Podcast for Classroom

http://learnrealspanish.libsyn.com/rss


This is the link for the podcast that I would like to use for my students. Once there, the title of the podcast, since there are quite a few on this site, is "Happy Christmas! A special show full of Christmas vocab, and detailed Christmas in Spain"

This podcast is about 20 minutes long, but it went pretty quickly. The hosts, Ben & Marina, begin by going over the topic from the previous lesson. They then continue to talk about Christmas practices in Spain and in England, since Ben is English. They speak in both English and Spanish, and they also allow you to answer a question or make a translation, leave you a few seconds, and then give you the answer. They also give you vocabulary and pronunciation and even homework (to talk about your Christmas celebrations).

The podcasts also come with worksheets, but you have to buy those. I looked at the sample one, and it includes the transcript of the lesson and its translation, vocabulary and meaning, and 'cool' Spanish phrases. If you buy the packet of worksheets for about 47 euros, it comes with a 1-year money back guarantee. So if you were going to get into this hardcore, it seems like it would be a good investment.

The podcast I listened to was for beginners, but there is also an intermediate and advanced level, with corresponding worksheets.

My students are literally hooked to their IPODs. They are allowed to listen to them in class if they have reached a certain behavior level. I'd love to have them listen to this as well. I would post it on my teacher website, but I'm not sure how many students would take the initiative and download it. I'm not sure if they have even been on my website at all, other than when we use it in class. I was thinking about assigning it as an extra credit project (individual) to listen and then answer questions about the podcast. Also, when my students are sent to the suspension room, they could listen to one of these and then write a paragraph or two about what they have learned. My only fear is that the computers may not have the capabilities of downloading and listening to these podcasts. I'd have to check that out before I assigned it to the suspended students. In class, though, I feel as if this would be a good substitute teacher assignment: have them listen to the podcast and follow it up with a worksheet that they could answer as they went along. I could even do that myself, but it seems like a really solid backup plan as well. Our classes usually last about 35 minutes, after settling down and all, and it seems like the perfect compromise between IPOD use and Spanish class.

Using Survey Monkey Globally

This would be a GREAT tool for my students to use and get involved in. They could create their own surveys and questions about practically anything. Then, they could each ask their pen pals using epals to get the survey filled out. The pen pals could answer and even get their friends to respond as well. The class could then do a project as a whole, comparing and contrasting answers from different students and different parts of the world. I think that this would help support global awareness and lessen the ignorance of some of my students by showing them how similiar they really are to students around the world.

I'd use epals because....

In my case, I work with alternative kids. Epals would be easier for me to monitor. I also think that if I gave them the website for Kidlink, they would do more fooling around on it than actual learning. With a pen pals website, I can easily monitor their letters, language and ideas, and I can also ensure that my students are working by having a letter to show for it. With my kids, I need to see that they are making progress and doing work. Also, I can have a bunch of letter to show their parents their progress/problems. So, for me, Epals would be a better fit.

Global Cooperation Comparison

One of the sites I looked at and liked was www.epals.com. This site allows you to sign up to become a member for free, which is always good. Also, it's managed by other teachers and administrators to ensure the safety of students. It's easy to find people from anywhere around the world to connect with and set up communication between students. As a user, I can monitor, delete, or even edit messages my students send or receive. I can also block some messages if needed.

Another site I looked at was Kidlink.com. This seemed a little bit harder to navigate. The website was set up differently than I'm used to. The idea of this site was different from epals. Here, students can post their artwork, pictures and more. They can also connect with other kids based on their common interests, like what they want to be when they grow up. Students can pick and choose what they want to look at and what they want to learn about. There is a great variety to pick from as well.