Advices on to how to Write at an Academic level from Michael Munger and then some more...

I found the reading inspiring, quite helpful  and practical... check it out.

http://m.chronicle.com/article/10-Tips-on-How-to-Write-Less/124268/

 

Present Tense lesson using Google docs slide presentation

Google docs features many options such as slide presentations,table content and images to incorporate making it a great tool to deliver lesson plans. It is an excellent tool for distance teaching and learning that can be easily accessible through a Google account and it is free of charge.

I created a Slide Presentation using the setting available n on Google docs and made a lesson/course on Present tense ( sample here).

 

Enhancing Literacy for Grade1-3 Animal at risk of extinction Study

A fun way to sparkle interest into new literature and new vocabulary is for through the study of  Nature and Animals.  Kids are naturally curious, caring and passionate about their natural environment. Therefore it will be a great occasion for them to grow in awareness and develop a sense of responsibility by learning and discussing about the fate of certain animals on the verge of extinction and what could be done to bring about change.

 In this activity students will use the internet in class or at home if you home school and research an animal which is going extinct. 

Then they can research using educational websites such as 

http://www.kidsknowit.com/

  http://www.kidsbiology.com/animals-for-children.php or http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/.

They will find interesting fact and create a Power Point or Voice Thread with the help of an educator.  Power Point is very easy to use by kids who can copy and paste the pictures of their chosen animals and write in their own words what they have learned from watching videos and reading online!

Find a sample here.

I now use Skype to connect with my Arabic Literature  instructor which has made it so easy for me to study in the comfort of my house and at my own path... So I thought of looking for instruction in English using Skype and thought I will share the link here.
Skype English Classes.
 







Download Skype for free.

Using Audacity for Pronunciation/Speech

This Audacity with Lame tool offers the possibility for students and teachers to record themselves. I find it to be a great tool for ESL students because it allows them to hear their own speech and to be able to practice their pronunciation when reading and lecturing in English. English pronunciation is unpredictable. If you don’t put effort into English pronunciation, you will make mistakes, and mistakes can turn into bad habits. The longer pronunciation is not worked on, the more bad habits will be formed! So don’t put it off. Often new language learners find it hard to speak the language due to its challenging oral aspect. The irregularity of the English spelling system has an unfortunate consequence: when a student learns an English word, he/she has to learn not only its spelling, but also its pronunciation. However by practicing those oral skills using Audacity students will be able to hear their own speeches, correct and practice their pronunciation with feedback and resources.
English uses different sounds than native languages. If a student wants to speak English well, he/she will have to teach her/himself to recognize them and pronounce them.
That is why I recommend learners to use a dictionary online to look up pronunciations while reading in English. This should happen very frequently with pronunciation beginners.
Moreover, dictionaries give phonetic transcription which makes the sounds contains in the word clear. If an ESL hears a word, the student may hear it wrong; for example, hearing /æ/ where there is an /e/. To know more about the phonetics of the American English in this link.

As you learn the pronunciations of the most common words (from a dictionary or from spoken input), you will use the dictionary less and less.
Find a sample

Bookmarks with Delicious

Helpful Links

I like Delicious for its user friendly aspect. It is quite self explanatory: you just need to click on the links and find websites and games related to your interest,here it is teaching English to speakers of other languages. In the helpful link section you will find my own bookmarks with a link to the free online translator from Google: it always comes handy when you need to translate a word from your mother tongue to English and vice-versa. (click here to check delicious.com)

Other links help review and study grammar and learn new vocabulary. One of the bookmark lead to a quiz game to learn new words. The concept is to find synonyms and definitions to a given word by choosing among 4 options. It is also fun and educative because it explains the different words in meaningful ways using various sentences.

Couple of other links give access to some grammar lessons such as the tenses verb that students can review at anytime. I often find that, many adults learners I used to teach, tend to rely often on resources online in order to learn their grammar and understand their lessons rather than papers and books. Although I find there are lots of benefit from using notebooks and other manual resources because it enhances the memorization process; I still appreciate the fact that students can take the help of some well made courses online and other tools. The links will therefore serve to aid with their various assignments.

Finally, students can share their own bookmarks and suggest links they have themselves found useful when studying English language by using their access to the site or just paste the links in the comment section. Given the colossal amount of information on the web it is always appreciated to be introduced to new and creative sites and online pages that will further contribute to the learning process! This of course can be conditioned to the instructor approval.

Using Wallwisher for your annuncments / events

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SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS !

Wallwisher is a great tool for educators, you can use this wall to make quick announcements, remind deadlines and make comments. Lessons and learning activities can take place: videos can be put as well as pics, graphics, links etc..This tool can help keep a glance on students' attitude toward the class and their learning process, as well as offering a space for students to connect and get to know one another. What's more, this space will allow students to share their concerns and difficulties met during the course and this might offer opportunities for promoting solving skills and develop a greater sense of community. Ideally this tool can be used to create a 'classroom' culture.
Respectful and insightful contributions wanted! Find a sample here and a video tutorial.