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Resolutions 2017: Support the community

Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell January 30, 2017 7 Comments

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Seeking the future of world language learning at the intersection of comprehensible input, project-based learning, global education, and love.
Resolutions 2017: Support the community
Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell January 30, 2017
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Do you remember Napster?  Did you use it to download music without anyone contributing to the work the artist and the artist’s team put into it?  I did not.

But I’ve got no high horses around here- fifteen years ago, I used a similar “service” (I’m not trying to be coy; I cannot even remember the name of it) to get music on my computer that I didn’t pay for.

I love Free Tech for Teachers as much as the next person, but at some point we’ve got to realize, free never fed anyone’s family.  Or sent a teacher to a conference.  Or put a FVR library in a classroom.

since when isAt ACTFL last fall, I attended a session on apps for early language learners.  The presenter (Karen Nemeth, Language Castle) was very helpful in showing participants how no app is perfect, and some apps aren’t even redeemable, but there are many out there that you can use in strategic ways to help kids improve their language skills.  At one point, a teacher asked the question that was probably foremost in everyone’s mind about a particular app:

Is it free?

And she gave this great answer:

Since when is FREE the only qualification of a good educational resource?

-Karen Nemeth

I clapped.  Alone.

We experience apps like Duolingo, which is free because the founder made his life’s fortune off of the CAPTCHA and reCAPTCHA programs he developed.  We use tools like YouTube, which is free because it’s got advertisements plastered all over it.  We enjoy programs like Radio Ambulante, which is free because of donors and grants and advertisers.  And I wonder if we’ve gotten a little spoiled into thinking that quality is secondary to free (or at least to someone, anyone else paying for it).

So here I come to encourage you to join me in a resolution for 2017 to support the world language teaching community.

There are many ways you can respect and support others’ work without spending any money, especially by always, always striving to respect copyright law:

  • Make sure every image you use in any resource (or blog post) is obtained as copyright free (like from Pixabay or Morguefile) or includes the Creative Commons copyright license specified by the author/artist.
  • Obtain permission for any resource you include in a project you’re developing.  Some, like Facebook or Twitter posts or online menus, are a very gray area because it can be argued there’s no expectation of privacy or you’re not infringing on Pizza Hut Peru’s market share by showing your students part of the menu.  But it can never hurt to ask, and especially if you’re putting a price tag on a resource, if you haven’t received permission to use what’s inside for commercial purposes, you could well be breaking the law.
  • Don’t ever, ever, ever email a resource you bought to another teacher or upload it on the internet, even if it’s for your students, if it’s in a public place.  And if it’s in a private place like an Edmodo group, specify that your students cannot distribute the product in any way, ever.  Just ask Martina!

But all that is free and I started this post out talking about the danger of free, right?  So what if we supported the community in a very tangible way, from our wallets?

Now, I know that if I make some general statement about my finances like “I want to save more!  I want to pay off the car!” then at the end of 2017 I’ll not be much farther toward that goal than I am now.  What I need is a system to get me there.  You’ve heard it before: choose a concrete step like “Eat dessert no more than twice a week” over a goal like “Lose 40 lbs.”

My concrete step is $10.  I’ve actually set my Todoist (which I just started supporting with a premium subscription) to remind me at the beginning of every month to spend at least $10 supporting teachers.

But where?

If you’re going to assign homework, this is your first stop. Seriously.

If you’re looking for ideas, perhaps my list (including other creative people who make my work possible) can help:

Buy something on TeachersPayTeachers.

  • I’ll be doing Robo en la noche with my students next fall so perhaps Martina’s Ranas de cristal or Kristy’s El Macao Spix.
  • Martina’s Mundo en tus manos is a resource I’d been hoping someone would start creating for a long, long time.
  • We’re doing the movie Canela this semester so maybe the Casa Webquest from SpanishPlans or Jason’s marketplace packet.

Buy something independent.

Music lovers: What about a Zambombazo Clozeline ebook?

Game lovers: How about Verba?

PD junkies: Maybe The Language Teacher Toolkit?

Support a “free” resource.

The vast majority of images you see on Musicuentos are obtained free and free of copyright from the talented photographers sharing via Pixabay.  High on my list of donation priorities: Hit the “coffee” button for some of my favorites.

Thanks to my #langchat friends I’ve been experimenting a lot with Canva for blog graphics.  For the graphic on this post, I paid for a feature (the background) for the first time.  A whole $1.  (I know, it’s too busy or dark or not enough contrast. I’m not a designer.)  But I believe it’s important to deliberately give back to the creative people who help me do what I do.

I get so much value from Wikipedia. I give every year.

Have you ever thought about how much benefit you get from Wikipedia?  In English or in another language?  Have you ever thought about sending them $3 to say thanks?

What about music? I know it’s probably up for free on YouTube.  I know the artist makes a lot of money and maybe even spends it on drugs.  That’s not your problem.  They work hard and pay a whole lot of other people in the process – go ahead, pay $1.99 for a song on iTunes.  On my purchase list? Sofia, Soy yo, and anything by ImprintBand.

Give through DonorsChoose.

Go check out the pages of language teachers asking for support on DonorsChoose.  You’ll see page after page after page of teachers looking for help to buy books for classroom libraries, add technology resources, attend professional development, send kids to TL culture countries, and more.  Most of them aren’t funded at all.  They’re just asking, like Allison asked for help with resources and professional development, and got it. What could you do to help them get started?

Give directly to a teacher who has helped you.

I don’t necessarily like or agree with everything in this TED talk “The Art of Asking” by Amanda Palmer, but it’s a super interesting concept nonetheless, in this world of digital content where we want everything for free.  Amanda Palmer started giving away her music and asking her fans to support her in return, and it worked, and she got a ton of backlash for it.

It turns out this is a thing: someone recently told me about Patreon and said,

Why don’t you create a page here as a way for the people you help to say thank you?

But, I mean, that’s asking.  And like Palmer says, asking makes us vulnerable.

But then I thought about how Kara Jacobs recently added a “Radiohead-style” Paypal button to her site, and how pleased I was that she did, because she’s the person I’d name at the top of the list of teachers who give stuff away that saves other teachers tons of time.

So, I actually emailed Kara and Laura and told them I think they contribute so much to the community, they should create a page on Patreon.  If they do, I’ll certainly share them here so you can say thanks, too, if you so wish.

And then, I made my own.

I decided to use Patreon for several reasons.

You can say “Thanks, Musicuentos” on Patreon.

One: I love teaching and my heart is happier when I’m teaching, but I teach fewer than 20 students one day a week, and I make very little money doing it.  My primary income is generated through Musicuentos and the contract connections it has brought me.

Two: Because people have asked.  If you’d like a place where you can tangibly and simply say

Thanks for all the years of Musicuentos, Sara-Elizabeth.

without contracting me or coming all the way to a workshop, here you go.

Three: This is tough to say, but I’ve maxed out the amount of time I can spend answering email and reviewing documents people send me.  Patreon gives you a place to say, “Hey, I’m thankful you answer every email question and request you get, but I need this in less than six months, so can I pay you for it?”  I do still answer every email question and request I get, but it can take me months to get to them.

So, there you go.  If you like, check out my Patreon page to join the “Thanks Crew” or get “Amigo Access” today.

 

 

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Previous Resolutions 2017: Do something empathetic
Next Blogs to Watch 2017
Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell

7 Comments

  1. Karen Nemeth says:
    January 31, 2017 at 9:23 am

    Great, informative article!. Thanks for mentioning my presentation at the ACTFL conference! Karen Nemeth, languagecastle.com

    Reply
    1. Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell says:
      January 31, 2017 at 9:27 am

      Karen, I’m so glad you commented and now I can link your website! I could NOT find my notes from that presentation. 🙁

      Reply
  2. Colleen says:
    January 31, 2017 at 9:46 am

    Hear Hear! Thanks SEC for the reminder. My stand on this began early with the use of music in class. I use it for lesson only if I have paid for it via my iTunes Japan account. My images are from a free site – there are so many out there. I tell my students this too – to reinforce to them that ‘someone’ is paying for this even if you aren’t (and how will you feel when it is you?). “Free” isn’t free if you are ripping off someone’s work – just ask Martina!!!

    Reply
    1. Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell says:
      January 31, 2017 at 1:32 pm

      Great habit, Colleen!

      Reply
  3. On their own path (02/04/2017) | Path 2 Proficiency says:
    February 4, 2017 at 8:49 am

    […] Resolutions 2017: Support the Community  […]

    Reply
  4. #edublogsclub Free Web Tools – Language Makerspace says:
    February 7, 2017 at 3:42 pm

    […] thought this prompt of free tools was intriguing and I encourage you to read Musicuentos.com post, “Supporting the […]

    Reply
  5. This year, consider… 3) paying for apps & services | Musicuentos says:
    August 21, 2018 at 7:17 am

    […] posted several ideas to answer that question in my 2017 resolution post on supporting the community.  (And my to-do item still pops up on the first of every month: spend $10 saying […]

    Reply

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      • Stop stressing: It's wrong to do the best you can
      • Three tasks for crafting an effective message: Black Box Podcast episode 4
      • A Year in a Day: Camp Musicuentos 2014
      • Taking care of business: Summer collaboration for a successful year
      • 4 ways to tweak the exit ticket
      • Black Box Podcast episode 3: To Sell Is Human, part 1
    •  April (9)
      • Top 25 Spanish novels
      • Let's play
      • New activity resource: Tweetfest!
      • Black Box Podcast episode 2: Circumlocution
      • An impromptu "langcamp"
      • See you at ACTFL '14
      • 4 ways to keep curriculum relevant
      • Tutorial on the best free PD you'll find in your own home
      • The Musicuentos Black Box Podcast: IT'S HERE!
    •  March (11)
      • Authentic visual illustrations of proficiency (Spanish)
      • Curriculum planning outside the textbook, Part 2
      • A week or more of working with Vivir mi vida
      • Resource release: Complete verb pack
      • Curriculum planning outside the textbook: Part 1
      • Corrections to simple verb pack
      • Musicuentos is on Pinterest!
      • Is this the best we can do?
      • Writing a restaurant review: Activity from Bethanie Drew
      • Putting a number grade on proficiency-based assessment
      • Resource release: Simple verb pack
    •  February (7)
      • My favorite source for restaurant (and other) reviews
      • Guest post: A TPRS rebuttal by Carol Gaab
      • TPRS strategies I don't put in my toolbox
      • What I love about TPRS
      • Repost: Valentine's #authres from Twitter
      • How I use verb charts
      • Guest post: What students need- A leader (David Seibel)
    •  January (10)
      • Every language teacher's biggest mistake
      • My new favorite digital storytelling app
      • Why Genius Hour can't work in a novice classroom
      • Website review: Geoguessr
      • 2014 resolutions #5: Use more authentic sources.
      • 2014 Resolutions #4: Take a step outside the textbook
      • Reviewing 2013: Five blogs to watch
      • 2014 Resolutions #3: Survey your students.
      • 2014 Resolutions #2: Collaborate with someone
      • 2014 Resolutions #1: Read a book
  •  2013 (110)
    •  December (13)
      • The #1 Musicuentos post of 2013 (and the six years before that)
      • Best of 2013: #2 - Tips for the new AP
      • Best of 2013: #3 - Choice in homework, updated
      • Best of 2013: #4 - Novice song for Spanish Class Idol
      • Best of 2013: #5 - Can you control vocabulary?
      • Best of 2013: #6 - Is your lesson plan out of whack?
      • Best of 2013: #7 - Four habits that enrich vocabulary
      • AP Spanish final exam: Controversia navideña y Vacunas para niños
      • Best of 2013: #8 - Novice high vs. Intermediate low
      • Best of 2013: #9 - Using assessment to inform your teaching
      • Best of 2013: #10 - Spot-checking conversations
      • First-ever Musicuentos ebook: Reader's Guide to Ciudad de las bestias
      • Happy December!
    •  November (8)
      • AP Spanish essay - Obamacare
      • Vote: Musicuentos proposal for ACTFL '14
      • Setting goals
      • Don't go to ACTFL '13 without TELLing
      • Repost: A story for demonstratives
      • Listen to some Grammy music
      • Caring about the Really Big Deal
      • Calm before the excitement!
    •  October (4)
      • Using assessment to inform your teaching
      • Just some fluff: Makeup for busy mom teachers
      • Top 3 mistakes teachers of novices make
      • Book review: Teach Like A Pirate
    •  September (7)
      • Interacting with authentic materials: a guide
      • Using audio-lingua
      • Seven keys to a great story
      • Stations: Exploring music
      • It's a myth: Equipping students to communicate with... themselves
      • Turn a Novice Song into "Spanish Class Idol"
      • Is your lesson plan out of whack?
    •  August (12)
      • Children's literature for the world language class (Helena Curtain)
      • App review & Giveaway! High School Spanish
      • Choice in homework, updated
      • Back to school: Proficiency posts
      • App Review: Storykit (bonus - meet my family!)
      • Back to school: Evaluate traditions
      • Back to school: Blogs with great ideas
      • App review & giveaway: Word Magic dictionary and thesaurus
      • My authorized AP syllabus
      • Back to school: Musicuentos "first days" posts
      • Back to school: Give them signals
      • Going back to school with Musicuentos
    •  July (6)
      • Tips for the New AP
      • Don't be fooled! What the AP does and doesn't measure
      • Illustrating proficiency with a laugh
      • Snag some free apps while you can!
      • Stop asking for unnatural language
      • Fun video: Animals, present, feelings
    •  June (9)
      • Targeting problems with a pop quiz
      • Song, irregular present, part 4: Tengo tu love
      • It's my birthday - check out our presents!
      • A meaningful approach to grammar
      • Websites for creating online magazines
      • A world with no magazines
      • Guest post: Coaching with choice
      • Screencast: Photopeach
      • Communicative grading made easier
    •  May (10)
      • Health infographic: Novice - Intermediate Activity
      • A lesson in finding authentic sources easily
      • Tips and songs for past participles
      • Foster higher-level thinking from the beginning
      • Summer: Language for the fun of it
      • Novice high vs. intermediate low
      • E-magazines with learner appeal
      • Step outside the textbook: Tell a story
      • Repost: Novice description with Jengibre and Pin Pon
      • Interpersonal communication by choice
    •  April (11)
      • Novice speaking: Describing self with Sie7e
      • Can you control vocabulary?
      • Activities from authentic resources: Future tense
      • Why I love mistakes
      • Maternity leave!
      • Lots of your class gone? Pick up a book.
      • Abandon the multiple-choice question
      • Songs for future tense
      • I choose béisbol: sample "homework" report
      • 300 times thank you
      • Reporting like kindergarten
    •  March (11)
      • Training in circumlocution: Ban the dictionary
      • Fun activity #9: A leer
      • Last tips on avoiding burnout
      • Cortometraje for narration
      • Make developing curriculum even easier
      • Even more tips on avoiding burnout
      • Authentic resource: trivia games
      • Still more tips on avoiding burnout
      • Two more ways to ease into developing curriculum
      • Song, irregular present, part 3: Carmelina
      • More tips on avoiding burnout
    •  February (10)
      • Intermediate news activity for all three modes
      • Easing into developing curriculum
      • If you don't pay attention to comprehensibility...
      • Burning out or burning bright?
      • Keeping the class engaged: Change activities
      • Fun activity #8: A cantar
      • Twitter/relationships activity, just in time for Valentine's
      • Tech tools gone wrong
      • Grading regular free-topic writing
      • Add more music to homework choices
    •  January (9)
      • Spot-checking conversations
      • Song, irregular present, part 2: Hace tiempo
      • Four habits that enrich vocabulary
      • Paragraph form
      • Myths 8 & 9: I don't do it because they can't handle it.
      • Assigning homework
      • Song, irregular present, part 1: Sigo con ella
      • More choice every day
      • A novice cross-curricular activity from authentic materials
  •  2012 (39)
    •  December (2)
      • 5 New Year's resolutions for every WL teacher
      • It pays to have a focus
    •  October (2)
      • Best and worst games I've seen
      • Example: authentic text for novices
    •  September (7)
      • Success with Stations
      • More student choice in homework
      • Prezi: The Choice is Theirs (KWLA 2012)
      • Prezi: Kick the Vocab Quiz (KWLA 2012)
      • Take the leap to standards-based assessment
      • Fun activity #7: Conecta cuatro
      • A song for feelings
    •  August (11)
      • Screencast: Edmodo
      • Myth #7: Spanish Mike is a taco.
      • A study in motivation, part 2: Self-assessing abilities
      • It's my blogiversary - but you get the gift
      • Menus
      • Reading guides: Cajas de cartón & Esperanza renace
      • A re-post for your first days back: Abecedario
      • Screencast: Finding authentic sources for prompts
      • Maintaining personal proficiency
      • Ideas for the first days of school
      • AP redesign: Units & EQ's
    •  July (9)
      • A study in motivation
      • Advice for teachers in training
      • More uses for Amor de mi tierra
      • Book review: The Talent Code
      • Songs for 'duele'
      • The Case for Commands
      • Got idioms?
      • Like Musicuentos? Like it on Facebook.
      • Very short times with very young kids
    •  June (1)
      • 5...4...3...2...1... LAUNCH!
    •  March (4)
      • Another change: Survey says...
      • Design your own final exam
      • What I'm changing this week
      • Repost for CSC12: Increasing target language
    •  February (1)
      • A storytelling success story
    •  January (2)
      • Not going to ACTFL again, but for the best reason ever
      • Free Ebook for WL educators
  •  2011 (57)
    •  November (1)
      • Dear novice-learner teacher - love, an AP teacher
    •  October (3)
      • Learning from #langchat
      • Not your average health unit
      • Presentation: Target Language: Expect More, Say Less
    •  September (6)
      • Spanish 3 assessment documents
      • For KWLA 2011: Media from Reel to Real
      • Accuracy vs. proficiency: an illustration
      • Fun activity #6: A escribir
      • App review: Tour Wrist
      • Myth #6: Memorizing vocabulary
    •  August (5)
      • Trending topic = authentic comprehensible input
      • Got the rubric!
      • New year, new units, new assessments
      • Jumping on the Animoto bandwagon
      • Rethinking "late" work
    •  July (1)
      • A song made for early Spanish 1
    •  June (9)
      • Proficiency & tacos
      • Proficiency levels shouldn't be a secret
      • Flipbook illustration
      • Ethics in the language class - we aren't their parents
      • Activity #5: Gira la botella
      • Symbol Illustration
      • Connecting your classroom
      • Myth #5: The textbook is all I need
      • Taking paperless to the blog
    •  May (2)
      • Combat the 'este tiempo' monster
      • Children's DVD giveaway!
    •  April (6)
      • Activity #4: Drama Inmóvil
      • Myth #4: The Time Whine
      • Have you used PhotoPeach?
      • The myths aren't going to ACTFL
      • Fun activity #3: ¡Arriésgate!
      • Fun activity #2: A conversar
    •  March (3)
      • Dismantling Myths 2 and 3: Learning about language and its cousin, Grammatical Terms
      • Activity 1: Cuento poco a poco
      • (Trying to) Make learning fun
    •  February (10)
      • Two new options for out-of-class fluency
      • Great resource from la Sra. Birch
      • Dismantling Myth #1: What's a qualified teacher?
      • Keep singing: 189 pages of Spanish lyrics
      • #Charlando para aprender
      • Vote for this week's #langchat topic
      • It's time for them to use their time
      • For tonight's #langchat: A game for description
      • Short listening activity tailor-made for beginners
      • Ciudad de las bestias: Guides public & streamlined
    •  January (11)
      • Instead of the vocab quiz
      • Best songs for stem changing irreg. present
      • Do something drastic - kick the vocab quiz
      • Topic for #LangChat 1/27
      • Topic for the first #LangChat 1/20
      • Low-level learners can't understand authentic media, what?
      • They can't speak, and it's our fault: Dismantling the myths
      • Don't teach a health unit without this song
      • New: A language teachers' weekly chat on Twitter - choose our first topic!
      • Since I stopped teaching to the [AP] test
      • Faith and Culture: help me decide our AP topic
  •  2010 (38)
    •  December (4)
      • 9 ways to increase students' TL use
      • I love collaboration
      • The problem with translation (from a student)
      • Why music is more powerful than anything (& how to use it)
    •  November (2)
      • iPad giveaway!
      • A collaborative project for our Spanish-teacher PLN
    •  October (2)
      • And the winner is...
      • In the spirit of open source: Ciudad de las bestias
    •  September (10)
      • Books recommended as 'easy'
      • Pure present tense & at least 22 repetitions of 'ya no'
      • For a conference attendee: resources in math
      • Searching BBC Mundo
      • Prompts with Power: writing/speaking prompts
      • Prompts with Power: Prezi
      • Prompts with Power: German & French resources
      • Prompts with Power: Dating in high school
      • KWLA Presentation: PLN-ology
      • Tweet with double objects
    •  August (6)
      • Interactive comic creator using Maya & Miguel
      • Ads of the World | Creative Advertising Archive & Community
      • Added some great new links
      • First 12 days of Spanish 1
      • My supply list
      • Scope & sequence, word list for Spanish 1
    •  July (4)
      • 5 tips for increasing (your own) target language use
      • A warm-up from @samocamila: por vs. para
      • Camila's all on board! (well, on Twitter)
      • Getting vocabulary from a tweet
    •  April (3)
      • Huge toy giveaway from SpanglishBaby
      • A case for avoiding "pet" grammar
      • Authentic audio with future tense
    •  March (2)
      • Interesting blog post about iPod as language lab
      • News article: appeal + subjunctive for influence
    •  January (5)
      • A high-interest exercise for imperfect/pasado continuo
      • A song with 17 verbs in past subjunctive
      • My corporate Spanish links, all in one place
      • "Adora la Exploradora"-the week we didn't feel like a boring past-tense review
      • My level 1 and 2 stories (for Bethanie, and whomever else)
  •  2009 (80)
    •  December (2)
      • A song with 37 repetitions of "más que"
      • Switch to a communicative set-up
    •  November (10)
      • Print & audio sources for AP synthesis essay re: efficient energy
      • Two songs for voy + a + infinitive
      • A case for free-topic blogging
      • It's 19 de noviembre!
      • Camila's new single: "Mientes" (release date 11/24!)
      • A case for pleasure reading
      • Noviembre - a popular month for songs
      • Zachary Jones's "Clozeline"
      • Two songs + resources for Ojalá + subjunctive
      • A song just for @mamitati
    •  October (13)
      • You can't buy this in a textbook
      • Cultural connections: Four songs to explore using Google Earth
      • David Bisbal's YouTube channel
      • Correction on Pin Pon in Shrek
      • Four songs for contrasting que & lo que
      • Nominados en la 10a entrega de los Latin Grammy
      • Story and songs for subjunctive: indefinite/negative antecedent
      • AP sythesis essay sources: Los indocumentados y el sistema de salud
      • Blog that does what I do, only better
      • My October playlist
      • We must not ignore the Paz Sin Fronteras (video)
      • Build your perfect tenis (en español)
      • Video with por, haber, past participles, commands, from Coca Cola
    •  September (10)
      • Latin Grammy website gets a cool makeover... and nominations!
      • Songs for the elusive 3rd pers. sing. preterite
      • I just made my first Yodio
      • KWLA Fall 09 Conference presentation
      • Found Juanes on Twitter
      • For you French teachers
      • Bilingual toy giveaway, gracias a @mamitati
      • Keeping your eyes open for gold nuggets
      • CNN launches Latino in America
      • Bob Esponja on Mundonick
    •  August (4)
      • A correction on the correction of La Frase Tonta
      • I am in technology heaven
      • An AP oral presentation, with past tense: "Consecuencias"
      • I love crossover songs
    •  July (2)
      • Raimundo, the bilingual Latin American snail
      • A song for object/refl pronoun 'te'
    •  June (6)
      • A song for your hip-hop fans
      • Developing world citizens
      • Follow me on Twitter
      • Aquí Estoy Yo: video oficial
      • A new group on my radar
      • Two months later, back to the blogosphere (with a companion)
    •  April (5)
      • A most fantastic performance at Premio Lo Nuestro
      • The heroes speak Español
      • A brilliant pair of songs contrasting por/para
      • Useless grammar I used to teach
      • Adding some links--check 'em out
    •  March (7)
      • Negative commands + culture
      • Winds of change
      • Our students aren't the only ones who have speaking problems!
      • Activity: News interaction (present perfect)
      • A new smash hit with a subjunctive benefit
      • A shout out for Jacob & Joshua
      • El campesino y la princesa (a Spanish 3 story test, with a bit of subjunctive)
    •  February (15)
      • More interactive websites, courtesy of my students
      • A product I love
      • Good stories for commands
      • a story for imperf. vs. pret. and subjunctive influence
      • Interactive websites: practicing house/location/color vocab
      • Subjunctive for doubt: Story, song, activity
      • A good story for 'tiene'
      • A song for subjunctive/nosotros commands
      • A story for demonstratives
      • Rules in a communicative class
      • Cause and effect
      • Relating everything to English
      • A correction on La Frase Tonta
      • Equipping and informing, for free
      • A project based on motivation
    •  January (6)
      • "How much is estuvo de pie?"
      • One more song for subjunctive
      • A couple more subjunctive songs
      • An example of vocab
      • Internet scavenger hunts
      • A Spanish 2 story test
  •  2008 (51)
    •  December (7)
      • Videos from Jesús Adrian Romero
      • Alex Campos's YouTube channel
      • A story test
      • A video for Navidad
      • Great new song for subjunctive
      • ¡Nueva música!
      • A fantastic blog post
    •  November (14)
      • Ever heard of Patito feo?
      • Two groups you just can't go wrong with
      • Things to be thankful for
      • Grammar learning vs. acquisition
      • Forced to give grammar tests?
      • High aptitude is a beautiful thing
      • Another Spanish 1 reading
      • New media list!
      • At the ACSI conference in Dayton
      • Story success: Huevos verdes con jamón
      • Another story source!
      • Words we don't use
      • Song success: Hace tiempo
      • El carro de sus sueños
    •  October (12)
      • Overgeneralizing, again
      • Spanish 2 Story: La llama se llama...
      • Song success: Me voy
      • Not posting lately
      • overgeneralizing
      • The outcome of Pin Pon
      • Pin Pon in Shrek?
      • Best practices
      • Reading in Spanish 3
      • SCORE!
      • My media list
      • Awesome YouTube video
    •  September (18)
      • KWLA '08: Assessing comprehension without English
      • Song success: La llave de mi corazón
      • Spanish 1 Story: Insectos grises para el almuerzo
      • Finding stories
      • How do I find the music?
      • Modeling the billingual lexicon
      • Summaries of some classroom SLA articles
      • Love/Hate Krashen
      • Another article that rocked my world
      • More sunshine
      • When it's not all coming up roses
      • What on earth is going on here?
      • So, what are the cuentos?
      • The verdict on pop test 1
      • People I love
      • A pop test
      • Some assumptions
      • Starting to share my journey

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