Podcasting

I located a site on the Education Podcast Network that I think could really help students with grammatical concepts. Since the textbook that I use in class is based on the communicative language teaching approach, drills are not commonly found. However, some students need additional practice with conjugations beyond what the book offers. So, I think that I would suggest for those students that find conjugation drills helpful for them, to use this site on their own time. This site is called ReVerb Spanish. While I would encourage students to use many of the podcasts found on this site, I have selected the one on the simple past tense conjugations of the verb tener because a.) it is a commonly taught tense in beginning Spanish classes, b.) it is an irregular verb which is important to learn because it is commonly used in conversation.

I would recommend that the students follow the instruction in this podcast at home or on their mp3 player. The podcasts allows students to hear and practice the correct pronunciation when they are practicing outside of the classroom. It is also a way for family members to get together and study with the students. I've had many parents tell me it is difficult for them to assist their children to study because they don't know how to pronounce the words. The podcast clearly annunciates and this can help make learning/studying a family affair.