Story Prompt Generator for Your World Language Classroom

As a Spanish teacher, I am always looking for creative ways to get my students writing and talking more in the target language. I have found that if I let my students tap into their creativity, they are usually more excited about the writing assignments and they end up producing better results.

A while back I came across that has a random picture prompt generator. You spin and it randomly selects 3 picture prompts. I created a quick video walkthrough for you to see how you can use it with your World Language students to get them writing and talking more.

I want to hear from you, how do you plan on using the picture prompt generator with your world language students. let us know inside our free facebook group Tech for World Language Teachers. Join the conversation here>>

Spanish Speaking Countries Fun Interactive Resources

While teaching my students about Spanish speaking countries, I noticed that some students struggled with the geography part of the lesson. Some needed help remembering the names of the countries. I wanted to find a fun way to help, so I set out to find fun interactive resources I could use with my students.

I found some really neat resources.

Resource 1: Spanish Speaking Countries Setera Online Map Quiz Game.

My students had a ball playing this game and trying to beat each other's time score.

Resource 2: Spanish Speaking Countries Mapas Interactivos.

This interactive map allows students two options study or quiz mode.

Resource 3: Purpose Games Spanish Speaking Countries Online Interactive Map. Students are be able to see their score and keep track of remaining attempts.

I also wanted a fun way for students to remember and practice saying the names of the countries in Spanish. I found two catchy videos on YouTube.

Video 1: Rock The Countries-Central America. The Video includes the countries and capitals of Central America and the Caribbean.

Video 2: Rock The Countries-South America. The Video includes the countries and capitals of South America.

Video 3: The Central America Geography Song by Rocking the World. They also have some free activities to go with the video. The activities include maps, song lyrics, and a cloze activity. You can download the free activities here>>

Mapa Musical by Natalia Hernadez. It is a collaborative map on Padlet. You can add music videos, to illustrate the musical style of regions around the world.

Google Drive resources this was created by Melanie Borges Labendeira and shared by Claudia Shiell inside of the Tech for World Language Teachers Facebook group. It contains several no-prep resources you can use with your students. Some of the resources included are virtual field trips.

Bonus resource: The Taste Atlas website, is a world atlas of food and drinks, an encyclopedia of flavors. You can select a country and see what foods are popular in that region. This is great for cultural enrichment and research projects.

I want to hear from you which resource did you find the most useful?

Let us know your favorite inside our Free Facebook group Tech for World Language Teachers.

Duolingo for Schools Teacher set-up

Duolingo is a fun way to learn and practice a foreign language. It is a great tool for World Language teachers too. Duolingo for Schools allows teachers to assign assignments with due dates and challenges to  students. It also  allows teachers to track student progress. Best of all, it is free! You can set-up your free account by visiting schools.duolingo.com

You can view a tutorial on how to set up Duolingo for Schools with your students below.

Want more tech training resources? Check out our professional development community the World Language Teacher Tech Academy. We have lots of training and resources to help save you time and engage your students.

Engage your students with Quizlet

Do you struggle to get students to practice their vocabulary?

If you answered yes, then you need to try Quizlet.

Quizlet is a fun and easy way to help students learn vocabulary. Quizlet offers several options such as: flash cards, learn mode, quizzes, and Quizlet Live. Quizlet also offers a paid teacher subscription that allows you to create classes and track student progress. Here is a tutorial on how to set up Quizlet. Once you and your students start using it you won’t want to stop!

Save Time with a digital bathroom pass

Ok so your busy teaching when suddenly a student asks to go to the restroom. You have to stop to write out a pass or stop to take the time to write down the student’s information date time etc. What if you could set up a system that would allow you to continue teaching without you having to stop to keep track of all the students coming and going? Doesn’t that sound great?

Well you can take back your teaching time by using a digital bathroom pass. Here is a tutorial that explains how to create and use a digital bathroom pass using google slides and google forms.  

Did you find this useful? Let us know inside our Free Facebook group Tech for World Language Teachers>>

Want more tech training resources? Check out our professional development community the World Language Teacher Tech Academy. We have lots of training and resources to help save you time and engage your students.

Save Time and prevent the spread of germs.

Why use digital classroom forms?

• Digital passes are efficient and more sanitary than paper or object passes.

• Reduce in class interruptions.

• Easily keep track of student data.

• Help prevent the spread of germs.

The Digital Classroom Forms Bundle includes:

• Editable bathroom hall pass, book checkout form, and pencil checkout forms.

• Editable mini-poster that can be placed on the wall for students to scan to prevent the spread of germs.

• All resources are editable and available in English and Spanish.

• All resources can be edited to add any language.

Grab the Digital Classroom Forms Bundle here>>

Here is a Super fast way to Save time communicating with parents

Are you a middle school or high school teacher? If so, then you probably have hundreds of students. I myself have lots of students. With class sizes as high as 53 at times and almost 300 students. Communicating with parents and students outside of class was becoming a time consuming nightmare. Thankfully, I discovered Remind.com

Remind allows teachers to send quick and easy messages from any device for free! You can also send voice memos, links, and attachments. This is a great app for communicating and collaborating with parents and students. I can’t tell you how many hours remind has saved me over the years. In addition, it has helped to develop better relationships with my students and their parents. Here is tutorial on how to use remind. Let us know what you think? Join the conversation here.

Save time with digital student information forms

Gathering student information is an essential part of any classroom. In the past, I would have students complete a printed form and file the forms in folders.

After losing some of my files a few years back; I decided I needed a more secured way to collect and keep student information. Enter google forms, Google forms allow you to create forms online and the information is automatically saved in google drive. It is a great way to keep track of important information and save time. Here is a quick tutorial on how to create a student information form.

How to organize your school year with Office 365 Calendar

The start of a new school year can be very exciting! It can also quickly lead to feeling overwhelmed with all of the things that must get done.

I have found a good way to stay on top of things is to plan out my school year. In the past I would use a notebook planner. But after I misplaced my planner a few years ago, I realized a better option was to use an online calendar.

Using an online cloud based calendar, assures me that I never have to worry about misplacing my personal calendar again. Below, is a tutorial about how I organize my school year using office 365 calendar. The calendar is easy to use and accessible any time on my computer or smartphone.

Want more tips and support? Join our Free Facebook group Tech for World Language Teachers.