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An interesting blog by a teacher of languages and technology.  Three entries, "improving pronunciation using Speech-to-Text Apps", "Using Thinglink to prepare for the AP cultural comparison", and "using google drawing in language classes" have direct correlations to what we do and can use in our classrooms.  Google draw (found in Chrome's Google Drive) would be particularly helpful to practice writing Arabic or Chinese.  

While the use technology in language teaching classrooms has become increasingly more common, fewer teachers are comfortable using technology as they assess leaner progress. In this webinar on assessing language using computer technology, I will outline ways in which technology can be used to help inform the assessment of language learners.

This is an awesome YouTube channel by Sylvia Duckworth. I would use her Chansons au Powerpoint to pre-teach vocabulary and then reinforce the learning with the music/PowerPoint combination.  Other videos offer a plethora of topics that can be used in your classroom.  Her use of GoAnimate inspires me to have my students create similar projects to tell stories.   Although in French, the ideas are easily used in Spanish and other WL classrooms. 

Technology tool chosen to support ACTFAL standards and 21st century skills.

Use colorful collaboration with an online canvas. Incorportates sticky notes, uploading of pictures and YouTube videos. You can create calender reminders also. By making your canvas public it can be used as an exit ticket or for class discussions. Students can use their computers, IPads or Smart phones. Great collaboration tool which students can use both in and outside the classroom

A young second grader uses evernote to record herself reading aloud and reflects on her progress and sets goals for improvement.  Something we could use in the WL classroom - students can use the app on their phones as well.  

Explain Everything is a screencasting app for the iPad. It costs $2.99 in the App Store and no account is needed to use it. This iPad app is designed for educational professionals and students alike, to create projects and record them as screencasts. It is a powerful tool and flexible app that is easy to use. Students use Explain Everything to make collaborative projects using multiple mediums. The recording feature allows foreign language students to create speaking samples with their projects, which can be used to measure progress with language proficiency in a digital portfolio. Teachers can use the recording feature to create a lecture capture. Projects can be designed directly in Explain Everything or files such as presentations, photos, notes, and videos can be imported into the app to create a project that can be annotated with pencil or text, narrated, recorded, and shared in a variety of ways, uploading to Photo Roll, You Tube, Email, Drop Box, and Evernote. Explain Everything can be used by both teachers and students as an interactive whiteboard tool for presentational purposes, when connected to an Apple TV or projector.

Lingro is an online dictionary tool that allows users to link any URL address or uploaded document and have all words be linked to the available dictionaries in 11 languages. Once the URL address or document is linked to the Lingro dictionaries every word becomes "clickable" and linked to the program's dictionary to view either a definition in English or a translation in the other languages. This site can be used by World Language teachers and students in a variety of ways to encourage reading comprehension in L2. For teachers use, Lingro can be used for created guided practice activities with L2 readings, such as in an online newspaper or uploaded document. The teacher guides students through the target vocabulary to be learned and promote the discussion of its context use and correct translation. For student use, vocabulary lists can be created with the click of a button which can later be reviewed as flashcards or word lists with examples of use in contextual sentences. This tool aids learners with a quick reference for the meaning of words without having to interrupt a lesson or reading exercise for lengthy amounts of time.

This is a Youtube channel that has a flipped grammar lessons. It is very useful for Arabic teachers using Al-Kitaab series. It allows them to use class time in activating knowledge more than explaining grammatical concept.

This webinar explores the purposes and uses for performance assessment in world language classrooms. Many language instructors and learners want to know the extent to which an assessment can capture how well a student will be able to complete real-life tasks when using the target language (Bachman & Palmer, 1996; Stoynoff & Chapelle, 2005). The webinar will begin with a description of performance assessment, how it aligns with learning and teaching purposes, and its uses for the classroom. Next, we will explore how to integrate performance assessment into language classrooms, including developing tasks and rubrics that will support such activities (Norris et al, 2008). During this part, we will examine one or more typical performance assessment tasks, and we will discuss how to adapt them to your needs. Finally, we will discuss the logistics of performance assessment and brainstorm ways to integrate meaningful performance assessment within the constraints of available resources

A free online infographic program which is easy to use to display data.  You can include illustrations, upload excel charts or use the ones provided, download the infographic you create, share and embed the finished product. Easy to use for those not skilled with excel programs with some fun extras.

A plethora of resources for using portfolios, strength-based and asset-based evaluation and assessment for language learning.

Portfolios are a great tool to use in the classroom, especially in a more digital environment where everything is already on the computer. I think that this resource could definitely be something that could help teachers who are unsure of how to use portfolios in their classroom.

I particularly appreciate the broad overview of this site. By including European example, it gives a wider range of perspective. Thanks for sharing

A good article that tells about how schools are using social networking

I like this article's ideas for how to use certain social media tools in the classroom, such as gaggle.net for safe social networking, Twitter for end-of-unit review, etc.

20 uses for Wordle in the classroom or out of class. Useful for a variety of purposes and a variety of ages. Wordle also used in a study for analyzing student writing samples, to show overused words and suggest broadening vocabulary.

A video which offers perspectives on using virtual worlds in the classroom as a learning experience. Targets differentiating in the classroom using technology.

A helpful starting point for considering if one's use of material falls within fair use.

This reading provides a simple how to for using infographics in the classroom environment as a teaching tool.

I found this site because I love using Animoto, but am frustrated that the video clip is so short. From the site "When you use Animoto, you know video clips must be 10 seconds or less. But have no fear, I can show you how to get more video clip time! I work on Animoto's customer service team and I know some of you are looking for the secret to adding longer clips."

Whether you are creating a PBL activity or an IPA, this checklist is a good way of pre-evaluating your efforts.  I also explored other areas of this blog and found some interesting resources that can be used in the WL classroom.  

Blogger is a free site for blogging. It is incorporated with Google, so if the user has a Google account, he automatically  has a Blogger account. This site (as well as any simple blogging site) can be used for students to publish their writing and receive a world-wide audience. Additionally, students can keep a reflection journal of their own progress, feelings, and questions regarding their learning. Finally, instructors can use blogs to communicate important information to their students as well as share their voice in an easily-accessed, asynchronous means.

This particular portion of the site affirms how storytelling using online tools for slideshows supports common core.  There are other areas of the site that are very useful as well.