Reading Seven

I understand as an educator we need to make our lessons relevant to our learners needs, but I feel that inventing new strategies is becoming a trend. As the article suggests there are a lot of buzzwords in education, and it`s hard to keep up with all of the new ideas. Similar to what we talked about in class today regarding the twitter feed, it is difficult to be constantly reading all of these educational journals. It is quite overwhelming and makes it stressful when trying to find a strategy that will best suit students. I do believe that teaching needs to change because the demands that students face on a day to day basis is changing. I do however worry with this idea of curation education that students who do not have the intellectual capacity to evaluate and synthesize will be left behind. We learn in this program that we shouldn`t «reinvent the wheel», but simply adapt current methods. I think that we can promote higher level thinking in the classroom without having to create a whole new way of teaching.

Podcasts

I will be able to use podcasts in any class that I teach. In french specifically, I think it is very useful for students to practice their oral skills, because they are able to listen to their pronunciation and re-record if needed. In my opinion, students will benefit from this immediate feedback to help them learn to self-correct. In a way I think it almost acts as a teacher because all students can be recording at a time and be receiving feedback without needing a teacher to constantly correct pronunciation. This program allows for students to be exposed to various aspects of the language. Students are able to listen to different students podcasts providing them with information on various topics.

listen to ‘French Learning Channel-Podcast’ on Audioboo

Reading Six

I would like to explore the use of podcasts in FSL classes. I have heard about podcasts but had never thought to use it as a teaching tool. The idea presented by the teacher to have students record their discussion on classroom material is very innovative. I learn through discussion and often times I feel that I refine specific knowledge in discussion but forget it later when doing my individual review. This tool would allow for revision of topics discussed during the podcast. Although, I think we need to be cautious of using this tool because not all students are auditory learners. It is important that students are given a variety of methods to learn and review materials. Another great point discussed by the author is the development of presentation skills through podcasts. Students are recording their voices, and are able to listen to their tone and the way they articultate the classroom material. Students are very fortunate to have this opportunity to practice presentation skills because it is a life skill that is used in any job. In french I do a lot of presentations and I think that having it as a «broadcast» rather than standing up in front of the class would make them feel more comfortable. To add to this, it teaches students to be more diligent with their work, publishing a podcast could cause anxiety amongst the students. It is quite intimidating for students to have others listen to their discussions. On a last thought, specifically for second language learners, podcasts teach students to self-correct. Students are able to listen to the way they pronounce words, and try and adjust their pronunciation. Students are also able to hear the voices of other french speakers which is also beneficial because they hear the correct way to pronounce words.

Vocabulary builder

I think that this program will be very useful for FSL classes. When I teach my students I often draw on visual aids to explain words. This is a very user friendly program that I can take examples from or modify other peoples work to suit my needs. I have chosen a book that describes in simple sentences different types of food. I think that this can be used as an example to build vocabulary specific to the foods unit,or it could also serve as an example for a unit end project where they may have to describe their favourite foods. I do a lot of projects in my class and I think that this would be a nice alternative for students rather than doing a prezi or a powerpoint.

Digital Reading

I think by incorporating e-reading into the classroom I will be able to increase student literacy. I am able to post the book "Le Petit Prince" on my blog for students read in class on the computer or ipad and they are also able to access it at home. Students of this generation are more inclined to read on the computer than pick up a book therefore as a teacher I want to provide them with e-reading opportunities. I will be able to make french books more accessible to my students by posting them on my website. 
 Le Petit Prince

Reading Five

Online Translators are tools that students utilise in order to complete assignments therefore I think it`s important that we teach them how to properly use this tool. Although I only have a few months of teaching experience, it is easy to identify which students work is authentic and which is directly translated using an online translator. As the article identifies, online translators are not always correct because they translate word by word rather than translate the meaning of the words. One activity to help students understand the potential unreliability of such translations is to have them compare translation sites. Oftentimes, the results will vary in translation and the meaning of the text. This is a very useful exercise because it will help develop critical thinkers. It will also hopefully build a better understanding of how different languages can`t always be translated directly.

I don`t think I will encourage students to translate texts but I think it would be interesting for individual words. I would prefer that students use dictionaries because students can see the different meanings that a word has and chose the correct word based on the context. Translators in my opinion allow students to acquire language that is too advance and I don`t think it`s a true indication that they have mastered the language.

Reading Four

The author makes very good points regarding L2 reading. Students get scared that they don't understand every word in a text and try to find meaning in every word. This makes them lose focus on the meaning of the text. It's interesting how students change a skill they are familiar with because they can't understand every single word. I think that we do need to re-teach the same strategies that they use in their L1 to remind them that reading is the same no matter what language you are reading. One strategy that the author didn't mention is having students write a reflection on the reading. If we give students questions to answer I feel that they will just look for the questions in the text rather than understand the reading itself. I think that this also helps students build a connection with the reading and  find their own meaning.