Making quizzes for i-pod

With the growth in interest in mobile learning and the ubiquitous nature of the i-pod among our younger (and increasingly older) students this piece of software looks like a really useful tool we can use to extend learning beyond the classroom.The software I’m referring to is I-Quiz Maker. You can download I-Quiz Maker for free at:http://www.iquizmaker.com/Once you’ve installed it you can make quizzes using either True / False question types or Multiple Choice questions. The quizzes a very simple to make and you can make as many questions as you...

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Interactive multiple choice activities

This is the third part in a series that I’m writing on how to use word processors to create computer-based materials. This one looks at how we can create interactive multiple choice activities using 'dropdown' menus.Multiple choice must be one of the most common question types in the history of education. I’m sure we all answered them when we were at school and we have all given these question types to our students.When I was at school, we used to call them ‘multiple guess’ questions, because we knew that even if we didn’t have any idea what the...

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Machinima with Moviestorm

I recently came across a very impressive piece of software for making Machinima. It’s still in Beta at the moment, and it’s free, so I’ve spent a bit of time looking at it and seeing how it works.For those of you who don’t know, machinima is a form of animated cinema, which is produced in computer games or virtual worlds. In some case the animated characters are ‘played’ by avatars and in others the characters are figures within a virtual world which are controlled by a ‘producer’.Moviestorm offers the second of these two options, so once you have...

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Exploiting two computer-based RPGs

In this article I’d like to look at how we could use two computer based RPGs (Role playing games) as the basis for language development.The two RPGs that I’m suggesting you use are both very similar and very different.They are very similar in that they are both simulations of everyday life scenarios and involve day to day ‘survival’ type choices.They are very different in that the situations they are based around are a stark contrast between life...

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Teacher Training Videos

Over the last few weeks I’ve been exploring some of the content on Russell Stannard’s http://www.teachertrainingvideos.com/ website. The videos aren’t pedagogical type classroom videos of teachers working with students, as you might at first assume from the title, but are video tutorials which show how to use various software and websites to develop your teaching.What’s on the siteThe site is aimed at ELT teachers who are interested in developing their technology skills for teaching purposes. The main content of the site is split into three...

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