Mod 9- Podcast Series and Single Podcast!

As I was searching for different podcasts I could use in the classroom, I came across "Finally Learn Spanish". This group creates podcasts concerning different grammar topics. They have a nice way of organizing the information and giving really good examples. I figure I would use these in an intro to Spanish or Spanish 1 class, since many of the topics are taught in English. After Spanish 1, students should be getting most of their instruction in the TL, so these would become a little too easy, but could be used as good review. They are constantly updating with new podcasts, so I'm sure they will continue to grow as a resource as I grow as a new teacher.


One example of an episode from this series is their podcast on "Ser v. Estar". I think they do a great job of quickly and perfectly describing the different ways to use the two verbs for "to be" in Spanish. They use lots of examples and many different reviews. I think this would be a great tool so that when the students go home from school after learning about the two verbs, they could listen to this refresher and then work on homework.

Mod 8- Global Cooperation- Site from Mod 7

As I was learning about the global cooperation site, Gabcast.com kept coming back into my mind. In association with epals.com, I think you could have a very interesting learning experience for children. Once you have an accredited class from another (preferably for myself, a Spanish speaking) country, you could work on writing penpals letters for awhile. Then, your students could record messages at Gabcast.com for the class you are working with and vice versa. Students need to hear speech from native speakers and this is an amazing way to do so. Obviously you would need approval from your principal and I would even write to epals and let them know you are taking your pen pals to the next level, but all the work would definitely be worth it for you students learning abilities.

Mod 8- Global Cooperation- 2 sites

The two sites I enjoyed most from out list of global cooperation sites were epals and Global SchoolNet. Both websites seem like great tools in our world of education.


I remember in high school my Spanish teacher tried to set up penpals through a magazine. We were all very excited, but it never worked. A few kids got letters, others got inappropriate letters and the rest of us got nothing at all. Epals is the solution to all those problems. The site allows you to monitor everything your students send and receive. You can block suggested words and/or create your own word list. The site is run by fellow teachers who okay everyone who is participating on the site. You are able to find cooperating classrooms in the Target Language. They can practice their English, while your students practice their Spanish/French/Portuguese/etc. It seems like a very exciting way to introduce your students to the outside world.


The second site I really enjoyed was Global SchoolNet. This site has tons of activities and the first thing that came to my mind was the standard of connections. Here, not only do they have activities for a Spanish classroom, but they have tons of activities for every other classroom. Given time and a little elbow grease, I can imagine a teacher being able to connect her students to many other disciplines in the TL. I think the thing I want to try the most is the expeditions. Students are taken along side of adventurers and receive emails and updates about where the explorer is going and what they are learning. They can go anywhere from the silk road to the Great Wall of China.

Mod 6- Plurk v. Twitter

I have to say I didn't like either of these micro-blogging sites. They remind me of checking away messages of friends on AIM. I can't seem to make them relevant to a classroom, unless you were working on simple sentences and had the students write a certain number of posts. If there is a way to respond to other people's posts I couldn't find it. I thought it lacked variety of things to do with the program.

If I had to pick either Twitter or Plurk, I would pick plurk because it is more visually appealing with the time line. I also found Plurk to be more user friendly and intriguing with things you could do.

I did like that you were able to make you posts private.

However I did find another micro-blogging site and I fell in love with it! It is called Edmodo and if you watch the video in my post below you will find a video all about the features of this site. You can set up classes, discussion boards, homework calenders, places for absent students to find work, upload your worksheets to the site, etc. I found this site to be far more helpful in the classroom setting than either Twitter or Plurk.

Mod 6- Microblogging in Education

As I was looking for an article on microblogging in education, I came across this article. I started reading about Edmodo and decided I had to know more, so I registered for the site. I have to say that this microblogging site kicks butt!

It allows for different "groups" which could be your classes. You can set up an assignment chart. You can message groups, students or other teachers. You can set up calender to help students remember important dates. Students can put messages in their "locker" as reminders. You could message absent students their work. You can send links and files to the site, allowing you to post work and have students print if they lose their sheet! I almost feel as if the possibilities are endless. As the teacher you can see everything the students are doing on the site.

I am going to keep exploring this site, but I enjoy its options more than Twitter and Plurk!

Mod 5- Interesting Feed from Cool Cat Teacher Blog

As I was looking at my RSS feed, I found an interesting post from Cool Cat Teacher Blog. It is about monitoring your children while they are online. While this post is not directly aimed at teachers, I think it has helpful points.

As we look for new ways to use the internet with out students, we have to keep in mind the dangers and pressures they also face while online. I think that as we begin the school year and give the parents information about our class, it would be of their benefit to read these tips. Even though our students' might be middle schoolers or even high schoolers, parents need to be vigilant of their children online.

The internet gives us great opportunities, but we have to use it with caution for out students' safety.


Here is a link to the article:
http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/2006/09/11-steps-to-online-parental.html

Mod 3- Social Networking Sites

I found three social networking sites that I feel would be useful to me in my future career as a Spanish teacher.

The first is http://internet4teachers.ning.com/ This site has a lot of good information and ideas for using the internet in your classroom. I think it would be helpful to check back on every couple of weeks to make sure you are in on what is new for technology in the classroom. They have lots of good ideas!

The second was one that Professor Burgos suggested. It is http://edubloggerworld.ning.com/
Since we created our own blogs, I have become very interested in how I could use it in my future classroom. This site has lots of good information and tips!

The last is actually a by invitation only site. I am going to request to join and we shall see if they let me. It is rojasspanishteachers.com . I feel that just from the description it would be really helpful site to belong to.

Another site helpful to Spanish teachers that isn't a blog or a social networking site is http://www.cortland.edu/FLTEACH/ . The forums at FLteach has great ideas for lessons for any language teacher. You can subscribe and get emails, but they will flood your mailbox. I recommend just looking and searching for yourself. At FLteach, they also have an archive of lesson plans. One of the creators of this site was my professor in Costa Rica and I really think she did excellent work here!