My final post - not gonna lie, its a little sad.

I have loved this class, even though it has really stressed me out!!!  I am genuinely surprised and blown away at how much technology is out there to use.  And, really pleasantly surprised that so much of it is really easy to use.  If I can do it, surely these techno-savvy kids can!  My favorites are the flipped classroom, and the digital story.  I think flipping would be a great way in a Spanish class to have kids come to class prepared to that during class we can just talk and talk and talk and practice practice practice.  Using videos, and podcasts, and screen casts, and all that makes the flipped units really fun.  Uploading music demos for a choir class into a flipped unit or a Web Quest would be helpful, and again, save class time for singing and practicing.

I admit to being one who was worried that too much more tech for my kids might be a bad thing.  I literally have to peel them off of it at home, and I find that they get distracted so easily by all that is available that is not homework.  But, they get distracted like that even when there homework is traditional book work or reports, so I'm not sure that's a valid concern.  And, if they are held accountable through assignments or blog submissions, or whatever, I don't think its a problem.

I know I want to used flipped units and Web Quests to free up class time for more productive uses of face-to-face time. I also really like the idea of using the podcasts, or even just voice recordings, to allow students to listen to the language spoken and then to respond in the language.  I think it would be great for them to keep a podcast "journal" of sorts, so that they can compare their speech at the beginning with their speech at the end.  That idea would work for choir, too!  Also, I would love to have a "sister class" in another country with which my students could video chat or Skype.  What better way to get them excited about learning a language than to give them a spanish-speaking study buddy!

I don't know how to improve this class, other than to not have to try to cram it into 7 weeks.  The thing I liked the very best, and that I will definitely remember for future use is that as you taught us each concept/technology, we used it in a specific and applicable way.  I never felt like I was just memorizing or completely an assignment - the desire to do so was present because I could see how it would be useful for me.  I think you won me over.  I will never be a techno-nerd-geek-dude like my son, but this teachable dinosaur has come to realize that tech is not only pretty fun, but super useful as well.  Thanks!!!

I had a blast with the digital story.  So did my kids.  I think the very first way I would use this would be just like I did in the web quest. The story had to detail an interaction between a shopkeeper and a customer.  I sent my kids 21, 18, and 13 to take the pictures and they had a ball.  They could not wait to see what I was gonna do with them.  This kind of excitement makes work seem like fun, and I think students would love a project like this.  Another way I would use it is for a Choir Class - I think putting together a digital story about attending a festival, or participating in a workshop would be a great way to keep them engaged and would be way more fun than the standard "write a half page about what you saw".  Or, the Spanish class could do culture reports.  Or the choir kids could do composer or musical era reports.  Or the Spanish class could do mini lessons for each other.  Way too many possibilities!!

Flipping my Spanish Classroom

The flipped classroom idea was really different for me, but I ended up loving it.  I have done several online classes, and this is a great model to promote student success.  The instructions, schedule and resources are right at their fingertips.

As I researched flipping foreign language classrooms, I found that this is a popular idea.  Not only did I find websites and blogs dedicated to flipping language classrooms, but I also found resources to use in a flipped classroom.  Here were two of my favorite sites:

This a blog about flipping a foreign language classroom.  I like this one because she listed her goals for her classroom, and then why flipping worked for her.
http://www.scoop.it/t/foreign-language-flipped-class-resources

This one had great ideas for what flipping is, and links to lots of resources
http://www.spanish4teachers.org/SpanishFlippedClassroom.html

If I were to used a flipped model in my language class, I would probably opt to do it for one unit at a time.  I don't know if I would use it for the entire year's curriculum, but would probably have one or more flipped units within the course of the year.

For example, if I were to flip a unit on Ser vs. Estar. I would use a podcast or maybe a digital story to present the concept, I would include some YouTube vidoes I found (which are pretty funny) to enhance that explanation.  I might also include a PowerPoint or Google presentation with question and answer slides to allow them to practice.  Animations like the Animoto ones we did would be fun to present different situations in which ser/estar would be used, or even to show incorrect usage and how it changes the meaning.  I would use online worksheets, assignments and assessments.  I would hold the class accountable by having deadlines for assignments which either had to be submitted online or printed and brought to class.  Since this would be part of a regular face-to-face class, I could also have in class components which would be dependent on having completed the online assignments on time.  I would use class time to reinforce what was done online, to go over assignments, and to have in class "conversations" using ser/estar in which the students talk to and assess themselves and each other.

Fun Ideas for Pod Casts

I had no idea that pod casts could be used for the classroom!!

I must shamefully admit that, prior to this class, I had never even listened to a pod cast before.  I had heard of them, and my kids seem to know what they are, but I was way out of the loop on this one.  However, I am now a big fan and can see some really fun applications for education.  Here are a few of my thoughts:
1)     In a Spanish class, I think it would be great to create pod casts for the students to listen to so they get used to hearing the language spoken.  They could answer questions, try to transcribe what they hear, or listen to stories and answer questions about the stories.
2)  Or, the students could create the pod casts for me or for each other.  What a great way for them to practice using the language!
3)  Since I'm doing music as well, a podcast would be a great way to deliver info about an upcoming tour or event - you could list expectations, confirm itinerary, or just give general instructions.

I admit, that I had fun making my pod cast, and it was even more fun impressing my 13-yr-old with my new tech knowledge :-)