Lately I've been discouraged because I feel like much of the MAC program is geared towards math and science- what about world languages?! :) However, I've been checking out a previous MACer's blog, Making Curriculum Pop, and it really is an amazing resource for all content areas.
I am starting to find lots of great resources for the Spanish classroom! Below is an awesome lesson plan that I found... it is fun, allows students to be creative, incorporates technology, and also requires the use of a variety of cognitive dimensions and knowledge. BOOM- high leverage practice, anyone? :) Fellow world language peeps, check out this lesson plan, because it's flexible for any language!
As for the reading... at first I was shocked the statistic that Klapperstuck and Kearns provide: 81% of young people spend their time using more than one [technological] medium at once. Then I thought about my brother, who is a pro at watching TV, texting, and checking his e-mail/surfing the net on his laptop, all at the same time--and was no longer surprised. I myself am guilty of this, since I tend to toggle back and forth between my Facebook, gmail, and whatever paper I am writing at the moment.
K & K also point out that blogs are the new diaries, and this becomes problematic when people "over-share". Indeed, the line that separates public and private seems to be blurred. This is what initially turned me away from blogs, Twitter, etc., but I'm finding that if I just tune into the sites that are educational and useful (ex. Making Curriculum Pop), blogs really can be a useful tool. I'm still not sold on Twitter....
Hey Hillary,
ReplyDeleteThere's plenty of mindshare for us liberal arts folks. I will definitely check out your lesson plan above and find some use for it, whether in English or French. What thrills me about technology is that when we find rich content like that, we will become more informed (and I hope better) teachers. The issue is sorting through the drek to find the pearls.
About the public/privacy issues, I hope the M'ers don't regret having put themselves out there forever. Seems like corporations and the media are pretty unforgiving.
One last editorial comment: I keep hearing that research has confirmed that the multi-taskers aren't more productive than anyone else. I think we should emphasize slowing down, focusing on one thing at a time.
Just the thoughts of a baby boomer.
--Joe
I'm with Joe on multitasking, a.k.a "continuous partial attention"! Oh, well, I guess that makes sense, since I missed the baby boom by one year. I think there is a way to multi-task, but not at certain times, and far less than is typically done.
ReplyDeleteI, too, will check out the lesson plan you posted, Hillary, when it isn't 1:30 AM. (I think I'm crazy!) Thanks for posting it.
Hillary!
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about the lack of love for world languages, we just need to stick together and maybe start voicing our concerns in class. Also, we'll have our world languages methods class in the fall, hopefully that will help!
Julia
I'm glad that you found such a great looking activity idea, Hillary. You also provide a good reminder for us to be more attentive to the wold language teachers, and I thank you for that.
ReplyDeleteIn the hope of partially addressing that shortfall, let me point you in the direction of another great resource (in the spirit of MCP) created by your fellow MACer, Joanna Porvin. Joanna teaches Spanish in a MS in Grosse Pointe, and she has built a splendid resource for language teachers called Casa de Joanna...check it out...
Hi Hillary,
ReplyDeleteLoved your assessment of the GenerationM readings, regarding technological over-multitasking. I agree, that Making Curriculum Pop! is an phenomenal resource for foreign language teachers, including the lesson plans. Edublogging for Spanish/ French has resource potential!
Mindy