over

Level. Pre-Intermediate and over

Students can be asked to create their own puzzles to share with the class. The teacher can instruct students to work in groups and work with the vocabulary in each unit of the book used in class. After sharing their crossword with the class students will be evaluated on their group work, accuracy of the descriptions, selection of vocabulary, relevancy and spelling.

Check out how to use Printable Crossword Maker here!
http://ictayelenroldan.blogspot.com.ar/2016/11/how-to-use-printable-crossword-maker.html

How to use Printable Crossword Maker

Spread the word!

Printable Crossword Maker is an online tool to create crossword puzzles and word search activities. It is a user friendly and activities can be printed.

Creating your own material provides you with a stock for readymade activities to revisit whenever you want. Some online tools like this ones, make the process of creating original and relevant material that fits your learners' needs. This makes your material appropriate an reliable.  At the same time, it is very easy to use and time saving.

When looking specifically on crossword puzzles when find that students have the opportunity to practice their knowledge in vocabulary, reasoning and spelling. Crosswords bring the students the possibility of differentiating, finding and working with synonyms and antonyms. They are great to review previous knowledge and students are oriented towards the important topics. Moreover, game like activities increase the motivation some learner experience

Learn how to use Printable Crossword Maker from the tutorial below!

1. Enter the webstie http://www.printablecrosswordmaker.com/. You will enter the following website.

2. The website provides a number of option to create your puzzle including creating your own puzzle, creating a word search based on a reading assignment and making a word search from a list of words. In addition, it provides a set or pre-made puzzles arranged by categories.

3. We will click on "Make a Crossword Puzzle" to create our own crossword.

4. You will be directed to the following page in which you will fill the information for the puzzle. Add a title and a description for the assignment.

5. Complete the Word and Hint column with the words and the hints for each word in the crossword.

6. Scroll down when you have included all the words and click on "Create Crossword Puzzle"

7. Your puzzle will be displayed and ready to be printed!

References:

Sharma, P. & Barrett,B. (2007) Blended Learning: Using technology in and beyond the language

Activity using Cacoo

This a suggested activity to apply Cacoo to the classroom

Grade: GCSE students - Adult learners
Level: Intermediate - Upper Intermediate

While working on the topic area of Business, students usually follow a book in which they are introduced to the different key issues to be covered about the subjects.

As students move forward in their studies, they will be asked to create in pairs a diagram that best suits their needs to understand what has been dealt with in the different units about the business world. 

Here is an example involving the three different types of economic system:
https://cacoo.com/diagrams/tUlOPbDGB89S9Pm4
https://cacoo.com/diagrams/tUlOPbDGB89S9Pm4-AC6EE.png

The evaluation criteria of the activity will be based on the appropriate use of the tool, group work, the selection of information, the accurate use of the information and applying to the due date.

Check out how to use Cacoo here!
http://ictayelenroldan.blogspot.com.ar/2016/11/how-to-use-cacoo.html

How to use Cacoo

Let's diagram together!

Cacoo is an online tool which allows to create a number graphic organizers and diagrams for any purpose. It possess easy to use and malleable resources to create the diagram you have in mind.  The tool allows you to create your own diagrams or to work collaboratively with other people on a specific diagram simultaneously. Cacoo also gives you the possibility of sharing your diagrams via email or through a URL code. What's more, it allows you to export your diagram in a variety of formats.

Sharma and Barrett (2007)state that in a blended learning class there must exist a self-study component. In this case, Cacoo offers the possibility od students creating their own web-based material to help develop new ways of studying and organizing information."Learners have the opportunity to work at their own pace and follow their own interests." In addition, this tool provides teacher with the opportunity to assess students understanding of a topic by checking their progress and reviewing their material.

Here is a tutorial to learn how to use Cacoo!

References:

Sharma, P & Barrett,B . (2007) Blended Learning: Using Technology in and beyond the language classroom.

Activity using Jeoparfy.rocks

Here is an activity to apply Wizer.me to your classroom

Grade: 7th Grade
Level: Elementary

Jeopardy.rocks can be used for any language topic you deal with. It provides the opportunity to practice vocabulary, grammar, reading, listening, speaking, etc,

This time I propose an activity based on Literature. After reading the book "Taste and Other Tales" students can play a Jeopardy.rocks game in teams to answer questions about the different stories. The activity will be designed so that the different categories will be portrayed by the different stories and the questions will be more complex as the amount of points go up.

See the sample below:

https://www.jeopardy.rocks/tasteandothertales

Later on, students will be asked to create their own Jeopardy.game to share with the rest of the class based on the different stories or books tackled in the course. The game will be designed in pairs. The activity will be graded based on understainding of the story through the designed questions and answers, how relevant to the story the questions are, due date and commitment to the task.

Check out how to use Jeopardy.rocks here!
http://ictayelenroldan.blogspot.com.ar/2016/11/how-to-use-jeopardyrocks.html

How to use Jeopardy.rocks

Jeopardy certaintly Rocks!

Jeopardy.rocks is an online tool that allows you create a Jeopardy game-like activity to review any content taught. The tool provides a fixed structure containing 6 columns and 6 lines to complete with the categories, questions and answers you would like to apply to the game. It will also provide the amount of points that each question will give to the teams participating. Up to 4 teams will be allowed to play. The tool will add up the points automatically and will provide a winner by the end of the game. Jeopardy.rocks allows a great number of games to be created and recycled whenever you need.

Variety in the type of activities we bring into the classroom is key to catch out student’s attention. A Jeopardy game is a great alternative to make learning fun which always attracts our students’ attention. This tool has the extra advantage of bringing technology into the classroom and a new and original way of practicing language and assessing performance. At the same time, this tool brings to the teacher the possibility of creating authentic and personalized material.

Check out this Jeopardy.rocks tutorial to try it out!

References: 

Dudeney, G., & Hockly, N. (2007). How to teach English with technology. Harlow: Pearson/Longman.

Jeopardy.rocks (n.d.). Retreived October 30, 2016,  from https://www.jeopardy.rocks/

Activity using Wizer.me

This is an activity to apply Wizer.me to your classroom

Grade: 2nd Grade - 3rd Grade
Level: Beginners

Most school in Argentina still do not count with the necessary equipment to provide access to a computer to all students. If this is your case, Wizer.me is a great option to bring techonology into the classroom by taking students to the computer room. They will not have to create any accounts or worksheets and the teacher will be able to communicate to students the necessary procedures to carry out in the computer. Wizer.me can be used for any topic or unit that you are working on. 

Here is a suggestion to work with Wizer.me:

After working with animals vocabulary and animal habitats, students can get extra practice from two worksheets from Wizer.me. The teacher can design a Sorting activity by asking students to classify a set of animals into their correct habitat to later on move on to an open question activity where students will have describe an animal using the structures HAVE GOT/ HAS GOT, HAVEN'T GOT / HASN'T GOT, CAN/ CAN'T, IS/ISN'T.

This activitites can be carried out in pairs or individually. The teacher will prepare all computer in the computer room beforehand and will creat the necessary groups on the webpage to share the worksheets with. The evaluatio will be done according to the system presented by Wizer.me or by the student's production based on the correct use of the grammar structures, spelling, creativity and applying to the task's requeriments.

Check out how to use Wizer.me here!
http://ictayelenroldan.blogspot.com.ar/2016/10/how-to-use-wizerme.html

How to use Wizer.me

Wizer.me! Activities online

Wize.me is a free online tool that allows users to create their own online worksheets. All worksheets may include videos, audio, images and text. The design of the variety of question types are attractive and engaging. The different worksheets that can be created range from multiple choice activities to open questions. Wizer.me provides the possibility of sending these worksheets to students through any learning management system. In addition, Wizer.me allows you to save time from grading and checking as it is done automatically for teachers to keep a record.

Wizer.me is a great approach to teaching. It allows you to create and use your own electronic material inside and outside the classroom. As Dudeney and Hockley (2007) say, creating your own material provides extra practice, consolidation and review exercises. They also build up a collection of your own resources and bring to class a change of pace that can be highly motivating.

Check put the tutorial below to see how to use it.

1. Access the website www.wizer.me”. First create an account by clicking on the “JOIN” botton.

2. Complete the information required. Not much is needed, just an existing email and a password

3. Once you have accessed you will see the following page. Click on START NOW 

4. If you have already used this page you will see the following page. Just click on “CREATE NEW WORKSHEET”

5. Once you have accessed a new worksheet you will be ready to start creating. First, fill in he “Worksheet info” by adding the Grade that your worksheet will be aimed at and the Category to which the worksheet belongs to. You can also add a title to your worksheet by clicking where it says “You title here…”

6. You can customize you worksheet by selecting one of the different designs provided. Or by clicking on “Upload cover image” at the corner of the page.

7. Now it’s time to move on to selecting the type of worksheet or task you’d like to create. Choose one from the different possibilities provided. In this case we will work on a Sorting exercise.

8. Now, you’ll have to give your worksheet a specific title as well as adding the instructions

9.You can now start filling in the different items of your worksheet until you have completed them. In this case, the different categories for your matching exercise have to be filled in with the correct answers. Once the worksheet is completed and saved the items will be scrambled

10.You can add new groups apart from the ones provided by clicking on “Add another group”. Once you have finished adding all the items and information you click on “Done"

11.In order to save your work click on the “SAVE” button at the top of the page. If you’d like to see a preview of your worksheet to check you work, click on the “PREVIEW” button. The worksheet will be shown as below

12. In order to share the worksheet with your students you’ll have to click on “2. Assign to students” at the top of the page and complete the information required. If you want to see the answers and scores your students got, click on “3.Answers"

References:

Dudeney, G., & Hockly, N. (2007). How to teach English with technology. Harlow: Pearson/Longman.

App.wizer.me. (2016). wizer.me. [online] Available at: http://app.wizer.me/

Activity using Penzu

This is a suggested activity to apply Penzu to your classroom.

Grade: High School – Senior II and over

Level: Intermediate

During a history lesson in high school, teachers usually tackle the events leading to WWI and WWII as well as the events that developed during war. While working with the syllabus, students can be asked to work on Pezu to summarize what the y have learnt during each lesson.

Starting with the events that lead to the First World War, students will be asked to pretend to be journalists keeping a private journal about the events. Each entry should be written in first person and make as real as possible by adding feelings and real events to their writings. Visit the links below to see examples:

https://penzu.com/p/019e338c

https://penzu.com/p/59e0432a

https://penzu.com/p/31a01d46

https://penzu.com/p/18d1adac

The entries have to follow a chronological order and should be shared with the teacher via email or by sharing the public links to their posts on weekly bases. Students will be graded according to the accuracy of the information in their posts, the selection of the information included, creativity of their posts  as well as due dates.

How to use Penzu

Pezu! Get your writing on!

Penzu is an online tool that works as journal. Penzu gives you the possibility to make your entries at any time and are automatically dated. It allows you to keep your entries private as well as sharing them by email with any one you’d like or printing them. Registration is easy and does not demand much information.

According to Nik Peachy (2010). Penzu is an online tool that from which you can profit in a number of ways. It allows you to create online material to share with your students, it can be used to create a writing portfolio with class material and homework, you can send a summary of the class to your students as a reminder or to keep track of the topics dealt with, it can be used to send model writings for your students to have a reference of what you are asking for, among others.

"What' s great about using a tool like this is that it makes students written work much moreaccessible, they can integrate high quality images with the work and it remains as atangible record of their progress and achievements. It's also very content focused andthere is no fuss with formating or different fonts. It's just about the writing." (Peachy,2010)

Check out this tutorial to see how Penzu works and try it yourself:

References:

Peachy, N (2010) Web 2.0 Tools for Teachers from http://es.slideshare.net/ICTesol/web-20-tools-for-teachers-by-nik-peachy

Penzu (2016) Retreived October 20, 2016, from https://penzu.com/

Welcome All!

Hello to you and welcome to my blog!

This blog is aimed at those ESL teachers who are interested in going beyond the usual classroom work. In it, you will find different web-based tools that can help you complement and enhance the regular classroom work.

Ever since the 1990s, the Internet and technology have offered a great number of possibilities to use web-based tools to apply to the teaching of a language. It presents opportunities for communication and collaboration, it allows teachers to present students authentic material and tasks as well as providing new ways of practicing and assessing performance. In addition, technology has become an integrated part of our students’ life so the use of technology increases motivation as the student’s outside world is brought into the classroom. Because of this, we find that Web 2.0 tools can be a great way to integrate technology and education.

But, what is Web 2.0? The Web 2.0 is mainly defined by the interactivity it provides. Users have a more active participation as opposed to the Web 1.0 were users were limited to the passive viewing of content. Web 2.0 tools are online programs that allow users to interact and collaborate as well as create and publish content. Most of these tools do not require downloading; they are most of the time free and only require creating a user account. Some Web 2.0 sites include social media, blogs, wikis, video sharing sites, among other platforms.

When thinking in terms of education, we find that Web 2.0 tools allow exposure to authentic material suitable for our students with real content in them, they encourage creativity as genuine products are created, they allow for collaborative work between students and between students and teachers, they widen they possibility of socialization and they allow students and teachers to share their work.

With all this in mind, I encourage you to explore this blog and find some useful web-based tools in order to bring technology into the classroom. Even though you might feel that this approach to the teaching of language is out of your element, this blog will offer you simple and easy web-based tools along with tutorial and possible activities to apply so don’t miss the opportunity to benefit from the wide range of ICT tool. Thank you for taking the plunge!

Make sure to check out this WIKI to learn more about the different tools available to you!

http://teach-with-internet.wikispaces.com/Home-+TWI+Wiki
http://teach-with-internet.wikispaces.com/How+to+use+Penzu+%28Video+Tutorial%29

References:

• Chapter 1, “Technology in the classroom” in How to Teach English with Technology (Dudeney & Hockly, 2007)
• “Web 2.0 for teachers” (Peachey, N. 2010)
• A practice-based exploration of technology enhanced assessment for English Language Teaching. Chapter 6 in in Innovations in Learning Technologies for English Language Teaching (Motteran, Ed. 2013)
• Weblogs for Use with ESL Classes. (Campbell, A. 2003)