On Wednesday, it was the Children’s Right Day. We have been celebrating this day at my school with children.   And, for my appclass, we have decided to create posters for that day with some lines. For this week, I was looking for an app that we can use to create posters. Actually, Phoster is my favorite poster app but for this week, we have decided to use APoster!.  First of all, we have talked about children’s rights and brainstormed about it. Then, they have written what they think about the day, what rights children have or should have and written their thoughts. While they were writing their ideas,  I walked around and moderated what they were doing. When they have designed what they were going to include on their posters, they have worked on their tablets  with Aposter app. They have designed and added their sentences. When they finished, they saved their posters on their picture gallery. They walked around and checked each other’s posters and they chose the best one. They have also written their reflections on evernote and attached their posters as well.  What worked: The children liked writing about their rights.  Creating a poster was less challenging for them so they finished their task early. They could save their posters to their picture gallery. The app also offers sharing the poster via different social media platforms.  What could be better: Some apps are visible when you choose "Only for iPad or iPhone" so some kids couldn’t download the app. This is something that I need to teach kids. The app is neat and tidy but the children find it a little bit difficult to navigate. For next week, we will be using another poster maker. Can’t wait!!

Google Blocky Website Blockly is a web-based, graphical programming language. Users can drag blocks together to build an application. No typing required. Still in development mode. What do you think of Blocky?

If you like Animoto and use it to create videos, you may want to give a try to PicoVico as well. Just like Animoto, it is a web tool to create a video with your pictures. After signing up, you choose a video style, upload your pictures, add text, choose your music, add a few details and wait for your video to be rendered. When the video is ready nearly in two minutes, you can share your video via different social media tools or you can also download your video. It is neat and quick. I like different options for video creation. Here are a few ideas to use this tool in class: Students can create an advertisement of an object, film or a book that they have just read. If you go on a field trip, ask students to take pictures and create a video using those pictures later. Students can create a video of the things that they have done in holidays. The videos can be used for introducing school rules, families, what they like doing etc.  The things that we can do are limitless.. Image Source: ShutterStock

Here is a quick web tool to create polls using Youtube videos. It’s a pretty easy and a cool tool to use. Go to ClipChoose and get an account. Then, paste the Youtube video links that you want others to vote for. You can choose as many videos as you want. Make up a question for your poll, when you are done, share the link of your poll with others. They watch and answer your poll question.  Here are a few ideas to use this tool in class: Ask students to choose their favorite song. Students can create Youtube videos for a place that they would like to visit as a class. The others vote for using this tool. Students can advertise a book/ product by creating their Youtube videos and the rest of the class vote for it using this poll. Students vote for the best video and then you start a conversation in class about this video or why one is better than the other. This tool is a simple way to get quick feedback. 

JSLint Website JSLint is a JavaScript program that looks for problems in JavaScript programs. It is a code quality tool. JSLint can operate on JavaScript source, HTML source, CSS source, or JSON text. What do you think of JSLint?

Even you are an English teacher, you feel like, sometimes you need to ask a native speaker for the correct pronunciation of a word. There are many online dictionaries that read the words but my favorite tool is and will always be the "HowJsay". This is an online speaking dictionary of English word. The words are pre-recorded individually and this is not in a form of synthetic speech. Yay! You can hear the American and the British accent of the words with a clear voice. It is a very easy to use this tool. Write the word that you would like to hear the pronunciation. When you see the word in pink, move your mouse over the word and listen. You can create lists of up to 15 words. Write the words with a semi colon and click submit and practice your pronunciation. How can we use this tool in education: We should certainly make children learn about this tool, so while they are reading a story or working on vocabulary, they can use it. It would be good to introduce this tool to parents as well so that they can work with their children at home to practice newly learnt vocabulary even they have very limited English. This tool is sure to be one of your favourites!!

GameSalad Website GameSalad provides a platform for creators to rapidly design, publish and distribute original games. Create for a wide variety of platforms, including iOS, Android, HTML5, and Mac Desktop. What do you think of GameSalad?

November has been a long month! Here is a quick summary of what has happened in my blog this month: Here is a nice poll that you can create with Youtube Videos. If you like Animoto or Photopeach, you will love this post. We are having fun in my Appclass with my students. Read how we have celebrated the Children’s Right Day,  the most favorite and read blog post, how we have used Tellagami. Also read this creative storytelling activity.    If you like QR codes, here is one that you can create with voice.  Here is Twitter Magnets tool that will inspire you to write poems.  Would you like to work at a prestigious school in Istanbul, here is an opportunity for you! Goodbye November!

British Council Turkey and well-known children’s storybook writers from Turkey and the UK have come together to produce free stories and resources for students and teachers of English. Well-known writers; Sevim Ak from Turkey and Sophie Smiley and Guy Bass from the UK have produced a series of 12 stories on themes of interest to Turkish young learners which have been kept short enough to serve as ideal classroom or homework material. The resource kits have been designed me, Merve Oflaz and Aylin Köyalan. Each story forms part of a ‘kit’ which also includes downloadable activities based on the story for students to complete either in class or at home. The kits also include detailed notes for the teachers to support them in exploiting the materials. You can download the kits here. We will have more downloadable kits in very near future.  It’s been so great to be involved in that project with other good names in ELT. The materials that we have created are unique, fun and creative. I hope you will enjoy reading the stories and exploring the kits. I am looking forward to your feedback!!

inSkilled Website inSkilled lets you collect, analyse and share what you find online. Current categories include Business, Art & Design, Social Science, Technology, Environment, Science, Practical Skills and Industries. Visual presentation of links. What do you think of inSkilled?