Propagated by Dr. Ruben R. Puentedura, SAMR is a model that helps educators make informed decisions about integrating technology in classrooms to provide improved digital learning experiences for students, in addition to better learning outcomes. In this blog, we explore the application of this model on our product Glibzter Immersive - English Vocabulary Builder.

The four levels of education technology integration are Substitution, Augmentation, Modification and Redefinition. As the educator progresses through each level, the role of technology becomes more transformative.

The first two levels of Substitution and Augmentation are meant to 'enhance' the learning experience while the latter two stages of Modification and Redefinition are meant to transform it i.e. by enabling teachers and students to perform activities that couldn't have been otherwise performed.

This 8 minute video by Analisa McMillan is the best I have seen to explain the 4 levels with utmost clarity and simplicity.

Glibzter's browser extension and web app - Glizbter Immersive - English Vocabulary Builder works on Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge browsers while users access the internet via a laptop or personal computer (PC).  

It enables users to build and expand their vocabulary in English through real-time curation of words and phrases for AI-powered contextual practice when they stream videos with English subtitles/ closed-captions on Netflix and YouTube, and also read online news articles from select media portals such as BBC, CNN, MSN News, The Times of India etc.

Let's dive into how this product offering can be integrated into a classroom setting using the SAMR model of technology integration.

Think vocabulary building, and the image of a physical dictionary comes to mind. You come across a new word and the dictionary becomes a port of call for finding out the meaning. Likewise with idioms, phrasal verbs and connotations. Now imagine substituting the physical dictionary with an online dictionary app, say TheFreeDictionary.com. Or key in the word or phrase into the Google Search box to find its meaning, along with usage examples, pronunciation audio, synonyms, antonyms etc.

Application of Glibzter Immersive for Teachers: In place of physical books, teachers can curate educational content such as YouTube videos (with subtitles / closed captions in English) and online news articles (e.g. Editorials, Long form news articles on a specific subject), and ask students to watch/ read them on their laptops/ PCs with Glibzter Immersive - English Vocabulary builder as a browser extension. 

When you come across a new word or phrase, say in a book, magazine or newspaper, you would ideally underline it, jot it down in a notebook, refer the dictionary (online or physical one), jot down the meaning along with the usage sentence/s. What if all this takes place automatically at the back end as and when you are streaming a video on YouTube with subtitles/ closed captions in English or reading an online article without you having to pause the video or break your reading tempo for jotting all these down?

The enhancement is in terms of automatic real-time curation of the most relevant words and phrases (e.g. 20 words and 15 phrases from a 1000 word article) and unhindered content consumption experience for the learner.

Application of Glibzter Immersive for Teachers: Glibzter Immersive will extract and present to students the most relevant words and also phrases from the curated YouTube videos and online news articles you provide them, for contextual practice. Based on the presented words and phrases, the teacher can create in-class assessments in the future.

Read: Glibzter Immersive v/s Dictionary v/s Google Search

This is the phase where technology is used to design interactive and dynamic tasks that go beyond the limitations of a traditional classroom. (Source: 3P Learning.com). It would redesign the learning activity.

Application of Glibzter Immersive for Teachers: Glibzter Immersive leverages the power of Generative AI to enable students to better remember the usage of English words and phrases trough contextual relevance i.e. by knowing in what situation and in what emotions can the words/ phrases suggested be used. Add to this 'Word Combinations' i.e. Collocations and 'Synonyms', and students will get a well rounded practice session with translations in 7 Indian languages (soon to be opened for all languages) and audio feature for aiding in better pronunciation.

Redefinition is a phase where technology can make new learning opportunities, hitherto considered impossible, possible.

As an English Vocabulary Builder, Glibzter Immersive caters to the 'What to Speak' aspect of communication. Going forward, we will be looking to building the 'How to Speak' component with voice based assessments. We will also be looking to improve the assessments for contextual usage of words and phrases.

Application of Glibzter Immersive for Teachers: With these features, teachers can assess communication skills of students, be it in terms of vocabulary application but also in terms of confidence to verbally use the words and phrases in writing and speech.

This blog will be updated once these features are worked on. Until then, do share your views on this blog and our product offering Glibzter Immersive in the comments section below.

For starters, this blog is an 'analogy'. Google search the meaning of the word and you get this result (sourced from the Oxford Dictionary)

The meaning hinges around the words of 'comparison' and 'similarity'. In many respects, building your communication skills in English has a lot in common with how a mason would construct a wall. Let's explore this analogy: 

To build anything, you would need to source the right materials along with the requisite tools. When it comes to building a wall, the essential materials would be bricks, mortar (cement), TMT steel bars, water, primer and paint, while the tools would be trowels, spirit level, jointer, paint brushes/ rollers among others.

For Building Spoken English Communication Skills (Online): 

The mason identifies where the wall needs to be built and clears the area of any vegetation/ debris to dig a trench for the foundation. Before the wall is built, it is essential to finalize the design and layout.

For Building Spoken English Communication Skills:

On the similar lines, it is essential to make time and stay committed to the process of learning. Setting SMART Goals would be essential to determine the desired learning outcomes.

An example of setting SMART Goals while using Glibzter Immersive - English Vocabulary Builder, a browser extension to help you build and expand your English Vocabulary by curating relevant English words and phrases in real-time while streaming videos with English subtitles/ closed-captions and reading online news articles from select media portals, for contextual usage practice:

The foundation is laid by digging and leveling the trench with gravel forming a stable base. The mortar is mixed and the bricks are laid on the foundation with the trowel being used to make each brick settle in place.

The analogy for building Spoken English Communication Skills:

If you have basic foundational proficiency and wish to improve your communication skills in English, then Glibzter Immersive would be an ideal tool to help you improve your contextual usage of English words and phrases.

Read: How Glibzter Immersive helps you build and expand your English vocabulary

Read: 5 ways how reading improves your Spoken English Communication Skills

What other analogies can you think of? Do share your thoughts on this blog and your communication skills enhancement journey in the comments section below.

Search Google for quotes on reading and you will find many. The one which truly strikes a chord with me as being the most relevant for this blog post has been that of the legendary American animator Walt Disney 

                                       - “There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island.”

While books today have taken an electronic form, the emphasis is more on the activity of reading with many tangible and intangible benefits of reading being referred to as the 'treasure'. Let's get down to explore some of these benefits from a communication skill building standpoint.

Reading is an activity of amassing knowledge in the form of information, insights and perspectives. These can be shared in the form of expressing views during social or professional conversations. While venturing an opinion, they can be used to support your argument besides opening your mind to presenting new ideas and concepts.

If you see yourself being 'Tongue-tied' or 'Not knowing what to speak' on certain social occasions, then reading the news is the solution to give you the needed talk points to 'break the ice'. Reading induces confidence in speech!

Whether it is a work of fiction, a news article, a social media post or even an advertisement; what you read is a story that is published. How information is structured and pieced together to convey something so that it creates the desired action from you - the reader is the 'Art of Storytelling'.

If it is a work of fiction, the objective would be play on your sentiments or emotions. A news article is meant to enlighten you through information dissemination. An advertisement is meant to compel you to realize a need and convince you that the product or service advertised best solves the need for you.

Through conscious observation while reading, you'd pick up the skills of how to build and deliver a story effectively to apply them in your life. The more diverse your reading material, the better would be the variety of stories that you'd get acquainted with. The more unique the story, the more interesting you'd be as a communicator. Lastly, always tailor your story for the intended recipients for greater impact.

Unlike a fleeting video, written text affords you more time to comprehend the content better. You can, to borrow a phrase, 'read between the lines' to understand what the writer has not communicated but hinted instead. There is more time to analyse the cause and effect, make inferences, thereby facilitating critical thinking. 

By reading differing perspectives on the same topic, you will be able to appreciate the respective arguments and practice empathy while communicating. 

The more you read, the more you are acquainted with how sentences are framed. While having a strong understanding of English grammatical rules, will help you not only comprehend what you are reading, but later enable you to express yourself in a more compelling and seamless manner; by reading, you will observe the practical application of grammar without getting boggled by the specifics of nomenclature (whether a sentence is in present perfect or present continuous tense).

Reading enables you to imbibe grammar through observation and the more you read, better would be the way you'd construct your sentences.

Reading makes you an explorer and sets you off on an adventure where you uncover not just new knowledge, stories and information but also new words and phrases. The more you read, the more the likelihood of you finding more words and phrases that you could use in your day to day conversations.

If you are a student of biosciences, then reading a scientific journal will acquaint you with words and phrases relevant to that subject. Similarly, if you are a salesperson in the field of field of technology, reading tech focused media publications would fine tune your tech parlance and help you ace your client presentations by using trending words and phrases in your domain.

Adding new words and phrases to your vocabulary arsenal through reading will benefit you in the following ways:

• More creativity in expressing yourself (due to vocabulary diversity)
• More confidence in speech (once you master contextual knowledge of what word or phrase to use for what situation)
• More engagement (create greater influence and impact through improved diction)

This is where Glibzter Immersive - English Vocabulary Buildercomes in to assist you as your digital English Vocabulary coach.

Glibzter Immersive is a browser extension and web app that helps you improve your communication skills in English through vocabulary building and expansion. What makes Glibzter Immersive truly unique is its ability to curate or select relevant words and phrases from the content you read in online news articles (from select media portals) as well as the videos with English subtitles/ closed captions that you stream online (on YouTube and Netflix), and present them to you for contextual practice.

Read: How Glibzter Immersive helps you build and expand your English Vocabulary

Glibzter Immersive functions on both Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge browsers on laptops and desktop/PCs.

You begin your work day by opening your laptop / PC. Click on a browser of your choice which opens a home screen recommending news articles tailored to your reading interests. You open one that catches your fancy and begin reading it. As you read, you come across a set of new words, some interesting idiomatic expressions and phrasal verbs - some of which you are well acquainted with, while others seem relatively new to you.

If you are someone yearning to become a better communicator in Spoken English by improving your vocabulary, what you'd look to do is:

• Take out a diary or a notepad
• Pen down the words and phrases
• Open a dictionary or Google Search them for meaning etc.
• Jot them down in the notepad along with the way in which they are used in the article
• Commit them to memory by revisiting them (Learn by rote or association with the news you read)

Likewise if you are streaming a video with English subtitles/ closed-captions on YouTube or Netflix, you might do the same activities when you encounter new words and verbal expressions, although it may seem a lot more difficult without having to pause the streaming, jot down the word/ phrase and then press 'PLAY'. 

Without a physical notepad and pen in hand, you may choose to type them into the notepad of your mobile. Come to think of it, this way of acquiring vocabulary appears a tad tedious, hampering your video watching experience.

What if there was a way to help you identify, collect and present to you these words and phrases - be it from the videos with English subtitles you stream or the news articles you read online - without you having to pen them down? 

Imagine reading a news article without having to underline words and phrases or watching a movie without having to hit the pause button to jot them down!

This is one of the benefits of using Glibzter Immersive - English Vocabulary Builder. It automatically selects the most relevant English words and phrases from the online article you are reading (only on select media channels) and online videos you stream on YouTube and Netflix (with subtitles/ closed-captions in English) for you to practice contextually.

Let's get down to understanding, how? 

When you install the Glibzter Immersive English Vocabulary Builder browser extension on Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge browser, it would appear like this on the browser.

Click on it and it opens the browser extension interface. Open an online news article (from any of the media channels Glibzter Immersive is programmed to work on), and give the browser extension the permission to 'Extract text content from this site'. This will be needed if you are using Glibzter Immersive for the first time for that particular portal.

What you'd then see (after refreshing the screen) is some Glibzter 'Magic'.

What you see are a total of 146 estimated words and phrases which are categorised under three categories:

• Basic: These would be English words and phrases which anyone with basic foundational knowledge of English is likely to know. Basis the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) levels of language proficiency, this would cover words and phrases relevant to those having A1 (Beginner), A2 (Elementary) and B1 (Intermediate) level proficiency. In the example above, Glibzter Immersive has identified 130 basic words and phrases. By default, it will not recommend them for practice. Users who are interested in knowing these words and phrases can unlock them by clicking a button in the web app.
  
• Essential: These would be English words and phrases which Glibzter Immersive considers most relevant for you and recommends to you for contextual practice. These would come under the B2 (Upper Intermediate), C1 (Advanced) and C2 (Proficient) categories. 
• Uncategorized: These would be only English words (no phrases) which may not be part of our dictionary database, which would be proper nouns (names of people, places), words in languages other than English, words relevant to different domains that are not part of daily use vocabulary. They are still recommended to you for contextual practice. 

Overall, you will be recommended not more than 15% of the total words and phrases in the digital content source for practice in the Glibzter Immersive web app.

Let's now see the usage of Glibzter Immersive browser extension on videos with subtitles/ closed-captions.

The browser extension would work slightly differently on Netflix videos, with 'Estimated words and phrases' being updated every 5 seconds as the video streams.

The browser extension comes with the feature of manual entry, where you can identify and manually enter words and phrases that are new to you that you come across while reading or listening something offline or from a media channel that is not associated with Glibzter Immersive. This feature is particularly helpful while reading e-papers, e-magazines, PDF files etc.

Move down the browser extension interface and you will see a summation of the words and phrases acquired from the MSN news article (with 12 Essential + 4 Uncategorised) and the YouTube video of the US Presidential Debate 2024 (14 Essential + 3 Uncategorised)

You can then click on this interface to open the dashboard of the Glibzter Immersive web app, which gives a quantified overview of the words and phrases acquired, practiced and already known. It also gives you an overview of the words and phrases acquired by type (Basic, Essential, Uncategorised) and by source (Online Videos, Online News Articles and Manual Entry)

Read the blog: "Comparison: Glibzter Immersive v/s Dictionary v/s Google Search" to know how you can benefit from this contextual learning aided by an audio feature for pronunciation as well as translation feature in 7 Indian regional languages. We will soon be introducing a voice based speech analysis feature so that you can orally practice the usage of words and phrases.

Besides the tech-enabled feature of automatic curation of English words and phrases from videos with English subtitles/ closed-captions and news articles online, Glibzter Immersive will also have a daily word and phrase list compiled called 'Daily Dozen' for words and 'Take 20' for phrases, (both currently in test phase) making it the most engaging, systematic and fastest way for you to build and expand your English vocabulary.

Are you ready to Glibzter today?

Know more about its Features, Benefits, Use Cases, and Pricing. Share your views on the product in the comments section below. 

A dictionary's use case is predominantly to help you understand the meaning of a word or phrase. It was very rare for dictionaries in their print/ offline versions to have usage examples. Usage examples are key to better comprehension of the meaning and also aid in improved retention. If the sentence sticks in your mind, then you'd always associate the usage of a particular word or phrase with that sentence.

Online dictionaries come with a feature of audio pronunciation assistance in addition to a pronunciation key. This is indeed a nifty tool for English language learners to use in order to help them get their pronunciation of the word or phrase right.

In the example above, we also see the dictionary helping out with the word origin. Language purists swear by etymology (study of history and origin of words) as an effective way to remember them better.

[French, from Old French, from nuer, to shade, cloud, from nue, cloud, from Vulgar Latin *nūba, from Latin nūbēs.]

[French, from nuer to show light and shade, ultimately from Latin nūbēs a cloud]

An online dictionary could also double up as a Thesaurus, providing you with synonyms (associated words having the same meanings that can be used to substitute the word being referenced) and antonyms (words having the opposite meaning of the referenced word). Some dictionaries also help provide a visual representation of the word (more so for tangible objects) to aid in better association, retention and recall.

In the absence of a physical dictionary or a dictionary mobile app, Google Search comes in handy to search for the meaning of the word. This is usually actioned by prefixing 'meaning of' or 'define' to the word you'd want to search.

Pronunciation assistance, meaning, usage examples and word origin are covered similar to what other online dictionaries cover. Additionally, Google Search yields a very interesting feature of 'word usage over time' as denoted by the graph. 

In the 'Usage examples' section, we see 3 sentences. In total, there are 5 usage example sentences including 2 in the 'Overview' section. Moving on to the 'Similar and opposite words' section, you have a list of synonyms (and antonyms when applicable).

The last segment of 'Pronunciation' has a visual depiction of mouth movement while pronouncing the word with audio assistance. Users can select pronunciation in Indian English, American accent and British accent. What's more? Users can adjust the pace of the pronunciation to 'Slow'.

Glibzter Immersive is a powerful web browser extension that helps you build and expand your English vocabulary in an 'Immersive' manner replicating how we naturally learn a language. i.e. by watching movies, TV shows, web series and by reading online news articles. 

Glibzter Immersive assumes the following roles to aid you in your English communication skills improvement journey through vocabulary building:

Download the Glibzter Browser extension for Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge browser. 

Open a web page of any of the media channels we currently support for online news or videos on YouTube and Netflix with English subtitles/ closed captions.

Glibzter Immersive will work its magic as a digital magnet of words and phrases for that news article or video. The browser extension will show you an estimation of the words and phrases in an article or video.

Words and Phrases are categorised as Basic, Essential and Uncategorised.

Basic: These would be words/ phrases which anyone with foundational knowledge of English is likely to know.

Essential: These would be words/ phrases which Glibzter recommends to you for practice.

Uncategorised: These would be words/ phrases which could be proper nouns, words from other languages or those which are newly coined (neologisms).

In the example above, out of the 275 words in the news article; Glibzter curates and suggests only 24 words for practice. That is the role played by Glibzter Immersive as a digital magnet for words and phrases.

After reading a news article or streaming a video with subtitles/ closed captions online, you now move on to practice the words and phrases that have been acquired. The Glibzter Immersive browser extension has a segment which records how many words and phrases have been acquired and practiced, categorized by sources i.e. from videos and online articles. This section can be clicked to move on to the practice section.

Glibzter Immersive's browser extension also comes with a very handy manual entry feature. You come across a word or phrase offline or on a media channel that is currently not part of our offering, all you have to do is manually enter it into the section below to keep it ready for practice.

This shows you have Glibzter Immersive serves as a digital diary for recording all the new words and phrases relevant to you.

With helping you with English Vocabulary building and expansion as the main objective, Glibzter Immersive takes on the role of a digital gym to enable you to develop your verbal ability.

A gym is where you go to in order to build muscle or increase your levels of fitness. As a digital gym, Glibzter Immersive's web app enables you to build and expand your English vocabulary through practice of contextual usage of words and phases (which would include idioms, phrasal verbs and collocations).

Much like how running on a treadmill will show you the distance covered and the calories burnt, Glibzter Immersive helps you to quantify your word power in terms of quantifying the number of words and phrases acquired, already known and practiced by the period of time you select (i.e. Today, Yesterday, Last week, Last Month, Last Year, Till Date etc.)

Click on 'Start Practice' (for either words or phrases and you will be taken to a page called the Card of 5.

You can select which words/ phrases you want to practice on that card. This opens up an interface which helps you practice the usage of the word/ phrase by:

• Context
• Situation
• Emotion
• Word Combinations (Collocations)
• Synonyms
• Test 

As can be seen, Glibzter Immersive enables you to gain a deeper understanding of the context of usage of the word 'nuanced' by giving you situations when the word can be used along with examples. The latest version of Glibzter Immersive will also provide 'Word Combinations' which are essentially collocations (e.g. nuanced performance, nuanced portrayal etc.).

These can be translated into 7 Indian regional languages. We will be looking to offer this facility to international languages in the future. There is also an audio feature enabled to read out these usage examples to enable you to pronounce the words in the sentences right.

Also, get to know the usage of words/ phrases by 5 basic emotions: Happiness, Sadness, Fear, Surprise and Anger

There is also a 'Test' feature to test your contextual understanding of the word/ phrase usage.

As a user of Glibzter Immersive, you get to know exactly how many words and phrases you have acquired (from videos, online articles and manual entry), practiced and already known for any selected time frame.

With Daily Dozen (Word list with 12 words) and Take20 (List of 20 phrases), you can accelerate your English vocabulary building and expansion by practicing these curated theme based word and phrase lists; in addition to acquiring and practicing via content from digital media consumption. 

All this makes Glibzter Immersive the most engaging, systematic and fastest way for you to build your English Vocabulary and hone your communication skills. 

In the future, Glibzter Immersive will come integrated with AI-enabled voice practice to help you by recording the usage examples of words and phrases in your own voice. This will boost your confidence in applying what you have learnt through Glibzter Immersive.

Quite clearly, Glibzter Immersive is more than just a word meaning reference tool which an online dictionary or a Google search would cater to. Its use case is very different as it is more focused on being your digital vocabulary coach acquiring, curating and presenting relevant words and phrases from the digital content you consume online as well as through daily thematic lists; for contextual practice.

Are you ready to Glibzter today? 

If so, download the Glibzter Immersive browser extension and web app for Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge.

Know more about its Features, Benefits, Use Cases, and Pricing. Share your views on the product in the comments section below. 

Let’s dive straight into the 5 best ways to help you build your English vocabulary.

Subtitles and captions are both textual representations of the spoken words and sounds in a video. When you watch a video, both your visual and aural senses are engaged. When you hear a word or phrase being used in a scene, coupled with reading it in the subtitles/ captions, you can mentally tag it to a particular situation and emotion.

It helps you create a visual, audio and contextual frame of reference, that has the potential of 'making it stick' when compared to acquainting with a word or phrase purely in a textual or audio format.

Glibzter Immersive is our browser extension and web app that can be used to not just acquire new words and phrases while streaming videos on Netflix and YouTube, but also to help you with context based practice - i.e. knowing in what situation and with what emotion can you use the word or phrase. 

Did you know that in a Glibzter survey conducted in 2021, over 75% respondents had indicated their preference to consume English video content with English subtitles? The overwhelming reason attributed was to overcome challenges related to spoken English in other accents.

The beauty of adding subtitles/ closed captions to a streaming video is that it makes video watching a non-passive activity where you engage in reading the subtitles. With most of us preferring to consume content in audio visual format (videos and podcasts) rather than plain text (newspapers, magazines or even books), subtitling is one way to keep the reading habit alive in all of us.

While reading is a way to acquire new words and phrases and remember their contextual usage; the larger your vocabulary bank, better would be your level of reading comprehension and thereby communicating.

While subtitles help in cultivating a reading habit and provide an audio visual and contextual reference point, they are a great source of acquiring and expanding your English vocabulary - whether you choose to watch a movie or web series in any language with English subtitles.

So if you are watching a video in an Indian regional language but have English subtitles turned on, Voila! Even better as you now identify the words and phrases with your native tongue.

Glibzter Immersive works like a digital diary that automatically collects and curates English words and phrases for you to practice from the video content you choose to watch on Netflix and YouTube. When you practice, you get to learn the usage of the words and phrases in context, with audio elements to aid in pronunciation in addition to a translation feature in select Indian regional languages.

So the next time you binge your favorite web series or stream a movie, ensure the subtitles / closed captions are turned on to reap these three benefits. Glibzter Immersive will be your partner doing the heavy lifting at the backend to give you a curated list of words and phrases for you to practice and improve your knowledge in contextually using them.

Signing off with our catch line, "Don't just Netflix and chill! Use Glibzter Immersive to enhance your communication skill."