Friday, March 27, 2009

Too Few Computers and Too Many Kids

In the article titled Too Few Computers and Too Many Kids  written by Douglas Bedient, Jacqueline Scolari, and Tamela Randolph they talk about ways to incorporate learning strategies into classrooms that don't have enough computers for everyone. This article goes on to talk about different subject areas that this can be applied to but the area of my interest in the foreign language strategies that they have come up with. They have numerous other ways besides just using a textbook to teach the students. Although textbooks are still are primary aspect of learning another language it is still important to have some immersion into the language. Going on the internet and finding News headlines of what's going on in a country of the target language is one of the many projects that they have come up with that deals with using the computer for a short time only to allow another student to use it. They get the headlines, preferable having words they need to look up and create a poster board out of it and present it to the class.  They can also search for headlines that are audio so they can hear the native speaker talk about to learn accents and emphasis on certain parts of the words. On another audio aspect of the learning strategies the students can also search for radio stations that are in the target language and listen to that to learn more about the accents and what not from a native speaker. You could also bring in popular broadcasts and have the students listen to those as well on headphones. Another project would be to create a menu out of some of the cultural foods that can be found in the country of the target language as well. I think all of these are great ideas on top of the traditional learning style of the textbook. This helps build creativity and grammar not found  in textbooks as well. Also with the listening project the students can learn what part of words get emphasized and how you might enunciate a word differently. For example the difference in Spanish speakers from say Mexico City compared to those Spanish speakers in different parts of Spain.

Food For Thought Questions:

1. If there are not enough computers how much out of pocket money does one usually spend on this type of activities (ie: cassettes, radio players, etc etc)?

It all depends on what activity usually and how many students there are in the class plus how many computers you are short. There are many variables.

2. Do you find the students excel more when you integrate these styles into the classroom.?

I feel as thought they do because it is more hands on and they are working on things and putting pieces together themselves rather than just reading a book. Much more research goes into this as far as looking up new grammar in a dictionary, etc. etc.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Opening Doors to the World

In the article Opening Doors to the World written by Karen French she speak of how to integrate technology in a classroom so you can create a global learning plateau. Students can use the internet to communicate internationally with other students in a target language so that they can both learn from one another.  This turns your normal classroom into a global classroom with no barriers. You can communicate first hand with native speakers and you learn one another's culture as well. She makes sure she follows the U.S. Foreign Language Learning Standards when she creates her assignments which are Communication, Cultures, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities. She has the students get e-pal friends from countries of their target language and once partnered up they complete assignments together using a chat system,. They could type or they can actually talk so you hear the native way of speaking. Some examples of what kind of work they do is that for starters they have activities that are based on Interpersonal Exchange where they can get to know one another. This is followed by information collection and analysis in foreign language learning. This is where they research one another culture and try to get a better understanding of one another's way of life in a day to day sense.

Food for Thought Questions

1. How much does it cost for the E-pal services?

IT'S FREE,  Now your school can't cut this part of the curriculum.

2. What if you have students that find the projects too easy as they might be ahead of the rest of the class when it comes to this language?

Talk to the other teach in the class that you are collaborating with and se he has a similar situation and team the two of them up.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Vamos a Darles Algo Duscutir: Art Competition Spurs Online Discussion for Spanish Students

In the article written by Allison Deluca and Besty Hoffman titled Vamos a Darles Algo Duscutir: Art Competition Spurs Online Discussion for Spanish Students they recall a way they brought technology into their Spanish III class for educational purposes. What they did at first did not work out too well as they found with just having students create post there was no depth and they would just post at the last minute without getting anything out of it. They soon realized that it they made it a competition on a subject they would get more in-depth responses from their students. Students had to write fact about the topic at hand which was a certain painting done by a Spanish painter. Students could challenge other students post by means of grammar and facts. They found that the post were much more articulate and sentence structure was improving. They could see the students being motivated by the competition. They said you could use free online discussion areas or you could use systems such as WebCT. I think this has been one of the best ways to to get a class to participate in an online discussion and actually get depth out of it. 

Food for Thought Questions

1. Would you recommend this for earlier classes such as Spanish I or II?

Yes I would but would not expect the discussion to be about in-depth things such as art. You could use things such as hobbies and thing about them or family and have the students challenge other grammar.

2. What if the school ratio for having online access at home was less than this schools being 96%?
I would try to talk to someone in one of our labs or library to see if my class could get an allotted amount of time sometime after school or during lunch so that even if students have rides after school to get they could still participate in the activity.