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How to use your smartphone for your online teaching

At this time because of the Covid-19 pandemic more teaching has moved online. Consider your smartphone as one of the devices you could use for your online teaching. You can send lectures or materials by audio and video. This post will focus on sending audio.

Sending audio

I find that participants in a course like to receive audio feedback on their performance of an assignment. Here is one way of recording and sending an audio file to your online class. This audio can be a lecture, an explanation, a review or feedback on performance, a story that you read or even instructions for participants to follow. You want to record it so it will be available for students whenever they wish to refer to it.

First you need to install a voice recorder app on your phone. Go to the app store on your phone and in the search, type “voice recorder”. Several apps will show up. I use Easy Voice Recorder. It is simple to use and it is free.  Here is how to make a recording with it. After you have installed the app, open it. You will see the app is ready to record.

Click on the red button with the microphone at the bottom of the screen and you can begin recording. It would be best to write the script of what you want to say before you begin recording. Speak clearly and in a natural tone. The internal microphone of your smartphone will pick up the sound. When you begin recording the screen will show that.

The app has a timer at the bottom of the screen so you can see how much time your recording is taking. You can pause the recording by pressing the red record button. Below the timer you can see a check mark on one side of the record button and an X on the other side. If you are not satisfied with the recording click on the X at any time while recording and you will be given the opportunity to delete the recording. You can delete and start over.

On the other hand if you continue your recording until the end of your message or lecture you should click on the check mark to show that you are done. At this point the app will show that it is ready to start a new recording. As you are not ready for a new recording click on “Listen” to hear your recording. Click on the blue play button at the bottom of the screen, to listen to your recording. You can also fast forward or rewind to listen to particular sections of the audio. You can also see the duration of your audio and the data size of the audio.

Click on the three vertical dots on the right of the recording and you will see several actions you can take. You can delete the recording if you are not satisfied and redo it. If you want to keep it choose “Rename “ to give it the name you prefer. You will want to share the recording with your course participants. The easiest way is to share by Google Drive. After renaming your audio touch the three dots again and choose “Share with Drive”. A window will pop up showing the name of the recording. Choose Save.

The recording will be uploaded to your Google Drive. Your phone will notify you when the upload is completed. The time it takes will depend on the length of your audio. From your Google Drive you can share the recording with your online course participants directly or you can email them a link to the recording in your Google Drive.

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Covid-19: Google Forms – a great resource for online teaching during coronavirus

Covid-19 has caused so many schools and universities to offer more online classes that teachers need to find resources that will help them with the time and effort required for online teaching. Google Forms is a free resource well known for its use in surveys, but it’s also a very useful tool if you teach online classes.

Quizzes and tests

You can use Google Forms to create quizzes and tests. It is especially useful if you want to create a multiple choice test. I always wanted a way to create a multiple choice test that would let me give the correct answer and explain to the student why that answer is correct. Google Forms allows you to do that. You can also use Google Forms to set tests requiring short answers and for quizzes in which the student can fill in answers in blank spaces.

You can create a test on Google Forms by choosing the Blank Quiz template under the Education section, or you could click on Settings and choose Quizzes.

If you choose to create a multiple choice quiz you type in your question and also type in the options which are possible answers to the question. Click on “Answer key” and that will let you identify which option is the answer to the question.

Sample of question and options on Google forms quiz

Self- grading and feedback

With Google Forms you can choose settings that allow you to let students know if their answer is correct or not. When you include the answer key students can then grade their own tests or if you wish you can let them do peer grading. When you choose to include feedback then the student can see the explanation for the correct answer. If a student chooses a wrong option then he can see why he is wrong. These features in Google Forms help both students and teachers.

In Google Forms, Settings for quizzes is the place where you will choose the features that allow you to show the correct answer and to provide feedback to explain the answer. Click on the Settings icon then choose Quizzes. Turn on the button for Make this a quiz.

When you make the form a quiz you have the feature that tells the students how many points or marks you are giving for a correct answer. You can change the points according to the question as you find appropriate. The same button allows the student to grade her own work. If you want students to see which of their answers were incorrect check the box for Missed questions. You can let students see which answer was correct by ticking the box for Correct answers.

Some other helpful features in Google Forms allow you to grade manually. This you can use if you are not giving a multiple choice quiz and instead you are asking students to give answers in short sentences or short paragraphs. You can also use manual review if you do not want students telling the correct answers to other students who are waiting to submit their quiz.

Evaluate your teaching

Google Forms has a feature that will give you instant feedback and a summary of how ech student performed. It gives you the statistics to show how the students performed for each question. This lets you see if all the students answered Question 1 correctly or if more than half the students missed that answer. This tells you what areas of the quiz the students found difficult. If a significant number of students were missing the answers to questions on a particular topic then you can use that feedback to evaluate your success in teaching that topic. According to the statistics you can make a decision to re-teach the topic or teach it differently. The information collected by Google Forms helps you assess your own teaching.

Google Forms will also allow you to focus on the performance of individual students. You can see if Student B answered all the spelling questions correctly but missed the answers to most of the questions on subject and verb agreement. That helps you to identify the problem areas of individual students and take action to help such students improve.

If you had to summarise manually these statistics that Google Form provides, you would find it very time-consuming and you may not note or record performances in such detail especially if you have large classes.

When you are teaching classes online you may not have the opportunity to read student’s body language and other cues that would tell you whether or not they are understanding what you are teaching. This feedback and summary in Google Forms is very helpful if you teach courses online.

Easy to distribute and submit.

When you are ready to send out the quiz, click send and the easiest method is to send by email to each student. You can also copy the link that is given when you choose ‘link’ and post it on your website.

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Why do pronouns need an antecedent?

What is an antecedent?

Pronouns are used in place of a noun. This word that the pronoun replaces is called an antecedent.  It is the antecedent of the pronoun. An antecedent comes before the pronoun that refers to it.  Here are some examples:

1. The mother held a rattle and the baby played with it.

2. Mike entered the cycling race and he won first prize.

In the first example above the pronoun it is used in place of the noun rattle. In this case rattle is the antecedent of the pronoun it.  The pronoun it refers to rattle.

In the second sentence the pronoun he is used in place of the noun Mike. The noun Mike is the antecedent of the pronoun he. As you can see the he in the sentence refers to Mike.

What is faulty pronoun reference?

Sentence with antecedent and pronoun in circles
Identifying pronoun and its antecedent

Your pronouns must refer directly to their antecedent. When it is not clear what is the antecedent of a pronoun, writing can become ambiguous. You can leave your reader confused. You can fail to deliver the correct information. Miscommunication can be the result.

Here is an example of an unclear pronoun reference:

After taking the drill from the toolbox, Fred gave it away.

Here we are not sure if the pronoun it refers to the toolbox or to the drill. We do not know what is the antecedent of it. We are confused as to whether Fred gave away the toolbox or whether he gave away the drill.

We can rewrite the sentence as follows and remove the ambiguity.

Fred gave away the drill after he took it from the toolbox.

In this new sentence it is clear that the pronoun it refers to drill.  The antecedent of it is drill. Now we are sure of what item Fred gave away.

You can also avoid a faulty pronoun reference by rewriting the sentence without the use of a pronoun.

Example: After taking out the drill, Fred gave away the toolbox.

This new construction makes it clear what Fred gave away.

Examples of faulty pronoun reference

Here are some other examples of faulty pronoun reference. These sentences leave the reader guessing about the antecedent of a pronoun.

1. Carla and her mother watched the parade but she did not like the fireworks.

Here it is unclear whether the antecedent of she is Carla or her mother.

2. The Sparrows defeated the Marbles and they hired a new coach.

In this sentence the faulty pronoun reference leaves us guessing as to which team hired a new coach. They is a plural pronoun and there are two plural nouns preceding it. There are two possible antecedents and this uncertainty leaves the reader confused.

3.  The black hen and the white hen which had chicks scratched a hole in the yard.

Which hen had chicks? Once again we are left guessing.    Where you have two possible antecedents your pronoun reference can be unclear.

What happens when you leave out the antecedent?

The examples above are unclear because there are two possible antecedents for the pronoun. However you may find that a pronoun is used in a sentence and there is no noun or antecedent to which it can refer.

Example: Sandra can draw but she does not use it.

In this sentence the pronoun reference is very unclear. We know that the pronoun she refers to Sandra. The other pronoun it has no noun to which it can refer. There is only one noun in the sentence and that is the word Sandra. It cannot refer to Sandra for Sandra is a person. We can guess that the writer is referring to Sandra’s talent for drawing. We could rephrase the sentence and get rid of the pronoun it.

Example: Sandra can draw but she does not use that talent.

Another way to avoid the unclear pronoun reference is to include a noun as an antecedent for the pronoun it.

Example: Sandra has artistic talent but she does not use it.

Now the pronoun it has the antecedent talent to which it can refer.

Be careful when writing and avoid unclear pronoun reference.

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Can you use the passive voice?

Is it wrong to use the passive voice?

Have you noticed how the spelling and grammar check on your computer flags every use of the passive voice as an error and prompts you to change to the use of the active voice? By now you are beginning to wonder if you can ever use the passive voice.

If we are not encouraged to use the passive voice, then why is there a passive voice? First let’s explain what is the passive voice.

What is the passive voice?

Usually in a sentence the subject performs the action to the object. This is the active voice.

Active Voice:  Tom threw the ball. (The subject “Tom’ performs the action.)

When the action is performed upon the subject, this is the use of the passive voice.

Passive Voice: The ball was thrown by Tom. (The action is done to the subject “ball”.)

Look at the two examples again and you will see that the object of the sentence in the active voice becomes the subject of the sentence written in the passive voice. “Ball “ is the object of the active sentence and in the passive sentence “ball” becomes the subject.

Common reasons to use the passive voice

1. Use the passive voice for emphasis

You can use the passive voice when it is more important to emphasise an action or the object of the action rather than the agent of the action.

  • The streetlights have to be replaced.

Here you want the emphasis on the state of the streetlights rather than on who is responsible for replacing them. You want to show that the streetlights are not functioning.

  • Large boulders were brought down by the ghaut.

If you want to focus on the size and type of material brought down by the ghaut you make that the subject of the sentence by using the passive voice.

2. You can use the passive voice for business communication

In business correspondence some types of writing are formal and are usually expressed in the passive voice. Examples of these are notices of meetings, notices of auctions and notices giving information to the general public. 

Example:

Notice is hereby given that the thirty-second Annual General Meeting of Tora Co. Ltd will be held at Kranfour located on Garrough’s Main Road, on Wednesday July 24, 2019 at 5:00 p.m.

3. The passive voice is used in cases of evasion of responsibility

Mistakes were made

The passive voice is also used when the writer does not want to say who did the action. A famous passive expression is, “Mistakes were made.” This is a deliberate use of the passive voice to avoid identifying who is responsible for the mistakes. It is used when someone wants to avoid taking the responsibility for an action or decision.

In one example President Reagan said “mistakes were made” when his administration sold arms to Iran and used the money to help finance rebels in Nicaragua.  This use of the passive voice is sometimes adopted by politicians or persons with positions of responsibility in important organisations.

4. When making a general statement you can use the passive voice

The passive voice can be used to express a common knowledge or if the author of a saying is unknown.

Example: Love is said to be all-forgiving.

5. When you do not know who is doing the action:

  • My bike was stolen from my driveway.

or when it is not important to know the agent:

  • I’m not staying at this hotel. I was offered a room elsewhere.

6. When the agent of the action can be determined from the context of the sentence:

  • I was asked to count the number of participants attending the workshop.
  • The flight was overbooked and some passengers were being encouraged to give up their seats.

7. When making a promise or assurance.

  • Your identity will be kept a secret.

The use of the passive is not a grammatical error contrary to the grammar checker of your computer. The passive voice has its uses.

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How subjects and verbs agree even with words between them

Avoid long sentences

One of the reasons why people make mistakes of agreement is that they use long sentences. It is more noticeable in speech than in writing. Often you can hear a speaker getting carried away with making a point. But the speaker adds so many phrases and clauses to the sentence that the subject is forgotten.

No matter how many phrases you use, one rule of agreement is that intervening phrases do not change the number of the verb. An intervening phrase is one that comes between the subject and the verb.         

Example: The birds in the pond search for food.                                                                                         

The phrase in the pond comes between the subject birds and the verb search. Another way to express this rule is that words coming after the subject do not change its number.A clause can also come between the subject and the verb.

Example: The headmaster who trained the lions has run away with the circus.

The clause, who trained the lions comes between the subject headmaster and the verb has.

When we speak and write we often add phrases and clauses to the subject to describe it or add some quality to it.  Some persons get carried away with the description they have made and they forget what is the subject.

Take a look at the sentence below.

The lizard, sitting on the rock among the plants, is sunning itself.

Lizard is the subject. It is followed by two phrases sitting on the rock and among the plants. These phrases though adding to the subject to expand its meaning do not change the number of the subject. The lizard is still singular. It is only one lizard so the verb should be singular and we use the verb is. W

When one noun is singular and the other is plural

What may cause confusion is when the noun in the phrase or clause is different in number to the subject. In the example sentence above we have lizard as the subject and this is singular. In the phrases following we have another noun rock that is singular too. In addition we have plants that is plural. That noun is a different number to the subject and it comes just before we have to choose a verb to complete the sentence. Because the word plants is the last noun spoken or written before the verb, persons tend to make the verb agree with it. This is incorrect. 

Don’t lose sight of your subject

When you string together lots of phrases or even a subordinate clause after your subject keep in mind the number of the subject of your sentence.  When another noun in your sentence is plural and the subject is singular be careful. Similarly when the subject is plural and the other noun in a following phrase is singular, be careful as well.  Remember your subject. That is the only word to determine the number of the verb.

It’s a good idea to use shorter sentences. If you have to use a long sentence do not lose sight of your subject. Remember that your verb has to agree with that subject.

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Easy way to beat writer’s block

 

A collection of paper, pens and blank paper
Paper, pens and pencils

Write something. Write anything.

When you’re staring at a blank piece of paper and you don’t know what to write the best thing to do is to just start writing. Write something. Write anything. If you sit there staring waiting for the perfect word or the most stunning introduction you will soon get frustrated. What you initially produce may not be your usual best effort but at least you can always make changes and improvements.

If you write nothing then you still have nothing. Nothing that you can edit. No words that you can switch around or shorten or lengthen or replace. A bad effort is better than no effort. It is at least one step forward that can lead to other steps toward creating a satisfactory piece of writing.

Step away

The next step is to put away that initial effort for a little while. Go and get occupied and do something else. You could bake a cake or do your laundry or take a walk. When you are not being anxious over the piece you wrote you will find that additional ideas will come to your mind. Suddenly there is another thought you could develop or another perspective you had not even considered. When these come to mind jot them down. If you are out walking take a note in the Keep app on the smartphone that you always have with you. Ask someone to read your writing. Ask someone who will be honest and who can give you guidance. Even if they can only identify your mistakes in spelling and grammar that will still be helpful. Listen to their feedback and suggestions. This will guide you towards areas you should improve.

Shorten, lengthen or replace

Take the ideas you have collected and go visit your piece of writing like an old friend. Add your new ideas. Expand your perspective. You can even start all over and do a new piece now that you have the confidence, comfort and familiarity with your writing. What you wrote before can be the foundation or even inspiration for continuing and improving your writing. By now you probably have the idea for that arresting introduction and your words will be flowing on to the page. So out of that not very accomplished initial effort you will be creating a more polished product.

pens and paper ready for writing
Pages waiting to be filled

Edit your work. If you have your own deadline you could leave your writing alone for a little while and come back to it with fresh eyes. Not all good writing is produced from a single burst of speed and effort. Sometimes you have to turn to your piece again and again.

 

But just get started and you will see that you will beat that blank paper.

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Is that an illusion or an allusion?

 

clay feet to illustrate usage of allusion
Clay feet

 

Some people get confused over the use of the words allusion and illusion. Here are a few pointers to bear in mind so that you can see the difference clearly.

Not what it seems

An illusion is the appearance of something which does not relate to the reality of that thing. It is often used to refer to what you think something is when that thing is in fact something else.

We can relate to illusions by thinking of a magician. A magician performs tricks which we know are not what they seem. We know that they are not real. When a magician tells his assistant to lie in a box and then he thrusts a sword into the box, we expect the assistant to be hurt. Later the magician presents his assistant whole and safe. The whole act was an illusion – an appearance of causing hurt but it was not reality.

You can observe an illusion even in your community. A village may seem peaceful, safe and quiet with no noisy bars and no loud music but several violent crimes had occurred there recently.

We can say that the quiet, safe appearance of the village is an illusion. That village is not what it seems.

 

The power of reference

An allusion is a reference to something well known. It could be to a story, a famous person or event. Often it is a reference to characters in literary works. The allusion to the character is meant to remind you of the qualities or characteristics of a person or the particulars of a situation without giving an explanation. Here is an example. The island of St Lucia is sometimes called the Helen of the West. The use of the word Helen is an allusion to Helen of Troy most known for her beauty. The allusion then is meant for us to realise that St Lucia is beautiful. The allusion to Helen is enough to convey the message. There is no explanation or retelling of the story of Helen of Troy.

Claude McKay in his poem Harlem Shadows describes the girls walking the streets at nights as having “feet of clay”. This is an allusion to the Biblical story of the king who dreamt of a statue magnificent in every regard except that its feet were made of partly iron and clay. These feet denoted the weakness in the statue and in the kingdom. With this allusion we can tell that the girls have faults or weaknesses.

Another frequently used allusion is given in this example below.

“Frank was a talented golfer but his love of gambling was his Achilles heel.”

The allusion to Achilles heel reminds the reader that the heel of the superior warrior Achilles was the only vulnerable spot in his body. An allusion to Achilles heel then reminds one instantly of vulnerability.

The reader would then realize that Frank’s love of gambling was the weakness in his character. Frank was vulnerable in that regard.

When you use allusions or when you encounter allusions as you read you will find that just a name or phrase will give the reader enough information to understand the writer’s message. The writer for instance does not have to relate the whole story of Achilles just the reference to him or the allusion to him is sufficient. The success of the allusion will depend on the reader’s general knowledge. Many allusions used by writers are to well-known characters or events in literature, history and in the Bible.

You can see now that the two words –illusion and allusion may sound similar but have very different meanings and usage.

 

photo credit: diffendale Terracotta feet of a votive statue from the area of Forcona via photopin (license)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Being notorious is not the same as being famous

Don’t confuse the words “infamous”, “famous” and “notorious”. All three words mean to be well known. The most common mistake is to use all three as if they are interchangeable. The word “famous” means widely known and is used in relation to the accomplishment of important deeds or of renowned actions that are good or pleasant or helpful or admirable.

On the other hand “notorious” and “infamous” refer to being widely known for bad deeds or for having undesirable qualities. The Oxford dictionary also defines infamous as being wicked or abominable. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “notorious” as “widely and unfavorably known” and defines “infamous” as “having a reputation of the worst kind:  notoriously evil”. So while all three words describe the state of being widely known, the words “infamous” and “notorious” have connotations that make them different to plain old “famous”. You have to understand and be aware of the difference in usage of the three words.

The most common error seems to be that very often persons when speaking or writing will use “infamous” as a substitute for “famous”. Sometimes they also use “notorious” as a substitute for “famous”. You have to determine the reason for the fame. That is what would give you the clue to using each word correctly.

You can write:-

The captain who won the yacht race is famous for his superior sailing ability.

But you cannot write:-

Secretary was an infamous horse which won many races..

Here are some tips and sample sentences to help you use the words correctly. Sportsmen and athletes are described as famous when they are successful in their field or are exceptionally skilled.

Example: The famous footballer encouraged the young players to practise their skills.

A good cook can also be famous if her skills and dishes are exceptional.

Example: She was famous for her delicious stews.

Even a city or country can be famous for an admirable quality or feature.

The city of London is famous for its grand architecture.

When you use “infamous” or “notorious” a bad or evil quality is implied.

Example: The infamous pirate Blackbeard terrorised shipping in the West Indies.

Example: Chicago was notorious for its liquor smuggling during the Prohibition period. 

So although all three words mean well known or widely known remember that their connotations and usage are different. Do not confuse them.

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Getting children to write

Let’s work on it

How do you get children to write especially younger children about eight to twelve years old? If you could get them to read then getting them to write would be less of a problem. It is good advice to encourage more writing in order to cultivate writing skills. The more writing practice students get the better they will write eventually. But first you have to get them writing.

Have discussions before the writing starts

My experience as a tutor has revealed that if I have a discussion about the subject or area on which I want the students to write I get some interest. A discussion is also a way to discover how much knowledge your student has about the subject. Writing will depend on knowledge or feelings or opinion about a subject. Younger children may not have enough knowledge about many subject areas or even events. When you realise that the student does not know much about the topic, then the discussion allows you to help fill that gap.

Provide helpful resources

Prepare purposefully and lead your students to resources that give them information. An article from a newspaper can help and so can a video. Use examples or excerpts from books to share information. Of course it is best that your resources are examples of good writing and logical accurate information. The more opinions or writing that students are introduced to the more information they will have on which to base their opinions. Continue reading “Getting children to write”

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Writing smarts: know the new words

 

Have you noticed that the word “google” is being used as a verb?

Look at this sentence.

I had no idea what a fun palace was so I googled the expression. 

Notice that it is even used with the appropriate tense forms.

But Google is really the name of the search engine of its company Google Inc. It is a trademark. The word describes a brand and the use of the word or brand belongs only to Google Inc.

While Google is still a trademark the word is now commonly used as a part of speech and when it is used everyone understands its meaning. It is now included as a verb in some dictionaries. See how it is defined in the  Oxford English Living Dictionary online.

Continue reading “Writing smarts: know the new words”