Alexandra Roth

The link to my second project: http://voicethread.com/share/250865/.

Reflection:
I think one of the most interesting parts of this project was the multimedia possibilities. There are images, audio, text and even sketching. I think this makes it a good outlet for demonstrating language learning skills and cultural awareness.

I think a variety of topics and skills were covered in this project. There was no “themed” vocabulary, so it was more realistic to a real-life situation where a broad array of topics would be covered. I discussed everything from tourist attractions to the economy to famous people and their careers. I also think this project required a significant commitment to complete. I researched online, obtained photos and wrote a script for it all before even starting on the layout and actual execution of the project.

I do think there are some weaknesses to the project. I think sometimes the audio fades or I didn’t enunciate clearly and words aren’t as clear as I would hope. I also wish there was a little more flexibility in the design and presentation because I feel that it could easily become a boring slide show because it was predictable. However, I do think the audio and text commenting tools make it a unique Web 2.0 skill.

I enjoyed doing this project because of the variety of information I got to learn. I also liked being able to demonstrate writing and speaking skills in the same project. I discovered that I am good at organizing information and compiling it in a manner that creates one unified, finished product. I think this fact was probably my favorite part of the project--being able to create a plan, research information, find artwork, and execute the process to create something in the end.

Finally, I think this project overall probably demonstrates a wider range of skills than my first project; however, because this is longer, I also feel there may be more room for error. But, I did successfully accomplish my goal set at the end of my project one reflection to use audio in my next project.

While there were some good things about my midterm exam, I feel that I could have performed better than what I did.

I think I did a good job using vocabulary and understanding the gist of questions. I think I could have done better on comprehending the specific details, though, of what the examiner was asking. I also think I did a good job following cultural expectations with the use of “usted” instead of “tú.” In addition, I also spoke with my hands, which was realistic in a conversation.

However, there were many things I would have wished I could have improved on. I think I had too much trouble forming complete sentences with the correct verb conjugations. I also think there were too many awkward and uncharacteristic pauses in my speech. The conversation was not a conversation—it was too much question and answer. I think my answers to questions could have been longer and more in depth and this would have helped the element of having an authentic conversation. Finally, I think I also had too many mispronunciations that the examiner had to instruct me on.

For my next exam, I hope to be able to project more confidence in my answers to the examiner’s questions and to create more of a conversation. I also hope to have improved my ability to form complete sentences. I can achieve this goal by striving to meet these standards in the everyday practice of the language classes.

I think I have improved in all the areas designated on the goals and strategies document. Not all of the improvements arose from my stated strategy, but I do think I did make accomplishments in each category. More in-depth reflection can be found in the document itself.

I chose this sample because I believe that it is a good representation of one form of presentational speaking. I think I did a good job with the inflection and not being monotone. The inflection was successful because I used the strategy of shadowing to try to be as close to the model as possible. After listening to the model and making my own sample numerous times, I feel that this final product was the best compilation of that work. Another strategy I used for this sample was to write down what I heard when I listened to the audio sample. Then, on my transcribed script, I noted which words fused together, drew arrows for words or syllables that changed in tone, and underlined syllables that were particularly stressed. I think breaking the sample down and thinking about it in terms of even individual syllables helped me notice more about the language and speaking patterns than simply shadowing alone.

However, I still think there were some weaknesses in the sample. I think there were some words that could have been enunciated better, and I think my intonation of individual words could have improved to better reflect native speakers' language patterns. I think the sample would also have been improved if I could have retained the same clarity, but spoken faster at a more realistic pace. Finally, I think there were still some words I tripped up on, so I could work on the pronunciation of them.

Overall, though, I enjoyed doing this project because of the clearly defined objective. I was able to constantly compare what I did to what the model did, so I was able to evaluate my own performance. Being able to listen to myself helps me be a more critical and analytical speaker of Spanish.