Showing posts with label Google. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Google. Show all posts

Aug 11, 2018

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

.


Mar 27, 2018

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)