PC Spring Cleaning, Music, and ESL

Spring Tune Up For PCs

The more preventative steps taken below, the better the workstations, whether at home or work, will be able to handle the demands expected of them.

If I can be of assistance or answer questions, please let me know.

Charlie

Download, install, update , and run the following:

1. Update Norton Antivirus and run full scan. Quarantine all detected items.

2. Glary utilities: Check all boxes. Run “one-click maintenance”. Remove anything found.

3. SUPERAntispyware:  Run full scan. Remove anything found.

4. AntiMalware: Run full scan. Remove anything found.

5. Hard Drive Powerwash: Run full scan. Remove anything found.

6. Smart Defrag: Install; unchecking all “optional” components in the process. Select and run “Defrag and Fully Optimize”.

URLs

2. http://download.cnet.com/Glary-Utilities/3000-2094_4-10508531.html
3.  http://www.superantispyware.com/downloadfile.html?productid=SUPERANTISPYWAREFREE
4. http://majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=5756
5. http://1-abc.de/0212/harddrivepowerwash_free.exe
6.http://www.majorgeeks.com/downloadget.php?id=6672&file=9&evp=80bbb524430ce6a16c5770219d89ba67

ATTENTION MUSIC EDUCATORS:

One of our county's music instructors posted this URL on Facebook.  It is an interactive website addressing music theory.  Check it out!  I'm confident that you and your students will find it quite engaging!

Music Theory.net   (http://www.musictheory.net/)

You might also find the drills at eMusicTheory.com interesting.  (http://www.emusictheory.com/practice.html)

ESL (English as a Second Language)

We just enrolled two ELLs (English Language Learners) whose native language is Gujarati.  That's a new one to me!  What to do about translating notes to home?  The Internet is simply amazing!  You can find anything if you dig deep enough.  I found an English-to-Gujarati program that allows for translating up to 100 characters at a time in trial mode. Good enough for me!

If you are a school with students who speak Gujarati, administrators, counselors, and all classroom teachers working with these children are required by Title III of NCLB to send home notices in BOTH English and the native language spoken at home.

The program (downloadable from the link below) allows for copying and pasting to and from word processing programs (i.e. Microsoft Word).

http://www.download3k.com/DownloadLink1-English-to-Gujarati-Character-Converter.html

Yet another program (a mere $8.00) called GujaratiPad, allows for typing as you normally would in English, but the text appears as Gujarati characters.


Read more about it at http://www.supershareware.com/download/gujaratipad.html
Download it from http://www.supershareware.com/action/download1/19146

Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab

Of all the ESL resources on the Web, Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab is one of the most informative, practical, and interactive that I've seen.

The listening lab is continually being updated. Among other benefits, the listening activities feature key vocabulary words and follow-up assessments.

Be sure to explore this site whether or not you are an ESL specialist. I firmly hold to the belief that ALL practitioners are ESL instructors.

Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab also has a presence on Facebook. From his Facebook page: "Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab (http://www.esl-lab.com) was first over a decade ago to provide language learners opportunities to improve their listening comprehension skills in English. Contact Randall at eslrandall [at] yahoo.com"

If you're so inclined, add his Facebook page to your "Fan" list. At his website, scroll down near to the bottom-left. Look for a button to add the site to your Facebook groups. Consider subscribing to his e-newsletter and keep up-to-date on latest developments to this extremely valuable resource!

Music and Art - Universal Languages!

With Christmas (not "The Holidays" - it's the Advent season) now upon us, I thought I'd share a few discoveries that you might want to explore during your down time.

The arts, particularly music, are dear to me. They are universally understood. When language fails us across geographic borders, the arts can communicate in a manner that the spoken word can't approximate.

That being said, the following are a few that you'll want to explore and integrate into your classroom instruction:

1. Paint.net
   
2. PhotoFiltre
   
3. Jam Studio
   
4. Playlist

Paint.net is for digital image editing. Likewise for PhotoFiltre. JamStudio allows one to create music with all manner of complexity (instrumentation, voices, etc.). Playlist.com is a music social networking site. There are numerous genres from which to choose, listen, and share with others.

Observations and food for thought: The first decade of the 21st century is about to conclude. Web 2.0 has matured. Web 3.0 is developing.

• What have you learned about 21st century skills since the turn of the century?
  
• How many Web 2.0 skills have you learned in the past few years?
  
• Most importantly: How have you used these powerful skills in your instruction and shared your knowledge with others (especially with students)?

A side note: Explore the amazing opportunities at SharedTalk - Your Language Exchange Network. You and your students might just establish some global connections and learn more about spoken and written languages in an interactive, real-time manner!

Merry Christmas! May God bless you abundantly in the year ahead!

Videos for ELLs with Subtitles

TeacherTube has much to offer. For the ELL (English Language Learner) or ESL student, there's yet another source of online videos worth exploring. Again - use discretion. Preview these videos for appropriateness before using them in a directed manner. Here's the URL:

http://dotsub.com

Click on the "Latest", "Genres", and "Collections" tabs to explore more options. You'll find this to be a valuable resource!

More ESL / Web 2.0 Resources

I receive a newsletter entitled "ASCD SmartBrief". The latest issue includes a link to an article, Web resources can supplement learning for ELL students. It's chock-full of links to resources for students and teachers. There are so many that you'd be remiss not to check them out and bookmark a few for use with your students as bell-ringer/anchoring activities, center-based activities, and /or individualized/prescriptive activities based upon individualized student needs.

Into the Book is but one of the MANY Web 2.0 resources listed. It includes a student and teacher area. It integrates proven ESL strategies such as visualization, prediction, and summarization to assist in student acquisition of English.

Consider signing up to receive the ASCD SmartBrief. Membership in ASCD isn't required. Give the newsletter a try. You won't be sorry! Here's the link: http://www.smartbrief.com/ascd/

Randall`s ESL Cyber Listening Lab Now on Facebook

Randall`s ESL Cyber Listening Lab has established a presence on Facebook! Here's the official "long" link: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Randalls-ESL-Cyber-Listening-Lab/131109425926

Here's the link (above) I've "customized" for you, using the free service at tinyurl: http://tinyurl.com/eslcafe/ Check out Randall's new audio format for vocabulary lessons.

A quote from his newsletter:

"Language students need to learn how to pronounce vocabulary, not just know what the words mean. For this reason, I have created a number of vocabulary listening activities just for this purpose, and each activity has an easy-to-use audio format."

Take a look at these lessons at: http://bit.ly/19xxMp
Additional links from within Randall's newsletter:

Websites for ESL Teachers and Students

NEW: ESL/EFL Culture Videos
http://www.esl-lab.com/videoclips.htm

• http://www.esl-lab.com
• http://esl-lab.blogspot.com
  
• http://www.dailyesl.com
• http://www.ezslang.com
• http://www.trainyouraccent.com
• http://www.tips4students.com

To subscribe to Randall's email listserv, go to http://bit.ly/jpv7S

For the Teacher's Academy (ESL)

ESL WorkshopAugust 10, 201112:00-3:00 - EFHSCharlie PitroloTitle III Director
1.Explore CD of Resources

• Policy 2417 overview
  
• Sheltered instruction, materials, assessments
  
• Student ToolKit
  
• LEP Committee concept
  
• Student Plan
  
• Huntington/Cabell County Survival Guide on CD
  
• Supporting English Language ...(PDF file)
  
• Web resources/shortcuts

2.Print Material

• Book: 50 Strategies...) and CD
  
• Book: Teacher's Guide to Multisensory Learning:Improving Literacy by Engaging the Senses

3.Software

• IM Translator for Internet Explorer and FireFox
  
• Babylon
  
• Demoxi multilingual chat tool
  
• Lingoes and dictionaries
  
• Oxford Picture Dictionary
  
• Pix Writer
  
• Rosetta Stone

4.Hardware

• Digital Voice Recorder
  
• Lingo PacificaTalk Translator/Dictionary/Thesaurus

5.Questions/Answers
This information may also be found online at http://docs.google.com/View?id=dg9tpff7_52d6q8k7gv

Lingoes - Free Portable Translation & More

MyApps and PortableApps have been the topics of previous posts to this blog. To review, "apps" are short for "applications".

In the context of this and the two former blog posts, I'm addressing a suite (collection) of applications residing on and running from within a flash drive. They can be taken from computer to computer and require no installation other than onto the flash drive upon which they are stored.

The latest I've tried and found to be exceptionally powerful and versatile is Lingoes. This portable app features dictionaries, translators, speech, the ability to download and install multitudes of free dictionaries.

One of the most powerful dictionaries with which I've experimented is the bidirectional Chinese>English dictionary. If you interact with ELLs (English Language Learners) in any capacity, check out this free program. Click on the links above or below to learn more. You'll be pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to navigate this program.

Marion County educators: As always - If I can be of service in helping you or your students, please contact me.

Links:

• Download Lingoes: http://tinyurl.com/lbvp3a
  
• Lingoes dictionaries: http://tinyurl.com/l593al
  

Collaboration for ESL Practitioners & With ELLs

If you've read through the posts I've made to date, it should be apparent by now that there are a myriad of tools for online collaborating with practitioners. Some tools offer more features than others. Most all are free.

Below is a link that has a list of URLs to collaborate with those whose audience is a bit more focused: ESL (English as a Second Language). What a great way to get involved in eTeching and eLearning!

http://cli.gs/bXaJEM

ESL Resources

The following are some "tried and true" web resources for supplementing your ESL materials and instruction:

• http://www.literactive.com/Home/index.asp (interactive, downloadables, free!)
• http://www.eslcafe.com (THE ESL Guru!)
• http://www.esl-lab.com (Grab your headphones, kids!)
• http://eflclassroom.ning.com (Network with ESL educators from the world over!)
• http://cuentacuentos.ning.com (Storytelling and Song For English Language Learners)
• http://a4esl.org/q/h/grammar.html (Oh, those parts of speech, contractions, plurals, and more!!!)
• http://www.manythings.org Do NOT pass this one up! You'll regret it!
• http://www.tesol.org/s_tesol/seccss.asp?CID=113&DID=1583
• http://babelfish.yahoo.com Translate between many languages. Great for sending home notes in native languages.
• http://imtranslator.net/plugin-tr.asp(ImTranslator 3.2 for Internet Explorer and Firefox - WAY COOL!)
• http://www.literactive.com/Home/index.asp Great for beginning readers AND for English Language Learners, too! VERY interactive.
• http://www.readwritethink.org/index.asp Set the alarm, or you'll lose track of time at this site!
• http://a4esl.org Powerful! Talk about a site that covers the parts of speech! This is the place!
• http://english-zone.com/index.php (...the BEST English-Learner's site on the 'Net!)
• http://www.mes-english.com Free printables For teachers.
• http://www.readingrockets.org Focuses upon reading for early childhood, but many strategies can be adopted for ESL students, too.
• http://www.theschoolbell.com/Links/read_enviro/read1.html Try the “Word Detective” game, which uses signs found on many school campuses. Students are asked to use what they know about spelling and decoding to answer prompts about the words. Teachers can print pages to send home; encouraging parents to read and decode street signs with their children.
• http://www.quia.com/shared Check out the ESL and ESOL sections for activities that are interactive. Those related to irregular verbs are numerous and engaging!
• http://medtropolis.com/VBody.asp Learn about the human body in a virtual environment. Available in English and Español.
• http://public.research.att.com/~ttsweb/tts/demo.php Type or copy/paste in the text, select a voice (American, of course), and let it speak for the students. Pronounces contractions and suffixes properly.
• http://www.proteacher.net/discussions/forumdisplay.php?f=156 The ProTeacher Community forums cover so many topics, but this link in particular goes directly to the ESL message board and subtopics. To see what all else is available, go back to the main page at http://www.proteacher.net
• http://www.harcourtschool.com/storytown Check out "Grammar Glossary"!
• http://np.harlan.k12.ia.us/reading_center.htm Different facets of reading instruction with a multitude of links to many entertaining activities. From the Harlan Community School District's New Park Elementary School (New Park, IA).

享用 (Enjoy!)