"Making the Most With What You've Got"

While reading this season's issue of One Day (TFA's alum magazine), I came across a really fantastic article called "Ed Tech 101: Making the Most With What You've Got" by Lewis Leiboh. One of the reasons I like this article so much is that it doesn't just name different ways to use technology in the classroom; it not only explains how to use these tools and gives examples, but also says what you need to be successful.

The first part of the article "Skype's the Limit" talks about different ways to use video chat. Leiboh suggests video chatting with "the author of a book... an expert scientist... a classroom from another community or country... a friend or professor... join a college class." I bolded my favorite because I've had this idea before. I just don't know where to get started. He suggests going to http://education.skype.com/ for project ideas. I did a little searching and found tons of people reaching out! This is a great way to get started with connections. I don't think I'll do anything this year but I look forward to incorporating Skype in my future classrooms. My eventual goal is to establish a relationship with one or two teachers and maintain that relationship throughout the years. That way, our students are always receiving this great experience and the other teacher(s) and I are perfecting the project each year. In addition to a laptops with webcam (or perhaps ipads) and speakers, a projector, and a videochat service that Leiboh recommends using, I would also suggest an activity of some sort so that the kids have an idea of what they should be doing while talking. This will help deter any awkward silences that may arise if you just want the kids to talk about whatever. As relationships and language skills develop, I think it'd be a great idea to just have conversations every now and then, and have the students write about what they said after the conversations.

The second part of the article is "Get Your Head in the Cloud." This one talks a lot about using class websites and eliminating the use of paper. This not only helps absent students and families stay in touch but also allows students to go back and review something if they need a little extra support. Leiboh suggests using "tools like Google Sites... [and] edmodo.com [which is] a private classroom social network."I don't really have experience with this and don't have the time with my 27-minute elementary classes, but think it is a great idea for a high school or middle school, especially if there is a 1-1 laptop ratio.

The last part of the article "Go Island Hopping" I love, mostly because I love stations. And I love how Leiboh calls them islands instead of stations... it's just so much more whimsical. I struggle with stations in my short time period, but have still made it work. Leiboh has a whole week of lesson plans for stations that goes as follows:

Monday: Whole group lesson, no islands
Tuesday-Thursday: 3 stations=1 station/day - the stations are 1) "instruction island" with is a small group with the teacher; 2) "independence island" which is 2 smaller groups for independent practice exercises and 3) "study island" where students use online tools at their own pace to master the content. You could change the study island sessions to include any online tool that you want, not just Leiboh's suggestion.
Friday: Wrap-up and quiz

He doesn't use the islands every week but it does break it up. Other ideas for islands include "watch instructional videos, practice fluency by having students record themselves reading out loud [and] complete group activities using a SmartBoard." I think these are all great ideas and there are so many more great ideas out there as well. This can be adapted for any age or grade level. Maybe one of the islands could even be FaceTime with another class and combine the first and third part of this article!

Teaching in the Target Language

While reading this season's print of the Foreign Language Annals, I came across something truly awesome. This particular project studied "The Effect of Target Language (TL) and Code-Switching on the Grammatical Performance and Perceptions of Elementary-Level College French Students."I believe that this project can be adapted to any language as well as any age. There would have to be some adjustments in teaching to create age appropriate lessons, but the overall effect would be the same. I think reading the abstract sums up pretty well why it is important to stay in the TL.

"Grammar instruction is at the center of the TL and code-switching debate. Discussion revolves around whether grammar should be taught in the TL or using the TL and the native language (L1). This study investigated the effects of French-only grammar instruction and French/English grammar instruction on elementary-level students' grammar performance. The study also examined students' instructional preference and perceptions of the use of either approach to teach grammar and French in general. Grammar test score increases were significantly greater for the French-only condition, and posttest grammar scores were significantly higher for the French-only conditions. Qualitative findings suggested that although a majority of students expressed a preference for learning French grammar with the support of English, they recognized the benefits of a TL approach."


Yes, it is harder to teach while only staying in the TL. Yes, it may be slower and more frustrating. But this is proof that it is worth it and students will have a better grasp on the language after such a program. This is why I teach the way I do (both staying as much as possible in the TL and sometimes breaking down to student wishes and supporting my lessons with English). This is why I am going to strive to break into English less often. My goal has been and will continue to be 90% or more in the TL during my lessons. I want my students to be surprised that I can speak English just as well as them (I have gotten that comment before and I smile every time). This should be every language teacher's goal.

At-home professional development

I don't think it's a secret that I love my job. I love teaching. I love watching kids learn. I love watching kids succeed after struggling with a concept. I love watching kids understand something right away and just get it. I love my job. However, I am not an expert. I am not perfect. My lessons aren't perfect. I am a good teacher, but not a great one. Not yet anyway. This is my first year of teaching and I am still learning a LOT.

Because I'm not perfect, I try to get my hands on any type of professional development reading that I can. This includes books like Helena Curtain's Making the Match, Harry Wong's The First Days of School,  Doug Lemov's Teach Like A Champion, and Neila Connors' If You Don't Feed the Teachers, They Eat the Students! It also includes education magazines, like the TFA alum magazine One Day (I'm not TFA alum but my husband is) or the National Education Association's magazine NEA Today. I also read the Foreign Language Annals which is a scholarly journal produced by The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). The annals are a collection of articles on different research projects about teaching and learning a second language.

There are a lot more resources out there... different blogs, internet collaboration sites, more books, more magazines, more scholarly journals, etc. I love that I have time during my train commute to stay up-to-date on the foreign language world. Next year, I probably won't have this luxury (yes, this is my positive spin on my over-an-hour commute each way) so I'll be sure to make time to read. I think staying current with teaching styles and methods is a very important part of what I do and it definitely helps make me a better teacher.

Keeping Families Informed

A couple of weeks ago, my school district had a professional development all about technology. Many of my colleagues were telling me that most professional developments in the past have been a waste of time and just not very useful. So, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that this session was quite unlike the sessions from the past. We had a fantastic speaker, Steve Dembo, from Discovery Education. His life is technology, specifically technology in education but also in his family. He showed us multiple ways that his young child is using education in his every day life. Just doing a quick google search of Mr. Dembo shows how he takes advantage of every technology tool available. 


My favorite tool about which Steve Dembo told us was a different blogging website, posterous.com. This blog site is especially easy to use because of it's email-to-post feature. If you are fortunate enough to have an iphone, ipad, or other such tablet device, you can immediately transfer videos/pictures straight from your device to your blog. Sending a quick email with the attached picture and whatever you want to say in your post will automatically update your blog. I am fortunate to have an ipad at school but I've been struggling to figure out how to incorporate the use of one ipad into my class of 20+ students. I've been able to use the ipad when I do stations because then it allows only 4 students to work with it at a time, which is much easier for sharing purposes. However, now I use the ipad every day. (Granted, it's me that is using the ipad and not the students which is still something I am working on. However, this is a start for at least someone putting the ipad to good use.) I take pictures and videos of activities in my classes and immediately upload them to my blog spanishatlbes.posterous.com. This blog is for parents and families of my students and I included its url in the trimester newsletter I recently sent home. I wasn't sure how many people would view the blog, but each post has an average number of about 65 views. I'm so pleased with this result! I hope to create a blog for each of my future classrooms because it is a great and easy way to keep families informed about what is going on in the classroom.