Kylie Thompson ELPS 302 Midterm Exam March 14, 2018 A. Constructive Learning with Technology Class Collaborative Learning Activity (A) Learning and Investigating Latin American Cultures through Google Slides and Collaborative Research ● The Students ○ The students are 11th and 12th grade children in their third and fourth years of learning Spanish as a second language. Because of the area of study, the students are going to be learning about the cultural differences among Spanish speaking countries and the United States. ● Required Resources ○ Technological Device (Computer, Laptop, Ipad) ○ Internet Access ○ Google Account ○ Database Access ● Activity ○ Based on the Cooperative Learning Theory formulated by David and Roger Johnson, students will be required to form groups of three or four to begin this project. It is thought that students can benefit from each other by utilizing each other’s opinions and gathering resources to help advance knowledge in various ways. The students will choose one country in Central or South America to do research over, and then will choose aspects of that country’s culture to gather the majority of the information. Each student will be in charge of gathering information based on his or her’s specific area of tradition, and they will then be required to input the new knowledge into a shared Google Slides Presentation. Since each group member can have access to the same document on separate computers, the process is very efficient for group work. Once the facts are entered into the presentation, the group should work together to add pictures, and discuss how the cultural norms of their chosen country are alike or different in comparison to those in the United States. Upon completion, one group member will upload the Google Slides Presentation to the Google Classroom page for their specific class period to allow access to the document for the entire class to see and learn from. ● Questions and Hypotheses
○ The students will be highly encouraged to come up with their own questions about what aspects of culture they are most interested in, and why these differences appear between the United States and their chosen country. These questions may include: ■ What holidays are celebrated regularly in this country? ■ How is the education system designed? Free? Private? ■ What are examples of typical foods eaten here? ■ How do the citizens normally dress? Casual? Traditional? ○ More advanced students might address questions such as: ■ Are there any societal norms that are not commonly found elsewhere? (Hugs, kisses on the cheek, etc.) ■ What is the origin of these traditions and why have some remained while others are more related in a historical context? National International Investigations (C) Using Teleconference to Personalize Connections between International Students ● The Students ○ This activity is designed to be used by a student of any level or age in the process of learning Spanish as a second language. The nature of learning a new language is primarily based on practice, so each student will spend individual time practicing speaking with a native Spanish speaker to evolve their knowledge. ● Required Resources ○ Internet Access ○ A computer device with a camera function (Desktop, Laptop, Ipad, Iphone) ○ A teleconference application (FaceTime, TalkAbroad, Skype) ○ Device for note taking (Notebook, Notes App) ○ Penpal from a Spanish speaking country ● Activity ○ In this activity, students will be asked to use some sort of teleconference, or videoconference application to have a real, face-to-face conversation with a companion from a Spanish speaking country. This is based on the Experiential Learning Theory founded by Carl Rogers, as he suggested that a student actually “doing” the thing they are attempting to learn is one of the most effective ways of learning. To do this, the student will be asked to log into whichever application they have chosen, and will pair up with a partner from another country. They will be required to set up a date that works best for both sides of the pair, and on that date, the student will be required to hold a conversation completely in Spanish with their partner for 20 minutes. During this time, the student should ask questions about the other student’s life, culture, school experiences, hobbies, etc.
While discussing these topics, the student can take notes about new vocabulary that is introduced as well as general information learned about that foreign student’s country of origin. Once the call is over, the student will simply be asked to reflect on the conversation that was had and utilize what was learned to further his/her proficiency in the new language. ● Questions and Hypotheses ○ The students will be highly encouraged to come up with original questions and topics to discuss with their partner. Some examples of these include: ■ How old are you and what kind of school do you go to? ■ What are some traditions and values held in your family? ■ Do you have many hobbies? If so, what and why? ■ What is the best activity to do or place to see in your country? ○ More advanced students might address questions such as: ■ Do you find there are many differences between your country and the United States? Are these positive or negative? ■ Is it highly reinforced to learn English in your country? Do you think this is fair? ■ What is your best advice toward someone trying to learn a new language? B: Future of Educational Technology and Content Knowledge Part One: Describe one of the most important technologies that will influence education in 10 years. With the rapid growth of technology in our society, I think it is extremely difficult to predict a single most important type of technology that will influence education in the next 10 years; however, I strongly believe that the use of tablets in general will be one of the greatest influences. As more schools begin to implement 1-1 programs, providing each student in the district with their own device, it is becoming increasingly easier for teachers to provide the majority of their teaching materials online as paperless versions of textbooks and assignments. In addition to this, there are several apps that can be downloaded and used as ways to examine progress and receive quick results from students on what subjects are being learned. Because of the endless possibilities these apps seem to have, I personally feel that tablets will become the leading technological aspect in education. Part Two: When you consider the career needs of your students and the overall needs of society, is it more important that your students know how to solve problems with information technologies or is it more important that they know the content in your area? For example, if you teach science education is it more important that the students know the
periodic tables or how to locate the periodic tables and use technology to interpret them? Why? I feel that there can be several answers to this question, especially based on the content area of the particular student. As a future Spanish educator, I would argue that it is technically more important for students to actually know the content in my area. Sure, technology may supplement one’s learning by providing online dictionaries and practice exercises and websites; however, to utilize the skills taught in my class while participating in the real world, it is far more critical that a student is capable of truly speaking the language in conversations with other Spanish speakers. If a student is hired as a translator in a hospital, or as a ESL teacher for a school district, they will need to be able to know the content right off the top of their head, not after looking in a dictionary or using an online translator. I do see the benefits of using technology in the field to further one’s knowledge; however, overall, I think it is extremely critical that my students truly retain the knowledge to pull at whatever time they need it.