I suppose I must be among one of the lucky ones, as I have a laptop computer.
Apart from using it to prepare lessons, I'm sure there are lots of ways that it can be used as a tool in the classroom - maybe we can exchange ideas?
Here's one idea to get the ball rolling.
I use a great grammar book (Business Grammar Builder by Paul Emmerson) which has an audio CD. I copied the CD onto the hard drive in MP3 format which means I can play the tracks straight from the computer (I agree it would be easier to use a standard CD player !) On my laptop, the built in speakers are located next to the keyboard, so the sound doesn't carry very well if I want to play a track to a group. So, what I do is open the laptop about 70° then turn it upside down, so that the keyboard is where the screen is usually. Then, the speakers are facing the group and the sound quality is better. (For bigger groups, I borrow a set of loudspeakers from a colleague who has a desktop PC)
Any other ideas?
Laptop computers - how do you use yours?
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Sally Olsen
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I am hardly ever without my laptop. I use my digatel camera to take pictures of all that we do as a review every month or so, of their posters, their shadow stories, their storyboards for movies. They love to see pictures of my former students and family. If a student isn't talking to me regularly or easily, I use a time when the class is busy and sit down with my computer and we make up a dialogue together about something interesting to them and then I print it off for their portfolio. The students in groups often use it to record their group ideas and then I have a copy. The same with a student who is having trouble writing. I have found that some people just write better on the computer and now they are bringing their own. I have a few games for the students who just don't fit in the class and need something to do until I have time to get around to them or forms to fill out for new students who just drop from the sky so regurlary here. Mostly I use it to write a diary to see how I am doing over the days and years of teaching. Of course, record keeping is simpler for attendance and report cards. I try to get the students to write something about each other for the report card and it helps to have it on the computer both of as a record of their writing and to be easily deleted if it is not constructive. Occassionally a student just can't work well and so I get them to write out their problems in a quiet corner but they usually delete this too. Still it keeps them busy and might help them sort out the difficulties and as I turn on spelling and grammar checks who knows what it is helping them with? I have a Russian program for Word prgram so they are also learning Russian from the little cat at the side. We correspond with a group in Japan and so can pass around the "letter" for additions after we have a brainstorming of the main information. They also like to see my lesson plans to see what we have done and where we are going and what I think were the difficulties. I don't put in names of students, just my own secret codes and since they have been checking this folder out with some enthusiasm have started to add positive notes to students who have figured out their codes. They often bring something on a disk for homework so I don't have to deal with papers and it is much easier to correct.
Laptop in the classroom
I have been teaching this summer using a laptop. Some ideas:
1. There are a number of sites that have audio and video files. If you can get a network connection in the classroom or use a lab you can play these directly. For the adventurous you can even get Mobile Phone service that connects directly to the Internet where (almost everywhere) you are. Slow, but audio works fine. Japan and Korea have full speed but the rest of us are speed limited.
2. Most laptops these days have DVD's and you can play segments from movies that support major themes in your class.
3. The sound issue is a major problem. In the U.S., RadioShack has a set of battery powered stero speakers that fold into a compact size and fit in my briefcase. They are about $20.
4. With some extra effort you can get a download program (free off the web) that will search some of the video sites and let you download the files directly to your hard disk and can be played anytime in Windows Media Player, RealPlayer or QuickTime.
5. You can record directly from your laptop to a tape recorder using the speakers or, better yet, with a simple connector from the computer output jack to the microphone jack on your recorder.
6. Some sites have audio/video with accompanying text. You can copy the text - I have a primer on how to number the lines and add pictures and graphics.
7. Google will direct you to a myriad of sites that have audio and video for online use or downloading. With a little bit of time you can find material for just about anytopic. I have prepared a starter list of sites including CNNsf and Annenberg CPB. The Voice of America and the BBC have great support for current events and features. Most Universities have some sort of downloadable audio/video archives.
8. One limitation of the Laptop is the size of the display. If your school has a video projector you can display the image on the wall or on a screen. This can be great since you can get ultra widescreen and great sound using DVD's. Alternately, you can connect a larger video monitor to your computer. You play on the laptop and the strudents can watch on the monitor. Most groups have at least one techie who can make it happer for you. Just remember Fn + F7 or F8.
9. If you are in an Apple world - they have some dynamite tools for authoring. There is a great demonstration on their site at:
http://education.apple.com/education/il ... bject_id=2
Let me know if you have any problems. The Laptop is just a tool - but a great one.
I know cost is a major problem for most of us. You can get started for less than $1,000 in the U.S. and, I imagine, less in some markets. There is always eBay for bargains. And, depending or your tax status, some or all of the cost can be deductable.
1. There are a number of sites that have audio and video files. If you can get a network connection in the classroom or use a lab you can play these directly. For the adventurous you can even get Mobile Phone service that connects directly to the Internet where (almost everywhere) you are. Slow, but audio works fine. Japan and Korea have full speed but the rest of us are speed limited.
2. Most laptops these days have DVD's and you can play segments from movies that support major themes in your class.
3. The sound issue is a major problem. In the U.S., RadioShack has a set of battery powered stero speakers that fold into a compact size and fit in my briefcase. They are about $20.
4. With some extra effort you can get a download program (free off the web) that will search some of the video sites and let you download the files directly to your hard disk and can be played anytime in Windows Media Player, RealPlayer or QuickTime.
5. You can record directly from your laptop to a tape recorder using the speakers or, better yet, with a simple connector from the computer output jack to the microphone jack on your recorder.
6. Some sites have audio/video with accompanying text. You can copy the text - I have a primer on how to number the lines and add pictures and graphics.
7. Google will direct you to a myriad of sites that have audio and video for online use or downloading. With a little bit of time you can find material for just about anytopic. I have prepared a starter list of sites including CNNsf and Annenberg CPB. The Voice of America and the BBC have great support for current events and features. Most Universities have some sort of downloadable audio/video archives.
8. One limitation of the Laptop is the size of the display. If your school has a video projector you can display the image on the wall or on a screen. This can be great since you can get ultra widescreen and great sound using DVD's. Alternately, you can connect a larger video monitor to your computer. You play on the laptop and the strudents can watch on the monitor. Most groups have at least one techie who can make it happer for you. Just remember Fn + F7 or F8.
9. If you are in an Apple world - they have some dynamite tools for authoring. There is a great demonstration on their site at:
http://education.apple.com/education/il ... bject_id=2
Let me know if you have any problems. The Laptop is just a tool - but a great one.
I know cost is a major problem for most of us. You can get started for less than $1,000 in the U.S. and, I imagine, less in some markets. There is always eBay for bargains. And, depending or your tax status, some or all of the cost can be deductable.
Thanks popster, there are some great ideas here.
I have been experimenting and I've been able to incorporate both video and audio into my lessons, straight off the laptop.
A question : I've found some great video and audio clips on the BBC news site. Is there any way to record these directly? I can do it by holding a microphone to the loudspeaker, but surely there must be a way to download the clip and save it.
The BBC seem to use Real audio files, but I can't find anyway to record (I guess that's why it's called a 'Real audio Player' !)
Any advice you can give will be greatly appreciated!
I have been experimenting and I've been able to incorporate both video and audio into my lessons, straight off the laptop.
A question : I've found some great video and audio clips on the BBC news site. Is there any way to record these directly? I can do it by holding a microphone to the loudspeaker, but surely there must be a way to download the clip and save it.
The BBC seem to use Real audio files, but I can't find anyway to record (I guess that's why it's called a 'Real audio Player' !)
Any advice you can give will be greatly appreciated!
Hi Strider,
I have looked at the BBC site and have found that some of the files can be downloaded. I use FlashGet and copy the URL of the page containing the link the the FlashGet Site Explorer. Some URL's are protected but I have been able to find at least some files that can be copied in full.
Send me a personal message with information and URL for a particular piece and I will see if I can get to it. Some pages and files are stored in protected directories and use a "loader" routing - often a script such as .js or .asp.
There are a number of sites that don't lock you out. Some universities are quite rich in material. Some of the Voice of America material is also available - not all. You can go directly to an area of interest if the recording is too long.
What is great is that, over time, you can build a portable library. One of my students was extremely interested in Eco-Tourism and I just happened to have a 45 minute clip from a prominent author in the field.
Also, RealMedia has a purchaseable addin that records audio from a microphone or a line=in such as a CD player or tape recorder. It works well after some tinkering.
Best luck,
Popster
I have looked at the BBC site and have found that some of the files can be downloaded. I use FlashGet and copy the URL of the page containing the link the the FlashGet Site Explorer. Some URL's are protected but I have been able to find at least some files that can be copied in full.
Send me a personal message with information and URL for a particular piece and I will see if I can get to it. Some pages and files are stored in protected directories and use a "loader" routing - often a script such as .js or .asp.
There are a number of sites that don't lock you out. Some universities are quite rich in material. Some of the Voice of America material is also available - not all. You can go directly to an area of interest if the recording is too long.
What is great is that, over time, you can build a portable library. One of my students was extremely interested in Eco-Tourism and I just happened to have a 45 minute clip from a prominent author in the field.
Also, RealMedia has a purchaseable addin that records audio from a microphone or a line=in such as a CD player or tape recorder. It works well after some tinkering.
Best luck,
Popster
Hello again Strider 
Hmm, unorthodox use of your laptop! Maybe a set of battery powered speakers would be a worthwhile investment?
I use a computer in the classroom at all times, and I'd be lost without it now. Most of my uses are already listed above. I found a way to get RAP files out of BBC, but it was a while back. I think they sometimes end up in your temporary internet files. Will let you know if it comes back to me.
Sally Olsen:
"I have a Russian program for Word prgram so they are also learning Russian from the little cat at the side. "
Genius! How did you mnage that? I had a hellish time getting Russian Word onto my machine (eventually managed, complete with spellchecker but no grammar checker
)
Hmm, unorthodox use of your laptop! Maybe a set of battery powered speakers would be a worthwhile investment?
I use a computer in the classroom at all times, and I'd be lost without it now. Most of my uses are already listed above. I found a way to get RAP files out of BBC, but it was a while back. I think they sometimes end up in your temporary internet files. Will let you know if it comes back to me.
Sally Olsen:
"I have a Russian program for Word prgram so they are also learning Russian from the little cat at the side. "
Genius! How did you mnage that? I had a hellish time getting Russian Word onto my machine (eventually managed, complete with spellchecker but no grammar checker
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Sally Olsen
- Posts: 1322
- Joined: Thu Apr 08, 2004 2:24 pm
- Location: Canada,France, Brazil, Japan, Mongolia, Greenland, Canada, Mongolia, Ethiopia next
Might seem ridiculously obvious to everyone, but if you're using your laptop in class, especially if you're letting kids use it for internet access, install a good antivirus program, keep all your IE (if you use it) security settings high, and make sure that the kids are logged on as a user, not an administrator.
If you install 'sypybot search & destroy', and 'hijack this', you'll be surprised at the amount of guff a website can load onto your machine without you knowing about it (spybot can be set to monitor certain registry settings, and give you a warning if any of them are being meddled with.) Those programs are worth using anyway, just to get rid of the trash that piles up from advertising websites and the like. They're free and don't take long to download from the net.
I spent the last week tracking down and cleaning my computer from virus-like programs that were installed by a kid's game (Shrek2 activity centre installed a porn dialler, and a script that randomly sent IE to porn sites after every few clicks of the mouse, SimCity4 added a pop-up ad program.) and the garbage that was downloaded from the sites that kept popping up.
If you install 'sypybot search & destroy', and 'hijack this', you'll be surprised at the amount of guff a website can load onto your machine without you knowing about it (spybot can be set to monitor certain registry settings, and give you a warning if any of them are being meddled with.) Those programs are worth using anyway, just to get rid of the trash that piles up from advertising websites and the like. They're free and don't take long to download from the net.
I spent the last week tracking down and cleaning my computer from virus-like programs that were installed by a kid's game (Shrek2 activity centre installed a porn dialler, and a script that randomly sent IE to porn sites after every few clicks of the mouse, SimCity4 added a pop-up ad program.) and the garbage that was downloaded from the sites that kept popping up.
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JeanRezende
- Posts: 22
- Joined: Wed Nov 24, 2004 1:39 pm
- Location: Brazil
It is real good to have a machine such as a laptop computer running in your class.
I usually download movies and play them intirely. I try not to watch the movie in advance in order to feel the same surprise my students feel while watching it.
Before playing it, we always have a discussion of what we can expect from that movie and well as how its end can be.
Then, after watching it, we have another discussion in order to check our predictions.
This is a good challenge for advanced students, but it can be adapted to all levels, for exemplo, I tried Disney and Pixar movies - with no subtitles at all - and the kids simply loved them.
I usually download movies and play them intirely. I try not to watch the movie in advance in order to feel the same surprise my students feel while watching it.
Before playing it, we always have a discussion of what we can expect from that movie and well as how its end can be.
Then, after watching it, we have another discussion in order to check our predictions.
This is a good challenge for advanced students, but it can be adapted to all levels, for exemplo, I tried Disney and Pixar movies - with no subtitles at all - and the kids simply loved them.
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hulagutten
- Posts: 5
- Joined: Sun Nov 28, 2004 10:26 am
- Contact:
Using online Translation Crosswords games
Another idea is to use the laptop to introduce the students to online language tools like the Translation Crosswords at http://www.innolyse.com/translate.jsp. Such tools can really help the student, because they are entertaining and efficient.