Benefits of Using Microblogs

Given the amount of information on the Internet that is readily available, one can see why educators would want to take advantage.  There is potential here for teachers to benefit from microblogging, specifically with Twitter.  There are many different ways that teachers can use Twitter in their classroom, as demonstrated in the article, "28 Creative Ways Teachers Are Using Twitter."  Such benefits include: instant feedback, enabling discussion outside of class, keeping parents informed, and supplementing foreign language lessons.  Being a Spanish teacher myself, I was automatically drawn to this idea of using Twitter for a foreign language supplemental.  According to the article, the idea of teachers "Tweeting a sentence in a foreign language at the beginning of the day or class and ask students to either translate or respond in kind as a quick, relatively painless supplement" can help continue to develop the students' second language acquisition.  While nurturing their language development, I can also see how this use of Twitter for supplemental assignments would also serve as a form of instant feedback for teachers.  You would be able to see, instantaneously, whether or not your students were able to complete and/or understand the assignment.  Furthermore, to see how affective the assignment was in accomplishing some type of language goal. 

Specifically for foreign language teachers themselves, Twitter can serve as a way to easily connect with other teachers and professionals, as stated in YouTube videos on "Integrating ICT into the MFL classroom: Twitter for Teachers."  In this sense, teachers are able to get timely feedback from other teachers about lesson plans, how to use microblogging successfully in the classroom, etc...  Furthermore, it gives teachers an opportunity to ask questions about different topics in education, to continue their professional growth and development.  A network is being created, a network that can serve as a resource pool, a go-to for help, and a place to communicate and express ideas.   

Building Connections- Social Networking

When thinking about this whole idea of Connectivism and what that means for teachers in the classroom today, the concept of "social networking" comes into play.  In order to build and create connections that instill and continue the process of learning, social networking is something that teachers need to consider.  I found a social networking group that I feel might be useful to me called Classroom 2.0.  This group is all about how we, as teachers, can take social media and the Web and incorporate these things into our classroom, in order to enhance the learning process.  Furthermore, you have a network of colleagues who are in the same boat as you.  We are all trying to find out new information and resources that will be something that would benefit the classroom environment, and we are all, at the same time, learning from each other.  Through digital dialogue and feedback, I could learn about resources like "Brainpop".  As Alan Levine stated in his video "New Media Consortium", establishing a network of colleagues both in and out of your field is essential because we can't know everything.  It's through these networks that we can keep on learning... obtaining knowledge that will help make us better teachers for our students.

    

A Teacher Is Like A...

A teacher is like a one-man band, in today's world.  We play so may different roles in our classrooms at once, so that it creates a melody.  We play the role of a performer, trying to engage our students to make sure that they are involved in their own learning.  Creating a spark of interest that motivates them to continue learning on a day to day basis.  What we try to instill in our students is the fact that learning isn't just about today, but it's about tomorrow.  As Siemens (2005), stresses in his article on Connectivism, "learning is a continual process, lasting for a lifetime."  The learning shouldn't stop, once the student leaves your classroom... it should keep on going.  As teachers, we need to form those connections to what lies beyond the classroom, in order to show our students the importance of what they are learning in school.  This whole idea of of learning "must be a way of being--an ongoing set of attitudes and actions by individuals and groups..." (Vaill, 1996).

 

Teachers keep the learning current (up-to-date) for their students... showing them how what they are learning is practical and meaningful.  Therefore, a teacher needs to ensure that they are constantly learning themselves, and networking, as Siemens states, is a great and easy way of doing so.  Whether through blogging or other social networks, "learning in a network creation process," as said by Siemens himself in The Network is the Learning.  As a teacher of today, you want to ensure that you are staying current and continuing to learn, so that your students receive the best and most beneficial education.  We are a network of people; it's no longer just about the individual.  Rather, it's about what we can learn from one another, and how adding "a node (person, resource, etc.) to a network increases the entire network exponentially" (Siemens).  Where one benefits, we all benefit.  

Check This Out... an interesting post!

From the "Teaching & Learning Spanish" blog, I found a really interesting post about a website entitled "Practica Espanol".  Check it out via the following link: http://teachinglearningspanish.blogspot.com/2011/02/practica-espanol.html Within this post was a YouTube video that explained what this website was all about (see below). 

Being a Spanish teacher, I'm always looking for new and helpful resources that will help develop my own Spanish language skills, while also making me aware of what is going on in the Spanish-speaking world today.  This website has it all!  It is split up into categories such as: health, entertainment, politics, etc... so I can easily be up-to-date on what's happening in countries like Spain or Argentina.  Also, what I really liked about this website, it that it can be adjusted to fit your current level of Spanish understanding.  In this sense, I can easily see this being a great resource for my students. 

The Students of Today... Do We Know Them?

I recently watched a video entitled "A Vision of K-12 Students Today" and I was shocked by the seriousness and solemness that the students projected.  Nothing was said verbally, but it was enough.  The statements on the whiteboards spoke volumes.  Right from the get-go you recognize how much time the students of today interact with technology in their daily lives.  Statistics like: 16.5 hours watching TV a week, gaming 3.5 hours a week, 5.5 hours on a computer a week, etc...  We live in a digital and technologically-influenced world, and more and more students are walking into our classrooms with experience and knowledge of so many resources that us, as teachers, may not be familiar with.  And that is the problem.

More often than not, teachers are uncomfortable working with or using technology in the classroom because it's something they have never used before themselves, yet their students have.  There's a technological gap that is quite evident.  Therefore, teachers may choose to rely on lectures and other teaching methods to reach their students.  Unfortunately, as seen in the video, these methods are not affective in reaching them.  Instead, students find themselves disengaged, not interested, and bored.  In addition, students question why they are learning what they are learning if it's not going to foster: critical thinking, creativity, and skills that are essential for today's world.  This is where technology and its use in the classroom comes into play.  We have to teach our students in a way that is most practical and beneficial for them... the statistics should tell you how we're going to do that.  Technology, technology, technology!    

Fluent In a Second Language?!

More often than not, one takes up learning a second language with an intent or "final outcome" of becoming fluent.  What exactly does that mean and how much exposure to a second language do you need to get there?  Robert Blake starts off his text with this very thought in Brave New Digital Classroom addressing why technology is in the L2 curriculum.  Second language acquisition (SLA) is a "intensive and time-consuming activity" (Blake, 1) You would think that starting a language in the 7th grade and continuing all through middle and high school (a total six years) would mean that fluency is the final outcome... not so much.  According to the Foreign Service Institute, anywhere from 700 to 1,320 hours of full-time instruction are needed to reach a level of high fluency.  In addition, "the time commitment for learning a Romance language minimally approaches 20 weeks of intensive, full-time study at 30 hours per week, for a grand total of 600 hours..." (Blake, 1).  These numbers are startling, particularly for university students whose courses don't come close to these requirements.  

Reading these statistics surprised me in a sense that I had no idea how much continuous exposure was necessary to gain a high level of fluency.  What first popped into my head was my own personal experience with learning Spanish I've been interacting with the Spanish for now 12 years, having started learning the language in 7th grade.  I remember deciding that I wanted to become a Spanish teacher my junior year of high school, and then asking myself, "Can I even speak Spanish that well?"  I could carry a basic conversation one-on-one with my Spanish teacher and even my peers in class.  I even could get up and give a decent 10 minute presentation on Las Fallas, but it felt like something was missing... this whole idea of "fluency".  It wasn't until I studied abroad in Spain for a semester that I felt that I had acquired a level of fluency- being able to speak Spanish with an authentic accent and carry conversations with native speakers.  Obviously, the idea of "increasing contact with the target language" (i.e. through study abroad) is the solution... a second language is "best learned and taught through interaction" (Blake, 2 & 3).  

Yet, studying abroad is expensive and not always a doable option for most, so that's where the idea of integrating technology comes into play.  Technology can serve as a tool to help create those opportunities of language contact in the classroom.  Therefore, it's important for both foreign language teachers and students to be computer literate, so that they can gain the most from these Internet interactions.  The possibilities are endless!  More to come...            

When Blogging, Blog Safely: Internet and Blogging Safety Tips

It's so important to be aware and safe when browsing the Internet and/or blogging.  The Internet can be dangerous, if you don't know what you're doing, so it's important that you are proactive in your gaining of knowledge on Internet safety.  In turn, this awareness will ensure that you have a positive and safe experience when surfing the Web and blogging.  Here is a list of tips that you should follow... you can never be too careful:

1.) Protect Your Privacy: You should never reveal information about where you live, where you work, your age, your telephone number, or even your full name.  There are bad people out there on the Internet that will take advantage of such information, so don't give away or post personal information so freely.  

2.) Passwords Are Private: Do not share your password with others, even your best friends.  You don't want your password to get stolen because that could lead to the theft of your identity.  Also, you should create a password that is strong (see link below).

3.) Avoid Clicking on Pop-ups/Advertisements: Clicking on pop-ups or advertisements on webpages can lead to your computer contracting a harmful virus that can cause a lot of serious problems.  Furthermore, what is being advertised is usually false/not real/ a scam.  Make sure your computer's "Pop-up Blocker" is turned on (it usually is), and if a pop-up comes up, close out of the window immediately.   

4.) Click "Back" or "Close": If at anytime you come across something that is inappropriate on accident, click the "Back" arrow button to leave the webpage or close out of the window immediately.   

For more information and safety tips check out this website: www.connectsafely.org/safety-tips-and-advice.html