El blog de Joe

In week six, I explored websites that might help me and my classmates with their Spanish and Spanish studying I found a few good sites but one i found was really interesting. I provides all sorts of simple things such as numbers, food, weather times and dates, clothing, vocab and phrases. Along with these, are games that provide audio that help you here and pronounce how to say a word or phrase. Here is the website http://www.digitaldialects.com/Spanish.htm. Check it out. you can also find it on the side of my blog.
Bookmarking websites and reviewing them by testing them out can really help me. Whether it is studying or even a quick look at how to say or word or something. It can also help others as well.

In my fifth week in Spanish, I had a conversation with my contact on Skype. His name is Oscar. Oscar is from Mexico, and he really helped me a lot. I gathered and tried to understand most of what he was saying. It was mostly simple conversation terms. I planned reaching my short-term goal in five weeks. I will admit that I did not reach it fully. I worked hard on projects and studies that would help me reach my short-term goal. Between, my Voicethread and other projects, talking and speaking to others through Skype, using Diigo, and practicing conversation terms on my own time, I came up short. On the other hand, I have accomplished a great deal and worked harder in a Spanish class than I have ever worked in one before. For that I am exceedingly proud of myself, especially for the effort I put in to get myself to where I am now, more intelligent and confidant with my Spanish.
I really enjoyed this project and felt good about how I coped with speaking to a native speaker without saying “ah”, “umm”, or “like”. I used “eh” a lot because for most of the conversation, I did not understand what he was exactly saying to me. I spoke for a long period of time and for the most part, I was not nervous too much. In fact, after a while into the conversation I was pretty excited because I was having fun. Learning about a complete stranger who was just as interested in me as I was about him. I think that is what made it easy for us to discuss and ask so many questions to one another. Oscar did not even want to me to go because he was having a good time too. Towards the end when I told him that i had to leave, he complimented my accent and courage to speak to someone who is an expert at speaking a language you are trying to learn for around fourteen minutes continuously asking questions and thinking real heard to respond to his.
Next time, I will try not to use my sheets as much. I will try just to listen more and depend mostly on my memory and try to collaborate what the other person is saying. I think that will help me more because eventually those sheets will not be available. I look forward to my next conversation.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Me: Hola, mucho gusto
Native speaker: Hola, mucho gusto. Como te llamas?
Me: Me llama Joe. Como te llamas?
Native Speaker: Me llama ______
Me: De dónde eres?
Native speaker: Soy de Spain, y tú?
Me: America. Cuántos años tienes?
Native speaker: soy de ________ años. y tú?
Me: Quince años.
Me: Cuándo es tu cumpleaños?
Native speaker: El dos de Octubre.
Me: Cuentéme un poco de tí?
Native Speaker: Yo soy athletico. Me encantan fútbol Americano!
Me: Que?
Native Speaker: Yo soy athletico. Me encantan fútbol Americano
Me: Que equipos te gusta?
Native speaker: Los New York Jets.
Me: no, no, no tambien! Estas equivocado mi amigo. Para mi los New York Giants son muy buenos!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

During my forth week of Spanish I used most of my time up finishing my song. This song helped me again, with simple Spanish words and descriptions. But above all, it introduced me to pronouncing letters in Spanish A-Z. We also started a new project that involves Skype and conversation terms and how to speak with native speakers. This project will help me tremendously because it will hopefully help me learn and memorize how to speak and say simple conversation expressions. Plus, it will get me used to speaking to other people in Spanish for a period of time.

In my third week of Spanish, I created a Voicethread about myself, and two family members.  In this project, I learned description expressions about myself and other people as well.  Again, this helps me move closer to completing my short term goal.  Just simple ways to express how I am feeling and describing others.  How I know that this project really helped me is the fact that I found it pretty easy to do and to find what I wanted to say to describe two of my family members.

I did not get much further this week in Spanish than I had hoped.  I was unable to go on Skype or post much on Tweetworks.  I hope to keep speaking in Spanish outside the classroom and learning little conversations.  I plan on getting more Skype contacts for next week and beyond so I can talk to a more variety of people and help with my Spanish vocabulary.

Sadly, I really did not have much time to talk to people on Skype.  I hope to get to it next week.  On the other hand, I have been speaking in Spanish a lot outside the classroom.  Mostly with my friends who do the same thing.  Hopefully, soon, I can learn new things to say and talk about.  What I am doing or ask a simple question of where something is.