This year, the Lower School Spanish
and French classes (4-6) experimented with several different Web 2.0 tools. We
were looking for inexpensive software that was creative, easy to use, and
engaged students vocabulary and grammar skills both written and spoken. Web 2.0 tools seemed to be the way to go
specifically because most websites were free or less than $40.00. Many of the
tools offered education specific webpages that provided classroom lists and
rubric creators as well as the ability to make the content private to the
classroom only with options of sharing it to the public. The following is a
brief introduction to each web 2.0 tool, the link to each website, and examples
from both French and Spanish classes. In addition, we added QR codes to our
multimedia projects. To view them, use any smart device with a QR code scanner
(most apps. are free to download) to see and/or hear the projects displayed.
A) Sound Cloud
B) QR Code Creator
C)
Animoto
D) Pixton
E) Glogster
A) SOUND CLOUD: https://soundcloud.com
Sound cloud
is a "social sound platform" that lets anyone share sounds publically
or privately on any smart device and computers. Students in the Spanish classes used Sound Cloud
to record paragraphs describing themselves using adjectives. Later we turned
their audio into QR codes. Students were able to use ipads to individually
record and upload their audio simultaneously.
Pros: Cons:
Easy to use Registration
Good sound quality Another
password and user name
Free
Ability
to make sounds private
Website for QR codes
Sign in to multiple devices on one account
Easy to
share
B) QRCODE: http://www.qrstuff.com/
With QR stuff.com, QR codes were created for Spanish
student's Animoto and sound cloud activities. Students could scan their smart
devices and watch their web 2.0 tool projects come to life. The QR codes could
be created with different colors, printed and emailed. The QR codes were a fun
way to display students work and keep an element of surprise when presenting
projects. Students liked the idea of creating scavenger hunts using QR codes in
our future language classes.
Pros: Cons:
Easy to use Takes
time to add each webpage
Easy to print
Free
No registration
C) ANIMOTO: http://animoto.com/
In the
French and Spanish classes we experimented with Animoto. Animoto is a creative
website to make quick and easy videos. Students created video flashcards to
practice new vocabulary and verbs. We liked the user friendliness of being able
to log on to one account on several computers or iPads to create videos, and
students were able to create Animotos in one class period. There were
limitations Students were engaged and
expressed their enjoyment with the project. The videos were fun to watch and
they asked to use Animoto again for additional projects.
Pros Cons:
Easy to use Computer and iPad Animoto different
Many users on one account Another registration
QR code friendly Pay for upgrade
Easy to share with others Difficult to find songs without
English
Ability to make private and public Photo bank limited
Free
Good online tutorials
D) Pixton: http://www.pixton.com/
Students in
French and Spanish explored Pixton. Pixton is a website that creates fun and
easy comics for a small fee. What we liked about Pixton was it allowed us to create
class lists, rubrics and projects for students. We could track each student on
a private school account as well as grade and comment on each of their
projects. Students made comics using new vocabulary and grammar for basic
conversations. When students first used Pixton, it took a class period to
familiarize themselves with the program and several class periods to complete. For
the first project we let them explore, but quickly realized that they were
distracted making their avatars rather than focusing on the assignment. The
second time around, we found more productive to create the comic and have them
fill in the conversations. Students enjoyed Pixton and expressed that they
didn't want to stop using it.
Pros: Cons:
inexpensive Not
free
QR code friendly Accent
marks difficult to use
Can make private Takes
some time to set up
Class list creator Another
registration/password
track student homework/work
Rubric creator
grade
comment on student work
students can comment on students work
Make private
Access to all accounts
Can create accounts for students on one main account
Access to edit
Easy to share
Easy to use
Easy to contact support via email or phone
Great online tutorials
E) Glogster: http://www.glogster.com/
Spanish and French
students explored Glogster to create virtual posters for their MFA Projects,
and in French, to create personal narratives to describe themselves. Students
in both classes created Glogs to write and to illustrate information about
their French or Spanish artists for their MFA Action projects (collabration
between Art, Culture and Technology for MFA Day.) We liked that students were
able to make posters without the mess, it was easy to use, and students could
add illustrations, videos and music to support their research in one place. It
was not easy to add accent marks and students demonstrated frustration. The
only way we could add them was to use one specific font in a word document then
copy and past the accents to the Glog. Students
expressed that they liked sing glogs and wanted to use them again.
Pros: Cons:
inexpensive Not
free
QR code friendly Accent
marks difficult to use
Can make private Takes
some time to set up
Class list creator Another
registration/password
track student
homework/work
Make private
Access to all
accounts
Can create accounts
for students on one main account
Access to edit
Easy to share
Easy to use
Good online tutorials
Overall, we
found these web 2.0 tools to be a fun way to present old material and make it
new and fresh. Each tool was easy to use with plenty of tutorials to help along
the way. Becoming familiar with the programs varied in time. We were often
frustrated about registration and remembering different username and passwords.
In addition, we had to actively make content private for websites we did not
purchase and made specifically for the classroom. We enjoyed discovering new
tools and watching students engaged in displaying their different language
skills.
-Cristina Carrion Murphy and Soizick Munir
