26.6.08
25.6.08
Using PowerPoint Presentations in ESL Classrooms
What is PowerPoint?
Powerpoint presentations are excellent for teaching large ESL classes of students. Powerpoint helps concentration and guarantees effective learning if everything goes according to plan.PowerPoint is a software bundled in MS office and used for creating presentations usually in the form of slideshows. Over the years Microsoft has been updating the software, each time making it even better. Your computer might already have PowerPoint installed.
Why use PowerPoint presentations in ESL Classrooms? Read on >>>
My experience
Teaching English or any other language especially to large classes of kindergarten, primary schools and absolute beginner students can prove to be a nightmare at times. As a teacher of large classes especially, I found the use of PowerPoint presentations a great aid in my teaching (by large classes I mean classes of 40-80 students). In China where I teach, large classes are not uncommon.)
So how do you teach a class of 50-60 students staring at you, hungry for knowledge?
Luckily, most classrooms in China are well equipped with overhead projectors and in some cases they have school computer networks and classrooms P.A Systems.
Being a novice in using the computer, I always did not know how to get started. However, when I eventually began using MS PowerPoint to create classroom presentations, I soon realized the similarities it shares with MS word, which I was vaguely familiar with at the time. In a few weeks of using PowerPoint presentations, I was amazed by the results. All of a sudden my students could concentrate long enough for me to drive home new language points. With new language points well into their brains, classroom games followed with ease. This was when I understood why some of my brilliant games had failed in the past.
At the end of the semester, my class of 50 students all passed their English exams, with 10 students scoring 100% in the final test and the least score being a 66% pass. Note that test papers of final exams in most schools in China are usually corrected by a teacher who does not know the students. Not surprisingly my class’ English test average surprised the other Chinese teachers.
It would not be an overstatement to say that if well planned, PowerPoint presentations can take away 50-70% of the burden of presenting new vocabulary to large classes.
So what about small classes? Needless to say that most often it is easier to teach smaller language classes than large ones. I have only focused on large classes because that is the area where using PowerPoint has solved a great deal of problems for teachers. Well, let me sum it up this way. If PowerPoint presentations are great for large classes, then they make teaching smaller classes seem too easy.
How can I obtain PowerPoint presentations?
If you are worried that your computer skills are not yet ripe for you to make great presentations, then try downloading ready-made PowerPoint lessons which you can just modify and use. These are among the best presentations:
- http://www.esl-galaxy.com/powerpoint.htm (free sample downloads of powerpoint with excellent audio and animation)
- http://www.englishmedialab.com (powerpoint video slides for self-tutoring)
- www.english-4kids.com/powerpoint.html (sample downloads teachers)
- www.download-esl.com/ppt.html
PowerPoint that talks? Video Slides from Powerpoint
Although this can be time-consuming, you can convert PowerPoint presentations to videos. One website which has done great work in this area is my www.englishmedialab.com. There are over sixty PowerPoint video lessons, with pictures and sounds well done with the student in mind. Thousands of visitors use this website to study using a self-access method.
There are also ESL lessons for Ipod users created using converted PowerPoint here: www.download-esl.com/videos.html
This website www.english-4kids.com specifically for teachers of kids and young learners also has a good number of ESL Video slides and free downloads for teachers. There are PowerPoint presentations that talk on this site, opening a new perspective on teaching with computer-assisted technology. With these resources, my students always seem one step ahead of other classes of their level.
Problems involved with using PowerPoint lesson plans
PowerPoint presentation for teaching large classes relies heavily on projectors which can be quite expensive to acquire. When schools manage to spend a fortune on these gadgets, there isn’t always a guarantee they will work round the clock. Hardware failure is not an uncommon problem in the world of technology.
You might have planned that demo lesson of yours all around PowerPoint and it is that day that something goes wrong with the projector. Maybe the teacher whose lessons just ended set the projector differently. You may need to reset things to suit your lesson. You can’t do this without wasting some time. Even your little flash drive might not work properly.
The solution is always to carry a back up in the form of a non-PowerPoint lesson plan or a device. Usually this would be the same lesson plan without PowerPoint.Remember you can print your presentations and easily turn them into flashcards.
Don’t always rely on PowerPoint presentations for lesson planning. Use PowerPoint and other methods interchangeably. Check hardware prior to your lesson.
Written by
Futonge Kisito
Webmaster/TEFL teacher/trainer
www.englishmedialab.com
www.english-4kids.com
www.esl-galaxy.com
www.download-esl.com
Powerpoint presentations are excellent for teaching large ESL classes of students. Powerpoint helps concentration and guarantees effective learning if everything goes according to plan.PowerPoint is a software bundled in MS office and used for creating presentations usually in the form of slideshows. Over the years Microsoft has been updating the software, each time making it even better. Your computer might already have PowerPoint installed.
Why use PowerPoint presentations in ESL Classrooms? Read on >>>
My experience
Teaching English or any other language especially to large classes of kindergarten, primary schools and absolute beginner students can prove to be a nightmare at times. As a teacher of large classes especially, I found the use of PowerPoint presentations a great aid in my teaching (by large classes I mean classes of 40-80 students). In China where I teach, large classes are not uncommon.)
So how do you teach a class of 50-60 students staring at you, hungry for knowledge?
Luckily, most classrooms in China are well equipped with overhead projectors and in some cases they have school computer networks and classrooms P.A Systems.
Being a novice in using the computer, I always did not know how to get started. However, when I eventually began using MS PowerPoint to create classroom presentations, I soon realized the similarities it shares with MS word, which I was vaguely familiar with at the time. In a few weeks of using PowerPoint presentations, I was amazed by the results. All of a sudden my students could concentrate long enough for me to drive home new language points. With new language points well into their brains, classroom games followed with ease. This was when I understood why some of my brilliant games had failed in the past.
At the end of the semester, my class of 50 students all passed their English exams, with 10 students scoring 100% in the final test and the least score being a 66% pass. Note that test papers of final exams in most schools in China are usually corrected by a teacher who does not know the students. Not surprisingly my class’ English test average surprised the other Chinese teachers.
It would not be an overstatement to say that if well planned, PowerPoint presentations can take away 50-70% of the burden of presenting new vocabulary to large classes.
So what about small classes? Needless to say that most often it is easier to teach smaller language classes than large ones. I have only focused on large classes because that is the area where using PowerPoint has solved a great deal of problems for teachers. Well, let me sum it up this way. If PowerPoint presentations are great for large classes, then they make teaching smaller classes seem too easy.
How can I obtain PowerPoint presentations?
If you are worried that your computer skills are not yet ripe for you to make great presentations, then try downloading ready-made PowerPoint lessons which you can just modify and use. These are among the best presentations:
- http://www.esl-galaxy.com/powerpoint.htm (free sample downloads of powerpoint with excellent audio and animation)
- http://www.englishmedialab.com (powerpoint video slides for self-tutoring)
- www.english-4kids.com/powerpoint.html (sample downloads teachers)
- www.download-esl.com/ppt.html
PowerPoint that talks? Video Slides from Powerpoint
Although this can be time-consuming, you can convert PowerPoint presentations to videos. One website which has done great work in this area is my www.englishmedialab.com. There are over sixty PowerPoint video lessons, with pictures and sounds well done with the student in mind. Thousands of visitors use this website to study using a self-access method.
There are also ESL lessons for Ipod users created using converted PowerPoint here: www.download-esl.com/videos.html
This website www.english-4kids.com specifically for teachers of kids and young learners also has a good number of ESL Video slides and free downloads for teachers. There are PowerPoint presentations that talk on this site, opening a new perspective on teaching with computer-assisted technology. With these resources, my students always seem one step ahead of other classes of their level.
Problems involved with using PowerPoint lesson plans
PowerPoint presentation for teaching large classes relies heavily on projectors which can be quite expensive to acquire. When schools manage to spend a fortune on these gadgets, there isn’t always a guarantee they will work round the clock. Hardware failure is not an uncommon problem in the world of technology.
You might have planned that demo lesson of yours all around PowerPoint and it is that day that something goes wrong with the projector. Maybe the teacher whose lessons just ended set the projector differently. You may need to reset things to suit your lesson. You can’t do this without wasting some time. Even your little flash drive might not work properly.
The solution is always to carry a back up in the form of a non-PowerPoint lesson plan or a device. Usually this would be the same lesson plan without PowerPoint.Remember you can print your presentations and easily turn them into flashcards.
Don’t always rely on PowerPoint presentations for lesson planning. Use PowerPoint and other methods interchangeably. Check hardware prior to your lesson.
Written by
Futonge Kisito
Webmaster/TEFL teacher/trainer
www.englishmedialab.com
www.english-4kids.com
www.esl-galaxy.com
www.download-esl.com
Using English Videos And Music In EFL-ESL Classrooms
a) Music:
English songs can be used for a wide variety of ESL learning and teaching activities. They can start discussions on a topic or even become the centre of debate. This is especially true of songs that develop a particular theme. Songs are also great for teaching listening. One of my favorite exercises with music is completing the blanks as students listen or listening and choosing the correct words from two words than rhyme, for example cry and try. You can teach grammar with songs in many ways. Most English songs sometimes sacrifice grammar for smooth rhyme. This makes them very good grammar teaching tools. You can ask students to find the mistakes or ask them how we would normally say it. Most songs reflect the background of the singer, why not do activities on something like varieties of modern English; or simply by comparing two songs ask students to figure out where the speaker is from and why. This is especially good for lessons that show the differences between British and American English. Of course you can teach new vocabulary with songs and students would understand them better within the context of the song. These are just a few of many ideas for using songs in ESL/EFL teaching.
b) Videos:
Like English songs English videos can be used for an assorted variety of language teaching and learning. The main difference lies in the fact that you see and hear. Television is however a lazy medium, providing little challenges for the mind, by spoon-feeding the mind with sounds and sights, thereby providing little room for one’s imagination to thrive. So how do we make this lazy medium a useful classroom tool? Lots of ideas come to mind. How about turning of sound and asking students to create the dialogue from a scene? Or how about, getting one part of the class to watch and describe to the others? Yes! How about simply using a freeze frame technique where you watch and pause when it gets very interesting, then ask your students a number of questions about what happens next? View some worksheets on how to use videos. One video that can be nice to be used is MR. BEAN. It is great for prompting students to describe what they just saw.
By Futonge Kisito
Webmaster/TEFL Teacher/Trainer http://www.esl-galaxy.com http://www.englishmedialab.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kisito_Futonge
English songs can be used for a wide variety of ESL learning and teaching activities. They can start discussions on a topic or even become the centre of debate. This is especially true of songs that develop a particular theme. Songs are also great for teaching listening. One of my favorite exercises with music is completing the blanks as students listen or listening and choosing the correct words from two words than rhyme, for example cry and try. You can teach grammar with songs in many ways. Most English songs sometimes sacrifice grammar for smooth rhyme. This makes them very good grammar teaching tools. You can ask students to find the mistakes or ask them how we would normally say it. Most songs reflect the background of the singer, why not do activities on something like varieties of modern English; or simply by comparing two songs ask students to figure out where the speaker is from and why. This is especially good for lessons that show the differences between British and American English. Of course you can teach new vocabulary with songs and students would understand them better within the context of the song. These are just a few of many ideas for using songs in ESL/EFL teaching.
b) Videos:
Like English songs English videos can be used for an assorted variety of language teaching and learning. The main difference lies in the fact that you see and hear. Television is however a lazy medium, providing little challenges for the mind, by spoon-feeding the mind with sounds and sights, thereby providing little room for one’s imagination to thrive. So how do we make this lazy medium a useful classroom tool? Lots of ideas come to mind. How about turning of sound and asking students to create the dialogue from a scene? Or how about, getting one part of the class to watch and describe to the others? Yes! How about simply using a freeze frame technique where you watch and pause when it gets very interesting, then ask your students a number of questions about what happens next? View some worksheets on how to use videos. One video that can be nice to be used is MR. BEAN. It is great for prompting students to describe what they just saw.
By Futonge Kisito
Webmaster/TEFL Teacher/Trainer http://www.esl-galaxy.com http://www.englishmedialab.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kisito_Futonge
ESL Lesson Plans & Resources
http://www.csun.edu/~hcedu013/eslplans.html
http://esl.about.com/library/lessons/bl_wordprocess.htm
http://www.arts.mcgill.ca/programs/esl/csamuel/
http://www.linguistlist.org/sp/LangLearnESL.html
http://esl.about.com/library/lessons/bl_wordprocess.htm
http://www.arts.mcgill.ca/programs/esl/csamuel/
http://www.linguistlist.org/sp/LangLearnESL.html
A Model Lesson Plan
Integrating Technology into the ESL/EFL Classroom
A Lesson Plan for Simple and Progressive Tenses
using an MS Excel Learning Object (LO)
by Nellie Deutsch
Lesson Plan Title: Integrating Technology into the ESL Classroom using MS Excel as a Learning Object
Learning Object: http://www.nelliemuller.com/Simpleandprogressivetenses.htm
Concept / Topic to Teach: basic tenses
Population: ESL/EFL students at the basic level, elementary, high school, and adults
Content: Applying an MS Excel LO and an audio listening exercise to practice basic present and past tenses. The students are required to change the forms of the verbs in brackets to suit the content of the sentence. They receive immediate feedback for their work.
Standards Addressed:
1. Linguistic and grammatical concepts: Understands that different languages use different patterns to communicate and applies this knowledge to the target and native languages
2. Benchmark: Knows various linguistic elements of the target language (e.g., time, tense, gender, syntax, style) and how these elements compare to linguistic elements in one's native language
3. Performs self-appraisal: Monitors progress towards learning goal and modifies strategies as needed
General Goal(s): Taking responsibility for learning
Specific Objectives:
1. Using basic English tenses such as simple and progressive
2. Working with Excel to check work
3. Following instructions
Required Materials:
1. Computer
2. MS Excel spreadsheet
3. MS Word
4. Exercise format: http://www.nelliemuller.com/simpleandprogressivetenses.doc
5. Excel spreadsheet format: http://www.nelliemuller.com/Simpleandprogressivetenses.htm
Anticipatory Set (Lead-In):
Students' checking their own work: Discuss its merits
Step-By-Step Procedures:
1.
Explain the differences between simple and progressive tenses:
Simple: an action is done regularly (present simple) or in the past (past simple).
Progressive: a situation where the subject is "locked in" or busy. This could be in either a present, past or future time.
2. Explain the layout of the exercise.
3. Have the students scan the text for any difficult words.
4. Explain how to use Excel sheet to check work
5. Students write in their answers on the Excel page.
6. Students correct their mistakes if they can.
7. Students copy and paste the task page.
8. Students write in their final score.
9. Students write the final task.
10. Students print their work and hand it in for the teacher to mark.
Closure (Reflect Anticipatory Set):
Class discussion on the process of checking their work: Students reflect how they feel about the task. Discuss how they felt at the beginning, during and at the end.
A Lesson Plan for Simple and Progressive Tenses
using an MS Excel Learning Object (LO)
by Nellie Deutsch
Lesson Plan Title: Integrating Technology into the ESL Classroom using MS Excel as a Learning Object
Learning Object: http://www.nelliemuller.com/Simpleandprogressivetenses.htm
Concept / Topic to Teach: basic tenses
Population: ESL/EFL students at the basic level, elementary, high school, and adults
Content: Applying an MS Excel LO and an audio listening exercise to practice basic present and past tenses. The students are required to change the forms of the verbs in brackets to suit the content of the sentence. They receive immediate feedback for their work.
Standards Addressed:
1. Linguistic and grammatical concepts: Understands that different languages use different patterns to communicate and applies this knowledge to the target and native languages
2. Benchmark: Knows various linguistic elements of the target language (e.g., time, tense, gender, syntax, style) and how these elements compare to linguistic elements in one's native language
3. Performs self-appraisal: Monitors progress towards learning goal and modifies strategies as needed
General Goal(s): Taking responsibility for learning
Specific Objectives:
1. Using basic English tenses such as simple and progressive
2. Working with Excel to check work
3. Following instructions
Required Materials:
1. Computer
2. MS Excel spreadsheet
3. MS Word
4. Exercise format: http://www.nelliemuller.com/simpleandprogressivetenses.doc
5. Excel spreadsheet format: http://www.nelliemuller.com/Simpleandprogressivetenses.htm
Anticipatory Set (Lead-In):
Students' checking their own work: Discuss its merits
Step-By-Step Procedures:
1.
Explain the differences between simple and progressive tenses:
Simple: an action is done regularly (present simple) or in the past (past simple).
Progressive: a situation where the subject is "locked in" or busy. This could be in either a present, past or future time.
2. Explain the layout of the exercise.
3. Have the students scan the text for any difficult words.
4. Explain how to use Excel sheet to check work
5. Students write in their answers on the Excel page.
6. Students correct their mistakes if they can.
7. Students copy and paste the task page.
8. Students write in their final score.
9. Students write the final task.
10. Students print their work and hand it in for the teacher to mark.
Closure (Reflect Anticipatory Set):
Class discussion on the process of checking their work: Students reflect how they feel about the task. Discuss how they felt at the beginning, during and at the end.
CALL Use in the ESL/EFL Classroom
There has been much debate over the use of computer assisted language learning (CALL) in the ESL/EFL classroom over the past decade. As you are reading this feature via the Internet (and I am writing this using a computer), I will assume that you feel that CALL is useful to your teaching and/or learning experience.
There are many uses of the computer in the classroom. In today's feature I would like to provide some examples of how I like to use CALL in my teaching. I find that CALL can be successfully employed not only for grammar practice and correction, but also for communicative activities. As most of you are familiar with the programs that offer help with grammar, I would like to focus on the use of CALL for communicative activities.
Successful communication learning is dependent on the student's desire to participate. I'm sure most teachers are familiar with students who complain about poor speaking and communication skills, who however, when asked to communicate, are often reluctant to do so. In my opinion, this lack of participation is often caused by the artificial nature of the classroom. When asked to communicate about various situations, students should also be involved in the actual situation. Decision making, asking for advice, agreeing and disagreeing, and compromising with fellow students are all tasks that cry out for "authentic" settings. It is in these settings that I feel CALL can be used to great advantage. By using the computer as a tool to create student projects, research information and provide context, teachers can employ the computer to help students become more involved in the task at hand, thereby facilitating the necessity of effective communication within a group setting.
Exercise 1 Focus on Passive Voice
Generally, students coming from around the world are more than happy to speak about their native country. Obviously, when speaking about a country (city, state etc.) the passive voice is required. I have found the following activity using the computer to be of great assistance in helping students focus on the correct use of the passive voice for communication and reading and writing skills.
* Inductively review the passive structures in class (or introduce the passive structures)
* Provide a text example, focusing on a specific location, that includes many passive voice structures
* Have students read through the text
* As a follow up, have students separate passive voice and active voice examples
* Using a program such as Microsoft Encarta or any other multimedia encyclopaedia, (or the Internet) have students working in small groups find information about their own nation (or any city, state etc.)
* Based on the information they have found, students then write a short report together at the computer (using a spell check, communicating about formatting etc.)
* Students then report back to the class presenting their report created at the computer
This exercise is a perfect example of involving students in an "authentic" activity that focuses on communication skills while at the same time including a grammar focus, and uses the computer as a tool. Students have fun together, communicate in English and are proud of the results they achieve - all ingredients for successful inductive learning of the passive voice in a communicative manner.
Exercise 2 Strategy Games
For younger learners of English, strategy games can be one of the most effective ways to get students to communicate, agree and disagree, ask for opinions and generally use their English in an authentic setting. Students are asked to focus on the successful completion of a task such as solving riddles (Myst, Riven) and developing strategies (SIM City).
* Choose a strategy game such as a SIM or mystery
* Have students divide into teams
* Create a specific task in the game itself, such as the completion of a certain level, the creation of a certain type of environment, the solving of a specific riddle. This is important for providing a framework and specific language needs/goals for a common ground in the classroom.
* Have students complete the task.
* Have students come together in the classroom and compare strategies.
Once again, students who find it difficult to participate in a classroom setting (Describe your favourite holiday? Where did you go? What did you do? etc.) generally become involved. The focus is not on their completing a task which can be judged as correct or incorrect, but rather on the enjoyable atmosphere of team work which a computer strategy game provides.
These are just a two examples of the various ways in which a computer can be used as a tool with which students are encouraged to participate in satisfying communicative experiences. Below are further links providing information on the use of the computer in the classroom
(Taken from : http://esl.about.com/library/weekly/aa112198.htm)
There are many uses of the computer in the classroom. In today's feature I would like to provide some examples of how I like to use CALL in my teaching. I find that CALL can be successfully employed not only for grammar practice and correction, but also for communicative activities. As most of you are familiar with the programs that offer help with grammar, I would like to focus on the use of CALL for communicative activities.
Successful communication learning is dependent on the student's desire to participate. I'm sure most teachers are familiar with students who complain about poor speaking and communication skills, who however, when asked to communicate, are often reluctant to do so. In my opinion, this lack of participation is often caused by the artificial nature of the classroom. When asked to communicate about various situations, students should also be involved in the actual situation. Decision making, asking for advice, agreeing and disagreeing, and compromising with fellow students are all tasks that cry out for "authentic" settings. It is in these settings that I feel CALL can be used to great advantage. By using the computer as a tool to create student projects, research information and provide context, teachers can employ the computer to help students become more involved in the task at hand, thereby facilitating the necessity of effective communication within a group setting.
Exercise 1 Focus on Passive Voice
Generally, students coming from around the world are more than happy to speak about their native country. Obviously, when speaking about a country (city, state etc.) the passive voice is required. I have found the following activity using the computer to be of great assistance in helping students focus on the correct use of the passive voice for communication and reading and writing skills.
* Inductively review the passive structures in class (or introduce the passive structures)
* Provide a text example, focusing on a specific location, that includes many passive voice structures
* Have students read through the text
* As a follow up, have students separate passive voice and active voice examples
* Using a program such as Microsoft Encarta or any other multimedia encyclopaedia, (or the Internet) have students working in small groups find information about their own nation (or any city, state etc.)
* Based on the information they have found, students then write a short report together at the computer (using a spell check, communicating about formatting etc.)
* Students then report back to the class presenting their report created at the computer
This exercise is a perfect example of involving students in an "authentic" activity that focuses on communication skills while at the same time including a grammar focus, and uses the computer as a tool. Students have fun together, communicate in English and are proud of the results they achieve - all ingredients for successful inductive learning of the passive voice in a communicative manner.
Exercise 2 Strategy Games
For younger learners of English, strategy games can be one of the most effective ways to get students to communicate, agree and disagree, ask for opinions and generally use their English in an authentic setting. Students are asked to focus on the successful completion of a task such as solving riddles (Myst, Riven) and developing strategies (SIM City).
* Choose a strategy game such as a SIM or mystery
* Have students divide into teams
* Create a specific task in the game itself, such as the completion of a certain level, the creation of a certain type of environment, the solving of a specific riddle. This is important for providing a framework and specific language needs/goals for a common ground in the classroom.
* Have students complete the task.
* Have students come together in the classroom and compare strategies.
Once again, students who find it difficult to participate in a classroom setting (Describe your favourite holiday? Where did you go? What did you do? etc.) generally become involved. The focus is not on their completing a task which can be judged as correct or incorrect, but rather on the enjoyable atmosphere of team work which a computer strategy game provides.
These are just a two examples of the various ways in which a computer can be used as a tool with which students are encouraged to participate in satisfying communicative experiences. Below are further links providing information on the use of the computer in the classroom
(Taken from : http://esl.about.com/library/weekly/aa112198.htm)
22.6.08
Welcome to Miss White English!!
It's such a pleasure to have you (yes, you!) as my visitor. This page was done with lots of effort and devotion and I do hope you find it useful, or at least, not that useless!!
My name's Carolina Blanco, I'm a Pre-service teacher and I've been working as a teacher of EFL with kids for more than three years, and with adults for a year. Taking into account my experience as EFL teacher, I've noticed how important it is to have students up-to-date with technology and resources in order that learning and teaching becomes better, easier and more fun. Here you will be able to find some articles, tips and good ideas to include the use of technologies in your lessons or even for students to have a look and suggest these ideas to their teacher.
hehehe... xoxoxoxox
RGDS
cB
It's such a pleasure to have you (yes, you!) as my visitor. This page was done with lots of effort and devotion and I do hope you find it useful, or at least, not that useless!!
My name's Carolina Blanco, I'm a Pre-service teacher and I've been working as a teacher of EFL with kids for more than three years, and with adults for a year. Taking into account my experience as EFL teacher, I've noticed how important it is to have students up-to-date with technology and resources in order that learning and teaching becomes better, easier and more fun. Here you will be able to find some articles, tips and good ideas to include the use of technologies in your lessons or even for students to have a look and suggest these ideas to their teacher.
hehehe... xoxoxoxox
RGDS
cB
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