Web 2.0 - Tools to Use

I think the Web 2.0 tools that I will most likely incorporate into my classroom will be the wikis, blogs, and to a lesser extent podcasts. I am planning on posting a question or discussion topic each quarter on my blog that I will expect my upper level Spanish students to comment on. My upper level students are also going to create a class wiki page for grammar notes this year. They will simply be graded on participating in the process as an individual, and possibly a second grade then for the level of correct information contributed. I will post recorded podcasts in Spanish to offer my students the chance for extra points (extra credit, participation, extra bathroom pass...), they will need to listen and then follow a set of simple instructions in the target language to be able to complete the task and earn the points.

Web 2.0 - New Literacies

For students today, it is imperative that they are able to use technology and contribute to group learning and understanding. These are not new concepts. This is an issue that has been discussed in education since I was in high school.... It is now easier as an educator, in a sense, to utilize new technology in our curriculum. The different Web 2.0 tools available (for free) that are simple to use and understand make them relatively easy to incorporate into the classroom and curriculum. One of our responsibilities as educators regardless of our subject is to teach students to be editors as well as information gatherers and collaborators. That being said, it is not feasible to only assess students on contribution rather than completion of a task or to say that mastery is the product rather than a test, as said in our textbook for this course. These new tools will have the greatest impact if integrated into the learning and assessment tools already in use within our classrooms. No, I would not want to be on the road with a driver who had only passed a written exam, but on the flip side, I would not want to be on the road with a driver that had only taken the behind the wheel exam and not the written one. The two together offer a comprehensive exam, just as end product and contribution assessments along with written exams will offer a comprehensive assessment for the students of today and the future.

Web 2.0 - Podcasts

Exploring the different podcasts available was entertaining and eye opening. To think I still don't have an ipod or mp3 player.....
Some different ways I have thought to use podcasts in the foreign language classroom...
-students record conversations to be evaluated both by the teacher and another student
-students listen to native speakers using one of the many free podcasts available
-a classroom full of students listen to the native speakers on the podcast and then do various
activities assigned by the teacher
-extra credit activities posted through the teacher's podcast (my first podcast)
....and the list goes on.
These activities would meet the NETS-S 1a,2a and 3c.
Extra Credit podcast: http://mking.podbean.com/2009/08/18/credito-extra/

La Paz Waterfall Costa Rica

La Paz Waterfall Costa Rica,
originally uploaded by Anthony Lujan.

This picture reminded me of my trip to Costa Rica....

Web 2.0 - Flickr

I found using Flickr to be easy and it was wonderful to look at all of the photos from around the world. I ended up spending a long time going through all of the pictures of Costa Rica (while longing to return :-) ...) before finally choosing one to post here.
I think using photo sharing sites in the classroom can be an invaluable tool for both students and teachers. It has been my experience that students respond immediately to photographs of the people and places that they are studying.
I would like to take photographs I have of Spain, Mexico or Costa Rica and have students research them and then add notes to them using the facts they have found about the picture. It would be a great hands on project for the students as well as fun for me to assess. This activity would address the NETS standards number 2 and 3.

Web 2.0- Social Bookmarking

It was very easy to set up and start adding tags to my delicious site. I haven't yet imported my current bookmarks, but plan to soon.
I found a new resource that I think is going to be wonderful and unbelievably useful (which as other educators can attest, can really make a day :-))
I would like to simply tell my high school students which tags to search for (these would be the ones for grammar/vocabulary tutorial sites or) and then let the students use the sites as needed.
I also like the idea of encouraging students to set up a delicious account of their own and tagging some Spanish resource sites of their own. Using social bookmarking in these ways would target NETS standards 1 and 3.

Web 2.0 - RSS Feeds

I learned a lot setting up my feeder site and RSS feeds. The actual setup was a breeze, and adding feeds was easy as well. I have concerns about finding the time to look at my page daily (some days I am hard pressed to read my email) but, I am impressed at the amount of time one saves once the initial setup is done.

To use a feeder site and RSS with my students, I would consider having students set up a site to research a topic of their choosing (health care in Mexico, elections in Spain, transportation in Buenos Aires, tourist attractions in Costa Rica...), with the research ending in a short presentation.
This would meet NETS-S #3 Research and Information Fluency "Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information."