Technology in my Life...

When I was a university student, I first encountered computers (at that time with “real” floppy disks).  Since then, I have realized how education is impossible without computers and technology.  I find that high and middle school students for the most part are difficult to reach anymore unless technology is involved in the lessons.

As a German teacher, I have always had very few resources and mediocre textbooks. There was nothing available to teach the culture unless I brought it back from the German-speaking world or baked it myself. Since the internet has grown into today’s dimensions including the German web, I have a multitude of resources available to me. I also do not feel like a lone soldier anymore, I can share and network with German teachers all over the world.

I use technology in my classes in many ways: I have a blog that I update regularly for my students and the German club and honor society.  I have a website where I post lessons, syllabi and unit plans as well as information for my students’ parents.  I have another blog that I use for my university course work and to communicate ideas.  I have accounts on My Space and Face book that I originally opened for a research project and to find out what all my students and my children at home were talking about. I now use them to communicate with former students and nieces and nephews who live far away. My current students think it is cool to post a comment on my page occasionally. My own kids, however, will not add me to their friends list.

I assign web quests, PowerPoint presentations, vocabulary practice on Quia and internet assignments to my students. I would like to create a wiki for my upper levels so that we can discuss some of the projects on famous people or places online. I also love Microsoft Picture Story 3 because students can record their voices and tell stories.  The program is not available in my school yet, I am working on getting it installed on the computers.

I use unitedstreaming.com to show some fun videos about German culture and places in Germany.  Discovery Education, the sponsor of unitedstreaming.com also broadcasts an educational series of 13 episodes that teaches foreign language in a fun Friends-like setting.   If the school district were not restricting the access to many sites, I would encourage e-mail pen pals from Germany and more video viewing on sites like utube.   Students love to see and learn things that they can relate to and teens in foreign cultures are always interesting and intriguing to them.