Technology Integration
Adobe Dreamweaver | Web Design
Dreamweaver was used to design and build the MCTLC 2010 Winter Workshop website to inform and advertise the grant-funded event. Adobe Photoshop was used to create banners while Dreamweaver was used to connect all digital assets together. Audio | Podcasting
Audio is a powerful tool in language learning and other teaching contexts. World Language teachers can support students with special needs (like those with a learning disability) as described in a 504 plan or Individual Education Plan by recording assessments to play for students. Apps and tools vary but may include GarageBand (iOS), Audacity (dual platform) and Opinion (iOS app). Audio files can be burned to a CD and discretely shared with student and/or case manager or even hosted on a classroom website. More details on article and presentations connected to audio and language learning can be found at the SpEd Tech site. Badges I continue exploring options to engage students in purposeful tech tools. As a teacher leader, I improve each year with very powerful learning technologies. These badges recognize the work going on behind the scenes with Flipgrid, Google Apps, and other tools. Blog | WordPress, Google Sites & Weebly My Technology that Enhances Language Teaching (TELT) blog has served well to gather ideas and resources that improve second language pedagogy. Please feel free to visit and comment at https://teltdaryl.wordpress.com/. Communications | Remind.com I easily send updates to resources from the course content to online and hybrid students to student mobile devices and/or email using remind.com Content-based Instruction This example of content-based instruction (CBI) draws from our unit on the environment. After some reading about air pollution in México City, I shared a Google Sheets list of 7 threats to the environment. Students negotiated and sorted the list in L2. They proceeded to justify the list by clicking and entering comments in Google Sheets. Finally, they shared their list on a common share page |
Adobe CS PhotoShop Photoshop was used to design the banner above to be published in the Minnesota Language Review to promote the new Online World Language environment. CS3 PhotoShop was also used to incorporate a reading strategy called ACTIVE (ask questions, connect, track down, infer, visualize & Eureka!) with a reading, Un pez en las manos, to help students work with the text. The ACTIVE strategy was taught at the WAFLT Fall Conference to improve reading comprehension in another language. Please note that this is a large file when downloading (75 MB) and may take a few minutes. ![]() |
Learning Management Systems | Moodle, Google Classroom, Canvas Spanish 1 & Spanish 4 This course management system is a holding tank for documents and useful links while integrating unique features for language instruction. Online forums are a vehicle for digital conversation to come alive in a classroom extension. Feel free to browse either the Spanish 1 or Spanish 4 online course supplements by searching under Buffalo High School > World Languages > Spanish I or IV Boeckers. Enrollment keys for the respective coures are nadar and arte. Student Teacher Supervision & Cohort This course is designed to create community for teacher candidates of second language and culture. Here, student teachers hand in lesson plans digitally, read posted articles, react on threaded asynchronous discussions, write journal entries, and post to a professional online community. |
Movie Editing | iMovie I used iMovie to build a video slideshow after returning from a student trip to Spain. Student-Created (Proficiency) Portfolios These student-designed portfolios showcase evidence of student learning in any discipline. Of course, as a WL teacher, I see these through the lens of documenting proficiency and what students can do. These sites quickly articulate to a college entrance officer, military personnel, and hiring committee the tasks that students are able to take on in target language. See Amelia's example here. |
Productivity
Designing my rubrics in MS Word using tables enables me to easily communicate project and assessment requirements. Students appreciate the organizational aspect of MS Excel when mapping verb forms by tense. Microsoft's Access program is used for the MCTLC database to maintain membership information as well as create reports for the annual conference. PowerPoint's diverse application in a language classroom have resulted in fabulous art presentations, review activities as well as communications at parent meetings. Publisher offers great flexibility for teachers. It affords me the opportunity to create polished products. |
Videoconferencing | Google Hangouts & Skype Professional Development Example A group of 10 Buffalo HS teachers video conferenced via Skype with author Dr. William McBride. Our second staff book read regarding the book, Entertaining an Elephant, including opportunities to ask the author himself. McBride graciously gave 45 minutes to discuss his many roles in education, his future projects along with the purpose and audience for his novel. Student-Led Example Spanish 3 students connected via Google Hangouts with a green energy expert during our environment unit. Students generated questions prior to the interview and arrived ready to ask their question. 100% of the interview was in Spanish! Two strong students opened the interview with the guest. The speaker's parting words included an invitation to participate as volunteers at an upcoming renewable conference. |
Student-Led Technology Club | @bengalbytes, Digital Citizenship Presentation
One silver lining from Distance Learning in 2020 was the creation of Bengal Bytes. Modeled after a similar program at St. Louis Park High School, we focused our energy around three pillars: Tech Support, Organization & Reminders, and Positive Messaging / Support. Led by students, this team worked behind the scenes generating ideas on content, designed mock-ups, previewed each other's work, and cranked out professional work received well by peers, teachers, and administrators. ![]() Video Communication with Parents & Guardians Early and positive communication with parents and guardians is one key to success in establishing a positive relationship. Often times in world languages parents feel unable to help if they are also not proficient in the language. However, sharing resources like classroom website, links to syllabus, policies, and resources to help set their kids up for success are appreciated by parents and guardians. This brief video that I shared out during the first week of the trimester is a chance to introduce myself and also set the tone what class will be like. |
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Video Recording Students use a preferred tool like mailvu.com, video tool from their phone or device to check in biweekly in an assignment called ¿Qué tal la semana? This 'How Was Your Week?' activity is an opportunity to communicate what they did during the week, what they're doing that day and what they are going to do. This activity explicitly prompts students to use past, present and future to help prepare for the oral interview near the end of the semester. Click on Play to hear about Alejandra's week. |
VoiceThread Macey has agreed to share her outstanding home tour that she created as a Level 1 learner in my classroom. Click on the button to hear her rich descriptions of the rooms, about her favorite room and which chores everyone has to do at her house. Student instructions and rubric are also accessible for your view, use, edits, etc. This is also a great tool to use for an icebreaker activity in a hybrid or online course. |
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Webinars These 30-minute webinars quickly informed teaching staff during Distance Learning 2020 in the context of the COVID-19. I found that several Collaborative Teams had similar questions. Once those were identified in a interest survey, I could tailor instruction for those departments. |