Podcasting+2

= = flamingtext.com = = =Cultural Holidays and Traditions By 2nd Grade Students= = Technology Standards=


 * II Communication
 * A. Use technology effectively and appropriately to interact electronically
 * B. Use technology to communicate information in a variety of formats


 * V. Integrating technology into the curriculum and instruction

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=Summary= Second grade students were reading the story Jalapeno Bagels in class and learning about different cultures. I began working on the voicethread with a group of ESOL students in a pull-out program. Each student chose a picture that represented a holiday or tradition from their country. They used books and the internet to research holidays in their native countries. They wrote sentences about the special event and drew pictures. Some students chose to use their own illustrations while others preferred to upload pictures from the internet. After adding pictures to the voicethread they recorded their voice to describe the picture. After each student had completed their voice recording, we listened to the playback and students were encouraged to add comments to each other's pictures. As students listened to the voicethread I observed them giving feedback and noticing errors of speech.

=Reflection= I sent the voicethread to the teacher in the mainstream class and invited them to add comments or more pictures to our project. The results exceeded my expectations. Every student in the class added to the voicethread and also commented on each others' work. They continue to enjoy looking at the pictures and adding more comments. The teacher also added the voicethread to her classroom blog to share with parents. I think this is one of the most effective web applications for communication. As an ESOL teacher it helps me to build a bridge to the classroom and work with teachers on collaborative projects. It also motivates beginning ESOL students to practice listening and speaking skills and improves fluency. It promotes inclusive teaching. ESOL students are not isolated from their peers. Even though they are not physically in the classroom, they are using technology to participate and communicate information in a project with their native English speaking peers.