CALLspot Episode 3 - The Challenge of Working CALL into the Classroom
Joy Lynn Egbert and Volker Hegelheimer join host Shannon Sauro to discuss some of the common challenges teachers face in implementing CALL activities in their classes as well as tips and strategies for adapting to these challenges.
Available for download at http://callspot.libsyn.com/ and on iTunes
The CALLspot is a podcast for language teachers and language teacher trainers. In each episode, a panel of CALL practitioners and experts discuss teaching and professional development resources, tackle the challenges of incorporating technology in language teaching, and explore major themes in computer-assisted language learning.
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Shannon Sauro, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Bicultural-Bilingual Studies
University of Texas at San Antonio
http://faculty.coehd.utsa.edu/ssauro/
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Saturday, October 24, 2009
What Language Should Our School Offer?
Question asked by an administrator at a new charter school: We are interested in starting a foreign language program in our elementary school, what language should we offer?
Response: It is wonderful that you are going to offer a foreign language to your students. Here are some considerations in making this decision:
1. Do your students have a preference? Depending on their ages, students can be asked to research language preferences and come up with a rationale about why their favorite language should be offered.
2. Is there a preference in the community?
a. Is there a dominant heritage language background within the community? Heritage language speakers can often be a great source of enrichment for cultural activities, festivals, speakers, etc.
b. Are there international companies in the area that are interested in any specific languages that might provide support (tutorials, funding)?
3. If all the neighboring schools offer the same language - offering a different language may draw new students to your school.
4. Consider current national security needs. At this time there is a great push for non-traditional languages such as Chinese and Arabic. Recent U.S.D.E. Foreign Language Assistance Program (FLAP) grants have awarded extra points to proposals that focus on non- traditional languages.
5. Will there be opportunities for your students to continue with the language of choice once students leave your school? Offering a foreign language program represents a huge investment in time and money. It is important that there is a feeder pattern to enable students to reach higher levels of language proficiency.
6. What is the availability of excellent teachers to teach the language of choice? Finding highly qualified teachers for some non-traditional languages at a particular level (such as elementary school) may be a challenge. Check with area colleges and universities.
Learning any foreign language has been shown to improve academic ability in areas such as problem solving and vocabulary comprehension and has resulted in higher test scores in English and math. Starting early and continuing through high school can lead to useful levels of proficiency.
Thekla Fall
World Language Consultant
If you have any other suggestions or a question, please write.
Response: It is wonderful that you are going to offer a foreign language to your students. Here are some considerations in making this decision:
1. Do your students have a preference? Depending on their ages, students can be asked to research language preferences and come up with a rationale about why their favorite language should be offered.
2. Is there a preference in the community?
a. Is there a dominant heritage language background within the community? Heritage language speakers can often be a great source of enrichment for cultural activities, festivals, speakers, etc.
b. Are there international companies in the area that are interested in any specific languages that might provide support (tutorials, funding)?
3. If all the neighboring schools offer the same language - offering a different language may draw new students to your school.
4. Consider current national security needs. At this time there is a great push for non-traditional languages such as Chinese and Arabic. Recent U.S.D.E. Foreign Language Assistance Program (FLAP) grants have awarded extra points to proposals that focus on non- traditional languages.
5. Will there be opportunities for your students to continue with the language of choice once students leave your school? Offering a foreign language program represents a huge investment in time and money. It is important that there is a feeder pattern to enable students to reach higher levels of language proficiency.
6. What is the availability of excellent teachers to teach the language of choice? Finding highly qualified teachers for some non-traditional languages at a particular level (such as elementary school) may be a challenge. Check with area colleges and universities.
Learning any foreign language has been shown to improve academic ability in areas such as problem solving and vocabulary comprehension and has resulted in higher test scores in English and math. Starting early and continuing through high school can lead to useful levels of proficiency.
Thekla Fall
World Language Consultant
If you have any other suggestions or a question, please write.
Lewis takes Post as New Deputy Assistant Secretary for International and Foreign Language Education
News from JCNCL - NCLIS
On Monday October 19 the Department of Education announced three new political appointees. One of these is Andre Winston Lewis as the new Deputy Assistant Secretary for International and Foreign Language Education. Mr. Lewis, with a background in Russian Studies at the University of California – Berkley and a graduate of Boston University School of Law, is the first appointee to fill the position JNCL-NCLIS worked to create during the 110th Congress through the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act of 1965. Mr. Lewis also has extensive political experience locally in California and in Washington, DC and international experience with the State Department.
On Monday October 19 the Department of Education announced three new political appointees. One of these is Andre Winston Lewis as the new Deputy Assistant Secretary for International and Foreign Language Education. Mr. Lewis, with a background in Russian Studies at the University of California – Berkley and a graduate of Boston University School of Law, is the first appointee to fill the position JNCL-NCLIS worked to create during the 110th Congress through the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act of 1965. Mr. Lewis also has extensive political experience locally in California and in Washington, DC and international experience with the State Department.
Four Cities Cited for Successful ELL Policies
Achievement is based on addressing many issues, city schools’ group says.
By Mary Ann Zehr
Large urban school districts that are successful with English-language learners provide strong oversight from the central office for educating those students, ensure that general education teachers as well as specialists receive professional development on how to work with ELLs, and use student data in a meaningful way to improve instruction for that population.
For the complete Education Week article see: http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/10/22/09ell.h29.html?tkn=ROQCwLWC64%2B%2FhxAL29PxA3AHEJnAN6VutcLh
By Mary Ann Zehr
Large urban school districts that are successful with English-language learners provide strong oversight from the central office for educating those students, ensure that general education teachers as well as specialists receive professional development on how to work with ELLs, and use student data in a meaningful way to improve instruction for that population.
For the complete Education Week article see: http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/10/22/09ell.h29.html?tkn=ROQCwLWC64%2B%2FhxAL29PxA3AHEJnAN6VutcLh
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Researchers Focus on Oral-Language Skills of ELLs
Scholars say students need chances to speak in class and to find a "personal voice" in the new language.
Educators and researchers who specialize in the education of English-language learners are putting new emphasis on the importance of teaching oral English.
See the complete Education Week article at
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/10/21/08ell.h29.html?tkn=UUVFOLrRyoUActz1LogLk8LcpRuAEq3FB%2Fo9
Educators and researchers who specialize in the education of English-language learners are putting new emphasis on the importance of teaching oral English.
See the complete Education Week article at
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/10/21/08ell.h29.html?tkn=UUVFOLrRyoUActz1LogLk8LcpRuAEq3FB%2Fo9
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Free Online Webinar Workshops on Using Blogs and Youtube in the language classroom
Are you interested in ways to use blogs or youtube in the language classroom?
This fall, LARC is hosting a new series of Online Webinars. These free workshops are designed for language educators and will highlight ways to use social media tools like blogs and youtube in the language classroom. The sessions are held Online each Thursday at 4 PM (PST) in our Elluminate classroom. Our first session is Oct 15th.
Each session includes presentations and software demonstration as well as time for you to practice using the technology. We want you to leave the session with a good pedagogical approach and the technical skills to make it work for your learners. Join live or watch the archives when you can.
Visit http://larc.sdsu.edu/socialmedia for additional information including the schedule, the link to our webinar room and the registration form.
This fall, LARC is hosting a new series of Online Webinars. These free workshops are designed for language educators and will highlight ways to use social media tools like blogs and youtube in the language classroom. The sessions are held Online each Thursday at 4 PM (PST) in our Elluminate classroom. Our first session is Oct 15th.
Each session includes presentations and software demonstration as well as time for you to practice using the technology. We want you to leave the session with a good pedagogical approach and the technical skills to make it work for your learners. Join live or watch the archives when you can.
Visit http://larc.sdsu.edu/socialmedia for additional information including the schedule, the link to our webinar room and the registration form.
2010 IUP Spring Methodology Conference
The 2010 IUP Spring Methodology Conference on Foreign Language Teaching will be held on Friday, April 23rd, at the Chestnut Ridge Golf Resort and Conference Center in Blairsville, PA
The keynote speaker is Emily Spinelli, Executive Director of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP) and Professor Emerita of Spanish at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. The conference offers a total of twelve sessions dealing with very diverse topics; for instance, Web 2.0 into the Foreign Language Classroom, Jigsaws: Making Literary Works Come to Life, Building Speaking Proficiency through Games, The Role of Grammar in the Communicative Classroom, or Introducing Culture into the Curriculum Using Differentiated Instruction Models, etc.
A buffet lunch will be served and time is allotted for participants to explore the book exhibits.
The registration fee is $60 (no change since last year). Deadline for registration is April 9 and payment is due by April 14. A special conference rate of $109/night (regularly $129/night) is being offered at the Hampton Inn & Suites at Chestnut Ridge until March 22; call 724/459-5920.
Frank B. Brooks, Conference Co-Chair
fbrooks@iup.edu
J-Louis Dassier, Conference Co-Chair
dassier@iup.edu
The keynote speaker is Emily Spinelli, Executive Director of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP) and Professor Emerita of Spanish at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. The conference offers a total of twelve sessions dealing with very diverse topics; for instance, Web 2.0 into the Foreign Language Classroom, Jigsaws: Making Literary Works Come to Life, Building Speaking Proficiency through Games, The Role of Grammar in the Communicative Classroom, or Introducing Culture into the Curriculum Using Differentiated Instruction Models, etc.
A buffet lunch will be served and time is allotted for participants to explore the book exhibits.
The registration fee is $60 (no change since last year). Deadline for registration is April 9 and payment is due by April 14. A special conference rate of $109/night (regularly $129/night) is being offered at the Hampton Inn & Suites at Chestnut Ridge until March 22; call 724/459-5920.
Frank B. Brooks, Conference Co-Chair
fbrooks@iup.edu
J-Louis Dassier, Conference Co-Chair
dassier@iup.edu
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Ed. Dept. Proposes Innovation Grant Ground Rules
Does your district have "cutting-edge ideas" and an assessment program to demonstrate quantitative results? If so, you might be eligible part of the U.S. Department of Education $650 million Investing in Innovation grant program. See the following article in Ed. Week for information. See http://www.owlts.com/ if you need a comprehensive assessment software program to manage the data.
See: Ed. Dept. Proposes Innovation Grant Ground Rules, By Michele McNeil
in Education Week
Premium article access courtesy of Edweek.org.
....In a telephone news conference Tuesday, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan declared that he’s looking for “cutting-edge ideas that will produce the next generation of reform” through what has been dubbed the “i3” grant competition, the first round of which will begin next spring, when applications will be due. ...
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Books Face Extinction as Schools Go High-Tech
By Laura Crimaldi, Boston Herald (MCT)
Premium article access courtesy of Edweek.org.
Hitting the books is becoming a thing of the past, as more schools across Massachusetts implement virtual classrooms and equip students with laptops. ...
To see the complete article:
OWL testing software is an inexpensive way to extend the virtual classroom to include testing-- no matter what text is used or what the subject area. Assessments should be under your control--to create, edit, and administer easily to meet the needs of your students.
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