'Speak up, make your voice heard' photo (c) 2011, Howard Lake - license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

This was one of the trickiest “The Best…” list for me to compile. As I was going through my favorites, and all of the great suggestions others contributed, I concluded that it might work best to really create two lists. The first list — this one — will highlight sites that actually have students recording their own voices in a number of different ways and post their speaking assignments online. The second list, which I’ll publish later this month and will include a number of the sites that readers suggested, will focus on sites where students have to listen to spoken examples for developing better pronunciation skills.

That next list will be called “The Best Sites For Learning English Pronunciation.”

It’s sort of an artificial division, I know, and obviously in teaching and learning a second language speaking and listening are intertwined. In fact, students can use some of the sites on this list to practice what they hear on the sites in the next list. But I do think this separation works for the purpose of making these lists.

In order to make it on this list, a site had to be free, easy to use, and accessible to English Language Learners.

Here are my picks for The Best Sites To Practice Speaking English & Pronunciation:

Blabberize allows you to upload an image, have the mouth’s image move in a comedic way, and then “speak” your voice. Students can use their own photos, or a famous person, cartoon character, etc. Blabberize can be used in the same way ESL/EFL teachers sometimes have students use puppets — students can feel more comfortable speaking when it’s not really “them” doing the talking.

A Voki is a talking avatar students can design and easily post on a blog or website. Sue Waters has written excellent step-by-step instructions on how to post a Voki.

Voice Thread is well-known. Between the free unlimited account for educators, the ability to type text as well as record audio, the ability to grab images off the Web to reinforce understanding, and the great feature of being able to leave audio comments, I don’t think anything beats it.

I’ve posted in the past about how the ability to make easy screencasts — with audio– could be an excellent learning opportunity for English Language Learners (you might want to take a look at that post). The online tool Screencast-O-Matic works okay for this purpose, but seems a little complicated.

Vocaroo is a super easy way for students to record a message — of any length — and then place a link or an embed code on a student or teacher website. It’s got to be one of the most simple ways for audio recording out there — no registration is required and you just click “record.” (NOTE: Unfortunately, Vocaroo has recently announced that messages will be deleted after six months)

PodOmatic looks like an extraordinarily easy way to create a podcast. Sign-up and your class has your own channel — all you need is a computer microphone.

 

I recently received my invitation to join Google Voice, Google’s new phone tool. You can read all about it at Lifehacker’s guide. In terms of teaching, I could see it as an easy way for English Language Learners, particularly those with no Internet access, to practice speaking “homework.” They can call my Google Voice number, leave a message, and I can then access both their audio and an automatically generated written transcript of what they said. I can then easily embed both on a classroom blog.

A new site is called English Central. David Deubelbeiss has posted a very thorough post about the site titled English Central – Bringing “voice” and output to learning English. I’d strongly encourage you to read it — I don’t feel any need to “reinvent the wheel.” A quick description is that it’s a free video site for English Language Learners, lets users listen to parts of the video, then lets them repeat what the characters says and compares it to the original. You get graded on how well you do. It has even more features, but you can read David’s post or check out the site directly. The other great thing about it is that the videos are all appropriate for the classroom, unlike several other ESL video sites that have come online recently.

David Deubelbeiss, founder of EFL Classroom 2.0, has an excellent speaking activity he uses with his English Language Learner students. He calls it Pass The Paper, and also a helpful PowerPoint.

SoundCloud lets you very easily record an audio message — the first 120 minutes are free — and then you can post the link or embed it where you like. They’ve also just begun a new site called Take Questions, which TechCrunch calls a “Quora for audio.” There, you can set-up your own page to take audio questions that you can then answer — in audio.

Shadow Puppet is a great iPhone/iPad app.

Literably Is An Excellent Reading Site — If Used With Caution

Speaking Unplugged: 30 Activities for One-to-One Classes is a free downloadable eBook from Online TEFL Training.

Getting Your Students Talking is a good post from David Deubelbeiss.

Getting the whole class talking offers some good ideas. It’s from The British Council

8 fun ways to practice presentations! is from The Business English Experience.

33 ways to speak better English – without taking classes is from British English Coach.

The British Council has a Part One and Part Two on “Reluctant Talkers.”

I Learn Another Great Game For English Langage Learners From Jimmy Fallon

Voxer is an app that has potential for speaking practice with English Language Learners. Joe Mazza talks about various other educational uses for it at his blog. Here’s video about it:

Interactive listening and speaking is from The British Council.

Using Pair and Group Work to Develop ELLs’ Oral Language Skills is from Colorin Colorado.

Key Strategies for Developing Oral Language is from The Teaching Channel.

Web 2.0 Tools For Beginning English Language Learners – “Clyp.it”

Developing Speaking Skills in the Classroom is by Anthony Ash.

Here’s a great list of speaking activities from The British Council.

The SpeakPipe voice recorder lets you easily record and save audio on the web. However, I’m not sure how long it saves your recording.

12 Fun Speaking Games for Language Learners is from Edutopia.

“KnowMe” Has Immediately Become The Most Useful iPhone App In My Classroom

The New Voice Typing Feature In Google Docs Is Great – I Wonder If ELLs Can Use It For Pronunciation Practice?

Personalised speaking is from The British Council.

Motivating speaking activities for lower levels is from The British Council.

Rachael Roberts – A favourite speaking activity is from The British Council.

Clarisketch looks like an excellent app for ELLs — you can draw and then record audio about it. Unfortunately, it’s only available as an Android app. I hope they’ll have an iPhone version soon.

Ask Answer Add – A Speaking Activity to Help Learners Maintain a Natural Conversation is a great strategy to get students talking.

Here’s A Plan For An Oral Skills Class Next Year – Please Help Make It Better!

S is for Speaking (1) is by Scott Thornbury. It offers some good student activity ideas.

3D Avatar Chat is an Android app that has potential as a tool for encouraging ELLs to practice speaking.

10-step guide to teaching effective conversation classes is from Teach English Spain.

ADDING A PARAMETER TO COLD CALL is by Doug Lemov. He shares a simple suggestion that could help ELLs, and all students, respond to teachers’ questions better.

Adapting the alibi game – part 1 and Adapting the alibi game – part 2 is by Mike Astbury. It’s more of an activity than a game.

4 TEFL Speaking Activities is from Engames.

One Of My Favorite – & Easiest – ELL Activities To Practice Speaking (Links & Recordings Included)

Three enjoyable smartphone activities to get learners talking is from The British Council.

Anchor seems like a very easy way to create podcasts.  Here’s a video about it:

Anchor Launches A Neat & Easy Way To Create Videos Highlighting Text

Project Audio: Teaching Students How to Produce Their Own Podcasts is from The NY Times Learning Network.

Six Simple Ways to Get Your Students Talking is from CommonLit.

Have your students participate in the New York Times Learning Network First-Ever Student Podcast Contest.

SpeakPipe Adds New Landing Pages for Gathering Voice Recordings is from Richard Byrne. This could be an easy way for ELL students to leave spoken messages/assignments with their teachers.

Speaking Goal Cards are from Tan Huynh. You can read more about them here.

Online Voice Recorder does just that for free. I learned about it from Richard Byrne.

Cooperative Learning Can Promote ELLs’ Academic Oral Language is the headline of the fifth post in my Ed Week series on ELLs and speaking.

FLEXCLIP LOOKS LIKE A GREAT VIDEO-EDITING TOOL FOR ELLS, ENGLISH-PROFICIENT STUDENTS & EVERYBODY ELSE

SPEAKING ACTIVITIES FOR ANY LANGUAGE CLASS is from English Teaching 101.

Quik – Quickly Create Audio Slideshow Videos is from Richard Byrne.

Motivating speaking activities for lower levels is from The British Council.

“SPEEK” LETS YOU EASILY RECORD ONLINE MESSAGES

MY LATEST FAVORITE TECH TOOL FOR ELL STUDENTS TO PRACTICE SPEAKING

 

“SPEECHLING” LOOKS LIKE A NICE SITE TO PRACTICE SPEAKING ENGLISH & OTHER LANGUAGES

Now You Can Use Vocaroo Without Flash is from Richard Byrne.

Reverb lets you easily record audio messages.

Teach Students to Build Up Ideas with Dialogue is by Jeff Zwiers.

On fluency and spontaneity: beyond “practice makes perfect” is from Gianfranco Conti.

REFLECTIVE SENTENCE FRAMES I USE TO OFTEN BEGIN MY ELL CLASS

Reverb Record is a new tool where you (and students) and easily record audio.  I find these kinds of tools great for students to record something they wrote and add it to the written narrative on a class blog.  I’m adding it to The Best Sites To Practice Speaking English.  Thanks to Richard Byrne for the tip.

THE BEST SITES FOR ONLINE PRONUNCIATION FEEDBACK – DO YOU KNOW OTHERS?

Three Ways to Make Short Audio Recordings – No Accounts Required is from Richard Byrne.

Adobe Spark

FlipGrid

Pamela Broussard shared this idea on Facebook.  I’ve previously posted about the same idea ( THE NEW VOICE TYPING FEATURE IN GOOGLE DOCS IS GREAT – I WONDER IF ELLS CAN USE IT FOR PRONUNCIATION PRACTICE?), but Pamela explains it in a much clearer way):

A great way to practice speaking is to have students open a Google doc. Go to tools. Click to voice typing. Then have the student read something of their choice. At first, they will say it is impossible or the machine is messed up. But, if they will commit to reading it until the computer can understand it, the speaking will change dramatically. They can read NewsInLevels and pick a level that is right for them or a book of their choice. I had a student that was very smart and knew a great deal of English but was practically incomprehensible when speaking. We did this in class one day and I gave it as homework for the week. I went on teaching, a month goes by. We do an activity with extended text. He read out loud. The whole class whipped their necks around in awe. He sounded great. He said he had gone home and practiced 30 minutes every day for a month. What I love about it is, it gives them specific feedback…more than I could ever do in a whole class.

 

GOING DIGITAL: FOUR SQUARES FOR BETTER SPEAKING is from ELTcation.

Three Good Tools for Recording and Publishing Audio Conversations is from Richard Byrne.

“Simbi” Looks Like An Excellent Reading & Speaking Platform For ELLs & Others

Instructor and Peer Feedback on Oral Speaking Tasks: Extempore, Soundcloud, VoiceThread, and Flipgrid is from FLT Magazine.

Common Voice invites people to record themselves so that the audio can be used in speech tools for the disabled.

Slideator looks like an incredibly useful tool to record audio to accompany any slideshow – or even document – you’d like to share.  You can read more about it at Richard Byrne’s blog.

This video shares ideas how to use voice with ChatGPT as a partner to practice a language you’re learning. :

“YOODLI” IS A FREE AI SITE THAT GIVES FEEDBACK ON YOUR SPEAKING

ADOBE EXPRESS “ANIMATE FROM AUDIO” MAKES IT TO THE CLASSROOM VERSION

Getting Students Speaking is by David Deubelbeiss.

4 Strategies for Developing Confident Student Speakers is from Edutopia.

Equitable and Quality Education for English Learners and All Other Students: The Role of Oracy is from AÍDA WALQUI.

Why Don’t Students Want to Speak? is from The Barefoot TEFL Teacher.

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