Contents
- Introduction
- User Credentials
- Create a Password
- Creating Student Accounts
- Create Groups
- Adjust the Starting Level
- Add Students
- Providing Access to Parents
- Add Teachers to Groups
- Installing the Mobile App
- Google Play (Android devices)
- Huawei AppGallery (Android devices)
- Apple App Store (iOS devices)
- Apple App Store in China (iOS devices)
- Using the Mobile App
- Sign-in
- Opening the Daily Study Unit
- Set the Playtime
- Playful Lessons
- What Next?
Introduction
Welcome to Moomin Language School, the digital language learning service which helps young children learn foreign languages! This page will help you get started.
Moomin Language School consists of two main parts: the learning application and the playful lessons. Your students get individual daily practice with the learning application, and you can find the lesson plans and materials for organizing weekly playful lessons in our online tools (Webtool). There you can also manage your student groups and view your students' progress reports from the application. If you want, you can also give parents access to their child's progress report.
User Credentials
We will create your user credentials after you have signed up for a trial. After this, you should receive an email with your login name and a link to creating your password.
Create a Password
- Open the email titled “Welcome to Moomin Language School”. The email contains your login name and a link to creating your password.
- When you click the link, you will be directed to a web page and asked to accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
- To create a password, enter it twice and click “set password”.
Creating Student Accounts
Before you can start using the application, you need to create accounts for your students. To do this, you need to login to our "Webtool" which is our platform for setting up and managing the students, groups, teachers and organization.
- Go to this web address in your browser: https://tools.moominls.com
- Enter your login name and the password you set in the previous section.
Create Groups
- After logging in, choose ORGANIZATION from the menu at the top of the page.
- On the next page you can see all your current groups under Groups.
- To create groups, click on the Create group field (left side), enter the name of the group and press Enter on your keyboard.
Adjust the Starting Level
Moomin Language School has four starting levels so students with previous knowledge of the language can also learn with the service. The default level is Level 1 which doesn't assume any previous knowledge of the language.
- To change a group’s starting level, first navigate to the group.
- The level slider can be found under Advanced actions.
- Clicking on the question mark lets you review the level descriptions. These will help you choose the correct level for your students.
- Then use the slider to choose the group’s starting level.
Add Students
- Go to ORGANIZATION in the top navigation bar, then go to Groups on the left side.
- Choose the group in which you want to add a new user. Click Students to see all the students in that group.
- Click on the + sign to create a new student in the group, or the stacked + signs next to it to create multiple students at the same time.
Providing Access to Parents
If you want to provide your students' parents with an access to our learning reports and/or mobile application, you have two option to choose from:
- Credentials through the parent's email
- Student account password
We recommend that you use the Credentials through the parent's email -method if you know the email addresses of the students' parents. However, if you don't know the parents' email addresses, you can use the latter method. Please see the detailed instructions for both cases below (tap on the arrow icon to open the section).
- Go to ORGANIZATION in the top menu bar.
- Using the navigation bar on the left side, navigate to the group where the student is whose parent's email address you want to add.
- Click "Students" to see all the students in the group.
- Find the student whose parent’s email address you want to add. Click on the pencil icon on the top-right corner of the student profile.
- In the pop-up dialog that opens up, add the parent's email address to the field titled "Parent's e-mail".
- Click the SUBMIT button at the bottom of the dialog.
Once completed, our system sends the parent's email address a welcome message that contains the parent's login name and a link to setting their password.
- Under ORGANIZATION, using the navigation bar on the left side, navigate to the group where the student is whose password you want to reset.
- Click "Students" to see all the students in the group.
- Click on the lock icon to reset the student password(s).
- Select the student whose password needs to be reset and click RESET next to the student's login name. The new (reset) password will be displayed where the RESET button was located.
- After selecting and resetting the needed passwords, write down or copy the password(s) - you will not be able to see the passwords after closing the pop-up window!
- Click "I have written down the passwords" to close the pop-up window.
Add Teachers to Groups
- The teachers have been created by the Moomin Language School team and can be found in the No Group section.
- To add a teacher to a group, just drag and drop them to the right group.
Installing the Mobile App
Depending on the operating system of your device and your location, please see the respective app install instructions below (tap on arrow icon to open the section).
Google Play (Android devices)
You have three ways to install the mobile application:
- On the device where you want the application to be installed, open Google Play and search for an app called "Moomin Language School".
- On the device where you want the application to be installed, open this link.
- On the device where you want the application to be installed, open the camera app or QR code scanner and scan the QR code below.
Huawei AppGallery (Android devices)
You have three ways to install the mobile application:
- On the device where you want the application to be installed, open AppGallery and search for an app called "Moomin Language School".
- On the device where you want the application to be installed, open this link.
- On the device where you want the application to be installed, open the camera app and scan the QR code below.
Apple App Store (iOS devices)
You have three ways to install the mobile application:
- On the iPad or iPhone where you want the application to be installed, open App Store and search for an app called "Moomin Language School".
- On the iPad or iPhone where you want the application to be installed, open this link.
- On the iPad or iPhone where you want the application to be installed, open the Camera App and scan the QR code below.
Apple App Store in China (iOS devices)
You have three ways to install the mobile application:
- On the iPad or iPhone where you want the application to be installed, open App Store and search for an app called "姆明语言学校".
- On the iPad or iPhone where you want the application to be installed, open this link.
- On the iPad or iPhone where you want the application to be installed, open the Camera App and scan the QR code below.
Using the Mobile App
Once the installation is complete, you should be able to find the learning application on your device's list of installed applications. Everything should now be ready for you to start using Moomin Language School!
Sign-in
- Open the application, enter your login name and the password you created, and click Sign in.
- If you have forgotten your password, click Forgot your password? to reset it.
Opening the Daily Study Unit
Once you have logged in, you will see the groups in which you are as a teacher (you can add yourself to groups as a teacher in the Webtool). If you only have one group, you will automatically be shown that group's students.
- Click a group's icon to see all the students in that group.
- To begin learning, choose a student and click their icon. You will be directed to their week view.
- The student is directed to the latest available daily exercise (Daily Study Unit).
- If the student has playtime left once they have completed the daily exercise, they can do previous exercises or any of the additional exercises at the bottom of the screen.
Set the Playtime
The application includes a playtime to ensure that the students don't play for too long. Once the student's playtime is up, they cannot do any more exercises in the application that day.
- In the group menu, select the group of students that you want the playtime to be set.
- To change the playtime, go to the Settings (the cog in the top right corner) and click "Set play time".
- The default time is 5 minutes. You can also choose 10 or 15 minutes, or turn the limit off completely with the “Unlimited” option. Note that the time limit should not be turned off except under special circumstances.
Playful Lessons
To find the playful lesson plans, go to LESSONS in the top navigation bar in the Webtool. Some lessons have both in-person and online versions. Before the actual lesson instructions, there is a Preparation section. This section lists all the materials needed for that specific playful lesson. Most of the materials are commonly found in kindergartens, such as toys, crayons and paper. Any materials specific to Moomin Language School are included as printable PDFs.
In the preparation section you can also find a description of the week's vocabulary and pedagogical content. This is not a “to do” list for the teacher, just an overview so the teacher knows what kinds of things the children start to practice each week. Children are not expected to master these topics in a week.
The lesson itself is divided into three parts:
- Circle time
- Theme
- Goodbye
The Circle Time section has instructions for activities at the beginning of the playful lesson to welcome and include each child into the group. At the beginning of each activity, there is a list of all the materials needed in that specific activity. Instructions for each activity are found under the Instructions header.
The Theme section includes instructions for activities that deal with the week’s theme in a versatile way. Like in the instructions for the circle time activities, instructions for these theme activities include a materials list, instructions for the activity, and other useful information.
The Goodbye section includes instructions for the ending of the playful lesson. The ending is always the same: there is first a Goodbye rhyme, and then children are given stickers or stamps as a reward for their participation.
Individual games include the estimated duration, list of materials, and step-by-step instructions. The instructions are very detailed to support teachers who are not yet be confident in their teaching skills. If you are an experienced teacher, you can make modifications based on you experience and knowledge of the children in your group – you know best what works for your child group.
Songs, rhymes and stories include recordings. This way teachers don’t need to sing themselves or read out loud if they don’t feel comfortable doing so.
Many games also include recordings of words and phrases that teachers might need in the game. This is to support teachers in using English during the sessions.
Many games have a tips section. These include tips and suggestions on how to modify the games and activities if needed, and what to keep in mind during the games.
Each game includes a pedagogy explanation. These explanations tell the teacher what kinds of language skills and other skills children learn with each game. They also explain how certain kinds of games support children’s learning.
What Next?
Well done, you! That's all for our quick start guide. If you want to become a true Moomin Language School wizard, we recommend that you check out our Teacher Training videos once you have the time.
You can find supporting materials for running Moomin Language School here.
Did we miss something or do you have a question to ask? Our support team is happy to help! You can find their contact information here.
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