Uses+of+iGoogle+in+Spanish+classroom+(gr.+9+–+12)+–Fran+S.

I have set up group iGoogle pages for my 2 levels of IB classes that would include the following gadgets: • Google reader • **//My delicious//** bookmarking site • Spanish (audio) word of the day • news websites: [|www.abc.es], [|www.terra.com], “Artículos para leer y discutir,” //Billboard// news in Spanish • Official Spanish language dictionary: [|www.rae.es] (Real Academia Española--not a translator) • WordReference.com (Spanish-English translator) • Sticky Note gadget • Spanish Idiom/Proverb of the Day • online Spanish radio streaming: “RadioWeb Barullo Latino” • Spanish Travel Agency gadget • Science & Technology News in Spanish • Univision.com Sports • Spanish calendar & clock gadget • To-Do list (for items I add with regards to Homework, class announcements…) • Flickr gadget (find photos related to Unit themes) • Google Earth Forums in Spanish / Google Earth (cultural/geographic lesson prompts) • Horoscope of the Day in Spanish • Weather in Spain (in Spanish) gadget • Video game in Spanish (flash)
 * // IB Spanish Classroom homepage: //**

I would like to add or substitute the following: • Blogs of interest • link to Ning: www.ibsccc2010.ning.com • link to Wetpaint: http://ibsccc2010.wetpaint.com/ • podcasts and videos of interest (maybe through Google Reader) • add quotes, highlighted passages in online texts (such as poetry or song lyrics) to use as writing prompts • Link to virtual museum tour at El Prado de Madrid (or similar.)

[|Screencast video example] of Siracusa student iGoogle page (I utlized Jing to create it.)

As one of the first assignments of the year, I will ask students to develop their own “Spanish Personal Learning Space.” They will be instructed to check on their internet access and to sign up for a Google account. After they see the “classroom homepage” as an example, they will begin manipulating iGoogle to cater it to their own learning needs in my class. I will suggest to them that they should:
 * // IB Spanish Individual homepage: //**

• access their IB Program Google Docs via their iGoogle site • add a Spanish language dictionary gadget (RAE, Wordchamp) • add gadgets to view images (Flickr) and videos • Wordchamp • find interactive activities where they will use the target language in order to later share with classmates • link to “posed” activities on the Voicethread website • create 2 new gadgets to share with classmates