2 New Technologies

One objective that I have always considered important in a Spanish language class is the ability to practice the language with other people, particularly native Spanish speakers. While it is important that students understand and have a basic grasp of things such as vocabulary and grammar, the real purpose of learning a language is to speak it. This fact seems obvious, but too often opportunities to communicate with others are severely lacking in the language classroom. This has motivated me to explore a social networking called LiveMocha. This site is unique because it was specifically designed for language learners. LiveMocha offers various languages from English to Korean. Members on the sight can learn from free tutorials that are offered on the site that are designed for the beginning and intermediate language learner. The really great thing about this site is the interaction you can have with native speakers of the target language. Through the site you can chat, both using text and speaking out loud using the microphone. You can also submit completed exercises to be reviewed by native speakers of the language you are learning. In a recent Technology Review exercise (produced by MIT) the creator and chief executive of LiveMocha, Shirish Nadkarni, explained that he created this site because he knew from personal experience the benefits of knowing a foreign language, which in his case was English. He was also motivated after seeing the lack of real practice his kids were getting in their Spanish class, a concern I mentioned earlier. In a review found in the New York Times, live mocha is described as a "community of like-minded learners who can leverage their native language proficiency to help one another."
This site would be a great way for the students in my class to be able to communicate with native Spanish speakers, specifically in a place where the language is the central focus. (as opposed to another Spanish chat room or interest site.) Students could have the assignment of letting a Native speaker review a written assignment, or they could practice introductions in a web-chat.
One negative aspect that I could see to using this in the classroom is the possibility of coming across objectionable language or even pictures (although the pictures on this site are limited to profile pics.) This is always a danger when dealing with real people. As with any social networking site there is the potential risk of contact with those who may present offensive comments or pose other dangers. This could be prevented by setting up clear guidelines that point out that students are not to reveal personal information. I might also screen the people that students have contact with based on those I have found to be reputable in the past.
Based on the experience that I have had with this site I do feel it is a great way to have contact and communicate with native speakers, when live interaction is not possible or practical. Not only this but it has the potential to get students more excited about language learning, and more motivated to continue practicing the language each day.

articles
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/17/business/17novel.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=livemocha&st=cse

http://www.technologyreview.com/biztech/19484/


Due to favorable conditions (i.e. being married to a teacher) I had the opportunity to work with a Smart Board for a little while. I had heard a lot about these interactive whiteboards and even seen them in the education building and in my wife's classroom, but until this week I had never used one. I was skeptical about them before and did not really see how they could be much better than a projector, or a whiteboard, but after using one I am beginning to see how it could be useful particularly in a Spanish class. The ability to "write" over virtually any program would make grammar practices and lessons more interesting and interactive for the students. Not to mention there are specific programs that allow you to create review activities, games, note taking, and subject matter exploration. For example in an article put out by scholastic a geography teacher describes being able to use interactive maps and things like Google Earth to help the students learn.
Another appeal to the Smart Board is that it excites students. I saw this first hand in my wives classroom as two girls came in and immediately started playing with the Smart board while they waited for their mother. The appeal of technology motivates students to participate in activities much more than if that same exercise was simply done on the board. I would use this appeal to have students demonstrate fill in the blank vocabulary or verb conjugation exercises.
Some downsides to the Smart board that I saw is set up time. It took about ten minutes to get the computer, projector and Smart board set up and in sync, time that could be used doing something more productive. Supposedly this is not an issue on the new 600i system but I wasn't able to find out exactly why that is. Another con (particularly for someone who is left-handed like me is that it is hard to see the board as you are writing on it. (your shadow covers the projection) I also believe some improvements could be made that could cut cost and create less parts that could be lost (such as the electronic pens and eraser)
Another benefit pointed out in a technology blog is that the Smart board allows teachers to save notes and presentations where on a regular board those would have to be erased before the next class. This would be useful in picking up where you left off in the previous class period. These are just a few of the benefits and uses of the Smart Board that I have come across ed, but I imagine that there is much more that can be done with them so long as they are available through school funding, grants etc.

Articles
http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3749226

http://edublogs.org/tags/?t=review