Mailvu - do things differently

 

So what is Mailvu???

Generally Mailvu is a tool that allow us to record video messages for us to share with our family, friends or else anyone else that we wish through email. Plus you can easily create and send the video with just a couple of simple steps without having any complicated stuff to worry about. How cool is that. it is simple, fast and easy. Click HERE to go straight to Mailvu!

The steps of using Mailvu >>>>

1) Click the record button on the right hand side and start recording. (max 10 min)

2)You can also click on the play button to preview what have you recorded just now before you can actually send it to anyone.

3)After you have already satisfied with your message, click the send button and enter the necessary details such as the receiver email address and yours as well.

4)Now your task is finished and the receiver will get your message in an instant and could also reply back to you in the same way through Mailvu.

So what can you do with Mailvu in the class?

1) Speaking activity = The teachers could ask the student to make a a short message at home using Mailvu to promote an object that he or she would love the others to buy and send it to them. This will give the opportunity for the students to practice using the language and to improve their speaking skill as well. Plus,  a connected classroom can be established as through this activity, students will not only be learning on how to use the language at school but also learning and practising using the language at home with a specific purpose.

other topic/activity :
--Draw a timeline and share stories on why the dates or the year are important to them. Is it meaningful or full with painful memories.

--Share their interest, talents or hobbies such as cooking, playing, climbing rocks, etc...

2)Listening activity :
-- The teachers or the students can use the tool and record themselves to give the listening input for the class to hear later.  Thus, the students are going to be more excited and motivated to listen to someone that they know rather than a stranger doing it.

3)Writing activity:
Teachers could send videos of them speaking a certain topic to the student at home and they need to summarize what they have understood as well as they own comments about it.

Why i like this tool?

• Its free 

• The steps of using it is simple, fast, and easy.

• It encourage the students to speak as well as improving their skills by practicing a number of times while doing the recording.

• Allows connected classroom becomes a reality. This happens when it create a chance for the students to link what they have learned in class and still using it at home with a solid purpose.

• The tool itself is fun to experiment on and the students will feel more motivated to learn in the classroom.

• Plus, it gives a refreshing new way of learning or even as a homework where students can now change The words they used to express through writing to become more alive and real to see. Its interesting for them and even make the students become more engage with the lesson.

Limitations >>>

• The video is only limited for 10 min 

• We can only share our video messages through email 

• There is not direct chat box for the receiver or anyone else to comment or reply.

• As it is a free version, no code is given for us to embed our video in our website.

• The receiver can't actually download the video and can only watch it through email.

• There is no pause button and we need to record everything in just one go.

Other options >>>

  KEEK

As an alternative, KEEK is also a website that have the same functions as what Mailvu does and it can offers a code for us to embed our video in our websites. Therefore if you would like to share your video publicly in your blog, you can use KEEK instead of Mailvu. Unfortunately there are some drawbacks of using KEEK as it only allows us to record a 30 sec video rather than Mailvu who offers a 10 min video. Clik here to try KEEK yourself!!

 

audioboo > the use of podcast

 

Nowdays podcast has become an exciting tool in  language classrooms as a medium to support the learning system more flexible and interesting.

 

So what does it do?

Audioboo is a platform where we can record our voice and share it with our family, friends and the public through the internet. Fancy trying it click HERE!

How to use it?

1) In order to use it, first you have to sign up for an account so that everything is organised and all your podcast made by you can be traced in your account. You can also sign up using your twitter account if you already have one.

 

 2)Then you can start the recording session through the microphone from your computer or upload the file that is already made earlier. You can pause and even preview the recordings you made earlier and record another one if you are not satisfied with it.

 

 

 

3)Then you can fill up all the extra information about the podcast.

 

4)Your podcast is ready to be shared with people around the world or even post it in social network such as  facebook or even twitter.

 

5)You can also embed your podcast in your blogs or any websites that you got.

Why this tool is great for language learners and even teachers?

• A new way to practice speaking skills, where students can record thier voice and reflect on thier way using the target language.

• As a medium to get all the students to speak up confidently especially the ones who are a bit shy to speak in class.

• It is a free tool and students can record as many podcast as they want to share it with the others.

• Teachers can record further explanations about the lessons in class and share it with the students so they can understands much clearer at home.

• It is a tool that can be use to record students own voice for a listening activity to be more real and fun.

Limitations

• Need access to the internet

• Some students might feel shy to share their podcast. 

• It is a tool for students to reflect on thier skills but not in terms of learning new knowledge

• It might be boring to some of the advance students 

Mybrainshark

WHAT IS IT?

Mybrainshark which you can go to by clicking HERE.. is a fantastic websites that can drastically change the traditional way of learning into something more flexible and exciting. It is actually a tool where we can upload various documents such as power point presentation, or documents which the user can add their own voice and produce an online videos for FREE!! Plus, the tool also allows background audio, photos, video,surveys and quizzes to be incorporated into the video and making it more fun and realistic to be seen by other people. The best thing about this website is it allows our presentation to be set for public view and they can actually put their own comments about it. The uploader itself can actually track down how many people have actually seen it and there is also a code provided for them to post it in their blogs.

How to use it?
1)Upload a content(power point/document)

 2)Add your voice for each slides. Choose the slide you want to add your voice in and click the record button. You can always play back what you have just recorded and record back if you are not satisfied with it.

3) When you have finished, click the end recording session button and proceed with other things that you may add for the videos such as background audio or etc....After that you're product is done and you can share it with the others by making it public or even embedded it in your blog.

Here is a sample of the outcome.




 How we can use it in class?

By using mybrainshark we can actually test the students in their writing, speaking and listening capability.

Through teacher's presentation:
1)The teachers could create a new environment of learning by creating a lecture through power point presentation using their own voice and test their listening skills with quizzes based on the presentation earlier. Rather than having an unknown person to listen to students will be more engage to listen to something more real and personal to them.

2)Teachers could also make a presentation as a follow up of her teachings as a guidance for the students who might want to clarify things about the topic and even revise by themselves with the help of the videos.

Through the students itself:
1) Speaking activity: Teacher could asks the student to create an online presentation of a certain topic to be displayed and discussed in class.

2)Writing activity: Test students capability of writing for presentation and writing for the end product. (further explanation about the topic/positive or negative effects/etc...)


Good things about brainshark!!!
1) Its free
2)It allows us to edit our work
3)Exciting and motivating the students to engage with the lesson.
4)Promote autonomous learning where students can improve their skills personally at home and ask the teachers for feedback privately.
5)Encourage communicative interaction while in group works or presentation
6)Motivate students who are normally shy to speak or as an introduction like ice braking activity.

Some negative side about brainshark:
1)we could not exactly set how many people that could watch it online.
2)It always need an online connection to see the presentation. The final work is not downloadable.

PimPamPum~Bubblr

Do you remember the times when we see our teachers cut some pictures from the newspaper or in the magazine for us to use in the classroom??

Need better pictures from around the world?

Fancy having a cool presentation rather than the plain traditional one?

Worry not!!! Bubblr is here to solve everything!

Bubblr is another cool website that we can use as part of our teaching process to make it more fun and exciting for the students. It is basically a tool that can grab all the images in flickr for us to generate a presentation by using our own text. By using Bubblr learners could come out with new style of wacky presentation that will upgrade the learning standards into the next level.Plus,teachers would not have to worry in trying so hard to search for real pictures for the students as flickr will do everything for you in just a blink of an eye. How facinating is that!!.Rather than having a plain text of words in our slide, it is much exciting to create a comic like presentation that is full of colours and real life pictures describe by our own text.

It is tool that is not only suitable for learners of all ages but also a magnificient way to change on how we deal with presentation in class. Students are motivated to display thier own creativity of making thier best presentation and slowly improving thier writing skill at the same time.Bubblr can also be used as a speaking activity to test the students capability to speak using the target language spontaneously with the help of the pictures that they have choosen.

How to use Bubblr:
1.write the topic of the things that you want to present (eg:food)
2.select the pictures
3.add some text/describe the pictures
4.click done and you're presentation is ready

The good things about Bubblr

• free
• easy,quick,and fun
• thousands of real pictures taken by real people from around the world to choose from
• suitable for speaking and writing activity.
• motivate the students and allow them to be more creative
• encaurage personalisation-less stress and learners will be more open to their teachers and friends
• learn with style and stimulate the learners to keep experimenting with thier works.
• can be used in the classroom or even as homework 
• promote autonomous learning

Some limitations of using Bubblr:

• the bubbles are not transparent and it might distract the images.
• students might not be using much language if there is no proper requirements or instructions by the teachers beforehand.
• the size of the bubble restricts the amount of words that can be used in the pictures.
• not suitable for the advance learners.

There is also another websites that is similar with Bubblr in terms of how it works if you fancy having something different. Why not try Bookr.