Technology Standards

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) has broken down what skills students should have at a variety of ages. You can check out these standards here.

Communication and collaboration are a great foundation for these standards, as they allow students to maximize their learning and growth potential while they work toward the other standards: creativity and innovation, research and information fluency, critical thinking, problem solving and decision making, digital citizenship and technology operations and concepts.

I think that creativity without collaboration is limited. The best work that I see from my students is when they are working together. (If I have any students who end up reading this, feel free to comment on times you really benefited from working in groups in my class or other classes!) Likewise, problem solving and decision making lean toward being better activities that are done with others.

Web 2.0 applications allow for seemingly endless creative productions and collaborative and critical thinking options. As long as teachers take the time to think through what their goals are and to thoroughly explore the web 2.0 tools, they will find a perfect tool (or combination of tools) to suit their task.

I was amazed at what even the youngest of students (ages 4-8) are expected to be able to do when I read through the Profiles for Technology Literate Students (to view these, use the same link as above, but click on “ISTE Standards Student Profiles”)! The action words of what they are supposed to do (such as research, justify, evaluate) are very intense! Learning these things at such a young age allow for increased skills at doing those actions as they grow as well as movement into very advanced tasks in high school, such as configuring hardware.

Additionally, collaboration can help all students to meet the NETS-S by allowing students that are more fluent in using technology to be a great asset to those who are not, as long as they work together and the stronger one helps the weaker one learn.

The opportunities that technology affords today’s students are very exciting!


References

ISTE Standards for Students. (n.d.). Retrieved June 7, 2015, from http://www.iste.org/standards/iste-standards/standards-for-students

Project Based Learning

This week, I read three inspiring articles about schools that incorporate project based learning (PBL).

"More Fun Than a Barrel of . . . Worms?!" - Diane Curtis, Edutopia
http://www.edutopia.org/more-fun-barrel-worms

Geometry Students Angle into Architecture Through Project Learning" - Sara Armstrong, Edutopia
http://www.edutopia.org/geometry-real-world-students-architects

"March of the Monarchs: Students Follow the Butterflies' Migration"
- Diane Curtis, Edutopiahttp://www.edutopia.org/march-monarchs

In Newsome Park Elementary School in Virginia, students explored the topic of cystic fibrosis (among other projects that were mentioned). In Mountlake Terrace High School near Seattle, groups of geometry students designed plans for a new high school. In Rockledge Elementary School, the class investigated the path of monarchs. Listing these projects in this way makes them sound very simple. However, they are anything but simple!

As is inherent to PBL, in each of the examples, the students did not learn information in a void, but rather, they immersed themselves in projects that evolved from real-life issues that connect them to their school, as a whole, and the community. The students at Newsome Park had a classmate with cystic fibrosis and wanted to learn more about what was happening to their peer. At Mountlake Terrace HS, students met with, and were critiqued by, local architects. In Rockledge Elementary, the class was able to go outside and spot the monarchs on their path through their state.

These projects were designed so that the students were incorporating a lot of content into their work. “Math, writing, reading and other subjects are interwoven into classroom projects and applied just as they would be in the real world. Use of spreadsheets, Microsoft PowerPoint presentations, computer slide shows, drawing and word-processing programs and digital cameras and scanners become second nature to the students” (Curtis, 2001).

Teachers must spend significant time thinking through the dynamics of the projects such as what the expectations are for the project and group work, timing, length, group size and any extra costs. In some cases, they must arrange to have community members assist. Teachers play an initial role of helping the students to become interested in the project. They must be flexible. As indicated by Patty Vreeland, educator, teachers have a responsibility to incorporate the standards and know them very well.  Vreeland also notes that teachers using PBL must work harder than traditional teachers who have a set lesson plan each day (Curtis, 2001). Alternately, when students are working on projects, they are going to be at different phases and also are susceptible to questions arising that could take them in a new direction at any moment.

In PBL, though the teachers are working hard, the students are working even harder as they are the ones doing the creating instead of the teacher being the center of the class. In the articles, among dozens of other things, students are making drawing and scale models of the future high school, recording temperatures leading up to the arrival of the butterflies and compiling information about cystic fibrosis. The busy students are in charge of their education! They are active and engaged. Equally important, as mentioned by teacher Eeva Reeder, is the process of reflection (Armstrong 2002).

The hands-on work required by PBL creates true learning and understand. With traditional learning, repetition of information is important to shift data from short term to long term memory. But by creating meaningful activities through PBL, the information makes such a big impact that true learning occurs as things naturally shift to long term memory.

Arguably the best part of project based learning is that students are interested, invested and engaged while in the classroom (and out of the classroom)! In the video about designs for the future high schools, one student was so excited to present his group’s design to the architect that he was inspired to work his best. So many students do not have the intrinsic motivation that in necessary for traditional learning, where learning for learning’s sake can be meaningless to some. With PBL, however, children aren’t learning for learning’s sake, but rather they are learning because they (and possibly their school, community or world as a whole) can benefit from their final product.

This blog post is not about me or my feelings, but I can’t help but comment that this kind of learning is the learning I long for my students to experience.      

References

Armstrong, S. (2002, February 11). Geometry Students Angle into Architecture Through Project Learning. Retrieved May 9, 2015, from http://www.edutopia.org/geometry-real-world-students-architects

Curtis, D. (2001, October 1). More Fun Than a Barrel of . . . Worms?! Retrieved May 9, 2015, from http://www.edutopia.org/more-fun-barrel-worms

Curtis, D. (2002, June 6). March of the Monarchs: Students Follow the Butterflies' Migration. Retrieved May 9, 2015, from http://www.edutopia.org/march-monarchs

Week of May 11, May 18 and May 25!

Week of May 11

Spanish I
Monday-today is the book check
Tuesday-today is the notebook check for quarter 4--it's a good grade booster, but it's voluntary!
There is no homework the rest of the week. Continue to study the present progressive. Keystone Exams are during period 4 on Wednesday and Friday.

Spanish II
There is no homework this week and no tests or quizzes (other than the Keystone Exams). We will be practicing with the vocabulary from chapter 14 and probably beginning to review for the final.

Spanish III-As of now, there is no homework scheduled this week other than to study for Thursday's quiz on the present perfect.

Spanish IV-No homework! We are going to be finishing the book's video series and watching a movie.
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Week of May 11

Spanish I-As of now, there is no homework this week. Practice direct object pronouns!

Spanish II-There is no homework this week. Tuesday there is a quiz on vocabulary for chapter 14. It's a voluntary quiz!

Spanish III-There will be some homework on por and para this week.

Spanish IV-We are finishing last week's movie and then going to the assemblies on Thursday and Friday.
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Week of May 26

Spanish I-final exam on the 26th and 27th during class
Spanish II-final exam on the 26th and 27th during class
Spanish III-final exam on the 26th and 27th during class

Week of 5.4.15

Spanish class final exams will likely be the week of the 18th the 26th and 27th. Study all notebook entries!

Spanish I-
M-as of now, there is no homework scheduled
W-write vocabulary 6B notes and do handout 6.3/6.4  and p. 532 #1 bottom; p. 524 #2 top
T-F-practice vocabulary and present progressive

Spanish II-
M-p. 544 1 and 2; handout 13.3/13.4
As of now, there is no homework scheduled for the rest of the week

Spanish III-
M-Amazing Race-no class
T-p. 197 4 and 5
W-past participle crossword
T-exercise 10-8, as well as a few other practice questions for the present perfect
F-finish any work we did not complete in class

Spanish IV-
M-p. 401 5-9, choose 2; handout 12.1/12.2
T-study for tomorrow's quiz
W-notes, p. 561 #1; p. 405 #13 and 17

T-12.3/12.4 and other vocabulary sheet
F-prepare for "day at the airport"

Week of 4.13.15

Spanish I-
M-Today is the chapter 4 exam
T- vocabulary 5A notes and handout 5.1/5.2
W-practice new verb (ser) and vocabulary 5A
T-practice new verb (ser) and vocabulary 5A
F-practice new verb (ser) and vocabulary 5A---the quiz on these is Tuesday 4/21

Spanish II-
Tuesday- p. 541 1 and 2, bottom
The quiz on vocabulary 12B is 4/20


Spanish III-
There is not much homework this week-possibly pret. vs. imperfect homework on Wednesday


Spanish IV-
M-finish pero/sino sentences
T-none
W, T, F-finish anything that was not finished in class

April 8-10

Spanish I
W-study for Friday's quiz
T-study for Friday's quiz
F-go verb quiz

Spanish II
W-begin to study vocabulary 12B
T-finish any work that we did not complete in class
F-finish any work that we did not complete in class

Spanish III
W-notes 5B, back of book p. 540-541 1 and 2
T-p.169 #12-16 ….choose 2

F-no homework

Spanish IV
W-projects due!
T-
F-

Assessments and homework the week of 3.23.15

Spanish I-
M-today is the quiz on vocabulary 4B
T-finish menu
As of now, there is no homework for the rest of the week.
On Monday 3/30 they are quizzing on tener + que + infinitive

Spanish II-
M-today is the chapter 11 exam
T-write vocabulary 11A notes
W- p.387  #6-8
T-
F-

Spanish III-
M-finish any vocabulary work that you didn't do in class
T-
W-bring in a fun pic from when little;  p. 541-542 ex. 1-5 answers only

T-imperfect TV assignment
F-the vocabulary 5A quiz is on Monday

Spanish IV-
stay tuned!

Week of 3.16.15

Spanish I-
M-study for quiz
T-stem-changing verb quiz; homework-write out vocabulary 4B
W-handout p. 27 and 28 (if we don't finish these in class)
T-no hw
F-handout p. 29 and 30

Spanish II-
M-list 10 famous people, write 5 sentences comparing them
T-comparative and superlative work
W-
T-
F-study for chapter test that is scheduled for March 24th

Spanish III-
M-chapter 4 exam
We are starting the imperfect this week. As of no there are is no homework.

Spanish IV-
stay tuned!

Immersion

As most people will tell you, immersion is the best way to learn a language. Here are a few ways to make that happen.

• In high school, be a foreign exchange student.
• In college, spend a semester abroad for about the same cost as a semester at your own university. Your college abroad will understand that you are not a native speaker and will have people to help you out, so put your fears aside!
• Become an au pair.
• Find a job.
• Attend a language school, where you pay by the week and can stay for as long as you like. You will live with a host family in the town where the school is. Likely, your language classes would be in the morning and you would have the rest of the time to do homework, travel, shop, attend movies, go out, etc.
• Volunteer. Usually you will have to pay, but it won't be as much as a vacation aboard.
• The James V. Brown Library has several excellent books on opportunities to travel abroad.

If you don't want to leave the U.S....

• Get a summer job in a city where Spanish is the primary language. 
• Try Middlebury Language School in Vermont. 
• Find someone local who is a native Spanish speaker and meet with them weekly.

Before you go abroad, there are a lot of things to do, but don't forget about being a good visitor in another country. Here is a start:

• Read 1,001 Smart Travel Tips.
• Buy a travel book about the country.
• Research cultural norms and avoid being offensive!

Let me know if you have any ideas to add to this!

Why You Should Watch More Movies

Recently I have had some current and former students ask me about how to increase their knowledge of another language. I always recommend watching TV and movies in the target language! You can start by watching Spanish shows (or whichever language you are working on) with English subtitles, progress to Spanish shows with Spanish subtitles and then go without subtitles all together! Your ability to understand will vary from show to show, as Spanish is different from country to country. It will also vary from speaker to speaker. Just as in English, some people speak faster than others.

A few good places to start are Viki.com, Hulu, Netflix and YouTube. On Viki.com, teams of people are formed to create subtitles to show. We recently watched a few episodes of <<Yo soy Betty la fea>>, which originated in Colombia.

In addition to TV and movies, you can take advantage of social media to improve your language skills. Join a discussion board for a topic that interests you. Follow Spanish speaking people on Twitter.

Many students learn some Spanish (not all appropriate!) when they play video games from players around the world.

The absolute best way to learn a language, however, it to be immersed in the language...but that topic is for another time...

Flashcards

Flashcards are a great way to study vocabulary. You can find some for our book at quizlet.com. Search for "paso a paso" and the chapter you are studying. Keep in mind that there are 3 different levels of books in the Paso a Paso series, so you might need to dig around to find the ones that you are looking for.

Thoughts on Flipped Classroom

Today is my first day taking a course called The Flipped Classroom. I have been interested in it for several years, when I heard of my co-worker using this method. Then, I was more intrigued during my Connected Educator Month course last fall. I spent a significant amount of time reading the blog of a fellow Spanish teacher. The idea of spending class time to use the skills learned at home is very exciting to me. I want more time for creativity on the students' end...I love teaching. I love being creative and designing fun lessons. But I think it's time to shift much of that work into my student's hands.
In my first few lessons, a teacher addressed the question "what if students don't want the videos?". Basically, they can watch them during class (assuming there is a means to do this) or they can be brought up to speed by peer learning. She mentioned that most students want to be part of the classroom activities, they don't want to be behind or stuck solo at a computer, so that is helpful.
I anticipate getting more and more interested in this method as my course continues. Stay tuned!

Update: Another teacher includes a Google Form with their video. Students take a few notes while they watch and solve a problem before submitting the form. He provides a doc to help them with their summary skills. He receives a spreadsheet with everyone's summaries and can compare them
Then he made a Wordl from their responses! They keywords popup and they can discuss how big some of the words are and discuss if they should be that big (are those terms as important as their height suggests).

Many teachers also reply their videos at the beginning of class when they are taking attendance or passing out materials.

Week of 3.9.15

Spanish I
M-the notebook check is today; study stem-changing verbs and vocabulary-verb quiz Tuesday the 17th
T-study stem-changing verbs and vocabulary-verb quiz Tuesday the 17th
W-quiz on vocabulary 4A
T-study stem-changing verbs
F-study stem-changing verbs-quiz Tuesday the 17th

Spanish II-the project is due on the 12th
M-notebook check today
T-no homework
W-finish anything not completed in class
T-projects are due
F-no homework

Spanish III-if you or your partner have been absent and need to finish your story for VoiceThread, schedule time during flex or before or after school

The chapter 4 test is on Friday. There is no homework throughout the week this week.

Spanish IV

stay tuned!

Week of 3.2.15

Spanish I
M-study 4A vocabulary (quiz on the 11th)
T-study 4A vocabulary
W-study 4A vocabulary and "e to i" stem changing verbs
T-e to ie stem changing verbs crossword
F-study 4A vocabulary, "e to i" stem-changing verbs and "e to ie" stem-changing verbs

notebook check on the 9th

Spanish II-The project is due on the 12th of March
M-study for tomorrow's multiple choice and matching quiz on vocabulary 11A
T-irregular superlative hw
W-superlative hw
T-study
F-quiz on the superlative

Spanish III-
M-we are writing our VoiceThread stories in class this week
T-
W-
T-quiz on vocabulary 4B
F-

Week of February 23

Spanish I
M-post card (a take-home part of the test)-due Wednesday
T-
W-study for tomorrow's test
T-chapter 3 exam
F-notes for vocabulary 4A

Spanish II-************* Project Due Thursday, March 12*******************
M-11A vocabulary crossword; handout 11.2; p. 538 1, 2, 3; p. 353 #7
T-complete the notes for verbs like gustar
W-work on project!
T-possibly superlative handout activity 9  #1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 12
F-possibly superlative handout activity 9  #1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 12

Spanish III
M-prep for VoiceThread project
T-
W-quiz on vocabulary 4A
T-
F-

Spanish IV
M-vocabulary 10B handout
T-p. 556-557 1-4

W-handout 10-5, 10-7 and 10-9
 T-
F-

Junior VoiceThread Project 2014-2015

Add a comment below. In the comment, post your first names and paste the link to your VoiceThread. I will approve the comments as they are submitted!

Week of 2.16.15

Spanish I- *this schedule may change due to some 9th graders attending a field trip mid-week
M-crossword for vocabulary 3B
T-estar work
W-study for quiz
T-vocabulary 3B quiz
F-create post card

Spanish II-************* Project Due Thursday, March 12*******************
M-vocabulary 10B quiz
T-no homework
W-no homework
T-no homework
F-notes for vocabulary 11A

Spanish III-
Monday through Wednesday-review for chapter 3 exam that is on Thursday
Thursday night-Vocab 4A-homework

Read p. 125-127 and write the vocabulary notes; do handout 4.1/4.2

p. 537 #1…just write answers

F-no homework

Spanish IV-

 As of now the only homework is to practice and study for Wednesday's quiz-vocabulary 10A and conditional perfect quiz

Week of 2-9-15

Spanish I-
M-finish anything we didn't finish in class; study for 3B quiz on the 19th
T-future poster
W-finish anything we didn't finish in class; study for 3B quiz on the 19th
T-finish anything we didn't finish in class; study for 3B quiz on the 19th
F-finish anything we didn't finish in class; study for 3B quiz on the 19th

Spanish II-
M-10B crossword
T-translation
W-test on all preterit verbs
T-being working on chapter 10 project
F-Monday-vocab 10B quiz

Spanish III-
M-vocab 3B quiz
T-test on all irregular pret. verbs
W-no homework
T-no homework
F-no homework

Spanish IV-
M-study for test
T-test on chapter 9
W-check back later!
T-check back later!
F-check back later!

Week of 1.12.15

Spanish I-
M-study for chapter 2 test tomorrow
T-
W-practice regular -ER verbs for homework
T-
F-IR verb crossword, if not finished in class

Spanish II-
Monday-Wednesday-finish anything we did not finish in class
T-chapter 9 review (test next Thursday )
F-quiz on grammar from p. 303

Spanish III-
Verb practice-no homework, as of now!

Spanish IV-
check back later!