Category Archives: Technology

Pecha Kucha in the Language Classroom, At All Levels

Are you familiar with Pecha Kucha?  It’s a Powerpoint or Google Slides presentation style that originated in Japan and it is known for its concise, visually engaging format. It’s an excellent tool for building presentational speaking skills and boosting confidence.

Pecha Kucha in the Language Classroom, At All Levels.  French, Spanish.  Presentational Speaking.

How does Pecha Kucha work?

Pecha Kucha, which means “chit-chat” in Japanese, involves creating a presentation with precisely 20 slides, each lasting 20 seconds. This unique format challenges students to be concise, organized, and creative in their delivery. The ultimate goal is to present a dynamic presentation lasting six minutes and 20 seconds.  Typically the presenter sets a Powerpoint or Google Slide to advance every 20 seconds to keep the timing consistent. There are only images on the slides and no words.  Students should have ample time to practice on their own with a partner before sharing with a larger group.  You can have students do their Pecha Kucha for a small group of 4-5 or the entire class.

Benefits of Pecha Kucha

  • Speaking Confidence: Pecha Kucha challenges students to speak clearly and confidently within time constraints, boosting their self-assurance.
  • Vocabulary Expansion: It encourages the use of diverse vocabulary related to the chosen topic, expanding their language proficiency.
  • Improved Organization: Students learn to structure their thoughts logically, enhancing their communication skills.
  • Visual Engagement: Incorporating images not only reinforces language concepts but also adds a dynamic element to the presentation.

Adapting Pecha Kucha to Proficiency Levels

For novice and intermediate proficiency levels, you might want to begin with fewer slides and shorter durations. Let’s Look at Pecha Kucha for different proficiency levels.

Novice Mid to High: At this stage, students are building their foundational language skills. Pecha Kucha can start with as few as five slides, with each slide lasting 10-15 seconds. Here are some topic ideas and examples:

  • My Family: Include pictures of family members and use basic vocabulary to introduce them. For instance, “This is my sister, Marisol. She is 20 years old.”

Pecha Kucha in the Language Classroom, At All Levels.  French, Spanish.  Presentational Speaking.

  • My Hobbies: Show images related to interests, such as sports, music, or art. Encourage students to use phrases like “I like” or “I enjoy” to express their preferences.

Pecha Kucha in the Language Classroom, At All Levels.  French, Spanish.  Presentational Speaking.

Intermediate Low to Mid: At this stage, students have a firmer grasp of the language, allowing for more complexity. You can increase the number of slides to 10-15, with each slide lasting 15-20 seconds. Here are examples:

  • Travel Destinations: Share pictures of famous places and discuss why they want to visit them. Encourage the use of descriptive language and future tense, e.g., “I will visit Paris because it’s beautiful.”

Pecha Kucha in the Language Classroom, At All Levels.  French, Spanish.  Presentational Speaking.

  • A Day in My Life: Describe their typical day, incorporating past, present, and future tenses. Include images of various activities, such as waking up, going to school, and spending time with friends.

Pecha Kucha in the Language Classroom, At All Levels.  French, Spanish.  Presentational Speaking.

Language Use in Pecha Kucha

Emphasize the use of relevant vocabulary, verb tenses, and connectors while presenting. Encourage students to incorporate phrases like “First, then, next, finally” to structure their presentations. Provide feedback on pronunciation, fluency, and correct word usage to help them improve.

What do the listeners do?

  • Provide listening students with a template or worksheet where they can jot down key points, interesting phrases, or questions during the presentations. This will help them stay focused and retain information.
  • If listening students have questions about what they heard during the presentations, provide an opportunity for them to seek clarifications from the presenters. This promotes interactive learning and communication within the classroom.
  • After each presentation, ask listening students to share their understanding of what their classmate discussed. This can be done individually or in small groups.
  • Listening students can compare their notes with their peers to see if they captured the same key points. This can lead to interesting conversations and collaborative learning.
  • Initiate a class discussion where listening students can share their thoughts on the presentations they observed. Encourage them to express what they found interesting, challenging, or informative.

Final Thoughts on Pecha Kucha

Incorporating Pecha Kucha into your world language classroom offers an exciting way to foster presentational speaking proficiency, creativity, and confidence. Whether students are just starting out or have been studying for a few years, this method can be tailored to their level, ensuring continuous growth and engagement in their language learning journey!

Use Google Slides™ to Create Interactive Stacks

Once in a while I see a post on or tweet and it sparks a new idea.  Maybe I don’t do it the exact way that it was shown, but it gets the wheels turning.

This happed last week when I saw a tweet from Meredith White, a Spanish teacher in Georgia.  She shared a Google Slide™ tip and I got to thinking right away about all the ways that I could use it to engage students with their language learning.

Use Google Slides™ to Create Interactive Stacks (French, Spanish)

Essentially, Meredith showed that you can pile up text boxes and then have students work through the “stack” and move the boxes around the screen.

Here is the run-down of how to do it:

🖱 Click image
🖱 Duplicate as many times as you want
🖱 To turn those into a stack, select all images
🖱 Click arrange, choose left
🖱 Click arrange, choose top
✨ Now students can drag & drop from a stack.

And here is a quick video that shows how to do this and an idea that I came up with that uses the stack:

I hope this inspired you in the same way it inspired me.

35: Technology to Support Language Students with Joe Dale (Part 2)


This is the second part of an extended episode on using technology in language learning.  Joe Dale continues the discussion about technology tools and resources to support students in the language classroom. Joe Dale is a language consultant from the UK who works with a range of organizations such as Network for Languages, the BBC, Skype, Microsoft and The Guardian. He is a regular conference speaker and recognized expert on technology and language learning. He has spoken at conferences and run training courses in Europe, North America, South America, the Middle East, Asia and Australasia.

Joe Speaks about…

  • how technology helps with intercultural competence along with resources that help to support language learning and engagement at all levels
  • how teachers who may not be so comfortable with technology can take the leap and use technology in their teaching

Connect with Joe Dale:

Resources that Joe mentions:

Work with Joshua either in person or remotely.

Follow wherever you listen to podcasts.

34: Technology to Support Language Students with Joe Dale (Part 1)


This is the first of a two-part episode on using technology in language learning.  Joe Dale joins me to talk about technology tools and resources to support students in the language classroom. Joe Dale is a language consultant from the UK who works with a range of organizations such as Network for Languages, the BBC, Skype, Microsoft and The Guardian. He is a regular conference speaker and recognized expert on technology and language learning. He has spoken at conferences and run training courses in Europe, North America, South America, the Middle East, Asia and Australasia.

Joe Speaks about…

  • how technology enhances opportunities to engage language learning
  • ways to use technology to practice interpersonal, reading and writing skills

Connect with Joe Dale:

Resources that Joe mentions:

Work with Joshua either in person or remotely.

Follow wherever you listen to podcasts.

French & Spanish Digital Writing Activity: Moving Verbs

Sometimes students know the meaning of verbs. Sometimes they know the forms. But, isn’t it great when they use accurate verbs in the correct context?

Put that together with a no-prep, time saving activity for you and it’s even more than a simple win-win.

Simply share these digital activities with students and they will move through a seamless process of identify meaning and forms and then putting it all together and writing their own sentences

This no-prep-for-the-teacher activity makes sure that your students don’t just master meaning and forms. They will combine these skills and write accurate and meaningful sentences on their own.

Take a look at the French version:

and the Spanish version:

 

23: What About Online Translators? with Bertha Delgadillo


In this episode we take on the question of online translator.  Like most teachers, you probably have experience with students resorting to using them.  But, what do we do about it?  They seem to be here to stay, so we need to figure it out.

I’m joined Bertha Delgadillo, a Spanish teacher in Georgia, who is well known for her work with acquisition driven instruction.  She helps us to understand why students use translators and offers tips and suggestions for meeting the challenges that this presents.

Bertha speaks specifically about:

  • why students use online translators irresponsibly
  • strategies to promote risk-taking
  • what we can do when students use online translators irresponsibly
  • when students might use an online translator as a resource

Connect with Bertha Delgadillo:

Work with Joshua either in person or remotely.

Follow wherever you listen to podcasts.

French & Spanish Digital Verb Form Activities

I have done a paper version of this activity, but now I do them digitally using Google Slides™.  Students are actively engaged in their language learning with these interactive digital squares verb form activities.

To complete the puzzles, students begin with a subject/infinitive from the number column and locate the correct form in the letter column.  They then find the corresponding square in the grid, such as 1E, 5G or 7B, and drag a red dot to it.

Each completed slide creates an obvious pattern that can be quickly graded by the teacher. There is an answer slide included with the solutions for each slide.

This video shows how to do the activities.

These digital squares activities can be used in class or remotely for:

  • Quick review
  • Activity for students who finish other activities early
  • Do Now (individual puzzles)
  • Homework (multiple puzzles)
  • Classwork (individual, group, station)
  • Substitute lesson plans

The activities are ready to go right away. All you have to do is share with your students.

French & Spanish Digital Vocabulary Activity

Keep your students actively engaged in their language learning with these interactive digital squares vocabulary activities. I have done a paper version of this activity, but now I do them digitally using Google Slides™.

French & Spanish Digital Vocabulary Activity

To complete the puzzles, students begin with a word from the number column and find the picture in the letter column. They then find the corresponding square in the grid, such as 1E, 5G or 7B and drag a red dot the the square.

Each completed slide creates an obvious pattern that can be quickly graded by the teacher. There is an answer slide included with the solutions for each slide.

This video shows how to do the activities.

 

These digital squares activities can be used in class or remotely for:

  • Quick review
  • Activity for students who finish other activities early
  • Do Now (individual puzzles)
  • Homework (multiple puzzles)
  • Classwork (individual, group, station)
  • Substitute lesson plans

The activities are ready to go right away. All you have to do is share with your students.

 

French and Spanish Verb Form Magic Squares (Digital, Google Slides™)

What is that you hope to find when looking for resources?  Do any of these sound familiar?

  • Digital files that I can easily share with students
  • Activities that can be used in class, remote or hybrid
  • Little to no prep
  • Self-grading or easy to grade
  • Provides students with effective practice with polishing verb form knowledge

Digital magic squares activities using Google Slides™ check all of the boxes.

The right side of each screen has 16 subject/infinitive pairs and the grid has the verb forms that correspond to each pair. Students type the number of the subject/infinitive pair below the verb form.

When all numbers are filled in students can verify their answers. The total of the numbers in each row, column, and diagonal is 34. There are 4 puzzles in this activity, an answer slide and a vocabulary reference page.

Absolutely no prep needed. Just share with students. Useful for distance, hybrid, blended or in school learning and teaching.

Digital files, Useful in-class, Remote or hybrid, Little to no prep, Self-grading, Effective practice

Get your magic squares activities now and share immediately with students.

 

French and Spanish Vocabulary Magic Squares (Digital, Google Slides™)

When French and Spanish teachers tell me what they want in resources there are a few common themes:

  • Digital files that I can easily share with students
  • Little to no prep
  • Self-grading so that students can track their progress
  • Easy to grade
  • Provides students with effective practice with vocabulary themes without translation.

Digital magic squares activities using Google Slides™ touch on all of these points. 

The right side of each screen has 16 pictures and the grid has the words that correspond to each picture. Students type the number of the picture below the word.

When all numbers are filled in students can verify their answers. The total of the numbers in each row, column, and diagonal is 34.

There are 4 puzzles in this activity, an answer slide and a vocabulary reference page.

Absolutely no prep needed. Just share with students. Useful for distance, hybrid, blended or in school learning and teaching.

Digital files, Little to no prep, Self-grading, Easy to grade, Effective practice

Get you magic squares activities now and share immediately with students.

French Digital Magic Squares Topics:

Spanish Digital Magic Squares Topics: