Yet another Web 2.0 tool that I want to share can be found at http://spanishpod.com. This tool, although it could prove useful for students, would be a great tool for educators themselves to learn Spanish. As a teacher in Florida, the need for teachers to be trained in strategies for teaching English to speakers of other languages (ESOL) is a high priority. Rather than simply learning those strategies, I have always thought it would be a huge advantage for me to actually learn to speak Spanish.
My school has a fairly high percentage of students from Spanish-speaking families. While many of my students are proficient in English, communicating with their parents is often difficult. This is where a tool such as Spanishpod would be terrific. Spanishpod claims that learners can learn on their “own terms,” through podcasted lessons and a network of other learners. For mobility, lessons can be downloaded to an mp3 player.
Users can sign up for a 7-day free trial to sample the lessons available. Sources such as The New York Times, Time Magazine and NBC are among those to give Spanishpod positive press regarding the innovative teaching methods. These methods and resources include teacher discussions and blogs, online exercises, printable lessons and flash cards, all in addition to the audio files that are the foundation of the program.
I can only imagine the connections I could make with parents and students if I had the ability to speak Spanish. Home to school communication would certainly take on a whole new meaning.
Visit http://spanishpod.com for more information about the program and to sign up for the 7-day free trial account.
After the free trial, would it be affordable for schools? Is there anything there which compares and is free? Great posts, Tim.
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