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 Ratings
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| Reviewed: |
Jul 23, 2012 by World Languages Editorial Board |
| Overview: |
This site was designed by teachers who created a language learning program based on a variety of material including subtitles, translations, exercises, tests, flashcards, photos in order to teach the fundamentals of the Spanish language and mimic the immersion experience. The resources are well-organized by categories and displayed in a menu on the right-hand side where users can find videocasts of Barcelona and Bilbao, exercises, food, lesson, photos, tourism, travel, Spanish Culture. It has also a section with Learning Resources with visual vocabulary and proverbs. In the Travel section a photo album displays photos of Granada, Madrid, Toledo, Alcalá, Barcelona and Bilbao. The podcasts and videocasts in Spanish with downloadable transcripts both in English and Spanish are for beginner and intermediate level learners. The exercises are in PDF format and downloadable which provide different activities and a key. The lesson section has a grammar spot with usage information in both languages.
HHS provides interesting conversations about culture, customs, and holidays in Spain. Transcripts are provided in Spanish or English and Spanish. Some are videos and others are podcasts. Photos of Spain can be useful for culture lessons and pictures of vocabulary with the Spanish meaning are useful for practice. |
| Learning Goals: |
Conversations with a native speaker and an American are interesting and easy to follow. They are useful for beginners or intermediate Spanish learners to improve pronunciation, reading, and writing practice (with additional assignments). There are pictures with Spanish words for vocabulary practice, and cultural information as reading material that would be informative for culture lessons.
•Students will be able to identify basic vocabulary words related to the topics develop in the site such as animal, drinks, kitchen, clothes, transportation, street, face. •Students will be able to learn and discuss about Spanish culture, tourism and travel. •Students will be able to learn how to communicate face-to-face with a native speaker. •Students will be able to practice Spanish pronunciation while listening to music videos. •Students will be able to compare and contrast idiomatic phrases in English and Spanish. |
| Target Student Population: |
•High School students attending Spanish 1 and 2, from beginner to advanced, AP, IB levels
•College General Ed, College Lower Division, College Upper Division
•For independent learner with a basic knowledge of Spanish |
| Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills: |
•A basic introduction to how the Spanish language is organized would provide a foundation for the range of supporting information site.
•Basic web navigation and basic computer skills. |
| Type of Material: |
Drill and Practice. |
| Recommended Uses: |
This collection of online resources could be used in class as a lesson in itself to practice grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation, as homework assignments, or as supplementary material to expand on a theme in the school curriculum. |
| Technical Requirements: |
Additional plug-ins or applications are needed to view some of the resources suggested in this site.
Java-applet, Quick Time, Acrobat Reader, Flash, Windows Real Player, Firefox, Internet Explorer. |
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| Strengths: |
•The site has a collection of engaging videos, podcasts, photo albums.
•The design of the material is clear and easy to navigate.
•The material includes exercises, grammar and lessons to contribute to the students’ knowledge.
•The resources provide authentic materials such as real life videos and podcasts.
The conversations are lively and interesting to follow. The pictures are excellent in quality. |
| Concerns: |
You don’t need the word “Spanish” after HHS. It’s redundant. Correct spelling of “Portugal.” More videos would be helpful. The podcasts are good, but would be even better with visuals. The pictures are good, but maybe you could add a couple of activities to go along with them. |
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Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool |
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| Strengths: |
•The materials are well-designed and organized so much so that they can be readily integrated into language/culture learning activities.
•The teacher can easily create learning assignments and activities based on the material provided by the site.
•The material can be used as a valuable tool to help students to be prepared to communicate in a foreign language and interact in a different social and cultural context.
The outstanding features are the conversations with transcripts. They are engaging and very interesting. Having a Spaniard and American is an excellent idea. The students can see the differences and will probably better understand the American. Many interesting concepts, such as gestures, are presented. It makes the lessons very engaging. The information on customs and culture is relevant and important. |
| Concerns: |
It could have more videos that continue on the same topic but just present different information. More lessons about popular food in Spain would be good too. |
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Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty |
| Rating: |
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| Strengths: |
•The link choices makes this site useful to a broad audience.
•The lesson plans provide a wide variety of activities to practice vocabulary and apply language acquisition concepts.
•The presentation is clearly designed.
•The content area is connected.
•The labels, buttons, menus, texts, and general layout are consistent and visually distinct.
The videos, topics, and photos grab your attention and interest. It’s especially good for individual distance learners as a resource for pronunciation
•The user can easily navigate in this site.
•The site does not require a lot of technical support. |
| Concerns: |
It could benefit by some instructions. Each video could have some activities following, such as discussions, practice, or even written assignments. |
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| Other Issues and Comments: |
none |
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