French and Spanish Journal Project

Using Google Document Presentation for Journaling. Foreign language participants in this one-year study are

grade 12 French and Spanish students

Presenter: M Therese TsengCollaborator: Martha Haberman

OBJECTIVE

• The purpose of this project is to create a collaborative environment for second language acquisition in order to increase proficiency and fluency among our FL students.

• To achieve this goal, our students use Google Document Presentations for journal writing where they may produce narrative boxes, callouts and paste images.

• Studies have shown (Johnson & Johnson, 1986) that students, who write to an audience rather than just the Teacher, show more interest in their work, and this focus promotes critical thinking. In addition, evidence in collaborative learning also shows how students take more responsibility for their work thus enhancing stronger syntax skills (Totten, Digby, Sills & Russ, 1991).

Why use Google Docs?

• Google document presentation comes with comment boxes and formatting tools that make it easier to interact between instructor and students. The instructor can review each student prepared slide in real time thus providing feedback to each student.

• Real time application provides needed peer review.

• Great for storing audio files from students to practice in preparation for their presentation.

• The instructor can record dictation online using a school webpage or another website tool such as www.quia.com

• The online folders are a good place to upload rubrics for weekly journal assignments because they can be shared with students

End product

• Students build their own digital portfolio where they can actually observe their progress

• Double correction: Making sure students are aware of the mistakes they make, and are able to correct them immediately to prevent fossilization

• Creating ownership of the language

• Scaffolding is constantly growing and improving

• Use of vocabulary through rubrics to voice opinions in the target language in other words, prepare student of oral presentation.

Timeline Requisites

• Annual project divided into two semesters with four digital projects per semester.

• Data on parts of speech is collected monthly

• Data on dictation collected monthly

• Observations are noted during each session

• Survey is collected from the students at the end of each semester

Drawbacks

• While working in groups, the stronger student takes away ownership from the other student. Planned personal journals provide ownership of ones work

• Students are accustomed to working online using translators that prevent them from using the vocabulary learned in class. This can be addressed in class, but once the student goes home or is working independently, the problem repeats itself

• This study will help the instructor assess ways to eliminate the above situations

Formative Assessment: Addressing the problems

• To prevent students from using translators, we provided vocabulary included in monthly teacher created rubrics

• Next we created “Box Sentences” for students to practice parts of speech. Each Box Sentences required a specific tense to be conjugated in class (see next slide)

• We may have to create individual Box Sentences for students with weaker syntax skills in order for them to plan each journal entry. If the weaker student informs the instructor what vocabulary the student would like to use in sentences, the instructor may create a personalized sentence box for the student to independently figure out parts of speech required for making sentences

Nouns/Pronouns

Verbs Articles

Adj. Prep. Nouns of places

Janine manger le bon à îles

Je/J’ aller la belle au restaurant

Nous avoir un grande aux piscine

jus boire une froid dans boutique

Box Sentences 3Passé Composé

Sentences from Box 3

• Janine est allée à une grande piscine.

• Nous avons mangé un bon steak.

• J’ai bu un bon jus froid.

• Nous sommes allés à une belle piscine.

• Je suis allé aux îles.

• Janine est allée à la boutique.

Formative Assessment: Addressing the problems 2

• Observations of all written slides helped us determine what lessons required review or to re-initiate the lesson using another strategy in the classroom

• After the third month of implementation, students became lazy. They waited for the teacher’s double correction highlights before checking the gender and number of nouns and adjectives on their own. Guidelines have to be revised for double corrections (see next slide)

Example of double corrections

Mon sœur a joué au foot lundi soir. Elle a jouer avec enthousiasme.Elle va jouer encore le semaine prochain(…).

SOLUTION: Students will be advised that all gender errors are their responsibility, and must be sent in on the due date with the correct article placed before the noun as well correct gender/number format of regular adjectives and possessive adjectives, else the error(s) will be counted against them.

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Summative Assessment

Data collection on parts of speech and dictation were collected on Excel

• Slides are graded separately from the Project Package. All comment boxes were reviewed for first double correction errors and collected as data.

• Dictation based on tense was given: A paragraph or a poem was provided for students to prepare for dictation

• Project Package includes the following measurements:• Did the student meet all requirements?• New key on acceptable errors added.

Summative Assessment

• Data collection on parts of speech and dictation were collected on Google Online Excel for the following:

• Slides are graded separately. All comment boxes were reviewed for first double correction errors and collected as data.

• Dictation based on tense was given: A paragraph or a poem was provided for students to prepare for dictation

• Project Package includes the following measurements:• Did the student meet all requirements?• Oral presentation based on rubric guideline

Conclusion

• Our research involved French and Spanish seniors. We found students were more prepared for their oral presentation because of all the planning in preparation of journal slides.

• We had mixed reviews from students evaluation. Weaker French students preferred repetitive slides such as advertisements because they responded better when all the questions were the same for each slide. Others preferred slides talking about their personal experience such as summer vacation or school sports.

Conclusion continued

• We feel foreign language online journaling will benefit first level language learners. Starting early with simple sentences. In order words, habituate students to use the language ASAP

• We find students are very creative when they must work within the confines of a selected vocabulary

• Students enjoyed collecting pictures and images for their online journal. It also teaches them to cite from where they retrieved their images thus avoiding copyright violations

If you would like a copy of this presentation or would like to learn more about using online journaling, please e-

mail me at the following address:

mthersty@gmail.com

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