I love using authentic materials to teach Spanish! Anything really from a Spanish speaking country, author, artist, etc. that serves a purpose--music, newspaper, magazines, news reals, posters, books, etc. Authentic materials are so rich compared to materials that are just made for the classroom. Not only is this one of my favorite songs, and Juanes one of my favorite artists, the song deals with vocabulary that students have learned, and grammatical concepts that we are working with such as noun/adjective agreement and order.
How
could a blog be useful in your classroom or professional life? If you're
not sure of the potential benefits, do a Google search for something like
"using blogs in the classroom".
A
blog would be useful as a teacher, because I have a large amount of students
and parents to communicate with each quarter.
There is different homework for each grade level, different test and
quiz dates, and different projects that we are working on. A blog would be a great place for students
and parents to get all of that information.
With the different gadgets available, I am also able to include links to
useful websites, videos, lists, and other fun/informative features. It also allows students and parents to
comment and ask questions that I and others would be able to respond to.
Go
to http://mvtrainings.weebly.com/blogging-web--social-media.html
and view some of the blog options. Which do you think would be the best
option for you?
After watching all of the videos on different types of
blogs, I now know that there are several options available. Before deciding which would be the best
option for me, I would have to decide on the purpose of my blog, and the age
group that I intend to use them with.
For example, right now I like Google Blogger because that is what I have
the most experience with so far.
However, Kidblog would be a better option if I was using blogs with my 4th
and 5th grade students because of the safety features, and because I
have to approve the comments and posts before they show up as public on the
blog.
For my older students (6th, 7th, 8th
grade) I like the options provided on Weebly, but most of all, I like the
visual appearance and layout. However,
like with so many things, there are so many more aspects to consider than the
physical appearance. The other aspects
make me think that Edimodo might be a better tool for students.
Hi Gina- I love Juanes too! There are many of his videos that also have the lyrics only on YouTube which are also helpful.
ReplyDeleteI agree- Edmodo really looked interesting and seemed to have a lot of the components I would use. Should be fun to see how we can pull all of this together huh??
I am also very intrigued with Edmondo. It is high on my list to find out what I can about it this summer and to become proficient with it. On YouTube, there is a 3 step tutorial on using it as a tool in the classroom. I also found another YouTube video that is 16 minutes long and discusses 20 different ways that a teacher could use Edmondo in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteI also liked Edmondo. There are many things we can use with our students. Would you be interested in doing something together with our students when we look at South America?
ReplyDeleteThat was a good song...maybe not as catchy as Julie's slope-intercept form song, but still good.
ReplyDeleteGina, I hope you're enjoying Mexico! Just wanted to say I love all your gadgets. They're perfect for your teaching subject and they bling up your blog quite nicely! When I was searching for my gadgets, one caught my eye and made me think of you...it's called "Spanish word a day" and it displays a new Spanish vocab term each day. Thought you might want to check it out!
ReplyDeleteCan we get kids to check edmundo regularly? I always wonder about something like that as to whether it really helps the kids who are already in tune with what we are doing and making them more in tune, if you catch my drift. Does anyone think it could help catch kids who are further outside the bubble?
ReplyDelete