Breaking News English
Free, Ready-to-Print EFL/ESL Lesson Plans on Current Events / English News Lessons. -- As The News Breaks, Teach It --

http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/ 

What is Breaking News English?

This free site contains a variety of English lessons based on current event or news articles written in simple English. If you select a specific one from the recent news articles, it leads you to the next site where you can find a marvelous volume of teaching resources for acquiring 4 skills.

-       printable lesson plans

-       materials for listening using MP3 sound files

-       materials for reading including text jumble/quiz/gap filling/multiple choice/role play/discussion/writing exercises/homework

-       reinforcement practices of grammar, spell, and words

It is also notable that MP3 audio files provide both of British and American versions. You can just open this link and specify a genre and download those free teaching materials.

 

Why do teachers use this site and what are the benefits to use it for language teaching?

Firstly, Breaking News English is a teacher friendly site because it provides us a wealth of English language resources with a variety of sample lessons, which are useful for experienced teachers or novices, and also, ideal for students learning English as a second language.  

 

Secondary, any technical skills are not required to use this tool, which might be better for technophobic teachers.

 

Thirdly, in addition to the course materials, you can provide real world, realia, into the class, which will enhance students’ interests and memories deeply. For instance, one of its recent articles, ‘U.S. town bans small bottles of water’ dated the 4^th January, 2013, makes learners’ situation more real and may invite heated debates on current environmental issues which they are currently facing in a real world. In this way, you can make classroom activities to be more real with using the materials of Breaking News English.

 

Fourthly, a combination of visual and audio effects will deepen students’ understanding more in learning English. 

 

Finally, the engagement on a computer in a pair or group would promote their collaboration works since the cyclic processes of 1)reading - 2)share the ideas - 3)re-reading - 4)re-construction the idea would trigger their schemata.

Limitations:

-       Since each story is written based on a newspaper article, most of the materials are for pre-intermediate or above even though they have been re-written in easier English than the original ones.

-       This is a text based resources except listening parts.  If video or visual images were added to those materials, it would arouse students’ interesting and motivation more powerfully in language learning.

 

Jing

What is Jing?

Jing is a free computer application by which you can capture screen shots or motions and record voice simultaneously. After downloading it, an icon appears at the top of your computer screen, and texts/arrows/highlights can be added to your captured images.  

http://www.techsmith.com/tutorial-jing-taking-your-first-capture.html

 

The first operational steps are; 1) Download software, 2) Create account, 3) Sign up for newsletter, 4) After installation, click on the first one to start screen capturing, 5) Drag the scale to mark an area you want to include and choose the function such as Image, Video etc. 6) Add texts and save and share the recordings on the social networking sites or send the image by email. For smooth understanding, it provides free training of tutorials, tech support, and lost software key on their homepage.

 

Why and how is Jing used in language learning?

You can use this powerful multipurpose tool for students’ vocabulary reinforcement, speaking, presentation on a picture/person, homework, or any interactive task-based activities before/during/after the class. It is not a one way transmission but an interactive communication tool. If you share the data with students or in social networking sites, you might receive some response and can re-construct the data mutually.  In particular, Jing is our ICT teacher - Russell’s favourate tool due to a great deal of functionality and potential capacity.  He originated an idea using Jing for giving video feedback, by which students can experience quick ‘live video’ corrections with a number of the data.

How can Jing foster language teaching?

Russell shows a variety of ideas for using Jing in his teachers’ training video.

http://www.teachertrainingvideos.com/jingInReality/index.html


This is my idea of using Jing:

 http://screencast.com/t/uSTJ43BD

l  I create a sunrise picture with voiced questions, and show the screen to the class, and let students make pairs and talk about the day’s topics, which are; how important is sunlight to you?  Do you enjoy sunbathing?  Why/Why not? 

After discussing with each pair, I type each summarized comment on a Jin’s space and share them with the class.

This activity will let students focus on the speaking in an enjoyable and innovative way. The combinations of visual/oral/aural effects stimulate students interesting more than a simple text and a pair or group work often solves a problem or creates better solutions through those process and reflection. Comments to the original question may produce another question. In addition, students can review and reply to peers’ comments as writing homework.

 

l  I create a tutorial presentation, which will help student enhance learning outcomes with multi-effects of visual/oral/aural effects. It is beneficial because I can concisely organize day’s target points beforehand and rewind and replay the presentation. It is also useful for students because they can view it at home for a review or as homework. Due to its effective time saving, I will be able to focus on face-to-face discussions during the class.

Advantages:

-       Engaging approach. Combination of visual and oral effects deepen processing

-       Emotion is uttered in human voice.

-       Multi-modality.

-       More impact than a single effect

-       Clarity.

-       Elaboration. Visual and oral effects can give much information.

-       Timeless distribution.

-       Stylistic

-       Teachers’ engagement

-       More interesting than a text

-       You can have a free space of Jing in your own computer

 

Limitations:

-       Teachers need basic or reasonable computer skills in order to use all devices such as an arrow etc.

-       Jing does not have a logout option. It is hard to discover an exit button from Jing. In fact, I noticed many people are still searching the function.  After seeking it for an hour, I could discover how to exit from Jing.  Firstly, click the ‘question mark’ icon on the right, and secondary, click the ‘power’ to exist from Jing. However, once you have exited from Jing, you will have to start it from the first step. 

-       Jing’s voice recordings are limited to 5 min. in length. However, if you create other separate ones and put them together with the original one, you may make a longer presentation.

-       Storage is limited to 2G a month since they are hosted on screencast.com. You can increase space to 25G with a Screencast Pro account.

-         I find that there are many advertisements.  Although Jing is a free tool, the company offers many paid options for adding advanced features on the same site. The differences between the paid and free versions are the ability to save files and better quality motion capture for screen casting from video sources or a Webcam.

 

Mybrainshark

 

As well as Vocaroo, Mybrainshark is one of learner-centred speaking tool. It is a free web-based application which can convert the data, videos, photographs or educational resources into voice-enriched interactive materials and enable you to add voice to power point/documents/photo albums with background music. In addition, you can upload a video, produce podcasts, share your contents on social media sites, and receive responses from the world. The procedures are very simple and easy even for a technophobic teacher, like me.

On the details, please refer to a quick tour of Mybrainshark provided on their homepage.   http://www.brainshark.com/mybrainshark

 

Since Mybrainshark includes potential resources for e-learning, you can use it to provide any aural and visual information or materials such as vocabulary/grammar instructions to students during pre/in/after class activities upon having created a classroom log-in account.  You can gain feedback from them and also track who have viewed your contents and how they responded to it.

In addition, you can use it as a presentation tool for individual/pair/group works. Students can upload PowerPoint, photographs or files on the Mybrainshark and enrich the data with voice and some editorial options. Since Mybrainshark is a cloud basis, they can edit the data as many times as they wish, and simulate the presentation anywhere such as a classroom or house while watching visual images and texts without any time limitation.

 

This video presentation will surely contribute to reduce anxiety of quieter students who are shy or afraid of losing faces. Furthermore, through peer observations, students will find individual strength and weakness, and benefits of collaborating learning under such constructivism.

There are some advantages and limitations of Mybrainshark.

Advantages:

-       A combination of visual, oral and aural effects will deepen engaging approach and provide more impact than a single effect

-       Easy manipulation

-       Teachers and students can create their own multimedia materials such as a video presentation/personal profile et cetera, which will enhance one’s creativity, interpersonal, communicative, and presentation skills.

-       Producing video materials will promote technical skills of a computer operation.

-       Easy distribution/timeless

-       Teachers can verify students’ participation by their log-in traces.

-       There is no limited time for recording and revision.

-       Security environment is protected by providing an individual account for logging-in.

Limitations:

-       It needs a voice recording equipment and a suitable environment for operating a computer

-       Presenters cannot see any human response/feedback from their audiences such as nodding, arguing or applauding behaviour to their presentation.

 

 

This is a sample presentation titled 'My City Kobe/Japan' using Mybrainshark.

 

                   

Texts of my sample vide

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I am going to tell you about my home city, Kobe.   

Kobe is located almost at the center of Japan.  Due to such a rich location, it is easily accessible from any domestic areas or overseas countries through a comprehensive transportation network of air, sea and land routes. The city is regarded as one of the international cities in Japan and it has established sister and friendship city affiliations with eight cities around the world.  They are Seattle (U.S.A), Marseilles (France),

Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Riga (Latvia), Brisbane (Australia), Barcelona (Spain) and Incheon (South Korea). 

 

Ports of Kobe have a long history of trading since the 12th century, and it was opened to the world in 1868.  After the opening of the port, many foreigners immigrated to Kobe, and a Foreign Settlement that formed near the port became the doorway by which foreign cultures entered Japan. This settlement also played an important role in bringing a stylish and modern atmosphere to our city. 

 

Kobe is rich with a natural environment, surrounded by the Seto Inland Sea to the south, and Mt. Rokko to the north.  The temperature of mid all year round is generally 16.8 centigrade and an annual rainfall is about 1624 mm as of 2011.It is easy to enjoy seasonal pastimes from hiking and skiing on Mt. Rokko, strolling and bathing in Suma or Maiko beach. Compared with larger cities such as Tokyo or Osaka, Kobe provides a much more comfortable living environment.  While have sufficient urban functions, Kobe is full of suburban benefits such as beautiful mountain views, less crowded traffic and commuter trains, and an overall safer environment.  

 

Various industries began taking shape at the Port of Kobe.  The worldly well-known industries in Kobe such as shipbuilding and the iron and steel industries, trading, shoes, clothes, and IT industries have developed around the port as the core and supported the city.  There are two man-made islands such as Port Island and Rokko Island.  Their container ports are ones of the best in the world, and distribution facilities and usable land are located near the airport, providing smooth and speedy linkage by air, sea and land.

The city is surrounded by an enormous concentration of the Kansai markets including Osaka, Kyoto, Shiga, Nara and Wakayama, and therefore, the population of Kobe is huge, which is approximately 1.55 million including about forty-four thousand registered foreign residents as of 2012.  

 

Those populations contribute to create a picturesque night views of the city and it attracts tourists’ interests.

Kobe has been one of the biggest tourist destinations in Japan, with around eighteen million and five hundred thousand visitors annually. There are many attractive sightseeing spots in the city including Mt. Rokko covered with magnificent greenery, the magnificent Akashi Kaikyou Bridge which connects Kobe to the Awaji island and Shikoku island, the Suma coast for sun bathing and fishing, the port for boating, Arima Hot Springs for its natural hot springs, and cultural and historical sites.  Tourists can also visit one of the World Heritage, an elegant Himeji castle just by an hour train ride from Kobe city.

In addition, a wide variety of shopping and eating establishments are available in Kobe. This fashionable city is famous all over the country not only among Japanese but also with non-Japanese as well. The mineral water springs out from the Rokko mountains is also famous due to its good taste and pureness.

 

There are many restaurants in the downtown, China town, and other locations and it serve exquisite cuisine from all over the world. Kobe is also proud of its Kobe beef, sake, wine, sweets and many other distinctive tastes.

 

Various events are held in Kobe throughout the year including the fabulous "Kobe Luminarie" that lights up the street with illuminated arches as far as the eye can see, "Kobe Festival" that includes a parade through town, annual fireworks festival in August, and the Chinese New Year Festival held in China Town.

Furthermore, just by 15 minutes car ride from the city center, - feeling a sea breeze - you can find different tranquil scenery in my living area, Suma.

It’s really worth visiting Kobe!

 

Vocaroo Online Voice Recorder

http://vocaroo.com/

What is it?

Vocaroo is a web-based free service which allows you to record, listen to, upload, or email your own voice to another person and you can use it for a variety of classroom activities.  This adopts a simple recording system with clear instructions, which is easy to understand if you are a little intimidated by technology.  You can embed the recorded voice into any on-line sites or provide a link to share for free.  All you need is to prepare a computer and a microphone, whatever it is a built-in or headset type, in order to use this tool.

As soon as you click on the ‘Click to record’ button, the recording starts.

Followed by ‘Click to Stop’, Retry/Listen, Stop/Pause for listening the recorded voice, ‘Click here to save’ for embedding or emailing the data.  

Why is this Vocaroo relevant to language teaching?

There are many advantages in adopting Vocaroo.  Firstly, students can concentrate on speaking, and secondly, teachers can use it in a flexible way in both inside and outside of the class.  For easy access, individual QR code is provided in the right bottom end.  Scanning the QR code, students can listen to the recorded data promptly, by which you can save the time for explaining the procedures repeatedly in a classroom.  

The other advantages of this Vocaroo are its incredibly easy audio recording system without installing any software/creating an account, and there is no limitation of the recording time.  It can make a simple embeddable voice recording.  In addition, students who are afraid of speaking in front of classmates may decrease their anxiety because they can just show their data during giving presentations with using this recorded voice.  The most remarkable is that this tool has various download options and you can send the recorded messages by email, or embed them on the websites or files.

This is one of the easiest tools to use but a great tool for getting your students speaking.

The limitations;
 

1)    You have to consider ethical issues before recording because shared personal data

     on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter can be accessible by

     anybody.

2)    Vocaroo does not provide permanent storage and there is not a definite duration which messages are deleted.  However, they are likely to disappear in a few months after the recording.  Therefore, you must save and download the data in the case you need them.

3)    You cannot add a voice recording function to your own website even if you have downloaded Vocaroo because it does not currently provide the function.

How can Vocaroo foster language teaching:

* An actual teaching example using‘Vacaroo ;

(A private lesson for a female pre-intermediate student;50 min.)

Speaking:  After explaining the procedure, I had her read and record the first chapter of a fairy tale – ‘The Frog Princess’. Then, I asked her to listen to the recorded voice and try to seek the points which she should improve. (Saved the data) She recognized some wrong pronunciation, stress, intonation and her monotonous reading tone which seemed to be inappropriate for a narrative story.  Corrections by me.  I had her record it again and listen to it together in order to confirm whether she did corrections or not.

(Saved it) She did some corrections well but still needed further improvement.

Recording again. (Saved it)

Dictogloss by listening her recorded voice: 

I had her check the mistakes and try to find the reason of lack of plural ‘s’ and some prepositions.  Listen again.  Then, she discovered that those were caused by her unclear pronunciation. Considering the findings, this time I had her read and record another chapter.   We found that this recorded voice has been remarkably improved compared with the first one. (Saved it and sent all recorded data to her email account for further reflection at home)  Since this is an example of a private lesson, it includes immediate feedback from a teacher.

We can adopt this orthodox teaching method to small or large size of classrooms likewise by using pair or group interactions and teachers’ feedback in the end.  As it is shown, this tool can reinforce learners’ pronunciation/stress/intonation and lead their cognitive learning by their own reflection and the feedback from a teacher or their peers, which is effective also for self-learning.

Other suggested usage of Vacaroo:

l  Creating a classroom blog or site and embed the recorded data on it as a verbal noticeboard/an audio newsletter for students and their parents

l  Record and send  instructions for pronunciation practice or messages for students who are absent by email

l  Students’ oral diaries for improving individual pronunciation and speech competence

l  Presentation activity about learners’ own country’s fairy tales, heroes, heroines et cetera

l  For simulation of presentation

*  Or, simply for homework or feedback including peer evaluation/reflection

Operas in the Language Classroom

Even though those HD operas - 'The Tempest' and 'Les Troyens' - are modern versions of the original literatures, there are genres, events, utterances, arguments, romances, conflicts, music or even meaningful silence.  Operas might be one of authentic and appropriate materials for language teaching if we can choose a right one for a targeted learners since they include cultural and language enrichment, which help learners value their own responses. 

We can facilitate classroom activities by using the technologies of videos or YouTube. 
The visual and audio images help students see an immediate meaning of the targeted language and stimulate their motivation and interest because videos include nonverval communications such as gesture, eye contact et cetera and the situation and settings can be more understandable than the written texts. There are a variety of activities; listening, questions, answers, discussions or writing about characters/plots/historical and cultural issues, and role plays.  The operas by medium of videos can be adaptable for all learners including children.


Sample Lesson;
     *Explain about cultural/historical settings, and the opera's story outline
     *Watch the video (a segment or segments)
     *Talk about the music, mood, costumes, settings or characters
       (pair/group works) (explanations for lexical items depending on a level)
     *Re-watching
     *Question-answer handout (pair works)

    Activities for children and young learners;
     *Dancing focus on music and gestures
     *Role play with puppets or reading a written text
    

Limitations;
     *Examining an approprieate quality of video without violent or sexual scenes is important
       for an educational purpose.
     *Segments are to be considered for an intensive study in accordance with the target language and
       learners' levels.
     *Setting conditions of videos are to be well prepared for people with disabilities.
                

TodaysMeet

                                                             http://todaysmeet.com/

This is a free text-based application which creates a virtual chatting room for before/during/after class, which is useful for discussions, formative assessment, and brainstorming.

 

You can create the account in a very simple procedure just by naming a room and use it for yourself and classroom activities. Next, choose the time which you required to keep your space on this site, click ‘created your room’, and ask your students to join to the same room by copying the URL on individual computers. Then, you can have all students in your online room.

Each participant can write a short message on Talk, and when he/she clicks Say, it is automatically transferred to Listen for showing all texts in order. You can save, watch and share all the conversations between you and your students until the time limit which you have already set.

Advantages:

-       This is a web tool with a very simple operation.

-       Students can authentically interact with classmates through computers.

-       Due to its text-based character, students focus on the spelling or grammar of the target language when they type or talk with together, which will effective for reinforcement of vocabulary.  You can see how they are working with given tasks.

-       Students will focus on a whiteboard and individual computer screens.

-       Brainstorming by reviewing the other students’ opinions

-       Powerful interaction

-       You can share and keep all data with students within the time frame.

-       Time saving/quick response/feedback

-       Any internet access device is available to participate in this tool including computers, smart phones, or iPods.

  *  This can be used as a whole class activity. By using students' quick response, teachers direct them automatically to a different topic one after another.  Students will be able to have a brainstorm each other by viewing the other's concise comment. I believe that this application is enjoyable and effective for a warming up or a short debate activity.

Limitations:

-       Students need to have basic operating skills of a computer in order to do a quick response.

-    Matching a pair or group is important, otherwise introvert students may stay quiet without joining this activity.

Although 140 characters is the words limit for each entry, it would lead the students to form more concise opinions. In TodaysMeet, this is a strength and limitation.

Suggested Activities :

 

Dr.Russel Stannard,
University of Warwick

 l Russell Stannard, our principal teacher of ICT class, recommends that two or three people should use one computer for collaboration and brainstorming. Firstly, he demonstrated how to create this TodaysMeet and asked the class a question such as ‘Why is speaking more important than the other skills in language learning? Or, ‘Why is e-learning increasing?’ A pair or group collaborating work often solves a problem or creates better solutions through those process and reflection. While encouraging each pair to response to each question quickly, he displayed the data on the Smart Board in order to promote another brainstorming. Comments to the original question may produce another question. He summarized and answered each question in the end.

      Even though we developed each topic engaging on individual computers, there were a lot of face-to-face interactions between t-ss and s-s.  Since he saved all data, students can access to the site again in order to review and reply to peers’ comments as homework. 
 

 

l When you need some feedback from students or other teachers, you can do an anonymous survey by using this TodaysMeet. You can just ask them to use any names they like instead of using real names.

Dvolver

This simple animation tool allows students to create a three-scenes-animation on the narrative tenses.  They are able to select the setting, the number of persons, characters, dialogues, background music and the plot from the given data with fun. This will be good to use as an introduction tool to technology.

In the first lesson, teachers show how to create an account and the videos on 'Dvolver'.  For their smooth performance, teachers may give students some questions or tasks in advance as the followings.

* What kind of a birthday present do you want?
* Which place do you wish to visit?
* Describe something you were surprised in the past.
Or, teachers may fix some target words or phrases to use in their dialogues.

Teaching Procedures:
* Explain students how to use Dvolver
* Students select a picture et cetera, create dialogues for contextualizing, add new scenes with
   a pair, and send it to a teacher by e-mail. (also to their friends or parents if they like)
* Teachers can evaluate students' works and provide feedback.
* Peers' observation at the next class. Reflection and feedback.

This virtually creating tool will surely provide not only a technology but also a great deal of interests to learners. Teachers can use this tool as a pair or group work such as a role play or other task-based activities, depending on individual classroom situations and a quantity of computers in order to promote their interaction and collaboration, by which students can also receive feedback from their pair, classmates and a teacher.  They can revise the characters or dialogues at any time by returning the scenes to the previous ones.

I am sure that students will love this tool playing with the target language in productive ways which is different from an ordinary situation, and it will help them enhance their motivation in a classroom.  Students can additionally create any videos outside the class once they have mastered the way, and in addition, they can embed their own completed 'Dvolver' films on their personal web pages.

Nevertheless, there are some limitations. The given data such as characters etc are not being renewed since I experienced it firstly in Canada in 2008, and the selected sound appears and influences on my blog troublesomely whenever I open this blog - as you may be aware. Therefore, I created this one again without any ground music.  (If you wish to embed your Dvolver on the site or file, I truly reccommend you to create it without any sounds!)  In particular, the numbers of characters are limited to one or two, and the number of scenes are also limited to three.  Moreover, I guess that these simple and monotonous procedures might be boring for advanced learners.

Nevertheless, I am still sure that any students will love this Dvolver as their first science tool in language learning.  So, why don't you try it!

Here is my sample 'Dvolver' titled 'Technophobic Alien';

http://www.dvolver.com/live/movies-824651

Technophobic educators

In our highly developed modern society, computers and sophisticated mobiles have become indispensable tools for most of us in our everyday lives.    On-line payment including credit and debit cards has led us to a convenient life without using real money.   An advanced e-checking of flights prevents us from being in longer queues as the previous days.    Above all, using e-tickets is environmentally friendly without consuming unnecessary papers.   In particular, smart phones and mobiles have been remarkably developed and gained their power on our ordinary lives year by year.  Due to such rapid technological advances during the past half-century, our society has achieved a great improvement and a prompt change and it has affected our social lives with limitations such as a threat of violating personal data or internet addiction likewise.

Are we now in techno-hell or techno-heaven?

Let me consider such digital technologies through a pedagogical lens.  As one of the technophobic educators, I still miss the smell of rare books or libraries in the old days and prefer real face-to-face interactions in a classroom to digitally-oriented ones which seems to weaken human relationships.  We notice, however, that there are abundant e-learning resources including materials accessible, which would surely bring more learning outcomes to students with less cost than the hard copies, and lower the barriers between campus-based and distance learning courses.  In addition, it can be available to enact some interactive tasks through using computers, and such electronic-brainstorming will expand learners' cognitive perspectives by the exposure to different information and collaboration works.

So, why don't we, 'digital immigrant teachers', try technologies in a classroom?  Now this might be the time to accept those potential resources as a medium of teaching and learning.

For that, first of all, we should remove our old ideas, be open-minded, and maybe, need more special training in the computer skills.  While teaching, some pitfalls may appear in a classroom, but we will be able to learn new ideas from students as well.  Although pedagogical issues with technologies have just started and still been under discussions, we will understand how we can fit into the situation, and then, find their actual benefits and limitations. 

All technophobic teachers, be ambitious!