Blogging en français (Mod 2, Blog post #1)

I've decided to step up my game and run a more technologically advanced classe de français when I begin teaching next fall. This means I will be using student blogs as a form of journaling in the classroom. In the old days when I was in school, I wrote in a weekly journal to practice writing in French which I would then turn in to my teacher each Friday. She would read the newest entry, write a few comments, and return the journals on Monday. Now, in the year 2010, it's time to put that exercise into practice on the web!

I would start by having my students visit this blog to comment on one of my posts. This will get their feet wet with posting without asking them to create their own blog right at the start. I have created some sample questions in my previous posts. By asking students to analyze a song, picture, or text, I am ensuring that they use critical thinking and make connections between the content and their own lives. After students had a chance to explore my blog, I would ask them to create their own space where they could record their ideas and thoughts in a journal. This project could be used in the upper levels with a concentration on utilizing the target language, or in the lower levels with more of a cultural focus in English. For example, I would assign the students in French IV to choose a text that we had studied in class and analyze an aspect of the text in French. Students could write about the motivation of a character or the message of the author and comment on each other's posts. Lastly, I would also use the blogs as a way for students to create and publish their own content. By creating their own poems, stories, or songs and posting them online, students will be taking ownership for the content they create and share. A blog is also a great way to differentiate instruction by giving students a choice and some freedom in the way they choose to complete the assignment.

The National Standards for Foreign Language Learning advocate the use of the 5 C's in the classroom: Communication, Culture, Connections, Comparisons, and Communities. A classroom community where we share content, comment on each other's posts, and make connections between the French culture and our own fulfills each of the 5 C's. Students will be communicating with me and each other in the target language. By responding to my posts that focus on the pop culture of France, students are making comparisons and connections between their culture and the target culture. Students are also utilizing the New York State Standards: 1: Students will be able to use a language other than English for communication, and 2: Students will develop cross-cultural skills and understandings.

Bienvenue au nouveau monde technologique de Mademoiselle J!