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Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Apps for Spanish Class - Akinator

Last week for something different, I started the class using an  app for the iPad called "Akinator".  It is similar to "20 Questions".  First you think of a person, real or fictional, and then Akinator asks questions for which you must answer Yes/No/Probably/I don't Know/etc.  The great thing about the app is that there are many languages in which you can play the game.

When my students walked in, I had Akinator projected on the white board.  Of course it caught their attention and they immediately said, "What's that?" and other comments.  I told them to choose a person that was real or from a book, or movie, or TV show, or cartoon character or anyone they could think of.  We then proceeded with the activity and Akinator proposed the first question in Spanish.  Many of the words in the questions were familiar but many times they had to ask me what something meant or they were able to figure it out through context.  

After Akinator correctly guessed the characters they had selected, they asked to play again, and again, and again.  I limited it to 6 or 7 times, but they wanted to play it the whole class.  I wanted to show them that simply by changing the language on games, or apps, you can learn new words in Spanish and increase your vocabulary, and....Have FUN!  

If you haven't tried Akinator yet, I strongly recommend it for when you have a few minutes at the end of class that you don't want to waste, or maybe just for an activity to change up the routine that the students will enjoy.  It costs $1.99 and worth every penny.
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4 comments:

  1. AnonymousJune 7, 2012 at 9:25 PM

    You don't even need to buy the app for this. You can use the website for free. I used this in class this year! Just a tip.... Make SURE you put your age as your students age otherwise you may get some inappropriate questions. :-/ I learned that the hard way! But otherwise it is a great tool for students to be able to see questions.

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  2. Señora HitzJune 7, 2012 at 10:13 PM

    I thought I had to pay for it, but maybe that was another app. Good advice on setting the age. If you have any other apps that you like to use in Spanish class, I'd be interested in hearing about them.

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  3. AnonymousJune 18, 2012 at 1:20 PM

    Wow. I did pay for this on my iPad, but I think it's going to be well worth it to change up the routine. (Wonder whether it will do Russian heroes!)

    Will you please find me at NTPRS if I don't find you first?

    Michele Whaley

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  4. Señora HitzJune 18, 2012 at 3:23 PM

    No worries Michele, I'm definitely planning on finding you at NTPRS.

    Then when I do find you, I'll tell you about my, well... small problem when I changed the Akinator app to Russian (at least I think it was Russian).

    Coincidentally, I was just on the AFLA website yesterday looking at the 2012 Conference Schedule - no surprise that it looks amazing.

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