Dr. Mohamed Esa
Department of Foreign Languages,
McDaniel College
Startalk Blog by Mohamed Esa: http://startalkarabic.blogspot.com/
NOVA Startalk Mega-Website: http://novastartalk.nvcc.edu/

Practical Tips for Selected Web 2.0 Applications

There are numerous applications used by the "digital natives," "the cyber nomads," the new millennial learners that foreign language teachers can utilize for their classes. World language teachers cannot ignore the fact that we are dealing more and more with students who spend more time in MUVEs (multiuser virtual environments) and MMOGs (massively multiplayer online games) than with homework and learning for tests. They learn by doing. They spend more time on their smart mobile devices clicking, texting, facebooking, skypen, you name it. We are dealing with "millennial learning styles." We ought to incorporate some of the features of this "social-media revolution" and at the same time not ignore serious concerns about this new reality: loss of privacy, exposure to the world, quality of life, loss of the human touch, etc. As an educator, I use the motivation and willingness of the students to use new devices and apps and I try to channel that into positive energy and enduring learning objectives. In the Tagxedo image above, you can see many of these application, and this is just a selection. 

Student-Produced Music Video Clips

Many language teachers sometimes wish they had a music video at their disposal to get students' attention and motivate them. There are so many songs and music videos that teachers would like to use in their classes but cannot because of a possibly offensive word or an image that is inappropriate for their students. In this workshop, you will learn how to create your own music videos and how to edit audio and video songs to fit your needs and also upload them onto YouTube, Vimeo or TeacherTube.

"Kinder" on YouTube
"In the Ghetto" on YouTube

"Der Erlkönig" by J. W. Goethe
"Habbaytak Bissayf" by Fairuz
Send comments and any suggestions to:
Dr. Mohamed Esa
Department of Foreign Languages
McDaniel College, Westminster, MD 21157
E-mail: mesa@mcdaniel.edu
http://www2.mcdaniel.edu/german