How to work on Vocabulary on Moodle (II)

Part 2 of How to work on Vocabulary on the MOE Moodle platform. See Part 1 on the following link: https://youtu.be/FFyeyO6V5Go

See the Digital Book (in the making) "How to use The Ministry of Education Moodle Platform in the English Classroom:  https://www.flipsnack.com/EduardoLina/how-to-use-the-ministry-of-education-moodle-platform-in-the.html

If you teach in JHS or HS in the framework of the Ministry of Education in Israel, you can request your MOE Moodle Platform(s)

Vocabulary on Moodle: One example

This video, which is part of a series devoted to how to use the MOE Moodle Platform in the English classroom and beyond, provides examples on how to focus on Vocabulary.

Introducing how to work on vocabulary on the MOE Moodle Plat

How to use The MOE Moodle Platform in the English Classroom

While there is no workshop in sight, teachers of English in the Israeli school system can request (for free) and use Ministry of Education Moodle platforms. This digital book, which is unfinished as of yet, may be of help to those who need it
Link to the Digital Book

נפרדים מהעיצוב הישן של אתר קוגל

How to get your Ministry of Education Moodle site(s)

This is how teachers of English in the Israeli educational system can get their own Moodle Learning Environment(s) for free.

WIIFM? What's in it for me? Why use Moodle?

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it ", they say". Well, our English lessons "ain't broke", but there is always something new we, teachers, can do to make our work better, more efficient, and engaging. It can both benefit us professionally and answer the "WIIFM?" question.

 I hope you find that something new, and the answer on this video, and if you get a good laugh, then that's even better

MOE Moodle: Course Formats

שבוע טוב! אין לי מושג אם יש מורים לאנגלית ששוקלים להשתמש במוודל של משרד החינוך. כמורה לאנגלית נראה לי שאם יש, אז כדאי שיכירו את מוודל באנגלית (ולא משום שההסברים בעברית לא מספיק ברורים).  אז הנה עוד סרטון אחד 

שאני משתף גם בקבוצות פייסבוק של מורי אנגלית בישראל.

I have no idea if there are English teachers who are considering using the Moodle Platform of the Ministry of Education. As an English teacher, it seems to me that if there are, then they should be helped to become familiar with Moodle in English (and not because the explanations in Hebrew are not clear enough). There is no workshop in English in sight, so here's one more video, just in case somebody is interested. Using a Learning environment such as Moodle, Google Classroom and Microsoft's 365 makes a difference. 

111th grade school trip Digital Book

LINK --- קישור

What are the MOE Moodle Platform Icons?

 I have been asked whether there will eventually be a new and updated nationwide, fully online "How to use Moodle in the English Classroom Workshop". I don't know yet, but the effort is being made to turn this "out of the box" proposal into reality. In the meantime, and in order to make colleagues less daunted by the idea of ever working with Moodle, allow me to introduce you to one of its most useful "ingredients": The Moodle Icons. They will make Moodle tasty (and easy) to try. Have a great week!

Assistive or enabling technology and "Lesson" in Moodle

We, teachers, teach Special Need pupils in each and every course we have. The law in Israel requires that we grant "accessibility" to these pupils. Here is where Assistive or enabling technology comes in very handy.



This video introduces the Launch ATbar in The Israel Ministry of Education Moodle Platform, which pupils can use in their computers and/or Mobile devices without downloading anything whatsoever). and a Moodle Activity called lesson which enables teachers to introduce material and test understanding in a sequence.



 The BIG news this year is that every teacher in the Israeli school system can request and have access to their Moodle Learning Environment (should they want to, it'a one for every course they teach!). KUDOS for the MOE people who have made this possible.

Breaking News: You can request your MOE Moodle Platform!

Hi! This can be a change maker in terms of EFL DIgital Pedagogy.
Besides helping pupils work on all 4 skills, teachers and pupils can work on PBL, PPBL, Literature, etc. To mention a few examples, you can upload content arranged the way you see fit, use it, re-use it, change it, hide it, and more.

I am aware that Moodle has a "bad name" among some people, but it does not deserve it. It's no secret that I am crazy about Moodle, but then up until now, only those teachers who teach in schools that work with Mashov and wanted to could give Moodle a try (I heard ORT schools can access their Moodle, too, but I am not sure whether this is true).

You can use the many digital tools Moodle has and many others such as Google tools, Microsoft's and more.

Colaborar para leer

The Common Sense Education Facebook group

Following my subscription to the Common Sense Education website, I have just been accepted into the Common Sense Education Facebook group. I find it so good that I have even decided to try my luck and contribute something. 

Learning activities: "Become a Thinking YouTuber"

English as Foreign Language Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking activities using some Google presentations

Our pupils share a lot of content on Social Media (mostly on "Whatsapp", but also on YouTube). As teachers of English, we can make them aware to post wisely and help them improve their English. The activities attached here may help us do so.

It is common knowledge that YouTube has become the platform where many teenagers become celebrities. Teens spend more time watching YouTube videos than TV, so most are passive watchers, but some are active creators. We can engage them to learn English creatively by taking up the topic of posting on YoutTube.

While helping every one of our pupils become celebrities is an unrealistic goal (and perhaps not a wise one), it is realistic to assume that creating their own Youtube channel can benefit them in many ways:  they can upload their own videos in English and become more proficient in both English and Digital Technologies. The following Google Presentations are one way I  will try to do so this year with 10th, 11th and 12th-grade pupils at The Six-Year Kugel High School in Holon, Israel.

The first Google presentation is meant to raise pupils' awareness that it is important to think before they post (wherever they do so). The content is based on a Common Sense Education and Flocabulary video (I wish to stress that I have not made an unauthorized copy that would infringe copyright.) - Link to the "Think Before You Post" Google Presentation

"Becoming a Thinking Youtuber" is the second Google Presentation of the series aimed at both introducing “Youtube Creators [Creator Academy]” to EFL learners. While some the contents have been adapted from the Youtube Creators channel, I have also adapted activities suggested in the book "Video in Action". Link to the "Becoming a Thinking Youtuber" Google Presentation.

"Subscribers" is the third in the series and continues the work done on the previous two presentations. While many of the activities are guided ones, there is much room for creative pupils' input (check, for instance, the "It's your turn" slide. Link to the Subscribers Google Presentation. 

"Why branding matters" is the last of the series (at least, so far). It follows the same pattern as the other presentations. Link to the Why branding matters Google Presentation.

Note: There is one more lesson on the Youtube Creators channel devoted to Copyright. Since it is important that those of our pupils who do want to become YouTubers learn how to do so well, we have to suggest they take the free Youtube Creators course. It will teach them the subject and help them to learn English. We Israelis like to have two for the price of one, don't we?

This Common Sense Education document will, I hope, help me get my pupils to work in groups better

.

Channel Trailer

I have finally created my YouTube Channel Trailer and customized the Channel. It was high time I did it, indeed!

Fortune Blue

At The Six-Year Kugel High School in Holon, we teachers of English will be using Fortune, an excellent product that will enable us to teach English through drama. We have purchased the learning materials created by Chasing Time English and will be adding some more of own own making. (Learn more about the series).
The following is one addition I have made using H5P (Learn about H5P)


Play this Wheel game (Link).
1. Would you say the emotion (s) you come up with describe how any of the characters feels?
Check all the "emotion words" on the Wheel.
Which adjectives would describe Jim?
Which would you use to describe Daniel?
Which ones may be used to describe Jennie?

Creativity in the classroom

Through the use of interviews with renowned scholars in the field and practice based narrative, this module gives an overview of the use of creativity in a classroom context and supplies teachers with strategies to use creativity every day to enhance academic outcomes. The main message conveyed by the module is to have creativity as part of every teacher’s toolbox and develop strategic use of eliciting creativity

The full module is 47 minutes - Link to the APA website page where it is possible to watch each segment separately http://www.apa.org/education/k12/creativity-module.aspx

Kugel students' Hall of Fame"

Methodology: Recordings of four "How to teach ..." Webinars

Hi! There is, I believe, a very good series of webinars / lectures on Methodology delivered by a colleague who works in Hungary (unless I am wrong, it's there where she teaches). There is one webinar for each skill. 
 While not everything may apply to us here in Israel, it seems to me that the speaker has managed to present each topic clearly. It may be of great help. Congrats to the speaker and to City and Guilds English!





 

 

SEFARAD - מטיילים בספרדית

Continuamos paseando en español - Domingo 13 de mayo y y Lunes 14 de mayo de 2018

Giro d'Italia Israel Stages

I fell in love with the Giro!



I am more of a swimmer than a cyclist, but having watched and enjoyed the three-day Israel Stages, I fell in love with it. I may not be a cyclist, and might as well have been a pink rider, a Baklaua chewer, or a Camel watching the Giro go by, but when all is said and done, it was fun!

.Link to a Google Slides presentation

Ted Talks to improve your English אדוארדו לינה 19.2.18

Vistual lesson in the framework of Tzav 8

מטיילים בספרדית בעקבות המוצ'ילרוס MOCHILEROS אדוארדו לינה 19.2.18

Clase virtual en hebreo (y un poco en español) : Paseando en español siguiendo a los mochileros

Flipped Learning for Amy Tan's "Rules of the Game"

I have prepared four You Tube Videos to help me teach Amy Tan's "Rules of the Game". I will share the videos on this post because there might be colleagues who might want to use them, too. Colleagues might even suggest additions and / or improvements, which will be most welcome.

My idea is to do the following:

Step I. I will have different groups of pupils use " Collabrify"  (if that fails, then a simple Google Doc) to connect to the story before they read it. This will be done at home BEFORE class (Flipped Learning)

Some will work on a document to carry out the following task: 

 Read the article “Difference Between American & Chinese Culture” ( https://goo.gl/1bSZ6s ) and find out the attitude of Chinese and Americans to the following values:  

1. Family

2. Harmony

3. Humility


4. Obedience

Note; There is more - Click here to see the template I will use (I hope you can, at least)

Others will do some vocabulary work  - Click here to see the template I will use (I hope you can, at least)

Other pupils will do the  Pre -Reading activity about Chess and Life  - Click here to see the template I will use (I hope you can, at least)

I also hope to have a group of pupils fill in the following KWL chart - - Click here to see the template I will use (I hope you can, at least)

Step 2: Pupils will present what they have done in class (This means that this part of the lesson will not be teacher centered, but pupil-centered. I hope the presenters are the ones who teach.

Step 3: I hope steps 1 and 2 leave me time to introduce the story, having time for discussion.

Step 4: Active reading of Part 1 of the story ( Flipped Learning)

Step 5: In class: Follow up to step 4 (Instead of reading the story in class, I hope to  discuss (and have pupils discuss) different aspects of the story. There will be work using the text book (We use ECB Literature for 5 points Option 1). I guess HOTs will come in here.

The following steps follow the pattern set on Steps 4 and 5




The method I have decided to use for teaching the story is "Flipped Learning" (Click here for more on this method). My idea is to have pupils actively learn outside of class and before we take up the story.

I will use pre-reading activities that build the background. You can learn about them on this post: "Using Collabrify to teach "Rules of the Game" by Amy Tan (click here to reach that post on this blog). You can learn more about "Collabrify" on this other post I have published (Click here)

The following is a link to a video that provides some background to this post.

Following are the four videos that I hope to be using with my pupils. I have created one for each part of the stroy. The videos include a very short introduction, a reading of each part of the story by Markette Pierce, some active reading questions for pupils, and a word concerning the follow --up activity for each video.

Hopefully, my attempt to apply "Flipped Learning" for teaching "Rules of the Game" might free me from having to read the entire text in class, and give me lesson time to deal with so many other things: getting pupils to actively (the following is not necessarily in the order they might occur)  analyse and interpret the story, learn and use vocabulary,, deal with LOTs and Hots, write, speak , etc.  I guess it will be better than what I might have done had I not invested time on creating the videos. Time will tell. 











Useful resources:
1. Link to to the short story "Rules of the Game" that has been used on the videos
2.  Markette Pierce reads "Rules of the Game" ("Students in English 12 who need to listen to "Rules of the Game" to answer active reading questions can do so here." - MORE THAN 38.000 views!)
3. Flipped learning 
4. Plot Elements (video)
5. enotes "Rules of the Game"
6. "Rules of the Game" Worksheets (written by / uploaded by somebody whose name I do not know)

Using "Collabrify" to teach "Rules of the Game" by Amy Tan

The following is one example of the use of "Collabrify". This is the first time that I make use of the app, so I am sure there must be much more than can be done with the tools.

See this post for more on "Collabrify"

Google Drive Tools and "Collabrify": a set of several digital tools for collaboration.

"Collabrify": a set of several digital tools for collaboration.
I have just found very good Free Google supported Tools that are great for student collaboration. In my final assignment for the PPBL (Practical Problem Based Learning – English Literature workshop, I mentioned using Google Drive Tools such as Google Docs and Google Slides as Digital Tools that make it easy for pupils to collaborate. I also pointed out that I would encourage using Google Docs for a specific activity before pupils begin to work on a topic / subject / issue: "KWL". Well, I have just found out that through Google Drive it is possible to access "Collabrify", which is a set of several digital tools for collaboration. Great stuff, indeed. 
When the workshop opened, I wondered out loud where PPBL meets both the use of Digital tools and the teaching of Digital Skills as the Ministry of Education wants to encourage. Well, this is one more meeting point.
The attached video shows how to get "Collabrify", and a glimpse into what pupils can do with the tools, which, as I show, can be added via Google Drive. 

Incidentally, the attached video clip shows how I tend to use Google Tools to help pupils collaborate when "doing Projects" When encouraging pupil collaboration, via PPBL we can teach Digital Skills and engage pupils in a way that meets the requirements of the st century (team work, use of technology, etc - It's part of "life" out there) BTW, the fact that everybody (not just pupils) is hooked on smartphones does not mean that pupils know how to use Digital Tools for something other than play (as important as that can be) I just wonder how different what I show here is to using "Collabrify" (see the other video clip I have just uploaded)

בעקבות צו 8 למידה בחירום תשע"ח

LINK

"Tzav Shmone" -- an online emergency program initiated by the Ministry

Power Point Presentation

LINK TO SMORE

טיול שנתי שכבת יב לצפון הארץ

קישור לאלבומי התמונות 

אלבום 1

אלבום 2

Eduardo Lina - Two Ted Ed Lessons

Link to a Google Slides Presentation that contains two lessons plans for  Ted Ed Lessons that I have created (They are included in the Google Slides. An invitation to the online class of February 19th is included, too)

הזמנה להצטרף לשיעור בעקבות המוצ'ילרוס 19.02.2018

הזמנה לתלמידי תיכון בכל הארץ. מטיילים בספרדית (ובעברית) בעקבות המוצ'ילרוס במסגרת תרגיל צו 8 למידה בחירום 2018. שיעור וירטואלי ב 19 פברואר החל מהשעה 18:00 ועד 18:30. פרטים בסרטון. נקווה להשתתפות תלמידים (ומורים - ולא רק כאלה שכבר לומדים ספרדית) מכל הארץ. הקצב הוא זה של ספרד + דרום ומרכז אמריקה. לא יכול להיות שקט! בואו להכיר את החלק של יבשת אמריקה היפה ביותר (המרכז והדרום), וגם קצת ספרד. NOS VEMOS
promoción de la clase virtual del 19.02.2018 desde las 18:00 hasta las 18Ñ30 hs en el marco del Targuil Lemida bejerum - Ejercicio de aprendizaje en situación de emergencia (para qué explicar cuál...) La idea es pasear siguiendo el camino de los Mochileros, y hacerlo a ritmo español y latinoamericano, y pasarlo bien.

Ted Talks to improve your pupils' English - "Lemida Becherum

הזמנה לתלמידי חט"ע בכל הארץ: תיכון קוגל (טוב, אני מקוגל) משתתף באופן פעיל במסגרת צו 8 תרגיל למידה בחירום. פרטים אודות השיעור שיתקיים ב 19.02.2018 החל משעה 17:00 ועד 17:30 בסרטון
. Pupils (and and their teachers, of course, though we have pupils in mind when giving this venue for virtual learning a try) are all invited to join the session. It"s February 19th 2018 at 5 P.M. Check the details here.

How autism freed me to be myself | Rosie King - A Ted Ed Lesson

This is one of the Ted Ed Lessons based on Ted Talks that I have been trying to put together. It is not final yet, but to know if it works, it needs trying out... I share it as an example of what I hope to be sharing with pupils (They will not "do" the work during the online lesson, but they may want to do it later. I hope to showi one way kids can work on their English on their own and, if teachers want to, in class). "Lemida Becherum" is a "Targil". which means we will be practicing the delivery of online lessons (and content). It's worth giving it a try (and learning from mistakes). Please do let me know if you eventually use this lesson and find, as you probably will, what to improve). Best wishes!

Link to the Ted Ed lesson

Ted Talks to Improve (pupils') English

This is a post I have shared on the English Teachers Community on Facebook: Hi! Well, it's not Moodle this time, but "Ted Talks to improve your (meaning teenage pupils,) English". During the third week of February there will be the annual "Lemida Becherum" in whose framework I hope to be delivering an online lesson in English aimed at 10th / 11th and 12th grade pupils (and teachers, too, if colleagues want to join). Details are being finalized, but my intention is to discuss, show, get pupils to interact online, and perhaps inspire them to give TED a try and actually take at least one Ted Ed lesson. Some of you may have done that, too. I am trying my lessons out with pupils I teach (Nope: they are not subjects for experiments... I am just trying different ways to engage them). I would be grateful if and when that online lesson takes place, you encourage your pupils to join. More details, soon. Thanks for your time!

EVO 2018 has started!

Thanks to (once again!) Dr. Nellie Deutsch, I have enrolled on two EVO 2018 sessions: "EBO 20118 Teaching Listening" and "EVO Flipped Learning". I am sure I will learn quite a lot, and get to interact with a large international community of colleagues.