Connecting and Collaborating

Who I Am

I never thought I'd start a blog. I've shied away from certain web 2.0 platforms, and I should probably examine why that is. Regardless, I'm taking the leap and that's a good thing.

I've been teaching Arabic since March 2001 when I founded Pacific Arabic (PAR), an adult language institute in San Francisco. While I've primarily taught the standard language, I've also taught Moroccan dialect several times and facilitated a study group in the Chadian dialect.

In September I began teaching Arabic to two middle-school groups at a French-American IB school. This has been a great experience for me on many levels. It's certainly opened my eyes to the power of technology in the language classroom.

To be honest, PAR could do a better job of incorporating technology. Other than email and a vocabulary flashcard app on our website, we don't do much. I'd like to move toward a blended approach at PAR, and to offer fully-online classes in the future. (I suspect some PAR teachers may resist the notion, but they'll thank me afterward.) I'd also like to use a blended approach at the French-American school in order to keep students engaged between class meetings, and to offer more differentiated instruction.

Connected Teaching

Until September, my network consisted of my own teachers at PAR, with whom I connect regularly to discuss issues they face in their classes. I also get ideas from them that I've incorporated in my own teaching. Beyond that, I've learned and shared a lot with an ESL instructor who's a personal friend of mine. (I've always valued input from ESL instructors, and used to pick their brains when I first started PAR. Back then we used to share space with an English school called Aspect International.)

Now at the French-American school I'm surrounded by teachers. My desk is in a room populated by science and English teachers, and I attend occasional meetings of World Languages Department faculty. I have input from my principal and from other experienced language teachers. I'm employing a project-based approach this year, and was asked to share my approach with my department. It's a whole new world for me on many levels. I'm challenged to think differently, to teach differently and to grow as a professional.

The French American school distributes iPads to all students in middle school and up every year. As a part-time teacher, I was given an iPad while full-time faculty and staff get Macbooks. I'm encouraged every day to incorporate technology in the classroom.

I've made contact with a school in Muscat, Oman and arranged a language exchange. Via Google Hangouts, my students will meet a group of Omani students who are learning French. This was just arranged this week, so it's quite a coincidence that, because of this course in teaching online, I participated in my first Googe Hangout today.

I must say, I found the Omani school and made the connection by fairly traditional means. I haven't really used web 2.0 to connect with language teachers in other schools. My recent experiences have shown me how such connections can help me develop as a teacher and keep my students engaged. I plan to explore the platforms described in this module but, following Paulino Brener's advice, will do so slowly.

Thanks for reading my first blog post!