Learning between the lessons

Like many of my fellow MACers, I too am struggling to find the relevance in some of the things we are learning. How are concept maps and taxonomy tables going to help me as a Spanish teacher? Well, I'm not exactly sure yet. But I have to say that I am learning a lot. While I'm learning some valuable content from our esteemed professors, I have to say that I am learning the most valuable and applicable lessons (for me, as a future teacher) between the lessons.


My lessons learned between the lessons:

• A safe learning environment is essential. If my students feel like they will be criticized for their contributions to the class, eventually they will just stop trying. (Hey-o! A Benchmark!)
• Things never go the way you've planned. Always prepare to be surprised!
• Some students who need some time to form their opinions before they are ready to share them--these students need to be included. Find a way to make this happen. Whether it be through blogs or discssion forums, giving them a heads up about a discussion topic, or just making sure they have an opportunity to share later in the conversation, make it work.
  
• I need to develop a thicker skin. If I can't learn to let things roll off my back, I'll be running away screaming before my first week of teaching has even come to a close.
• Even the most diligent overachieving student needs to take a day off from work now and then.
• Take the things that frustrate you and turn them into learning experiences.
  
• Although I am a very nervous public speaker, I can actually find a lot of confidence and ease when speaking about a topic I feel comfortable teaching.

Outlaw YouTube?

A lot of workplaces these days are filtering the online content their employees are able to access at work, schools included. Although I've spent my fair share of time sitting in front of a computer counting down the hours 'til the end of the workday, I understand why places of business do not want their employees messing around on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. But what if these so-called "time wasters" are actually valuable teaching tools in disguise? We've discussed the merits of using Twitter, wikis, and blogs in the classroom. And we all know how an occasional video can capture students' attention as they start zoning out mid-lecture. (And if a picture is worth a thousand words, how many words is a video worth...??) But doesn't it pose a problem when even the teachers are blocked from accessing these websites?! How do we get around this?

I understand that cyber-bullying is becoming an important issue, but will getting rid of these sites solve the problem? Or will it simply bring bullying back to the playground, as this suggests? (This issue is really a separate blog post....maybe you should keep an eye out for it in coming weeks!)


...if we ban YouTube in the classroom, students miss out on gems like this:



and




Nothing wrong with using a little Justin Timberlake to teach verb conjugation! And it gives me some great ideas for having my students make their own videos.....

21st Century Classroom

At the start of our very first Teaching with Technology class, we were asked to draw our future classroom, incorporating any technology we hope to have. I found this to be a very difficult task, stuck in the mindset that a typical classroom would be the same as the classrooms during my high school career, with a few modifications (projection from the computer, rather than using transparencies, etc.). I found myself focusing more on the physical setup of the classroom than on the technology: Do I want desks or tables? Should I set them up in a square for face-to-face discussion, or in traditional rows? Where do I want the teacher's desk?

After listening to my classmates describing the classrooms they hope to have, complete with laptops or computer stations for every student, I felt a little embarrassed about my lack of vision into the 21st century and beyond. Even though I graduated less than a decade ago, technology and society's reliance upon it have changed greatly, and I guess it's time for me to realize it! Universities use websites like CTools all the time, why can't high schools do the same? (They can, of course!)

I know that by the end of the semester, my vision for a technologically-equipped classroom will change substantially. Even after one class I've realized all kinds of things I'd missed out on! I still would like to keep my room relatively simple, but having computers in the classroom for student use creates countless opportunities for instruction. A language lab can be created in-class (without the need to relocate to a separate room), using only the computers and a good set of headphones. As I mentioned in my last post, I would love to use blogging and chats to create different types of discussion and writing practice.

Pen pals from a Spanish speaking country provide an excellent way for students to practice that is more relevant than writing essays in class, and provides feedback from a native speaker...something I can't give my students myself! Technology offers ways to make this happen much more easily than the traditional "pen and paper, foreign mail that takes forever to arrive, if it ever does" variety.

Check back in a month or so, I'm sure I'll have learned about all kinds of excellent technological tools that I can incorporate into my 21st Century classroom! I can't wait...but you're going to have to!

End of Week 1

We made it through week 1 of the MAC program, and we're all still standing. At least we were, as of 4:30 this afternoon. I'm impressed with the amount of work that goes into making this program possible, and overwhelmed by the amount of work that will go into getting out of it alive! But I'm looking forward to what's to come.

The technology class really struck a chord with me today. It's not something I'd really put much thought into, but the idea of using tools like blogging and twitter and lends itself to all sorts of wonderful possibilities in a Spanish classroom. I also love the idea of using a discussion board and a live chat (Does anyone still use chatrooms anymore??) What a great way for students to use their Spanish outside the traditional classroom setting! And it could be great for the more meek, who may not be ready to speak up in class yet. I'm really excited to see what we're going to learn in this class, and what I will be able to do with it...the ideas are already going on the spin-cycle in this thing I call a brain!