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"the easiest way to communicate and work in groups" - might be good for classes? - communicate via group email, text, and voice messages - host web meetings, conference calls, chatrooms - keep shared calendar - store and edit files in one common folder -poll group in real-time - keep track of group's task, resources

A virtual learning platform that looks very simple to use and can create an environment much like Facebook without the security issues or Twitter exposure

iTalki is a good site for this and it's typically only adults.

Discussion on how technology is being used and why we're still struggling to give more control of learning to students. A good read!

"A 2014 paper by researchers at Michigan State University, in East Lansing, provides a tangible example: Teachers and students in the small-scale study were found to be making extensive use of the online word-processing tool Google Docs. The application's power to support collaborative writing and in-depth feedback, however, was not being realized. Teachers were not encouraging group-writing assignments and their feedback focused overwhelmingly on issues such as spelling and grammar, rather than content and organization." This really gets to the heart of the idea of combining education and technology: the technology has to serve the goal and it doesn't sound like the teachers' goals were the same as the stated goals of the assignment. So obviously Google Docs is a fantastic tool, but it has to be utilized appropriately for it to be effective.

I must say I have sat through many workshops in my tenure at my university that included the modification of some practices and even included, to my frustration, the basic structure of a lesson from stating outcomes to assessment. The problem with our particular situation is that usually it is directed to a "one-size-fits-all" use of a given technology that may not apply to many disciplines. I have found them somewhat useful for upper-level courses at times, but the language classes often pose the need for a kind of collaboration and interpersonal technology that isn't presented. Hence my desire to take this course. Another difficulty is the overwhelming number of technological applications presented--I can't tell you how many--and the students really become overwhelmed, since they often have to learn new technologies in almost many courses. Some work and some don't, and since they are the guinea pigs and there are no guarantees that everything will work as planned, and given the astounding changes in tech, the newness never seems to end, neither for the student nor the teacher. So focusing on just 1 or 2 to begin with seems like the only way to deal with it. Finally, I think that, at least in our university, the huge courses found often in the sciences reflect the slowness to adopt meaningful change. Many in these disciplines have simply used the tech to deliver more lectures on topics students must memorize, perhaps adding clickers for comprehension checks. There seems to be a great disconnect between what happens in the classroom and the amazing advances in tech they have made for their hands-on work--labs, collaborative work, etc.

I like Edutopia because it provides great information and ideas about teaching in the 21st century.

A good reminder to allow time for processing during PD presentations -

Of all the blogs I've seen, Edutopia consistently has the most useful advice to give. I may not be in total agreement with all of it, but it is reliable and grounded.

Resource guides to some common digital tools, all in one place!

I'm all about free resources! I especially like that there is a free Prezi guide b/c my students have to use Prezi for some of their projects, including one on the final exam, and it's tough for them if they have never used it before. That guide could really help in their understanding of how to use this tool.

Ok - so this article isn't on the interpretive mode...but it makes some good points - pro and con. The author is an entertaining self-described rabble-rouser!

WeSpeke is an app that enables students in US language classes to be matched with a native speaker anywhere in the world. It is a curated program, with special privacy safeguards built in at the HS level.

iTalki has been my go to for finding language exchange partners but the fact that there are safeguards built in for the HS level makes this an attractive option to use at the secondary level, thanks for sharing this!

Good resource. This is definitely an aspect of my teaching that needs more work, especially in lower-level classes.

It would be a great tool if you teach on Skype. But after having learned about Zoom, I would forget about Skype. Zoom has so much more to offer and it can be free if you use it in 40 minute increments.

The expert interviews are something I need to do more of. Love the idea of a virtual Career day. Would be a good way to keep alums connected.

The top listed sites in a number of categories for these awards! They're not language-specific, but you can find a lot of good educational uses of blogs, tweets, wikis, podcasts, webinars, and other categories.

I don't think that the facebook craze has effected us THAT much, goodness!!! I am 22 and am part of this generation, and I can say that most of my friends and I have grown out of the facebook phase, we aren't obsessed like we were at the end of high school and start of college.

An amusing article ... and perhaps with some degree of truth to it ... but I am unsure why the opinion professor of pharmacology who has done no research on the topic warrants an article.

Bringing experts into your classroom via video conferencing can be an excellent enhancement to your students' learning experiences. Video conferencing can also be used to connect classrooms in a 21st century version of penpal exchanges. Skype is the most common tool for making these connections and for good reason Skype is the most popular video conferencing application.

I went straight to the "New Challenges" section- good stuff here to help US with this course and to help watch out for these issues when we start doing these things with our students!