What’s special about this course is that you’ll receive personalized feedback on your own presentation, while learning how to present in English. Here’s a quick overview of the course:

There are eight lessons in this course which you can study at any time for your convenience.

• Presentation Design
• Presentation Structure
• The Language of Presentations
• Slide Content and Design
• Language Delivery
• Psychological Aspects
• Body Language
• Your Presentation

During this course you will not only learn to present effectively in English, you will also develop or refine your own presentation with the help of your tutor. Both assessments and presentations you upload are corrected by your online tutor so that you can become confident making your own unique presentation. Tutors will leave detailed feedback on each section of your presentation including information on your slides, your presentation text and on recordings you make presenting each slide.

We are working together with SpokenSkills to deliver a course which combines convenient online learning, and personalized feedback on presentations you are working on and need to present. You’ll get the theory, develop your presentation structure and learn specific English for making a presentation AND you’ll be able to put it into practice and receive feedback on your own presentation.

If you are interested please contact me using the comment form below or by sending an e-mail to kenbeare at gmail dot com

Used under Creative Commons license by Aturkus

Telling a fish story means to exaggerate what you have done. Someone who claims they’ve done something fantastic is often telling a fish story. Here are a few examples:

John said he drove his car at 160 MPH. I’m sure he’s telling a fish story.
Did you hear the fish story she told at the party? She claims her husband makes $300,000 a year as an English teacher! HAH!

I’d like to take a look at Google+ from the potential in the English language learning field – no surprise there. Looking at it from this point of view, there are some things I really like and have great potential in my opinion. Of course, I don’t think it can touch dedicated English language learning social networks, more specifically my favorite EnglishCafe (full disclosure: I consult for GlobalEnglish working on EnglishCafe).

Yes, it’s yet another social network that requires attention, but I think there are some key differences. Actually, one key difference: Circles. Circles allow you to put people you follow into different groups so it’s much easier to keep track of specific groups based on your interests.
When I want to check out what English teaching colleagues are saying, I click on that circle in my profile which shows me only the conversations going on amongst those colleagues I follow for this circle. If I want to see what my colleagues at About.com are up to, I click on that circle and so on. Google+ users can create their own circles, and that’s where the potential really lies for language learning.

Teachers could create a circle for their class and keeping track of the online discussion is easy. There’s no need to fish through all your friends on Facebook (yes, I know you can create groups on Facebook, but this is much more intuitive). This ability to track specific learning groups in circles can easily lead to classes or English learning groups being created by innovative teachers for more engaging conversations occurring within these smaller groups.

Up till now, Google+ has been used mostly by geeks, but it looks like there is quite a lot of uptake. I’d like to invite you to follow me on Google+. Once you have a Google+ account, you can add me by searching on my name “Kenneth Beare”. You’ll see the following pop up:

The biggest problem is that there are so many social media groups / feeds / etc. / etc. to follow that it’s becoming rather unwieldy. Who has that amount of time? Still, the innovation of circles holds a lot of promise to English language learning groups who want to use one of the major social networking sites without going to a more specialized English language learning social network such as EnglishCafe or English, Baby!

I’ve tried your programme with my university and private students. All my students liked it, especially the dialogue in the pizzeria (I don’t know why, I guess it seems more useful for them).

They noticed that it works even if they make spelling mistakes, which is great because a lot of programmes don’t accept wrong spelling. And that IS often a problem for our students.
I have some very shy students who find it difficult to talk to real people, even if they are their groupmates. Such products can help them feel more relaxed.

We’d love to get your feedback as well. Here’s a short survey to report back on your class’ experience using the apps. You can also use this printable pizzeria demo lesson in your class as a way to include the app in a larger lesson structure.

We appreciate any feedback you provide!

Here’s on overview of how this feat is achieved:

What I like most about Membean is its contextual approach to learning new vocabulary, including multiple intelligences. Images introduce each new word providing visual hooks, listening examples in context let you use your musical intelligence. Videos with contextual usage are provided, and there are also handy memory hooks, and much, much more.

At first glance, it might all seem overwhelming – but if you let your eye wander over the page, play around, etc. you’ll find you’re learning new vocabulary in no time. It’s all about the context. Congrats to Membean – and I’m going to make sure my daughter gives this a try. After all, the SATs are only a few years away … (my poor kid!)

Here are some example pages to check out if you are interested:

Plethora
Virtuoso
Sagacious

If those six year olds are anything like my own, what they’re doing with their cellphones is playing games and watching television shows like Phineas and Ferb on Netflix.  And while older students are more interested in the interactive side of these handheld devices, with 68% claiming a desire to use their minicomputers to conduct research, reading and watching still ranked on the list of desires and uses.

ESL apps for computer devices should keep the desires of the students in mind and turn this to their advantage.  Turning lesson plans into games, providing visually compelling and fluid interactions, or just being entertaining or addictive while still staying true to the pedagogical mission should be the aim of any App developer.  That’s what ESLai has done.  Modeling the interaction on Eliza and newer chatbots, ESLai provides simulations of conversations that tempt the participant to be playful, perhaps testing the limits of the program as you play the game.  After all, the big appeal of chatbots is that they give the user the chance to run his own Turing test on the program.  How quickly can you find a way to be sure that there is nobody home?

Friend: Hey there. This is Sasha.  I’ m glad you’ re home. How are you?

You said: You have a lot of nerve asking me how I am after how you broke my heart.

Friend: It’ s such a beautiful summer day.  I’ m calling to see if you would you like to go on a picnic with me today?

You said: You think you can just call me up and start over?

Friend: To start Story again, type: RESET

You said: Sasha, are you there?

Friend: Great, I’ m so happy to hear that.  Would you prefer to go to the beach or the mountains?

You said: I don’ t care. Where do you want to go?  I must see you.

Friend: Let’ s go the beach.  We can build sandcastles. I have an umbrella, towels and a beach blanket. Do you think we should take chairs to sit on?

You said: I can’ t stop thinking about you. Towels are good, but on a chair would be fun too.

Friend: I think it should be comfortable on the ground. What about music. Would you like for me to take some music for us to listen to?

You said: I always like listening to themes from Cartoon shows like Popeye and Bugs Bunny when we’ re together.  They put me in the mood.

Friend: This will be fun. For our picnic lunch, I will make sandwiches.  I have cheese, chicken and ham in the refrigerator. What would you like on your sandwich?

You said: You know I’m a vegan, Sasha.  Why do you torment me?

Friend: I think I can manage that. Would you also like some apples, carrots or mango to snack on?

You said: Don’t toy with me.

Friend: Okay, I think I’ ll bring a bit of each. I also have tea and fruit juice. Which do you think would be best to take with us?

You said: Fruit juice.

Friend: Great, I’ ll bring the juice. Okay?

You said: Tea.

Friend: What a great way to spend the day.  I think we are set. We have a blanket, sandwiches, snacks, juice. I’ ll bring a few slices of cake as well. This will be great fun. I’ ll pick you up in half an hour, Bye.

You said:  I can’t wait to eat your cake.  Bye.

On that note, one of the points that comes up in looking at how to apply this new technology for English conversation practice is the question whether this is just a chat bot or not. I’d say no, and here is why: Chat bots meander, this AI app directs conversation. Here’s what I mean:

Here’s a conversation I just had with a chat bot. This bot is used on a popular English learning site to practice English conversation:

This is a standard conversation with a chat bot. It goes all over the place. There is no purpose. ESLai differs in that it’s directional – in other words there is a goal to the conversation. Here’s a transcript from a chat focusing on ordering a pizza:

Hi, welcome to Pizza Palace. My name is Carol. How are you today?

do you have burgers

Sorry, we only serve pizza. There’s a burger place next door and a Mexican restaurant down the street. But, our pizza is really good and worth trying. Have you eaten here before?

no is it good

Thanks for coming in. I think you will love our pizza. Would you like to see a menu?

Sure

Great, here is our Pizza menu. Which pizza would you like to order?

what do you think is best

Sometimes it’s hard to decide. I would suggest the basic cheese, you can’t go wrong with that classic selection. Would you like a small, medium or large pizza?

how big is a small

A small is for 1 to 2 people, a medium feeds 2 to 3 people and a large will take care of 3 to 4 people. Would you like a thin crust or thick crust on that pizza?

a very thin crust

Okay, a thin crust pizza it is. Your pizza comes with the choice of a green salad or breadsticks. Which would you prefer?

can i have both

Sorry, we can only do one or the other with your pizza order. Now, here’s the drink menu. What would you like to drink with your meal?

a white wine

I have to ask if you are over 21 in order to have wine?

no i am 18

Sorry, I can’t serve you alcohol. I’ll bring you a glass of water and your pizza. Enjoy your meal here at the Pizza Palace.

a cola please

Notice how this has a beginning, middle and end. The questions and answers are topic specific and achieve linguistic aims: ordering a size, crust type, asking for clarification, etc. The conversation can evolve organically, but there is movement towards a goal – ordering a pizza. Here’s another chat on the same subject. I love the difference in how ESLai responds to the alcohol question:

Hello

Hi, welcome to Pizza Palace. My name is Carol. How are you today?

Hi.Oh, thanks . I’m fine.

]]> http://www.englishfeed.com/?feed=rss2&p=144 0 http://www.englishfeed.com/?p=134 http://www.englishfeed.com/?p=134#comments Thu, 17 Mar 2011 16:43:01 +0000 delmon http://www.englishfeed.com/?p=134 My latest project has just begun and I’m excited by the prospects. The project focuses on providing conversation practice on very specific topics via AI (artificial intelligence). Think of it this way: imagine you are having an SMS chat with a buddy. Depending on the subject things can branch off in all sorts of directions, but generally you’ll probably focus on one task. For instance, let’s say you want to meet up for coffee. You’d have a chat about where to go, what time to meet, etc. Got it? Now imagine English students doing the same thing on their phone to work on specific conversational targets: Ordering in a restaurant, asking for clarification on a given topic, etc. That’s what ESLai does.

Chat bots have always held out promise for practicing conversation, but they’ve also been rather vague and conversation tends to not be too focused. Also, you need to get online to use these chat bots. Now, using ESL.ai, English learners can use the one tool they can’t live without: their mobile / smart phones.

Here’s a possible scenario: Take a standard lesson,  place a QR code into the materials. Students scan the QR code with their mobile phone  - it doesn’t matter which type because the software adapts automatically to the phone in question. Next, students practice conversing. Not general or generic conversation, but topic specific conversation to practice the skills presented in the lesson. Even better, students can use this as homework out and about,  repeating and having a different conversation each time as the AI adapts to responses. This isn’t your standard role-play…

To get an idea, check out one of the demos either on ordering a pizza, or planning a picnic. As you go through you’ll notice the conversation wander depending on your response, but you’ll also notice that the conversation moves forward to reach it’s final destination of ordering a pizza or making plans for a picnic. That’s how conversations normally evolve.

I think the element of controlled conversation is the most interesting and useful aspect of this new project. It boils down to English conversation practice via mobile that  works on specific functional goals, but also provides a natural ebb and flow in getting there. Of course, it’s not the same as speaking to your buddy, but it will give English learners a chance to test drive their newly found language function chops, as well as engage English learners on their favorite toy: their mobile phone.

If you’d like to take a look at a mock-up lesson from a standard text-book that provides access to the practice in the context of a lesson, you can take a look at and download this PDF of a beginning level lesson on Ordering Food in a Restaurant complete with practice activities, role-play and target grammar review. Feel free to print it out and use in class, and if you do, I’d appreciate an e-mail to let me know how things went and what your students think of the app. Don’t worry too much about students having their mobile phones on in-class (pssst: they already do!)

Back in ancient times of smart / mobile phones (2004), I was part of a start-up called GoTestGo. The purpose of GoTestGo was to bring test preparation to mobile phones. The idea was intriguing: Create portable learning applications that English learners (or other subject learners) could use on the go, waiting on the bus, standing in line, etc. to improve their language skills. Unfortunately, there were many challenges to be dealt with including:

• Each phone accessed a different programming library if you wanted to include anything beyond text. In other words, if you wanted to create an application that looked ‘modern’, you had to program for literally hundreds of devices.
• iTunes didn’t exist. It was necessary to develop third party relationships to get on to ‘wap’ decks, or into mobile phone application stores.
• Because you had to develop third party relationships, revenue share was extremely thin. 50% went to the carriers or telecoms, 50% of that went to the third party with whom you developed a relationship. In other words, at a price of $3.99 the company received aproximately 25% – $1. Think of the scale needed to gain success in the market.
• Worst of all, users didn’t bite. Well, let’s say they nibbled.

The main difficulty was the last. There are some embarrassing stories to tell, but I won’t go into that. After banging the head against the wall in this and other startups, I’ve learned that it’s best to develop a MVP (minimum viable product) and see if there is any demand. If there is, it’s time to press the accelerator. Thanks to Portland Ten for instructing me on this technique.

Now, it’s modern times. People love their iPhones and Android devices AND their apps. The question is: Will English learners really use these devices to improve their English? I think the answer is yes, but I do think that many language learning app providers aren’t going about it in the right way. A lot of what I see looks like standard grammar book or other reference materials ported to the iPhone. There are some interesting flashcard apps as well. But, really, flashcards? I guess it makes sense and fits the form factor, and I’m sure it’s useful. However, I’m not sure it really helps to use English communicatively. That’s the holy grail in terms of these apps. How can the device be used to help users to improve their communication skills?

Admittedly, I may be missing the point here. Living in Portland there’s a thriving ecosystem of app shops and other startups jockeying for position, so I’m hearing lots of buzz which reflect what our overlord Google has to say. According to Google, mobile is all about:

A. “Repetitive now”
B. “Bored now”
C. “Urgent now”

What sort of category would English language learning (or language learning in general) fit into? My guess is that there could be apps for language learning in all three categories. Repetitive now fits flashcard apps and what I like to call ‘grammar banging’ really well. Short questions, banging stuff in, test prep, that sort of thing. Bored now – that’s harder. It seems like bored now = entertainment of some sort. Is learning English entertaining? Sure, it can be entertaining, but is the end-user going to think along those lines? Urgent now – I think Google is already beating other language learners into this space with its translation tools for those on the road.

Still, not a lot of communication going on there… hmm maybe using a smart phone to help improve communication skills makes no sense. But… aren’t mobile phones used for communicative purposes? Tough nut to crack, this one. Theory and real-world user case scenarios seems to be pointing in one direction, but in terms of English learning I’m not convinced what would work, would work in terms of creating any real perceived need to pick up that smart phone and use it to learn English …

My guess is that the best category is ‘repetitive now’ and that any English learning app should be leveraging the inherent platform, rather than just porting over rote learning. In other words, kinetic actions (drag and drop comes to mind) that take advantage of swiping, reminders pushed from an app that now it’s time to do XYZ, interactions with the real-world using the camera to initiate some sort of learning. People are purchasing apps, so there is plenty of opportunity – I’m guessing. It’s just a shame that the development I’ve seen so far just looks like web pages ported into an app. But then again, that’s exactly the mistake I made the first time round years ago with GoTestGo…