Tools+for+Introducing+New+Language

//**AIM OF THIS SESSION**:// To explore some tools for introducing new vocabulary and sentences to students and to create some resources to use in the classroom.

Spend good amounts of time on each of the websites - read what they are all about, how to use them, tutorials, examples etc. Everything you need is already included on each of the sites.

from the Hot Potatoes website: The Hot Potatoes suite includes six applications, enabling you to create interactive multiple-choice, short-answer, jumbled-sentence, crossword, matching/ordering and gap-fill exercises for the World Wide Web. Hot Potatoes is freeware, and you may use it for any purpose or project you like.
 * //HOT POTATOES//**

Here is a quick example of what one of the applications, JQuiz, in Hot Potatoes looks like:



The best place to get started is by working through the tutorials on the Hot Potatoes website. Start with the 'Standard Tutorial for Windows' and then the example exercises:

Hot Potatoes Tutorials

When you have created a few files you can upload them to your wiki just as you would any other sort of file. Or you can save the files in to a folder on your school's network, or even email them to your students.

Your task for your students using this software could be to get them to make quizzes etc for each other - you don't have to do all the work!

Another application by the same authors as Hot Potatoes: Language Teaching Clip Art Library
 * //Something to look at later://**


 * //LANGUAGES ONLINE GAME MAKERS//**

The Languages Online website has some fantastic game making tools, as well as a Rubric maker and a Portal Maker, which is a way of putting all of your bits and pieces together.

Here is an example of a memory game:

To get started, the best thing to do is watch the video "What are Game Makers?" Then choose which sort of Game Maker you would like to try and find an appropriate computer. There are 5 different Game Makers, each one is loaded on to 3 different computers.

To upload your games to your wiki, it is best to save them as .zip files like the one above. The reason for this is that each game is saved with the game file and a data file, so you need to upload them together. If you want to add them to your school intranet page, then saving them as HTML files is the way to go.


 * //THE LEARNING FEDERATION'S DIGITAL LEARNING OBJECTS//**

The Learning Federation provides free access to many digital learning objects for Chinese. Sections of the programs Tao Hao le! and Zou Ba! are included. For teachers in government schools, access is through Eduweb's Digilearn - just use your TO number and password. For teachers in independent schools, access may be through Scootle. You will need to contact the relevant person at your school for access.

For today, you each have a DVD of the objects to use. Fire it up, play around with a few objects, and choose one to talk to your group about, answering the following questions:
 * What do you like about the particular object you have chosen?
 * How will you use it in your project?

**//IWB HOT SPOT//**
 * get students to use your interactive whiteboard to create games. It will make working in pairs or threes much easier to manage.
 * students can use the pens from the IWB to write on the games their peers have created - giving feedback and critiques, correcting mistakes etc.before the games are finalised for the rest of the class or the partner class.
 * students could figure out how to create a similar game using the IWB software

Storybird iQuiz Maker befuddlr ClassTools.net