Modal Verbs

For those of you who still struggle with modal verbs, here's a visual help on SHADES OF MODALITY. 

Youtube Channel for Teachers

In Youtube's blog they have just given information about the launching of www.youtube.com/teachers, a new channel created to facilitate teachers all over the world the access to multimedia resources. It includes a great amount of information to be shown in class. 

It's been updated by teachers for teachers and shows pieces of advice to make the most of this platform, including a newsletter channel for those who wish to receive info by email. 

Free travel books

You may have set a project in which your students have to find info about a place to plan their holidays, for instance. 
If that is the case, at Bookboon you can download travel guides for free!!!

Click HERE to try it.

WEB TOOLS FOR EDUCATORS

The Super Book of Web Tools for Educators is a free electronic book written by some teachers and bloggers who are specialists in using technology in the academic world. 

It contains more than 70 pages with pieces of advice on how to use the tools many of us know, including some as famous as Skype and others less known like scribblar.com.

Here's the link to the document in English yudu.com en pantalla completa.

GEOGAMES

GeoGames is a Flash game that lets students drag-and-drop onto the Planet Earth. They can rotate the planet, test their geography skills, and print a copy when they are done! There’s a timer, so they can track their scores. Try playing on a SmartBoard at your school if you have one – or play in teams!
Check it out here!

New applications to learn and practice languages!!!

Here's a link to some new FREE applications you can use to learn and practice languages. 
Learn and practice languages

These include:

• MYLINGO
• IMENDI
• MEMRISE
• GIFTED SPEECH
• WORDSTEPS
• BBC LANGUAGES
• LINGQ
• BUSUU

DISCONNECT TO CONNECT

I wish you all the best for the sumnmer and, above all, that you disconnect to connect once back.
Happy summer!!!

FUNNY LEARNING

ENGLISH ATTACK is the key to funny learning, whether through videos, photo vocabs or games!!! You can practice any piece of language while having fun.
Highly addictive and entertaining!!!

See an example of a video booster here about Dexter. There're highlighted words on the left so you know the main vocabulary. This is a short one belonging to intermediate level. 

DEXTER Video booster

Collaborative tools

Here's a link to a list of collaborative tools divided into management, mental maps and whiteboards, notes and bookmarks, emails and calendars, videoconference and text editor. 
COLLABORATION IDEAS
Some of these tools include: Laboratree, Deskaway, Bubbl.us, Mindmeister, Diigo, SpicebirdDimdim, Yuuguu or Textflow.


Really useful!!!

77 web resources for teachers

The course is almost over and some of you may start planning for the next one. If that's the case, here's a link to a compilation of 77 web resources you can try this summer to make the most of your lessons!!! 
They appear separated into areas and you can download and print them.

   77 WEB RESOURCES         

Cómo internet ha revolucionado la educación

How the Internet has revolutionized education (Infography)

Flashcards

In QUIZLET you can find or create flashcards in different languages and about a great amount of varied topics. Besides, you can be tested or play games with the words chosen!!! It's very simple to use and really helpful for both teachers and students.
See the image for an example of flashcards about Spanish facts... Interesting, uh?

En QUIZLET puedes buscar o crear tarjetas de vocabulario en diferentes idiomas y sobre un gran cantidad de temas. Además, puedes hacer un test o jugar con las palabras que has elegido. Es muy fácil de usar y realmente útil tanto para profesores como para alumnos.
Mira la imagen como ejemplo de tarjeta sobre datos de España... Interesante, ¿eh? 

Audio Tweet

Here's an application to transform any text into an audio file to be spread in Facebook and Twitter.

First, select the language of the text so the system that generates the audio can do it keeping each language's features.

The result is a link, shortened with bit.ly, that takes us to the adequate audio player, with the message automatically generated and ready to be heard by any person.

The link can be spread in the web by eamil for instance, or in forums.  
  AUDIO TWEET

Os presento una aplicación que nos permite transformar cualquier texto en un archivo de audio que podremos divulgar en Facebook y Twitter. 

Primero seleccionamos el idioma del texto, para que el sistema que genera el audio lo haga respetando las características de cada lengua.

El resultado es un enlace, acortado con bit.ly, que nos lleva al reproductor de audio adecuado, con el mensaje generado de forma automática y listo para ser escuchado por cualquier persona.

El enlace puede divulgarse por las redes, vía email, por ejemplo, o en foros.

Create great-looking interactive quizzes

Using www.quizrevolution.com you can create interactive quizzes in minutes and embed them easily in any website or blog using 1 line of simple HTML. They're available in many languages.

You can also use the quizzes already created, like the example that follows about the Earth.

Safeguard the Earth QUIZZ        

En www.quizrevolution.com puedes crear cuestionarios interactivos en poco tiempo y embeberlos fácilmente en cualquier página web o blog usando sólo 1 línea de HTML. Están disponibles en varios idiomas.

También puedes usar los cuestionarios ya creados, como el ejemplo de la Tierra que os presento. 

Peer editing and correction

Watch this video and find out how to encourage peer correction in class. It's valid for any level and any language.
  VIDEO 


Mira el vídeo y descubre cómo animar a la corrección entre compañeros de clase. Se puede usar para cualquier nivel e idioma.

NEWS MAP

A great and useful idea to start a debate in class is through world news. In this link you can get all news in one click, updated and divided into sections. Besides, you have them in different languages!!
What about asking our students to create a newsmap?
  NEWSMAP 


Una idea buena y útil es empezar un debate en clase a raíz de las noticias del mundo. En este enlace tienes todas las noticias en un clic, actualizadas y divididas en secciones. Además, ¡están en distintos idiomas!
¿Qué tal si les pedimos a nuestros alumnos que creen un mapa de noticias?

Ideas for setting homework

Tired of setting the usual homework tasks? Sick of "Write answers to this exercise" or "Write a story about blah blah blah"? 
Here are 18 unusual ideas for "homedo" tasks. They might not be appropriate for your class but could inspire you into thinking of other ideas to get students doing things with their English.


1. Watch a TV advertisement you like in your own language and write an English version of it. Next day in class, rehearse and perform it with your group.
2. Talk only in English for one full hour this evening – even if no-one in your house understands you!
3. Cut up 50 small scraps of paper. Walk around your home with the scraps and a pen. Write labels (e.g. 'fridge' 'plug' etc) for as many things as you can and place them on (or next to) the objects....
4. …. then get a friendly person to walk around rearranging all your labels randomly. Can you put them back in place?
5. Next day… bring in all your labels and compare them with your colleagues. How many items can you label in class using these?
6. Search your home for as many items with English on them as you can find (tin labels; instruction leaflets; names on the back of the TV etc.).
7. Your teacher will give you a joke (or a poem). Learn it by heart.
8. …. or practice - then record yourself telling it, as well as you can, onto a cassette recorder. Bring the cassette to school next day.
9. Cook some food (e.g. scones, biscuits etc) using instructions given by the teacher. Bring the results into class for 'marking' by the other students.
10. Watch 1 minute of an English video tape and replay it till you understand every word.
11. Your teacher will give you an 'English' tea bag and some instructions. Go home, make a cup of tea and relax following the instructions precisely.
12. Decide on your favourite English word.
13. Teach your family an English game (using instructions given to you by the teacher).
14. Walk for half an hour around your local area and give a running commentary to yourself, as if you were a newsperson giving a live report on what you (or the President or pop star or sports hero) is doing.
15. Dream in English. Well … at least try falling asleep with English thoughts in your head.
16. Tune your radio across all the wavelengths till you find an English language programme. Keep listening long enough to work out what the station name is, what country it's from and what the programme is about.
17. Choose your favourite English language song (on CD or cassette). Bring it in to class (with the lyric sheet if you have it).
18. Find someone at home whose English is a lower level than yours. Offer them a free half hour lesson… then teach it.

GEOGRAPHY TESTS

Train your brain with European Geography: quizzes on countries, rivers, monarchies, mountains, seas, regions, capitals, lakes, islands, flags, ports, metropolitan areas, peninsulas, volcanoes, straits, the Eurozone and the Union.
A good way to learn about Europe while practising languages as it's available in English, French, German, Gaelic, Dutch and Spanish!


EUROPEAN GEOGRAPHY


Entrena la mente con Geografía de Europa: preguntas sobre países, ríos, monarquías, montañas, mares, regiones, capitales, lagos, islas, banderas, puertos, áreas metropolitanas, penínsulas, volcanes, estrechos, la Eurozona y la Unión Europea. 
¡¡Una buena forma de aprender mientras practicas idiomas ya que está en inglés, francés, alemán, gaélico, holandés y español!!

WIKIS

Have you ever wondered what a wiki is??? or How could I start using them??? In that case, here's a link to a list of the Top 10 sites to create a wiki .
Hope you find it useful!!! Students really like it and it's interesting to use them to review at this time of the year.
                              
¿Alguna vez te has preguntado qué es una wiki o cómo podrías empezar a usarlas? Si ese es tu caso, aquí tienes un enlace a una lista de los 10 mejores sitios para crear una wiki.
¡¡¡Espero que te resulte útil!!! A los alumnos les gusta y resulta interesante para repasar en esta época del año.

100 best videos for teachers

This list of videos have been divided into 9 different categories including history, arts, science, language, How-Tos and a variety of others.

You can take a tour of the Rijksmuseum or learn sign language or get tips on classroom management.  The selection is quite varied.
Be careful because some of the videos have been removed from YouTube and some of the links aren't touch and go (you have to copy and paste the link into a new browser window).  
Anyway, it is a useful set of resources that you will enjoy!!!







100 best Youtube videos for teachers






Esta lista de vídeos está dividida en 9 categorías: historia, arte, ciencias, lengua, cómo... , entre otras.
Puedes ver el Rijksmuseum o aprender la lengua de signos o recibir consejos de organización de la clase.  La selección es muy variada.
Ten cuidado porque algunos vídeos ya no están disponibles en Youtube y en otros deberás copiar y pegar el enlace en otra ventana.
De todas formas, es una colección de recursos muy útil que seguro te gustará.

Augmented Reality / Realidad Aumentada

Augmented Reality is coming with energy into our classrooms. Here's a video where you can see an example of how the students can learn a language in an easy and funny way!!!


Augmented Reality video


La Realidad Aumentada llega con fuerza a nuestras clases. Aquí tenéis un vídeo en el que podéis ver un ejemplo de cómo los alumnos pueden aprender un idioma de forma fácil y divertida.

International Museum Day

El miércoles 18 es el día Internacional del Museo. Os dejo un enlace a unas actividades online en inglés sobre museos y galerías que incluyen sopa de letras, concursos, listenings activos con vídeos... Seguro que les gusta a vuestros alumn@s.


         Museum and Galleries Online Activities   
              


Next Wednesday 18th is the International Museum Day. Here is a link to some online English activities on museums and galleries, including wordsearches, quizzes, video listening quizzes... I'm sure yous students will like it!

¡He vuelto! / Back again!!!

Después de mucho tiempo inactiva... ¡he vuelto! Han sido unos meses de mucho trabajo y aprendizaje y han merecido la pena. Ahora prometo seguir proponiendo ideas y recursos para el aula de inglés 2.0.

After a long dead stop... I'm back!!! These last months have been full of work and learnings but they were worth it!!! Now I promise I'll keep proposing ideas and resources for the 2.0 English class.