Update 89
- Howie Gordon
- Dec 18, 2022
- 5 min read
Happy Hannukah, Merry Christmas, Happy Winter Break
See more Hanukkah songs lower down
I love this time of year. I guess I am a winter lover. I prefer the cold to the heat. During the summer I yearn for the cold winters, to snuggle under the blankets listening to a great song.
One of the winners of 2020 E-Talent competition produced this amazing Christmas
Everybody’s talking about…
Tracey Chapman sang, “Don't you know
They're talking about a revolution?
It sounds like a whisper…”
I want to talk about what everyones been talking about
Artificial Intelligence.
I am in two minds about it. On the one hand, it’s amazing and I cannot believe how powerful it is. I am referring specifically to Chat GPT. If you haven’t seen or heard, check it out. Look below for more examples. On the other hand, how will it affect us teachers of English, in all the grades?
I asked the Chat engine a simple question…
How do music and movement enhance teaching English as a foreign language?
This is what I received…In a few seconds:
Music and movement can be effective tools for teaching English as a foreign language because they can engage students, create a positive and energetic learning environment, and support language acquisition in a fun and enjoyable way.
Here are some ways in which music and movement can enhance teaching English as a foreign language:
Engaging students: Music and movement can help to engage students and hold their attention, especially younger learners who may have shorter attention spans.
Creating a positive learning environment: Music and movement can create a positive and energetic learning environment that is enjoyable for students and can help to reduce anxiety or discomfort that some students may feel when learning a new language.
Supporting language acquisition: Music and movement can help to reinforce language skills and vocabulary, and can also provide a natural context for students to practice listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills.
Promoting teamwork and social skills: Group activities that involve music and movement can promote teamwork and social skills, as students work together to learn and perform songs or dances.
Encouraging creativity: Music and movement activities can encourage creativity and self-expression, and can also provide an outlet for students to practice using English in a more relaxed and spontaneous way.
Overall, using music and movement in the classroom can be a fun and effective way to support language learning and create a positive and engaging learning environment for students.
This is really mind boggling and we certainly need to be aware of this tool and many other applications that use AI. We need to see the good in this for our young students that are the future generation. How can these tools best assist us language teachers? I do not have answers yet I have a lot of questions. Just putting it out there…
E-Talent Competition -Two more weeks until registration closes
Over 240 schools have already registered for E-Talent 22-23. You have until the end of December to register and until the end of January to submit your students’ performances.
If you are unsure, please register. If you do not register and you reconsider in a few weeks, you will NOT be able to submit your pupils’ performances.
A reminder that this year we are glad to include 7th and 8th grades as well. Each school will be allowed to send 5 performances only. There is no limit to how many children can be in the performance. This means that if you have more acts in the competition, you will need to have a mini E-talent competition in your school to find the performances that you want to submit. If you would like to register already please fill in this form. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdidBCzY4d8HuNMPdP-eWgCJN9-hj0C4HX-wq5AHjMSibq0zQ/viewform
Within a few days of registration, you will receive a unique code for the Flip grid, for your school. Your recordings will be uploaded to Flip and that is how we will receive your students’ amazing submissions.
Please see the presentation for more details about E- Talent
Here is a letter to send to your students’ parents to encourage your students to take part.
Digital Tool of the Week
ChatGPT
GPT (short for "Generative Pre-training Transformer") is a type of language processing model developed by OpenAI. It is designed to generate human-like text by predicting the next word in a sequence based on the context of the words that come before it.
Here is a poem about my biweekly broadcasts - AI created.
I sit down to write a blog
about music in the foreign language class
Digital tools and jokes and facts
Lesson ideas and classroom management, oh my!
First, I talk about the power of song
To engage and motivate students all day long
from warm-ups to games to grammar review.
Music can make the lesson feel brand new.
Next, I share some tips on using technology.
To bring music to life in the EFL class, you see
From streaming songs to creating playlists.
Digital tools can make language learning a blast.
But it's not all fun and games. I must confess
there's also a place for jokes and lightheartedness.
A little humor can go a long way.
To break the ice and make students feel at play.
Of course, I can't forget the facts and the figures.
The research and evidence that music delivers
better retention and improved pronunciation.
The benefits of music in language education
Finally, I offer some lesson ideas and strategies.
For incorporating music in creative ways, you see
from role-plays to sing-alongs to listening activities.
There's no shortage of ways to make music a reality.
And last but not least, I touch on classroom management.
The key to keeping things running smoothly, in fact
from setting expectations to managing noise levels.
Music can help to create a positive, dynamic class.
So there you have it, a blog about music and EFL
Digital tools and jokes and facts and all.
Lesson ideas and classroom management too.
There's so much to explore, the possibilities are endless, oh so true!
A nice idea - If you are ready to test the power of this tool, ask your students to generate a poem and then rap the song out to a beat of their choosing.
Musical Joke of the Week
I was asked to leave karaoke night for singing “Danger Zone” seven times in a row. I had exceeded the allowed number of Loggins attempts.
Hannukah related videos
Final Word
Many teachers ask how they can join the Learn in Tune program.
The basic premise is that you use music and movement in your classroom to enhance language acquisition.
Here are important steps you can take.
Join a professional development course of Learn in Tune
Visit our Learn in Tune site regularly for updates (bit.ly/learnintune)
Visit the archives to see the amazing ideas and classroom activities that have been done all over the country and the world - You can access our site at http://bit.ly/learnintune and past broadcasts here https://learnntune.wixsite.com/my-site
Join this broadcast group to get hot off the press ideas and tools for your classroom. - https://chat.whatsapp.com/DYoxcMNMGYWIY3emXQJs1V
You can join the Email list by sending me an email to learnntune@gmail.com and I will add you to the mailing list.
P.S. See the details of E-Talent above
Hamilton Hanukkah
One of all time favourites
Enjoy the weekend and have a Shabbat Shalom and a restful weekend.
Howie Gordon
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