In the third guest post in the Technology in Modern Foreign Languages series, Simon Howells, a teacher from Cheshire, recounts his experiences as he explores the use of web applications and technology to inspire a lower ability French teaching set, with a focus on Google Maps.

If this term has proved anything to me, it’s that the use of Web 2.0 in Modern Foreign Languages teaching is a wholly worthwhile and effective enterprise. Even the most intransigent class can genuinely learn and show real motivation if some of the great applications available to us online these days are harnessed in the right way. And even the cheesiest plastic Simon Cowell pop song can have something to say to us… maybe!

Always gonna be an uphill battle
Sometimes I’m gonna have to lose

Ain’t about how fast I get there
Ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side
It’s the climb

My journey with using ICT in MFL teaching began properly this year with the discovery of a wonderful online community of practitioners enthusiastic to share their excellence. Twitter has been an incredible education for me and has had a direct impact on classroom teaching as a non-stop source of ideas and support. As we all know, new ideas can be slow to take root in any institution, and schools are no different. But the MFL Twitterati have been invaluable to me in reminding me that it ain’t about how fast I get there…

To cut to the chase, one of the web applications I had targeted for use this term was Google Maps. Over the summer, inspired by a post on Joe Dale’s website, I had produced a YouTube tutorial on this topic. Figuring it was about time I took my own advice, I determined that I would have a go at it with my Year 10 group, who are not all enthusiastic linguists (!) and can be, er, less than focused at times. As it happened, this series of lessons was key in turning their attitude around.

The project in brief:

• Students to produce an account of a journey in the past tense using Google Maps and its “Street View” function
• Students to produce this on PowerPoint for display on the VLE and and on the classroom wall

Things I was worried about before doing this project:

• It would take me ages and I would fall behind in the Schemes of Work
• They would just mess about and get nothing done
• It would be too complicated to explain
• They would use technology as an excuse not to do the work
• They would not actually learn anything!

In order to address some of these worries I took steps to ensure the smooth running of the lessons. I produced a step-by-step guide including screenshots for the students, which I left on the school network and on our VLE; I planned a destination for each pupil (sometimes choosing appropriate ones for the pupil, such as the hairdresser’s or the commissariat de police!) to save time.

I set minimum targets to be achieved in each of the three lessons; and, of course, I was on hand to help. This might seem like a lot of work, but I now have a great resource to use in future years. As I had previously delivered a lesson on Montpellier, where I spent a year abroad in the dim and distant past, it seemed appropriate to use destinations around that town, to further “bring alive” the place they’re always hearing me mention!

These three lessons turned out to be probably the most enjoyable of the term. Pupils less conversant with technology realised they could follow instructions and produce something that looked great. Others got inspired and produced incredibly detailed instructions. The editing process really hammered home the past tense, and this was perhaps the thing that pleased me the most – I felt that using it practically made them really learn the past tense. We went from a class who hated grammar and failed tests to one that saw the passé composé as… a bit passé!

So how do I know for sure that it was a success? Much of the answer to that question is necessarily anecdotal. My group’s writing, though, has already shown a marked improvement. The secret pride I detected in our classroom display, and the satisfaction they got from seeing work appear on my blog and on the VLE, hinted at a changed attitude.

They feel like they can “do” French all of a sudden. They have seen a practical application for it. They have taken pride in producing accurate work, spurred on by the knowledge that it will be on public view. They are ceasing to see French as a difficult bore and starting to believe in themselves. They are still far from perfect linguists – aren’t we all? – but the challenge now is to keep that going… it’s the climb!

Simon Howells

This post is tagged edtech, Google Maps, mfltech, modern languages