HOT POTATOES

Hello everyone,
Happy new year for you all. I am here again to share another technological tool with you. The tool is called Hot Potatoes Software. It is not a brand new tool but still worth to write about. This tool includes some applications that help you to create interactive multiple-choice, short-answer, jumbled-sentence, crossword, matching/ordering and gap-fill exercises for the www. I tried this tool and create this exercise about one of the methods that is used in language teaching.

I am sure there are some other tools and maybe more practical ones but still, it is worth to check it out.

That is all for today. Have fun and live your life.

FLIPGRID

Hi again fellas,
Today I will write about an app called Flipgrid. This is a great tool best used for video responses among the teachers and students. They both can provide feedback to each other and among their peer groups as well. I recorded a video about John Milton in order to try this tool and below is the link of my video. Enjoy!

https://flipgrid.com/451d2191?av=1

PADLET for Language Teaching and Learning

Hi fellas. I would like to introduce you to a new tool for me named Padlet. Padlet is an application that enables us to create an online bulletin that we can use to display information. We can add images, videos, links, etc. and our students can follow our materials from this app. You can share your ideas and also you can update any information you shared before. So it is kind of an up to date app that allows us to rewrite and progress our materials as well. It is a great tool for a language learning class as you can always upload for example vocabulary items, grammar rules, reading passages and essay examples. These are always open to your students so they can follow your posts from their home and you can discuss it in the class later. It helps to use time efficiently as well. I created a padlet profile and would like you to have a look at it. Enjoy!


https://padlet.com/selcenpinar/wdifbplh22s5

GOOGLE LENS (Augmented Reality Application)

Hi guys. I am back with a futuristic tool that will be handy when we are teaching. Firstly I want to give some info about this app; it is called Google Lens. Google Lens is an augmented reality app that its technology relies on the smartphone cameras. The camera sees around and gives contextual information about the surroundings. Using this app, we can scan a product, animal or text or anything you want and then the app will tell you what the object is.

In terms of language education, the best way to use augmented reality applications like Google Lens is to scan the text and learn what the origin or writer of the text is. Instead of typing all the text, you can just scan it and there it is. Easy and practical.

VR Cosmic Roller Coaster

Hello guys. I experienced a great adventure and wanted to share it with you. I downloaded a virtual reality application called "VR Cosmic Roller Coaster". It is a free app that you can download and have fun. When you are in this virtual world, you feel like you are in the space rolling around. It gives you a great sense of feeling that you are in space all alone and enjoying the great view. It takes you to our great and beautiful cosmos and you feel blessed again. It is obvious that most of the people in this world will never see the space from a spaceship as long as they are not astronauts. So this is a great opportunity for people to visualize this reality and enjoy this.

I felt a little bit dizzy at the beginning but after some time I got used to it and started to enjoy the ride. I strongly advise you to try and take a tour.

I think it can be used as an attention-getter to the students when we try to read an article about space for example. When we have a reading activity, we can choose an article about cosmos and then when we start the class we can go to our apps and use this as a warm-up activity. I am sure the students will enjoy it and will be connected to the class and the article better.

I think most of the technological tools that we can use in our classes are the best ways to help our students to focus easily. As we live in a technology era, most of the students are integrated into technology more than their teachers. These tools will enable us to connect to our students and by doing this, to have a higher performance in our classes.

It does not matter how or in what environment we teach, what matters is just to be able to teach. That is all.

PIXTON

Hello everyone. I have a great tool for you today. It is called Pixton. Pixton is a cartoon creation tool which allows us to create funny and enjoyable comics. Anyone can access and contribute to this community so we as teachers can use this platform especially for our younger students as they usually like comics. Below is a link for my class in this tool which is a comic I created for you to have a look at this tool.


https://app.pixton.com/#/

CANVAS

Hi again. Welcome back to my blog. I found out a great tool for teachers to create a digital classroom. Canva is a learning management system where your students can go for lessons, assignments, and content. We as teachers can interact with our students via this system as well. I tried to create a small teeny tiny account and designed a brochure for an assistant opening in a language school. You will see that you can use texts and also photos as well in order to take your students' attention.

https://www.canva.com/folder/all-designs