5 Using ICT in MFL – social media in the classroom

The National Curriculum’s MFL Level 2 attainment target expects pupils to ‘show that they understand short phrases presented in a familiar context. They match sound to print by reading aloud single familiar words and phrases. They use books or glossaries to find out the meanings of new words’. The word ‘computers’ may be subtituted for ‘books’.

Here Lisa Stevens talks about her use of MFL [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] in the Primary classroom. Her pupils then talk about their use of VoiceThread.

Reflection

  • How might these exemplars – especially the use of VoiceThread – fit with your teaching of MFL in the Primary classroom?
  • How would you adapt these exemplars for your classroom?
  • How could you personalise the resource for different levels of learners? Could you devise strategies to use the resource in different ways, as Lisa has done here, by pre-recording a welcome and instructions for her learners?
  • What elements of these resources/ activities could you use ‘live’ in the classroom and which elements could be put on a VLE or used by the learners at a later stage?
  • How would you blend ICT with face to face teaching and learning?
  • What cross-curricular elements could you include?

MFL and ICT at KS2: e-twinning

Lisa Stevens’ slidecast on e-twinning contains embedded level descriptors with concrete examples and photos. Another slidecast deals with a range of ICT uses in the language classroom.

Reflection

  • How would you go about establishing an e-twin for your school?
  • Are there any barriers to you establishing this in your school?
  • How are you going to manage the project?
  • What time will you have to establish this activity?

Other MFL/ICT KS2 resources

Background reading/video material

Link to non-statutory MFL in the NC:

http://curriculum.qcda.gov.uk/key-stages-1-and-2/subjects/mfl/

Websites of MFL practitioners who use ICT

The websites below all have excellent examples of the use of ICT to teach MFL. They have been chosen because they are gateway sites to dozens more resources; a wider MFL teaching community and even more exemplars of practice; and they are all regularly updated.

Lisa Stevens: http://lisibo.co.uk/, a blog that points to thousands of MFL activities/resources using ICT with the focus on the Primary KS1/2 classroom.

Joe Dale: http://joedale.typepad.com/, probably the most comprehensive website about the integration of ICT into the MFL classroom. It has literally hundreds of resources and classroom exemplars/videos all free to download and explore.

José Picardo talking about the use of social media in MFL. Some of these are KS3 examples but could easily be adapted for KS2.

http://www.ustream.tv/ recorded/ 8187614

The resources he mentions are listed here:

http://nhsmfl.wikispaces.com/Videos

Again José also has an excellent MFL website outlining yet more resources. Although for KS3, it is still a wonderful showcase of exemplar material that may also be used with upper KS2.

eTwinning is the online community for schools in Europe. Teachers from all participating countries can register and use the e-Twinning online tools to find each other, meet virtually, exchange ideas and practice examples, team up in groups, learn together in learning events, and engage in online-based projects.

Schools from at least two different European countries create a project and use ICT to carry out their work. As schools communicate and collaborate via the internet, there are no grants or administrative conditions connected to the scheme and face-to-face meetings are not required.

4 Using games-based learning in schools

References