How to Engage Students with Blogging

As I begin planning for the 2013-2014 school year, one of my main goals for my Spanish 3 class is to practice writing, in Spanish, more than ever. With the Regents exam serving as the ultimate, cumulative assessment, I am well aware of the challenges ahead; I often find that my students experience the most difficulties with speaking in the target language and especially when it comes to the written portion of any exam. Therefore, I am excited to incorporate blogging into my instruction, encouraging students to use the language in a more dynamic, communicative way and to ultimately connect them with a diverse, Spanish-speaking world.

After reading Rita Zeinstejer's article titled "Blogging in Language Learning", I am inspired to use blogging for two specific writing activities. The first activity will fulfill the culture component of the NYS Teaching Standards for LOTE (Standard 2: Students will develop cross-cultural skills and understandings.) Every week, I will post un modismo. Students will have to first comment on what the idiom means, write about the origins of the idiom and lastly find and post a similar expression that we use in English. I will post only the most common, frequently-used idioms in everyday Spanish. This activity will allow students to reflect upon the similarities and differences between American and Spanish/Hispanic cultures. I will also ask students to think about the ways in which culture influences how we use language.

My second activity will also meet Standard 2, and additionally, Standard 1 (Students will be able to use a language other than English for communication.) In this e-pal activity, students will have the opportunity to connect with different Spanish-speaking classrooms in Valencia, Spain. Students will write to their pen pals, in Spanish and via blog, first introducing themselves, and then commenting on what they learned or did during the school week. Students will also reflect on what they are finding difficult in terms of learning and using Spanish. My hope is that both groups of students--my Spanish 3 class and the classes in Valencia--will assist one another, offering varied explanations for vocabulary and grammar points.

With teaching in a more rural district, I find that my students really aren't exposed to much diversity. Therefore, I am determined to engage and expose my students to the Spanish-speaking world around them, thus making instruction more authentic and worth-while.