Saturday, April 21, 2012

During this semester, I encountered some difficulties.
In first time, we spoke English all the time, but it wasn’t easy because my vocabulary in English was limited. At the very beginning, it was difficult to express. Now, I have more vocabulary, and I think that I gained confidence.
In second time, I discovered news tools as FlickR, VoiceThread… but when the teacher said we used these tools, I was a little “afraid”, because I never used these tools, and I am not really at ease with new software.  Finally, it’s not very difficult.
To finish, I think that my level is better than at the beginning of the semester. Finally, I think it was a good idea to use all the time English and no French. I learnt lots of vocabulary about technology.
Vocabulary that I learnt during this semester

In class :
Tags : write important words
Podcasting : video or audio files
Tool : [tu:l] used to carry out a particular function.
Skills: the ability to do something well.
Search engine : it’s a computing program that searches for and identifies items in a database that correspond to keywords or characters specified by the user, used especially for searching the Internet.
Networking:  interact with others to exchange information and develop useful contacts.
1st network: Arpanet (America)
2nd network: Rand (USA)
3rd network: NPL (UK)
4th network: Cyclades (France)
1990: start Internet
1993: revolution, Internet is in house, school…
1st Web: Msn, Yahoo, Amazon
New web: Skype, Google…
Web 2.0
Authorship: a writer of a book, article, or report.
TICE : Technology Information Communication Education
Flickr: you can put photos on Flickr

Vocabulary about story :
Malleable: easily influenced
A plot : the main sequence of a story.
Nightmare : an unpleasant dream
A spring : a sudden jump upwards or forwards
An hairclip : it’s for girls when they want to attach their hair
Vocabulary podcast:
World of Warcraft: It’s a game
Very smart: fresh in appearance
Scroll: paper for writing or painting on
Shape: the form, outline or contours of someone
Lifeline: a means of escape from a difficult situation
Assumption: the action of assuming responsibility
Thumbs: it’s the first finger
Entertaining: give attention or consideration
Purposefully: resolute
Gain ownership: it’s self-confidence
To wink: close and open one eye quickly

Friday, April 20, 2012


Third Podcast:

Podcast ItunesU : Vocabulary and Oral Language Development (Video Part 1) by Texas Education Agency/ The University of Texas System (20.21)

This is a video about the vocabulary. A teacher shows the importance of vocabulary for the children.
The objectives of this course are:
-          - Look purposefully at vocabulary instruction
-          - Discuss how this component is effectively taught
-          - Collaborate to plan for strategic instruction in vocabulary and oral language   
       development

She gives a definition about vocabulary in oral language development. She says that : “Good vocabulary instruction helps children gain ownership of words, instead of just learning words well enough to pass a test.”
She insists about “gain ownership”:  children access about oral vocabulary and reading vocabulary 
  
            Reading is ….

The ability to read words on a page and understanding those words.
Look the puzzle created by Luis. It presents a muddle which illustrates connections between the reading components.


She suggests an exercise to illustrate this puzzle. She gives real examples to defines important words. 

Exercise :  She gives a word that students don’t know. 
            1.     They repeat this word and they give the essential sound of this word : [N]
     2.  They give the final sound : [T]
1 and 2 : it’s the phonological awareness
  
              3. They write this word :
 3 : It’s the phonics
  
              4. They pronounce this word with different intonations
4:  It’s the Fluency
 
     5. They write a sentence with this word and give a definition of this word.
5:  Nobody arrived because they don’t know the word.
    She gives a definition / a synonym: To wink
    It’s comprehension. 

Now she gives a definition of this word and a synonym: To wink 

When the students know the meaning, they are able to give a sentence with this word and to finish with this exercise the students create a sentence. 

Vocabulary : What it is ?
Words that make up speech or text and their meanings. 

Distinctions : 

-          Oral vocabulary: words students understand by listening to and using them (listening when people speak, listening a conversation…)
-          Reading vocabulary: words students understand when reading them in text.
The students have more oral vocabulary than reading vocabulary, because they hear languages, and express themselves.
For example: When you go in a foreign country, you use more oral than written.



Vocabulary : what is it ?
-          Indirect : engagement in discussions and reading
-          Direct : explicit instruction of words by : 
- Teaching the use of content
- Including models, demonstrations, illustrations, graphic organizers and classroom discussions.
What is not vocabulary instruction ?
-          Expecting students to learn words through reading alone
-          Limiting students talk : When the teacher use BE QUIET, the exchange with students aren’t possible.
-          Confining instruction to reading/language arts
-          Limiting activities to :
Matching words with definition
Looking up definitions in the dictionary
-   Placing words on a word wall 

Children in high poverty homes speak 500 words monthly whereas in low poverty homes speak 1100 words by month. It’s a big difference because in rich countries have experiences, including vocabulary instruction…  The language at school is different that language at home. 

In reading, lots of students decode words but they don’t understand what they mean.

Supporting English Language Learners in Vocabulary Instruction: 

-          - Vocabulary support is provided throughout all content areas with direct instruction and scaffolding 
      -  Native language is used as a resource
-          - Pictures and visuals are used to help students connect words and meanings

To finish, she shows an exercise with a word “light”. “Light” is writing in several sentences. When the children are confronted with these sentences, the most important is to analyze the different contexts. The context is very important. 

What vocabulary skills do students need to develop ?
-          - Understand words and definitions
-          - Use words in speaking and writing
-          - Apply vocabulary knowledge while reading and listening to understand text.
-          - Use context to clarify or verify words
-          - Understand relationships between words (synonyms, antonyms…)
-           - Develop an initial understanding of affixes

I chose this video, because I think vocabulary is very important in native language and foreign language. Without vocabulary, you can’t express yourself and you can’t communicate. In this video, I think the puzzle is interesting, for example when I have learning English for the first time (in grade school), the teacher pronounced simples words (but when you don’t know the language…) and all children must repeated these words. Or she shown an object and we pronounced the word which corresponded. I think it’s a good activity, the children better memorize.
“Gain ownership” It’s important for children to have confidence in them when they learn a new language.
I think the vocabulary is a base of training. It’s more important to have lots of vocabulary. The most important objective of teachers is: to correct the children when they don’t use correctly a word. The teachers enrich the vocabulary of children thanks to activities, because it’s more fun to learn by the game.



VOICETHREAD !



VoiceThread  is a website where you can share photos, documents, videos, to create a story Its a good means to store photos. With VoiceThread, you can comment your photos or friends photos thanks to your mic or add a written comment.  This is a collaborative platform.
This semester, we used voicethread to make a story for children. In a first time,  we decided the age of children to create an appropriate story. In a second time, we created characters and made drawings to represente these characters. After, we searched a plot and began to create the story. We put the drawings on PowerPoint with several slides. We download the PowerPoint on VoiceThread. To finish, we recorded our story about Little Charly adventures thanks to a mic.
I liked this activity. Its so fun to create our own story (the plot, the characters).

What do you think about VoiceThread ?

Wednesday, April 11, 2012


Hello, 

Today, technology is an important subject. I chose to take podcasts about the children with the technology. I chose 3 profiles of children, my goal is to compare the impact of technology in the world of children. I think today the children are the main people concerned by technology.
See the 3 profiles to answer questions !!!!

Itunes U : Technology integration edutopia à podcast about TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION, edutopia, The George Lucas Educational Foundation 

See the videos about: 

-          -  Digital youth portrait : SAM (7.53)
-          -  Digital youth portrait : Dylan (6.43)
-          -  Digital youth portrait :  Olivia (7.26)


Profile of SAM : 



      1. Digital media is her third life ? 
    

         Yes        No   because Digital media is her second life.

 2.  How many times spends on the computer when she hasn't school ?

        2 hours          12 hours      10 hours  

3. Give me two things that Sam makes on the net : 

       My space; Listening music; World of Warcraft 

4. (0.40) What is the typical day of Sam ? 

       She wakes up at 6'30, she checks a message, dresses, goes at school. 

 5. Sam buys the books on her I pad ?

         Yes               No  

6. How SMS (Short Message Service), Sam has on her phone ? and give me the percent.

           114 messages and 99 percent 


Profile of Dylan : 


7. When Dylan was really young, what he used on the computer ? 

Dylan used educational tools to help him learns his phonics and alphabet

8. What is the name of the project ? 


Sentenced for life       Sentence your life          Sentenced for live

9. (2.15) complete : 

We were working on website, trying to get more people aware ........... 

about animal cruelty and how it could be possible to stop it


10. We used online... 

Forums, Chats, Conferences     Forums and Chats     Chat and Conferences


11. Dylan collaborated with other children, where live these children ? 


Argentina, India, Japan


12. Dylan likes to use WebX ? 

Yes            No


13. (5.32) Dylan says : 

For fun, I ......... and I ......... where you can .......... with other people in a ..............


Go online; play video games; collaborate; completely different location 


Profile of Olivia : 


14. Olivia is different from Sam and Dylan, why ? 


because she has'nt a computer at home.


15. Olivia says : 

I don't have .........., I don't always have........, but technology is ..........


a computer; a cell phone; like my lifeline


16. Give me two places where Olivia goes to have access for computer : 


at school; downstairs in my building; friend's house


17. With her phone, Olivia uses : 


Facebook          My Space          Twitter 

18. How many songs has she on her I pod ? 

384 songs          284 songs          184 songs 


19. What kind of music she listens ? 


mixed oldies; R&B; Reggae tone; Rap 

20. And you, how many times spend on your computer ? What do you do on the computer ?  

I spend lots of time on the computer when I am in holidays. I spend 6 hours on the computer each day. 
With the computer, I go on the net, I send e-mail, I spend time on Facebook to speak with my friend.