"Day of the Dead" podcast

Having concluded a two-day lesson on the Mexican holiday "Day of the Dead" a few weeks ago, I went searching for a podcast to perhaps use next year.

I found a podcast that recounts a young man's experience celebrating "Day of the Dead"-you can find it here. It appears as though he is an exchange-student doing some type of study abroad and went with his host family to take part in the traditional festivities of the holiday.

In the classroom, I would use this podcast to identify the typical traditions and practices of this holiday like the young man mentions, such as the celebrations in the cemetery and the products they create and buy. We could use it to create a discussion or even have students do their own follow-up podcast about their opinions on the holiday.

Skype & Global Cooperation

I think a cool project idea would be to link two target language classrooms using Skype. Skype is a tool that facilitiates video chats for FREE around the world.

In my experience my students have always taken quite an interest in gestures of the target culture. For some reason they love to know those little gestures that kids their age in other cultures use everyday, such as if you don't believe someone, you're bored, you're angry, etc.

Using ePals, I would find a classroom of native Spanish-speakers learning English who were around the same age and language level as my students. My classroom could research and discuss with the Spanish-speaking classroom some of their typical gestures and vice versa, maybe in small groups, each with a different theme or gesture. They could use wikis, ePals, or even Skype to exchange information, learn about, and practice these gestures and plan a short role-play presentation showing what these gestures would look like in the target culture. Then, we could Skype each classroom to have students from both countries see live student presentations of these gestures in role-play scenarios.

The possibilities really are endless with the global cooperation tools and all the technology we have at our fingertips!

ePals' "Classroom Match"

ePals has so many cool features that seem easy to use in the classroom.

I would use the Classroom Match. It's great how you can search and see the profiles of all the different classrooms that want to connect. It gives you their location, their language, and an age group that you would be working with. I also love that you can search for specific areas of interest!

As a Spanish teacher, I would find a classroom with students of similar ages to my students (13-16) who are native speakers of Spanish learning English. Hopefully they would be at a similar level to my students (beginner) and we could exchange emails on a biweekly basis. It would be great to be able to coordinate with their classroom teacher to cover similar vocabulary topics as we go. For example, when we first learn how to introduce ourselves our first couple of exchanges would cover things like name, origin, age, interests, etc.

I think it's a great way to hit home what I teach. I think a lot of my students don't really see themselves travelling and therefore think they will never have to use Spanish. However with ePals it proves to them that you don't have to travel to communicate with other cultures. They can become 21st century learners and can pick up on cultural nuances, slang, and learn about the lives of people their age in other parts of the world!

Videos in the Classroom

Love 'em, use 'em!

I love using videos in the classroom. In my Video list I linked to a video I'm sure all Spanish teachers are familiar with: Cry Me A Verb. This teacher has created several videos about conjugating regular, irregular, reflexive, etc. verbs in Spanish. He does it in such a funny way and sings to the tunes of popular Justin Timberlake songs.

I showed these to serve as review for a Level 2 spanish class and I also showed them just after I introduced how to conjugate regular verbs in Spanish 1. They're so cheesy, they're funny and not only did the students love them and laugh, but they couldn't stop singing the songs!

Videos and/or video clips are a quick, easy, and attention-grabbing way to enhance and teach course content.

Flickr your Photos!

A picture is worth a thousand words! Flickr is a great tool to store your photos and view the beautiful pictures others have taken from around the world.

Like many other web technologies, Flickr has also made a name for itself inside the classroom. It is a great way to shake up a standard assessment task and is easily compatible with many other applications.

I love the idea of students using pictures to create a new product. Students can create a comic strip like Bubblr to practice oral and written vocabulary and grammar structures. Now, kids can create "virtual books" using their own photos or those they find on Flickr. They can create magazine covers, ads, posters, etc. using the tool they could never live without...their computer! It seems as though several projects that are standard each year can now be given a new life using these new applications. There's no need to reinvent the wheel. It's the same assessment task, just modernized, and it doesn't require a lot of extra planning or effort on my part!

Bubblr

En la recepcion... by MsPwall ** made with Bubblr (PIMPAMPUM)

The above link was created using Bubblr. It was so easy to create this object that students can use for written and/or oral vocabulary practice for a travel unit.

My current Spanish 3 students are learning vocabulary for hotel travel. A typical assessment task would involve several students creating a conversation that could take place at a hotel reception desk. Sure, they could stand up in front of the class with props and role-play the situation. However using Bubblr, they can fill in their own speech bubbles for each person's role! This way, students can accomplish the same task using technology that is fun for them to use, would certainly peak their interests, and above all is so easy to create. I was able to search for the exact type of picture I wanted and once I put in the speech bubbles Bubblr offered to link it directly to my Blogger account so you can view it. All the teacher has to do is specify the grammar structures and/or vocabulary that should be included and the students have a lot of room for creativity! If I used this in class with my students they could create a whole conversation just on this slide. It would also be fun to search for a picture that had some facial expressions with the same people; this way the students would also have to introduce a problem into the conversation or some kind of twist in their story!

Another cool feature of Bubblr is that you can search the archive for comic strips that have already been created and simply adjust them for your lesson or project.

The Twitter bandwagon

Ah, the ubiquitous Twitter!

It seems like everyone wants to "follow" and "be followed!" However, I really don't hear my students talk about it or use it as much as, say, MySpace or Facebook.

Regardless, I did speak with some colleagues a while back regarding the educational use of Twitter and have seen it in action at a couple of professional development seminars. In addition, I found the article "Twenty-five Interesting Ways to Use Twitter in the Classroom", and found some interesting suggestions on how to incorporate it into the LOTE classroom.

I like the idea of throwing out a "daily topic" or "question of the day" that relates to a theme covered in class or gets them thinking about what is to come, and having students shoot out a quick response for a homework. I also was interested in using Twitter to serve as extended practice for vocabulary where they have to give a synonym for a new word, create words found inside that word, antonyms, etc. Lastly, project completing seems to be one of the most difficult battles I have with some students. I liked the suggestion the author made to use it as a "diary" of some sort to keep tabs on student progress throughout the completion of a project or even to serve as a discussion board of sorts for students to share helpful websites or even like a "Peer Help" function that we use for LAI 684.

However, in terms of Professional Development I don't know if Twitter would be the program I would turn to. My problem is (as you can probably tell from this blog post) that I sometimes have difficulty communicating my thoughts in a concise manner. I like to explain...and explain, and explain! I feel as though any discussion I may have regarding Professional Development with colleagues would necessitate more than the 140 character limit than Twitter has. For me personally, I feel as though a blog or something like Ning would be better suited to my needs. This way, myself and my colleagues could go into more detail about our discussions and attach various materials to the site for further discussion.

Life Long Learning

Check out this blog: Life Long Learning! A New Blogger's Beginning. She is a classroom teacher turned technology coordinator for her district and her focus is to support teachers in integrating technology into their classrooms.

In one of her blog posts, Is Web 2.0 A Relevant Term? she gives a really basic overview of what exactly this whole "Web 2.0" concept is. Clearly I am familiar with this term and the jargon that goes with it because I am enrolled in LAI 684 and am fortunate enough to be employed in a district where educational technology is at the top of the priority list. However, a year or two ago I was not as well versed in "Web 2.0" as I am now-in fact, things are still fuzzy at times since there is always so much to keep up with! When the educational technology craze hit my school district a couple of years ago, many teachers were hesitant to jump on the bandwagon. Many felt as though it was just another chore to tackle during the daily school schedule and lots of terms were thrown around that we were expected to know and be able to use in our classrooms.

Speaking for myself, had I read this blog at the time I think I may have been a bit more comfortable with the subject instead of feeling like this was being thrown at me so quickly. I love how she gives examples of how we are already using "Web 2.0" and don't even know it (email, online shopping, photo sharing, etc.). It is also great that she realizes that during this panel discussion there were many "newbies" who felt overwhelmed and weren't familiar with the social media that is available. I think this is how some of my colleagues must have felt a couple of years ago, as did I.

I also love how she says we should stop trying to find a definition of "Web 2.0." Instead, she says we need to examine its characteristics, its programs, and realize we are already a part of it. As teachers, that means we need to continue to interact globally and figure out how we can help our students to interact with the social web as well in the classroom.

Classroom 2.0

I am a member of Classroom 2.0 and the specific social network I belong to is WSCSD CLC (West Seneca Central School District Curriculum Leadership Cabinet).

This cabinet is comprised of staff from all over my school district: classroom teachers, administrators, teacher aides, etc. Our purpose is to "collaborate, share and explore future initiatives in curriculum and instruction." Basically, we get together several times a year and discuss, realistically, various initiatives in the district, where we want the district to go in the future, and currently, we are examining and editing our Critical Elements for Success, which is essentially what we want our students to know and be able to do when they leave our district.

This is my 3rd year on the cabinet and for the past three years, we have been pulled out of our classrooms twice a year to meet as a whole group for a whole day in addition to taking a few hours over the summer to do the same. We also communicate constantly via email throughout the school year and summer months. However, this past August our fearless Assistant Superintendent has created a Ning account for us to accomplish our goals in a virtual space! We may still meet as a group-sometimes a social network just can't replace face-to-face conversation and the results you get from that-however we now have the opportunity to tackle things asap instead of having to wait for the next meeting or, we can do things little by little, throw out some ideas and see where they go. Plus, I think that it will make those times when we do meet altogether much more efficient, effective, and productive.

A learner is like an athlete

A learner is like an athlete.

An athlete begins with a passion for a sport. He learns the rules, watches it on TV, goes to competitions, comes to idolize top performers in that area and then pursues the same path for himself. He trains, he conditions his body, he practices and he perfects his game. The final step is to compete against other athletes. Here is when he shows his skills, sees how he measures up to his competitors, shares his talent, and most importantly, he sees how he can improve.

A learner has an innate desire to gain knowledge-the passion. He goes to school, he is taught new information from his teachers and he uses it everyday in the classroom. He does his homework to practice, he studies to retain the information, and he is challenged with various assessments like tests, quizzes, essays, debates, and experiments. The final step is to DO something with that knowledge. Here is when he shares it with others who are also interested. They can debate theories; they can apply it to real-world, out-of-the-classroom, practical situations; they can use it in real life; and most importantly, they are constantly adapting what they have learned to the changing world.

Just like an athlete cannot simply train and be done, a learner cannot simply learn and do nothing with this knowledge. The athlete must compete and DO something with his skills. He must share them with others so that he can improve and adapt as needed. A learner must utilize current forms of communication to share his knowledge with others and make it work in today's world. For an athlete and a learner to not ultimately reach that final step would be a waste of talent and of knowledge.

In George Siemen's article Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age, he says "Our ability to learn what we need for tomorrow is more important than what we know today." It is not simply a learner's knowledge that is enough. He must synthesize that knowledge, expand on it, and use today's technologies to increase that knowledge or find the answers when they are lacking.

We must teach our students that they are not simply receptacles to be filled but rather that we expect them to apply their knowledge. In today's world, that requires the learner to go outside of himself to the social networking world, blogging, creating things in web 2.0, etc. Siemen's echoes this thought in his video The Conflict of Learning Theories with Human Nature when he says we should "focus less on trying to bring knowledge into the mind...more on developing skills...to function in a distributive manner." A learner is not meant to work and think alone!

A Vision of K-12 Students Today

Immediately, one of the first things that caught my attention when I viewed the video A Vision of K-12 Students Today was the amount of time the kids said they spend with technology, and not actual people. Between the TV, the computer, the iPod, videogames, and cell phones it makes me wonder-do kids play outside anymore? Do they have "storytime?" Do they build forts with the living room furniture or play make-believe when they're stuck at home inside on a rainy day? Kids seem to have less and less human interaction every year they come into my classroom. They prefer to text one another rather than talk on the phone. People can obtain their degrees online without having to interact in a classroom setting with others.

Now, don't get me wrong I am all about embracing technology. Much of it has made my life easier and I have seen the awesome products teachers get when they incorporate things like blogs, for example, into their classroom. This is where the kids are, and where need to go as well. However, this lack of people-to-people interaction, or at least its evident decrease in frequency, worries me at times. I think it's necessary. No matter what kind of technology might be out there, students still need to be able to present themselves face-to-face in job interviews, meetings, personal relationships, etc. In terms of interaction, I guess I'm not really sure if the old way of doing things is any better or worse than the new "digital" way...just different.

The Web is Us/ing Us

After viewing this video, The Web is Us/ing Us, I realized how much I never really thought about what goes behind all of the applications, websites, and tools on the internet. I never paid much attention to who is responsible for putting all of this stuff out there, who wrote all the "html" codes, etc. It's weird, one day I just dialed up to the internet and-Poof! There it was! I watched on the video how several sites had "mashed" their data together and I realized that I take all of it for granted. I do almost everything on the internet these days-pay bills, watch TV and movies, and even take a course online without having to set foot in a classroom!

The video also made me "wake up" in a way when it talked about how WE are the ones who are putting all of that stuff out there. It was just last year when I started getting to know exactly what this "web 2.0" stuff is about and how we are no longer passive users and consumers of the internet. We are creating what is out there and we are working together to create virtual spaces where we can put our minds together to create whatever it is we want to create. Pretty cool!

Blog Post #2: Blogging safety

Important things to remember about safe blogging:

1. Make sure you know who is reading your blog. Use your "settings" to control this.

2. Be careful what you put about yourself in your blog. Don't give away personal information.

3. If you are posting information, make sure it if from a reputable source and that you can backup anything you write (personal opinions, research references, etc.)

4. Only write what you want people to read/know. Once it's out there, it's out there!

5. If voicing personal opinions, be sure to speak your point of view, but try not to offend those who might read your posts. We are free to say what we want, but be sure you can handle the responses you may receive.

Blog Post #1-Blogging and me

Many teachers in my school have been using blogs for the last 1-2 years and I hear great things about it. Mostly these are Social Studies and/or English classes but they can definitely be applied in a foreign language setting.

I would like to use blogs in my classroom. Like the book said I’d like to “start small.” I can see myself using them for homework assignments and eventually group projects for the kids. Specifically, though, I would like to use them to:

1) Post prompts for writing in TL-Depending on the vocabulary/grammar topic, I can ask a question or throw out an idea weekly, and have students comment on it using that chapter’s vocab/grammar in TL. Eventually this can grow to writing letters or essays, but it would also be good for short little assignments to ensure they are writing in TL often and not just once or twice a chapter for the final writing task.

2) Provide online readings for students to read and react to. A lot of times when we do a reading together in class it can get tedious. Either one student reads aloud and we follow, or I jigsaw it and we come together to talk about it. Since class time is so short anyways, this could be something I can have students do at home over a longer stretch of time, or it can be done partly at home on the blog, then we can expand in class and reference the students’ posts. This way they can read and write at their own pace.

3) Complete project work in small groups. This would be mostly for student use. Since often times they might be grouped with peers they don’t talk to outside of class, they could communicate via the blog. This way they wouldn’t have to worry about meeting up outside of class (or at least not as much), they can check each other’s work easier, I can check up on their progress, and we wouldn’t have to worry about that dreaded student being absent the day of the presentation and messing up the group.

As far as my own learning, I can see my department and even my school/district on a larger scale, using a blog to share cool ideas, projects, etc. easier. I am on one of the committees in my district and we actually just started a Ning (it’s a blogging type of site) so that even though we are all at different buildings, we can still swap ideas and work throughout the year more often than just the one or two meetings we have each semester.