Activity on Penzu

This is an EFL activity that can be used with different groups of students and thus can be adapted accordingly. In this case, the idea is that each member of a group of 11-year-olds creates their own report on healthy and unhealthy food. They will look for information and pictures, write a report and ultimately share ideas with the rest of the class. 

Activity

You will use Penzu to carry out this activity. If you are not familiar with this tool, you may see this tutorial that will provide you with some help. 

1. You will look for information on healthy and unhealthy food and some pictures that represent each category.
2. Start a Penzu document and write a title that shows what it is that you are going to make your report about, for example, "Healthy vs Unhealthy Food".
3. Once you do so, you have to write about the benefits and/or drawbacks of healthy and unhealthy food and insert pictures to illustrate your point.
4. When your report is ready, share your ideas with the class. You may also print it.

Evaluation Criteria

• Research done on the topic.
• Appropriate grammar and vocabulary.
• Use of the tool.
• Mention the sources you have consulted. 

Glogster Tutorial

Glogster is a Web 2.0 tool to create virtual online posters known as “glogs” that include different types of multimedia, that is, text, audio, video, and images. This poster-creation tool can be used for fun or leisure and also for educational purposes. Glogster used to be completely free, but nowadays users need to sign up and when they do so they have to choose a plan and pay a fee accordingly. It should be highlighted that nowadays Glogster is Glogster EDU because it is specially designed for educators; teachers create an account and are provided with a password for their students. Educators are allowed to firstly create a free account which is actually a free trial.

The main difference between Glogster and Glogster EDU is basically that the latter is particularly used in and designed for education, and thus includes new options, such as presentations, portfolios, students and classes, and also includes graphics which are related to different subjects, anatomy, languages, math and art to name but a few.

In this entry, I will focus on Glogster. Glogster, as already mentioned, is a useful tool students may profit from, for they can do many things with it and have fun at the same time.

Tutorial

Once you have created an account, you need to start using it. Here you have these steps that hopefully will help you!

1. Firstly you need to select a template.

2. Once you have chosen it, you will see your glog and a toolbar. There are different elements that you can insert: text, graphics, image, audio, video and data.

Click on the element of the bar that you want to include, explore the different things offered and select what you want. Place the elements on your glog either by dragging and dropping them or by previewing them and then pressing the “use it” button. Once the elements are placed on your glog, you may move and rotate them.

3. You can increase or reduce the size of the elements of the glog by selecting the objects and pressing the arrow to enlarge or reduce them. You may rotate them as well.

4. You may change the colour of the objects by pressing the pipette button. Then, you just select the colour you want. 

5. If the element chosen is text, click on it and write your message.

6. Press on graphics in the toolbar to include pictures. You can also upload your own pictures and photos by clicking on image, in the toolbar.

7. You may also upload or link videos, audio and data to your glog by clicking on those buttons in the toolbar.

8. You can personalize your glog even more by clicking on wall. There, you can choose the background, either by uploading a picture, by choosing a solid colour, selecting a template from one of the folders Glogster offers or using a picture from the web.

9. You can duplicate objects by clicking on the third button. You may even lock elements by clicking on the padlock if you want them to remain in the same place; this way, the elements cannot be deleted or moved by accident.

10. Add as many details as you want to.

11. Once you finish, you click on the “preview” button either at the top or at the bottom of the page. If you are satisfied with and like your glog, save it by clicking on the “save” button.

12. When you save it, you decide whether to make your glog private or public.

Note: You can edit your glog later. 

Here is a sample of a Glog:

See an Activity on Glogster

Bibliography

Shinas, V., & Karchmer-Klein, R. (n.d.). Teaching With Glogster: Using Virtual Posters in the Classroom - ReadWriteThink. Retrieved November 1, 2014, from http://www.readwritethink.org/professional-development/strategy-guides/teaching-with-glogster-using-30790.html 

Pinterest Tutorial

Pinterest is a free tool to collect, store and share “pins” with other people.  Users create a board that is usually organized around one central topic, in which all the pins chosen are seen. These pins are images and other types of media, such as videos or texts (websites). Users then pin items, create boards, and interact with other members of Pinterest.

In order to include pins in their boards, users use the “Pin It” button. The content, i.e., pins, can be found in different boards of Pinterest or even outside of Pinterest, using the "Pin It" button as well.

Pinterest may be a valuable tool in education, for it may fulfil different purposes, for instance, it may be great for organising information and brainstorming ideas - students may creat a board on a certain topic and pin pictures accordingly - and for sharing content with others. At the same time, as suggested by the BBC, students may:

• Compile content, including educational video
• Organise and store ideas
• Connect and comment on students’ work
• Make connections with other teachers and get ideas for future projects
• Create group projects: community boards can be perfect for collaborative projects

Tutorial

Once you have created your account, it is time to start using it!

1. This will be your dashboard. You may start by searching "pins". Click on the search bar and type what you are looking for.

Once you do so, several items will be shown; you select the ones you want and then click on the "Pin it" button. 

2. Then you will have to choose where to place the new pin: this may be either an existing board or a new one that you create in the moment. If this is the case, you name the board and add a description of it.

3. When you return to your dashboard, the new board with the pins you have added will be there.

4. You may see the new board and add more pins if you want to. 

5. Another option would be to create a new board from the dashboard. Click on "Create a board", name it, and provide a description of it and a category. 

6. Then add pins to it, either by pinning them from the web or by uploading them from the computer. 

7. You can even create a secret board which can only be seen by you and the people you choose. 

8. You can edit, delete and add to or remove  pins from your boards. 



Here is a sample of a board:

Pinterest


See an Activity on Pintererst

Bibliography

Using Pinterest for Education. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2014, from http://www.bbcactive.com/BBCActiveIdeasandResources/UsingPinterestforEducation.aspx 

PowToon Tutorial

PowToon is a tool to create free, dynamic, animate, interesting, and attractive online presentations and videos that includes different types of media: music, audio, images, animation, movement, text. It is free and can be used for a variety of purposes: either for business, education, marketing, et cetera. PowToon is easy to use and fun since you just drag objects and text and move them. However, it may require some time to make a good presentation.

PowToon is a tool that can effectively be used in education, for both teachers and students can profit from it. Teachers may use this tool for storytelling and to deliver presentations and explanatory videos on, for example, rules or topics, while students may profit form it and use it to present a video about a particular subject or review new learning, among others. Basically, Powtoon seems to help teachers and students to create great visually engaging content, and may also seem to be provide students with a fantastic medium to share their ideas.
 

Tutorial

Once you have created an account, you need to start using it. Here you have these steps that hopefully will help you!

1. Firstly, press the “create” button to begin with your own presentation.

2. Then, you have different options: you may choose to edit a ready-made Powtoon, in which case you modify an already existing presentation or you may decide to create your own from scratch (Dynamic presentations are not available yet).

3.  We will focus on the latter: presentations from scratch. There are several templates you can use; you can choose an existing style that provides you with a description of it, a video you may watch in advance and the possibility to begin your PowToon following that style. You may even get inspired by the different styles of the templates.

4. You can also start your own presentation in blank.  Give a name to your presentation – you can change the title later.

It is important to get familiarized with the different elements to PowToon has. You are always provided with 3 slides, and later you can add more or delete them.

There are different styles you can choose. According to the style, you will have different characters, props, backgrounds and markers. Click on the arrow to see them and select the one you want.

There are different backgrounds and transitions, too. You may select a distinct background for each slide and also add transitions between the slides.

The bar at the bottom of the page is very important because it represents time. There you select how long you want your slides, text and/or pictures to last and when exactly you want the last two to show up or disappear.

5. Now it is time to start. Move the pointer towards the slide and you will notice an arrow shows up. Click on it and you will see different layouts for the slides. Mind you: you may use these layouts or not; they offer you some help.

6. When you find a layout that you like, click on it and it will automatically appear on your slide. If you choose a layout, the effects of the text will be provided in advance. Still, you may click on the effect that you want and use that text instead of the one that is provided.

Double click on the text and write what you want, or click on the pencil that appears next to the text to also change the font, size and colour of the text.

Note: If you decide NOT to use the layouts, you just select the text effect and arrange the slide the way you want to.

 7. Control the amount of time the slide and the elements on it – text and pictures – will last by means of the bar at the bottom.

8. Once you finish your first slide, you may select a transition and then work on the next slides.

9. Once you finish your presentation, save it.

10. This Powtoon will now appear in your dashboard. You can edit it later. Once you do so, you can share or publish it. 

Here you have a link with a sample of a PowToon presentation: 

PowToon Presentation

See an Activity on PowToon

Bibliography

Using Pinterest for Education. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2014, from http://www.bbcactive.com/BBCActiveIdeasandResources/UsingPinterestforEducation.aspx 

Popplet Tutorial

Popplet is a free tool to visualize ideas by creating mind maps and brainstorming diagrams. In each Popplet, you are able to draw apart form adding text and uploading images and video. Thus, Popplet is great to explore ideas and make connections between topics.

Popplet can certainly be used in education, for teachers and students can create organizers, timelines, and mind maps among others, and even creat an "About me" Popplet to introduce themselves. Collaborative work may be encouraged, for more than one user can be added to the same popplet and cooperate. Teachers can ensure that they cater for the different learning styles; it is especially useful for visual learners for a visual component is included. At the same time, auditory and kinaesthetic students can also profit from this tool due to the use of videos or the drawing tool.

 

Tutorial

Once you have created an account, it is time to start using it! Fortunately, Popplet is very easy to use. 

1. Click on “make a new popplet” to create your own.

2. Then you will get something like the following. In 1) you have to name your popplet; in 2), you have to choose the background colour of your popplet. Finally, click on “make it so!” and start.

3. When you start, you are provided with one popplet. You may add more by double clicking on the screen.

4. Popplets will have your name on them by default; you can remove your nametags by clicking on “settings”.

5. Click on the popplet to write in it. You can choose the size of the text and the alignment.

6. You can even change the colour of the different popplet.

7. In order to create new popplets, you may double click on the screen or drag the grey circles towards any direction.

8. You will get something like this. You can do this over and over again.

9. You can resize your popplets by pressing and holding the arrow.

10. You may draw in your popplets.

11. You can upload pictures by pressing this button.

12. You may delete popplets by pressing the cross.

 

13. Once you have all the popplets, you can move them all around the screen and organize them the way you want to. You can also click on the “settings” button and choose how to organize the popplets.

14. Whatever you do will be saved automatically. You can always edit your popplet later.

15. You can share your popplet by clicking on the “share” button.

16. You can always click on the “?” to get a quick tutorial as help.

Here is a sample for you to see:

See an Activity on Popplet

Bibliography

 Using Pinterest for Education. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2014, from http://www.bbcactive.com/BBCActiveIdeasandResources/UsingPinterestforEducation.aspx