Gaming in Education

    Hi, everyone! Today, I want to talk to you guys about gaming ,or gamification, in education. Some of you may think that it's kind of waste of time when you consider games as a learning tool in classes. Yet, some of you may be believing that we should go beyond the ordinary and really make use of games in lessons both to entertain and motivate students to study.

    Using games as a teaching tool in classes is proved to be effective in learning process as learners give their full attention to them eagerly. Games can be used for cognitive and psychological developments of learners. For example, they gain the ability to focus on details and more than one thing at a time, and they approach to the lessons in a much more positive way.

    A popular game called Minecraft has released a version for education purposes only, enabling students to get engaged, invested in building and to expand on their virtual worlds. Link to the web site: https://education.minecraft.net/

    Some other games that can be used for education purposes in classes: My Word Coach, uDraw Studio: Instant Artist, Sesame Street:Once Upon a Monster, Smarty Pants, Reader Rabbit, Escape Adventure Island, Portal 2 and so on.

   

Second Life - Education

    Hi, everyone! Today, I'm going to introduce you Second Life which is an online virtual world.
    In Second Life users, residents, can be whomever they want to be. They can create virtual representations of themselves which are called avatars and interact with other people, places or objects. They can also contribute to the world around them, creating buildings, objects and animations.
    So, you may be wondering why I am introducing you this app. It's because we can use it for educational purposes. How? With Second Life schools can create their own campuses, faculties and buildings. Teachers can sometimes teach a lesson online instead of always doing it in a real life environment. So, the students and teachers can be simultaneously in an virtual class environment and communicate with each other by using voice and text. But, it will be much more interesting, exciting, and effective for decreasing the affective filter.
    Istanbul University also used Second Life for some classes and saw the advantages of using such an app. Here is the video:

                                       
      I also downloaded Second Life, created my avatar and took a selfie!
             

Use Second Life in your classes and make the learning process much more interesting and fun for students. Do this not just to catch their attention but also to lower the affective filter so as to encourage them to join the lessons. I hope you make use of it and see the improvement in your classes!

HP Reveal

 

       

     Hi, everyone! Today, I'm going to introduce you  HP Reveal which is an Augmented Reality app. I met with this app in one of my classes, Instructional Technologies and Material Design, in Istanbul University.
     In education we can create augmented reality lesson plans by using HP Reveal to make classes more interesting and fun, so we can improve learning. Let's say that as a teacher you will teach your students the animals. You'll give them handouts on which there are different animal pictures and names. So, students will try to match the pictures with the names and will memorize them. But, come on! We are living in the 21th century. These kind of activities do not excite the children anymore and they are too boring. So, what can we do to catch their attention? Children love animations, why not to use them? With HP Reveal it is actually possible.
      First you download the app. Open the app and take a picture of the target image. Once you do that you'll pick an overlay that is an augmented reality popping up out of the image. Then, you'll place it on the image, name it and save it. When you scan your image, the augmented reality will pop up. Now, let's take a look at what I did as an example:

                                   

I hope you use this app and make your classes much more fun! 

QR Code Generator

  Hi, everyone! Today, I'll assign you with a 500-word essay and give you three topics to choose one of them. However, I'm not just going to write the topics. I will put here QR codes which are attached to different videos with different topics. So, you'll be choosing your topic without actually knowing it - It'll be a surprise!-.
  The topics are: Why dressing for success works
                           The first image of a black hole
                           Can wildlife adapt to climate change

   Here are the QR Codes :

 

 

You should download a QR Code Reader. And, here is mine: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=me.scan.android.client&hl=tr

If this is your first time hearing about QR Code, it is a two-dimensional barcode consisting of a black and white pixel pattern which allows to encode up to a few hundred characters. Codes can be attached to websites, videos, images, PDFs, etc. Today, it can be used for many purposes including education.

Jobs on Mindmeister

  Hi, everyone! Today, I created a map on Mindmeister. The map is about jobs. There are ten different jobs and I want you to fill the map with their features. One of them is teacher and I already wrote some of its features for you to see how to do it. It's really easy to do. Also, you can simultaneously work with others on the map. Here is the picture of the map right now.
 

The link to get access to the map: https://www.mindmeister.com/1259344864?t=LPVJQDSvDk

If this is your first time hearing about Mindmeister, it is a website where you can create maps for different purposes including education. It increases creativity, boosts memory and improves understanding on complex topics. It helps to structure information, display hierarchy, show relationships and show the big picture. Students learn faster, take better notes and brainstorm more effectively.

Creating A Story Using Past Tense on Pixton

  Hey, everyone! Today, I created a class on Pixton. Unfortunately, in the new version I cannot assign any activities. However, I created kind of a comic book giving instructions to you about how to do your assignment. I want you to make up a creative story, using mainly past tense. There should be at least ten panels and five different characters. To be a part of my class and do the assignment follow this link: https://join.pixton.com/eabyc . The assignment will be really easy to do, so have fun!
  You can also create your own character like I did. And your character will appear in the classroom picture.

What I Do In A Day On Canva

  Hey, everyone! I made a photo collage expressing my daily routine on Canva. It's really simple and easy to do. I want yo to make a photo collage expressing your daily routine and send it to my email adress so I can take a look at it! My email adress: ahsennurbalkas@ogr.iu.edu.tr

 Canva is a website where you can design presentations, social media graphics and more with thousands of beautiful layouts.

Emotions on Nearpod

   Hey, everyone! Today, I created a lesson called emotions on Nearpod. The lesson has three activities in it. First you match the given emotions with the pictures, then you choose an emotion and describe it with a drawing, and finally there is an open-ended question for you to describe a picture expressing an emotion. You can get access to the lesson via this link: https://share.nearpod.com/7oFpMKFlgW

   If this is your first time hearing about Nearpod, it is an educational website to engage students with interactive activities, connect them through collaborative discussions, and gain instant insight into student learning through formative assessments.

Advanced English Words on Quizlet

  Hey, everyone! Today, I created an advanced word list on Quizlet. These are some of the words that you should know to enrich your vocabulary. There will be several activities (such as writing, matching, testing, learning with flashcards) for you to study those words. You can sign up with your email and get access to the word list I created via this link: https://quizlet.com/_6jft7a

   If this is your first time hearing about Quizlet, it is a mobile and web-based study application useful for both teachers and students. It allows students to study information via learning tools and games, and create their own study sets like teachers. There are so many different contents for you to find what you are looking for or you can create it yourself!

Online Courses ( edX )

   Hi, everyone! Today, I want to talk about an online course that I took on edX. The course was named Hamlet's Ghost which was provided by Harvard University. Since I really love the works of Shakespeare, it caught my attention. While taking this course, I enjoyed my time by learning new things about the work Hamlet and looking at it in different perspectives. The course made a huge contribution to my opinion and what I already knew about Hamlet, and, of course, to my future career as a teacher.
   I took the course in free version, so I couldn't get a certificate and do some of the assignments.

   If you want a certificate you can pay for it and so, you can have it. There are so many courses in so many different fields. I'm sure you'll find something that you like. I really recommend you to take online courses, because it is both fun and educatory.
   Other than edX there are also other online courses you can take a look at: https://www.coursera.org/, https://www.udemy.com/, https://www.udacity.com/.

Writing Challenges on Storybird

   Hi, everyone! I created a class on Storybird and added an assignment for you to do. The assignment is for beginner levels and it is really fun to do. It's about writing stories. There are going to be videos and instructions to follow. I would like to create an assignment too; however, the website currently does not allow that. You can sign up and be a part of my class with the passcode: KVGRMY. You can do the assignments via these links:

https://storybird.com/challenge-info?challengeid=338
https://storybird.com/challenge-info?challengeid=112

   If this is your first time hearing about Storybird, it lets anyone make stories in seconds. You can write comics, flash fiction, picture book, longform story, poetry and you can read others' works. It can be used for educational purposes by teachers and learners.

Synonyms

  Hi, everyone! I created an account on Kahoot and made a quiz about synonyms. I'll give you a link and via this link you'll be able to take the quiz.

  https://create.kahoot.it/share/synonyms/ed307eac-fb1c-4ddd-962a-e28eee71ffed

  If this is your first time hearing about Kahoot, it is an educational website. You can create an account as a teacher or a student. There are various types of quizes, jumbles and surveys on various types of topics. You can play and compete both as a team or individually by entering a code. It's actually very fun!

Your Biggest Dream

   Hi, everyone! As you know I have a class on Seesaw. If you are a part of my class, I created another activity for you to do. This activity is called 'Drawing Your Biggest Dream'. I gave the instructions and it is very easy to do. After drawing your dream do not forget to record your voice and tell us about it. You can also see other participants' biggest dreams and get inspired. Have fun!

https://app.seesaw.me/#/activities/class/class.bf5a00d8-eecf-4738-ae2a-0d024e2ca3dd

Introduction

     Hi, everyone! Here, in Explore English, you'll be learning English by making use of different apps or websites which I'll will introduce you. On my each post I'll be talking about a new topic with the help of various websites and apps, so you'll have an idea on how to use them throughout your learning journey. Each will have different advantages and fun features. I hope you'll use them and find my posts helpful.
     Also, for the introduction I made a video on VOKI. It is an educational website where you can create your own talking character. You can customize your characters to look just like you, historical figures or cartoons, and give them a voice, and share them!

https://www.voki.com/site/pickup?scid=15465870&chsm=03cf6809df3622b243190ae736dc4bb2

How to Build Basic Sentences in English

  Hi, everyone! I made a video about how to build basic sentences in English. This video is for beginner levels, so some of you guys may be not be beginner levels and find this video boring instead of helpful. I want you to know that I'm not going to post for only beginner levels, so you don't have to worry.
  I made this video by using the app Powtoon. Powtoon is a web-based animation software where you can easily create animated presentations. It can be used for both business and educational purposes.
 

An Activity I Posted On Seesaw

 Hi, everyone! Today, I created a class on seesaw. With seesaw, I will be able to create and share activities, and you guys can be a part of my class by using your google accounts to do those activities.
 Today's activity is retelling a story. I gave instructions on how to do it so you'll have no difficulty. What I want from you is to find a story you like and record your voice while retelling it by using your own words. You'll be able to listen other participants' works, too. I hope you enjoy it!
 You can be a part of my class and do the activity via this link:

https://app.seesaw.me/#/activities/class/class.bf5a00d8-eecf-4738-ae2a-0d024e2ca3dd

Different Definitions of Bilingualism

   Hey guys! Today, I made a padlet about different definitions of bilingualism. As you know, everyone learns a second language in a different way and this is why we have different types of bilingualism. I think it is important for us to know what kind of bilinguals we are and be aware of other types of bilinguals. I hope you have fun when reading my padlet and find it useful! You can check it via this link :

 https://padlet.com/ahsennurbalkas/am3cmv5exedq

   If it is your first time hearing about the Padlet, it is an application to create an online bulletin board that you can use to display information for any topic. Easily create an account and build a new board. You can add images, links, videos, and more. One of the great appeals of padlet for classroom use is the fact that many people can post to the same board at the same time, making it very suitable for collaborative work and the creation of projects.

Three Language Apps to Improve Your English

Guys, if you do not want to watch the video I posted below , you can only listen what I've said in the video by using this link.
https://vocaroo.com/player.swf?playMediaID=s1ttyzawo8MO&autoplay=0

Three Language Apps to Improve Your English

Hey Guys! As an introduction for my blog I made a video introducing three apps which are Duolingo, Quizlet and Elsa. I think that these apps can be really helpful for you to improve your English. Each app focuses on different skills and each can make different contributions to your English. I explained briefly all of them in my video.

So, I hope you enjoy it and find the apps helpful !