Jing ---- take screenshots and record screencasts

In this post, I will introduce:

1. What is Jing
2. How to use Jing
3. The advantages of using it in ELT
4. The limitations of employing it in ELT
5. References
6. Links for further reading

 1. What is Jing

   Jing is a smart software for taking screenshots and recording Screencasts. The free version of Jing allows users to capture images on the computer screen or record up to five minutes of onscreen video. Users can upload the videos or images through screencast.com and gain link for viewing them again.

   Download Jing is totally free, so try it out! :)

2. How to use Jing

Jing is a user friendly software. Users can find it extremely easy to operate Jing. Here is a clear demonstration of using Jing.

3. The advantages of using Jing in ELT

• Teachers can provide more explicit feedback. As Jing allows teachers to record Screencasts, teachers can provide feedback by giving instructions vocally while pointing out the language points being explained on the screen. Through using audio and visual effect, students can get a clearer view on the quality of their homework, therefore it becomes easier for them to digest the knowledge and correct mistakes they made.

• Students gain more interest in revising their homework. In the traditional way of correcting homework, after receiving the corrected homework back, students usually will not reread their homework. However, when students receive video demonstration, their interest of learning feedback from teachers can grow higher, and they become more engaging into reviewing their homework.

• Build up stronger bond between students and teacher. Unlike the cold paper work, in the video, teacher's emotions are exposed more directly to students. For instance, if a teacher praises the students' work, students can remember deeper and may become more active to express their ideas to the teacher. The bond between teacher and students can become stronger.

• Enhance peer interaction. As the videos made by Jing can be uploaded onto screencast.com, students can click the link and watch other students' work . Teachers can help students to start discussions related to the revised homework and encourage them to exchange revising experience and share ideas. Teachers can also ask students to revise each other's assignments. In this way, in order to revise correctly, students unconsciously make more effort on gaining understanding of the class content.

• Boost teachers' engagement in revising homework As teachers have to do a video, they will surely spend more time on reviewing the work and organize the language before giving feedback in the tape. In this way, teachers become more engaging in the homework revising activities.

• Make a quicker and easier distribution. No matter where are the students and teachers, as long as they can surf online, revised homework can be sent back to them on time. It is unnecessary for them to go back to school to pick things up.

• Facilitate out-of-class activities. Teachers can ask students to use Jing to do a presentation or ask them to record their introduction of some useful tools they want to recommend to the class.

• Ask students to do reflective thinking. It is extremely useful to enhance their memory about what they learn in the classroom by speaking out what they learnt in the class, while pointing out the notes they made in the classroom.

4. The limitations of Jing in ELT

• Too short. Using the free version of Jing, users can only record a video up to five minutes. It may be too short for revision of long assignments.

• Increase too large amount of work for teachers. As it might become very time consuming for recording the homework. For instance, if teachers make some spoken mistakes, they have to retake the tape. 

5. References

No direct citations

6. Links for further reading

http://yueluictinelt.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/jing.html

End

Todaysmeet ---- let's brainstorm and discuss!

        

In this post, I will introduce:

1. What is TodaysMeet

2. How to use it

3. What are the advantages of applying it in ELT

4. What are the limitations of using it in ELT

5. References 

6. Useful links

1. What is TodaysMeet?

   TodaysMeet is a website where visitors can create a room for discussion. People are free to join the room and communicate with each other in real time. In this room visitors can use the live stream to ask questions, present ideas, make comments, and scaffold conversations.

2. How to use it?

Step 1. Create a room

When you enter the website, you can immediately create a room. Type in the name of your room and select the time for deleting the room, click the "Create your Room" button  and the room is done!

PS: remember to mark down the link of your room, in case that you want to invite others to join!

Step 2. Start a discussion

You can start writing messages straight away! The messages will appear according to time. The later the topper on the left side under "listen"

Step 3. Save the memos (optional)

If you find the conversation important, you can click the "transcript" or the "projector" button

If you are still not confident of using TodaysMeet, click the below video of an operation demonstration!

3. The advantages of applying it in ELT

• Easy to use. Visitors don't need to sign up or sign in. All they have to do is type in the link of the room
• A great place for brainstorming activities. For instance, teachers can start a discussion question, and students can immediately write down what they have in mind. The teacher can scaffold their own ideas, and lead them to shape their thoughts
• Lessen learners' anxiety. Comparing to speaking, writing in front of a computer, students can feel less anxious, therefore they are more willing to express their true ideas.
• All the voices can be heard. Comparing to the traditional way of "ask and answer" mode, usually only one student can speak at one time, and not all the voices can be heard. But busing TodaysMeet, everybody can write at the same time, so different ideas can be collected.
• Extra writing activities. It can be applied in writing practice. For instance, the teacher can choose a topic, and ask students to write a story according to the appearing sentences. The unpredictable upcoming lines can trigger students curiosity and imagination. The activity can be super fun! 
• Listening practice. It can also be used in listening practice. Teachers can ask students to write down the sentences they hear from the audio tape, and students can scaffold each other through writing and reading others' posts at the same time. 

4. The limitations of using it in ELT

• Word limitation. The maximum words for one message is 140, therefore students can not type in longer the thoughts. Some other websites or applications in China, such as QQ, Webbo, have no limitations of type-in for group discussion
• Confined by student level. If students are in lower levels in English, they are not able to express much.
• Distraction from other activities online. If students are not interesting in the discussion topic, students might be distracted by other information from the internet and do something else on their own. 

5. References

No direct citations

6. Useful links

http://todaysmeet.com/bearwawa

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYJA9SxAqWw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4YzQ1E4ALk

http://www.teachertrainingvideos.com/

end

Vocaroo ---- a free online recorder

In this post I will introduce :
1.  What is Vocaroo?

2.   How to use Vocaroo to record and share the recording?

3.   The advantages of using it in ELT

4.   The limitations of employing it in ELT

5.   References

6.   Useful links for further reading

1.  What is Vocaroo?

Vocaroo is a free online voice recording service.

2.   How to use Vocaroo to record and share 

After recording, there are many options for you to do with the record.

1. Send the recording to an email address.

2. Embed it into other sites, such as Facebook

3. Share it through different social networks

 4. Upload or download

        A detailed description for how to share the recording online is here!!! Please click the following picture or link, which is demonstrated by Russell Stannard ( a renowned innovator in ICT ). I'm sure you will like it! :)

 Click and watch

                                http://www.teachertrainingvideos.com/vocaroo1/index.html

3.   The advantages of using it in ELT

Vocaroo  is extremely useful for ELT! Here are some advantages  I find about Vocaroo.

Teachers can:

• Can record the "teaching journal", do the reflective thinking and share it with other teachers.
• Send request or feedback for students' homework
• Prepare materials for classroom activities, such as listening materials with different practicing purposes that edited by the teacher.
• Collect data from the classroom for monitoring and comparing students' learning process.

Students can:

• Record the "learning journal", and refine their study plan and skills.
• Improve their speaking, especially for pronunciation and fluency. 
• Share and exchange ideas with other language learners from worldwide without the physical boundaries.

4.   The limitations of employing it in ELT

• The only weakness is that the maximum length is 5 minutes only

Vocaroo is a simple and easy tool, please try it out! If there are some new creative ways of using Vocaroo, please write me a comment! :)

References

No direct citations

Useful links 

http://www.teachertrainingvideos.com/vocaroo1/index.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1ORyOFnOk0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hjdBwtDhxE (french instruction)

End