My 10 language awareness videos for the Jockey Club Flipped Learning Project (2020-2022)

 Here is the playlist: 

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdCpljiXrUSIvKL4B-E-uGLwlxLH2loIq

Bookwidgets: How to return Ss' completed work

 For creating a more sophisticated digital worksheet, I prefer Bookwidgets. But unlike Wordwall, Learnngapps.org, Kahoot, Quizizz, and Educaplay, if the worksheet is a quiz which has pre-set correct answers (eg, MCQ), Bookwidgets does not show students their scores immediately after they have submitted their work. As much as I like BWG, to me, this is one defect of the app. 

Anyhow, I have just found out how to return Students' work. Remember when students submit a completed worksheet, they have to type in their name and email address. The following screencast video shows how to return students' work (so they know their scores) via email. 

https://www.loom.com/share/0fd54146dc664088b582def6b8f2c6d6?sid=627c9382-0067-4338-8c32-aaa6575ad904

用心教學，好像理所當然 ...

突然很想對那些努力做好優質學與教的老師致敬，用心教學，好像理所當然，但以香港教師工作量之重，雜務之多，要把很多心思放在教學上，談何容易。

Ahaslides seems a promising alternative to Mentimeter

Just checked out Ahasides, which is for creating interactive lessons (similar to Nearpod, Quizizz Lesson, Pear Deck). Its free plan is quite generous, as it allows for 50 participants (Wooclap's free plan admits 15 participants only).  

Each event can inlude 5 quiz questions and 3 poll questions (Wooclap only gives you 2 questions in total). 

Like the other similar apps, you can upload your PPT, and add the activity slides. 

Ahaslides also has a PPT add-in, which when clicked in PPT, will take you to the Ahasides dashboard, and you can open a previously created question set or presentation. Then you can continue with your original PPT presentation. 

Wooclap vs Quizizz lesson

 Just had a go with Wooclap, which on the surface resembles the functionality of Quizizz Lesson, Pear Deck, Nearpod, etc., but is cheaper for subscription. 

But there are many problems with this app. The free plan only allows for 2 questions. Even though the basic paid plan may be one third cheaper than that for Quizizz, overall, it's not worth it. 

How to insert a Reading Passage into a Diagram-labelling Bookwidget task

Bookwidget's Split Tasksheet format does not allow users to put a reading text on one side, and insert another created Bookwidget (in this case, 'Diagram Labelling') into the right. 

This is a workaround that have found out. 

I simply opened the created Diagram Labelling bookwidget (in this case: 'Layers of a Forest'). In the Question box, I inserted the passage itself. (In my workaround, I simply got a screenshot of the passage, and pasted it into the Question box which I switched to RTF). 

A bullet in Workflowy can be linked to another Workflowy page with [[ ]]

 Just tried this function. Should turn out to be a useful function, especially when I'm looking up the acdemic literature, which will involve a lot of cross-referencing. 

https://workflowy.com/learn/internal-external-links/

Wordwall trumps other apps for creating anagram games

 For Creating anagram games, Wordwall is the best: 

- The resulting game won't change your small letters to capital letters, like the other apps do. 

- You can insert a TTS audio to accompany each word. 

- You can also insert a picture to accompany each word. 

- in the Play mode, the letters are large enough. 

- When attempting an anagram, you click the letters in the order that you think is right; this is closest to real life spelling. 

+++++

Problems with other apps: 

- Bookwidgets

    - No built-in anagram format. You have to use the 'Drag words/sentences' function instead. 

    - No TTS. 

    - Letters in resulting game too smal. 

- Educaplay

    - small letters you input will be converted to capital letters; not good for revising for Dictation. 

    - no TTS

- Learningapps.org

    - No Anagram game function. 

Wondershare Virbo for adding voiceover to PPT

 https://virbo.wondershare.com/

The app claims to be able to AI-generate a voiceover presentation video. I had a try, and below are my obseervations: 

0. The starting point is a PPT which you upload to the desktop app. 

1. Under the paid plan, you can choose your voiceover avatar. 

2. The avatar will appear in some of the slides in your original PPT. 

3. The app requires that there are speaker notes for EVERT slide. Even if the slide contains text, it won't automatically generate the voiceover if there are no speaker notes. 

4. As a result, this app works similar to Narakeet. 

5. As for the fee charging:

- Virbo requires a monthly subscription. 

- Narakeet operates on a pay-as-you-use basis. That makes more sense to occasional users of such applications. 

Kapwing can AI-generate an instructional video

 Kapwing can now AI-generate an instructional video, from a TOPIC (eg. Present Perfect tense vs Simple Past tense)

Here is the result of my attempt, a 29-second AI-generated video on the above topic: 

https://www.kapwing.com/c/oiK9Egp1Ix

But of course, do not expect the content to be highly customised for your needs. 

Youtube Trimmer being the best alternative to Vibby?

 Vibby, which I liked the most for getting clips from a Youtube, has suddenly disappeared. 

I have tried a few alternatives. As of this moment: 

https://www.youtubetrimmer.com/

is the best for my purposes, even though it will never be as good as Vibby. 

Still unhappy with AI apps for generating a presentation from a document

 Just tried a few other apps for generating presentations. These apps can generate a presentation: 

a. from a topic, 

b. from a passage

The problem is: 

For a, the resulting presentation will be too general. And in my case, I seldom need a general presentation on a topic. 

For b, the resulting presentation will still be quite general. 

======

To me, a presentation (eg, PPT) will most of the time be quite customised to my own needs and objectives. There will even be times when I don't want to include too much content on one slide; the slide may simply be a prompt to my explanation. 

IN sum, of the apps for different purposes, those for generating presentations are of the least use to me. 

Comparing 4 apps for creating comics

storyboardthat.com

- most versatile

- large bank of insertibles

- easy to edit inserts

- free plan allows for 3 frames only 

- all export options under free plan will produce huge watermarks

https://makebeliefscomix.com/Comix/

- always free

- but lots of adverts

- can create as many frames as you like; 

-- bank of insertibles not that large;

- not that easy to edit inserts;

mystorybook.com

- bank of insertibles not that large;

- not that easy to edit inserts;

- can create as many frames as you like;

- final product can be shared via a link. 

Pixton

Pixton is by far the best. But it practically has no free plan. After your first attempt, that's it.