Peer Review

Cultural Interviews in Latin America

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Reviewed:: Nov 11, 2011 by World Languages

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Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:: This is a collection of video interviews by business people describing the cultural aspects Americans have to be aware of when doing business in Latin American countries such as Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Chile and also Spain. This site has five sections: Negotiation, Language, Social Situations, Time and Schedules, and Spain Interviews. This last section contains 13 topics which include negotiations, strategies, win-win situations with Americans.Each topic has a Key Vocabulary (Spanish-English) and a Cultural Background which describes cultural aspects. A transcript is also provided in English as well as in Spanish. The videos can be watched online or downloaded in MP4 for iPod.This collection of videos can be used in class as a supplementary material.
Type of Material:: Presentation/Collection of video interviews.
Recommended Uses:: This collection of videos could be used in class as a lesson in itself provided that the teacher has designed a set of activities to work with after watching the video or assigned it as homework where students can watch one video at a time since each one covers specific topics within each category, for instance in Negotiation,students can watch topic 1:"Direct vs. Indirect Negotiation Styles" and discuss it the following class.Can be used in class, as homework, by an individual or in groups as a discussion.
Technical Requirements:: Firefox-Internet Explorer- Windows Real Player- Apple Quicktime
Identify Major Learning Goals:: The author does not specifically state the learning goals but based on the material and other considerations: •The student will learn cultural differences when doing businesses. •The student will learn how to interact in different social situations. •The student will learn business etiquette. •The student will learn to use the appropriate language code when doing business. •The student will learn how to deal with stereotyping.
Target Student Population:: College level – General Education Spanish or English language course
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:: Basic web navigation and basic computer skills.May need to download Quick Time or Windows Media Player

Content Quality

Rating:
Strengths:: •The presentation has a collection of engaging business videos with plenty of examples. •The design of the material is clear and easy to navigate. •The content of the site is divided into 5 sections which include different topics, key vocabulary, cultural background and a transcript of each video in Spanish as well as in English. •The videos can be downloaded MP4 format for iPod. Everything works together well. The topic is timely and important. It’s great that the vocabulary isin both English and Spanish.
Concerns:: •It doesn’t provide quizzes or activities to consolidate the knowledge acquired or comprehension activities. •The link Latin American Executives only redirects the user to the top of the same page not to any additional material or site.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

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Strengths:: It is interesting and provides good information about how to conduct business with people of other countries. It’s good that you labeled the stereotype part for what it is. You can learn a great deal of information quickly concerning the language and culture of several countries. The material can be readily integrated into language/culture learning activities. •It can be used in a variety of ways to achieve teaching and learning goals. •The instructor can designed good learning assignments based on the material.
Concerns:: •Although it is a presentation and the videos are interesting, it lacks the interactivity learners might profit from, such as a set of comprehension questions or a mini quiz. •The vocabulary section is just a list of words with Spanish-English translation. In order to make it interactive or more attractive to the user, it could be designed as flipping flashcards with a mike to practice Spanish pronunciation.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

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Strengths:: •The presentation is clearly designed. •The content area is connected. •The labels, buttons, menus, texts, and general layout are consistent and visually distinct. •The user can easily navigate in this site. •The site does not require a lot of technical support. The cultural information is outstanding, and it is presented in an interesting format. The Spanish pronunciation and wording is concise, to the point, interesting reading and overall excellent. The instructions are sufficient. The site is very easy to navigate.
Concerns:: n/a

Other Issues and Comments:: This collection of video interviews is well-designed, includes a variety of topics related to strategies as well as cultural aspects when doing business with Spanish speaking countries. Nevertheless, it lacks the interactivity students might profit from to gain a profound understanding of the different aspects covered in this material.
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