Modern+Language+Department+Tools

http://diannekrause.wikispaces.com/languages

If you would like a brief tour of this page, please click on the following link: http://screencast.com/t/Wdec6snaY And here is a link to a Classrooms for the Future wiki devoted essentially to Foreign Lanugage Teachers: http://cffforeignlanguage.wikispaces.com/ This link will demonstrate how to record a file using Audacity and Voicethread: http://voicethread.com/share/35310/ Modern Language Links and Ideas CFF 2007-2008 Ralph Maltese

Let’s face it. Technology has been around for a while. The first caveman (cavewoman?) who picked up a wooly mammoth’s tail, dipped it in red mud, and started making lines on the limestone walls was probably enamored of the new tool. And there were probably colleagues who bemoaned the invention of the brush and dreaded the demise of hand painting. Technology is not teaching. Good teaching is good teaching, whether you have a handheld computer or a piece of chalk in your hand. But individuals, cultures, civilizations, and needs change over time. The cavalry arm of the Polish military was acknowledged in the 1930’s as the cavalry unparalleled in the rest of the world, but the brave Polish cavalry troopers in their charge on German tanks in World War II did not fare too well. Students spend more time online than they do in front of the television, and while collaboration with workers from other cultures was not a skill prized in the 1950’s, cooperative skills in today’s labor market are a requisite for employment. The modern educational paradigm requires that students become engaged in high level thinking skills, and computers and activboards and other devices that help students create make that engagement easier. That said, here are some educational tools (under the collective umbrella of Web 2.0 tools) that you might consider using for your classroom projects:

And here is a good blog about using wikis: http://weblogg-ed.com/category/wiki-watch/ Our Abington CFF wiki is here: http://abingtoncff.wikispaces.com/
 * Wikis**—Wikis (from the Hawaiian word for “quick,”) are online collaboration sites. Teachers can pose a question or problem on a wiki, students can log on and reply or students can work together in completing a document. Wikis can also contain an instructor’s directions, assignments, and lesson plans so that a student anywhere in the world can access this material. The refrain, “I wasn’t in class for that assignment,” loses all value as an excuse. Teachers can create free wikis at this site: http://www.wikispaces.com/site/for/teachers


 * Blogs**—A blog (from weblog—“web log”) is an online diary. People post logs or diaries online for anyone to peruse or they can make them relatively private, allowing only certain people access. A teacher may use a blog in many ways, including asking students to role play a famous historical figure’s blog, or keeping a blog online in another language. To sign up for your own blog site, click on this link: http://www.weblog.com/

Or: https://www.blogger.com/start?utm_campaign=en&utm_source=en-ha-na-google&utm_medium=ha&utm_term=free%20blogs&gclid=CNOrxoKm0I8CFRGoGgodtFwZ-A

And for you teachers of German, here is a wikipedia about blogs in German: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weblog To see a good example of a blog, visit http://www.weblogg-ed.com/


 * Google Earth:** Google earth allows users to globe trot. This program must be downloaded to your computer (it is free…we have this program installed on our school computers). A user can zoom into his home town or Paris, France. The real advantage of Google Earth for a teacher is the use of the overlays. Overlays are basically transparencies that you can place over a map of the earth. Some overlays show the world as it appeared in other ages, some overlays show different geological features (such as where in the world earthquakes are occurring), and some overlays demonstrate other geographical or geological features. Foreign language teachers can scroll to any country and zoom in on cities, villages, even castles.


 * Webcams:** Webcams are continuously shooting cameras that are located anywhere from your backyard to the Champs Elysee. Click on the link in the Website column.


 * **LOCATION** ||
 * **WEBSITE** ||
 * || 1 ||
 * Paris ||
 * http://www.paris-live.com/ ||
 * || 2 ||
 * Paris ||
 * http://webcams.tf1.fr/ ||
 * || 3 ||
 * Berlin ||
 * http://berlin-webcam.illustriertestadt.de/index.php?idcatside=&sid=ce4b753afc5b8a0bdb6b19dd4e11372e ||
 * || 4 ||
 * Madrid ||
 * http://www.spainstorage.com/ ||
 * || 5 ||
 * Madrid ||
 * http://www.earthcam.com/search/ft_search.php?s1=1&term=madrid&x=10&y=15 ||
 * || 6 ||
 * Florence ||
 * http://www.guardafirenze.it/ ||
 * || 7 ||
 * Florence ||
 * http://www.firenzemeteo.com/ ||
 * || 8 Bronx http://www.patricksenecal.com/webcams/w-english0553.php ||
 * 9 Waikiki ||
 * http://www.earthcam.com/usa/hawaii/waikiki/ ||  ||
 * http://www.earthcam.com/usa/hawaii/waikiki/ ||  ||

Remember that the webcams are live, updated every so many minutes, so consider the time zones your locations are in (during school, it may be night at the site and difficult to see anything). This is a website listing webcams around the world: http://www.earthcam.com/


 * Social Networking:** Imagine that you and a colleague are collaborating on a research project involving the impact of culture on the foods we eat. You both sit at a computer and start visiting sites online to gather information. Programs like Del-icio-us allow you to share the websites you separately gather. If you find a site that both of you could use, then you simply bookmark it on your Del-icio-us account and your partner automatically has that site in his Del-icio-us bookmarks as well. Not particularly thrilling? Think about the different groups each human being belongs to: family, friends, fellow workers. In social networking as you surf the net you can share different sites with different groups and they, in turn, share their discoveries with you. Common knowledge, common interests, common bonds. Social networking. There are a number of social networks, but I know that Del-icio-us is free. http://del.icio.us/

From the Washington Post site: “To start using RSS, you need a special news reader or aggregator that displays RSS content feeds from Web sites you select. There are many different news readers available, many of which are free of charge. Most are available as desktop software that you download and install on your computer. Several Web-based news readers are available as well.”
 * RSS Feeds:** RSS = “Really Simple Syndication.” Imagine that you really enjoy listening to Cowboy Bob’s show each day at 10:00 AM. But you are in school all day. What can a person do? You can go create an RSS feed which means that every day the Cowboy Bob show will be created and stored as a file and downloaded to your computer. When you get home, your spouse tells you he/she has a yearning to visit Cleveland, Ohio. But you really want to listen to the Cowboy Bob show. What can a person do? A person can download the Cowboy Bob show onto his iPod or MP3 player and enjoy listening to the show on that lovely ride to Cleveland. You can develop RSS feeds from a variety of online programming, from news stories to stock market sites, to National Public Radio programs, to a variety of informational and entertainment oriented programs. The middle “S” stands for “simple.” It is.

NPR’s Podcast Directory: http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast/podcast_directory.php?sourceCode=gaw&gclid=CLfCteOy0I8CFQHgPAodNVgf8w Education Podcast Network: http://epnweb.org/ Has already created podcasts divided up by content area (and by age group). Check out the Second Language Link on the left. Podcast 411: [|www.podcast411.com/] Podcasts Podcast Alley: [|www.podcastalley.com] Podcast Pickle: [|www.poscastpickle.com] Defines Podcast and gives examples. These are just a few new technology tools. The following is from Tech Soup, the Technology Place for non profits: http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/webbuilding/page4758.cfm Check out our own Mr. Shipley’s podcast and demonstration-- http://cffsocialstudies.blogspot.com/ The technologies encompassed by Web 2.0 include, but are by no means limited to, blogs, tags, RSS, social bookmarking, and AJAX. The philosophy focuses on the idea that the people who consume media, access the Internet, and use the Web shouldn't passively absorb what's available -- rather, they should be active contributors, helping customize media and technology for their own purposes, as well as those of their communities. This philosophy contrasts sharply with the old "Web 1.0" methodology, in which news was provided by a handful of large corporations, Web pages were static and rarely updated, and only the tech-savvy could contribute to the development of the World Wide Web. Of course, it may seem premature for nonprofits to be thinking about Web 2.0 when many haven't yet mastered Web 1.0, but Web 2.0 isn't just the latest new toy for geeks or the bleeding edge so beloved by entrepreneurs. It's the beginning of a new era in technology -- one that promises to help nonprofits operate more efficiently, generate more funding, and affect more lives.
 * Podcasts:** Podcasts are simply audio files that people create and share online. Imagine that you have a homebound student who has a visual difficulty. You can create a podcast which gives assignments, directions, information, and your student can download the podcast at home. National Public Radio has most of its programming available as podcasts which you can download and listen to at your leisure. Remember RSS feeds?

Modern Language Lesson Plans and Ideas CFF 2007-2008 Ralph Maltese

The following table offers a number of websites with ready made lesson plans. Most incorporate technology in some way. I have no doubt that the quality of the lesson plans on these sites is uneven. These are offered as examples of potentialities and as, hopefully, kindling for inspiration. I have no doubt that you can create better ones yourselves. Just click on the links in the website column to review what your colleagues have developed.


 * **Synopsis** ||
 * **Website** ||
 * || 1 ||
 * French and Spanish Resources ||
 * http://www.casadejoanna.com/mirror/index.htm ||
 * || 2 ||
 * Site for many languages ||
 * http://www.uni.edu/becker/ ||
 * || 3 ||
 * Many lesson plans. Scroll down for foreign language lesson plans. ||
 * http://www.lessonplanspage.com/LAJH.htm ||
 * || 4 ||
 * Resources and Lesson Plans for World Languages ||
 * http://www.cloudnet.com/~edrbsass/edwor.htm ||
 * || 5 ||
 * World Language Resources ||
 * http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/practice/lessons/2_bilingual.htm ||
 * || 6 ||
 * Teachology Foreign Language Instruction using Technology ||
 * http://www.teach-nology.com/teachers/lesson_plans/languages/ ||
 * || 7 ||
 * Internet Activities for Foreign Language Classes ||
 * http://www.sites4teachers.com/links/redirect.php?url=http://www.clta.net/lessons/ ||
 * || 8 ||
 * The Educator’s Reference Desk Foreign Language ||
 * http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/lessons.cgi/Foreign_Language ||  ||
 * http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/lessons.cgi/Foreign_Language ||  ||

Research tells us that inquiry based and project based instruction improves learning. Here are some of my ideas, but I know you can come up with better ones: Pick a very distant land, exotic or otherwise, and students must construct an online travel brochure in whatever language they are studying. Students prepare and film an episode of Survivor (or other show) in the language they are studying. Aliens invade the earth, and groups of students must petition their conquerors to preserve their culture by developing a multimedia presentation showcasing the best of their culture. Students prepare a travel brochure, using multimedia, of places to see within a given country. Students prepare a documentary on how geography has dramatically impacted the evolution of a culture in a particular country. Students create, produce and edit a game show using Windows Movie Player. The game show must be in the language under study and the questions (as in Jeopardy) must be related to the culture under study. Click on these links to find out more information. http://www.queensu.ca/ctl/goodpractice/inquiry/strategies.html

Includes how to set up an inquiry based project http://www.emints.org/ethemes/resources/S00000902.shtml

Links to inquiry based websites http://ozpk.tripod.com/0inquiry

Project based learning http://newali.apple.com/ali_sites/ali/exhibits/1000328/Project-Based_Learning.html

Project based learning Edutopia http://www.edutopia.org/projectbasedlearning

Project based learning Internet sites http://www.internet4classrooms.com/project.htm