Thing 05: Presentation Tools

Having a class set of ChromeBooks in my classroom has opened up a world of opportunities for me!  But unfortunately, I never seem to have the time or the know how on how to best incorporate digital tools and platforms in my classroom.  I have a pretty good grasp on all things Google, but outside of that, I am lost! Today, I had the opportunity to explore some new tools ("yay" screams the nerd in me!)  First, I clicked on Prezi.  But, there is a fee to use it, so that was that.  Next, I tried Bunkr, but it appears that they have merged with another company and are no longer providing the services they used to??  I played around with Carnival Slides-cute, but nothing special.  My students might like it for more slide options on Google Slides, but nothing to write home about.  Finally, I found something that I think it pretty awesome, fun and versatile.  We'll see if my students say the same thing.  I explored Buncee.  It was actually a lot of fun to create and I cam picture many, many units that it will fit in to.  Two down sides...it looks like if you want to grant access to a group of people (aka students), that there is a fee.  I'm hoping students could log in on their own and use it without doing so under my name so I wouldn't have to pay for it.  And, if my students are anything like me, they will spend more time with the decorating, stickers and animations than they will on the content.
Here is my creation! Enjoy!
My Buncee

Thing 04: Digital Storytelling

Timelines-Useful for every content area!  I struggled at first to find a Timeline Tool that was useful and appropriate for Spanish.  First I tried Timeline JS which was COMPLETELY user UNfriendly.  I felt like I needed a PhD in computer programming to figure that one out.  There were fields and links and Sources and lots and lot of crying.  Okay, well maybe I didn't actually cry, but I did consider it.

After that experience, I went on the the Teachnology Timeline generator that claims "No frills!"  It delivered on its promise.  It was extremely easy to use, but when I tried to use Spanish accents and symbols, it was unable to produce them and it ended up looking like an (even more than usual) foreign language.  Not to mention I couldn't figure out how to add photos and videos.  It was THAT low on the frill totem pole.  BOOOOORING!

Finally, I found my timeline soul mate.  ReadWriteThink.Org had a timeline that was both easy to use in general, but also had the ability to insert the symbols and photos that I desired,  In Spanish II, we cover daily routines (waking up, showering, brushing teeth, etc.) and we also cover past tenses (I fell, I broke my ankle, I went to the hospital, etc.).  Timelines are a simple, efficient way for students to show that they understand both the vocabulary and the grammar.  High five for this tool!

(My husband teaches social studies, and I couldn't help but brag and show him how useful this could be for him, too!)

Thing 03: Twitter

Have you ever hit a detour while driving and had to turn a few times and suddenly not had a clue where you were?  This just happened to me...a detour named "Twitter".

It started out with setting up Instagram and them asking me my interests.  Easy enough.  Cute animals? You know it!  I click follow and immediately my feed is filled with stories about the Kardashians and I am watching a video about bras you can glue on to yourself for maximum control and support!  How did I get here???  Well, it turns out the lady who runs the Cute animals page has a thing for the Kardashians and strange fashion choices.  I've learned my first lesson--Twitter is not a cut and dry land and you can quickly end up somewhere you never intended to.  So, I have to think and plan carefully before using it in my classroom.  That's all I need on Parent-Teacher Conference night..."Mrs. Tisa, could you explain how your assignment caused my daughter to glue.."

Some initial thoughts, however:

1. I could use this to send out quick reminders to students about upcoming assignments/events!
2. I could find interesting cultural items from Spanish speaking cultures and use the links/pictures as supplements to my classroom without actually having to interact with students or have them interact with Twitter.
3. I could use this as a way for students to reach out to me without having to give out my phone number.  They could reach out with questions, etc.
4. Bonus work:  I could pose questions and have students respond for bonus points.  I could re-tweet cultural posts and students could respond/reflect on it.

Long story short, there is lots of potential (albeit risky at times) here in Twittersville.  I need to do more research, make more contacts, find true resources instead of glue loving, Kardashian fan girls.

Thing 02: Photo Fun

Well, I joined Instagram today.  I took the plunge!  Hoping this finally makes me cool, but I won't hold my breath!  Especially since I am going to have to ask my students for help and advice all the time about it.  They will love it!

I figured out how to post pictures and make comments on them (I posted pictures of my family today and wrote who they are to me in Spanish! I even played with the filters and edited the photos a bit), but beyond that, I am a little lost.  I am trying to determine how I can use this. I have two current ideas.

1. I could use this as a homework/assignment reminder tool.   I could send out pictures of homework assignments, links or study guides with reminders. 
2. I could use this for actual assignments.  I could post pictures and have them write stories about them in Spanish.  I could post pictures with a Spanish question attached and they could comment to answer.  I could post pictures with a caption in Spanish and have students translate/respond to it in Spanish.

All of this is great in theory, but what to do about the students who don't have Instagram?  Instagram is also blocked at school.  This is always the dilemma with technology.  A blessing and a curse.  I am leaning towards the first option as this wouldn't actually be an assignment, rather a reminder about an assignment...

Time to play and find out!

Who Am I?

Hi!  My name is Rebecca Tisa and I am a Spanish Teacher.  I have been teaching for 10 years now, with almost all of those years in an urban setting.  I am the mother of three little angels and when I am not teaching, I spend every second I can with them.

Currently, I am working at East Upper School in cooperation with the University of Rochester, our EPO (Educational Partnership Organization) in order to get off of the NYS list of Persistently struggling schools.  I've just begun working on a Professional Development called "Cool Tools" to learn some new technology driven strategies and resources that I can use in my classroom.  I applied for a received a ChromeBook cart for my classroom so I have unlimited access to computers, which has been a lot of fun for my students and me. I would love to enhance this experience for them as technology can often be the hook that struggling student and disengaged students need in order to be successful.

I honestly don't know much about blogging and have never really considered it as an option for my students.  Reading the articles that tell how much it increased student AND parent engagement were encouraging.  We are also working on providing immediate and individual feedback for our students and this sounds like a perfect way to incorporate that strategy as well.  Because we have the ChromeBooks for each student, Blogger seems like an ideal choice for my students as it connects to their already existing google accounts.  This would also mean that it has the potential to be a cross-curricular, school wide endeavor if we so choose it to be.

I am apprehensive about online etiquette and interested to learn more about how others have taught this to their high school students.  With so much social media and digital experiences (both positive and negative) it is critical for students to learn how to do this work appropriately, even if prior experience and current digital culture says otherwise.