Podcasts in Class...

I ran across Notes From Spain a few weeks ago, when looking for information for another class. It's an interesting site made up of blog, podcasts and vidcasts from Ben Curtis, an Englishman living in Madrid with his Spanish wife, Marina. You may also notice on the site that they have a program for learning Spanish. However, I'm interested in the -casts.

While nosing around thinking about this assignment I ran across this podcast from May 2007 discussing the Feria de Caballos in Jerez, Andalucia, España. I think it could be an interesting piece to play for a class while learning about some of the lesser known fairs and festivals, or it could be used on a day when fieldtrips, ASVAB's or widespread illness has halved the class list and it just isn't worth moving ahead. I actually saw a clip on this feria in college and was psyched, but I love horses.

The podcast is in English, which would more or less ensure comprehension at any level of high school Spanish. There is a short video (1.25 minutes) of the sights and sounds as well as a link to the pics from the feria on Flickr. The podcast features information about the feria the town of Jerez and the products of the area, the people, just everything possibly connected to the feria. The podcast is hosted not just by Ben, but his wife Marina as well, giving it an additional measure of authenticity - though the ambient noise is authentic already. The only drawback - the whole thing is about 18 minutes long and I'm not sure high school students would be able to pay attention to all of it at once. However, a well prepared teacher could download it - which is actually an option!!! - note the time stamp of sections she'd like to cover with her class and then arrange discussion as appropriate around the segments.

Additionally, there is a vidcast in Spanish! Ben is behind the camera and Marina is describing the "claves" of the feria. This would be more appropriate for a level 3 or post regents class, but still a lot of fun. Only 2 min 8 sec too, so could possibly even be used as a listening comprehension exercise...?

I really like Ben's blog and -casts. They're relevant, fun and have amazing potential for application in the classroom. I think I'll hold on to the feed and make sure I have it tagged on delicious too!

Global Cooperation

Distances aren't quite so large as they used to be. When my grandmother was my age if people needed to reach each other over long distances they would write letters, or if it was time sensitive, send a telegram or pay dearly for a long distance phone call. These days we have cheaper forms of instantaneous communication - emails, instant messages, texting, even online video chat!

However, how do we make use of this global community, this shrinking world in our classrooms? There are so many possibilities! And so many companies and services that want to help us do so. Let's look at two of them: Taking it Global and ePals.

Taking it Global is a non-profit group out of Toronto. The goal here is to inspire today's youth to make the world a better place, both globally and where they live - and to connect young people from different places through technology to support each other while striving to make a difference. The site offers both on- and off-line tools and offer a special tutorial for educators as well as database of relevant lesson plans. Some of the tools one can utilize are discussion boards, group pages, e-cards, blogs, an art platform, and pages to help students "Understand Issues". There are also news letters in eight languages available.

I think all of this is good stuff. However, I wonder if it will present to students a bias or worldview with which they are too unfamiliar? Now, yes, I know, as a second language teacher I will as a matter of course be opening new cultures to my students and hopefully helping them develop an open mind. Still, I feel it is more my place to present the information with as little bias as I can and let them draw their own conclusions - can that be achieved using tools and information from a social activist organization? At the same time, is there a better way to incorporate the 5th of ACTFL's 5C's - Communities? We're supposed to be inspiring a lifelong use of the language and appreciation for the target culture, no?

Perhaps an alternative is found with ePals. This service is a free, but more commercial service looking, mainly, to connect classrooms around the country and world for collaborative learning. It is completely contained on the web, so there is nothing to download and it can be used from any computer, however if one's internet access is down one won't be able to access it. Their three main services/tools are SchoolMail, SchoolBolg and Classroom Match. The first two are rather self expainatory. However, the third is quite interesting. A teacher can either post a description of his or her class(es) and what they would like to do, or one can browse such postings by country or language to look for a class to connect with. Once 'matched' classes can work collaboratively on projects or be email-pals exchanging letters and learning about each others' lives and cultures - making learning authentic.

There are some features I really liked with ePals. First of all, the security package. It is completely customizable - teachers, administrators, and parents can all access student accounts and make sure they aren't abusing the tools. Filters can be used to prevent malicious software, viruses, and questionable content from ending up in a student's inbox, and controls can be set as to how broad a range of the population can see student work such as blogs or published collaborative efforts. Perhaps most interesting is that student passwords can be suspended if one misuses the service in such a way as to require time to consider their actions. The site claims that classes that have used their services have boosted the amount and quality of student writing, as well as elevetaing critical thinking skills.

There are two things though I feel I must mention. First, school districts need to sign up, so I wasn't able to register and poke about on my own. Second, there is a full translator bult into the browser. This is great if you're an English-speaking science teacher whose class is corresponding with a non-English speaking class in Tibet about ecoloy, but its not necesarily a good thing for an L2 teacher trying to engage her students in the target language. However, if she has done a good job of showing her students the flaws in internet translation services, perhaps it won't be an issue.

In my own classroom I would probably use ePals. I think it would be a great way to connect with a Spanish-speaking class, would provide my students with email safe addresses I could monitor as well as blog space where they could express themselves and respond to others - or even their penpals. In fact, I think this would work well in connection with Flickr - Yahoo's photo site. While my students were writing about themselves and learning about the sister class, we could create a class account on flickr and post pictures of our area and school for our pen pals to see (if the classes were "friends" the security settings could be arranged such as these pictures wouldn't be visible to anyone but ourselves), and they could do the same so that we had visual images to go with what we were learning from them.


But these are just my own opinions, go check out these sites for yourself! You may feel differently. We each have to do what is right for us and our classes, and that will vary.

Educational Microblogging

Since writing my last two posts on Monday, a couple of things have come to my attention. One of them being that I needed to find another article, and the other that people really do read blogs! Let's address the latter first.

Someone read my post "Twitter or Spoink?" and forwarded it to the founder of Spoink! How do I know this? He sent me an email! That was certainly a shocker, let me tell you! And that email is where I found my first understandings of how such sites could be used. It seems some teachers currently spoinking have their students documenting progress on projects in business or robotics, and in creative writing classes students have been assigned100 words a day and uploading the media that inspire them in their task. I certainly hadn't thought of anything as creative as that!

But what are other teachers doing on other sites? I found an article from Education Week's Digital Directions for June 2008: "Educators Test the Limits of Twitter Microblogging Tool". This article contains a couple of different ideas. These include allowing teachers to network, providing students a place to respond to teacher-posed questions, collaborative efforts such as story writing 140 words at a time, and generally just preparing students for life in a digital world. However, the article also puts forth the security concerns many teachers have had with microblogging. In fact, one teacher from the Bronx built Youth Twitter so that teachers could have administrative control over their students' work and try to protect them.

So, has all of this helped me to figure out whether or not I will someday use microblogging with my own classes? Not yet. But it has piqued my interest, so you can believe that I will be doing more reading before and after I land a classroom of my own. Though, I'll need to come up with a project or plan that I can really get behind. I can't see using certain technologies just because their out there. There is so little time to cover everything as it is that one must be judicial in choosing activities.

Twitter or Spoink?

For about the last week I've been playing around with two microblogging applications: Twitter and Spoink. While I'm not yet sure how their use might be beneficial in the classroom I have been able to come to some conclusions about their use in general.

I certainly found it to be a lot easier to get going with Twitter - mostly because you aren't overwhelmed with options while setting up your account. There are two main ways to update your status: through the webpage or by text from your mobile phone. The privacy settings are also a definite bonus! You have the option of only letting approved "followers" see your updates. With all the instances of cyber-stalking out there I appreciate that - and if you were using Twitter in the classroom this feature would be a definite MUST to protect your students. There is also an option block people if you find it necessary. It was challanging at first to figure out how to follow other people's accounts but not overly taxing at all. However, even over on Facebook I don't avidly follow my friends' status updates so I'm not sure I will continue to use Twitter after this course has finished.

Then there is Spoink. I was overwhelmed at first by all the information they wanted from me! I could choose to enter multiple phone numbers, email addresses and screen names from which to remotely update my profile. There was even an option to enter my Twitter handle and password so that any spoink updates would be automatically posted there too; I didn't take advantage of this though as part of my assignment was to compare these two sites. Again, you have privacy options here, but even after enabling them I found my picture and most recent post in the user map when I signed off! That was rather unpleasant if you ask me! However, I like the greater variety in costomizing the appearance of the site as well as the option to upload files though I didn't take advantage of it at this time. I did call in and leave spoink podcasts twice. Though I hate to hear recordings of my voice it made it much easier - I didn't have to run to a computer to update what I was doing, I just had to pick up my cell phone.

If people are looking for a simple interface and easy way to let people know what they are up to, I would recommend Twitter. But I can also see where some people would find the 500 word limit on Spoink of more use than Twitter's 140 - there was one time I had to reword my post to make it fit on Twitter. While it did take a little more time and use for me to be comfortable with it, if for some reason I had to continue with one of these sites for an extended period of time I would choose Spoink.

Microblogging

So what exactly is microblogging? And what is it good for?

These were some of the questions I was asking myself this week as I searched for articles and blog posts to enlighten me. In the end, I found two that I liked: Techans' Microblogging:What are you doing? and Microblogging: What Is it Good For? from WebProNews. Both had nice clear explanations of what you can use microblogging for - and the usage is pretty varied.

Basically, signing up for microblogging shares you're life in new ways. You can let your friends know what you had for lunch or where they can find you after class. You can advertise your newest blog post or give people the link to your new web page. If you're in business you can even post tantalizingly short previews of the new and unique aspects of your next hot item or service.

Also, because microblogging is just that - tiny little blog posts, they don't require the time or forthought necessary of true blogs. Afterall, it's a bit more difficult to commit any major blunders when limited to maybe 200 words. And now most services let you update your micrblog from your cell phone, email or instant messanger - so you don't even need to navigate out to the website.

So, is microblogging the next web 2.0 tool for you? Well, I guess that's for you to decide.

PRIME

For any other ridiculous math nuts out there - the newest Mersenne prime has been found! Coming in at 13-million digits long, and requiring 75 networked computers to locate it. Forget horsepower, we're talking major processing power here!

For more information, check out this news site!

Web 2.0 Suppression

While I have to admit it has crossed my mind that some districts and administrators might be slow to appreciate the value of web 2.0 tools, it never occurred to me that they might choose to block the applications and the sites that host them rather than learn how to best deal with the concerns. However, this week I read a post by Wesley Fryer on his Moving with the Speed of Creativity blog. In it he addressed how some schools have misinterpreted recent educational legislation and are being overly cautious. The schools are worried that they need to save and document every bit of information being created inside their walls in case of litigation. Apparently, this isn't quite the case.

In my reading of the post, I interpreted the quote from lawyer Scott Bauries to mean that if we are using web 2.0 tools with our students and the government needs to access it, that the courts will get it from the third party site hosting our activities, the school itself doesn't need a copy. So, there's no need to be overly conservative and cut ourselves off from this useful and growing set of technological developments. We should be able to embrace them and use them for our students' benefit.

Now, if one's district has blocked these sites because they don't want students to waste time or be distracted from whatever their assigned computer-based task is... well, that's another matter entirely. Surely though, with honest discussion and open minds, opposing parties can reach some sort of agreement that will allow teachers to take advantage of these new opportunities and still placate the concerns of the administration.

Let's Work Together!

As teachers and future teachers we know it's great to have resources to draw on for new ideas. One way to do this is by social networking. It's alot like asking the teacher down the hall what ideas they might have, or swapping activities with colleagues at a conference, but the scale is much greater.

One such site is Technology Integration for Secondary Teachers. This site has some cool ideas and links. One of the links is to a free word art site you can use to create trendy content-related graphics. Another is to NBC's On-Demand news archive - in L2 we could use that to pull up recent reports about countries where the target language is spoken. By discussing current events overseas we can engage in conversations utilizing all of ACTFL's 5C's as well as sparking meaningful interest for our students. We could even post links to videos on a Class Portal and open up a discussion board.

It's also just a nice idea to have a place to discuss what does and doesn't work with other professionals trying to bring their classrooms into the digital world.

Today's Learner Is...

Life is changing. Knowledge is changing. Learning is changing. Everything is fast paced. So today's learners of all ages have had to change too.

Today's learner is like a solitary musician.

And you're probably asking yourself, "Where did she come up with that one?"

A musician starts not knowing how to play, or even hold, his or her instrument properly. However with time, plays a scale, then some exercises, eventually some Tellemann perhaps. Eventually, with diligence that same music student becomes proficient enough to play complex and difficult pieces with ease ("Tarantella" anyone?). However, no matter how good that musician is, he or she is playing alone.

When put into the musical network or ecology, first let's say a quartet. Well, now there's opportunity for melody and harmony, point and counterpoint, call and response.

What if the group is larger? An orchestra maybe? Now you can have many voices/parts playing, swooping, flying, far beyond anything the one musician could have done alone, creating new worlds for the senses. Have you ever heard Holst's "Planets"? Yet, each musician is playing his or her part, using their own knowledge and skill, their own specialized expertise on their instrument to contribute to the greater whole. "No one is capable of possessing every form of knowledge or every form of understanding in that field" (Siemens, "Connectivism", slide 12). Musician A may be a virtuoso when it comes to her trombone, but she may not have a clue how to get the proper sound from Musician B's flute. They rely on each other to contribute to the beauty of the whole.

That is today's learner. There is increased call for specialization; it isn't good enough to just be a jack-of-all-trades anymore. However, none of us can "know" everything. So we network, we learn not how to do things, but where to find them. We rely on each other and the resources we all add to the greater community to find what we're looking for. For example, I don't remember much about chemistry, but I know who to call and ask. I don't remember most of the dates of the battles of the Civil War, but I know my brother has some great books, or how to Google the information and measure the sites for reliability. I don't have to know things the same way my grandparents did. My paternal grandmother can still recite all of the American presidents in chronological order - I don't know if I can even name the majority of them. However, I can quickly and easily find that information.

Times have changed. So has how we learn.

Just a Bit of Regret

As I poke around the applications and options, I wish I had made a blog instead of a googlepage when I studied in Spain in the summer of 2007. There are so many more options here it seems and I could have gotten feedback from my friends and family directly instead of the communication going in only one direction or having to take place via email.

Oh well. Live and learn!

Sweet Summertime!

Here's an old picture for all of you to enjoy of one of my very favorite places on Earth. That's not me though, but a friend I used to work with. The problem with one's own pictures is that one is very rarely actually in them!

In the beginning...

So, here goes - For years I was under the impression that blogging was something akin to running an underground conspiracy rag, right? Certainly none of my teachers ever mentioned them in classes back in high school, or even in college. Granted, given my majors and the fact that blogging for educational uses is still fairly new I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

I, however, will know better - thanks to this class I'll be able to use a blog with my own students! How you may ask? In a number of ways!

First, I can use a blog as a "Class Portal" where I can post documents (well, probably pdf's) and assignments. Putting them on the web rather than just the chalk board means even the least attentive student has no excuse for not having something in on time. When I did my HS math internship (HS = high school, sorry for throwing in some short hand there!), I learned its good to have a firm, fair, and visible policy on late work and stick by it. A blog where you can point and say "Well, you've known about it for two weeks" would help support a teacher's case!

A second idea would be to start a blog as a class forum. There I could ask questions to subtly lead into upcoming lessons or as a follow-up or debriefing after finishing a unit to see how much or even what my students got out of it. Even if they got a little off track from what I'd expect they may make some huge discovery or come to some conclusion I'd never even consider and may want to find a way to work in to the class. After all, we aren't just teachers, we're students too - learning from the kids in our classes.

Finally, I could use a blog to enhance my classes. What better way to get HS Spanish students into the language than to use it to talk to native speakers? Or at least people who have spent time in Spanish-speaking countries? I could try and make arrangements with former instructors, classmates and friends abroad to have them interact with my students on the blog. If we're learning about theater I could contact a woman I know with a BFA in Theater from the University of San Juan in Puerto Rico. International Relations? One of my best friends is finishing a degree in International Studies with a concentration in the Spanish-speaking world and it looks like she may be going into the diplomatic corps - or whatever it is they're calling themselves these days. Its the age of global networking and I can get my students off on the right foot with a little planning and a little luck.

So, I guess that's my first blog post... Thanks for reading!