AGNovel Partnership

Teacher Training – Module 4:

AGnovel – How to use the App!

AGnovelAdvanced Interactive Graphic Novels on Mobile Touchscreen Devices

Grant Agreement No. 2013-3792/001-001Project No. 543284-LLP-1-2013-1-DE-KA2-KA2MP

TeacherTraining

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The AGnovel APP

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The Menus

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Charlene´s menuIn this menu you can select what you want to do within the AGnovel APP. You can start reading or select other submenus to control the APP and the learning tasks.In the main menu you can select these five items:• Start reading• Bookmarks• Options• Cutomize• Credits

The „Main menu“ of the AGnovel APP

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Start readingIf you select start reading you will be directed immediately into the graphic novel.You can read it, just as a typical graphic novel from the beginning to the end.So, you will start with the prologue the scene, where the frescoes will be demolished.You can skip throught the story by scrolling vertical.

Select: Start Reading

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Jasmine´s submenuIn this submenu you can select form bookmarks, which you have created when you worked with the grphic novel the last time.By tapping on a bookmark you will jump immediately to the section of the story, which you selected, e.g. the part where you stopped last time.

The submenu „Bookmarks“ of the AGnovel APP

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Anne-Maries submenuIn this submenu you can select presettings and the tasks.You are allowed to select specific panels and scenes.Moreover, you can save presets and load presets to use them. To make it more easy for a user it is possible to select or unselect all tasks as well.

The submenu „Customize“ of the AGnovel APP

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Main Characters of the Agnovel Graphic novel

John

John is a manger of the restauration enterprise.He is the future employer of Charlene or Jasmine.

He has some specifics:a) He is a decision-maker.

b) He has to look at the aims of the enterprise.c) In cooperation with the second board member he

has to run the enterprise.d) Cost effectiveness and quality are important for

him.

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The Tasks

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• Learning-Tasks are designed in two ways(1) as interactive tasks in the APP itsself(2) as additional tasks which can be solved in the course on a face-to-

face basis.

• Learning-Tasks are focussing on specific elements of the story which offer opportunities for deeper discussions.

Learning-Tasks in AGnovel

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• Listening tasks• Writing tasks• Reading tasks• Speaking tasks

Types of Learning-Tasks in AGnovel

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• By switching Audios on and off the user or the teacher can decide which audios can be heard during the use of the graphic novel.

• The following 7 languages can be selected:– English language– German language– Italian language– Lithuanian language– Spanish language– Greek language– French language

• The learners can tap on graphic to play the audios and hear native speakers in the different roles of the characters and the narrator

Types of Learning-Tasks in AGnovelType 1: Listening tasks

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Listening approaches

Approaches

Listening competence

approach

Combined translation

and listening approach

Multi-language learning

approach

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The listening competence approachIn this approach a photo or picture goes along with text. The text could be presented for example in text bubbles and there it is spoken by the persons on the picture or by a narrator. But it is sometimes important to focus just in the audios and not on written texts in the comic bubbles. To address the audios more effectively and to focus on listening competences it is useful to switch off the written text. In consequence, the learner have no longer the possibility to see it and has to listen to the audio files, which occur with the photos, more carefully. In AGnovel it will be possible to hear an audio file again by touching the associated picture.

Didactical Scenarios in the field oflistening tasks 1

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The combined translation and listening approachIn this approach, the possibility to foster less skilled learners is mentioned. In the combined translation and listening approach, text bubbles occur in the photos with a written translated text in their mother tongue while the audio file provides the text in foreign language. This helps the learner to understand the story in a foreign language by looking at the picture or photo, by reading the text and by listening to the audio file.

Didactical Scenarios in the field oflistening tasks 2

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The multi-language learning approachThis learning approach presents the same graphic novel in different languages. To foster the translation process of the learners their knowledge about the text and the story is focussed as well as their awareness. Technically this will be realised by changing the texts in the bubbles in another language. In this way additional language learning situations and contexts of other languages can be promoted by using a simple method.

Didactical Scenarios in the field oflistening tasks 3

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• In writing tasks the learner are activated to write own sentences and texts.

• They are forced to work on their vocabulary and their grammar/syntax as well.

Types of Learning-Tasks in AGnovelType 2: Writing tasks

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Writing approaches

Approaches

Pure writing approach

Writing-about-the-

gap-approach

Writing-about-the-

missing illustrations-

approach

Write about your drawing

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The pure writing approachIn this approach, graphic novel stops and offers the opportunity for the learners to write directly into the bubbles or into textfields.

Didactical Scenarios in the field ofwriting tasks 1

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Anne-Maries submenuIf a writing task is seleceted in the Customize menu the graphic novel will stop at the point were this task is integrated in the story and waits for activities of the learner.

Example of a writing task using the pure writing approach

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Writing-about-the-gap-approachThe gap approach focuses the explanation and especially the story telling between two pictures. In this approach, a gap is characterised by giving the learners the task to explain what is happening between two pictures. The gap is represented by a scene that is invisible for the learner and gives the learner space for a creative interpretation. In this approach the learner can explain what she or he thinks what`s going on between the pictures. After that the learner can write this down by using own words in the foreign language.This approach is another type of didactical approach. The Talking-and-writing-about-the-gap-approach focuses the learner and presents him the possibility to use resources like paper and pencil, an exercise book, to write down the story between the two pictures or photos.

Didactical Scenarios in the field ofwriting tasks 2

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Writing-about-the-missing-illustrations-approachThis tasks works like the gap approach but the graphic novel deletes some illustrations. Therefore, the learners have to write what they think what happened in between until the story continues.

Didactical Scenarios in the field ofwriting tasks 3

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Write about your reading diary approachIn a reading diary approach the learners can use the advanced graphic novel as a basis to create and write down an own reading diary. This diary can be used as a basis for character analysis and content related questions. The reading diary approach fosters writing skills and represents a communicative didactical basis for the learners.

Didactical Scenarios in the field ofwriting tasks 4

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• Reading tasks focus on the learners an how they read.

Types of Learning-Tasks in AGnovelType 3: Reading tasks

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Reading approaches

Approaches

Read on your own approach

The reading in

roles approach

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The read on your own approachIn this approach, the text bubbles will be displayed in the pictures. The learner can read the text and this will help the learner to recognise and memorise the words and work on vocabulary.

Didactical Scenarios in the field oflistening tasks 1

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The reading in roles approachFor example in a class learners can take different roles of the novel and each one will be able to read the own role aloud. Interaction and the feeling of being a part of the scene will be fostered. By this means the reading process can be made transparent and can be discussed with the teacher and the classmates. Also the learners will get another way to get close to the content of the text itself.

Didactical Scenarios in the field oflistening tasks 2

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• Reading tasks focus on the learners an how they read.

Types of Learning-Tasks in AGnovelType 4: Speaking tasks

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Speaking approaches

Approaches

Audio creation

Roles play

How-to-be-continued

Talking-about-the-

gap

Select an end-how-

to-be-continued

Picture description

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The audio creation approachThis approach fosters the pronunciation of the learners concerning a foreign language. Learners could also have the possibility to create their own audio files and record them. This can be done also in a way where different learner will speak the different roles of the story. If learners have a specific software interface, it will also be possible to upload their spoken texts. In this way, the spoken and recorded texts can run as audio files while the learners can have a look at the pictures or photos in the AGnovel tool.

Didactical Scenarios in the field ofspeaking tasks 3

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Role PlayDifferent roles can be distributed to the learners. Role play scenarios led to live action in the classroom. A role play motivates the learners to be involved in a specific scene. The learners are a part of the scene and the story and the learners will be involved in the text more deeply. Therefore, the language experiences of the learners are motivated in a very direct and involved way.

Didactical Scenarios in the field ofspeaking tasks 2

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Talking-about-the-gap-approachThis is similar to the writing-about-th-gap-approach.The gap approach focuses the explanation and especially the story telling between two pictures. In this approach, a gap is characterised by giving the learners the task to explain what is happening between two pictures. The gap is represented by a scene that is invisible for the learner and gives the learner space for a creative interpretation. In this approach the learner can explain what she or he thinks what`s going on between the pictures.

Didactical Scenarios in the field ofspeaking tasks 1

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The how-to-be-continued approachThe main characteristics of computer provided graphic novels are that they can stop after a specific sequence and that it is incomplete in relation to the story. A story has not necessarily to be told from the beginning to the end. On a computer, you can start at a specific scene and also let the visualisation of the story end after a special picture. If the story stops the learners will think about a way in which it can be continued. Every individual learner can come up with and own way of the story. This different ways to end the scene or the whole story could be discussed with other learners, the teacher or with the whole plenum of a training class.

Didactical Scenarios in the field ofspeaking tasks 4

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Select an end-how-to-be-continued approachThis approach is defined by an abrupt stop of the story. After the story stopped, the learners will see two different pictures. Each learner has to decide which picture or photo describes an appropriate continuation of the story. They have to give reasons why they think that the next picture is the one they choose. The fit of the two pictures to the characters in the story, the whole plot and the environment can be discussed. There are several skills needed to discuss on such a topic and to do an argumentation here. Self-confidence to work free is needed and therefore, not every learner can act in such a way, which means that a teacher has to have in mind what the target group is able to do before this approach will be selected.

Didactical Scenarios in the field ofspeaking tasks 5

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Picture descriptionThe fourth didactical approach focuses the description of a picture. To describe a picture the learner will have the possibility to click or touch on the specific picture to see it in an enlarged format. In a next step they will describe the picture with all its facets and details. By using this didactical approach, description skills and language production of a learner will be promoted.

Didactical Scenarios in the field ofspeaking tasks 5