pools-t
producing open online
learning system tools
POOLS-T is developing
a range of tools to be
used by CLIL teachers
and their students,
among the results of
the original
pools projects, pools-t,
and external projects are:
Wordlink
a website from where
you can convert web
pages to pages that
appear like the
original, but with
all words linked to
an online dictionary.
From WordLink you
can also compose
your own WebPages
with all words
linked to
dictionaries, or you
can upload a local
webpage and produce
a new page linked
word by word to
dictionaries. Try Wordlink here
or
read more about
it here
Multidict a
combination of +128
dictionaries.
Multidict has been
developed by
Caoimhín Ó Donnaíle
at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig
as part of the
European funded
POOLS-T project. Try
you new favourite
dictionary here
The "TextBlender"
is a software which will
automatically convert
texts to web pages where
all words have been
linked to online
dictionaries. The
produced web pages can
have graphics, video, and audio to
enrich the content.
Sample
output above from the
TextBlender. N.B. if you
enable cookies in your
browser you can select
another dictionary so
when clicking on a word
after changing the
dictionary the lookup is
done with that
dictionary.
Try the example
output yourself
Caoimhín Ó Donnaíle, SMO
is working on a
browser based tool "Wordlink"
with functionality like
"Babelfish" (see the
website
babelfish.altavista.com
or Google.com/language_tools?hl=en),
i.e. a web based
application which can
convert web pages to
pages where all words
(like the outputs from
the desktop application)
are linked to online
dictionaries. The
resulting webpage will
word by word be linked
to online dictionaries
(i.e. not just
translated)
The program source for
Wordlink is CopyLeft and
may be improved,
modified, reprogrammed,
distributed, and used in
any way you find
suitable as long as new
versions and derivates
from the original are
also CopyLeft
It includes for the
first time dictpage.php,
the program which allows
lookup of words in
page-image dictionaries,
such as those available
on the Web Archive, and
also a complete sql dump
of the database,
including the parameters
needed to for about 100
different online
dictionaries, and the
indexes to several
page-image dictionaries.
It isn't recommended
reading! It is simply to
ensure that the project
is "open source" as
promised in the POOLS-T
application
Watch a video
with text
demonstrating
how to put a web
page online so
it can be
accessed from
anywhere with
web browsers
like Firefox,
Internet
Explorer, and
Safari. You can
also watch the
video from
Youtube below:
Watch a video,
which shows
examples of
output produced
with the
TextBlender. The
purpose is to
show "the cake"
before following
the "baking"
recipes in the
following videos:
Learn how to
download, unzip,
and install the
TextBlender
software:
Follow a walkthrough of the TextBlender part 1 of 2:
Follow a walkthrough of the TextBlender part 2 of 2
A case example where the TextBlender compiles a webpage with a local video and
text linked to dictionaries, the video is automatically copied to the Internet:
A case example where the TextBlender compiles a webpage with a Youtube video and
text linked to dictionaries:
DIY videos
produced during
the original
pools project
The DIY DVD with a step
by step introduction
showing
how to use Hot Potatoes
and the Web Page Text
Blender is now ready
with subtitles in the project languages.
The
videos are also
available in iPod
versions (mp4), for now
without subtitles, but
if you want subtitles in
one of the above
languages then please
e-mail
ka@ots.dkGo to the iPod versions
Hot Potatoes
includes six
applications, enabling
you to create
interactive
multiple-choice,
short-answer,
jumbled-sentence,
crossword,
matching/ordering and
gap-fill exercises for
the World Wide Web.
Hot Potatoes is not
freeware, but it is free
of charge for those
working for
publicly-funded
non-profit-making
educational
institutions, who make
their pages available on
the web. Other users
must pay for a licence.
Check out the Hot
Potatoes licensing terms
and pricing on the
Half-Baked Software
Website.
Learn about Hot Potatoes
through
the DIY videos
above from installation
to a step by step guide
on how to create online
materials in a few
minutes
Go to the official Hot
Potatoes home page to
learn more and of course
to download the
software:
http://hotpot.uvic.ca/
Many language teachers
and learners appreciate
teaching materials that
incorporate both written
and spoken language.
However, it has always
seemed to be a more
complex task to create
sound files than text
files. In recent times a
number of attempts have
been made to harness
digital telephone
technology to the
purpose. One example is
provided by
www.ipadio.com
Gordon Wells has
prepared a guide on how
to use ipadio for voice
and text blogging /
phlogging. Download the
guide
in .doc format
or in
.pdf format
Gordon
has started
incorporating both audio
(Ipadio) and video
(YouTube) in the Island
Voices project blog
http://guthan.wordpress.com .
This is a Wordpress
platform, and has been
created to record
project progress,
disseminate news, and
encourage interaction
with learners and
teachers. (Creating a
Wordpress account is a
similarly painless
process as with Ipadio.)
In two recent posts
Gordon has highlighted
and previewed one of the
topics for the new
series of Island Voices
videos.
In the first he
interviewed a
participant in Gaelic
and English, using his
telephone. This blog
post about the
interviews includes
embedded links to both
phonecasts:
Any or all of these
webpages can, of course,
also be linked to
Wordlink and Multidict
to allow instant online
dictionary access.
Possible language
learning uses are
immediately evident.
The following
material has been
designed for vocational
training courses for
waiters/waitresses
already employed or
unemployed. The trainers
can use the material to
strengthen their
knowledge and skills
necessary for the
profession and practice
and learn English at the
same time.
Gordon Wells has
developed a suite of
flexible
self-teach/self-test
English exercises
suitable for CLIL, based
on Island Voices video
material.
They can be accessed
here
They are configured as
four separate units.
Unit One may be
considered suitable for
students of a range of
disciplines, eg rural or
sustainable development,
or business studies, as
well as those interested
in joinery and/or
furniture restoration.
Unit Two would suit
those studying on a
Care-related vocational
course - particularly in
relation to Special
Needs.
Unit Three could be
suitable for Domestic
Science as well as
Travel and Tourism.
Unit Four links closely
to Unit Three, but
perhaps is better suited
for students of
Catering, Food Hygiene
etc.
Equally all four units
might be studied in a
more general course with
an area studies slant.
The text-blender has
been used to provide
English to English
definitions. If anyone
would like to add other
languages, please feel
free. We would be
delighted if
English-teaching project
partners would like to
try this material out
with their own students.
I'm sure it can be
further improved!
Jan Hardie from the
Swiss team has
prepared three online
exercises suitable for
CLIL, each unit has
video and text in
English with all words
linked from English to
Italian and is followed
by exercises:
The Dutch team are
preparing for a CLIL
workshop, and have
therefore started
preparing examples of
TextBlender and Wordlink
outputs: Here are some
examples of the web
pages they are working
on:
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein
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