The Wimba suite of collaborative learning software has revolutionized the way I approach instruction in my Spanish classes, both on campus and online. I have been able to use these tools through Blackboard in order to free up my class time so that students can practice the language instead of listening to me lecture about the language. These technologies have made my teaching more relevant and accessible to students. The three main components of Wimba that I use are Voice Presentation, Voice Board, and the Wimba Classroom.
I have used the Voice Board in my online classes as an oral discussion board. It provides the students with a platform to speak Spanish in a non-threatening environment, and then they can comment on each other’s posts in Spanish. It is versatile enough that I can also comment on what the students say without other students hearing my comments. That provides an easy way to give students feedback without being put on the spot.
The Voice Presentation tool has changed the way that I conduct oral exams. Before, each student had to sign up for an exam time, come to my office, and agonize over their Spanish in front of the intimidating teacher. Now, using the Voice Presentation portion of Wimba, I can conduct the oral exams with an entire class at the same time. Students are able to enter the Spanish class on Blackboard, enter a Voice Presentation room, and orally respond to different prompts that I give them through web-based content. Students seem to feel more comfortable, and I am actually able to evaluate their speaking abilities in a more authentic manner.
The final portion of the Wimba suite that I want to discuss is my favorite. The Wimba Classroom allows me to conduct both live and recorded class sessions with my students. With Wimba Classroom, you are able to upload PowerPoint presentations, images, and websites into a virtual classroom, and then, you are able communicate with students that have entered the virtual classroom. What is even better is that all of this can be recorded for future use. For my traditional, on-campus classes, I have recorded short 5-10 minute mini-lectures covering the grammar topics that come up during the semester in Spanish. I assign the mini-lectures as homework. Students listen to the mini-lecture at home, and when they get to class, they are ready to practice what they have learned in the mini-lecture. I don’t have to spend class time talking ABOUT Spanish; we can use the time SPEAKING Spanish. Also, I use the Wimba Classroom with my online classes as a review tool. Several times during the semester, I plan evenings in which my online students can “attend” (either on campus or online through Wimba) a review session. After entering the virtual classroom though Blackboard, students can ask me questions, and we are able to review the material together at the same time without being in the same place. For those students that cannot attend, the review sessions are recorded, and they can view the video at their convenience.
-Brad
