Day 4 - project intentions

I know that eventually I will be able to format my intended project for weekly journaling through a wiki format. I need to devise a system for corrections of grammar and plan to use a culture-oriented visual as a starting point for the weekly topic. I know I can do this.

Day 3 final reflections

I have learned the following items: 1) how to create a wiki and some of its possible uses, 2) how to produce some of the entries into my Delicious account (which I do not have to type with the periods for the URL), and 3) how to blog in my previously created blog so that I am able to produce this product.

I really want to learn how to use Flickr and YouTube along with how to be more efficient about searching for information for tags in Delicious.

Technology Issues

A brief discussion with the technology coordinator this morning challenges me to think outside the box as I contemplate the development of the two units for Web2.0. The student email will no longer be available due to concerns about liability and cost, with the suggestion of blogs as a substitute system. As I was typing this blog, Sherry just informed that Blogmeister does allow monitored collaboration between two schools anywhere in the world, provided I could acquire a contact. I see this as a superb connection for the Advanced Spanish students, with an opportunity to communicate with a series of, perhaps, letters throughout the year. I would use this as the culminating activity of a unit or chapter and focus on the theme or new grammar structure for some of the requirements of the activity. In the past letter exchanges the students enjoyed writing about their favorite topic, themselves, and established a pen pal or e-pal for the school-year. Is this too old-school, or does anyone have suggestions for other types of exchanges?
The other possible unit is to replace the weekly journaling that students submit each Friday with a paperless journal, via blog or wiki. I strongly believe in the option of commenting and making corrections on these entries, or works-in-progress. I'd welcome practical suggestions.

Utilization of Blogs in the Spanish Classroom

My initial intent for participating in this workshop was to eliminate the weekly journals that I require for my second year and advanced students. Each week 75+ students are required to write five sentences in Spanish in the topic of their choice, one which must focus on the grammar topic of the text during that week. I dutifully haul these journals home every weekend, spend two hours reading and correcting, indicating errors that should be corrected. If the student hands the journal in on time, the grade is an automatic C, with the possibility of the A when the errors are corrected and resubmitted with the next journal entry. I firmly believe that each student is able to improve his or her writing skills at the individual proficiency level of that student with this system.
I would like to use technology as an alternative to the physical journals. Blogging would provide an audience, but how would I be able to indicate the corrections? I fully know that some educators subscribe to the theory that students should be allowed to write in a stream of consciousness style and should not be stifled by corrections. However, I believe that an important objective of the class is to improve written proficiency, and that I would be doing a disservice to my students by not requiring corrections. Since I will be teaching a full schedule of 150 students, this is one of the few formal writing requirements that I utilize, and former students presently at the university level insist that it prepared them for much more demanding writing at the college level.
I may just begin with the 34 advanced students, but I will have to devise a system for corrections and improvements and would welcome a solution.
Kathy

Square Pegs

The global community is ultimately the perfect venue as an audience for communicating with second language learners. I view the Web 2.0 as the long-awaited spark to connect with not only heritage Spanish speakers, but also with Spanish students in high schools who are also at various levels of Spanish language development.
David Jakes challenges the classroom teacher to break the boundaries of the traditional classroom's focus of teacher-oriented lectures presented to bowling-alley rows of students in his article, Square Peg, Round Hole? World language teachers have embraced his ideas with cooperative pair-groups and collaborative learning for years and view the Web 2.0 options with enthusiasm. I have attended numerous workshops to incorporate technology into my classroom, but have to deal with several obstacles, the logistics of policies at school and the difficulty of connecting with language contacts in other countries. I encourage anyone who has done successful Spanish language blogging or creating a Wiki to provide some suggestions.