Instructions vs. the Online Course

Please answer the question at the bottom of this post.

Photo by Omri Epstein

“If all else fails, read the instructions.”

Everyone knows that one, right? People in general, not to mention teenagers, don’t read instructions unless they have to.

I took particular note of that when working on my online course for deaf and hard of hearing teens that opened yesterday.

I made short (average of 1 minute!) simple  screencasts to explain such things as:

* how do I log in? * how do I find the assignments? * how do I use the flashcards?

Nothing beats visuals, right?

Except for the fact that the students (and the guest teachers) still have to read the instructions that say there are visual screencasts available…

Sigh.

 

*** Now admit it: Are you reading this part because you just noticed it or are you following  the instructions written under the picture?

And the question is:

Can you guess what this is a picture of? I wish I could send the winner some sunny local weather but you’ll have to settle for a big “shout out”!

 

 

Saturday’s Book: “Murder Over the Border” By Richard Steinitz

Not only am I reading this fast paced murder-mystery novel set in Israel in the early 1990’s,  the author has kindly agreed to be my first guest on my Saturday’s Book Posts! So, without further ado, please welcome Richard Steinitz!

Richard, in the almost 30 years I’ve known you, you have always been surrounded by books. What made you, a “book exhibitionist” (your term, not mine!) of ELT materials, decide to take the plunge and write a novel?

I never even thought seriously about writing a book, until the Army stepped in!

I had the good fortune to do Reserve service one summer at a small outpost near the triangle border – the junction of Israel, Jordan and Syria, at the meeting of the Jordan and the Yarmukh rivers.

The physical location was beautiful, and nature stepped in with a band of gazelles that wandered around the base. They were small enough and light enough so that they didn’t set off the mines that were scattered outside the barbed-wire fencing, and so they could come very close to where we were. One of our jobs was to sit in a little bunker on the side of the hill, with a tin roof over our heads to keep the sun off, and a huge telescope inside it. The job was to watch the movement of Jordanian Army vehicles, going up and down the road that parallels the border on the Jordanian side, and write down in a notebook every one that drove past. The job was boring, to say the least, since only half a dozen or so army vehicles drove down that road in a given day (and not many more civilian ones). The telescope was for us to be able to see whether they were military or civilian vehicles, and if possible, to identify the units they belonged to, by the flashes painted on them.

So I spent a bit more time watching the gazelles than I probably should have, and really regretted not having a camera with me to photograph them.

This combination of gazelles, telescope and boredom rattled around in my mind for a long, long time. It seemed to me to be a great idea for a story of some kind, even though I had no experience in story-writing and no intentions of doing any writing.

One day, and I cannot even remember when, the seed germinated and I started to write – without any real plan or outline. I had no idea what the final story would look like, or what would happen in it. It took me seven years to write what became “Murder Over the Border”, though I did do a few other things too.

You chose to write a murder-mystery novel. Who are your favorite murder-mystery writers?

That’s easy – Robert Parker is definitely Number One. He wrote quite a long series of books about a private detective called Spencer – with no first name. I love these books, because they are very sparsely written, with very neat text and no superfluous words at all. The stories are really gripping, and you have a great feeling of identification with the main character.

I really like Dorothy Sayers, the English author of the Peter Whimsy series. She is out of favor these days, due to some anti-semitic remarks in some of her books, but that does not detract from their quality – or so I think. And lastly, John Sandford, the author of the “Prey” series, which take place in Minnesota and feature Lucas Davenport as an on-again, off-again police detective. These are quite violent in part, but the violence is always a legitimate part of the story – it is not there just to titillate the reader. His Minnesota settings make me want to visit there as soon as I can.

 You write in English and have lived in the USA , England and in Israel. What made you decide to place the setting in Israel?

Well, Israel is the place I know best, having spent over two-thirds of my life here. And the events that inspired the book took place here. I think writing about my life in the USA, or about the UK, would be much more difficult, but that is not to say it could not be done – it just would require a lot more research.

 Are you working on another book already?

Yes, I am. It is quite different in many ways – I’m writing it in the first-person rather than in the third person narrative, and it is only partially concerned with Israel. It does have a Jewish theme to it though and it takes place is several locations – so what I said in the previous question really is true. I’ve had to do a lot of research on locations and events, and to tell the truth, I really like that.

 Thank you, Richard, for being such a pleasure to interview. And a big:”thank you” for lending me a hard copy of the book– I don’t own an e-reader! Off to continue reading – have read more than half and am in suspense!

Building an Online Course – Setting the Limits

For starters, I’m not sure if I’m using the term “Online Course” correctly.

The course I’m building (opens this SUNDAY!!!) is certainly online. I’m not meeting the students face-to-face at all.

Photo by Gil Epshtein

On the other hand,  I WILL be actively interacting with the students – checking their tasks, commenting and assisting during the three week course. Its not a self- study course. While quiz -like tasks on the Edmodo platform, whichI’m using, give immediate feedback, all other tasks require interacting with me.

In addition, it is an enrichment course, for 11th and 12th grade high-school students with a hearing loss, preparing for their national finals. It’s goal is to highlight, review or emphasize, not cover a topic from “A to Z”.

I don’t know what exactly to call this course but setting the limits of how much material to put up for each of three groups (the exams are taken at three levels; 3 , 4 and 5 point level, a group for each one) is not a clear cut manner. I don’t know the students. I’ve taught Face-2-Face enrichment days for many years and I know the strongest students, the high achievers, are the ones who tend to show up (or in this case, sign up) for such things. So I want there to be enough material for them to find it challenging but not overwhelm them.

Then there’s the question of setting limits on how far to go to make the material special and attractive. I adore activities using photos and short films. I just saw the latest gem “Paperman” on Film English          (6 min., no dialogue – perfect!) and my head is already buzzing, looking for a way to incorporate it into the course.

Yes, I haven’t finished preparing all three weeks for all three groups. Yes, I have spent HOURS on it. So who had the bright idea of having an enrichment course that spans three weeks?

Oh right. That was me!

 

It’s Saturday! Powerful Article & Powerful Movie

Every year, from the second week of the month of December until mid January,  delivery service of my beloved New-Yorker magazine goes berzerk. I usually get two to three magazines around January first and  then another two or three (depending on the previous delivery) around Jan 15th.

Which is why you shouldn’t be surprised that I’m still thinking about the very powerful article in the December 24 & 31 combined issue (which, by the way, was a particularly awesome issue, one of the absolute best!) called : “Stage Mothers: A women’s theatre in rural Turkey” by Elif Batuman. The article ties in so well with the excellent Moroccan film “La source des femmes (called “The Source” in the US and “Water/Love” in Israel).

Both the article and the book talk about women in poor rural areas where traditions restricting women are strong. The litercay level is low. While the film relates to women’s battle to improve their lives in general, beautifully and movingly told, the article gives it a surprising twist. Not only is the article a true story (can’t write the names for you, I don’t know how to write the Turkish Symbols! See the link) but it is amazing that women with such dismal literacy rates turned to theatre as their medium of expression. The driving force behind the theatre is a woman who saw her first play when she was in her forties and is the only one of her female siblings that got to go school. The women rehearse after working 10-12 hour days on farms! But it turns out that theatre is the perfect media for making these rural women aware that life doesn’t have to be this way and the theatre is having a big impact.

The movie is set in rural Morocco, not rural Turkey, but there are enough similarities to have the movie help one imagine how one woman can set a chain reaction into motion. I hope you can get a hold of it where you are!

Saturday’s Book: “Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World” by Murakami

I am having such a good time with this book!  It’s one wild ride and I don’t want to get off! Can I have a note to stay home from school tomorrow and keep reading, please?

Tyson Seburnt recommended this book to me on March 12, 2011 (the kind of info you have when you are a blogger!) but the library didn’t have it. They do now!

This book is an early Murakami book, from 1985. I find that info significant on two counts. One is the attitude towards computers.  It’s a fascinating  futuristic vision from the point of view of people just beginning to enter the age of computers. B.t.w,  I didn’t own a computer till about five years later! The book reminds me at times of “The Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”, “The Big Lebowski”, and quite a few others. I didn’t read the blurb till today (as I’ve written many a times, I am wary of blurbs) and there it says the book reminds one of Kafka. Which would make sense for the author who later chose to write “Kafka on the Shore” ( which I enjoyed) but somehow, for me, Douglas Adams comes to mind first.

The other reason I find the year of publication significant is that the book IS different from his later books. I’m not sure I can define it, but there are repeated themes in his later books that I haven’t yet found here. And I like that. I read in the New Yorker a story taken from his last book (by the author!) 1Q84 and it felt awfully familiar. I don’t feel particularly interested in reading it. But this one? I have no idea what wil happen next!

Thanks for the recommendation, Tyson!

 

IATEFL Dreams Fading Fast

Photo by Omri Epstein

It’s been six weeks since I first requested to attend the IATEFL conference during the school year, following the acceptance of my speaker proposal. The speaker acceptance document  has the name of the school on it and I included it in my request.

I was told that the proposal must go through 3 stages in the hierarchy of my superiors. The final green light must come from the head district’s office. Nobody told me that getting the document through those stages would be like taking on a fourth job – a job that I am obviously not qualified enough for.

The general attitude seemed till now to be “the right way to apply is for us to know and you to guess”. FOUR times my application was returned from second base to first base because something was incorrectly presented. Not only was I not told (till the fourth time) what the problem was, I was also not informed that it had been returned. Endless phone calls led me each time to the discovery of my application’s status.

Still I persevered. After the fourth time I was told, by phone, that all was in order and that as we speak my application was being delivered by hand to the head office.

When I called that office a week later to try and find out how long it would take to receive an answer (and who would inform me that there even was an answer) I was told that no such application had reached the head office.

That’s it. I can’t continue calling people every two days. I don’t even know how to continue after being told that it was being delivered when it wasn’t. I have no flights and no accommodations. I’m trying to have a life here and a fourth job wasn’t in the bargain.  I plan to continue working at this school, and in the national school system, for at least another 10 years. I can’t make a “big stink” over it.

Other interesting things are happening in my life. Building my first online course with Edmodo. Have left my Pilates class in favor of a larger gym which will enable me have both yoga classes and aerobic activity – I spend a lot of time working but not nearly enough being physically active… I feel relief since deciding not to run after these “bases” anymore.

I haven’t cancelled the session at IATEFL yet. I DID set something in motion. It would be awful if I got a letter of approval right after I cancelled. Still, I can’t delay much longer. I think I will wait two weeks.

Perhaps it is for the best. I’m so exhausted (and somewhat hurt) that perhaps I wouldn’t be putting my best foot forward at the conference. More importantly, I need to decrease stress. No wonder I’m so excited about my new Yoga class. I’ve only had two lessons so far but there is something very relaxing about it!

Complimentary Activities to “Design Your Own Soap Opera”

Sandy Millin’s post describing how much her students enjoyed a “Design Your Own Soap Opera” lesson reminded me that I hadn’t shared any of my activities related to Soap Operas.

I really dislike Soap Operas. But, perhaps because I was determined not to let this show, I ended up creating a whole unit on the topic for my weak learners, high school students. A huge percentage of them adore the genre. In Israel the influence of Spanish speaking soaps has been very strong, so the programs are known as “Tele-Novelas”.

Here are trivia questions that serve as the lead-in activity. Students first guess the answers and then learn the correct answers by matching the questions to the answers on the next page.  Most teens are shocked to learn that some “soaps” have been on air for years and years! It seems to me that every year fewer boys are embarassed to say that they watch these programs too (the material was written 10 years ago).

In the first attached document you will find the trivia questions. The questions are in English but the multiple choice options are in Hebrew. For the students for whom this was written, it worked  as a better lead in activity this way. I could use ridiculous answers to interest them (such as ” these shows teach you how to sing with soap in your mouth”). The questions can  be used without multpile choice options or you can make your own options, suitable for your group.

In the second attached document you will find the matching answers. All in English!

(A click on the images will enlarge them)

Enjoy!

Trivia Questions
Trivia Matching Answers

Saturday’s Movie/Book: “Cloud Atlas”

Last night we had a “family movie night”. It gets so much harder to do things together when sons are so big (over 18) and busy. So when both sons were available and interested in seeing the movie “Cloud Atlas” we ate supper and trouped off to Cinema City Multiplex.

The movie is an adaption of a book by David Mitchell. I read about the movie when it was being made, sounds like one of the toughest books to adapt – 6 different stories that take place in different periods of time. Different but connected.  When you watch it at first it is difficult to understand the connection (I understand that in the book the stories are presented in a linear fashion but in the movie you get bits from each), but the fact that the actors are the same helps emphasize the repeated themes.  And the themes are important here – freedom and human rights.  This puzzle-like characteristic of the film actually made it an excellent choice for a “family film”. On the ride home we had lots to discuss, pointing out how cleverly details and hints apeared in the different segments.

I was really concerned about the length of the film – 3 hours!! But it is visually AWESOME and is very well paced so it wasn’t as problematic as I feared. Though, as much as I enjoyed the film I think it would have worked just as well a half an hour shorter.

Did I say I’m a big fan of Tom Hanks?

Saturday’s Book: ” Home” By Julie Andrews

I like reading autobiographies better than biographies. I’m not so interested in an objective discussion of someone or an analysis of a person. If I find a person interesting I’m interested in her (or his) personal point of view.

Somehow, all the memoirs that have left their mark in my memory, except for one, were writtten by women. (Prof. David Crystal’s “Just a Phrase I’m going through” is the exception. I read it after I had heard him speak in Jerusalem over two years ago and enjoyed it very much). Two examples that come to my mind first are Katherine Graham’s riveting “Personal History” and Madeleine Albright’s “Prague Winter: A Personal Story of Remembrance and War” .

Julie Andrew’s childhood is also one intertwined with war. She was actually sent to live in London (from the countryside) in 1939. When she was finally evacuated it was to the countryside directly in the path of the bombing… She tells of a childhood in which she had to grow up quickly – appearing on stage at an early age and having to be the responsible adult when her mother (and step father) were certainly not keeping up with their responsibilities. Always amazing how someone can appear on stage fearlessly yet have so many fears in “real life”.

I grew up with the soundtrack of “Mary Poppins”. In those days there was no VCR or DVD so I hadn’t seent the movie often but I had the record! I loved Dick Van Dyke too, by the way. And then of course came “Sound of Music”.

She writes without self pity and without being “shmaltzy” of her memories. The book has a subtitle “A memoir of my early years ” so I don’t know if she gets to the part describing what must have been a traumatic experience for her – not being able to sing anymore. Haven’t finished the book yet so don’t know where exactly she leaves off.

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