Jeopardy Labs Tutorial

If you are looking for a fast and easy way to make FUN interactive review games, check out Jeopardy Labs.

Jeopardy Labs allows you to create self-scoring Jeopardy-Style games much more easily than using a PowerPoint templates. Jeopardy is a Super FUN way to review material with your language students.

You can create your own game in minutes or browse from the game library.

Here is the review game I made for my Intermediate Spanish students. This review games covers the following topics: People, subject pronouns, the verb ser, the family, and the verb tener.

Click here to access the Spanish 1 review game.

I also made a quick tutorial for you to see how easy it is to create your own Jeopardy-Style review games. You can view the tutorial below.

Looking for More Resources for Language Teachers?

Hello! I’m Rachel Lucas, I am a Spanish teacher and Ed Tech Trainer with over 17 years experience. I am passionate about helping World Language teachers learn to use technology to Save Time, Engage their students, and Improve proficiency.

I help teachers through my online professional development community The World Language Teacher Tech Academy – where there are tutorial videos, courses, links, and No-Prep downloadable resources.

I like to focus on easy ways to incorporate technology into what you are already doing in your World Language curriculum through a range of creative projects. I also run live workshops and have presented at countless conferences.

If you want simple, effective ideas for using technology in World Language classroom, I would LOVE to help you inside the World Language Teacher Tech Academy.

Learn more and take a sneak peek inside here.

Engage Your Language Students With Authentic Music

Have you heard of the Locura de marzo? If you are a Spanish teacher this is an AMAZING way to get your students excited and engaged. 

So what exactly is the Locura de marzo?

It is a SUPER FUN music tournament that takes place each year in March (March Madness). It is organized and hosted by Ben Ashby of senorashby.com

The tournament works like this, each day two songs face off against each other. Students from all over the world listen and vote for their favorite song. The winning song moves on to the next round and the losing song gets eliminated. I have my students participate in the Locura de marzo each year and they LOVE it! 😍

Last year Sr. Ashby came Live on The Tech for World Language Teachers Community to explain all the details about this AWESOME music competition.

You can watch and get all the details below.

Want to connect with other Spanish teachers who are participating in the Locura de marzo? Be sure to check out Señor Ashby's Locura De Marzo Facebook group. There are tons of ideas and resources you can use with your Spanish language students. 

Not a Spanish teacher? No worries, you can still get ideas about how to get your students engaged and excited with authentic music. If you are a French teacher there is also a Facebook group called Musique Mercredi and a website where you can get all the details about the French music tournament, you find out more here.

Are you a member of the Tech for World Language Teachers Facebook group? We have over 15,000 language teachers just like you. We share tips, ideas, and resources.

How to record screencast video lessons with Loom

One of the questions I get asked all the time inside of the Tech for World Language Teachers community is, how to record screencast lessons? Many teachers don't know where to start? With so many tools available it can be a challenge knowing which tool to select. My favorite tool for recording screencasts is Loom. Out of all of the tools, I have tried Loom is hands down the easiest to use. Not only is it super easy and friendly to use. There is no time wasted having to upload/download videos to share. Loom allows you to instantly share your screencast recording via the Loom link. You can use the Loom Chrome extension or the desktop app for more advanced features. You can even add call to actions and clickable links to your video. The best part is that teachers and students get FREE lifetime access when using their educational organization email address. You can visit Loom.com to get your free teacher account. Want to learn how to use Loom? Check out my step-by-step tutorial below.

Want more tech training resources? Check out our professional development community the World Language Teacher Tech Academy. We have lots of training and resources to help save you time and engage your students.

How to Host a Virtual Class for your Students During Covid-19 School Closures

UPDATE: With the COVID-19 Pandemic many teachers are having to change to teaching online. I made this tutorial in 2018, it will help many of you learn how to run a virtual class. Note, the Today’s meet backchannel mentioned in the training is no longer available but there is a great alternative called Yo Teach.

For further resources and help about how to teach online during school closures Join the Tech for World Language Teachers Facebook group. We have been sharing lots of resources and lessons to help you teach online during this challenging time. See you in the group.

Original blog post below:

Tutoring is something many teachers offer their students. However, students and teachers are often so busy with after-school activities, that it can be hard to find the time after school to offer or attend tutoring regardless of how much a student may need it.  

I set out to find a way to be able to provide students with tutoring in a way that was more convenient. I decided to try offering online tutoring as a solution and the results were surprisingly AMAZING! 

By offering online tutoring I am able to provide tutoring for students at their convenience, If they can't attend the live online tutoring session, they can watch the replay. The feedback I have received from my parents and students is that they prefer the online tutoring. They can watch at their convenience and rewind or fast forward where needed. 

As a teacher, I have found that online tutoring allows me to reach more students at once.  In addition, it allows for better differentiation because students can watch the replay as many times as they need to. They can also skip parts they are already strong in.  

Want to learn how to tutor your students online? 

Watch my step by step video training. I cover the following:

*How to set up online tutoring at NO COST to you.
*How to share your screen or presentation.
*How to set up a chat box for students to participate and ask questions.
*How to use free online WhiteBoard.

Get my free ebook 18 Must-Have Tech Tools for World Language Teachers

Authentic Resources for Language Class

As I talk each day with teachers inside of the Tech for World Language Teachers Facebook group, I often hear about their struggle to find authentic materials and resources to use in the World Language classrooms. When I mention Miscosistas.com I am often surprised how few have heard of this website. 

MisCositas.com has lots of Thematic cultural units, lessons and activities for your World Language classroom. Languages supported are English, Spanish, French, and Chinese.

Below is a video walkthrough I made to show you some of the resources available on the site and how easy it is to use.

What's your favorite resource from MisCositas.com?

Join the conversation inside of our Facebook community.

Verb Conjugation website for your world Language classroom

Do your students need some help conjugating verbs?

Check out this cool verb conjugation website available for multiple languages. http://www.verbix.com/

You can have your students practice as a bellringer, use for early finishers, or as an enrichment activity.

Below is a video walkthrough to show you how easy it is to use.

Did you find this useful? Head on over to our Free Facebook group and join the conversation. Group: Tech for World Language Teachers

Be sure to grab our free resources here>>

Story Prompt Generator for Your World Language Classroom

As a Spanish teacher, I am always looking for creative ways to get my students writing and talking more in the target language. I have found that if I let my students tap into their creativity, they are usually more excited about the writing assignments and they end up producing better results.

A while back I came across that has a random picture prompt generator. You spin and it randomly selects 3 picture prompts. I created a quick video walkthrough for you to see how you can use it with your World Language students to get them writing and talking more.

I want to hear from you, how do you plan on using the picture prompt generator with your world language students. let us know inside our free facebook group Tech for World Language Teachers. Join the conversation here>>

Fun Scrabble Game for Your World Language Students

So I normally blog about how to use technology with your World Language students. However, today's tip is too good not to share even though it is not a tech tip. 

I am always looking for new engaging ways to have my students practice their Spanish vocabulary. A few months back I came across a post about Table/Desk Scrabble for French classes.  I liked the idea so much I decided to use it with my Spanish students. However, I found that some of the necessary letters needed for Spanish were missing due to it being designed for french teachers. As a result, I decided to make my own letter tiles to include the missing Spanish letters. You can view the Spanish Scrabble Tiles here>>

I tried the Floor Scrabble game with my students and it was a BIG HIT! 😍

I divided my students into two groups and I had them compete. Whichever group was able to work together to come up with the most Spanish words won. Well, as I stated before they had a great time doing the activity. It was such a great way for them to collaborate and work together. If you are looking for a FUN way to get your students to practice their vocabulary I highly recommend this activity. 

You can download the French and Spanish scrabble tiles below.

French Scrabble Tiles

Spanish Scrabble Tiles

Would you like more tips and support?

Joins us inside our Free Facebook group Tech for World Language Teachers.