Blackboard

Blackboard is an online teaching, learning, community building and information sharing application. Students and faculty may benefit from course management systems such as the Blackboard learning system. It includes potential benefits that increased availability, quick feedback, improved communication, tracking, and skill building. According to article which I read, Blackboard is hard to learn because Faculty members found course management systems “time-consuming and inflexible.” The study also found that despite expectations, many students were not proficient with the technology. On the other hand, The Blackboard Learning System provides the opportunity for students to use the familiar environment of the internet for educational purposes. The argument is made here that the use of Blackboard as a curricular tool is good from the standpoints of both student learning and faculty instruction. It provides a medium to present curricular materials in a way that promotes the development of students’ organizational, communication, and time-management skills. However, critics point to the pedagogically restrictive nature of Blackboard, its internet inefficiencies, its need for troubleshooting, and most significantly, its increasing cost. Viable alternatives are being found in open-source learning management systems.

Reference: http://uupinfo.org/research/working/bradford.pdf

Flipgrid

Flipgrid is simple web 2.0 tool which teachers can use to create grids of short discussion-style questions that students respond to through recorded videos. Flipgrid boosts community and social presence in face-to-face, hybrid, and online classrooms. In my opinion, this application is so beneficial because we can create an online discussion platform for students. We can announce significiant information on this platform easily. Teachers can upload online lesson videos so that students can watch them and revise their subjects which they did not understand.

Here is my flipgrid video link: https://flipgrid.com/b8cbe21a

Virtual Reality

Virtual Reality (VR)
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.



It is interactive web 2.0 tool that you can change what is going on in your virtual life by moving. 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. With the help of VR, you can learn a new language fast and quickly which is called ''immersion''. For example, you want to learn english with British accent, but you live in a different city. With the VR, you can go to UK without spending any money and interact with people like being there. While teaching a subject, instead of telling for hours, you can use virtual reality  to show content easily. Thus, students will have experiences and they will learn faster. VR makes students' information more permanent. Moreover, learning a language in live virtual classes increases learning process. 

From my point of view, in the future, we can design our classrooms according to virtual reality technology. VR glasses can be given to students to attend them into lesson more actively. They will feel like learning inside real life. Also, it will be enjoyable for them and their attention towards lesson will increase.
As you can see in the picture, students and teachers can visit a place whose language they learn, and identify the culture or other special things that makes their learning effective.

POWTOON

This is my powtoon video.

PowToon is Web-based animation software that allows you to quickly and easily create animated presentations with your students by manipulating pre-created objects, imported images, provided music and user created voice-overs. You can add speech bubbles, shapes, animated pictures. It is web 2.0 tool and free to use some features which are useful for lessons. In my opinion, Powtoon is useful for students because it develops their imagination. It is free to use so that everyone can reach easily. Lessons can be more enjoyable. Students can involve lesson with visual things. It is so enjoyable and I have prepared one as you can see at the top. If you want to make a powtoon presentation you can click on the link:  https://www.powtoon.com/index/

PADLET - From Pinboard to Digital Board

We can briefly say that thanks to Padlet, we passed from pinboard to digital board.
Padlet is a digital board that you can add to any picture, video and text. You can shape this board according to yourself. You can also collaborate with your students. You can also share this digital board which you create with students. It is a free Web 2.0 tool so anyone can use it. Padlet is very easy to use. Go to the Padlet page, register and create a panel :)                                       

I think, the Padlet tool will be useful in education because we live in the technology age and students are accustomed to technology. Nowadays, pinboards are not used even in most schools. Notifications can be easily published through the digital board. Discussion and sharing of ideas can occur between students. In the classes, a concept map can be created with the students and then examined together. With the help of Padlet, students can be given more technological assignments. Topics can be easily explained in more detail. Students understand and learn more clearly. I have prepared a board about speaking anxiety in Padlet. 
Here is the link: 
https://padlet.com/alpaybilgili98/n10d9qxydrnk

PIXTON

Pixton is a web 2.0 tool that allows you to make cartoons and comic books. you can create your own story wtih using the background and characters you want. If you want, you can use only pictures or writing. It is not difficult to register. Just enter the website and start to create your story :)
In my opinion, Pixton should definitely be used in education. IT is a very useful website especially for kindergarden and preschool level students. Teachers can narrate the subject according to the age and level of the students and explain it in the form of cartoons and this allows students to learn faster and more permanent. Pixton is simple and easy to use. According to me, there is only one disadvantage that most features are paid, but you can also create a story using it for free. I made one Pixton cartoon, and I had a lot of fun. If you want to read my story, you can access it from the link.

  My ''Island Love'' comic: https://Pixton.com/tr/:698xlwup

VOKİ

                                              

This is my avatar's video.

Voki is web 2.0 tool and you can create avatars for speaking. Teachers create speaking characters for their students and they will ask questions about what they want to learn like asking a real person. with voki, people can prepare virtual presentations, tell a subject such as history because there are historical characters etc. It is free for everyone. It improves students' imagination. Students can do homework from voki. You will just register the website and create a new avatar. Also, teachers can create online classroom for their students, too. I tried to make a voki video and it was enjoyable. I hope you will have fun :)

                                                         

Storybird

It is a kind of artful storytelling. You can write a story with pictures easily. with storybird, you can create digital stories. It is a web 2.0 tool which is suitable for all ages. I think, it might be useful in language teaching. Students can do activities. The subject to be taught can be told by storytelling. The  subject, which is described visually and in storytelling form, attracts attention and motivates students. You can create an online classroom at storybird and encourage students to study more technologically. 

Also, I have created a story for preschool level if you want to read, you can click on the link :)

https://storybird.com/chapters/dd2426b80d6b83235ba82d29b802b63c-mothers-day/?token=n5ftyuthzz

Wordle - Beautiful Word Clouds

Wordle is a toy for generating “word clouds” from text that you provide. It is a tool for creating a text cloud that uses the size of the text to represent the frequency of each word in the source sample. It’s completely free and unrestricted. Wordle is used to make students better understand the terms they have learned. A combination of words helps the student repeat the lesson. In my opinion, wordle is a very useful web 2.0 tool that should be used especially in language education. For example, it can be fun for students while doing vocabulary activities. 
The simultaneous occurrence of many related words in a subject leads to automatic repetition in the brain and makes it easier to memorize. The level of persistence increases in students. In the future, it may be useful in group work in class. Instead of writing long and strenuous articles, students can produce more technological abstracts. So, I used this wordle tool to create a word cloud for you about bilingualism. 






if you want to create a cloud of words, you can click on the link below:
https://worditout.com/

HOT POTATOES!

                       HOT POTATOES 
Hot potato is a kind of program which you can use to create multiple-choice,open ended, or match questions etc.These exercises can also quite easily be imported into an LMS like Moodle to be used for assessment of learning content. Hot Potatoes is shareware. That means you can freely download the program from  the Internet.
http://web.uvic.ca/hrd/hotpot/

It's free so that you can download it and use without internet which I like the most.Before creating a test for students firstly you should decide the type of exercise. Then,write questions and answers.DO NOT FORGET TO SAVE FILES, BECAUSE YOU CANNOT RELOAD THE WEB PAGES. Here is the short quiz which I tried to prepare in hot potatoes program :)

MY OPINIONS ABOUT APPLICATION

Actually, I didn't like the hot potatoes, because it is not a modern way to teach a language. It can be old fashioned program for students. In our century, students got used to learning with more modern technological tools. Students can spend their time to another online websites such as kahoot because it is easier than this. On the other hand, it has an advantage that students can use this application when they are offline.
In my opinion, teachers should apply other applications or websites to teach a lesson or language. They have to follow the developing world, right? :)

 



  

Kahoot!

                        LET'S PLAY KAHOOT!
                         https://kahoot.com/

Kahoot is a web 2.0 tool which you can use to create online quizes for your students. It is a learning portal. With Kahoot, regardless of location and time, you can make it easier for students to learn by contacting them through competitions you have created. You need just a screen to show questions and also other people who will connect and give answer from their phones or tablets.
With Kahoot, we can prepare games in different categories such as quiz, discussion, survey and jumble. This application is so easy, interesting and free. In Kahoot, the teacher shares a code with online questions and students log in to quiz. When the teacher shows the question, the answer icons appear on the students' phone screens, such as square,round, triangle, and students mark the correct answer. Students are given points based on the time they answer the questions and the number of correct answers and the winner is determined based on the scores given. In my opinion, this application helps students remember their knowledge and make it more permanent. The competitive environment in the classroom will encourage students to learn. 
In education, the practice of Kahoot is extremely useful. It can be used for in-school voting or evaluation of past subjects. For instance, teachers can test their students end of the subject with the kahoot, and they can determine whether students understood lesson or not. I advice you to use this application for improving your knowledge. 
Moreover, if you want to try my quiz in kahoot, here is the link: https://play.kahoot.it/#/k/88ccf3f2-4784-402b-b6bd-38790a4dc272

 HAVE FUN :)

Augmented Reality

AUGMENTED REALITY 

Argumented reality is a program that you can design 3D images to show more realistic. After downloading the program which is developed for AR, you will identify the picture and come across with a new display as you can see in the video. Everybody can use this application easily with the help of phones, tablets or computers. I think, in the future it can be useful for education, because it will develop students' imagination and real life connection. Using realistic and 3D objects in the lesson will arouse students' interest and motivate them. Especially, using AR program is going to make easier learning a new language. For example, instructors can use realistic objects while teaching vocabulary or a grammar subject. In my opinion, using some of visual objects help students about memorizing and learning faster, it also helps to make more permanent what they learn. With the help of AR, students can attend the lesson more actively. It is essential for future teachers because in the following years students will get used to  studying with technology and teachers must know it and apply their lessons. I think, AR technology brings a new perspective to education.

                                                        

MOODLE: Modular-Object-Oriented-Dynamic-Learning-Environment

MOODLE

In the last decade, the impact of internet usage on education has been increasing, and new technologies have been developing and accelerating student learning. Technology creates new learning environments for students. Therefore, distance online trainings have also become widespread. Technological educational platforms such as Moodle have been formed. I would like to inform you about Moodle. First of all, what is moodle?. Moodle is a free course management system available to everyone. The most important feature is that it is easy to use by everyone. The system works under both Windows and Linux systems. Program is available in 70 languages in 150 countries. You can select the languages which you want. Moodle is a great platform for people who are open to learning anytime and anywhere. 

According to the article ‘’Using a Course Management System to Improve Classroom Communication’’ by Matthew Perkins and Jay Pfaffman, these kinds  of platforms enable teachers to easily post assignments, lesson plans, announcements, and course documents. They also allow students to participate in online discussions and chats and turn in assignments online. Unfortunately, systems are often expensive to purchase. An alternative is Moodle, a free, open-source software program that not only provides a set of features similar to those of its proprietary competitors but is often easier to use. Moodle provides teachers with a variety of tools to support student learning and parental communication. So, how Moodle changes teaching?. It makes education easier, because for students, managing the course online prevents the usual misunderstandings about assignments, due dates, and other course requirements, because they are online, important course information and materials can never be “lost.” In conclusion, from authors’ point of view, Moodle provides students access to presentations and assignments, and creates simple way for teachers to organize a class. Using an online communication system can help to reduce distractions about learning, and improve communication between colleagues, students, and parents.

REFERENCE: http://20100829131520_6025161.webstarts.com/uploads/moodle_in_20_the_classroom_NSTA.pdf

Moodle Website: https://moodle.org/?lang=tr

SOCRATIVE - The Digital Teacher

     

                         SOCRATIVE LINK: https://b.socrative.com/teacher/#launch

WHAT IS SOCRATIVE?

Socrative is a kind of website where students can practice lesson easily. We can say that socrative has become the digital teacher of new age recently. It allows students to elaborate themselves.Lessons are being done according to technology which is suitable for technology natives students. So, how does it work? Firstly, students access questions with a room code, and answers questions immediately on the teacher's computer on almost any device. When everyone has responded, teachers can display the results. Teachers can create quizzes, quick questions, and exit slips that allow for multiple-choice, true/false, and short answer questions that can be graded with feedback for each student. In addition to that, students can play space race which is collaborative activity that allows student teams to answer questions as quickly as they can; the teacher can access real time results of this race as well as determine student teams. At the end, teachers can see quiz data and download it or send email to students. In my opinion, socrative is so beneficial and enjoyable app to learn a new foreign language. Do not forget to visit website, please :)

PODCAST

HELLO EVERYONE!
I prepared a postcast which is about collaborative learning.
If you want to listen it, you can find link here:  
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1_yVaIbnlDbAvTf0QrXuPqRuQ5Vbj8BJI

 COLLABORATIVE LEARNING 
 1.Learning is an active process whereby students assimilate the information and relate this new knowledge to a framework of prior knowledge.

 2.Learning requires a challenge that opens the door for the learner to actively engage his/her peers, and to process and synthesize information rather than simply memorize and regurgitate it.

 3.Learners benefit when exposed to diverse viewpoints from people with varied backgrounds.

 4.Learning flourishes in a social environment where conversation between learners takes place. During this intellectual gymnastics, the learner creates a framework and meaning to the discourse.

5.In the collaborative learning environment, the learners are challenged both socially and emotionally as they listen to different perspectives, and are required to articulate and defend their ideas. In so doing, the learners begin to create their own unique conceptual frameworks and not rely solely on an expert's or a text's framework. Thus, in a collaborative learning setting, learners have the opportunity to converse with peers, present and defend ideas, exchange diverse beliefs, question other conceptual frameworks, and be actively engaged.

VIDCAST

HELLO EVERYBODY!

This is my video which is about ''edutainment.''

NEW WORLD'S GAME: SECOND LIFE

                                             
                                                      SECOND LIFE EXPERIENCE

Second Life is an online virtual world developed by Linden Labs and was released June 23, 2003. Though Linden Labs created this world, almost all the content in Second Life is created by the users. That’s right, almost every building you see, every tree, every rock, you name it, is almost entirely created by the users in Second Life. In this application, you can feel like living in a reality even you are in virtual world. Designs of buildings are so impressive because they are like real. Second life is a unique online virtual world where players can socialize, roleplay and explore. 
In my opinion, if it is used appropriately, it plays an important role in improving communication skills. It is a combination of audio and video features. It can help to reveal some of the person's abilities such as designing, engineering etc. Also, second life can have a great role in our life for instance, to develop our education. In the future, everybody will be using the internet so that online lessons can be done from second life. On the other hand, it has some of disadvantages. Firstly,  people use real money in game so it can be unreliable. Secondly, if you want to play this  game, you must download it. I prefer to reach the game without downloading. Regardless, second life is so entertaining and beneficial platform to play game as in real life. Have Fun!

If you want to join, you can click the link: https://secondlife.com/