Final Project: ʺ Increasing Student Understanding of Culture, Commerce and Health in Latin American Countriesʺ

The Technology integration matrix   together with all its components depict a complete usage of technology in a lesson .  All the components ( strategies and technologies ) all work together to have students reach the desired standards.

Row one of the matrix depicts the initial “access of the lesson”. The various technologies and strategies conform together in order to produce the teaching standard  7.1 NM.A.1  “recognizing cultural words using electronic sources” as well as NETS-S of  demonstrating creativity and  using technology effectively . The teacher, in order to instruct students on the popularity of fruit markets in Latin American countries, links the themes of culture, science and politics together. She chooses to have her students engage in various buying and selling of fruit activities helping them learn Spanish fruit vocabulary, Latin American culture , skills of commerce, and health.  Using a TV/VCR, she shows students a video of people buying and selling fruit in Latin America. To follow up the video introduction to this activity, she distributes 10 index cards to the student in which they must write out a fruit vocabulary word and draw a picture of it. Then using the TV screen Monitor, she posts all the words up so students can learn the correct spelling/pronunciation of the word. The utilization of  the TV/VCR and TV monitor under the direct teaching of the teacher in turn engage the students in an oral/visual presentation, large group discussion, listening/viewing skills, and individual work which in turn stimulate their creativity and skills with technology use.  As a result, the electronic sources used provide multiple opportunities for students to recognize and/or learn cultural words for the first time.

Row two of the matrix shows the ways technology and strategy come together to form  the “backbone for analysis” in this lesson plan and as a result fulfilling the standard 7.1 IH. A.1 “Analyze cultural info. using electronic info  sources”. To do this, the teacher begins by giving a presentation in Spanish on the health benefits of fruits in general and fruits specific to Latin American countries using a food pyramid projected onto a TV screen monitor. The students are then instructed to do their own research and analysis on these topics through the use of various research sites on a computer as well as sites for pictures to go with each fruit.  The Oral presentation by the teacher done on the TV screen monitor set the stage for analyzing cultural information using electronic sources. It was then backed up by students performing analysis and research on these topics, forcing them to do intense internet searches in order to produce cultural information that they then must edit on their own ( strategies). While doing this, they are critically thinking, problem solving and making decisions ( NETS-S) to present this information properly. 

Row 3 of the matrix depicts the ways in which the teacher evaluates and assesses the students. The teacher instructs the students to divide themselves into four groups. Together, they must continue researching the health benefits of fruits as well as fruits specific to Latin American countries on the internet while printing pictures of the fruits at the same time and labeling them with their Spanish names. They are then as a group instructed to reflect on/ collaborate together on the information they came up, continuing internet research if necessary therefore engaging in peer assessment. While they are doing this, the teacher walks around giving help is necessary and assessing the students progress. From this, we are able to see how the use of a computer and printer engage students in peer assessment/ student collaboration by comparing ideas, student assessment by reflecting on their own work while all being guided by the teacher. These strategies and technologies together in turn embrace the “use of digital tools to exchange basic information about theme. “ (7.1 NH B.1- ) in turn forcing students to use technology effectively, think critically, problem solve and make decisions ( NETS-S).

Row 4 depicts the technologies and strategies used to produce a presentation. To do this, the teacher deems 2 out of the 4 groups of students the “sellers” and the other 2 groups as “the buyers”. They will pretend they are in a Latin American country, buy and selling fruits to each other. Depending on which group they fall into, they are to create a poster utilizing the research/ pictures they found in their internet searches on the computer regarding fruits in Latin American countries writing the words out in Spanish. From this, we can see how the information found through the use of a computer (technology) brings students together to  collaborate and participate together embracing the NETS-S of demonstrating creativity and innovation, communicating/collaborating, and using technology effectively and productively all which in turn fulfill the core content standard 7.1 IH C.2 “ create/ perform activities that reflect cultural perspectives”.

Row 5 of the matrix shows how the use of a CD player as well as students collaborating together help to communicate the project among peers. As the teacher oversees everything, the “fruit sellers” go to one side of the classroom while the “fruit buyers” go to the other, hanging up their posters in each area. As the students mingle with each other, music from the various Latin American countries the fruits were found in is played during the process. Through the use of a CD player, the students are using technology effectively and productively ( NETS-S) while collaborating in small groups as well as large groups embracing cultural, commerce and health practices (Strats.). These all as a whole fulfill the standard “7.1 IH C6- explain/demonstrate cross cultural skills in a global workforce.”

Why are foreign languages looked over so much in the school system as well as society?

In my experience as both a soon to be teacher as well as a student, I have noticed that in American Society as well as the majority of schools systems that learning a foreign language is not something that is looked at to be important. In America where one is constantly surrounded by people of different nationalities under many different circumstances (ex: work, school, out in public, etc.) , it would seem that the knowledge as well as the teaching of a foreign language would be crucial in society. This is not the case. Many school systems in America do not start the instruction of a foreign language until middle school. Some school systems do not even make it mandatory to learn one at all. This is a real problem especially in comparison to Europe where it is mandatory to study a foreign language at a very young age.  I feel that the U.S should do the same because it would make the world in which we live in much easier, being able to understand a whole other group of people. It also stimulates the minds of young children and gets them to think outside the box. Therefore, it is forcing them to utilize a whole new set of critical thinking skills they would normally not be made to use until the age of 13.

Is being an E – reader a good thing?

I recently read an article in a magazine that talked about kids reading books on ipads, computers, etc. and the advantages and disadvantages present. One advantage mentioned was the fact that kids are being able to embrace technology at a young age that in turn sparks an interest in them to read. A disadvantage was if they do not gain any experience with reading regular books, they won’t know how to change off from technological to non- technological  sources in school that will as a result impede their learning. In my opinion, I feel that kids should be exposed to this type of technology at a young  age in order to spark their interest in reading. It is a known fact that getting kids to read is one of the most difficult things to do as a teacher. By presenting the information to them this way, it will help them to sustain their interest through adolescence and eventually into their middle school and high school years. The only problem that I feel may arise is when they are forced to use a regular book to complete assignment. They may feel that it is annoying to have to lug a large book around as opposed to opening it conveniently on their ipad. To avoid this, teachers as well as parents should expose their children to both e-books and regular forms of reading so they do not become dependent on technology alone.

ESL really looked at as a second language?

A few days ago, I got into a conversation with a teacher who told me many people that work at her school over look ESL and tend to not think of  it as a second language.  They simply think of it as a normal class and don’t really put much emphasis into it like they do with other foreign language classes. I told her that this was very interesting to me because obviously  people who do not know English and who are learning it for the first time would consider it to be a foreign language to them.  However, I do understand where this notion would come from. Because English for most of us is the dominant language, we naturally tend to think of it as “the norm” and not think of it as a foreign language for some. In my opinion, this needs to change. Just  like foreign languages help us to communicate with more people in our daily lives as well as give us a whole new outlook on a culture, the same goes for people who are learning English. They too are trying to communicate with us as well as gain an outlook on our American culture. This is important because when all is said and done, our actions as well as theirs all work together to unite us as one and when one group is singled out such as people in ESL classes, this is not able to happen. I think that people who feel this way about ESL should look into it again. It is just as important as any other foreign language.

Interactivity 5- A standards based approach to technology integration

            For this interactivity, I interviewed my past high school Italian teacher from the Wayne school district in Wayne, NJ. I started the interview by explaining to her a little about this course and the purpose of this assignment. I then asked her if she has ever heard of NETS-S or NETS-T. She responded that she has heard of them in passing but was not sure of everything they entailed. I then gave her my laptop which she then glanced over both the NETS-S and NETS-T. After reading them over, her initial reaction to these standards was one of surprise. She told me that she never realized how many standards teachers as well as students were to meet based on technology alone.

            I asked her if she feels that the school and district had  begun to implement NETS-T and NETS-S . She said she does not know for all subject areas but as far as foreign language is concerned, in her opinion the nets standards have existed for a while now but in an indirect way for both teachers and students. She explained to me that although the nets standards are not directly talked about , foreign language teachers in the school as well as the overall district are told at staff meetings both in the beginning of the year as well as quarterly that they must present some lessons to students utilizing technology and must give the students various projects, assignments, etc. throughout the year that require the use of technology in some way. By doing this, teachers are being observed by the district based on how they do this and we as teachers in turn observe the students on what they are learning both in the subject matter through the use of technology and how well the technology part of it is done which they will then receive a grade on.

            I was very surprised with her responses, specifically the fact that the nets standards are not directly discussed at meetings in the school or district. Having lived in Wayne my whole life and therefore attending Wayne schools, I noticed that technology played a huge role both for classroom instruction and for students to be engaged in while doing assignments, projects, etc. Specifically in my foreign language classes, we as students were required many times to do power point presentations, make videos, voice recordings. My foreign language teachers almost always used power points to present their lessons. Aside from these factors, Wayne schools in general are ranked very high in academic achievements. One would think that with a school system being ranked so high as well as already utilizing technology heavily in their lessons that the NETS-S and NETS-T would be talked about in great detail among board members. However, as we can from the interview responses, these “ standards” are not even presented as NETS-S/NETS-T nor are the lessons utilizing technology measured using any sort of standards specifically for technology use.

            As a future teacher, I am going to not only make sure I am up to date with all the NETS-S and NETS-T but also share this information with my fellow colleges and staff members. The information presented in these standards help to shape the learning experience in a positive manner, utilizing many different technological approaches that are not normally thought of . By reaching out to as many people as I can about these standards, the message will eventually spread and will make for an excellent learning environment for both teachers and students.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AnKm6bRU2Ko0dHlzV2xjMHVndHdISmZxNFlxWVZNbVE#gid=0

Smart board vs. power point

Many teachers  think that the advantages of a smart board and powerpoint are the same for students but in reality, smart boards present a more hands on learning experience.  With powerpoints, students simply have to pay attention to the screen. Although they can become interesting with graphics, colored fonts, etc. they don’t help students  to really interact with the lesson. In foreign language instruction, this can become a problem because some students need to learn by writing. Smart boards allow students to interact hands on as a group and individually, writing in answers to sentences, paragraphs, etc.  It serves both the visual/ high graphic aspects that a powerpoint presents while incorporating hands on activities as well. Unfortunately many schools do not have these devices in their classrooms because of the lack of knowledge of the advantages. I feel that if more smart boards were put in classrooms as opposed to powerpoints , more students would be engaged in the learning experience.

Online Games helping in classroom instruction

Do online games really help students learn or are they a distraction? In my experience as both a student and a teacher, I feel that online games are a very good way to present as well as learn information. Students learn the information in an indirect way, gaining knowledge as well as skills to strengthen them in the subject matter. For example, in foreign language instruction, the utilization of games to learn regions and cities are very useful for students and teachers. Students gain a stronger visual learning experience having to  concentrate in a very detailed manner to map out the geography of Italy in a certain time period. As they keep doing this, their memorization skills become stronger as well. This is very good because games like these help to strengthen skills that can be utilized in all subject areas as well facilitate the foreign language learning process and present a fun environment for students

Email Exchanges in the classroom

Email exchanges in foreign language instruction seem like they would not serve any purpose but in reality they are very useful in the learning process. The exchange of emails between a native Italian or Spanish speaker with a native English speaker not only help each person learn aspects of the other language ( verbs,vocab, phrases etc.) but also learn how native speakers use these things in a natural way, without the proper, rigid instruction of the classroom. Many foreign language teachers especially at the hi school level do not do this because they feel it impedes the proper instruction  of language but in my opinion, it is good to teach both proper and improper ways of speaking and utilizing the language, especially when students for the most part will need to know improper / simple ways of speaking when they travel to the country with the target language. Aside from foreign language instruction, email exchanges between people in different schools, states, countries in other subject areas can be very useful as well.  For example, in math or English, email exchanges about how to do a problem or analyze a text can teach a student new ways of looking at approaches to the problem they may have never thought of before.

Are Social Media websites really helpful in classroom instruction?

This question is brought up frequently in various content areas.  While some people think it is a big distraction to students and has no positive benefits at all, others think its usage is beneficial and is a great way to incorporate something they enjoy into the curriculum. I personally feel that in my subject area of foreign language that it has its positive and negative attributes. It is positive in the sense that students are able to speak with people from countries with the target language in an easy and fun way. However, once students go of course and start talking to their friends, family etc. it gets to be very distracting. Because of this, it is important that teachers allot specific time periods for students to use sites such as facebook, myspace, etc.  and make sure they are doing what they are supposed to  in order to get the most out of this interesting learning experience.

Use of digital cameras in the classroom.

Within the classroom of various content areas, the typical technologies that teachers use are smart boards, power point presentations, etc. But what about technologies  that are not as widely used? What type of role do they play in the classroom and how can students benefit from them? One item that I feel would embrace these concepts is the use of a digital camera in the classroom.  For example, in my subject areas of Italian and Spanish, digital cameras would be able to be used in many ways. I would have my students take pictures of Italian cultural items such as food, fashion, etc. and then do a project explaining their important role within Italian culture.  This would be a fun assignment because its not only embracing language and cultural skills but also creativity and artistic skills as well.

Use of Commercials in Classroom instruction

Over this past week,  I have gained a very interesting insight into the use of commercials in classroom instruction. For my commercial Italian class, we were asked to search for an Italian commercial and explain its importance in publicity and how it depicts Italian culture.  I found that this was a great approach that is able to be used not only in foreign language instruction but in every content area. For example, to do this activity,  I chose a barilla pasta commercial in Italian which depicted a mother and daughter shopping for the pasta and then shows them eating all together as a family. Through this,  it depicts the importance of family and food in the Italian culture using a very entertaining approach to sell the product. All in all, using approaches like this are very good ways to teach cultural, linguistic and publicity aspects to students in FL classes as well as other content areas.

Interactivity 4: The Pedagogical uses of technology

Google spreadsheet URL: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AnKm6bRU2Ko0dHlzV2xjMHVndHdISmZxNFlxWVZNbVE#gid=0

I chose this particular lesson plan because in my opinion, it depicts a very organized lesson with just the right mix of technological and standard classroom approaches. The teacher does a good job of covering all the bases, including every aspect involved in teaching the lesson, even mentioning accommodations that may be necessary.

In my opinion, there were no gaps between the curriculum goals, teaching strategies and technologies used.  Because this is lesson plan being used for a Spanish 1 class and the topic is important, it would make sense that not too many technologies will be used in order to not overwhelm the students. As a result, all the information in this lesson plan is in a cohesive order and does not need to have anything added to it.  

The various technologies used in this lesson were essential to achieving the curriculum goals. The curriculum goals for this lesson were as follows : “The students will be introduced to basic Spanish words and sounds that will help them grammatically for further knowledge of the Spanish language in writing and speaking.”   Because the main goal of this lesson as stated here is to have the students feel comfortable with words and sounds, the technologies utilized in this lesson were very good choices for a number of reasons. One reason would be that the teacher recognized that although the main goal was hearing the words, seeing them is just as important. Some students need to both visualize and hear the word at the same time to memorize its meaning/pronunciation. Therefore the use of the overhead projector while she pronounces the words was a very good idea and really helped to carry out the curriculum goal. Next , the use of the audio tapes was another crucial component in this lesson, more so than the overhead projector in my opinion. Because students catch on to different sounds more so than others, hearing the words pronounced by the teacher as well as the various people in the audio tapes will help them to memorize them in a more concise manner.

Interactivity 3 :Generating a State of the Art Inventory

In my opinion, the group process required by this interactivity was authentic collaborative. It brought together a group of people who will all one day be teaching the same content and forced us all to go above and beyond the “ technological norms”, thinking of many creative ways to present information to students. This is important because even though it was difficult to really think hard about what technologies can be used aside from the usual ones ( powerpoint, ipod, ipad, etc.) , this information will always be able to be utilized in the future. When we actually have to teach, we can now focus in on the  “not so frequently used” technologies instead of the ones that are always used in order to create the best learning environment possible. 

From the final inventory, I am able to notice that each member took on a very different approach which in turn guided them to choose certain technologies as opposed to others. For example, a lot of my technologies have to do with everyday life and aspects that if my students were to go to Italy, they would need to know such as slang used in texting which is also used  on public posters, etc. and ,everyday cultural aspects such as fashion etc.  while other groups members took different approaches however, basing their technologies more on visualization , or auditory skills just to name a few.

This technology inventory in my opinion won’t serve a purpose in READ 411 but will in CURR314. Because this course is based on assessment of students, these various technologies can be utilized in many ways to make sure students are learning correctly through the various uses of auditory, visual and kinesthetic aids.

" Second Life" program used in Foreign Language instruction

As I have come to be more familiar with the uses of technology in the classroom having read various articles and watched various videos, I have come to notice that although social networks are touched upon in the use of education, they are not really looked into in depth. In the instruction of foreign language, especially in the United States , it is crucial that students get enough practice speaking, due to the lack of various foreign languages being spoken in the target area for the most part. I feel that social networking sites are a great way to get students to become completely immersed in the language without being in the target country. One very good example of this is the use of the program called "Second Life" in which students can pick any country they chose and virtually be placed there, being able to walk around, sight see, buy different items, and speak to real life people. This completely immerses them into the language and culture of a country while being in the comfort of their own home. I feel that it is important to use more programs like this in the classroom because it is a great way for students to get more hads on experience without going through the expense of traveling to another country.

Interactivity 2- The History of Technology in Schools

     The technology that influenced education in my particular content area the most during this historical time period is the introduction of the foreign language lab in the 1960’s. With my content area being Italian, I can personally say that the foreign language lab has worked wonders in the instruction of foreign language both from a teacher’s point of view as well as a students and is widely used today in present educational instruction. In the foreign language lab, students are able to engage in a wide variety of exercises ranging from elementary levels to advanced levels that test their listening, comprehension, and writing skills. In my opinion, the language labs are very important assets to foreign language education because they allow students to immerse themselves in the language to the best of their ability without actually being in the country with the target language.
             Taking a look at Chap 2 in Rethinking Technology and Schools and the supplementary article called A Social History of Media and Technology in Schools, the technology that I think has had the greatest impact (both in a positive and negative way ) upon formalized schooling in my content area between the years 1820 and 1990 is the advancement of the computer, most specifically  in the area of social networking sites.  Within  the section “ The Casual Acceptance Perspective”  of chapter 2, it states “ Young people participate in online social networks ( such as MySpace, Facebook, Xanga, and Flickr) that allow them to create profiles messages and share multimedia content to a larger audience than is imaginable ( Domine 49).” These uses of social media  are presented in foreign language instruction in many different ways. Activities that involve interacting with people from different countries in order to practice speaking with native speakers and in order to learn potential international business tactics that can be utilized in many areas of study are examples of this and are crucial aspects to the learning experience.

            In the supplementary article that portrays the interview with Grace, she explains how she basically feels that social media causes more harm than good in the classroom when she states;  “Yet my district currently bans the use of cell phones in the middle and secondary classrooms and students are not allowed to access their MySpace or Facebook pages from school computers. After one teacher in my district was fired last year over a controversial photo and message on her MySpace page, our district prohibits teachers to maintain any social networking site. So there is this cloud of protectionism and censorship that continually hangs over our heads ( Domine 7)” From this statement, we are able to see how social media sites are automatically targeted to have an overall negative effect in classroom instruction. However, in a content area such as a foreign language where communication is everything and where these sites are widely used, they can be beneficial and have been successful in this through the advances in computers that have been made over the years.

                                  “Language Labs: Uniting the Languages of the world together.”

Interactivity One: technology as autobiography

The three most influential communication technologies in my life are 1. Ipad, 2. Blackberry, 3. Ipod.      For myself as a teacher, I would like to know if Olivia is able to make a healthy divide between using technology in a smart manner for school such as taking notes, research, etc, vs. going overboard in which technology becomes more of a distraction. This is important because while she is obviously very  savvy with technology, being able to text very fast and knowing how to change a myspace background with codes, it seems as if she is on a track where her technology use would become a distraction in further education such as college. This is a very common problem that I see all the time not only with students in high school but with college students as well. They have the mind set that they are going to get all of their work done efficiently on the computer but instead spend hours on social networking sites.

     As a future high school teacher, I would want my students to realize that  college level work as opposed to high school level work is much more time consuming and requires complete attention at all times. The fact that Olivia spent 4 to 5 hours a day mostly on her myspace page, while acceptable in high school and with high school level work, would not be able to be done in college where time management is everything. If I were a teacher of students similar to Olivia, I would give them strategies to avoid this problem such as allotting specific time during the day to study in which during this time, their cell phones must be shut off and put in another room as to avoid temptation. Another method that I would suggest is having a friend log onto their facebook or myspace page locking them out so they cannot go on during study time.

      These three technologies ( iPad, blackberry, iPod) have had a very large impact on the ways in which I learn new information and life in general.  Beginning with the iPad, I am able to takes notes, read books, and research information conveniently on a device that is small and easy to carry from class to class. Previous to this, I would bring notebooks and textbooks to class. I did not like this because not only was it an inconvenience to carry so many items across campus, but it took more time to have to look in the book for information, highlight certain aspects, take notes on it, etc. that would make me tired and therefore not be able to do as much work in the allotted time. Now with the iPad, I can do all those things in half the amount of time, get the work done more efficiently and have everything I need throughout the day on one small device. Aside from the iPad, my blackberry is very useful in my learning experience, not so much with learning new information but with being able to contact certain people at all times for school purposes. For example, when a professor emails me or I need to email a fellow peer regarding a class, I am able to send/receive emails promptly from my phone and not have to wait until the evening when I return home or when I turn on my iPad.  Taking a look now at the iPod, it does not have any impact in terms of learning new material or school at all but rather is used as a tool to help my mind relax for a while in between doing work and studying. After a long day at school, I take half an hour or so to listen to music on my iPod to relax my mind from the stresses of the day and simply take some time for myself. Overall, these 3 devices, although used for different purposes , make the ways in which I learn and do work very convenient.

      There are various similarities and differences regarding uses of technology between myself and the other young people in these 2 videos. Beginning with Olivia and some of the students in the second video regarding the use of cellphones, I am able to relate to them in the fact that I always have it with me in my hand, checking my emails, texting friends when I get out of class, etc. I can also relate to one young man in the second video who stated that he always uses his laptop at all times. That is how I am as well with the iPad, bringing it everywhere I go. One difference between me and the people in these two videos is the need to go on facebook and other social networking sites, such as Olivias story. I make sure that I do not let those sites get in the way of getting work done because it is very easy to do and can become a big problem.