TEAC259

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Professional Organizations for Foreign Language Teaching

ACTFL: American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages

over 12,000 members, a National Organization

Benefits: links to ACTFL Job Central, Mentoring Programs, discounts on language books, and free subscriptions to language publications

Membership: new teach- $50 a yr. student undergraduate- $25 a yr. regular teacher- $75 a yr. 

Offers: workshops to members, conferences,  and conventions held around the U.S.

2012 Annual Convention & World Languages Expo: Philadelphia Nov. 16-18 2012

Costs for Convention: Booth Space- $1,500, Registration- student member: $60

CSCTFL: Central States Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages

a central states conference held every year

Benefits: mailing list with multiple resources, tips, and connections to other teachers

2013 Conference: March 14-16 Columbus, OH

Costs for Conference: exhibit booth- $120 by Feb. 18th

Website Provides: contacts by state, lists of scholarships, and grants available

Located: Milwaukee, WI

NILA: Nebraska International Languages Assocation

Nebraska based teacher organization-Foreign Langauges

Benefits: can access past conference handouts, has newsletters, lists awards for mini-grants and design contests

Connections: based in omaha, connects foreign language teachers across Nebraska

Annual Conference: located in Omaha, NE

Membership: regular- $25, student- $7.50, valid June 1 to May 31 of each calendar year

NATSP: Nebraska Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese- linked within the NILA

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PowerPoint Presentation Tips

10 Things to Remember:

Arrive Early and Prepare

Opening is Crucial

Don't make fun of the audience

Fade and Wipe=only transitions you need

Practice!

Don't read your slides and face forward

There will be technical difficulties so be prepared!

Don't use too many lists and give time with them

Make a good conclusion-don't just restate your title

Presentation Style:

Keep it simple

Tell your story, that's why you're there

Be careful of cluttering on your slides

Be enthusiastic about what you are presenting

Use exciting words, get everyone excited about it

Be simple and have it clearly visible

When using statistics make them meaningful and relevant

Be confident and have fun!

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This is my Wordle I created about Language.

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TedTalks Reaction

       I chose to watch this video: Patricia Ryan: Don’t insist on English!, as I am going into the field of foreign language and thought it would be very interesting. She talks about how with English as the global language we have now become so dependent on it that other languages are quickly dying. Something like every 14 days or so a language dies. I found it interesting how big of an international business English language teaching has become. It seems as though if you want to get anywhere internationally you need to learn the English language. The main point of this video is that when a language dies you lose so much with it. So why does the world feel the need to make English the main language for everyone? What has happened to translation or learning other languages? I find these questions important especially for my field as a foreign language teacher. I have to find ways to promote the idea of learning more languages instead of just English. You can use languages of all kinds to spread great ideas all around the world. It is not solely English or Chinese that has to be the vehicle for it.

You can access this video here:  http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/patricia_ryan_ideas_in_all_languages_not_just_english.html

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Digital Citizenship

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The Digital Divide

The digital divide was labeled as the growing gap between those with access to computers and those with out access. This however was coined back in the 90s when the internet was just beginning. Now more than ever the internet is used in our classrooms with our students. We as students are considered digital natives, growing up with learning how to use the internet. Technology is ever-growing and can be found almost everywhere. However, there are still homes in the U.S. where internet is just not an option. This causes problems for teachers who involve a lot of computer use in their classes and outside of them. We as teachers need to be aware that although computers are more common now than ever before, there are still children out there who just don't have access to them. So what do we do to solve this problem? There are a couple things teachers can to do to try to close this gap with their students. One would be to allow enough in class time to work on computer homework so the students without internet can have that resource. Another idea would be to set up open times in computer labs for these students to come in and use these computers for their work. These are just a couple quick fix ideas for these students. It is obvious that the internet and technology are not going anywhere and are continuing to rise in need. I believe in the future it is evident that computers will become more and more necessary for every household, as they already are. Society is becoming more technologically advanced everyday and this will not change.

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What I learned today...

Tech Edge Conference UNL

What I learned today...     I attended the Tech Edge Conference at UNL to gain more insight into the many different ways that as a teacher, I can incorporate technology into my classroom. Coming into this conference I was somewhat skeptical as to what exactly they could teach me that I had no previously knew. Let’s face it, growing up in an age full of technology, I thought I had a pretty good grasp on the idea. However, after attending I could not have been more wrong. I learned how to incorporate multiple sights and ideas with technology in my classroom, as well as how to actually use it.     This conference consisted of a key note speaker and then three breakout sessions that followed. I chose to go to two sessions: one being about how to use google sites for my classroom and also on how to use this technology. I learned that we as future teachers need to get informed about the possibilities, affordances, and limitations that technology can bring. Google sites tools are a great website to use in any classroom setting. You are able to use it as your home website for your class, incorporate a class calendar, and keep the whole class updated on day to day changes. It serves as a perfect database to post any important information, quizzes, and anything else students may need help on. You can create online forums for your class, as well as spaces for everyone to simply get to know one another.     I also learned a great deal on how to actually set up and use the technology that we are given. So often you hear people saying they have the technology but they just don’t know how to use it. We were taught not only what everything was that we could use in our classroom, but how to correctly set it up and make sure everything was running like it should be. This I found very practical and useful for everyone.     Overall, I came out of this conference with a new look on how to implement technology use in the classroom with my students. There are so many free resources out there for teachers to use in their classrooms, all we need to do is capitalize on them. Whether you have a laptop or an ipad you are able to do so much more than you could have 15 years ago. It is a shame not to use these resources with our students, as they are so abundant and so useful.

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Beliefs on Learning Styles

Beliefs on Learning Styles

    Learning Styles are a controversial issue in the world of education. Like every theory, it has its followers and its non-believers. The problem is deciding which side to take and which supports your teaching ideals the best. One of the main arguments seen for learning styles is that every child is unique in the way that they learn and therefore, the child should be taught based on these strengths regardless of the teaching style (http://www.springhurst.org/articles/MItheory.htm). However, this theory does pose as one for great debate as there is no scientific back-up to support its claim.

Daniel Willingham, an advocate for pushing against learning styles, has done multiple researches on the topic that supports the view of the non-believers. Daniel Willingham agrees that every student learns in different ways. There is no arguing that. However, it is argued that there is a major difference between a student's learning ability and their learning style. There is little evidence out there that proves that students learn any differently when they are using their prefered style than when they are not (http://www.danielwillingham.com/learning-styles-faq.html). There is no evidence out there that supports why kids are learning that way. Other advocates denoting learning styles are Dr. Keith Burley and Hugh Lafferty who have done research on the topic as well. Their work can be seen at http://www.learningstyles.webs.com/.

As for if learning styles are helpful or not...I am in the weird area of not quite knowing which way to lean. I can see arguments from both sides and believe each end of the spectrum have their points. However, I do believe each student does have their own style on how they learn, as every learner is completely different. But, because there is no actual scientific evidence to back up this theory among other things I find it hard to be able to support this theory. Looking at it from a teacher's standpoint, it is completely unrealistic for a teacher to change their teaching style for each individual learning style of their students. A teacher is able to get their point across to all of their students, without having to change for each individual student’s learning style. Students learn from good teachers, period.

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The Flipped Classroom Model

The Flipped Classroom Model Definition: The flipped classroom is a concept based on the idea of recording classes where students are able to watch the class at home. This allows for more time in class to work with the students one on one and for them to have more responsibility. Students work online with their teacher and are given a more personalized education, while still being fully engaged in their learning. Their homework is done in class while the lectures can be viewed at home.

Positives: Student are able to have more one on one time with their teacher which allows them to expand more and get help on certain areas that they need. They are also able to have more responsibility and can be more active in their learning process. Student also now have the opportunity to review the class lecture at any time for studying or if they need more work on a certain concept. Negatives: Student may not get the clarification and what they need out of class that they normally do in a lecture. If they are watching it online at home they may not be able to ask the questions they normally would in a normal class setting. Students could also get off task and lose face time with their teacher by being on the computer for most of the class period. How You Can Do It: If I were to incorporate using the “flipped classroom model” in my Spanish classroom I could do it in many different ways. In the foreign language classroom it is extremely important to find time to really work on one on one conversation between the students. With lecture format this gets difficult as the time is more teacher based. With this approach I would be able to record my lecture and put it up on our wiki page online for the class to view before the next class time, covering my basic points for the day. Then this would open up the rest of the class time to explore these topics more in depth online, working together on speaking or researching, etc... I would be able to have way more class conversation time with my students, which is extremely important.

Resources:

http://www.techsmith.com/flipped-classroom.html http://www.flippedclassroom.com/

http://www.thedailyriff.com/articles/the-flipped-class-conversation-689.php

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This is a great website that has many different ideas on Google search tips.

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This article talks about what a dual-language classroom looks like. It also provides a good video to give you an insiders look in an actual dual-language program.

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An interesting article discussing the differences in the mind of bilingual learners and English-only learners.

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An online language media database that shows multiple types of the same language in different countries. Is a great resource for explaining the differences in regions.

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A online Spanish resource covering multiple areas of grammar structures.

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This is a free online Spanish textbook that has multiple activities and grammar concepts that are easily accessible to anyone.

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This is a new site by Nelson that gives even more great and fun ideas on how to teach grammar in the language classroom. There are multiple exercises and activities that can be used for teaching Spanish grammar.

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A great resource activity for learning the subjunctive in Spanish.