MailVU.com: Video Email

12/04/2011 03:27:00 am Unknown 1 comment

MailVU.com: Video Email:

MailVU is a website which integrates the idea of email and video recording together. Basically it's a videomail. The whole concept of how this MailVU works may seems pretty simple but once you experience the superb ease to use this site, you will be amaze. The interface is very simple and clear. No hassle to sign up for an account, it's just 3 clicks away. Just click record, do your thing in front of your camera, and then send it through email.

Students and teachers can use MailVU to share their thoughts and feelings about any classroom topic such as the parashah of the week, how they celebrate Shabbat (or any other holiday), or comment on a news event that affects the Jewish people. Homework assignments and school announcements can be delivered to parents and students via a MailVU recording, as well.

The next time you assign a journal writing activity, consider turning it into a video recording assignment instead. Students can use web cams to record themselves answering your question or writing prompt. The change of pace from your standard journal writing assignment will surely be welcomed by your 21st century students.

Classroom Use

-The teacher could ask students to choose a topic areas of their interest such as sports, fashion, restaurants, etc.
-Once chosen, students are given sources where they need to listen to the podcasts relevant to their topics i.e. BBC Podcasts.
-They are asked to produce weekly podcasts in any ways they like but they need to use MailVu and send them to the teacher's email.
-This way, students will have a chance to practice listening as they listen to podcasts, writing, building vocabulary as well as structuring sentences as they prepare the scripts for their own podcasts and speaking as they produce their podcasts.
-Once the task is finished, the teacher might record each student's series of podcasts and give it to them so that they feel the sense of achievement.
-Recordings are exchanged within the class for their peers to take back home to listen to and prepare to give feedbacks to the class.
-Students are asked to do an improved version of podcasts according to the feedbacks received from their peers.

Limitation
-The fact that podcasts cannot be embeded in the blogs but instead can only be sent by emails, it might  make classroom use more difficult, especially in large classes where teachers have to make recording of 40 students, for instance.
- The video cannot be downloaded as well, and the free trial account only lasts for 14 days.