ETEC 5303 Learning With Computers in the K - 12 Classroom
Q: Where can I get training videos for my classroom in a class that is developing languages?
A: Websites that students can go to for tutorial sessions.
Students can have a refresher of the topic that they just learned about from appropriate links provided by the faculty member.
Allows extra instruction If a student cannot access his/her teacher outside of normal school hours
Allows for extra review of certain content
Reduction in re-teaching a lesson especially in dealing with dictation and vocabulary, and hopefully fluency.
Ability to keep pace with a curriculum map/pacing guide.
Students can practice over and over again.
Fosters independent tutoring.
Q: Where can I take my students to be exposed to the cultures of the people who speak the language that they are learning about?
A: Various websites that contain information and pictures describing the culture that is associated with the languages.
Students can hear and see where in the world the language is relevant.
Teachers can display rational of learning the language and tie in the cultural aspects that are a part of the language.
Students have an understanding of the cultures associated with the languages that they are learning about.
Strengthens knowledge across multiple content areas, (example: vocabulary, geography, history, social studies).
Q: How can a teacher connect students with native speakers to practice carrying on a conversation?
A: Video streaming communications that can be done online
Problem/Strategy
Relative Advantage
Intended Outcome
Links
Problem/Strategy
Relative Advantage
Intended Outcome
Links
Students do not just hear the speaker but view their facial motions and mouth movements associated with certain speech sounds.
Students can improve on their pronunciation and conversational skills that they are learning with a native speaker.
Students become exposed to a new culture through videoconferencing.
Q: How can a teacher supplement their content?
A: Software that can both be installed or that is web based
Problem/Strategy
Foreign Languages and Technology Intergration
Internet for Instruction
Tool Based Software
Instructional Software
Productivity Software
Problem/Strategy
Q: How can I monitor my students’ engagement
/ participation in the classroom
A: Charts and graphs generated from data collection
Relative Advantage
Intended Outcome
Links
Relative Advantage
Intended Outcome
Links
Allows for teachers to reduce worksheets, purchases of textbooks, and allows students to use devices that students are comfortable with.
Students have multiple resources to reinforce the instruction that they have in the classroom.
Teachers can create “Engagement Charts” which can be marked off discretely as they present a lesson to a class.
Teacher can visualize engagement and participation rates of a classroom
Teachers can identify the amount of participation rates and develop lessons around getting all students involved in the classroom.
Q: How can I reduce the amount of time marking multiple choice questions or single response questions and focus on literary text or conversations produced by students?
A: Programs that can check single answer responses.
Teachers can concentrate on written dialogue in a timely manner.
Students get feedback from assessments in a timely manner.
Reduction in time of correcting assignments so teachers can go further in depth with literary text or conversational language.
Q: How to I offer a language to a student that wants to learn a language that is not offered by my instructional staff?
A: Various programs allow students to participate in languages that they might not have previously been able to due to constraints from the district
Students can select the language that they want to learn, instead of limited offerings provided by the school.
Districts who have a hard time recruiting specific foreign language teachers can implement a course to meet the student needs .
Districts can meet the needs / demands of the students / community.
Students can have the proper dictation and pronunciation.
Q: Difficulty in translating various words into another language
A: Digital native language to foreign language dictionaries
Students can have the correct the translation of a word in a quick manner.
Students can use a variety of devices to achieve a translation.
Reduction in student frustration, and increase in student accuracy.
Q: What software/hardware allows me to record my students’ conversations?
A: Various devices can record audio and/or visual media for a teacher to evaluate
Teachers can “hear” and “see” each student’s conversational dialogue.
Teachers can hone in on various items in a student’s conversational language and can address certain errors.
Students can “play back” their constructed media to review and self assess.
Students can develop strong conversational skills.
Students can review and improve their conversational skills.
Internal microphone in the computer or through a tablet
(See: Voice Memos , or apps such as: iTalk Recorder) which then can be published podcasts.
Video recording devices such as: Webcams embedded in the computer or tablet, or video cameras such as GoPro that can have videos uploaded to a computer.
Q: How can a teacher ensure that a student is properly prepared for an assignment or assessment
A: Multiple technologies can serve this query.
Keep students / parents informed about events occurring in the classroom.
Reduction in students being unprepared for critical assignments / assessments during the course of the year.
Email: Teacher to Student / Parent
Teacher Webpage / Blog
Websites and applications such as : Remind
Foreign Language in the past has been a limited subject matter. Many of us either had to choose between Spanish or French (and for those of us who attended Catholic School Latin was another option). With technology foreign languages can be a student’s choice. From a personal standpoint my family came to America after World War I and my grandfather and following generations never learned Italian in the classroom. Now my children, wife, and I can open up an instructional software program like Rosetta Stone or Muzzy can learn to speak like Bennedetto Palombo did prior to landing at Ellis Island. Additionally computer applications and instructional software, can offer proper pronunciations for students to practice until they hit accuracy at mastery level, (and as an added intended outcome, if they ever represent the USA as world travelers do not sound like “Ugly Americans”).
By integrating the internet into instruction, the students can view where their new language can take them and the importance to various populations. Teachers and students alike can search over web pages to witness the cultures of the people who speak the language that they are learning about. The internet also offers languages that are difficult to find teachers or tutors like Tagalog (Filipino) or Mandarin; which again offers a student an opportunity to learn a language where choice is limited.
Tools like word processors can easily be toggled between languages so that students can learn how to develop writing texts in the new language that they are learning. Teachers can develop whole web pages in their second or third language so that students can review, keeping not only the students on their game but the teachers as well. Presentation software can be used to help supplement instruction and bring visual aids to the classroom.
Finally from a productive standpoint teachers in a wide spread district can come together in a group through either GoToMeeting or videoconference with Skype to develop an interactive Professional Learning Center (PLC). Teachers could also set up these programs between classes for each to discuss to help keep the practice and emersion of the language relevant. Setting up discussions teacher or student to ensure that there is a constant practice in developing a language can lead to student success in this content area.