Bill Gates once said “Technology is just a tool. In terms of getting the kids working together and motivating them, the teacher is the most important”. And that quotation clearly states the main purpose for me of this awesome seminar. Those wonderful days learning about the use of ICT as a big umbrella that convert teachers as resourceful ones, made me think that the solution to motivate students when learning English as an L2 was there.

First, it was a great challenge  because I have never worked and prepared materials for classes using technology, but then, when exploring different tools, apps, programmes, it was like an awesome experience. From that moment on, I think that using technology when teaching English efficiently leads to a successful learning and acquisition of the language. In fact, this seminar helps us discover a bunch of online resources available so as to work with them in a more interactive and technological class, thanks to its significant influence on the teaching environment.

In this blog, I am going to present all the websites we have explored and tools we have worked with. My comments, productions and opinion about them are also going to be shared here.

Let’s enjoy it !

Cools tools for schools: ToonDoo

From all the tools presented in "Cools tools for schools" that are divided into different categories, I have chosen ToonDoo. It is a drawing tool for creating cartoons online about any topic.

I have created one cartoon on the worrisome theme "NI UNA MENOS!", for students in the pre-intermediate level of English, to reflect upon and draw conclusions about it.

Moreover, I prepared another cartoon to introduce Christmas to my little kids.

In fact, , different groups will enjoy working on cartoon creations and also on thinking about them.

TED: Ideas worth spreading

This is a serious website where users can find many influential videos from professional speakers on education, politics, business, and other interesting topics.

What I really like about this site is that you have hundreds of videos available to use when teaching, and depending on the topic that you are working with, you can select a different video. 

I have chosen one called "The power of passion and perseverance", and I would really like to show it, first to my colleagues, and then to my friends, and to some of my students in the intermediate level. We will all end up learning about the significance of having those two qualities, i.e, being passionate and determined.

Prezi

Prezi is a presentation software where you can create great presentations for then, sharing them to other users in our virtual world.

I have used this tool for presenting a chapter from the book “Creativity in the English Language Classroom”.

I really like this took because you can use templates and different bubbles and colours to make a vivid presentation. However, some of the disadvantages of using it when we have to present a work on a certain topic is that we cannot download a prezi anymore, and also, these presentations do not work when we do not have internet connection.

So maybe, sometimes, instead of presenting this tool to students, we could work on other softwares where we can download productions. Actually, students will enjoy exploring those fantastic tools too.

In the following link, you could enjoy my presentation on the chapter:

"Personal and creative short-story telling: telling our stories":

https://prezi.com/djv_1worjli7/personal-and-creative-short-story-telling/

Technology resources awakening curiosity: PowToon

All the tools shown at the slideshare presentation "Technology resources awakening curiosity" are amazing.

To work with, I have chosen PowToon. This is a website where you can make videos in just a few minutes. It is free and easy to use. Moreover, you can use different templates, colours, pictures, videos, music, shapes, fonts, and other visual aids.

I have created a presentation on the"English Institute Rules", for showing it at the beginning of the next year. I think that students will enjoy it and they will also learn about what they should do and should not do in class.

I was amazed at this tool since we can create animated presentations in an easy and interactive way with just some clicks and following some steps. This is a great tool for introducing at secondary school where students can present their works or projects in a creative way. 

Photo Essay : Issu

A photo essay is a series of photographs that conveys a story, usually accompanied by a written text and published as a book. I have uploaded my photo essay on ISSU.

Issu is a digital publishing platform delivering exceptional reading experiences of magazines, catalogues, newspapers, etc. Or you can use it to create a personal library and follow cool publishers.

In my case I used it to share the short story I have written in English Language IV. After adding pictures to my word document, I converted it into a Pdf document and then I uploaded it to this great platform.

https://issuu.com/marimontenegro/docs/short_story_._montenegro

What is so outstanding is that you can share your production with different users all over the world with just sharing the link of it or sharing it on Facebook or other Social Networks.

Interestingly, the audience can enjoy the productions as if they are a real book passing pages with just a click.

I think that it would be great if we implement the use of Issu with adult learners or maybe with students at university of English language I, to share their narratives.

I would like to implement it with my 3rd grade group that are working with descriptions and then, creating an online book all together using this amazing tool.

Mindmap: Cacoo

Cacoo is an online diagram and flowchart software.We used it for creating a diagram on the book Seven complex lessons in education for the future by Edgar Morin.

This tool is easy to use and when creating your diagrams you can use pictures, different shapes, colours, and even emojis. All the necessary elements to create vivid mindmaps are there. Besides, it is useful to use it when students need to do a summary of any topic and they can collaboratively work and participate on the assignment without needing to be in the same place. In fact, from their computers, they all work at the same time. That is incredible.

I think that teenagers and adults can accurately work with such an amazing tool.

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