Philanthropic Extension

http://freerice.com/category

You are probably very familair with the philanthropic 'Free Rice' website which donates rice according to the number of vocabulary words you get right but did you know that the website also offers other subjects. As you can see above there are a number of categories which could be used as extension, homework tasks or revision in some cases. You might even decide to set a test based on the website.  It's a whole lot of fun, I've tried it and enjoyed it thoroughly.

French Apps for iPad

'Experience the glamour of Paris in the fabulous 1950s in this app, featuring 100 high-resolution images taken by the renowned photographer Peter Cornelius, from the fashionable cafés and bars to the stylish antique markets and parks dotted around the French capital.'







'How to Enjoy Leonardo is the first in a series of apps, addressing the life and works of Leonardo da Vinci. The collections begins by working out how not to look at Leonardo's works, and then exploring all the ways in which his paintings and sketches can be enjoyed.'

'George Inness was an American nineteeth-century painter born in Newburgh, NY, whose work was inspired by old masters. The artist made two trips to Italy (1851–52 and 1870–74) where he painted scenes that contemplated the country's landscape and its art.'

ManyBooks.net - free

http://manybooks.net/language.php?code=fr

1,460 Free French books that can be dowloaded to your Kindle, Nook, iPad and most other e-Readers.

Four interactive web resources worth exploring

Attractive interactive exercises for advanced students.

Interactive French U.K. provides clear, accurate, attractive PowerPoints suitable for middle to lower ability. Written by Sylviane Breen and Caroline Gill of The City School, Sheffield.

A little old school but good interactive sessions could be set as extension for students ahead in  their work or for homework

Podcasts and videos as well as text on a wide variety of topics. Well worth a visit.

Voice Thread - a fun approach to language testing or development

 

VoiceThread Overview

'A VoiceThread is a collaborative, multimedia slide show that holds images, documents, and videos and allows people to navigate slides and leave comments in 5 ways - using voice (with a mic or telephone), text, audio file, or video (via a webcam). Share a VoiceThread with friends, students, and colleagues for them to record comments too.

Users can doodle while commenting, use multiple identities, and pick which comments are shown through moderation. VoiceThreads can even be embedded to show and receive comments on other websites and exported to MP3 players or DVDs to play as archival movies.'

Click on the image to the left or the link below to view Hassina Taylor's French example.

11th grade - French fluency and history from Hassina Taylor

QR codes - easier than you think

QR codes (Quick Response Codes) are two-dimensional codes that can store huge amounts of data. They are somewhat like the product bar codes we are all used to seeing on our purchases. The scanning app needed to read the codes can be downloaded for free from the following website: http://qrcode.kaywa.com/ suggested by Annette as one of the more user-friendly versions available. 

Having used the site myself this morning to create a QR for BookCloud in only a few seconds (see above), I can vouch for its ease of use.  If you're interested in experimenting with new FREE apps, especially those with smartphones or the new iPad 2 and netbooks, visit the e-Support wiki.

Why not set your class the task of creating QR codes for pictures of French icons (e.g. the Eiffel tower, baguette - yes, I know, cliched but you get the point!) that you might already have pinned up around the room. The students could write information or conversation about their designated image using the text option at the QR website, create the code, then save the object to their French folder.  They then print the QR code out and glue it onto the poster.

If your interested, come and speak to me or Annette about an idea you have.

Save YouTube clips directly to your netbook

Tired of adding YouTube links to your VC that disappear? Why not save your clips directly to your PC? Even if the clip is erased, you'll still have your copy. 

Download YouTube videos online without even copy-and-pasting the URL.  Just write 'save' in front of the URL in the address bar and hit enter. For example: http://saveyoutube.com/watch?v=dXP2GdqYCOM

Don't forget your citation! :

LiquidGenerationTube, 2008, 10 Most racist moments in TV, online video, Oct 7th, accessed 20 February 2012, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMvfEdTUO6Q.

LiquidGenerationTube, 2008, 10 Most racist moments in TV, online video, Oct 7th, accessed 20 February 2012, .