Goin' Upstream

2005-05-24T06:25:00.000-07:00

Hi there:

The weather gives me a good reason to look forward to a very nice and relaxing summer. This morning was gorgeous!

So, classes are finally over and we are heading into exams. Several things have transpired. Last week completed ETTs. It was tough, I know. You are right folks, every instructor believes his/her class is the most important. Hope, you survive.

The other big news this week is that I met my student from last year and he kindly accepted my invitation to join us online next academic year.

Haven't heard from Alexandra and Paul yet . :(

It would be nice to hear from Ivan, Igor, Andrei and Yuri. Just pop in and say"Hi"!

sg

2005-05-19T12:09:00.000-07:00

Alexandra and Paul:

The topic of your essay is : " Habemus Papum! A worthy successor or a new figure on the world stage? "

Hope you enjoy great sunny days in Germany.

See you soon,

sg

Networking

2005-05-11T14:54:00.000-07:00

Networking
Originally uploaded by netopNyrop.

hello Minsk!

I've been to Oslo in Norway for some days, and am now in Trollhattan, 89 km north of Goteborg in Sweden! I hope your exams are succesful and wish you a great summer!

yours,

Sus

2005-05-08T08:35:00.000-07:00

Writing: News Reports

2005-04-27T23:50:00.000-07:00

A news report is a brief piece of writing giving factual information concerning an important current event. It is formal and impersonal in style, presenting facts objectively and unemotionally.

It usually starts with a summary of the event ( who, when, what, where,why ) which is then developed in detail.

A successful report consists of:

a) a heading which is short and eyr-catching, giving the reader an idea of the subject of the report;
b) an intorductory paragraph which summarises the event, including information about the people involved, the place, the time, etc.;
c) a main body in which the relevanmt info is developed in detail, including an explanation of the cause ( s) and /or result(s) of the event;
d) a conclusion which mentions the significance of the event, future actions to be taken, reactions/comments. ( may be given in direct or reported speech)

News reports and narratives differ in a number oif ways. ( SB, Unit 3, pp. 68-69 ).

Exams...What do you think about them?

2005-04-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

"... exams play on a law student’s world like some weirdly orbiting moon. They are always in sight; but while they’re at a distance, they serve merely to create the tension which swell daily like tides – to read, to keep pace, to understand. As exams draw close.... their gravitational force starts to shake the whole place to pieces...

We were all stopping each other now at lunch, in the hallways, to ask questions about cases and concepts we’d covered at the beginning of the term. And the study groups were growing more active. Some people preferred to work alone, either because they did not want to rely on others, or simply because they felt they learned better independently. But by now, most of the members of the section had found their way into groups, almost all of which were meeting a number of times every week to swap information and outlines and to work out past tests.

As we entered the last week of the term... most of the students at the law school seemed to abandon any effort to maintain a brave front in the face of exams. The evidence of great apprehension was wide spread. Whenever I visited the library, there were long lines before each of the Xerox machines, as people waited to copy earlier editions of the red books or Law Review articles which were said to offer particularly trenchant digests of the material in various courses. Everybody around the school seemed to be fretting aloud that they would never catch up in their class work in time to make a thorough review..."

( adapted from Scott Turow. One L. Warner Books, 1988 )

Questions for Discussion:

Exams are a waste of time! All they measure is how good you are at memorizing things.

Exams are important. They test how well you take in information and how you manage to
interpret it and put it to use.

Unit 8. Live and Learn

2005-04-26T07:58:00.000-07:00

Reading

"How I Got My First- Class Degree" - an article by a student who graduated from university with a first-class degree ( SB , pp 166-167 ).

How similar/different is your method of study to that of the writer?

"You can make me do it, but you can't make me like it " - an article written by a mother whose child started reading later than others. ( SB, pp.174-175 )

How important do you think it is for children to start reading early?

2005-04-19T12:41:00.000-07:00

Dear students in Minsk,

It was a great pleasure to join you this morning, I loved to hear your voices and see your posters about food, straw crafts and language. It was so close ot my heart to listen to your song - so do not forget to send me the text please.

I hope to hear from you about this event - everyone should try a virtual potluck!

Yours,

Susanne

Reflections and Feedback

2005-04-19T04:48:00.000-07:00

Thanks everyone for coming! We met in Susanne's Virtual Office in LearningTimes today in the morning and shared local specialities and culture in a Virtual Potluck. I am very happy that you met Susanne. She is great! Susanne is involved in graduate study of education theory at the Danish University of Education in Copenhagen. It's really great that you could tell Susanne a little bit about Minsk, our university and our faculty. I loved the Alphabet Soup! It was delicious, Uladz! You are a great cook! A special thank you to Paul and Helen. Thanks to Inna for bringing potato pancakes! Yummy! Yummy! I've never been to Dudutki. Hope to go there one day! Thanks everyone for bringing something to share! I loved your song! I do hope Susanne enjoyed it.

It would be nice to hear from you! In no more than 20 words share you impressions about your first synch session. Please, use the comment area.

Thanks in advance,

sg

Virtual Potluck

2005-04-19T03:46:00.000-07:00

I think it was a blast...

Thank you Susanne!

You did very well guys! Thanks a lot!

2005-04-12T17:01:00.000-07:00

Please Come to a Virtual Potluck
on
Tuesday, April 19
07:00 GMT( 10:00 am local).
Department of International Relations
Room # 806

Please bring a virtual dish to share.
Drinks and music are provided

Have Fun!

Venue- LearningTimes

Map of old Farum village

2005-04-09T17:05:00.000-07:00

Map of old Farum village
Originally uploaded by netopNyrop.

Our house is in the upper righht quadrant of this map. This map shows a typical road system from the ancient farm community with farm houses placed near the church, and the private owned fields for each farmer streaming up from the center. Today, the fields are fewer, thre are no farms in this location, and the private houses are built on teh grounds where they used to cultivate grain for the animals, or having animals
browsing.

Our house is located in the upper right quadrant of this map. It was built in 1968 from yellow bricks, and it is a very solid and good house, well isolated and with central gas heating. About half of teh Danish population are owning their own house or apartment.

Anolther mug shot

2005-04-08T17:25:00.000-07:00

uffda
Originally uploaded by netopNyrop.

Well, this is not really mine, but I found it when I was researching teh Norwegian term mentioned by one of you Minskies.

Do you also have personal blogs?

Susanne

Happy birthday, dear Sergei!

2005-04-08T16:25:00.000-07:00

A happy birthday to my virtual colleague, your teacher! I wish you all the best, and wish to thank you for letting me into your classroom this way. It is fun and thought provoking for me to get to know your students. As your brithday present, I'm going to reveal some more facts about who I am, and how come that we work together this way without yet meeting face to face.

Both Sergei and I are members of a community of language educators sharing an interest in computer assisted communication. We have frequent online meetings and often visit other classes as guest teachers. We report back to our group and partipate in workshops and conferences where one or often more of us are responsible and like to have others around to help and share. We're, in other terms, learning by doing.

yours, Susanne

Now, have a look at my own blog at
www.xanga.com/susnyrop This is a special blog; if youj wish to add comments you will need to open a free account at Xanga. I still keep this because it was my first and it works well, I've paid a small yearly fee and can host images there, which Blogger does not allow.

2005-04-01T12:47:00.000-08:00

What about going to McDonald' s just to unwind a little bit? I think it might be cool to get together sometime. The best place to go is the restaurant on Skaryny Ave. It'll take you only 10 min to get back. Tue or Thur? End of April? Time? How about 10:00 am ? What do you think?

sg

Traveling and settling down

2005-03-30T12:09:00.000-08:00

It was very interesting for me to learn about your travel destinations. I admit I've never been to any of the East European countries or former USSR states myself. I've been living in Sweden and France for about one year, and traveled to China, Canada and North Africa. For many years I lived on an island south east of Sweden called Bornholm; we lived in the country and raised a few animals, like goats, chicken and pigs. We also worked in a cooperative shop project, selling food, clothes and shoes, and a book café where you could read and buy books. This was back in the "alternative" seventies, when the experimental Free state of Christiania was also developed. My older brother was among those pioneer squatters who invaded the empty military area with lots of barracks, and started to settle down there. Today this is both a live example of a different way of living, and an alternative tourist attraction. But I never lived there myself. Inconesida, where did you learn about Christiania?

Today, I live not far from the capital of Denmark, Copenhagen, 20 km up north in a town called Farum, near lake and forest. And this is not far from where I was born and raised, either. (Am I really that conservative?:-) Oh, and you ask for my occupation? Well, I work as a free agent teacher, helping to develop online learning, mostly with language teachers. I also work as an external examinator for Danish colleges of social education, that is, I read lots and lots of bachelor group projects, and then participate in each individual oral exam. And yes, I'm no teenager. I'm actually a grandmother, with three preschool grandchildren that I enjoy playing with as often as possible! But I'm also a lifelong student of education (with a special interest for online communication and multimedia).

About Denmark - and the world surrounding us

2005-03-30T11:38:00.000-08:00

Hello,

Thank you for all your questions! I've seen so many relevant comments so I think I'll have to answer little by little!

You ask me if Denmark is a conservative country? Ten years ago, I would have said absloutely no. We have been living with a social democrat government for many years, and this is a welfare state with not many really poor people , and not so many very rich ones either. But things have changed to the worse lately, and a so-called liberal government has taken over. You see - Denmark is a small country and we're almost like a tribe. Newcomers are not always treated well. Because of the global wave of migration from bad conditions, political refugees or for economical reasons, Denmark as a state is trying to protect itself from too many foreigners. It is very hard to obtain permission to live and work here, unless you already have a job offer.
Also, we have a welfare system based on a very hing income and consumption tax, and we have an increase of unemployment - so if people do not earn a living and still need to get the welfare goods, there will be less hands to feed the masses.

And, we're now in a situation that more and more hard work is sent out of our country to be executed with low wage workers elsewhere. Fsrmers in Denmark try to employ illegally immigrated workers from Poland or Lithuania under the minimum salary and may get punished by a fine, and the illegal workers expelled from Denmark.

I cannot blame those who think that we need to think of our own people first of all. But this is not how today's world look like. We're all confronted with poverty, diseases, war or disasters affecting people all over the world. and we're carrying a great responsibility to help a more even distribution of fundamental goods, such as food, clean water, health care, safety and schooling for everyone. I think this is a dilemma; how can we care for our own close neighbours, as well as for others who live far away? Is constant growth of consumption recommended? Can our climate, for example, tolerate unlimited pollution from transport and production?

Travelling has opened my eyes to many differences in life conditions and cultures. What do you think?

Some facts about Denmark, our money and our language

2005-03-28T15:59:00.001-08:00

Hello again,

in a comment, 4papasha asks if the 500 kroner banknote is old? Yes, it is. It was still common when I was a child with this look. However, while Denmark is indeed part of the European Union, we are not yet sharing the Euro monetary system, like the U.K. we have preferred to keep our traditional currency (perhaps as sort of a statement of being still a nation).

Denmark has about 5 million inhabitants, the majoriyt were born and raised here, with the Danish language as our mother tongue. But as this is such a "small" language, we need to know other languages as well. English is our first foreign language taught from about age ten, and then later German or perhaps, in some cases, French as a choice. We also encourage that school children listen and read our" neighbour languages", Swedish and Norwegian as they share cultural as well as linguistic roots.

And yes, Papasha, I used to collect old silver coins (not banknotes), but at a time in my life I had to sell the best ones that were from my grandfather. I still regret I had to do this, but not that I was able to travel to France for this sum of money, and find work for the summer period!

Did any of you travel outside of Belarus?

Yours,

Mystery guest

PS I'll tell you some more personal details about my work and hobbbies next time!

A happy easter to you - from Denmark!

2005-03-28T03:09:00.000-08:00

Although I'm no religious person, and was not brought up to believe in any religion, our Western culture has been so full of Christian traditions and holidays that we have adapted many of these, more or less. So, even without celebrating any ceremonial church event, we have some public holidays around easter, and families get together to eat and drink, children get easter eggs of chocolate and other candies, often shaped as chicken or rabbits. I'd say I've been celebrating all the spring flowers in our garden and a very gentle sunshine week.

Do you have any particular traditions around easter?

yours, '
Mystery Guest

PS Yes, right, I'm from Denmark.
Any more questions about my identity that you would like to ask?

Surprise! I'm your Mystery Guest

2005-03-22T13:48:00.000-08:00

Hello students in Minsk!

I'm a friend of your teacher, and I'm going to encourage you to ask me all sorts of questions about my hidden identity! Please use the Comments feature to ask ahead - what would you like to know about me - where I live, how's the climate where I live, what sort of food I prefer, where I've been travelling - anything that could help you figure out how to (make me) reveal who I am!

yours,

Mystery Guest

Essay # 2 Due Next Week...

2005-03-21T12:45:00.000-08:00

Hi Folks,

We'll start with listening. And then, some catch up on
paragraph planning.

Stay tuned in class for details.

Essay # 2 Due next week!

Catch ya,

sg

Just a quote...

2005-03-18T03:55:00.000-08:00

'...we must constantly endeavour to find a new point of view...we must constantly force ourselves to look at things differently. If you are sure about something... force yourself to think about it another way, even of you know it's wrong or silly. When you read, don't consider only what the author thinks, but take time to consider what you think... You must strive to find your own voice...and the longer you wait to begin, the less likely you are to find it at all...'

And one more....

"Medicine, law, banking - these are necessary to sustain life. But poetry, romance, love, beauty? These are what we stay alive for!"

( N.H.Kleinbaum. Dead Poets Society. Bantam Books, 1989, pp60-61)

Any comments,emotional outbursts?

from your scrapbook...

2005-03-17T03:50:00.000-08:00

clouds
white and grey
flying by
like smothing strange
if only it didn't rain.

night
dark and glamorous
comes soon
like everything in our life
if only I could sleep.

spring
marvelous and sweet
comes eventually
if only i could see it.

machine gun
fast and good
works neat
like Robin Hood
if only it had arrow bullets and long green suits.

the weather
wet and dull
always like a barking day
if only it was warmer
i could go to see my lover

2005-03-14T13:09:00.000-08:00

Read the article by Paul Graham " The Age of the Essay " and write a summary ( 250 words ).

Before writing check out Joel Fleming's Blog at:
http://joelafleming.blogspot.com/

2005-03-06T01:32:00.000-08:00

Caught a very good article by Roy Peter Clark " If I Were a Carpenter: The Tools of the Writer" The article has some very good ideas.

Roy Peter Clark writes:

"At times it helps me to think that writing is like carpentry. That way, I can work from a plan and use the tools I've stored on my workbench. You can borrow a writing tool whenever you'd like. And here's a secret: you don't have to return it."

Check out his list of 20 writing tools at: http://poynteronline.org/content/content_view.asp?id=5408

CU Next Week

2005-03-05T00:51:00.000-08:00

2005-03-01T12:41:00.000-08:00

March 8

Spring break-- no class! Enjoy!.....

Unit 6: A Job Well Done

2005-03-01T12:36:00.000-08:00

Make sure you have a copy of Unit 6.

Which of the following statements best applies to you?
1 I have a very clear idea of what I want to do.
2 I haven't decided yet, but I want to find a job that I love.
3 I would like my work to make a difference to the world.

Comment on the following:

" A lawyer may do his job very well, but he does not set the moral agenda. The ends are established by the client, not by the attorney." ( Scott Turow. One L., Warner Books, 1988 )

Hope to hear from you.

Unit 5 ( Answer Key )

2005-02-26T06:14:00.000-08:00

Exercise 10 p.104

break the mould - do something completely new
blind someone with science - confuse someone with technological know-how
move with the times - adopt new fashions and trends
be somebody's guinea pig- allow somebody to experiment on you
once in a blue moon - very rarely
turn the clock back - go back in time
come down to earth - be realistic
reinvent the wheel - rediscover something
it does not take a rocket scientist - it doesn't require a lot of intelligence
stand the test of time- last for a long time

Exercise 12 p.105

took... in
send ...back
took back
took up
send ...on
send for
sent out on
took on

2005-02-18T05:36:00.000-08:00

"A Picture Can tell a Thousand Words"

We started a photoblog at Buzznet.com Buzznet.com is a free website that lets you easily put your digital photos on the web. Users can post up to ten images per day and up to 200 images per month. The best format to submit is ' .jpg ' Buzznet resizes your large image to 400 pixels maximum and creates thumbnails.

What's the difference between Blogs or Weblogs and Photoblogs? The guys who started Fotolog.net write : " Blogs are generally a lot of words with a few images. Photologs tend to be a lot of images with a few words. After all, for most people, it's easier to see something interesting than to say something interesting...."

The name of our photoblog is MugShots. Check out http://mugshots.buzznet.com

Take a picture of your favourite coffee mug and post it to buzznet.com To post a photo, email attached images to: mugshots.mugshots@buzznet.com or login and hit POST. ( Contact me to get a password ).

Just a reminder...

2005-02-17T11:41:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone:

I thought I should remind everyone that your first essay is due by the end of February.
To complete your task in writing, please read the Writing Chapter in your SBs (SB, pp114-118 ).

Before writing, read the models , ex 2. p. 116 and ex 7. p. 116

Take care,

sg

what makes up the voices of london?

2005-01-19T08:11:00.000-08:00

Check out a very interesting essay by linguist Laura Wright. Laura Wright is a senior lecturer in English Language at the University of Cambridge.

Hi again

2005-01-12T07:30:00.000-08:00

Please feel free to post whatever comes to mind.

As you can see, there are some useful links on the left side of the screen. You may also include some interesting links and pictures. Yes.., I'm serious! If you find any websites you think will be of benefit to our English class, please post the URL.

You are welcome to offer comments and some new ideas whenever you like. Check weekly to find out what's the news...

So, see you in class in February.

sg

Dude, you've got to read this....

2005-01-11T13:01:00.000-08:00

CNN article on dude. Extract below:

http://www.cnn.com/2004/EDUCATION/12/08/dude.study.ap/index.html

"A linguist from the University of Pittsburgh has published a scholarly paper deconstructing and deciphering the word "dude," contending it is much more than a catchall for lazy, inarticulate surfers, skaters, slackers and teenagers.

An admitted dude-user during his college years, Scott Kiesling said the four-letter word has many uses: in greetings ("What's up, dude?"); as an exclamation ("Whoa, Dude!"); commiseration ("Dude, I'm so sorry."); to one-up someone ("That's so lame, dude."); as well as agreement, surprise and disgust ("Dude.").
Kiesling says... that the word derives its power from something he calls cool solidarity -- an effortless kinship that's not too intimate. Cool solidarity is especially important to young men who are under social pressure to be close with other young men.....In other words: Close, dude, but not that close. "It's like man or buddy, there is often this male-male addressed term that says, 'I'm your friend but not much more than your friend,"' said Kiesling, whose research focuses on language and masculinity...

Historically, dude originally meant "old rags" -- a "dudesman" was a scarecrow. In the late 1800s, a "dude" was akin to a "dandy," a meticulously dressed man, especially out West. It became "cool" in the 1930s and 1940s, according to Kiesling. Dude began its rise in the teenage lexicon with the 1981 movie "Fast Times at Ridgemont High."

Hi there:

2005-01-11T11:52:00.000-08:00

Welcome everyone! Hope you enjoyed your winter break. Let's get the ball rolling...:-)