For better or for worse, artificial intelligence is becoming more visual. OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, has recently launched a powerful updated version of DALL-E, its AI image generator. The tool is freely accessible and in this blog post, I would like to show you what it can do. Visual wordplay The following images are …
Silent viewing is a standard way to use video in the classroom. The idea is simple: the teacher plays the video with the sound down and students have to guess what the characters are talking about, what they are saying, etc. However, as we will see in this post, there is an alternative approach that …
“If I’m going to be completely honest, I probably drink a bit too much. I don’t drink every day – not quite. And I hardly ever get drunk – I’m not a teenager, after all! But I generally exceed the healthy limit and it can affect my mood and my energy levels. I worry that I might …
When you ask a learner to draw a piece of language, the language is suddenly brought to life and made memorable. In this post, I would like to show you 15 examples of picture flashcards, all created by adult learners of English. Student-generated flashcards Student-generated flashcard (SGF) is a term that I first used in …
In 2011, Australian TV presenter Karl Stefanovic told the Dalai Lama a joke. In this post, we examine what went wrong. Karl Stefanovic and the Dalai Lama On the morning of June 9th 2011, the Dalai Lama arrived in Melbourne to start an 11-day tour of Australia. His schedule for that afternoon included a series …
The ability to visualise is an essential and fundamental part of comprehension. And an awareness of the images that you intend to plant in your audience’s mind is vital for all communicators. A recent LessonStream lesson plan makes use of a story told by Prince William. Just ahead of the Queen’s 90th birthday in 2016, …
The idea behind story dice is simple: students throw the dice and take inspiration from the icons to create a story. One of the great things about story dice is that they require minimal teacher input. But minimal input does not mean zero input. Without any instruction or guidance, the resulting stories can seem contrived …
The following text has been taken from a lesson plan in the LessonStream Membership. It explores standard depictions of people with disabilities in the media. A man with a passion Ever since he was a young boy, Tommy Carroll has had a passion – a passion that requires commitment, patience, and skill. Some people would describe …
Why we should be careful with “inspirational” materials Read More »
Dalí Atomicus (see below) is an impossible image by photographer Philippe Halsman. As a teacher, trainer and storyteller, I have used it on many occasions. In this post, I have two stories for you. The first is the story behind the photograph. The second is a student’s documented attempt to recreate it. One: the photograph Philippe …
Here is a story from my book Videotelling: YouTube Stories for the Classroom. It works well with face-to-face and live online video classes. Part one: the image This story is about a young Dutch man called Zwier. You can use the image above to introduce him to your students. Ask them to guess what’s going on – what’s …
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