Session 3 - Hot potatoes + Google form

Think back to the tasks you have tried out, or the ones you have created. How might they be useful for your work?

Once again, Google proves its worth.

I have tried both Hot Potatoes and Google form in this session. I feel so at ease while using Google form. (possibly because I use many of the google applications e.g. mail, drive, map, Excel, word...) It saves automatically. It has a colourful (not very, but at least it's not black/ grey scale) layout. It looks very high-tech. It's next to perfection. 

The only flaw is that we cannot just import a word file and have that converted into a quiz. I'm sure Google is working on that. According to Vanise, Schoology can't do this conversion neither. My experience with E-class told me that a PDF file can be uploaded and I can create options for students to click on. That's how it goes at this moment. 

Hot Potatoes is equally useful in setting quizzes. It has JMix, JQuiz and JMatch.  I didn't have chance to try out JMatch today (probably because I arrived late. Sorry >.<). I created a JMix quiz about passive voice and a JQuiz quiz about gerunds/ to-infinitives/ bare infinitives. 

The moment you choose to open JMix or JQuiz sets the nature of your quiz, whether it's a MCQ or sentence arrangement. However, this is the very point that Google form takes the lead. Google allows different question formats in the same quiz. Hot Potatoes doesn't. 

As mentioned above, Google form 'looks' GREAT! Hot potatoes, sadly, it looks very old-fashioned and the grey background is kind of 'discouraging'.  I am more 'tempted' to complete a Google form than a Hot Potatoes quiz.

I can't wait to try more different tools! 

p. s. sorry for being late ><

p.p.s I feel incredibly proud of myself after creating a form and 2 hot potatoes quizzes~~

Hot potatoes - Jquiz

https://www.dropbox.com/s/a6jtdk4tjsrg4jh/gerunds.htm?dl=0

Hot potatoes - Jmix

https://www.dropbox.com/s/3igcnezeklgkkyx/passivevoice.htm?dl=0

google quiz - session 3

Session 2 - Investigating language

Think back to all the resources you have sampled and the activities you have tried. Which of them do you find particularly useful to your work? How/Why?

Thesaurus
Definitely the most relevant dictionary I need at work (particularly, my essays). 
I may know a number of useful vocabulary items but they won't come to mind when I need them. That's where Thesaurus comes in.
Like I was preparing F.2 lesson today. I tried to share (connectives) more ways of talking about the reason or the cause of action. Grammar book only mentions because, as, since and because of. I would like to have some more for the class since they have no problem in using those connectives. Thesaurus has helped a lot. I type 'because' and 'because of' in Oxford Thesaurus and it gives me a number of synonyms. 
Actually, if you want to skip using 'because', the choices you have are mostly for formal contexts. For example, 'for the reason that', 'owing to'. These phrases are more suitable in formal situation. 
I am definitely introducing Thesaurus to this F. 2 elite class. To be honest, I think so of them are using one already but they have this tendency to use the 'long, big' words. They ought to know 'sophistication' doesn't equal to grade A writing. 
Using Thesaurus will trigger a series of action as you have to ensure that word is used in an approiate context, correct collocation/ preposition...
Thesaurus --> Dictionary (Cambridge + Oxford) --> corpus/ sentence.yourdictionary.com/ ozdic.com/ Google


P.S 
I am so glad that I live in a city where Google and websites aren't blocked. My friend in Beijing taught in Hong Kong before and now returns to her hometown. She continues teaching but she has no access to Google. She said she struggles to find games, ideas and resources online. Even busyteacher.org is blocked...

Google rules!! <-- the Communists RULE

After using THEAURUS

Original
On the first day, we met our class teacher Mr Wong, we thought he would be very strict to us. After one week, we found Mr Wong was very nice! We like this secondary school and we like to be in 1A. This is a good school and 1A is very good. The teachers in this school are very kind and nice and our classmates are also kind, friendly and nice. We like each other very much.

After using theaurus
On the first day, we met our class teacher Mr Wong. we thought he would be very strict. After one week, we found Mr Wong very nice! We like this secondary school and are happy to be part of 1A. This is a good school and 1A is excellent. The teachers in this school are very amiable and gentle. Our classmates are also lovely, friendly and kind. We enjoy each other's company very much.

.

Using blogs as a teaching/ learning tool

What are the prospects (and problems) in using blogs as a teaching/learning tool in your work? This will be your blogpost for Session 1.  (Attach a photo to it later.)


I have never ever thought of writing a blog. I read blogs but have never written one. Now, Paul suggested that blog can actually be used for teaching and learning English! It's UNBELIEVABLE. The idea looked unlikely at first, but after reading Ms Jenny Leung's and Ms Zoey Chan's blog. I have a better concept.

It's CONVENIENT!
Basically, blog can be used to upload anything. For 'ordinary' blog, it's about sharing your feelings. As a teacher's blog, teaching materials (videos), links to online quiz etc are uploaded instead. Ms Zoey Chan uploaded her videos and actively invited students to leave comments about words they didn't know. It is an effective and straightforward way to have students' feedback. It's easy to manage 'attendance' too (by looking at the number of comments/ user name').
No More Papers!

Blogs as Facebook
I always have a fear that using facebook for teaching is troublesome and risky. Troublesome because I don't want to build another account. Risky because I don't want to 'expose' my personal account to students accidentally.
With blogs, it's PRIVATE and still have similar functions as facebook. I don't have to worry that students have no access to facebook (some of them live in Shenzhen).

Problems
I hope students won't take my blog as an excuse to spend excessive time with computer.

Actually, after typing this blog post, I already want to use blog with my students. I have a few newspaper articles that I want them to read in their spare time. I can just upload the article and ask them to leave a brief comment. It sounds less like a piece of homework because leaving comments under a blog entry is rather informal and short in length. Maybe I should try first!