Welcome to Week#3 of TES531. I enjoyed ‘Hanging out’ with some of you last Thursday. This week I hope to virtually meet with the rest of you.
Virtual Office Hours on Sunday, March 22 at 3pm. You can RSVP at: the Google+ Event Page
Watching all of this week’s screencasts and experimenting with the tools they describe might take a while. Next week will be an easier ‘single-topic’ week, so don’t be too stressed. Hopefully, you’ll have some time to catch-up next week if necessary. As always, please don’t hesitate to contact me with questions – before you spend too much time making frustrated faces at the computer 🙂
Week#3 Tasks
PART 1
Feed Me!
Google offers a variety of useful tools which are included for free with a Google account. Below are screencasts that describe some of these tools. There were also recorded last year, but are mostly up-to-date.
Gmail | Drive | Google Plus & Photos |
Calendar | Translate |
Screencast YouTube Video File |
Screencast YouTube Video File |
Screencast YouTube Video File |
Screencast YouTube Video File |
Screencast YouTube Video File |
- Add a forwarder from your Gmail account to your main email account (if gmail isn’t your main account)
- Create a short Google Presentation (2 slides is OK) , post it on your blog, and make ‘[email protected]’ an editor.
- Upload a photo or two (or 100) to your Google photo space and share them with your TES531 classmates in Google Plus.
- Use Google Translate (online or mobile) and see if it can accurately transcribe you speaking these Pronunciation Practice Sentences and Minimal Pairs
Chrome TOOLS
There are also a variety of ways to ‘extend’ Google’s Chrome browser to add functionality.
You can see all extensions in the ‘Chrome Web Store‘. (despite the word ‘store’, extensions are free)
Below are some CALL-related extensions.
Watch this Screencast Guide>>>: YouTube Video File
Screenreaders
Speakit: Chrome Extension https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/speakit/pgeolalilifpodheeocdmbhehgnkkbak?hl=en
List of other screenreader options at: http://usabilitygeek.com/10-free-screen-reader-blind-visually-impaired-users/
Dictionary Extensions
This can be useful for quickly checking the meaning and pronunciation of words online. https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/google-dictionary-by-goog/mgijmajocgfcbeboacabfgobmjgjcoja?hl=en
Other Options
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/7-chrome-extensions-lookup-words-meanings-browse/
Week#1 & #2 Reminders
If you didn’t get around to doing these yet…
- Use Diigo to bookmark at least three sites of interest from the Megalist Buffet of Websites and the Activity Guide
- Create either a Quizlet Set or a Profprof Quiz and post it on your blog
- See How can I embed videos, presentations, and other items into a post? for information on how to embed something like into a blog post.
- Create a short blog post about your thoughts on activity resources and using them in your teaching and/or learning

Video
In-class overview of the Video Guide
- Sites that use video for language learning
- Posting Videos on your blog
- Downloading YouTube and other online videos
- Editing videos with Windows Movie Maker
- Watching TV Shows and Movies online
- Screen capturing & sharing
The best chrome extension for English learners (ESL) is Skalkaz's app:
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/english-dictionary-transl/neomigpibafpboiknmijddgnncengfnm
Its rating is 4.7 which is the highest in this genre (compare with the list above). The app gives everything what an English learners need:
– automatic pronunciation
– English definition of the word (based on Oxford, Longman)
– example sentences
– phonetical transcription
– translation to your native language
– even etymology