WebQuestionable

I really like the idea of using a WebQuest to present information that may otherwise be boring or difficult to teach. I selected a WebQuest where students are required to “become experts” on Spanish-speaking countries to later present the necessary components to the class.

Visually

I’ll start with the design of this WebQuest since that is the first thing anyone with eyes would notice because the “MagicEye” background plays cruel tricks on your mind as you try to peruse the page. The design and color scheme make it difficult to see clearly and actually affect your mood as you review the site. Next, almost all of the information is on a single page and bunched together. This makes it even more difficult to focus on specific components of the project. The maps add to the excitement of the optical illusion because they seem to have been “hung” on the “wall” with little to no effort or design. This is ironic because students can lose five points for a presentation whose design is not “effective or visually appealing.”

The Task

I prefaced this post with the endorsement of WebQuests that are used to “teach” difficult or boring material. This Quest takes one of my all-time favorite topics (cultural presentations) and turns them into a drawn-out unnecessary project. This is also the point where I realized that students are working individually and are required only to gather information to regurgitate to their classmates.

The Process

Students are required to select a country from a pool and sift through the attached website to pick out the ten components discussed in this section. All of this information is going to be put into a PowerPoint presentation. I am running through some logistic issues as I wrap my mind around this educational process. Assuming students can gather all of the information they need in two to three class periods, how long will it take for each of the, let’s say, 25 students to present ten slides? This project would probably take two to three weeks in a high school. Here the teacher also reiterates that students are supposed to work on their own.

Resources

It's great that students don't have to "travel" to far to find information about their countries - great for students who do not want to put in the work to use reference materials in their library. I thought another point to WebQuests was to use web resources to find information that may not be readily available in books. Students can easily find all of the information they need without even touching a computer. Furthermore, I don't know how reliable a website "LonelyPlanet" is or if students should be encouraged to use sites that allow for anyone to post comments, pictures and reviews.

Changes

If students worked together to compare different aspects of their countries or were required to go through some sort of process to debate the most important information to include in a group presentation or paper, this project would be much more beneficial to everyone involved. Students need to feel engaged and challenged while they are learning. If they care about what they are doing, they will likely want to do it. I can see opportunities to teach lessons in addition to learning information about “Spanish Speaking Countries” by requiring students to use higher order thinking and teamwork to produce a final product. I will be sure to focus on incorporating these changes in my own WebQuest.

Why did the teacher buy bifocals?

Because she had bad pupils.

It’s all fun and games until someone starts learning something.

I came across a really refreshing book the other day that made me breathe a sigh of relief when I was feeling overwhelmed with the tasks of having to learn so many standards, best practices, lesson plan design and all of the other necessary, yet never-ending aspects of becoming a teacher.

I remember when I was a kid and how much fun I thought it would be to have authority over a classroom full of students – to be in charge of minds and subject matter. After years of studying to become a teacher, I have learned that structured tests, standards and administrators’ expectations of me are sometimes the ones with the authority and in charge.

Where is the fun in that?

The book is called The Laughing Classroom: Everyone’s Guide to Teaching with Humor and Play. As I went through the text, I was amazed by the success stories and could not help but wish that my schoolteachers had been like the ones described.

The book is broken up into several parts ranging in topics from how to become a laughing teacher and create a laughing classroom to ways to heal with laughter and how to use laughter forever.

The book cites several educational advantages to having a laughing classroom, stating that laughter and play will:

· Maintain a high attention level,

· Relieve physical and mental stress,

· Build rapport,

· Increase retention,

· Enhance self-esteem,

· Promote divergent thinking,

· Bring new insights,

· Allow for pleasurable learning, and

· Increase a feeling of hope (p. 33).

Who doesn’t want these things going on their classrooms? I know I do. I recommend that everyone finds a way to incorporate laughter in the classroom because our jobs require too much work not to enjoy ourselves too.

Check out these articles to find out more information about how to incorporate laughter in the classroom:

Learning about and through humor in the second language classroom

The use of humour in classroom interventions with students with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties

An experiment relating humor to student attainment in mathematics

Techniques for using humor and fun in the language arts classroom

Another joke from the book:

Q: What happens when you stifle laughter?

A: It moves down your body and starts to expand your hips.

:)

Hotkeys: From A to Z

I love my MacBook. I have had it for two years now. I remember when I took it out of the box and how anxious and excited I was to learn a new operating system. I immediately tried to transfer my PC knowledge to my new toy. Specifically, I was interested in learning all the new hotkeys that I could.

What’s a hotkey, you ask? It’s a keyboard shortcut that allows you to bypass the mouse and complete commands in a fraction of the time. That means you can save, open and close files; you can change font sizes, colors and styles; you can insert hyperlinks, print documents and quit programs – all without ever clicking the mouse.

Here is a list of the Command hotkey combinations that you can learn and take advantage of if you find yourself crunched for time while using a Mac.

• Command + a = selects all (highlights all text and/or selects all objects)
• Command + b = makes a text selection “bold”
• Command + c = copies a selected text, object, icon or file
• Command + d = in Word, this command allows you to customize your font
• Command + e = changes alignment to “centered”
• Command + f = “find” tool that lets you search an entire document or webpage for relevant words or phrases
• Command + g = in Word, allows you to “go” to a specific page, section, footnote or selection of your document
• Command + h = hides your window
• Command + i = makes selected text “italicized”
• Command + j = changes text alignment to “justified”
• Command + k = allows you to insert a hyperlink
• Command + m = minimizes your window
• Command + n = creates a “new” file, document or project once a program is opened
• Command + o = opens a file
• Command + p = prints your file
• Command + q = quits a program
• Command + r = changes text alignment to “right”
• Command + s = saves your file
• Command + t = creates a “quarter of an indent” for the selected paragraph
• Command + u = underlines your highlighted text
• Command + v = pastes your copied or cut text
• Command + w = closes your window without completely closing out of the program
• Command + x = “cuts” your text, image or selected object
• Command + y = redo function
• Command + z = undo function

• Shift + right or left arrow = allows you to highlight text to be able to manipulate it
• Control + Option + Command + 8 = Inverts your screen’s colors to make it easier on your eyes and save on your battery

Hotkeys are not just timesavers; they also allow users with digital-dexterity disabilities (problems making their hands move slowly to successfully navigate with a mouse) to perform functions with less of an importance on precise clicking.

I have worked as a Mental Health Support Specialist at a local counseling center for the last two years. I have actually been able to teach these shortcuts to some of my clients to help develop independent living skills. I can definitely see the importance of this universally designed feature in the classroom as well.

Students with certain disabilities are often allowed to use computers to complete writing assignments but are not usually taught how to customize their work with different alignments, font styles, sizes and colors or any other seemingly unimportant “cosmetic features.” What if these personalized adjustments could be made in less time than it takes to sharpen a pencil or even get one out of your backpack? Students without disabilities are allowed to use pens of different color ink when completing assignments, so why can’t students with disabilities be granted the opportunity to modify their work as well?

Well, with hotkeys, they can.

For more information on Mac hotkeys, check out these sites:

Mac OS Keyboard Shortcuts
Leopard Booster Keyboard Shortcuts
Magical Macintosh Key Sequences

What's This Por/Para?

Students often struggle to determine the appropriate use of the words “por” and “para,” which both mean “for” in the Spanish language. I am using this blog to first cite general uses of each word and then to list websites for practice exercises.

The Internet is extremely educational when used correctly. This blog (post) will help students take advantage of what the Internet has to offer. Students will also see that blogs are full of valuable information and not just social commentaries.

Using different resources and teaching devices can help maintain students’ focus and attention. The Internet, and blogs in particular, can help students use everyday technologies to learn AND understand difficult concepts.

StudySpanish.com has many great resources for students and teachers. The following are general rules from this website about the uses of Por and Para:

Por

• Rule: to express gratitude or apology
• Rule: for multiplication and division
• Rule: for velocity, frequency and proportion
• Rule: meaning "through," "along," "by" or "in the area of"
• Rule: when talking about exchange, including sales
• Rule: to mean "on behalf of," or "in favor of,"
• Rule: to express a length of time
• Rule: to express an undetermined, or general time, meaning "during"
• Rule: for means of communication or transportation
• Rule: in cases of mistaken identity, or meaning "to be seen as"
• Rule: to show the reason for an errand (with ir, venir, pasar, mandar, volver, and preguntar)
• Rule: when followed by an infinitive, to express an action that remains to be completed, use por + infinitive
• Rule: to express cause or reason
• Rule: "estar por" means to be in the mood, or inclined to do something
• Rule: in passive constructions

Para

• Rule: to indicate destination
• Rule: to show the use or purpose of a thing
• Rule: to mean "in order to" or "for the purpose of"
• Rule: to indicate a recipient
• Rule: to express a deadline or specific time
• Rule: to express a contrast from what is expected
• Rule: "estar para" to express an action that will soon be completed

To review these rules, watch this video clip from "esaudio" on YouTube:


Students, please complete at least FIVE of the TEN activities posted here throughout the week. Print off your results or have your parents complete the grade sheet with a signature for each activity completed (Check blackboard for copies of the form if you have run out).

1. Practice 1
2. Practice 2
3. Practice 3 (At least 15 Sentences)
4. Practice 4
5. Practice 5
6. Practice 6
7. Practice 7
8. Practice 8
9. Practice 9
10. Practice 10