TOOLS TEACHING ENGLISH: febrero 2018

jueves, 22 de febrero de 2018

SOCIAL NETWORKS FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES

We, as teachers, are teaching to a new technological generation of people that is interested in being informed and in a constant communication with the world that surrounds them. Because of that it is necessary to be in contact with this new tools to creat a technological enviroment in our classes and motivate our students to learn (in this case) a second or more languages, specially by themselves.

On Internet there are hundred of softwares to creat interactive materials and activities, it could be introduce or explain a topic with a animated presentation, find estra information about seen previously or make to our students participate in an active way in blogs, video conferences or social networks. This last one, is the most common software used for students in daily life, but this time I am goint to give an idea about how to use it with a educational purpose.

TWITTER

This site is a social netwoking where the people can communicate through messages. Connecting with persons with common or interesting topics.

ADVANTAGES:

It is online and free.
You can open it wherever you are.
You are in contact with people around the world.
You can send personal or public messages. Called "Tweets"
You can post images.
You can control your privacity and which persons do you want to follow.
You can find information about almost everything.

DISADVANTAGES:

The tweets have 140 máximum of caracteres.
The number of tweets sometimes are excessive that you can´t read all of them and, maybe, you miss some interesting messages r topics.
You can´t send the same messages for many people. You need to do it one by one person.

https://twitter.com

ACTIVITY
As a teacher you can find to many counts on twitter in relation with the english learning, for example BBC Learning English, which post many images, test and questions about the language (it could be about grammar, culture or sounds). You follow the count and check over the post and tweets. The advantage is that you can repost to your students some of these post if they have a relation with the previous knowledge, introduce the topic for the next class or give extra information. The students can answer what the post is asking in the same place.

https://twitter.com/bbcle
https://twitter.com/LearnEnglish_BC

https://twitter.com/EnglishNode

POWTOON

Powtoon it is an amazing software to do animated videos in a easy way and in a few minutes. It is a goog idea to explain or introduce a topic without being boring.

ADVANTAGES:

The basic form is online and it is free.
There are differents kinds of cartoons to do as professional or jovial as you want it.
It is easy to learnt to use it.
You can add images and videos.

DISADVANTAGES:

You need the Internet to edit it. Un less you buy it.
If you want more ideas or tools on Powtoon you need to pay for a better version.
It is heavy if you want download.

https://www.powtoon.com/home/

https://www.powtoon.com/my-powtoons/#/

PREZI

Prezi it is a software to do interactive presentations for your students and make you a great teacher.

ADVANTAGES:

There are many modern templates.

You can edit in wherever place you are.

It is a software online.

You can add images, videos and animations.

It has too many interactive ideas to do a better presentation.

DISADVANTAGES:

You have to be careful when you download your presentation to use it without Internet, it is heavy.
If you want more tools for prezi, you need to buy it.