 |
 |
 |
Sheppard Software sounds more like a business than a learning site. But in fact, the opposite is true. This treasure trove of free learning games and activities is seemingly aimed at kids but has something fun and useful for all ages, including adults. There are also puzzles, logic activities, and memory and strategy games.
The three activities above can be found on the site’s Language Arts page, a natural first-stop for English learners. While the grammar games in general target younger learners, the animations are enjoyable and you may find yourself hooked before you know it.
Ready for a tougher challenge? Try the advanced vocabulary in context section. Native English-speaking college grads will run into trouble here, I guarantee!
But don’t stop with Language Arts — explore some of the other pages. The Geography section in particular is very well done and has been recognized by CNN as a “fun site of the week.” Its authors guarantee that “you will gain a mental map of the world’s continents, countries, capitals, & landscapes.”
And, you just might improve your chances of winning if you’re ever lucky enough to appear on Jeopardy! or Cash Cab. 
Thinking of adding a synchronous element beyond simple chat to your online or blended class? If so, and depending on your budget, you might want to consider Elluminate, a web conferencing program that provides virtual rooms or spaces for holding meetings and even entire classes.
There are loads of competing products. But I chose to highlight Elluminate today because I was impressed with its capabilities and performance during several recent webinars. It turns out that Elluminate also integrates with the Moodle learning management system, another feature I like.
If you look under the hood you’ll see that Elluminate has two modes: Participant and Moderator. The first is pretty easy. Most of the time you simply listen and watch the presentation, then text or raise your hand to ask a question, click Yes or No to answer a question, or choose A, B, C, or D in response to a poll. The size of an Elluminate session can range from private one-on-one meetings to hundreds of participants.
The Moderator mode (click for a larger view) is another story entirely. A moderator may go it alone or assign one or more co-moderators to help manage large webinars or to feature guest speakers. Moderators have a more powerful set of instruments at their disposal. They can control who talks to the group, shares the white board, chats in a breakout room, and lots more. As you might guess, the moderator role has a much steeper learning curve and takes training and practice to master.
Where to begin? Go to the Elluminate website. Everything that you could possibly want to learn awaits you there. Click on Support, then choose Training. From this page, you can view recorded tutorials and download various user and reference guides.
To register for free live moderator training, click the “Live Training Online” button and a table appears containing a menu of upcoming classes. I would suggest taking the courses in this order:
- Getting Started With Elluminate Live! For Moderators
- Next Steps With Elluminate Live! For Moderators
- Plan! Getting Started
Most of these sessions run for about 90 minutes, and you can retake them as many times as needed at no charge. The instructors I’ve had really know their stuff and guide you at a friendly, relaxed pace (a big thumbs up to Susan Withers!).
For additional practice, sign up for a free vRoom at LearnCentral.org, an Elluminate sponsor. This free room has only three seats but it’s a great place to hone your moderator skills before going live.
As I mentioned above, Moodle users can add even more functionality with the Elluminate Bridge for Moodle. This tool provides a number of options, including:
- Single sign-on launch of classroom from within Moodle
- Scheduling and delvery of Elluminate Live! sessions
- Single-click access to Elluminate sessions
- Ability to create, store, and view Elluminate recordings
More details are available here.
So how much does all of this cost? If you need more than three seats, you’ll pay a minimum of $49/month for a vSpace with up to 50 seats. But if you want additional components — Live!, Plan!, Publish!, or Bridge (for Moodle or other LMS) — you’ll have to contact the company for a quote. Be prepared to pony up!
Over the weekend, I revisited several free tools from Microsoft that teachers using Windows may want to look at and add to their arsenals.
The first, SkyDrive, is essentially a cloud-based locker where you can upload and store up to 25 GB of files, photos, songs, or videos. SkyDrive is password protected, allowing you to share files if you like. Uploading is as simple as logging in and dragging files from your computer into folders you create in your SkyDrive interface. The only requirement is a Windows Live ID, which you already have if you have a Hotmail, Messenger, or Xbox LIVE account. Sign-up is free.
Who should consider using SkyDrive?
- Anyone who doesn’t currently have online storage space with their school or institution, with their email provider, or with a web hosting service
- Those needing access to their files from more than one computer
- Anyone concerned about virus/malware infection from transferring data from one computer to another via flash/USB drive (a growing security concern)
The next offering is actually a suite of seven programs called Windows Live Essentials. The programs are grouped into four categories: IM and email (Messenger, Mail), Blogging (Writer), Photos and Movies (Photo Gallery, Movie Maker), and Web Browsing (Toolbar, Family Safety). You can download the entire suite or just the components you need or would like to try.
While most of this suite is new to me, I have used Movie Maker in the past and was very impressed with its capabilities and ease of use. Windows Live Essentials features an updated and improved version of this program that is even more powerful (Note: this version is not compatible with Windows XP). In short, it offers:
- Quicker movie-making
- Improved editing
- Slideshow creation
- Web publishing (new)
Movie Maker is one of the few programs I’ve found that lets you add music AND narration to your slideshow movies, and store them locally or on the Web. It is a fun, powerful tool that lends itself really well to story-telling activities.
Last but not least, if you or your students are looking for an economical (spelled “free”) antivirus program to protect your Windows computer, Microsoft Security Essentials is definitely worth considering. The only caveat is that your PC must be running genuine Windows to use the program. Once installed, MSE runs quietly and efficiently in the background, protecting your computer against viruses, spyware, and other malicious software.
How well does Microsoft Security Essentials stack up against its rivals? AV Comparatives awarded it an “Advanced” rating in its Feb. 2010 On-demand Comparative Report, slightly lower than the top paid brands but higher than the widely-downloaded freeware by AVG. And software and productivity blog LifeHacker ranked MSE as the “best-performing free antivirus” in its Dec. 23, 2009 report.
My own experience with this tool has been very positive. In particular, I appreciate the fact that MSE safeguards my PC without any noticeable drag on system performance. I would, however, recommend pairing MSE with a firewall other than the Windows Firewall bundled with your computer. PC Tools, Zone Alarm, and Online Armor (32-bit only) are excellent free alternatives.
Last week I had the good fortune to participate in an Elluminate webinar put on by Jeff Magoto of the University of Oregon’s Yamada Language Center. The topic was “ANVILL: Designing online speaking activities.”
ANVILL, which stands for “A National Virtual Language Lab”, is a speech-based course authoring tool for language teachers developed by the University of Oregon and Duber dot com.
Like Moodle or other CMS, ANVILL allows teachers to create and manage courses taught in face-to-face, blended, or distance modes, but with a more specific focus on language practice. Unlike Moodle, however, ANVILL cannot be downloaded and installed on a private server. According to Jeff, ANVILL can be accessed only from U. of Oregon servers, and its usage is restricted to teachers and schools based in the U.S., at least for now.
The webinar showcased a series of increasingly challenging tasks built around the topic, “English language learning in China.” It featured all of ANVILL’s tools for speech, including Practice Recorder, Livechat, Voiceboards, Quizzes and Surveys, and latest addition TCast (Teacher Cast), which allows teachers to add audio or video commentary anywhere in a lesson or task.
If the slideshow has whetted your appetite for more information and perspective about ANVILL and its design and capabilities, by all means listen to the entire recording of Jeff’s webinar at the Elluminate site.
Additional details of the project and its components can be viewed here.