The most effective way to teach English as a second language

The bottom line is to integrate technology. I believe this can result maximum impact in the entire learning of my students. The English conversation videos have helped to motivate and build up my students' confidence. Though this is not basically designed to show off their skills but to improve their English. However, this also becomes an opportunity to show off what they have. This is what the young students want. You know kids want to show off. They have wild dream to become an actors and actress and so this is the start. Especially that I promise to put their videos on the website and on youtube. So putting our work on the website is important since not everyone has a chance to make video with me. But the website gives all of my students an opportunity to learn through the videos, where they can enjoy watching their classmates.

I sold this video-making project idea to my class and enlisted all willing students. I'm forcefully aware that not everyone has acting talent. So the actors and actresses were not necessarily the best students in their class. Then I gave them assignment to study and understand and learn how to pronounce the words correctly. It actually takes just a few hours to prepare. But I give them a week or two. The reason why it takes that long is that we do this only in our free time. We have to map out all our free times so we can make videos. Making videos would only take at least 30 minutes. That is the maximum. And the videos can be uploaded right after editing them. Editing would at least takes 2 hours.
In my experience, this video recording changes the style of my class a lot. The kids are always excited and really enjoying. Technology makes a big difference in the lives of my students. The thing is most of the students have internet at home where they can learn there in.

I chose multiply site http://multiply.com since this is the best site I've ever known. It's totally free, where you can blog, upload unlimited videos and music, write reviews and etc. Then you can give comments below the videos. But only the multiply member can give comments or interact. So make sure you explain to your class to sign up if they wish to give comments. You have to encourage your students to get this free multiply account themselves-I mean to sign up for a free multiply account so they can write comments below the videos.
Multiply site has everything! Most importantly it is free. I don't have to spend money for business site that needs money to run. I don't have that capability to maintain a paying site. All I need is free website that works the same.
I've heard a lot of feedbacks verbally from my students. The most common feedbacks were " we've learned many good things from what we did."
Visit our learning English site at

http://ppkenglish.multiply.com

Now you don't have to have a very expensive camcorder for this video-making project but just a video camera that really has satisfying results.
I've read about the Kodak Zi8 and have watched some reviews on the youtube and I was speechless to see the testing. The Kodak Zi8 produces really amazing videos, it's really cinematic! So you need this kind of camcorder. So I have used this camcorder myself and I have no negative comments about the video-produce. My students like this project very much and they have a good laugh.
Producing videos like this is great only if you have good camcorder like the KODAK Zi8. Not only that you produce videos but better and clearer videos. I believe that this video project can be a very effective tool to give students feedback about themselves. After watching what they did, they can personally ask themselves such as, were you happy with your performance? Or what should you do differently next time? That way, they can learn by reflecting on their performance.
That camcorder doesn't need good lighting. Though our goal is not to produce professional videos but the students deserve something better. In my case, I always wanted to improve my videography work. In fact, I'm also excited to get or exchange ideas from the video making experts. Anyway, the bottom line of this video recording project is to give our students a real learning experience. Cause, we don't want our students to make the same mistakes they have in the past.

There are only two things to seriously consider. Except if you don't have a computer- You can't make a movie without a computer. Anyway, if you are working in school then I'm sure you have computer to use.

1. First to consider is your video camcorder.
I recommended the Kodak Zi8 since you have to make sure your camcorder is fully high definition. As long as your camcorder is HD (high definition), then you are good to go. You can also consider Sony, Panasonic, Canon or JVC if your budget is not limited.
I also tried using Sony Handycam HDR-CX150 to shoot a movie and it works perfectly.
This camcorder has 16 GB Flash Memory and is 1920 x 1080 Full HD.
This time, the price is going down quickly. You can also buy second hand/ used camcorder and ebay or amazon is a good place to look for a cheap camcorder. The Sony HDR-CX150 or any camcorder of the same type is great because it is very easy to use. The HDR-CX150 video format is AVCHD. Ulead video editing software is one of a good partner to edit your video.
But if you budget is tight, then go for the Kodak zi8. It's a great small HD camcorder.
You can watch my English conversation videos done by this camcorder. Go to this page http://ppkenglish.multiply.com
For directing and filming, it is good to have a book to guide you about directing and filming or to save money, you can go on the internet and find out for yourself.

However, there are some issues that you have to deal with. And I will share with you how I dealt this issue. The main drawback of the Kodak Zi8 and the Sony HDR-CX150 and other small camcorders is the sound quality, but this problem can be solved very easily. What I'm trying to see is that we have to do the best we can of what we have. So, we only have this small camcorder that has no capability to produce good sound quality, since it only has internal microphone, and you can't add external microphone on it. So let us solve that issue, that's the next thing to consider.

A cheap professional studio microphone is the solution

2. Find a cheap professional studio microphone. This can solve your problem. I would recommend buying the Samson C01U. This is what I have been using. The sound of this studio microphone is so fantastic and the price is affordable compared to other microphones available in the market. Amazon has a lot of stocks.

How to shoot with your cheap camcorder and your microphone?

There are two techniques to shoot.
1. Shoot your film first and then dub the voice after the shooting. This will make the audio sound very clear and professional. But the drawback is that there are necessary sounds that you actually need for the film to make it more Hollywood- type. But this issue can be solved. There are a lot of royalty free sounds on the internet that you can use to make your movie real. Then mute the video sound and change it to that particular sound effect or the audio you recorded with your good microphone.

If you choose to record the auido first before shooting, the learning impact has no difference. The students you assigned can master the timing and the conversation for a week or two. Then shoot. While shooting you can play the audio using your mp3 player (with a loud speaker)then the actors can follow the audio. Tell them to speak aloud following the audio-not miming.

The second technique is to,

2. Shoot while at the same time recording the audio with your professional Samson CO1U microphone. This is good if you own a laptop computer and a piece of audio recording software for example the audacity. Then you mute the video sound. You can download this program at this site http://audacity.sourceforge.net

Here are the basic needs for your shooting

Your students/ actors
computer
studio microphone
Script
video camera
Tripod
memory cards
Batteries
Video editor - windows movie maker, ulead video editor etc.

Note: If you are using windows movie maker and other video editors, please make sure you know what kind of audio, picture, and video formats are acceptable

For example, for windows movie maker, you can import files with the following file name extensions;

Audio files: .aif, .aifc, .aiff .asf, .au, .mp2, .mp3, .mpa, snd, .wav, and .wma

Picture files: .bmp, .dib, .emf, .gif, .jfif, .jpe, .jpeg, .jpg, .png, .tif, .tiff, and .wmf

Video files: .asf, .avi, .m1v, .mp2, .mp2v, .mpe, .mpeg, .mpg, mpv2, .wm, and .wmv

This format issue always can happen specially that you are using HD camcorder like Kodak Zi8, Sony HDR-CX150 and etc.
But this issue can be solved by converting the video format. Like from KODAK Zi8 (MOV format) to WMV or from AVCHD (Sony HDR-CX150) to AVI to make it acceptable. Please check out on the internet on how to do this.

Remember, to make videos with your students is fun but not funny! You have to work hard. Find out on the internet how to edit your videos, how to shoot, and how to convert video files. All informations are available on the internet. Explore and experiment are the key to your success.

Please watch this best tutorial on how to use the Windows Movie Maker below and find out more on youtube.