10 Ways to Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month

National Hispanic Heritage Month (Mes de la Herencia Hispana) began September 15, and lasts until October 14. Why does the month not follow a particular calendar month? Well, mid-September marks the commemoration of the independence of many Hispanic nations, so it was picked as a starting point. The holiday was made to celebrate Hispanic contributions to American culture. Even if you're not living in the U.S., though, there's no reason not to celebrate Hispanic culture wherever you are on the globe! Here are some ways you can celebrate wherever you are.

1. Read up! Discover what NHHM is all about at the Library of Congress National Hispanic Heritage Month website.
2. Attend a local celebration. Check your local newspaper to see how your community is celebrating. I will be attending a festival at my university on Wednesday. Nothing near you? Create your own event!
3. Attend a National Park event. If you live in the Southwest USA or plan on traveling there soon, the National Park Service has a number of events going on at various locations.
4. Read a piece of Hispanic literature. The Florida Department of Education has compiled a great list of books for all ages, from young children to adults.
5. Discover Hispanic music. iTunes has a hand-picked selection of music to browse.
6. Educate yourself: learn a thing or two at the Smithsonian Latino Center.
7. Borrow a movie in Spanish from your local library. AOL Latino has compiled a list of some standouts.
8. Watch videos in Spanish at TerraTV.
9. Join a Spanish-speaking community online. For ideas, read my post on social networking.
   
10. ¡Habla español! What better way to celebrate this event than to speak Spanish, be it with native speakers, teachers, professors, students, or friends!
    

Photo by phxwebguy

An Interview with José Picardo of Box of Tricks and Así Se Hace

I recently interviewed José Picardo, a modern language teacher in England who authors a blog, Box of Tricks, about education and technology, and a great website called AsíSeHace, a learning resource for Spanish students. Both are very interesting and useful for teachers and students alike, and I highly recommend them both. Here's what Mr. Picardo had to say about Spanish and education:

What do you see as the most important reasons why students should take up learning Spanish?
Learning any language other than your own is an incredible useful ability to have. Not only can you communicate with people abroad but it also offers a window into the world as seen by other cultures. Spanish is a vibrant language with a thriving popular culture and it is spoken by almost 500 million people around the world. Spain shares an enormously rich cultural, artistic and musical heritage with countries in Latin America, as well as other enclaves around the world. Most of all, learning Spanish is fun. The Spanish speaking peoples of the world are friendly, welcoming and know how to throw a party. So, really, the question is: Why wouldn't you want to learn Spanish?

How can AsíSeHace help new Spanish students?
I originally envisaged AsíSeHace.net as a tool for my students, here in England. It's divided up into day-to-day topics such as personal relationships, travel, holidays or leisure activities. Although designed to compliment the English secondary curriculum, these topics are very accessible and would be of use to anyone who wishes to improve their Spanish. AsíSeHace has also launched a Podcast, to which you can subscribe in iTunes. There aren't many episodes yet, but I have big plans for it!

How can it help struggling Spanish students?
One of the main problems that language learners in schools around the world face is lack of motivation and engagement with the subject. AsíSeHace aims to present exercises, activities with sound and video which are fun and engaging. There are games as well as more complex reading and writing exercises, as well as clear explanations for those struggling with the grammar.

How is technology helping Spanish students in the classroom and on the internet?
I fervently believe in making education interactive, accessible and, above all else, more relevant to the needs and expectations of our students in the 21st century. I believe that technology can help teachers achieve this. Technology has been demonstrated to be a powerful motivator and to encourage learning.

What made you decide to be a Spanish teacher?
Although I haven't always been a teacher, I have always wanted to teach and grabbed the opportunity to become a teacher as soon as I was able. The reasons behind my desire to become a languages teacher (I teach Spanish and German) are very simple really: 1) I had very good experiences when I was a student and I admired my teachers for their dedication and ability to turn difficulty into achievable challenges. 2) I am absolutely passionate about languages and am convinced that the world would be a better place if the peoples inhabiting it understood each other better.

Social Networking for Spanish Speakers

I just made a similar post on my French blog, and I realized the topic would be equally relevant on this blog. With Spanish being one of the most spoken languages in the world (and growing), it's only natural that there be plenty of social networks out there specifically geared at Spanish-speakers. Joining one of these networks is a great way to practice your Spanish and connect with native speakers! There are so many, but some are better than others. I think it's most beneficial to devote your energy to a few high quality networks than spread yourself too thin. I tried to find networks that specifically were available (for the most part) only in Spanish, which increases the authenticity of your experience. Plenty of English-language social networks are available in Spanish, but it won't have the same feel of an original Spanish-language network. Before you make your foray into the "redes sociales," though, you'll want to brush up on some key vocabulary (further down is a list of Spanish social networks):

una red social=social network
un contacto=a contact
un contraseña=a password
un usuario=a user
un perfil=a profile
una comunidad=a community
compartir=to share
suscribirse=to subscribe
un commentaire=a comment
publicar=to publish (post)
un lector=a reader
registrarse=to sign up, to resister
enviar un mensaje=to send a message

And on to the redes !

• Tuenti - A Spanish Facebook-like social network
• Linkara - Another general network where you can meet with people and meet friends of friends
• Todobebé - A great social network for moms to be, new moms, and even dads!
  
• Menéame - Bears a striking resemblence to Digg (or Reddit or Furl, for that matter) in concept and layout
• Bitácoras - A Spanish "Technorati"-type network
  
• Terra - A Hispanic community, recently the center of some controversy regarding whether or not their purported relationship with Twitter was legitimate
• QuePasa - A youthful latino community
• Wamba - Another popular social network geared primarily at Spanish-speakers
• Blogalaxia - A Spanish language blog directory
• Fresqui - Another Digg-like network
• eGrupos - Another very general network
• Vostu - Although aslo available in English and Portuguese, you pretty much have to know Spanish to use Vostu, essentially a network of groups to connect like-minded people
• Rojas - A community for Spanish language and culture lovers powered by Ning
• Blogocosa - A network of Spanish-speaking bloggers that arranges user pictures according to size based on who is more popular
• Wikio - Yet another Digg lookalike, in my opinion the most polished looking
• Atrapalo - A Spanish language travel network