What’s The Edtech Roundup? Extempore was just reviewed by The EdTech Roundup! If you’re unfamiliar, The Roundup is run by Mike Karlin, who has over a decade of classroom experience and is currently a Ph.D. candidate at Indiana University’s Instructional Systems Technology program. The review gives an overview of what Extempore is, goes in depth[…]
The Can Do Descriptors which are similar to the WIDA Language Development Standards, were created to show what students at different levels of proficiency in English should be able to do in each of the four domains. While not a replacement, the Can Do Descriptors are a supplement to the WIDA Standards in instruction. Each[…]
In today’s image-rich world, infographics have become an essential way to convey information and statistics without an overwhelming overdose of text. This feature makes infographics an ideal instructional tool for teachers in the world language classroom. I often use infographics in the to elicit responses and reactions from students in the target language. THE[…]
One of the great advantages of cloud-based products like Extempore is their portability and flexibility: unlike on a legacy language lab, your students are free to practice speaking in any setting, at any time. You are not tied to a room, or a specific type of hardware, or a booking system. This flexibility means Extempore[…]
It’s the 21st century: Why do we keep taking 3 days to do oral exams when it can be done in ten minutes? If you can relate to this post’s title, it’s probably because you still go through 3 or 4 days of intensive (for you, not for your students who only meet with you[…]
If your students were dropped into the target language environment by themselves right at this second, what could they do? Could they survive with more than just primitive hand signals? “Freewrite” and “freetalk” assignments give you those answers. These tasks allow students to show what they can do in the target language with no (okay,[...]
Posted on 2021-01-04 by Grant Castner
So simple yet often overlooked, reading out loud (‘oral reading’ in academic parlance) carries countless benefits for learners of second languages.
Posted on 2020-12-14 by Grant Castner
Part I – Overview Extempore, The Speaking Practice App, that’s us. On Extempore, flexible features can help you craft immaculate assessments and extra speaking opportunities for your students. It’s also a solution for a plethora of needs in the language class, including real-world tasks, simple end of class exit tickets, as well as graded summative[...]
Posted on 2020-12-04 by Grant Castner
