1. Application for
ACTFL Award for Excellence in Foreign Language Instruction Using Technology
with IALLT (K-12)
Frances M. Siracusa
May 28, 2013
Evidence of Objectives and Strategies
As an educator, I read articles and attend workshops where people pose
questions such as: How have I as an educator transformed my learning
environment?Frankly, the answer to this question lies with how I as a learner was
transformed by my learning environment, and how I have been trying to replicate the
same experience for my Spanish students ever since. One year ago, I earned an
Educational Technology masters degree, and learned first-hand “the ways in which
innovative technologies and emerging physical, virtual and blended learning
environments empower educators and learners and impact society”
(http://education.ufl.edu/educational-technology/).My personal and professional
experiences along this path continue to alter my thinking and teaching practice;
however, I find my personal definition to be constant. I am a creator, collaborator, risk-
taker, life-long learner, participant, critical thinker, initiator, director, organizer, producer,
adapter, confidence-builder, avid reader and cheerleader. Most importantly, in the
learning environment I provide for my students, I am a communicator, innovator, and
teacher-learner!
2. Similarly, my Spanish students are social butterflies and love to actively
participate in class. I afford them various opportunities to think critically and
communicate efficiently when they create and share. Second, I challenge my students
to succeed in the current global environment by interacting on the universal web as well
as in person with their worldwide peers. The learningenvironment in my classroom
consistently helps to prepare students to interact effectively with others in another
language, and especially in their development of communicative competence reflecting
real life communication.
My passion is the Spanish language and culture, and my interest is technology; I
persistently pursue new ways to utilize technology to enhance my students’ ability to
acquire Spanish language skills. Seven years ago, the Assistant Principal of my former
school had the first LCD projector in my school installed in my classroom ceiling, and
urged me to “push the envelope” with technology and my curriculum. Since those
humble beginnings, I have eagerly sought out new programs, websites, interfaces, and
ideas to empower my students to use technology as a learning tool. As Marc Prensky
expressed, today’s students are growing up in a “digital age as digital natives.” To be
able to work successfully with students and keep their interest focused on academics, it
is imperative that I explore and experience new strategies to facilitate students’
proficiency in the Spanish language, while at the same time delighting them in the
process.
Three years ago, I transferred so as to work at a small private Montessori school
in Largo, FL where I could make a greater impact upon students utilizing emerging
smart systems.First, I was in charge of one Bretford cart containing 24 iPod Touches for
3. use with classes on a shared basis. That led to purchases of a MacBook, 20 iPads with
syncing cart, a Mac mini, a MacBook Pro, and then 60 (3rd
generation) iPads for use in
a 1:1 iPad program.In April, we moved into a new Middle School facility, complete with
Apple TVs in every room and an iMac in our production studio. From the start of this
past school year, I have transformed my class into a completely paperless class
because of the incredible iPad apps available. My class has become streamlined,
participatory, efficient and most importantly engaging.In fact, the iPad (as opposed to a
laptop or desktop) makes our Rosetta Stone language learning program fun and easy
for our students, who enjoy the personal experience of tapping the screen while getting
cozy in a chair holding a small tablet while studying.
Our students study both Spanish and Chinese utilizing a Rosetta Stone
Classroom site license portal. With each lesson, I devise distinct work plans for students
which includegrammar and vocabulary practice worksheets. This year, because of the
1:1 iPads, students download these worksheets to their iPads using the Notability app
where they fill in answers and submit them back to me to grade. I also use Notability to
grade theworksheets, write feedback, and email them back to them. Students access
assignments as well as learning videos, online quizzes and class calendar with our
Edline app. I create learning videos with the Educreations app in my hybrid “flipped
classroom.” My class works without paper because of productivity apps (Pages and
Keynote), organizational apps (Dropbox and Google Drive), and educational apps
(Edmodo, Educreations, Quizlet, Mango Languages and Rosetta Stone). These
“children and future generations have tremendous opportunities in store for them, not in
spite of the digital age, but because of it” (Palfrey & Gasser, 2008, p. 9).
4. Our administration issued allMiddle School division teachersan iPad to use for
lesson planning and collaboration with students. However, I figured out how to make all
class materials digital, therefore embracing change and adding to students’
development of 21st
century skills. I believe this leads to students’ increased productivity
and retained knowledge. Correspondingly, Solloway and Norris expressed the same
sentiment:“…when computing devices are used across subject areas, for substantial
periods of time (say, 70 percent) and when the curriculum and the software support
each other, then increases in student achievement are indeed observed” (T.H.E.
Journal, 2013, http://thejournal.com/).
Today, a teacher should act as a facilitator/collaborator in a learner-centered
classroom, and there should be an emphasis on learners as “doers” and “creators;”
consequently, I examine my approaches to pedagogy frequently. Last year, under my
guidance and participation, students from three school divisions learned alongside
international peers in three different global projects: Rock Our World, Flat Classroom
Building Bridges, and Flat Classroom Eracism. Owing to the iPads, student experiences
were dynamic and engaging. Their curiosity was piqued and the iPads were the perfect
tool to foster their innate desire to learn as well as aid in their foreign language
communication development.I believe the iPad has already greatly impacted school and
work environments, and I observe how work processes are changing globally. It is my
job as a World Languages teacher to equip students to better develop their
communicative competence as well as to succeed in their future environments.
Over the last couple years, I have seen immense success with my learners
owing to technology integration in my Spanish courses. My Spanish students
5. consistently exhibit how they develop transferable knowledge and 21st
century skills.In
fact, my teaching practice so greatly impacts students in that many graduate 8th
grade
and matriculate in Spanish high school courses (encompassed in Pre-IB, magnet, and
competitive college preparatory programs) two levels above the average freshman as
well as attain highest scores in their class.Innovative concrete examples of facilitation of
student learning and creativity in my Spanish classroom include:
--Utilizing the iMovie and Pages apps, I invented a project called “International Film
Festival” where students script, perform, and produce commercials in Spanish selling a
variety of products. Later, students’ commercials were organized on our class Wiki and
“nominated” for one of various theatrical awards that mimick a real film festival.
Students viewed all videos (thus learning more grammar structures from peer work);
voted for category favorites online; and participated in a mock awards ceremony
complete with red carpet, Master of Ceremonies, big screen (iPad and an LCD
projector), secret envelopes and awards. All students increased accuracy of formal
singular and plural imperative grammar forms.
--Using the Voicethread app, students completed a “When I was a Child” project.
Students collected 10 photos of themselves as children under the age of five, and then
described their personality, physical looks, likes and dislikes, friends, where they lived,
etc. in Spanish using correct Imperfect tense sentence structures. Second, students
orally recorded themselves reading their sentences. Additionally, classmates were
asked to orally record commentary regarding their peers’ photos and comments onto
the projects. Finally, parents were invited to comment or record a memory (in English or
Spanish) onto their child’s Voicethread.
6. --Employing the PuppetPals app, I fabricated a “Restaurant Skit” project where students
author and perform scripts. To bring it to life, students photographed themselves and
“inserted” themselves as characters as well as orally recorded their voices. Students
effectively learned “dining” vocabulary as well as stem-changing verb conjugation
grammar.
--Using the Tripline, World Atlas and Weather apps, students completed “World Capitals
Airplane Trip” projects. In Spanish, students interacted with geography, maps and
temperature exploration. They devised route and (clothing) packing plans while
speaking and writing in Spanish.
Other notable Spanish classroom tasks include a past-tense eBook project with
the Storybird app;designing the ideal classroom with the Room Planner app; “My Daily
Routine” project with the Keynote or Animoto apps; podcasting “My Spanish Rap” and
“Betty la Bufanda” activities using GarageBand; online journaling with the Blogger app;
and weekly interactive teacher-led lessons with the Nearpod and Edmodo apps.My
students crave the creativity of fun classroom tasks that are unique and challenging.
They master written, spoken, and electronic communication skills because I choose to
be innovative in my instructional design.
As an Educational Technologist, I support a 21st
century readiness approach for
all students. Specifically, communication, creativity and innovation skills are sharpened
through global projects and technology. My 4th
and 5th
grade students collaborated with
worldwide peers by mixingmusic tracks and songs within GarageBand; communicated
with children and classroom pets using Skype; used iPad video recorders during Poetry
Slam video creation; and excitedly interacted with students duringWorld Celebration
7. interviewswith FaceTime Theater. Kindergarten and 1st
grade students honed
communication skills when they utilized Voicethread to create virtual handshakes. They
spokelive with friends in Minnesota, Idaho and Turkey when they heard and saw their
classrooms using Skype. They teamed up tocreate “Our School Day” and “The Games
We Play” group projects. Seventh and eighth gradersdebated against global peers on
Voicethread during the Eracism project. Italian students interviewed our students and
they jointly created podcasts.
Ultimately, in order to positively influence the broader Foreign Language
education community, one needs to share his/her classroom successes. “Educators
need more training, through teacher preparation programs and professional
development, about how best to use technology to teach in the classroom and to
analyze student data,” according to a National Association of State Boards of
Educationreport (2012). I immerse myself in reading educational journals, attending and
presenting at conferences, discussing similar visions and ideas on Twitter and web-
based professional learning networks, and interacting with global and local peers about
my passion.
In May 2012, I presented my research and findings in a thesistitled Fostering Individual
Growth in the Middle School Spanish Classroom: Improving Linguistic Fluidity and
Pronunciation. Taking a hard look at the current classroom experience and observing
that my students did not orally communicate enough in Spanish, I established that I
would improve upon their speaking skills, specifically in the area of fluency. It is my
strong belief that an educator’s ability to design and manage multimedia tasks in the
classroom in conjunction with sparking a student’s passion is a great factor of student
8. success. Thanks to the MacBook and iPad along with Blogger and Vocaroo, my digital-
era students channeled their creativity and combined academics with technology as an
opportunity for learning, and increased fluency scores. I shared my work with work
colleagues, area Spanish teachers, my former mentor and friend Gillian Lord (Chair and
Associate Professor, Department of Spanish and Portuguese Studies, University of
Florida) anddiverse Spanish teachers through digital professional learning networks.
In my professional experience, I have witnessed young people harness
remarkable talents evidenced by their creations, such as narratives, blogs, mash ups,
videos and pictures. Ishared these learning experiences byfacilitating an educator
workshopin June2012 calledCross the Bridge: Ensure 21st
Century Readiness for Every
Student and Teacher. Under my direction, teachers utilized subject-specific “21st
Century Skills Maps” developed by The Partnership for 21st Century Skills in adherence
with Common Core and National Educational Technology Standards (NETS). I led
discussions of best practices in teaching and learning in order to aid educators to
become comfortable co-learners in the digital age of today. I also added to their
“teaching toolbox” and practice with web 2.0 tools such as Voicethread, Blogger,
Wikispaces, and Edmodo. Teachers came withlesson plans in mind and walked away
with creative 21st century concrete designs.In November 2012, my colleague and I
presented a session called Go Global: World Collaborative Projects for Innovative
Teachers at the Florida Council of Independent Schools conference. Additionally in
November, we co-presented at two more sessions called Apps Galore: Top Tools for
Global Collaboration (iPad) andThe Connected Middle School Student: Fostering Global
Collaborations through International Projects at the Global Education Conference
9. Network 2012 virtual conference. We shared our experiences, videos, pictures and
program designs of collectively-built student digital artifacts, and demonstrated the
value of networking. (In June 2013, my colleague and I will be presenting at a poster
session at the ISTE conference in San Antonio. I will also be presenting Apps Galore at
the ACTFL conference this coming November in Orlando.) Finally we supported three
8th
graders as they presented Celebrating Diversity: International Day of Peaceat the
iEARN conference in November. Fundamental to any learning, I practice what I preach
by sharing all knowledge, projects and examples on my professional website:
http://exploramos.wikispaces.com/Sharing+Success