Cuentos de Alcaraz

Trends can be such an intriguing topic to think about.  If you think about fashion trends, these are trends that come and go throughout time.  They change for a moment of time but tend to make a comeback at a later time.  Take the jeans trend for example.  As a teenager, I remember that very low cut, flared jeans were the trend.  As I got older as a young adult, the trend transitioned into high waisted, skinny jeans.  Currently, I have noticed that flared jeans are making that comeback again.  The same thing happens with shoes, clothing, accessories, etc.  However, if you only look at other trends such as social media, apps, or any type of technology, the comebacks never really tend to come back.  These tend to simply develop, become better and never return to their old way.  I find it difficult to believe that we will ever have cars like they used to make years ago, or cell phones, or televisions, etc.  Trends change all the time t...

Very much like technology, teaching and learning evolves and changes throughout the years and generations.  Before technology existed, a classroom would most definitely not reflect at all what a current, modern classroom with technology looks like.  With new, modern technology and new generations,  a new way of teaching and learning in modern, recent times is Active Learning.  What is it? To summarize, active learning is meant to fit the learning needs of newer generations.  This new way of learning intends for the students to be “active” and take control of their own learning, not relying on the teacher to obtain that information.  A post that I explored, Student Feedback Part II , outlines a great example of activities that promote active learning.  In the post, the lesson outlines a series of different activities that happen in the classroom.  All of the activities are student centered, the students are the ones doing all the work while the tea...

Apps?  When did these first come out?  I try to remember when exactly the first App or its concept first began, however, I can’t seem to pinpoint it.  Part of the reason for this, I believe, is because I have never really been a trend follower and much less in the technology field.  When everyone was getting their own flip phone at my age, I did not even get a phone.  When everyone began getting the sidekick, I was barely getting my first flip phone.  When everyone got their first Iphone, I was getting my first Blackberry.  Don’t get me wrong!  It is not that I am against technology; it just takes me a while to like things.  You can see that kind of reflected in the digital map below.  Take a look and you will see that I don’t even have the popular Social Media accounts like Twitter , Instagram , or Tik Tok ! Image source: author Looking at my digital map, I don’t think anything really surprised me.  I feel like if I were more tech ...

Duolingo in Schools Image source: duolingo.com Duolingo !  What a fun game to use in and outside of a classroom!  I personally like to use this game in my Spanish classes, and I am sure I am not the only one.  It is such a useful tool/game for any language teacher. Take a look at this presentation to learn a little bit more of how I use Duolingo in my classroom.       Video Source: personal video, using Screencastify & Youtube According to Nicole Krueger in her Edtech’s Hottest Topics for 2023 post , using Duolingo would fall under the 7th category, Games for Learning . In the same post, it mentions that bringing games into the classroom works with students’ natural inclinations to engage them in classroom activities.  Also, using games, like Duolingo, can motivate student learning.  Duolingo embeds games through skill building their listening, reading, writing, and speaking skills in any language.  In turn, you get points/rewards and ...

  Image Source:  tripleeframework.com Self evaluation? It is definitely one of the hardest things for me to do. I always start the school year, telling my students that talking about myself is something I truly dislike to do, but since I want to know more of them, I always share about me first. With that same uneasiness that I begin my school year, I will attempt to self evaluate myself on where I believe I would stand under the Triple E Framework Model .    Before I do that, however, let’s understand a little bit more of what it is. What is it? It is a useful framework that is used to measure the degree to which the technology in a lesson is helping students meet the learning goals. Differently than in other frameworks, Triple E’s sole focus is on the learning goals and not the specific technology tools. The 3 E’s Engagement Engaging is not just capturing interest with technology but actually engaging them actively in the content. It should include ...