Interactive Board

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, check some shared 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. :)

HotPot Teaching Site

You can create a whole  HotPot site, combining and connecting various task formats. This is the suggested order of exercises (Can you guess why?) and the credit requirements:

1. Matching
- 10 items (target vocabulary)
- if using pictures, set the same height for all of them  (e.g. 100 pixels)
- find out how to set the timer, shuffle questions, show a limited number of questions

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

3. 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 real life.
+ Do not skip determiners, e.g. articles:)
+ do not hesitate to include images, links, or audio!


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.

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

4. What is the HotPot index?
It is a html file which includes links to all three hotpot exercises, and the basic info:
- the author
- the aim of the exercises, e.g. "Teaching the names of family members"
- the target group description, e.g. "Third grade, basic school, elementary level"

Hot Potatoes

HotPot is probably one of the oldest programmes to create html-based interactive exercises.

You will find the download and many instructive materials at their homepage: http://hotpot.uvic.ca/


Task 1:
Publish the index of your webpage at webzdarma.cz.
Publish your page URL in the comment to this blog.

Task 2:
Describing your projects: Publish the chosen topic, target group and the list of 10 words you will be teaching at your webpage. Include the reference of the chosen textbook.

Task 3:
Install Hot Potatoes at your home computer.
Explore the possibilities - play with Jmatch, add images, try to insert links....

Do not forget: with HotPot, you always SAVE and EXPORT - the final outcome are two files with the same name and different extenstions: JXX (T's book) and .HTML (S's book).



HOMEWORK:
Bring the textbook you will use as the background for your projects!!!



Tips:
How to avoid troubles with image owners

How to write WEB? Easy and fast info

BARVY WEBU

Teachers and Computers

CREDIT REQUIREMENTS

active participation, working on classroom tasks
80% attendance

Projects: (submission deadline April 10, 2013)
1. A personal website (includes: personal profile, photogallery of photos taken on your own, a page on your hobbies/interests including active links to references, HotPot index and exercises, a link to Interactive Board material)
2. Hot Potatoes project
3. Photogallery - choose an original and creative topic, take 6 images and present them; topic example: my town as I see it (not really tourist postcards, right?)
4. Interactive Board material (includes: T's book = target group, objectives; topic presentation and explanation, various tasks for practice, audio, video, illustrations, active links, inner links)




TASK 1: Choose your IWB + HotPot 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
HOMEWORK: Visit the Resource Room, browse the textbooks available, and add:
3. the textbook you are using
4. the list of 10 keywords.
The material will develop the chosen vocabulary in a 45' lesson.
Do not forget to sign your entry.

Tip: If you have a Google account, log in, it will make your commenting easier.


TASK 2:
Install Smart Notebook and Activ Inspire (full professional versions) into your home computer. You will also need Audacity, Irfan od Gimp, NVU or any other web editor.

TASK 3:
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. :)


FIRST WEBPAGE ATTEMPT:
1. Find an image
2. Make a new folder, save the image there
3. Open NVU, create and save a new file (page)
4. Insert the image into the new page
5. save and admire :)



Do not forget our three main rules:
SAVE, SAVE, SAVE (and upload)
NO DIACRITICS, NO SPACES IN FILENAMES
ALL-IN-ONE (folder, of course)

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