Last night, 27 Nov 2024, at the 30th Anniversary Gala of the EOI Arrecife, I was honoured to receive an award recognizing my work on the blog—a project that began as a simple desire to share, to connect, and to explore new ways of teaching and learning languages.
This award for innovation in linguistic education through digital tools and platforms is not just about my work; it’s about the countless moments, ideas, and experiences that have fuelled my passion for teaching. Over the years, the blog has been my space to experiment with digital tools, explore creative methodologies, and reflect on how technology can make learning more accessible, engaging, and meaningful.
I want to thank everyone who has been part of this journey—my readers, my colleagues, and my students. Your feedback, ideas, and support have been the heartbeat of the blog. You’ve inspired me to keep pushing boundaries and to continue learning.
Thank you, EOI Arrecife, for this incredible honour.
Oh wow! This is quite a long title but I’ve stumbled upon an absolute gem of a website that I have to share with you all. If you’ve ever struggled with deciphering student recordings, trying to make sense of mumbled words, or spending precious time replaying audio to catch what they said—those days are officially over!
This incredible tool (it’s a website, no downloads needed!) lets students record themselves, whether it’s a presentation, a speech, or just a spoken reflection. The best part? it doesn’t just capture the audio. Nope, it goes way beyond that and also provides a full transcription of what the students said.
They’ve got two options to choose from, depending on their needs:
No registration needed: You can speak for up to 10 minutes per recording with a total of 5 interactions.
Register for a free account: If you sign up, you get 200 minutes of recording time, with each individual recording lasting up to 90 minutes
How do you start the recording?
Easy, click on Tap and Talk and start recording.
What do you get after the recording?
Now, here’s what happens after a student records. You ‘ll get,
A beautiful image of the memory shared. (I know, not very useful but nice)
A summary of what the student shared, highlighting the main points and key ideas.
The full accurate transcription of what the student said, right there for you to read through or skim as needed.
The original recording, so you can listen if you want, but you’re no longer reliant on just the audio.
How Do Students Share Their Recordings?
Very easy! After the recording is done, students just need to click on Copy Shareable Link. and send it straight to their teacher’s email. If you want to access your previous recordings, you’ll find them in the Memo tab.
Why I think this tool is a must-keep
Can you imagine? No more:
Playing back a recording ten times trying to catch every word.
Frantically jotting down notes as you listen.
Worrying that you missed an important detail.
With this tool, you get a clear, written record of what each student said. This makes it so much easier to:
Provide detailed feedback.
Check for content understanding.
Highlight areas for improvement without struggling to hear what they meant.
I really think this could be a fantastic way to assess student speaking skills. It’s also a brilliant option for remote learning or when students are working on independent projects.
If you’re anything like me, you probably feel the time crunch every time you try to squeeze in a longish writing task during a lesson. Let’s be honest, finding time for students to practice writing in class—beyond those quick sentences or short paragraphs—is tough!
I mean, there’s so much to cover!!! Besides, the second I announce a lengthy writing activity, I can see how the general mood changes, even mine.I know it is going to slow the pace, break the flow of our lesson and a long etc , but… we know deep down that this activity is important.
The truth is I’d love to offload some of this writing practice as homework. I mean, wouldn’t it be easier to ask students to draft an essay at home and then review it in class? Sure… in an ideal world. But we’re not living in that world anymore, are we? ChatGPT or any of its friends sure have something to do here. I know that if I want to ensure my students are actually developing their writing skills, it has to be done in the classroom.
PREP
Before we get into the writing task itself, I dedicated several lessons to exploring the topic of work—covering vocabulary, discussing job roles, and what makes a strong job application. As you can probably guess, being a bit of an AI enthusiast, I have used different AI tools to make this lesson happen. Here’s the step-by-step:
Step 1: Create a Presentation with AI Tools to Introduce the Task
I relied on Perplexity for this because it not only generated a well-structured overview but also provided credible sources. This was key for a topic like job applications, where students need to trust the information.
I took the generated text from Perplexity and pasted it into Brisk Teaching, which automagically turned it into a Google Slides presentation, complete with relevant images. Now, it wasn’t perfect—just a draft—but it saved me a ton of time! I was able to quickly refine it by adding sections on indirect questions and formal connectors, tailoring it to fit my lesson objectives.
I used Perplexity again to create sample sentences for the opening of the email, as well as two complete sample emails.
I printed these out as handouts and gave students 10 minutes to read through them. This step was crucial for modeling good examples and helping students see the structure of a formal email.
Excited about writing? Let’s be honest: getting students excited about writing a job application can be really difficult. So, I decided to make it more engaging by giving them realistic job offers to choose from—just like they might find on LinkedIn. Did I create these from scratch? Nope! I used Canva’s AI tool to generate slides filled with job postings. It was fast and looked super professional.
I printed the job offers and hung them up on clotheslines in the classroom, creating a job fair atmosphere. I asked students to head over to one of the clotheslines and pick out the job they’d like to apply for. You can print them here
With their chosen job offer in hand, it was time to write the email. I set a timer and gave students 20 minutes to complete their task. I encouraged them to use the sample sentences and email structure from the handout as a guide. This focused writing time was key—it kept everyone on task and ensured that the writing was happening in class, where I could support them.
Step 5: Showcase and Feedback
Once the emails were written, we moved into a gallery walk activity. Students pasted their job offer and application email on the walls. They then circulated around the room, reading each other’s work. This was a great way to share ideas and see different approaches.
While they were reading, I walked around and provided feedback, focusing on the most noticeable errors. It was an efficient way to address common mistakes and give students a chance to learn from each other.
That’s all! I hope your students enjoy this activity as much as mine did! Give it a go, and let me know how it works for you!
If you’re like me, you’ve probably used role-play countless times to get students talking and thinking on their feet. But lately, I’ve found myself wanting to take it up a notch—giving students real-world topics that they’ll actually encounter outside the classroom. So, I created two role-play scenarios that bring today’s workplace debates right to our classroom: remote work vs. in-office and the reduced working week. These topics got my students diving into different perspectives and working hard to persuade each other.
ROLE-PLAY 1: Remote Work vs. In-Office Work Debate
MY PREP APPROACH
Visuals.First things first—I kicked off the role-play by setting the scene with a quick, visual presentation. There’s nothing like a few eye-catching slides to spark interest. Don’t you agree?
You and your next-door neighbor, who is also your best friend, have been working at the same company for five years. You carpool and split the costs, which has been convenient, especially with the high price of petrol.
Recently, the company has given employees the option to work from home, only requiring them to come into the office once a month.
3. Help is coming: Ideas.Here’s the PDF .I gave my students a handout laying out key points for each side. Students choose which position they want to argue, but I make sure we have an even split between pro-remote and pro-office advocates.. I encourage them to add their own points to this list to make their argument more personal and compelling.
CHOOSING ROLES AND PREPARING ARGUMENTS
Once they know their stance, students jot down three solid arguments that support their position
ROLE-PLAY AND PERSUASION TIME
Each student has 5 minutes to make their case, present their points, and then attempt to sway the other person.
ROLE-PLAY 2: The Reduced Working Week
This second role-play taps into another current trend: the reduced workweek. I wanted students to explore this not only from a productivity standpoint but also from a cultural and economic perspective. The debate centers around proposals to reduce the standard working week in Spain, traditionally from 40 hours to potentially 37.5 or even 32 hours, without reducing wages.
It’s lunch break at a mid-sized company in Madrid. You and your colleagueare discussing the news about possible changes to the work week while having coffee in the break room.
3. Some Extra Help. Text? No, this time help comes in he form of a video
So this one comes from a short, engaging video made on InVideo, an AI tool that helps you create quick, professional-looking videos. In this case, I found a piece of news in ElPais in English and just pasted it on Invideo. This tool is such a gem because I can tailor the content exactly to what my students need. It’s also great for visual learners who absorb info faster through media.
CHOOSING ROLES AND PREPARING ARGUMENTS
Students watch the video and then pick a side. I ask them to prepare 3-5 key talking points. Here’s where I get them to think critically: How could a shorter workweek boost mental health? What about the potential strain on business operations?
I challenge them to think beyond themselves and consider how this change might impact families, communities, and industries at large.
ROLE-PLAY AND PERSUASION TIME
Each student makes their initial case, and then they respond to counterarguments. It’s a great way for them to see how they need to think on their feet!
EXTRA SPEAKING PRACTICE
To wrap up the class on a high note, a whole-class speaking activity can be a great way to keep the conversation going and let everyone share their thoughts. A few open-ended questions about work culture can get everyone talking and reflecting on what they’ve learned.
Last night, 27 Nov 2024, at the 30th Anniversary Gala of the EOI Arrecife, I was honoured to receive an award recognizing my work on the blog—a project that began as a simple desire to share, to connect, and to explore new ways of teaching and learning languages.
