CREATE A PODCAST 🎤🎙️

I liked the video in the blog FREE RESOURCES FOR LEARNING ENGLISH in the activity carried out with EdPuzzle entitled ‘Dating Conversation’ about bad dates and Valentine´s day. My final task was wider and I used this video, but I have expanded the topic beyond just love relationships and dating to include the different aspects of friendship covered in the unit: positive and negative personal characteristics, types of friends, number of friends we need or want or how to reach an agreement in a discussion with a friend.

The task was CREATE A PODCAST GIVING ADVICE TO LISTENERS ABOUT THEIR FRIENDSHIP PROBLEMS pointing out what personal characteristics help us to get on with others.The level was 4 ESO.

This is what my students did:

Introduction
This final activity aimed to enhance their speaking, collaboration, and empathy skills by creating a podcast that provides advice on friendship problems. Through this task, students practiced real-life communication scenarios while improving their ability to express and understand emotions. The activity was structured in four steps: Think, Plan, Create, and Present. Below is a summary of how the activity was conducted in class.

Step 1: THINK
The activity began with students watching the videos allowing them to observe tone, structure, and interaction. They then analyzed a model script, matching different parts to their functions (introduction, problem statement, advice, and conclusion). In groups of three, students assigned roles, two podcast presenters and one special guest, and selected two friendship problems to discuss or love problems, as they wanted. Some groups used email examples from a previous exercise, while others brainstormed new scenarios.

Step 2: PLAN
To develop their responses, students explored the concept of empathy, guided by a proverb and the "Super Skills" section: ‘Never judge someone until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes’. They listened to an example podcast to identify how speakers showed empathy and noted key phrases used in giving advice. This helped them craft their own responses with a focus on active listening and emotional intelligence.

Step 3: CREATE
Students referred to the "How to Make a Podcast" guide, they could read it in their textbooks and  structured their scripts using the model project. Once the scripts were complete, they recorded their podcasts. Some groups experimented with intonation, voice modulation, and background music to create a more engaging audio experience. After recording, they edited their podcasts, making necessary adjustments and adding sound effects where appropriate. We used the tool Audacity.

Step 4: PRESENT
Students shared the audio files with classmates. Each group was prepared to answer questions about their podcast content, the advice they provided, and their overall experience. Peer review was conducted by listening to classmates' podcasts and providing feedback on clarity, engagement, and effectiveness of the advice.

Final Reflection
This activity proved to be highly engaging and interactive, encouraging students to apply their English skills in a meaningful way. Through collaborative problem-solving and real-life communication practice, students gained confidence in expressing opinions and showing empathy. Summing up, this project successfully combined language learning with social-emotional development, making it a valuable addition to our curriculum and to our students’ development.

📸 MINI-PROJECT WITH GENIALLY. WHO TOOK THE FIRST SELFIE? 📸🤳

Genially Mini-Project: The History of the Selfie and Photography

Project Stages and Activities

The project was structured into several stages to guide students through the process in a clear and organized way:

1. Forming groups. Students were divided into small groups based on their interests and skill sets. They brainstormed key moments in the history of photography and the rise of the selfie. This project was part of the final part of the didactic unit in their books so, all students worked on the same topic.

2. Timeline creation – Each group researched on different historical events, photographers, and technological advancements in photography. They used timelines in Genially to structure their data. I gave them the facts to guide them in a clearer way.

3. Small group discussions – Students shared their research in small groups to prepare for their presentations. The roles were previously defined. I let them to organize themselves but when trouble appeared.

4. Presentation preparation – Groups decided on the format of their presentation, Genially in this case, and rehearsed their speeches.

5. Final presentation & class discussion – Each group presented their project, and classmates asked questions or commented anything they considered relevant. I could carry out self-evaluation and coevaluation among all my students having in mind the topic was the same for all of them. They could participate since they had been working with the same materials.

To ensure collaboration and balanced participation, students were grouped based on complementary skills, some were strong in research, others in design or public speaking. The project was completed over two weeks, with each stage allocated specific class time to avoid excessive homework.

Here you have a link with a sample:

https://view.genially.com/67cabc0f633ca505e35beb43/presentation-who-took-the-first-selfie

Using digital tools like Genially made the project more engaging and helped students visualize historical developments interactively. The group discussions improved their communication and critical thinking skills, while the presentations enhanced their confidence in speaking English.

For future projects, I would introduce peer feedback earlier so students can refine their presentations before the final stage and I would allow for more creative formats, such as video storytelling or interactive exhibits.

Overall, the project was a success in fostering collaboration, research skills, and digital literacy, all while keeping students motivated and engaged since it was a current and motivational topic for them.

 

 📚CREATING COMICS🎈

These are my conclusions after working with Pixton. I have to say that it was a pretty limited tool since students can create only 3 cartoons every time they use it. They have to have other digital skills to widen their product such as creation of documents, printing the screen...

First, to ensure collaboration, I organized students into small groups of 2-3 mixing skills and personalities. Each group discussed who they admired and why before starting the comic creation process.

These were some of the tasks they had to carry out to get to the final product.

1. Students first discussed and selected a person they admired, gathering key information about their achievements.
2. Story planning.They outlined a short narrative for their comic, deciding on dialogues and main events.
3. I provided a brief introduction to Pixton, demonstrating how to create characters, add speech bubbles, and design backgrounds.
4. Comic creation. Students worked in Pixton, turning their ideas into visually engaging stories.
5. They reviewed their comics, making language corrections and improving visual elements.

The main objectives were:

• Language development: We were working the past tenses and the adjectives of personality mainly.
• Creativity. Students were encouraged to personalize their characters, create original dialogues, and design visually appealing scenes. The comic format allowed them to experiment with storytelling, humor, and different perspectives, making learning more enjoyable.
• Digital competence: Using Pixton introduced them to digital content creation tools. Some of them needed help.

The creative freedom of designing characters and choosing colors, expressions, and settings was the best part. Many found it fun to see their ideas come to life.
The worst, some students struggled with the limited customization options in Pixton and found it challenging to fit all their ideas into a few panels. I asked them to print the screen and create a document where they could share the complete producto. This was not easy for some of them

Next time, I would provide more structured templates to help students with storytelling, give extra time and allow students to work individually if they prefer, as some found group work challenging.

We displayed the comics on a shared digital platform, allowing students to view each other’s work. Some groups presented their comics aloud, which helped practice pronunciation and speaking skills.

Students engaged in peer evaluation by commenting on each other’s comics. We discussed the strengths of different stories and reflected on what makes a person to be admired.

The activity was highly engaging, fostering both language development and creativity. With some adjustments, it can be even more effective in future classes.

In this link, there is some evidence of the product 🥰😄🤓

https://app-es.pixton.com/#/

Reflection on the video ‘Can gen z break free from social media addiction? 🎞️📹

 

https://edpuzzle.com/media/67c598c5f468daecc1a88d9b

My reasons for choosing the video

I selected this video because social media is a huge part of teenagers’ daily lives. It directly affects their emotions, self-esteem, and mental health, making it a relevant and engaging topic for my students. The video presents real-life experiences of young people, expert opinions on social media addiction, and insights into how platforms like Instagram can negatively impact users, especially teenagers. This combination of perspectives helps students reflect critically on their own social media habits.

Learning objectives

The main objectives of this activity were:

• To develop students’ listening comprehension skills by exposing them to authentic spoken English.

• To encourage critical thinking and discussion about the effects of social media.

• To improve students' ability to express opinions and arguments in English.

• To raise awareness of how social media influences emotions, mental health, and self-perception.

Flipping the classroom

To enhance engagement, I flipped the classroom by assigning the video as homework before the lesson. Students watched it at home and noted key points they found interesting or surprising. This allowed us to focus class time on discussion, analysis, and interactive activities rather than spending too much time watching the video in class.

High points of the experience

The discussion generated by the video was highly engaging with the open questions I proposed in class. Students shared personal experiences, debated the benefits and dangers of social media, and expressed concerns about the role of platforms in shaping their self-image. Many students connected with the experiences mentioned in the video and reflected on their own habits. The use of open-ended questions helped deepen the conversation, making it more meaningful.

Ways to improve the activity

Although the activity was successful, I identified a few areas for improvement:

Some students needed more vocabulary support to fully express their ideas. They often used their own language 

While the discussion was engaging, it could benefit from a more structured debate format to ensure all students participate equally. Also, I had to give time to outline their speech previously.

Conclusion

Overall, the activity was a success in terms of engagement and discussion. It encouraged students to think critically about their social media use and provided a valuable opportunity for language development. With minor adjustments, it can become an even more effective learning experience in future lessons.