http://promotion.msn.co.jp/davinci/voice.htm
Did you ever wonder what the Mona Lisa would have sounded like? Or Leonardo da Vinci himself? Yahoo News reported that a Japanese acoustics expert may have resolved that question. "Dr Matsumi Suzuki, who generally uses his skills to help with criminal investigations, measured the face and hands of Leonardo da Vinci's famous 16th century portrait to estimate her height and create a model of her skull.
"Once we have that, we can create a voice very similar to that of the person concerned," Suzuki told Reuters in an interview at his Tokyo office last week..."In Mona Lisa's case, the lower part of her face is quite wide and her chin is pointed," Suzuki explained. "The extra volume means a relatively low voice, while the pointed chin adds mid-pitch tones," he added.
So although she is known as the woman with the enigmatic smile, her voice is no longer a mystery. It's a Japanese site and Mona of course speaks Italian, but it's interesting nonetheless.
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Commentary: Sotir: Professional Development: It's the New Big Thing
Some call it 'professional development' some call it 'staff development' but whatever the title, it's the latest trend in education. While it isn't always done well, it is being done a lot, and with good reason. It's what educators need to stay ahead of the curve, and their students.
Most educators were trained in a era where you went to college, got a teaching degree, and then went off to teach the things you learned at college until you retired. Yes, there were things like 'Teacher Institute" days, and sometimes a few hours were spent brainstorming with your peers, but overall, what you learned in college pretty well was all you needed to teach a class. History teachers learned the history. Math teachers figured out the math. English teachers knew the grammar and used their market share of red pens. But suddenly, a mimeograph machine and a typewriter with lots of carbon paper and white out just weren't enough. Things changed. Words changed. Typing would not longer do it...you were now 'keyboarding'. 'Cut and paste' were used outside of the kindergarten classroom. 'Windows' were not just the things you see through, but rather things you use to see with. And an entire generation of baby boomers were spending more time with their mouse than with their cats and dogs. It's a revolution, baby.
So administrations began to figure out how to take the old guard instructors and bring them up to new guard standards. CEU's were now worth their weight in gold. Everyone was going back to class, and workshops were popping up like dandelions in springtime. And professional development was coming into its own as a life force for instructors struggling to keep afloat in a sea of technology.
For years, the defining word for education was 'consistency'. Technology is anything but. So teachers were dragged, some kicking and screaming, and put into a strange new world where few wanted to be. However, there were the pioneers, (and pionettes), who said wow, this could really be useful. They turned on the LCD projectors (and even knew they had to turn on the computers first.) A new iteration of haves and have-nots appeared, though these were more precisely use and use-nots. There were the purists...'children who use calculators will not learn how to do math.' And the realists...'children had to know a LOT of math to be able to figure out how to use the calculators effectively'. And really good teachers knew the difference.
Professional development is no longer optional, it is essential. Whether portals or blogs, wikis or iPods, instructors need to know what they are and how to use them effectively. So professional development is not really a trend, but a life-time commitment. Functional technology literacy is just not enough. Not for students, not for teachers and not for administrators. This is a road we all need to travel together, and financial commitments, whether for hardware or training, need to be adequate to get the job done right. It's time to support the revolution.
Most educators were trained in a era where you went to college, got a teaching degree, and then went off to teach the things you learned at college until you retired. Yes, there were things like 'Teacher Institute" days, and sometimes a few hours were spent brainstorming with your peers, but overall, what you learned in college pretty well was all you needed to teach a class. History teachers learned the history. Math teachers figured out the math. English teachers knew the grammar and used their market share of red pens. But suddenly, a mimeograph machine and a typewriter with lots of carbon paper and white out just weren't enough. Things changed. Words changed. Typing would not longer do it...you were now 'keyboarding'. 'Cut and paste' were used outside of the kindergarten classroom. 'Windows' were not just the things you see through, but rather things you use to see with. And an entire generation of baby boomers were spending more time with their mouse than with their cats and dogs. It's a revolution, baby.
So administrations began to figure out how to take the old guard instructors and bring them up to new guard standards. CEU's were now worth their weight in gold. Everyone was going back to class, and workshops were popping up like dandelions in springtime. And professional development was coming into its own as a life force for instructors struggling to keep afloat in a sea of technology.
For years, the defining word for education was 'consistency'. Technology is anything but. So teachers were dragged, some kicking and screaming, and put into a strange new world where few wanted to be. However, there were the pioneers, (and pionettes), who said wow, this could really be useful. They turned on the LCD projectors (and even knew they had to turn on the computers first.) A new iteration of haves and have-nots appeared, though these were more precisely use and use-nots. There were the purists...'children who use calculators will not learn how to do math.' And the realists...'children had to know a LOT of math to be able to figure out how to use the calculators effectively'. And really good teachers knew the difference.
Professional development is no longer optional, it is essential. Whether portals or blogs, wikis or iPods, instructors need to know what they are and how to use them effectively. So professional development is not really a trend, but a life-time commitment. Functional technology literacy is just not enough. Not for students, not for teachers and not for administrators. This is a road we all need to travel together, and financial commitments, whether for hardware or training, need to be adequate to get the job done right. It's time to support the revolution.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Informational. Financial Literacy
In 2003, Congress established the Financial Literacy and Education Commission (the Commission) through passage of the Financial Literacy and Education Improvement Act under Title V of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions (FACT) Act of 2003 (P.L. 108-159). The Commission has recently published an in-depth review of financial literacy in America. The 160-page report is available on the Government web site, linked below. Improved financial literacy among all Americans requires an increased public awareness of the issues, as well as the many state, local, and national resources that are available for financial education.The Financial Literacy and Education Commission has established an information distribution infrastructure which will help increase public awareness of the resources available within the Federal government by establishing MyMoney.gov, a clearinghouse for financial literacy materials. This Web site contains links to free financial literacy and educational material produced by Commission members. MyMoney.gov also provides links to selected .edu sites maintained by publicly funded colleges and universities affiliated with the USDA Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES), as well as .org sites affiliated with government entities such as the Federal Reserve Banks, to ensure that valuable financial information and learning tools are available from sites beyond Federal government agencies. The goal of the MyMoney.gov Web site is to provide a convenient and accessible source for credible and free resources. The Web site now contains useful information for individuals who are facing an array of financial needs, such as balancing a checking account, shopping for a mortgage or auto loan, researching ways to pay for a college education, reviewing credit card statements, putting money away for retirement, understanding a credit report, or simply deciding whether to pay cash or to charge a purchase. It contains information on how to understand, evaluate, and compare financial products, services, and opportunities and assists investors in understanding how to proceed when they encounter difficulties with market intermediaries.Although the Web site is arranged to be accessible and helpful to consumers, it also will make it easier for community educators and nonprofit organizations to find and use those same resources, reducing costs of needless duplication.
http://mymoney.gov/
http://www.mymoney.gov/ownership.pdf
Sherry Burlingame
http://mymoney.gov/
http://www.mymoney.gov/ownership.pdf
Sherry Burlingame
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Free Reports on Tips for ESL & GED Teachers
Merit Software offers a free report on Top 65 Tips for Teachers to Improve English Language Learners' Skills and a free report on 85 Surefire Ways for GED Teachers to Improve Student Skills. To get these reports visit: http://www.top65tips.meritsoftware.com to register. While this is a plug for Merit's software, many of the tips are worthwhile to look at. Maybe ordering a demo and a free evaluation CD-Rom would allow teachers to find out more about these programs.
(Merit Software) Toll Free #: (800) 753-6488.
(Merit Software) Toll Free #: (800) 753-6488.
Monday, May 01, 2006
ESL/IEI: Pronunciation Websites
Robin and I have found two useful pronunciation websites. These would work especially well with class tours. They are http://www.manythings.org and http://international.ouc.bc.ca/pronunciation.
They both have minimal pairs, and the latter website has dictation as well. The latter website has 13 lessons with sounds people have most the most problems with. It also gives basic definitions of each word. The former website has a fun memory game that most students enjoy. You should try them !! We think you'll really like them!
They both have minimal pairs, and the latter website has dictation as well. The latter website has 13 lessons with sounds people have most the most problems with. It also gives basic definitions of each word. The former website has a fun memory game that most students enjoy. You should try them !! We think you'll really like them!
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
ABE/GED/ESL Reading Speed General: Ultimate Speed Reader
One of the best programs for increasing reading speed is Ultimate Speed Reader, originally published by Davidson, which then became Knowledge Adventure. The program was out of print, but I have found a reliable resource for the product at Smart Kids Software: http://www.smartkidssoftware.com/home.shtml
They are currently listing the program at $247.95 for a 15 site license, and $559.95 for an unlimited network license. They also sell stand alone versions. If you have been searching for a source for this program, I contacted them today and they said they have the program in stock. Their phone # is 888-881-6001 for more information.
They are currently listing the program at $247.95 for a 15 site license, and $559.95 for an unlimited network license. They also sell stand alone versions. If you have been searching for a source for this program, I contacted them today and they said they have the program in stock. Their phone # is 888-881-6001 for more information.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Commentary: Sotir: Tablet PC's
I have written about Tablet PC's before, but perhaps a quick overview might make them easier to understand. Have you ever gotten tired of typing? Wish that you could just write what you want and see it magically appear as typed text on a screen? Well, then Tablet PC's might be for you. I know that voice recognition computers seemed to be the way to go, especially if you were in the Star Trek set. However, getting a good voice recognition program is dificult. You do need to 'teach' it your voice and intonation, so training it takes quite a bit of time. For example, years ago I used a Dragon Speak program for voice recognition. My daughter's name is 'Heather', but no matter how hard I tried, it always typed 'Feather'. So I gave up, started calling her Feather and moved on. She's (slightly) more adaptable than the software. Also, it's hard to work in a crowd or a classroom if everyone around you is talking to their computers too. The Tablet PC is a good alternative. While most Tab PCs have some voice input capabilities at an operating system level, they still require training and may have difficulties with accents and voice inflection.
A much better tool is handwriting recognition which does not need training and is built-in as well. Yes, there are some tricks to making it read your writing better, but basically, you write, it prints. Actually, script works better than printing for recognition. Digital ink allows hand-written notes and drawing to be entered directly into Office applications. So, if you are an English instructor, you can have students send you their writing assignments in MS Word, and you can annotate directly on them using your Tab PC. And red is not the only ink color, so you can do spelling errors red, grammar errors in green, and smiley faces in yellow.
If you are doing a PowerPoint presentation, you can write directly on top of the presentation, and then choose whether or not to save those annotations. This gives the Tab PC more of a whiteboard functionality. If you want to add a diagram, you can write the labels directly onto the diagram. Since you can hook-up and load a Tab PC directly from your desktop PC, you can add photos, drawings, text and other documents from any source. Classroom notes and lectures can be printed or sent to any other computer. Since all Tab PC's have built-in wireless connectivity, the most exciting application is that in a wireless environment, you can walk around the class with a Tab PC. There is no need for a mouse, since it is a pen operated device, and it can be used in both landscape and portait modes.
For students, taking notes is a snap. They can write directly on the Tab PC screen, and then organize and print the notes after class. Brainstorming and sharing as a group is easy, simply emailing their ideas to others.
I understand that having new technology is not always exciting to instructors, since it requires training and is sometimes accompanied by frustration. But think of the Tab PC as OLD technology. It works pretty much like the old slates that were popular in classrooms of previous centuries. But...they are a whole lot cooler. And cooler is always better. If you want to see how Tab PC's are used in education, check out the Tablet PC Education Blog: (http://tabletpceducation.blogspot.com)
A much better tool is handwriting recognition which does not need training and is built-in as well. Yes, there are some tricks to making it read your writing better, but basically, you write, it prints. Actually, script works better than printing for recognition. Digital ink allows hand-written notes and drawing to be entered directly into Office applications. So, if you are an English instructor, you can have students send you their writing assignments in MS Word, and you can annotate directly on them using your Tab PC. And red is not the only ink color, so you can do spelling errors red, grammar errors in green, and smiley faces in yellow.
If you are doing a PowerPoint presentation, you can write directly on top of the presentation, and then choose whether or not to save those annotations. This gives the Tab PC more of a whiteboard functionality. If you want to add a diagram, you can write the labels directly onto the diagram. Since you can hook-up and load a Tab PC directly from your desktop PC, you can add photos, drawings, text and other documents from any source. Classroom notes and lectures can be printed or sent to any other computer. Since all Tab PC's have built-in wireless connectivity, the most exciting application is that in a wireless environment, you can walk around the class with a Tab PC. There is no need for a mouse, since it is a pen operated device, and it can be used in both landscape and portait modes.
For students, taking notes is a snap. They can write directly on the Tab PC screen, and then organize and print the notes after class. Brainstorming and sharing as a group is easy, simply emailing their ideas to others.
I understand that having new technology is not always exciting to instructors, since it requires training and is sometimes accompanied by frustration. But think of the Tab PC as OLD technology. It works pretty much like the old slates that were popular in classrooms of previous centuries. But...they are a whole lot cooler. And cooler is always better. If you want to see how Tab PC's are used in education, check out the Tablet PC Education Blog: (http://tabletpceducation.blogspot.com)
Monday, April 24, 2006
Commentary: Sotir: Splogs and Spings?? Oh NO!!
I know that you are still reeling from terms like 'Blog' and 'Wiki'...not to mention 'RSS and Atom'...or even 'Vlogs' (video blogs). Now new terms have been coined due to the rash of spammers who have branched out from email and are now posting unwanted and potentially harmful fake blog posts or comments. The term for this is 'Splogs', for Spam Blogs or 'Spings' (recalling that legitimate sites like Blogarithm can keep track of your interests by 'pinging' your email when a new post of interest comes up).
As a Blog administrator, these are more than annoying. There are methods to thwart the buggers (or Sploggers). Some sites ask for word verification, a particularly annoying method of asking you to read letters that are uneven and write them into a box before your post is published. While these usually workbecause 'bots' or robotic readers can't read them, frankly, neither can I, most of the time. Other methods allow for moderating comments or posts from anonymous sources. I prefer this method, so if someone is not registered as a Blog member, their posts go into a holding site that allows me to agree or not agree to publish them. Not foolproof, but not too bad either.
According to an article on InternetWeek.com by Christopher Heun:
"The people who create splogs - or, more accurately, the people who write the programs that do it for them - rarely intend for anyone to actually read their posts. They're just building a giant clump of links that refer back to some other site - that, say, promotes gambling or sells something like Viagra - and thus increases the page rank of that site on different search engines.
Then, in the odd chance that anyone might actually read their junk posts, the creators put ads on them that generate a small commission, usually a fraction of a dollar, for every click. "
The underlying factor is that if someone wants to annoy you, with a little effort, they can. Buggers.
As a Blog administrator, these are more than annoying. There are methods to thwart the buggers (or Sploggers). Some sites ask for word verification, a particularly annoying method of asking you to read letters that are uneven and write them into a box before your post is published. While these usually workbecause 'bots' or robotic readers can't read them, frankly, neither can I, most of the time. Other methods allow for moderating comments or posts from anonymous sources. I prefer this method, so if someone is not registered as a Blog member, their posts go into a holding site that allows me to agree or not agree to publish them. Not foolproof, but not too bad either.
According to an article on InternetWeek.com by Christopher Heun:
"The people who create splogs - or, more accurately, the people who write the programs that do it for them - rarely intend for anyone to actually read their posts. They're just building a giant clump of links that refer back to some other site - that, say, promotes gambling or sells something like Viagra - and thus increases the page rank of that site on different search engines.
Then, in the odd chance that anyone might actually read their junk posts, the creators put ads on them that generate a small commission, usually a fraction of a dollar, for every click. "
The underlying factor is that if someone wants to annoy you, with a little effort, they can. Buggers.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
English Instruction for Learning Disabled Adults
http://www.ericdigests.org/1996-1/esl.htm
This is an informative article written for the instructor trying to assess whether or not a student should be considered 'Learning Disabled'. It has a good section on understanding how ESL students studied in the past might be indicative of how they will study English. Many are not learning disabled, but instead have little or no educational experiences to draw from, which consequently puts them behind their peers. Bringing those education skills up can help the student succeed more quickly.
This is an informative article written for the instructor trying to assess whether or not a student should be considered 'Learning Disabled'. It has a good section on understanding how ESL students studied in the past might be indicative of how they will study English. Many are not learning disabled, but instead have little or no educational experiences to draw from, which consequently puts them behind their peers. Bringing those education skills up can help the student succeed more quickly.
ESL/IEI/VESL: All Levels: Conversation Lesson Plans
Conversation Lesson Plans for English Learners at All Levels
http://esl.about.com/od/conversationlessonplans/
Trying to find conversation starters for ESL is difficult at best. Here is a list of free English conversation lesson plans for beginning, intermediate and advanced levels of English learning in ESL classes as well as business English classes. Each lesson provides an introduction, step by step teaching guidelines and printable student worksheets.
http://esl.about.com/od/conversationlessonplans/
Trying to find conversation starters for ESL is difficult at best. Here is a list of free English conversation lesson plans for beginning, intermediate and advanced levels of English learning in ESL classes as well as business English classes. Each lesson provides an introduction, step by step teaching guidelines and printable student worksheets.
ESL/IEI/VESL: English for Business
http://esl.about.com/od/englishforbusinesswork/English for Business, Work and other Special Purposes
Adult Education English for special purposes including business, commercial, financial, legal, insurance and human resources sectors as well as help with resumes, job interviews and cover letters.
Adult Education English for special purposes including business, commercial, financial, legal, insurance and human resources sectors as well as help with resumes, job interviews and cover letters.
Informational: Center for Adult English Language Acquisition
The Center for Adult English Language Acquisition CAL is pleased to announce the opening of the Center for Adult English Language Acquisition (CAELA). CAL has received funding from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Vocational and Adult Education to operate this center for three years (October 2004-September 2007).
The purpose of the Center is to assist states with emerging populations who are learning English as a second language (ESL). Center staff will work with state representatives so that they will have the capacity to promote the English language learning and academic achievement of adults learning English.
CAELA has replaced the National Center for ESL Literacy Education (NCLE), also housed at CAL, which (since 1989) has provided information and technical assistance to professionals who work with adult English language learners.
The purpose of the Center is to assist states with emerging populations who are learning English as a second language (ESL). Center staff will work with state representatives so that they will have the capacity to promote the English language learning and academic achievement of adults learning English.
CAELA has replaced the National Center for ESL Literacy Education (NCLE), also housed at CAL, which (since 1989) has provided information and technical assistance to professionals who work with adult English language learners.
Commentary: Sotir: Cool Tools
It's a bird, it's a plane...well, no, but it is cool. I wouldn't preclude the ability to fly in some later version... but while it won't fly just yet, it IS a Palm Treo PDA 700w smartphone...which starts at about $400. What makes this so cool? It runs Microsoft Windows Mobile Operating System (Windows XP), so you can download directly from your PC. It's a smartphone, which means that you can have a portable media player (like MP3), handheld computer (which can run Word and Excel and even PowerPoint) and it's a cell phone. How cool is that? Software developers are writing education oriented software specifically for these PDAs. You can keep grades and attendance on these. Student portfolios? No problem. Of course they are also a great PDA for use as a calendar, reminder, and all the other neat things that can be done on a wireless phone, including hooking up to the Internet. It can store files of just about any type. This is a techie's dream toy.
So what other kinds of tech toys can see their way into the classrooms? Well, consider iPods and MP3 devices. These little babies have taken the world by storm. So sure, you love them for playing your fav tunes, but in the classroom?? But of course. In addition to playing tunes, these little media players are small, relatively inexpensive (and dropping in price as we speak) and have a lot of memory in a compact space. On some, students can record video and audio (great for portfolios) and then download it to a computer, or play it as is. They can play electronic books. You can even use it to back up a hard drive, if you don't have a key drive handy. The bottom line is that the newest generation of computers don't much resemble their predecessors, and can truly revolutionize how computers can be used in a classroom.
Commentary: Sotir: New Horizons in Educational Technology
Ultra Mobile PC/Samsung
Look behind you...the latest and greatest new technologies are already creeping up! Check out the Ultra Mobile PC (UMPC) that will be available this summer. As with any new technology, the first versions of the products need some tweaking, such as extending the battery life. However, it is compact and much smaller than a laptop, which is a big draw for portability and storage. It comes pre-loaded with Microsoft's Touch Pack for Windows XP and weighs in under 2 pounds. It has a 7 inch LCD (bigger than a cell phone or Blackberry, but smaller than a laptop), has a 30-60GB hard drive and an average battery life of of about 2 hours per charge (THAT won't set well with the mobile techies!) Prices will range from $599 - 1000, and could include GPS features, Webcams, and digital TV tuners. You can use it by a touch screen, a stylus or a dedicated onscreen thumb keyboard. If you need more flexibility, you can hook up a regular keyboard and mouse via USB or BlueTooth.
So how could this be used by Adult Educators? In the soon to be new world (at least in Aurora) of free Wi-Fi, these can be used in our classrooms. Since they are small and light, they can be easily stored in a lockable cabinet in the classroom. They are more affordable, and therefore can fit more easily into budgets. This is a new direction in computing, and one that should seriously be considered. Rather than the current configuration of dedicated 'labs' which limit the amount of classroom space, any room could become a lab by bringing in a cart on wheels with portable computers inside. If you have a three hour class period, three classes can each be a 'lab' for an hour of that time. One set of these per department can be all that is needed to bring computers into the classrooms. It's a new world, but one worth exploring.
ABE/GED Math: Graphs
http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/graphing/ Create a Graph
Complete site redesign featuring tabbed interface with active help, examples, and templates.
No number size limitations
Decimal values allowed
Data source name
Graphs can be saved and edited later
Better printing graphs
Print graphs with table of data
Graphs can be downloaded in many new file formats (PDF,JPG,PNG,SVG,EMF,EPS)
Hundreds of colors to choose from with new Color Picker tool
Choose from 10 different fonts for graph labels
Bubble and Scatter graphs added.
Up to 6 data groups with up to 50 items each.
Complete site redesign featuring tabbed interface with active help, examples, and templates.
No number size limitations
Decimal values allowed
Data source name
Graphs can be saved and edited later
Better printing graphs
Print graphs with table of data
Graphs can be downloaded in many new file formats (PDF,JPG,PNG,SVG,EMF,EPS)
Hundreds of colors to choose from with new Color Picker tool
Choose from 10 different fonts for graph labels
Bubble and Scatter graphs added.
Up to 6 data groups with up to 50 items each.
Monday, April 10, 2006
ABE/GED: Coping with Math Anxiety
http://www.mathacademy.com/pr/minitext/anxiety/ This site may have changed, and is now available on:
http://www.mathacademy.com/pr/index.asp
Good information in easy to understand format to help students with math anxiety.
http://www.mathacademy.com/pr/index.asp
Good information in easy to understand format to help students with math anxiety.
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
GED Math: Math Anxiety, Algebra, Study Skills, Learning Styles
http://www.mathpower.com/ MathPower.com
"This site provides information about basic math, algebra, study skills, math anxiety and learning styles and specifically addresses the needs of the community college adult learner. A student who is frustratedby college math can be helped by identifying his individual learning style and recognizing the instructor'steaching style. This site provides links for students and teachers to information about learning styles, study skills tips, and ways to reduce math anxiety and gives the students access to tutorials, algebra assignments, math videos, and a forum for discussing with the professor a variety of math topics."
There are also video snippets on algebra and pre-algebra topics. These are short videos to help students remember common topics. I really liked the student tutorials on math fundamentals and elementary algebra:
"Students helping students is an important part of classroom learning. On this page you will find links to math tutorials on varied elementary algebra topics authored by students to help others having difficulty with mathematics. "
This is an excellent site developed by a true teacher. Highly recommended.
"This site provides information about basic math, algebra, study skills, math anxiety and learning styles and specifically addresses the needs of the community college adult learner. A student who is frustratedby college math can be helped by identifying his individual learning style and recognizing the instructor'steaching style. This site provides links for students and teachers to information about learning styles, study skills tips, and ways to reduce math anxiety and gives the students access to tutorials, algebra assignments, math videos, and a forum for discussing with the professor a variety of math topics."
There are also video snippets on algebra and pre-algebra topics. These are short videos to help students remember common topics. I really liked the student tutorials on math fundamentals and elementary algebra:
"Students helping students is an important part of classroom learning. On this page you will find links to math tutorials on varied elementary algebra topics authored by students to help others having difficulty with mathematics. "
This is an excellent site developed by a true teacher. Highly recommended.
GED Math: Tech 21 Math Training Model
http://www.literacyonline.org/tm_math/index.html Tech 21 Math Training Model
" The purpose of this course is to explore technology-based resources and tools that can be used to bolster the math concepts tested by the GED. While identifying resources and tools is one part of this process, the more important parts are the teacher's ability:
to evaluate resources for their usefulness; and to consider how the resources could be used most effectively.
This course consists of 5 sessions. The first session provides a general overview of some of the larger issues related to teaching math to adults; the next 4 sessions focus on the topics of:
Problem Solving; Geometry, Spatial Sense, and Measurement; Data Analysis, Probability, and Statistics; and
Algebra.
Sessions 2-5 are similarly structured in that they consist of 2 sections that each raise an issue and require exploring particular websites to inform a response to that issue. "
" The purpose of this course is to explore technology-based resources and tools that can be used to bolster the math concepts tested by the GED. While identifying resources and tools is one part of this process, the more important parts are the teacher's ability:
to evaluate resources for their usefulness; and to consider how the resources could be used most effectively.
This course consists of 5 sessions. The first session provides a general overview of some of the larger issues related to teaching math to adults; the next 4 sessions focus on the topics of:
Problem Solving; Geometry, Spatial Sense, and Measurement; Data Analysis, Probability, and Statistics; and
Algebra.
Sessions 2-5 are similarly structured in that they consist of 2 sections that each raise an issue and require exploring particular websites to inform a response to that issue. "
GED Math: Instructor Resources
http://mathforum.org/teachers/adult.ed/ Math Forum at Drexel University
This page offers a selection of good sites to visit for information about adult numeracy. To find more recommendations, search or browse Teaching Issues/Strategies : Special Contexts : Adult Education in the Math Forum's Internet Mathematics Library.
This page offers a selection of good sites to visit for information about adult numeracy. To find more recommendations, search or browse Teaching Issues/Strategies : Special Contexts : Adult Education in the Math Forum's Internet Mathematics Library.
ESL: Teaching with Music
http://www.caslt.org/research/music.htm Teaching ESL through music
Compendium of sites that help instructors to teach ESL using music. Here are some online resources that can help you integrate music in ESL teaching.
Teaching with Music - Songs and Chants for Children Lyrics - Music Clip Art - Irish Music - Christmas Music Other Useful Music Resources - français - Español - Portuguêses
Other sites include:
http://www.eslpartyland.com/teachers/nov/music.htm "Take advantage of the power of music and use it in your ESL classes. We've created this page to provide resources, lessons, and ideas on teaching with music. There are printable materials for classroom use, lessons, lyrics, and ideas. We also have two discussion forums and links to other web sites about music. Get ready to jam."
http://www.forefrontpublishers.com/eslmusic/ "The new site now features additional articles supporting the use of music as well as an annotated bibliography of books and CD's that teachers will find particularly helpful when they use music to instruct English. As before, this site was created for educators who are interested in promoting the acquisition of English through music.
Here teachers are provided with the tools which they need in order to foster the acquisition of English through music. Therefore, in this site, teachers will find the following:
teacher-made and tested lesson plans materials such as books, videos, and tapes/CDs which have been helpful to other educators as they use music for second language instructional purposes articles supporting the use of music in the ESL classroom
Feel free to copy and disseminate information which you obtained from this Site to other "ESL-Music enthusiasts."
Compendium of sites that help instructors to teach ESL using music. Here are some online resources that can help you integrate music in ESL teaching.
Teaching with Music - Songs and Chants for Children Lyrics - Music Clip Art - Irish Music - Christmas Music Other Useful Music Resources - français - Español - Portuguêses
Other sites include:
http://www.eslpartyland.com/teachers/nov/music.htm "Take advantage of the power of music and use it in your ESL classes. We've created this page to provide resources, lessons, and ideas on teaching with music. There are printable materials for classroom use, lessons, lyrics, and ideas. We also have two discussion forums and links to other web sites about music. Get ready to jam."
http://www.forefrontpublishers.com/eslmusic/ "The new site now features additional articles supporting the use of music as well as an annotated bibliography of books and CD's that teachers will find particularly helpful when they use music to instruct English. As before, this site was created for educators who are interested in promoting the acquisition of English through music.
Here teachers are provided with the tools which they need in order to foster the acquisition of English through music. Therefore, in this site, teachers will find the following:
teacher-made and tested lesson plans materials such as books, videos, and tapes/CDs which have been helpful to other educators as they use music for second language instructional purposes articles supporting the use of music in the ESL classroom
Feel free to copy and disseminate information which you obtained from this Site to other "ESL-Music enthusiasts."
New IBT TOEFL test information
http://www.imakenews.com/toefl/e_article000289142.cfm?x=b11,0,w TOEFL Test Info
This is a good review of the changes from the previous version of the TOEFL test to the new, which was released in September 2005. The changes center mainly around the emphasis on grammar. The old test used grammar as the base, but the new version incorporates grammar and vocabulary within the Writing, Reading, and Speaking and Listening sections. There is also a 'test drive' section of this article, so you can see the changes in the test. Good information.
Lehigh University gives its ESL faculty the following information on the new test:
(http://www.lehigh.edu/~inesl/home/frameset.htm?forwardURL=/~inesl/Guide/newTOEFL.htm)
' Based on Communicative Language Pedagogy, the speaking test on the new TOEFL will cover these areas of communication:
Remembering the most important points in a lecture
Understanding instructor's directions about assignments and their due dates
Recognizing which points in a lecture are important and which are less important
Relating information that they hear to what they already know
There will be questions about personal knowledge subjects such as a familiar place or event and on a personal preference about a situation. For the academic speaking questions, students will be asked to listen to academic conversations, university lectures, and readings on academic subjects. Students will need to respond fluently and coherently to problems that are based on the information that they've heard. '
Other good sites for information on the new test:
http://esl.about.com/b/a/205630.htm About.com
http://www.free-english.com/ FreeEnglish.com (includes free practice tests)
http://www.languagesystems.com/forum/FORUM.asp?FORUM_ID=32&gclid=CPv_qaKOloQCFT9rJAod9BwivA (free TOEFL help forum)
http://www.4tests.com/exams/examdetail.asp?eid=57 4tests.com: Practice tests
This is a good review of the changes from the previous version of the TOEFL test to the new, which was released in September 2005. The changes center mainly around the emphasis on grammar. The old test used grammar as the base, but the new version incorporates grammar and vocabulary within the Writing, Reading, and Speaking and Listening sections. There is also a 'test drive' section of this article, so you can see the changes in the test. Good information.
Lehigh University gives its ESL faculty the following information on the new test:
(http://www.lehigh.edu/~inesl/home/frameset.htm?forwardURL=/~inesl/Guide/newTOEFL.htm)
' Based on Communicative Language Pedagogy, the speaking test on the new TOEFL will cover these areas of communication:
Remembering the most important points in a lecture
Understanding instructor's directions about assignments and their due dates
Recognizing which points in a lecture are important and which are less important
Relating information that they hear to what they already know
There will be questions about personal knowledge subjects such as a familiar place or event and on a personal preference about a situation. For the academic speaking questions, students will be asked to listen to academic conversations, university lectures, and readings on academic subjects. Students will need to respond fluently and coherently to problems that are based on the information that they've heard. '
Other good sites for information on the new test:
http://esl.about.com/b/a/205630.htm About.com
http://www.free-english.com/ FreeEnglish.com (includes free practice tests)
http://www.languagesystems.com/forum/FORUM.asp?FORUM_ID=32&gclid=CPv_qaKOloQCFT9rJAod9BwivA (free TOEFL help forum)
http://www.4tests.com/exams/examdetail.asp?eid=57 4tests.com: Practice tests
Monday, March 06, 2006
ABE/ESL/VESL: Practical Money Skills for Life
http://practicalmoneyskills.com/english/index.php
Money skills is a necessary lesson for our students. This site has a lot of classroom resources for financial literacy education. It has lessons for all levels of students, from K through adult. The grades 7-12 level includes:
Teens (Grades 7–12) Click here for Special Needs lesson plans
• Introduction
Introduction
• Lesson One
Making Decisions
• Lesson Two
Making Money
• Lesson Three
The Art of Budgeting
• Lesson Four
Living on your Own
• Lesson Five
Buying a Home
• Lesson Six
Banking Services
• Lesson Seven
About Credit
• Lesson Eight
Credit Cards
• Lesson Nine
Cars and Loans
• Lesson Ten
The Influence of Advertising
• Lesson Eleven
Consumer Awareness
• Lesson Twelve
Saving and Investing
• Lesson Thirteen
In Trouble
• Lesson Fourteen
About Consumer Privacy
• Appendix
Appendix
There is a free student budget workbook that can be downloaded from the site. Also included are useful links to other sites. For example, in the lesson on Buying a home, the following links appear:
LESSON FIVE: Buying a Home
FannieMae Homepath
http://www.fanniemae.com/homebuyers/homepath/
Mortgage Information
http://www.bankrate.com/brm/rate/mtg_home.asp
Reverse Mortgages for Seniors
http://www.hud.gov/buying/rvrsmort.cfm
U.S. Dept. of Housing & Urban Development
http://www.hud.gov
Money skills is a necessary lesson for our students. This site has a lot of classroom resources for financial literacy education. It has lessons for all levels of students, from K through adult. The grades 7-12 level includes:
Teens (Grades 7–12) Click here for Special Needs lesson plans
• Introduction
Introduction
• Lesson One
Making Decisions
• Lesson Two
Making Money
• Lesson Three
The Art of Budgeting
• Lesson Four
Living on your Own
• Lesson Five
Buying a Home
• Lesson Six
Banking Services
• Lesson Seven
About Credit
• Lesson Eight
Credit Cards
• Lesson Nine
Cars and Loans
• Lesson Ten
The Influence of Advertising
• Lesson Eleven
Consumer Awareness
• Lesson Twelve
Saving and Investing
• Lesson Thirteen
In Trouble
• Lesson Fourteen
About Consumer Privacy
• Appendix
Appendix
There is a free student budget workbook that can be downloaded from the site. Also included are useful links to other sites. For example, in the lesson on Buying a home, the following links appear:
LESSON FIVE: Buying a Home
FannieMae Homepath
http://www.fanniemae.com/homebuyers/homepath/
Mortgage Information
http://www.bankrate.com/brm/rate/mtg_home.asp
Reverse Mortgages for Seniors
http://www.hud.gov/buying/rvrsmort.cfm
U.S. Dept. of Housing & Urban Development
http://www.hud.gov
ESL: HBeg to HInter: Annenberg Videos on Demand
http://www.learner.org/resources/series71.html?pop=yes&vodid=321741&pid=942#
Connect with English (by Annenberg) <http://www.learner.org/resources/series71.html> -- A video instructional series in English as a second language for college and high school classrooms and adult learners. It follows a 28 year old student from Boston who has a dream of being a singer.
You will need to register for this free site, and it does require a lot of computer memory/bandwidth for the videos. There are grammar lessons and you can purchase books to go along with the videos. Very clear and the actors speak clearly. There 25 half hour programs in Connect With English and each episode has two sections: the story and the discussion group to review and study the videos and learn grammar skills. These are copyrighted videos. It's an interesting way to study English for High Beginning to High Intermediate level students.
Connect with English (by Annenberg) <http://www.learner.org/resources/series71.html> -- A video instructional series in English as a second language for college and high school classrooms and adult learners. It follows a 28 year old student from Boston who has a dream of being a singer.
You will need to register for this free site, and it does require a lot of computer memory/bandwidth for the videos. There are grammar lessons and you can purchase books to go along with the videos. Very clear and the actors speak clearly. There 25 half hour programs in Connect With English and each episode has two sections: the story and the discussion group to review and study the videos and learn grammar skills. These are copyrighted videos. It's an interesting way to study English for High Beginning to High Intermediate level students.
ESL: English Learner Movie Guides
http://www.eslnotes.com/
Looking for a fun way for students to practice their English? Here's a great site for movie lovers! Each movie guide includes a look at the characters and the plot, and also includes a long list of vocabulary and culture notes. Just choose a movie from the movie menu, and then download it. (Use PDF if you want to print out the guide.)
Looking for a fun way for students to practice their English? Here's a great site for movie lovers! Each movie guide includes a look at the characters and the plot, and also includes a long list of vocabulary and culture notes. Just choose a movie from the movie menu, and then download it. (Use PDF if you want to print out the guide.)
ESL: Pronunciation for Students from Hong Kong
http://elc.polyu.edu.hk/cill/pronunci.htm
This is a pronunciation page especially suited for students from Hong Kong. The focus is on specific pronunciation problems.
This is a pronunciation page especially suited for students from Hong Kong. The focus is on specific pronunciation problems.
VESL: Tools for Learning
http://www.tv411.org/learning/
These are great tools for students. I especially liked the sessions on How to Use a Library, Preparing for the GED, Tips for Multiple Choice Questions and Time Management.
Check out these lessons:
Choosing What to Read
Community Resources
Explore Nutrition with Your Child
Finding the Right Resource
How to Use a Library
Knowing Your Learning Style
Preparing for the GED
Taking Medicine Responsibly
The Parts of a Book
Time Management
Tips for Multiple Choice QuestionsWords
These are great tools for students. I especially liked the sessions on How to Use a Library, Preparing for the GED, Tips for Multiple Choice Questions and Time Management.
Check out these lessons:
Choosing What to Read
Community Resources
Explore Nutrition with Your Child
Finding the Right Resource
How to Use a Library
Knowing Your Learning Style
Preparing for the GED
Taking Medicine Responsibly
The Parts of a Book
Time Management
Tips for Multiple Choice QuestionsWords
VESL: Tools for Learning
http://www.tv411.org/learning/
These are great tools for students. I especially liked the sessions on How to Use a Library, Preparing for the GED, Tips for Multiple Choice Questions and Time Management.
Check out these lessons:
Choosing What to Read
Community Resources
Explore Nutrition with Your Child
Finding the Right Resource
How to Use a Library
Knowing Your Learning Style
Preparing for the GED
Taking Medicine Responsibly
The Parts of a Book
Time Management
Tips for Multiple Choice Questions
Words from Other Languages
These are great tools for students. I especially liked the sessions on How to Use a Library, Preparing for the GED, Tips for Multiple Choice Questions and Time Management.
Check out these lessons:
Choosing What to Read
Community Resources
Explore Nutrition with Your Child
Finding the Right Resource
How to Use a Library
Knowing Your Learning Style
Preparing for the GED
Taking Medicine Responsibly
The Parts of a Book
Time Management
Tips for Multiple Choice Questions
Words from Other Languages
VESL/ABE: Resume Writing
Resumes: http://www.10minuteresume.com/ http://jobstar.org/tools/resume/ http://www.provenresumes.com/
Three sites to help your students write their own resumes.
Three sites to help your students write their own resumes.
Monday, February 27, 2006
Fun Trip: Springfield, IL, Lincoln Museum
http://www.alplm.org/museum/museum.html
I thought I knew a lot about Lincoln, especially since just having read Doris Kearns Goodwin's new book 'Team of Rivals' A weekend trip to Springfield made me realize that there is a lot more history than I knew. The new Lincoln Museum in Springfield is wonderful, and as you move from Lincoln's early days, to his election, to the Civil War, to the White House and finally to his assasination and funeral, you realize that you don't know everything there is to know.
I especially enjoyed the show 'Through Lincoln's Eyes', the hall of gossip (apparently Mr. Lincoln liked to swear, and most of Washington society disdained Mrs. Lincoln), and the various artifacts. I truly liked being able to touch the brass Lincoln life mask. Most men who have become President age dramatically within their term of office, but the changes in Lincoln's visage were stunning. The information on the Civil War was outstanding as well. It is difficult to believe that over 600,000 American souls were lost in that horrific war. I highly recommend it. It's about a 2 1/2 -3 hour trip directly south on the Interstate, and there are good hotels and restaurants in town. (I like Muldaner's, which is about 2 blocks from the museum). It's worth the visit!
I thought I knew a lot about Lincoln, especially since just having read Doris Kearns Goodwin's new book 'Team of Rivals' A weekend trip to Springfield made me realize that there is a lot more history than I knew. The new Lincoln Museum in Springfield is wonderful, and as you move from Lincoln's early days, to his election, to the Civil War, to the White House and finally to his assasination and funeral, you realize that you don't know everything there is to know.
I especially enjoyed the show 'Through Lincoln's Eyes', the hall of gossip (apparently Mr. Lincoln liked to swear, and most of Washington society disdained Mrs. Lincoln), and the various artifacts. I truly liked being able to touch the brass Lincoln life mask. Most men who have become President age dramatically within their term of office, but the changes in Lincoln's visage were stunning. The information on the Civil War was outstanding as well. It is difficult to believe that over 600,000 American souls were lost in that horrific war. I highly recommend it. It's about a 2 1/2 -3 hour trip directly south on the Interstate, and there are good hotels and restaurants in town. (I like Muldaner's, which is about 2 blocks from the museum). It's worth the visit!
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
FYI: Cranking up the Laptop
http://laptop.media.mit.edu/
One Laptop per Child, a non-profit group started by faculty at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to design, manufacture and distribute inexpensive (about $100.00) hand-crankable Linux-based laptops for children around the world. The computers would be made by Taiwan based Quanta Computer Inc. and would initially produce 5-15 million units to be sold to governments in China, India, Brazil, Argentina, Egypt, Nigeria and Thailand and given free to children in those countries. When that phase is completed, other countries would be included.
The units are so energy efficient that hand-cranking alone would generate enough power for operation, and mesh networking will give many systems Internet access from one connection.
In my opinion this is a wonderful way to bring children from the entire world together, and I hope that schools in developed nations will interact with the countries who have been given this opportunity. This is a tremendous project and I wish them great success.
One Laptop per Child, a non-profit group started by faculty at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to design, manufacture and distribute inexpensive (about $100.00) hand-crankable Linux-based laptops for children around the world. The computers would be made by Taiwan based Quanta Computer Inc. and would initially produce 5-15 million units to be sold to governments in China, India, Brazil, Argentina, Egypt, Nigeria and Thailand and given free to children in those countries. When that phase is completed, other countries would be included.
The units are so energy efficient that hand-cranking alone would generate enough power for operation, and mesh networking will give many systems Internet access from one connection.
In my opinion this is a wonderful way to bring children from the entire world together, and I hope that schools in developed nations will interact with the countries who have been given this opportunity. This is a tremendous project and I wish them great success.
Thursday, February 09, 2006
Daily Special: Constitution
Although this is posted on the bulletin board, I thought it would be helpful to review some of the Constituion materials that Char and Pat put together as a Daily Special. If you are looking for Constitution materials for students:
For Reading Levels 6.0 and lower:
Origins of the Constitution CD (30 minutes)
America's Story Video (3 minutes each)
Ben Franklin
George Washington
Pre-GED Advantage Social Studies
Lesson 2: A New Nation
Lesson 7: Foundations of Democracy
Lesson 8: Branches of Government
For reading levels above 6.0:
GED Advantage Social Studies
1. U.S. History
Lesson 1: Building a Nation
2. Political Science
Lesson 1: American Democracy
Lesson 2: The Federal Government
For all reading levels:
Online Constitution Study Guide
For Reading Levels 6.0 and lower:
Origins of the Constitution CD (30 minutes)
America's Story Video (3 minutes each)
Ben Franklin
George Washington
Pre-GED Advantage Social Studies
Lesson 2: A New Nation
Lesson 7: Foundations of Democracy
Lesson 8: Branches of Government
For reading levels above 6.0:
GED Advantage Social Studies
1. U.S. History
Lesson 1: Building a Nation
2. Political Science
Lesson 1: American Democracy
Lesson 2: The Federal Government
For all reading levels:
Online Constitution Study Guide
ESL/IEI: English Grammar Exercises
http://www.easyenglish.com/index.asp Easy English
This site has a lot of free grammar quizzes and tests to help students study everything from present tense to modals.
Here are some more suggestions to help you learn English free: Check out English Club, where you'll find free ESL lessons on grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, listening, speaking, reading, writing and more. Read about the history of English, and how to earn English. Join ESL Forums for lots of discussion in and about English. Use the ESL Help Desk if you have questions about English. Subscribe to 7 Secrets for ESL Learners for free English tips and lessons to your email box. Find English schools to study English in your country or abroad.
This site has a lot of free grammar quizzes and tests to help students study everything from present tense to modals.
Here are some more suggestions to help you learn English free: Check out English Club, where you'll find free ESL lessons on grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, listening, speaking, reading, writing and more. Read about the history of English, and how to earn English. Join ESL Forums for lots of discussion in and about English. Use the ESL Help Desk if you have questions about English. Subscribe to 7 Secrets for ESL Learners for free English tips and lessons to your email box. Find English schools to study English in your country or abroad.
ESL/IEI: English Grammar Exercises
http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/index.htm Learning English Online
This is a German site, but is a great source for English grammar explanations and exercises. The English Forum is in German, so you may not want to go there unless you speak German. The quizzes are in English, and students can enter and score their results online. They are also designated as 'easy' or 'medium'. There is quite a comprehensive list of grammar subject areas to review, as well as explanations. Students can take more comprehensive tests ('complex') or even practice English with games such as Hangman or Find the Pairs.
This is a German site, but is a great source for English grammar explanations and exercises. The English Forum is in German, so you may not want to go there unless you speak German. The quizzes are in English, and students can enter and score their results online. They are also designated as 'easy' or 'medium'. There is quite a comprehensive list of grammar subject areas to review, as well as explanations. Students can take more comprehensive tests ('complex') or even practice English with games such as Hangman or Find the Pairs.
IEI/Adv. ESL/GED: Writing
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/index.htm Guide to Grammar and Writing: Dr. Charles Darling, Capital Community College Foundation
This is a comptehensive site for writing skills, including topics from levels such as:
word and sentence level, paragraph level, essay and research paper level and also some good grammar quizzes that are scored online.
This is a comptehensive site for writing skills, including topics from levels such as:
word and sentence level, paragraph level, essay and research paper level and also some good grammar quizzes that are scored online.
Monday, February 06, 2006
ESL/IEI/Tutoring: Pronunciation: Canadian Raising
http://www.yorku.ca/twainweb/troberts/raising.html
Another site to help students identify various accents and dialects. This is on the familiar Canadian sound (also prevalent in some areas of WI and MI) call Canadian Raising. Not a large site, but the examples are good and easy to access.
"Canadian raising is a phonological process characteristic of several varieties of Canadian English, in which the onsets of the diphthongs /ay/ and /aw/ raise to mid vowels when they precede voiceless obstruents (the sounds /p/, /t/, /k/, /s/, and /f/). Click on the speaker icons below to hear genuine examples of Canadian raising."
Another site to help students identify various accents and dialects. This is on the familiar Canadian sound (also prevalent in some areas of WI and MI) call Canadian Raising. Not a large site, but the examples are good and easy to access.
"Canadian raising is a phonological process characteristic of several varieties of Canadian English, in which the onsets of the diphthongs /ay/ and /aw/ raise to mid vowels when they precede voiceless obstruents (the sounds /p/, /t/, /k/, /s/, and /f/). Click on the speaker icons below to hear genuine examples of Canadian raising."
ESL/IEI/Tutoring: Pronunciation: PBS: Do You Speak American English?
http://www.pbs.org/speak/seatosea/americanvarieties/southern/sounds/
PBS Do You Speak American English?
"The good news: It’s widely known. The bad news: Known for what? Guy Bailey and Jan Tillery report on the pluses and minuses of Southern American English in the popular imagination. (The research cited in this essay was first published in 2000.)" The site also includes discussions on the following dialects:
African American English
Smoky Mountains
¡Spanglish!
Texan
Californian
Cajun
Chicano English
Lumbee
Midwest
New York City
Pacific Northwest
Pittsburghese
There is also a dialect quiz (great for group work), take a regional dare and Radio America, all of which give audio examples of the various dialects. A fun site, and useful for Pronunciation classes.
PBS Do You Speak American English?
"The good news: It’s widely known. The bad news: Known for what? Guy Bailey and Jan Tillery report on the pluses and minuses of Southern American English in the popular imagination. (The research cited in this essay was first published in 2000.)" The site also includes discussions on the following dialects:
African American English
Smoky Mountains
¡Spanglish!
Texan
Californian
Cajun
Chicano English
Lumbee
Midwest
New York City
Pacific Northwest
Pittsburghese
There is also a dialect quiz (great for group work), take a regional dare and Radio America, all of which give audio examples of the various dialects. A fun site, and useful for Pronunciation classes.
ESL, IEI, Tutoring: Phonics: The Sounds of American English
http://www.uiowa.edu/~acadtech/phonetics/about.html# Phonetics, The Sounds of American English, University of Iowa, Site contact: kaspar-stromme@uiowa.edu
Created in 2003, this site addresses the sounds of American and Spanish English, and also Articulatory Anatomy (in both English and Spanish). Requires a Quick Time plug-in and newer Operating System (OS). Somewhat slow to load but worth the wait. There is also a helpful troubleshooting section.
• Launch Spanish Library
• Launch English Library
• Articulatory Anatomy
Created in 2003, this site addresses the sounds of American and Spanish English, and also Articulatory Anatomy (in both English and Spanish). Requires a Quick Time plug-in and newer Operating System (OS). Somewhat slow to load but worth the wait. There is also a helpful troubleshooting section.
• Launch Spanish Library
• Launch English Library
• Articulatory Anatomy
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
ESL/ABE: Writer's Window
http://english.unitecnology.ac.nz/writers/home.html Writer's Window
An interactive site for students to share and comment on writing and also write collaborative stories. Students can share their writing and poetry, add to continuous stories or join a discussion on writing. There is an excellent 'how to' area: http://english.unitecnology.ac.nz/writers/workshop.html where students can get tips and techniques on writing. There is also a fun 'Reader's Cafe': http://english.unitecnology.ac.nz/readerscafe/cafeflash.php
with a book quiz, reading shelf and sharing page, with sections for teachers as well.
An interactive site for students to share and comment on writing and also write collaborative stories. Students can share their writing and poetry, add to continuous stories or join a discussion on writing. There is an excellent 'how to' area: http://english.unitecnology.ac.nz/writers/workshop.html where students can get tips and techniques on writing. There is also a fun 'Reader's Cafe': http://english.unitecnology.ac.nz/readerscafe/cafeflash.php
with a book quiz, reading shelf and sharing page, with sections for teachers as well.
All: ReadWriteThink: Online Learning
http://www.readwritethink.org/: International Reading Association (IRA), National Council Teachers of English (NCTE), MarcoPolo Education Foundation
This site provides various lesson plans for integrating Internet content into literacy lessons.It includes grade appropriate lesson plans (reading levels K-12) and applies NCTE/IRA standards.
You can search for lessons by reading level, literacy strand or literacy engagement.
There is also an extensive list of web resources:(http://www.readwritethink.org/resources/index.asp)
This site provides various lesson plans for integrating Internet content into literacy lessons.It includes grade appropriate lesson plans (reading levels K-12) and applies NCTE/IRA standards.
You can search for lessons by reading level, literacy strand or literacy engagement.
There is also an extensive list of web resources:(http://www.readwritethink.org/resources/index.asp)
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Commentary: Sotir: State of the Art vs. State of the Use
There are a lot of educational blogs out in the blogosphere, and I try to visit some of my favorites regularly (though I wish more would have RSS feeds so I can track updates easier). One recently poses an interesting thought: Technology for What? A Preconceptual Sketch by Robert Heiny (http://tabletpceducation.blogspot.com/) I hate to say it, but having been involved with technology for more than 20 years, he has a point. He asks a series of questions, including:
Do teachers agree that increasing (or maximizing) student learning rates is our top daily priority?What compelling ideal or practical purpose do state-of-the-art technologies serve in student learning?
Do some interests merely want the newest gismos in schools whether or not anyone needs them?
Which imperatives relevant to novice and scholarly learning drive technology evangelists to promote the use of new technologies, such as use of digital ink and wireless connections, to increase learning?
Heady questions, all. As a self-confessed tech evangelist, I’ve asked similar questions. If education existed, and thrived, in the pre-technological revolution era, why do we need technology now? What purpose does it serve? Is it necessary? The simple answer is no, education without technology can be done effectively, as generation after generation proved. One of the most compelling arguments to make in favor of technologically-enabled classrooms is that today’s students demand it. That is true, since many of these technologies were created before today’s students were born, which makes it part of the societal fabric of their lives. They don’t know life without cable, cell phones, or computers. It just IS.
But for me, as manager of an academic technology lab, the question moves more from having state-of-the-art to how we use those tools effectively, which I call state-of-the-use. When I wrote to the original RFP for a Center of Excellence grant for the Illinois Community College Board in 1992, the general feeling was that technology was important, but the question was ‘why?. The Centers of Excellence were charged with being the state models for technology in education. And I doubt that I, or likely any of my colleagues, knew exactly why we needed it. But we had a vision of the future, saw the potential for technology, and set out as if we were explorers of a vast, previously uncharted universe.
As a Center of Excellence, we worked to first define what constituted technological excellence. New hardware and software was delivered almost daily, all amazing and all very expensive. It made sense to give funds to a few to explore the options for the many. And explore we did. Within months of receiving the grant, I was plunged headlong into a world that I had never seen before. Laser disk programs sold for $ 5000 -10,000 per station. Computers cost that and more. Vendors came out of the woodwork trying to convince me that their software was the best of the best. We had any and all adult educational software as it became available. It was overwhelming for my staff of specialists, who were charged with making sense of it all.
Eventually, we returned back from the future to the common sense of the past. We had a meeting and I said listen, all of this is wonderful and amazing and exciting. But we are teachers. How will this make us better? More importantly, how will it make students learn more effectively? We came upon a series of realizations that we still employ in the Center today. First, technology is a tool. It’s like a book or a blackboard or a lecture. It’s nothing more than an additional tool that teachers can employ, when it is needed, and when it is most effective.
Second, teachers won’t use anything that is difficult to access. Change is common, but in education, comes slowly. The way to get teachers to use it is to take away all the layers of difficulty, and make it as easy to use as a book or a blackboard. When students had slates, they were used much as paper had been used in the past. When the first blackboard was put behind a teacher, suddenly the idea developed of using it to explain not to one student but an entire classroom of students. It may have been extremely low-tech, but it revolutionized how teachers teach. You need to think the same way when designing technology for a classroom. It absolutely has to be invisible to be effective. So we brainstormed on the problems teachers had with technology. We came up with solutions. For example, no instructor had the time or inclination to read 500 page software manuals. We determined that teachers needed to know how to get into, through and out of the software programs. We developed QuickNotes, which are one page (hard and fast rule) telling them how to get into, move through and exit the programs. The QuickNotes increased software usage almost 300% in the first 6 months.
Third, teachers need to see a reason to use the technology. We considered the various learning styles of our students and developed a series of Individual Educational Plans (IEP) for every level student who accessed the Center. Any student from any class program could come into the Center and learn what they needed when they needed it. We cross-correlated the software with the classroom curricula, so that students could have it correspond exactly with what they were currently learning and could choose various programs from the same skill sets that presented the information in a variety of learning styles. And teachers needed to only know the class level of the student to point them to the correct software sections. Teachers saw the value that technology offered their students. Student attendance jumped dramatically once they knew they could get the information they needed quickly and easily.
Finally, we determined the need for patience. As a more recent example, I started using blogs as the main communication tool for the Center a couple of years ago, replacing email and the mailbox stuffed with outdated memos. Blogs are archived, and searchable, and they don't clog up mailboxes. The information is there, when you need it and when you want it, and is available anywhere you have access to the Internet. The teachers took to using a blog slowly, but eventually, it became the tool I originally envisioned it being, once the value was established.
Technology for the sake of technology simply will not be used by teachers. They are too busy, and sometimes too reluctant to use something foreign and difficult to understand. But if you make the tool invisible, give it a purpose and a value, then new ideas can and will be embraced. We don’t need to have the newest state-of-the-art. We need to have the best state-of-the-use. We need to spend less money getting the newest and the best, and spend more on developing the uses of the equipment we do buy. Technology still in the virtual box is nothing more than a waste of resources. Get it out, and get it used.
Commentary: Sotir: KISS: Keep it Simple, Stupid
Stuck in the office on a cold and snowy day, I started pondering why the U. S., which has all but single-handedly created the technological revolution, has faltered so badly in getting academia to take the lead in developing it for the classroom. Certainly, there are a lot of creative, innovative people doing amazing things in many classrooms across the country. But the MAJORITY of educators just don't get it. They moved from the blackboard to the overhead projector, but many have been hit with a wall of complacency when new technologies burst on the scene. These are good people, with good intentions of providing quality education for their students. But the thought of using any new technology is resisted.
I'll give an example. The tablet PC has been around for a while. So has email. Teaching writing is difficult, and many teachers hate having to drag all the papers home to grade. Students hate to wait for a week to get the corrections to their papers, and see where they can improve. Let's put a tablet pc in the hands of that instructor. Let's assume that she has an open mind. Now let's have the students write their draft writing assignments on their computers, and put them in a Word document. At any time, day or night, weekend or holiday, when finished, they can email that Word doc to their instructor. At any time, day or night, weekend or holiday, whenever the instructor sits down to grade papers, those papers are right there on her tablet PC. She switches to the tablet, and opens up one of her students' assignments. She picks up the pen and makes the corrections, and then emails the document back to the student. The student, with any kind of computer, can see the comments and make the corrections, finish the final draft of the assignment and email it off to the instructor. That can be the end of it, or the instructor can open up the assignments in the classroom, and use them (with a projector) to help instruct the students to improve their writing through example.
There are also programs that, in a wireless classroom where all the students and instructor have tablets, can let each student correct sentences or rewrite paragraphs. The instructor sees all the reponses on her tablet, and can choose a few of the examples, show them to the class and further improve their understanding of what constitutes a good writing assignment. Since this is on a website, students can download and print any of the examples for themselves. So much easier than using a blackboard, and so much more advanced than using an overhead projector. Now, someone just needs to find that open minded instructor and get her the tools, and instruction on how to use them. And she has to be an evangelist for change, and a mentor to others who still fear new technologies. As the saying goes, try it, you just may like it.
I'll give an example. The tablet PC has been around for a while. So has email. Teaching writing is difficult, and many teachers hate having to drag all the papers home to grade. Students hate to wait for a week to get the corrections to their papers, and see where they can improve. Let's put a tablet pc in the hands of that instructor. Let's assume that she has an open mind. Now let's have the students write their draft writing assignments on their computers, and put them in a Word document. At any time, day or night, weekend or holiday, when finished, they can email that Word doc to their instructor. At any time, day or night, weekend or holiday, whenever the instructor sits down to grade papers, those papers are right there on her tablet PC. She switches to the tablet, and opens up one of her students' assignments. She picks up the pen and makes the corrections, and then emails the document back to the student. The student, with any kind of computer, can see the comments and make the corrections, finish the final draft of the assignment and email it off to the instructor. That can be the end of it, or the instructor can open up the assignments in the classroom, and use them (with a projector) to help instruct the students to improve their writing through example.
There are also programs that, in a wireless classroom where all the students and instructor have tablets, can let each student correct sentences or rewrite paragraphs. The instructor sees all the reponses on her tablet, and can choose a few of the examples, show them to the class and further improve their understanding of what constitutes a good writing assignment. Since this is on a website, students can download and print any of the examples for themselves. So much easier than using a blackboard, and so much more advanced than using an overhead projector. Now, someone just needs to find that open minded instructor and get her the tools, and instruction on how to use them. And she has to be an evangelist for change, and a mentor to others who still fear new technologies. As the saying goes, try it, you just may like it.
ESL/IEI: Oxymorons
http://www.oxymorons.info/ Oxymorons.Info
An Oxymoron is a combination of contradictory or incongruous words, such as 'Cruel Kindness' or 'Jumbo Shrimp' (Jumbo means 'large' while Shrimp means 'small'). It is a literary figure of speech in which opposite or contradictory words, terms, phrases or ideas are combined to create a rhetorical effect by paradoxical means. This is a fun, interactive site to discuss oxymorons. The oxymoron of the day on the day I checked out this site was 'tax-refund'. Since I was in the process of getting things together for the tax man...it seemed an appropriate choice. Instructors could do a lot with these, and it would be a great way to start or end a class.
An Oxymoron is a combination of contradictory or incongruous words, such as 'Cruel Kindness' or 'Jumbo Shrimp' (Jumbo means 'large' while Shrimp means 'small'). It is a literary figure of speech in which opposite or contradictory words, terms, phrases or ideas are combined to create a rhetorical effect by paradoxical means. This is a fun, interactive site to discuss oxymorons. The oxymoron of the day on the day I checked out this site was 'tax-refund'. Since I was in the process of getting things together for the tax man...it seemed an appropriate choice. Instructors could do a lot with these, and it would be a great way to start or end a class.
ESL/IEI: Web English Teacher
http://www.webenglishteacher.com/ Web English Teacher
While created for any English students, this site brings a lot of resources to ESL students as well. For example, on the vocabulary site, there are the following areas:
1000 Most Common Words in English This page has the first 250. Follow links to the entire list.
All America Reads: Vocabulary Strategies Three approaches based on the work of Kylene Beers.
Best Practices: Teaching Vocabulary Classroom activities and resources, a model lesson on video, and an online development session for vocabulary instruction.
The Clarifying Routine: Elaborating Vocabulary Instruction This strategy is designed for LD students but will work with all students on multiple grade levels.
Teaching Vocabulary: Two Dozen Tips and Tricks A variety of approaches for a wide range of grade levels
While created for any English students, this site brings a lot of resources to ESL students as well. For example, on the vocabulary site, there are the following areas:
1000 Most Common Words in English This page has the first 250. Follow links to the entire list.
All America Reads: Vocabulary Strategies Three approaches based on the work of Kylene Beers.
Best Practices: Teaching Vocabulary Classroom activities and resources, a model lesson on video, and an online development session for vocabulary instruction.
The Clarifying Routine: Elaborating Vocabulary Instruction This strategy is designed for LD students but will work with all students on multiple grade levels.
Teaching Vocabulary: Two Dozen Tips and Tricks A variety of approaches for a wide range of grade levels
ESL/IEI: Everything ESL/ Lesson Plans
http://www.everythingesl.net/lessons/ Everything ESL
44 content based ESL lesson plans for beginning through intermediate students, including topics such as:
How Weather Affects Our Lives Cold winter weather in the Northeast region of the United States provides an excellent opportunity to teach a unit on weather to my ESL students. Includes classroom resource picks.
Lincoln's Birthday: February 12th Introduce the concepts of slavery and the Civil War when studying this famous American President. Includes downloadable activities and classroom resource picks.
President's Day: George Washington Have students celebrate George Washington's on President's Day, February 21st. This is also a good time to teach about the first U.S. flag and the American colonies. Teach students to sing Yankee Doodle Dandy. Includes downloadable activities and classroom resource picks.
Snow Similes Understanding how poets use words to paint pictures is a concept that can be taught to young students. The key is to start with an easy simile that is very visual. The combination of a big snowstorm and hands-on materials made this lesson successful. Includes downloadable activities and classroom resource picks.
Valentine's Day Hearts Have a heart! Use Valentine's Day to give your students an interesting opportunity to learn and use figurative language in English. Includes downloadable activities
Activities downloads requires Acrobat Reader to be installed. These lesson plans can be used and adapted for a variety of situations, and offer good academic projects. When I taught ESL, I learned that the concept of Valentine's Day was foreign to most students. The lesson plan included on this site addresses many of the heart related idioms that confuse students year round. Imagine an ESL student trying to make sense of idioms such as:
to cry your heart out - to cry a lot and feel really badly about something
to eat your heart out - to be jealous of someone
from the bottom of your heart - to really mean something
to have a change of heart -to change your mind
to have a heart - to be compassionate, to care about other people
44 content based ESL lesson plans for beginning through intermediate students, including topics such as:
How Weather Affects Our Lives Cold winter weather in the Northeast region of the United States provides an excellent opportunity to teach a unit on weather to my ESL students. Includes classroom resource picks.
Lincoln's Birthday: February 12th Introduce the concepts of slavery and the Civil War when studying this famous American President. Includes downloadable activities and classroom resource picks.
President's Day: George Washington Have students celebrate George Washington's on President's Day, February 21st. This is also a good time to teach about the first U.S. flag and the American colonies. Teach students to sing Yankee Doodle Dandy. Includes downloadable activities and classroom resource picks.
Snow Similes Understanding how poets use words to paint pictures is a concept that can be taught to young students. The key is to start with an easy simile that is very visual. The combination of a big snowstorm and hands-on materials made this lesson successful. Includes downloadable activities and classroom resource picks.
Valentine's Day Hearts Have a heart! Use Valentine's Day to give your students an interesting opportunity to learn and use figurative language in English. Includes downloadable activities
Activities downloads requires Acrobat Reader to be installed. These lesson plans can be used and adapted for a variety of situations, and offer good academic projects. When I taught ESL, I learned that the concept of Valentine's Day was foreign to most students. The lesson plan included on this site addresses many of the heart related idioms that confuse students year round. Imagine an ESL student trying to make sense of idioms such as:
to cry your heart out - to cry a lot and feel really badly about something
to eat your heart out - to be jealous of someone
from the bottom of your heart - to really mean something
to have a change of heart -to change your mind
to have a heart - to be compassionate, to care about other people
ESL: Diagramming Sentences
http://members.cox.net/teachro/ English Grammar Website
While most American schools have given up on diagramming sentences, ESL students, who are taught English largely through grammar, might do well to bring back diagramming exercises. The advantage of diagramming is that relationships of words in a sentence make more sense when shown in a pattern. English is a difficult language...any assistance in making it easier to understand is appreciated and embraced by foreign students.
While most American schools have given up on diagramming sentences, ESL students, who are taught English largely through grammar, might do well to bring back diagramming exercises. The advantage of diagramming is that relationships of words in a sentence make more sense when shown in a pattern. English is a difficult language...any assistance in making it easier to understand is appreciated and embraced by foreign students.
Literacy: Commonly Misspelled Words
http://www.what2learn.com/content/samples/Literacy/literacy.htm
These games have been created to help students learn the spellings of the words highlighted in the KS3 National Strategy as those most commonly misspelled by Year 7 students. For literacy level students, this is an engaging format for studying spelling.
These games have been created to help students learn the spellings of the words highlighted in the KS3 National Strategy as those most commonly misspelled by Year 7 students. For literacy level students, this is an engaging format for studying spelling.
Monday, December 19, 2005
Harvard University/Collaborative Curriculum Design Tool
http://learnweb.harvard.edu/ccdt/
The CCDT (Collaborative Curriculum Design Tool) is an online tool which suports the production of curricula which foster student learning through the application of the principles of Teaching for Understanding. There are tutorials which cover a single topic such as 'Starting with Designs' and consist of movies containing actual CCDT screen shots.
Using this tool, you can work an a collaborative curriculum with people from across the campus to a across the world. A wonderful tool for learning and curriculum design.
The CCDT (Collaborative Curriculum Design Tool) is an online tool which suports the production of curricula which foster student learning through the application of the principles of Teaching for Understanding. There are tutorials which cover a single topic such as 'Starting with Designs' and consist of movies containing actual CCDT screen shots.
Using this tool, you can work an a collaborative curriculum with people from across the campus to a across the world. A wonderful tool for learning and curriculum design.
Thursday, December 08, 2005
ABE/GED: Math Skills: SOS Math
http://www.sosmath.com/index.html
Browse our more than 2,500 Math pages filled with short and easy-to-understand explanations - from simplifying fractions to the cubic formula, from the quadratic equation to Fourier series, from the sine function to systems of differential equations - this is the one stop site for your math needs.
You want more? Check out our CyberExams to prepare for a test, or ask a question on our popular CyberBoard!
Lots of math, presented in lots of ways. I didn't see any Spanish translations, but the actual skills are presented well.
Browse our more than 2,500 Math pages filled with short and easy-to-understand explanations - from simplifying fractions to the cubic formula, from the quadratic equation to Fourier series, from the sine function to systems of differential equations - this is the one stop site for your math needs.
You want more? Check out our CyberExams to prepare for a test, or ask a question on our popular CyberBoard!
Lots of math, presented in lots of ways. I didn't see any Spanish translations, but the actual skills are presented well.
Spanish GED: Practioner's Viewpoint: NCSALL
http://www.ncsall.net/?id=405
A discussion on the Spanish GED, problems and ideas for success. This is a site for instructors, and not students, but can help focus your program. Short and well written.
http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=404
Changing Approaches to Math: A discussion of how to teach math skills to low reading level students and students working towards a GED.
A discussion on the Spanish GED, problems and ideas for success. This is a site for instructors, and not students, but can help focus your program. Short and well written.
http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=404
Changing Approaches to Math: A discussion of how to teach math skills to low reading level students and students working towards a GED.
GED/Spanish GED: Videos for Purchase
http://www.ket.org/enterprise/gedprep/ged_espanol.htm
KET has a series of 43 videos, some print materials and Handy Math Formulas, both in Spanish and English. There are also workbooks that can be purchased.
KET has a series of 43 videos, some print materials and Handy Math Formulas, both in Spanish and English. There are also workbooks that can be purchased.
General: All Curricula: Internet 101
http://www.internet101.org/
Internet 101 is a simple to read instruction manual for using the Internet. Course areas include:
About The Internet About The Web About Email About Browsers About Viruses About Chatting About File Sharing About Online Shopping About Searching
Great forLiteracy and ESL students, and it offers a good foundation for learning all of the basic concepts of the Internet. This is just enough knowledge to get you started without having to deal with all the details that many courses include.
Internet 101 is a simple to read instruction manual for using the Internet. Course areas include:
About The Internet About The Web About Email About Browsers About Viruses About Chatting About File Sharing About Online Shopping About Searching
Great forLiteracy and ESL students, and it offers a good foundation for learning all of the basic concepts of the Internet. This is just enough knowledge to get you started without having to deal with all the details that many courses include.
General ESL/VESL: Online Multilingual Dictionaries
http://www.yourdictionary.com/diction1.html#multi
Dictionaries in many languages, and also many disciplines. This is THE site for finding dictionaries and thesauri online. There are also some obscure dicitionaries You never know when you might need:
1,000,000 Scrabble Links (huge 320K HTML file)
The Cliché Finder
Dictionary of Difficult Words (12,700 words in all fields)
A Little Etymology
A Glossary of Place Names of Indian Origin in Florida
Measurement Converters
Read the Bible in 55 Different Languages
Short Word Lists (the Words for 1-10) in 300+ Native American Languages
Spell Web See how popular your spelling is on the Web
Yak-Yak On-line Danish-English-Norwegian-Swedish Word Finder (Spellchecker)
but for other languages, these are good online dictionaries, including:
DICTSEARCH All-in-one Dictionary Search: Bulgarian, Catalan, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Slovene, Spanish, Swedish, and Turkish which translate from 69 source languages into 73 target languages.
Dictionaries in many languages, and also many disciplines. This is THE site for finding dictionaries and thesauri online. There are also some obscure dicitionaries You never know when you might need:
1,000,000 Scrabble Links (huge 320K HTML file)
The Cliché Finder
Dictionary of Difficult Words (12,700 words in all fields)
A Little Etymology
A Glossary of Place Names of Indian Origin in Florida
Measurement Converters
Read the Bible in 55 Different Languages
Short Word Lists (the Words for 1-10) in 300+ Native American Languages
Spell Web See how popular your spelling is on the Web
Yak-Yak On-line Danish-English-Norwegian-Swedish Word Finder (Spellchecker)
but for other languages, these are good online dictionaries, including:
DICTSEARCH All-in-one Dictionary Search: Bulgarian, Catalan, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Slovene, Spanish, Swedish, and Turkish which translate from 69 source languages into 73 target languages.
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Adv. ESL/IEI: Great Speeches: Structuring a Great Speech
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/monkeytrial/sfeature/sf_lucas.html
Stephen E. Lucas is Evjue-Bascom Professor in the Humanities and Professor of Communication Arts at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In 1999, he surveyed his peers to compile a list of the top 100 American speeches of the twentieth century. The list, co-compiled with Prof. Martin Medhurst of Texas A&M University, reflects the opinions of 137 leading scholars of American public address.
Lucas is also the author of The Quotable George Washington and a textbook, The Art of Public Speaking. Here he discusses good speechmaking, and the speaking skills of William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow.
This is good, basic information for students, and can help them organize their thoughts more coherently. For example:
"One basic structure for a speech falls into three parts: an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. Each part is designed to do something different. You need to have an introduction that gets the audience's attention and lets people know about the importance of the subject, why it's important for them to listen. It makes a first impression. In journalism they call it a "hook": something that's going to pull your audience in to your speech. The introduction should also reveal the speech's topic and give the audience some idea of the main points to be discussed.
The body of the speech is where the speaker develops his or her main points -- the big ideas of the speech. You should probably limit yourself to 4 or 5 main points in a speech, whether it's a 10-minute or a 60-minute speech. That will give you time to develop the points you're making. If you have too many main points, the audience will have trouble sorting them out and you may find that you aren't able to develop them in enough depth to be clear and convincing."
Stephen E. Lucas is Evjue-Bascom Professor in the Humanities and Professor of Communication Arts at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In 1999, he surveyed his peers to compile a list of the top 100 American speeches of the twentieth century. The list, co-compiled with Prof. Martin Medhurst of Texas A&M University, reflects the opinions of 137 leading scholars of American public address.
Lucas is also the author of The Quotable George Washington and a textbook, The Art of Public Speaking. Here he discusses good speechmaking, and the speaking skills of William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow.
This is good, basic information for students, and can help them organize their thoughts more coherently. For example:
"One basic structure for a speech falls into three parts: an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. Each part is designed to do something different. You need to have an introduction that gets the audience's attention and lets people know about the importance of the subject, why it's important for them to listen. It makes a first impression. In journalism they call it a "hook": something that's going to pull your audience in to your speech. The introduction should also reveal the speech's topic and give the audience some idea of the main points to be discussed.
The body of the speech is where the speaker develops his or her main points -- the big ideas of the speech. You should probably limit yourself to 4 or 5 main points in a speech, whether it's a 10-minute or a 60-minute speech. That will give you time to develop the points you're making. If you have too many main points, the audience will have trouble sorting them out and you may find that you aren't able to develop them in enough depth to be clear and convincing."
Monday, November 21, 2005
ESL/ABE/GED/IEI: Confusing Words
http://www.confusingwords.com/
Confusing Words is a collection of 3210 words that are troublesome to readers and writers. Words are grouped according to the way they are most often confused or misused.
Some of these words are homonyms (words that sound alike but are spelled differently) and some are just commonly confused. There is a search engine to find specific words.
Confusing Words is a collection of 3210 words that are troublesome to readers and writers. Words are grouped according to the way they are most often confused or misused.
Some of these words are homonyms (words that sound alike but are spelled differently) and some are just commonly confused. There is a search engine to find specific words.
GED: History: A Century of Great African American Speeches
http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/sayitplain/
Say it Plain: A Century of Great African American Speeches
(also see review on AELC Constitution Blog http://constitutionaelc.blogspot.com/
of the speech by Clarence Thomas from this site, posted on 11/22/05)
From Booker T. Washington and Marcus Garvey to Clarence Thomas and Barack Obama, a history of great African American speeches. There is a historical context, the transcript of the speech, and a Real Player rendition of the actual speech.
"The transcripts on this Web site were drawn from the accompanying recordings. In some cases, we were able to start with existing transcripts in the public domain and check them against the recordings. In other instances, we produced the transcripts ourselves with the help of dedicated colleagues.
On some occasions, the available text of a speech differed from the recording. Speakers commonly diverge from their written texts, which are sometimes speeches they give repeatedly, but no one takes the time to document the extemporaneous remarks. Each transcript here has been checked against the recordings by at least two sets of ears. But occasionally, words in some of the recordings can be difficult to hear. We've used our best judgment to make the most faithful transcripts we can."
There is a book available, and also an hour long documentary is available via podcast on site. Sponsored by American RadioWorks and American Public Media. This would be a wonderful tool for Black History Month.
Say it Plain: A Century of Great African American Speeches
(also see review on AELC Constitution Blog http://constitutionaelc.blogspot.com/
of the speech by Clarence Thomas from this site, posted on 11/22/05)
From Booker T. Washington and Marcus Garvey to Clarence Thomas and Barack Obama, a history of great African American speeches. There is a historical context, the transcript of the speech, and a Real Player rendition of the actual speech.
"The transcripts on this Web site were drawn from the accompanying recordings. In some cases, we were able to start with existing transcripts in the public domain and check them against the recordings. In other instances, we produced the transcripts ourselves with the help of dedicated colleagues.
On some occasions, the available text of a speech differed from the recording. Speakers commonly diverge from their written texts, which are sometimes speeches they give repeatedly, but no one takes the time to document the extemporaneous remarks. Each transcript here has been checked against the recordings by at least two sets of ears. But occasionally, words in some of the recordings can be difficult to hear. We've used our best judgment to make the most faithful transcripts we can."
There is a book available, and also an hour long documentary is available via podcast on site. Sponsored by American RadioWorks and American Public Media. This would be a wonderful tool for Black History Month.
GED/ Others: Geography: National Geographic Lessons and Interactive Museum
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/06/g68/index.html
Xpeditions is a series of lesson plans by National Geographic on geographical subjects, laid out by grade level. There are also activities, an atlas, and an interesting interactive geographical museum called Xpedition Hall (an interactive “museum” that takes you on geography journeys. Here you’ll climb a mountain, hover over the Earth, speed across Europe, visit an archeological dig, and even order sushi–plus games, animations, and more!). For example, the room titled Human Systems includes Rail Traffic Controller : Traces railroad cargoes and destinations on a rail traffic control board. By tracking imports and exports, visitors can understand how countries become related through mutual dependence on raw materials and finished goods.
This is one of those sites that takes time to explore, and can be used in many ways. ESL students might use some of the Xpedition Hall sites at lower reading levels. ABE students can find reading level appropriate materials as well. GED students might study thind in context by exploring 'Culture Goggles' and seeing one city, Jerusulem, through the eyes of a Christian, a Muslim and a Jew. The videos and graphics are clear and easy to understand, and the reading levels are very helpful. Add your usage ideas to the comments.
Xpeditions is a series of lesson plans by National Geographic on geographical subjects, laid out by grade level. There are also activities, an atlas, and an interesting interactive geographical museum called Xpedition Hall (an interactive “museum” that takes you on geography journeys. Here you’ll climb a mountain, hover over the Earth, speed across Europe, visit an archeological dig, and even order sushi–plus games, animations, and more!). For example, the room titled Human Systems includes Rail Traffic Controller : Traces railroad cargoes and destinations on a rail traffic control board. By tracking imports and exports, visitors can understand how countries become related through mutual dependence on raw materials and finished goods.
This is one of those sites that takes time to explore, and can be used in many ways. ESL students might use some of the Xpedition Hall sites at lower reading levels. ABE students can find reading level appropriate materials as well. GED students might study thind in context by exploring 'Culture Goggles' and seeing one city, Jerusulem, through the eyes of a Christian, a Muslim and a Jew. The videos and graphics are clear and easy to understand, and the reading levels are very helpful. Add your usage ideas to the comments.
GED/Adv. ESL: History/Online Videos
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/
National Geographic and Windows XP present the following video profiles of people and societies who "started something" that had a significant impact on the development of modern civilization. Interesting videos from the Ancient Sumerians to more modern historical figures such as Thomas Edison, Wright Brothers, Marie Curie, and Alexander Graham Bell. Latest version of Windows Media Player and high-speed connection required. Clear pronunciation and easy to understand language within context. Can be used for Advanced ESL students for listening practice.
National Geographic and Windows XP present the following video profiles of people and societies who "started something" that had a significant impact on the development of modern civilization. Interesting videos from the Ancient Sumerians to more modern historical figures such as Thomas Edison, Wright Brothers, Marie Curie, and Alexander Graham Bell. Latest version of Windows Media Player and high-speed connection required. Clear pronunciation and easy to understand language within context. Can be used for Advanced ESL students for listening practice.
Hearing Impaired: US Department of Education site
http://www.cfv.org/stream.asp
The mission of the Captioned Media Program (CMP) is to provide all persons who are deaf or hard of hearing awareness of and equal access to communication and learning through the use of captioned educational media and supportive collateral materials. The CMP also acts as a captioning information and training center. The ultimate goal of the CMP is to permit media to be an integral part in the lifelong learning process for all stakeholders in the deaf and hard of hearing community: adults, students, parents, and educators.
The CMP provides a free-loan media program of over 4,000 open-captioned titles (videos, CD-ROM, and DVD). Deaf and hard of hearing persons, teachers, parents, and others may borrow materials. There are no rental, registration, or postage fees. Several hundred titles are also streamed on the CMP web site.
You will need to register with the site and verify that you have students who qualify for the program. There is a titles list on the site, and the service, including postage for mailing the captioned videos, CD's and DVD's to your program, is provided free of charge by the Department of Education. There are also some titles and information for Spanish speakers.
The mission of the Captioned Media Program (CMP) is to provide all persons who are deaf or hard of hearing awareness of and equal access to communication and learning through the use of captioned educational media and supportive collateral materials. The CMP also acts as a captioning information and training center. The ultimate goal of the CMP is to permit media to be an integral part in the lifelong learning process for all stakeholders in the deaf and hard of hearing community: adults, students, parents, and educators.
The CMP provides a free-loan media program of over 4,000 open-captioned titles (videos, CD-ROM, and DVD). Deaf and hard of hearing persons, teachers, parents, and others may borrow materials. There are no rental, registration, or postage fees. Several hundred titles are also streamed on the CMP web site.
You will need to register with the site and verify that you have students who qualify for the program. There is a titles list on the site, and the service, including postage for mailing the captioned videos, CD's and DVD's to your program, is provided free of charge by the Department of Education. There are also some titles and information for Spanish speakers.
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Commentary: Sotir
There have been a lot of articles recently on the issue of connecting with the current generation of students. Whether you call them 'Digital Natives' or 'NextGen Students' or 'Millennial Students', these students form the fabric of future educational needs. They are used to multi-tasking, multi-media and multi-sensory approaches to learning. Because technology is pervasive, this style of learning, while championed by the young, is applicable to all ages. Seniors as well as teens use cell phones, text messaging, instant messaging and chat rooms, with varying degrees of proficiency. Ours is a media driven society that functions on instantaneous information. If you want to know how long a trip will be, message signs over highways let you know the approximate times to various end points. GPS systems guide you to the destination. Web-enabled cell phones can give you the current weather conditions and warnings.
As an academic institution, we need to embrace these societal changes and carry them into the classroom. Interconnectivity and communication tools are important to students as well as instructors. Students need to not only have information, but they need to know where additional information can be sought. While most institutions boast a website, the best of them have interactive sites that not only give general information but act as portals to other sources of information and learning opportunities. We have become a society of gatherers who 'Google' information when it is needed. It is imperative that we develop the tools our students need to learn. We should not limit our instructional methodologies to those that were effective in the past, but rather explore how new developments can be used in conjunction with the old to enhance the educational environment. Change should be the only constant.
As an academic institution, we need to embrace these societal changes and carry them into the classroom. Interconnectivity and communication tools are important to students as well as instructors. Students need to not only have information, but they need to know where additional information can be sought. While most institutions boast a website, the best of them have interactive sites that not only give general information but act as portals to other sources of information and learning opportunities. We have become a society of gatherers who 'Google' information when it is needed. It is imperative that we develop the tools our students need to learn. We should not limit our instructional methodologies to those that were effective in the past, but rather explore how new developments can be used in conjunction with the old to enhance the educational environment. Change should be the only constant.
Monday, November 07, 2005
Commentary: Sotir: What is VESL?
VESL stands for Vocational English as a Second Language. As the workplace diversity increase, so does the need to improve the ability of workers to communicate in English. Whether it is English training on the job site, or sponsoring a workers' educational program offsite, many companies are realizing the need to expand the skill base of their employees. VESL courses use similar lessons to a regular ESL class, but substitute work-based vocabulary and examples, or emphasize the skills necessary to complete certain job related activities (an example would be using math skills for estimation of amount of paint needed to paint a room). On this blog, a 'VESL' indication shows websites that address learning in this format.
ABE/GED: Science
http://www.firstscience.com/site/home.asp First Science. com
Interesting science articles, videos, photos (from sources such as Hubble), science games and quizzes. Also a fact file and science links for even more information. There are also 22 interesting web cams that can be viewed from this site.
Interesting science articles, videos, photos (from sources such as Hubble), science games and quizzes. Also a fact file and science links for even more information. There are also 22 interesting web cams that can be viewed from this site.
GED: Science and Math
http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/ Science World and Math World: Eric Weisstein
A huge site with a lot to explore, but specifically for advanced GED students . There are sections on Chemistry, Physics and Astronomy, as well as a section on Math from Algebra and higher. Would be too complicated for any but your best students who want more to explore.
Basic Math Areas:
Axioms (39)
Category Theory (47)
Logic (6)
Mathematical Problems (5)
Set Theory (11)
Theorem Proving (2)
Point-Set Topology@
A huge site with a lot to explore, but specifically for advanced GED students . There are sections on Chemistry, Physics and Astronomy, as well as a section on Math from Algebra and higher. Would be too complicated for any but your best students who want more to explore.
Basic Math Areas:
Axioms (39)
Category Theory (47)
Logic (6)
Mathematical Problems (5)
Set Theory (11)
Theorem Proving (2)
Point-Set Topology@
ABE/GED/VESL: Algebra: Translating Word Problems
http://www.purplemath.com/modules/translat.htm: Translating Word Problems: Purple Math
One of the most difficult skills for students is translating word problems into the correct formulas. This is a good site to walk them through the process.
One of the most difficult skills for students is translating word problems into the correct formulas. This is a good site to walk them through the process.
ABE,GED: Introduction to Algebra
http://www.mathleague.com/help/algebra/algebra.htm Introduction to Algebra:
Variables Expressions Equations Solution of an equation Simplifying equations Combining like terms Simplifying with addition and subtraction Simplifying by multiplication Simplifying by division Word problems as equations Sequences
Variables Expressions Equations Solution of an equation Simplifying equations Combining like terms Simplifying with addition and subtraction Simplifying by multiplication Simplifying by division Word problems as equations Sequences
ABE/GED: Everyday Math
http://www.math.com/homeworkhelp/EverydayMath.html: everyday Math, Math.com
Numbers, Ratios and Proportions, Factoring, all with unit quizzes, and also some calculators for:
Everyday Calculators · 5 functions · Basic · Air Distance · Driving Distance · File Download · Miles-Per-Gallon · Percent · Taxes · Payment · Mortgage
Numbers, Ratios and Proportions, Factoring, all with unit quizzes, and also some calculators for:
Everyday Calculators · 5 functions · Basic · Air Distance · Driving Distance · File Download · Miles-Per-Gallon · Percent · Taxes · Payment · Mortgage
VESL/ABE/GED: Construction Math
http://mathforum.org/%7esarah/hamilton/ham.contents.html: Math to Build On, Construction Math: A good review for students in the construction industry, or those looking for jobs in that field.
ABE/GED: Geometry
http://www.aplusmath.com/cgi-bin/flashcards/geoflash Geometry Flashcards...these are basic, but would be a good review or start up point for geometry study.
GED: Algebra
http://www.purplemath.com/modules/index.htm Practical Algebra Lessons from Purple Math: Basic, Intermediate, Advanced and Word Problems are all a part of this website.
ABE/GED/ESL/Literacy: Daily Math Skills
http://www.learner.org/exhibits/dailymath/ Recipes, home decor, money facts...these are some of the daily math skills taught on these pages.
ABE/GED: Math: Roman Numerals
http://www.gomath.com/htdocs/ToGoSheet/Algebra/roman.html A quick guide to Roman Numerals.
Thursday, November 03, 2005
Business: Advanced Students
http://www.executiveplanet.com/ International Business Culture, Business Etiquette, Customs and Protocol
Over 60 countries are represented on this site, with factual information on business culture and etiquette from each. This is a highly advanced course of study, but would be useful in an Intensive English program or high level ESL/VESL program.
There is also a section where you can post questions to the experts on intercultural business, share your experiences, or post comments on the site.
Over 60 countries are represented on this site, with factual information on business culture and etiquette from each. This is a highly advanced course of study, but would be useful in an Intensive English program or high level ESL/VESL program.
There is also a section where you can post questions to the experts on intercultural business, share your experiences, or post comments on the site.
ABE/GED/ESL/VESL: Resumes
Resumes:
http://www.10minuteresume.com
http://jobstar.org/tools/resume
http://www.provenresumes.com
Try the above sites for resume writing.
http://www.10minuteresume.com
http://jobstar.org/tools/resume
http://www.provenresumes.com
Try the above sites for resume writing.
ABE/GED/ESL/VESL: TV 411: Tune in to Learning
http://www.tv411.org/index.shtml
"Welcome to TV411, the television series for adults who want to strengthen their literacy skills. Attention teachers! Check out the new THINK MATH dvd, a free multimedia teaching tool that explores core mathematical concepts, such as fractions, percents and ratios."
One of the best features of this site is the Math Lessons in Spanish section.(http://www.tv411.org/math/). There is also a Writing section that includes such things as
Filling Out a Job Application Grammar and Punctuation How to Write a Business E-mail Preparing to Get a Job Writing a Complaint Letter Writing a Cover Letter that would be very useful for those in vocational classes.
The Reading section includes: Comprehending Business Problems Finding Faulty Logic Parts of a Newspaper Reading Charts and Graphs Reading Maps Reading the Fine Print Scanning for Specifics Strategies for Better Reading Structure of a News Story Summarizing Using Context Clues
The Vocabulary section is also quite useful, and includes a great interactive area called Check Out the Buzzword to really understand a word in a relational context. This section also includes:
Contract Language Dictionary Entries Finding New Ways to Say Something Personal Dictionary Prefixes Say Plenty Roots and Their Families, Part 1 Roots and Their Families, Part 2 Suffixes Understanding Business Jargon What Makes a Compound Word? Words with Multiple Meanings
Highly recommended site.
"Welcome to TV411, the television series for adults who want to strengthen their literacy skills. Attention teachers! Check out the new THINK MATH dvd, a free multimedia teaching tool that explores core mathematical concepts, such as fractions, percents and ratios."
One of the best features of this site is the Math Lessons in Spanish section.(http://www.tv411.org/math/). There is also a Writing section that includes such things as
Filling Out a Job Application Grammar and Punctuation How to Write a Business E-mail Preparing to Get a Job Writing a Complaint Letter Writing a Cover Letter that would be very useful for those in vocational classes.
The Reading section includes: Comprehending Business Problems Finding Faulty Logic Parts of a Newspaper Reading Charts and Graphs Reading Maps Reading the Fine Print Scanning for Specifics Strategies for Better Reading Structure of a News Story Summarizing Using Context Clues
The Vocabulary section is also quite useful, and includes a great interactive area called Check Out the Buzzword to really understand a word in a relational context. This section also includes:
Contract Language Dictionary Entries Finding New Ways to Say Something Personal Dictionary Prefixes Say Plenty Roots and Their Families, Part 1 Roots and Their Families, Part 2 Suffixes Understanding Business Jargon What Makes a Compound Word? Words with Multiple Meanings
Highly recommended site.
VESL: English for All
http://www.myefa.org/login.cfm English for All
This is a multimedia site that requires several plugins, but they are provided. You can register as a student or teacher, or just preview the site as a visitor. The site is free, and well done, and can be quite useful for any student who wants a more vocational approach to their English. For example, on Vocabulary Activity, students can listen to a word, and click on the word they hear. They can then submit their answers and find out both the score and the words they chose incorrectly. There is comprehension and grammar, and videos are clear and well done. A text of the video can also be viewed for additional reinforcement of language skills. At the end of each chapter, a test is available for students to gain a more comprehensive understanding of their new skills.
This is a multimedia site that requires several plugins, but they are provided. You can register as a student or teacher, or just preview the site as a visitor. The site is free, and well done, and can be quite useful for any student who wants a more vocational approach to their English. For example, on Vocabulary Activity, students can listen to a word, and click on the word they hear. They can then submit their answers and find out both the score and the words they chose incorrectly. There is comprehension and grammar, and videos are clear and well done. A text of the video can also be viewed for additional reinforcement of language skills. At the end of each chapter, a test is available for students to gain a more comprehensive understanding of their new skills.
General: Google Public-Domain Books
From Mac Central, 11/03
"Google Inc. on Thursday said it has added more public-domain books to its Google Print service. The books come from libraries at the University of Michigan, Harvard University, Stanford University and the New York Public Library and can be viewed in their entirety in the Google database.
Previously, Google Print users could find public-domain books and view their entire contents but Google calls Thursday's announcement the first significant addition of public-domain books, according to a company statement. Google isn't revealing how many new books are added but said that for example, U.S. Civil War history books, government documents and works by Henry James are now available. Public-domain books either were never covered by copyright or are no longer protected by copyright."
This joins other online book projects such as Gutenberg.org (http://www.gutenberg.org/) which has over 16,000 texts available from Da Vinci to Shakespeare to Nietzsche. Most are 'plain vanilla' (no artwork) but the texts, though uploaded by volunteers, remain accurate to the original.
Others, such as the British Classic Literature Library (http://www.classic-literature.co.uk/) include texts from Dickens to Twain, and recipe books, self help books and even the King James Bible. Having just read Doris Kearns Goodwin's new book on Abraham Lincoln (Team of Rivals : The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln), I was interested in reading the biography of Lincoln. Some of his speeches and writings are also included.
"Google Inc. on Thursday said it has added more public-domain books to its Google Print service. The books come from libraries at the University of Michigan, Harvard University, Stanford University and the New York Public Library and can be viewed in their entirety in the Google database.
Previously, Google Print users could find public-domain books and view their entire contents but Google calls Thursday's announcement the first significant addition of public-domain books, according to a company statement. Google isn't revealing how many new books are added but said that for example, U.S. Civil War history books, government documents and works by Henry James are now available. Public-domain books either were never covered by copyright or are no longer protected by copyright."
This joins other online book projects such as Gutenberg.org (http://www.gutenberg.org/) which has over 16,000 texts available from Da Vinci to Shakespeare to Nietzsche. Most are 'plain vanilla' (no artwork) but the texts, though uploaded by volunteers, remain accurate to the original.
Others, such as the British Classic Literature Library (http://www.classic-literature.co.uk/) include texts from Dickens to Twain, and recipe books, self help books and even the King James Bible. Having just read Doris Kearns Goodwin's new book on Abraham Lincoln (Team of Rivals : The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln), I was interested in reading the biography of Lincoln. Some of his speeches and writings are also included.
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
Word of the Day
A new feature of this blog is 'Word of the Day'. Check it out at the bottom of this page and challenge your students...and yourself!
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