Children and digital technology

ICT in English Teaching Group 1

The Blog Post

Children and digital technology

Information or knowledge?

An increasing number of schools are investing in so-called "one-to- one " projects of various kinds where every student has a computer, Tablet or smart phone as a personal tool. Lisa Adamson, a teacher of languages ​​and social studies ( grades 4-9 )  and researcher at the Department of Applied Information Technology at the IT Faculty , University of Gothenburg , which is linked to the Center for School Improvement in Gothenburg. Her research focuses on studying the literate activities that take place when 13 to 16 year olds use their mobile digital tools in schools and the reading processes that then takes shape.

 Lisa Adamson is interested in how this constant accessibility to texts of various kinds affects the reading that takes place. During a lecture in Malmö Lisa Adamson says that she has noticed that the development of technology has contributed to a new approach to learning. All impression we get from the media lies as an area of information, rather than processed into new knowledge. In the new media landscape it is more important to be able to construct sentences than the ability to just remember, which was highly regarded in the old days. When the construction of sentences is central the need for and willingness to participate also increases.

The new media and media tools have developed a convergence culture. While different media are mixed with each other, various forms of 'text' converges and the consumers and producers opportunities for interaction lead to the border between the transmitter and receiver being erased. User Culture mixes with mass culture and everyone becomes involved in a digital stream that flows between web magazines, blogs, and social media.

 Questions like: ”What do we do with the media? ” and ”What do the media do with us?” becomes highly relevant.

(Att skriva sig till läsning, ASL), can be translated as (Write to read). Using computers is a method that spreads rapidly in the Nordic countries. Researchers Arne Trageton from Norway was the first to present a model for this method. ”Writing is easier than reading”, claims Arne Trageton (2005). With the computer as a writing tool, reading and writing can be converted into writing and reading skills with the student as a producer instead of a consumer. Children learn to read through their own writing. Role of the teacher goes from pure teaching to stimulate processing and learning.

 In the traditional system the students' create texts exclusively with pen and paper as an individual work.  The change and improvement of handwritten text, is a more laborious process, especially for those students who have difficulty with writing. With the computer as a writing tool however, improving and correcting text becomes a less arduous matter. The digital text moves nicely when you make changes and gives way to more and longer words, according to Erica Lövgren (2009). Write to read means that by using the computer the students are required to create text everyday together with a writing buddy. When the student writes both hands are active on the keyboard. The Right Hand handles the right side of the keyboard and the left hand handles the left side. The thumbs manage the space bar. A line is drawn in the center of the keyboard to mark the border between the two sides. The text forms the basis for further language and reading development. Students do not start using the pen until the second grade.

Charlotta Anell-Lundkvist

END6

Little Bridge

When given this task I immediately came to think of the computer-program Little Bridge that we use throughout the whole school where I work.

This program works well with Lgr 11 as it uses the same progression as intended in the syllabus. In the commentary material to the syllabus in English it is clearly stated that the teachings should be based on receptive skills before you focus on speaking and finally writing. All according to the European framework for languages, GERS. To start off you´re supposed to simply listen before you start doing things and finally you can do some talking yourself.

 The program takes us to a little town, Little Bridge, where we meet some of its residents och different places around town. There are eight units consisting of eight different activities. The program is animated and the menu consists of a room with a chest of drawers in the middle. Each drawer contains one unit and you´re supposed to open one at a time. When you have completed at least 50 % of the eight activities in a drawer you get access to a game. The units´ activities deals with such areas as numbers, colours, the names of the days of the week, bodyparts, pets and more.

I teach both first- and third-graders in English but I only use this program for the older pupils. They are all given their own protocol where they can mark what they have done. Knowing that especially the boys are eager to get to the games and tend to ignore the reason for being on the computer in the first place, it´s important for me to be able to keep track on what they have been working on. I think it´s important to talk about the activities they´ve worked on. Not only in order to keep an eye on them but also because I use the conversation to speak English with each individual pupil.

I find this program both educational and fun for the pupils. It is easy to use and if you want to you can do some of the activities as a group in front of a smartboard. This will increase the possibility to talk and not just sit by yourself in fron of a computor.

Smart Board

At the school I work we have a Smart Boards in every classroom. That a fantastic working toll that is extremely useful in so many ways. To use a Smart Board you need to have a computer connected to it.

I have used the Smart Board in class to show movies like “Muzzy in Gondoland”, which the students love, and “Little Red Riding Hood”. We have been singing songs like “Old Mac Donald hade a farm” from Youtube were you can find the music with pictures and lyrics so it gets easy for students to learn the song. You can also write your own texts and put them up on the Smart Board so all the student can see them very easily.

When you have a Smart Board you can also have a program in your computer called “Notbook” and in that program you can create your own lessons and activities. You can create an activity for the students to practise on in pairs or by them self on the Smart Board. For example if they are learning fruits you can find pictures of fruits and put them on the “paper” in Notbook. Then you write the names of the fruits and after that student can pull them together combining pictures and names of the fruits. To do this you can either use the mouse on the computer or use your hand directly on the Smart Board.

The Smart Board can also be uses as a writing board instead of the regular whiteboard that is found in most classrooms. When you use the Smart Board to write on you get the opportunity to save the text if you want to use it again. Another way to use the Smart Board is to connect a special camera to it that allows you to look at books or items that you put under it and then it is displayed on the Smart Board.

It is also possible to take pictures of the things you put under the camera. Smart Board is a very good investment in schools because it is useful in so many ways in your everyday teaching.

Erika Klasson, 1EN06U

Lankskafferiet

 

I teach grade 2 in primary school. This autumn we have begun with English at a basic level. In my class I have a student who is a native English speaker. Therefore, I must give him completely different tasks.  I have great help from a website called Länkskafferiet. From here, I download tasks and games etc. With this tasks and games my student can work independently and he really values to work with these. My student is 9 years old and he likes Go Yoyoy, Listen to CBeebies  (radio programs and games), Sportmixer (sport words), Childrens’s Storybooks (texts which are easy to read) and WizQuiz (crosswords and games).

Länkskafferiet (the Swedish Link Library) is a referatory for educational use and is meant to be a pedagogical aid for Swedish pupils, between 5 and 18 years of age, in their search for useful information on the Internet. Teachers can use the service to guide the pupils in their search and find good resources for lesson planning.

Länkskafferiet consists of subject structured and quality-assessed Internet information resources. All the web sites are classified and arranged in 12 main themes and 20 curriculum subjects.

Pupils under the age of 13 have their own subject tree.

Every Internet web site has its own record which contains information about the title, a short description, keyword(s) and language. From each title there is a link, with point-and-click access, direct to the cited web site. The latest 50 records are available in a special list of new links. A form provides users with a means to interact with the system.

Länkskafferiet is a service in the field of ICT in School and has continuing support from Umeå University.

www.lankskafferiet.org

Ulrika Malmqvist
1EN06U

Projector

Projector!

In our school we have projectors in every classroom to use during our lessons.

I am using the projector to look at some movies both in English and Swedish. We have visit YouTube and listened to some songs in English and sing together. This is a very good way to teach the children songs in English and verbal communication.

You can also use the projector to Skype with people in another country. We have used it to talk to one of the students that have moved to Miami. When you use Skype you have to connect the computer to the projector and to use Skype you have to download the program. The program is free and can be downloaded on www.skype.com. The children can see the person we are talking to on the big screen when we Skype and they can also hear the person talk. This is a very good tool to use to be able to keep in touch with people that lives far away and even in another country. It doesn’t matter where you live we can always keep in touch with each other.

We also use the computer to look for English words that we are unsure of the spelling. We visit Google and look for translations from Swedish to English. In this way you, as a teacher, show the children that you can’t spell to every word in English and they will learn how to find ways to search for spellings. We also use the computer connected to the projector when we are writing together. The children see the spelling on the big screen and can spell the words right. The computer is a very good tool to use in many ways.

Annelie Tholander

Cleverboard

For some years now, we have had cleverboards in every classroom at my school. The idea is that the teachers should be able to produce simple but fun documents on the cleverboard, which they can use when they teach their pupils in various subjects at school. Once the teachers have made such document or a simple program, they can easily save them to a shared server so that other teachers can take advantage of the programs. Even though the technology has been in the classroom for several years, the programs and documents created in our school are still quite limited. This is due to the fact that other more traditional tasks have had higher priority. Therefore the teachers haven´t had enough time to create new documents and programs. Instead, our great cleverboards have become rather expensive film projectors. But I think it is time for a change.

I recently made ​​two fairly simple programs /documents that I have used when I was teaching my nine year old pupils in English. The first program is some sort of a quiz, containing 10 pictures of various fruits, in which the pupils have to choose the correct answer (1X2) that answers the question of what the fruit is called in English. For every answer I have attached a sound loop that reveal whether the pupils have answered right or wrong on the questions. You can use this program several times and it is easy to change themes. You just have to swap the pictures, the questions and the answers so they fit another theme. The pupils can for example practice the English words for various animals, furniture, cartoon characters and more.

The other program that I have made includes different cards where I have written Swedish words on one side and their English counterparts on the other side. The pupils then have to read words such as "bil" in Swedish and then they have to say what that word is called in English before they turn the card over. The pupils have to check themselves if they were right or wrong. Even this program can be used multiple times in the classroom and it is easy to replace the words if the teacher wants the pupils to practice other words.

The disadvantage with this kind of program is that it only provides summative assessments of the pupils. And that is a pity because I am trying real hard to increase all the situations where I do formative assessments in the classroom. But it is probably not entirely wrong to mix these two methods of assessment in teaching either. Moderation is often best.

Marcus Sandberg, 1EN06U

Storybird

Storybird is a free, web-based application that can be used by students, teachers and parents.
Here you can create, read and share visual stories!
http://storybird.com

Here you can let yourself be inspired by imaginative pictures to write your story or narrative. You can do it alone or with others, and you choose whether you want to share your virtual book. As a teacher you can create a class account that students can use to vent their typing bliss or get the chance to be inspired. Your students can share their stories with their parents, by e - mail if they want to do that.

For to start typing and selecting pictures, click on the "Create" menu and then puts you started!
 If you want to write directly you can do so, or if you want to get ideas, you can take help of various images.

When you use Storybird you can also read what other people have written and been isnpired of .Click on "Read" in the menu, and you get many different suggested topics and books you can read.

Elisabet Gustafsson 1EN06U

Ipads

I am one of 12 teachers in Linköping municipality which partnered in an Ipad project. This means that we have received ipads (1 to 2 students) to the class and that we should use these in the teaching as much as possible. This has been a lift for both me and my students, especially in English.

There are plenty of apps, good and less good, that is exercising English in different ways. Most apps are focused in training  english words, for example, colors, food, body, things, etc. It has been good to use for increasing the pupils vocabulary. But I have noticed that my students have difficulties when it comes to speaking English loud, they do not really dare. They have a good vocabulary but do not really dare use their knowledge, particularly not in a large group. It is better in smaller groups.

I found an app that you can use in both English and Swedish. This app has helped them in speaking English. It is called "Sock puppets". In Sock puppets you set up a scene with different characters and environments. Then you can record audio and also move characters. The result is a little film. The good thing is that all the characters have their own distinctive voice, so you can`t say which one of the pupils who played what. Now, when we have worked with the app a number of times I have noticed that students dare to use their English also "outside" the app, fun!

/Sara Skagerström

1EN06U

Polar Fish Interactive fiction in English

I have students who need some extra challenges that they can work with individual. I got tips on this stuff and have been tested on lektion,se. I think it seems fun and challenging.  It is great that you can choose the difficulty and number of exercises that you want to do.
I will give a description.
Polar Fish interactive is beautifylly illustrated books from the best selling youth author. It contains a lot of exercises, quizzes and games. There are books and exercises from grade 5 to 9. Books and exercises to suit everyone regardless of skill level. The approach and contents match Lgr 11.
 How to get started. The first thing to do is to purchase a subscription. You will receive a license key so you can register yourself and a group of students. Students are invited through a link and registers. Now students can start working a book. Select the book you want to start reading. They recommend to start with "before you read exercises" to prepare you for the questions that come during the reading and to get pre-understanding. This may be discussion questions about the story´s theme or to practice words.
Linked to each chapter is also "when reading exercises". It is simple reading comprehension questions, exercises that increase vocabulary and playful exercises that get students to look deeper at the story. There is also an execise with an illustrated story, to show the story in a different way.
At the end of each book there are "after reading exercises". They explores the characters more depth.
There are suggestions for role play and screenplay for film shoots. You can also interact with others who read the books. It does so by Polar Fish´s forum world connect.
You can do all or none of that, it is part of the flexibility Polar Fish teachers have worked hard to get to work in the classroom, according to Polar Fish.
As a teacher you can follow the students through the LMS system, Learning Managment System.
Study groups are private areas where teachers can follow students´ individual performance, their results and how far they have come, by visiting their profile page.
Regular price is 48 SEK/student for a year. Subscriptions expires in a year.
Try out material on lektion.se or visit polarfish.se/startsida.
Monica Andersson, on 6 october
1EN06U

The Learning Station.

The Learning Station. http://www.learningstationmusic.com 

I teach English in grade 2 and 3. Children at that age are very motivated to learn English and need a lot of different challanges to come along.

My experience is that songs are very good tools to engage all the children in the classroom. The level of knowledge in English is very varying in a group. There are  pupils with just a little experience of English and they therefore might be shy and do not want to speak English. There are also pupils with a decent vocabulary and they need opportunities to progress. Songs are for everyone.

The Learning Station is a fantastic gold mine where you can find material for almost any lesson in English. They have published over 250 children's songs that are part of educational curriculums world-wide.  The Swedish curriculm emphasizing the importans of songs and ryhms in the syllabus in English.

If you have access to a Smartboard  you can choose from hundreds of different films and songs, all about things you work with in the lower level of compulsory school. There are songs about the alphabet, clothes, colours, food, figures, animals, months and days among many other subjects. If you do not have access to a Smartboard you can download the music.

The Learning Station has also created a series of free, printable activity handouts. You can find many educational lesson plans and lots of other fun things. The only problem is that there are so much material and you need time to go through it, time that you mostly do not have as a teacher.

One of my and my pupils favourite songs is “Boom Chicka Boom”. You imitate the moves and the song, bit by bit. The pupils love it and they want to do it every lesson. Usually we end the lesson by this song and after 4-5 times they are so good at it. Try it and enjoy!

Little Bridge

 

This program is for computers and it can be used in many ways, for example working individually, in pairs or in the whole class through an interactive whiteboard. I work with grades 2 and 3 and in my school we have a lot of computers but I think that it is important to let the learners work together to frame the communication. Just working on your own will not develop the learning.   

The contents in the software Little Bridge correspond well to the Swedish curriculum for grades 1-6.  The learners are familiar with the themes of the game such as everyday situations. For each theme activities that exercise a specific vocabulary and by repeating and consolidating the students can gradually build up their vocabulary. The spoken English in the program is clear and there is a lot of different ways to practice communication and linguistic expressions.

A classroom license gives access to additional materials as a teacher´s guide with lesson suggestions, learner’s books and copy masters. On the Little Bridge global community teachers are able to download these resources and to share ideas. On this community the learners also can extend their social network. The schools can be registered and then they can link to each other so that the learners can be connected around the world.

In the software Little Bridge there is a music machine and the teacher can use that function to sing karaoke together in the whole class. The songs are adapted for the vocabulary which the learners have practiced in the exercises. Little Bridge also includes a special part for practice which is suitable to solve in the class an interactive whiteboard. For example Kim´s game there you first see the whole picture and then have to identify which object that was removed.

The software has 3D graphics that are realistic and the characters are animated. From personal experience, I know that the learners appreciate the interactive exercises. It is good if the learners get motivated but it is also important to be attentive to the learners so that the use of the program not only will become a fun game. They also have to learn. That is, the learners can not only play by themselves. As a teacher I have to be present and communicate with the learners about what they are doing in the game.

I especially appreciate an exercise in this software that requires the learners to get clues from the character in the game to find a missing person. They walk around the streets in the city and when they meet a person they can stop and listen to what the person says. For example the person can tell them that Harry is in the playground. The learners can go there and have a look or ask a new person for more clues. When my learners did this exercise in pairs there were a lot of discussions and I noticed that they also went back to a character to hear the clues one more time.

The Little Bridge is not just a computer game for fun.  This program has an educational structure with varied tasks that are clearly outlined in the guide. Activities which are largely about communication. It is even possible to have dialogues using a microphone. Moreover it is interesting that Little Bridge has a connection to the common European framework (A1 and A2).

 

http://www.littlebridgeworld.com/

Helena Sjöberg, 1EN06U

Smartboards

Blog post. For a couple of years ago the headmaster in our school decided to buy smartboards to all the classrooms in the school. I work in a school with children from 6 years old to 12 years old. We are all using the smartboards a lot some teachers use them more than others. A smartboard is an interactive board which is connected to a computer and all that you do on the computer shows on the smartboard. The smartboard itself has a lot of tools to be used. For example if you are reading a text together in the classroom is there a function called spotlight there you can focus on a special part on the text with help of the light from this tool. As a teacher you can use it to make lessons in all the subjects in a file called notebook. You can write down tasks and put them in the smartboard instead of copying lots of papers and all the children can see them on the board. You can also write on the smartboard. You can look at websites together in the class on the internet and ypo can watch movies. The children can use it to show for example powerpoints. There are programs so that you can practice geography or English and since the board is quite big it is easy for everyone so see. The only problem is that there are so many things you can do and so many things to learn and so little time to learn. Catarina Olivos

iPad as a translation tool

Swedish as a second language is a part of my work at school. The understanding between newly arrived pupils and the teacher is problematic in the beginning, especially in the enviroment of the classroom. Last spring, we got the economical possibility to purchase a couple of iPads as a technical help in our education.

A translation application ("Say Hi") for the iPad has been a very good help to overcome previously mentioned language barriers. It works like an "interpreter" between student and teacher and is used with great advantage both individually / in groups, in the classroom / in small groups. This application also has been used successfully, during meetings with the pupils' parents, even if it can not replace a human interpreter.

There are some weaknesses with the tool since the translations might be wrong. The application is still a great help in the daily work for all participants.

Other applications are used for these iPads as well. Most of them catch the pupils' interest. The possibilities with all the different applications that are available feel endless.

It is very satisfying to see the pupils' joy/relief over being understood and to understand. 

Fun short movies, a way to learn easy everyday English.

At my school we do not have many ICT tools available, but we do have one computer in each classroom and I am also lucky to have a projector. I mainly use this to look at films. When it comes to using it in English, I have found some great short programs at av-centralen, http:// www.sli.se.

To be able to look at these movies you have to have an account at av-centralen, which is free of charge. You also have to ask for access to their streaming programs.

The films Kids English Zone are produced by BBC, which in my experience stands for good quality. The programs are for beginners, 6-9 years old, and last about 10 minutes. The contents of the short movies well agree with Lgr 11. The topics are well known to the children and about everyday life. The programs are about things that interests children.  Examples of topics are; family, interests, food, clothes and animals. They use a dialogue to communicate these subjects, which makes it easy for us to continue in the same way after the movie.

The films are all listed in the same way, which I think is good. The pupils recognize themselves in the programs and can concentrate on English. The children are the same, they repeat everything several times, and there are songs and also a comedy part. There is also a part that stimulate to creative work. Like for instance when they talk about body parts they show some children drawing one body part each and then putting it together as one body. It looks fun and is very inspiring and the children often want to do something similar.

My experience is that the children love the movies and they get familiar to many English words, sentences and expressions. They learn English in a fun way. After the programs, it is time to speak what they have learnt.          

Maria Kjellberg

1EN06U

 

I am one of those "old school" teachers that struggle a bit with this new way of thinking. What is wrong with rostrum teaching, discipline and proper books? I came to the conclusion.. Nothing! If you combine it with practical tasks and now a Days one of my favourite... The IPad! I work in Groups where some of the pupils got special needs. It can be everything from autism to a worried soul. The IPad helps both me and my pupils to reach our goals. Many students got a good Visual Learning but have trouble with the audio channel. With the right app the students get both audio and Visual Learning. I've noticed that all my students have stepped up their game since we got the I pads Also we got apps that helps the Children to pattern letters in early age for a better hand Writing.

The best thing is that you can use it in all subjects with the same good results and that it is easier to motivate the students.

Usually I get the apps from "skolappar.nu". That is a very good site! Try it!

 

Interactive whiteboard

I'm one of the lucky ones who have an interactive whiteboard in my classroom and it is a very useful tool teaching. It is a data projector connected to a computer, and when you are for example streaming films it is shown onto a whiteboard. To control the computer you are not using the computer mouse, there is a special pen to use. When the pen is activated it is possible to draw on the board in the program you are working with. This program could be a web page, power point, different documents. When you have finished your work it is possible to save the work. You can also use the pen with different colors to highlight things on the board and even move items on the screen. There is a keyboard that can be accessed when you need to type, and then you use the pen on the letters.

On the net you have a lot of interactive programs that can be used on the interactive board. Mostly I have been using my IWB to stream films, but I have made mind-maps on bubble.us together with my pupils. They liked it but they thought I was to slow when using the pen to type on the board. So I have to do more practice the pen.

In the start, there is plenty of time to learn about this tool but when you have done this you have a fantastic tool in the classroom.

Storybird- Artful storytelling

Storybird provides an opportunity to create the most imaginative stories from a number of picture, or rather the illustrations of a particular artist. Storybirds are short, art inspired stories that are fun ti make, share and read. These stories become virtual books which can be shared with classmates, teachers or the whole world if you so wish. Storybird is an excellent tool for the teacher to help the pupils to read and write better, in a joyful way.

Currently you only  can enjoy the books on Storybird through a browser but hopefully it will also be possible to print their stories.

Storybird is free and you can use Storybird without getting an account, but I  still recommend that you to get one. If you have an account you can, as a teacher,  create different accounts for your class and add new assignments. Their output is pooled together in a library of stories. The pupils and the teacher can add comments to each story and “heart this” if you like a story.

To get started you need to press the heading “Teachers” on the first page and then sign up for free. After you have signed up you just create an account of your own and then create the class or classes and add the pupils.

To make a storybird you press the heading “Create” and then you choose which pictures you would like for your story. You can choose pictures according to artist and according to given themes. When you have chosen a theme or an artist you just begin to create your story.

I have used Storybird in two of my current classes and my pupils really like creating new stories in this new way.

If you are interested please visit www.storybird.com and sign in.

Anna Jigström

1EN07U

 

MY 4 TASKS

Cloud tools AnswerGarden is a feedback tool, I use in my classroom. You can use it as an educational tool or as a creative brainstorming tool, or you can embed it on your website or blog to use it as a poll or guestbook. I often starts my lessons with a question. You create an AnswerGarden by entering a topic on the “Create New AnswerGarden-page”. Then you'll be redirected to your newly created AnswerGarden. Since no-one has posted an answer yet, your AnswerGarden will still be empty. The next step is to share your AnswerGarden. Use it live in the classroom,or place embed your AnswerGarden on your blog, site or social network page, using the provided embed code or post a direct link to your AnswerGarden on email it to friends. As your AnswerGarden draws attention people will start posting their answers to your question, either by entering their own answers or by clicking on and submitting existing answers. These are then represented in your AnswerGarden in the form of a growing “word cloud”. AnswerGarden is for anyone interested in using an easy and powerful way to get feedback from a group. AnswerGarden is used by teachers to establish the knowledge level of a class on a certain topic. It is used at to break the ice with the audience in a fun and interactive fashion. AnswerGarden is used by teachers for digital brainstorming sessions. Teachers who maintain websites and blogs use it to poll their visitors in a brief and to-the-point matter. You can also import your AnswerGarden into a beautiful wordcloud in WORDLE. The pupils are anonymous and that’s the best part in communication. SOCRATIVE is a smart student response system that empowers teachers by engaging their classrooms with a series of educational exercises and games. The apps are super simple and take seconds to login. Socrative runs on tablets, smartphones, and laptops. Teachers login through their device and select an activity which controls the flow of questions and games. Students simply login with their device and interact real time with the content. It is very engaging. You assessment with: Student responses are visually represented for multiple choice, true/false and Short Answer questions. For pre-planned activities a teacher can view reports online as a google spreadsheet or as an emailed Excel file. Present students with a Multiple question and see the results populate the bar chart as students select their answer. Ask a True/False question, see the results, and discuss the choices as they come to life on the screen. Gather open ended responses to any question you ask, called Short answers. Instantly project the student responses and then let students vote on the content. Storybird is a visual storytelling tool. Used by writers, of all ages. It is easy to sign up for a free account. Story Bird provides an opportunity to create the most imaginative written stories alone or jointly with others on a number of images. These stories are a kind of virtual books which can then be shared with family, friends or the whole world if you want it. You can also choose not to share it with anyone at all. It is currently only enjoy books on Story Bird through a web browser, but soon will be able to print the books, or read them in a smooth way of their mobile phone. As a teacher you can create an account for that your pupils can use altogether, and you can work with their stories written to pictures along the process. Teachers find Storybird inspirational. The fine illustrations inspire students to write. The more they write, the more they read. It is simple and easy, making Storybirds. Students focus on writing as a result and teachers, in turn, can focus on teaching. The social point of view, students can share and comment on each other's work, bolstering confidence and skill, within a private and safe environment. And it is shareable, stories can be embedded on blogs, shared via email, downloaded, printed. Storybird just works for teachers and pupils, from the art to the written text. Everything works so easy because your work is so fun. Quizlet is a learning, memorization tool for language. It is easy to create an account as a teacher and share it on your blog with your pupils. In the mode Speller, he pupils can type what they hear from an automated text-to-speech voice. The pupil types the answer and if it is correct they move to the next answer. If the answer is wrong the program spells it for you and tells you to type again in the correct spelling. You must type the word two times before you learned it. Flashcards, this mode is shown automatically on the main page and it is a simple flash card study method. One side of the card is shown, and clicking on the “flipbutton” which shows the other side of the card. You can show both sides at the same time in two divided screens. If you want to shuffle the order of the flash cards, you can too. In the Learn-mode the definitions are shown on the same page. You can see the flash cards feature in full screen define the other. Pupils are tested to find one with the other. Incorrect answers are recycled until the user gets it right. The Test-mode lets the pupils create randomly generated tests through selecting options to customize a test so that the pupils learn. The Scatter is a matching game where terms and definitions are randomly scattered around the screen. The Spaece-race is a mode that allows players to test their typing skills while memorizing. The object of this mode is to kill the matching word before the scrolling word leaves the screen. The teacher embed the Quizlet on for example a school-blog and the pupils can practice language learning from any computer at any time because they only need a browser for the rest is in the cloud. I use quizlet and recommend it to other teachers in language learning. Pupils enjoy quizlet and these kind of exercises because they can practice in many different ways at any time they want.