Publishing resources with TES connect

I have been a part of TES community for some time now.

This a space for teachers to network and share useful resources.

There are plenty of high quality resources shared for free on the site, crafted by experienced and hands-on teachers. I remember I downloaded loads of good resources while teaching in the classroom. 

On TES resources website I share two resources ( downloadable for free when creating an account):

Chocolate (KS4 IB) and Futbol en español (for KS2/KS3)

Clipartbest.com

In the Summer 2014 I was contacted by TES resources with a proposal to create high quality resources for sale: Premium Resources. This seemed like a very good learning opportunity. 

During half-term I devised the resources agreed. If everything goes well my resources will be published in Jan 2015.

I though I would post an entry about my learning journey so far:

1. Copyright issues I learnt about: you can't directly copy across exam questions, many public domain images need to be attributed. I found a few useful sources for images:  http://www.clker.com http://search.creativecommons.org http://www.flickr.com/creativecommons 
2. Regarding attribution, there is a brilliant Tech Blog that presents a tool (with tutorial incl.) for formatting creative commons attributions for flicker images: see blog. This made life so much easier.
3. Adding Music and voice. For language learning it is quicker to record your own voice and create a mp3 track for your Listening tests. Not only saves time from searching on the web but allows to customise the test for the students needs (i.e. differentiation and also for formal/informal). I used Garage band for this. With this software there is a choice between narration, bright, dance, and even robot and monster vocals for making lessons more interesting.
4. Resources for exam revision should be appealing and creative. I like images that are heavy in content and simple in words. This might favour candidates giving them the chance to generate new ideas and language. Also for differentiation. Note: Training for a test can become very mechanic and repetitive. Therefore, practising with 'past papers' can bring lots of bad habits too. If becomes functional.
5. Do pilot the new resources with at least 3 students. Ideally on a 1-2-1 basis so you have the time to collect feedback. Also, devise a students questionnaire with google forms and ask them to fill it in at the end of the lesson: How you find the level of tasks: difficult, appropriate, too easy? How did you find the time frames set: not enough time, appropriate, lots of time? Did you understand the instructions: with difficulty, most of the time, always? Did you find the images appealing? From 1-5 (1: poor, 5: best) how would you review this resource? Any comments for making the tutorial better?
6. Never think your first draft resource will be the final version. Sometimes the image for reading might work better in the Speaking, etc. Be prepared for any substancial change after the piloting the resource with your students.