Flipgrid

Hi there !

If you want your students to continue learning outside the classroom Flipgrid can be a useful for you. It enables you and your students to upload podcasts and share it with each other. It can be a starting step for your shy students because while uploading their grids they don't have to show their faces.

If you want to check mine you can click the link below. Have fun :) See you soon...

https://flipgrid.com/s/1916b02b94ac

Games and Gamification

What is gamification ?

Gamefication is the use of game design and mechanics to enhance non-game contexts by increasing participation, engagement, loyalty and competition. These methods can include points, leaderboards, direct competitions and stickers or badges, and can be found in industries as varied as personal healthcare, retail- and, of course, education.

Gamification in Education

Games, in any form, increase motivation through engagement. When you use games instead of coursebooks or worksheets to practice language, the millineum generation learner can engage with lessons. Recently studies have shown that computer games are strong elements that motivate learners contrary to it has been perceived previously. Teachers and coders can work together and create games for educational purposes. Indeed, gamification has been used for some time but it has to be improved. Still you can use games as teachers. 

Thinglink

Hi there! 

I'm here to introduce you another app which we can use in our classes as English teachers: Thinglink. It is a mobile app that provides you to give links to a text, photo, video or a website by clicking on a picture.

I guess using it in our classes will motivate students because it enables a fun activity.

To create your Thinglink presentation you can use the link below. Have fun :)

https://www.thinglink.com/

Sutori

Hi there;

Today we I'm going talk about Sutori. It is a website in which you can create interactive materials. It is a collaborative presentation tool for the classroom for all age groups and content areas. It provides the ideal canvas for assignments and lesson plans.

To create your own Sutori you can click the link below. I hope you enjoy it :) 

https://www.sutori.com/

QR Code

Hi everybody;

We are all familiar with QR codes in our daily lives. We use it for different purposes. When it comes to educational purposes we can use it in our lessons because it catches learners' attention. Learners can be curious about which page is going to open thus they will pay more attention to the lesson. 

Here is my QR code. By scanning it you can reach my kahoot quiz. Enjoy it :)

Second Life

Hi everybody;
I'm back with a virtual reality related game. I dowlanded and I tried it for the first time this game for my course. Now it is time to share my experiences with you. The first thing you should do is to sign up and dowland the app. Then, when you click the game, a virtual world welcomes you. You see and design your avatar. When you finish designing you can can teleport some places in that world. Also you have the chance to chat with other users.
Today's children love learning with games and these type of applications and games help them to learn while having fun.

There are some photos of my avatar while I'm walking around Istanbul University Erasmus Office. To reach the office first I teleported and I flew for some time. I had so much fun while playing I hope you give it a chance and love it. See you :)

Using VR

Hi guys;

Thanks to my professor Tuncer Can I had the chance to try Virtuality Reality (VR) at Instructional Technologies and Material Design course.

Let's look at some information about VR first.

The definition of virtual reality comes, naturally, from the definitions for both ‘virtual’ and ‘reality’. The definition of ‘virtual’ is near and reality is what we experience as human beings. So the term ‘virtual reality’ basically means ‘near-reality’. This could, of course, mean anything but it usually refers to a specific type of reality emulation. We know the world through our senses and perception systems. In school we all learned that we have five senses: taste, touch, smell, sight and hearing. These are however only our most obvious sense organs. The truth is that humans have many more senses than this, such as a sense of balance for example. These other sensory inputs, plus some special processing of sensory information by our brains ensures that we have a rich flow of information from the environment to our minds. Everything that we know about our reality comes by way of our senses. In other words, our entire experience of reality is simply a combination of sensory information and our brains sense-making mechanisms for that information. It stands to reason then, that if you can present your senses with made-up information, your perception of reality would also change in response to it. You would be presented with a version of reality that isn’t really there, but from your perspective it would be perceived as real. Something we would refer to as a virtual reality. So, in summary, virtual reality entails presenting our senses with a computer generated virtual environment that we can explore in some fashion.

I think using VR in our classes will be very helpful and enjoyable thing for our students. Because students can motivated more while using it and also these type of activities help our students to attached to our lesson easily.

Here are some photos of me while trying VR below.

Online Free Courses

Hi my lovely readers; 

Did you know that you can take online courses from universities around the world. Even you can take a certifictate from prestigious universities such as Oxford or Harvard etc. Moreover it is free to take them unless you want a verified certificate. But in verified certificate they charge you small amount of money.

I had a course from www.udemy.com/‎ about "How to Make More Money Teaching English". I had a very lovely time completing my certificate program. 

I took my course from Udemy but you can also use various websites or apps to take certificate. There are some links for you to take below.

https://www.edx.org/

https://www.coursera.org/

https://www.futurelearn.com/courses

Creating Maps with MindMeister

Mapping is a widely use activity in classrooms to brain storm, outline etc. By using MindMeister you can create your maps in seconds. MindMeister is an online mind mapping tool that lets you capture, develop and share ideas visually. It is easy to use and it is free to join for 30 days.

I created a mind map about types of fruits. You can revise my activity after clicking the link below. 

I hope you enjoy it. See you soon :)

https://www.mindmeister.com/1261496368?t=BVwBSeCWW9

Creative Materials with Canva

If you want to try something new in your classes give a shot to a new website: Canva 

Canva is a graphic-design tool website. It uses a drag-and-drop format and provides access to over a million photographs, graphics, and tools. By using it, you can create cards, special notes, presentations, graphics, advertisements etc. 

I designed a thank you note for my teachers and when I used in my class, I want my students to create their own thank you cards. It is easy to use that's why I like it so much.

 In the pictures below you can see my design.

If you want to create your own material, you can click the link below. Moreover, you can use free of charge for 30 days!

https://www.canva.com/design/DADY7fY1RII/cyo8RZFNWhtiWZS_L7dZww/edit

Interactive Classes with Nearpod

Do you want to make an interactive class with your students? Then, here I will share an amazing platform for you to use. Nearpod!

Nearpod is a student engagement platform that can be used to amazing effect in classroom. The concept is simple. A teacher can create presentations that can contain Quiz's, Videos, Games, Drawing-Boards, Web Content etc.

I have created an activity about weathers and clothes. In the first part students are going to do matching exercise and then in the second part, they supposed to write a short paragraph. You can check my activity by clicking the link below.

I hope you like it. See you soon :)

https://share.nearpod.com/BxsQfIgNpW

Creating Comics with Pixton

Hey guys!

Most of us like reading comics right? And I'm sure your students will prefer you to use this tool in the calssroom. Instead of making boring classes you can Pixton and both you and your students enjoys your lessons.

Pixton is a cartoon creation tool that allows its users to create comics. You can introduce it to your students and they can join the class that you make on that website. Then they can create their own comics and share them with each other. Moreover, it is free for 30 days!

I have created an activity for you to check. I hope you like it and have an idea about this website.

Activity link: https://share.pixton.com/puym0qf

You can also join my class by using the link below. 

Classroom link: https://join.pixton.com/3wmrr

Quizlet !

Hello everybody;
Today I will share an application which I liked using while creating an activity about feelings: Quizlet
Quizlet is a mobile and web-based study application that allows students to study information via learning tools and games. It trains students via flashcards and offers various games and tests.
You can check my activity by using the link below.
Have fun! See you :)

https://quizlet.com/_6kx1ny

Introducing My Blog with Voki

Hey guys;
Today I am going to introduce you my blog by using Voki.

Do you want to produce spoken production in your classesand want your students to do so? If  your answer is yes, go and sign up in Voki.

Voki is an educational tool that allows users to create their own talking character. Voki characters can be customized to look like historical figures, cartoons, animals, and even yourself! You can give your Voki a voice by recording with a microphone, using their dial-in number, or uploading an audio file.

If you want to check what I have done, please click the link below. I hope you like it. See you soon :)

http://tinyurl.com/y43blpe3

Creative Stories with Storybird

Hi everyone;
Today I will introduce you a new website in which you can create your stories. If you get bored with paper works Storybird is totally for you!

Storybird is a language arts tool. It lets anyone make visual stories in minutes. You can begin by choosing your story type, then you can start producing wonderful works. Furthermore, it is free to use for 30 days .

I created a flash fiction as an example for you to read. You can use the link below.

https://storybird.com/flash-fiction/last-long-night

To join my class you can use the link below. First sign up with your e-mail and then enter my class code :  "BX1SXG" 

https://storybird.com/class/04d5ac8ba28ba0ecb4bd58463f33cbb7

Kahoot it !

Hello everybody;
Today I created an Kahoot exercise for you.
Kahoot is an application in which you can create exercises for your students. You prepare some questions beforehand and after the class you give your students the game pin and either individually or as a group they can join this activity.
Even we are using it in our classes and we have so much fun while doing it. I assume both creating and doing Kahoot exercises give pleasure to you, as well.
As an example I have created my own Kahoot. You can join by clicking the link below. Have fun :)


https://create.kahoot.it/share/vocabulary-test/1635b227-92ff-4588-9b6d-82626a0049ab

Game PIN: 365766

Using AR as an Educational Tool

Hello everone! Today I'm going to share a brief experience about use of AR in class. First of all, what is AR? Let me explain.

Augmented reality is the integration of digital information with the user's environment in real time. Augmented reality apps are written in special 3D programs that allow the developer to tie animation or contextual digital information in the computer program to an augmented reality "marker" in the real world. When a computing device's AR app or browser plug-in receives digital information from a known marker, it begins to execute the marker's code and layer the correct image or images.

But in educational context, usage of AR is a new concept and there is a few attempts to integrate it into classrooms. I think it can have highly positive effect in lessons because new generation enjoys using technological stuff.

You can follow the link below to watch me and my friends video. I hope you enjoy it and have a chance to try AR. See you :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RapTWnT9qVY

Make sure to follow: https://carpathian-elt2.blogspot.com/?m=1

Producing Your Own Animation Show !

Hi, guys. For today's post I've tried something new and creative. We all know animations right! So why don't we use them to teach grammar topics to our students? I created an animation for primary school graders to gain their attention while introducing a new to topic to them. 

While creating my animation I used Powtoon, but you can also use Animoto, Toontastic, Animatron etc. 

I hope you all enjoy producing your own animation just like I did. See you soon :)

Create your own Seesaw!

Hello everybody;
Today is the day for us to create our own Seesaw!
First let me explain what Seesaw is. Seesaw is an application to use in our classes to make purposeful tasks by using photos, videos or podcasts.
If you are interested in making your own check out mine first to have a brief knowledge. I had so much fun while creating my own, so I hope you all have fun :) See you soon...

https://app.seesaw.me/pages/shared_activity?share_token=tsyGyCE6TKGcqQlMvz9kSA&prompt_id=prompt.7e60ebc3-3fe2-46d2-b5de-4755dd02f398

Hello my lovely students; Today I want you create your own Match-up Activity. To do so you need some photos of the vehicles that we have learned in our Unite 8. If you are curious about how to make a Match-up Activity you can look at the example which I made for you. Have fun !

10 Facts About Turkey

Hello my dears;
    To create a better material in our English lessons, today I discover a new application which is called Padlet. It is very useful to create data by making personalized dashboards.
    While making your board you can give information, add photos and give some links related to your data. I had a very lovely time while making mine, I hope you guys will enjoy making yours :)
           

       https://padlet.com/kubusev/c9vugpla7yah

In my Padlet, I gave some interesting facts about Turkey, I assume that some of them will be familiar but I hope after looking at this material you gain some information.

Etymology of Days Vidcast

Hi everyone, Kerem and I made our first vidcast together. To clarify the etymology of days we explained them briefly as;
Sunday: Son's Day
Monday: Moon's Day
Tuesday: Tyr's Day
Wednesday: Wodin's Day
Thursday: Thor's Day
Friday: Frieya's Day
Saturday: Saturn's Day

I hope you enjoy our video, thanks for watching.

Also do not forget to subscribe Kerem's youtube channel and check his blog as well...
https://carpathian-elt2.blogspot.com/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnJSmJ51YAYCFE7HQcEdlXw

Podcast 1 : Brief Description of Euphemism and Examples of it

Podcast 1 : Brief Description of Euphemism and Examples of it

Hello everbody, this is my first podcast in which I explained euphemism in a few words and give some examples in a specific context. By using them you can avoid some misunderstandings. I hope you enjoy it, see you soon :)