I have just discovered today that the settings for how I am alerted to comments on this blog had changed (there must be gremlins in the system as I don’t remember doing it!) and I hadn’t been receiving emails to let me know of comments. Consequently today I discovered that I had quite a few comments (and here I was thinking I was all alone…) awaiting moderation. I approved them and so now they appear around the technoLOTE traps. I usually make a point of emailing my commenters as soon as I can after they comment, but this little hiccup means that several comments and commenters have not been thanked directly! I am sorry about that if it is you. Thank you all for your comments. I just LOVE getting them (as all bloggers do).
Just to highlight a few of the comments that have been left for me lately:
We play a game in my classroom called Basta. It really gets kids using vocabulary and speaking at the begining levels.
You need two sets of flash cards of your vocab list written in the LOTE. Divide the class into two teams. Pass out the flash cards to the students. I usually make the two sets of flash cards different colors so each team gets a certain color. Then the teacher calls out a word in English and the two students that have that card stand up and call out the word in the LOTE. The first team to stand up and call out the correct card gets a point. Noone else is allowed to stand and if they do, they do not receive a point. After a few rounds I usually have the students switch cards with someone on their team so they are getting new words all the time.
The kids seem to love it and even the quiet ones will say their word to earn a point for the team.
I am envious!! I have a tiny classroom in a (not so)temporary building. It is so dark inside as well, cold in the Winter and hot in the Summer. But I have done my best to brighten it up. But the advantages are that I have an Interactive Whiteboard, access to the Internet, Sky TV and ample books and magazines to promote Language learning!! We ought to start something about Languages’ classrooms around the world. I may stop moaning!!!
Marie-France
Marie, I think starting something about language classrooms around the world is a great idea. We could really expand these Welcome to My Classroom posts when I get some more!
Andrew Jeppesen who teaches Japanese, is promising photos of his classroom…
Jess,
Love the classroom - especially the colours. Looks like it could have been fairly drab without your additions. I’ve taken my camera to work a few times this week (probably could call it last week now) with the intention of taking some snaps but still to do. Will pass some on. Keep up the great work!
Andrew J
Andrew has also written a great post on using projected images of soccer teams in a game of swat to teach numbers in French. Check out his blog. It’s called In Search of Enlightenment.
There are a couple more comments I could mention here, but instead they might evolve into full blog posts on their own. David Kees has challenged my understanding of m-Learning, so I’m going to read his recommendations more closely and write something about that soon.
So, to those of you who have commented: Thank you! I really do value your input.
Hommage to the Commenter
Just to highlight a few of the comments that have been left for me lately:
Kacey Snyder added a game to the technoLOTE Games page. Thank you Kacey!
In response to the start of the ‘Welcome to My Classroom’series, French teacher Marie-France Perkins suggests:
Marie, I think starting something about language classrooms around the world is a great idea. We could really expand these Welcome to My Classroom posts when I get some more!
Andrew Jeppesen who teaches Japanese, is promising photos of his classroom…
Andrew has also written a great post on using projected images of soccer teams in a game of swat to teach numbers in French. Check out his blog. It’s called In Search of Enlightenment.
There are a couple more comments I could mention here, but instead they might evolve into full blog posts on their own. David Kees has challenged my understanding of m-Learning, so I’m going to read his recommendations more closely and write something about that soon.
So, to those of you who have commented: Thank you!
I really do value your input.