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DIGITAL CULTURAL SPANISH To explore my Students' Podcasts examples. Please select from the list on the column to your left.

I am a Certified teacher, and a native Spanish speaker from Mexico. I have a unique perspective of Spanish language instruction for 21st Century students. __I have integrated Spanish curriculum__ embedded with digital 21st Century skills and computer-based strategies, combined with authentic __Hispanic ____ cultural activities and digital performance assessments. __

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[|​www.lizandersonphotography.com] 1) Learning a language is not just learning structures. It is learning new sounds, expressions, and ways to understand more about other __people’s culture.__ 2) I believe in theories for second language acquisition. Reserach has shown that real language acquisition develops slowly, and __speaking skills__ emerge significantly later than listening, writing and reading skills, even when conditions are perfect. 3) As a teacher of other language other than English, I also need to be aware that variable factors are controlled through **the learning environment**, such as __students’ different cognitive styles__, __students’ learning preference__, __age__ of the learner, general __understannding of linguistics__ in their native language, __motivation__, __self-confidence__, and __anxiety__. All these factors affect language acquisition. 4) Obviously any language learner __relies on his/her language__ to produce language and to comprehend it. Studying a foreign language improve your analytic and interpretative skills in your own language.

5) Teens are never far from their __digital devices.__ For these FIVE reasons, I developed a Digital Spanish classroom!  My students in Spanish, not only acquire Spanish Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) from everyday digital use and authentic input of the target language through computer-based vocabulary, oral language development, and HIspanic authentic activities. But also, I implement 21st Century skills and 6-strategies to increase high cognitive levels, critical thinking skills and daily context-embedded reading and writing strategies that comply with TEKS/TASKS objectives.

media type="custom" key="6640539" Factors __controlled through the learning environment that__ affect language acquisition:

I targeted other variable factors of second language acquisition such as //__age, motivation, self-confidence, and anxiety__.// I continued implementing many ideas that I got last year from Fred Jones, such as, using visual instructional plans (VIPs) to accelerate learning and reduce students’ frustration by simplifying concepts. VIPs give students especially students with disabilities or with accommodations, a sense of accomplishment by providing students prompts with a simple list of steps or simple visual aids. I provided feedback with a good short prompt of the VIPs’ simplified steps.

One of the //variable factors// in learning another Language other than English that I usually considered first is the __//affective filter//__. Students feel more comfortable with a familiar digital environment in the classroom, and computer-based activities that fit my new 21st centuy audience.

One last factor was the students’ __//degree of general understanding of linguistics in their native language//__. I continue using multiple visual/written English cues in the classroom environment (context-embedded) as well as an English grammar review of rules and syntax to encourage background knowledge and connections.

__Use Engaging Web 2.0 Tools__ media type="custom" key="6146213"