CNN: Student News

According to the website, CNN Student News is ' a ten-minute, commercial-free, daily news program for middle and high school students produced by the journalists and educators at CNN'.The website is totally free for charge throughout the school year.

Value:

• Reliable and valuable resources that can be used as the teaching and learning materials: 'you'll find a wealth of teacher materials presented free of charge, including Daily Transcripts for each show, Daily Discussion questions, the Media Literacy Question of the Day, in-depth Learning Activities, downloadable Maps and additional support materials to help students understand the news.In addition, the educators at CNN offer Discussion Guides for CNN documentaries and initiatives, including Black in America, Latino in America and CNN Heroes.' (from CNN Student News )
• Diverse and latest topics 
• Videos in the website are authentic which can provide visual and audio input 

Usage: 
I recommend using this website for self-study or extending materials because it offers everyday news and also includes lots of activities that easily be held by students themselves. The video is very short and it is suitable for the busy high school students to listen everyday. As a teacher,I don't think we need to spend too much time on listen to the news and practice the designed activities because all of these can be done outside classroom by students themselves.  I think it is better to demonstrate students how to use this website and then motivate them to insist on the listening everyday.


1. you can choose a news and then listen to it 

2:  There are two options for you to 'study' the news:

1). quick guide and transcript:  where you can download the image maps and have the whole transcript of the news 

2). daily discussion: where some specific questions will be arranged for you; some of them are listening exercises that base on the news; some of them are just general question related to the topic

However, daily discussion is really good for students to work together. we can combine the  wiki with this website to let students finish the listening task outside the classroom. Offering the question above, and embed the video in the wiki, students write their answers in the wiki. Teacher will update the news video everyday and students can choose two days of a week to do the task. 


limitation:
CNN news, with its own political views, will affect students' world views; some political issues may be sensitive to discuss.The questions design make students to think in CNN way.  

TodaysMeet

link: TodaysMeet



This website offer a convenient online communication platform whereby users can create a room by naming it and invite other members  join in the chatting room by simply tell them the URL of the room. Users in the room need to have a name firstly and then they are able to communicate with each other through typing the message in the box on the right hand and posting it on the left hand. The system will automatically arrange the posts of all members in the room in sequences according to the time. After that, also you are able to view the transcription of all the posts and embed it into your blog.

Value and Usage?
I think it is useful in the communicative language classroom since it is easily operated by teachers and learners to communicate with each other and view all the ideas in the classroom without ignoring anyone's involvement.

Moreover, in the traditional classroom, we always face a problem that after group discussion, too much time is needed on sharing ideas from each group in which the representative of the group will present their ideas, or members from each group will randomly present their ideas in which some shy students possibly loss the opportunities to speak out. However, this tool offer the equal opportunities for all the students to say their ideas  and it is effective and efficient way to view all the ideas by others at the same time when saying own opinions.

Furthermore, as creator can set the expired date of the room, the room is available and the data in the room will be valid until the  expired date. For students,  it offer a platform for further discussion on the topic that have been discussed in the class; for teachers, it is valuable resource for teachers' self-reflection, etc. daily journal or lesson report.

It is also an useful tool for brainstorming activity in the class.

Limitations:
The most serious problems of this tool, in my opinion, is lack of real face-to-face communication. Students will rely on the platform and interact with each other through typing instead of speaking. Is it the real communicative language classroom? Shy students on the one hand, are motivated  to say their opinion based on this tool; on the other hand, they become more and more shy when facing real speaking in the public.