MEMRISE

Hello folks, I have a mobile application used for language learning to introduce you today. The application is called Memrise.It is avaliable for both IOS and Android I found it very enjoyable to spend time with. This application mostly focuses on the lexicon. It is also a strong reinforcer as it asks the meaning of the same word in different ways continuously. You can also listen to the pronunciation of the new vocabulary by using this application. Let me now explain you the procedure with visual aids.

Inıtially you can pick the topic of the vocabulary which you want to learn. There are many different topics such as illness, food, first aid, maths, weather etc.You can see the definitons of the vocabulary of a specific topic on a list. A sample is below:

After you pick the topic, you can continue with the tasks which are test questions that measure your lexical knowledge and pronunciation. There are beginner and expert options according to your self confidence and again lexical knowledge.

Such a mobile application would be beneficial for language learning I think, at least in learning lexicon, because it is simple and contextualised, which will enable learners to be motivated and feel eager to learn new lexical items.
An English teacher could use this application as a warm-up task before starting a new topic. He could ask his students to complete the tasks and discuss the new vocabulary items before starting the lesson.
Here is a video from which you can make it more clear what Memrise is about. Feel free to comment your questions :)

Bugaboo and Fruits

      

Greetings. This week me and my partner Melike collaborated and created a digital story for you guys.

What is a digital story? Well, a digital story is obviously a story but which is created by the help of audio recordings,visuals, moviemaker programs and other technological tools. In our story we have three characters involved. Bugaboo, which is a monkey and Alice are close friends. There is also Talos, who is a fruit salesman. They try to solve Bugaboo's hunger problem by finding his favourite fruit..

While creating the digital story, we used Voice Thread which is a technological tool for editing movies.

We had a few difficulties while designing the background and recording audio, but it was worth it. Using digital stories can enhance students' creativity and it can make learning more fun, so I recommend teachers to use this device for teaching a foreign language.

After all, I think it's time to watch the story! Feel free to add comments :)

TIME For Kids

Greetings folks! It’s nice to be here again after a break of a week. This week I evaluated an educational website according to a form you can see above. I asked nine questions to myself, and tried to answer them as accurately as possible. As I was searching for educational websites to search, I stopped and picked this one, because it seemed realistic to me. The form and features of the website charmed me and I decided to go with TIME For Kids.

TIME For Kids is a pretty systematic website, it is well thought and designed. It addresses to learners of English from a wide range of ages. The website is updated continually and new articles are added sequentially. TIME For Kids contain it’s own ‘’kid reporters’’ which take place in writing the articles! You can reach to these kid reporters bio’s if you want to learn more about them. TIME For Kids include many sections such as TFK Magazine, Digital Edition, Whiteboard etc. There is a lot to discover!If you want to have a look, click here and start discovering J

TIME For Kids seems likely to be a sufficient website to promote EFL education, however it is not a free website. It actually demands a fee- per-student.The website aims to reach the Common Core State Standards, which you can learn more about by checking the Picture out below.