Incorporating

Speaking &

Listening

Activities for

the Online ESL Course By Sharon Clampitt, Ed. D.

Workshop Objective:

By the end of the workshop, participants

will be able to use at least one of four resources to incorporate listening and/or speaking activities into online ESL classes

in Blackboard. Level: Intermediate

Prior Knowledge required: Basic Course

Design skills (create page, create discussion, create quiz).

Note: If you don’t have the prior knowledge required, you can ask technical support personnel for assistance.

Voice Board

Voice Email

Voice

Authoring

Films

on Demand

Four Easy-to-Use Tools for Creating Listening and Speaking

Activities

Voiceboard is a discussion board,

but students record their messages instead of writing them. Voice E-mail is a tool where students send voice recordings instead of using written e-mail. Voice Authoring allows professors

and students to make recordings and save them as .wav files Film-on-Demand is a database of

films with clips that can be incorporated into course materials, assignment instructions and even quizzes.

Voice Board 1. Choose the Build tab.

2. Go to the page, folder or learning module. where

you want the voice board to appear.

3. Choose “Add Content

Link”. 4. Choose Voice board. 5. Create a new Voice

board. 6. Set up the Voice board.

7. Select and add the board you created.

1. Choose the Build tab.

2. Go to the page, folder or learning module where you

want the voice email tool to appear.

3. Choose “Add Content Link”.

4. Choose Voice Email. 5. Create a new Voice Email. 6. Set up the Voice Email.

7. Select and add the Voice Email you created

1. Choose the Build tab.

2. Go to the page, folder or learning module where you want the voice

email tool to appear. 3. Choose “Add Content Link”. 4. Choose Voice Authoring.

5. Create a new Voice Authoring. 6. Set up the Voice Authoring. 7. Select and add the Voice

Authoring you created.

1. Access a film:

http://cai.inter.edu Listado de Bases de Datos

Film-on Demand 2. Choose a clip from the right-hand

side.

3. Choose “embed this video”. 4. Copy the Embed code. 5. Choose the Build Tab.

6. Create a new page, assignment or quiz.

7. Write the instructions and paste the embed code in the html box.

Quick Reference

Voice Email

Voice

Authoring

Film

on Demand

The Voice Board

The Voice Board is a tool that can be added to any online course. It is similar

to the discussion board, but students record their messages instead of (or in addition to) writing them.

Possible Applications of the Voice Board

Present your students with a situation,

and ask them to respond orally. Read a short passage and ask students

to answer comprehension questions orally.

Present a situation and ask students to discuss it with each other using the

voice board. Adding a Voice Board

1. Choose the Build tab. 2. Go to the page, folder or learning

module where you want the voice board to appear.

3. Choose “Add Content Link”.

4. Choose Voice board. 5. Create a new Voice board.

6. Set up the Voice board. 7. Select and add the board you

created.

Leave this unchecked

if you only want

students to respond to your message.

Check this if you

don’t want students

to listen to each others’ messages.

Check this if you

want to assign points

for doing the activity.

Voice E-mail

Voicemail is a tool included with Blackboard.

Instead of using written e-mail, students send voice recordings. The voicemail tool sends

messages to personal e-mail accounts, not the mail tool in Blackboard. Note: The e-mail addresses that Voicemail uses are the ones students have entered as their preferred address in InterWeb. Not all students have e-mail addresses in the system or their addresses are incorrect. Sometimes if students don’t have an e-mail address, the university assigns one to them. This may be the preferred e-mail even if the student doesn’t use it.

Possible uses for Voicemail

Require that all messages be sent both

orally and in writing. Answer your students e-mails orally. Send announcements orally.

Adding Voice E-mail

1. Choose the Build tab.

2. Go to the page, folder or learning module

where you want the Voice E-mail tool to appear.

3. Choose “Add Content Link”.

4. Choose Voice E-mail. 5. Create a new Voice

Email.

6. Set up the Voice E-mail. 7. Select and add the Voice E-mail you

created.

Voice Authoring

Voice authoring is a tool included with Blackboard that allows professors and

students to make recordings and save them as .wav files.

Possible Uses for Voice Authoring

Have students do activities orally and submit the audio file in the assignment

area as an attachment. Role-playing

Workbook exercises Oral Reading Oral reports

Adding Voice Authoring

1. Choose the Build tab.

2. Go to the page, folder or learning module where you want the voice email tool to appear.

3. Choose “Add Content Link”. 4. Choose Voice Authoring. 5. Create a new Voice Authoring.

6. Set up the Voice Authoring. 7. Select and add the Voice Authoring you created.

Film-on-Demand is a database of films that are available to professors and

students free of charge. In addition to full-length films, each film is broken down into small clips. These clips can be incorporated into course materials,

assignment instructions and even quizzes. How to Access Film-on-Demand

1. Go to http://cai.inter.edu 2. Choose “Listado de Bases de Datos”

3. Choose Films-on-Demand 4. When accessing off campus,

you and your students will be asked to enter your user ID (P000****).

Films-on-Demand

Video clip embedded in

a quiz.

Video clip embedded in

a new page.

Video clip embedded in

discussion instructions.

Video clip embedded

in assignment

instructions.

Embedding videos

The instructions for embedding a video are basically the same regardless of

whether it is a new page with the video in it, assignment instructions, discussion instructions or in a quiz.

1. Access a film. 2. Choose a clip from the right-hand side. 3. Choose “embed this video”.

4. Copy the Embed code. 5. Paste the code where you want the video to appear in your course activity.

Finding the Embed code.

Once you have found the film clip you want, look below the video and you see the words: Embed this Video. Once you click here, the codes will appear

below. Just highlight and copy the code using Control + C or by right clicking on it and choosing Copy from the menu.

Films-on-Demand (2)

Once you have copied the

code, then you’ll need to paste it into the instructions for the different activities.

The instruction section of almost any activity or tool in Blackboard is basically the

same. It consists of a title, a description and an html box

where you write the instructions. You will need to write all the instructions

for the activity first, and use the HTML Creator to format

the text. Then, once you have finished, disable the HTML Creator and paste the embed

code below the text. Embedding videos into a new page (creating a course content page).

1. Choose the Build Tab. 2. Go to the page, folder or learning module where you want to incorporate a

new page. 3. Choose “Add File”. 4. Choose “Create File”.

5. Give your page a title, write the instructions and paste the embed code. 6. Check the “Use html” box. 7. Give the file a name.

8. Save. Embedding videos into discussion and assignment instructions.

1. Choose the Build Tab. 2. Go to the Discussions or assignments page.

3. Create a topic (threaded, blog or journal) or a new assignment. 4. Create the instructions and paste the embed code.

5. Configure the room (graded, not graded, etc.) or the assignment. 6. Save.

Films-on-Demand (3)

Video

embed

code

Embedding videos into a quiz

1. Choose the Build Tab. 2. Go to the Assessment page. 3. Choose “Create Assessment”.

4. Give your quiz a name and description. 5. Configure the settings (dates, time allotted,

etc.).

6. Choose “Custom Instructions”. 7. Write the

instructions and embed the video just like we did

previously. 8. If you want the

questions to be presented one at a time, check “Display

custom instructions on every question”.

9. Save.

10.Add the questions you want the students to answer.

11.Save.

Films-on-Demand (4)

Important Considerations

1. All of the tools discussed require that the students’ and professor’s

computer have the appropriate applications such as Java, Flash player and audio recording and playing capabilities. It is important that students know what is required preferably before they register in the course, or

at the very least, within the first couple weeks where they still have time to make changes.

2. You need to make sure to provide opportunities for students to test

their equipment and practice listening and recording before they are

required to do so for a grade. 3. Providing the students with all the technical support contact

information is very important.

4. This will be new to the majority of the students, so you’ll have provide a lot of guidance and hand-holding in the beginning. Your attitude towards the technology and the activities will influence how your students

feel about the experience. 5. Be flexible. This is new to you and your students, so mistakes will happen;

technical glitches will occur. Make sure your students know that you will do your very best to help them comply with these course requirements.

6. Be firm. Although you and your students may encounter technological

difficulties, you need to be firm about completing these activities. Don’t give

up. It will always be easier to go back to simple text-based activities, but this won’t give your students the practice they need listening and speaking.

HAVE FUN!!!