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giving them opportunities to contribute to a class blog or something where their classmates will get to see their hearts and minds in this other forum. I think that really opens things up.

But Cain particularly feels for one group of introverts: the quiet kids in a classroom.

One “choice” assignment I regularly offer students is letting them engage in a texting conversation in Spanish and send me the screenshots. This assignment seems more like fun than like work. Plus, students are able to use the language in an authentic, realistic way.

Connect students with another class and set up a virtual pen pal program. (Bonus points if you can arrange this with a class in a country in which the target language is spoken.)

“Students should practice picking up key words and extrapolating main ideas using the context of what they hear.” @ChristeyHughes responded, “En français, we often refer to ‘la tolérance de l’ambiguité’ to be able to work through, perhaps not getting each word.”

“…Make sure that you select an appropriate length for novices–small doses of ‘anything.’”

“Multiple choice requires no production of any kind. Really, it’s only good for finding out what they don’t know.” @LauraJaneBarber said, “I like to do listening as input for a writing or speaking task. Can show true comprehension better than multiple choice.”

Even though some of my students may not have regular access to a computer at home, they can access Google Docs from anywhere, including their phones.

students also know I will look at the “Editing History” to hold them each accountable.

With Google Docs, they can quickly find the right word for their writing with Google Translate.

extra workload

enhances reading comprehension, improves students’ writing skills and abilities [6].  develops writing and learning strategies [5].  has a positive impact on the content and increases the amount of writing of learners [7].  makes students pay close attention to the formal aspects of writing, both in terms of word choice, structure, and word spelling, attending to sentence and paragraph structure as well as adapting academic style, register and appropriate word [8].  Diminishes barriers to learning English by providing them the opportunity to write freely without being judged for their grammatical mistakes [9].  develops ideas and provide feedback for the authors [10].  enhances student analytical and critical thinking skills [11]  increases student motivation in reading and writing, promotes learner independence and autonomy, and enhances students’ analytical and critical thinking skills [12].

students with low English proficiency may experience difficulty in putting their ideas in order

Blubbr is a neat quiz creation service that you can use to create video-based quizzes. Using Blubbr you can create interactive quizzes that are based on YouTube clips.

For the “Introduction to Skitch” 2-day lesson, I gave the students a choice board of activities. The students had fun creating treasure maps, Skitch selfies, classroom maps.

through collaborative technology‐mediated tasks, we can promote productive language output (spoken and written) and the type of interaction that facilitates language learning and motivates students to continue improving their language skills

But true authenticity comes from the activities we use during class time, leaving an impact on the communicative skills of our students.

Use the language proficiency site developed by UTexas to gain access to native Spanish speakers talking about a variety of themes. These are conveniently divided into proficiency levels.

Language Arts

Figurative Language

Character T

authentic

, user-friendly, and efficient while providing an “environment” that offers the security needed to ensure the privacy and safety of students.

a video from UNICEF to the class

The students then read an infographic

nother UNICEF video, for wh

Padlet is a free, online "virtual wall" tool where users can express thoughts on topics of their choice. It's like a piece of paper, but on the Web. 

Uses for Padlet in your classroom

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