Smartboard

Smartboard is not a website; it is a system and machine that teachers can use this machine to motivate students. This machine is similar to whiteboard, but this machine is smarter than whiteboard. It has more functions than whiteboard. It not only can be used as a whiteboard, but also can be used as an online classroom.

How to use:

1.     Smartboard can be used as whiteboard or blackboard, but what teachers write on this board can be saved in the computer. Thus teachers can save what they write (note of this lesson) in class and post this note to their blogs and students can download or review these notes. In this way, students do not need to make any notes in class. They can only concentrate on what teacher is talking about.

2.     Smartboard can provide teachers to make some tasks with clues. Teachers can use these tasks to motivate students to learn new words. Teachers can provide the Chinese meaning of the new words for Chinese students, and let students write down the word, and check whether they write the right words or not.

3.     Teachers also can find many funny pictures in smartboard. Some pictures can be used to teach children English, but some pictures can be used for students to make a presentation.

4.     Smartboard provides a pen, called ‘magic pen’. If teachers draw a square, the part in this square will be magnified. If teachers draw a circle, the part out of this circle will be dark, and the part in this circle will be stressed.

Advantages:

1.     It can save the pages that teachers used in class. In this way, students can review the notes anytime. It will save students’ time to make notes in class, and they do not need to focus on the notes rather than the teachers’ explanations.

2.     Teachers can use this to motivate students to make presentations in public. Since this system only can be used by one person every time. Thus teachers can ask student to prepare a presentation before class and show their presentation in the entire class.

Disadvantages:

1.     I admit that sometimes this system is good, but this system makes some simple questions into complex. For example, this system provides teachers to make their own task, such as making sentence with disordered words. While most teachers refer to give students some papers with different words and let them make these words into a sentence.

2.     This system can be used by one person every time. Thus teachers cannot let students to work in pairs or work in groups. Or this system only be used by teacher, it will be same with a projector.

Hot Potato

Hot potato is a software that teachers can use this to design their own tasks (e.g. cloze, cross, sentences-making , matching, etc.) for students. This software is free to download and use. It is sweet that this software provides a tutorial for the beginners to learn how to use this software, since this software includes many kinds of ways to design tasks. After teachers finishing their tasks, they can put these tasks on the website, and then ask students to do these tasks online. In this way, students can be interested in learning English.

How to use:

1.     Teachers can use JMatch to design a match for students. Students need to match synonyms and in this way, students will get many synonyms and understand a new word deeply.

2.     Teachers can use JMix to make a Jumbled-Sentence. Teachers need to type the whole sentence in this software, and then put the words in wrong orders. In this way, teachers can practice students’ writing skills, and let students know the sentence structure. This task will more suitable for teachers to teach sentence structure.

 

3.     Teachers can use JCloze to make a gap-filling exercise for students. In this way, teacher can test whether students understand the text or not and test their English level.

 

4.     Teachers can use JCross to make a crossword exercise. Teachers need to give students some questions or hints to guess what the word is and this will motivate students to learn some knowledge outside the coursebook and new vocabulary.

 

5.     Teachers can use JQuiz to make quiz for students. This task can check students’ understanding of a text or the meanings of new vocabulary.



6.  Teachers can ask students to design their own tasks. Taking their tasks to school and let other students do these tasks. Teachers can check students’ understanding of what they have learnt. Also students can communicate with each other and get some feedbacks from their peers and teachers.

Advantages:

1.     Teachers can use this software to motivate students to learn English. Since teachers can design some interesting tasks for students to learn new vocabulary, to understand text deeply, to relate the text they have learnt to their daily life, etc.

2.      Teacher can use this software to make some homework for students. It is more interesting to do these tasks than to copy the new vocabulary many times. After students doing these tasks, they will remember the meaning or the use of new vocabulary, since these tasks are like games for students.

Disadvantages:

1.     The tasks which are designed by this software cannot be used in the test, since the answers can be found on the Internet easily.

2.     All tasks need to be typed by teachers. It is a heavy work for teacher to design a wonderful task for students to do. It will also waste teachers much time to design suitable tasks for students.

Wallwisher---post your wish here

Wallwisher is free and similar to Todaysmeet, but in my opinion, I think that wallwisher is more fun than Todaysmeet and wallwisher can motivate students since this website provide many different backgrounds for people and student not only can add their comments on the 'wall', but also can add website, video and pictures to this 'wall'. Students do not need to log in or register. People can see all walls and add their comments to that wall. If people want to make a wall, they need to find a topic for this wall and add some dscription of this wall, if they do not want to show every comments, they can choose the approve. Since this website do not need to log in, thus if people do not log in, this website will not show their name, but they can change it.

How to use:

1. Teacher can put the question as the topic of the wall, and ask students to this wall and add their answer to this wall. But teacher should choose the approve, since if lazy students can see other students' answers, they will copy it.

2. If teacher want to get some feedback of a exam or a lesson, he/she can use this website. And students can choose whether leave their name or not. It is good for shy students who do not like express their opinions in public.

3. Teacher can use this website to give students a way to practise grammar. For example, teacher can put a sentence as a topic of a wall, and let students change the tense, structure, verb form of this sentence. Students just need to post their answers to this wall is ok. They also can choose whether leave their name or not. In this way, teacher can find some mistakes, and explain these mistakes in class.

4. Teahcer can use this website as online room to teach language. For example, teacher can put the language piont as the topic of a wall, and add some videos, pictures or website that related to this language point. Students can use this wall and learn this language point at home or review after class.

Advantages:

1. this website is more colorful than Todaysmeet, thus this website can motivate students to answer a question.

2. This website can add comments, videos, pictures and website, thus teacher can use this website to attract students to finish their homework.

3. This website can give a way for shy students to express their comments or opinions.

Limitaions:

1. This website cannot use for a large size class, since if this website is used for a large size class, it will be mass if all students express their opinions. And teacher will not have enough time to read every comments since some comments will be covered by other comments.

2. If students do not log in, it will not show their name.

Dvolver---make your own small movie

Dvolver is a website that people can make their own small movies, or cartoon. This website is easy to use. It provide the different backgrounds, different situations, different ways that people meet and different characterises of people. Students can choose their favourite one and make small movies. At the same time, they need to design the dialogues for the people when they meet each other in the small movies. In this way, students can find a way to practise their writing skill and communication skill.

How to use:

1. Teacher can give a topic for students and let students make small movies around this topic. Students can do this after class and send their movies to teacher or post their movies on their blogs, facebooks, or other place.

2. If students learn a new grammar in the class, teacher can let students use this new grammar to make a small dialogue by using this website. It is fun to do homework or to do some grammar exercises.

3. Students can work in pairs to finish a small movie. Since this website only can play music, but not play the dialogue. Therefore, after students finish their small movies, they can take this small movie to the class, and add their own voice when play this movie.

Advantages:

1. This website can motivate students. It is easy to use and fun to make their own movies.

2. This website can provide a way for students to work in pairs and exercise their grammer or sentence structure.


Limitations:

1. This website only can play the music, it cannot read the dialogues.

2. Students cannot use their own pictures as background or situation. Students only can use the pictures that this website provided.

3. This website only provides 4 situations that people meet each other.

Breaking new English---fun to learn English

Breaking new English (http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/) is a website that teachers can use this website to teach English or add some extra materials for students to do after school. This website provides many tasks for teachers to choose and also this website provides a teaching plan for teachers to consider. This website will update every 3 days, and the materials are related to our daily life. It is a best material for teacher to motivate students to learn English.

How to use:

1.     Teachers can use this website to practice students’ listening skill. Since the articles are not long and the vocabulary is not difficult for senior high school students. Thus teachers can download the MP3 file and play it for students to practice their listening skill.

2.     Teachers can use ‘missing word’ to motivate students to remember new vocabulary. It is boring to remember words without any tasks. Thus this task can motivate students to remember new words, and in this situation, students can easier remember the meaning and usage of new words.

3.     Teachers can use ‘sentence jumble’ to motivate students how to organize an article. This task can motivate student to rewrite this article. After doing this task, they will have a better understanding of this article.

4.     Teachers can print the handout that this website provides. In this handout, teachers can find many tasks about reading, gap-filling, group work tasks and so on. Teachers can use these tasks to check whether students understand this article or not.

Advantages:

1.     This website can motivate students to learn English, even after school. Since the materials that provided by this website are up-to-date and related to our daily life, the most important thing is these materials are very interesting. Thus it is easier for teacher to attract students’ attention and motivate them to learn English.

2.     The tasks that provided by this website are not very difficult. Therefore, students will not lose their interest to do these tasks. If they work in pairs, they will find some joy when they do these tasks.

3.     Teachers can use the handout that provided by this website in their English language learning lessons. Since the handout is complete from warm-up part to homework part, also the structure of this handout is very clear and the tasks are very suitable for students to do.

Disadvantages:

1.     The tasks that provided by this website only can be used in class or regard as homework for students to do. These tasks cannot be regarded as test for students. Since these materials are online, students can find the answers online, it will cause students to be lazier.

2.     The handout provides so many tasks, but it does not provide enough explanation of the article or new words. Therefore, if teachers want to use this handout, they need to add the explanation of the new words or the article before their lessons.

3.     Some tasks need use computers. Thus students must in computer room or they need to take their own computers to school. It is impossible in China. We have computer room, but it is difficult to control students when we use computer room to teach English. And if students take their own computers to school, teachers will not be more attractive than their own computers. Thus they will not listen to teachers rather than play their computers.

Flickr--picture presentation

Flickr is a website which people can use it to make presentation with different photos or pictures, then people can add some words to these photos or pictures. after people finish this presentation, they can send this presentation to someone else or put this presentation to their blogs. the picture blow is Flickr:

How to use:

1. teacher can let students do their own presentations about a place or a people. Students can search pictures and photos in this website and then use these pictures and photos to finish their presentations. Also they can add some words to these pictures and photos. After they finish their presentations, they can send their presentations to teachers or put the presentations to their blogs.


2. teachers can use this website to do presentations to explain a task about a place or a people. Presentations will more vivid than books and can attract students' attention.

Advantages:


1. this website can motivate students.

2. giving teacher a new way to make presentation except PPT , and more vivid and easier.


Limitations:

1. lazy students will ask other people to help them to finish this task.

2. if teacher use many pictures in his/her presentation, students' attention will focus on the picture rather than the content.

JING

JING is a kind of software that teachers can use it to screenshot and add their voice. This software is free to download and use. It is very easy to learn how to use it and teachers can choose the area that they want to show to students.

How to use:

1.      Since this software can screenshot and add teacher’s voice. Therefore, teachers can use this software to give feedback to students. Teachers can collect students writing tasks, and use this software to give them feedback. It will save teachers’ much time. Since teachers do not need to write, they just need to speak the mistake and use the mouse to show students where the mistakes are.

2.      Teachers can use this software to explain vocabulary. However this software only can record 5 minutes. Therefore, teachers cannot explain much vocabulary once. But they can explain little vocabulary once and make many recordings.

3.      Teachers can use this software to give students homework. For example, teachers can let students use this software to make a presentation about a place or a picture. Also teachers can only give students a topic and ask student to find some pictures and make a presentation by using this software.

4.      Teachers can screenshot a period of a movie without voice, and ask students to dub the movie.

5.      Teachers can ask students read the text after school, and use this software to record their voice and send it to teacher. Teacher will find some problems in their pronunciation.

Advantages:

1.      Since teachers can use this software to give feedback to students, teachers can save much time. Since they just need to speak. Although this software only can record 5 minutes, but we can speak many things in 5 minutes. But we cannot write many words in 5 minutes.

2.      Students can save this feedback from teacher, and review it anytime.

3.      Students can practice their listening skill when they see the feedback from teacher. Since they need to listen to the feedback and notice where mistakes are and how to correct. In this way, students can practice their listening skill after school in a relax way.

Disadvantages:

1.      This software only can record 5 minutes. Therefore, teachers cannot record a long feedback or listening material for students.

2.      This software only is screenshot, thus students only can hear the voice of teacher, but they cannot see teacher’s face. Therefore, this software is only suitable for listening exercises, but not suitable for pronunciation practice, since students cannot see teacher’s mouth. Because teacher cannot be seen, it is impossible for teacher to show something or to use some gesture or facial expressions.