Filed Under YuperStars
As many of my colleagues and friends know, I have accepted a new position as Language Coordinator in the Hispanic Studies department at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, IL. I will be doing many of the same things I’ve done been doing here at Lab (managing a lab space, training faculty, helping students, etc.), but I’ll also be teaching Spanish classes, working with student tutors, and supporting adjunct instructors. It’ll be great!
My time at Lab has been extremely fulfilling and I am grateful to all of the faculty in the World Language Department as well as the staff in Information Systems who have supported me professionally and personally. You’ve been so good to me.
As a final note, I’d like to say how grateful I am for this blog, for this means of communication. By committing to write every school day, this blog has helped me to stay on track. “What will I tell my blog readers? What success is happening or can I make happen that will be blog-worthy? What new technology should I share on the blog?” It’s a simple thing, but this blog really has been a motivating factor for me. I think blogs can be that for anybody in their life. It has been a wonderful medium for Mme Schneider during her year off. In my own personal life, I write songs in Garage Band *just so* I can post them on the blog. It makes me feel good, however feeble my efforts, to have created something original, even if it’s unpolished, unfinished, imperfect.
So, as my parting advice to students, teachers, and people everywhere: Just make something. Make something yours. Make something original. Daily if you can. Make it yourself, even if it’s small. And do it regularly, at least once a week. I believe a lot of good results from honoring our creative powers in small ways, whenever we can. Suspend judgment and get into the zone. You’ll feel better about life if you do.
Teachers, whenever possible, allow students to tap into their own creative powers as they learn new materials. It will make for deeper and more meaningful learning experiences.
Look for new blog entries by a new Technology Integration Specialist in coming months. I’m confident that whoever replaces me will have many success stories to share as well.
Thanks again to all and have a great summer!
-Allison
Filed Under World Languages
I invoke upon all of you seniors a wonderful life. Be good. Be true. Do right. Love.
Filed Under World Languages, YuperStars
As you may or may not know, Mme Jackson has been the “Lab Liaison” since I started working here in the summer of 2007. First of all, you should know what a joy and privilege it is to work with this woman. She is upbeat, kind, thoughtful, and really sharp. It’s just been awesome working with her. I know that the department really appreciates her help and enthusiasm. Not only has she reached out to faculty and given them one-on-one help, but she’s also helped to troubleshoot potential conflicts and made sure that the lab was being used in the best way possible.
Here’s a picture of Mme Jackson, looking smart…
Mme Jackson will be taking some time off next year to have a beautiful baby boy and we’ll miss her terribly while she’s gone, but Sra López will be stepping in and I know that she will be a great asset to the lab as well. Sra López has an abiding interest in project-based learning and technology implementation. I’m sure that her enthusiasm will rub off and that the department will continue to try new and improved ways of using technology and the Lab.
Here’s a picture of Sra López, looking busy…
So basically, stay tuned because next year is gonna rock!
Filed Under Best Bytes
A ton of tongue twisters for Tuesday.
“Poquito a poquito Paquito empaca poquitas copitas en pocos paquetes.”
“¡Qué triste estás, Tristán, con tan tétrica trama teatral!”
“Bene memini pantomimi minimi et amantium mimi.”
“Tilia sub tilia filat subtilia fila.”
“Ob er über Oberammergau, oder aber über Unterammergau, oder ob er überhaupt noch kommt, ist ungewiß!”
“Una cactrepa trepa tiene tres cacatrepitos.”
“Je les vends six sous, six sous ci, six sous ça, six sous ces six saucisses-là.”
“¡Esmerílemelo!”
“Cane decane, cane! Non de cane, cane decane cane; decano, cane decane cane.”
“Wenn mancher Mann wüsste, was mancher Mann wär, gäb mancher Mann manchem Mann manchmal mehr Ehr’.”
“Die Katzen kratzen im Katzenkasten, im Katzenkasten kratzen Katzen.”
“In Ulm, um Ulm, um Ulm herum.”
“Pepe puso un peso en el piso del pozo. En el piso del pozo Pepe puso un peso.”
“Es klapperten die Klapperschlangen, bis ihre Klappern schlapper klangen.”
“Ñoño Yañez come ñame en las mañanas con el niño.”
“Amore, more, ore, re, probantur amicitiae.”
“Babette a fait bombance à bord du bateau de Bob.”
“Paulus Paulam amat, sed Paula alium amat.”
“Bonjour Madame la saucissière, combien vendez-vous ces six saucisses-là?”
“Quamvis sint sub aqua, sub aqua maledicere temptant.”
“As-tu vu le tutu de tulle de Lili d’Honolulu?”
“As-tu étè à Tahiti?”
“Der Cottbuser Postkutscher putzt den Cottbuser Postkutschkasten.”
“Der Zweck hat den Zweck den Zweck zu bezwecken, und wenn der Zweck den Zweck nicht bezweckt, dann hat der Zweck überhaupt keinen Zweck.”
“Der Schweizer Schweißer schwitzt und schweißt. Der Schweizer Schwitzer schweißt und schwitzt. Schwitzend schweißt der Schweizer Schweißer.”
“Selten ess ich Essig.”
“Zwischen zwei Zwetschgenbäumen zwitschern zwei Schwalben.”
“Bonum nomen, bonum omen.”
“Malo malo malo malo.”
“Zehn Ziegen zogen zehn Zentner Zucker zum Zoo, zum Zoo zogen zehn Ziegen zehn Zentner Zucker.”
“Mater mae sus est mala.”
“Sator arepo tenet opera rotas”
SATOR
AREPO
TENET
OPERA
ROTAS
“Ah! pourquoi Pépit sans répis m’épies-tu, dans le puits Pépita pourquoi te tapis-tu? Tu m’épies sans pitié, c’est pieteux de m’épier, de m’épier Pépita ne peux-tu te passer?”
“Summergimurne?”
“Âne et vers et taupe ont-ils os? Âne a os, vers non, taupe si.”
“Te tero Roma manu nuda date tela latete.”
Filed Under Best Bytes
Don’t ever let me catch you singing like that again, without enthusiasm. You’re nothing if you aren’t excited by what you’re doing.
—Frank Sinatra to his son, Frank Jr.
Filed Under Best Bytes
Visual dictionary might be used to start a conversation and give students the vocabulary they need just in time to continue a class discussion.
http://www.infovisual.info/index_es.html (SPANISH)
http://www.infovisual.info/index_fr.html (FRENCH)
Filed Under Best Bytes, World Languages
Come to Judd 126 to see amazing May Projects by our graduating seniors. Andrew Zich and Peter Zich have created a proof-of-concept rubric tool that is way cool. They will be demonstrating the tool regularly between 7 and 9 pm in the World Language Lab (UH207).
Check out example uses of the tool on our wiki!
Filed Under Best Bytes
I learned about a new site at IALLT that allows teachers to quickly find native speakers in many languages to either speak with or correct the writing of second language learners. I haven’t used this yet myself, but I’m looking forward to it. This kind of a real-time access to real language is exactly what language learners need, and lots of it!
Filed Under Best Bytes
A quick reflection on the IALLT conference.
I was really impressed with the congeniality and originality coming out of this year’s IALLT sessions. These are instructional technology professionals who are consistently hunting for that “sweet spot” where technology and pedagogy enhance one another. Most of the suggestions I heard from fellow IALLTers were both practical and helpful. They are also a good-humored bunch. =)
I would highly recommend that language teachers who enjoy the challenge of integrating technology go to IALLT. They are sure to come away with some great ideas.
Highlights from Saturday’s session included how to better manage a language center, using Adobe Connect for professional development regional conferences, and how to track usage of computers and applications utilized in a language lab environment. I liked this page at Oberlin, which gives an instant snapshot of which machines in the lab are being used. Sehr kool.
Filed Under Quotes
In times of change learners inherit the earth; while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.
—Eric Hoffer
Filed Under Best Bytes
This morning, I attended a great workshop about an experimental distance learning language class that was simulated around starting a non-profit to serve the local immigrant hispanic community. Great ideas and very inspiring! I love the idea of creating entire syllabi around meaningful, longer-term projects.
Then I saw some wonderful videos produced collaboratively by Lower School and college language learners that are just gorgeous. Must take time now to watch a few of these videos based on the topic of fairy tales (all made in iMovie HD).
In the afternoon, attended a great presentation about Professional Development and ideas for making it more effective.
And finally, watched BYU’s presenation on designing learning spaces that reflect a more student-centered pedagogy. Great stuff.
You can read more about what is happening at IALLT ‘09 by checking out the #iallt09 Twitter stream.
Filed Under Best Bytes
The DiLL presentation went great today. One of my big take-aways was the idea that language labs/learning spaces, just like classrooms, are moving away from being teacher-centered professional development corners to being student-centered. The Language Center will be a Language Resource Center where STUDENTS can come and get the resources that they need to make learning happen versus TEACHERS coming to get help to develop new materials.
I think both of those activities are important. But we should be adjusting things to meet student needs directly as well as indirectly (via the teachers).
More tomorrow!
Filed Under Best Bytes
This morning, we had a great discussion with six other language lab coordinators about various language resource center designs. It was great to see how different schools have approached this problem working withing their own unique constraints. I wish I could post some of the photos, layouts, and materials I saw. They were very interesting. Felix Kronenberg will be compiling some of our info in a single place.
This afternoon, I’ve been working on Camtasia and we’ve been talking about all kinds of different issues: VMWare Fusion, Dual Boot labs, Teacher development time, and potential language uses.
Here are some of the resources we talked about:
TubeCaption
MacTubes
TubeTV
Jodix.com
3PlayMedia
Hot Potatoes
Firefox Add-In for grabbing YouTube videos
Filed Under Photos
I will be gone from the lab this week presenting at the IALLT 2009 conference in Atlanta Georgia with the “DiLL dudes“, as I affectionately call them. Should be a great opportunity to learn new things and meet new people. I’ll try to post pictures and comments throughout the week.
Charting a course toward the interactive language lab using DiLL (Digital Language Lab)
This session will introduce a new language lab system, DiLL, created by Northwestern University and how it has been shared to and used by both university and K-12 peer institutions including Grand Valley State University and the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools. Both schools have
seen impressive results using the software including improved ease of use, an increase in lab demand, an increase in number of faculty users, unprecedented levels of student interest and
involvement, and the development of new and innovative teaching techniques that have been made possible only through the use of this new software.
David Shultz (Grand Valley State University), Allison Weiss (University of Chicago Laboratory Schools),
Matthew Taylor (Northwestern University), Zachary Schneirov (Northwestern University), Johnathon
Beals (Grand Valley State University)
Filed Under Quotes
Four things support the world: the learning of the wise, the justice of the great, the prayers of the good, and the valor of the brave.
—Muhammad
Filed Under Chinese, French, German, Latin, Spanish, World Languages
Here is the result of our Flip camera footage taken at last week’s Faculty Development meeting.
Thanks to all of the teachers who were able to participate and share their thoughts. And double thanks to everyone in the department for their valiant efforts to consistently innovate and renovate how they use technology in the language classroom.
Enjoy!
Filed Under Chinese, YuperStars
Mr. Sun and his High School Chinese 1 class made several movie posters last week. They will be up on display in the lab with English translations in the Welcome Area. View a pdf version of the posters here.
Filed Under Photos
A few of the senior Support Associates in IS are working with me to design a rubric-based evaluation tool during the next couple of weeks. We’re pretty excited about this tool. It will allow multiple students to evaluate a single student giving a presentation and offer that student insight into how they might improve.
In other UCLS development news, two 7th graders made headlines this week with their new iPhone app, available now in the App Store. Check out the news clip here.
Filed Under World Languages
The department has created a new blog that will serve as a centralized repository for language immersion opportunities, including those offered by the department. Check it out!
Filed Under Quotes
Who are you upsetting? Who are you connecting? Who are you leading?
—Seth Godin (in recent TED talk)
