Showing posts with label lisibo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lisibo. Show all posts

Thursday, 8 April 2010

¡Vámonos! is moving!



This is the final post to appear on ¡Vámonos! 1.0 as I have a new website – lisibo.co.uk

I like Blogger for many reasons, not least that it’s free and it was my first blog, and http://lisibo.blogspot.com will always be special.

However, the time has come to have my own domain and take another step up the ‘web ladder’.

Hopefully you, my loyal readers will soon get used to the less vibrant surroundings over at ¡Vámonos! version 2.0 and new readers will appreciate the mellow pinky lilac tones!


Click here to enter the brave new world of http://lisibo.co.uk

Friday, 12 February 2010

Lisibo @ BETT

BETT seems ages ago - but it's only a month.


However, it's a very long time to have neglected to blog my thoughts. I have been exceptionally busy since then - excuses excuse! - so much so that I've been struggling to keep up with life let alone blogging.

However, I was reminded that there is a clip of me doing what comes naturally - talking! Leon Cych asked me if I'd record a minute of my impressions of BETT - well, it's a bit longer than that! Excuse me if it rambles a bit - I was very tired and had an excruciatingly sore back!




I think what I said having only been at BETT for 2 hours was still true after a day and a half. What makes and made BETT special for me is meeting people and sharing ideas. I did see a brilliant weather making green screen thing on the Kudlian stand - Jo Rhys-Jones and I got rather excited about the prospect of using it in language learning - Chris Fuller disowned us at that point!! And I had a marvellous time on the 2Simple stand - their products are brilliant (please could they make them Mac compatible though ;o)) But mostly it was TMTakeover, Teachmeet and meeting up with random people that made my BETT.

There are lots of other OSS videos with Dawn Hallybone, Zoe Ross, David Noble too. Check them out on the OpenSourceSchools channel on Youtube.

Thursday, 31 December 2009

What a way to end the year! 30,000 hits!


When I checked my counter this morning, it read 29,927. That set me wondering if I could possibly reach 30,000 by midnight to end the year off on a 'round number'!


I tweeted at one o'clock-

and then again (after prompting for a URL!) at 2 o'clock by which time I'd had another 30 hits!




I then went out to play in the park with my kids - resulting in 'más morados en el culo' - and was alerted by @wizenedcrone to my achievement :
Thanks to Fiona for taking the screenshot at the top and for alerting the world to my mishaps!



But joking aside, as the year draws to a close, I want to thank you for travelling with me through 2009 which has been quite a year - exciting, scary, inspiring, stressful, successful and unforgettable.

Gracias amigos xx

PS to my reader in Kazakstan - are you Borat?? To my Icelandic reader - can I come and visit? And to my reader in he Aland Islands - welcome - I must find out where they are!!

Lisa xxx

PS as I publish this, my counter stands at 30,087. Thanks for enthusiastically hitting me xx

Friday, 25 December 2009

Feliz Navidad 2009




Abrazos y besos,
Lisa xx

Sunday, 6 December 2009

Using Sound recording in the (PLL) classroom - #TMETRU09


This evening I will presenting at Teachmeet EdTechRoundup on the above subject, sharing how I use sound recording in my classroom and suggesting why it is such a valuable tool.


Here are some references / notes that go with what I will (might?) say!
Easispeak microphones - from TTS - also other speaking and listening tools such a
s talking postcards and talking photoalbums.

Audacity - free and downloadable from here
Garageband (for Macs)

Podomatic - a free place to create and listen to podcasts
My school Podomatic podcast - WCPS Spanish
My own Podomatic podcast - Lisibo talks!
And we're on iTunes too!
Voki - we love Voki at WCPS!
Voicethread - another great tool for using sound recording in learning.
Here's one I made to give people an idea of how they work!

Our school wikispace- WCPS.wikispaces.com - giving examples of use in other areas of the curriculum eg RE, Literacy.

Relevant blogposts on ¡Vámonos!






WHY?
  • motivation
  • assessment
  • AfL
  • peer support
  • confidence
  • independence
  • relevance
  • fun

You can watch it live here and learn from a vast array of people who will be sharing what goes on in the classroom.

Saturday, 7 November 2009

Surviving the Primary Language Classroom


One week on from the Language Show at Kensington Olympia, here's my presentation entitled

SURVIVING THE PRIMARY LANGUAGE CLASSROOM. Not a title I would necessarily chosen as, to me, it implies that teaching languages is some sort of ordeal which is, for most of us, far from the truth.

I hope you enjoy the Slidecast - complete with kids and noisy neighbours. And if you want to listen whilst shopping, there's the podcast of my talk on Lisibo talks!

A couple of things I skipped;
Firstly, a great tip for PLL is making links via something like eTwinning - http://etwinning.net - find out more here and check out my Slidecast here.
Secondly, I mentioned Oscar Stringer's animation workshops but didn't explicitly mention his upcoming workshop in London on 13th November -

This one-day course will give you the opportunity to gain knowledge and hands on experience using the latest software and hardware. Use the course as an opportunity to get to know your own equipment, bring laptops and cameras with you if you wish.


You will learn tips and tricks for getting great results quickly in the classroom, ideas to take back and use with your class as well as teaching resources designed to kick start animation projects.


For: Teachers in KS 1,2, 3 and 4 (ICT coordinators, Art and Media Studies Teachers.)

Cost: £130.00 + VAT Includes a CD of your work with teacher’s resources and lunch.

Times: 9.30 a.m. - 3.30 p.m.


All enquiries to Oscar Stringer, Tel: 07974 764 849 or Email oscar@animationforeducation.co.uk.


And don't forget that you can download forms for ICanAnimate and Hue HD webcam from his site.

Any questions, please feel free to contact me!

Tuesday, 20 October 2009

Lisibo Talks! latest


I've spent some time over the weekend doing something that I find rather uncomfortable - listening to my own voice! Whilst it is much better than watching myself on video, I find myself cringeing at the sound of my accent and speech habits. In my head I don't sound like that - my 'self-image voice' speaks much more 'properly' and sounds less Brummie!

So why do it? Well, I was catching up with editing the audio from my presentations at two recent conferences - in Hull and in Basingstoke, Hampshire - before adding it to my podcast. I kept reminding myself that I wouldn't have to listen again once I'd finished, and then remembered that I'd have to listen one more time to synch the audio to my Slideshares to make Slidecasts.

So - I'm pleased to announce three new episodes of my podcast Lisibo talks! But does it make sense?






You'll also find that my Slideshares in previous posts on Hull Primary Language Conference an
d Hampshire Language Conference are now Slidecasts with the audio added.

So, I hope my agony was worthwhile and that people will have a listen and perhaps learn from the presentations - even if it is how to talk Brummie ;o)

Monday, 19 October 2009

25000 not out!



¡Vámonos! hit another milestone at some time between 10am and 2pm when it received its 25,000th hit. That is to say, my blog has been accessed more than 25,000 times- my previous counter mysteriously disappeared and, as I had no idea exactly how many hits I'd had when it went, I reset it to the last milestone I recalled.

So thank you for your continuing readership and support. It's really exciting when people meet me and say 'I read your blog!' or 'I used that idea you blogged' or 'thank you for your inspiration.' It is so encouraging and keeps me going when things get on top of me.




Lisa xx

Thursday, 1 October 2009

It ain't grim up North!

Just spent a lovely day in Hull at their primary language conference. The sun shone, the trees were very autumnal and it was far from ‘grim’


About 90 delegates attended the day which focussed on Using ICT in Primary Language teaching, attending workshops on film in education by Mark Reid of BFI, the use of animation for improved speaking and listening in language learning led by Oscar Stringer, using school networks to support language learning led by Dorolyn Parker and cross curricular collaboration, led by me.


I’m becoming more used to presenting seminars now and, whilst the adrenalin rushes and I have butterflies, it is not as frightening as it once was. However, Hull presented a new challenge as I’d been invited as keynote speaker as well - a first! Anyone who has been following my tweets this week may have sensed the growing anxiety I experienced as the ‘big day’ approached; that was but nothing compared to my state this morning. However, once I’d cracked a joke and got everyone doing a ridiculous warm up dance, I felt much better and, despite one or two issues with projector not wanting to talk to my Mac and then the Internet failing to connect, I think the session went well. I even think my use of a Fernando Torres clip (a mere four days after he scored a hattrick in the 6-1 defeat of Hull City by Liverpool) may have been forgiven by 95% of the delegates.


My Keynote was entitled Inspiring Creative Teaching in the Primary Language Classroom and centred on what ICT can do to enhance and support language teaching and learning. As Ewan McIntosh said - it’s not about the tech, it’s about the teach.


My seminar was entitled Don’t be mad, get cross curricular with ICT and PLL and focussed on embedding and entwining language learning into the existing school curriculum, making links and collaborating, and tools that might help in this. We talked eTwinning, eLanguages and it was also pleasing to see that schools are working collaborativel on a local level in clusters to support one another.


Below I’ve posted my presentations - pop back over the next couple of days to see the screencast with audio. I’ll also post both sessions on Lisibo talks! as soon as I have a spare moment!


Any queries, feel free to leave a comment below or contact me directly - my details are at the end of the slideshow.


A couple of things I mentioned that weren’t in the handout (also below)


The wiki sites I mentioned were Wikispaces, Wetpaint and PBWiki.


For ways of using Youtube, and/or downloading clips where it is blocked, have a look at a previous presentation You and Youtube where I mention RealPlayer, Zamzar, MediaConverter and Firefox widgets.


You can obtain Take Ten en français or en español from Devon Education Services or from Little Linguist.


And finally, check out this post for details of tutorials for some of the tools I mentioned today.


Thanks for a great day Hull! You’ve definitely made an impression on me!



Wednesday, 16 September 2009

Teachers TV


Last June I spent a very enjoyable but also very tiring day being filmed by Teachers TV. The premise of the series of which my programme was to be a part was that an 'expert' in an area of ICT was visited by an interested / curious 'beginner'. The 'beginner' observed the 'expert' for a day then went back to their school to try out some of the things they had learned. My area was 'online communities / social media' and my visitor, Marie Guyomarc'h, a secondary French teacher.

Yesterday saw the premiere of the programme - I came downstairs at 8am to discover my children laughing their heads off as they watched. Thankfully, not all viewers were as amused and I received some lovely tweets from people who had seen the programme either online or on TV.

If you want to watch, you can access the video on the Teachers TV site where you can also find lesson plans and further tips on the area.

So, watch and see - will you join my boys laughing at me or will you find it even a little bit helpful?

Sunday, 30 August 2009

Children see, Children do.

This video speaks for itself.

Very thought provoking as a parent and an educator. I'm taking it as a challenge at the start of a new academic year.

My Avatar Editor


Thanks to the lovely Joe Dale who has just blogged it, I have discovered this marvellous site called My Avatar Editor.

My Avatar Editor enables you to design your own avatar for use as your ID on, say, Twitter or for a tool like Voicethread or as your 'online persona' on your blog.

As Joe points out, it's also great when teaching personal descriptions - either pupils are given a range of people to describe - see below - or are given descriptions and asked to make the avatar to match.

You could also use them to inspire pupils to creativity - eg characters for stories; to demonstrate feelings; talk in the style of....

Great fun! Not sure my hair is quite right though....




BTW - I'm the one at the top, not the very scary Granny ;o)

Wednesday, 12 August 2009

Ich liebe die Schweiz


Just back from 11 days in Switzerland. Had a great time with my family exploring and investigating, and have to say that I am missing the mountains and lakes already. Absolutely stunning! My photos don't really do justice to the beauty of Interlaken and the surrounding area but here are a few of my favourites.

Saturday, 20 June 2009

Stoke on Trent - International Dimension - 3rd June

It was great to be asked by Helen Thomas to talk to some teachers from Stoke about International Dimension and especially eTwinning a couple of weeks, and I'm sorry that it's taken me this long to upload my presentation.

As promised, here is the presentation (it's the same presentation but from a previous date - nd you get it with sound!) and the case study from my school below it. If you have any questions, please get in touch with me or with the eTwinning team at the British Council. The West Midlands contact is Isabel Lalsingh who is lovely and very helpful.



Thursday, 28 May 2009

Response to Next Steps in ICT for the Primary Language Classroom - LANCASTER

Jayne Jackson, one of the delegates who attended the Next Steps in ICT for the Primary Languages Classroom (And active member of Talkabout Primary MFL) has made the following in response to the course. She tried to embed it as a comment on the blog post but unfortunately the comment feature in Blogger is limited in its use of html code so I've posted it here.

Jayne also let me know that she's started a wiki for her school following on from the course.
It's always good to know what happens 'after the event'.



PS I'm in the middle of making all the Slideshares of my presentations into Slidecasts - it is taking some time but the first session is done!

Thursday, 21 May 2009

Next steps in ICT for the primary language classroom - LANCASTER.

PhotobucketI had the pleasure of delivering the Next steps in ICT for the Primary Language Classroom at University of Cumbria in Lancaster on Tuesday. I had delivered the same in Cambridge last month, and whilst the presentations were identical, the days were quite different with the delegates taking a greater lead this time in guiding where we went. That always keeps you on your toes!

Below are my presentations from the day - you can also find these on the event wiki which was set up for us to 'play around'.

Thank you to my 6 'victims' as I referred to them on Twitter; to my Tweetmates who responded to my request to say hello; and to CILT for giving me this opportunity to share my enthusiasm for ICT and Primary Languages with others.









Sunday, 17 May 2009

Lisibo talks! - Again!


I was really touched to read the latest post on Integrating ICT into the MFL classroom in which Joe Dale talks about my podcast Lisibo talks!
His opening sentence - 'Primary language teacher and MFL blogger Lisa Stevens is an inspiration to many thanks to her indefatigable enthusiasm and willingness to experiment with new technologies' - made me blush furiously as did many of the other kind things Joe said. However, I really do hope that those who read the post choose to watch the video clip from Teachmeet at BETT09 as I really want to encourage people to have a go and experiment with technology and new ideas. And I've added the video here too.



PS Just posted a new episode of Lisibo talks! from the eTwinning Spanish links meeting in Manchester last Tuesday.

Saturday, 2 May 2009

Using puppets and audio to encourage speaking - Update.

Photobucket
Following on from my post on Thursday about Teachmeet ASN-SEN, I have now extracted the audio from my very brief presentation using Audacity and Soundflower, levelled it with the Levelator, edited it to remove the numerous 'ums' and published as episode 5 of my podcast - )Lisibo talks!
Feeling very proud of myself (and I can now recognise the wave pattern of an 'um'!

Make sure you catch the replay of the whole meeting though as it is well worth listening to the other presenters who were brilliant! See for yourself below - and watch here.

Friday, 1 May 2009

Absorbing Language Learning - Slidecast

Thanks to Alex Blagona and Joe Dale who recorded and edited the audio, here's the Slidecast of my recent presentation at Language World in Leicester.

And if you want to listen on your mp3 player, you can download my podcast Lisibo talks!

Thursday, 30 April 2009

Next steps in ICT for the primary language classroom - CAMBRIDGE.

Photobucket
On Tuesday I made my way to Cambridge for the second time in four days to deliver a day's training on behalf of CILT at Anglia Ruskin University.

The course was entitled NEXT STEPS IN ICT FOR THE PRIMARY LANGUAGE CLASSROOM and promised to address collaborative working, whole class ICT, digital voicerecording and assessment amongst other things.

I had a lovely day with the delegates and hope that they all went away with one or to things to try out in their classrooms - there was great enthusiasm for wikis and Voki, and TTS should expect a few orders for their sound recording products in the near future - especially as I need a new Easispeak as I seem to have left mine behind :O(

I made a wiki for the event on which I've put all my presentations and also as a place for the delegates to 'play around' with using wikis. I did record the sessions - mostly!- but in the afternoon we went off at a tangent and the audio won't fit my presentations so i won't be making slidecasts of everything. However, I have put the presentations below as they are full of hyperlinks to useful resources.

Hope you find it useful!

And if you want to go on the course, it is repeated in Lancaster on 19th May. Contact CILT for more details!

NB the first slideshow actually starts on slide 18 as slide 22 was triggered to the first 20 slides as examples!









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