Using the Internet and in my classroom will give students the opportunity to talk to people from Spanish-speaking countries, and find out what life is really like there.  Instead of telling my students what the customs, history and geography of Spain or any other Spanish-speaking country, they can investigate sites and ask people questions.  They could then report to the class what they have learned, in a multimedia format, by designing a web page, by writing a skit, or just using what was learned in everyday communication in the classroom.

    Another way the Internet will be used in my classroom is through web pages that can illustrate vocabulary.  Web pages can incorporate movement, sound, and text to show students what a vocabulary word means and how the word may be used in a sentence or situation.

    Through email, students could communicate with each other and myself better about assignments and problems.  I would be much more accessible to students through email.  If students are always learning, why shouldn’t I always be available to answer questions?  However, this would only be feasible if all students had access to email at home.  There is another way that email would facilitate learning in my classroom.  I would like to develop a partnership with a school in Spain or another Spanish-speaking country where my Spanish students could exchange emails with them in Spanish.  It would be great for students to practice what they are learning in a real situation.  It would also be a great way for students to find out what students are like in Spain.

    There is software that helps students practice listening and responding to Spanish in simulated real life situations.  I would like to use some form of this in my classroom to help my students develop their listening skills and vocabulary.  This software would also be used to give students examples of the way native speakers talk, their accents and their pronunciation.  It is important for students to hear what the language sounds like when they are learning to speak it.

    I also would like to use a storytelling program to give my students practice inventing conversations and telling stories in Spanish.  Students would be able to use their vocabulary and practice sentence structure.  They would be able to create scenes, which could be used to practice vocabulary also.  I am not sure how feasible this actually would be, but it is an idea I have which I think students would enjoy.

    Students need to know how to use computers, and in my classroom I want to give them opportunities to explore what they can do with computers and how they can use them to learn and to tell others what they know.  This includes using Internet searches, word processing, designing web pages, and using multimedia and other software.  Although my classroom will not be all computers, I hope to make them an important part of my classroom.

    I realize that using technology is not always possible, so in the instances where technology is not available, I will translate the ideas presented here to the normal classroom.  Without technology, my goals can be accomplished through creative visual and audio aids, role playing, and imagination.