WhatsUp Project

What is the WhatsUP Project?

It's a free national project run by the Ministry of Education for JH & HS English teachers. In this project teachers receive texts with questions and enrichment materials via WhatsApp for their students. The students read the texts on their mobile, answer questions and get immediate feedback. Here is a video explaining about it.

The WhatsUp Project was presented in the Biennale 2022, June 1st. See this short presentation for the Biennale.

We can use technology everywhere and anytime: technology is ubiquitous, touching almost every part of our lives. Effective technology integration is achieved when the use of technology supports curricular goals. Or, in other words when we ask and get a clear answer to the question:" What's the added value of technology? What do we achieve with the help of technology that without it we would not have been able to achieve?"  This is where the WhatsUp project hits the spot!

What is the WhatsUp project?

Sample of one of the texts

                                                                          

In this project I send teachers frequently a short reading text using WhatsApp on a variety of topics of interest to students in the 7-12 grades. Teachers then forward the WhatsApp message to their students in their own WhatsApp groups. As the project progressed, the reading texts are also accompanied with questions that the students can answer and get immediate feedback and an online vocabulary excercice , here is an example.

The Rationale:
Students are glued to their phones, especially to WhatsApp most of their waking day. Why not take advantage of this application in order to provide an opportunity for them to read about interesting topics in English? The idea behind this project was to encourage students to read more outside of the classroom. As the main goal was to encourage students to read on their own, I translate difficult words in the texts into Hebrew and Arabic so that when students read they find it easier to cope. In addition, much attention has been paid to making sure that the texts are suitable for the different sectors in the Israeli society.

How to Join?

Israeli JHS and HS teachers who have WhatsApp groups with their students are invited to join the project. In order for you to get the WhatsApp messages, please send me a WhatsApp message with your full name and the name of your school to 052-4779394 Sigalit and please fill out your details in this form. 

Application in the classroom:

The short reading texts can be a basis for:

• a lesson starter
• a short class discussion
• a writing assignment
• a full lesson if teachers add more activities
• an incentive for students to get some bonus points - students who read the text can get some extra bonus points if they prove they read it and can answer the teachers' questions about it.

Sharing ideas with other teachers:
All the texts that had been posted are on this Facebook page and on the English Portal. On Facebook, teachers can share ideas, send feedback and upload additional materials which they developed - all this can be done under the relevant text on Facebook.

Additional ideas on how to use WhatsApp in the classroom:

Teachers can take a picture of the board and post it in the group for absent students or LD students who find it hard to copy from the board.

WhatsApp is also very useful for using with the flipped classroom approach. Send a text for your students to learn on WhatsApp. Add translation of difficult words. You can also record the text. Students read and listen to the text at home.

If you would like to ask a question or comment, please email me at sigardit@gmail.com

BYOD Project - Through the Eye of the Camera

As part of my job as a National Counselor of English responsible for ICT and Curriculum Integration, I initiated a project in the Haifa District together with Amalia Na'ma, Inspector for English Language Education in the Haifa Region. The project was done in conjunction with the Haifa district. It invovled 6th graders and was inspired by the Haifa District online project למידה בראי המצלמה  led by Dr. Idit Avni, the person in charge in the district for integrating technology in the curriculum. 

Procedure:

Both Amalia Na'ma and I wrote the project together. Then Amalia chose ten schools from the Arab, Druze and Jewish sectors whose teachers feel comfortable with technology. Each school then was sent the instructions for the project. The regional counselors later helped the teachers in the field to materialize the project.

Description of the project:

BYOD Project in Haifa District

Students use their cellphones to take pictures of interesting places/people/or topics and write about it in their slide in Google Slides. Teachers also could use any Web 2.0 tools they thought was suitable.

Links to products of schools:

• Omar Ben Alkhattab School- Baqa - this school also used the online tool ThingLink to add another layer of information to their project.
• Tali Alona School

I'd be happy to get your comments about other projects you have done. Please write in the comments section below.

The Use of Instagram in Education

What is Instagram?
Instagram is a social network made for sharing photos and videos from a smartphone and commenting on them. There is no limit on the length of the comment. Do any of you use Instagram in the classroom?

We are always thinking of creative ideas how to encourage students to write. We can encourage students to write by using Instagram. Many of our students who are over 13 years old already use Instagram. Why not ask them to take a picture of their Purim costume, post on Instagram with the hashtag ‪#‎EnglishPurim16‬ (or any other hashtag that you decide) and write why they chose their costume, how they made it, how much it cost, etc.

Students will use their Instagram account to post Purim pictures anyhow...

How to Use It
1. I suggest you create a new Instagram account that is used exclusively for education purposes. The username that you choose should be professional and simple. A handle like @MsDanaCohenYud1 communicates the educational nature of the page. Ask your students to follow your account.

2. I also recommend that you keep your page public so that users and non-users of Instagram can access it from a mobile device or PC.

3. It's also a good idea to post a few interesting pictures for your students to view and read and comment from time to time...

4. Choose a hashtag # that identifies messages on a specific topic.

Application in the classroom:

• We often look for authentic ideas to teach English. What can be more authentic than sending pictures of things we like for example things we did on our holiday, our hobbies, a book we read etc...
• Students can send pictures and videos to a student who has been absent for a long time.
• Teachers can send pictures of interesting sayings and quotes on Instagram and ask students to express their opinions on them. See this one.
• Teachers can send items of grammar as explanation for example this one.
• Teachers can post a picture with a clue to a topic that will be discussed in the next lesson and students have to guess. This one for example.

These activities can be done when students are not in class. What is the incentive for students to participate? Students that participate can get a small prize, bonus points, a certificate or breakfast with the teacher/principal ( in my school, once a month, the principal eats breakfast with students that earned it).
Some good ideas on how to use Instagram in class are on this site.

Do you use Instagram with your students? If you do, please share in the comments section below. :)

Create Collaborative Quizzes - Triventy

Triventy is a great tool that can help teachers create collaborative online games just like Kahoot.

In order to write questions, teachers need to register. However, students who play the games don't need to register. They only need to access triv.in on their cellphones or computers. Then enter the code of the game and play (just like it's on Kahoot).

The advantage Triventy has over Kahoot is that teachers don't need to bring a laptop to their classroom as the game can be played from a cell phone. Also, there is an option in the game to collaborate and write questions together. Click here to collaborate and create a Purim Quiz together and see what we can come up with.

This is a tutorial how to use Triventy 

Application in the classroom:

This tool is great for alternative assessment and review of material previously taught. Teachers from the same school or from different schools can collaborate to create a quizzes together. Even better, students can create a quiz and then play it in class.

Voice Typing

The users of Google Drive can use voice typing. This is a great help for LD students who find writing difficult. This only works in Chrome but it also works on most smartphones.

Watch this useful guide

Make sure that under File -- the language chosen is English. Short written instructions are here.
I have used voice typing and it works very well, my students really like using it.

Application in the classroom:

LD students and especially 07 students can use this tool to write projects and submit written assignments at home. They can also use it during class on their smartphones.

Video Resources for ELL Classrooms

The following article was written by Larry Ferlazzo and it contains a good resource of ideas how to use videos in the classroom.

5-Minute Film Festival: 8 Videos for ELL Classrooms

Can you recommend other good sites of videos? Please add your comments below.

Class Tools - Create Vocabulary Games

Arcade Game generator in ClassTools enables you to input one set of questions and answers, and create a whole batch of interactive, arcade-style games.

This is an example of a vocabulary game that can be created. Once you create your game you get a link and a QR code so you can share easily.














Application in the classroom:

This tool can be used to create vocabulary games and review material taught in a game form. It's fun and enjoyable. Also students can create their own games and let their friends play.


This is a tutorial that I've created:




If you have any comments, please write below :)