Ok so I’m working on a new project. Silly me, always a new project.
We’re working on a new site to teach folks Spanish. Specifically, Jeff Corwin. Trust me, I’ll announce it formally in a few weeks. My students and I have been working on this and now we need your help. We’re out of ideas!
One of my students came up to me and asked me to blog it. She asked, “can the network help”?
Can you imagine?
Anyway, here is their letter, can you help them?
We have an idea for a site. We have picked out a few 6th graders to help. The idea is to improve Jeff Corwin’s Spanish. We are planning to make a blog and a weekly show. We already have the basic format. We really need help with the idea (purpose) of the show. The show cannot be cheesy or boring. The show must be educational and unique. Most of all, this has to be fun and exiting. Will you help us?
We’re going to do a weekly show, a vodcast, if you will. It will be short and quirky but fun. At least, that’s what we’re hoping for. We need help with ideas for a show. Got any?
Ask your kids, maybe they’ve got a good idea!
DK says:
Haven’t got much to go on here but maybe you can invite people to put forward scenarios (or vote on a few suggestions) of what ‘Jeff Corwin’ can do each week (but obviously in Spanish)…
For example, one week he can go to the grocery store and buy an orange, the next week plan a journey and buy a train ticket, the next week meet a girl and introduce himself etc
Good luck guys and looking forward to seeing the results!
DK
MediaSnackers Founder
15th October 2007 at 1:50 pm
Simon Brown says:
This is a totally mad idea – sounds like fun! How about getting Jeff to pretend to teach his animals Spanish? Just conversationally, and of course they won’t speak back to him, so he’ll have to repeat their part for them.
15th October 2007 at 2:28 pm
Bud Hunt says:
I don’t have any specific suggestions, but I can tell you that I wish I had a firm knowledge of, and ability to use, Spanish. Will your show address those of us who aren’t as cool as Jeff Corwin (and much less likely to need to know the words “venom,” “viper” and “hospital”) and help us to learn Spanish, too?
If so, then perhaps give us some homework.
15th October 2007 at 2:47 pm
Mr Martin says:
Great enthusiasm guys! Good luck with your project.
Think of the movie Dr. Doolittle. He spoke with animals, spoke their language. Jeff obviously has a gift understanding animals and ‘learning’ their language. If the show kept to Jeff’s strengths, then you could focus on the zoology of Central America, where Jeff would have to be more conversational and clear in his spoken Spanish. Possibly, his guide would be a Spanish speaking animal. As Jeff learns more Spanish that episode, he would better understand his guide who also teaches about native animals.
Have fun with it!!
15th October 2007 at 2:56 pm
Tod Baker says:
Yes, I agree with Simon. I would like to see your show take a Doctor Dolittle spin. Will it be on ustream.tv?
15th October 2007 at 3:03 pm
nzchrissy says:
After I looked up who Jeff Corwin was (NZers don’t know who this is), I agreed with Mr Martin’s suggestion of Dr. Doolittle and his spanish speaking animal guide. I can’t wait to see/hear what you and your very clever teacher do with your show because I really need to improve my spanish too!
15th October 2007 at 3:06 am
Claudia Ceraso says:
I’ve just googled Jeff too. Now I understand this project better.
About ideas… I have a Peruvian and a Colombian student in my English class in Buenos Aires. We have so much fun when we realise we use different terms for the same thing. I discovered that Arequipe is our delicious Dulce de Leche. And we thought there was no such thing anywhere else in the world! Live and learn.
15th October 2007 at 7:34 am