# data[].attributes.body
The teacher's guides to technology and learning.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Welcome to the official guide to technology and learning by Edudemic! This part of Edudemic is meant to offer you, the teacher, some of the best and most popular resources available today. We've combed through hundreds of resources in order to narrow down our guides into something easy to read, easy to use, and easy to share.

Below are links to the guides we have made so far. They're always a work in progress so be sure to let us know if we missed something or if you have more resources you want us to call out in the guides. We're always looking for the best and most useful resources so don't be shy, share!
Just click on the title or image of each guide to view that particular resource. Enjoy! The Teacher's Guide To Twitter
Twitter has proven itself to be an indispensable tool for educators around the globe. Whatever skill level you may be, Twitter is downright fun and worth your time. So here's a useful guide that we curated from Edudemic's archives in an effort to put something together that was a bit easier to read than random blog posts. We hope you enjoy and will be regularly adding to this guide so feel free to leave your ideas down in the comments or by, what else, tweeting us @edudemic anytime!
The Teacher's Guide To Flipped Classrooms
We talk a lot about flipped classrooms on Edudemic. In fact, it's by far one of our most sought-after topic in terms of questions on social media, search queries, and more. So we thought it would be useful to organize all of our many resources into one easy-to-use guide. That's the teacher's guide to flipped classrooms. It's a curated list of all the most useful flipped classroom resources we've seen. We hope you find it interesting, useful, and want to lend your expertise to make it even better. Just leave a comment at the bottom of the page to share your flipped classroom resources with your fellow readers!
The Teacher's Guide To Copyright And Fair Use
Today, so much of our research happens online, and part of what makes the internet so wonderful is the ease at which it brings information into our lives. But when that information is so easily available to us, it is sometimes easy to forget that someone else produced that information, and they deserve credit. Plagiarism is as much an issue now as it ever has been. Teaching students about copyright is more than just letting them know that they should be doing their own work, and not copying off the web.
The Teacher's Guide To Google Glass
If you're as excited as Katie and me about Google Glass, this guide is for you. We like to take on the latest technology and see how it fits into education. If it doesn't, we typically don't write about it or will mention it in passing. But the potential for Google Glass in education is just too great. That's why we thought it would be useful to compile an early-stages 'Teacher's Guide to Google Glass.' Once the expensive pair of glasses actually makes it into the hands of a teacher, the typical lecture will become something totally different. In fact, much of the education process will be flipped as students will be able to view the world through the lens of a teacher (literally) and get a new perspective on learning.
The Teacher's Guide To Badges In Education
What encourages students to do well in school? Often, it comes down to grades. Many students will work harder in order to earn a higher grade. Colleges want to see good grades. Parents want to see good grades. Grades are good, right? Of course they are, but the grades should not be the only goal. Learning for the sake of it should be a goal, including what they learned, how long they remembered it, and how they applied it to new situations.

Unfortunately, some students are not motivated by grades. Yes, this includes your brightest kids. Some kids could get an A on any test you give them, so they do not see the need for homework. Why do an hour of work every night when they know they are going to get an A on the test? Now you have a student who gets Fs on all his homework and As on all his tests. It turns into a C average, and he doesn't care. How do you motivate him to do more or do better? The old-fashioned way - you give him a badge.
The Teacher's Guide To The Library Of Congress
We've discussed the benefits of the U.S. Library of Congress many times on Edudemic. Usually we focus on some particular parts of the vast amount of resources or instead offer a more overall picture of what it offers. This time around, we thought you might enjoy an actual guide (written for teachers and education in general) that's easy and a solid resource to refer back to as needed.

There's no denying what an incredible resource teachers have in the Library of Congress. As the largest library in the world, it's home to millions of books, recordings, photographs, and other materials, many of them original sources.
The Teacher's Guide To Keeping Students Safe Online
Most students are familiar with and active users of mobile technology. While it does facilitate sharing and knowledge exchange, it can be a dangerous tool if improperly used. By this I mean students using their smartphones (or dumbphones, for that matter) to share things they would never normally share. From inappropriate comments to sexting, it's a dangerous minefield.
The Teacher's Guide To Digital Scavenger Hunts
If you've got a smartphone or a tablet in your classroom, you're ready for the adventure to begin! By adventure I mean, of course, the world of active learning through digital scavenger hunts. In this hunt, students are tasked with finding a particular physical object, person, or place and have to use technology to track it down. Note: an 'online scavenger hunt' usually implies that you're hunting around online and not physically with classmates. For the purpose of this article, I'm focusing on the physical version I've dubbed 'digital scavenger hunts'.
The Teacher's Guide To Pinterest In The Classroom
Do you love to pin? Are you addicted to Pinterest? It's okay if you are. You're not alone. In fact, there are plenty of professors out there pinning right along with you. They're using it to share quotes, lectures, notes, research material, get student or peer critiques, and more. What follows below is one of the most useful infographics I've seen on Pinterest's role in education. And I've seen a lot. One of my favorite parts is toward the bottom where it lists out how exactly different universities are using Pinterest in the classroom (in the appropriately named 'In The Classroom' section).

More Guides Coming Soon!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Teacher's Guides To Technology And Learning

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Welcome to the official guide to technology and learning by Edudemic! This part of Edudemic is meant to offer you, the teacher, some of the best and most popular resources available today. We've combed through hundreds of resources in order to narrow down our guides into something easy to read, easy to use, and easy to share.

# data[].attributes.body
Short and subtitled videos that can be used for learning in four interactive steps: watching the video, learning vocabulary by typing the spoken words, reading the lines out loud and getting feedback on your pronunciation, and discussing the video and answering comprehension questions while talking to staff members online. The videos are sorted by difficulty level, topic, and competence.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Your Personal English Teacher - Live Lessons 24/7

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Level up your English in 3 Months with EnglishCentral Difference - Professional Tutors and AI-Powered Chatbot.

# data[].attributes.headline
Article on "Language Learning and Minecraft"

# data[].attributes.subject
Article on "Language Learning and Minecraft"

# data[].attributes.body
The EFL Magazine offers insights into the possibilities of Minecraft (http://minecraftedu.com/) as a language learning tool to practice story telling, creating tutorial and videos, explanation and presentation skills, as well as journal writing.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Language Learning And Minecraft

Even if you have absolutely no interest in computer games, you have probably heard about Minecraft. If you teach or have kids, you have probably heard about Minecraft. Since its original alpha version dropped onto the internet in 2009, this simple game of 'digital lego' has amassed over 40 million players - not just kids but adults too, all mining and crafting in their own unique virtual landscapes.

The great attraction of the game is that it invites the player to learn 'as we go' through exploration and experimentation. The game offers feedback first and guides us to figure out the rules through extended play, a great way to motivate and encourage ownership . In the early days of Minecraft, gamers would gather on forums to share information, initially trying to figure out exactly what they were supposed to do to survive once the night came and this colourful landscape of blocks turned into a world of dangerous beasts.

That sense of community has helped Minecraft become something more than a game. Search on YouTube and you will find millions of hours of in-game footage of people sharing their playing experience and teaching each other how to build amazing structures. Check the best-selling titles in a major bookstore and you may well find 'Minecraft Handbooks' among them. Listen to your young learners talking to each other and you will hear the language of the game.

And the language of the game is overwhelmingly English. I have seen EFL students pouring over wikis and books to learn more about the game in English. I have seen kids watching video tutorials and even making their own screencasted videos in English, all so they can go back to their game world with more ideas to experiment with. Seeing this impact, the language teacher in me has wondered how this engaging world can be tapped into for learning purposes. Here is a collection of my ideas.

Breaking Blocks

Idea: Bring their love of the game into the classroom to increase engagement

Great for: connecting with learners at all levels

The most striking thing about this game for me when I first heard about it was how it was engaging even my most reluctant learners in using English outside the classroom. It was not long therefore until I put it to use to engage them inside the classroom as well.

I was working with 5 th graders (aged 10-11) in Turkey at the time and had just finished a unit of work on storytelling. It was time to produce a story as a project. I had allowed them to form groups to write collaboratively but one group of two boys and a girl seemed to be struggling for ideas. I suggested they choose a setting or topic that interested them and build their story from there.

"Build?" said one of the boys with a look of excitement on his face. "Teacher, could we tell our story in Minecraft?" Almost immediately, they went from a group staring at a blank page to the most active and animated group in the class. On project presentation day, they came to class with a slideshow version of their text accompanied by screenshots from the game (follow to see it). The project was well-received and marked a pleasing step forward for these particular students in terms of their English writing skills.

By bringing the world of the game into the classroom, we had broken through a 'learning block' by connecting their personal interests to the task and topic at hand. Of course, no knowledge of the game is needed on the teacher's part for this. As Duncan put it: "I'm getting so many Minecraft pictures, cards, foldable "Creepers" and "Steves", and stuff that I don't have the heart to tell them that I've never spent more than 10 minutes playing it.... It's all about them and their learning."

Placing Blocks

Idea: Reverse the roles and let your learners be teachers

Great for: Eliciting language of advice and suggestions

For more than a year, I remained in that position of knowing a little about the game and getting my students to tell me more about it through our conversations and their Minecraft-inspired work. At one time I even called it "the best game I've never played" (Dodgson, 2014).However, it soon became clear that to really get the most out of it as a language learning tool, I would have to get to grips with the game myself.

The opportunity came when I started up a 'Minecraft English Club' at my school. As there were a mix of 'expert' players and 'novices' like me, I matched them together with one expert helping a couple of novices get to grips with the game. Using the MinecraftEdu version of the game for schools (see http://minecraftedu.com/ for details), the novices took the controls while their expert partner explained what to do. At the start of each session, the experts would get together to decide what they would teach and the novices would brainstorm questions they had about the game. When at the computer, they would exchange information in English.

Once the novices felt comfortable, it would be their turn to teach me the game. This was great, not only for practising the language of explaining a task, clarifying, and giving suggestions, but also for removing the perception of teacher as all-knowing expert. In this case, they were the experts in the game, I was the expert in the language, and we needed to engage in genuine communication to help each other.

Building Blocks

Idea: Learners produce 'how to' guides for other players

Great for: practicing commands and instructions

Over the first few weeks of this club, we had basically compiled a beginner's guide to the game. With every player growing in experience, it was time to move things forward. The expert players were tasked with creating guides to crafting particular items, or building a certain kind of structure. The newer players first engaged with walkthrough guides online, either in video or text form to learn about some more advanced in-game skills. I then encouraged them to make their own guides such as 'How to survive your first day in Minecraft'.

At first, I asked my learners to write their guides down. A simple crafting recipe for an item can be as little as a few lines for lower level learners (language learners that is) whereas a guide to building a Nether Portal or a treehouse could be longer and involve higher level language. Collaboration played a key role in this task too as the students would share and comment on each other's guides - they were peer editing without really realising it!

One further option, which we were unable to carry out last year due to technical limitations, is to use screen capture software to make a video guide, just like all the ones they love watching on YouTube so much. There are free software options for this such as Screencast-o-matic and Open Broadcaster Software - all it takes beyond that is a bit of practice and a microphone to get them practising giving commands and instructions for a real audience.

Crafting Blocks

Idea: Use Minecraft to create and present project work

Great for: Producing language creatively

Once my students have got to grips with the game, I find that as with Minecraft itself, the possibilities for using it to support their learning are seemingly limitless. Ever since that first story set in Minecraft, I have had students producing some very creative projects within the game such as:

Showing different biomes that exist in the game after doing a unit of study on the natural world

Describing different animal species that exist in the game in a 'Minecraft Zoo'.

Explaining volcanic eruptions and lava flows using footage captured in-game

Constructing fantasy buildings and recreating famous monuments accompanied by guided tours

Retelling events from a story we read in class in the game

Some of these have been realised as videos, and some as posters or slideshows made of images captured from the game, but all have been presented and explained in English. Reviewing their projects, the language is not always perfect but without the creative opportunities afforded by the game, I doubt all of these students would have produced the same quantity of work with the same enthusiasm. The more language they produce, they better I can see where their strengths and weaknesses in English are and the more I can help them to produce even better projects in the future.

Writer's Block

Idea: Use the game world as an inspiration for journal writing

Great for: Helping developing writers to write more and write often

Young learners are often reluctant writers. The line "I don't know what to write" is one I have heard many times. The great thing about an open-world game like Minecraft is that it offers a rich context to inform students' writing and, beyond the story-writing activity outlined at the start of this article, I also encourage my students to engage in other forms of creative writing as they develop their overall language skills.

At a basic level, I ask them to write journal entries simply describing what they did in the game. As they get used to the idea, I ask them to reflect on what they learned while playing and what they want to try next time.

To encourage more creativity, I ask them to write the daily routine of 'Steve' (the character they control in the game). This gives them a chance to go beyond the usual routine language of get up, have breakfast, go to school, and so on. It also gives them plenty of source material as they have actually 'lived' that day with their character.

For descriptive writing, they can write about the virtual world around them, the buildings they have created or even poetically relate the beauty of 'watching the sun rise over a blocky ocean' .

Ultimately, like all uses of technology in a learning environment, it's not about what the software can do. It is about how the software can be used to engage the students and provide a context for learning. Minecraft is a game of few words but if you put it to the right use in the classroom, the words you students can produce, like the game itself, are limitless.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Language Learning and Minecraft - EFL Magazine

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Language Learning And Minecraft Even if you have absolutely no interest in computer games, you have probably heard about Minecraft. If you teach or have kids, you have probably heard about Minecraft.

# data[].attributes.body
Seek ’n Spell uses your GPS to create a new type of game. The object is to gather virtual letters and create words. (Available for Apple and Android devices.
)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Seek 'n Spell uses your GPS to create a new type of game. The object is to gather virtual letters and create words. Seek 'n Spell is played in parks and open outdoor spaces. The fun really begins when you challenge a friend!

# data[].attributes.body
Action Research: Using Wordles to Teach Foreign Language Writing

# data[].attributes.headline
Collection of Mobile Devices, Apps and Websites for ESL Learning

# data[].attributes.subject
Collection of Mobile Devices, Apps and Websites for ESL Learning

# data[].attributes.body
Blog posts on:
"Lifescribe Pen as a Feedback Tool"
"ESL Video Reviews and Getting Started Guide"
"Video Reviews of ESL Apps"
"Regular Posting on Google Plus"
"A Subtle Change in Mobile Use in the Classroom"
"The Greatest (and Cheapest) Mobile Gadget - the Post-It Note"
"QR Codes in the ESL Classroom"

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
I haven't had a chance to blog over the last month or so. The start of term, an online course I was taking and an impending British Council inspection at our centre all conspired against me.

And I haven't had much time to try any mobile stuff out in class - however, what I have noticed is a very subtle but noticeable change in the way that teachers and students use their mobile devices for learning. First off, from an, institutional perspective, there seems a lot more tolerance towards students using their phones in class. In fact, we are no longer buying paper dictionaries at school since the management realized that students tend to either use their phones or electronic dictionaries in class. This is very heartening.

Second, students seem much more at home using these devices in class and there's considerably less frivolous use of them. In the past I felt I had to monitor them a little more to make sure they weren't playing games, sending text messages to friends, but this seems to happen less and less now. Students seem much more responsible in their use of them. They also seem much more aware of what their devices can do. In the past - even those who owned iphones or android phones - were often unaware that you could download apps for them. Now it seems they are very aware of the apps available for them and many of them have found a range of apps - such as dictionaries, note-taking apps - that can help them with their English learning.

This was brought home the other day when I wanted them to record themselves giving a short presentation about their hometown using the voice recorder app on their phone. In the past I've needed to spend time in class helping them find the app, going through how to use it and then send the audio file to themselves so they can upload it to our class website later. This time there was very little guidance needed, one student needed a colleague to help him find the function on the phone, but the rest found it immediately, recorded themselves and uploaded it with little fuss.

And this is nothing to do with any training I might have given students in the past. These are all new students at the school but they've adapted very quickly to using their mobile devices in the classroom. And it's also noticeable just how many of them now have smartphones. Last year, about 60-70% of the class had smartphones, this year I would say it's closer to 90%. This has made it a lot easier to recommend apps during class.

I think smartphones and mobile devices are slowly becoming part of the furniture in the classroom, just as the computer did before it. I think this year will be a great opportunity to see how far I can push students to use their own devices both inside and outside the classroom.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
I haven't had a chance to blog over the last month or so. The start of term, an online course I was taking and an impending British Council inspection at our centre all conspired against me.

# data[].attributes.body
Ideas on how to use Wordle in the classroom.

# data[].attributes.body
Create beautiful word clouds.

# data[].attributes.body
Philosopher Precht talks about his new book "Anna, die Schule und der liebe Gott. Der Verrat des Bildungssystems an unseren Kindern."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
"Der Verrat des Schulsystems an unseren Kindern" - David Precht

# data[].attributes.headline
Richard David Precht: Anna, die Schule und der liebe Gott 

# data[].attributes.subject
Richard David Precht: Anna, die Schule und der liebe Gott 

# data[].attributes.body
Book sample

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
(Precht) Anna, die Schule und der liebe Gott_Leseprobe

# data[].attributes.headline
Historical Development of the Western Education System 

# data[].attributes.subject
Historical Development of the Western Education System 

# data[].attributes.body
RSA by Sir Ken Robinson

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
RSA ANIMATE: Changing Education Paradigms

# data[].attributes.body
Create beautiful, engaging, online worksheets.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Amaze your students with smarter worksheets. Wizer.me is a platform where teachers build beautiful, engaging online worksheets.

# data[].attributes.body
Philosoph Richard David Precht and Hirnforscher Pr. Dr. Gerald Hüther

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
HERVORRAGENDE DISKUSSION ZUM THEMA BILDUNG

# data[].attributes.body
A collection of quizzes, tests, exercises and puzzles.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Levels 1 & 2 | Levels 3 & 4 |Levels 5 & 6 |Level Unsorted
Activities for ESL Students has thousands of activities to help you study English as a Second Language.
This project of The Internet TESL Journal has contributions by many teachers.

Level 1: Try these first.

Level 2: Easy

Cloze

Contractions

Dialogs

Functions

Prepositions

Question Words

Verbs

Word Choice

Word Forms

Grammar & Vocabulary Quizzes

[M] = Multiple-choice [F] = Fill in the blank, [B] = Fill-in followed by Multiple-choice
Flash = Flash plug-in required, JavaScript = JavaScript Required, HTML-only = works on any browser
For more quizzes, visit Activities for ESL Students.Copyright © 1995-2010 by The Internet TESL Journal (Contact)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Study English with Quizzes, Crossword Puzzles and other activities for students of English as a second language.

# data[].attributes.body
Zeitschrift für Lehrerinnen und Lehrer

# data[].attributes.headline
Heidi Heissenbuttel on Inclusive Culture

# data[].attributes.subject
Heidi Heissenbuttel on Inclusive Culture

# data[].attributes.body
How school culture can transform our community.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Inclusive culture in schools transforms communities | Heidi Heissenbuttel | TEDxMileHigh

# data[].attributes.body
Characteristics of and reasons for a so-called "English impairment" and how it can be connected to dyslexia.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Kinder mit einer Lese-Rechtschreib-Schwäche haben oft auch Probleme beim Erlernen der Fremdsprache Englisch. Was man bei Lernschwierigkeiten in Englisch tun kann.

# data[].attributes.body
A coverage on an English teacher with Down syndrome.

# data[].attributes.body
Differentiation due to students' abilities.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
While not every method or approach will work for every student and every special need, the focus here is on helping all learners (those with and without identified special educational needs) learn a...

# data[].attributes.body
A vocabulary app in the form of a personal memory trainer.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Learning English is made simple with Wordiser, the FREE app that saves what you learn and tests you regularly so you never forget it. Use Wordiser to improve your English fast and effectively!

# data[].attributes.body
Create and publish your own texts.

# data[].attributes.body
Free online word cloud generator and tag cloud creator.

# data[].attributes.body
Gamification in ELT.

# data[].attributes.body
Ein Arbeitskreis der Samtgemeinde Jesteburg

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Was ist BinG?
BinG (Bildung inklusive Gemeinschaft) ist ein Arbeitskreis der Samtgemeinde Jesteburg. In ihm tauschen sich Mitarbeiter*Innen der verschiedenen Bildungseinrichtungen und Bildungsakteure über Inklusion und bildungsbezogene Themen aus.
Was möchte BinG erreichen?

Wir möchten, dass alle in der Samtgemeinde Zugang zu Bildung haben.

Wir möchten, dass alle gleichberechtigt am gesellschaftlichen Leben teilnehmen können.

Wir möchten jeden einbeziehen, unabhängig vom Alter, von Herkunft, sozialer Stellung oder Beeinträchtigungen.

Damit die Inklusion in der Samtgemeinde Jesteburg gelingt, entwerfen wir Leitlinien, entwickeln Handlungsansätze und führen diverse Projekte durch.
Was macht BinG?

Wir arbeiten an gemeinsamen Werten und Bedarfen.

Wir versuchen gemeinsam Lösungen für diese Bedarfe zu finden - in Form von direkter Hilfe, Beratung und Fortbildungen sowie Workshops.

Wir unterstützen Lehrer*innen, Erzieher*innen und Sozialpädagogen*innen sowie andere Fachkräfte dabei, dass alle Kinder lernen, offen, und zugewandt miteinander umzugehen.

Wir arbeiten an einer gewaltfreien Kommunikation als gemeinsame Basis für unser Miteinander in der Gemeinschaft.

Wir treffen uns regelmäßig, tauschen Erfahrungen aus, entwickeln neue Projekte und schaffen Kooperationen.

Was hat BinG mit mir zu tun?
Gestalten Sie das Zusammenleben in unserer Samtgemeinde aktiv mit! Wir freuen uns über Ihre Anregungen und Ideen.

Vielleicht denken Sie manchmal: "Das könnten wir besser machen?" Teilen Sie es uns mit! Gemeinsam können wir mehr bewegen.

Jesteburg, unsere inspirierende Mitmach-Gemeinde.

Wir gehören dazu.
Grundschule Jesteburg + Pädagogischer Mittagstisch an der Schule
Moorweg 18-20, 21266 Jesteburg
www.gsjesteburg.de
mail@gsjesteburg.de
Sonnenschule Bendestorf + Pädagogischer Mittagstisch an der Schule
Harmstorfer Weg 4, 21227 Bendestorf
www.sonnenschule-bendestorf.de
info@sonnenschule-bendestorf.de
Oberschule Jesteburg mit gym. Angebot
Moorweg 28, 21266 Jesteburg
www.obs-jesteburg.de
info@oberschule-jesteburg.de
Kindergarten Bendestorf
Kirchstr. 15a, 21227 Bendestorf

kita-bendestorf@ewetel.net
DRK Kindergarten Sandbarg
Sandbarg 34, 21266 Jesteburg
www.kita-jesteburg.drk-lkharburg.de
kita-jesteburg@drk-lkharburg.de
Kindertagesstätte Moorweg
Moorweg 26, 21266 Jesteburg

kita-moorweg@ewetel.net

Kindertagesstätte Seeveufer

Seeveufer 35, 21266 Jesteburg

kindergarten.seeveufer@ewentel.net
Krippe Bendestorf
Im Brook 3b, 21227 Bendestorf

kinderkrippe_bendestorf@ewe.net
Waldkindergärten Jesteburg
21266 Jesteburg

wakigasjesteburg@
Waldkindergarten Bendestorf / Harmstorf
21227 Bendestorf

waki-b-h@gmx.de

Alle weiteren Informationen zu den Kitas finden Sie hier: www.jesteburg.de / Familie / Kinder.
Jugend aktiv e.V. / Jugendhaus Jesteburg
Am alten Moor 17, 21266 Jesteburg
www.jugend-aktiv.eu
info@jugend-aktiv.eu
J ugendhilfeeinrichtungen Forellenhof
Kinderheim "Forellenhof" Betriebs GmbH

Am Allerbeek 74, 21266 Jesteburg
www.kinderheim-forellenhof.de
jugendhilfe@kinderheim-forellenhof.de

Haben Sie Fragen, Anregungen oder Ideen?

Rufen Sie mich gerne an oder schreiben Sie mir.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
BinG - Bildung inklusive Gemeinschaft | Jesteburg

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Was ist BinG? BinG (Bildung inklusive Gemeinschaft) ist ein Arbeitskreis der Samtgemeinde Jesteburg. In ihm tauschen sich Mitarbeiter*Innen der verschiedenen Bildungseinrichtungen und Bildungsakteure über Inklusion und bildungsbezogene Themen aus. Was möchte BinG erreichen? Wir möchten, dass alle in der Samtgemeinde Zugang zu Bildung haben. Wir möchten, dass alle gleichberechtigt am gesellschaftlichen Leben teilnehmen können.

# data[].attributes.body
These movies help you to get a sense of what it feels like to live with a physical or psychological disability/impairment.

- Beautiful Memories (Alzheimer)
- Honig im Kopf (Alzheimer)
- A Song For Martin (Alzheimer)
- Iris (Alzheimer)
- What's Eating Gilbert Grape (Autism)
- Rain Man (Autism)
- Adam (Asperger's syndrome)
- Mozart and the Whale (Asperger's syndrome)
- Me too - Wer will schon normal sein? (Down's syndrome)
- Beautiful Mind (John Nash's schizophrenia)
- Vincent will Meer (Tourette syndrome, OCD, anorexia)
- Barfuss (Mental disability)
- Phoebe in Wonderland (Mental disability)
- I Am Sam (Intellectual disabilitiy)
- Forrest Gump (Physical disability, intellectual disabilitiy)
- Mein Blind Date mit dem Leben (Visual impairment)
- Ray (Ray Charles' blindness)
- Music Within (Hearing impairment, CP)
- Ziemlich beste Freunde (Paraplegia)
- The Theory of Everything (Stephen Hawking's motor neurone disease/ALS)
- Mit ganzer Kraft - Hürden gibt es nur im Kopf (Physical disability)- The Fault in Our Stars (Cancer, visual impairment)
- My Sister's Keeper (Leukemia)
- Everything, Everything (SCID)
- The King's Speech (Stuttering)

# data[].attributes.body
These documentaries engage a more professional perspective on physical and psychological disabilities/impairments.

- Including Samuel (Including children with mental and physical disabilities)
- Best Kept Secret (Autism before and after graduation)
- Touch the sound (Hearing Impairment)
- The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson (2017) (LGBTQ+)
- Game Face (2015) (LGBTQ+ in professional sports)
- The Case Against 8 (2014) (Same-sex marriage)
- Matt Shephard is a Friend of Mine (2014) (LGBTQ+)
- We Were Here (2013) (LGBTQ+ and AIDS)
- Gayby Baby (2015) (Children of same-sex-marriage)
- Zwischen den Stühlen (Referendariat)

# data[].attributes.body
The website www.medien-in-die-schule.de offers a wide range of information on digital learning in schools. This toolkit presents a list of useful apps for teachers and learners.

# data[].attributes.headline
iO Tillett Wright on the LGBTQ+ spectrum

# data[].attributes.subject
iO Tillett Wright on the LGBTQ+ spectrum

# data[].attributes.body
Photographs of 2000 people considering themselves somewhere on the LGBTQ+ spectrum in the grey area.

# data[].attributes.headline
iO Tillet Wright on her LGBTQ+ photography project

# data[].attributes.subject
iO Tillet Wright on her LGBTQ+ photography project

# data[].attributes.body
The project presented in "Fifty shades of gay" is now aiming at photographs of 10 000 people in all 50 states of America identifying themselves somewhere on the the LGBTQ+ spectrum.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Faces in the Crowd / Unfinished Business: The Atlantic LGBT Summit

# data[].attributes.body
Defining the range of bisexuality.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Bisexuality and beyond | Tania Israel | TEDxUCLA

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Binary systems are so easy for us humans and for that matter computers. The problem is it leaves lots of things out, and in leaving lots of things out, lots of opportunities and understandings are missed. Tania Israel takes us to a non binary world while she talks about her idea of sexuality.

# data[].attributes.headline
Batya Greenwald on kindergarteners and gender

# data[].attributes.subject
Batya Greenwald on kindergarteners and gender

# data[].attributes.body
What kindergarteners can teach us about gender.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What kindergarteners taught me about gender | Batya Greenwald | TEDxCU

# data[].attributes.body
Movies on the topic LGBTQ+:
- The Imitation Game
- Pride
- Boys Don't Cry

Movies staring LGBTQ+ characters:
- Transamerica
- Carol
- Moonlight

# data[].attributes.body
Create animated videos in a safe environment.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
GoAnimate for Schools is a safe environment for students to fully express their creativity through video and a great place for educators to share educational videos with other educators worldwide.

# data[].attributes.body
Create talking cartoon characters, who speak your students' audiotaped messages and stories or integrate speaking avatars in your presentations or use one of the ready made presentations on all kinds of topics and customize it to your needs.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Engaging content, created according to the highest standards, in ready-to-teach form is hard to come by. Voki Teach provides teachers with lessons crafted by certified teachers, that follow what we believe to be the best and highest curricular standards available today.

# data[].attributes.body
Create your own colorful comics.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
online resources and creative tools for teaching esol and learning english as a second language by bill zimmerman

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
MakeBeliefsComix for ESOL | Using the Site to Teach English as a Second Language

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
MakeBeliefsComix for ESOL - Comic strips provide a perfect vehicle for learning and practicing the English language.

# data[].attributes.body
Create animated explainer videos for or with your students.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Biteable is the perfect online software tool to create an animated explainer video for your business. With hundreds of animated scenes to choose from, you can add your own colors, company logo and sound, or choose from our pre-made explainer video templates.

Edit a free animated explainer video template with Biteable's online tools

Biteable wants to help you make your own online explainer video, and using one of our free explainer video templates, you'll be off to a super start.

1. Choose an explainer video template you like - we've listed three suggestions below

2. Sign up or Log in to Biteable

3. Start editing the customisable version of your chosen video template

What Animated Explainer Videos Can Do For Your Business

1. Engage your viewer. People are far more likely to watch an explainer video than read a large block of text.

2. Simplify your concepts. Complex ideas can be made easier to understand with a few well-chosen explainer visuals. Even simple ideas can sound complicated when written as text.

3. Improve the click-through rate on your website. The majority of businesses who include an explainer video on their website report an increase in sales.

4. Help people remember your business and what it does. Because of the way our brains work, people are 40% more likely to remember information if it is presented visually as opposed to just text.

5. Decrease the amount of customer support queries. A good explainer video will contain the answers to most of your major FAQs and most people prefer to watch a video than calling or emailing customer support anyway.

6. Increase your SEO. Because of the way Google works, websites with video rank higher than those without, and the more videos you have, the higher Google will rank your page.

7. Improve your social media reach. Social media sites tend to rank video posts higher than other types, so if you have an explainer video that people see in their newsfeed, they may remember your product or business - even if they haven't watched your video.

8. Explainer Videos are easy to share. If someone sees your animated explainer video and knows someone else who might be interested, it is very easy for them to send a link to that person.

9. Establish a personality for your business. Your explainer video might be the first introduction to your business a customer has, so if you'd like to give your business a bit of personality, an explainer video is the perfect place to establish it.

So glad a friend of mine told me about Biteable. I love it - and quickly got approval for a year-long subscription.

- Alex James

What's So Great About Explainer Videos? Some Statistics:

Including an animated explainer video on your landing page can convert up to 80% more of your visitors into paying customers or signups.

The average website visitor spends up to 88% more time on websites with video.

One Australian realtor reported that real estate listings with a feature video receive up to 400% more enquiries.

After viewing an explainer video, 65% of executives went on to visit the website.

Forrester researcher Dr. James McQuivey estimated that a minute of video equals 1.8 million words.

In a survey, 90% of people who shop online reported finding explainer videos helpful when making decisions.

Need inspiration for creating an animated explainer video? Here are some of our favorites created by Biteable makers:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Animated Explainer Video Software - Free Online Production

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Biteable is the perfect online software tool to create an animated explainer video for your business. With hundreds of animated scenes to choose from, you can add your own colors, company logo and sound, or choose from our pre-made explainer video templates.

# data[].attributes.body
Create animated explainer videos.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Make explainer videos easily with Animatron - free online animation maker. 200+ pre-animated sets, importing and exporting options. Bring your story to life!

# data[].attributes.body
Create animated videos and presentations to grab your students' attention.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Video Maker | Make Videos and Animations Online | Powtoon

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Powtoon gives you everything you need to easily make professional videos and presentations that your clients, colleagues, and friends will love! No design or tech skills are necessary — it’s free, easy, and awesome!

# data[].attributes.body
A collaborative writing pad that can be used by up to 15 people at the same time.

# data[].attributes.body
A website to collaboratively create books with your students. The teacher starts the book by choosing a first chapter and the students write the following. In this process, they practice creative planning, writing, revising, and peer-evaluating. Students vote anonymously on the chapter that shall succeed the first. After a set number of chapters the book is finished and can be read online or purchased by teachers and parents.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
BoomWriter is a free group-writing website for teachers where students develop and enhance their writing, reading, vocabulary, and peer assessment skills.

# data[].attributes.body
How to use Google Docs to facilitate collaborative writing in ELT.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Using Google Docs to Facilitate Collaborative Writing in an English Language Classroom Practice
Introduction
With the development and advancement of computer networks, online collaborative learning becomes possible even if students cannot meet in a classroom (Macdonald, 2006). In a writing classroom, collaborative writing can also be encouraged with the use of the World Wide Web. Haring-Smith (1994, p. 360) defines collaborative writing as involving more than one person who contributes to the creation of a text so that "sharing responsibility" becomes essential.

Computer networks make collaborative writing easier (Haring-Smith, 1994). They allow students to co-author an article by exchanging drafts electronically. A number of emerging Web 2.0 technologies can facilitate collaborative writing and editing among students. These well-known web technologies include blogs and wikis. While the former allow writing to be shared more easily (Bloch, 2008), the latter allow anyone to edit, modify, or delete content (Lamy & Hampel, 2007). The purpose of this review is to introduce another Web 2.0 application, Google Docs, which includes the functions of blogs and wikis. Sharp (2009) writes that collaborative editing tools allow a group of individuals to edit a document simultaneously while they can view the changes made by others in real time. It is the collaborative editing tool that makes Google Docs a powerful program that can facilitate collaborative writing in the language classroom. An overview of Google Docs and its use is presented in the following sections.
An Overview of Google Docs
Google Docs is "a free, web-based word processor, spreadsheet, presentation, form, and data storage service offered by Google" (Wikipedia, 2010a). It allows users to create, edit and store their documents online (Thompson, 2008). Google Docs includes four major options: Google Documents, Google Spreadsheets, Google Presentations, and Google Drawing, which all share similar functions. This review focuses on Google Documents and how this application can facilitate students' collaborative writing in the English language classroom.
The Use of Google Docs Creating and editing a Google document
To start using Google Documents, users need to sign in to their Gmail account at mail.google.com (they simply create an account if they do not have one). Upon login, their mailbox will open. They should click the "Documents" link in the top left corner to get from Google Mail to Google Documents. To create a new document, they can click the "Create new" in the drop-down menu in the Docs List on the left-hand side and select "Document," or use one of the templates available by clicking "From template" (see Figure 1). The templates which are more suitable for use in a language classroom are available in the category "Students & Teachers."

Figure 1. Create a new document

Inside Google docs, the default name of a document ("Untitled document") can be changed by entering a new document name. Users can upload their documents from applications such as Microsoft Word to Google Docs at any time by choosing "Upload" under the File drop-down menu. Then, they should select file(s) and the destination, and then click "Start upload" (see Figure 2).

Figure 2. Upload a file

Similar to other word processing programs such as MS Word, Google Documents is a full-featured text editor. The format of the text, including the font, font size, font style (bold, italic, and underline) or text color, can be changed by using the menus in the toolbar. Also, images or URLs can be added by selecting "Image" or "Link" from the Insert menu.
Inserting comments, sharing, and collaborating
The feature that makes Google Docs different from other word processing programs is its function that allows sharing, collaborating, and publishing. To share a created document with others, users should click the "Share" drop-down menu on the right-hand side and select "Sharing settings." In the Sharing settings dialog box there is an "Add people" box where users can type the email addresses of the people with whom they want to share documents, or, if the person is in the user's email contact list, they can choose their names using the "Choose from contacts" option (see Figure 3). On the right-hand side of the list of names, users specify whether those people "Can edit" or "Can view" only.

Figure 3. Sharing settings

It is recommended that the "Send email notifications" option be checked; this way the program will send an email to the person letting them know that someone has shared a document with them and provide them with a link to the document. After that, users click "Share." Alternatively, the created document can be shared as an email attachment by selecting "Email as attachment" under the "Share" drop-down menu (see Figure 4).

Figure 4. Email as attachment

In producing a piece of written work collaboratively, students may need to exchange ideas and give comment to others. This can be achieved by choosing "Insert" and then clicking "Comment." The username of the user will be shown in the box on the right-hand side of the document and the user can type the comment inside the box (see Figure 5).

Figure 5. Inserting comment

When the user and his/her collaborators are editing the document, they can keep track of the changes made (see Figure 6) by clicking "See revision history" under the File drop-down menu.

Figure 6. Document r evision history

One interesting feature of Google Docs is that if the collaborators are online at the same time, they can edit the document simultaneously and can view the changes made by others to that document in real time (see Figure 7).

Figure 7. Real time collaborative writing
Publishing
Once the document has been created, it can be published by selecting the "Publish to the Web" option under the "Share" drop-down menu. Inside the "Publish to the Web" dialog box, users should click "Start publishing" and then confirm by clicking OK in the "Message from webpage" dialog box to make the document available as a webpage. The link to the published document will then be shown in the "Document link" box (see Figure 8) and the document can be accessed and seen by anyone anywhere in the world.

Figure 8. Publish to the web
The Use of Google Docs in an English Language Classroom
As suggested at the beginning of this review, Google Docs can facilitate collaborative writing. To achieve this, students can first form small groups and receive a writing assignment. They can then co-author a piece of text using Google Docs, giving comments to other collaborators and editing other collaborators' drafts in real time. It is this kind of synchronous communication among collaborators that makes Google Docs a more powerful tool for collaborative writing than wikis or emails which involve only asynchronous communication. With the features of Google Docs, collaborative writing is no longer bound by time and space. If the students cannot finish the writing task within class time, they can save their work, store it online, and then continue writing anytime and anywhere.
Conclusion
This paper reviews the use of Google Docs and how it can be used to facilitate collaborative writing in a second language classroom. Google Docs is user-friendly, and students can work collaboratively on writing tasks without being restricted by time and space. It also has a benefit over email by allowing synchronous communication. One major shortcoming of Google Docs is that one cannot edit others' work if he/she is not a Gmail user. However, with the popularity of Gmail with 193.3 million monthly users (Wikipedia, 2010b), using Google Docs is not a big problem for most students. Godwin-Jones (2008) suggests that Google Docs is probably the most widely used online text editing tool. With the use of Google Docs, it is expected that students not only can have stronger motivation to write collaboratively, but also that their higher-order thinking skills, such as evaluating and commenting on peers' written work, can be enhanced.
References
Bloch, J. (2008). Technologies in the second language composition classroom. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.

Godwin-Jones, R. (2008). Emerging technologies web-writing 2.0: Enabling, documenting, and assessing writing online. Language Learning & Technology, 12(2), 7-13.

Google (2010). Google Documents - Google Docs Help. Retrieved September 6, 2010, from http://docs.google.com/support/bin/topic.py?topic=15114.

Haring-Smith, T. (1994). Writing together: Collaborative learning in the writing classroom. New York, NY: HarperCollins College Publishers.

Lamy, M. & Hampel, R. (2007). Online communication in language learning and teaching. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.

MacDonald, J. (2006). Blended learning and online tutoring: A good practice guide. Aldershot, UK: Gower.

Sharp, V. (2009). Computer education for teachers: Integrating technology into classroom teaching (6 th ed). Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley.

Thompson, J. (2008). Don't be afraid to explore Web 2.0. Education Digest, 74(4), 19-22.

Wikipedia (2010a). Google Docs. Retrieved November 4, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Docs.

Wikipedia (2010b). Gmail. Retrieved November 27, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gmail.

Acknowledgements

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the Media Review Editor of TESL-EJ for giving me valuable comments on the earlier drafts of this paper. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank my student Tam Yi Lok for her kind assistance when I wrote this review.

About the Author

Chi Cheung Ruby Yang is a Teaching Fellow at the Department of English, the Hong Kong Institute of Education. Her major teaching and research area is integrating information technology in English language teaching and learning. She can be contacted at: rccyang@ied.edu.hk.

© Copyright rests with authors. Please cite TESL-EJ appropriately.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Using Google Docs to Facilitate Collaborative Writing in an English Language Classroom Practice

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Introduction With the development and advancement of computer networks, online collaborative learning becomes possible even if students cannot meet in a classroom (Macdonald, 2006). In a writing classroom, collaborative writing can also be encouraged with the use of the World Wide Web. Haring-Smith (1994, p.

# data[].attributes.body
A free website to create your own jeopardy games for students or to play existing ones. The games can be played with up to 12 teams.

# data[].attributes.body
A website to create and play online brain games and puzzles. The make up is very intuitive and offers various different options to chose from. The final quiz can be sent to your students via e-mail or embedded into another website. For the quizzes, students get immediate feedback on their score, the correct answers and an explanation on why this is correct.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience. By continuing to browse the site you consent to the use of cookies. Learn more

cookie message ok

Create or play exciting online puzzles and mind games

Online Puzzles & Brain Games

Are you ready to challenge your brain? Play exciting online puzzles and brain games at ProProfs or create a unique one. You can also make your own brain teasers, trivia or online puzzle games and share it with friends. Combine fun with learning, challenge and enhance your brain's processing speed and performance. You'll love it!

We believe software should make you happy.

Our games software is easy to use and backed by 24/7 awesome support.

Why ProProfs Brain Games & Puzzles

Brain Fitness

A fit brain means faster thinking, enhanced memory and quicker reactions. Keep your brain fit with online games.

Have Fun

Absorb information in a fun way. Playing games online gives you a chance to learn complex ideas in a way that is engaging.

Take a Break

Take on a new challenging game and break out from your routine. Exercising the brain keeps it fresh & alive.

Featured In

We've Received Great Press & Awards!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience. By continuing to browse the site you consent to the use of cookies. Learn more cookie message ok Create or play exciting online puzzles and mind games Are you ready to challenge your brain?

# data[].attributes.body
Create your own interactive online games for free and play them with your students or use existing games.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Online games and quizzes to learn and have fun. Create your own quiz, setup user groups and tournaments. Voted number 1 site for educational games.

# data[].attributes.body
An article on how to create a great learning atmosphere for dysgraphic learners including 6 practical tips.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Six ways to support students with dysgraphia—a learning difference that affects a person’s ability to produce written work.

# data[].attributes.body
Create your own crosswords super fast.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Make your own printable crossword puzzles

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
© 2020 A to Z Teacher Stuff Tools :: Worksheet Makers, Word Search Generator, Custom Handwriting Sheets, Crossword Puzzles. All Rights Reserved.

# data[].attributes.body
Create a word field with hidden words in it.

# data[].attributes.body
Create different games for your students like memory, gap-filling texts, hangman, multiple choice quizzes etc.

# data[].attributes.body
Write interactive stories like Choose Your Own Adventure Books.

# data[].attributes.body
Create a real-time feedback word cloud that can be used for brainstorming or collectively giving feedback.

# data[].attributes.body
Create vocabulary learn sets for your students. They can revise the words with online flashcards, practice how to spell and pronounce them, test themselves, and play a memory or racing game about them.

# data[].attributes.body
The teacher creates questions with four alternative answers, the students hold up their plicker cards according to their answers. The teacher scans all responses with his/her tablet or phone and gets immediate feedback on the students success.

# data[].attributes.body
Ideas on how to best implement QR-Codes into your lessons.

# data[].attributes.body
A project that connects language learners to collaboratively write books for the series "Fietje und Arti in... ."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Schreibt die Geschichte über Fietje und Arti in eurer Stadt weiter! So wächst der Roman, die Zahl der jüngsten Autoren, euer Sprachschatz und die Vorfreude auf die nächsten Bücher bei euren kleinen Lesern.

# data[].attributes.body
Teacher's thoughts and experiences on using facebook groups as learning places.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Since 2004 I've created a website of some kind for each class, with a discussion board - a place where students can ask questions or make comments on our class any time of day or night and get a response. I think it's an essential component of any modern class.

This semester something new happened, though. My students created a Facebook group for my class (and then invited me to join it!). Slowly I've watched and noticed more and more, that students are posting on that Facebook group instead of the discussion forum I'd created for them!

While at first, the control-freak in me wanted to send them all back to the "official class discussion forum", The advantages of the Facebook group have become increasingly compelling and I'm wondering whether it's time to let the forum I created go the way of cassette tapes and typewriters. Why is a Facebook group better? For one thing, Facebook is a digital home for many students. So a group based there is comfortable to them - it's on their virtual turf. Because of this, the Facebook group is even more of a desire path than my discussion forum is.

Some other advantages of the Facebook group over the discussion board I created are:

When students (or I) find a youtube video that we want to share with the group, this can be simply done directly from Youtube by clicking the "share" button under the video as it plays.

The group can be accessed easily using a mobile device... for example from the iPhone Facebook app (see picture). On the other hand checking my discussion forum in Safari on an iPhone is nowhere near as elegant.

Videos and Podcasts on the Facebook group wall play right there in the wall... rather than simply being a link that leads you to another page. It's a better user experience.

When someone posts on the Facebook group wall, all the members of the group get a notification, and since many of them are in Facebook at the time anyway, they get it immediately! (In contrast, my discussion forum can be set up to send email notifications... but many students don't check their email very often.)

Frankly I've been delighted to see the level of interaction between my students in that group. It's increased. Look at the screen grab below for example. Via this Facebook group, my students (independently of me) have been organising to buy some rabbits and breed them to test the genetic theory they are learning in class! All the planning has taken place via the Facebook group. In the last week there have been more than 50 comments posted just on this rabbit discussion alone! And in addition, there have been posts on other topics, videos shared, etc.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Why the Facebook Group My Students Created for Themselves is Better than the Discussion Forum I Created for Them.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Since 2004 I've created a website of some kind for each class, with a discussion board - a place where students can ask questions or make comments on our class any time of day or night and get a response. I think it's an essential component of any modern class.

# data[].attributes.body
Use photos to create your own posters, covers, jigsaw, maps, etc.

# data[].attributes.body
Why teachers should teach their students how to use wikipedia.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Hi, My name is Gwyneth and I use Wikipedia every day.
There, I said it. Somehow that's pretty freeing! Wikipedia is NOT a dirty word. We're doing a disservice not teaching our kids HOW to use it and how to cite it...as in - ummm selectively & with forethought. Sadly, I don't believe teachers & college professors are ready to wrap their mind around or admit recent studies that show: Wikipedia as accurate as Britannica.
Much like the Internets in general, (or the Googles, or the Facebooks, or the Twitters, or the YouTubes) many educators look upon Wikipedia with suspicion, sometimes derision, and occasionally with fear.
But who are we kidding? It ain't goin away folks! The Wikipedias are here to stay...It's an Internet Wonder of the World! And for gosh sakes, it comes up top 3 in just about any Google search you do. What? Ignore a good entry for a query? Really? Can you admit, you use it, too?

So....How do we teach kids to use it?
Teaching Wikipedia in 5 Easy Steps.

1. Use it as background information

2. Use it for technology terms

3. Use it for current pop cultural literacy

4. Use it for the Keywords

5. Use it for the REFERENCES at the bottom of the page!

Tech Terms Here: I love me some traditional research resources! (IE: the hard copy books of the reference section of our library) I do! I also love me my research databases Heck, I even made a animation video for them! I love you Gale/Cengage, Sirs, Worldbook, Career Puppy and EBSCO!

But if I look up Hashtag or QR code there, all I get are a few articles but no explanation. No definition. No examples of real world use. That's just not good enough.
But when you look up Hashtags or QR code in Wikipedia you get it ALL!

For more examples of how to use Wikipedia & how to teach it with our kids, see the Further Reading links below

Click for a Teaching Wikipedia At-A-Glance Comic Tutorial!

Oh and By the by...this blog caused me to work. Yeah, like do something I've never done before and it hurt a little. Learning something new sometimes feels ouchy and uncomfortable. Because of this posting I created a Wikipedia editing profile and pushed myself to create a Wikipedia page for my school Murray Hill Middle School (update: later forwarded to the HCPSS page) because I wanted to be there when my kids (or parents) look for us on the Howard County Public School wikipage. Another step forward in Web Presence and Advocacy - & yes, Socialnomics: be where your customers are. But, I got stubborn and pushed through the uncomfortable feeling (took a break to have dinner Buffy Hamilton & Mary Beth) and Voila! It's done...whew!

"The goal here is not to take Wikipedia as gospel but to use it to focus your research (via links, keywords and references) and get a little context (via background information). Focusing cuts down the time you spend on the project while context will get you a better grade for your effort." - by rebecca from Gear Fire

Further Reading:
Should I use or cite Wikipedia? Probably not.
4 ways to use Wikipedia (hint: never cite it)
Teachers: Please stop prohibiting the use of Wikipedia
Unnatural acts at Nature
20 Little Known Ways to Use Wikipedia
Study: Wikipedia as accurate as Britannica

Schiff, Stacy. "What about YOU!? Know it all: Can Wikipedia conquer expertise?" The New Yorker, February 26, 2006
And for balance: Yes, students, there's a world beyond Wikipedia - via Lucy Gray - !

Do you teach Wikipedia evaluation & use in your school? customer surveys

Wikipedia Is NOT Wicked!
authenticity, Buffy J. Hamilton, fun, gale, howard county schools, Jimbo Wales, murray hill middle school, sirs, socialnomics, wicked, wikipedia

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Hi, My name is Gwyneth and I use Wikipedia every day. There, I said it. Somehow that's pretty freeing! Wikipedia is NOT a dirty word. We're doing a disservice not teaching our kids HOW to use it and how to cite it...as in - ummm selectively & with forethought.

# data[].attributes.body
A list of suggestions for new language learners of Spanish, French, German, English, Italian, Chinese, Sign Language, Japanese, or Hawaiian.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
You've been telling yourself for years that you'll learn a new language or at least dust off those high school Spanish skills. How about starting when you're in line at the grocery store or waiting for the bus? Having language lessons on your iPhone means you can learn at your own pace, wherever and whenever you have the time.

Below you'll find 80 apps for learning a number of different languages: everything from Chinese to sign language! A few of the apps come in multiple language variations so if you find one you like in a given language, keep scrolling to see if there are other versions.

Spanish

Spanish! - Spanish! is a learning tool similar to flashcards, but with AUDIO and an intelligent progress tracking system that helps you learn faster. After you "flip" to the answer, you pick if you were Right or Wrong.

iStart Spanish! - This App will take you from scratch all the way to basic conversational level in Spanish. The App contains 50 enjoyable lessons packed with many hours of high quality audio instruction by three language professionals (two native Spanish speakers, one from Spain, the other from Colombia, and an English native tutor for grammar explanations).

FREE Spanish Tutor - 24/7 Tutor Spanish goes beyond the simple talking phrasebook or flashcard programs, providing a set of engaging, interactive study tools that help you really learn the language. FREE Spanish Tutor Lite Edition (LE) is a fully functional version containing a useful subset of vocabulary and phrases drawn from several of the learning modules in the 24/7 Spanish series.

AccelaStudy Spanish | English - AccelaStudy is the award-winning language education software that helps you understand and pronounce words in the shortest possible time. Learn new Spanish words quickly, easily, and permanently with AccelaStudy.

Basic Spanish For Dummies - Whether you want to take up Spanish from scratch or brush up on your existing skills for work or travel, this practical app is for you! Fun flashcards highlight common words and phrases written in English and their translation in Spanish with audio playback. A Spanish-English and English-Spanish mini-dictionary gives you flexible and easy word lookup. Video tutorials offer pronunciation of the alphabet, vowels and consonants; and the rules for using formal and informal greetings and introductions. Special interactive features let you mark your favorite phrases and share with friends on e-mail or Facebook. This app is your one-way ticket to speaking Mexican Spanish with confidence.

Spanish-English Dictionary from Accio - The Spanish-English dictionary by Accio is an excellent Spanish to English/English to Spanish translation reference. Browse its impressive library of more than 65,000 headwords and 165,000 definitions with a search as you type view! Simply begin typing an English or Spanish word and watch the results window filter as you type.

Spanish Anywhere - Learn and communicate in Spanish and English, anytime, anywhere! Spanish Anywhere is perfect for travelers, students, business people, and anyone who wants to speak, read, study, pronounce, or translate Spanish & English.

Memorize Words for Spanish - Each day you'll review words and learn new words selected automatically based on word use frequency. In addition, you can select individual words or categories of words to your daily lessons. Students of Spanish can quickly and easily adjust the level of the words, making Memorize Words an ideal app for a Spanish student of almost any level!

uTalk Spanish - Developed by a company with 20 years of experience in language learning and over ten million customers, uTalk gives you the key words you need and a fast, scientific way of remembering them. Unlike a phrasebook or translator, this beginners app hardwires basic spoken Spanish into your brain so that it feels like your first language.

Toddler Time! - Spanish - Toddler Time! - Spanish is a bright and cheerful, educational game, focused at the 2-4 year age group when the native language is Spanish. This app is great for introducing a new language to children of all ages.

French

French in Space - Improving your French vocabulary just got fun. Rather than slaving away with flash cards, you can now enjoy a fun, retro-style, arcade game to increase your French knowledge.

iSpeak French - iSpeak has been redesigned from the ground up to work natively with the iPad, as well as a new interface for the iPhone. iSpeak is a universal app, which means we don't charge you for twice for your other devices like other software developers. You buy it once and it works everywhere.

French-English Dictionary from Accio - This translation dictionary allows you to easily swap from English to French and back again. No internet connection is required.

AccelaStudy French | English - Learn over 2,400 basic and advanced VOCABULARY words in 60+ subject areas, including Colors, Days, Months, Seasons, Numbers and Counting, Time, Weather, Directions, Food and Drink, Cooking, Meals, Clothing, Moods and Attitudes, Shapes, Anatomy, Medical, Nature and the Outdoors, Animals, Banking and Business, Family and Relationships, Music.

Basic French For Dummies - Whether you want to take up French from scratch or brush up on your existing skills for work or travel, this practical app is for you! Fun flashcards highlight common words and phrases written in English and their translation in French with audio playback. A French-English and English-French mini-dictionary gives you flexible and easy word lookup. Special interactive features let you mark your favorite phrases and share with friends on e-mail or Facebook. This app will have you speaking French quickly and confidently.

Talking French Phrasebook - Whether you're exploring the French Riviera or braving the heights of the Eiffel tower, Paris, be sure to download your Talking French Phrasebook! Providing over 500 professionally translated words and phrases, this Talking French Phrasebook is the fun and easy way to get chatting with the locals. Say anything from I have lost my passport to frogs legs and snails please!

World Nomads French Language Guide - Have you ever been stuck in a country wanting to be polite but having no idea how to even say 'please' or 'thank you'? Or needed to get somewhere quickly but been frustrated because you couldn't even ask for basic directions in the local language? At WorldNomads.com, we have, and so we produced a series of free language guides for adventure travelers that contain a conversational language lesson with a local, plus 50 basic spoken phrases, and about 100 other useful travel phrases to help keep you traveling safely.

English / French dictionary - New French / English dictionary application for the iPhone now available from Larousse, leading dictionary and reference book publisher.

French Word of the Day - Start improving your French today with this easy to use application. Learn daily with this app to improve your French vocabulary (verbs, nouns, adjectives, adverbs).

iStudy: French Vocabulary - iStudy: French Vocabulary is a French study tool designed to help you learn more than 400 common French words.

French for Kids - We researched the most effective language programs in the market - Rosetta Stone, Berlitz, Pimsleur - and modeled the best features of each. From Pimsleur we took spaced repetition. From Rosetta Stone, positive feedback and engagement. From Berlitz, understanding in context.

Lingolook FRANCE - Master pronunciation of essential French travel phrases with Lingolook, an invaluable foreign language phrasebook application for the iPad, iPhone and iTouch, featuring illustrated digital flashcards, easy phonetics and "talking translations!"

German

German Travel Pro - We offer more native voice translations than any other translator. Tested by travelers and teachers around the world to bring you powerful results.

Gengo Flashcards - German - Gengo Flashcards provides a revolutionary way for you to quickly grow your vocabulary. The application combines visual cues with the voices of native speakers to provide you with the most effective method of learning and retaining hundreds of vocabulary words. With these special flashcards, we're adding another sensory receptor to your learning experience so you'll learn German that much faster! You're now learning just like a native speaker.

Hello Word Deluxe German | English - Hello Word is software for learning foreign languages, which allows the user to remember vocabulary in an easy and pleasant way. You can also compete with other users and compare your results in a ranking both within the software and on our web page. The software is dedicated for beginners, intermediate and advanced users. As far as the age is concerned, thanks to a simple and intuitive navigation both younger and older persons can use our program.

Book&Dic - Classics(German) - Are you having trouble reading English novels because you're tired of finding words in the dictionary? With Book&Dic, it's really easy to read English classic novels, even if you are not good at English. Just simply touch the words if you want to find meaning in the dictionary.

500 German Flashcards - PFG Software's German to English Flashcards app contains the German translation of the 500 most commonly used English words. Also, an easy-to-use glossary allows you to quickly look up the definitions of all 500 words.

AccelaStudy German | English - Learn over 2,400 basic and advanced vocabulary words in 60+ subject areas, including Colors, Days, Months, Seasons, Numbers and Counting, Time, Weather, Directions, Food and Drink, Cooking, Meals, Clothing, Moods and Attitudes, Shapes, Anatomy, Medical, Nature and the Outdoors, Animals, Banking and Business, Family and Relationships, Music.

Intense German - Can't say much in German? Need to expand your German vocabulary? This app will help you memorize TONS of German words fast! Thanks to its unique methodology, you will be able to learn up to 100 WORDS / DAY!

German Audio FlashCards - German Audio FlashCards is a foreign language vocabulary learning tool by Declan Software. The German version includes around 3000 words and phrases each with a native speaker audio recording. Words are organized into approximately 100 WordFiles with each WordFile containing up to 100 words.

Byki German - Byki is the fun and addictive way to learn a language. Byki locks German words and phrases into your memory so you can recall them perfectly and remember them forever. Over 3 million people have used Byki to learn a language on their computer, and now the same proven learning method is available in an iPhone app!

German-English Dictionary from Accio - This translation dictionary allows you to easily swap from English to German and back again. No internet connection is required.

English

Conversation English - Conversation English is an excellent app for anyone learning English as a second or foreign language. Practice and improve your English conversation skills with 20 complete Conversation English Lessons. You will learn over 200 common English Idioms and Expressions, improve your Listening Skills, and develop your Speaking Skills.

English Grammar in Use Activities - Millions of learners around the world owe their success in English to the best-selling grammar book, English Grammar in Use by Raymond Murphy. With English Grammar in Use Activities you can work on your grammar skills wherever you are and whenever you want. So what are you waiting for? Practice makes perfect!

English At Work - English at Work is a fun English course to help second language English students practice and improve their use of workplace English and Business English. You will learn over 150 useful English words, phrases, idioms and expressions for use in your office or workplace. You'll also develop your listening skills, improve your telephone skills, email skills, and conversation skills, and much more. This course includes 14 complete English-at-Work lessons.

EnglishPod - Learn English - EnglishPod is a mobile learning network that helps you learn English on-the-go. Each lesson has an audio file, dialogue, vocabulary section and expansion sentences. Sample three lessons for free then signup on EnglishPod.com for a trial account to continue to receive new lessons as they are published.

15500 Useful English Phrases - Do you wish for better communication skills? Vocabulary building will surely help, but what if we could somehow get the needed ready-made templates - the phrases as and when required. Use the App to find the right template for the perfect communication, always. So, the right phrase will be at your disposal from now on.

WordBook English Dictionary & Thesaurus - WordBook is a comprehensive, quick and intuitive dictionary and thesaurus of the English language. It's a great combination of comprehensive contents and fast intuitive interface.

Advanced English Dictionary & Thesaurus - Advanced English Dictionary is distinguished from the other (paper, electronic) dictionaries in many ways. Not because it contains far more words than a conventional paper dictionary, but because it uses a radically new approach and technology. Instead of just listing the words and their definitions, Advanced English Dictionary shows how every word is linked to another. Type in the word "tree" and you will get not only the definition, synonyms and opposites, but the hypernyms (a tree is a kind of what?), meronyms (what are the parts of a tree?) and more.

Italian

Collins Pro Italian-English Translation Dictionary - Carry a dependable Italian and English language reference in your pocket with the Collins Pro Italian-English Translation Dictionary. You'll have definitions, translation, examples of use, verb conjugations, and more at your fingertips - take a look at the reviews to see why users love this app!

Basic Italian For Dummies - Whether you want to take up Italian from scratch or brush up on your existing skills for work or travel, this practical app is for you! Fun flashcards highlight common words and phrases written in English and their translation in Italian with audio playback. An Italian-English and English-Italian mini-dictionary gives you flexible and easy word lookup.

Italian 101 - Learn or refresh your Italian, anytime and anywhere with your own personal language lab.

Italian Verbs - More than 3000 verbs and their conjugation in the palm of your hand!

WordPair English - Italian Translation - WordPair English - Italian Translation is your handiest and quickest English - Italian pair reference in your pocket with more advance features. It provides direct and precise word to word translations (pair) between English and Italian.

uTalk HD Italian - Learning fewer words which trip off the tongue like your own language is far better than learning heaps that aren't there when you want them, so uTalk HD focusses on the basics - 275 of the words and phrases you're most likely to need including how to order a drink, find a chemist and ask for an aspirin! Plus food, phrases, colours, numbers, shopping and more.

Italian Study Buddy! - Italian Study Buddy is a fun and effective Italian study tool designed to help you learn basic Italian vocabulary.

Italian Gestures - Thanks to the body language of Italians, communicating with locals is quite feasible, as their extravagant hand gestures say it all. A word of warning, however, be cautious because not understanding certain gestures may cause great confusion, not to mention embarrassment.

L'impiccato (Italian Hangman) - L'impiccato is a very popular word guessing game, a hangman game for italian speakers and students. It is also an educational application where you can improve your vocabulary.
Play alone or with a friend via bluetooth.

You Have Words Italian - Quickly build your Italian vocabulary with a minimum of effort. By optimizing when you need to review words you waste less time with words you already know and more time improving your vocabulary.

Chinese

FREE Chinese Essentials by AccelaStudy - Join over 1,000,000 people worldwide who have used AccelaStudy to master a language. Perfect for students, travelers, executives, and anyone who wants to quickly increase their fluency.

eStroke Animated Chinese Characters - Recommended by the Hong Kong Education Department for Stroke Order. Traditional/Simplified Chinese all in one package. Learn them both to have a complete understanding of Chinese.

KTdict+ C-E (Chinese-English dictionary with flashcard trainer) - KTdict+ C-E for iPhone and iPod touch provides you a comprehensive, easy to use and fast Chinese-English dictionary combined with a powerful flash-card trainer. It includes the data of the renowned CC-CEDICT dictionary with over 70.000 entries - no Internet connection required.

iCED Chinese Dictionary - iCED Chinese Dictionary presents a unique way to use a Chinese dictionary. After you've found the entry you were searching for, iCED will continue to search for compound or component entries to complement your search. Component entry dissection allows you to quickly understand the meaning of components in longer words or phrases.

U Learn Chinese-Audio Video App for Learning Mandarin Chinese - This app is a Mandarin Chinese Course that will help you to speak Chinese in no time! Thousands of people around the globe have found our method extremely helpful. They are able to speak beautiful Mandarin, with correct tones and clear pronunciation. It's very easy to join and follow along. The lessons start from the basic 'hello' and continue towards proficiency in spoken Mandarin Chinese.

Transwhiz English/Chinese (simplified) Translator/Dictionary - In addition to convenient two-way dictionary lookup, Transhwiz for iPhone provides you fast and high quality translation between English and Chinese with unique translation engine. A handy translation tool for business, travel and school use.

Chinese For Munchkins - Chinese for Munchkins takes children on a journey, teaching them how to say animals and numbers in Mandarin and Cantonese - the two most common Chinese dialects in the world (there is an English option too). Whether they want to roar with the "lau fu" (tiger), munch on bamboo with a "hung mao" (panda) or count "yak, yee, saam" (1-2-3), kids will be drawn to the flashcard pictures, sounds and animations. The interactive Memory Match and Counting Pig games will also help children reinforce what they've just learned while keeping them engaged and entertained.

HippoDICT Plus ~ Chinese English Dictionary - HippoDICT Plus is a Chinese-English dictionary that seamlessly integrates online and offline resources in a clean, elegant, and ultra-fast interface.

WCC Chinese Flashcards with Audio (Character) - The frequency in which different Chinese characters appear in common everyday text varies substantially. Some characters are rarely ever encountered while some characters appear in practically every other sentence. For this reason, we have developed our Chinese Character Flashcards to help you learn in a systematic sequence starting from the statistically most commonly occurring characters.

Chinese Flashcards - For ages 1+ - Chinese Flashcards is a great tool for children to learn Chinese. Be it a first or second language, the flashcards will help you begin speaking and reading Chinese with your child. Your child will be engaged and entertained by the bright and colorful graphics.

Sign Language

Sign Language! - Let's begin learning American Sign Language alphabet, numbers & colors in VIDEO with a Deaf ASL teacher. This free app is a small part of our huge SIGN LANGUAGE 101 app where you can later upgrade to learn 1,000 more categorized words & short sentences in ASL!

iASL (Translate English to American Sign Language) - iASL is your revolutionary one-stop resource for converting English to ASL. This one-of-a-kind iTunes application features a video dictionary of more than 5,800 signs, however because our application has the ability to combine words to make sentences, the possibilities are practically endless.

Sign 4 Me - A Signed English Translator - Our 3D character can be zoomed in or out and rotated to give you the best vantage point for every sign. YOU control the placement of the character - not us! No other product lets you do this! The library includes more than 11,500 words. Type in sentences, phrases, words and even the alphabet. Everything you enter will be saved in your History. Easily locate your entries by date or alphabetically. You can delete whatever you don't want to keep.

Baby Sign ASL - Baby Sign is the Ultimate Gold Standard VIDEO phrase book with 229 Baby Signs (ASL) right at your fingertips. Baby Sign is the perfect reference for parents who want to communicate and connect with their child through sign language.

ASL Dictionary - Translate English into ASL, from A-Z, plus the entire numerical system, common English phrases, symbols and much more. A must have educational iPhone, and iPad app.

Signing Time ASL - Dictionary Flash Cards - Signing Time is an early childhood application that focuses on developing language skills using American Sign Language (ASL). The application contains a collection of 145 professional quality flash cards based on the award winning Signing Time and Baby Signing Time series.

GotMyBSL - GotMyBSL - British Sign Language fingerspelling. Designed with BSL students in mind, GotMyBSL is a great first step in learning this vibrant language - and an App Store first!

ABC Sign - ABC Sign is an application designed to help children to learn the American Sign Language alphabet. Beautiful colorful photographs illustrate each sign. A letter is spoken aloud and the user is presented with 3 choices for the correct sign. You can choose until the correct sign is found. A reward sound is played and the user can move to the next letter.

My Smart Hands Baby Sign Language Dictionary - Want a sign language tool that you and your baby can use together? My Smart Hands Baby Sign Language Dictionary teaches you and your little one the 300 ASL signs you need to know for clear communication. You'll get detailed instruction, great memory tips and more.

iSign - iSign is an animated phrase book of 800 American Sign Language (ASL) gestures. Each of the gestures is modeled with a 3D character and completely animated. The vantage point for each sign was chosen so that the user can see the details of the hand positions. These are the ASL signs, not finger spellings.

Miscellaneous

Learn a Language with Michel Thomas - Learn another language the way you learned English! Choose from French, Spanish, Italian and German. Get the free preview now, then "pay as you learn," purchasing lessons hour by hour!

123 Color Talking Coloring Book (Including English, Spanish, French and German) - 123 Color teaches numbers, upper and lower case letters, shapes, and colors, with voice-overs by adult speakers in English, Spanish, French, and German, engaging artwork, sound effects, music, and animation.

iStart Japanese! - Mirai Japanese (Mirai Language Systems) - iStart Japanese! is the premier tutor-based iPhone and iPod Touch Application aimed at beginner-level learners of Japanese. The App is produced by Mirai Japanese, the Japanese-language specialists of Mirai Language Systems!

iTranslate - Global Language Translator with Voice - This is a very easy to use translation app powered by Bing. This app was based on the suggestions from a group of individuals who are frequent international travelers.

Free Japanese WordPower - WordPower - Lite is the ideal solution as you learn to read, say and understand essential Japanese vocabulary in just seconds. WordPower - Lite comes with audio recordings of a native Japanese speaker and a voice recorder so you can master perfect pronunciation of words and phrases anywhere, anytime. Study at your convenience at times and places that work for you!

Hawaiian Language - Our Hawaiian Phrases application contains common terms, phrases, and sayings found in the Hawaiian language. Whether you are a professor teaching the Hawaiian language or Hawaiian History, a student studying the Hawaiian culture, a vacationer to Hawaii, or someone interested in the linguistics of other cultures, the application puts a wealth of information right at your fingertips.

What Language? - Stumbled across some foreign text and want to know what language it's in? What Language, by analyzing the text as you type, will let you know it's best guess and or translate it to another language. What Language can currently distinguish between 90 languages (and counting)!

Language Tests - The 'Language Tests' application by LSI - Language Studies International (www.lsi.edu) lets you test your English, French & German skills. You may also find out about LSI courses and our 19 language-learning destinations worldwide.

iHiTranslate - Visual Language Translation Phrasebook - Worldwide phrase book in your hands avoiding difficult pronunciation by filling the screen with your message: just hold it up to be understood!

Translator ~ translate with voice - Translate and speaks 53 Languages for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.

iKanji touch - iKanji touch is a powerful kanji study tool, containing over 2000 kanji characters and over 16,000 example compounds. This covers the kanji taught in the JLPT and in Japanese school grades 1 to 6. More than 700 kanji have stroke animations and more will be added with each update.

Multi Lang Dictionary with Text To Speech - The popular Android app, the Multi-Lang Dictionary is finally available for iPhone! This app uses Google Dictionary and Google Translate Services to give you accurate and multiple translations and definition entries!

What Are Your Favorites?

The apps above should be enough to make you an awesome multilingual genius. Leave a comment below and let us know what language apps you have found to be the most effective.

Also be sure to let us know what languages you're interested in learning!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
You've been telling yourself for years that you'll learn a new language or at least dust off those high school Spanish skills. How about starting when you're in line at the grocery store or waiting for the bus? Having language lessons on your iPhone means you can learn at your own pace, wherever and whenever you have the time.

# data[].attributes.body
Different apps to use for your EFL students. (For activities, assignments, and tools.)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Apps 4 EFL is a Web-Based Language Learning (WBLL) platform for teachers and students of English as a Foreign Language (EFL/ESL). It utilizes creative commons data and open web technologies to facilitate engaging online study.

# data[].attributes.body
An article on how decades of failing to recognize ADHD in girls has created a “lost generation” of women.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Girls are closing one gender gap we don't want: diagnoses of Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Between 2003 and 2011, parents reported an increase of ADHD diagnoses of 55% for girls, compared to 40% for boys, according to a 2015 study in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

And yet girls continue to be misdiagnosed in spades, with alarming consequences, Dr. Ellen Littman, clinical psychologist and co-author of Understanding Girls with AD/HD, tells Quartz. "The outcomes for girls are horrendously negative compared to boys," she says.

ADHD materializes dramatically differently in girls.

"Anxiety and depression turn into low self-esteem and self-loathing, and the risk for self-harm and suicide attempts is four-to-five times that of girls without ADHD," 2012 research shows.

"This is not about having trouble with their homework," Littman says.

Unlike boys, many of whom show hyperactivity, girls' symptoms veer more toward inattentiveness and disorganization. Girls tend to develop ADHD later than boys. They frequently mask it in an attempt to conform to society's expectation that they be on the ball and organized. And while some ADHD symptoms can become less intense for boys after they pass through puberty, for many girls, it gets worse.

"I think we have a lost generation of women who are diagnosed with ADHD later in life, who have had to manage the condition on their own and deal with it on their own for the majority of their lives," Michelle Frank, a clinical psychologist and ADHD expert, tells Quartz. "The diagnosis is a blessing and a curse: it's a great relief, but they wonder what could have been different if they had only known."

ADHD is harder to recognize in girls

In Understanding Girls with AD/HD, Littman and her co-authors explain that ADHD was first diagnosed in young, white boys, with a key indicator being hyperactivity. As a result, guidelines were written around how it manifests in boys, and research is almost exclusively focused on boys (1% is specific to girls, Littman says).

It also materializes much later in girls, which was problematic when the American Psychiatric Association's diagnosis criteria called for symptoms to be visible by age 7. It recently changed the age (pdf) to 12, allowing more girls to be captured.

Dr. Patricia Quinn, one of Littman's co-authors on the book and a pediatrician in Washington, DC, who founded the National Center For Girls and Women With ADHD, told HuffPo Parents that girls' symptoms include:

a tendency toward daydreaming

trouble following instructions

making careless mistakes on homework and tests.

ADHD is a chronic neurobiological disorder which affects the brain structurally and chemically, as well as the ways in which various parts of the brain communicate with one another. It is highly heritable, says Frank.

Pressure to perform means many girls internalize their symptoms-disorganization or carelessness-as personal flaws rather than medical issues to be treated through medicine and therapy.

Girls with ADHD are significantly more likely to experience major depression, anxiety, and eating disorders than girls without. "They tend to have few friendships," Littman says. "As a result of their low self-esteem, they often choose unhealthy relationships in which they may accept punitive criticism and or abuse."

Teachers and parents often miss the warning signs because feeling disorganized or unfocused often leads to depression and anxiety. Failing to properly diagnose the condition, girls miss out on critical academic services and accommodations, as well as therapy and medication. Many girls end up misdiagnosed and treated with anti-anxiety or depression drugs, some of which exacerbate the effects of ADHD.

The numbers

Progress is being made. Not long ago, the ratio of diagnosed boys vs. girls with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder was 10 to 1. Today, it is somewhere between 4 to 1 and 2 to 1, Littman says.

According to the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry study, ADHD affected 7.3% of girls in 2011, compared to 16.5% for boys. Oddly, as awareness grows about ADHD in girls, there is evidence that boys are being wildly over-diagnosed with ADHD, including 17-year-old-boys who want extra time to complete the SAT for college applications.

"There's no question it is both under-diagnosed and over-diagnosed," Littman says.

This is not to say that millions of boys and men don't have ADHD or suffer from the consequences of it.

"It's important to remember that while we have to focus on increasing awareness and services to girls and women, boys and men are also profoundly affected by ADHD. We have a long way to go in addressing the immense stigma and gross misunderstanding that surrounds this diagnosis," says Frank.

But Littman says the myths around ADHD and girls remain pervasive and she is deluged daily by people who are seeking help. "Girls are being told still by pediatricians and primary care doctors that 'you are a girl, you can't get ADD." ( ADHD includes the symptom of physical hyperactivity while ADD does not).

Women and ADHD

Other pernicious myths around ADHD include the perception that adult women, including successful professionals, can't have ADHD.

Just the opposite. When the structure of school and college make way for the anarchy of balancing work and maybe having children, keeping ADHD at bay becomes harder.

Littman works with, and has studied, the impact of ADHD on high-IQ men and women, many of whom spent years masking their symptoms with their high abilities. As she tries to target if ADHD is the issue, she asks whether they are "constantly in a state of being overwhelmed and frantic about coping with day-to-day basic things?" Most burst into tears. "These are the people least likely to be acknowledged and because of the shame of feeling smart, they don't feel they are entitled to help."

Not surprisingly, she says, there are as many female as male patients in adult clinics. One study of ADHD medication showed women were the fast-growing population. Between 2008 and 2012, the number of Americans using medication to treat ADHD rose 36%; among women aged 26 to 34, the figure rose 85%.

Frank says even those who were diagnosed, though perhaps late, face serious longer-term consequences. "You can treat ADHD, you can get support and strategies, but the self-esteem challenges are going to be left over and you have to work at that for a lot longer."

Personal stories have helped to raise awareness about the fact that girls can have ADHD, and that it presents itself differently. Maria Yagoda wrote in the Atlantic about being diagnosed as a junior at Yale:

My peers were also confused, and rather certain my psychiatrist was misguided. "Of course you don't have ADHD. You're smart," a friend told me, definitively, before switching to the far more compelling topic: medication."So are you going to take Adderall and become super skinny?" "Are you going to sell it?" "Are you going to snort it?"

The answer, clearly, was no.

"Medication is certainly not a cure-all, but when paired with the awareness granted by a diagnosis, it has rendered my symptoms more bearable-less unknown, less shameful," she wrote.

Most Popular

Read full story

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Decades of failing to recognize ADHD in girls has created a "lost generation" of women

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Girls are closing one gender gap we don't want: diagnoses of Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Between 2003 and 2011, parents reported an increase of ADHD diagnoses of 55% for girls, compared to 40% for boys, according to a 2015 study in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

# data[].attributes.body
Past/Present is an immersive computer game designed to impart decision-making and critical thinking skills in the study of American history. It is designed for 10-15 year old native speaking teenagers, which probably equates to 15-19 year old EFL learners. In addition, the website provides advice for teachers on how to implement the game into their classes as well as detailed lesson plans. The game is free of charge.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Imagine a learning experience where players are thrust into the everyday hustle and bustle of life in America a century ago. That's what happens in Past/Present , a fully realized interactive 3-D "virtual world" in which a player "becomes" a fictional character, or "avatar", who is caught up in the big issues of the early 1900s.

# data[].attributes.body
Mission US engages students in the study of transformational moments in American history. 5  missions treat different times and scenarios such as the Boston Massacre in 1770, the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, the encroachment of white settlers and their influence on the Northern Cheyenne, growing up in New York’s Lower East Side as a young Jewish girl from Russia, and the Great Depression and Dust Bowl of the 1930s. It is designed for 10-13 year old native speaking teenagers, which probably equates to 13-19 year old EFL learners. In addition, the website provides guides for teachers on how to implement the game into their classes. The mission "Up from the Dust" is even free of charge.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What Is Mission Us? | Mission US | THIRTEEN

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Developed for use in middle and high school classrooms, Mission US engages students in the study of transformational moments in American history. Each mission consists of an interactive game and a set of curriculum materials that are aligned to national standards and feature document-based activities.

# data[].attributes.body
Create stories based on text messages: 1. Write a text conversation in TextingStory
2. Create a video from your story
3. Watch your creation and share it with your friends!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
TextingStory iPhone and Android app : write a text conversation, create a video from your story, watch your creation and share it !

# data[].attributes.headline
Blog post on "Using Fake Text Messages to Create Learning Activities" by Nik Peachy

# data[].attributes.subject
Blog post on "Using Fake Text Messages to Create Learning Activities" by Nik Peachy

# data[].attributes.body
Nik Peachy presents ideas on how to use https://ifaketextmessage.com/ to create gapped dialogues, conversation starters, reported speech activities, famous conversations, and many more authentic EFL activities.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Using Fake Text Messages to Create Learning Activities

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A blog about the use of educational technology in language learning and teaching

# data[].attributes.body
Minecraft explained by a young player himself including the differences between survival mode and creator mode and how the game entails learning.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Learning2gether Episode 224

https://learning2getherdotnet.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/filip-and-marijana-smolc48dec-minecraft-and-comenius-project-w6775p5zwqs.mp3
Download mp3: https://learning2getherdotnet.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/filip-and-marijana-smolc48dec-minecraft-and-comenius-project-w6775p5zwqs.mp3

On Sunday June 29 Learning2gether were in Hangout with Marijana Smolčec and her son Filip on the EU LLP Comenius project and learning through Minecraft

Marijana Smolčec met with us in Hangout to tell us a little about the EU LLP Comenius project she has been working on for the past 2 years, which will be the topic of an upcoming Learning2gether event on August 3. As a special treat today she introduced us to her son Filip, who has been developing a YouTube channel on Minecraft with videos of tutorials and builds. Minecraft has received a lot of attention as a means of gamifying a range of curricula, including language learning.

Where Google+ Hangout on Air
More archives Announcements
Earlier this week ...
Sat Jun 28 1800 GMT Graham Stanley on TTO MOOC - Engaging Online Learners http://www.wiziq.com/online-class/1978954-engaging-online-learners-with-graham-stanley

Mon Jun 23 Webinar on Flipped Classroom with Russell Stannard
Free #webinar with Russell Stannard - A real example of using the #Flipped Classroom model Info flyer: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8905964/Breeze/Invitation_Russell_Flipped.pdf
This is part of a series of webinars offered by Saarland Landesinstitut fur Padagogik und Medien (LPM) in various European languages; schedule and recordings here: http://tinyurl.com/aufzeichnungen
Wed Jun 25 - Rod Ellis: Task-Based Language Teaching: Sorting Out the Misconceptions - on Virtual Round Table Web Conference
Special Event on short notice: Distinguished guest speaker Rod Ellis from Auckland. (->dictogloss methodology)

After the event the group met with Rod Ellis in Second Life and streamed the event through the Adobe event room, with intent to include the interview in SL in the Connect recording,, which is ??? where

Time: June 25, 2014 from 2pm to 7pm
Location: http://lancelot.adobeconnect.com/rodellis
Organized By: Heike Philp

Event Description:
Wed, 25 Juni 2014, 1pm GMT/ 2pm UK / Auckland 1am (Thu) / Tokyo 10pm / New York 9am / LA 6am
For world clock please click HERE
Task based language teaching: Sorting out the Misconceptions
Rod Ellis is visiting the University of Central Lancashire UClan, Preston and Dr. Michael Thomas arranged for Rod to be available in Adobe Connect for a 1h question and answers session. During this 1h webinar there will be an interview with Rod Ellis on TBL in virtual worlds and machinima production (videos filmed in real-time in virtual worlds).
Professor Rod Ellis is a Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Applied Language Studies and Linguistics in University of Auckland. He holds visiting positions on the MA in TESOL at Anaheim University and is a visiting professor at Shanghai International Studies University (SISU) as part of China's Chang Jiang Scholars Program. He holds an annual seminar at Showa Women's University, Tokyo, Japan.
His published works include articles and books on second language acquisition, language teaching and teacher education. His books include Understanding Second Language Acquisition (BAAL Prize 1986) and The Study of Second Language Acquisition (Duke of Edinburgh prize 1995), Task-Based Learning and Teaching early (2003), and Analyzing Learner Language (with Gary Barkhuizen) in (2005). A second edition of The Study of Second Language Acquisition was published in 2008 and Implicit and Explicit Knowledge in Language Learning, Testing and Teaching in 2009. He has also published several English language textbooks, including Impact Grammar (Pearson: Longman) and is currently editor of the journal Language Teaching Research.
In addition to his current position in New Zealand, he has worked in schools in Spain and Zambia and in universities in the United Kingdom, Japan and the United States and has conducted numerous consultancies and seminars throughout the world.

See more details on Virtual Round Table Web Conference:
http://www.virtual-round-table.com/events/event/show?id=3109966%3AEvent%3A75546&xgi=4BhDw0pQEv6BV2&xg_source=msg_invite_event Sun Jun 29 1800 GMT Marisa Constantinides on TTO MOOC - Essentials for Teachers New to Online Teaching
Presented as a session in the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) called "Teachers Teaching Online" to access this class
Sun Jun 29 1300 GMT Lenandlar Singh on MM4: Exploring Facebook Group for Learning http://www.wiziq.com/online-class/1849736-mm4-exploring-facebook-group-for-learning
Courtesy of Integrating Technology 4 Active Lifelong Learning
Mon June 23-Wed June 25 FlipCon14
http://www.flippedlearning.org/FlipCon14, the 7th annual conference for and by flipped educators is taking place June 23-25 in Mars, PA, Pittsburgh.

Has a virtual component, but not a free event
Mon Jun 23 Nellie Deutsch and Ludmila Smirnnova - MM4: Sharing EdMedia Let's Moodle Experience http://www.wiziq.com/online-class/1893701-mm4-sharing-edmedia-let-s-moodle-experience Tue Jun 24 Nellie Deutsch and Ludmila Smirnnova - MM4: Contextual Adaptation in the Dissemination of Online Technologies http://www.wiziq.com/online-class/1893741-mm4-contextual-adaptation-in-the-dissemination-of-online-technologies Thu Jun 26 1400 GMT Justin Hunt on PoodLL language lab for Moodle
E4.121-0334 - PoodLL the language lab for Moodle
Justin Hunt - PoodLL developer
Zugangslink: https://webconf.vc.dfn.de/poodll/
Info: http://v.gd/poodll
Thu June 26 at the Learning Revolution June 27 ISTE Unplugged

ISTE Unplugged - Starting June 27th in Atlanta. If you're going to ISTE or live in Atlanta, don't miss ISTE Unplugged, our set of fun activities around the annual ISTE conference. While we highly recommend going to ISTE, you don't have to be registered for the main conference to attend our all day unconference on Friday, June 27th. We've also just added information about the Invent to Learn workshop on Saturday with Gary Stager and Sylvia Martinez.

A more recent announcement: Audrey Watters of HackEducation.com will be joining us for our all-day Friday, June 27th, unconference. It's free, it's at the Georgia World Congress Center, and it's a great way to spend a day with interesting people holding interesting conversations. The topics for the day are determined by the attendees, and many who come say it's the best thing they do at ISTE. After the unconference is our now-annual evening social/party, which will feature Kevin Honeycutt and the iPhone band. Saturday is our half-day Global Education gathering, and then there's the Bloggers' Cafe Sunday - Tuesday.

Check it all out at ISTEunplugged.com. See you there! ... but not onlne ...

I'm disappointed that these all seem to be on-site, in-person events. Even the Global Ed event, promises connections with educators from around the globe (who happen to be in Atlanta for the conference). I'm sure there is a consideration here that isn't being mentioned, but the organizers of these events are experts at connecting online.
However, Sue Waters set up a Flipboard here reporting from ISTE: https://flipboard.com/section/iste-insights-bvF354

This is a remarkable Flipboard, page after page, and you are transported to Atlanta and have links to thousands of artifacts recalling the flavor of the conference. One of these is Ms. Staffa's blog recollections,

Flipboard is well modeled here as a place for curation (in this case on #iste2014), as Sue Waters explains in her blog here: Digital Curation: Putting the Pieces Together | Sue Waters Blog
More from the Learning Revolution
For a full calendar of all upcoming events and conferences, click here.
June 27 1800 GMT Jack Askew on TTO MOOC
Getting Students: Short and long-term strategies to get paying clients/customers

You must be enrolled in the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) called "Teachers Teaching Online" to access this class
Fri Jun 27 Shelly Terrell American TESOL webinar - 10+ Activities to do on the School Grounds
The following screen with its many links live can be found at http://bit.ly/eltlinks which redirects to
http://www.livebinders.com/play/play?tab_layout=side&id=292127#anchor

The schedule to the right of this image is updated weekly and available at
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uBCwS4uFDrdVdYGYBBYUOlpK9CMaSV69770D20QIW3c/pu

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Hangout with Filip and Marijana Smolčec on the EU LLP Comenius project and learning through Minecraft

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Learning2gether Episode 224 Download mp3: https://learning2getherdotnet.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/filip-and-marijana-smolc48dec-minecraft-and-comenius-project-w6775p5zwqs.mp3 On Sunday June 29 Learning2gether were in Hangout with Marijana Smolčec and her son Filip on the EU LLP Comenius project and learning through Minecraft Marijana Smolčec met with us in Hangout to tell us a little about the EU LLP Comenius project she has been working on for the past 2 years, which will...

# data[].attributes.body
A Blog post on how to use an emoji mind map as an impulse forlanguage production.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This is an idea I've seen on Twitter a few times, but I'm unsure whose idea it was originally, so I don't know who to credit / thank. If you know whose idea it is please let me know!

# data[].attributes.body
Use ready-made interactive worksheets for over 35 different languages or create interactive worksheets and workbooks.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Browse and select from millions of worksheets, or upload your own. These are digital worksheets, and you can automatically grade students' work.

# data[].attributes.body
Interland is an adventure-packed free online game that makes learning about digital safety and citizenship interactive and fun. Thereby, providing parents and educators with resources to help youth navigate the web and their online interactions while learning specific online vocabulary.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
< Back to All Games

SUMMARY

Become a fearless explorer of the online world.

Synopsis

Interland is an adventure-packed online game that makes learning about digital safety and citizenship interactive and fun. Here, kids will help their fellow Internauts combat badly behaved hackers, phishers, oversharers, and bullies by practicing the skills they need to be good digital citizens. In the game, players explore four floating islands: Kind Kingdom, Reality River, Mindful Mountain, and Tower of Treasure. Each island features a different mini game with a different Internet lesson.

Interland is part of Google's Be Internet Awesome Program, which teaches youth the fundamentals of digital citizenship and provides parents and educators with resources to help youth navigate the web and their online interactions.

Price

Platforms

Press

Awards

Contact

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Back to All Games Become a fearless explorer of the online world. Interland is an adventure-packed online game that makes learning about digital safety and citizenship interactive and fun. Here, kids will help their fellow Internauts combat badly behaved hackers, phishers, oversharers, and bullies by practicing the skills they need to be good digital citizens.

# data[].attributes.body
Create your own tutorial videos using ready-made symbols and sketches.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Mit simpleshow können Sie Erklärvideos erstellen. Durch KI lassen sich auf Knopfdruck animierte Videos erstellen.

# data[].attributes.body
A refereed journal for second and foreign language scholars and educators.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Supported by the Center for Language & Technology and the National Foreign Language Resource Center (NFLRC) at the University of Hawaii, and the Center for Language & Education Research at Michigan State University

# data[].attributes.headline
Blog Post on Creating Facebook Groups for Students

# data[].attributes.subject
Blog Post on Creating Facebook Groups for Students

# data[].attributes.body
Helpful information on how to create and use a facebook group for your students as well as the benefits of using it in class.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
Educational Technology and Mobile Learning

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
How to use your class Facebook page ?
Here some of the tips to help you manage the Facebook group for your class :

From the start, set out clear and strict rules on what to post and share . Make it clear to them that this page is not for personal stuff, the page is for LEARNING.

Talk to them a bit about digital citizenship and explain to them what makes up a good netizen. Here is a detailed guide for teaching digital citizenship.

You also need to teach them about copyright issues and how to appropriately credit the sources they might want to cite. Here is a list of important resources to help students learn about copyright.

If you need permission from their parents, go ahead and ask for it. It might be a good idea to invite parents to join in and observe the learning that is taking place within the Facebook page you create for the class.

Benefits of engaging students in a Facebook page for class ?
First, most students love Facebook so they are already familiar with how it works. In trying to contribute to their Facebook page, students will be drawing on different skills: writing, searching, curating, and sharing.They will also get to learn collaboratively and sharpen their digital literacy skills. As a teacher, your rule is only to facilitate and direct the learning that is unfolding in the page.Additionally, when students participate in such informal learning platforms, they get to develop social and emotional intelligence which is pivotal to their overall personality development.

Here is how to create a Facebook Page for your Class

1- Head over to Facebook/pages and click on " cause or community "

2- Type a name for your community, tick "I agree " then click on " get started "

3- Provide a short description of your community and if you have a website for your class you can link it there too.

4- Upload a photo for your community if you don't have one click on " skip"

5- To make it easy for students to remember the web address , you can choose a simple name or use the one provided by Facebook as is shown in the snapshot below

6- Click on skip to skip advertising options

Congratulations, now your page is up and running. Here is what to do next

7- Send the web address of your newly created page to your students to like it. Or if you have their email addresses , invite them using the " invite by email " option.

8- Customize the settings of your page. To do this click on " edit page " and choose from the drop down menu " edit settings ".

Here is a preview of the settings you can work on

9- Customize admin roles and if you want you can allow multiple admins to manage the page. here are some links to help you learn how to do it :

If you have any problems creating your page, please contact me at med@educatorstechnology.com and I ll be happy to help you.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Teacher's Guide to Creating Facebook Group for Students

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
How to use your class Facebook page ? Here some of the tips to help you manage the Facebook group for your class : From the start, set out clear and strict rules on what to post and share . Make it clear to them that this page is not for personal stuff, the page is for LEARNING.

# data[].attributes.body
Data privacy laws for mobile devices in school provided by the Kultusverwaltung Baden-Württemberg

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Unsere Webseite verwendet nur Cookies, die technisch notwendig sind und keine Informationen an Dritte weitergeben. Für diese Cookies ist keine Einwilligung erforderlich. Weitere Informationen erhalten Sie in unserer Datenschutzerklärung.

# data[].attributes.body
Blog post on introductory phrases. What are introductory words/phrases/clauses and what to do with the comma?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
Online Editing and Proofreading Services. Affordable Editors and Proofreaders.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Last week we promised to share some of our proofreader's tricks of the trade and, because we're great at keeping promises, here they are. Again we're looking at the common English errors that proofreaders will look for when they are studying a document. This week we're going to stick with the comma theme and explore another one of the errors that seem to appear regularly: failing to use a comma after introductory phrases or words.

Introductory Phrases

Introductory phrases and clauses pretty much do what they say do. They introduce something. We like to think of it as setting the stage for the rest of the sentence. You should use a comma after you have prepared readers with an introductory element in order to let them know that the main subject and verb are yet to follow. Introductory parts of a sentence can be small, medium or large in length but cannot stand alone as a complete thought. For more information about what constitutes a clause, see our article: what are phrases?

If you need more insights into phrases, check out our guide to five types of phrases.

What is an introductory clause?

An introductory clause will describe where, how, when, why or how. They can be small, medium or large in length but, regardless of their size, a comma should follow them. Here are some sentences, can you spot where the comma should be placed?

Having just returned from work Julie was not in the mood for an argument about the washing up.

Given that it was the third Saturday of the month Karen knew that her monthly magazine subscription would be delivered.

When exercising you need to be aware of your limitations.

Here's the correct version of the sentences:

Having just returned from work, Julie was not in the mood for an argument about the washing up.

Given that it was the third Saturday of the month, Karen knew that her monthly magazine subscription would be delivered.

When exercising, you need to be aware of your limitations.

What is an introductory word?

An introductory word is a single word that sits on its own at the beginning of the sentence:

Yes, I do like creative writing.

Actually, my website is one of the top ranking websites on Google.

Generally, good writers tend to have a degree in English.

What is an introductory phrase?

Introductory phrases are similar to introductory clauses but are not complete clauses because they do not have both a verb and a subject. For example:

Checking methodically, we never miss a mistake.

To stay top of the class, you have to study hard every day.

So what does this mean for online proofreading services?

Quite simply, all our proofreaders carry all of these grammatical rules in their heads and they will apply them to the manuscripts they check. So if you're not too confident about your grammar skills, you can ask an expert to check your writing on your behalf. Here at Vappingo we charge less than $0.020 per word for our proofreading service, so there really is no excuse for making mistakes with your written English.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Introductory Phrases. What Are They and Why Should You Care? - Online Editing and Proofreading Services. Affordable Editors and Proofreaders.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Last week we promised to share some of our proofreader's tricks of the trade and, because we're great at keeping promises, here they are. Again we're looking at the common English errors that proofreaders will look for when they are studying a document. This week we're going to stick with the comma theme and explore [...]

# data[].attributes.body
Blog post on "How to Improve Your with Grammatical Sentence Openers" dealing with prepositional phrases, adjectives, adverbs, adverbial clauses, participle verb forms, infinitives, -ing forms, having forms, noun clauses, and nominative absolutes.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
One of the best ways to improve your writing style is to improve the variety of your sentence structures. Professional writers vary the subject-verb-object pattern with other grammatical sentence structures. A simple guideline for good sentence variety would be 50% subject-verb-object sentence openers and 50% other grammatical sentence opener forms.
Prepositional Phrase
Start with a phrase beginning with one of these common prepositions to improve writing style:

aboard, about, above, according to, across, after, against, along, among, around, as, as to, at, before, behind, below, beneath, beside, between, beyond, but, by, despite, down, during, except, for, from, in, inside, instead of, into, in place of, in spite of, like, near, next, of, off, on, onto, outside, out of, over, past, regardless of, since, than, through, throughout, to, toward, under, underneath, unlike, until, up, upon, with, within, without

Place a comma after a prepositional phrase sentence opener when a noun or pronoun follows.
Example:
Behind the cabinet, he found the missing watch.
Adjective
Start with a word or phrase that describes a proper noun, common noun, or pronoun with How Many? Which One? or What Kind? to improve writing style. Place a comma after an adjective or adjective phrase sentence opener.
Examples:
Angry, the neighbor refused to leave.

Happy as always, the child played in the park.
Adverb
Start with a word that answers these questions: How? When? Where? or What Degree? to improve writing style. Many adverbs end in __ly. Usually place a comma after an adverb sentence opener if the adverb is emphasized.
Example:
Everywhere, the flowers were blooming; quickly, the winter turned to spring.
Adverbial Clause
Start a dependent clause (a noun and verb that does not express a complete thought) with one of the following subordinating conjunctions to improve writing style:

after, although, as, as if, as long as, as much as, as soon as, as though, because, before, even if, even though, how, if, in order that, once, since, so that, than, that, though, unless, until, when, whenever, where, wherever, whether, or while.

Place a comma after an adverbial clause that begins a sentence.
Example:
Although better known for its winter activities, Lake Tahoe offers much during the summer.

Start with a __ed, __d, __t, or __en verb, acting as an adjective, and/or add additional words to form a participial phrase. Usually place a comma after the sentence opener.
Examples:
Frightened, I sat up straight in my bed. Told to stop, the child finally did so.

Burnt to a crisp, the toast was horrible. Taken quickly, the pill did not dissolve for minutes.
To + Verb
Start with To and then add the base form of a verb to improve writing style. Add related words to create a phrase. Place a comma after the sentence opener, if a noun follows.
Examples:
To smile takes great effort.

To play the game, Mark had to sign a contract.
__ing Verbs and Nouns
Start a phrase with an __ing word that acts as an adjective to improve writing style. Usually place a comma after the sentence opener. Start a phrase with an __ing word that serves as a noun. Usually do not place a comma after the sentence opener.
Examples:
(Adjective)

Falling rapidly, the climber hopes the rope will hold.

(Noun)

Tasting the sauce makes them hungry for dinner.
Having Verbs and Nouns
Start a phrase with Having and then add a verb that ends in __d, __ed, or __en to serve as an adjective or a noun, referring to something that happened in the past to improve writing style. Usually place a comma after the sentence opener.
Examples:
(Adjective)

Having listened to his teacher, the student knew how to study.

(Noun)

Having learned all of the answers is helpful.
Noun Clause
Start with a group of words that acts as the subject of a sentence beginning with: How, However, What, Whatever, When, Whenever, Where, Wherever, Which, Whichever, Who, Whoever, or Whomever to improve writing style. Place a comma after the noun clause when used as a sentence opener if it does not serve as the subject of the sentence.
Example:
However the students answered, the scores were marked wrong.
Nominative Absolute
Start with a possessive pronoun (my, mine, our, your, his, her, or their) followed by a verb with a d, __ed, or __en ending to serve as a noun phrase that provides information, but no grammatical connection with the rest of the sentence. A comma is placed at the end of the nominative absolute when it opens a sentence.
Example:
His friends angry and frustrated, Paul promised to change his behavior.

Get the Grammatical Sentence Openers FREE Resource:

Find 8 complete writing process essays (4 argumentative and 4 informational-explanatory) with accompanying readings, 42 sequenced writing strategy worksheets, 64 sentence revision lessons, additional remedial worksheets, writing fluency and skill lessons, posters, and editing resources in Teaching Essay Strategies. Also get the e-comments download of 438 writing comments to improve written response and student revisions.

Grammar/Mechanics, essay strategies, grammar, Mark Pennington, sentence structure, sentence variety, Teaching Essay Strategies, writing strategies, writing style Writing

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
To improve writing style and increase readability, learn how to vary sentence structures. This article lists, explains, and provides clear examples for grammatical sentence openers.

# data[].attributes.body
A list of different writing (, listening, speaking, and reading) drills and activities ranging from logic puzzles and word games to storytelling and conversation work. For each activity a detailed lesson plan is provided including video sequences and task wording.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Activities, worksheet and lessons that teach ESL students to learn English writing, speaking, listening, conversation and vocabulary.

# data[].attributes.body
A list for (German) digital writing tools.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Diese Liste mit Werkzeugen für den Schreibunterricht ergänze ich regelmäßig. Ich danke Urs Henning für die Anregung und Vorarbeit. Eine didaktische Bemerkung findet sich am Schluss der Liste.

1. iA Writer
DeriA Writer ist eine einfache Schreibumgebung. Diese Einfachheit erlaubt die Konzentration auf den Text oder auf den einzelnen Satz. Das Programm bietet grundsätzlich einfach eine leere Seite an. Es läuft auf dem Desktop wie auch auf mobilen Betriebssystemen und wird von einem Team entwickelt, das sich mit Informationsverarbeitung vertieft auseinandergesetzt hat.

2. Duden-Rechtschreibprüfung
Leider auf 800 Zeichen limitiert, aber schnell und gut dargestellt. Können viele Schreibprogramme automatisch, schafft aber noch einmal ein klares Bewusstsein für Fehler und ihre Begründung.

3. Voyant-Tools
Eine umfassende Analyse von Texten, besonders für sehr lange Texte und Textkorpora geeignet. Kann auch für die Untersuchung eigener Texte verwendet werden.

4. Papyrus Autor
Leistungsfähigstes Tool für Stil- und Lesbarkeitsanalyse, leider aktuell nur als teure Vollversion erhältlich.

5. Duden Mentor
Neben Rechtschreibfehler, zu denen automatisch Vorschläge eingeblendet werden, kann Duden Mentor auch Synonyme vorschlagen und Worthäufungen erkennen. Sehr übersichtlich und geeignet für eine Überarbeitung eines Textes.

6. Language Tool
Ähnlich wie die Duden-Prüfung,gibt aber auch stilistisches Feedback. Eignet sich für einen seriösen Korrekturdurchlauf. Language Tool gibt es auch als Chrome-Erweiterung, die dann im Browser alle Texte prüft.

7. Textanalyse von schreiblabor.com
Dieses Webtool analysiert einen Text in Bezug auf mehrere Aspekte: Es errechnet einen Lesbarkeitsindex nach der Flesch-Formel, zeigt Phrasen, Füllwörter und Anglizismen an und markiert lange Wörter sowie lange Sätze, welche die Lesbarkeit erschweren.

8. Textalyser
Einweiteres Statistik-Tool, das die Lesbarkeit mit dem Gunning-Fog-Index berechnet und generell stark auf die englische Sprache ausgerichtet ist. Gleichwohl sind die statistischen Angaben hilfreich, besonders die Liste mit den häufigen Wortkombinationen gibt gute Hinweise für eine Verbesserung der eigenen Texte.

9. Füllwörter und "Unwörter" entfernen
Daseinfache Tool ersetzt eine Liste von Wörtern (welche eine Aufstellung Goethes enthält) ersatzlos oder durch "XXX". Durch diese automatisierte Überarbeitung wird deutlich, ob das Wort wirklich eine Funktion erfüllt hat.

10. Zusammenfassung mit GetDigest
Daseinfache Web-Tool gibt es auch als (kostenpflichtiges) Word-Plugin. Es gibt Schlüsselwörter eines Textes aus und fasst ihn automatisiert zusammen.

11. Analyse für PR- und Pressetexte
Einfache Tipps für diese Textsorte, die mit einerautomatisierten Erkennung verbunden sind. Zuerst etwas unübersichtlich, aber vermisst auch die Sachlichkeit und den Informationsgehalt eines Textes.

12. Wortliga
Dieses Analyseverfahren lobt, kritisiert und bemängelt Fehler - und zeigt die bemängelten Stellen auch direkt im Text an. Visuell sehr ansprechend, anregend für eine fundierte Überarbeitung eines Textes. Die Vorschläge sind aber oft sehr starr und an stilistischen Idealen ausgerichtet, die diskutiert werden müssen und nicht in der dargestellten Strenge gelten.

Zum Schluss eine didaktische Einordnung:

Automatisiertes Feedback auf Texte betrifft formale und stilistische Aspekte. Die Tools aus der Liste vermessen sie mit standardisierten Verfahren. Diese haben zwei Mängel: Sie sind erstens unvollständig, können also weder alle Fehler noch alle stilistischen Unsauberkeiten festhalten. Zweitens beziehen sie das Publikum, die beabsichtigte Wirkung des Textes sowie den kreativen Umgang mit sprachlichen Mitteln nicht mit ein. Viele der Rückmeldungen gehen davon aus, ein Text müsse sachlich und leicht verständlich sein - wie das etwa für ein Informationsschreiben angemessen ist.

Werden die Tools unreflektiert eingesetzt, fehlt das Bewusstsein für die beiden Mängel: So kann die Illusion entstehen, das selektive Feedback einer Website reiche für die Verbesserung aus. Den Stilvorschlägen wird ein absoluter Status zugeschrieben werden, den sie nicht verdienen.

Das didaktische Setting für den Einsatz dieser Tools begegnet diesen Gefahren: Es macht deutlich, dass formale und stilistische Entscheidungen gegen die automatisierte Kritik verteidigt werden können. Die Maxime wäre folgende: "Wenn du klar begründen kannst, weshalb deine Ausdrucksweise die richtige ist, änderst du nichts. Bist du dir unsicher, prüfe eine alternative Formulierung. Verbessert sie deinen Text?"

Urs Henning setzt diese Tools im Rahmen von Peer-Feedback ein: Lernende geben sich persönliche Rückmeldungen und lassen sich dabei von diesen Werkzeugen unterstützen.

Um das konkret zu machen, habe ich die erste Version dieses Textes mit Wortliga geprüft. Das Ergebnis lässt sich unten einsehen (klicken zum Vergrößern). Ich habe die langen Sätze gekürzt und einen Passiv-Satz modifiziert. Zudem habe ich einige Füllwörter und Modalverben entfernt. Die Lesbarkeit ist dadurch von 54 und 56 angestiegen. Es wäre unsinnig und auch unmöglich gewesen, alle Rückmeldungen umzusetzen. So habe ich aber in Sekunden Hinweise erhalten, wo ich beim Überarbeiten ansetzen könnte. Das leisten diese Tools. Nicht mehr, aber auch nicht weniger.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Diese Liste mit Werkzeugen für den Schreibunterricht ergänze ich regelmäßig. Ich danke Urs Henning für die Anregung und Vorarbeit. Eine didaktische Bemerkung findet sich am Schluss der Liste. iA Writer DeriA Writer ist eine einfache Schreibumgebung. Diese Einfachheit erlaubt die Konzentration auf den Text oder auf den einzelnen Satz.

# data[].attributes.body
This website lists grammar quizzes, vocabulary quizzes, crossword puzzles, and bilingual quizzes.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Copyright © 1995-2015 by The Internet TESL Journal
Copying and uploading pages from this website to another website or intranet is prohibited.
No Advertising, No Nonessential Images, No CGI, No SSI, No PHP, No ASP, No CFM, Minimal HTML, No Nonsense. Optimized for Speed & Ease of Use

Our pages should work even if your browser is not compliant with the newest web standards.
Keywords: TOEFL, TOEIC, EFL, ESL, ELT, ESOL, TEFL, TEFL, TESOL, English as a Second Language, English as a 2nd Language, English as a Foreign Language, English learner, English language study

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Activities for ESL/EFL Students (English Study)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Copyright © 1995-2015 by The Internet TESL Journal Copying and uploading pages from this website to another website or intranet is prohibited.No Advertising, No Nonessential Images, No CGI, No SSI, No PHP, No ASP, No CFM, Minimal HTML, No Nonsense.

# data[].attributes.body
This website offers activities, videos, podcasts, and vocabulary lists for ESL learners. Additionally, there are texts and podcasts about topics such as American history, health, people, places, music, and animals.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
This web site is for people studying English as a Second Language (ESL) or English as a Foreign Language (EFL). There are quizzes, word games, word puzzles, proverbs, slang expressions, anagrams, a random-sentence generator and other computer assisted language learning activities. Even though the primary focus is for ESL, native English speakers may also find some interesting things on this site. This site is non-commercial and has no advertising. TESL/TEFL teachers may want to recommend this site to their students.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Interesting Things for ESL/EFL Students (Fun English Study)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This web site is for people studying English as a Second Language (ESL) or English as a Foreign Language (EFL). There are quizzes, word games, word puzzles, proverbs, slang expressions, anagrams, a random-sentence generator and other computer assisted language learning activities.

# data[].attributes.headline
Free English Exercises Online - ESL Interactive Learning

# data[].attributes.subject
Free English Exercises Online - ESL Interactive Learning

# data[].attributes.body
Exercises for all English learners, online grammar exercises, vocabulary videos, pronunciation exercises, interactive quizzes for beginners, intermediate, and advanced level English learners.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
ESL, English Grammar Exercises, Video lessons,Quizzes, Vocabulary Exercises

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Free interactive Exercises for English Learners,online English grammar Exercises, vocabulary quizzes, tests,English grammar exercises,interactive ESL PowerPoint videos,ESL Videos, for kids, for beginners, intermediate, advanced, elementary levels

# data[].attributes.body
Mingoville is a computer game for ESL students offering 4 different programs (primary school, preschool, fun clock, and storytelling). Each program includes 10 missions with over 130 exercises and games, 10 000 audio files recorded by English and American native speakers, and songs to sing along as well as lesson plans for teachers. All lessons are based on spelling, pronunciation, reading, writing, and listening activities.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
As an award-winning education e-games and apps developer, the company has the winning formula to create fun, innovative and savvy games for kids. Savivo's bestsellers include Mingoville English, Mondiso Math and Fun Clock.

# data[].attributes.headline
Paper on Teaching Task-Based Language Lessons"

# data[].attributes.subject
Paper on Teaching Task-Based Language Lessons"

# data[].attributes.body
Managing effective and stimulating task-based lessons for students of all levels. The author presents a rationale for making occasional use of a task-based approach, then follows with a few examples of effective lessons.

# data[].attributes.body
Article on how to use participate PD to earn the North Carolina's Global Educator Digital Badge.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Use Participate PD to earn the NC Global Educator Digital Badge

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
North Carolina is the first state in the nation to offer a special type of micro-credential to validate teachers' expertise as global educators. If you're an experienced global educator in North Carolina, you may be well on your way to earning this designation!

# data[].attributes.headline
M.A. E-LINGO – Teaching English to Young Learners (Pre-school and Primary School)

# data[].attributes.subject
M.A. E-LINGO – Teaching English to Young Learners (Pre-school and Primary School)

# data[].attributes.body
E-LINGO is a part-time two-year post-graduate blended-learning master´s programme leading to a qualification in the teaching of English to young learners. The E-LINGO master´s award also gives access to degree courses in teacher education and research at university level.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
E-LINGO is a blended-learning master´s programme for the teaching of English to young learners in pre-school and primary school.

# data[].attributes.body
Convert any written text such as MS Word, PDF files, non-DRM eBooks, and webpages into spoken natural sounding speech.

# data[].attributes.body
A collection of general or basic listening quizzes, listening quizzes for academic purposes, 20-minute ESL vocabulary lessons, and language learning and life tips.

# data[].attributes.body
A website full of EFL texts to foster reading skills. Each text is accompanied by an audio file read out by a native speaker, a lesson plan and interactive comprehension questions.Texts and topics vary from pictograms for beginners to Einstein, dogs, Vietnam, Currywurst or the weather.

# data[].attributes.body
11 of Aesop's most popular fables are provided with an audio file read out by a native speaker and a translation of the most difficult words.

# data[].attributes.body
Listen to an excerpt from this classic children’s novel and learn new words, answer comprehension questions, and practice your speaking or writing skills with the exercises provided on this website.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Listen to an excerpt from this classic children's novel. If you enjoy the beginning, you may want to read the whole book. It is short and sweet and contains an important message for children of all ages. If you have a reading group or a learning partner, this is a good book to read together.

The Velveteen Rabbit, or "How Toys Become Real," by Margery Williams.

There was once a velveteen rabbit, and in the beginning he was really splendid. He was fat and bunchy, as a rabbit should be; his coat was spotted brown and white, he had real thread whiskers, and his ears were lined with pink sateen. On Christmas morning, when he sat wedged in the top of the Boy's stocking, with a sprig of holly between his paws, the effect was charming.

There were other things in the stocking, nuts and oranges and a toy engine, and chocolate almonds and a clockwork mouse, but the Rabbit was quite the best of all. For at least two hours the Boy loved him, and then Aunts and Uncles came to dinner, and there was a great rustling of tissue paper and unwrapping of parcels, and in the excitement of looking at all the new presents the Velveteen Rabbit was forgotten.

For a long time he lived in the toy cupboard or on the nursery floor, and no one thought very much about him. He was naturally shy, and being only made of velveteen, some of the more expensive toys quite snubbed him. The mechanical toys were very superior, and looked down upon every one else; they were full of modern ideas, and pretended they were real. The model boat, who had lived through two seasons and lost most of his paint, caught the tone from them and never missed an opportunity of referring to his rigging in technical terms. The Rabbit could not claim to be a model of anything, for he didn't know that real rabbits existed; he thought they were all stuffed with sawdust like himself, and he understood that sawdust was quite out-of-date and should never be mentioned in modern circles. Even Timothy, the jointed wooden lion, who was made by the disabled soldiers, and should have had broader views, put on airs and pretended he was connected with Government. Between them all the poor little Rabbit was made to feel himself very insignificant and commonplace, and the only person who was kind to him at all was the Skin Horse.

The Skin Horse had lived longer in the nursery than any of the others. He was so old that his brown coat was bald in patches and showed the seams underneath, and most of the hairs in his tail had been pulled out to string bead necklaces. He was wise, for he had seen a long succession of mechanical toys arrive to boast and swagger, and by-and-by break their mainsprings and pass away, and he knew that they were only toys, and would never turn into anything else. For nursery magic is very strange and wonderful, and only those playthings that are old and wise and experienced like the Skin Horse understand all about it.

"What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"

WordChecker
splendid (adjective): very nice
bunchy (adjective): sewn together in bunches (material)
wedge (verb): to place tightly between two things
charming (adjective): attractive in appearance and or manner
snub (verb): to look down on someone; to think you are better than another
rustling (noun): a dry crackling sound caused by movement of objects such as paper or leaves
a long succession (noun): a number of similar things or people that follow one another in order

Comprehension Questions
1. Describe the rabbit.
2. When is the story set?
3. Where did the boy find the rabbit?
4. Describe the Skin Horse.
5. What question does the rabbit ask the Skin Horse?

Discuss or Write
1. How do you think the Skin Horse will respond?
2. This story was written in 1922. How have toys changed since this time?
3. Tell your partner or class about a special toy or object you had as a child. Why did it mean so much to you?

Speaking Practice
Improve your pronunciation by practising reading aloud on MyEC. Record this excerpt and upload it to your own page on MyEC. Share your recording in the Audio Speaking Group.

The Velveteen Rabbit (also called How Toys Become Real), written by Margery Williams and illustrated by William Nicholson, was published in 1922.

Voice: Tara Benwell.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Listen to an excerpt from this children's holiday classic.

# data[].attributes.headline
Listen to Metamorphosis/Die Verwandlung by Kafka

# data[].attributes.subject
Listen to Metamorphosis/Die Verwandlung by Kafka

# data[].attributes.body
Listen to an excerpt from this all time classic and learn new words like vermin or domed.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Title: Metamorphosis
Writer: Franz Kafka (Translated by David Wyllie)
Genre: Philosophical Novella

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Metamorphosis (an excerpt)

One morning, when Gregor Samsa woke from troubled dreams, he found himself transformed in his bed into a horrible vermin. He lay on his armour-like back, and if he lifted his head a little he could see his brown belly, slightly domed and divided by arches into stiff sections. The bedding was hardly able to cover it and seemed ready to slide off any moment. His many legs, pitifully thin compared with the size of the rest of him, waved about helplessly as he looked.

"What's happened to me?" he thought. It wasn't a dream. His room, a proper human room although a little too small, lay peacefully between its four familiar walls. A collection of textile samples lay spread out on the table - Samsa was a travelling salesman - and above it there hung a picture that he had recently cut out of an illustrated magazine and housed in a nice, gilded frame. It showed a lady fitted out with a fur hat and fur boa who sat upright, raising a heavy fur muff that covered the whole of her lower arm towards the viewer.

Gregor then turned to look out the window at the dull weather. Drops of rain could be heard hitting the pane, which made him feel quite sad. "How about if I sleep a little bit longer and forget all this nonsense", he thought, but that was something he was unable to do because he was used to sleeping on his right, and in his present state couldn't get into that position. However hard he threw himself onto his right, he always rolled back to where he was. He must have tried it a hundred times, shut his eyes so that he wouldn't have to look at the floundering legs, and only stopped when he began to feel a mild, dull pain there that he had never felt before.

"Oh, God", he thought, "what a strenuous career it is that I've chosen! Travelling day in and day out. Doing business like this takes much more effort than doing your own business at home, and on top of that there's the curse of travelling, worries about making train connections, bad and irregular food, contact with different people all the time so that you can never get to know anyone or become friendly with them. It can all go to Hell!" He felt a slight itch up on his belly; pushed himself slowly up on his back towards the headboard so that he could lift his head better; found where the itch was, and saw that it was covered with lots of little white spots which he didn't know what to make of; and when he tried to feel the place with one of his legs he drew it quickly back because as soon as he touched it he was overcome by a cold shudder.

He slid back into his former position. "Getting up early all the time", he thought, "it makes you stupid. You've got to get enough sleep. Other travelling salesmen live a life of luxury. For instance, whenever I go back to the guest house during the morning to copy out the contract, these gentlemen are always still sitting there eating their breakfasts. I ought to just try that with my boss; I'd get kicked out on the spot. But who knows, maybe that would be the best thing for me. If I didn't have my parents to think about I'd have given in my notice a long time ago, I'd have gone up to the boss and told him just what I think, tell him everything I would, let him know just what I feel. He'd fall right off his desk! And it's a funny sort of business to be sitting up there at your desk, talking down at your subordinates from up there, especially when you have to go right up close because the boss is hard of hearing. Well, there's still some hope; once I've got the money together to pay off my parents' debt to him - another five or six years I suppose - that's definitely what I'll do. That's when I'll make the big change. First of all though, I've got to get up, my train leaves at five."

WordChecker
vermin (noun): small insect or animal that is very annoying to humans
domed (adjective): shaped like a dome (roof with a round structure)
pitifully (adverb): poorly
textile (noun): a type of fabric
gilded (adjective): gold or gold-like finish on a surface
flounder (verb): to move about wildly
subordinate (adjective): secondary; in a lower class

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
An excerpt from Part I of Franz Kafka's novella "Metamorphosis".

# data[].attributes.body
Either do the three-part tutorial or pick specific gap-filling exercises to work on your grammar skills.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Learning when to use gerunds (speaking) and when to use infinitives (to speak) can be one of the most challenging parts of learning English. For this reason, Englishpage.com has created the Internet's most in-depth tutorial including 30 exercises as well as gerunds and infinitives reference lists to help you go from beginner to pro. Just scroll down to begin!

Basic Gerunds and Infinitives

Part 1 of the Gerunds and Infinitives Tutorial explains what gerunds and infinitives are and how to begin using them in everyday English. Complete exercises 1-10 below to practice what you have learned in Part 1 before moving on to Part 2.

Intermediate Gerunds and Infinitives

Part 2 of the Gerunds and Infinitives Tutorial discusses how to control gerunds and infinitives and how to use them more like native English speakers. Complete exercises 11-20 to see if you understand what you've learned in Parts 1 and 2. Then continue to our advanced tips in Part 3.

Advanced Gerunds and Infinitives

Part 3 of the Gerunds and Infinitives Tutorial covers exceptions and advanced gerunds and infinitives usage. This section is for the pros who want to speak English just like a native speaker. Can you pass our gerunds and infinitives final test?

Gerund and Infinitive Reference Lists

Here is a collection of all the reference lists used in this tutorial for quick access.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Learn English gerunds and infinitives easily with our in-depth tutorial which includes a list of 20 usage tips, every reference list you need, and 30 gerunds and infinitives exercises to practice what you learn.

# data[].attributes.headline
Big City Small World - British Council Audio Fiction Series 

# data[].attributes.subject
Big City Small World - British Council Audio Fiction Series 

# data[].attributes.body
Listen to the audio fiction series (B1) about a group of young people from around the world who are living in London. Each episode includes a preparation task, the audio file plus the transcript, as well as 4 or 5 exercises.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
LIsten to our audio fiction series to improve your level of English.

# data[].attributes.headline
Rules for Verbs Followed by Infinitives or Gerunds

# data[].attributes.subject
Rules for Verbs Followed by Infinitives or Gerunds

# data[].attributes.body
This video explains the most important rules on what verbs are followed by an infinitive or a gerund and offers a link with further exercises to practice.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The ESL 60m Hurdle   Verbs Followed by Infinitives and Gerunds

# data[].attributes.body
Verbling is an online platform where language learners can take lessons with professional teachers. The lessons take place over video chat, so people can learn wherever they may find themselves. Adding to convenience, the language teachers are available 24/7, covering all timezones globally.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Language lessons with native 5-star teachers over video chat. Anytime, anywhere.

# data[].attributes.headline
Language Learning Magazines and Resources for Teens

# data[].attributes.subject
Language Learning Magazines and Resources for Teens

# data[].attributes.body
Read authentic English language materials, written for English and English-learning teenagers.  All articles can be read on different levels. Additional activities and oral files are available as well.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Welcome to Mary Glasgow Magazines - Mary Glasgow Magazines

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Search and download thousands of ELT resources for secondary and primary students, in audio or PDF format. Download 5 FREE resources before you subscribe.

# data[].attributes.headline
IDEA International Dialects of English Archive

# data[].attributes.subject
IDEA International Dialects of English Archive

# data[].attributes.body
Go ahead and compare New Mexico and New Zealand. Or India and Indiana.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
IDEA: International Dialects of English Archive

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Welcome to IDEA. The International Dialects of English Archive was created in 1998 as the internet's first archive of primary-source recordings of English-language dialects and accents as heard around the world. With more than 1,600 samples from 135 countries and territories, and more than 170 hours of recordings, IDEA is now the largest archive of its kind.

# data[].attributes.body
Everything you need to know about English grammar: explanations, lessons, rules, and quizzes for word-level and sentence-level grammar.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Grammar is your #1 FRIEND. Easy, step-by-step RULES & TIPS to improve your grammar FAST. In simple English with TESTS and example sentences.

# data[].attributes.body
Complex grammar explanations, exercises and FAQs at Community College Level.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Dedicated to the memory of Dr. Charles Darling.

Word & Sentence Level

Paragraph Level

Essay & Research Paper Level

Ask Grammar, Quizzes, Search Devices

Peripherals & PowerPoints

GrammarPoll, Guestbook, Awards

Text-only version of this page

The Guide to Grammar and Writing is sponsored by the Capital Community College Foundation, a nonprofit 501 c-3 organization that supports scholarships, faculty development, and curriculum innovation. If you feel we have provided something of value and wish to show your appreciation, you can assist the College and its students with a tax-deductible contribution.

For more about giving to Capital, write to CCC Foundation, 950 Main Street, Hartford, CT 06103. Phone (860) 906-5102 or email: jmcnamara@ccc.commnet.edu Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

These pages were designed with Cascading Style Sheets and will work best with recent versions of Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator (6.0+). Navigator 4.7 may cause portions of the text to overlap on some pages. Unless otherwise indicated, all written material on this Web site is the property of Professor Charles Darling and the Capital Community College Foundation and is published here for free use by the college's students and staff and for the general online community. This Guide may not be reproduced wholly or in part, by any means whatsoever, including mirroring on other Web servers, without prior written consent of the author. Printing out sections for a student's personal reference or class practice is permitted as long as the source is indicated. Linking to this site is encouraged; ca-webmaster@ccc.commnet.edu notifying us is appreciated. Copyright 2004; Hartford, Connecticut.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Guide to Grammar and Writing contains scores of digital handouts on grammar and English usage, over 170 computer-graded quizzes, recommendations on writing -- from basic problems in subject-verb agreement and the use of articles to exercises in parallel structures and help with argumentative essays, and a way to submit questions about grammar and writing.

# data[].attributes.body
Interactive grammar exercises and worksheets sorted by topics.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Learn English with our Free Online Grammar Exercises, Reference

# data[].attributes.body
A multiplayer word association and vocabulary network game.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Human Brain Cloud. A massively multiplayer word association game.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
I first launched Human Brain Cloud sometime back in 2007, but it quickly grew too big and unwieldy and destroyed any server that tried to host it. So I pulled it offline to focus on other projects.

# data[].attributes.body
Each topic contains interactive matching exercises, gap-filling activities, and dictation tasks.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Aims to help students and children to memorize English vocabulary in an easy and efficient way by using images, pronunciation and games. Free and Fun!