Web2.0 tools for languages teaching (writing) Kristyn Paul Project Manager Languages R-12 Teaching & Learning Services 4th Floor Education Centre 31 Flinders Street Adelaide SA 5000

What this presentation will cover … Web 2.0 tools for the languages classroom Writing tools: Xtranormal Storybird StoryJumper Fun with written texts: Wondersay/Newspaper clipping generator

Xtranormal: The website claims “If you can type, you can make movies…” Students select the characters, setting and language for the digitised speech (male & female voices) and then type the text (or cut and paste from a pre-prepared Word document). They then select the camera angles and put in actions. The finished movie can be embedded in a website or uploaded to uTube. Unfortunately it now costs “points” to publish movies. New subscribers get 300 points free

Storybird: Storybirds are short, visual stories that you make to share. About Storybird: inside-storybird/ inside-storybird/ Look at some Storybirds that have been written already in a range of languages: storybirds.wikispaces.com/ storybirds.wikispaces.com/

StoryJumper: Storyjumper is another story making site. It is popular with users because they have control over many of the visual elements. Stories can include: a range of supplied backgrounds, clip art images The writer’s own photos or drawings The help pages have support for teachers and the create link has a useful step by step guide to writing your first story.help create

Wondersay: With Wondersay, you can animate any type of sentence. Wondersayings are easy to create, customise and share. There are no software programs to download and no sign-up required. Have a brief chat with people at your site to discuss uses of Wondersay in the languages classroom.

Newspaper clipping generator: At this website students can write an authentic looking newspaper article in the target language. Once they've generated the clipping they can download it as a jpeg file to insert in a document.

Where to from here? Try out some of the tools in the time remaining in this PL session: Go to Kris Paul’s wiki and click on CENTRA presentations Enrol in the DECS Web2 tools Moodles: Go to Click on Languages. You will then be prompted for your user name & password (or register if you haven’t done so already). Click on the second of the ICT courses –Web 2 tools for Languages Teaching. You will be prompted for an enrolment key. This is web2tools2 – lower case, no spaces. Work through the course at your own pace, completing the activities as you go along. The writing tools in this presentation are outlined in topics 5 and 6.

Next CENTRA event Further CENTRA sessions are planned for later this term: Web 2.0 tools that support students in listening and tools that assist with developing vocabulary. These and additional sessions will be offered again in term Your Language Centre Key Teacher will invite you to attend some of these sessions.