Tips and Tricks

Automatically translate websites

If you are using web resources with your ESL students, you can use Google Translate and share links to specific websites that will be translated for the student. Google Translate works for sites that are read, interactive sites such as games will likely be unusable when translated.

For this example, we will translate the article Electric bikepacking: lessons learned over four days and 250 miles from English to Spanish.

Step 1: Open Google Translate and select the languages

• Open your web browser and go to Google Translate.
• In the left-hand text box, click the Website tab.
• On the left side of the screen, you’ll see a box labeled “Detect language” or your default language. Click on this box and select the language of the webpage you want to translate (e.g., English).
• On the right side of the screen, select “Spanish” from the drop-down menu. This will be the language into which you want to translate the webpage.

Step 2: Translate the website

• Enter the website address. For our example, it will be https://www.theverge.com/24187989/e-bikepacking-charging-range-lessons-gear-review.
• Click the Right Arrow button. Google Translate will open the translated page in a new tab.
• Copy the URL from the address bar of this new tab.
• Now, you can share this translated URL with your students. You can paste it into an email, a document, or a class webpage.
• With the translated page open you would think you could select a different language and then share the url, but that doesn’t work. The URL will still point to the original language. To translate to another language and have the URL point to the correct translated page, you’ll have to open up the Google Translate tab again and go through the steps above.

And that’s it! Your students will now be able to read the webpage in Spanish.

Creating mind maps with MindMup

Mind maps are powerful tools for visualizing ideas, making connections, and enhancing comprehension. They help students organize thoughts and retain information more effectively. To get started with MindMup:

1. Visit mindmup.com and click "Create a free map" to start.
2. Add a central topic by double-clicking the center.
3. Use the toolbar to add child or sibling nodes, depending on the information you want to present.
4. Customize nodes with text, images, and links.
5. Use the toolbar to format and style your map.

There are a few caveats with the free maps. The most important one is that the mind maps are public so make sure you're not putting any personally identifiable information on your map. Additionally they will only exist for 6 months and you cannot delete them. Also note that MindMup has not signed a data privacy agreement in the Student Data Privacy Consortium (SDPC) registry (at least in Ohio), so Learn21 does not recommend using MindMup with students at this time. You can also check your state registry to see if they are an option in your state.