Hurried Comics are Never Outstanding...

In order to have my french students internalize the verb "etre" and apply noun and adjective agreements in a fun new and more authentic way, I've decided to experiment with the online educational comic strip maker, "Make Beliefs Comix." Students were given the parameters of what needed to be included in the script via email and then they went ahead and used them to create their own dialogue in Google Mail. They also used online resources to look up vocabulary that they didn't know yet in French. Although the intent was that they would all send in their dialogues via email for a brief check-over by me, it didn't work out this way due to a time crunch. Somehow, I keep on having a hard time gauging how long it will take my students to complete a project when technology is used. I always seem to be short on my timing! At any rate, after 2 whole periods on this assignment, I needed for my students to go ahead and create their comic strip online whether they were done with their dialogue or not. In spite of my students' hard work and the example that I provided them with, the results were not as good as I expected and unfortunately, due to sporadic Internet connections and a glitch, I didn't receive most of the comics that I know my students had worked on and clicked on "Email Comix." A bit disappointing but a well-learned lesson: plan for more time!! I will definitely use it again next year, maybe more at the beginning of the school year though, as suggested in the 21 WAYS TO USE MAKEBELIEFSCOMIX.COM IN THE CLASSROOM. [efm]

Blogging Slowly but Surely...

To my disappointment, each time I have tried to have students blog using the iPod Touches, it hasn't been very successful. It seems each time we tried, there was a problem with the wifi. Our blog entries have not been as numerous as we would like, but my ELL Support students are slowly understanding the format I am asking of them to use when sharing and explaining the academic and non-academic vocabulary they are gleaning from their classes. They finally are starting to have a feel for the dashboard and no longer constantly ask for help to navigate WordPress. At this time, they are able to successfully write an entry and include a picture and a caption. The most advanced students have actually even taken on adding hyperlinks to the definitions they found in Wordcentral and the English-Spanish online dictionary they use. Things are shaping up at last! Please visit my blog and browse through my blogroll to see some of my English Language Learners use of the Internet and its available resources to "play" with vocabulary.