World Languages in Our Schools

Schools are looking not only to expand offerings in foreign languages, but also in helping students learn more about the cultures of the people who speak these languages. As we become a global community and as technologies bring us closer together, it’s important for students to learn the languages of other cultures and to better understand these cultures. Today’s students can learn languages online, practice speaking/writing skills with native speakers/writers through the Internet, and learn about cultures through global social media, blogs, video conferences, video, and other technology communication tools. Teaching global languages today differs from teaching of the past because a great emphasis is placed on communication and culture—skills which our students will need to make their way in a global economy.

TCI Brings Social Studies Learning Alive

TCI was founded by a group of teachers who wanted to improve the way Social Studies is taught. Until recently, they specialized in traditional textbooks. Those texts have been transformed into digital format so that teachers and students can be part of paperless classrooms. TCI offers a complete online learning system for Social Studies at all levels, K-12. The system, according to CEO Bert Bower, a former Social Studies teacher, “is robust enough for tech-savvy teachers, yet intuitive and easy for technophobes.” TCI features excellent content, rich images, file sharing, messaging, interactives, bookmarking, maps, glossaries, and much more. Text-to-audio, both in English and Spanish, is part of the program, as are game-like reading challenges and interactive student notebooks for online writing and drawing activities that are based on the common Core Standards.  Try the program by signing up for the company’s 30-day free trial.