Job Discussion Forums

[Phil_b]

Just out of interest, this is an area that is being pushed quite a lot in the UK, and I was just curious to see whether there were similar pressures in Spain. Has anyone ever found the following in Spanish educational establishments:

Data Projectors,
Interactive Whiteboards,
Virtual Learning Environments

There was nothing like this when I worked in South America, but they're everywhere in the UK...

[mdk]

Spain is a big country. I expect that most of the things you would find in London are to be found in Barcelona or Madrid.

To the extent that you don't care for that sort of thing - and for the most part I certainly don't - I recommend that you keep away from these cities in favor of the real Spain.

Galicia, Leon, Extremadura, La Rioja - those are the places to be in my opinion. If white boards and virtual teaching environments exist there, they could be easily avoided.

[spiral78]

Whiteboards are standard equipment INTERACTIVE ones are not, in most teaching environments.

I have a friend at a uni in Spain who did find herself obliged to get current on technically-assisted interactive learning techniques, but I think that such tools aren't standard in private language schools (at least not yet).

I can vouch personally that they are becoming rampant in Canada, and, after the initial tech training, I found them generally useful in some teaching contexts, at least.

Perhaps some of the Spain experts will have more pertinent info.

[SirKirby]

Data Projectors, Interactive Whiteboards, Virtual Learning Environments... they certainly exist in Spain, though you're probably not going to find them in the average language school.

Here in Barcelona, International House and the British Council certainly have and use data projectors and IWBs, and IH also has NetLanguages, which offers online courses for learning both English and Spanish. The BC, I understand, have IWBs in virtually every classroom -- again, not something you should expect to be the norm, by any means.

In the public and private schools (ie regular, not language schools) IWBs are becoming increasingly common thru government funding, though not yet to anything like the extent that they are in the UK.

[spiral78]

I'd guess this is a universal trend, with universities adding the high-tech stuff thanks to funding for it.

But probably it's a rare private language school willing (or able) to invest the money.

A further advantage of high tech learning tools in universities is that teachers' training is usually paid time, considered in-service development. True in Spain? I can only speak for US, Canada, and Nederlands.

[SirKirby]

Time spent training is paid...? That depends on the school...

In some normal schools (as opposed to language schools) there is an obligation to attend a certain number of hours -- it's part of the contract. Many schools do it in June/early July.

In language schools, an enlightened director of studies will (a) provide it and (b) pay people to attend.

There are not too many enlightened DoS in the profession ,-) !

An enlightened teacher, however, would attend anyway, paid or otherwise, as part of their own personal professional development, always assuming that we're talking about a limited number of hours a year.

Perhaps I'll avoid commenting on how many enlightened teachers I've met in 25+ years in the profession ,-) !

[mdk]

When I come back to teaching from my break and start doing privates, I doubt if such things would be of much use unless they can be made to fit in one's pocket.

[spiral78]

Obviously free-lancers would not experiencing the pressure from institutions the OP is inquiring about as regards the use of high-tech learning/teaching tools.

[mdk]

Quite right! Us freelancers are not "experiencing" them. That is the major reason we are for to being it freelancers.

Please forgive my obtuseness, but it does not appear readily apparent that the OP wishes to go high tech. My own plan - after deploying a bit of recon in my recent walk - is to sit on a bench in the "Parque San Francisco" in Leon with my mandolin and a sign reading:

"Lecciones Particulares en Ingles, Enfermeria, y Mandolina - que quieres pagar?"

I plan to stay around the corner at the Hostal de La Reina and if the weather is inclement to walk across the street to the municipal library.

Some of us do not look for the high tech approach and perhaps the OP shares my opinion of it.

[Phil_b]

Thanks.. some interesting points there, it's pretty much what I expected....

What I should ask as well is, how do students react to the high-tech approach. Is it something that people look for, like, or find completely irrelevant?

[spiral78]

In my experience with high tech learning aids, which I hasten to say was not based in Spain, those students who are generally tech-savvy seem to respond well - and those less so I think are sometimes distracted and/or intimidated.

[slaqdog]

The prices of interactive white boards and digi projectors are now at a level where all schools should have them--they are very useful and can enliven classes no end. Linked to a computer they bring vast resources into the classroom; the net is full of materials,
The drawback with online teaching is that you need a reliable high speed connection and for that you are at the mercy of telefonica-and they have no mercy.
Some people still use paper and a pen fashioned from a birds feather but there are a huge range of possibilities, and yes students do respond well.