Using Youtube to teach EFL/ESL

Image from clipartguide.com

Recently I have been using short video clips from the internet in my lessons. Nothing too long, just two to three minutes of real life listening practice which helps students to get used to a variety of speaking styles and subjects. As you can imagine the possibilities are endless as far as teaching opportunities are concerned, but here is one idea that can be applied quickly and with very little preparation.

The videos should be short (60 - 120 seconds), visually varied (not just talking heads) and ideally about subjects the students have knowledge of.

Lesson plan

1 Explain to students that they are going to see a short news story but without sound. Their job is to make guesses about what is happening. If the class is upper intermediate and above the students do this individually, otherwise they work in groups.


2 The individuals/groups work with others to compare their guesses.

3 Now tell them that they are going to be reporters and find out more about the story for their local newspaper. To do so they have to ask five questions with these words;

WHO
WHAT
WHERE
WHEN
WHY

4 Students write down questions, you might want to help out at this point as this is a problem area for many learners.

5 Now play the video again this time with sound and students write down their answers. If the answer wasn't covered then get the students to think of their own.

6 Now explain to the them that they are going to write the headline and first paragraph to the story. You might want to do yourself as an example.

Follow up exercises

- Write the rest of the story.

- Students video an interview with each other pretending to be those involved.

- Find their own stories to show the class next lesson.

- Follow up the story from other sources on the internet.

The internet, like Soylent Green is people

The pieces are gradually falling into place as far as teaching EFL/ESL and the internet are concerned. More and more of my students have access to broadband connections, the price of laptops is falling to a little as 200 - 300 euros for basic models and there is a raft of free applications that we can utilise. As a result I have been able to put into practice lesson plans from a few years ago and see if they actually work in real life learning situations.



A couple of years ago I wrote abut using the opening sequence to the the film Soylent Green as a template for a lesson (click here). This week one of my students created his own version of the opening sequence. Check it out for yourself.

Who speaks for Earth?- An ESL/EFL lesson plan

Inspired by Carl Sagan's seminal 80's TV series, Cosmos and the recent remake of The Day The Earth Stood Still.

Lesson Plan

1 Ask students if they have seen The Day The Earth Stood Still. Divide the class into those who have and have not. Those who have seen the film work together on how to explain the plot of the film in English, those who haven't, write down a list of questions to ask.

2 Form groups of three and four with members from both sides and get them to swap information.

3 Show the trailer for the movie.



4 Now explain that the human race has been called upon to defend itself in some kind of galactic court and that 12 people will be chosen to represent our species. The student's task is to decide how to choose the representatives. Will the selection be based on nationality, education, religious affiliation, random choice ?

5 The groups present the reasons for their choices and then the class decides on a method which everyone can agree on.

6 For homework students work on our case. What can be said in our defence?

Superhero EFL/ESL lesson plan

General Fiery Chrome, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

1 Students think of examples of different superheros e.g. Spiderman. The teacher writes them in the board.

2 What special ability does each possess?

3 What special ability would you like to have have and why. Students write that down on a small piece of paper 5cm by 5cm and hand it in.

4 Tape a small piece of paper on each student's forehead. They are allowed to ask the other students any question they like but the answer most be either "yes" or "no".

E.g. Does it make travel you more quickly?
Is the the ability to fly?

Alternatively

The teacher writes the abilities on the board the the students have to guess which person wanted which ability.

5 Tell students to form into groups of two or three and go to The Hero Factory website.

6 Go through the different categories and explain the terms if necessary.

7 Give each group 10 minutes to design their own superhero comic character.

8 Now each group works on giving a small presentation about their hero which includes abilities, background, history, weakness etc. in a a couple of paragraphs.

9 The superhero could be posted on class/personal blogs.

Follow on projects could include;

a - A fictional biography of the character see here for the example of Spiderman on Wiki.

b - A news story involving the character. This could be written in the style of a newspaper article or done as a straight to camera piece.

c - An interview with the hero which could be videoed.

d - Create a comic strip using the hero.

e- Describe the hero's arch enemy.

EFL/ESL mash ups

No, its not time for us to chow down but rather use existing media and programs to make something new. This could mean using our own videos and photos along with stuff we find on the internet.

So what has this got to do with teaching English? Recently, I have been working with my students on different projects in which they use video as an extension of their writing assignmments. We work on traditional skills such as writing a discursive essay or story telling then use turn these formats into something more visual such as a mini - documentary.

In every such case I've tried to adhere to these rules.

1 - The project has to be connected with some more traditional language learning skill and/or be useful in getting them ready for external exams (e.g. essay writing, interview skills, debating etc).

2 - The technology has to be easy to learn and use.

3 - All programs have to either free and/or open source. Nobody is going to pay me hundreds of euros to buy software.

4 - Personalise the project in order to suit the students' interests and level of competence in English.

My most recent venture has involved using video taking off the internet from sites such as YouTube so that students have footage to use in their projects. This forms background to their narratives which are either recorded using a microphone or done straight - to - camera.

This doesn't require specialised equipment just access to a PC, a microphone and a video camera/webcam or cell phone. The software used was Real Player (which allows you to download videos off the net), Winff which converts .flv video files (that is the format used on sites such as Youtube) to AVI or WMV format (which can be edited). Finally, we used Windows Movie Maker which comes as standard with every copy of Windows.

Taken all togther this sound like an imposing list however the programs are easy to use and I think that an hour ir two is all you need to invest in getting the hang of them. It's time worth investing as the skills you pick up can used endlessly in lessons.

I would love to show you some of my student's work but they choose not to put their videos on the net. For more of my teaching ideas using video, internet etc. click here.

Kicking the essay in the 21st century

I have a student who is a classic example of a brilliant learner who is ill served by traditional teaching methods. A mercurial but easily distracted mind capable of absorbing huge amounts of information but at the same time one which finds it hard to stick to the determinedly linear classroom process.

Of course, we are all bound by the system we are part of and this means that we have to prepare people for exams, teach skills which as essay writing and the like. However, this doesn't mean we don't have some say in the way we do this and I think that the following idea is a good example of how we can twist the demands of the curriculum into a different shape.

Basically, the idea is that we work on our essay writing skills in a more conventional way and then use the essay as the basis for something more meaningful i.e present our ideas and arguments in the form of a video. On the most unimaginative level this could involvs just reading it to camera (yawn, yawn) but I think that using clips from Youtube, pictures off the internet and editing applications such as Windows Movie Maker (if you own a PC you already have it) to turn it into a mini - documentary complete with voice over, quotes and text.

As you can imagine the possibilities are endless. I have already done this with my students and was pleasantly surprised by the imagination and sophistication employed to convey his message. Best of all, the exercise combines the intellectual rigour involved in discursive writing with opportunities for creativity and self - expression.

Re-imagining the essay

One of the beauties of using web 2.0 tools is that you can re-invent more traditional learning exercises. A case in point is the discursive essay which most students have to master at some point during their EFL/ESL careers. For most this will be a boring grind which they will struggle with. However, we can sugar the pill be using the possibilities offered by the internet in order to awaken their interest and also get them to practice other language skills.

Basically, the idea is that we after working on the essay we then present it using pictures, video, music etc. in the form of an online presentation. There are a number of free tools that allow students to do this. The most widely available is Windows Movie Maker which comes with every copy of Windows. With it you can add photographs, video, titles, music, and voice over. In essence what you are asking students to do is turn their essay into a documentary. See the video tutorial below.



While this may sound ambitious it does not require much in the way of fancy equipment or technical skills. Video can be provided via a cheap web cam, digital camera or the student's mobile phone. The program is pretty simple to use and teaching students how to use it is a pretty good language learning opportnity in itself.



A simpler version might include just pictures downloaded from the internet - the Life archieve on Google has some great ones or you could used Flickr and a voice over which can be captured via a cheap microphone (mine cost three euros and works just fine). you could also use Movie Maker but Microsoft's Photostory 3 or the internet based application, Voicethread.


Whatever approach you use the emphasis here is on creativity and making what you wrote as interesting as possible. To give your student some ideas of the possibilities show them the Magnum photo agencies collection of photo essays here.

As well as knuckling down to the discipline of putting their thoughts on paper in essay form they get to work on speaking and presentation skills all of which will probably feature in any exam they are likely to take.

Thinking the unthinkable

With most of the material found in EFL/ESL course books the need to reach as wide a global audience as possible and the fear of alienating learners means that most of it is bland to the point of inducing a catatonic trance. This coupled with the fact that most material writers believe that what interests them (bee keeping, provincial English towns, 19th century writers etc) will fire the imagination of teens worldwide means that the books produced to learn English at advanced levels are dull in the extreme.

So here is another idea for getting post intermediate students to wake up in class and actually participate. At first it may seem morbid but the aim is to help students talk about ideas and beliefs that they doesn't usually get to discuss in class.

Lesson plan

1 Write up the following headline on the board.

"13 year-old girl chooses to die"

2 Now ask students to imagine that they are reporters investigating this story and that they have to think of five questions using;

who
what
where
when
why

3 Just go around to help the students with any problems with grammar they may have.

4 The learners then ask and answer the questions. Make sure they understand there are no wrong answers for this part, just their imagination and opinion counts.

5 Now divide the class into two groups.

Group one will watch the video below.



Their job is to write down all the questions the presenter asks. If you don't have access to internet in your classroom you can download videos from YouTube etc using Real Player and play them on a PC, ipod or mobile phone.

6 The other group leaves the room and has ten minutes to find out as much as they can about the story using the headline and Google. If you do not have internet access in the classroom you can print out and photocopy some of the articles below. Tell the students that they have to find out what is happening and take notes as after the ten minutes are they will not have access to the internet or photocopies afterwards.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,24639223-401,00.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/nov/11/child-protection-health-hannah-jones

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1084531/I-didnt-want-operations-Girl-13-says-prefer-die-dignity-transplant.html

7 The students then come back in and those who watched the video interview them. Students in the group who were outside can either assume the role of Hannah or her parents. Remind those involved that the most important thing is to communicate the general idea of what is happening rather than getting all the details correct.

8 The interviews could be recorded or videoed using the students mobile phones and them put on a class blog via Youtube.

9 Finally, ask the students to debate whether Hannah and her parents have made the right decision. This could be done in the form of a formal debate or in smaller groups in a less formal manner.

As you can imagine this is a sensitive topic which needs to be handled carefully. As a teacher you are in the best position to judge if this activity is suitable for your learners. On the other hand it does allow students to express their own beliefs in English on a topic which likely to engage them.

Jeremy Kyle's EFL/ESL masterclass - letters of advice

Picture from TV Scoop

I'm sure many of you who teach EFL/ESL have had to do a lesson on writing letters of advice and I'm sure that many of you have come across activities in course books that use newspaper or magazine problem pages. I thought I'd post a web - based twist on the idea that could be used to introduce the idea and provide valuable listening and speaking practice.

The exercise is aimed at post intermediate learners and preferably over 16 year - olds as the subjects tackled may be considered too sensitive for younger students. Alternatively, you could use the same approach but source more appropriate materials for your teaching situation.

Lesson plan

1 Tell students that they are going to see a short extract from a British TV programme called the Jeremy Kyle Show. As they listen they should think about the following points.

- What kind of TV show is it?

- Is there anything similar in their country?

- Why do people appear on this show?

- What kind of people watch shows like this?

2 Show the video. I choose his particular extract as it has been subtitled making easier for students to understand the regional accents. Show about 1 or 2 minutes just enough for them to get the general idea.



3 Students discuss their answers in groups/pairs then share them with the rest of the class.

4 Divide the class into two groups. One group watches the rest of the video posted above the other waits outside for four minutes. The group writes down as much as they can about what they have heard.

5 The second group comes in and watches the second part of the show and does the same. n the meanwhile the first group leaves the room and compares notes.



6 The class gets together to form pairs with one person form each group. They compare notes on the situation described and discuss the following questions.

- Who is involved?

- What is the problem?

- Who is right?

- What should be done?

7 Discuss the situation as a class.

8 Now explain to the class that they will see the final part of the how in which an expert is asked to comment of what has happened. They should listen and write down.



- What advice does he give?

- Do you agree?

9 Discuss the answers as a class.

If you have time you could also explore with the class the ethics of such shows or the differences between Britain and their own place in handling such situations.

10 Now explain to the class they are going to write an email/letter giving advice to the brother.

11 You could use your course book or perhaps a writing skills one such as Longman's Writing Skills for FCE. For more problem pages check out Problempages.co.uk.

Alternatively, you could get students to write a scripted answer and then get the to record it on video using a webcam or mobile/cell phone. The replies could be posted on their personal blog/portfolios or on a class moodle/blog.

Dracula: the blog

I'm sure we've all seen a Dracula movie, whether it be a cheesy Hammer House of Horror production or something more gory. What I didn't realise till I read Bram Stoker's book was that it is in the form of a series of letters and diary entries. An ur blog, in a sense. So here is a teaching idea about how to use the book in say an EFL/ESL lesson or indeed a English Literature class.

You'll need a copy of the book (download the audio book from here or the Gutenberg e-text from here) and access to an internet connection from which can blog.

The basic idea is that you take part of a chapter and turn into a modern day blog entry. This could include;

-updating the language to something that would sound more natural today.

-changing the context and refrences - e.g. Transylvania becomes .........

- adding more suspense, action etc.

In addition you could also get your students to move away from the written word and do the blog entry as a vlog, short movie clip, podcast etc. None of this requires anything more sophisticated than a microphone, cell/mobile phone with recording capability or a digital camera.

The sound recordings can be edited with Audacity. Podcasts can be posted via hosting services such as Podcast.com. Alternatively, a short film can be created from video clips with Window's Movie Maker (which comes as standard with every copy of Windows) or using photos and Photo Story 3.

Snakes and ladders and young EFL/ESL learners

Snakes and ladders, originally uploaded by deebeeandswivel :D.

Over the last couple of years I have been doing more lessons with younger learners of English. It makes a welcome change from the usual exam obsessed classes I teach. However, it does involve approaching the subject from a completely different angle.

Here is a teaching idea that you might find interesting as it can be used to recycle/revise a whole range of ideas using snakes and ladders. Currently I'm using it to help revise numbers 1 - 100 but that is just the beginning (click here to play online).

1 Some alternatives might include creating questions for each ladder or snake. When you land on a snake or ladder to go up or avoid dropping down you have to answer a question correctly. This could be anything that you have already covered.

E.g. What is this (showing a picture of a pen/chair/notebook etc)

or

Count up to ten.

2 When you throw a six you answer a question. Get it right you double your score. Get it wrong you do not move.

3 Every time you throw you get the chance to double your score if you answer a question correctly.

As you can see the questions can be about anything so the possibilities are endless.

To involve the students more you could get them to write their own questions or vote on the rules they want to play by. In addition younger learners could make their own boards.

Weird scenes inside the classroom

This exercise is aimed at post-intermediate EFL/ESL students and is a great way to practice listening skills using real life examples.

1 - Ask students if they have heard any strange or unusual stories in the news. If the subject matter is too difficult for them to express in English allow some limited use of L1 or get them to write down the words they need in L1, translate them and write on the board. The others have to guess the story's content.

2 Do the same thing from one of Yahoo Odd News stories. For example (click here);

flowers, sorry, 92 year-old, burglary, England,

3 Students write down a few sentences about what they story could be about and then compare them with their partners.

4 Give out a photocopy of the story or get them to find the story using the words in a Google search.

5 Students then compare and contrast their own version with official one. This is great practice for students doing the FCE/CAE/CPE exams.

6 Next, explain to students that they are going to hear ten weird stories from the BBC's Newsbeat Odd Box. They have to write down as many details of the story as possible.



Just be careful about which ones you choose as some stories may be unsuitable for younger students.

7 After playing the video once allow students to check their answers with each other. Play it again.

8 Students then work as a class to write a paragraph for each video. They then take turns in reading out their paragraphs.

9 Explain to students that they are in charge of a national TV station and that they time for just two of the stories mentioned. They discuss in groups which ones would be most intereting for a national audience and why.

10 Elict answers

As a follow up ask students to choose one of the stories from Odd Box and find out more information about it. this could be presented in the form of a TV report which can be recorded by students using the video camera on their mobile phones and posted via YouTube onto a class blog.

Using L1 in the EFL/ESLClassroom

Classroom, originally uploaded by SM Photo.

As part of the SEETA (South East European Teacher's Association) moodle discussion on the uses of L1 in the EFL/ESL classroom, Penny Ur made a call for teaching ideas that allowed students to use their own language in the classroom but allowed them to learn English more effectively. At first this may seem like a contradiction in terms as the more students use English the better they become. However, to ask learners to totally abandon something as important as their mother tongue is neither practical nor desirable when teaching.

So here are some ideas to integrate both L1 and L2 in ways that encourage learning.

1 - Play Telephone. Give a short passage in English, either spoken or written to a student.They then translate it into their own language and then pass it on to the next student. This student then translates it into English and then passes onto the next person in line who translate it into their own language and so own and so forth until the message ends up back at the beginning with the teacher.

You could then discuss what happened to the message and why perhaps it changed in meaning.

2 Use comic strips (I talked about this exercise on my blog previously, click here to see). The basic idea is to get students to attempt to translate the humour in comic strips such as Doonesbury. Can it be done? Are the obstacles cultural, linguistic or is there something else?

Then ask them to translate a cartoon or comic from their own language into English. Check out Arkas as an example in Greek. If possible compare their examples with other official translations. Is it faithful to the original? Is it still funny? Can it be improved?

3 Watch a short part of a film on DVD without sound but with the subtitles in the students own language. The students then translate into English the dialogue, utterence by utterence. This could be down by students working on their own at first. Then they get into groups and compare their versions and agree on a common translation.

4 The students then watch the film (with or without English subtitles, depending on the level) and discuss why their versions are different. Is it a matter of right and wrong? Or are there other matters at issue such as the inability to translate between languages without losing some of the original meaning?

In this particular activity a badly translated movie is just as useful as a well translated one.

Using L1 in the EFL/ESL classroom

As part of the SEETA (South East European Teacher's Association) moodle discussion on the uses of L1 in the EFL/ESL classroom, Penny Ur made a call for teaching ideas that allowed students to use their own language in the classroom but allowed them to learn English more effectively. At first this may seem like a contradiction in terms as the more students use English the better they become. However, to ask learners to totally abandon something as important as their mother tongue is neither practical nor desirable when teaching.

So here are some ideas to integrate both L1 and L2 in ways that encourage learning.

1 - Play Telephone. Give a short passage in English, either spoken or written to a student.They then translate it into their own language and then pass it on to the next student. This student then translates it into English and then passes onto the next person in line who translate it into their own language and so own and so forth until the message ends up back at the beginning with the teacher.

You could then discuss what happened to the message and why perhaps it changed in meaning.

2 Use comic strips (I talked about this exercise on my blog previously, click here to see). The basic idea is to get students to attempt to translate the humour in comic strips such as Doonesbury. Can it be done? Are the obstacles cultural, linguistic or is there something else?

Then ask them to translate a cartoon or comic from their own language into English. Check out Arkas as an example in Greek. If possible compare their examples with other official translations. Is it faithful to the original? Is it still funny? Can it be improved?

3 Watch a short part of a film on DVD without sound but with the subtitles in the students own language. The students then translate into English the dialogue, utterence by utterence. This could be down by students working on their own at first. Then they get into groups and compare their versions and agree on a common translation.

4 The students then watch the film (with or without English subtitles, depending on the level) and discuss why their versions are different. Is it a matter of right and wrong? Or are there other matters at issue such as the inability to translate between languages without losing some of the original meaning?

In this particular activity a badly translated movie is just as useful as a well translated one.

SEETA and Penny Ur

Today I took part in a very interesting forum discussion on the uses of L1 (mother tongue to those who are unfamiliar with EFL/ESL jargon) with Penny Ur, one of the biggest names in teaching English as a foreign language. Ur has challenged the prevailing wisdom that in the ideal language classroom everything should be in English.

"The only really valid argument, in my opinion, in favour of minimizing (not banishing) L1 use is that over-use of L1 lessens the time available for English use in the classroom. Obviously we want our students to have maximum exposure to English in our lessons. But this means limiting L1 use, not banishing it altogether. Insisting on keeping to English even when students don’t understand what is being said may lead to the message ‘it doesn’t matter if you don’t understand’, or the morale-lowering assumption by learners ‘I don’t understand English’."

It was also great to see EFL/ESL practitioners in Greece and the wider Eastern Mediterranean area embracing web 2.0 technologies such as moodles in order to come together and exchange ideas.

To take part in this debate and next Sunday's discussion click on the SEETA moodle. Register and enjoy.

SEETA and Penny Ur

Today I took part in a very interesting forum discussion on the uses of L1 (mother tongue to those who are unfamiliar with EFL/ESL jargon) with Penny Ur, one of the biggest names in teaching English as a foreign language. Ur has challenged the prevailing wisdom that in the ideal language classroom everything should be in English.

"The only really valid argument, in my opinion, in favour of minimizing (not banishing) L1 use is that over-use of L1 lessens the time available for English use in the classroom. Obviously we want our students to have maximum exposure to English in our lessons. But this means limiting L1 use, not banishing it altogether. Insisting on keeping to English even when students don’t understand what is being said may lead to the message ‘it doesn’t matter if you don’t understand’, or the morale-lowering assumption by learners ‘I don’t understand English’."

It was also great to see EFL/ESL practitioners in Greece and the wider Eastern Mediterranean area embracing web 2.0 technologies such as moodles in order to come together and exchange ideas.

To take part in this debate and next Sunday's discussion click on the SEETA moodle. Register and enjoy.

Teaching English using mobile phones

A couple of days ago I mentioned an idea for using audio tours as the basis for an efl/esl lesson. The actual lesson plan was for more advanced students and perhaps would not be useful for many teaching situations. So here is another idea which can be used for post beginners/intermediate students and can be more easily organised in a classroom context.

Lesson plan

1 Explain what a audio tour is. Ideally, have one ready top play on your mp3 player/mobile/PC etc. Click here to see a list of Lonely Planet Travelcasts to get some ideas.

2 Students listen to a short, easy section and then ask them in groups to discuss how this could help a tourist or visitor to their country.

3 Now explain that they are going to do their own mini audio tour/podcast/travelcast. However, this is not going to be about historic sites or landmarks but about their own home.

4 To help them with this work on the kind of vocabulary needed to describe the outside of somebody's home. Elicit ideas for categories;. For example;


type: flat, two bedroomed semi, etc.
size: small, huge, square metres, etc.
location: in the centre, next to a park, on the corner, etc.
other: old, modern, etc.


5 Students then write a short description (2 to 3 sentences) and check it with each other. the teacher quickly has a look to help or correct student work.

6 Now ask students about ways in which they can describe the inside of their home. What would we need to know?

rooms: kitchen, living room etc
colours, light yellow, bright white,
shape: square narrow, low,
atmosphere: friendly, cosy etc.

7 Explain to students that they are going to give a tour of their home and record it. The easiest way to do this is to use a mobile phone. Most models now have the ability to record audio which can then be transferred to a PC (though this is not necessary).

8 To help students oragnise their thoughts get them to draw a floor plan of their home. It maybe necessay to draw one of your own on the board to make sure they get the right idea.

9 Students then outline the route the tour will take on the plan.

10 Help them with useful phrases such as;

On the left you can see....
straight ahead is the......
just opposite......
etc.

11 Students write out their descriptions, either in full or in note form. Remind them that they are going to talk for just a few minutes and that they do not need to describe everything in too much detail. However, do get them to add a few personal details such as;

"This is my study where I revise for my exams etc."

12 Students record their descriptions on their mobile phones. Encourage them to repeat the process until they are happy with their presentation.

13 The descriptions can be posted on a class/personal blog along with either pictures or video if the students wish . Once again the mobile phone is an ideal way of doing this.

As you can see this lesson allows students to revise many areas of vocabulary such as shapes, colours, rooms, housing vocabulary, adjectives describing personal feelings etc. In addition it allows them to personalise their learning experience and finally, the act of recording and listening is a wonderful way to improve speaking skills.

For more teaching ideas using mobile - cell phones click here.

Teaching listening skills with audio tours

One of the things about being on holiday is that it gives you time to think and not just rush about from one job to another so here is a teaching idea I've been playing with.

As the internet and mp3 players have become more popular so has the use of audio tours. Once the preserves of museums which handed out clunky cassette players to visitors wanting a tour of the place audio tours have broken out of the geek ghetto to become the vital accessory for any self respecting tourist site. Cheap to produce, easy to use the mp3 audio tour can now be downloaded within minutes to your mp3 player or cell/mobile phone and then used as you wander around Athens, Bilbao or Crakow. So here are some ways they can be used to teach EFL/ESL.

Lesson plan 1

This lesson is aimed at upper intermediate or advanced students and is an excellent way of practicing listening skills.Also it is a great way of getting out of the classroom. Great perhaps for students studying English in UK summer schools. Learnerss will need;

an mp3 audio tour in English of a tourist site in their area,

mobile phone or mp3 player

mobile phone or digital camera

access to a pc and the internet

Windows Movie Maker or Photostory 3

1 Students download an audio tour onto their mp3/mobile phone. Click here to find an example of such a tour in Bristol.

2 Explain to students that they are going to illustrate the audio tour using their own pictures and images off the internet. So they will need something that can take pictures such as a digital camera or their mobile phones. If students do not have either of these the form groups in which at least one person has one.

3 Go to the start of the place mentioned and section by section follow the tour in groups of 2 - 4. Each group has to do one of two things;

a make a note of any names mentioned e.g The Watershed Media Centre, Charles Dickens etc.

b take pictures that show what is being described.

4 At regular intervals the teacher should stop each group and allow all students to swop any information they have noted or help with any problems of comprehension.

5 In the next lessons students once again form their groups in the classroom, each with access to the internet. For the next stage of the exercise you'll need either Windows Movie Maker (which comes as standard with Windows or Photostory 3 which can be downloaded free from the Microsoft site (click here to get it).

6 Students use the net to find and download any other images that could supplement their own photos such as maps, historic illustrations etc.

7 Go through the basics of your programe of choice such as how to add mp3s and pictures.

8 Students then use the programs to add photos and other images to the mp3 audio tour to make a visual version.

9 Students could then post their own version on YouTube, a class blog or even send it to the city/tourist site and ask if they could use it on their page.

Of course this is not the kind of exercise that all teachers would feel comfortable with. Lack of access to PCs or internet, unfamiliarity with the technology or even not being able to take students out of the classrrom are all factors which must be taken into account.

The $100 laptop Vs The World's Cheapest Car

I'm off sick today so I thought I'd write about an idea I've been using in class recently.


The basic idea is which is more likely to help improve people's lives in the developing world; OLPC's laptop or the new Tata Nano.



Lesson Plan

1 Ask students if they have heard anything about either the the world's cheapest car or the $100 dollar laptop. Get students to stand up and circulate so that they can consult anyone in the class.

2 Elicit answers from the class - Write their points on the board.

3 If students have access to the internet get them to research the two choices - strict time limit of 10 minutes should help to concentrate minds. Also to avoid students just mindlessly repeating what Wiki, CNN or the BBC say, make sure they knew that at the end of the 10 minutes they won't be able to look at the computers again so they'll have to take notes.

4 Students get into groups of 2-4 and share what they've found out.

If students do not have access to the net then print out articles from here and here and do the same i.e 10 minutes to take notes then retrieve the photocopies.

5 Divide the class into two groups. Assign each group either the car or the laptop.

6 Each group has to think of as many reasons why their choice would make a greater difference to people in, say India, Nigeria or Bolivia than the other sides choice.

If you feel that this is beyond their realm of experience then use the following prompts to get them started;

How practical is it?

How can you make money with this?

How would it change a family's life?

What about the effects on the environment?

Who is going to use it?

7 Divide the students once again into groups of 2-4 and get them to argue their point.

8 Finally, ask students about their own personal opinion of these two choices.

This exercise could be used as the starting point for a number of activities;

For/Against essay

A speech which could be videoed and put on the class blog/wiki via Youtube.

A Voicethread photoessay (in the style of a Magnum podcast).

A podcast or voice post using Snapvine.

Or they could discuss this issue with others across the world using Kantalk

Lydia learning

, originally uploaded by Teacher Dude's BBQ.

This week we worked on our news presentation skills. Actually, it was her idea. And I thought that this would be a great way to practice our language skills by reading out the news.

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