“What are some good tech tools?” someone asked. Well…

Someone asked me today about tools I like for language learning/producing/using. There are TONS! But here is a start...of course, you probably know many/all of these and we could go on for days! And...these are great tools for teachers of other subjects--there are content connections everywhere, so feel free to share. I highly recommend FlipGrid …

Updated: An Open Letter to the Google Classroom Team

Since I published the open letter below, Google Classroom has changed, and the new interface that went live on August 7, 2018 brings a lot that teachers have been asking for. So, just for comparison's, sake, my original open letter is a bit further down. Today's Google Classroom provides teachers with more flexibility to organize …

Another cross post?

Well, it's been a quiet year on my personal blog (I do hope to change that in 2018), but that's partially because I have been guest blogging, both with Alice Keeler for whom I did one post, and also for KQED "In the Classroom." So, here is my latest post on "In the Classroom," all about …

Yes, they CAN understand native speakers!

I often hear teachers say that authentic videos featuring native speakers (and intended for viewing by other native speakers) are too difficult for our language learners to use as listening practice, let alone listening assessment. And yet, I think we can all agree that we would like to have our students listen to "real" products …

Harnessing the REAL power of technology

I started teaching French in 1993. At that time, the technology to which I had access consisted of a Brother word processor I shared with my husband at home, a high-speed duplicating machine that used a drum and pushed out volumes of paper with blue ink that smeared and faded, a slide projector with carousel for showing …

And the single best tool I recommend to other teachers is….?

I'm often asked what my favorite educational technology tools are. The question usually goes something like this: "With all of this emphasis on education technology and 21st century teaching and learning, what is one tool you would recommend to other teachers?" My response? Selectivity Before you rush off to the app store or to your computer to try selectivity.com …

Using Google Art Project, Google Cultural Institute to build proficiency in CCSS speaking and writing

Using Google Art Project, Google Cultural Institute to build proficiency in CCSS speaking and writingCheck out my guest post on the EdTechTeam blog about annotation tools I found in Google Art Project that give students more practice in speaking and writing for specific purposes and audiences.

Three reasons why I blend but don’t completely flip

After having spent a couple of years reading numerous blogs on "flipped" learning, seeing posts all over social media espousing the benefits of flipped learning, and watching a few videos of how other teachers in all subjects are flipping their instruction, I decided to at least start experimenting. But before I could flip or blend, …

Check out teaching activities created in MentorMob and EdCanvas

UPDATE: since publication, both tools have changed their name and also their Web addresses.  MentorMob is now LessonPaths and can be found at http://www.lessonpaths.com. EdCanvas is now Blendspace and is found at http://www.blendspace.com. After completing my "Side-by-Side" post comparing online thematic content curation on MentorMob and EdCanvas, I ultimately chose to create student learning experiences …

Side by Side: comparing EdCanvas and MentorMob for curating online content for students

This week, my students in French 2 are continuing their study of food and nutrition. In order to further their study and take it beyond lists of foods to memorize, I wanted to use an article I tried with French 2 last year. The article, Ten Things You Need to Know About Hunger, 2013 comes from …