Reflecting on my own learning process, I can say that I know I am a digital immigrant who speaks with an accent, but thanks to courses like this, my accent is less and less evident because I know that I'm learning more and more each and every day. This week, for instance, I have learned about more tools that I can use to complement my classes. I have particularly enjoyed preparing my project and putting my hard work into practice. When I started working on the project, I knew that I wanted to put together a Google Site because I have heard about it, but I hadn't had the chance to work with it, and after seeing the template and use of the GS in this course, I could definitely picture my students using a similar site where they feel part of a process, able to practice as much as they can and helping them lower the anxiety levels. We are currently trying to restructure the courses that we give at the School of Modern Languages at the University of Costa Rica, but as you reader may know, that process takes time. We are working hard on that because we know that students need time to process the information that's presented to them, and the way in which the contents are distributed right now do not allow the student to really digest the information provided. It's actually crazy sometimes how fast the teacher has to cover the content without further practice. We actually have one lab a week for the student to practice the sounds or study the difficult words or expressions they need to pronounce correctly during their speeches. That's why I find this project so exciting because it actually allows me to implement a change that I know my students appreciate. I was able to see since the first week we used the site, that my students were thrilled about having the chance to do some readings to expand the vocabulary of the topics they need to talk about in class, but they were even more excited to know that they were not only able to read the articles, but that most of them had the audio for them to listen to. Besides that, the fact that I was able to add mp3 files with the pronunciation practice or specific links catered to the actuall contents of the course makes the site even more interesting for them. I know that many are going to be working on the ANVILL voiceboard recording themselves because they will be able to listen to themselves and listen to each other. That is, they will be part of the evaluation process and not just the teacher since part of my idea is to implement both self and peer assessment together with my assessment. I know that by using this site, by having the opportunity to practice the specific sounds, by watching videos where they can see the person pronouncing specific sounds they need to master, and by doing so many other things I'm already planning to do; my students will be better students at the end. At least that's the feeling I get. I know that I'll be happy when they move on to their next course knowing that they were given enough practice and time to process and that they feel part of it as well.

Thanks for this opportunity!

This is a video  I like because it really shows what we are not supposed to do and many of us do, have done or will do in the future with the technology at hand. Probably because of lack of knowledge. I know that because of courses like this one I'm not this kind of teacher.

The video is not available in English but I believe the message gets across.