Webquests

I think Webquests will work well in the world language classroom because of the global resources. No longer would we be restricted to teaching students merely about France and Paris. We have access to information on the 40+ countries that speak French as the primary or secondary language. I also like the fact that the teacher is not the "sage on the stage," but will definitely be the "guide on the side."

There were several webquests I like that dealt

with travel or culture. I posted the link for a family vacation webquest on my wiki. I would modify the quest and give students a choice of the Francophone country they would like to investigate.

http://oncampus.richmond.edu/academics/education/projects/webquests/france/

For virtual tours, I have already had my students "on the top of the Eiffel Tower." There is a panoramic vista and they can see all of Paris. A virtual tour that appeals to me and I think will appeal to my visual learners in the tour of Le Louvre, one of the most famous art museums.

Also, part of the website is dedicated to "Young People," so that is material there that could be incorporated into a curriculum page or perhaps a scavenger hunt. There is so much more at this museum than just the Mona Lisa.

http://www.louvre.fr/llv/dossiers/liste_ei.jsp?bmLocale=en

Photo by K. Lewton (2009 Strasbourg, France)

iTunes

Other than the brief period of time in class today, I have no experience with iTunes. When I went home tonight to complete the assignement, I had a surprise. I had to download their application - took a good 15 minutes. It was kind of fascinating to watch the process. Usually my husband, my in-house techie, does this kind of thing for me. But I did this myself.

I had fun exploring many French language podcasts. It took me a while to figure out how to actually listen, but I got it. I think I may have subscribed to a podcast in the process of listening to the freebies. Some were for beginners; others, for intermediate and more advanced levels.

To find the following links, go ti iTunes and search French language.

I found "French for Beginners" which I think my students might enjoy. The podcasts were of varied lengths and many had a "word of the day" with some interesting vocabulary, like the slang for policeman.

For myself I was delighted to find "One Thing in a French Day," which is a "slice of a Frenchwoman's day." There was an incredible assortment of topics and was very up-to-date, with new podcasts posted this week. The lady has a delightful accent and a friendly way about her. I will look forward to listening to more episodes.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/emilyl/2952959476/
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Changes in teaching

After reading several of the online articles, I was struck by how technology can let education and learning be SO personal. Each student can "create, grow, navigate their own learning." How meaningful that must be! How relevant!

As a lifelong learner, I want to experience and use technologies that my students take for granted. I want to reach them through medium they embrace.

As a world language teacher, "connections" is one of my new favorite words that speaks volumes. We connect to new conent. We connect to other disciplines. We connect to our neighbors. We connect to others across the globe. And I want to connect to my students.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/toasty/1540997910/

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en