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| Reviewed: |
May 04, 2007 by World Languages Editorial Board |
| Overview: |
Mexican singer, Julieta Venegas, sings the popular song, "Me voy." The learning activity focuses on an oral comprehension activity for Brazilian students of Spanish. The activity provides for multiple choice questions about lexical, grammatical and cultural items. |
| Learning Goals: |
The learning object is ideal for developing listening comprehension at an (input +1)Intermediate lo listening proficiency level, useful in developing novice hi or intermediate lo speaking proficiency levels.Students will improve listening,grammar and vocabulary in Spanish. |
| Target Student Population: |
Brazilian learners of Spanish, although others may also profit.College General Ed, or secondary level. |
| Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills: |
Elementary Listening and reading proficiency for students having a Novice Hi or Intermediate Lo receptive proficiency skill level. |
| Type of Material: |
Tutorial; Audio |
| Recommended Uses: |
The song can be used to develop listening/reading comprehension, vocabulary, grammar and culture among Spanish-language learners in class, lab or outside the classroom. |
| Technical Requirements: |
Audio |
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| Strengths: |
The use of popular music and digital video will be engaging to learners who are frequent users of the technologies that this module employs. Through the multimedia, the author can address listening, vocabulary, grammar and comprehension of the content. The visuals provide a context for cultural discussion.
The first screen sets the scene with a review of the title "Me Voy" and the user is asked to answer a multiple choice question on the Portuguese phrase "Vou embora" and provide its translation. The student learns instantly if he has the correct answer. The "dica" button provides a tip for the user before answering.A correct answer prompts the student to go to the next screen.
In the second screen, the student encounters a YouTube video that can be played and replayed for comprehension. The student is then prompted to estimate his/her listening comprehension. Following this question, the lyrics are posted and the student can review the video with the lyrics close beside it as he/she proceeds to the next questions. A running score is provided and a printable grade report is available at the very end.The content is extremely engaging for young adults regarding the common theme of "love relationships" presented via a a music video with a storyline. The explanations provided for vocabulary, grammar usage, and culture are authentic and accurate. |
| Concerns: |
no |
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Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool |
Rating:    |
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| Strengths: |
Learners will enjoy working through the questions in a module that gives them instant feedback. The variety of questions is appropriate and will promote time on task. The printable evaluation report can also be delivered to the instructor by e-mail which is a very nice feature.
Faculty will see this module as a model to be used with other songs/films and even in other languages. Students may also see the possibility of doing their own similar digital videos.
Through the use of authentic material, the learner is introduced to different aspects of L2 acquisition via visual, aural, musical, and written material. The content-based material incorporates different aspects of Gardner's "Multiple Intelligences."
Following the June Phillips Model for developing the receptive skills, the L2 methodology for developing the listening skill is presented well. The format incorporates the standard progression of activities for pre-listening, listening, listening comprehension, and expansion activities.
The learning object includes the lyrics, extremely useful for singing along, developing reading comprehension, and additional material for developing spoken and written narratives, descriptions, and analysis of the uuniversal "love" theme.
The listening comprehension activities provide immediate feedback, and an expansion of ideas relating to the correct answer. In addition, the learner receives a grade at the completion of the listening comprehension exercises. |
| Concerns: |
no |
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Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty |
Rating:   |
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| Strengths: |
The site allows the user to navigate easily even though the instructions are in Spanish. Only the first page indicates that the site is intended for Portuguese-speaking learners acquiring Spanish. However, the rest of the webpages incorporate only Spanish as the target language, making the site accessible to any learner, regardless of his/her native language.
While the buttons are in Portuguese, it is easy to figure out what feature is intended for each button.
The video and audio are of excellent quality, and the video appears with each multiple-choice question provided on the different web pages. The user can download the music video for future personal use. |
| Concerns: |
In order to see the full page and the location of the buttons, the F11 function needs to be employed in order to navigate easily throughout the site. (There are directions for seeing the full screen.) When choosing to return to the previous screen (web page), in attempting to answer correctly, the return button sends the user to the previous M-C question, not the current one. |
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| Other Issues and Comments: |
no |
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