EdTech for WL

Infographic | Elevate and Empower: World Language Instructors as Key Players in the Shift to Competency-Based, Blended Learning via Getting Smart

You need a portfolio for two reasons: to reflect well and look good. Reflection Selecting work to go into a portfolio is a metacognitive process that requires you to compare what you have actually accomplished with the desired end. I would like students to do this more frequently than the end of each grading period, and I plan to make portfolio updating at least a biweekly process. To this end, I've created a whole page within my newly revamped site template for this reflective process (hint: this should also be a gold mine for Assessment of Student Work "time lapse artifacts" for me to show my fitness as an educator). I want students to see their progress in stages.

You need a portfolio for two reasons: to reflect well and look good. Reflection Selecting work to go into a portfolio is a metacognitive process that requires you to compare what you have actually accomplished with the desired end. I would like students to do this more frequently than the end of each grading period, and I plan to make portfolio updating at least a biweekly process. To this end, I've created a whole page within my newly revamped site template for this reflective process (hint: this should also be a gold mine for Assessment of Student Work "time lapse artifacts" for me to show my fitness as an educator). I want students to see their progress in stages.

The FLTmag is a quarterly practice-oriented online publication dedicated to the field of foreign language technology. Our goal is to provide useful and practical information about technology integration in the classroom such as emerging technologies, interesting books, classroom projects, institutional initiatives, conferences and symposiums and language centers worldwide. We're hoping to become a public forum promoting engaged and productive discussions around burning issues in the field of language technology in the U.S. and beyond. The fltmag.com encourages a wide diversity of fact and opinion on the use of technology in language learning. The opinions expressed in the fltmag.com are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of the editorial team.

Great tips for using social media in the WL class!

"Making learning interactive has always been difficult for educators. Students rarely want to collaborate and get involved in discussions, because most of them are afraid of making mistakes and saying something wrong. Luckily for all of us, the emergence of technology used in classrooms has made educators able of making the learning process interactive. Blending the traditional textbooks with innovative web tools that inspire collaboration will be the wisest thing you've ever done for your students. The goal of project-based learning is to enable your students to put the things they have learned into practice and develop valuable skills through the project development. They will learn how to make priorities, manage sources, and summarize new concepts. The final goal is to enable them to understand a certain concept more easily."

From Intel, a blueprint kit to plan for digital teaching and learning.

If you've ever considered having students bring their own devices (BYOD) to class, you've probably worried…won't the kids text all day long? How do I keep them from taking inappropriate photos or posting on Facebook while I'm teaching? Aren't students' phones a huge distraction? Here to help is Kristy from the 2 Peas and a Dog blog. Kristy is a Canadian middle school teacher who is in her seventh year of teaching Grades 7 and 8′s. She has allowed students to bring their own technology into the classroom for a few years now, and is excited to share how BYOD works in her classroom.

"On a given day, how much time do your students spend working on their fluency? At the elementary level, hours are devoted to reading and speaking fluency. In middle and high school, students read aloud, deliver oral presentations, and write in a variety of formats to improve upon their language fluency. And yet, while we devote a significant portion of every school day to a student's reading, writing and language fluency, how much time is devoted to the development of their technology fluency? "

This is a tool for makeing a poster with a quote, embedded in an image/template to post online, to tweetl to download as a picture - cool tool!

Make an ap from a website! Cool!

What do you think? Join the discussion.

What do you think? Join the discussion.

"Working in a creative industry often means that you need to present your work on a global stage, using an attractive and professional platform. A great portfolio can help you land clients while building your brand and network, so it's essential to get it right. However, creating a beautiful, functional portfolio can be complicated and time-consuming, especially if you have no prior design or coding knowledge. Not to worry - there are plenty of online tools that can help you get your portfolio up and running in no time. "

"Mind mapping is the process of using visual diagrams to show the relationships between ideas or information. Its popular uses include project planning, collecting and organizing thoughts, brainstorming and presentations - all in order to help solve problems, map out resources and uncover new ideas. It can be more useful than trying to keep track of our ideas by scribbling them on paper, and can aid in manipulating and generating concepts."

Mind mapping is the process of using visual diagrams to show the relationships between ideas or information. Its popular uses include project planning, collecting and organizing thoughts, brainstorming and presentations - all in order to help solve problems, map out resources and uncover new ideas. It can be more useful than trying to keep track of our ideas by scribbling them on paper, and can aid in manipulating and generating concepts.

"Twitter reste l'outil favori pour promouvoir ses articles de blog et heureusement, WordPress nous fournit des plugins intéressants pour intégrer à la fois notre passion d'écriture et de tweetage frénétique. Ci dessous, je propose quelques outils de Twitter pour votre blog WordPress :"

A digital story combines text and images with narration in the student's own voice to form a short digital movie. Digital Storyteller is a web-based tool that offers teachers and students frictionless access to digital images and materials that enable them to construct compelling personal narratives. Digital Storyteller was developed as an initiative of Primary Access.

"Digital Storytelling is the modern expression of the ancient art of storytelling. Throughout history, storytelling has been used to share knowledge, wisdom, and values. Stories have taken many different forms. Stories have been adapted to each successive medium that has emerged, from the circle of the campfire to the silver screen, and now the computer screen." 

Constant assessment and feedback is absolutely crucial to guaranteeing that students are growing and moving forward with their learning - now Edcanvas allows you to mix assessment with your content to keep a pulse on how your students are progressing! You can create a quiz on any empty canvas tile by clicking "Add Quiz." Quizzes take seconds to make, and are also instantly and automatically graded, providing you with a detailed and easy-to-use report. This means more free time for you to give students individualized attention and support.

"Google Docs, in addition to being a stellar way to write, store and manage your documents and slideshows, is also a fantastically useful way to collect survey data. Basically, you send out a form, people fill it in, and Google reports the documents back to you in an incredibly simple and easy-to-understand fashion."

"Twitter like all other social media is a virtual Aladdin's cave. It is a gateway to riches. But just like in the story, this Aladdin's cave is also booby-trapped. Use it right and you will come away with the genie of knowledge ready to do your bidding. Use it wrong and you will be a casualty of wasted time. So, 'rub' it just right. Long back, we had taken a look at how to use Twitter for business. Many of the methods hold true for learning as well."