Please click the link here: Brainshark or visit the website: http://www.brainshark.com
What is Brainshark?
Brainshark is an amazing website where you can video, edit and upload your presentation, and share it through email and Youtube. If you are interested in any particular one, you also can download the podcast audio. Presentation maker can see the viewing report, such as number of views, percentage viewed, even the viewers' location.
How to use Brainshark?
Why is the content good for language learning?
Teachers upload the contents of lecture or presentation to Brainshark. It has three benefits: 1) The video of presentation can be saved and kept for future improvement; 2) The video presentation provides the students a chance to review the contents of class, or can be sent to the students who missed the lecture; 3) After activating the video, teachers can share his ideas to others and also get chances to learn from others. Through the following discussion and communication, two parties would improve;
In some activities of the class, students are required to make presentation. But sometimes, time is short and others may have no opportunity to do the task. Those students can upload their presentation into Brainshark and send the link to the teachers, waiting for the feedbacks and marks;
Teachers and students can continuously improve their presentation through watch their own video;
Parents have a chance to know the learning contents and make appropriate supports or helps to their kids according to the contents of the video.
How might you use it in a language teaching context?
Before the lecture, teachers make a video in Brainshark and keep improving it;
Before the end of the lecture, the link of the video should be told to students for reviewing and comments;
According to the comments and feedbacks from students, teachers improve the presentation for the reflection process;
Sometimes requiring students to make a presentation video is necessary.
Limitations
When recording, the good quality microphone would create better video;
The internet is required, however, Brainshark has launched new products for other mobile electronic choices, SlideShark, which also supports smart phones and iPad;
If users make the presentation in Keynotes, they have to transfer the file into PowerPoint. Users should pay attention to some slight differences between Keynotes and PowerPoint, such as fonts and slide-over effects.
Please click the link here: Vocaroo or visit the website: http://vocaroo.com
What is Vocaroo
Vocaroo is an online voice recorder, which collects the voice through the microphone, records the voice in the specific web page, and saves the voice file automatically. Users can share the link of voice recording page, email the link to others, share the link through Facebook or Twitter, or save or download the file into computers.
How to use Vocaroo
Why is the content good for language learning?
There is no need to prepare the voice recorder. In the presentation or lecture, Vocaroo can easily finish the task of recording and spreading. In addition, not like the voice recorder, users do not need to bring the wire to transfer the file after recording;
Students can repeatedly listen to the recordings for totally absorbing and comprehending the contents of recording;
After teachers' sharing the link or file of the recording, students also can send their feedbacks to teachers, or vice versa;
How might you use it in a language teaching context?
Teachers cannot only record their lectures or presentation, they also can record the discussion of seminars and share with attendees and others;
When the telephone or online appointments become impossible due to the unavailable schedule, both teachers and students can record their voice and send it out.
Limitations
It only can be used in mic-in computers or computers with mic, but it does support iPad, iPhone, iPod, smart phones or other mobile electronic products;
The sound quality from Vocaroo is not ideal, and bps (Bit Per Second) of the file is not adjustable during recording;
Click the link here: Dvolver or visit the website here: http://www.dvolver.com/moviemaker/index.html
What is Dvolver
Dvolver is a website where you can make your own movie-like scene, with choosing characters design, setting, form of communication, background music and the content of conversation. After designing and making the conversation, you can send the link of the short movie to your classmates, teachers or friends through email.
How to use Dvolver
Why is the content good for language learning?
This will make the class vivid and interesting; it turns the boring content of conversation into the funny movie;
Students will have higher motivation in learning the conversation, or making and designing the dialogue;
In the class, in the speaking practice part, when the speakers feel reluctant or too shy to speak, this form of animated movie would shift other students' attention on the movie, not the speakers;
In the process of making and practicing the dialogue, students finish the process from inputs to outputs, which strengthen their understanding of learnt knowledge;
In the process of sharing video and communication with teachers or other learners, movie makers and movie watchers have chance to realize their own mistakes and correct the mistakes in the future.
How might you use it in a language teaching context?
Before the class, teachers need to use Dvolver to make a conversation containing the relevant contents of the lesson;
During the class, students watch the movie and practice speaking skill according to the movie;
After the class, students have the assignment of making and designing their own conversation based on what they learnt from the class and on their own understanding;
Send the link of finished movie to teachers or classmates, and changing ideas and improve according to the feedbacks.
Limitations
100 words' limitation for each character's line; this would limit maker's thoughts for the arrangement of the lines;
Users cannot control or change the time length for each line;
If the speakers' voices could be recorded, that would be better.
Click here: TodaysMeet or visit the website: http://todaysmeet.com
What is TodaysMeet?
TodaysMeet is an instantaneous online platform where teachers can build their own chatroom to communicate with the students, share opinions or ideas and discuss some issues through typing.
How to use TodaysMeet?
Why is the content good for language learning?
It is easy for teachers to establish an online place to give a topic or an assignment to the students;
It is easy for students to access to the chatroom without register;
To some extent, it creates another form of classroom for teachers and students, but the difference is that the whole process of communication is finished by typing, not speaking;
To some L2 learners, this form of classroom forces them to type the words in English. This helps them to form a correct sense of words spellings and sentences using. They also improve reading comprehension through reading the lines of transcript;
To teachers, it provides a better chance to leave the notes or important learning contents to the students, because the transcript can be saved into students' computers. It avoids students' forgetting things happening and helps the students keep reviewing the discussing contents;
It also creates space for learners to discuss the language learning issues and share opinions about the lectures or presentations from the teachers.
How might teachers use it in a language teaching context?
The teachers could allocate the topic or the assignment to students, then supervise the students the process of discussion;
Before the presentation, the teachers could open a chatroom to students. During or after the presentation, students could discuss or leave their opinions on the screen, then teachers give the feedbacks to students' questions or ideas;
The teachers could make a drop-in session or a make-up session through TodaysMeet for helping some students who did not understand some contents of class or some students who missed the class;
Before the presentation, the teachers could create a TodaysMeet room to collect some opinions or thoughts from the students, then make the appropriate amendments to the contents of the coming presentation;
The teachers could list all the key points or notes into the transcript to help the students have deep impression on the learning contents.
Limitations
There is no limits for strangers to access to the room, such as password;
No private chatting in the room;
Students would easily feel boring for keeping only typing, without other tasks or activities;
