Mentimeter.com
A fab website to create remote word clouds. Type in a question, share with students/participants via a link and watch their responses come in and form a word cloud. This is an example from a zoom lesson I did with Y9 where I asked them to type in the names of countries in German. Thanks to @joedale for sharing this great website in a webinar over lockdown.
Classtools.net
I just love class tools.net for vocab and grammar revision! I speak about it at length in my TiLT webinar and share some of the ways it can be used. The arcade generator is brilliant for fun games based on vocab topics and the vortex game is great for sorting (so good for grammar!). Fling the teacher is a bit of fun based on a 'Who wants to be a millionaire' type game.
The great thing about class tools is that students don't need logins (you can just share the link or make a QR code) and it is completely free!
The great thing about class tools is that students don't need logins (you can just share the link or make a QR code) and it is completely free!
Whiteboard.fi
I'm really looking forward to using whiteboard.fi in the classroom. I have been using it over lockdown for remote teaching (before we were allowed to use zoom) but I think it could work really well in the ICT room. You can share your 'whiteboard' with students and they then respond on their own whiteboard. You can then see all of their responses. You can also now embed images. I think this could be good for questioning and plenaries as you can see individual responses but you could also share all student responses on the projector. Watch this space and I will let you know how I use it! Thanks to @joedale for sharing this great website in a webinar over lockdown.
BBC Bitesize KS3
Have you checked out the new KS3 content for MFL on BBC Bitesize (French, German and Spanish)? A brilliant resource jam packed full of topic and grammar explanations, quizzes, interactive activities and videos. I wrote a lot of the content for the German but I honestly think this is one of the best resources around to support student learning (especially at home).
liveworksheets.com
I only recently discovered liveworksheets thanks to @laclassedemademoisele on Instagram but oh my goodness it is a big of a game-changer! I wish I had discovered it at the beginning of lockdown as it is a great way for students to get instant feedback on their work. Here you can make your worksheets interactive by including a variety of question types (type the answer/ multiple choice/ match up etc) and you can also embed video and audio. I talk about it at some length in my TiLT webinar. It is free (paid upgrade also available) and students don't need their own login (you can just send a link or QR code. I think this will be really useful for hybrid/blended learning!
Quizlet.com
The super popular quizlet has to be included in this list, especially as quizlet live has to be one of the most engaging activities I have ever included in my lessons. I've yet to find a class who haven't gone crazy for it! It was also brilliant as a way to bring students together over lockdown.
The quizlet class sets are also brilliant for vocab revision and testing and most of my students have the app so have their vocab sets with them at all times :)
The quizlet class sets are also brilliant for vocab revision and testing and most of my students have the app so have their vocab sets with them at all times :)
Canva
|
Plickers.com
I’ve been really enjoying using plickers for retrieval practice with my GCSE classes this term. You will need a login and then you can create your classes and sets. Once you have a class, you can print out a set of QR codes, each of which is assigned to a student in your class. Each card with a QR code has A/B/C/D along each side.
My students have stuck their personal QR card into their book so they always have it. When ready to play, login to plickers on your desktop and then you will also need to login on the app on your tablet/phone. Students are presented with a word on the board and four multiple choice answers. They turn their card so that their answer (A,B,C or D) is at the top of the card and hold it up. With the tablet/phone, the teacher scans each code and the results are registered on the screen. The teacher gets immediate feedback about what the class (and individual students) know. It is a fun, interactive way to practise vocab. The only downside is that you can only create a set with 5 words using the free version. Not really a problem though as you can just create another set and show straight after. The only prep time is handing out the QR codes and creating the classes and sets. But once set up, this is a really quick and easy way to practise vocabulary!
My students have stuck their personal QR card into their book so they always have it. When ready to play, login to plickers on your desktop and then you will also need to login on the app on your tablet/phone. Students are presented with a word on the board and four multiple choice answers. They turn their card so that their answer (A,B,C or D) is at the top of the card and hold it up. With the tablet/phone, the teacher scans each code and the results are registered on the screen. The teacher gets immediate feedback about what the class (and individual students) know. It is a fun, interactive way to practise vocab. The only downside is that you can only create a set with 5 words using the free version. Not really a problem though as you can just create another set and show straight after. The only prep time is handing out the QR codes and creating the classes and sets. But once set up, this is a really quick and easy way to practise vocabulary!
Qwiqr
Qwiqr is a great way to set a speaking homework! It's free to sign up and students don't need their own login, just a link or QR code. I recorded myself asking a few questions in the TL and then sent the link to the students via Show My Homework. They then recorded their responses (also an option to do it as a writing) and all responses showed up on the same thread. To ensure students don't see or hear each other's responses, you need to make sure you click 'moderate the conversation.'
|
Fling the Teacher
A very silly but fun game which students seem to enjoy. This is one of the games on classtools.net and I love this website as you don't need an account (so no logins and passwords to remember!) You create a game with 15 questions (the game is similar to who wants to be a millionaire). Once students have answered all questions correctly, they can then have a go at 'flinging the teacher.' They thought it was funny and got quite competitive. To play again, they have to answer the questions again, so it's good for repetition.
Kahoot
Next up are three gamification websites which seems to elicit high levels of engagement but at the same time enable students to practise and retrieve vocabulary. They also don't require students to log in and are fairly easy to create!
1) I'm pretty late to the Kahoot party! But ooh it's good! I love websites where students don't need to sign up and it takes half the lesson trying to help them remember their logins and passwords!
With Kahoot, you sign in yourself and students simply join the game.
It's also really easy to set questions.
I'm not sure this fab website needs any further explanation :)
1) I'm pretty late to the Kahoot party! But ooh it's good! I love websites where students don't need to sign up and it takes half the lesson trying to help them remember their logins and passwords!
With Kahoot, you sign in yourself and students simply join the game.
It's also really easy to set questions.
I'm not sure this fab website needs any further explanation :)
Quizziz
2) Another website similar to Kahoot and which involves high levels of student engagement! Sit back and watch the students having fun while practising their language.
Blooket
3) I think Blooket is a fairly new website on the scene but from the craziness it brought to my classroom today, I think it will be a winner! My Y9s LOVED it to the point where they were so excited, I thought I was going to have to stop the activity as they were having too much fun ;)
I still need to try all of the different games but Gold Quest is probably the most popular game so far as students steal chests off team mates. Battle Royale is also fun as they are put in teams and are against other teams within the same classroom (all from their own computers). The cafe game is nice and calm when you need to restore some order in the classroom haha!
I find with games like these, I don't even need to give instructions to the students, they just work it out themselves. I simply add the questions and then let them play.
I still need to try all of the different games but Gold Quest is probably the most popular game so far as students steal chests off team mates. Battle Royale is also fun as they are put in teams and are against other teams within the same classroom (all from their own computers). The cafe game is nice and calm when you need to restore some order in the classroom haha!
I find with games like these, I don't even need to give instructions to the students, they just work it out themselves. I simply add the questions and then let them play.
Duolingo
I have been using duolingo to help me learn French and so I definitely feel it is worth mentioning in my 'teacher tech' session of the website. I mention it to students as something they could use to enhance their language lessons, but I haven't yet used it for 'education' purposes. Let me know if you have and how you use it!
Shared Maps
I recently set my Y10 group a writing task to research a German town and then write about it in the TL. I wanted them to then plot their town/city on a shared map so that we could talk about it and take a tour of Germany/Austria/Switzerland. I did a bit of research and found Zeemaps worked perfectly. They could even upload a photograph of the place and write their description on the map for the rest of the class to see.
The example here is from a lesson I did on Christmas Markets and students researched a market and then used a sentence builder to write about it (see student example hence a couple of small mistakes) .
You can probably do the same on google maps but I haven't yet worked out how and I find it quite hard to use. Zeemaps is free, you don't need a login and you just share the link for students to edit!
The example here is from a lesson I did on Christmas Markets and students researched a market and then used a sentence builder to write about it (see student example hence a couple of small mistakes) .
You can probably do the same on google maps but I haven't yet worked out how and I find it quite hard to use. Zeemaps is free, you don't need a login and you just share the link for students to edit!
Zoom
In current times, I can't mention tech and not say anything about 'zoom.' I currently spend my life on zoom, whether it is a live lesson, with students I tutor, a CPD webinar or family quiz! We use zoom for our remote lessons and I am really glad that we use this platform. I think there may be more GDPR issues than with other video-conferencing tech but we don't seem to have had any issues.
In terms of how I use zoom when back in school, last term I ran Y11 revision lessons on it. The nature of our school means that lunchtime clubs are very difficult to run and many students need to get the bus home so struggle to stay after school. So a few times in the term, I run a zoom revision lesson for 30/45 minutes from 5pm where students can join in from the comfort of their living rooms. I certainly think this is something I will do more off moving forwards!
In terms of how I use zoom when back in school, last term I ran Y11 revision lessons on it. The nature of our school means that lunchtime clubs are very difficult to run and many students need to get the bus home so struggle to stay after school. So a few times in the term, I run a zoom revision lesson for 30/45 minutes from 5pm where students can join in from the comfort of their living rooms. I certainly think this is something I will do more off moving forwards!
German-Games.net (in all 3 langs)
A fab 'old-school style' website with tutorials, games and even a YouTube channel. You don't need to login, just share the link with students! Available for French, German and Spanish.
GeoGuessr
Ooh this is fast becoming my favourite past time! Ever since we played a virtual game of GeoGuessr with out neighbours the other week, I have had secret little games on my own :)
You need to sign up but get one free game (5 rounds -plenty to keep you busy for an hour or so). For more games, you need the premium version.
You are plonked somewhere in the world (street-view style) and have to walk around reading road signs, billboards etc to try to find out where in the world you are. Once you have an idea, you place your pin on the map and see how close you have got. The great thing is you can choose a certain country so this is a nice 'cultural break' in a lesson, probably for older students. I played it with year 13 remotely and we ended up in Munich near BMW-Welt. It's a great bit of armchair travel!
You need to sign up but get one free game (5 rounds -plenty to keep you busy for an hour or so). For more games, you need the premium version.
You are plonked somewhere in the world (street-view style) and have to walk around reading road signs, billboards etc to try to find out where in the world you are. Once you have an idea, you place your pin on the map and see how close you have got. The great thing is you can choose a certain country so this is a nice 'cultural break' in a lesson, probably for older students. I played it with year 13 remotely and we ended up in Munich near BMW-Welt. It's a great bit of armchair travel!
Flippity
I've heard so many great things about flippity that I had to try it out! I don't currently use sentence builders (though would like to try this approach) and I can see how useful it is for them. I created this activity to practise German subordinating conjunctions where students had to translate the sentences which appeared on the randomiser. There are loads of different games and templates and I am yet to try the others out. I simply typed into the columns of the sample google sheet and voilà it was created within a couple of minutes. And you don't need to sign up either! I then just shared the link in my powerpoint to give to students.
Radio Garden
This is a brilliant website for cultural capital! Radio Garden.com. Thanks to @JohJanJoh for telling me about this one. Pick on any green dot in the world and listen to radio stations from that area. There is an app too. Really excited about this one :)
Window-Swap
This is a fab website which I use in the same way as 'I'm feeling lucky' on Google Earth. The website generates a window view from anywhere in the world which students can then describe. Good practice for the photocard! You can't pick the country unfortunately - it is completely random. But a great conversation-starter all the same.
Languages Online
An oldie but a goodie! Languages Online - great for grammar practice, extension and consolidation. Available in French, German, Spanish, Italian and Latin! And totally free :)
Padlet
Good for collating lots of notes and text on one page. I use this for collaborative writing with Y11. In an ICT room, students can add their comments to different categories/questions. Thanks to @mfl.teacher/@missfedrizzi for the idea.
Taste Atlas
A great website for finding out all about local dishes. Type in a country/city and find food specialities along with descriptions of them and restaurant recommendations.
ThingLink
This website links website and videos to an image. Here I have linked a Cologne transport map to various different locations around the city, such as a YouTube trip down the Rhine, an info video in German on the cathedral and even the website for the hostel I have used on past school trips. It's great for creating virtual tours!
SlidesMania
Gorgeous free educational powerpoint templates! I really love the title slides!
Webcam Taxi
Check out webcam taxi for live webcams from around the world. Students can describe what they see and enjoy a bit of armchair travel and culture while they are at it!
Clipomatic App
This is a cute little free app which turns everything you say into captions. This was a little video I filmed to teach primary children some animals in Spanish over lockdown. It only lasts one minute but is great for creating short clips for comprehension/introducing vocabulary.
Edwordle
I've used this website for years as I find it really helps students add variety to their written work. They type their answer to a question or piece of writing into edwordle.net and can then generate a 'world.' The more often a word is used, the bigger the word. So they can quickly see which words they need to find synonyms for. They can also print their world out and annotate it. So looking at this example, the student would need to find a synonym for 'langweilig' (boring), come up with another verb instead of 'lernen' (to learn) etc. I like this website as you don't need a login or code, you can just access the website and copy and paste onto it - super easy!
Interactive Story-telling Dice
I have a collection of story telling dice and cards but during covid, was unable to hand them out. So I found an online version instead! You can randomly select five dice and students can then write sentences/stories in the TL using the dice as inspiration! There are a few different websites but this one I use is from davebirrs.com
Immersive Reader
This handy little Microsoft tool is great for helping students with literacy. They can copy and paste a text into a document and then click the 'immersive reader' tool to enable them to change the background colour, the size and spacing of words, highlight and split up words and even have the text read out loud. A super hand ICT tool to support students' learning!
Icons
I'm using icons more and ore in my resources instead of clip art and images as they are much simpler and less-confusing. websites such as The Noun Project are brilliant for free icons but I also didn't realise how many were available on Microsoft Powerpoint until I watched a very informative TiLT webinar with @jenomfl.
Online Bingo
Myfreebingocards.com is a free website where you can type in a list of words and it automatically generates bingo cards which can either be printed off or used to play remotely/interactively. Or you can just ask students to write the words down and they press play/call and it randomly selects words for you. What I particularly like is that is lists all of the words which have already been called as I always forget which ones I've already said! You'll probably find this website is blocked in school so if you can't get it unblocked, you can just do a little screen recording and embed into your presentation. I find this just makes a simple game of bing and vocab recall a bit more exciting!
gut.languageskills.co.uk
Available in Fr, Sp, Gm and Welsh. This website is free after 4pm on weekdays and at a weekend but to use it during the day, you need a subscription (about £30 per language per year). Great for setting homework and revision!
QR codes
I've added QR codes to these Y7 knowledge organisers with links to the BBC Bitesize guides I worked on. Students can easily access more support/challenge from home.
There are so many free websites which quickly make QR codes (no need to sign in). You can just copy and paste the codes into your document. I think the QR may eventually stop working, so I will double-check these at the end of every academic year.
Thanks to @morganmfl for the inspiration as I spotted that she had included QR codes in her 'need to know booklets.'
There are so many free websites which quickly make QR codes (no need to sign in). You can just copy and paste the codes into your document. I think the QR may eventually stop working, so I will double-check these at the end of every academic year.
Thanks to @morganmfl for the inspiration as I spotted that she had included QR codes in her 'need to know booklets.'
Name Generators
I love using name generators. I use them for picking names randomly but also for retrieval practice. Here are the websites/software /apps I use for name generators:
- Powerpoint - Here I type a different name/topic/grammar point on each slide and when I press 's,' one is selected at random. I've recently been using this as a '20 keys' generator whereby students are given a topic and they have to come up with the selected 'key' on their whiteboard. I got the original powerpoint presentation from TES I think and I just change the slides to suit. I have uploaded it here so you can just download it and edit.
- Wheel of Names.com Again, great for a name generator, for translation, selecting a particular area of grammar or a topic.
- idoceo name selector on the seating plan tab. I use a digital planner on my iPad and I find the name generator a really useful tool. I use it for targeted questioning. See my blog post for how I plan with iDoceo.
- Powerpoint - Here I type a different name/topic/grammar point on each slide and when I press 's,' one is selected at random. I've recently been using this as a '20 keys' generator whereby students are given a topic and they have to come up with the selected 'key' on their whiteboard. I got the original powerpoint presentation from TES I think and I just change the slides to suit. I have uploaded it here so you can just download it and edit.
- Wheel of Names.com Again, great for a name generator, for translation, selecting a particular area of grammar or a topic.
- idoceo name selector on the seating plan tab. I use a digital planner on my iPad and I find the name generator a really useful tool. I use it for targeted questioning. See my blog post for how I plan with iDoceo.
20_keys_generator.ppt |
Drive & Listen
Check out drive and listen and take a virtual ride around a city whilst listening to the local radio! Great for cultural capital!