Setting up...a thought

In a pre-observation meeting for this Coetail class; I shared a lesson which did not only focus on language teaching and content, but it also integrated technology in alignment to the standards of the unit.
The pre-observation conference helped me to reflect about the objective of my lesson and the value of integrating technology in my class; with the constant question "how do I support my students to use Spanish? With this in mind;some ideas worth paying close attention came up: the value of teaching about technology in the target language; students are not only learning about the language; it is the means of communication. Also, students adopting new roles to support others who need help with technology and the opportunity for students to show in a creative way; which makes sense to them; their understanding of content and language.
Personally, I found value in a pre-conference to put my thoughts out loud and reflect on the purpose of what I bring to my class.

Reflecting back...and moving forward

Several months ago the idea of integrating technology in my language class was a bit intimidating. It was not only about learning how to use a tool; but also making it meaningful to what my students need, and trying to match it to standards and benchmarks so that it does not become "one more project". It was also overwhelming to think about the logistics of using technology: not enough laptops, the connection, classroom management..!

Technology has become a part of my teaching in different ways. It is a means of communication with my students and parents through our class blog. It is is our connection to other Spanish speakers and learners around the world, or a tool for my students to independently improve their language skills. It is an alternative for students with different learning styles, or a portfolio to show language growth through school years and beyond. I confess at the beginning I spent a lot of time, learning and planning to use technology; but I also have to say it pays off when it works.

To share this experience; my next blog posts will explain a pre-conference meeting for an observation of a lesson integrating technology in my language class, a reflection of the lesson and comments on the post observation meeting.