I don't know how teachers taught up to date culture without video podcasts! I enjoy using all types of podcasts to supplement the culture sections in our really outdated textbooks. I actually found enough information to completely stop using the textbook except as a teacher guideline! Specific podcasts that are informational (and FREE) to help my teaching include:
Samantha Brown's Tour Of Latin America: This podcast was free last summer after the series aired & included clips of her television show throughout the countries of Latin America. Since they are only clips of the show, they are perfect as "fillers" for 5-10 minutes during class. Specific scenes such as a restaurant in Argentina & a clip from the Feria de Abril in Spain are two that I have used recently. The link below sends you to the website set up with her most recent podcasts, but as I mentioned earlier, the podcasts that I reference throughout the year now cost a fee through Itunes. http://podcasts.travelchannel.com/samantha-brown/page1 It is important to check Itunes & the internet frequently for updates since free offers don't last forever!
Coffee Break Spanish (http://freelanguage.org/learn-spanish/coffee-break-spanish-podcast) is also a podcast that I have used this year. This native dialogue contains relevant grammar and when combined with listening comprehension questions it is a great tool for students to listen to native speakers. The rate of this podcast is quite fast for my Spanish 8 students, but once they listen a few times they understand. It is nice that there are so many different episodes because it is easy to find an exact grammar or vocabulary topic that is related to what we are currently studying! My finace is also using coffee break to help him brush up on his Spanish skills so he can join in when I speak Spanish!
Overall, Spanish podcasts and cultural videos are readily available on the internet for classroom use! It is important, as mentioned earlier to stay current with the available resources as sometimes they change quickly. Podcasts, both video and audio only are a great resource for any subject area at any level!
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Saturday, April 4, 2009
These global sites, Taking it Global & KidLink are great tools to be used by educators and students to make a difference personally, locally and to the global community as a whole.
KidLink provides ways for students to connect to curriculum on a more personal level. Through the completion of activities that combine curriculum and personal interests and ideas that the students hold, the students are encouraged to be more engaged than a simple teacher directed, textbook lesson. The activities such as find out the meaning of your name and decide your future career provide life skills while encouraging written work.
Taking it Global provides students a chance to become knowledgeable about global concerns and promote awareness of these concerns among their community. This site differs from KidLink because it enacts lessons that could be used to promote global unity instead of life skills.
These two sites could be used in my classroom during our advisement period, homeroom as well as during my Spanish classes. Providing students the opportunity to think about future life choices through KidLink & display their work with other children around the world would be an interesting activity that the students might enjoy. Taking it Global could be used in one or two different ways. First, the students could engage in a community service project during a Spanish club or Student Council activity. Another way to use this site is to promote cultural awareness of global concerns in Spanish speaking countries. Both of these sites could promote diversity and encourage the students to take interest in communities and issues around the world!
Finally, Skype could also be used as part of a Global Cooperation Project. In our Spanish classes or homeroom we could directly connect with another classroom that had posted on KidLink or to a community that might have been affected by a global issue found on Taking it Global. Although starting this partnership might be difficult, global awareness can be achieved and students both at my school and around the world.
KidLink provides ways for students to connect to curriculum on a more personal level. Through the completion of activities that combine curriculum and personal interests and ideas that the students hold, the students are encouraged to be more engaged than a simple teacher directed, textbook lesson. The activities such as find out the meaning of your name and decide your future career provide life skills while encouraging written work.
Taking it Global provides students a chance to become knowledgeable about global concerns and promote awareness of these concerns among their community. This site differs from KidLink because it enacts lessons that could be used to promote global unity instead of life skills.
These two sites could be used in my classroom during our advisement period, homeroom as well as during my Spanish classes. Providing students the opportunity to think about future life choices through KidLink & display their work with other children around the world would be an interesting activity that the students might enjoy. Taking it Global could be used in one or two different ways. First, the students could engage in a community service project during a Spanish club or Student Council activity. Another way to use this site is to promote cultural awareness of global concerns in Spanish speaking countries. Both of these sites could promote diversity and encourage the students to take interest in communities and issues around the world!
Finally, Skype could also be used as part of a Global Cooperation Project. In our Spanish classes or homeroom we could directly connect with another classroom that had posted on KidLink or to a community that might have been affected by a global issue found on Taking it Global. Although starting this partnership might be difficult, global awareness can be achieved and students both at my school and around the world.
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