Kimberly M. Armstrong, Associate Professor of Spanish and Linguistics at Franklin & Marshall, has been using technology in the classroom for some time and feels that it does enhance her teaching and provides her students with a different medium in which to express themselves.
Most recently, Professor Armstrong implemented the use of podcasts. During the course of the semester, each student was to complete three podcasts. The first scenario provided to the students focused on an audio sample submission to a Spanish radio station’s search for announcers. Other podcast assignments included student reaction to topics relating to the Hispanic culture. As a final project in a course, Professor Armstrong provided her students with the option of creating a podcast or a video clip. The scenario was to create a segment for a television news program in Spanish. Students could choose the type of segment they wished to complete, such as conducting an interview, providing a movie review, or reporting weather conditions.
Professor Armstrong has also studied the use of blogs for teaching and learning. Using a blog established for her course, she would post questions to prompt an online discussion amongst her students. Students would take turns moderating the blog. Another way she used blogs was to post the beginning of a story and prompt students to add to the story line outside of class time. During class, students generated a script from the final story and each student was assigned a role. Students practiced their lines outside of class and created a film based on the story. Professor Armstrong states that such projects “help students use and practice the language outside of class.” Using Blackboard, Professor Armstrong was able to post the podcast and video segments created by the students for access by those enrolled in the course. 
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