#7-Doodle English/Voxopop

#7- Doodle English/Voxopop

You just don’t have to Kill Trees to get your point across.

I have decided to enlarge Environmental English a little to get more bang for the buck. Wait… It’s Free. All you have to remember is do or investigate all the ideas and you can start loading up on Gold Stars.

In this edition:

o Doodle English

o Believe It or Not (Writing Explanation)

o Voxopop.com

o Noodlers Delight- Aardvark Stroganoff

o Teachergary.com has hits from nine different countries

Let’s get started….

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Doodle English

http://www.wiziq.com/retsam

Here is a guy from China that gives online classes/sessions on using Doodles to teach English. It’s quite interesting how he does it. His students are a lower level than ours but the concept is still valid. Watch one of his session recordings.

I know you are asking yourself, “Gee whiz Betty Lou. How can we do this?” It’s very simple and here’s how.

o Get about 12 Erasers and cut them in half. Now you have 24. Fuzzy math

o Have the students draw a box around the best doodle on their desks

o They then have to erase the rest of the desk

o Have each row pick out the best doodle on their row

o And so on and so on until you have the best one in the class

o Each time you go up a level the students have to erase the boxed doodle

o Finally you have the class winner of the best doodle in the class

o The students then have to write a story about the best doodle

It’s too late. The desks are clean of all writing. Tom Sawyer strikes again.

Of course this may lower final exam grades by a few points but remember The Desks are Clean. I’m not sure why the desk on the Girls side of the class is not cleaner. I guess it’s their natural artistic nature.

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Believe It or Not (Writing Explanation)

This certainly explains a lot of things.

Try this. . .

Believe it or not you can read it.

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer inwaht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? yaeh and I awlyas thought slpeling was ipmorantt..

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Voxopop-Online Speaking Exercise

I know you are thinking, “Gee whiz, Bobby Joe. How am I going to get my students to talk online?”

Voxopop is one answer. More later…..

www.Voxopop.com

Here is a site that allows you to make a recording and allow members to react or whatever to that recording by making a voice recording on the Internet. Yes, they do have to actually go to the website and do something in English. And no they, don’t get to get their friends to fill in the blanks on 23 pages of photocopies, do their part in killing Trees and releasing Bleach into the water table. They just have to plan their answer and make the recording.

Here is the page I have set up for www.teachergary.com for the 16 weekly lessons where the students have to make a recording for some conversation questions.

http://www.voxopop.com/group/9445488f-acb3-4c0a-9b90-fe430e587da7

It does work better if your students have evolved beyond the photocopy and understand that simply having the right answers is not learning. The problem with the “Right Answer” method of learning is students Graduate and have no actual knowledge. But, they do have the right answers and that all that is important to them. This cannot be allowed to happen anywhere. It is our job as teachers to wean them off of antiquated and destructive learning methods.

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Noodlers Delight-

Aardvark Stroganoff Recipe

Serve this tuna stroganoff recipe over rice or noodles.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• dash pepper
• 1 can (7 ounces) Aardvark Meat, strained and fluffed
• 1 can (4 ounces) mushrooms, drained
• Hot cooked noodles or rice

Preparation:

Melt butter in skillet; sauté onion until tender. Combine soup, sour cream and pepper; add to onion. Add Aardvark and mushrooms; heat through. Serve Aardvark stroganoff over hot cooked noodles or rice.

Makes 4 servings.

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Teachergary.com has hits from nine countries and some change (other)

o US

o Oman

o Brazil

o Germany

o Italy

o Russia

o Mexico

o Maldives

o Others

Go ahead. Get your site up. It’s not Rocket Science. Heck, it’s not even as complicated and complex as Long Division. Get involved with the rest of the world. They are out there waiting for you.

#6-Teach 1000/We Can Do This

You just don’t have to Kill Trees to get your point across.

Teach 1000

Here is a guy who plans to teach 1000 Online Classes in a year. This site and challenge shows what can actually be done if one has the inclination to get involved and actually do something instead of just talk about it.

What are the possibilities for the University if teachers had this kind of commitment to teaching students? The possibilities are endless and the opportunity for student progress is staggering. We all need to stagger every once in a while. This guy is teaching without killing trees and he should get a Gold Star for Professional Development. We all know how valuable those Gold Stars will be come Vacation Time.

Teach 1000

http://www.teach1000.blogspot.com/

A little bit of his blog page.

Teach 1000 online classes in one year!

The rules:

1) I must have at least 1 student in every class that I do.

2) All classes must be either on EduFire, WiZiQ, or any other online platform.

3) Each class must be at least 30 minutes long.

4) I cannot have the same student for more than 5 classes in a row.

5) Each class must be on a different topic, but can be in the same subject. For example, I can teach a world history course, but I have to have a different topic in each lesson.

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We Can Do This!

This about a site called Ask Mister Duncan and it’s on Youtube.com

http://www.youtube.com/user/askmisterduncan

He’s a pretty strange person and someone you would not let your sister marry if you loved her. But, his channel on YouTube is pretty entertaining and it’s something the students would enjoy.

Here is the link to a sample lesson.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hde_uXOrdsE&feature=related

He also has another YouTube channel called Duncan in China. Again, lots of strange stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/user/duncaninchina

Could the teachers, etc. from the University do this? Sure they could. It would take a team of people dedicated people putting the channel together just for the crack of it. It’s a great learning experience and it doesn’t need a committee or any other format to water down and gain control of the creative process. It’s a matter of getting it to a format or platform that the students use or would use if the opportunity presented itself.

As you can see from Teachergary.com there are many formats, platforms and ways to use videos to educate the students. It’s up to us to take advantage of the technology and find ways to get information to the students without overburdening them with mounds of photocopies so we don’t have to actually teach and/or relate to them while in the classroom.

Find ways not to Kill Trees

#5 Let's Create Something

You don't have to kill trees to get your point across.

Welcome to Environmental English –Let’s Create Something. In this Newsletter we will go into some places where you can host your work for FREE. That is the magic word for English Teachers. FREE. It has a nice ring to it doesn’t it? FREE! FREE! FREE! Ummmmmmmmmm. FREE (With Homer Simpson’s voice)

We’re going to look at three places to put your STUFF. It’s Free and they are pretty easy to set up. It does take time but it can be done.

WIKIs are probably the easiest and best places to go. You can leave the site name on their server or you can purchase a domain name from www.godaddy.com fairly cheaply and away you go.

A Wiki is basically WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) It’s kind of like dong a word document but a lot cooler. I know you are saying to yourself, “What could be cooler than being a Word Drone.” But, Scouts…. It’s possible. Most people have been lured, hoodwinked and horn swaggled into thinking that if it’s not Microsoft it’s not any good. Duh! The opposite is true.

Think about it….. You have been told for eons “It has to be Windows. Everybody is using Windows.” Well, those people telling you this garbage get $65 an hour to repair this tripe. You have been notified and warned so don’t come crying to me when your computing life comes to a stop.

A Wiki works in two ways.

1. Make a site everyone can edit

2. Make a site that only you can edit (locked)

It’s up to you.

First look at this video on how to make a site that can be edited.

Wikis in Plain English

http://www.commoncraft.com/video-wikis-plain-english

Petty cool huh? You do have to make some video stuff. We will get into that at a later date.

The three wikis we are going to look at are

* Wikispaces
* Pbwiki
* Wetpaint

Wikispaces

www.wikispaces.com

Here are two links to sites that teachers in the IELP have put up for the students to use.

www.teachergary.com (Gary Harwell)

Nice site that has sixteen lessons with many areas covered in each week. Go, Look and see what can be done for free.

www.robertinoman.wikispaces.com (Robert Reese)

A very informative site with lots of free stuff for the students to engage in. Well worth a visit.

Both sites are at Wikispaces. It’s easy to use, basic and lots of features. You can experiment a lot and tweak it just like you want it.

Pbwiki

www.pbwiki.com

Another wiki that is pretty easy to use. It doesn’t offer as much storage as Wikispaces but easy to use never the less.

Site in pbwiki I put up a couple of years ago to experiment with.

http://levelfive.pbworks.com/

It’s OK and shows things you can put up.

Wet Paint

www.wetpaint.com

It’s nice but a little more difficult to use. Not so difficult to use that you can’t do it.

http://cd5.wetpaint.com/

Wikis are easy to use. I have given you three examples of places to go. You can put videos, audios, links to exercises and the list goes on and on.

By putting up a site for your students to use and assuming they will use it….. you don’t have to give them mountains of copies from Murphy’s and thus avoid the act of actually teaching in class and letting the students hide behind photocopies.

“Ours is not to reason and compare. Ours is to create. We must create our own system or be enslaved by another man’s.”


Try not to Kill Some Trees tomorrow.

#4- UN to Ban 'Unnecessary' Languages

UN to Ban ‘Unnecessary’ Languages
1 April, 2010

Let’s Get rid of the ones we really don’t need.

Redundant languages blamed for adding to climate change, terrorism and cultural division

CAMBRIDGE, UK (EnglishClub.com) Tuesday April 1, 2008 — The United Nations is to hold its first debate on language redundancy amid warnings that the problem is “a major contributor” to climate change, a “massive threat” to international security and the cause of “rifts and divisions” within society.

Steiner
Andrew Steiner, UNEP head:
“French causing damage”

Next week’s meeting is the result of an improbable coalition of interests, and follows sustained pressure from the US Administration, the World Health Organization and the United Nations Environment Program.

“We’re reacting to two very sobering reports about the impact on climate change of the huge number of languages in use worldwide,” Andrew Steiner, head of the United Nations Environment Program, told Reuters news service. At the same time Whitehouse spokesman Gordon Stanzel revealed serious translation challenges for the CIA caused by “an abundance of languages.” Pointing to the fact that terrorists typically use non-English languages amongst themselves, he suggested that only by making English the world’s “unique” language could security be assured. Asked why the world’s “unique” language should be English and not, say, Chinese or Spanish, he replied that English was already so dominant, especially on the Internet, that it was obviously the best language to choose and would cause the least disruption.

The current plan is to begin phasing out all non-English languages, which are seen as redundant and “unnecessary” due to the overwhelming dominance of English in the world community.

Issues for debate
According to UN officials, unnecessary languages require enormous amounts of paper for translations, resulting in huge losses of forested areas, and these losses have become “a major factor” contributing to climate change. Furthermore, the eventual burning of this paper in incinerators has a direct effect upon global warming by boosting atmospheric temperatures “to an alarming degree”.

On the security front, a plethora of obscure and redundant languages are used by terrorists to hamper security efforts, as they require time-consuming translation, and as a result these languages constitute a “massive threat” to Washington’s war on terror.

And from a socio-cultural point of view, a multitude of unnecessary languages hampers international communication, with the inevitable misunderstandings resulting in “rifts and divisions within the global village”.

Camden Language Research Facility
CLRF headed by Dr. Wong. Fears
of multiple-personality disorder

Latest research
Studies indicate that second-language learning is one of the most stressful ordeals a student can face, and is known to cause a wide range of medical and psychological disorders, the treatment of which is a huge drain on health resources. In one study, it was found that learning a second language can facilitate the development of multiple-personality disorder. Dr. Adrian Wong of the Camden Language Research Facility notes that “this has been seen for example when teachers assign ’second-language names’ from a foreign culture to learners in role-play exercises.”

It has been theorized that the human brain is adapted to the learning of a single language only, as for tens of thousands of years this was all that human development required. Dr. Wong suggests that the unnatural imposition of a second language on the human brain can lead to a serious disruption of its development, and added: “We can only speculate as to the extent of the damage done. I submit that second-language learning and teaching should be prohibited until more is known about the effects of this activity on the human brain.”

“Lingua Non Gratae” to be phased out
Under the plan, languages will be phased out according to a schedule based partly on a language’s number of speakers (Table 1). Languages spoken by fewer than one million people, such as Welsh or Maltese, will be deemed lingua non gratae by 2014. Languages with fewer than 25 million speakers (for example, Greek or Hmong) will be LNG in 2021, and below 50 million (say Romanian or Kurdish) in 2028. For languages, like Thai or Turkish, with fewer than 100 million speakers the date will be 2035. Next will come languages with up to 250 million speakers, in 2042, and a billion speakers in 2049. For technical reasons, French and Mandarin will be subject to an accelerated withdrawal process setting them outside the normal schedule. Citing the historical place of French as a language of diplomacy, Steiner said: “French in particular is causing enormous damage environmentally. By clinging to a past notion of French as a universal language, and trying to prop up its language through institutions like l’Académie française, France is thwarting the process of natural selection and adding disproportionately to the problems of global warming.”

LNG Date Native speakers Example languages
2014 Fewer than 1 million speakers Faroese, Tuvaluan, Welsh, Breton, Maltese, Icelandic
2021 Fewer than 25 million speakers Lao, Greek, Czech, Swedish, Hmong, Afrikaans
2028 Fewer than 50 million speakers Azerbaijani, Burmese, Romanian, Dutch, Kurdish
2035 Fewer than 100 million speakers Thai, Vietnamese, Korean, Punjabi
2042 Fewer than 250 million speakers French*, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese,
2049 Fewer than 1 billion speakers Mandarin**, Spanish, Arabic
*accelerated withdrawal date 2028
**accelerated withdrawal date 2042
Table 1 © EnglishClub.com 2008

Further issues
By 2049, when all languages other than English will have been phased out, the only language that will have international sanction will be English. All other languages will be grouped under the heading of “Non-E” (non-English), and it will be an offence to use, teach or publish Non-E. Officials explain that a distinction will be made similar to that made between drug users and drug dealers. People found “using” Non-E (that is, speaking, listening to, reading or writing it) will be weaned off Non-E in rehabilitation camps. Anyone “dealing in” Non-E (for example, teaching or publishing it) will be subject to more serious penalties, including a mandatory prison sentence with no right of appeal. Lawyers are already working on the legal implications for such a framework, and a new department will be set up within Interpol to coordinate police activity internationally.

“Any language school owners in currently English-speaking countries who imagine that the new laws will benefit their business do not understand the concept,” said Steiner. Since one of the motives for stamping out redundant languages is environmental, planners have already foreseen the environmental dangers inherent in hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of people travelling abroad for the sake of improving their English. They propose two measures to avoid such problems: the use of terms like “ESL” (English as a Second Language) will be replaced by EOL (English as the Only Language); and it will become illegal to travel abroad to learn EOL. Steiner says the bonanza will go to the “EOL” schools in what are currently non-English speaking countries. Among UN plans are massive retraining schemes for teachers in such countries.

Ironically, one of the last issues that will have to be resolved is the thorny question of which variety of English to use. Interpreting the doctrine of language redundancy strictly, there is no room for more than one variety of English. Washington is likely to argue that American English is the modern, more vibrant variety that should be kept. The Australian and Canadian governments are thought to be commissioning studies intended to show why their varieties should prevail. But the most likely outcome is for all parties to accept the British argument that British English is not only a purer form of English, but the original language itself and thus not a variety at all. However, the Language Redundancy Panel, which will be steering the new plans through to fruition, will have ample time to resolve the issue and will not need to make a decision until the start of the second phase in 2021.

EnglishClub-2008

#3 Englishtips.org

#3 Englishtips.org
You just don’t have to kill trees to get your point across.

Now available as a blog at http://environmentalenglish.blog.com/
Only the first edition is available now but the 2nd and 3rd will be up soon.

Another source of eliminating paper usage is, Drum Roll…. RRRRRBRRRRRBRRR
www.englishtips.org.

Gee-whiz Betty Lou! What in the world is englishtips.org? Well, it’s a site where you can go and download all kids of books, readers, etc. on teaching English. Free. Of course they would like a donation and they also include links where you can purchase a legal copy. You do have to join the site to get to the mother lode. But, once you join…… it’s open season. Is everything you can possibly think of there? NO, but there is enough to put a dent in your craving, fixation and addiction for material to make photocopies to your heart’s content.

You are asking yourself, “How is this Environmental?” As low paid English teachers you go through your chosen career path coming across different kinds of books where you say to yourself, “That would be a great book to take material from at a later date.” That date generally never comes. You eventually find yourself with a ton of books that you drag around from place to place always intending to use the material. Not to mention that the libraries where you have previously worked are all short a few books when you leave.

I speak from experience. I once found myself in Guatemala with 96 books to validate my career. I said to myself, “Self, &%#@ this.” I then got rid of all the books by various means and went to making a digital collection. I probably have 70 or 80 digital copies. I never use them but the amount of paper I have saved dragging around this mindless collection of material which never seems to have any correlation to what I am ever engaged in has been worth the effort.

I fully understand there are addictions in this world like, Drugs, Alcohol and even making photocopies to prove your worth as a teacher. I think there ought to be a 12-step group, “Photocopies Anonymous.”
www.englishtips.org. Check them out and save a few branches.
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Noodler’s Delight

Chicken Noodle Casserole
A great chicken and noodle bake.
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:

* 8 ounces egg noodles, uncooked
* 1/2 cup butter (8 ounces)
* 1 cup sliced mushrooms, about 4 ounces
* 1/3 cup flour
* 2 cups chicken broth
* 1 cup milk
* 1/4 cup pimiento, chopped (2 ounce jar, drained)
* 2 teaspoons salt
* 1/2 teaspoon pepper
* 2 cups cooked diced chicken
* 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation:
Cook noodles according to package directions and drain. In large skillet, melt butter in a large skillet over low heat; sauté mushrooms. Blend in flour, stirring until smooth. Gradually add broth, milk, pimiento, salt and pepper, stirring constantly until sauce is thickened. In a buttered 2 1/2-quart casserole, combine noodles, chicken and sauce. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over top. Bake chicken noodle casserole 20 to 25 minutes in a preheated 350° oven.
Shared by Coastieswife


Until next time, try not to kill any trees.

#1 Nings

You just don't have to Kill Trees to get your point across

Welcome to the first edition of Environmental English. I was originally recruited to make a presentation on Using the Internet as a Teaching Tool a Wednesday afternoon. I fully recognize that on Wednesday people are in a hurry to get out and get a start on their weekend activities that may include but not limited to:

o Sashaying the malls of Muscat
o Holding up in their flat and working on exercises on the comma while engaging in their past time of devising creative noodle dishes
o Checking out the local Watering Hole
o Performing mindless Honey Do’s
o Rearranging their sock drawer
o Trying to spend less than one riyal over the whole weekend while drinking tap water

I will provide information about sites and places to go on the Internet that have great things to do and learn for both the teachers and the students. I’ll also show you how to put something up so that your students for years to come can benefit from your efforts. It will always be something you can update.

But environmentally speaking, the paradigm should be, How can I make as little impact on the environment by my teaching methods. Obviously, using the Internet is one way to avoid murdering trees through a heap of photocopies for our students. English by Photocopy is not a recognized method of teaching. It’s true that the Dinosaurs have already died so we can use these Plastic boxes as teaching machines while the electricity dissipates into the atmosphere as heat. Al Gore should have mentioned that the Internet is causing Global Warming. Something he invented (his claim) is causing Global Warming. There is another way of looking at it and that is teaching Unplugged. Future editions will also cover that way of teaching.

So lets get started on putting it all together.

English Companion Ning

The first we want to look at is English Companion Ning at
http://englishcompanion.ning.com/

What is a Ning. Well, it’s a Social Media site. You can start your own group there on a subject of your choosing. The site is dedicated to “Where English teachers go to help each other.” There are literally zillions of people out there who are engaged in the ART of Teaching English and they have their own groups here. You can look at the groups and join a group so you get notices when anybody posts anything to the group. I have one group, “Wikis in Use” which is dedicated to people who actually use Wikis for teaching. I am also a member of another group called “Free Tools for Schools.” It has lots of stuff online and some of the stuff is downloadable.

NINGS are great tools so investigate the site and use it.

Try not to Kill Trees