This week's topic: Blogging. As a high school and college student I never once was asked to read a blog, let alone write one. But let's face it. Even though I graduated from high school in 2010, technology has come a long way, and it's certainly more integrated into the classroom. So where do blogs fit into all of this? Through writing. Classrooms are typically limited with time for creative writing, but we all know that writing is an essential part of communication and for when learning a new language. As teachers we want to make writing as interactive and as exciting as possible. How can we do that? Blogging. As Blogging in Language Learning says, it allows students to write their opinions and discuss what's happening in class, all by being interactive and engaging. So of course, this is going to help students meet NYS Standards LOTE in communication, and the blogging assignments can be designed to compliment the grade level you are teaching.
When thinking about using blogging in my future Spanish classroom, I want to add an element of culture. I love the idea of posting a weekly summary of a news article, sharing music videos, a piece of artwork from an artist, a traditional recipe, or any other element of culture that ties into what the students are studying that week in class. Students would be required to post a response every week, whether it is an opinion, answering a question I have made, etc., in the comment section.
Why I love this idea:
- It's engaging
- It creates a portfolio of student work throughout the year
- This type of blogging activity demonstrates learning standard performance indicators
- LOTE.ML.1.2.B.F.: Students can produce written narratives and expressions of opinion about radio and television programs, newspaper and magazine articles, and selected stories, songs, and literature of the target language
- LOTE.ML.2.1.B.D.: Students can exhibit more comprehensive knowledge of cultural traits and patterns
So what about blogging for myself, as a teacher? Blogging opens up a world of professional networking and development. It allows you to be a member of a community of teachers, share ideas, and receive valuable feedback (both positive and negative). I can say I will be looking for some Spanish Language Teaching Blogs to follow- as a new teacher, I'll take all the help and support I can get! Some of the first blogs I will be checking out are the 13 Spanish Teacher Blogs You Don't Want To Miss.
Until next time,
The Future Señora
Pura VidaThe Future Señora
Danielle, I feel you are a natural at writing blog posts. It seems like I would be going on a journey reading your posts, and I could see you definitely describing your teaching in Costa Rica. I hope you really enjoy studying abroad and good luck in the rest of the course!
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how one small word of encouragement can go such a long way-- So thank you, Stephanie! I'll definitely be taking your suggestion and I will reflect on some of my teaching experience in Costa Rica in my future blog posts. Good luck to you in the rest of the course as well, I look forward to checking out your blog!
DeleteI feel that you are great too! I hear a very natural voice coming out that is sometimes difficult when someone is assigned to do a blog. Your honesty in talking about not necessarily being inspired to blog inspired ME to share that I don't exactly enjoy blogging because I always feel like no one is ever going to read it and I wish I could be like those super-famous bloggers who have these awesome fan bases. I guess I have to have a big Web and social media presence to do that and honestly, it's hard with teaching full time and teaching at UB, and a lot of the other professional commitments. I don't even know how people with kids do it! I applaud your candor about blogging. I am trying to put myself out there more too, so this is a journey we can take together!
ReplyDeleteOkay, thank you for your honesty about blogging-- I couldn't agree more! Blogging (and social media in general) really demand so much of your time if we want to capture the attention of the world. Often I get caught up in the notion that I SHOULD have the attention of thousands of followers (okay, hundreds, let's not get too ambitious!) but it's not always possible when I have other time consuming priorities in my life! I am trying to add a little piece of me to my blog posts to make it personal and relatable for the readers I hope to one day have. But for now, I am thrilled that I can be making an impact or creating a thoughtful exchange with my classmates. Here's to sharing a little piece of ourselves in this blogging journey!
DeleteDanielle,I think your idea is great too! I took Spanish 100 level courses about five years ago, and back then the ways of we learning this language were just doing our homework, wrote weekly journals, finishing our assigned reading, and watching Spanish movies twice a semester. I still remember that I didn't enjoy the classes that much, not because it was not a good one, but if I had more choices of learning ways, like the idea of blog that I can go on there and post something that related to the language and the culture, or get a chance to see what other people's ideas of how to learn this language in a more interesting and exciting way, I would've done better than what I did. So maybe it's time to pickup my Spanish!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your feedback! I too can remember so many *dry* foreign language classes. I think I filled out hundreds of not-so-exciting verb conjugation charts in my day, and I am so glad those are a thing of the past for me! I like the idea of blogging for idea sharing among the students, plus by actually writing it gives students a time to reflect, focus on their writing, and share their opinions (whether they are shy or not-- everyone's voice is heard in the blogging world!). And if you ever want a Spanish refresher, just let me know! Hope you enjoy your weekend!
DeleteI think this is a really good idea. My Spanish teachers from high school tried to do similar things, although not through technology. She had us make Spanish food, listen to Spanish music, perform skits in Spanish, among other things. I think it definitely helped the students feel engaged with the material. I can imagine this becoming even more beneficial through the integration of technology.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing what your Spanish teacher did with you! I love doing all those activities too. It makes language learning come alive when students are involved in tangible activities. Who isn't excited when there's free food in class!? Times are changing, and I think to compliment are increasingly technological world, it only makes sense to incorporate technology in the classroom, too! I am pretty excited to be exploring the technologies that are out there and brainstorming how I can incorporate them into my future class. Hope you have a great weekend!
Delete