Create your own media message - a community guide

"If we play by their rules we lose, if we create our own rules we have a chance"

Once again the power of of social media can not only be seen in its ability to spread information but also in its power to challenge the way in which the mainstream media sets the agenda on a particular issue, even in places as far apart as The Gaza Strip and Ferguson, Missouri. Despite the vast differences in both geography and cause both cases show that even the most well-oiled media machine can be challenged by ordinary people on the ground using tools such as Twitter, Youtube and Instagram. 

Here are some tips for anyone who wants to use the power of the internet to get their message across and give themselves leverage in their dealings with more traditional forms of media.

1 A community or group should never rely solely on mainstream media to get their message out. It's naive to believe they're are neutral parties in many news events. Remember TV channels and newspapers are often large organisations whose first loyalty is to those who own and/or control them and not to you. In the worst case scenario you are simply another lunch item on their menu, to be consumed today and forgotten tomorrow.

2 Even if the reporter on the scene is sympathetic to your cause, they are often not in charge of how the final story is seen. They may be on your side but as we have seen from coverage in Gaza there is often a massive disconnect between the story reported by those on the ground via Twitter and the one that reaches viewers and readers back home once the editorial line comes into play.

3 Yes, cultivate media who seem sympathetic, but remember media organisations frequently come to a story with their own agenda. Check them out on the internet see if their views and your views coincide. Do not take it on faith that what a journalist tells you is what they are telling their audience.

4 Don't just give the news channels "raw material" in the form of video, footage or interviews without knowing who they are and how they operate. Too many of those in the media see "civilians" as just another expendable resource to be used and then discarded in order to get their story out. Remember once you hand over your material you have no control over how it will be edited and presented. 

5 Use your existing online and offline social networks to communicate your message, share material, produce your own media. The more people who can help you, especially in the beginning, the more others are likely to pick up on it later on and promote your cause. Remember on the internet you have the possibility of contacting sympathetic voices across the globe.

6 Share materials and talent with those around you. If you can, form a group that will allow you to pool talents, materials and resources. Whether it is video footage from a different angle, access to PCs or a gift with writing or photography, your community or group is likely to be a treasure trove as far as material and skills are concerned, it's your job to make the most of these gifts.

7 If a community  or group produces its own coverage (video/pictures/written accounts) it stands a better chance of getting its story out intact.  The more you can do for yourself, the less your have to rely on media outsiders taking your story out of your hands and turning into something you do not recognise. If nothing else you can point people to your version when calling out distorted accounts produced by others.

Video can edited with free tools  with  programs such as Windows Movie Maker which comes pre-installed on many Windows PCs (see here for training video). It allows you to make your videos shorter and more effective and also means you can add media (video, photographs or audio) from many different sources.

8 None of this needs a lot of cash or fancy equipment but it does take time and you will need some technical skills which are well worth learning. A good place to begin is the Witness.org site which is full of practical tips on using video for activism. It is designed to teach those not in media how to cover different events in a professional manner and how to keep yourself and those whose stories you are covering safe. Check out their YouTube channel here. 

If you are going to use photographs rather than video then always remember that a short text describing what is happening in the picture adds to your audience's understanding of the context of the event and also makes your image more credible. 

9 Don't forget to licence your images (be they video, articles or photos) under a Creative Commons licence when posting them online. This means that media outlets cannot just claim that once you posted them you allowed free use of use them to anyone. Of course many will steal your work anyway but at least a CC licence gives you some kind of legal leverage and shows your audience that you are the victim of copyright theft and not just negligent or naive. See more on CC in this video.

Videoing your story books - EFL/ESL exercise for young learners

Lately, I have been doing more and more work with younger learners and thankfully, the material that is available is much more interesting and effective than the dull EFL/ESL books that older learners have to suffer. On the other hand, I still like doing my own stuff using new technologies when possible.

This week I helped my students film a story book using free software and the kind of electronic equipment that is becoming common place, at least here in Greece, the result was two hours full of learning opportunities which ere fully exploited by my two nine year old students.

Lesson plan

1 Give students a book to read at home. In this case I handed out My Daddy by Curtis Jobling which the students enjoyed very much, even if it did include some vocabulary which was beyond their level. More and more such books have any accompanying CD the story read aloud, that would be the ideal choice.

2 Next lesson get students to tell you what they liked about the story and read out some of their favourite parts.

3 Now explain that they are going to make a film using the story from the book. If time is short or the books too long then choose just one part. The students need to think about what kinds of props they are going to need and what parts of the book to they need help with in terms of understanding and pronunciation.

4 To make they film students need one of the following; digital camera, video camera, mobile phone with audio or video recording capability or a webcam.

5 The students then decide in groups who is going to play which roles, who is going to operate the camera etc.

6 Students rehearse their performances and then record them when they feel ready. Since the books probably has lots of vocabulary allow them to have the book where they can see it.

7 Students video their performances and encourage them to redo anything they are not happy with.

8 Put the footage on a computer. Windows Movie Maker (click here to see a video tutorial on how to use it) is a good program to create a short clip and it comes as standard with every copy of Windows. If there is an open source/freeware program that does the same kind of thing for Apple or Linux then please let me know.

9 Of course a good part of the lesson will involve teaching students how to use the program , however, if Windows is in English this is another great learning opportunity and once the learners figure it out you won't have to do it again.

10 Students then present their videos and if possible post them onto a class blog or website.

As you can imagine there is a good deal that can go wrong with such a complicated exercise in a large class but I feel that it is worth the effort as it allows for an enormous amount of real life language use. In addition the fact that student listen to themselves speaking English is a great way to allow them correct any problems they have with their speaking skills.

Your dream job - an EFL/ESL lesson plan

This is aimed at intermediate and post intermediate students and is a way to practice discussion, presentation and listening skills. You'll need an access to the internet and a way of recording either audio or video.

Lesson Plan

1 Students form groups of 2 - 4 and give them 2 minutes to write down as many jobs as possible e.g. teacher, doctor etc.

2 The groups with the longest list writes it on the board. Ask other students to add to it.

3 While the students are doing this write down their names on pieces of paper. When they have finished the job exercise hand out the names at random.

4 Students now decide which job from the list on the board would best suit the person whose name is on their piece of paper. The student then tells the other what job they choose and why.

5 Now ask students to write down their own dream job and why it would suit them.

6 Discuss this in pairs/groups.

7 Now explain to students that they are going to watch a video another job and they have to write down as many details about it as possible.

(To find out more details about the job click here)

8 Students compare notes and decide what kind of person would be best for this job.

9 Now explain that in part of the application for the position involves posting a 60 second video on Youtube . See some examples here. Their job is to create their own video. To find out more details about the position get them to study the full job description here.

This can be done with a webcam, video camera or their mobile phone (audio or video). The video can be edited with Windows Movie Maker, which comes as standard with every copy of Windows. Alternatively, they can use their own images or images off the internet to create a video with still images and a voice over. Photostory 3, Windows Movie Maker or Slideshare, and Animoto are some of the programs you could use.

Read more about the person who got the job, Ben Southall.

EFL/ESL mash ups

No, its not time for us to chow down but rather use existing media and programs to make something new. This could mean using our own videos and photos along with stuff we find on the internet.

So what has this got to do with teaching English? Recently, I have been working with my students on different projects in which they use video as an extension of their writing assignmments. We work on traditional skills such as writing a discursive essay or story telling then use turn these formats into something more visual such as a mini - documentary.

In every such case I've tried to adhere to these rules.

1 - The project has to be connected with some more traditional language learning skill and/or be useful in getting them ready for external exams (e.g. essay writing, interview skills, debating etc).

2 - The technology has to be easy to learn and use.

3 - All programs have to either free and/or open source. Nobody is going to pay me hundreds of euros to buy software.

4 - Personalise the project in order to suit the students' interests and level of competence in English.

My most recent venture has involved using video taking off the internet from sites such as YouTube so that students have footage to use in their projects. This forms background to their narratives which are either recorded using a microphone or done straight - to - camera.

This doesn't require specialised equipment just access to a PC, a microphone and a video camera/webcam or cell phone. The software used was Real Player (which allows you to download videos off the net), Winff which converts .flv video files (that is the format used on sites such as Youtube) to AVI or WMV format (which can be edited). Finally, we used Windows Movie Maker which comes as standard with every copy of Windows.

Taken all togther this sound like an imposing list however the programs are easy to use and I think that an hour ir two is all you need to invest in getting the hang of them. It's time worth investing as the skills you pick up can used endlessly in lessons.

I would love to show you some of my student's work but they choose not to put their videos on the net. For more of my teaching ideas using video, internet etc. click here.

RyanAir - Spending your pennies wisely

This morning while nursing a head cold from hell I came across this story at BBC News;

"Irish budget airline Ryanair has said it is considering charging passengers for using the toilet while flying.

Chief executive Michael O'Leary told the BBC that the Dublin-based carrier was looking at maybe installing a "coin slot on the toilet door". See here for the rest of the article.

So with some time on my hands and wanting to try out some video editing tools I made this satirical video making fun of RyanAir's ridiculous policy.



It seems that the satire bug is contagious. Check out Claesm's brilliant parody on Flickr.

The future is already here

This year I decided that I wasn't going to work anymore in language schools (or frontisterio as they are called in Greek). It wasn't just the low wages or lack of job security that prompted the decision but also the fact that nothing seems to change.

Actually, that is a lie there has been lots of change but none of it forward. Responding to the growth in choice in exams students can take most schools have a curriculum that amounts to little more than doing old test papers for years on end. I just couldn't face doing that for another year as it would amount to undergoing a voluntary lobotomy.

Instead I decided that I would do just private lessons not simply because the pay is better and people treat you with more respect but also I can teach in a manner that recognises that we are in fact living in the 21st century and not recycling the 19th.

Today I will be teaching the difference between how much and how many in English and the various grammatical rules that these words represents. If I was doing that in a school this would probably mean wading through a chapter of turgid explanations that are dull and difficult for many to understand.

Afterwards, there would be the obligatory pages full of exercise designed to supposedly reinforce the alleged learning that had taken place. Of course, there are students that thrive on such an approach but they are a minority. The majority either find such explanations incomprehensible or mind numbingly boring.

The beauty of computer technology and especially the internet is that it allows us to vary our teaching approach and find alternatives that fit in with how they learn. A case in point would be teaching how much/how many.

One way would be to find a picture of a street, room, fridge etc and then use Flickr notes (click here to see a explanation) to label the image with the correct term. e.g How many apples are there in the fridge? and then get their partners to answer. The picture could then be used to teach the others in the class each person taking turns to use it to teach the rule to the rest of their group or class. Also it could be added to a class/personal blog as part of an electronic portfolio.


Alternatively, you could get students to video (using their cell phones) a classroom, road, home etc and them use Windows Movie Maker (which comes as standard with every copy of Windows) to make a presentation in which the students ask questions such as, how much snow can you see? etc.

See video below on how to use the programme.



As you can see there are just a few of the ways we can use computers and the internet as something more than a glorified course book and allow our students to learn in other ways which fit in with own style.

I've found that when students have access to the internet during a lesson teaching possibilities expand exponentially. Occasionally, this is not possible and I feel that I've gone back, something akin to being forced to use chalk and a slate.

Re-imagining the essay

One of the beauties of using web 2.0 tools is that you can re-invent more traditional learning exercises. A case in point is the discursive essay which most students have to master at some point during their EFL/ESL careers. For most this will be a boring grind which they will struggle with. However, we can sugar the pill be using the possibilities offered by the internet in order to awaken their interest and also get them to practice other language skills.

Basically, the idea is that we after working on the essay we then present it using pictures, video, music etc. in the form of an online presentation. There are a number of free tools that allow students to do this. The most widely available is Windows Movie Maker which comes with every copy of Windows. With it you can add photographs, video, titles, music, and voice over. In essence what you are asking students to do is turn their essay into a documentary. See the video tutorial below.



While this may sound ambitious it does not require much in the way of fancy equipment or technical skills. Video can be provided via a cheap web cam, digital camera or the student's mobile phone. The program is pretty simple to use and teaching students how to use it is a pretty good language learning opportnity in itself.



A simpler version might include just pictures downloaded from the internet - the Life archieve on Google has some great ones or you could used Flickr and a voice over which can be captured via a cheap microphone (mine cost three euros and works just fine). you could also use Movie Maker but Microsoft's Photostory 3 or the internet based application, Voicethread.


Whatever approach you use the emphasis here is on creativity and making what you wrote as interesting as possible. To give your student some ideas of the possibilities show them the Magnum photo agencies collection of photo essays here.

As well as knuckling down to the discipline of putting their thoughts on paper in essay form they get to work on speaking and presentation skills all of which will probably feature in any exam they are likely to take.

Dracula: the blog

I'm sure we've all seen a Dracula movie, whether it be a cheesy Hammer House of Horror production or something more gory. What I didn't realise till I read Bram Stoker's book was that it is in the form of a series of letters and diary entries. An ur blog, in a sense. So here is a teaching idea about how to use the book in say an EFL/ESL lesson or indeed a English Literature class.

You'll need a copy of the book (download the audio book from here or the Gutenberg e-text from here) and access to an internet connection from which can blog.

The basic idea is that you take part of a chapter and turn into a modern day blog entry. This could include;

-updating the language to something that would sound more natural today.

-changing the context and refrences - e.g. Transylvania becomes .........

- adding more suspense, action etc.

In addition you could also get your students to move away from the written word and do the blog entry as a vlog, short movie clip, podcast etc. None of this requires anything more sophisticated than a microphone, cell/mobile phone with recording capability or a digital camera.

The sound recordings can be edited with Audacity. Podcasts can be posted via hosting services such as Podcast.com. Alternatively, a short film can be created from video clips with Window's Movie Maker (which comes as standard with every copy of Windows) or using photos and Photo Story 3.

Essay writing revisited

Photo by Don McCullin

This year I'm going to be teaching a writing class and I thought I'd post this idea about how to make discursive writing a little more modern. Basically,the idea is that students have to produce a slide show which accompanies their essay. The concept comes from watching something similar on the Magnum agency website. Since the technical skills and software are readily available and easy to learn I thought that this would also be a great opportunity for my students.

Script by Robin Lustig

Lesson plan

1 Tell your students that they are going to see a presentation on war.

Be warned - some of the images are shocking. If you feel that this slide show is not suitable for your class then choose another podcast from Magnum's extensive list.

2 They have to make notes and write down as much as they can about what the narrator says. Please remind them that it is impossible for anyone to write down anything and they should just get what they can.

3 Show the video above.

4 Students then compare notes.

5 Ask students what they think is the message of the piece. Students write down their personal answers and then discuss in pairs/groups.

6 Elicit suggestions from the class.

7 Now play the video again and ask students to choose two images which they consider the most powerful/moving.

8 Students discuss this in groups and try to come up with a choice which they all agree on.

9 Now write the essay title on the board;

"Only the dead have seen the last of war."
Attributed to Plato.

10 Ask students what they think this means and if they agree.

11 Divide students into two groups according to what they think. Each group writes down 3/4 reasons and provides examples/reasons etc to support them.

12 Now ask each group to think of 1/2 reasons why the opposite side might disagree with their side's view and what we could say to counter such arguments.

13 Put students into two groups with representatives from each side.

14 Students discuss the question.

15 Students then write up their opinions in the form of an essay for homework.

16 After you've corrected the essays explain to students that they are going to create their own slide show that will accompany their essay in the same way that we saw previously.

17 For this students need to collect images from the internet that reflect their essays or illustrate their examples. Flickr would be a good place to start.

18 Next show them how to use either Windows Movie Maker (which is already on most PCs) or Photo Story 3 which can be downloaded free from Microsoft (click here). Make sure they understand how to record their own narration and add background music/sound effects.

19 Students the do this for homework and post their results on their class blog/wiki etc.

As well as providing students with a model to emulate this exercise also also gives them valuable speaking practice. Most importantly, they are required to listen to how they speak in English which is a must if they want to improve their pronunciation skills.