Animoto and Skype with ePals

Animoto is an online application that enables the users to put images or video clips together to make a short movie. In classrooms this can be used for introduction or summary of projects. For example, when students have a project, they can briefly present what they found and learned using their own creativity. They actually post their products to share other people on their blogs or through other means. With ePals where students exchange ideas and knowledge with students around the world, Animoto is a great tool to show diverse perspectives and ideas about the topic. There are some projects that really interest me and will likely to interest my future students as well such as “global worming” and “the way we are”. Students may make a movie to show what efforts their country is making to keep this planet green for global worming project. Moreover, to show their daily lives and culture, and to learn those of others’, students can also make short movie with photos and videos of themselves.

I am sure that while students are learning cooperatively, they probably have a desire to see and talk to each other more substantially. Skype would help in such case when the time zones of each classroom allow them to do so. This will promote students’ learning of other culture as well as the contents of the subject.

ePals, connect and learn

Features of ePals
ePals is a tool that is specialized for collaborative learning by connecting one classroom to another that is thousands miles away. The key features of ePals are that it provides school mail and school blog, and matches classrooms with the same project or learning interests. ePals’ email and blog have the same functions as the other email portals and blogs BUT are more applicable in classrooms with the following reasons:

• It has language translation function of 8 languages
• Teachers and school administrators can monitor students’ emails or postings
• Through ePals, parents also monitor and see the results’ of school activities

As a result, students can exchanges their ideas and knowledge with the other students in the world in a guided path.

In addition, ePals enables learners to develop autonomous learning habit. On the Web page, it provides 7 areas of subjects that students can work in collaboration (e.g. global worming). One think that really helpful for teachers and students is
For teachers: Learning sequence is given
For students: Relevant information and links are given
With the sequence and the information, a classroom connects to other classroom to share their learning experiences and information. Students can also discuss in an open forum for specific ideas and interests related to the topic they are learning.

In my teaching
While exploring ePals, I thought this tool could be a wonderful resource for Content-Based language teaching and learning (CBL). In CBL, content is carried with the means of language and language is acquired by learning the content. Even though ePals has a language translation function, posts and exchanges are written trough the medium of English. This prevailing use of English might pose some problems for non-English speaking classrooms; however, it is very feasible for language learners, especially in CBL classrooms. ePals will be great motivation for students to keep learning in both language and content area.

Great motivational tool

BIG HUGE LABS (BHL) : this simple but interesting application gives a lot of fun by just clicking and choosing photos from Flickr or from their own. There are two reaons that English teachers should use this tool in the language classroom. One is that this application is fun because it allows the users to creat their own poster which can motivate the students by including studetns ideas, thoughts and personal experiences. Second, it is easy. Students can create unique posters with some photos in a minute. Since the tool povides frame that the users can select within few options, no efforts or elaboration is needed for making the format.

Then, how can a teacher apply this tool in education? I would use BHL for pre or post activity of any kind. The puropse of poster is usually advertising or showing what will be on the show or exibition. The class may be preparing a play and making a poster would be one part or the preperation (I would ask them to do this during the preperation or after the show for various purposes). Also I would jsut ask each group to create a poster for an imaginary TV show and let the rest of group to guess the story from the poster. Guessing always make students excited.

When I had to ask students to creat posters, I used to be frustrated because it takes a long time to make. In addition, when photos are needed students are reluctant to put their photos on the poster because usually they are not reusable. However, with BHL and Flickr there would be no such worries.

Creative commons licenses

Creative commons licensing allows the photographers to decide to what extent their photos can be used by other people. There are four types of licensing which put different limitations on using photos.

1. Attribution: Users basically can copy and post selected photos of others. Derivative works are allowed only when it gives credit.


2. Noncommercial: Users can copy, post and do derivative works but for noncommercial purposes.
   
3. No Derivative Works: Users can copy and post only the original copies of photos. No derivative works can be done.


4. Share Alike: Distributing derivative works are allowed only under the same license.

By Koinos Zoi

The photographers can combine one or more types licensing according to how they want their picture to be used. In this way Creative commons licenses protect copy right of the photos.