Learning through Listening: Podcasts

Podcasts are an interesting and useful tool to use in a classroom. There are a variety of topics that can be discussed via podcast, but one that I listened to was specifically for German learners/teachers. The
German Grammar Pod: The Gender Podcast was one that caught my eye immediately. My students always ask if there is a way to try and remember the articles for nouns since there are 3 singular articles and a plural article (and the cases that go along with it). I would have my students listen to this podcast because it discuses one of the areas that a lot of people get caught up on.

She explains how complicated the genders are in German, but gives a shortened list of how to determine the gender of the noun and charts to go with the transcript. This would be especially useful at the beginner level, but also serve as a reminder of the rules in later levels. 

There are a variety of podcasts out there on the internet, but here is the link for the Top 50 Podcasts for Learning a Foreign Language.

Global Collaboration

The newest wave of educational services includes connecting with people on a global basis. The site ePals offers a safe, school friendly method of collaboration. "ePals Clubhouse is a safe place for kids to connect with one another; share and read their favorite books; write and publish their own stories; play fun and educative games; and create their own art...School administrators can rest easy knowing that ePals SchoolMail365™ is a safe and protected space for student interactions. Educators can manage and monitor what students see, whom they communicate with and how they interact." It has tools that a teacher could bring into their classroom, enriching the learning experience for the students. "Teachers use the free ePals Global Classroom to create real world, culturally- enriching learning experiences for their students." Their tools can be used to enhance the curriculum. There are a few key tools that caught my eye when looking through the site:


-Cricket /Cobblestone - Both of these publishers are an online book, eBook, toy, and magazine ordering tool. They have theme packs for varying ages and grades that teachers can use. If the school or an individual has wishes to go digital, there are "interactive games, music, and more" that can be used with such a subscription.


-in2books- "In2Books brings the Common Core Standards to life with a safe motivating online curriculum that matches students with adult eMentors. Students get authentic experience purposefully reading books with eMentors and sharing ideas about important issues via online letters." This program is only available in the States currently. It is a nice enhancement to the lessons occurring in the classroom.


-Junior Folklorist Challenge- This is a project/competition that aligns with the Common Core and allows for creativity. Students will need to research, document, interpret, and present information about the folklore that they have identified within their community.

This website seems to be a valuable resource to reinforce and/or enhance lessons for students. I could see myself using the ePals clubhouse and the SchoolMail365. Working with middle-schoolers, not a lot of them have emails outside of school. This would be a safe alternative to a generic email address. I would use it to communicate updates, reminders, etc. outside of school time. As far as the ePals clubhouse, it's an area for students to have fun with. Without some fun, lessons become boring and repetitive. If the school district was willing to pay for a subscription, Cricket and Cobblestone could be extremely useful at multiple levels.

Comics in the classroom

Comics of varying sorts have been around for hundreds of years. From political cartoons to Sunday funnies, people of all ages can enjoy their humor and analyze their meanings. There are a number of comic strip websites out there, but the one I'm looking at today is GoAnimate. It's free to join, but comes with a limited number of themes and a time limit (30 seconds) on the comic strip videos. This also requires an email address to sign-up, which as talked about in my last post, might be an issue for the younger grades. It's nice though, because within the themes, there are many options to choose from and objects that can be manipulated. Voices can be added to the characters, either through a voice file, a voice recording, or a text-to-speech option. Again, in the free version, the comic strip video can only be 30 seconds long, so it limits how much speech can be added in. Music files can be uploaded as well. It's not overly complicated, but does take some time. If I were to have students use it, I would definitely make them have a plan in advance. I think that overall, I would just use it to introduce various topics instead of having students make them. I would consider using them in the upper grades (10-12) potentially.

Idioms are used in everyday speech. When a student is learning any language, eventually the topic of idioms must come about. The comic below walks through some idioms that can be heard in the news or daily conversation. I envision it being an introduction to a section on common (American) English idioms. It would be discussed and broken down into the various idioms that appear in the 'news report.' This technology doesn't have to be limited to just a language classroom. I can picture any number of topics being presented through one of the comic strip videos.

Breaking News: Idioms by katiemcf on GoAnimate

Animoto: For the animated classroom

Finding ways to engage students is always a challenge. One way to make units more hands-on and interesting is using this website called Animoto. It's pretty basic software, so it'd be easy for students to learn. It also takes you on a walk-through of how to use it when you sign up. Signing up does require an email, so that might be tricky for those teaching in the lower grades/middle school. Animoto has a free version of their site that has a limited number of themes and limits video length, but it still allows you to upload your own music and pictures to create the 30 second film. I'm not sure what the options are if a school district were to be interested in 'purchasing' it.

This would be good to use in a variety of ways, and is in no way just limited to an L2 classroom. Students can use their own pictures or stock ones off of the internet to create a variety of videos. It turns a boring old picture into an interactive show. You can only add captions to the pictures, so the characters are limited, but it also forces one to be succinct. Below is a video I created talking about the weather in German. In this case, it would be an introduction on how to describe weather using noun, adjective, and verb sentences. I could definitely picture doing this with my students. It would be a nice way to either introduce a unit or as a means of assessing learning. For further ideas and examples of how to use Animoto, Kathy Wickline's post Bringing Lessons to Life with Animoto offers a wide variety uses.


Wie ist das Wetter

Digital Storytelling: Creativity of the future.

Digital Storytelling is an innovative way for stories to be presented that includes the narrative, images, sound, and even video.  "Digital stories can be instructional, persuasive, historical, or reflective" according to the article 7 Things You Didn't Know About Digital Storytelling. Storytelling has been around for a long time, giving it a high prestige within cultures. In languages that don't possess a system of writing, storytelling takes its place in recording the history of the cultures. Storytelling can evoke a variety or emotions and/or provide valuable information. 

As more and more material for the classroom turns towards computers, digital storytelling can provide a creative outlet for teachers and students to use. On the website Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling, there are a few main uses and benefits mentioned for both teachers and students. For teachers who are interested in using digital storytelling in their classrooms, "Teacher-created digital stories may also be used to enhance current lessons within a larger unit, as a way to facilitate discussion about the topics presented a story and as a way of making abstract or conceptual content more understandable." If the students have the chance to view a digital story, it can potentially clarify or reinforce the material that is being discussed/taught in class. When students use it, "digital storytelling can also be a potent tool for students who are taught to create their own stories." This is a creative means of alternate assessment. It engages students in the lesson, regardless of the unit. It allows students to have a distinct voice in creating this, all while using technology that most students use on a regular basis. Some examples of activities include: giving their point-of-view on an issue, provide a cohesive argument with visuals,  tell a story that focuses on a specific sequence of events, etc. All of this requires a use or practice of the target language. Teachers must always find creative ways to engage students, and if done correctly, this type of project can be used to activate many different learning styles and can also teach skills that can be transferred to other subjects. 

Gamification: Encouraging learning through play

Gamification is "the application of game elements in non-gaming situations, often to motivate or influence behavior," according to the article 7 Things You Should Know About Gamification.  Learning doesn't have to  be lectures and worksheet after worksheet; learning can and should be fun some of the time. There are many reason that using games in a language classroom can be  beneficial. The TED talk video, Tom Chatfield sums up these benefits in his talk the 7 Ways Games Reward the Brain. "The first one is very simple: experience bars measuring progress...Second, multiple long and short-term aims...Third, you reward effort. It's your 100 percent factor...Fourth, feedback." By giving instant feedback and rewards, you can encourage a students ongoing development.

In a language learning classroom, one game that I could see myself using in an intermediate level ESL classroom is the point and click game Phantasy Quest. I've only played the game once through myself, but I can see how this would be very useful. It requires logical thinking skills as well as language skills. You pick up items, use them as needed, explore the island, put together clues, etc. For this game specifically, the learning objectives would be somewhere along the lines of being able to follow and later describe a logical sequence of events, as well as learning some of the vocabulary that is present in the game (ex. ship wreck). With any sequence of event type activity, the consequences of actions can be looked at as well. In this game, the students are the key participants. The teacher would serve a more passive role in the lesson after explaining the purpose of it. Depending on the number of students and the resources, it can either be an individual or class based game. If I used the walk-through (provided by The Best "Fun" Online Video Games for English Language Development), I would do as the site suggests and pair up students. They would then compete to see who could complete the game first. If possible, I would pull some key images to talk about about the walk-through after each pair completed the game. To assess and see if the objectives were met, I would have the students, on an individual basis, write a general sequence of events of the game in their own words.

For learning to continue outside of the classroom setting, the game Trace Effects. I've played through part of it one time. It's similar to the point and click game talked about above. It requires an (free) account to be created for it to be played. The game is presented as an option to improve your English through play. As it is teaching English through the game, it is also exposing students to a variety of relevant, everyday topics in U.S society. It gives objectives that are to be met before the next step. Similar to what I've mentioned above, the objectives would be learning how to follow a sequence of directions/objectives and vocabulary. The game provides vocabulary practice from the different chapters to reinforce what is in each section as well as links to resources.To assess if learning has occurred, I would look through the vocabulary that the game presents and create an activity to assess their usage. Or I would design an activity like I did above that would have the students use this new vocabulary to lay out the sequence of events.

For both of the above games, sequence of events/logical thinking is very important. It's a skill that can be carried over from the L1, but the new skill is being able to follow directions and describe what happened in an L2. By utilizing this previous knowledge, it can hopefully make the students more comfortable with the concept because they might have been exposed to it.

Twitterchats: PD of the future?

A Twitter chat is a set time each week that a group of people use the same hashtag (#). Within this agreed upon hashtag, people can discuss various topics. The argument is that twitter and twitterchats can be used for professional development or in a classroom setting.

After attending my first Twitter chat (#langchat) on Thursday night, I have reaffirmed my belief that twitter is not for me. It was difficult for me to follow all of the various conversations that were occurring. It was just a constant stream of pieces of conversations. There were so many different dialogues occurring at the same time, and to see any of them, you had to individually go through them. It was quite chaotic to go through. Maybe other chats are set up in a more organized fashion, this I cannot say. In general, I'm not a supporter of Twitter. I think trying to convey an idea in 140 characters is extremely limited and can lead to many mis-communications. I will not be using Twitter for networking or professional development in the future.

For those of you that do like twitter and can get it past the web-filters in a school setting, here are some suggestions for the classroom. From 35 Interesting Ways* to Use Twitter in the Classroom:

• Let teachers follow what you are up to
• Twitter Poll
• Word Morph
• Word Play
• Monitor the learning process
• Twalter egos
• Twitter as a research 

From 60 Inspiring Examples of Twitter in the Classroom: 

• Silencing blurters
• Attendance reminders
• Digital faculty lounge
• Classroom notepad
• Twitter recaps
• Talking to career experts

I think that Twitter, if it's going to be used in the classroom, is more suited to college classes than middle school/high school. Many schools prohibit the use of phones and block social networking sites  like Twitter, at least the handful I've been in. I would not use Twitter in my own classroom, so I cannot offer any of my own ideas. If I wanted to use a social networking site, I would stick to something like Edmodo where ideas can be expanded upon, surveys can be taken, etc. 

Connectivism and Collaboration: The classroom of tomorrow

A learner is like an ever growing plant. There are the roots that every learner has, but you don't always know how they are going to form, what they will look like when they bloom, or how big it will get. A learner can keep acquiring new knowledge everyday, forming new ideas and applying them. As a leaner, it is important to connect with other like-minded people and continue to grow and acquire. That is where the concepts of connectivism and collaboration come into play. Connectivism is the idea that learning does not only happen within oneself, but though connections to other people and their ideas. Collaboration is working together to grow with the people that you connected with. George Siemens explore these concepts further. 

In the article Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age by George Siemens, he states that  "Connectivism is driven by the understanding that decisions are based on rapidly altering foundations. New information is continually being acquired. The ability to draw distinctions between important and unimportant information is vital." With technology developing and changing at an alarming rate, knowledge is more accessible and plentiful. Without the ability to distinguish between the important and unimportant information, a learner can become overwhelmed, regardless of the network the connect with.

In the video The Network is the Learning, George Siemens states: "The network that I create when I follow the writings of an individual...that particular network that I create, it is what enables me to  continue to stay current in my own field, and just with the trends that are occurring in the rest of society as well." Staying current is the utmost importance in the field of education. Educating the leaders of the future requires the teacher to be relevant so that students can be prepared for whichever situations they might be put in. That is why a teacher must network and connect to stay relevant. In addition to connecting, a teacher must incorporate technologies that promote connectivism and collaboration in the classroom setting. Students will need to acquire this skill early on in order to be successful.

The social networking site Maestros de Español provides a platform for Spanish teachers from all over, the chance to connect and share ideas. The site itself just requires a yahoo email, but to join is free and open. The pages that it has are clearly labeled along the top of the page for easy access. It provides links to various items that would be useful for the classroom, a countless number of files that have games, songs, etc., discussion posts, etc. The resources that a Spanish teacher would be able to use in their classroom setting, but is also a place for teachers to share ideas and collaborate as a community. This is one of the networks that I shall immerse myself in. Going back to what George said, this is one of the ways that I will try and stay current in my own field. 

Curate or bookmark? How will you organize your information?

There are various resources out there for organizing information. The two that I'm looking at are Diigo and Scoop.it!.

Diigo is an alternative to the traditional bookmark bar that inhabits the top of your browser window if not blocked. Diigo's appeal is in the fact that you can add multiple tags to organize the pages that you like and that you can access your saved material on any computer with an internet connection. You can group the sites under named lists as well. It also allows you to add comments for yourself and followers about the webpages, and in return, you can see the same on the peoples pages that you follow and add comments to their links. Another great feature is the ability to leave sticky notes or highlight on the webpage itself. If there is a certain feature you would like to keep in mind or a feature that you would like to avoid, you can make a sticky note that will pop up when you go to those sites and on your home page where the links are saved. Same with the highlight feature. The highlight feature comes with a few different colors, so hopefully you'll be able to highlight what you would like despite the word/background color. My favorite feature is that of the chrome extension. It adds onto your toolbar and it only takes one click to save the website and add descriptions/tags. It is super convenient to use when the extension is enabled. Like everything, there are some downsides. There are no suggestions for sites based on interest, so it's based purely on the sites that you go to. You can look at the sites that friends have saved, so it's an alternate to suggestions.

Scoop.it! is a different way to organize information via "curation". While not tag specific, it is organized under a group heading (My curated topics). You then "scoop" websites that you want to add to the groups that you have made. It allows you to connect up with your social media sites (facebook, twitter, linked in) so you can share your "scoops" with the followers on there. The nice feature that scoop.it! has to offer is it's suggested pages area. Once you "curate" a topic, it will offer suggestions to add to it. The topics I started offered up about 100 suggestions each. You can also just add websites that of an interest that you find as well. Again, everything has downsides. The button that exists to quick add is not an extension, so unfortunately you have to have your whole bookmark bar visible to use the Scoop.it! add button. It's more of an annoyance that a true issue, so if you are a person that doesn't mind having their bookmarks visible, then the button is fine for you. You also can't comment on the links that others have posted, but you can "thank" them for it and share the item, commenting that way. There are no tools to highlight or mark notes to yourself about the sites that you "scoop" other than the initial comments that you put about the site.

If I had to choose between the various sites, I would go with Diigo. While it isn't super flashy, it has a really easy user interface. It's extension button makes it just as easy to save a site as the traditional bookmarking star does, and you can access the information anywhere. The post it and highlight features are also a nice touch. I don't mind that sites aren't suggested because I usually get annoyed when a website keeps suggesting things that I should like. I can do the Google search on my own. While Scoop.it! does off the curated groups, I can achieve the same effect with the lists. The multiple tag option that Diigo offers, and the breakdown of said tabs, is a option that I don't get with Scoop.it!. I will definitely continue to Diigo for it's user friendly and innovative features.

The modern classroom: Utilizing technology in an increasingly technological world

As the picture on the left depicts, many classrooms are moving towards using the various forms of technology available; from Ipads and other tablet devices, to smart boards and other interactive boards. So, why are the various forms of social media so important to use in classrooms? How can devices such as cell phones be utilized for learning instead of hidden away? The following videos examine these increasingly important questions.


The video Social Media Revolution (2011) gives a variety of statistics about social media that may be shocking to some. Essentially, it shows the role that social media plays in our lives, from keeping connected with friends to making/breaking relationships, and beyond. One such statistic is that "If Facebook were its own country, it'd be the world's 3rd largest." If teachers are able to harness the fact that social media plays such an important role in students' lives, it can be another outlet for growth and presentation of materials for a classroom setting.

Another video is Classroom of Tomorrow (2012). This video demonstrates some of the ways that various devices can be utilized. Everything from personal smart phones to tablets, they are utilized to perform different functions like helping with a presentation, finding out information, and recording different activities. Since most students, not all, have smart phones or some smart device, why not utilize that students love to use in a classroom setting?  I think that this video also shows the lack of human interaction that can result from an overuse of technology as well. A careful balance has to be set-up, and the teacher would be responsible for maintaining that balance.

Ultimately, technology is the wave of the now, future, and beyond. If teachers of any discipline can tap into the learning potential that these devices provide, the impact in learning could be great. The jobs that current and future students will have will require extensive use of technology, so exposing students early not only can benefit them in the immediate classroom, but also help their futures. Word to the wise though, make sure to maintain a healthy balance between technological and human interactions.


Here are some more ways that technology can be used in a classroom setting:

Blogging as a classroom tool

Part of teaching is coming up with creative ways to engage students in the lessons that you are teaching, while at the same time upholding the learning standards. Technology is moving to the forefront of the educational experience, so it is important to keep up-to-date and utilize it in the classroom when available. I will focus on how blogging can meet the LOTE NYS standards, but these concepts can also be applied in an ESL classroom.

The power of having a voice in one's own learning is irreplaceable experience. This is why blogging is such a valuable tool. It is a creative outlet regardless of the content required, and allows for a certain amount of freedom. It can be used to create or reflect on certain lessons. In an L2 classroom, it can be used in a variety of ways to meet a variety of checkpoints under Standards 1 and 2 based on the NYSED:LOTE Standards. The standards of reading and writing and effective communication  are easily met if a blog lesson is correctly set up. 

One way that blogging can be utilized in the upper levels can be in regards to reflecting on readings that are done. This gives students the chance to articulate their thoughts, add graphics, and other information to back up their thoughts. This is also a great opportunity for those students who hold back on sharing their thoughts in class for whatever reason. It’s an alternate outlet for them to express said opinions, providing an area for their thoughts to be heard. This can be done for individual reading assignments, so students are continually producing language and finding their voice. It allows creativity in the fact that it is the students’ opinions on a certain topic. Expressing an opinion definitely falls under Standard 1:

·       READING & WRITING are used in languages other than English for the purposes of socializing, providing and acquiring information, expressing personal feelings and opinions, and getting others to adopt a course of action.

Another way that blogging can be utilized, is when learning about a specific cultural phenomenon, reflective blogging occurs. Even in an L2 classroom at the lower levels, students are constantly learning about various cultural elements of the language that they are learning. For example, the differences between schooling systems. Even in the beginning L2 levels, a reflective blog can be started. If your students don’t possess the language abilities to blog in the L2, they can still reflect in English. Without the understanding of the culture they are learning, the language becomes almost meaningless. This falls under Standard 2:

·         EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION involves meanings that go beyond words and require an understanding of perceptions, gestures, folklore, and family and community dynamics. All of these elements can affect whether and how well a message is received.

Welcome!

Technology has and will continue to evolve as time goes on. Therefore, it is up to those who are educating students (of any age) to make lessons relevant and useful for students' futures. This means that integrating technology, when available, into a classroom is essential. It is possible to add it in regardless of content area. As I am a foreign language and special education teacher, I will mainly be focusing on various technologies that can be used in those settings, although I will also post things I find useful for other content areas as well.

Some links that I find useful or at least interesting for use are:

Spanish: http://www.senorwooly.com/
              -Some content is free to use, but you can also get a subscription for full access to the videos and materials.

History (or anyone who wants to make a timeline): http://www.dipity.com/
             -It's free to use and you can customize your timeline to your liking or have students create their own.

Core Subjects: http://www.flocabulary.com/
            - Unfortunately a lot of the content on this site has a cost, but it incorporates rap/hip hop music with content. There are some videos that you can view for free, but not a lot. They offer material for: Language Arts, Math, Social Studies, Science, and Vocabulary.

Enjoy!