21st Century Technology in the World Language Classroom

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Sites for Reading, Writing, and Class Collaboration

AnswerGarden

AnswerGarden is a new minimalistic feedback tool. Use it as a tool for online brainstorming or embed it on your website or blog as a poll or guestbook.

What aspect of techn in the WL classroom intrigues you most?... at AnswerGarden.ch.

Zimmer Twins

Use pre-made cartoon scenes and add your own text to make an animated movie.

Storybird Collaborative Storytelling

Using gorgeous art and storyboard options, collaborate on and publish a personalized storybook. This is my first story. It took me about 20 minutes from start to finish. I made up the story as I found the pictures.

A la recherche de son âme soeur by mvhsfrench on Storybird

Edu.Glogster.com

Use digital photos, text, and borrowed creativity to prodce attractive posterboards for projects. No more late night trips to the drugstore for posterboard and markers!

Explore a Spanish teacher's class Glogsters

toondoo.com

One of the best ways for students to synthesize their knowledge is to use writing and comedy. I have used ToonDoos to encourage reading and writing at all levels. Students are able to compose a comic strip or comic book without the fear of drawing. The add their dialogue or text after they have submitted it for review. To see a larger view of my cartoon, click here!

Make Beliefs Comics

Students create and organize comic books and strips.

The site is multilingual and FREE. 

Video about ELL teachers using Make Beliefs for Language Acquisition.

Pixton: DIY comics *Free accounts with limitations.*

Pixton for Schools *Subscription required for in-depth use.*

Much like Toondoo, students are able to print their finished projects, embed them into website or blogs, and share them on social networking sites.

Xtranormal is a free website that allows  users to create animated videos with camera shots, sound effects, and different languages! Users type in their dialogue and the computer-generated actors act out the blocking and camera shots set up by the "director!" This is an ideal activity for timid speakers that encourages written over oral production. 

PicLits.com

"Inspired picture writing"

PicLits.com is a creative writing site that matches beautiful images with carefully selected keywords in order to inspire you. The object is to put the right words in the right place and the right order to capture the essence, story, and meaning of the picture.

BigHugeLabs

View my students' Trading Cards

Use digital photos and language to create posters, magazine covers, inspirational posters, and unique projects. This is an exciting site from which you can publish your students' work.

“I teach educators how to use digital images in their classroom. Your site is one of my favorites to share with my teachers. We create posters, trading cards of Explorers, mosaics, and magazine covers. My teachers love to use your product.” – Susan, Technology Trainer

Penzu.com

Free online diary. Encourage online journaling that allows sharing between writers!

Wiki for more than 40 online useful tools !

Students can make amazing online, thematic scrapbooks using visuals and written language. Make a basic page that can be worked on by groups of students and it is an excellent collaborative project.

  This is a basic book I made using the French club.

| View Sample Photo Books | Create your own Photo Book

Wordle

This is my Wordle based on the French poem "Déjeuner du matin" by Jacques Prévert. Wordle takes text and makes it into a visual artwork piece. It can be a unique view of the students' work. Students may use any work that they have produced and transform it into art.

ImageChef

Word Mosaic, Poetry Blender, and many other applications allow your students to create personalized and artistic projects using language and pictures.

ImageChef.com  

Word Clouds ABCya!

Much like Wordle, this basic program allows you to "play" with a text. Users are able to change the font, the color, and the size of the word cloud.

Tagxedo

Tagxedo is an advanced, but still easy-to-use program that uses shapes, fonts, themes, and the Web to help you create sophisticated looking word clouds. I have used Paul Verlaine's "Chanson d'automne" (Song of Autumn) to create this pictoral representation of the poem. I chose the colors, the font, the shape, and the layout. A great site for the artistically impaired!

Update: At this time I do not recommend embedding your creation in a site or blog. The developer used "Silverlight," which is not a compatible program with most browsers. Save your creation as a .JPG file and add it as a normal picture file.

Slideshare

Guided tour

 * Embed slideshows into your own blog or website.
* Share slideshows publicly or privately. There are several ways to share privately.
* Synch audio to your slides.
* Market your own event on slideshare.
* Join groups to connect with SlideShare members who share your interests.
* Download the original file
 

Mystudiyo

Make FREE fun quizzes with video, audio, photos for free! Have your students choose a video from either YouTube or TeacherTube. Students compose the questions and their classmates will take the quizzes. From this one site you will incorportate reading, writing, and listening! Can be used with an Interactive Whiteboard.