Tech-Infused Unit Final Reflection

As I reflect on my revised unit plan, am I pleased with how its focus has changed. Although the vocabulary and grammar content has not been altered, the culture component has been enhanced through authentic experiences and cultural exchange. Students will connect with German high school students through the platform ePals, discussing their interests in regards to sports, activities and freetime in both German and English. I made these changes to help my students see the value and application in what they’re learning in my brick and mortar classroom. In turn, the hope is that my students will become global collaborators.

Additionally, I will have my students self-reflect on their learning as a culminating aspect to unit. The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) published an article in its publication, the Language Educator, “Taking the Next Step and Empowering Students with Self-Assessment.” The article encourages students to self-assess through periodic reflection and revisitation of goals in order to promote growth (Mack & Sweet, 2017). My goal through this self-assessment piece of the unit is to empower students to take ownership of their learning.

The use of ePals is the first part of the project, the research part. Once students acquire the information, they will then use Adobe Spark to create a product to share with their American peers. Through the use of this program, they will learn digital citizenship and use creativity to present their partners to our class. Lastly, they will Skype with their German ePals and realize how small the world really is.

I believe that students will be more engaged in their learning because of the authentic nature of the task and the motivation to make friends across seas and use their language skills with real German teenagers. Students will inherently see the value in what they’re doing, put more effort into their work and therefore learn more from the unit. Adding self-reflection to this unit will further enhance their experience. In another article from The Language Educator, “Reflection Empowers Learners,” the author argues that by first igniting curiosity, then engaging them with a related experience leads to learning and application and subsequently empowered learners (Rankin, 2017). Empowering students with confidence and practical knowledge is the desired effect of this project.

The most difficult part of this change is managing my students through ePals. Finding the right classroom in Germany, with the correct corresponding number of students, and relying upon these students to respond in a timely manner may be challenging.

Through this online exchange, students will practice their German, build new friendships, expand their world view and gain understanding of German teenage life. I am most excited at the prospect of these friendships extending outside of the classroom and the school day. Social media connectivity will extend their learning past ePal emails, into their everyday lives and interactions for many of them.

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References

Mack, S., & Sweet, G. (2017, August/September). Taking the Next Step and Empowering Students with Self-Assessment. The Language Educator, 12(3), 37-39.

Rankin, B. B. (2017, August/September). Reflection Empowers Learners. The Language Educator, 12(3), 34-36.