Instructional Technology
I introduce technology into my class to provide another means of stimulating my students. These tools prompt their imagination and can assist them in expressing their unique creative abilities.
Voice Thread ActivityI use Voice Thread a tool that allows users to record text and audio comments about uploaded images. Students enjoy the immediate feedback that the program provides. I also use the program to provide visual images that solicit oral comments from student. They enjoy listening to their own voices and the images serve to “warm up” students to write their own compositions. As a Spanish teacher, I believe that this technology really helps improve the fluency of my students. Download link to full activity (pdf).
Short Video-clip Activity
The use of short videos in the classroom is an excellent method for teaching the grammar of a foreign language, and for providing rich cultural information. In this presentation I offer la classroom activity aimed at teaching informal commands through the use of a video about a traditional Peruvian dish called cebiche. The combination of audiovisual components and more traditional teaching strategies helps address the five C‘s of foreign language education. In terms of Communication, students will be practicing his/her reading, writing, listening and speaking skills through the different activities. They will also gain an detail knowledge of a significant element in Peruvian Culture: its cuisine. The ingredients used in the preparation of cebiche are unique products of Peru, and have particular names and cultural meanings, thus addressing the standard of Connections. Moreover, through comparisons between Peruvian and American ingredients, students will able to established cultural links between their own experience and foreign culture. Finally, knowing about a foreign country‘s cuisine is an excellent way of gaining insight into the way Communities work. Download link to full activity (pdf).