Your home town task

Here's the instructions for this task I've used with recent class blogs.

Look at my post on my home town, Leicester.

Now write a post on your home town. Make it as interesting as you can so that anybody reading your post would like to visit it. Try to avoid cliches such as: Bilbao is very beautiful or Athletic is the best football club in the world!

Do a Google search or look up your town in Wikepedia to find information that perhaps you didn't know about and can improve your post.

But remember: no copying and pasting! Everything you write should be in your own words. And don't forget do do a spellcheck before you publish your post.

Here's an example of the results

Read, listen and record a podcast task

Here's the instructions for this task I've used with recent class blogs.

1. Read your classmates' posting on their favourite groups and singers.
2. Chose one that you think you have the most to say about (it could be because you like them too or because you think they are really bad). Pay particular attention to what your classmate has said about why the group/singer has been successful.
3. Go to Podomatic
4. Log in with the login I've given you
5. Click on My Podcast
6. Click on Post New Episode
7. Click on Record with your webcam or microphone
8. Click on Record and talk about what you think is interesting about the group or singer and say whether you think they deserve the success they have had.
9. Preview what you have recorded and click on Next step
10. Give the episode a title e.g. Ann on Rihanna
11. Click on Next step
12. Skip the next page by clicking on Next step
13. Skip the next page by clicking on Next step
14. Click on Post Episode
15. Click on My Podcast Page
16. Click on the title of your episode
17. Copy its URL (address) from the browser
    
18. Create a New Post on the blog
19. Give it a title e.g. Ann on the Rihanna
20. Write the word "podcast" and create a link (clicking on the chain icon) to your podcast episode.

Here's an example of the results

Sing and investigate task

Here's the instructions for this task I've used with recent class blogs.

(It's a good idea to register with karaokeparty beforehand and let's your students use your login: that way they have access to al the songs on the site.)

• Choose a song that you like in English and search for it on youtube
  
• Go to this karaoke page. See if you can find the song you chose. Get a set of headphones with a mike and sing along to it. (If your song's not there, choose another.)
• Check out if the singer or group you chose is on myspace and also if there's an entry on wikipedia
  
• Create a new post. Using the information you've found, write about what you think is interesting about the history of your singer/group. Say why you think they have been successful. Put it in your own words - no copying and pasting! Don't forget to give your post a title.
• Write a comment on your classmates' posting: say what you think is interesting about the lives and music of the singers/groups they chose.

Here's an example of the results.