View Your Mailvu!

Assalamualaikum and Hi to all

This is the latest website that I am going to share with you. It is called the Mailvu. Mailvu is a video recording tool which allows you to record your video and speak about whatever you want and send it to your friends. This website is fantastic as it is free (unless if you need other services like putting the widget onto your website) and it can be done in just a few steps. This tool is probably one of the popular online video tool that is used for marketing purposes as it allows marketers to engage with their audience. Unlike Audioboo, this tool allows you to record video, which is more convincing as the audience will be able to see your face and body gestures while listening to the recording. Not only that, it allows the customers to record their testimonials and put it into the blog or website which certainly be more interesting. Not only business, Mailvu can also be used for leisure purpose as well as education. The recording can be up to 10 minutes which is long enough for a video recording. The organisation of the website is fairly satisfying as there are not too many thumbnails and you can just record from the homepage.

Mailvu and language learning.

The existence of online video recording makes the communication between teacher and students. This is because students can interact with their teachers (what I mean by interacting is that students and teachers will be able to see each other's face) easily and more frequent. If the students have any problems with a particular lesson and need to consult the teacher outside the classroom, they can just send their Mailvu to the teachers. Teachers will also be able to reply and give feedback even if they are at home, which is likely to produce instant result. Not only that, Mailvu can be used as an idea of connected classroom where the lesson taught in the class can be reflected using Mailvu. For example the teacher can pre teach the students some vocabulary items of describing a person in the class then ask students to describe about their best friend at home, using Mailvu. The students will be able to not only speak but make use of the video by showing pictures of their friends of any related pictures. This will make the lesson more interesting as thus motivate students in language learning.

Is it difficult?

As I said, the steps are fairly easy as you do not have to register in order to make recording and send it to someone. All you need to do is just record, information such as name, email address and subject then you are ready to send.

Recording can be made directly at the homepage 

Just edit the video information and then you can send
it to your friends.

Advantages of this website:


1. It allows you you connect with your friend any time you want whether your friend is online or offline as you just have to record and send it to their emails
2. Students will be able to engage in the classroom teaching through connected classroom. They can apply what they learn in the class, make a video and send it to their teacher.
3. Teachers can also know about the students by using this video for self introduction. So teacher will be able to get access to the information whenever necessary.
4. It can enhance students motivation for communicating they are able to preview their recording. This will allow them to reflect and improve in the future.

Disadvantages of this website:


1. It does allow you to embed your recording for free. You have to pay for extra services if you need them. For example, if you would like to have this widget on your website, you have to pay USD5. (This is what I get from the website: http://mailvu.com/blog/how-to-add-a-video-email-widget-to-your-website/

Apart from that, I do not see any disadvantages of this website and this website is one of the websites that I like the most. Here is the link to the website:
http://mailvu.com/

Discussion? Don't Worry, Here's the Solution

Assalamualaikum and Hi to all.

In this entry, I am going to share TWO simple yet very useful websites that are used for group discussions. The first one is called Todays’ Meet. This website allows users to discuss about any topic by creating a particular page which is accessible to the people who wish to join the group. Person who wishes to start a discussion will have to create a specific room which will then be joined by other participants. The name of the room will be appeared in the URL of the website and the participants can join by typing in the URL. You can also choose how long the room will be available; which means that the room will be deleted automatically after the period of time. This website is very useful for classroom teaching as it allows students and teachers to have a live online discussion after a particular lesson without having to do a lot of speaking.

Have a look at these steps:

Step 1: Name the room. You can select how long
you want it to exist.

Step 2: Write your name and click Join. Then you can post
your text.

The second website, which is called the Wallwisher is similar to the first one (This is the main reason why I put them in the same entry) as it also allows an online discussion. However, discussion in this tool is done using a principle of sticky notes and it has other supplementary factors that makes it rather interesting. Users can choose from various different background for the board which is available before the wall is created. Apart from that, the person who creates the wall can choose a picture for the wall as well as edit titles and subtitles, which are not available in Today's Meet. This tool can also be used in the classroom for online discussion. However, this website requires you (if you create the wall) to submit your email and the wall will be directed from your email. During the discussion, you will be able to upload pictures, audio or video link if necessary onto the wall which makes the discussion more interesting.

You can choose different background, edit title and subtitle
as well as customise your preferences.

Example of my embedded wall.

Some of the advantages of this website:

1. It saves a lot of time and money as the discussion can just be done online. The users do not have to travel to discuss rather they just meet on the website.

2.  It is quick and easy. There is no registration needed and the steps are very simple; it can be done within a few clicks! 

3. Helps students to engage with the discussion. They can voice out their opinions without having to speak. This will help students who have lower level of proficiency to give ideas.

Some of disadvantages of this website:

1. It may be not suitable for a long discussion or explanation as it may distract the space.
2. May not be practical to be carried out in some classroom due to facilities. Students need a computer in doing this activity; which may be difficult if there are no or less computers.
3. It does not involve communicating as the discussion is done online. This may result in meaning distortion as the students are not able to elaborate their opinion.
4. It may not be suitable for young learners as this tool is designed for discussion rather than other educational website that promotes language learning.

Here are the links to the websites:
1. Today's Meet
http://todaysmeet.com/
2. Wallwisher
http://www.wallwisher.com/

Hello Elllo!

Assalamualaikum and Hi to all.

In this entry, I would like to share a website that can be used for listening activity. It is called Elllo. This website offers thousands of listening materials either audio clips or video clips uploaded by people all around the world such as England, United States of America, China, Vietnam and a lot more. It  provides numerous activities that the students can benefit from such as vocabulary, information gap, quizzes, comprehension as well as games. The clips in this website are clustered into five different sections which are News, Views, Games, Videos, and Mixer and users will be able to search the clips through those sections. However, because there are massive number of clips as well as their functions, the organization of this website seems a bit problematic that it makes the users difficult to search their favourite clips. Nonetheless, this website is still a powerful tool because it allows people to upload their materials based on any topic that they like which is very good because it promotes personalization. This means that people can talk about whatever topic that they like and appeal to them and then upload it onto the website.So the topic will be more authentic because the speaker speaks based on his or her personal experience.

Listen and Learn the language!


Apart from listening to the clips, there a lot of activities that come together with the materials which help the students in language learning. There are vocabulary practises as well as comprehension exercises that assist learners in understanding the materials and improve their language. One particular thing that I like about vocabulary practise is it does not only say the word and gives definition, like most of the website do, but also demonstrate on how to use it in a suitable context. I found this very helpful because sometimes you may know the definition and how to pronounce certain words but it is different when putting them into context. This is very helpful for students because they will be able to know how to use the words in their writing. Apart from that, there is also transcription of the clips which the students can refer to while they are listening. This is also important for them to familiarise with the language.

Have a glance at the page!

The following pictures are taken under Video section.

More than one thousand clips to choose from!

Good quality of video.

Video quizzes.

Lesson relating to the video.

Advantages of this website.


1. There are various topic to choose from. Students will be able to choose clips based on any topics that they prefer.
2, Audio clips can be downloaded into a playlist available in the website or even into the computer which is very convenient and easy.
3. The handout can also be downloaded or printed.
4. variety of English accents. This is because there are more that one thousand people of different countries speaking and the students will be able to hear variety of accents which will help them in the future context. For example if they further their study in a foreign country where there are multicultural students speaking the language.
5. Develop autonomous learning; students will be able to learn on their own.
6. Promote multiple intelligence. This is because the students are not only limited to the listening skills but also exposed to visual and writing.
7. Promote Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL). Students will be able to learn the language through a particular content such as sports or culture.

Disadvantages of the website.


1. There are too many advertisements which may be confusing. Users sometimes may find it difficult to differentiate between content and advertisement. It will definitely be disturbing if we accidently click at the advertisement.
2. The video cannot be downloaded. The video clips are available for online streaming only and they cannot be downloaded.

I hardly found any other disadvantages to this website as I personally like this tool very much and I believe that it will be a great tool for language learning.

Here is the link to the website:
http://www.elllo.org/

Meet the Boo!

Assalamualaikum and Hi to all.

In this entry, I would like to share a website that is very useful in doing Podcasting. For those who are new to the term, Podcast is a way of recording either audio or video and usually can be downloaded from the Internet. Using Podcasting as a main medium, Audioboo allows people to upload their voice recording onto the Internet, which can be access by anyone who are using the tool. This website is currently one of the famous website for information sharing and is very useful for people who are doing business as they can use this platform for online promotion. Not only that for business purposes, most of the users use this tool for leisure purposes as they can speak about everything that they like or even sing a song!

Audioboo and language learning.

Despite the huge advantages on business, Audioboo can also be used a medium for language learning, especially those who are learning a second language. Students can exploit this website to practise communicating skills as they can upload their audio and listen to their own recording as well as share it with their friends or teachers. By doing so, it will likely to enhance their confidence in speaking as they are not communicating face-to-face but rather speaking to the computer. It is important to know that some students are less confidence to speak in the public due to poor language proficiency but this website allows them to practise their script beforehand yet they still get to share their thoughts with public.

How to do it?


It is not difficult to use this tool as it is free and easy to operate. All you need to do is just sign up for free account (which is needed is you would like to put your podcast online) as well as have the microphone ready. The maximum recording that you are allowed to is 3 minutes and the recording will be automatically stopped after that. The recording can be made either by record it instantly or upload other existing audio file from your computer. You can always delete the recording that you have made and make a new one if you are not happy with it, which I found very convenient. Then you just have to follow some simple steps, as shown below:

step 1: click Make a Recording button

Step 2: Choose whether to record
it online or upload it from your file.

Step 3: Start the recording. After finish
the recording, click "Happy? Add title'
button.

Step 4: After editing your Boo, click Publish.
It will then be saved in your profile.

Example of my Audioboo

Advantages of Audioboo.

1. Allow audio sharing from all over the globe.

2. Platform for marketing management;

   a. It is fast and can reach people within a single click.

   b. It is cost free 

   c. Saves a lot of time because marketers do not have to come for meeting but they can just do it online.

3. Allow sharing on Facebook,Twitter, Blogs as well as Itunes

4. You can follow other people's profile and listen to their Boos.

5. You can download this application into your smartphones.

Disadvantages of Audioboo

1. It does not allow video recording as you can only record your voice.

2. No face-to-face interaction

3. You can not record anything longer than 3 minutes.

   a.  If you have a longer information to convey, it will need you to do it in two or more different Boos. 

   b. You have to compress ideas within a short period of time, which may result in less information sharing.

Here is the link to the website:
http://audioboo.fm/

Educational Trip to Australia.

Assalamualaikum and Hi to all.

For this week entry, there is one particular website that I would like to share which is beneficial for teachers as well as students to make use of the available resources for language teaching and learning. It is called the National Film and Sound Archive which contain hundreds of audio and video clips related to the Australian context. Although the topics are about Australian environment, teachers are still able to use this website for learning purposes because this website also provide guidelines of how the materials can be used in class. It is also a good tool for learning Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) as the students get to learn the language through particular content. For example, students in Malaysia will also be able to explore this website and learn about Australian community as well as improving their English as a second language. Apart from that, it also offers  a range of topics that teachers can choose from such as history, ceremony, arts, education a lot more. So teachers and students can choose the topic of their interest, see the video and also download it if they wish to. The process of streaming and downloading the audio or video clip is not complicated as they web developer has provide clear instructions and it can just be done with a click.

Variety of topics available.

Need some guide?


As I mentioned, this website is easy to operate and I have explored one particular section which I will show you the content. The section that I choose is Arts Portal.

Arts Portal section

There are two main sections under this topic which visual arts and performance arts. This two topics are similar and you can just choose which topics suit you best. There is also a clear description of what this section is all about so that you will be able to get a general overview of the section. Apart from that, there are also featured videos suggested in the page which are related to the topic.

List of labels, featured video and highlighted clips available.

If you click on one of the topics ( visual or performing arts), you will be taken to the requested page and there will be a list of labels which relates to the previous topic that you have chosen. there will also be a suggested video and highlighted clips that relates to the topic. Then you will be able to see video and audio clip suggestions that are arranged according to the level of the students. There will also be suggestions for classroom activity as well as further resources for students to access.

Different levels to choose from.

Available video to stream and download, description
of the video, suggestion for activity and further
resources.

Advantages of the website.

1. It has variety of topics to choose from which make the learning process become interesting. This is because students can choose the topic of their interest.

2.  Students have the opportunity to learn about other culture and develop the language from the materials.

3. The archive is arranged in different levels so that it will be easier for learners to choose clips based on their level.

4. The quality of video is very satisfying even if you download it.

5. The topics are well organised that it helps users a lot to locate their preferred clips.

6. Students get to share the materials on Facebook as well as twitter which is good as it allows interaction with other people.


Disadvantages of the website.

1. One particular thing that I dislike the most is the audio provided when you enter the Arts Portal section. There is no control button and the audio will go on until you click on another subtopic, which is very annoying.

2. The content is limited to the Australian context, which may not be familiar to some students and may result in less effective in language learning.

Here is the link to the website:

http://nfsa.gov.au/learning/digital-learning/

Let's 'Play' English!

Assalamualaikum and Hi to all.

Have you ever feel bored learning English the traditional way? Well I am going to introduce a website which is very useful in learning English. Not just learning, but learning in a fun way! It is called ClicknLearn. This website, unlike other educational website offers variety methods in learning English. It is fun and easy because it has fantastic interface and sound effect, just like most of the online-gaming websites. If you are a person who likes playing games, yet still want to learn some English, this is just a correct website for you. This website is design for a Spanish-learning-English context but the content are all in English. This website consists of quite a number of different levels that the students can choose from. Each level is has three different difficulties which are easy, intermediate and advanced.

Different levels available on top left corner.

Example 1:  Activity page.

Example 2: Activity page

How about the content?

The content in every section is designed based on topic which means that the students have to complete the exercises based on the topics such as cloths, schools, shops, sports and a lot more which I personally think worth to discover. The exercises at the lower levels are designed to exposed students to vocabulary items that are used in different context so that they will be familiar with the particular context. There are also pictures indicating the vocabulary items and sometimes it also requires students to memorise and then complete the gap activity. At the higher level, there are grammar activity as well as activities related to the issues and culture which the students of higher level might find it interesting and challenging. However, most of the activities related to the topic culture is designed based on Spanish culture, which might not be familiar for students from different country. 

Advantages of this website:

1. Rather different from any other educational websites that stick to formal style.

2. It is fun and interactive as learners get to do the activity based on various topics.

3. It caters different level of students.

4. It is free and easy to operate.

Disadvantages to the website:

1. The instruction is in Spanish which is not understandable to learners of different context.

2. Some of the activity relates to the Spanish context which may result in difficulties for some learners

3.  Sound effect while initialising the webpage may be annoying to some users including me.

Here is the link to the website.

http://clicknlearn.net/

Watch movie? Well, Zimmer it!

Assalamualaikum and Hi to all.

This time around, I am going to show another fantastic website for those who have passion in directing a movie. It is called the Zimmer Twins! This fun and free website allows you to create your own movie, well cartoon of course and share it with your friends. Not only can it be used for entertainment purposes, it also suitable for educational purpose. This website encourage students, especially young learners to develop the skill in creative language which can be demonstrate in a form of a short movie. It is fun and very attractive because it offers a lot of situations so that they can almost create their own storyline. It is not complicated because this website, in my opinion, is designed for young people because it requires you to register with the parent's email address. After you have registered, you can straightaway make a movie and save it in your profile.

Fun interface!

Apart from creating a movie, you can also watch other people's movie, usually the site editors. This is located under the label Spotlight and you can find a lot of interesting movies uploaded by them, and get an idea for a movie of your own.

The process of making a movie is not difficult. All you need to do is just choose different scenarios listed and arrange them in the timeline provided. You can also insert text to make your movie more realistic. After you have finish, you can save it in your profile so that you will be able to retrieve it anytime you like.


Advantages of this website:


1. It allows language development in a creative way.
2. It is free and fun as well as suitable for young learners
3. You can save you movie in the profile and retrieve them anytime you want.
4. Encourage children to learn language.
5. Not complicated for parents to monitor their children.
6. It does not contain any inappropriate content.
7. You can comment on the video that you have made.

Disadvantages of this website:


1. It rather annoying to have parents' email address for registration. Also you need to go to the email and verify the username before you can actually use it
2. It does not allow you to watch different users' movie. You just get to watch your own movie and the site editors movie.
3. It also does not allow you to embed your video onto your blog! I made one but I could share it here as it does not allow to.

Here is the link to the website:
http://www.zimmertwins.com/