Final Reflection

In this course, I came up with a GAME plan to integrate more technology in my classroom using NETS-T standards. Two that I chose to work on were design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments and model digital-age work and learning. The digital age learning experiences I concentrated on were using video projects in my classroom to help students learn and use the content area knowledge they were learning. Also during this class, we were asked to come up with lesson plans that used technology in several different ways. This helped me in my goals that it helped me to focus on adding technology to my classroom in various ways. I now see the benefit and the ease of adding technology to teach students and help them learn Spanish through problem-based learning that involves technology where they can discover things that will interest them and be applicable for them. The students were also enthusiastic about using the computer to practice their grammar and vocabulary which gave them a different way of learning other than the usual rote memory of verbal repetition. Playing games with the vocabulary on the website improved their retention and use. The video activity made them more enthusiastic for using their Spanish conversation skills and even made them more eager to try new areas and become more fluent.

On the other goal of modeling digital age work and learning, I was able to use technology through blogging, e-mail and a website to communicate with the students and the parents. The students were able to get on the website and get tutoring help for Spanish concepts they did not understand. The parents were able to track when assignments were due, check what standards we were working on, and check on rubrics for projects that are due. The students watched and participated with me as we learned together how to edit videos. As I made lesson plans with technology, I learned how students enjoy learning through technology and how simple technology is to add to a lesson. This has made me more eager to add this to my classroom in the future so that my students will become more fluent in Spanish. The NETS-T and the NETS-S standards are very important to the students future and I look forward to implementing them within my classroom.

Helping students create a GAME Plan

In this educational world where standards for the content areas are discussed daily and posted on the board for the students to see what standards they are to meet and exceed, we as teachers need to help our students become aware of the NETS-S standards and help them meet and exceed them. One way I would like to help my students achieve this is to give them a list of the NETS-S standards and discuss as a class which standards we would like to set goals for each nine weeks period. The list of standards would be placed in their Spanish notebook in a separate section. We would also create a checklist of the standards to check different times the students met and exceeded the standard. The first week of a nine weeks period the class would choose two standards to work on for that nine weeks, and then we would set the goals to meet. After setting the goals for the standards, we will discuss different actions to take to reach these goals that will also apply to the content standards that we are learning. I will encourage the students to journal as they monitor their progress toward their goals. As a teacher I will make sure that their are activities within the classroom that will help the students make progress. At the end of the nine weeks, we will look through our journal and the projects we have been able to make with technology and evaluate our progress and discuss ways where we can continue to meet and exceed the standard we have concentrated on.

I believe that the students will be eager to create a GAME plan each nine weeks because it will help them see that technology can be used to help them progress in their content area classes. Technology does help our students use the knowledge they are learning in deeper ways than simple rote learning. Helping students lean to make GAME plans will also help prepare them for the future.

Revising the GAME Plan

This week has seen the accomplishment of many goals of my GAME plan. One of the goals I had set for myself was to add interactive games to my website for the students to be able to use to help them in learning the material. I found a website www.classtools.net that works very well for me to post several different interactive games that will reinforce learning of the vocabulary. I posted by first interactive game on my website this week. The students are excited about being able to use something other than the digital flashcards to study their vocabulary. I am continuing to post the homework and class notes on the website for parents to be able to know what is going on in class as well as know what standards are being taught and assessed.

Another success I had this week was learning how to edit a video using Moviemaker and add text to the video to teach grammar concepts. I hope to use this during this chapter to be able to record the students acting out skits demonstrating their vocabulary and grammar. Then I will help them to edit the video to emphasize the vocabulary and grammar through written text.

After gaining more information this week about how "educational networking" and online collaboration can truly be beneficial to the student and helpful in application of what the student is learning, I am going to set my next goal as NETS-T 1c which is promoting student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding and thinking, planning and creative process. One of the first steps toward achieving this goal is to start working on a proposal that will demonstrate the benefits of social networking and online collaboration. The proposal would show that the students could experience greater diversity as well as teach each other and learn from others. It would also point out that it would give them the chance to interact with professionals in a safe environment. (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009)
The ability for students to interact with students from another culture would be very beneficial especially in my Spanish classroom.

Laureate Education, Inc. (2009). Spotlight on Technology: Social Networking and Online Collaboration, Part 1. Integrating Technology Across the Content Area. Baltimore: Laureate Press.

Game plan update

I have not made the progress that I would like to see on creating games and adding them to my website. Most places I have used so far would require my students to go to that website to play the game. I am starting to look into software that I can purchase to create games and place them on my website. My students are using my website more to keep updated on information from the class and also to review the notes from the class each day. The parents are using the website more frequently to keep up with the Standards that are being taught as well as the assignments that are due. The parents like the fact that they can find the rubric on the website for projects that are due.

The students are eager to work on the digital video and are starting work on the script and discussing how to illustrate the grammar concepts and the vocabulary in the best way. They are discussing what are the best places in the school to videotape and if there will be a need for costumes. We are working with moviemaker to learn how to edit when we do create the video.

I feel that I am closer to success on my goal with the website than I am with the video. The students are eager but access to technology is sometimes difficult at school.

My GAME Plan Progresses

One of the areas that I am working on in my GAME plan is using digital technology in projects to teach and assess. I am learning to edit digital videos to help the students demonstrate their knowledge of vocabulary and Spanish. One website that I have found to help me with video editing is www.windowsmoviemakers.net/Tutorials. This is helping me in several areas of editing. This week I plan to take some video during Thanksgiving vacation and then try to edit it on my computer. My sixteen year old daughter will probably be a lot of help as I work through editing the digital video. I am going to focus on adding captions to the video so that I can train the students to add captions that will focus on the vocabulary and the grammar. While I am doing this I am also working on a step by step plan to be able to work on this project with my students so that they are not overwhelmed. We will start by choosing the vocabulary and the grammar concept. Then we will write out a script using this information. After checking the validity of the script, we will then discuss how and where we want to act out the skit. Then we will spend a day or two video-taping the skits. After this we will work in the computer lab editing the videos.

The other area I am working on is adding to my website so that it is more helpful to my parents and my students. One way that I plan to do this is by interactive games on the website. I have found several websites where I can create games such as www.wikiHow.com, www.quia.com, and www.teach-nology.com. I am still working on how to use these websites. One question that has arisen is if I create the game on that website can I transfer it to my website or will I have to link to theirs? I am continuing to add study helps through multimedia presentations on the website.

Carrying out the GAME Plan

Last week I set the goals of integrating more technology into my classroom to teach and re-enforce vocabulary. This will help to provide the students with the flexibility to learn the way that is most effective for them. (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009). Some of the ways I would like to introduce to the students to be able to do this would be video presentations with editing, multimedia presentations with voice thread, or vocabulary webpages for the class to access. To be able to better enable my students to create these presentations, I will look on the Internet for help to learn how to edit digital videos. I am also going to recommend to our district technology person that one of the PLU classes he offer be Enhancing classroom instruction through technology: video editing. The librarian offers a digital video camera for classroom use. I will use this with the students and work with the technology professional to learn how to use the software on the school computers to create edited videos. One way I have started working in this area is to reserve the computer lab and digital camera, and have had the students start working on scripts using the vocabulary. As a class we have discussed what we want the video to demonstrate and teach.

Another goal I set for myself was to use the Webpage to better communicate with the students and parents. I have started looking for websites that will help me improve my website. Also I have started discussing with the computer keyboard teacher how to improve my website. One way I have started using implementing actions to achieve this goal is adding a homework page so that parents can check each night to see if their students have an assignment do. Another thing I have done is to place my Power Point presentations on grammar and vocabulary on the website so that the students are able to access the information from home and review it at their own pace. I would like to find some information on how to create interactive games to add to the website so that there would be some drill and memory activities for the students who need it.

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (2009) Meeting Student Needs With Technology, Part 1. Boston, MA: Laureate Press.

What's my GAME?

Having received my educational degree in the 80's when I was still typing my papers on a typewriter, I have many goals to improve my confidence and proficiency with technology. For the longest time, I was scared of technology, but my time at Walden is helping me to overcome my fears and develop an enthusiasm for technology within the classroom. Students are used to a world of technology outside of the classroom so it is time as a teacher I use this enthusiasm for technology to engage them in learning. (Prnsky, 2008) Having decided this, choosing ISTE NETS*T standards to help me set goals was a logical step. The Standards that I feel that I should work on are (2) Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments and (3) Model Digital-Age Work and Learning.

The goals I am setting for myself for standard 2 is to use technolgoy in teaching new concepts such as vocabulary so that the students can engineer their retention through technology activities. I would also set a goal for helping students create projects using diverse technological tools such as PowerPoint, digital videos and editing, and wiki pages to demonstrate their knowledge of the material. These would be given with rubrics so that they could be assessed formatively at certain checkpoints and summatively at the final project. For standard 3, I would like to use the school website where each teacher has an individual web page to model different uses of technology to the students and the parents. I would like to use the website to communicate information to the parents and give the students opportunities to find additional information about what we are studying. Some ways that I would like to do this is by bookmarking helpful sites for the student to use as well as offering tutoring games they can use to reinforce the material.

Actions that I can take to meet the goal is to create project ideas every chapter where they can learn to use their Spanish skills. We would approach these projects step by step at first as the students learn to use the various tehnologies. (Cennamo, Ross, Ertmer, 2010) The students would learn to use creative thinking skills to create projects that are unique to their group yet demonstrate what they have learned. On the website, I will study different programs that can help me develop fun and creative tutoring helps for the students to access.

Monitoring my progress would be done by keeping track of the different technologies use in projects and the success the students have. Also I will keep track of how many students use the website to help them with their work.

I will evaluate how I am reaching my goals by comparing the different projects the students create using technology compared to projects from previous years. One of the ways I will extend my learning is take advantage of different educational software seminars that are offered within the district as well as learn how to create better websites by getting training from the technology personnel at the school.

Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2010). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Prensky, M. (2008, March). Turning on the lights. Educational Leadership, 65(6), 40-45

Technology and the new literacy

Dr. David Warlick says that "It's not about the technology. It's about the connectivity of the students with the information and with each other." (2009) The students search for the information through technology and share it with each other. This course has been an eye-opening experience for me in many ways. The most striking thing that I have learned is that I have much that I can teach my students about the proper and accurate use of information that they find on the Internet. In the past, I have been fearful of using too much technology in my classroom because I have known that the students are much more knowledgeable about the Internet and technology than I have been. Through reading about QUEST, I know now that there is much I can teach my students about research with technology. (2008) I will in the future bring this into my lesson plans as we research teaching them about narrowing searches to make them more profitable as well as evaluating websites. This will be a part of my research projects from now on. The students will be able to use this when we are researching the Spanish-speaking world and comparing the cultures. As we compare holidays, educational traditions, religious traditions and family, the students will be able to use this knowledge to make sure that they are finding the accurate information. Synthesizing the information for projects so that they can communicate it is also very important.

The professional goal that I am setting for myself is to take what I have learned in this course and become more comfortable with researching information for use in the classroom on the Internet. I will work with the technology professional at my school to continue to improve my knowledge of technology that can be used to present the information I am using in class. Also I am going to make sure that I am always giving credit where it is due so that I can model good information usage in my classroom.

Laureate Education, Inc. (2009) It's Not About the Technology. Supporting Information Literach and Online Inquiry in the Classroom. Baltimore: Laureate Press.

Eagleton, M. B., & Dobler, E. (2007). Reading the web: Strategies for Internet inquiry. New York: The Guilford Press.

Reflection on Personal Learning Theory

In the past eight weeks, I have spent much time learning about different learning theories and instructional strategies. Before I started, I still felt that the teacher lecturing was the best way to introduce new material. I now believe that I will use a more interactive method to teach new material and try to make even the introduction of new material more student-centered than teacher-centered. Using multi-media presentation material, I will let the students learn what words mean and have them choose images that will help with them learning new material. Another technology that I will use during teaching some of the cultural material I teach will be word processing to compare and contrast cultural ideas. Also I will add technology to help with summarizing and note-taking so that it can be posted on the web for students to review or see for the first time if they were not in class.

I learned much about having the students construct something of their own as they are learning to demonstrate their ability to apply what has been learned. In the future, I will have my students do more project oriented learning using Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and
VoiceThread. The VoiceThread application will be new for my students and I look forward to teaching them how to use it and seeing how they will use it to learn.

In the future, I would like to have the students in my class to use the internet and VoiceThread to be able to communicate with people whose first language is Spanish. I would like to exchange videos of projects my students have done in Spanish and get feedback from the Spanish-speaking students. To do this, I will first teach the students how to use VoiceThread. Then I will have my foreign language coordinator help me locate a school with a class willing to partner with my class. I would have the students e-mail the partner classmates to get to know them and then I would assign projects that would stretch them as they learn and trade information with the partner class.

Another long term goal I have would be to use technology in a more student-centered classroom approach as a learning tool and not concentrate so much on the teacher-centered classroom using technology as an instructional tool. One way I would achieve this is to make the technology I am already using in class more student-centered. In other words, when I make a PowerPoint presentation for new material, I would add some activites and slides that would have the students participating in the exercise. Also I would start using the digital recorder so that we can make videos and edit videos showing the students using Spanish in practical situations.

Technology is becoming more of a part of my classroom and I hope to make it a standard part of my classroom soon. I have seen how technology raises the enthusiasm level of the students and want to use it to enhance the learning of what is taught.

VoiceThread - Can Everyone behave in School?

Here is a post on a new behavior program to be used in our school.

http://voicethread.com/share/530224/

Social Learning - Cooperation?

Social learning is very helpful in the classroom because of the principle that conversations help with understanding. Social learning occurs when "students are actively engaged in constructing artifacts and conversing with others." (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008) As a language teacher, my students are often engaged in cooperative learning in having conversations, writing and performing skits, and interviewing each other and then graphing responses. In this cooperative learning, I have often observed the More Knowledgeable Other helping students within their group. The students are able to teach each other and learn at the same time. Cooperative learning actively engages students in the learning process and empowers the student making them more eager to learn and apply what they are learning.

One of the technologies that can be used in cooperative learning is multimedia presentations. (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski, 2007) One project the students could do would be to make a multimedia presentation tour of the school. Each student could choose an area of the school which they would describe (in Spanish) and they could add pictures. They could help each other with the writing of the script and the grammar needed. They could help each other research vocabulary they were unfamiliar with. They could use Power Point or VoiceThread to put the project together. By working with each other the students would not be overwhelmed by vocabulary and they would have help with what they did not understand.

Another technology that would be very helpful for me as a Spanish teacher would be keypals. (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenoski, 2007) Using this so that students could communicate with students in other countries would help as students could learn to use the language as well as learn about the culture of the person they are communicating with. Social constructivism emphasizes learning through the understanding of culture and context. As they interact with others they create meaning about the cultures they are exploring. (Orey, 2001)

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). Social Learning Theories. [Motion picture]. Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology. Baltimore: Author.


Orey, M.(Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/
Section: Social Constructionism

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Constructionism in the Classroom

Standards based learning are key words in education today. Every educator agrees also that the best way to ensure that students are mastering standards is to use projects. Constructionism states that "people learn best when they build an external artifact or something they can share with others" (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008) Students need the opportunity to assimilate new information into their schema(their current beliefs and understandings). One of the best ways for them to be able to do this is to construct or build with the knowledge they are learning.

Problem-based instruction is one interesting way for students to construct something. When a student is give a problem to solve that seems relevant to them, they will seek the knowledge they need to solve it. The teacher can act as a facilitator to help them seek the knowledge they need and apply it to solve the problem. When using the knowledge the student will learn it not simply for rote memorization but to apply it to a life situation. As the students work together to solve the problem, they will use higher level learning skills. They may even seek beyond what they would normally learn in class. The students can use web technology to seek answers as well as chart producing software to track their progress. In creating the answer to the problem, the student will share with others and create. This uses the constructionist theory of learning (Orey, 2001).

Another learning tool which falls in line with the constructionist theory is project based learning. This is a tool that I have found very useful in determining whether students are mastering the standards. Many times students can take tests well and have not truly assimilated the knowledge. ( I discover this every year during final exams.) Having the students use the information to create a project makes the information more real to them. Power Point is one tool for making projects that the students seem to enjoy. They can create a presentation using the information they are learning. This enables them to make connections which will assimilate the knowledge into their long term memory. Another project can be to create a book with a word processing program using images as well as words. These projects allow them to create practical applications to enhance their learning experiences (Orey, 2001)

Constructivism is a very useful theory in the standards based learning of today's educators. It allows the students to demonstrate mastery in creative ways.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). Program six. Constructionist and Constructivist Learning Theories.[Motion picture]. Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology. Baltimore: Author.

Orey, M. (Ed.). (2001) Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epitt/.

Cognitivism in Practice

Cognitive learning theories are based in information processing. This processing starts with sensory input when you receive the information and proceeds to short term memory where you work with the information. Finally the information is transferred to long term memory as the learner begins to make connections. The more connections that are made in long term memory, the easier the information is to access. For information to become part of the long term memory, it must be networked as declarative, procedural, or episodic (Laureate Press, Inc., 2008a). As a teacher, we need to provide as many connections as possible for the information to become long term knowledge for our students.
Using advanced organizers and cues is one area where one can use technology-based cognitive learning tools. As a new concept is being introduced, a teacher can use multimedia presentations with graphics to stimulate the sensory input by auditory and visual means. As the teacher proceeds with the learning, an advance organizer with cues and questions may be used to produce deeper learning from lower order questions (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). This can also lead to higher order questions. As the student is looking at the organizer, they can be given the ability to take notes in a word processing program with a template. This will help them sort through the information using cognitive skills. As a teacher guides the students through the note-taking process, the information connections can be made that will move the information into long term memory using the declarative experience (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).
Dr. Orey discusses “episodic experiences” as being a powerful cognitive tool. The virtual field trip is a good example of using an episodic learning tool (Laureate Press, Inc., 2008b). The students are able to go places they may never go and see things in the virtual field trip that will make an impression and a connection. These virtual field trips present information both through visual and auditory experiences. This will increase the sensory input and increase the chance that knowledge will move from short-term to long-term memory. As a world language teacher, this is a tool that I can use to enhance the classroom experience. Many of my students may never travel to some of the places we discuss in class. A virtual field trip will give them a chance to experience some of the culture as well as the country.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). Program five. Cognitive Learning Theories. [Motion picture]. Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology. Baltimore: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). Program six. Spotlight on Technology: Virtual Field Trips. [Motion picture]. Bridging Learning Theory, Instruction, and Technology. Baltimore: Author.

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Behaviorism in Practice

Students sometimes believe that they cannot be successful before they even try to be successful in the classroom. One instructional strategy discussed in Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works was making charts of how a student's effort is reflected in his success in the classroom. This correlates with the principles of behaviorist learning theory in that a student can see that improving his effort in the class will improve his grade. This is a positive reinforcement that will encourage the student to increase their effort in class. Reinforcing effort helps the student better understand the relationship between effort and achievement. This is the theory behind behaviorist learning. Using data collection tools such as Excel adds technology to help the student be able to analyze the data.
Homework is one way students practice what they learn and typically a student needs approximately 24 practice sessions to achieve 80% competency. Positive reinforcement quickly will help the students' practice sessions be more successful. Using word processing programs for writing assignments can help a student get positive feedback immediately on grammar concepts. This positive reinforcement will produce learning stimuli need to make the student successful. Practicing what is learned with technology and getting quick feedback is using the behaviorist positive reinforcement method to provide the stimuli for learning.

Reflecting on the Impact of Technology on Education

I have recently been taking a course called Understanding the Impact of Technology on Education, Work, and Society. While taking this course, I have come to an understanding of what technology can truly achieve in the classroom. Before the course, technology for me was mostly e-mail, presentations using Powerpoint, word processing and web pages. Web 2.0 has opened the door to many new ways to use technology in the classroom. Class blogs can cause the students to become enthusiastic about discussing classroom matters. They can allow students to engage in self-reflection and self-examination in a way with which they are familiar. Also they can become involved with their fellow classmates using creative thinking for problem-solving. These are skills they will need in the 21st century workplace. As a teacher, I can bring these skills into classroom use and prepare them for their future.
In this class, we were encouraged to change from being a teacher-centered learning environment to a learner-centered environment. The teacher should become a facilitator in the classroom not simply a lecturer. This was new to me. It is very hard to let go of the traditional role of the teacher. Gathering ideas about how the classroom learning should occur from the students is very unnerving. However, I can see how this might lead to more motivation to learn from the student when they have a part in the decision of what is taught and how it will be learned. As they take ownership of their learning, they will become more excited about what they learn. By bringing more collaboration into the classroom and real-world problem-solving, the students will learn to do what will be expected from them in their future professions.
This course has encouraged me to use new technologies as well as made me excited about what can be done in the classroom. I am now committed to searching for new ways to bring technology into the classroom to increase student achievement. There are many courses offered to teachers through the district and other educational centers where teachers can learn about how to use existing technologies in the classroom as well as introduce new technologies which are now available. Learning to use web pages and wiki pages in the classroom will enhance the student’s enthusiasm for the material by using exciting new technologies. They will have a chance to apply the technology they use daily for social networking in an educational experience.
Two goals that I have set for myself for transforming my classroom environment in the next two years are establishing a classroom blog to allow the students to be able to converse in Spanish with their fellow students and to use a wiki page for the students to set up their own vocabulary resource. One of the obstacles I am already facing as I have submitted proposals to the district curriculum coordinator is a fear for the security of the students and the fear that something inappropriate may show up on both. The district is excited about technology and wanting to use technology in the classroom but they have a fear of the unknown. I am continuing to work with the district office in researching how to use these resources with the security that the district requires. There are rules that will be established. I am using some of the rules that I have discovered on the internet that other teachers have used. There is also a fear from the district office that people will be graded for technology that they do not have access to. One way that this can be overcome is to allow students to use the computer lab during homeroom. The use of these tools in the classroom will allow the students to integrate technology into their learning experience. Working on the wiki page with other students of their group will give them the opportunity to develop leadership and technology skills.

Evaluating 21st Century Skills

I liked this website and found it very informative. The graphics that were used made it easy to see the concepts that they support. Also it was very simple to navigate the site the way it is set up. The categories listed help you find what they believe is important to teach the students so that they will be competitive in the 21st century workplace. They have many resources available to help teachers explore new ways to use technology in the classroom as well as videos to watch.

One of the categories that surprised me was the one on health. I know that health is very important in the lives of students but did not expect to see it on a web site for 21st century workplace skills. As I read through the items listed, I understood why they would list this category. I had not thought of the need to continue to encourage my students to be well-rounded in every area including their health.

This site will be very helpful to me as I seek to incorporate more of the 21st century skills into my classroom. It would be helpful if they would give more information on the resources other than the name. A brief description would help decide whether the resource is what you are looking for. The ideas that are presented in this website will help me be able to implement new technologies into my classroom to prepare my students for the 21st century workplace.

Web logs can be an exciting addition to the classroom. They can encourage creative thinking and writing. As a Spanish teacher, I have been trying to think or creative ways to use a blog in my classroom. One way is to have the 7th grade students respond to culture questions such as what are the differences between "El Dia de los Muertos" and Halloween? In doing this I would provide several links where they could find information and also encourage them to look for information in different sites. Another way would be to have the 8th grade students who are studying the weather and seasons write a paragraph about their favorite season in Spanish describing the weather and the reasons they like it. Then have students respond to at least two other student's paragraph. This would allow the students to write and read Spanish as well as encourage them to learn new vocabulary. In using a blog situation, the students would be able to evaluate each other's work as well as learn from each other and share opinions.

Integrating Technology in Foreign Language Classes

This year I am taking courses on integrating technology in the classroom. I am astounded many times by what is available. Recently in one of the courses I am taking, Dr. Thornberg stated that there is a difference between using technology to do something differently and doing different things. In my classsroom I use powerpoint to introduce new vocabulary and new grammar concepts. I also post these powerpoints on my website that my students will be able to look at them later. I also use powerpoint to have my students make presentations such as family trees, telling about themselves, and using maps. On my website I also post links to other websites where students may practice their Spanish skills and hear pronunciation of their vocabulary words when at home. After realizing that I am simply using technology to do the same thing I would normally do differently, I am looking for ways to use technology in my classroom to enhance the learning environment. Most students in current times are very familiar with blogging and podcasts. How do we use these in the classroom and still maintain the safety of the students? How do we open up our classroom to the vast amounts of information and experience available on the internet and still protect our students from harm?