El Pretérito, El Imperativo, y Los Latin Grammys Español 2 y 3

ESPAÑOL 2:

1.) Toca Timbre - viernes, el doce de noviembre, 2010

Escribe las frases en español:
1. - José ate in the café.
2. - My sisters and I studied last night.
3. - Did you walk (andar) in the park?
4. - I was very sick yesterday.
5. - My parents came to my celebration.

2.) Ahora, toma "Ch. 1 Preterite" Y
"Ch. 1 Irr. Pret." QUIZZES
en conjuguemos.com

3.) Cuando terminas los 2 Quizzes, puedes escuchar música y ver videos en estos sitios:

VIDEOS EN ESPAÑOL
ACTUALIDADES.COM
UNIVISION.COM Latin Grammys

¡Tengas un buen fin de semana!


________________________________________


ESPAÑOL 3:

Toca Timbre - viernes, el doce de noviembre, 2010

Escribe las frases en el imperativo (formal Ud. commands)

1. - Grandma, prepare the dinner please.
2. - Mom, chop the garlic please.
3. - Dad, peel the potatoes please.
4. - Uncle, fry the eggs please.
5. - Aunt, wash the dishes please.

2.) Ahora, toma el "Mandatos Formales" Quiz en Colby.edu. Print your completed quiz and turn in your quiz with the score when you are done.

3.) Cuando terminas el Quiz puedes escuchar música y ver videos en estos sitios:

VIDEOS EN ESPAÑOL
ACTUALIDADES.COM
UNIVISION.COM Latin Grammys

¡Tengas un buen fin de semana!

Recetas Latinas - Español 3

Toca Timbre:

jueves, el veintiuno de octubre, 2010

Contesta en frases completas:

1. ¿Qué necesitas para freir una papa?
2. ¿Qué necesitas para hervir una sopa?
3. ¿Dónde pones comida para congelarla?
4. ¿Adónde vas para cocinar comida?
5. ¿Dónde pones la carne para asarla?


1.) Hoy, visita el sitio UNIVISION.COM.

Vamos a ver dos videos:uno es como cocinar TOMATES RELLENAS DE JAMÓN Y HUEVO,

y el otro video es como preparar los MEJILLONES CON MAÍZ.

- Escoge (choose) el video que te gusta más.
- Escribe los ingredientes en español.
- Ahora, escribe las direcciones de como preparar este plato.
- Usa por lo menos (at least) 8 frases para explicar como preparar la comida.
- No conjuga los verbos, por ejemplo:

"Hervir el agua el la caserola."
"Picar las cebollas."

Voy a colectar tu receta MAÑANA.

¡Qué rico!

Vocabulario del Tren - Español 2

Toca Timbre:

jueves, el veintiuno de octubre, 2010

¿Cómo se escribe en español?

1. the track
2. the train car
3. to leave
4. to leave on time
5. to leave with a delay (2 answers)


Hoy, vamos a practicar el vocabulario nuevo del Capítulo 1.

1.) Visita al sitio conjuguemos.com y practica el vocabulario en el Practice Zone. Juega Word Search, Hangman, Memory, etc.

2.) You must do the GRADED PRACTICE ACTIVITY one time. I will take your submitted practice activity as a grade. You may do the activity timed or not, it will not affect your grade.



3.) Escucha la canción "Jueves" cantado por el grupo LA OREJA DE VAN GOGH (#27). Haz la actividad y mañana hablamos de la canción.

Para ver el video, haz clic AQUÍ.

4.) ¡No hay tarea! Mañana te doy la estampilla por la tarea de ayer.

El Arte Urbano, Object Pronouns - Español 3

1.) Hoy, vamos a ver algunos ejemplos del

ARTE URBANO de ciudades en latínoamérica.

Vamos a ver ciudades en Argentina y México.

2.) También vamos a ver un video de LOS MURALES en la Ciudad de México.

Contesta las preguntas en la forma.


3.) Ahora, escucha la canción "Aléjate de mí" por Camila (#3).

Llena la actividad con las palabras que escuchas.

4.) Necesito esta actividad

VIERNES, EL PRIMERO DE OCTUBRE, 2010

Español 2 - Reflexive Verbs

Hoy, empieza nuestro DWM:

Un Día Típico – Mi Rutina

Lee el RUBRIC y sigue las direcciones.

Necesito este proyecto

MARTES, EL CINCO DE OCTUBRE, 2010!

¡Buena suerte!

Repaso E QUIZ - Español 2

1.) Empieza con el Toca Timbre de hoy.

2.) Repasa "GO" Verbs y "ING" en Practice Zone en conjuguemos.com.

3.) Haz el Repaso E Quiz en Quiz Zone en conjuguemos.com.

¡Buena suerte!

4.) Cuando terminas el QUIZ, puedes explorar el sitio (website) de tu libro, ¡Buen Viaje!.

También puedes escuchar música en Actualidades.com.

Capítulo 9 Vocabulario - Español 3

1.) Empieza con el Toca Timbre de hoy.

2.) Hoy, repasa el vocabulario nuevo del Capítulo 9 en conjuguemos.com.


3.) Visita a National Geographic, Ultimate City Guides. Haz clic en las ciudades del mundo que hablan español: México City, Barcelona, Madrid, Buenos Aires, etc...

Escoge (choose) 1 ciudad que habla español. Lee todo que puedas y mira las fotos para aprender mucho.

~ Ahora, haz una GUÍA DE VIAJE (TRAVEL GUIDE) para promocionar la cuidad.
~ Escribe 3 párrafos de la ciudad que escogiste. Mira el RUBRIC que te dí.
~ Tienes que usar 20 palabras del vocabulario del Capítulo 9.
~ Las frases tienen que ser completas, sin error. Tienes que escribir en tiempo presente (present tense).
~ Tienes que incluir 3 fotos de la ciudad. Puedes imprimir (print) las fotos hoy.

Voy a colectar los proyectos el lunes - ¡Buena suerte!

Capítulo 8 Review - Español 3

Visita el sitio conjuguemos.com y practica en PRACTICE ZONE:

- Emergencias médicas: Buen Viaje 2: Capítulo 8
- Present Perfect: Test Review

Estudia mucho - ¡Buena suerte!

REPASO D Review - Español 2

Visita el sitio conjuguemos.com y en PRACTICE ZONE:

- Repaso D Vocabulary
- Gustar
- Stem Changing Verbs Practice

Estudia mucho - !Buena suerte!

¡El Bicentenario de México!

Hoy es un día muy especial para los mexicanos - es su DÍA DE INDEPENDENCIA. Hace 200 años, México ganó su independencia de España. ¡Felicidades México!

In your FREE TIME at home, visit Univision.com and watch the VIDEOS of the BICENTENARIO de México. There are lots of really interesting things to see, food, dance, interviews - the people of México have spent a long time preparing for their special day and the videos document how much they love their country.


1.) Go to Actualidades.com and scroll down to the VIDEO. Mira el video y contesta las preguntas en la forma que te dí.




2.) Ahora mira este video de la historia de la Independencia de México. Contesta las preguntas en la forma.




3.) Vuelve a Actualidades.com y mira el video de "México, México" ( #42) cantado por el grupo RBD. Completa la actividad de las letras (lyrics) de esta canción.





4.) Ahora vamos a aprender más del deporte más famoso del mundo -
¡EL FÚTBOL!






Mira el video de la canción oficial de LA COPA MUNDIAL 2010.



Aquí están las letras de la canción "WAKA WAKA" por Shakira en español.

Llego el momento,
caen las murallas
va a comenzar
la única justa
de la batallas.

No duele el golpe,
no existe el miedo
quítate el polvo,
ponte de pie
y vuelves al ruedo.

Y la presión
que sientes
espera en ti,
tu gente!

Ahora vamos por todo
y te acompaña la suerte
samina mina Zangaléwa
porque esto es África.

Samina mina ¡eh! ¡eh!
waka waka ¡eh! ¡eh!
samina mina Zangaléwa
porque esto es África.

Oye tu dios y
no estarás solo
llegas aquí
para brillar
lo tienes todo.

La hora se acerca
es el momento
vas a ganar
cada batalla
ya lo presiento.

Hay que empezar
de cero
para tocar
el cielo.

Ahora vamos por todo
y todos vamos por ellos
samina mina Zangaléwa
porque esto es África.

Samina mina ¡eh! ¡eh!
waka waka ¡eh! ¡eh!
samina mina Zangaléwa
porque esto es África.

Samina mina ¡eh! ¡eh!
waka waka ¡eh! ¡eh!
samina mina Zangaléwa
porque esto es África.

5.) Escucha la canción "Waving Flag" cantado por Davíd Bisbal de España y K'naan.




Lyrics to Waving Flag :
(featuring K'naan)

ohhh ohhh ohhh ohhh

Give me freedom
Give me fire
Give me reason
Take me higher
See the champions
Take the field now
You're the fighters
Make us feel proud

En las calles muchas manos
levantadas, celebrando
una fiesta sin descanzo
los paises como hermanos

Canta y une tu voz
grita fuerte que te escuche el sol
el partido ya va a comenzar
todos juntos vamos a ganar

Unidos!
Seremos grandes,
seremos fuertes
somos un pueblo
bandera de libertad
que viene y que va
que viene y que va
que viene y que va
que viene y que...

when i get older
i will be stronger
they’ll call me freedom
just like a wavin flag
So wave your flag
Now wave your flag
Now wave your flag
Now wave your flag
Now wave your flag
Now wave your flag
Now wave your flag

ohhh ohhh ohhh ohhh

Danos vida
danos fuego
que nos lleven a lo alto
campeones o vencidos
pero unidos a intentarlo

In the streets
are exalifting
as we lose our inhibitions
celebration is around us
every nation all around us

Singing forever young,
singing songs underneath the sun
let’s rejoice to the beautiful game
and together at the end of day

we all sing
Seremos grandes,
seremos fuertes
somos un pueblo
bandera de libertad
que viene y que va
que viene y que va
que viene y que va
que viene y que...

when i get older
i will be stronger
they’ll call me freedom
just like a wavin flag
So wave your flag
Now wave your flag
Now wave your flag
Now wave your flag
Now wave your flag
Now wave your flag
Now wave your flag

ohhh ohhh ohhh ohhh

and we go...
Seremos grandes,
seremos fuertes
somos un pueblo
bandera de libertad

when i get older
i will be stronger
they’ll call me freedom
just like a wavin flag
So wave your flag
Now wave your flag
Now wave your flag
Now wave your flag
Now wave your flag
Now wave your flag
Now wave your flag

ohhh ohhh ohhh ohhh

And everybody
will be singing…
And everybody
will be singing…

* Mira este video de los Gummibears que juegan fútbol. ¡Sí, Gummibears!

6.) Contesta todas la preguntas en la forma - la voy a colectar mañana después del examen. Estudia por el examen esta noche en conjuguemos.com.

Present Perfect - Español 3

1.) Toca Timbre - jueves el nueve de septiembre, 2010

Escribe las siguientes frases en español:
1.) He has taken the bus.
2.) We have arrived at the party.
3.) I have not eaten tomato soup, never.
4.) They have sang the song many times.
5.) Have you called Maria? (add the personal "a" before Maria)



2.) HOY -Visita conjuguemos.com y practica "PRESENT PERFECT con Verbos Regulares". Tus resultos me van a llegar por email. Si quieres más practica con el vocabulario de Capítulo 8, practicas otra vez con "Emergencias médicas: Buen Viaje 2: Capítulo 8".

Y como siempre, puedes escuchar música en Actualidades.




3.) Ahora, ayudame con el PowerPoint que vamos a enseñar en la fiesta del Club de Español el miércoles.

Haz 2 slides con texto en español, o inglés si está mejor, en PowerPoint sobre el Día de Independencia del país de Mexico.

¿Qué puedes encontrar de la historia?
¿Cómo celebran este día en Mexico?
¿Qué música de Mexico puedes encontrar?
¿Puedes poner FOTOS que representan el día?

Haz los 2 slides en Powerpoint y me los manda por email a elizabeth.tejeda@cmcss.net ANTES del viernes, por favor.
30 puntos

¡Gracias por ayudarme, vas a enseñar a los estudiantes de español MUCHO de la celebracion del Día de Independencia de Mexico!

ER/ IR Verbs, Familia Vocab - Repaso C

1.) Toca Timbre:
Hoy es jueves el segundo de septiembre, 2010.

Conjuga los verbos "COMPRENDER" y "ESCRIBIR"
1. yo -
2. tú -
3. él -
4. nosotros -
5. ellos -



2.) Hoy, visita a conjuguemos.com y practica los verbos ER/IR y POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVES AND FAMILY en "Practice Zone".
Practicalos por 15 minutos. ¡Buena suerte!

***You MAY NOT move on to #3 until I tell you to do so.

3.) Escucha la canción "Mi hermanita" # 43 escrito y cantado por el grupo Aventura. Aventura es un grupo musical que canta musica BACHATA. Ellos son de La República Dominicana.

Escucha la canción y llena la forma con las palabras que escuchas.

Hoy , la tarea es de terminar la forma de la canción "Mi hermanita". La voy a colectar mañana.

Los Partes del Cuerpo - Español 3

1.) Toca Timbre:

Hoy es jueves el segundo de septiembre, 2010.
¿Cómo se dice en español...?
1. stitches
2. pain
3. crutches
4. sting
5. cast

MI MONSTRUO

2.) Hoy, por favor, visita a www.gamesolo.com y haz un monstruo.

Describe tu monstruo en 10 frases, usando 10 o más palabras del capítulo 8.
Imprime tu monstruo en la imprimidora del mobile lab verde.

Sé creativo! ~ 30 puntos
Puedes abrir un nuevo tab y escuchar música en Actualidades.com si quieres. ;-D


3.) Ahora que has hecho tu monstruo, visita a conjuguemos.com, LOGIN, y haz la actividad "Emergencias médicas" en el Practice Zone para aprender mejor el vocabulario del capítulo 8.

Usa esta practica para estudiar el vocabulario.

¡Buena suerte!

Las Noticias de hoy - Español 3

1.) Hoy, visita Univision.com y lee el artículo sobre Jimena Navarrete. En una hoja de papel describe EN INGLÉS, qué pasó con Jimena en un párrafo de cuatro frases MÍNIMO. - 25 Puntos

2.) Ahora visita Actualidades.com para ver algunos clips de la televisión. Primero, haz un clic en "Community Spanish Rap" y luego "Somos el Mundo".

Contesta las preguntas:
- ¿Qué opinas de estos videos? ¿Te gustaron?
- En el video de "Community", ¿supiste todas las palabras que dijeron?
- En "Somos el Mundo", ¿a cuales estrellas reconociste?
- ¿Cómo es diferente la canción en español qué la de inglés?
- 25 Puntos

3.) Cuando terminas con las preguntas y los videos, puedes explorar Actualidades.com más.

SER VS ESTAR RAP - Español 2

1.) Hoy, por favor, visita www.makebeliefscomix.com y escribe una COMIC STRIP.
The COMIC STRIP must have 2 characters, 4 windows, and at least 8 complete sentences using SER or ESTAR in each window. ¡Sé creativo! Be creative!
30 Points


2.) Segundo, visita Actualidades y escucha la canción "Ser o Estar", #61, cantado por Jesse y Joy. Completa la forma con las palabras perdidas.
(Click on the Actualidades hyperlink and listen to the song "Ser o Estar", #61, sung by Jesse and Joy. Complete the worksheet with the missing words.)
20 Points

3.) Mira el video abajo de Ser y Estar:

SER vs. ESTAR RAP

LYRICS:

Listen up, young knowledge seekers,
Papa John's blastin' out ya speakers,
Take your Espanol up by far,
No more Para and Por, it's Ser & Estar

We quicken the pace, your heart starts to race,
We lace the verse with knowledge and fix your sad case,
So this is the drill, it's something you know,
So start taking notes, Escucha! Let's go!

CHORUS:
SER! ESTAR! Listen up to these bars,
And when you're done, you'll be a Spanish Superstar!
You and me, we'll learn to use "To be"
Let your ears "Escuchar," to SER and ESTAR! HEY!

When do you use Ser and why?
First time is when you are descri-
-bing, a thing, whether me or you,
Ser's there to describe the attributes,
When you say Papa's the best, Better than the rest, you're gonna use "es,"
Descriptions and characteristics,
Ser is DC, like the capital or comics.

Now we gon' break down Estar,
Cause it's not scary whatsoever,
On a general level, Estar's a temporary endeavor,
Used with things that end in time,
It's really quite clever,
When you're using Estar, it will not last forever!

CHORUS

What is it that you do?
What's your job, how do you get paid?
Gonna use Ser, for anywhere,
That we will find an occupation.
Daughters and sons, open up your ears,
Ser is the verb for your careers,
Whatever get's you your dinero,
"Papa Juan es un buen rapero!"

Speaking of things that are temporary
As well as this verb Estar,
Location and Estar go together
Wherever you are!
If I'm at a bank in Spain,
"Estoy al banco en Espana!"
If I just fell off a mountain,
"No estoy en la montana!"

CHORUS x 2

"Excuse me, sir, do you have to time?"
To rhyme? Yeah, as I do we'll watch your knowledge climb.
Ser is the verb as you watch the clock,
Seconds, minutes, any time block.
And for your place of origin,
the country you were born in,
lots of choices here and there,
All for three little letters, SER.

Family, relationships, es mi padre, stuff like this,
Ser is the verb that you've got to use,
If all these things are given to you,
Description, occupation, relationship, time, and origin,
Now you can use Ser on your own,
One last thing,
TIBURON!

Position yourself in the world that is surrounds you,
From back middle side here and there to,
Now for all these positions, which verb you gonna use?
It's actually not your choice, use ESTAR or else you'll lose!

When you're doing an action, you better be ESTAR utilizing,
Estoy mirando, comprando, llorando, anything,
FabuLoso, Papa Juan, your favorite two people,
Remixing it up, the Por and Para sequel!

CHORUS x 2

LOGIN Help

To login to conjuguemos.com, the school id is #71939, your username is, for example, JSmith2_nwhs. (1st initial of first name, Lastname, class period_nwhs). Your password was something you can remember.

You may use conjuguemos.com any time to practice Spanish! Please visit this site to study for upcoming tests and quizzes.

Make sure your blog is established so you can follow my blog at all times.

EXAMENCITO español 3/4

Hoy, vamos a tomar un examencito sobre el pretérito y el imperfecto. Repasas las formas de los verbos regulares.

Te voy a explicar como registrarte en conjuguemos.com.

Hoy, para que recibes crédito, haz estos 2 examencitos en conjuguemos.com.
Los resultos me van a llegar por email.

EXAMENCITO español 2

Go back to Quizlet.com and practice the AR verb flashcards provided. You will also want to review with MÁS flashcards for ir, dar, y estar.

In 5 minutos I will stop the class and show you how to register for conjuguemos.com so you can get credit for your work today.

You will take the quizzes I have saved on conjuguemos.com. Your results will be emailed to me, ¡buena suerte!

Repasamos los verbos - Español 3/4

¡Hoy es el día de las computadoras!

Empiezas con Quizlet.com y practicas el pretérito con las cartas de memoria.

Cuando terminas con el pretérito, usas Quizlet.com otra vez para practicar el imperfecto.

También puedes ir a reviewgamezone.com para jugar con el deporte que te gusta.


Enjoy your lab time today, work hard and we will have a blast learning más español this year using interactive web activities!

Repasamos los verbos "AR" - Español 2

¡Hoy es el día de las computadoras!

First, go to Quizlet.com and practice the AR verb flashcards provided. When you have completed those flashcards, try THESE flashcards.

For additional practice you may go to reviewgamezone.com, choose the sport of your choice, and have fun!


Enjoy your lab time today, work hard and we will have a blast learning más español this year using interactive web activities!

Soccer Videos

Charlando con Cody’s Cuentos, Ep. 2: Adrian y El hermanito

Vamos a repasar el vocabulario que sabemos de la familia. Lee esta historia de Adrian y su hermanito.

Charlando con Cody’s Cuentos, Ep. 2: Adrian y El hermanito

2010 FIFA WORLD CUP OFFICIAL VIDEO FROM UNIVISION [MUNDIAL 2010] (WAKA W...

Jonas Brothers in Spain, English subtitles pt 1 (they sing!)

Last blog, people....¡Adiós!

I almost feel a bit disappointed that this is the last time I will blog on the "23 Things". Maybe that is because I finally have a firm understanding of how graduate school is going to be and I can navigate through LiveText and D2L with ease finally. Maybe its because I'm getting used to this blogging thing...I plan to use this blog for my classes, so getting used to it is good, right?!

• My favorite discoveries were podcasts, creating the blog, and RSS feeds. All three were things I had not done before and now I find them very helpful.
  

• This course has shown me that I wasn't keeping up with the trends in technology like I thought I was. I think as educators we need to enroll in a class similar to this every few years as technology advances to the point that there is new material. At the rate technology is advancing now, we might need to take this class every summer!
  

• I'm happy to leave with a "pocket full of treasures", namely FREE web tools that will help be a better teacher.
  

• The 5 week course is quite overwhelming, but I took this class by choice, so that is not a complaint.
• What I have learned in this class will affect me in so many ways as a teacher. Now I am aware of how many resources on the internet there actually are available for teachers. I can incorporate a Web 2.0 tool for every lesson and every topic.
  
• I will use the internet as much as possible because my high school students understand information from the internet and can relate to it. It speaks their language - and I'm all about learning new languages! Thanks for a phenomenal class...worth every penny!
  

Thing #20

This blog post will be easy for me to comment on. I am a huge fan of YouTube and I'm constantly looking for new Spanish videos that I can convert with Zamzar to show in class. The students really appreciate a break from lecture and note taking to watch a funny video, and I get giddy if I can find one that pertains to the lesson - 2 for 1 - score!

Last year I found a Spanish teacher who re-writes the lyrics to Justin Timberlake songs so that they teach a Spanish grammar lesson. The videos are relevant to the students since it is pop music, the teacher is goofy, and they are learning Spanish. This teacher, Señor Mara, is a teaching GENIUS! ¡Excelente, Sr. Mara! Enjoy...

Thing 19

I can see a real benefit to Teacher Pop just like other blogs so that teachers can share ideas and stay connected. I feel a bit inundated with new websites and accounts that I've signed up for that I'm to the point I need to decide which sites will best benefit myself as a teacher and my students. I will keep all of the tools we have learned about so that I can continue to network. I'm still amazed at how many FREE web tools exist - which makes me happy!

Thanks, Dr. Wall for a stupendously enriching class. Your hard work, preparation, and research to help make us better teachers using technology do not go unnoticed and I'm so glad I signed up for this course. My students thank you as well. Um, maybe not as they're busy doing their WebQuest, but in the end, they will thank you!

Thing 23

I found in the credits section of Dr. Wall's 23 Things Blog this section that credits the authors and creators of the concept. I won't be surprised if some of what I credit has Dr. Wall's name on it, we've learned so much and I'm sure something she showed us will creep quickly into my lessons!

I will enforce Creative Commons to my students and make special effort to give credit to everything I borrow during instruction. With all of the Web 2.0 tools I plan to use this year, my students need to understand the importance of crediting others' work.

Thing 22

Blog en español

I found a great podcast, similar to a live morning radio talk show, in SPANISH! There are a series of podcasts that discuss many topics such as current events, entertainment news, and sports. I plan to use podcasts like these in my Level 3 and 4 classes to improve and expand their listening comprehension skills.

Thing 21

I may attempt to create an Animoto video soon, but my sandisk is not available and I have no photos in any other location. I've seen many other's videos and they are great. I can't wait to do this for my family. This would be a great good bye activity to do with my students at the end of the year. I could take my compilation of photos taken throughout the year and make a short video so they can laugh about the happy memories we made in class.

Thing 18

Facebook
I am new to Facebook but I can see how people are completely absorbed in seeing what others are up to. I have reconnected with countless friends in the week that I have been on Facebook and I can't wait to keep searching for old friends. I have even found people, or they have found me, that I had completely forgotten about.

On a professional level, though, I WILL NOT friend a student and my privacy settings are set to allow friends only to view my profile and status. I would never risk losing my job that I treasure over something as trivial and avoidable as Facebook.

I'm torn on how this could be a viable educational tool in the classroom. I plan to use quite a bit of technology in my classroom this year, but having a room full of students playing on social networking sites sounds like a recipe for disaster. I will have to think more on this topic, but as for now I think Facebook is great outside of the classroom. Plus, we have so many other Web 2.0 tools to use, I couldn't imagine adding another to my lesson planning this year!

Thing 17

The del.icio.us site is in my mind very similar to Diigo where people can share bookmarks they like. Again helping with organization and accessibility to the resources you need, del.icio.us seems to be a great way to stay connected. As stated in the description for this activity, it is compared to looking into someone's filing cabinet since you can see what links others have tagged. Those tags will lead you to more and more related sites, you can follow tags forever!

Thing 16

Yes! Finally a Thing that discusses the magic and beauty that is ZAMZAR. Our school's internet server is highly blocked, even YouTube isn't allowed. This creates a giant obstacle for teachers like me who are trying to incorporate the web into our classrooms. Zamzar is a file converting website straight from heaven. Once I leave school and am on a wireless server NOT blocked, I can find the videos that I want to show my students and import the URL into ZAMZAR. I then chose how I want to convert the file and it emails me the converted file! The only negative is that the email "self-destructs" in 24 hours, so you have to remember to save it immediately.

I have been using my iGoogle account as my homepage since we did Thing #10 and I'm very satisfied with it. I created a to-do list since my summer break is about to start but I only have 3 weeks remaining until school is back in session. My list is a bit overwhelming, but at least now I have it all laid out and ready to check off!

Thing 15

This WIKI concept I might try to use in my classes as an add-on story. A story could be started on the wiki, and students would have an assignment to go to the wiki and add the next sequence to the story. It could become quite interesting, I wonder if the kids will think its a fun activity? It would be challenging since I would expect the story to be in Spanish. I would have to stress to them to keep it simple, just like a children's story.

Also, I can't help but want to say "wiki-wiki" like a record scratching when I read and hear this word! I'm smiling...

Thing 14

Finally! I have been looking for a way to show my students the progression of the conjugations of verbs. We focus on 6 different conjugations in Level 2 Spanish and still some kids cannot seem to understand who the process works. This flow chart will help break up the conjugations according to which pronoun they belong to with easy to see colors and shapes. Maybe this visual will help them understand once and for all what the reason behind conjugations is and what are they saying when they conjugate one of their verbs. Let's get our conjugation on!

Thing 13

I chose to explore Google Docs over the Zoho Writer tool simply because most of the online tools I use are affiliated with Google. Also, this past spring semester my students created a PowerPoint presentation as a final project. Many students sent me their files via GoogleDocs. I'm not sure that there is anything Google hasn't thought of at this point! Google is a neutral internet location that anyone can tap into which is what makes Google Docs such a viable tool. As long as a subscriber has their login and password they have access to all of the Google applications. My students suggested Google Docs unanimously, evidently this was a secret only I was left out of! I plan to continue to use Google Docs to share files since they have made it so effortless.

Thing #12

Google Calendar is my new web tool toy. With a husband, three children, my master's degree in progress, and a new house under construction, my family has way too much going on. Since my cell phone has unlimited internet and I already use it for all alerts and reminders, Google Calendar will tie everything together. You can add events easily, see the calendar by day, week, month, and list events down to very specific times, like by the hour. After adding an event, such as a meeting with a parent after school, Google Calendar will email you a reminder and a pop up reminder will appear on the calendar. Wow!

iGoogle will help me establish a central homepage for all of my accounts, subscriptions, and RSS feeds to appear together for easier accessability. It shows the local weather, my email account, and the background I chose is a sun or moon in its position according to what time it is. Sometimes its the little things that count!

Thing #11

Now that I have a nice collection of RSS feeds, I'm ready to be much more efficient when I spend time on the internet. I simply plug in the URL of the sites I visit the most (I chose that method since I know those web addresses by heart) into my Google Reader account and off I go.

Google Blog Search was very easy to use and super helpful when looking for blogs specific to Spanish learners and speakers. I also happen to be a Google fan, so this opinion could be a bit biased. It also listed the most viewed blogs and videos which I found interesting. I try to stay up on current events and what all the rage is regarding trends, electronics, and controversies. This was a good way to search current blogs so I could decide if I would follow any of the search results or not.

I was surprised when I searched Topix.net to find that it pulled up the latest news from Clarksville, TN on the first page. It then let me search blogs but I would have to say I could get easily distracted reading local news instead of focusing on what I had set out to do - search for other blogs. Not a bad idea, though, mixing local news with a worldwide search engine.

The RSS feeds that I found useful other than the feeds I had previously decided on were: SpanishPod.com is a convenient way to learn Spanish using both audio podcast lessons and mobile study tools. I plan to explore this site in depth and find ways my students can use the site for additional practice. Woo-hoo - another resource! There are also ChinesePod, FrenchPod, and ItalianPod sites if one is interested in those languages. I also found caughtoffside.com , a sports blog that had great World Cup information. I can make this relevant in class by discussing which of the Spanish speaking countries participated in the World Cup and which teams were successful in the competition. Right now, Mexico is doing wonderfully - go Mexico! I have to do whatever I can to get my high school students' attention and make Spanish fun for them to learn.

I searched CNN news feeds for which I then subscribed and it is now my main news feed other than AOL. Maybe I wasn't very creative in how I searched for more news feeds, but I know which news sources I trust and I linked them to my Google Reader.

Thing #10

All I have to say is CONVENIENT! RSS feeds are exactly what I've been looking for, except that I didn't know they existed! I constantly check the same 15-20 websites and it is bothersome opening new tabs and trying to remember the websites every time I want to check them out.

I recently purchased the new Google Droid phone which means it is all powered by Google. I have already started a Google Reader feed because it will be right at my finger tips and in sync with my gmail. I have unlimited internet, so the RSS feeds will come TO me and I won't have to be searching for what I had been wanting to see.

I have added feeds that I will access on my cell phone and on my school MacBook that I need for teaching purposes such as my new BLOG, student review websites, and Spanish educational websites. I have also added news, my bank, and the CMCSS site for school updates. Oh my, its about time I heard about this!

Thing #9

http://www.imagechef.com/ic/final_widget.jsp

Once again, I know my students will be glued to my presentations and activities when they see fun images like this. I think a good use of this online tool would be in creating logos or images to use in promotional materials for the World Languages Club that I sponsor. We could sell items with a similar image on them as a fundraiser. How cool would it be to see my image all over school on posters and T-shirts! I wonder what my kids and I will come up with...

Thing #8

Oh my goodness, this mashup is too fun! The letter photos are so artistic and I think that I'm giving my classroom "motto" HABLAMOS ESPAÑOL a new twist! I like that simply reading these words in this artistic manner gives my reason for teaching a whole new outlook, almost like a logo design.

I KNOW my students will appreciate that I am going a step further and trying to make Spanish interesting. Little things like using Spell with Flickr show the kids that I'm going above and beyond to grab their interest and go beyond the norm to teach them. I will do as much of these types of things as possible when I create PowerPoints for them in class and on our class blog.

http://metaatem.net/words/HABLAMOS%20ESPANOL

Thing #7

Flickr really opened my eyes to the many talents of photographers of the world. This is a great resource for people hoping to expand their careers as photographers and for others to enjoy great shots through the eyes of artists. It was hard to find photos with no copyright and I was surprised to find this artist, Ian Livesey, had no copyrights on his work. The images are stunning and the titles of his pieces and the captions to go along with them were clever and amusing.

I think tagging photos not only makes the piece appreciated, but also adds interest to the photo. Many people compliment the photos and have interesting comments regarding the way the photos were taken. As a photographer, I would be honored to have other professionals admire my work.

I plan to start a Flickr account so I can upload and share our family pictures with everyone. Again, I'm not a fan of having my children on the internet, so I will post wisely.

Please see Ian Livesey's Photostream for more of his beautiful work.