Using Technology

Instructional technologies can be amazingly useful tools in bringing the Spanish-speaking world closer to my students . If they are used carefully and appropriately, never abused, technologies such as PowerPoint, the Internet, music, and movies can enhance learning and stimulate student interest. Using Blackboard or a personal webpage, in my case, allows students access to many resources as well as to their own grades.

PowerPoint

I feel that PowerPoint is most useful in lessons which involve specific images (such as artwork, cultural icons, or maps, for example) and introducing grammar points. It is an excellent tool for presenting information and then testing knowledge at the end of the slideshow by having slides with questions. This allows students to self-test without feeling they are put on the spot, and allows me to gauge whether or not my students have grasped what was introduced. Here are a few of my PowerPoint presentations, which can be viewed as QuickTime movies or in the PowerPoint program.

• imperfect vs. preterite (QuickTime movie) (PowerPoint)

• artists and social issues (QuickTime movie) (PowerPoint)

movies and music

Songs and movie clips can reinforce lessons and stimulate interest in other cultures. Students practice listening skills with the subjunctive while hearing Paulina Rubio sing "El último adios" or the verb gustar by hearing Manu Chao sing "Me gustas tú." I also like to record students as they speak, which allows them to learn to self-correct.

my website

Using websites for language classes is very useful. My personal page gives students ready access to announcements, Spanish websites, grammar reviews, handouts, and links to other resources on the Internet. Additionally, they may access their grades at this site with their name and a four digit ID number of their choosing. To view my page, click here. In the future, I would like to involve students in creating a class website for their projects, whether they be cultural or literary. I created one such site for a Spanish Phonetics course I attended as a graduate student in the Spring of 2004. I think that this creates a tangible result of student work that others can view, which helps them take pride in their own progress in the course.

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