Submitting your projects

If you finish your studies - the sooner the better :)
If not, the deadline is May 15, 2012.

The process of submitting:

1. Put all finalised projects online, into your personal website.
2. Make sure everything (links, images...) works properly.
3. Send the URL of your website to jana.pavlikova@ujep.cz.

Checklist

Here you can check whether your project site features all requested items.

WEB SITE
1. personal information - with sufficient safety precaution!

2. Hot Potatoes index page or spot, with information about the target group, topic, objectives, links to the all three exercises

3. three interlinked HP exercises: matching, multiple choice and gapfill (green, yellow, blue :) )
The exercises must practise THE SAME 10 vocabulary items. Each exercise includes 10 questions (items, gaps...)

4. Interactive board material (choose Activ Inspire or Smart) - focused on the same topic as the HP exercises:
• Introductory page – Topic, Target group, Objectives, Author’s name, Date
• All references
• Active URLs
• Listening task + tapescript
• Lots of interactivity
• Inner links among pages whenever necessary
• Feedback and keys to ALL tasks
• Teacher’s Book  - instructions

5. references (links to data and graphics you used)

Interactive Board Project

1. the aim: teaching vocabulary; choose 10-12 vocabulary items
2. choose and design various activities

inspiration: www.veskole.cz, http://www.pekarjeucitelonline.cz/

 The finalised ITB Project will be published online in a chosen format (Activ or Smart) - as it will be probably too big, please use dropbox and insert the active link into your page.

The project must include:
• Introductory page – Topic, Target group, Objectives, Author’s name, Date
• All references
• Active URLs
• Listening task + tapescript
• Lots of interactivity
• Inner links among pages whenever necessary
• Feedback and keys to ALL tasks
• Teacher’s Book  - instructions

 Most frequent mistakes:
• Vague tasks, not defined objectives
• Too many visual effects without purpose
• Missing keys and feedback, or missing multiple correct answers
• The pages are too long – cannot be seen in one screen
• strange combinations of colours
• misspelled words, slips, grammatical mistakes

Tips for Smart: Flash-based activities

Sound Editing

1. What does the word "podcast" mean? Go to Podomatic, create an account and browse the site. How can we use it in teaching English?

Good examples - Teacher Luke at Podomatic, Splendid Speaking for advances learners

2. Download two audio files - some text and some music (separate files, max. 3' each). Open Audacity - sound editing freeware - and try to combine the two files into one :)

A crude minicast - a format suitable for teaching  and having fun

Audacity Basics - you should be able to
- install Audacity and the lame library which enables export to mp3
- open a file in Audacity
- edit the file: cut and paste, fade in/out, change speed, delete, add silence
- create a new file
- combine two files (e.g. speech + background music)
- inserting silence (e.g. as a space for an answer)
- changing the speed or pitch (carefully!)

REMEMBER - before editing, create a backup copy of the original!


Online audio for teachers:



http://www.download-esl.com/audio.html
http://www.123listening.com/
http://thoughtaudio.com/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/general/sixminute/
http://www.eslpod.com/website/index_new.html
http://www.esl-lab.com/
listening materials with quizzes
http://www.rong-chang.com/qa2/
 short stories for listening
http://www.esl-lounge.com/student/listening-pre-intermediate.php

Examples of galleries with audio comments created by your colleagues:

http://www.dzblecht.wz.cz/My%20home%20town.html
http://skipit.wz.cz/galerie.html
http://vvalova.wz.cz/gallery.html
http://romankalecky.wz.cz/gallery.html
http://www.springday.euweb.cz/fotogalerie.html
http://personalpage.unas.cz/Personalgallery.html

Activ Inspire

... is a variable and creative tool. For teaching purposes, this trick comes in handy:

USING CONTAINERS
1. Text to be moved:
Identification: Name = Hamster
Contain: Return if not contained = True (should be set for all distractors)


2. Image or a space where to put the text/answer:
Can Contain = Specific object
Contain Object = (Select Object) Hamster
Contain Rule = Completely contained

Aktualita na závěr

PŘÍŠTĚ SI PŘINETE SLUCHÁTKA!!

Interactive Board for Beginners

ITB works as a multifunctional tool: you can present text, images, audio, video, internet resources...
But you (or the students) can also INTERACT with the board - write answers to questions, drag and drop, draw, or play games.

Our task today is to explore the possibilities of SMART and Activ ITB software. The editor works intuitively, and some choices are similar to those available in MS office. To get an idea, we will also evaluate some internet-available examples.

1. Open Mozilla, go to a iste sharing interactive board materials:
http://www.veskole.cz/
http://www.jazykyinteraktivne.cz/
http://www.pekarjeucitelonline.cz/
http://www.gymnaziainteraktivne.cz/
http://www.activucitel.cz/

2. Choose some ITB material for both types of software, download and view. Which positive and negative features can you identify? Enter your ideas into the comments to this blog.
3. What makes a good ITB material? Think and discuss - work in pairs. Enter you comments into this blog.

4. Create your own project! Open Smart or Activ Inspire. Start a new file.
5. Insert a text, an image, a weblink, explore the pen function and the flash animations which are included in the gallery. Browse all menus. Feel free to experiment and have fun creating. :)

Hot Pot Intermediate

Today you will develop your HotPot project; you should create three exercises, practicing the same set of 10 vocabulary items. The compulsory formats are matching, multiple choice and gap fill (10 questions each); you can add more, of course.
Let's make our HotPot a bit more interesting!

1. Multiple choice
- 10 questions
- 4 distractors (no mistakes!)
- use sentences, not isolated words
- feedback - additional information, input

2. Gap fill
- 10 gaps
- context (e.g. a story)
- choose the gaps wisely  :)

Tips:
+ Create feedback which is interesting and informative; do not hesistate to include facts from our rela life.
+ Do not skip articles :)

HP exercises can be interonnected using the menu Configure - Buttons.


Suggested course of actions:

1. Create HP matching exercise Ex1. Connect it to the index.html. Make sure you have all the files, including images, in the same folder as the exercise. Save, export.
2. Create a HP multiple choice exercise Ex2.Connect it to the index.html. Carefully fill in the feedback! Save, export.
3. Create a HP gap fill exercise Ex3. Connect it to the index.html and Ex1.html. Save, export.
4. Connect Ex1 to Ex2, and Ex2 to Ex3. Save, export.
5. Open your index.html in NVU. Add links to all three HotPot exercises. Save.
6. Upload all files (index.html, Ex1.html, Ex2.html, Ex3.html, all images) to the web.



Do not forget:
+ No diacritics, no spaces in filenames.
+ Save everything you want to put online into a single folder. No subfolders.
+ Regularly save your changes.


Visit HotPot homepage for download and tutorials!

You also need a HotPotIndex html page, which will present information about the target group you want to teach, about the topic and objectives, and other useful information for a teacher, e.g. instructions.

When creating the exercises and the feedback, please remember:
- NO MISTAKES ALLOWED (correct spelling and grammar, punctuation etc.)
- the feedback should bring ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
- include illustrations (images, texts, audio, video, links...)
- be positive, creative and friendly, do not offend the user

FAQ
1. Do I have to use an authentic text in jcloze (gapfill) exercise?
YES.
Try to find an authentic text which will focus on the topic; some of the target vocabulary items should be included, but not necessarily all of them.
Such a text activates the passive vocabulary of the student, helps them understand the new words in context, and is much more informative than isolated sentences.

Tip: explore primary level sites for native speakers, e.g.
BBC for kids
British Council
Encyclopedia for kids


2. How do I make a good feedback in multiple choice?
Just follow these simple tips:
- DO NOT use capitals, exclamation marks, "NO!" "Unfortunately..." etc.
- be positive :) - do not start the feedback with "Sorry, no..."
- add extra information, eg.
Where do lions live? Chosen answer: "India"
Feedback: "Tigers live in India, but lions live in Africa."

3. How should I set the colour scheme?
- Remember that the text should be easy to read - the font and the background should be constrasting.
- The backgroud itself should not bee too bright, not to tire the eyes.
- study the Color Wheel site

Baking Hot Potatoes

Hot Potatoes are perhaps the oldest living and upgraded, free authoring software for making interactive exercises. It offers five types of tasks: multiple choice, gapfill, matching, crossword and jumbled letters/words/sentences.

Remember!
When working with HP, you enter information into a “T’s Book” – a file with the extension .j** (.jcl. jmt…)
After finishing the exercise, you EXPORT it into html (“S’s book”). The names of the files should be identical, apart from the extension.
HotPot software does not recognise subfolders. All HotPot files AND all used images must be in the same folder


TASK 1
Choose a target age group and a topic for your own HotPot project – preferably a vocabulary field, which is taught at basic schools. Write your choice into the comment to this blog – each student must have an unique topic.
List ten vocabulary items (NOT proper names!) belonging to the chosen field – these you will present and practice in ALL THREE of your HotPot exercises.

Example:
endangered animals: snow leopard, elephant, lowland gorilla, vari, Comodo dragon... etc.


TASK 2
Use the web and find illustrations to the ten words you have chosen - the images should be in jpg format, between 10-20 kilobytes. Save them into a folder "HotPot" you create in your flashdisc.
SAVE the Urls of pages you use for downloading pictures! You will publish them as references.

TASK 3
Start working on a matching exercise, presenting the meaning of the ten words you have chosen, through the pictures. Use images of cca 20-40K size, approx. 100*100 pixels, all the same format!

HotPot Tutorial Online

Learning objectives - In this seminar you should learn how to:
- create a matching exercise in HP, save, export into html
- modify the colours of HP exercises
- insert images into HP exercises, set their size and position
- add and/or modify prompts and feedback in HP exercises
- set the timer, shuffle questions, show a limited number of questions in HP exercises

Vsuvka - role internetu v životě učitele

Do schools kill creativity?
Watch + listen carefully and think. Do you agree with Sir Robinson's ideas? What are the implications?

Jak to chodí v Čechách aneb historie sprosťáka z Krupky (další info v odkazech pod články)
text 1
text 2

Starting a Website

Today you should start your brand new personal web site. Your own web space serves as a presentation of your individual achievements, as well as the place to upload and publish your projects.
First, read all the tasks, listed below; you can fulfill them in random order.

If in doubt, do not hesitate to ask!

1. Draw the structure of your future web on a sheet of paper. Check the credit requirements on the English Dept. web page to get an idea what the compulsory parts are.

2. Open Notepad (Poznamkovy blok) and write the text you would like to publish in your site. Start with the content of the index page - the first page the user will see. Keep the Internet Safety Rules in mind – do not publish your personal data (the date of birth, phone number, credit card numbers …)

3. Open the WYSIWYG web editor New View (nvu.exe) and explore the possibilities of the software.
Above all, learn how to:

• - modify colours
• - insert images
• - organise the page content using frames (tables)
• - insert links into text and images

Of course there are more elegant ways of editing, but our main aim is to understand the principles of web creation. If you are safe in this field, feel free to apply your creativity and do more!

4. Start new web at webzdarma.cz and upload your files (index.html, images...)

5. Publish the URL of your new web as a comment to this blog. :)


HOMEWORK:
Bring an English textbook (basic school level)  for the next lesson.


Do not forget our three main rules:

1. SAVE, SAVE, SAVE (and upload)
2. NO DIACRITICS, NO SPACES IN FILENAMES
3. ALL-IN-ONE (folder, of course)

...AND MORE:
Ideas and instructions on web page creation: http://www.jakpsatweb.cz/
Musing about your web colours? Read this for inspiration.

Introduction

What are your expectations? What do you believe will be the content of this subject? What do you wish to learn?

Task 1: Write your ideas into the comment to this blog entry.
Tip: If you have a Google account, log in, it will make your commenting easier.

Task 2: Choose your IWB topic
At first, you should choose the topic for your interactive board materials, and list the keywords you want to teach. Into the comments to this blog entry, please include:
1. Topic
2. target group - age, class
3. the textbook you are using
4. the list of 10-12 keywords.
The material will develop the chosen vocabulary in a 45' lesson.
Do not forget to sign your entry.

TASK 3:
Install Smart Notebook and Activ Inspire (full professional versions) into your home computer.

TASK 4:
Start a website at webzdarma.cz

TASK 5:
Download and install NVU - freeware for web page editing.