Release Students' Creativity with Pixton

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 Hello! Technology use is spreading like wildfire in today's world. Even young learners deal with computers or cell phones better than we can. For these students, simply writing topics on the board is not enough. They need teachers applying innovative activities in the classroom. Under these circumstances, today I will inform you about one of the web-based tool, Pixton which my friends Seçil and Yağmur gave a presentation about.
  Pixton is a tool which enables you create comics or characters by adding speech bubbles, props and backgrounds. This website offers you three options to work with: for personal use, Pixton for fun, for teacher & student use in the class, Pixton for school and for other all uses which require payment, Pixton for business.

  Once you choose your using option, you can sign up or log in with your facebook or google+ account.

  Then, in order to create comics click on my comics tab from main menu and decide whether you will create a comic or a character. ( I chose to create a comic to show you) As you can see, you have many options about choosing a layout, again. I will create a comic strip.

 Firstly you should add a character into your comic. You can make your own character, choose among community which includes comics other people created or add preset characters. But, the last one requires payment.
  I recommend you to create your own character to explore this tool in details and make your comic special. Here, everything you need is divided into tabs: you can edit expression, looks, proportions or color of your character easily. By dragging or clicking on the part you want to move, you can change the position of the head, body, hands etc. By clicking and hold, you can also change hair style, costumes, shoes and add some accessories. Do not forget to give a name to your character!

 You can add speech bubbles, write your message here and add props, insert background where your comic takes place, or upload an image (for this, you should pay). Insert a panel whenever you need and finally write a title to your comic and save it. Downloading and printing are reserved for only paying members. So, you should pay for it.

  As for Pixton for schools, it enables students share their comic strips on Edmodo. For example, they can turn in their assignments from here and teachers can grade it and also comment on it. By the way I should say that it is more suitable for adults since young learners will probably be confused while trying to create a comic.

How this tool can be used in language teaching?

• You can create a comic that includes full of grammatical errors and ask your students to correct them.
• Students can create comics about the places they have been to so far or want to visit. 
• Students can create a comic based on the theme of the book they've read or of the movie they've watched most recently.
• After covering a health unit, you can assign them to create a comic about healthy foods and some tips for a healthy life. 
• They can create comics about their dreams, future plans or barely about themselves (their hobbies, personal characteristics etc.)
• Once you teach a specific grammar topic ( i.e. modals) or vocabularies, you can ask them to create a comic using modals or that vocabularies etc.

  Pixton shows them a totally new way to tell stories, practice their writing or grammatical skills, express their opinions and work collaboratively. I think, after experience this tool, they will participate English lessons more eagerly and effectively. Enhance your students' creativity and your lessons' quality with Pixton. I embedded an example below. See you!

The Final Piece of The ELT Puzzle: Tools

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  Hello everyone! Long time no see, however; I returned here with great tools which you can integrate your lessons. Today, I will introduce you one of them, Microsoft Office Publisher, which my classmate Hatice and I presented in the class.
  Microsoft Office Publisher is a  tool which enables its users create numerous publications by means of templates. From brochures to newsletters, you can enhance your creativity by preparing many simple yet useful projects. Then, let's explore the tool in details: Firstly, when you open Publisher, it offers a menu with many templates: calendars, greeting cards, flyers so and so forth.

  After selecting your template, you can decide among many options according to your task. If you want specific colors or text font, you can change them on menu which is at the right side. Once you have finished this part, click on create.

  On this page, everything is divided into tabs which make easier for you to find what you are looking for. Home menu enables you change the font, font size, text color. You can make selected text bold or you can italicize or underline it. You can also align text to center, left, right or both left and right margins.

  From insert menu, users can give a magic touch to their publication. It allows you insert images, clip arts, tables, ready-made shapes, decorative texts, current date & time, text boxes and so on. 

  Page Design tab give a chance to change your template completely without loosing your existing content or your publication's color or font.

  What I see as a great feature is mailings tab that lets you share your publication at once with your friends or colleagues. Create a recipient list or use existing one if you have, then just click on send without any problem.

  When you click on one particular image or text box, there will be appeared new tabs like drawing tools, picture tools or text box tools at the top. These all have simple touches that make your publication more splendid and different. Finally, you can print your product or send as PDF or XPS from the file tab easily.

  When it comes to products we prepared with this tool, we created lots of publications. I attached some of them below.

How this tool can be used in language teaching?

• Students can be given a task which includes creating a brochure about their city. They will add photos, clip arts etc. and write a short introduction to the city and the most important places (2 or 3) to visit in the city.
• Students can create a friendship greeting card. They will add photos with their best friend. Then, they will write the meaning of true friendship in briefly. They will publish it and give their best friend.
• Students can be asked for creating a mother's day/father's day greeting card. They will write their message and insert photos with their mother/father.
• Students can prepare a short restaurant menu. Then, they will choose food they want to cook and show how to prepare it in a video as a demonstration process in the target language. Thus, they will reinforce their knowledge about words like foods, desserts, prices or they will learn new words including vegetables, fruit etc. As a teacher, you can easily evaluate their pronunciation in the target language.
• Students can also prepare a flyer. They will watch a movie or go to the theater and add photos of the movie/theater and write stars, plot, genre etc. in briefly.
• As a teacher, you can create reminders with greeting cards. You will write weekly or monthly homework & assignments lest students make excuses like "I did not know the homework", "I was absent on that day". Then, publish it and hang it on the wall of the classroom.
• Additionally, as a teacher you can prepare a classroom newsletter so that parents will be informed about what their children do in class. Thanks to newsletters, parents and teachers can contact easily and this cooperation will affect students' performances or behaviors positively.

  All in all, Microsoft Office Publisher is really easy to use and prepare useful and enjoyable products for both students and teachers. It has many affordances which provide opportunity for student - centered lessons. On the one hand, students will learn grammar topics, vocabularies or general knowledge & cultural things; on the other hand, they will participate activities effectively and enjoy. While nearly everyone have an easy access to this program, why not try it? It's worth to give a chance, believe me.

 Do you think how this tool can be integrated to ELT over and above my suggestions? Are you using tools for improving your lessons, and if so, what are they? Please leave a comment below. See you!