Web+2.0+Tools

These sites or tools are some that my students and I have used in class on iPod Touch or a Smartphone. I would love to know your favorite tools and how you and your students use them to learn Spanish. Please contribute your favorites.

Google Forms is a great way to collect data, create quick assessments, to review concepts during class starter activities, class closer activities, students evaluations of lessons, websites, class activities, tech integration strategies, the possibilities are endless. Anyone can create a form from their Gmail account. I have embedded forms inside blog posts, on my class Moodle sites and e-mailed forms to students to complete. You can create a variety of forms with various themes. Google Forms is such a versatile tool. Students can access the forms from any device, and the a big seller is that language students can easily use accented keystrokes in their answers. For more information, read these two posts on the Trending Education blog, or you can watch the video created by a teacher who uses Google Forms for student self-assessment:
 * Google Forms

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Poll Everywhere is a site that allows you to ask multiple choice or open-ended questions and empowers your students to respond via any web-enabled device. Students can answer via text, web browser or Twitter. I have used Poll Everywhere to assess student engagement during lessons, at the end of class and as a review in class opener activities. Students are very positive about the immediate feedback as their answers are displayed in real time on my projection screen. More often than not, answering questions in this way opens up an avenue for class discussion. Poll Everywhere also has a mobile presenter application, which allows you to open poll questions within your class presentations using your mobile presenter in order to quickly assess your class's understanding of the material you just covered. For more information, watch the tutorial video or the funny "over-the-top" video with some college students using the site. While the video may be a little "cheesy," the idea of giving students a voice during class time echoes how most students I teach feel about school.
 * Poll Everywhere:

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Quizlet is a fabulous flashcard website plus more. You or your students can create a free account and enter words from your vocabulary lists or word groups. The site is so user friendly, and it literally takes just mentions to have a flashcard set up and running. The language recognition interface is really what sold me on this site. The site recognizes the language for the terms entered and as students study, the words they will an authentic Spanish pronunciation for each words as they click on the sound button. You can also insert photos into the cards in order to have students work with a visual representation of a word instead of a direct translation. We all know that visual cues are much better for language learners than direct translations. Students can choose a variety of modes for study including 2 sided deck, one side deck, quiz, and game mode. The only concern on the games is that they are flash-based. Another great aspect of the site is that you can link to your vocab decks or embed them on blogs, class websites, and Moodle sites. Watch the video below to see Quizlet in action:
 * __Quizlet: __

media type="youtube" key="n7QgCZAkIk8?rel=0" height="315" width="560" Conjuguemos is a great website that allows students to conjugate verbs and see other vocabulary words and themes. There are options for students to be timed and will show them their correct percentages while playing.
 * ===Conjuguemos===

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