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    Languages Other Than English:
    Technology in our Classrooms
      
    Our iPad mobile LOTE lab is a great success!   Some pictures of LOTE students and the iPad 2 lab in action:
     
    French Ipads       French Ipads 2    ASL Ipads      ASL Ipads 2
     
    Our department shares tips and observations almost daily, and here are some of our teacher discoveries and observations:
     
    *Students actively participate at 100% most every day when using the iPad's. 
     
    *Students seem more excited about learning and take more risks with language when they have so many resources at their fingertips through these iPad's.
     
    *Students love that iPad's allow immediate feedback. Students can respond with revisions until they master the objectives. They leave class knowing they are successful in learning!
     
    *Students take the initiative to complete all make-up work when the assignments use the iPad's.
     
    *Student grades are improving as those who were already successful are advancing in greater strides, and students who previously lacked motivation are seeing language come to life and are actively taking risks and learning to apply concepts learned in real-world practice.
     
    *Instead of an infrequent luxury, AP format test practice is now accessible on at least a weekly basis, and students gain immediate feedback and can respond immediately with self-correction or self-assessment, proving to be an extremely valuable tool.
     
    *The one request from students and teachers is for more iPad's, so more students and classes can have the benefits of this technology to access language in ways that no other format will provide for language learning.
     
    Here are some comments from students:
     
    "Today in French, instead of using pen and paper we used iPad's. And it was absolutely AMAZING!! The activities we did on the iPad were so much more exciting than boring paper where you could just guess A, B, C, or D.There's not many times when we get to use iPad's at school either, and to be able to is just so cool!!! I wish we could use them more often because I feel like I'll be able to learn French faster and easier. With the iPad's, Madame Hall will be able to tell where I'm at and where I'm suppose to be and also how each individual student is progressing.  Hope we're able to use iPads a whole lot more in the near future!" -Emille L.
     
    "We love using the iPad's in Dr. Weast's class. We can interact with each other and learn together while seeing ASL signs in videos. It helps us look up signs that we need to know through the internet and our class YouTube channel." -Denise H.
     
     "The iPad's allow us to video our signing projects, and give us easy access to find signs during American Sign Language (ASL) class." Kaylee G.
     
    "Our grades have improved since we started using the iPads! We learn the signs better, and do better on tests." Colby W. and Matt K.
     
    "The iPads let me more actively participate in our team activities, and make-ups are easier to do. I can see the signs and their movement from the videos, instead of just looking at a drawing in the book." Heather S.
     
    "The iPad's are useful in acquiring more ASL signs we may need for class." Robyn  J.
      
     
    The iPad 2 mobile LOTE lab has been used in French, Spanish, and American Sign Language Classes this semester. Here are some sample activities:
     
    *Spanish, French and ASL classes had students create videos on the iPad's to demonstrate skills in the same manner of the AP exams, allowing students real-time practice in test format and to allow students to improve their skills.
     
    *Spanish students practiced a grammatical structure and also verb formation by recording dialogues on iPad's.
     
    *Spanish students recorded responses to prompts and responded to other recordings. 
     
    *French students rotated around to stations. iPad's were at the stations, and students listened to recordings on Italk, responded to two prompts with their own recordings. Then, they also responded to an online quiz, receiving their results instantly, and then responding to their results. The teacher was able to provide immediate feedback and students could quickly alter what needed improvement, developing and demonstrating skill mastery by the end of the lesson.
     
    *French students worked in groups to act out a video with narration, and then typed the narration with correct French grammar and emailed the assignment (video and written). 
     
    *French class created skits based on current grammatical structures they were studying, and then made videos to upload for the teacher to grade. 
     
    *ASL students practiced appropriate conversation norms, accessed a video segment, typed their grammatical answers, and then sent them in to the teacher for electronic and instant feedback. Students could then self-assess and re-send the work, or see they demonstrated mastery.
     
    *ASL students completed an enrichment activity, on the current unit grammatical structure, by watching a video and sending an emailed response to show mastery.
     
    *ASL Students used QR Codes and the iPad's in ASL to access different parts of lessons. Signing teams then progressed at their own pace, with extra enrichment QR Code assignments ready for those who finished early.  Then, students created a video of themselves signing a dialogue they created based on what they learned.
     
    *Spanish students used  QR Codes and the iPad's to quickly find websites for studying and to stay on task for the lesson.
     
    *French students used iPad's for an exam in the following manner: half of the class completed written portions of the exam, while the other half listened to two prompts and then recorded timed responses on the Ipads. These were then emailed to the teacher, and when it was time, students switched places and continued.
     
    *ASL students used iPad's during an exam in the following manner: students were able to take turns using the iPad's to watch and translate a story. Meanwhile, students without the iPad's were able to complete a written portion to prepare for a future video they would create. Students taking the exam were able to pause and rewind as needed, at their own pace. This individualized format for assessment has improved their confidence and increased their scores in this assessment format.
     
    *The iPad's allow ASL students to submit lesson videos for portfolio assessment, and we are working to find storage for these files as we create electronic portfolios for student benefit.