La tristeza del maya: Digital story

Summary of story for non-Spanish speakers:

A long time ago, there was a Mayan man who asked the animals to help him become happy. In order to be happy, he wanted the sight of the vulture; the strength of the jaguar; the knowledge of the snake, etc. At the end of the story, the wise owl says that human beings will never be happy unless they learn how to want less and give more.

La tristeza del maya

Alternatively:

ePortfolio assignment #5: Digital story

Reflection:

This story is worth telling because legends are an intrinsic part of the Mayan culture.

“Spanish teachers are always looking for opportunities not only to make their students practice the grammar studied in class but also to learn more about the culture they are studying” (Rogríguez, M., 2004).

 A legend can be an excellent tool to achieve those goals.  As a language teacher, I constantly seek activities that will encourage my students to use the target language (Spanish). If these activities are also engaging and fun, students tend to remember the vocabulary and structure more easily.

The best types of language learning activities are the ones that possess cultural characteristics. Songs, for example, can be a wonderful way of presenting a country. Legends are also very useful. They are narratives, created a long time ago, and are very meaningful to the people of the regions they represent. Such stories can make it easier to understand certain nations and their traditions.

The tool I chose, “Slide”, was definitely appropriate to create this pedagogical activity.

• Functionality:
  • The use of images was a most effective way to illustrate the story. I found many images available on Google (advanced search: labeled for reuse).
• Requirements:
  • It was possible to add captions.
  • This is very important when trying to have the students use the target language.
  • The tool allowed for the use of music.
• Strengths:
  • The tool is easy to use.
  • Images can be found in numerous places (Flickr, Picassa, etc.)
  • Music can be added.
  • Cations can be added.
  • Speed can be chosen (fast; medium; slow)
  • A wide variety of presentational themes are offered.
• Limitations:
  • There isn’t a vast array of Latin music (which would be great for Spanish)
  • The development of the project can be a bit slow at times (when trying to change the place of a slide, for instance).

In a nutshell:

• All images were taken from Google images; advanced search; strict; labeled as commercial reuse.
• The music is from the “Slide” tool music choices.
• The story is an ancient one re-written for simplification.
• This slide show will be used to:
  • Present a Mayan legend
  • Learn the use of the subjunctive
  • Become familiar with images representing the Mayan culture (mayan statues, for example)

See my slide show here (created on Slide at  http://www.slide.com)