Since we have returned from half-term I have been focussing much more on source analysis with my GCSE class. One of the trickier exam questions focusses on the reliability and usefulness of a source. The exam also requires students to look at a large range of source material and assess both the reliability of the content and the provenance.
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The students can either record their own voices or they can type their work and choose from a wide selection of voices. Even the computer generated ones sound real and can pronounce nearly every word clearly. The app adds in the movement of the hands and mouth.
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The nature of this task can mean that the lessons get a bit repetitive as students work through the sources and analyse them. I was looking for a way to add some more engaging elements into the lesson especially as a starter or a plenary.
Working on this topic has coincided with me being introduced to an app called Tellagami which is free and allows users to record 30 second clips. One of @Rossett's finest @mike_sweetman introduced me to the app and explained to me that he felt it could be very useful for source analysis.
The app is based around a virtual person speaking to an audience for 30 seconds. The background of the app can be changed and this is the real beauty of the app as it allows for the 'student' to appear to be stood in front of the source they are analysing. Below is a photo of one of my 'students' in action looking at the memories from WWI of Corporal W.H. Shaw.
Why do I think this app is really useful?
+ Firstly, it is incredibly easy to use and share. Having never used the app before all my students were able to quickly work it out and instantly produce work of a good standard. They did not waste time trying to get it working.
+ Secondly, it's the correct amount of fun. You can customise 'yourself' in a fun but ultimately simple way. My big issue with some technology is that it can easily distract from the learning and can end up wasting time. Even with the initial excitement of using a new app the first time the students still quickly produced good work. The second time they used it their work was outstanding. They also really enjoyed using it, as you can see from some of the comments below. This app is great because it enhances source analysis and doesn't detract from it.
+ Thirdly, it makes the students want to produce outstanding work. Far from distracting my GCSE class this app was incredibly engaging. There was a real level of competition amongst them to try and outdo each other. The quality of all the students work was excellent they were really trying to include and analyse as much of the content and the prevenance as they could to make their Tellagami's good.
+ Forthly, it is really challenging. To produce a decent piece of source analysis in 30 seconds is not easy. You've got a lot to say and not very long. This makes it difficult but gets students used to the pressure of the exams.
+ Finally, it is really accessible. Students can either talk into the app or type and the results either way are really good.
Below is a photo of my GCSE students working on the app to develop their source analysis skills:
Some examples from my GCSE class
All of these Tellagami's were produced in a cover lesson when I was absent. They were then uploaded to my YouTube channel in the lesson ready for the start of the following lesson.
The fact that such high quality work was produced in my absense shows the real value of the app.
How can I see myself using this in the future?
+ This app is ideal for source analysis. It will be even better when the source analysis takes the form of revision. Students will be quickly able to create great revision videos that they can watch in the build up to the exam.
+ This app would be a great tool for measuring progress. The difference between a video constructed at the start of the lesson and at the end would be marked and this would show how much content the students have learnt or how much their understanding has developed within the lesson.
+ This app can be used quickly and easily and dropped in without prior planning. Without any real planning this app can be used. If I realise there is a misconception in my class I can use it as a way of ensuring the students have understood. If I am finding a topic is struggling to engage the students (obviously this has never happened, but if it did) then this is a great tool to develop the engagement.
+ It will work equally well with top or bottom sets. Due to the inclusive nature of the app, as mentioned above, it can be used to both stretch and challenge and also in an inclusive way to enable all students to access a topic.
What do my GCSE students think about it?
+ Sophie said "The app was really fun because you can change the voice and how the person looked and their position and stuff. It was useful because if you don't want to film yourself or you don't like your voice then you can use this. Also having fun helps to learn so you learn more."
+ Una said "Our group found Tellegami useful because it was a great group tool, as we all worked together to produce the final result. Also, personally I thought it was great because I tend to blabber on about the topic, and don’t actually cover what is needed to in a concise way, but having the 30 second time limit really got me thinking about how to put my point across in a small amount of words."
+ Katie said "I enjoyed using the app, especially how you had the option to either record yourself or type it in. Also, I think it's going to be a good revision tool for me, to see and hear back what we had written previously. However, occasionally the app did crash so it was a bit annoying at times and took a while to get yourself back to what you were doing."
+ Jamie said "I think that the Telligami are fun and useful because they are easy and quick to make and also you can watch them until you get the facts in your head."
+ Brad said "I think that Tellagami was very useful, since you can easily look back on them to see what information you have on a particular subject, and I think this is particularly useful in source work. I also think it's very funny with all the things you can do with it, such as Jimmy's voice and rotating the person.
The only issue I have with it is the time/word limit, since you sometimes can't fit in all you want, and some parts may be questioned because of the lack of information e.g. Today I couldn't finish a sentence, so I had to cut it out."
+ Hannah said "I thought that using tellagami for the sources was quite useful as it helped me think more about what the key points about the source were because of the set amount of words/length of the video, which stopped me from writing lots. It was also a more interesting way to set out the information and it helped our group communicate more and discuss the source more."
I would again like to thank @mike_sweetman for showing me the app and explaining how he thought it could be used. I would also like to thank my always brilliant GCSE class for really getting stuck into working with this app and using it in such a creative way.