Web+2.0

Gisela Gallardo Web 2.0 9.26.10 Web 2.0 in the Spanish classroom Knowing how advanced computer systems have become in the past ten years in absolutely astonishing, and understanding how much of an asset they are within the classroom really shows how much people are trying to get the most information across to everyone possible. These tools are the key to the growth of education and connections that are to be made around the world, from person to person and government to government. I selected these five Web 2.0 tools: Prezi, Google Docs, Pod casting, RSS Feeds, and PB Works ,because I thought they would best entertain and inspire the language learning process, which can at times be brutal and boring, but with these tools the students will catch on quicker and become effective Spanish speakers. Starting with Prezi which really caught my eye, I first noticed how it sets itself apart from other presentation tools, showing how it’s more effective. I watched the introduction video and was completely sucked into it because it’s so dynamic and not very time consuming. This was by far my favorite tool because it’s so user friendly and it focuses on the audience which is the most important factor within presentations. The website itself is very clear and open to many users which right from the start makes people comfortable with using a new program. Everything is very self explanatory, but there are different tutorials provided, and the font is organized and well sized for people who are not completely familiar with the basics of using a computer. The options for the presentations are spectacular in that they are very dynamic, there is motion, depth, and even continuous flow to your presentation. You can incorporate every aspect of text as well as videos and pictures. Google docs also astonished me because it is like an access to your personal computer from anywhere. You can make and display anything from regular documents to drawings. It is all easily accessible and you can share with anyone you open the document to. The open editing is also very nice because it opens communication with other people who might know more and want to aid you by adding or subtracting information, especially if you lack the time to make these changes yourself. Podcasting is another amazing tool to incorporate an active and exciting feature to teaching. You can add to it whatever lesson with sound, and have that be what you present, if for example you cant make it to class and you need to make sure your students receive the correct information. Since it is similar to a radio broadcast, this feature makes it conveniently accessible to whomever needs it. RSS feeds is a perfect way to get connected with important leads and sites online. The websites that have this as a part of the main link make room for the viewer to become apart of this site, almost like the “Favorites” tab, but better because subscribing to a site means you will always be informed and updated on that specific site. PB Works was for me the optional foundation to a learning environment because I still want there to be the teacher and student connection, but this site provides a convenient way of communication which is needed as people’s lives become busier. This site is a platform for both personal and professional communication and networking. What I really liked about this site was the page for Education, which showed the focus it has for communication towards bettering education. Prezi within the Spanish classroom will make the grammatical aspects much more interesting and easily understandable. Instead of writing the conjugation rules on the board and then trying to make the students understand with out a context visual, with Prezi I can show the rules in a fun manner and show visual of the different contexts. An example would be someone talking using the subjunctive and another conjugating verbs as a visual of the verb appears. Google docs would be a great way for students to submit paperwork and for me to correct them without using paper and pen. Students can also submit articles and their feedback this way and it would save a lot of paper. They can even submit drawings with labels, and that way they can practice their creativity on the computer. Podcasting would be a great tool for oral presentations and exams, because the students can create them on their own time when they are in a relaxed setting which creates better outcomes. They can also broadcast opinions on the class for future classes and give commentaries to the teacher over assignments. They can also make sound presentations for the classroom as a listening activity instead of the standard language listening activities. I really like RSS Feeds because I want my students to be connected with the Latin American network from newspapers to contemporary websites. It is very important that they are aware of what is going on in these countries and the aspects each culture without always having to read an entire book or spend the money to visit these places, which they should do, but for younger students who have limitations of travel and impatience of reading. Most will spend a lot of their time on the computer and here is an educational way they can subscribe and stay connected with Latin American websites. PB Works is another great way for student and teacher communication and assignment submission because it saves a lot of time and paper. The students can have their own pages and communicate with me as their teacher or amongst other students and they can also submit assignments all in one place. These tools are going to be a wonderful asset in teaching Spanish as a Second Language because they will make presentations more interesting within lectures and the students will also have control in what they present and work on. It is important that the students feel they have enough voice in the curriculum and by these tools they will have the power to control what they learn and in their own style. With the presentations, the students will be more confident teaching because the other students wont be bored and the entire class will be happy in an exciting and expressive learning environment.