Podcasts- Introducing the TC (target culture) and TL (target language)

I chose to share a podcast from http://kids.learnoutloud.com/.  This site offers podcasts for sale (this one below would be just $1.00. I chose a podcast about travel to Mexico. I teach a chapter on Mexico in my Spanish 1 course, where the students have not yet been exposed to much Spanish yet, but are just learning to appreciate the culture and geography of Spanish speaking countries. 

The use of a podcast on my blog would be beneficial in this introductory learning activity to Mexico, and could be spiraled up to the higher language classes by simply uploading the podcast in the target language (Spanish) rather than the audio being in English.
.Some things covered in this 5 minute podcast include:

• Which country separates the United States of America from Central America? 
• Where, on average, do people eat half a kilo of tortillas every day? 
• Where is home to the cactus and the Chihuahua? Mexico, of course!
• Mexico, or the United States of Mexico, is a federation of thirty-one sovereign states. 
• Mexico's land mass is almost three times that of Texas, which it borders.
• Mexico is the world’s fourteenth largest nation

This podcast is an excellent way to engage the young language learner.  I would like to include a podcast from each country that we study in level one Spanish. Each would simply be assigned to the students as homework for listening practice/knowledge. A blog question/answer prompt could be added for testing comprehension.

http://kids.learnoutloud.com/

How can I use ePals in my classroom?

I explored ePals for the very first time. I am almost hesitant to admit that I have been a language teacher for 7 years and have not had any experience with ePals. I immediately went to find a classroom and match the students that I teach (13-17 years) according to their age group, preferred location, first language, etc. I immediately saw an opportunity to break away from the traditional classroom, and  collaborate with students from different corners of the world and become engaged in this cultural exchange community. I view this as a valuable opportunity to offer learning outside classrooms, while offering authentic Spanish language input, something that my high school's town does not have much experience with.

I think it would be great to allow my students to work in pairs to try their best to translate something that a high school group of students wanted to talk about from Spanish to English, and vice versa.  The relevance is what would really motivate the students.  

Through this Web interaction, students from both classrooms can learn new cultural knowledge from their partners.

When I consider something that I lack in my teaching, I myself like the other language teachers that I collaborate with, typically respond that it’s difficult to find native or fluent language speakers that our students can interact with. ePals is a solution.

acquiring knowledge through connections

Most of us enjoy dialogue, most of us enjoy conversation. We are social beings...
The Impact of Social Software on Learning by George Siemens explains the importance of social software for learning.

        As simple minded as this may sound, I think of my learners in my high school Spanish classroom, and at the risk of sounding condescending and rude, my adolescent learners often remind me of young dogs-pups- full of energy, eager, anxious, happy, moody, sleepy, nervous...

       A young pup loves to learn new tricks, and gets very very excited when a new person comes over, or a new toy is introduced, or a new snack is offered.
My teenage students are much like young pups because they exhibit all of these behaviors in the classroom. Sure, some are sleeping on the desks, some are crying, some are eating a snack. But, for the most part, my students are eager and willing to try anything new.

        I remember my first time trying the CPS clickers in class. This was my first time implementing this new technology in my classroom, and it was for most students their first time using the technology as well. Their "tails" were wagging with eagerness!
I think that using new technology, new crayons, new websites- new anything sparks an interest in the teenage learner.

       George Siemens touches on connecting to our students via social software. It truly does connect us not only to each other, but to other people and/or groups we may have never known of before. This tool excites students in the classroom. Below are two quotes taken form the article Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age by George Siemens: 
Including technology and connection making as learning activities begins to move learning theories into a digital age. We can no longer personally experience and acquire learning that we need to act.  

When knowledge...is needed but not known, the ability to plug into sources to meet the requirements becomes a vital skill. 

George Siemens

RSA Animate - Changing Education Paradigms

Khan Academy Founder Salman Khan on Liberating the Classroom for Creativity

I decided to search the words "creativity, technology, education" in YouTube this morning. I stumbled upon this video. It is the founder of the Khan Academy, Salman Khan, which of whom I know little to nothing about.
Watch this 10:32 video.
"Class has so much potential..."
"...the magic happens when people talk to each other"

I am pleasantly surprised, challenged, and motivated by this school of thought. I like the idea that the Khan Academy promotes developing thought- the founder suggests using class time to talk to our students and create meaningful projects. For example, use class time to talk about what probability in math is-rather than lecturing about it. Use real life examples and have a conversation about it with those invaluable 43 minutes of high school math a day.

As educators, the problem that teachers have is "there's no time for this", but if the videos at home were able to teach the core principles and help students to develop and learn at home in a sequential and effective way, then the role of the teacher in the classroom would change dramatically. There would be time to communicate and teach and foster thinking- rather than lecturing principles and concepts and shoving them out the door.
I strongly believe that common sense these days is more of a "super power" rather than something many of us share.  Our children are going through the motions, not really learning much, while their home days fly by. I love the idea of using the classroom to talk to kids, and be more open to learning together.

Thoughts? Can we implement this style of teaching on our own through pod casts, YouTube, blogs, facebook, etc?
Can we take teaching to the next level using the ideas of the Khan Academy?
I feel inspired and have an amazing drive to implement this style of teaching in my high school Spanish classroom.

"Moving from a one room school house to a one world school house" January 29, 2013 blog #2 LAI590

        

       I have chosen the following two videos to inspire my fellow classmates, colleagues, and fellow citizens. The theme presented here is- A change in the times…

        The videos are brief, and you may have even seen them before. I encourage your comments below. I would like to ask you to comment below and tell me one Internet site that you use daily, and would not be able to continue to live life as you know it without.

       1.     Educational Change Challenge  (2:26)

 “…Society doesn’t have a clear vision of what school is for”~ The classroom was indeed based on and flourished in an industrial society, and today’s society no longer dictates this sort of education model.

“In education, the use it or lose may mean that if you don’t use technology for learning, you may lose relevance. An educator must be relevant.”

          The above video link can be viewed as a brief pep talk if you will. It is short and to the point. Education has changed, and we need to adapt, innovate and prepare for the future of education- the future of our world. As an Educational Technologies graduate student, I find this to be empowering and hope that it inspires change.

2.     Did You Know?   Version 6  (4:22)

“Shift Happens”~ A simple play on words for some, but reality for all.

“China will soon be the number one English speaking country in the world” ~ This is  quite a thought provoking statistic for the young American high school language learner.

“We are currently preparing students for jobs that don’t yet exist…”

Published on May 8, 2012
Did You Know? originally started out as a PowerPoint presentation for a faculty meeting in August 2006 at Arapahoe High School in Centennial, Colorado, United States. The presentation "went viral" on the Web in February 2007 and, as of June 2007, had been seen by at least 5 million online viewers. Today the old and new versions of the online presentation have been seen by at least 20 million people, not including the countless others who have seen it at conferences, workshops, training institutes, and other venues.

"Did You Know?/Shift Happens" is licensed by David S. Rose, Karl Fisch, Scott McLeod, and XPLANE under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share-Alike license.