This is a great blogg for learners of Spanish. You can find series of videos that explain grammatical concepts in great detail.
Spanish Teacher Blog
Tuesday 15 April 2014
The Days of the Week in Spanish
There are a series of great videos for learning vocab and grammar concepts in Spanish through song. Here is one that I really enjoyed:
Wednesday 27 March 2013
Free Online Spanish
"Mi Vida Loca" is a fantastic free Spanish course for beginners that consists of a series of interactive videos with learning supplements with video explanations of vocabulary and grammar, plus extra activities and printouts.
Mi Vida Loca - Learn Spanish.
Mi Vida Loca - Learn Spanish.
spanish vocabulary builders
Spanish Vocab Booster
word of the day
Tuesday 9 October 2012
Articles YouTube Video
For reviewing and practicing the use of feminine and masculine singular articles in Spanish.
Wednesday 8 August 2012
August 8
These activities are aimed towards beginner Spanish students. The ideas and themes discussed in LLED480 presented for me a great opportunity to build on some of the topics included in a Spanish 9 unit that I taught during my practicum by exploring some of the technologies that I utilized in this course. The topics included in this Spanish 9 unit are daily or leisure activities, regular -ar ,-er, and -ir verb conjugations, likes and dislikes, the seasons and months, and the days of the week.
In introducing the verb vocabulary, I could start with this SlideRocket presentation. Since the photos are pretty self-explanatory, it would be easy for students to figure out the meaning of the verbs. An audio component, where you can record your own audio, would have to be added in the future. In this way I can record the sounds/pronunciation of the words, adding a listening component to the presentation. This presentation would also be posted on my Spanish 9 blog, so that students can have access to it for more practice.
To reinforce the new vocabulary, I could ask the students to work with a partner to recount and write in Spanish about their favourite weekend activity.
Later on in the unit, and after learning regular verb conjugations, I would use the following YouTube video for practicing regular verb conjugations. This is a great listening activity in which I would include a fill-in-the-blanks-with-the-missing-song-lyrics handout. Students would work on the handout after listening to the song at least once. A Google Document with the complete song lyrics would also be posted on my blog for students to access.
Google Doc - Song Lyrics
Towards the end of the unit, and before a Final Exam or Final Project, students would have the opportunity to practice and review the vocabulary learned in class using Quizlet. The particular link includes all the vocabulary introduced in this unit, as well as a listening and a written component, English to Spanish matching, etc. This Quizlet activity would be posted on my Spanish 9 blog for students to access any time. After completing the listening component on Quizlet, students could create their own audio as a speaking project/activity, using Quizlet's vocabulary list, and Vocaroo's voice recording service which is easily accessible. The completed project would then be emailed to me for marking.
Unit 3: Days, months, seasons and weather
For a Final Project, I could ask the students to create a presentation with Bookr. This presentation would include the Seasons in Spanish, types of weather that we encounter during each season, and the activities that the students or their friends and family members like or dislike to do during each season. My Bookr presentation would be posted on my blog as an example of the project's requirements. The Final Projects would be then shared in class.
In introducing the verb vocabulary, I could start with this SlideRocket presentation. Since the photos are pretty self-explanatory, it would be easy for students to figure out the meaning of the verbs. An audio component, where you can record your own audio, would have to be added in the future. In this way I can record the sounds/pronunciation of the words, adding a listening component to the presentation. This presentation would also be posted on my Spanish 9 blog, so that students can have access to it for more practice.
To reinforce the new vocabulary, I could ask the students to work with a partner to recount and write in Spanish about their favourite weekend activity.
Later on in the unit, and after learning regular verb conjugations, I would use the following YouTube video for practicing regular verb conjugations. This is a great listening activity in which I would include a fill-in-the-blanks-with-the-missing-song-lyrics handout. Students would work on the handout after listening to the song at least once. A Google Document with the complete song lyrics would also be posted on my blog for students to access.
Google Doc - Song Lyrics
Towards the end of the unit, and before a Final Exam or Final Project, students would have the opportunity to practice and review the vocabulary learned in class using Quizlet. The particular link includes all the vocabulary introduced in this unit, as well as a listening and a written component, English to Spanish matching, etc. This Quizlet activity would be posted on my Spanish 9 blog for students to access any time. After completing the listening component on Quizlet, students could create their own audio as a speaking project/activity, using Quizlet's vocabulary list, and Vocaroo's voice recording service which is easily accessible. The completed project would then be emailed to me for marking.
Unit 3: Days, months, seasons and weather
For a Final Project, I could ask the students to create a presentation with Bookr. This presentation would include the Seasons in Spanish, types of weather that we encounter during each season, and the activities that the students or their friends and family members like or dislike to do during each season. My Bookr presentation would be posted on my blog as an example of the project's requirements. The Final Projects would be then shared in class.
Day 10: BYOD Teachers Talk Classroom Use
Since I have experienced the use of cellphones in the classroom first hand, I think it is a good idea, for the most part. During my practicum, on the recommendation of my sponsor, I always allowed my English Language Arts students to take photos of the overhead of notes or the vocabulary that I had assigned for homework or for a quiz. Students can sometimes be slow in taking notes or they miss the notes because they are participating in class discussions. On the other hand, as Susan Bearden states, students cannot pay attention and participate in class discussions as much when they are focusing on note-taking. This inevitably affects their learning.
In the language classroom, however, that might not be really conducive to learning, since learning a language implies learning how to write as well as learning how to speak. Students need the practice that comes with writing in order to learn a language properly. Using mobile devices to check the meaning of vocabulary or to remind oneself about homework is a good idea, nevertheless. And although I agree with the author about the multiple possibilities for using mobile devices in different study areas, we also need to monitor closely if students are using them for learning purposes or if they are just using them for socializing with their friends during class. Setting "clear parameters" for mobile device use is a good idea, however, that does not guarantee that students will not use them inappropriately.
In the language classroom, however, that might not be really conducive to learning, since learning a language implies learning how to write as well as learning how to speak. Students need the practice that comes with writing in order to learn a language properly. Using mobile devices to check the meaning of vocabulary or to remind oneself about homework is a good idea, nevertheless. And although I agree with the author about the multiple possibilities for using mobile devices in different study areas, we also need to monitor closely if students are using them for learning purposes or if they are just using them for socializing with their friends during class. Setting "clear parameters" for mobile device use is a good idea, however, that does not guarantee that students will not use them inappropriately.
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