Discrimination because of ACCENTS

What is the US coming to? We have now found a new way to discriminate against people. The most recent article that I have read is about a teacher in Arizona who is currently being evaluated because she is a Mexican woman who has learned English as an adult and at times has a noticeable accent while doing things such as saying the pledge of allegiance with her class. Here is a link to my comment:
http://community.nytimes.com/comments/www.nytimes.com/2011/09/25/us/in-arizona-complaints-that-an-accent-can-hinder-a-teachers-career.html?sort=newest&offset=2

It says that comments are generally moderated and will be published if they are not abusive which mine is not so I hope that you can see it. I am going to post it here as well just incase you can't access it:

We have seen many flaws in the No Child Left Behind Act, but one thing we haven’t seen is discrimination because of someone’s accent. This teacher is a fluent English speaker and there is no reason that this should be a public problem. We are discriminating against Ms. Aguayo because she is a Mexican woman who dedicated herself to learn English so that she could do something valuable with her life by teaching children and relaying her knowledge to them. Something is wrong with this picture. We are lucky that she is trying her best and standing up at the front of the classroom being a role model for her students by saying our pledge of allegiance. In some public schools, they don’t even attempt to say the pledge of allegiance anymore because of personal opinions behind the meaning and idea of pledging to our flag. People around the United States have accents whether you go from Boston to New York to Georgia. It is funny Ms. Aguayo’s principal was the first one to question her accent. If anything was in question, then why did he hire her in the first place? What happened to thinking that she was highly qualified to teach the children and a fluent English speaker when he hired her? What caused him to think otherwise now? Is he pinpointing this accent to deal with another issue?

I think that this topic is something that should not even be public or blown way out of porportion as it has happened her. I agree that the teacher should work on her accent, but that it should not be up for a national discussion. I am sure that we have thousands of teachers around the United States with this same problem, but they are not being investigated. I personally think that something else has started this issue and this is now what we are focusing on instead of what the real problem is. I will be keeping up to date on this topic and send my best wishes to this teacher and any other teacher that could possibly be facing the same issue. I congratulate all of you for dedicating your time and life to learning English as a second language, and your energy and knowledge to become fantastic teachers in our wonderful school systems!

Pay Attention

I have recently watched a YouTube video called Pay Attention. This is one of the best videos that I have seen for teachers about incorporating technology into the classroom. It is real. The statistics are unbelievable and amazing to actually think about. I don't necesarily agree with the fact that we should have cell phones in the classroom, but if we did, what better way to use them then to assign projects and put them to practical use. I thought that the information was very realistic and interesting. It was a creative video to get into your mind and make you think about ways to incorporate different forms of technology into the classroom. Students are constantly using technology in their every day life. I think that we as teachers can show them different ways of using this technology to benefit their learning processes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEFKfXiCbLw&feature=related

Computer Safety

Dear students,

There are many things that you need to be aware of while using the internet. One major term that keeps appearing especially throughout middle school students is cyber bullying. This is an extremely important topic that needs to be addressed. Please click on the link below to take a short quiz to see if you have ever taken a part in cyber bullying, and may not have even realized that you did something wrong.

http://www.stopcyberbullying.org/tweens/are_you_a_cyberbully.html

 At times we say things and do things because our friends or peers are doing them and we want to be included in the group even though we know deep down inside that they may not be the right thing to do. Here are some tips that will help you stay safe on the internet and protect yourself and your friends from being bullied:

1.      It's important to keep your personal information safe and secret.

2.      The Internet is a great way of keeping in touch with your friends and family. You might also find new friends online. However, you should never arrange to meet an online friend because it can be dangerous. No matter how well you think you know people, they might be pretending.

3.      Email is a really quick and easy way to send messages to people. However, sometimes people send you lots of junk mail called Spam which try to sell you things. You may also receive messages which make you feel uncomfortable. These messages can also come on your cell phone through a text message or file. If you are sent any messages like this, tell an adult that you trust and delete them. Don't reply to them!

4.      The Internet is full of friendly people and amazing information. However, sometimes the people, or the information, aren't reliable. People might say or write things which are untrue, so you should always think carefully before trusting what you see or hear. Sometimes you might see adverts telling you that you've won one million pounds or a free computer. These types of adverts are definitely not reliable and you shouldn't believe them!

5.      Most of the time that you are online, you will have lots of fun. However, if you see something that makes you feel uncomfortable or worried, make sure that you tell an adult who you trust.

(http://www.diigo.com/bookmark/http%3A%2F%2Fwww.freetech4teachers.com%2F2011%2F01%2F11-resources-for-teaching-learning-web.html?tab=people&uname=anciana )

Sincerely,

Señorita

The students are not allowed to use the internet on the classroom computers in the school district that I work at. They take a special which is computer class, and are taught how to appropriately use the computers during that time and that time only. I am not sure what the computer teacher’s policy about security is, but I do know that there is a system so that some websites such as facebook are blocked so that students cannot access them.  

Three ways to use blogs in Spanish class

Blogs can be used in a Spanish classroom in many different ways. It is a good way to get students talking and using the language that you are encouraging and teaching them to learn. Students can be given input from their teacher and peers, and can all be working on a different blog or topic at the same time. One thing teachers can do is incorporate technology and culture into the classroom by having the student’s research different topics such as food, holidays, or celebrations. Students can create and display videos about what they have learned and compare/contrast the topic to something they celebrate.  Another reason you may use a blog is for a writing assignment to address different grammar topics.  Students will be engaged and interacting in the learning process. You can incorporate authentic text material or even leave the ending off of a sentence/paragraph and have students post about how they think it should be finished. A third reason that you may use a blog is to interact with students around the world who speak the L2. Students can use the blog like a pen-pal agreement instead of writing letters and sending them in the mail or through email. All of these things will get the students interacting and engaged in learning the second language.

Some of the national foreign language standards that you will address through these activities include communication, cultures, and comparisons.