The first Morse Code message - May, 24 1844

170 years ago the first Morse code message was sent on an experimental telegraph line from Washington to Baltimore.

The following is a Morse Code  message: 

.... . .-.. .-.. --- / . ...- . .-. -.-- -... --- -.. -.--

(Guess what I wrote!)

The history of Telegraphy:
http://inventors.about.com/od/tstartinventions/a/telegraph.htm

The first Morse code message:
http://www.historyofinformation.com/expanded.php?id=551

Samuel Morse:
http://www.samuelmorse.net/

The history of Morse Code

Try to write your own Morse code message with the Morse code translator!

http://morsecode.scphillips.com/jtranslator.html

"This mode of instantaneous communication must inevitably become an instrument of immense power"

 Morse,  1838

"Of all the marvelous achievements of modern science the electric telegraph is transcendentally the greatest 

and most serviceable to mankind … 

The whole earth will be belted with the electric current, 

palpitating with human thoughts and emotions … 

How potent a power, then, is the telegraphic destined to become in the civilization of the world! 

This binds together by a vital cord all the nations of the earth. 

It is impossible that old prejudices and hostilities should longer exist, while such an instrument has been created for an exchange of thought between all the nations of the earth."

Charles F. Briggs and Augustus Maverick, "The Story of the Telegraph", 1858

How communication has changed in time

Let's see how communication changed through the ages. Have a look at the following infographics.
Click on the images or on the  links below each image to enlarge:

http://dailyinfographic.com/the-evolution-of-communication-infographic/communication

http://blog.voxox.com/blog/bid/302283/Infographic-The-Evolution-of-Communication

http://techow.net/2012/04/02/how-communication-has-evolved-over-the-ages-infographic/

Also technology in school has changed over time!

http://elearninginfographics.com/timeline-of-educational-technology-in-schools-infographic/

http://elearninginfographics.com/classroom-technology-evolution-infographic/

Watch the following two videos about how technology 

is changing in education.

Students' task

After reading all the information and watching the videos about the communication evolution, write a report about your impressions. 

• Has the way children study changed for the better?
• Do you use technology in your school?
• Do you think studying with computers, iPads or mobiles can be more productive?
• Do you enjoy using new digital tools? Why?
• What are the pros and cons about using technology in the classroom?

Of course you can't use paper and pen for your report...

Choose one of these tools and have fun!

https://www.blendspace.com/ (to collect your web resources)

https://www.thinglink.com/ (if you want to add any links to an image)

http://popplet.com/ (for your mindmaps)

http://piktochart.com/ (to make your own infographic)

http://www.storyjumper.com/ (to create your e-book)

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For teachers - The power of images in EFL classes

How to become more creative using 

new technology

IMAGES

In EFL classes it is always useful associating words, ideas and concepts with images.
Through their visual memory students can better understand and remember information. Thanks to images you can explain complex information in a simple way. Images help learners manage their ideas and make connections between pieces of information. Moreover, images enhance students' creativity as well as their language skills.
In some previous posts I have already talked about the importance of images in EFL classes and I have tried some digital tools that can be very useful to create graphics or mindmaps.
Now I'd like to take stock of the situation and suggest again some interesting tools.

I tried some free tools and I prepared some short and simple examples. This way it's possible to see directly the final result and it's easier for you to see what is possible to do with each tool.

GRAPHICS,  INFOGRAPHICS AND POSTERS

are visual representations of  concepts, thoughts and ideas. They help students better remember information, improve their reading comprehension, enhance their learning skills and critical thinking.
The following tools allow to cretae interactive infographics.

1)Piktochart 

My example:
https://magic.piktochart.com/output/1198513-journey-of-love

2) Thinglink 

My example:

https://www.thinglink.com/scene/484085101685112833


MINDMAPPING
helps students focusing their attention, enables teachers to organize ideas and concepts, allows to present information in visually attracting and comprehensive way, promotes inquiry and problem solving, enhance learners' note taking. Moreover its organizational structure help students understand effectively. Also the following tools allow to make your maps interactive!

1) Popplet 

My example:
http://popplet.com/app/#/1559358

2) Spiderscribe 

My example:
http://www.spiderscribe.net/app/?ac420a5aeab2f33f7cb411eeebec5938

3) Text2mindmap 

My example:
https://www.text2mindmap.com/k7XZDE?controller=frontpage&method=index&map=k7XZDE

4) Mindomo 

My example:
http://www.mindomo.com/mindmap/0c71d1cf14034f07aaff536e11b2d5ab


COMICS
Comics can really motivate students. With the links below you can create your own comics!

1) Storyboardthat 

My example:
http://sbt.blob.core.windows.net/storyboards/robertamartino/school-rules.png

2) Make Beliefs Comics

My example:
http://www.makebeliefscomix.com/Comix/?comix_id=49325928C1233233

VIDEOS
Audiovisual material can be very helpful for both teaching and learning. Also videos, as images, can effectively communicate complex information to the learners. You can use videos with your students in three fases (pre-viewing, viewing and post-viewing) or you can also create your own videos with your students. It can be a really rewarding experience and can enhance students' creativity.
The following tool allows you to choose a video from the web (or use your own) and embed anything you like in it (questions, lesson information, links to websites). 

Educanon 

My example:
http://www.educanon.com/public/10011/23475


CARTOONS
You can make your own animated cartoon with:

Goanimate 

My example:
http://goanimate.com/videos/0rcV1JZ_xBL8?utm_source=linkshare&utm_medium=linkshare&utm_campaign=usercontent


PRESENTATIONS
Presentations can make the students better understand a topic through its essential points. Besides using PowerPoint, you can create more fun and engaging presentations.

1) Powtoon 

My example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMOHzvLk3rY&rel=0


2) Haiku Dech 

My example:
http://www.haikudeck.com/p/PJjQjXTrL1/haiku-deck#

I hope I have been of any help. Enjoy being creative!

P.S.: This post has been shortlisted for the British Council Teaching English blog award! Thank you!

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Cineforum: movies taken from British or American novels for children

 

I've always used movies to improve students' listening comprehension, but I've always preferred movies taken from novels. So I have the chance to talk about literature, as well. 

This is a poster about my cineforum I created with Piktochart. You can save you poster as an image, as the following, or you can make it interactive, as you can see clicking on the next link.

Below you can find the above poster, but now it's interactive...

https://magic.piktochart.com/output/1237601-create-your-own

Below you can have some more information. This time I used Blendspace.

There are links to the movies' trailers, to some information about the novels they are taken from, to sites about movies or books for EFL students. 

          http://blnds.co/1gXfZtP

 "I think cinema, movies, and magic have always been closely associated. The very earliest people who made film were magicians".
Francis Ford Coppola

 

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For teachers - Infographics and interactive posters

Posters can easily draw student's attention but they should not be just wall decoration. They should be used to study in deep some topics or to visually organize concepts.
Posters should easily be seen, so you need colours and images. Now you can create you own poster in a few minutes or you can even make it interactive!

This time I tried Piktochart. 
http://piktochart.com/ 

It is very useful to create interactive posters. I already tried Thinglink and Glogster. 

(An example with Thinglink at http://thetravellingteachers.blogspot.it/2014/02/welcome-activities-this-is-our-school.html

An example with Glogster at http://thetravellingteachers.blogspot.it/2014/01/for-teachers-some-digital-tools.html)

You can save your work as an image (.png or .jpeg) or copy the url if you want to use it as an interactive poster. In this case you have to add links, videos, etc. to your project!

The following is an example of a project saved as an image. I've created it to advertise the study tour I am organizing for my students:

This one, instead, is an interactive poster showing our English class activities, with videos and links:

https://magic.piktochart.com/output/1198513-journey-of-love

Have fun with your posters! 

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