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.

Make you own presentation with your voice

My brain shark (http://my.brainshark.com/Home.aspx) is a website that students can upload their own documents (e.g. ppt, word, photo, video and so on) and add voice to these documents. Students can make their own presentation or small video at home. This website provide teacher a way to practise students' speaking skill.

How to use:

1. teachers can give students homework (e.g. making a presentation about themselves), and then use this website to add their voice to their presentations. And then send this presentation with voice to their teacher. In this way, students will have chance to practise their oral English.

2. teachers can use this website to correct students' homework. Teachers can use red pen to mark where students' mistake in word, and then add teachers' voice to explain why that is mistake and how to correct it.And then send this word with teacher's voice to students


Advantages:

1. students can practise their oral English and it is easy for students to use. And it is fun to attract students' attention.


2. this website can motivate students to do homework. Using this website to do homework will be fun and easy.



Disadvanges:

although this website is good, I also find some limitations as listed below:

1. the lazy students will ask other people to help them. For example, lazy students will ask other people to write the draft for them and they just read the draft. Although they also practise their oral English, they do not use their brain to think about this task.

2.the time of record is short. Students or teachers can not record a long voice to a document.