Tool # 11

I am finished! After finishing this program I came across several tools that I found helpful in teaching a foreign language. My favorite tool is Makebelief. I like this tool because it makes teaching and learning a foreign language fun. Using this tool students and teachers can create cartoons to give life to teaching and learning Spanish. Another tool that that I found useful was Skype. Using Skype we can connect with classrooms around the world and learn new ideas in teaching a foreign language. This project has open my mind to think different and be more flexible to the opportunities that technology has to offer. Teaching and learning with technology is entertaining and students benefit from it. I was surprise in the number of tool that can help me be more productive in the classroom.

Tool #10

While the addition of technology into the classroom would unquestionably aid the learning environment, it is important for both teachers and students to practice good "digital citizenship." Things such as viewing appropriate material and content must always be the number one priority when using these devices. Also, tinkering with the devices hard drives and safety applications to gain access to inappropriate material is a violation of the districts security policies. These devices should be used for education purposes only, not for leisure. Any violation of these rules would be the same as violating a district or school wide rule and should be punished as such.

Being that I teach High school students, I believe they have been exposed to both the good and the bad that the digital world has to offer. I trust that most of these kids will know how to be good digital citizens already however, i found the isafe sight to be very useful in showing many good techniques to remain safe in the digital world.

I think the idea of good digital citizenship should be taught to the parents the same way it it should be taught to the students. If the content the student is viewing, or the action he/she is performing, would not be acceptable to show their family, than it is not acceptable for school. I also believe the techniques the students learn should be passed along to the parents so that they can feel comfortable their child is safe online and using the new technologies for positive learning.

Tool #9

I believe tying technology into the curriculum objectives is important because it gives us as educators a new angle to inspire students to learn. Students are fascinated by the latest technological devices and would rather be spending time with their technologies than learning in a classroom setting, so why not combine the two? This way, the students will see the curriculum in a way they find interesting. However, if the students are to use these devices they should be required to take care of them as well. They need to know that it is a privilege to be able to use such devices and they should care for the devices as such. If they do not care for these devices and hold themselves accountable for the devices condition, should something go wrong with the device, the students device privilege should be revoked.
In addition, after visiting the links to external websites i was able to find www.casadejoana.com.  This sight contains Spanish lesson plans and resources for both the students and the teacher. It also gives many links to different Spanish websites, which i believe will allow students to not only get a chance to use what their learning in the classroom to understand the content, but also learn a bit of the culture that goes along with the Spanish speaking websites.  Furthermore, I feel that a simple site such as Yahoo en espanol or cnn en espanol can serve as a very beneficial teaching tool in Spanish classes. These websites will give students the opportunity to see the similarities and differences between the Spanish and English cultures. By utilizing these websites the student can use their own knowledge of the Spanish language to report on important news taking place in spanish speaking countries.
As far as apps for the ipad/ipod that would be beneficial in a Spanish classroom there are many.Verb conjugation apps such as "spanish verbs" will be quite useful in showing the students the different ways to conjugate verbs, and the different tenses the verbs can be conjugated in. Also a simple flash card app can be helpful for students and teachers. Students can create flash cards for their own study, and teachers can create a series of flash cards as a review or study guide for an upcoming exam so that the entire class can use.
Furthermore, i see my students being able to use the ipad/ipod to be able to further their interest in the Spanish culture. While the textbooks can give the students brief glimpse of what its like to be in a Spanish speaking environment, the ipad/ipod will give them a gateway to explore deeper into the culture.

Tool #8

After watching the video tutorial about the ipod touch/ipad, I was able to see how these devices could serve beneficial in the classroom. I learned how to set up and sync content to both the ipod and the ipad, in addition to learning that I can sync the same content to multiple devices. This will aid in the learning process because  the students will be able to have all the same content simultaneously, in addition to being able to access more content for learning a their fingertips. I believe the incorporation of these devices will be a big advantage for both the student and the teacher.

Tool # 7

After visiting the resources on tool seven, design a collaborative project with another classroom, I am amazed how many opportunities are at there to share ideas, lessons and project with other teachers around the district and the world. In this project we will use Skype to communicate with students in El Salvador to practice verbol communication skills. The students in this project are going to be able to talk about things they used to do when they were a child using the imperfect.
1. Como eras de nino?
2. Que hacias de pequeno?

Tool # 7

Tool # 6

I used Polleverywhere to ask this question. I can see how students will use their phone to give a quick respond on question.

Here is another way to get feed back from students using TodaysMeet.