Social bookmarking: organize your online library!

Do you save the links to the webpages you like in “Favourites”? But what happens when you use your friend’s computer and you want to access your links in your Favourite folder? That’s right: you can’t! The solution to this is the use of certain webpages that work on the concept of “Content curation”. Content curation (aka Social Bookmarking) is the process of collecting, organizing and displaying information relevant to a particular topic or area of interest. The special characteristic about these websites is that you can save the webpages that you like but not in your computer, but online! You have to create an account on these special websites, such as Diigo or Delicious, where you save your favourite websites. You can access your “online library” whenever you want, no matter whose computer you are using. You can also organize your websites and add tags to them, and even highlight whatever you consider important, and save the website with your highlightings!

These are different bookmarking websites. I already have an account on “Diigo”, and I have just created another one on “Scoop it”: you’re more than welcome to have a look at them! This is the link: My Scoop it. Its content has nothing to do with teaching :P sorry!

• Diigo
• Delicious
• “Scoop it”: you can see part of the websites that you have in your folders, because of its special layout. Here you also get the content. People who follow you can also write comments on your links.
• “Pinterest”: the focus is on the images.
• “Livebinder”: You create a binder about a certain topic and students can go and click on the links.
• “Pearl trees”: a graphic organizer and the branches are the sites.
• “Mentormob.com”: You can create a playlist here, where you can put all your separate accounts you have in Diigo or Scoop it, for example.

Listening and Speaking skills

When it comes to practising listening and speaking skills, there are several webtools that can be used. I’ve decided to try Vocaroo out. In it I recorded an idea to use to practise modal verbs. Check it out!

Record audio or upload mp3 >> 

  

In the following list you will find several webtools that you can used in your classes to help your students  practise listening and speaking skills. If you click on the name of the webtool, you will go to the webpage: choose one and try it out!

-          “Audioboo”: you can record only one audio, otherwise you will have different links.

-          “Vocaroo”: same as Audioboo. 

-          “Voki”: a talking avatar.

-          “Fotobabble”: free webtool, it's a talking photo: you upload a photo (or a drawing) and you record yourself talking about that image.

-          “Blabberize”: another talking photo

-          “Present.me”: you upload your power point presentation and you record the explanation of that presentation. Try to use simple layouts and no animations for the presentation.

-          “Petcha Kutcha”: you select 20 images and you have 20 seconds to talk about each image. People usually use this webtool to present anecdotes or things they like or hate, they tend to be funny, not formal, for example: how to be a nasty teacher. You can find examples of this on Youtube.

-          “Brainshark.com”: you upload your power point presentation and it turns it into a video. You can also record your voice.

-          “Voice thread.com”: you can record a message, upload an image and make comments.

-          “Voxopop”: you create a folder and students record themselves. You can create a collaboratively story, because you can have several audios together.

-          “Go animate”: to create a comic strip, where you can also record your voice.

-          “Sound cloud” or “Podomatic”: a space to store voice recordings. You cannot comment. Students can record their queries, or questions, and other students can record their answers.

-          “Woices”: for guided tours, to give directions. 

Have fun!!