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Monthly Archives: August 2011

Google to teach speaking

Attention:

You might not sound as smart as you think, especially if you consider how you sound in a foreign country. Maybe you think your pronunciation is great, but you can’t understand why no one gets what you are trying to say. There are things that you can do to practice. One of the best sources I have recently been referred on to was Rosetta Stone (RS). The reason I like it is because the software ensures reading, writing, connecting thoughts, listening AND SPEAKING!

It does not translate words for you. At first I thought this was a silly way of learning, but after going through the RS system for a while I realized that building upon reference ideas and then repeating them was a great way to learn. The drawback, however, is the cost. (£149.00) In that case, I have a workaround answer for you, but I will get to that after I have shown you proof that the RS system works.

Proof:

While researching for proof that Rosetta Stone was the best way to learn online or off out on the market, I found some contrasting evidence. Some people spoke very highly of the product, such as these reviews:

Without a doubt the highest praise went to the ease with which reviewers were learning. Courses were described as being instinctive and natural, even though many had been skeptical about there being no English on the Rosetta Stone software. A lot of learners said that their children were also following their course and were enjoying the quizzes and games. Rosetta Stone seems to be engaging for any age group. The pace seemed to be appropriate, and many users liked a feature of the CD-ROM where it automatically started each session with a quick review of what was previously studied. (http://www.therosettastonereviews.com/)

Rosetta Stone helps you learn 31 various languages spoken all round the world. It dishes some different and interesting techniques to get accomplish to the languages you want in your armory. People who want to study languages difficult to understand for fun or individuals who loves incomprehensible languages, should also give Rosetta Stone a try. (http://judgesreviews.com/software/rosetta-stone-reviews)

However, this review was only a partial glimpse:

Some people will get benefit out of Rosetta Stone. I can see how it would happen. I did indeed learn something from this program, including having my first ever conversation in Dutch, which gave me an enormous boost of confidence.(http://www.fluentin3months.com/rosetta-stone-review/)

A further read of this same reviewing would show you this review as well:

Injecting this confidence is something that Rosetta Stone does very well but to be honest the time would have been much better spent on other tasks. (http://www.fluentin3months.com/rosetta-stone-review/)

With that said, I have to personally say that I can see the benefit and enjoyment factor present with the RS method. If you have time, it is worth giving it a try to see if the slightly expensive system is worth it to you. If not, read on and maybe I have some alternative solutions.

Strategy:

There are many free websites to learn another language. A good example of an English site for this is learn-english-online.org Like most, it allows you to read, to write and sometimes even listen, but the sites do not include speaking.

Along comes Google!

I figured this out when my wife, who is not a native English speaker was trying to use the Google VoiceSearch found when you are using Chrome as your browser.

She was having the toughest time. It was a little funny, especially when I heard what she was trying to say and what was coming up on Google. For example, she might try to say, “Samui, Thailand” and it comes up, “Simile Highland”. It takes some practice. Sometimes it is even necessary for me, as a native English speaker to hear what she is saying and tell her to say the word(s) with more enunciation or inflection on a certain part. How Google works well, is it confirms automatically where I might say to her, as her teacher, that she is saying something incorrectly, but she doesn’t hear it herself. She might insist she is saying it correctly, but I have no proof.

Well, now I do.

This Google App is available on iPhones, iPads and I am sure lots of other devices. Because of this, it means teachers can carry it around for students who are trying to pronounce something for immediate confirmation about whether what they are saying is said correctly or not.

All-in-all, I love the idea. I hope to apply it through technology integration in classrooms, by carrying around a smart phone and pulling it out when the need is there.

Who says we should ban phones in schools? With enough ingenuity there are plenty of authentic applications for them. Now, if I can justify spending $15,000 for Microsoft’s MS Surface Table to the school, that would be neat.

Stop Cyber-bullying Now!

05 Aug

Attention:

STOP CYBER-BULLYING NOW!

The following video shows a glimpse of what some of the worst outcomes are from cyber-bullying:

Proof:

How many people are getting cyber bullied a year?

Bullying statistics 2010:

New bullying statistics for 2010 revealed about one in seven students in grades kindergarten through 12th grade is either a bully or has been a victim of bullying. Sometimes a teen or child who has been bullied eventually becomes the bully as a way to retaliate. In fact, revenge for bullying is one of the strongest motivations for school shootings, according to recent bullying statistics. A reported 61 percent of students said they believe students shoot others at school because they have been victims of physical violence at home or at school. This is a true indicator that bullying can occur in all forms by other students, children, teens as well as adults. According to various bullying studies, many teens and children act out violently on their peers through acts of bullying because they are abused at home.

Other bullying statistics:

Over half, about 56 percent, of all students have witnesses a bullying crime take place while at school.

A reported 15 percent of all students who don’t show up for school report it to being out of fear of being bullied while at school.

There are about 71 percent of students that report bullying as an on-going problem.

Along that same vein, about one out of every 10 students drops out or changes schools because of repeated bullying.

One out of every 20 students has seen a student with a gun at school.

Some of the top years for bullying include 4th through 8th graders in which 90 percent were reported as victims of some kind of bullying.

Other recent bullying statistics reveal that 54 percent of students reported that witnessing physical abuse at home can lead to violence in school.

Among students of all ages, homicide perpetrators were found to be twice as likely as homicide victims to have been bullied previously by their peers.

There are about 282,000 students that are reportedly attacked in high schools throughout the nation each month.

Bullycide statistics:

Suicide continues to be one of the leading causes of death among children under the age of 14. Bullycide is a term used to describe suicide as the result of bullying. New bullying statistics 2010 are reporting that there is a strong connection between bullying, being bullied and suicide, according to a new study from the Yale School of Medicine. Suicide rates are continuing to grow among adolescents, and have grown more than 50 percent in the past 30 years.

bullystatistics.org

Strategy:

Think about online safety.
If you are a student, kid or teen, watch these videos. Think about yourself and how someone has effected you or how you are effecting someone. If you need to:

Tell someone.