Top 10 uses for the smartphone in the ESL Classroom for an ESL Instructor

Top 10 uses for the smartphone in the ESL Classroom for an ESL Instructor

1. Dictionary/Thesaurus- This is so obvious, but necessary for anyone working with international students. Apps like Dictionary.com and Oxford Dictionary of English are among the most commonly used.
2. Attendance- Apps like Foursquare an even FB are awesome for check in.  My favorite app however is Eval Safety Attendance which creates a specific QR Code for each student as you scan their phone to take attendance.
3. Quizzes- Using Google Forms is a great way to deliver quizzes to your students on their devices. Use a script/extension like Flubaroo to grade them and email scores to students.
4. Platforms for sharing-Whatsapp, Viber, Line, and even FB Messenger. These platforms are a great way to share pages, videos, photos, documents, etc.
5. Video conferences-Google Hangouts can be installed on both Android and Apple devices and is the best video conference sharing app on the market. Have up to 10 people in one conference.
6. Paper scanner- This is great not only for scanning pages of school books with very limited supply, but I can't tell you how many times students have asked to use the facility scanning machines to send something to their embassy.
7. ESL Podcasts-Podcasts are a great way to help lower level learners increase their vocabulary and listening comprehension skills.
8. Gradebooks- Engrade is a great way to enter grades while you are on the go and not in front of a laptop or desktop. Other apps like QuickGrader are just as good.
9. Scorative- Socrative is a killer app that makes your classroom more interactive for learning.  Assign  your quizzes as a team race game and watch how students get excited as their team scores and their rockets move forward in a 'Space Race".
10. Note Card Maker- There are several versions of note card makers available on the Android and Apple market. Have your students make note cards of their vocabulary words to help them study for their tests. Just remember to have them put away their phones during a test to ensure no cheating.

Best,

#mrford#techsavvyteacher

Samsung Galaxy Note 2

     It's here; the future of m-learning that is. Actually, it's been here for a few months now, I just picked mine up on last Friday. The Galaxy Note 2 from Samsung takes m-learning to the next level for teachers and students. This is it guys, everything a m-learner could want. It's a phone/tablet with a stylus air pen and more. Some cool features include a bumping app that allows you to share music and videos, and a dual screen option which allows you to split your phone screen in half and work on two seperate options at the same time. Yes, some would argue that the screen is too big, but after a day or two you get used to it and have to squint your eyes to look at any other phone with a smaller screen.

     Ok, apps. The Samsung Note 2 with it's air S pen is perfect for apps like ezPDF Reader which allows the user to upload a document from the web and Google Docs, edit it with the air pen, and send it back to your Documents or email. This is a DREAM COME TRUE for teachers who wish to reduce paper waste and keep their students' work in the palm of their hands. The air pen is also great for doodling and scratching down quick notes. In apps like Evernote you can write, record, and share notes from lectures. Samsung also has several of their own apps ready on the phone like S Note and S Suggest. For those of you who would rather not deal with the pen, the speak to text format here is perfect. The words appear on your screen just as fast if not faster than they come out of your mouth.

     Ok, size. People will ask you if the Note 2 is a tablet or a phone. Then they will ask you if it fits in your pocket. Yes, it's a phone with a large screen, and no, it doesn't fit in my pocket, I have to put it in my mom's purse and force her to lug it around for me while we go grocery shopping! Of course it fits in my pant pocket. All of them to be precise. I really believe that people will have to get over the size issues with the mobile devices if they want the best out of them. This thing is great to watch Netflix on and the sound is far better that the LG or Window phones, so I really don't see why people are complaining over it. Just stick some earbuds in it and look even more stupid so people think you are talking to yourself.

     Closing.  This phone is the best on the market today and is a tablet and a phone at the same time. Once everyone else gets on board, I-Pads and tablets will soon be a thing of the past. And I mean VERY soon!

Best,
#mr.ford

APP ALERT!! SimpleMind free mind mapping

     Mind mapping is an essential in any paragraph planning.  SimpleMind free mind mapping is the easiest and most reliable of free mind maps available in Google Play.  Use different colors, borders, and lines to create a very effective brainstorming tool. With easy cut and paste, edit, and sharing options (paid version), this app makes mapping easy to do on your personal mobile device.

Best,
#mr.ford 

Engrade! Check out the Web Tool that teachers can't get enough of.

     In my honest opinion, ENGRADE is the cornerstone of e-Learning.  Those who are familiar with America's number one online gradebook will be happy to know that the app version is now available on your Google Play! It actually has been avaiable for months now, but it's news to me, so. Late last year I discovered this website and since then I have been able to keep my finger on my student's grades, assignments, and class average in one place.  Now I can literally keep my finger on my student's grades, assignments, and class average in one place-that place being my Smartphone.  Engrade is easy to use as a gradebook that keeps track of your students grades, attendance, and quizzes. It offers students the oppourtunity to view their class scores and helps parents keep track of their child's progress.

     Founded in 2003 with a mission to help teachers, Engrade has been used as a tool of transparent accountability by public school systems all over the country and 150 countries in the world.

     I am really excited about EngradePLUS but have not tried it yet.  I have read that it boosts charts, customizations, and advanced reports.

     Check out the video below and find out what millions of educators around the world are calling the greatest tool in e-Learning today! Then go and download the app!

Best,
#mr.ford

Engrade or Moodle?

So, during a conversation I had this past weekend with a fellow ESL teacher, the question was brought up as to which was better for teaching online, "Engrade or Moodle?" I told the teacher that they both are AWESOME online tools for educators, and though they may seem similar, they are very different in application. Engrade is an extremely popular and user friendly online gradebook that allows students, parents, teachers and administration to keep track of student grades, attendance, progress, and assignments. Inside Engrade you can assign wikkis, lessons, and rubrics. Thought Engrade is an online gradebook, it is not an online course management system-Moodle is.

Under Moodle, a teacher is able to do similar features to Engrade, but take it a few steps further with the ability to submit homework and tests online.  Moodle is designed similar to blackboard and webct. These online platofrms are designed specificaly for online courses. Though you too can assign a test in Engrade, you are limited to simple 'choose the correct letter' quizzes.  Moodle allows different testing formats such as T/F,poll and paragraph questions.  There is also the assignment hand in feature, which allows students to hand in their homework/classwork into Moodle versus students sending thier work to your personal or school email. If you are familiar with taking online college courses, then you should recognize the huge differences between an online gradebook and a CMS.

In closing, I believe that Moodle is more suited for having your own online course. Engrade is very popular and similar to Moodle, however, Engrade is not suited as a course management system for individual use or promotion. .#mr.ford