Breaking News English

• What is BreakingNewsEnglish?

Now I would like to introduce one brilliant website to all of you. It is BreakingNewsEnglish.

After entering the home page of BNE, you can see a list of news.

Click one of the news, you will see the content of the news, and the relevant tasks according to the news. You have many choices to make:

1. Print the news and relevant tasks;
2. Listen to the news, in British accent or American accent;
3. Do some reading exercises, such as: Speed Reading, Text Jumble etc;
4. Grammar practice;
5. Practice spelling skills;
6. Extend your vocabulary by doing various tasks.

For example, in the Sentence Jumble, after reading the news, you can choose the pieces of the sentences from the news by memory. The system also displays your scores in this task. If teachers use this task in the reading class, that would be very interesting. Teachers can ask the students finish memorizing the news as fast as they can, then compare the scores.

In No Spaces, which is one of the most challenging tasks, you can type the words that you can remember as many as possible. Considering its difficulty, teachers may divide the students into different groups and make students try to recall the words in the news.

After reading the news, you can also take a quiz to test whether you comprehend the passage or not.

• Why is the content good for the language learning?

1. To teachers in teaching listening, reading, writing and grammar, BNE provides more various tasks.
2. To students, they will be highly motivated by the tasks and will improve their listening and reading skills through practicing different tasks.
3. This website is also useful to self-learners.

• How might you use it in a language teaching context?

1. Teachers can use BNS in class to organize different activities.
2. When lack of teaching resources, teachers can find more valuable ideas in this website.
3. With high motivation, students will love learning English through doing different tasks.

• Limitations

1. If using in the class, it is required that each student should bring their computers or use one computer for two students.
2. The level of news in language is hard to control.
3. Too many advertisements on the webpage. Users would easily click and access to the wrong pages.

Present.me

• Present.me

Please check the link here: Present.me, or visit the following link:  https://present.me/home/pres

• What is Present.me?

Present.me is a website service where users can upload their presentation. The presentation type can be slices and video, slices and audio, slices, and video. Users can upload ppt file or Google Docs and record the video when making the presentation. After recording, users can share the presentation with others by embedding in their blogs or email the link to their friends. Viewers of the presentation can download the ppt file if they are interested in the contents.

• How to use it?

• Why is the content good for language learning?

1. For teachers, Present.me enables them to make presentation through internet. Students can access to Present.me to review the contents of the lecture anytime.
2. For large classes or if class time is limited, some students do not have chance to make presentation in the class. They can finish at home and send the link of finished work to teachers.
3. Students can download the ppt file for future review.
4. Compared with Brainshark, viewers can see the real person in the presentation.

• How might you use it in a language teaching context?

1. Shy students have chances to make presentation. Sometimes they can make better performances in Present.me than in the class.
2. It avoids students' cheating in the presentation making, because teachers can see students in the video.
3. In the online lecture, especially for pronunciation lecture, the camera can capture lecturer's facial movements.
4. Teachers can discuss lesson plan through Present.me.
5. In some discussion homework, two or more students can finish discussion together.

• Limitations

1. It requires that users should have high speed of internet accessing. Otherwise, it would sacrifice the video effects to guarantee the quality of audio effects.
2. Users cannot edit the presentation contents.
3. Brainshark has more convenient sharing functions than Present.me.

• Demo

Padlet (Wallwisher)

• Padlet

Please check the link here: Padlet or visit the following website:  http://padlet.com

• What is Padlet?

Padlet is a digital board where users can post pictures, take notes, share links or videos. Users can design the topic and layout of the board, share the link of the board with others, and name the linking address of the board.

• How to use Padlet?

• Why is the content good for language learning?

1. Padlet provides a good opportunity for students to take notes and practice their writing skills.
2. In the process of building and furnishing the Padlet, students will gain more knowledge in the Western culture and more contacts with the target language.
3. Students will have high motivation in constructing their own Padlet. At the same time, they practice their skills in reading and writing.

• How might you use it in a language teaching context?

1. Teachers divide the students into several groups and assign different topics to each group, for example, the introduction of a city, a country, a book or a movie. Each group member is responsible for one part of the contents. After they finish, they can be required to make a presentation about their Padlet.
2. Padlet can be made in various ways, for intense, arts gallery, story telling, traveling map, photo exhibition, foods menu and weekly schedule.
3. Teachers start a topic or a question on one Padlet and then ask students to brainstorm on the wall.

• Limitations

1. The contents of the Padlet can be added by different users, but the layout can be adjusted by the wall starter.
2. Due to different resolutions on different computers, the layout of the Padlet is changed unintentionally.
3. When adjusting the pictures, users cannot change the choosing part of the photo.

• Demo

Created with Padlet

JING

• JING

Please check the link here: JING or visit the website:  http://www.techsmith.com/jing.html

• What is JING?

JING is a screen-capturing application, which was launched by TechSmith Corporation. Users can clip one part of screen and video what happens in the particular area. Then the captured video or images can be shared through website link or email with other people. This application is compatible within both Windows and Apple OS X systems.

• How to use JING?

• Why is the content good for language learning?

The advent of JING brings many possibilities into ELT area.

1. It promotes the relationships between teachers and students, especially the relationship during the spare time. After students' handing in the assignment, teachers give feedbacks and comments through JING. Then students timely can check the feedbacks and correct the mistakes in the assignments. If students have further questions or other problems, they all can be solved by JING. This process shortens the time of making and sharing feedbacks. In the history, teachers took assignments back home and made comments. Students could get the feedbacks in the next day, sometimes they even had to wait for longer. Therefore, JING has enhanced the efficiency of this teaching and learning process.
2. It provides more chances to communication, between teachers and teachers, students and students, and teachers and students. Frequent sharing contents and exchanging ideas can promote the communication and relationship among people.
3. Students and teachers would have higher motivation in using JING by sharing information, giving feedbacks, making comments and capturing videos or images.

• How might you use it in a language teaching context?

1. In the class, teachers need spend some time on introducing and using JING to students.
2. After the class, teachers can introduce some useful educational resources to students.
3. Teachers can give feedbacks on students' assignments and explain students' mistakes in details.
4. Students can share ideas and information through JING.
5. Teachers can capture some videos and share with students or colleagues.
6. Sometimes when someone had technical problems, they can use JING to solve.

• Limitations

1. The capturing time is limited, only 5 minutes.
2. JING History is specific on the computer you are using. If you use JING in different computers, you will find the specific history on the computer you are using.
3. The sound quality is influenced by the quality of microphone. So you should prepare a good one.

• Demo

http://screencast.com/t/MYLoQ6K5gGE