Blogging problem #1: Thinking your blog post published and realizing later that it disappeared and was never saved. Here is attempt #2! Sorry!
When I began this project, I was excited to see what new innovative instructional technology ideas for the language classroom would appear in my weekly Google Alerts that arrived in my inbox daily. As the week progressed, my excitement turned into, "How do I summarize all of these articles and all of this information into one concise blog post?" As this is attempt #2, I have had a little extra time to consider how to formulate my thoughts and create this post.
I am most attracted to blogs that are relevant, authentic, informative and personable. My hope is that throughout this semester this blog is just that. Here are some of the articles from my alerts that caught my eye this past week.
Textbook usage? Yay o Nay?
Death to the language textbook!
This editorial questions the relevance of textbooks in the language classroom. Nero Grok-Gallagher notes that language learning often does not extend beyond the classroom as students are stuck completing drill exercises and not seeking meaningful experiences with language. The author suggests that students and teachers look beyond the classroom texts to engage with language through Duolingo Podcasts; Netflix; Youtube; Quizlet; and Godlist. These apps allow students to receive a variety of comprehensible input in the target language. Beyond these apps, the author challenges students to seek meaningful interaction in the target language with others that the textbook cannot provide. Hello Talk is an example of a social media app that can be used to practice speaking in the target language.
I enjoyed this article. I, too, believe that teachers often find themselves drilling the language rather than encouraging its authentic use. I also believe that students are culprits and do not seek opportunities for using the target language outside of the classroom.
This article challenges us to find new and innovative ways to encourage language learning and usage with our students and to also question our current methods. I would like to check out the apps suggested by the article to learn more ways to perhaps incorporate them into the classroom or ways to suggest to my students' families to use them to improve their own L2 learning.
Language Learning Apps for the Classroom
In regards to educational technology and the language classroom, I am drawn to finding different learning applications that I can utilize with my students. Through the following two articles, I learned about two apps that I could immediately use with my students and share with the ESL teacher in my district. We conversed about how these apps could serve for additional practice in the ESL classroom; for regular education teachers to use in the classroom when an activity is at an inappropriate language level for the EL; for students to use at home to improve their own language learning; and for parents of ELs that would like to learn English or to improve the English they already know. I also like that I can utilize these apps with my Spanish students!
Google’s Best App 2018, Drops, launches ‘Droplets’ to teach kids and teens foreign languages
Charlotte Tucker discusses the introduction of 'Droplets' a new language application available to teach students aged 8-17 a variety of languages. The app uses a variety of word games to appeal to younger learners. The app according to Tucker is parent and kid friendly. Droplets allows students a daily free five minute lesson; perfect for short attention spans, according to Tucker.
I downloaded the app on my phone to explore it (from here: https://languagedrops.com/droplets) and consider how I could utilize it in the classroom.
Here is what I learned:
When I began this project, I was excited to see what new innovative instructional technology ideas for the language classroom would appear in my weekly Google Alerts that arrived in my inbox daily. As the week progressed, my excitement turned into, "How do I summarize all of these articles and all of this information into one concise blog post?" As this is attempt #2, I have had a little extra time to consider how to formulate my thoughts and create this post.
I am most attracted to blogs that are relevant, authentic, informative and personable. My hope is that throughout this semester this blog is just that. Here are some of the articles from my alerts that caught my eye this past week.
Textbook usage? Yay o Nay?
Death to the language textbook!
This editorial questions the relevance of textbooks in the language classroom. Nero Grok-Gallagher notes that language learning often does not extend beyond the classroom as students are stuck completing drill exercises and not seeking meaningful experiences with language. The author suggests that students and teachers look beyond the classroom texts to engage with language through Duolingo Podcasts; Netflix; Youtube; Quizlet; and Godlist. These apps allow students to receive a variety of comprehensible input in the target language. Beyond these apps, the author challenges students to seek meaningful interaction in the target language with others that the textbook cannot provide. Hello Talk is an example of a social media app that can be used to practice speaking in the target language.
I enjoyed this article. I, too, believe that teachers often find themselves drilling the language rather than encouraging its authentic use. I also believe that students are culprits and do not seek opportunities for using the target language outside of the classroom.
This article challenges us to find new and innovative ways to encourage language learning and usage with our students and to also question our current methods. I would like to check out the apps suggested by the article to learn more ways to perhaps incorporate them into the classroom or ways to suggest to my students' families to use them to improve their own L2 learning.
Language Learning Apps for the Classroom
In regards to educational technology and the language classroom, I am drawn to finding different learning applications that I can utilize with my students. Through the following two articles, I learned about two apps that I could immediately use with my students and share with the ESL teacher in my district. We conversed about how these apps could serve for additional practice in the ESL classroom; for regular education teachers to use in the classroom when an activity is at an inappropriate language level for the EL; for students to use at home to improve their own language learning; and for parents of ELs that would like to learn English or to improve the English they already know. I also like that I can utilize these apps with my Spanish students!
Google’s Best App 2018, Drops, launches ‘Droplets’ to teach kids and teens foreign languages
Charlotte Tucker discusses the introduction of 'Droplets' a new language application available to teach students aged 8-17 a variety of languages. The app uses a variety of word games to appeal to younger learners. The app according to Tucker is parent and kid friendly. Droplets allows students a daily free five minute lesson; perfect for short attention spans, according to Tucker.
I downloaded the app on my phone to explore it (from here: https://languagedrops.com/droplets) and consider how I could utilize it in the classroom.
Here is what I learned:
- The app allows you to learn from 35 different languages.
- For a fee you can access unlimited content ($9.99/ month; $69.99/ year; $139.99/ lifetime)
- The app focuses primarily on vocabulary development
- The activities include matching pictures; identifying vocabulary; and spelling vocabulary
- There are no opportunities for grammar or speaking development
When this article appeared in my Google Alerts, I immediately recognized the app, Studycat. This app is a language learning app designed with younger learners in mind. The Asia based edtech firm currently is offering its app, free of charge, to those affected by the Coronavirus in China. The company recognizes the negative impact the virus is having on students' academics and wanted to offer its service as a way for parents to support their child's learning while schools are closed during the outbreak.
I recommend this app to my families to support their children's Spanish learning.
From the app I learned:
- The app teaches English, Chinese, French, Spanish and German
- The app includes free lessons and daily game
- The app is colorful and user friendly
- It includes a variety of games to appease various language levels
- There are activities for reading, speaking, listening and writing
- For a fee you can unlock more content ($14.99/month; $59.99/year)
Here is to hoping that next week, I am more successful in my blog creation journey!
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