Piktochart Practice

Characteristics of the Group

Age: Adolescents/Adults

Level: B2- C1

Comments: The students use their own laptops in class.

Directions

Start with a blank chart. Create an info-graphic advertisement promoting a good habit.

1.       Present your topic and support it with 3 reasons.

2.       Include at least 3 blocks;

3.       Each of them with a different background colour;

4.       Include one video, one graphic and one picture;

5.       Include text (short and sweet), and

6.       You may use icons.

Criteria for Evaluation

1.       Your topic should be clear and the reasons valid;

2.       Do not make any spelling or grammatical mistake, and

3.       Show that you know how to use Piktochart by using the elements required in an attractive way.

Remember you can check the tutorial to use this tool.

Piktochart Tutorial

How to Create an Account

Complete the form with your personal information and click “Create my account”. Do not forget to confirm your e-mail account. They will email you a link which you have to access in order to confirm your account. You can also create an account using your Facebook or Google account.

The free version is very useful but limited. By paying a small amount of money you can get pro and access to better templates and more advanced tools

How to Create a Piktochart

Immediately after you create your account you can start working.

1.       Click here to go back to this page (in case you are already working and you want to change the theme)

2.       Click here to see all your saved Piktocharts.

3.       Click here so see a drop down menu that contains options concerning the administration of your account and your saved projects.

4. Choose the format you prefer.

5.       Write on this bar the name of the theme that you need for easier search.

6.       Piktochart offers you some help in case you do not understand how to use this tool.

7.       Another way to find the appropriate theme is scrolling down until you find the right one.

1.       On a blank canvas you can add everything that you need: Graphics, background, texts, maps, graphs or videos.

2.       Click here to view a drop down menu with different icons separated into categories.

3.       Click here to add another block.

4.       Click here to view a drop down menu with different images separated into categories.

5.       Click here to upload images from your computer.

6.       Click on this button and then click on the letters in order to change the background colour.

7.       Click on this button to see some formats

8.       Click here to add a chart, video or map.

9.       Click here to see a drop down menu for saving or starting a new canvas.

10.   Click here to upload your canvas to SurveyMonkey.

11.   Save your canvas.

12. Download, publish or share it.

Publishing a Piktochart

Once you are satisfied with your work click “publish” and select whether you want to save it as download it as image (JPG or PNG), HTML or share it on a social network.

Example

About Piktochart

What is Piktochart?

Piktochart is an easy infographic tool/creator/maker/designer that requires very little effort. Information graphics or infographics are graphic visual representations of information, data or knowledge intended to present complex information quickly and clearly.

Why Use Piktochart?

Due to their ability to present a huge amount of information in concise chunks & giving numbers/data a visual appeal, infographics became one of the best ways to share and promote content virally. They can improve cognition by utilizing graphics to enhance the human visual system’s ability to see patterns and trends.

Fodey Practice

Characteristics of the Group

Age: Adolescents / Adults

Level: B2 C1

Comments: The students use their own laptops in class.

Directions

1. Search for some English or American newspapers online.

2. Create the introduction of an article from a newspaper. 

3. Add a headline and a date.
4. Send your newspaper clipping to your classmate and finish your classmate's article.

Criteria for Evaluation

1. The events should be clear and valid;

2. Do not make any spelling or grammatical mistake, and

3. Show that you know how to use Fodey by including: a headline, a date, an introduction. And send your newspaper clipping to your classmate.

Remember you can check the tutorial to use this tool.

Fodey Tutorial

1. You DO NOT need to create an account to work with this tool.
2. Although this page contains many other interesting tools, we will focus on the newspaper clipping generator.

3. Write a title for your newspaper.
4. Write the date and the headline.
5. Write or paste the article.
6. Click on "generate!".

7. Once you finish, download your image.

Example

About Fodey

What is Fodey?

Fodey is a web tool that allows the user to input text into a form and convert it into a variety of formats such as newspaper clippings, wizard text and talking owls.

Why Use Fodey?

Because it is very simple to use, free, very easy to download and embed, requires no login, and generates a bulletin board worthy product. Keep in mind that what the generator produces is, what looks like newspaper clippings, not whole articles. It also includes a range of functions/ ideas off the Fodey website, which could serve a number of purposes and provide a great resource to motivate learners.

Make Beliefs Comix Practice

Characteristics of the Group

Age: 11-year-olds

Level: B1

Comments: The students use their own laptops in class.

Directions

1. Find some comic books or comic strips from newspapers. Pay attention to the different bubbles which are used (thoughts, speech, exclamations, noises).

2. Create a comic strip by starting your storyline using this introduction: "What's wrong?".Use at least 3 panels.

3. Send your comic strip to your classmate and comment on your classmates' work.

Criteria for Evaluation

1. Your storyline should be clear and valid;

2. Do not make any spelling or grammatical mistake, and

3. Show that you know how to use Make Beliefs Comix by including: at least 3 panels, backgrounds, characters, bubbles and objects. 

Remember you can check the tutorial to use this tool.

Make Beliefs Comix Tutorial

1. You DO NOT need to create an account to work with this tool. Just click on "ENTER HERE!".

2. Write the title of the comic

3. Write the author's name.

4. Choose a background. You can also choose objects, exclamations, noises and number of panels here,

5. Choose the characters. Click on the character and it will appear on the selection window. If you click on the character selected it will appear on the panel selected.

6. Select the balloons or bubbles you need for each panel.

7. Click on "move" and then click on the character/object/bubble you want to place in another part of the panel.

8. Click on "scale" and then click on the character/object/bubble you want to make bigger or smaller.

9. Click on "back to front" and then click on the character/object/bubble to bring it to the front.

10. Click on "flip" an then click on the character/object/bubble if you want to flip it.

11.Click on "delete" and then on the character/object/bubble/background you want to erase.

12. You can start it over.

13. Or finish you work, save, print or send your comic via e-mail.

14. You can go back and edit, create a new comic, print and/or save your work or email it.

Example

About Make Beliefs Comix

What is Make Beliefs Comix?

It is an educational comic strip creator from author Bill Zimmerman. You can create, print, email and post to some social media channels your original comic strips. It provides comic strip making fun for kids of all ages. You just need to tap into your rich imagination to create your own world and stories with help from our easy-to-use comic strip generator.

Why Use Make Beliefs Comix?

Because it is an engaging tool for children as they can create humorous dialogues and stories describing different situations and events and, of course, work on image-based narrative. Besides, it is very easy to use and share.

PowToon Practice

Characteristics of the Group

Age: Adolescents/Adults

Level: B2 -C1

Comments: The students use their own laptops in class.

Directions

Look for information on healthy and unhealthy food  and habits and some pictures that represent each category.

Create a 2-3 minutes video promoting good habits.

Criteria for Evaluation

1. Your topic should be clear and the reasons valid;

2. Do not make any spelling or grammatical mistake, and

3. Show that you know how to use Powtoon by including: one video, uploaded pictures, animations, icons, audio and text. Make it in a tidy and comprehensible way.

4. Make sure that you have enough music for your video, and that there are no silent parts.  

Remember you can check the tutorial to use this tool.

Powtoon Tutorial

How to Create an Account

Complete the form with your personal information and click “register”.

Do not forget to confirm your e-mail account. They will email you a link which you have to access in order to confirm your account. You can also create an account using your Facebook or Google account.

The free version is very useful but limited. By paying a small amount of money you can get pro and access to better templates, more advanced tools and longer videos.

How to create a presentation

1. Choose your category.

2. Choose a template. Some categories do not have templates.

3. Give a name to your presentation and write a short description.

Once you select a category and a template PowToon will provide you with a short tutorial with some tricks that you can apply to your presentation.

Now, you can start creating a video. Your working screen will look like this:

1. Click here to start a new presentation.

2. Click here to save changes.

3. Click here to add music.

4. Click to add images.

5. Click here to add text.

6. Click here to preview your presentation.

7. Export your video to Youtube.

After you fulfill all the requirements.

8. On this side you can see the progression of your movie/slides.

9. Here you drop and organize all the elements you need

10. This bar shows you the time progression of each slide. Automatically they last 10 seconds, but you can make them longer or shorter according to your needs.

11.   12. 13.    

14.   On this side of the screen you can find different text formats, image holders, characters, animations, props, markers, shapes and backgrounds.

15.   Duplicate slide.

16.   Clone objects to new slides.

17.   Click here to switch project modes: movie /slide.

18.   Click here to add or delete a slide

19.   Click here to flip the object.

20.   Click here to enter effect with or without a hand.

21.   Click here to exit with or without a hand.

Example

About PowToon

What is Powtoon?

PowToon is an online presentation software. It allows anyone to create animated videos that can be exported to YouTube for free. The free videos include the PowToon branding and users need to pay to remove it.

Why Use Powtoon?

Quite frequently, videos are used in the ELT classroom in order to foster visual and auditory memory. The teacher can create any kind of video that she need, or even allow students to create their own materials or carry on presentations in a more innovating way.

About Web 2.0 applied to English Teaching

The term appeared first in an online article by Downes in 2005, referring to a second phase of e-learning embedded in Web 2.0 environments. It describes a new generation of e-based learning environments that allow students to create content, collaborate with peers to form a learning network with distribution of content creation and responsibilities.   The key components to Web 2.0 are its tools that allow for collaboration and social interaction to take place and the fact that students take an active part in all aspects of their learning experience by content creation and learning management on an ongoing basis.

The relationship of Web 2.0 to language learning is considered in all its breadth, from its use to promote diverse skills (e.g., listening, speaking, reading, or writing) to its relationship with an array of cognitive and social processes (e.g., identity formation, critical literacy, information overload). Contributions to understanding Web 2.0 in higher education settings are particularly valuable, though many of the topics will be of value to those interested in K-12 education as well.

Web 2.0 is different:

*       Speed - Broadband connectivity and high speed wireless and mobile connections have enabled much of the changes that have occurred.

*       Web based software and applications - The development of more complex programming languages combined with more sophisticated web browsers have enabled users access software tools online without downloading and in many cases without paying for them.

*       Platform based services - Instead of providing content, many web companies now provide platforms such as YouTube, Digg, Blogger , etc.

*       User generated content - Users of these services create and share their own content.

*       Rich media content - Connection speeds have enabled the web to deliver audio, video and fast interactive games of a high quality without wait time.

*       Complex social interactions - Interaction through websites and web services have become much more complex and users can now share a vast array of content and information and collaborate for more rapidly and easily.

*       New business models - Most successful web 2.0 products and services are free for anyone to use.

*       Democratization - This has been described as the democratization of the web. It is no longer a broadcast medium controlled by website owners and web masters. Now anyone can contribute what they know and share it with anyone else

What does web 2.0 have to offer teachers?

 There are a number of ways these changes have enhanced the learning potential of the web. Web 2.0 enables:

*       Socialization - Through socialization our students can use the language and skills they are learning to build networks and develop relationships with real people.

*       Collaboration - They can work together with others to construct and share real knowledge.

*       Creativity - They can create genuine products, in a wide range and combination of media to high standards, which will have a real audience.

*       Authenticity - The tasks and activities they do and the people they communicate with to do them are real and motivating.

Sources:

Michael Thomas, 2009, Information Science Reference, New York, Handbook of Research on Web 2.0 and Second Language Learning.

Nik Peachey, Web 2.0 Tools for Teachers

Introduction

INSPT - UTN
Teacher: Paula Ledesma
Subject: ICT Applied to English Teaching

Welcome to my blog!!!

Purpose: It has been created to design ELT activities which involve the application of five different Web 2.0 tools . Here you will also find the tutorials for each tool.

I hope you enjoy it and find it useful.

About Web 2.0 applied to English Teaching

Create an animation video

• About PowToon
• PowToon tutorial
• PowToon practice

Create a comic

• About Make Beliefs Comix
• Make Beliefs Comix tutorial
• Make Beliefs Comix practice

Create a newspaper

• About Fodey
• Fodey tutorial
• Fodey practice

Create a canvas

• About Piktochart
• Pictochart tutorial
• Piktochart practice