ICTS Avatar Voki PDF

Distinguished Awards in Teaching
2013 cohort
CAPSTONE PROJECT
Author: Analía Verónica Gozzarino (La Merced High School, Argentina)

Project Mentor: Roberta Lavine (University of Maryland, United States)
Analía V. Gozzarino
INTRODUCTION
In Latin America, several countries have taken due notice of the importance of
Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) integration in their education projects
as a means to improve pedagogical practices and alleviate problems such as social class
exclusion, quality of education and students dropping out. Thus, various types of ICT
integration initiatives have been developing in their education systems. One of these
experiences aimed at inclusion and equality started in 2010 in Argentina under the name
of “Conectar Igualdad” (Connect Equality) in an attempt to bridge the technological gaps
between the private and the public sector. This government funded project is a pioneering
one-to-one technology integration program which aims primarily at allocating resources
to the public school system. According to Administración Nacional de Fondos y Pensiones
(ANSES) -the federal office which provides the funds for the program- three million
netbooks were distributed among teachers and students from public high schools, special
education institutions and teacher training institutes between 2010 and 2013.
Even though this is certainly a decisive step towards the betterment of public education in
Argentina, “Conectar Igualdad” has posed some difficulties such as the lack of or
insufficient professional development opportunities. A substantial number of teachers still
do not have the necessary skills to incorporate technology into their everyday pedagogical
practices. This lack of staff development for in-service teachers is more acute in some
provinces than in others. In some schools, especially those located in areas targeted by
the government, teachers have conducted successful projects integrating the new laptops.
In some other schools, which comprise the larger group, technologically challenged
teachers still need more than hardware and software to enhance teaching and learning.
RELEVANCE OF THE PROJECT

A distinction between EFL (English as a Foreign Language) and ESL (English as a Second
Language) is relevant at this point. An ESL classroom is in a country where English is the
dominant language. The students are usually immigrants or visitors and thus the class
consists of mixed nationalities; students do not share a native language or a common
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culture. Outside the classroom, students have a specific, practical need for English, and
ample opportunity to use it. Students have extensive daily exposure to English-speaking
culture, although their understanding may be limited by their language skills.
An EFL classroom is in a country where English is not the dominant language. Students
share the same language and culture. The teacher may be the only native English speaker
they have exposure to. Outside of the classroom students have very few opportunities to
use English. For some, learning English may not have any obvious practical
benefit. Students have limited exposure to English-speaking culture, most often through a
distorted lens like TV or music. EFL students need ample practice using English, exposure
to living English, reasons to learn English, and motivation to stick with it.
Foreign language teachers holding positions in public high schools in Argentina have been
given laptops as part of the “Connect Equality” program but, unfortunately, most of them
are not acquainted with the numerous ways in which they can effectively and
meaningfully merge technology with instructional practices and activities.
As an EFL teacher myself, I strongly believe teacher training becomes essential for any
technology integration initiative to truly succeed. What is more, if technology is used to
deliver the curriculum, the limitations of EFL instruction such as minimum exposure to
authentic English, lack of cultural awareness and global competence, few opportunities to
use the target language and low motivation levels can successfully be addressed.
PROJECT OBJECTIVES
This project aims at promoting:
1) TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION IN THE EFL CLASSROOM: To accomplish this objective,
teachers will be provided with a set of technologically enhanced lessons plans that will
serve as models of how technology can be used to support learning within the curriculum.
2) EFL TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: This objective will be accomplished
through workshops, hands-on labs and “train the trainer” models with the aspiration to
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encourage and facilitate more educational technology usage in my school and my

community.
3) CULTURAL UNDERSTANDING AND GLOBAL COMPETENCE: To fulfill this objective, a set
of culturally relevant authentic resources and well as “World Englishes” examples will be
shared with EFL teachers through both a Facebook group and a webpage for future use as
teaching materials.
PROJECT COMPONENTS
To attain the goals above mentioned, the present capstone project proposes: 1) a set of
lesson plans enriched with technology; 2) a Professional Development Plan supported by a
Facebook group and a web page; and 3) a collection of authentic English teaching
materials.
1) TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATED LESSON PLAN (Appendix 1)
The lesson plan included in this project is based on materials collected from the WWW
with the purpose of showing the power of the Internet as a source of authentic materials
like videos, songs and newspapers articles, among others. Another characteristic of the
lesson plan is that it has been created following the integrated-skill approach, that is, it
encourages the development of the four language skills: reading, listening, speaking and
writing. The integrated-skill approach, “as contrasted with the purely segregated
approach, exposes English language learners to authentic language and challenges them
to interact naturally in the language” (Oxford, 2001).
The lesson plan comprises a worksheet for the students, a worksheet for the teacher and
a Technology Integration Practical Guide. Put together, the three worksheets aim at
showing teachers how a seemingly traditional or conventional lesson, as the ones that
frequently appear in commercially available textbooks, can be enhanced with technology.
The student worksheet contains graded activities centered around a motivating and
engaging topic: social media networking sites and the Internet. This lesson is a
“conventional” one in the sense that no background technology knowledge or skills are
required. The teacher worksheet contains an answer key and several suggestions to
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enhance each lesson activity with technology/web tools and, therefore, transform a
conventional lesson into a 21st century one. In case teachers wish to try any of these tools,
they can refer to the Technology Integration Practical Guide which provides handouts with
step-by-step instructions for every technology/web application suggested in the teacher
worksheet.
2) A PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN, SUPPORTED BY A FACEBOOK GROUP AND A

WEB PAGE
To equip EFL teachers in Argentina with the skills they need to confidently merge
technology with their curriculum, I propose both a short term and a long term
professional development plan (PDP).
In the short term, I propose to coach teachers from the Foreign Language Department in
the two educational institutions I work at. I will organize hands-on labs and a “Student
tech squad”. Following the hands-on lab model, I will give brief demonstrations followed
by opportunities for individual exploration and practice in a laboratory setting where all
participants have access to a computer. The training will be offered in short sessions
spread over a period of time. This will give participants an opportunity to practice
between sessions and explore what they have learned. This approach is effective when
giving teachers time to experiment, permission to change the way they do things, and the
opportunity to make mistakes along the way (Sparks, 1998 in Sun et al, 2000). I will also
promote teacher professional growth by creating a “Student tech squad” which consists of
appointing students as mentors for teachers and peers. There are many reasons to have a
school tech squad. In many ways, students are practiced technology users who naturally
love to share “how to” with younger students, their peers, and with adults.
In the long run I plan to target teachers from my city and my community through Río
Cuarto English Teachers Association (ARPI) from which I am an active member. This non-
profit organization seeks to support English teachers by organizing different training and
refreshment courses. With the support of ARPI, I will implement the “Train the trainer
model”, that is, I will invite schools to appoint a teacher with strong leadership skills each.
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I will share with them my newly gained knowledge and lesson plans through workshops
and/or hands-on labs and then they will be expected to share what they have learned
with others. This model will empower more individuals by spreading the control of
professional development over a larger group.
It is worth noting that teachers will be grouped according to a common interest or need so
they have a common purpose other than technology. If they make up a large group, they
will be broken into smaller groups and will attend different sessions at different times.
Identifying a common curriculum concern or grade level will create a stronger bond. When
this common purpose is established within a group of participants in a technology
professional development event, the group can have a focus that transcends learning
about technology (Sun et al, 2000). In addition to this, the expected backgrounds or pre-
requisite knowledge and skills of the target participants will also be taking into
consideration.
To support independent learning both at school and at the community level, participants
will be provided with step-by-step instructions and handouts for every new application or
topic covered. Actual examples of ways in which the technology can be used within the
curriculum will always be presented for teachers to easily grasp the connection between
curriculum and technology.
To promote a life-long autonomous learning after the PDP is over, I will encourage
teachers to continue to develop professionally in a more informal way. I will share with
them some of the self-study strategies American teachers reported in an online survey I
administered (See Summative Report). Some of the strategies they shared to sustain a
self-directed autonomous learning are participating in learning communities, discussion
groups, chat rooms and message boards; taking part in online courses, workshops and
free webinars; following a blog; and joining a Facebook group among others.
Two platforms used to support the PDP will be a Facebook group and a webpage both
under the name “Teaching with TIC” (TIC stands for Communication and Information
Technologies). The “Teaching with TIC” Facebook group, which I am currently
administering, is used for posting relevant educational technology integration examples,
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news about professional development opportunities and the latest ICT tools and their
applications to EFL teaching. This social networking site will serve a platform for
conducting needs assessment surveys and inform my PDP. The best way to design
professional development that meets different needs and levels of expertise is to find out
what people do and do not know and what they need to know, and then to develop
offerings accordingly (Sun et al., 2000). Another way of obtaining information will be to
solicit feedback continually from participants once professional development sessions are
underway.
Another component of the PDP will be the “Teaching with TIC” webpage
(https://sites.google.com/site/teachingwithtic/) I am currently administering collaboratively
and internationally with Distinguished Fulbright Awards in Teaching alumna, Lori Larson
Brouillette (2011). On this site I will house sample lessons and training modules. This
website is already a resource for Argentine teachers of English, but I would like to expand
our initial work to have a greater reach across our country.
Once in Argentina, the following criteria will be discussed and analyzed with school
authorities when scheduling the different PDP formats (adapted from Creating Effective
District Professional Development Plans - My Learning Plan Inc. © 2011)
 PURPOSE/DESCRIPTION: Why is this plan necessary? What is this plan trying to
accomplish?
 TARGET LEARNERS: Which groups will participate as learners in this plan?
 PRE-REQUISITE KNOWLEDGE: Do the target participants have the background
knowledge and skills necessary to build on throughout this plan?
 NEED ASSESSMENT: What do the data suggest about student learning needs?
 STUDENT GOALS: What will students know or be able to do as result of this plan?
 EDUCATOR GOALS: What types of changes in practice are expected to help
students realize the S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Results-Oriented,
and Time-Bound) goals?
 DURATION: Over what period of time will the plan be implemented? Where, when,
and how will professional development sessions take place? When will teachers be
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asked to attend these sessions? Will substitutes be available for release time so
teachers can attend during regular school hours?
 RESULTS FROM PREVIOUS PLANS: What are the significant insights from previous
plans that can be applied? What will you be sure to include or do differently in this
plan?
 SETTING/LEARNING FORMATS: What settings or learning formats are available and
stable to support the plan?
 PERSONNEL: How can you distribute leadership and accountability for the plan’s
success?
 FINANCES: Are there any projected expenses associated with the plan? How will
these be funded?
 ASSESSMENT: How will evidence of student impact be collected and analyzed? How
will the plan as a whole be evaluated and how will results be shared?
Which forms, tools or questions might be employed to easily document the
application process?
 REFLECTION AND GENERATION: Were the PD Plan Goals met? What were the
important factors that contributed to this result? What was the most significant
learning that will be applied to future plans?
3) COLLECTION OF CULTURALLY RELEVANT AUTHENTIC MATERIAL (Appendix 2)

In the Argentine EFL context, students are rarely exposed to authentic language and their
global competences skills are frequently not fully developed. EFL teachers should become
aware of the fact that learning a language goes beyond the mastery of grammatical rules,
vocabulary items and pronunciation of these items. According to Kilickaya (2004)
“successful language learning requires language users to become familiar with the culture
underlying language in order to get the meaning across”. Authentic materials, which
involve language naturally occurring as communication in native-speaker contexts of use
rather that written for language teaching purposes (Jordan, 1997 in Kilickaya 2004),
provide authentic cultural information. For this reason, another objective of this capstone
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project is to provide teachers with access to set of authentic materials collected during my
stay in the United States. These materials comprise audio and video recordings made by
native speakers of English on topics such as education, cheerleading, Thanksgiving and
Halloween as well as cultural information from countries where other dialects of English
are spoken (World Englishes). Argentine educators will be able to access these materials in
the Teaching with TIC webpage and tailor them according to their classroom needs.
Hopefully, these materials will help teachers not to cope with the difficulties of an EFL
setting but also to promote student openness towards different ideas and ways of
thinking, identities and cultures.
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APPENDIX 1
TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATED LESSON-STUDENT WORKSHEET
PDF available at
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BwmWSYSsRs9oRi0wVEJBa3QwREk&usp=sharin
g
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Student Worksheet
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APPENDIX 1
TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATED LESSON-TEACHER WORKSHEET
Available at
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APPENDIX 1
TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATED LESSON TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION PRACTICAL
GUIDE
Available at
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APPENDIX 2
Videos available at
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0BwmWSYSsRs9oZWJ3UFQ4b1k2dVk&usp=shari
ng
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REFERENCES
Borthwick , A., & Pierson, M. (2008). Transforming classroom practice: Professional development
strategies in educational technology. . Retrieved from
http://www.iste.org/docs/excerpts/PRODEV-excerpt.pdf
Kilickaya, F. (2004). Authentic materials and cultural content in EFL classrooms. The Internet TESL
Journal, X(7). Retrieved from http://iteslj.org/Techniques/Kilickaya-AutenticMaterial.html
Luke, C. (2007). The expanding role of technology in foreign language teacher education
programs. The Computer Assisted Language Instruction Consortium, 24(2). Retrieved from
https://www.calico.org/memberBrowse.php?action=article&id=644
Oxford, R. (2001). Integrated skills in the ESL/EFL classroom. ESL Magazine, 6(1). Retrieved from
http://www.cal.org/resources/digest/digest_pdfs/0105-oxford.pdf
Sun, R. et al. (2000). Professional development planning. Planning into Practice, 2.
Retrieved from http://www.seirtec.org/P2P.html
My Learning Plan Inc. (2011). Creating effective district professional development plans. .
Retrieved from
http://www.mylearningplan.com/content/Docs/MLP_Learning_Paper_Creating%2
0PD%20Plans.pdf
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analiagozzarino@gmail.com
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Social Networking Sites
and the Internet
Technology Integration Practical Guide
2013
The following Integration Practical Guide contains step-by-step instructions on several
technology/web tools that teachers can integrate to enhance the “Social Networking Sites
and the Internet” lesson plan.
Please refer to the Teacher Worksheet and the Student Worksheet
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Voki
DESCRIPTION:
Voki is a free online application that allows you to create personalized speaking avatars and
use them on a blog, profile, and in email messages. Students can add their own voice via
phone, microphone, text to speech or upload a file.
MATERIALS/RESOURCES
• Internet access
• Laptop/projector for the teacher to model the tool
• Laptops for students
• Microphones or headsets (only if the voice recording function is used)
PREREQUISITES
• Basic use of Internet
• How to record an audio file (optional)
• How to save an audio file (optional)
• How to send an email attachment
OBJECTIVES
Teachers will be able to:
• Show how to use speaking avatars in language teaching
• Show students how to make their own target language speaking avatar
• Choose from characters, props and backgrounds to create a cartoon image/strip
• Embed the avatar in a website, wikis, blogs, etc.
• Share, email, the avatar.
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HOW TO CREATE A CHARACTER
1) Go to http://www.voki.com/
2) Go to “Register”
3) Fill out the information, accept the terms of use and “Sign up”
NOTE: you will be sent an activation link to the email account you provided. Open your account
and follow the link.
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4) Click “Create”
Tools for creating and

customizing the avatar
Tools for giving the

avatar a voice
Tools for creating a

background
5) Go to “Customize your character”
a. “Choose Your Character” (Edgy, Oddball,

Animals, Classic, Toons, Anime, Cats, Dogs,
Digimon, VIP, Holiday, Politics, Random)
b. “Dress You Character” (Uniform, Sports,

Casual, Dressy, Costume, Hair, Lips,
Mustache)
c. “Add Bling” (Glasses, Necklace, Props)
d. Select “Tweak” and “Color”
e. When you finish your character

customization, click DONE
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HOW TO ADD VOICE
1) Choose one of these 3 options to add voice:
Text to speech
(students type a text
using the keyboard
and the avatar gives it Upload an audio file
a robot-like voice) (students upload a
recording of their
Record with microphone voice previously
(students record their own saved in their
voice using a headset). laptops)
2) Select “Backgrounds” and “Publish” your Voki
Backgrounds (students
can add different
backgrounds: city views,
nightlife, outdoor or
their own image) Select “Publish” to
complete the process
3) Give your Voki a title and click “Save”
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8) A Voki can be shared in two different ways a) “Add to your site” or b) “Send to a friend”
a) “Add to your site”
You select the size of the Voki
Sharing option 1: press the icon of

the platform you want to use to
share your Voki (Facebook, Twitter,
Blogger, etc.). The Voki will
automatically appear there.
Sharing option 2: you can use this

code to embed your Voki into a
website. You need to know how to
embed inn your particular website.
Sharing option 3: you can copy this

link and send it to someone via
email. You can also paste it on
Facebook or other social media.
b) “Send to a friend”
Write your own email address

here.
Write recipient’s email address

here. You can add multiple
emails
You can write a message here

(optional)
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PollEverywhere
DESCRIPTION:
Poll Everywhere is a classroom response system that allows your students to participate in
your polls. Polls can take the form of individual questions or quizzes that your students can
answer using their mobile devices. Every poll will update as the audience responds. It offers
both free and prepaid plans.
MATERIALS/RESOURCES
 Internet access
 Laptop/projector for the teacher to model the tool
 Smart phones, laptops or tablets for the students
PREREQUISITES
• Basic use of Internet
OBJECTIVES
 Create and customize a poll (individual questions or quizzes)
 Collect a poll responses in real time
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STEPS TO CREATE A POLL (teachers)
1) Go to http://www.polleverywhere.com/ and “Sign Up”
2) Fill out the required user information on this next page. (Do not forget to check
the “I agree to the terms of service and privacy policy” checkbox.)
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3) Watch the tutorial.
Type your question in the “Poll question” space and select “Create”.
4) This window will pop up. Follow steps a, b, c and d as explained below.
b. Delete “true” and “false”

and type the choices.
*The camera icon

a. Select “Multiple enables you to add
Choice” a picture as one of
the choices. The
dustbin icon
deletes the choice.
d. Add another
questions. Repeat c. Use “Add an answer” to
all the steps . add more choices.
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5) Once you finish typing your questions, select “Create”
Your last question and

its corresponding
answers will look like
this.
6) All the poll questions that you typed will appear like this. You will not see the “choices”
at this point.
7) CONGRATULATIONS! You have created your first poll! Select “Log out”
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STEPS TO VOTE IN A POLL
Teachers can have students vote in two different ways: a) Polling one question at a time or b)
Surveying several questions grouped in a quiz.
a. POLLING ONE QUESTION AT A TIME

1. You (the teacher) go to www.polleverywhere.com and “Log in”
2. Go to “My polls” (left hand side of the screen) and double click the poll you have just
created in the previous section.
3. Double click the “Push” icon
4. Indicate the name of your “PollEverywhere” page (choose a word easy to for your
students) and when your poll will be over.
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5. This window will pop up. The name chose for your page will show here. Double click on
it.
6. This window will pop up. Now it is time for your students to take part! Tell them to write
your PollEverywhere page URL (created in step 4) into a browser (their mobile devices
will need internet connection at this point). They will be able to select an answer using
their devices.
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b. SURVEYING SEVERAL QUESTIONS GROUPED IN A QUIZ
1. Group all the questions you created into one poll
b. After selecting all the

questions, select “Group”
to create one quiz
a. Select all the

checkboxes
2. Give your poll a name using the “Edit” function (mouse over “New group”) and select
“Save”
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3. After giving a name to your quiz, select “”Survey view” (mouse over quiz name)
4. Tell your students type this URL (link) in an Internet browser and do the quiz
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K-W-L chart creator
DESCRIPTION
K-W-L charts have been widely used to help students prepare for reading by organizing
what students know (K) and want to learn (W) before they read and then reflecting on
what they learned (L).
This free interactive tool is equipped with the worksaver functionality so that students can
save their work at different stages in the K-W-L process. Users have the ability to embed
text links, giving an extra level of interaction and explanation so students can show their
examples of their knowledge.
MATERIALS/RESOURCES
 Internet connection
 1 laptop and 1 projector for the teacher to show how the KWL chart application
works.
 Laptops for the students/group of students to work with the chart
 Printer (optional)
REQUISITES
 Basic Knowledge of Internet
 How to save a PDF document in a computer folder
 How to print a document
 How to insert a hyperlink (optional)
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1) Go to this link http://goo.gl/dZ2D77
(You can press CTRL in your keyboard and click the link or you can “copy” and “paste” this link into
your browser)
2) Select “Get started”
3) Write “Your name”, “Topic” and click “Continue”
4)
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4) Write a “Heading” and use the information and text editing tools
You can select a word/phrase

and make it a hyperlink to a
webpage
You can add new subsections

in the form of bullets.
You can add
subheadings
Select and delete
Go the previous page Go to the next page
Text editing tools:
Tells you in which of the three

sections -K, W or L- you are working
Change chart layout. You can put the three

sections (K, W, and L) in one chart or each
section separately on its own page.
Transform a sentence into

a heading or subheading
Bold and italic fonts
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6) After you finish your KWL chart, you are ready to “Print”, “Save” or “Share”
You can print your KWL chart
You can save your

final KWL chart in
your computer
Shows you what the
final chart will look like
You can save your draft
chart in your computer
and edit it later
You can share your

final chart via email
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TOONDOO
DESCRIPTION
Toondoo is a free online comic creator which provides a suite of tools that make it easy for
someone without drawing tools to create comics or "doos". When creating a basic "Doo",
you can select from a number of layout styles in terms of numbers of panes. You have
access to a large catalog of background images, props, characters, objects, and more.
MATERIALS/RESOURCES
• Internet access
• Laptop/projector for the teacher to model the tool
• Laptops for students
PREREQUISITES
• Basic use of internet
• How to copy and paste
• How to save a file
• How to download a file
• How to upload a file
• How to create folders
• How to send an email attachment
OBJECTIVES
• Show how to use Toondoo comic strips in language teaching
• Show students how to make their own target language comic strips
• Choose from characters, props and backgrounds to create a cartoon image/strip
• Upload images to create characters, props and backgrounds for a cartoon
image/strip
• Create own characters, props and backgrounds for a cartoon image/strip
• Create multi-language texts for a cartoon image/strip
• Edit characters, props and backgrounds for a cartoon image/strip
• Embed a cartoon image/strip in a website, wikis, blogs, etc.
• Share, email, tag a cartoon image/strip
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1) Go to http://www.toondoo.com/CheeredToonw.toon
2) Click “Sign up for free”
3) Select “Sign up for Toondoo” (free version)
4) Select “username”, “password” and write your “email”. Press “register”
5) Now you are registered! Go back to the main page (www.toondoo.com)
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and click the “Log in” button.
7) Now you can start creating your comic! Click “Create”
8) Select the layout
8) Wait a couple of seconds until the comic editor tool loads
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9) This is the comic editor.
This bar displays icons for characters,

backgrounds, speech bubbles, etc.
You choose the icons and drag and
drop them on the panels on the right
Doodler enables drawing tools like

coloured pencils.
TraiteR allows to create a customized
character.
This bar displays the buttons used to ImageR allows to upload images from
edit (enlarge, delete, clone, etc.) the the web or a laptop.
characters, backgrounds and speech
bubbles dropped in the panels.
Steps to create a comic:

a) Choose an element (character and background) and drag and drop it.
b) Click on the “Texts” icon.
c) Choose a speech bubble.
d) Drag and drop it to the panel
e) Enter your text
f) Click on the “Start Here” icon (up the right hand side of the screen) to save the project. Click on
“Save as”
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g) Follow the steps below to give your project a “Title”, “Description” “Tag”;
h) Choose the publish option ( “Publish to the world”/”Share with friends”) and then “Publish”
your project
“Publish to the world: students send an email

to the teacher with the link to their comic
“Share with friends”. Students write the

teacher’s email so she/he gets an invitation to
see the comic.
How do I print my project?

Option1: Just after publishing your project, this message will pop up. Select “Print Toon”
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Option 2: Once you have published your project, you go find it by going back to www.toondoo.com,
click on the first icon “Toons”, and then click on “My Toondoos”. The you click the “Print” icon
below the comic
Option 3: You can also print a comic as a screen shot or screen capture:
1) Open the comic
2) Press CTRL + FN+PRT SC (an image of your screen will be created)
3) Paste the image in a Word document and save it in your computer
4) Print it
How can I view my comic?

Once you have published your project, you go find it by going back to www.toondoo.com, click on
the first icon “Toons”, and then click on “My Toondoos” to view your project
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How can I edit my comic?
If you want to edit your project, click “Edit” (place the mouse on the image and wait until the “Edit”
icon pops up)
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IDEAS FOR
SCHOOLS WITH NO INTERNET CONNECTION
1) Students can create a collage using Microsoft Word
- They can copy and paste images from the Internet
- They can type text and turn it into image with the WordArt function.
- They can take pictures using their cell phones and download them to their laptops to later
paste them into their collages.
2) Students can not only record their voice using cellphones but also record videos of
themselves talking about the advantages and disadvantages of social media.
3) For recording audio, students /teachers can download the free program “Audacity”
available at http://audacity.sourceforge.net/?lang=es
5) For collages, teachers/students can download the free program “Smilebox” available at
http://www.smilebox.com/formats.html?partner=google&campaign=search_core_smilebo
x&gclid=CILUzcq-irsCFe5j7AodIhAAEg
6) For comics or stories, teachers/students can download the free program “Microsoft
Photo Story” available at http://www.microsoft.com/en-
in/download/details.aspx?id=11132 .
They can create comics using the pictures taken with their cellphones.
(not compatible with Windows 8)
Contact:
analiagozzarino@gmail.com
26
and the Internet
Teacher Worksheet
2013
NOTE: All the materials used in the present lesson have been collected from the WWW.
Refer to the Student Worksheet and the Technology Integration Guide.
Topic: Social networking sites and the internet

Objectives:
SWBAT
- Identify vocabulary items related to social networking sites and the internet in a
Facebook page template by filling out the blanks in the page (status, friends, profile
picture, etc.)
- Recognize and classify collocations by listening to a dialogue (update my profile, post a
comment, etc.)
- Identify and classify the positive and negative aspects of social networking sites in a
reading text.
- Express and justify their personal opinion on the positive and negative aspects of social
networking sites using opinion discourse structures (In my opinion, I believe, I think and
because) and the present simple.
Proficiency level: pre-intermediate/lower-intermediate
Age: 13-17
Number of students: 25-30
Length of class/unit: 4-6 sessions of 45 minutes
Interdisciplinary Connections: Technology
Content knowledge : Social networking sites and the Internet
Language skills: listening, speaking, reading, writing and vocabulary (personal
information, frequency adverbs)
Evaluation: student recording/comic/online poster on the positive and negative
characteristics of social networking sites
ACTIVITIES
Activity 1: Students’ own responses.
Activity 2: These are names of the social networking sites represented by each icon (from left to
right). You are also provided with very basic factual information about each site.
- Twitter (Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables
users to send and read "tweets", which are text messages limited to 140 characters. It
was founded in 2006)
- You Tube (YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal
employees in February 2005 and owned by Google since late 2006)
- Facebook (It is social networking website that allows registered users to create profiles,
upload photos and video and send messages. It was founded in 2004)
1
- Pinterest (Pinterest is a bookmarking social media site that allows users to collect and
organize their favourite web sites on virtual bulletin boards. The site was launched in
2010)
- Sharing icon (It is not a site in itself but it is an icon that appears in every site and gives
you the opportunity to share the content through different platforms)
- Skype (The service allows users to communicate with peers by voice using a
microphone, video by using a webcam, instant messaging and phone calls over the
Internet. It was bought by Microsoft in 2011)
- Google Plus (It is social networking website that allows registered users to create
profiles, upload photos and video and send messages)
- LinkedIn (It is a social networking website for people in professional occupations. It
resembles an online curriculum vitae as people share information related to their jobs.
It was founded in 2002)
Activity 3: You can download the Facebook template from this site
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/79007603/Facebook-Template
* To download the image, right click on it, a menu will pop up, select “save image as” and
choose where in your computer you want to save the file in.
Activity 4: Students will provide their own answers. You may need to revise “frequency adverbs”,
especially their position within the sentence.
* If you have internet connection, a projector and a laptop in your classroom and your students
have smartphones, you can try the free application PollEverywhere (for more information, see
Technology Integration Guide, page 7).
Activity 5: Students can record their voices using different tools:

a) Cell phones
b) Sound recording software installed in laptops/netbooks
c) Using the online application Voki (see Technology Integration Guide, page 2)
Activity 6: Download recording from this site: http://www.elllo.org/Audio/A0951/973-email.mp3

*To download the recording, right click anywhere in the page, a menu will pop up, select “save
as” and choose where in your computer you want to save the file in.
Activity 7: In this stage you may want to focus on the importance of collocations: they can be
defined as the natural combination of words or the correct arrangement of words in a sentence.
The phrases ‘heavy rain’ and ‘strong wind’ sound natural and therefore are proper collocations but
‘strong rain’ and ‘heavy wind’ are not acceptable collocations. Do we have any set of rules for
collocations? No, there is no logic behind using correct collocations.
MEET: family/friends/people
POST: pictures/comments
LIKE: comments/pictures/status
UPLOAD: pictures/videos
CHECK: Facebook/emails
UPDATE: profile/status
Other collocations: “join Facebook”
2
Activity 8:
a) Students’ own questions (you may want to focus on question formation)
b) c) d) Students fill out the KWL chart. Answer may vary.
If you have internet access, you can have your students complete an online version of the KWL
(See Technology Integration Guide)
e) DON’T FORGET to check students’ questions in a)
Activity 9:
a) Students’ expected answers are the following
Article
POSITIVE CHARACTERISTICS NEGATIVE CHARACTERISTICS
Meeting new people easily, being in No interaction: inability to have in-person
touch with family and friends conversations, self-centered personalities
Instant messaging Addictive behaviors, personality and brain
disorders
Helping shy and isolated people connect Social media does not promote better
academic results, students wate time on
facebook
Social media can be used in education: Cyber bullying
teachers and students collaborate with
teachers and students from different
parts of the world.
Spread of false information
Lack of privacy
Crimes: robberies
b) Students own responses.
Activity 10: Students role-play their conversation.

Activity 11: Students can record their voices using different tools
a) Cell phones
b) Sound recording software installed in laptops/netbooks
c) Using the speaking avatar VOKI (See technology Integration Guide)
* If your students can upload their recordings in a blog or a Facebook private group, you can
have students listen to 3 people’s recordings and comment on each of them. This way
interaction between students is maximized. If you also want your students to follow a given
structure when making comments, you can teach them the “3 compliments and 1 wish”
strategy. The three compliments are, basically, 3 good things about the recording. The wish is a
suggestions, something that can be improved (it is never a criticism).
Extension:
a) READING/DIGITAL LITERACY: You can have your students find out about their own “digital
footprint” by having them google their names. More on “digital footprint” at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_footprint
b) READING: You can have your students read an article on “Facebook Personality Types”
available at
3
http://www.charlietuna.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/16-types-on-facebook.jpg
c) LISTENING: You can have them do a listening activity on “Twitter conference held in Los
Angeles” available at http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/0910/091028-
140_characters.html
Evaluation:
Option 1: One possible instrument of evaluation might be the recording done as part of activity 11
on the positive and negative characteristics of social media
Option 2: Students create a comic where they reflect either a positive or a negative characteristic
of social media using the online comic creator ToonDoo (see Technology Integration Guide)
Option 3: Students may write their opinions on a blog or Facebook group page.
Self-evaluation: online reflection using PollEverywhere (see Technology Integration Guide)
Other options: word document/piece of paper.
Materials: The materials needed depend on the technology tools used.
Contact: analiagozzarino@gmail.com
4
and the Internet
Student Worksheet
Analía V.Gozzarino
2013
The following lesson plan is based on authentic Internet-based materials. Please refer to
the Teacher Worksheet for suggestions, extension activities, useful links and the answer
key. If you wish to enhance this lesson plan with technology/web tools, please refer to the
Technology Integration Practical Guide for detailed step-by-step instructions.
Contact: analiagozzarino@gmail.com
1
1) Read this short newspaper excerpt. Do you agree? Why? Why not?
According to Google, In the U.S., 80 percent of smartphone

owners say they don’t leave home without their device and one in
three prefers their mobile rather than their TV. (May, 2012)
2) You bought a new smartphone and it’s time to download the applications you like. When
trying to do so, you come across all these icons.
What do they stand for? Talk to a partner.
3) You want to keep in touch with your friends using a social networking site.
is the most popular site with more than 1 billion users. Fill in the blanks to set up your
Facebook account.
2
4) Facebook users spend a lot of their time on Facebook. Some upload pictures and
videos or post comments every day. What about you? How often do you do the following
things?
1. check your emails? ……………………………………………….
2. update your profile picture? ……………………………………………….
3. update your status? ……………………………………………….
4. post comments? ……………………………………………….
5. upload photos/files? ……………………………………………….
6. “like” other people’s status, comments ……………………………………………….
or pictures?
5) Let’s speak! Use the information you provided in 4) and record yourself talking about the
things you do on Facebook and how often you do them.
Ask your teacher about the

technology necessary for
this activity!!!
6) Now let’s listen to two friends talking about their own experiences using emails and
social media.
a. Circle the correct option.
Who …..
1. checks emails very often? woman/man
2. doesn’t log on very often? woman/man
3. doesn’t update his/her profile? woman/man
4. takes photos? woman/man
5. meets people? woman/man
6. joined Facebook a couple of years ago? woman/man
7. doesn’t want to use her/his time to check Facebook? woman/man
b. Listen again and answer these questions

1. How often does she check her emails? …………………………
2. How often does he check his emails? …………………………
3. Does he answer his emails quickly? …………………………
4. When is he likely to meet his family? …………………………
c. Talk to a partner. Are these people’s experiences similar to or different from yours?
In what ways?
7) Let’s work with the vocabulary. Look at the questions in 4) and 6) and write the words
that collocate.
Meet
interact
Post Like Upload Check Update
friends a picture
........
3
8) Let’s improve our reading skills!
a) Work with a different partner and write 2 questions you think the text “Are Social
Networking Sites Good for Our Society?” will answer.
………………………………………………………………………………………….
………………………………………………………………………………………….
b) Complete the “Know” section in the following chart before you read the text.
c) As you read, complete the “Wonder” section in the chart.
d) After you finished reading, complete the “Learned” section in the chart
Are Social Networking Sites

Good for Our Society
Proponents of social networking sites say that online communities promote interaction. Facebook is a great way to
keep in touch with family members that live far away. In addition, Facebook makes meeting new people extremely
easy because it allows them to add up to thousands of friends, and acts as a social melting pot of the internet. With
instant messaging Facebook is the perfect environment to stay connected. Social networking sites also help people
who are socially isolated or shy connect with other people. Defenders also believe that social networking sites can
be used in education because they offer teachers and students a platform for communication and collaboration with
other teachers and students outside the classroom. Educators from around the world interact with each other via
social networks like Twitter and Skype.
Opponents of social networking believe that these sites do not promote interaction. On the contrary, they cause the
inability to have in-person conversations, create self-centered personalities, as well as addictive behaviors. Experts
also claim that the use of social networking sites is correlated with personality and brain disorders because they alter
children’s brains and behavior making them more vulnerable to ADHD*. Concerning education, two-thirds of
teachers believe that social media distract students and do not help academically because they waste time on
frivolous activities. Other educators think that sites like Facebook or Twitter facilitate cyber-bullying because there
aren't moderators monitoring what people say to each other. Another problem of social media is the spread false
information. For example, on Sep. 5, 2012 false rumors of fires and shootouts in a Mexico City suburb spread via
Twitter and Facebook and caused panic; the local police department received over 3,000 phone calls and schools
closed temporarily. Lack of privacy is another disadvantage of social networking sites because they expose users
who do not know how to set privacy settings to predators like pedophiles and burglars. Home robberies may result
from posting personal information such as vacation plans, posts, photos, or location tagging services.
*Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Source: adapted from http://socialnetworking.procon.org/
4
e) Now check whether the text answered the questions you posed in a)
9) a. Work with a partner. According to the article, what are the positive and negative
characteristics of social media? Complete this chart.
Article
Positive characteristics Negative characteristics
b. Now, what are YOUR ideas about social networking sites? Complete this chart. Include
vocabulary/expressions from activity 7) as well. Then talk to a different partner and write
his/her ideas down.
Me My partner
Positive/negative things about social Positive/negative things about social
media media
10) Work with a partner. Student A strongly believes that social networking sites are good
for society; student B thinks they have negative effects. Use the information in 9) to role-
play the conversation.
Useful expressions:
“I believe/ I think (that) social media is…. because it……”

“In my opinion social networking sites are……..because they…….”
11) After practicing with a partner, you are more confident to speak. Record your own
opinion about social networking sites. Respond to another student’s recording.
Ask your teacher about the

technology necessary for
this activity!!!

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Distinguished Awards in Teaching

Author: Analía Verónica Gozzarino (La Merced High School, Argentina)

RELEVANCE OF THE PROJECT

encourage and facilitate more educational technology usage in my school and my

2) A PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN, SUPPORTED BY A FACEBOOK GROUP AND A

3) COLLECTION OF CULTURALLY RELEVANT AUTHENTIC MATERIAL (Appendix 2)

Tools for creating and

Tools for giving the

Tools for creating a

5) Go to “Customize your character”

a. “Choose Your Character” (Edgy, Oddball,

b. “Dress You Character” (Uniform, Sports,

c. “Add Bling” (Glasses, Necklace, Props)

d. Select “Tweak” and “Color”

e. When you finish your character

1) Choose one of these 3 options to add voice:

2) Select “Backgrounds” and “Publish” your Voki

3) Give your Voki a title and click “Save”

a) “Add to your site”

You select the size of the Voki

Sharing option 1: press the icon of

Sharing option 2: you can use this

Sharing option 3: you can copy this

Write your own email address

Write recipient’s email address

You can write a message here

1) Go to http://www.polleverywhere.com/ and “Sign Up”

b. Delete “true” and “false”

*The camera icon

Your last question and

a. POLLING ONE QUESTION AT A TIME

1. Group all the questions you created into one poll

b. After selecting all the

a. Select all the

2) Select “Get started”

3) Write “Your name”, “Topic” and click “Continue”

You can select a word/phrase

You can add new subsections

Go the previous page Go to the next page

Text editing tools:

Tells you in which of the three

Change chart layout. You can put the three

Transform a sentence into

Bold and italic fonts

You can print your KWL chart

You can save your

You can share your

2) Click “Sign up for free”

3) Select “Sign up for Toondoo” (free version)

4) Select “username”, “password” and write your “email”. Press “register”

5) Now you are registered! Go back to the main page (www.toondoo.com)

7) Now you can start creating your comic! Click “Create”

8) Select the layout

8) Wait a couple of seconds until the comic editor tool loads

This bar displays icons for characters,

Doodler enables drawing tools like

Steps to create a comic:

“Publish to the world: students send an email

“Share with friends”. Students write the

How do I print my project?

How can I view my comic?

Topic: Social networking sites and the internet

Activity 1: Students’ own responses.