Michael Haboush AIU/Pitt class 6/29/01   You will need the QuickTime plug-in to hear the above movie. Download it here.

INTENDED USE FOR MY TECHNOLOGY PROJECT IN MY CLASS

This workshop has opened many doors (portals) that would have otherwise remained closed. Different ways of teaching that I knew were out there, now, do not seem so overwhelming. Also, a number of exciting alternative instructional options were introduced and now with some practice will become a part of my teaching style.

For my project, I chose to elaborate upon a lesson that I teach my students about Latin America. I chose to incorporate a variety of tools learned from the workshop while developing a power point presentation. I started the presentation off with one of the most commonly heard questions: "Why do I have to learn Spanish if I live in America?" (Few realize that the United States is not the only America.) Used in this slide is a text file along with an audio file. The presentation continues with a fact about Spanish and its widespread use throughout Central and South America. Maps were downloaded from the Internet to provide a visual effect. Links will be added so that the student may click on a country and be presented with information about that particular country. Action buttons were used in order to attempt to make the presentation interactive.

The presentation will be used to: (1) teach the students where Spanish is spoken in Central and South America, (2) introduce the capitals of the Spanish speaking countries, (3) familiarize the students with the geography, flora and fauna of each country, (4) teach monetary units, (5) identify the flags of each country and (6) give the students the opportunity to choose a country of interest, do research on it and report to the class via technology about their country.

This presentation can be modified to be used in both the Spanish I and the Spanish II classes that I teach. The above description will be altered according to the specific targeted group.