Technology: TechSmith Labs

Here is a cool website I ran into and I think you should check out. "TechSmith Labs is the home for temporary trials, wacky experiments, and maybe TechSmith's next best thing. Check their website for latest experiments. While these experiments may be cool, keep in mind that they're experiments – they may morph into other ideas, turn into products, or discreetly disappear forever."

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Technology: Educreations

Hello all,

I want to share an interesting site I came across today. Educreations is a site where you can create video lessons for free on your iPad or computer. I haven't been able to explore it yet but it will be on the top of my to-do list.
If you have a chance to try it out please let me know how it works out for you!


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News: German Comics poke fun at their homeland

Chris here again. Today I have a link to share with fellow German learners and teachers on German comedy. I came across the link on a Goethe-Institut post on Facebook, and thought I would share it with you. The link is from a recent Wall Street Journal article.

German Comics poke fun at their homeland 

As the Wall Street Journal article reports, there is a growing trend of German comedians who are entertaining abroad by poking fun at their homeland. The article mentions the Lederhosen-wearing Hilby the Skinny German Juggle Boy among this group that mocks Germany. These comedians are mining national stereotypes in their acts and some are even expanding their routines to include once taboo subjects such as Germans dealing with post-war culpability. You can find plenty of links in the article to these various comics' homepages. Enjoy!

Which German comedians do you enjoy? Have you used any German jokes or riddles in your classes?

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News: 14 ways for teachers to collaborate

"There are a variety of ways teachers can collaborate with each others to improve their teaching experience and grow professionally. One of the workable and useful ways to do it is through the power of personal learning networks PLNs. Most of social media platforms now host a plethora of PLNs where educators and teachers get to exchange their expertise and in most cases access to these spaces is open and anybody can join and contribute in the conversation."

Follow this link to view infographic!
http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/07/14-ways-for-teachers-to-collaborate.html

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French Bakery: comment s'y prendre!

Bonjour, Johanne ici. Today I would like to share another fun French video with you. This video covers visiting a French bakery and features quite a bit of useful vocabulary. Enjoy!

 


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News: 14 Maps that Show what Langauges People Speak in the U.S.

Chris here with an interesting page I came across on BuzzFeed that features several maps that show where various languages are spoken within the U.S. Is your language represented?

http://www.buzzfeed.com/hunterschwarz/14-maps-that-show-what-languages-people-speak-in-the-us

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Yves Saint Laurent Documentary - "5 avenue Marceau, 75116 Paris" (Part 1)

Bonjour, Johanne ici. Today I have another French video to share with fellow teachers and learners. This video should excite fashion fans as it is a documentary on Yves Saint Laurent! This could pair well with a unit on clothes or creating your own fashion show activity. Enjoy!




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German: Cro - Einmal um die Welt (song)

Here is Christina with your weekly German song!
This time another catchy German song but Cro, the famous German rapper with the Panda mask: "Einmal um die Welt" ("Once Around the World").

I hope you like this song as much as I do! :)

Einmal um die Welt Baby bitte mach dir nie mehr Sorgen um Geld, gib mir nur deine Hand ich kauf dir Morgen die Welt. Egal wohin du willst, wir fliegen um die Welt, haun' sofort wieder ab,  wenn es dir hier nicht gefällt. Ost, West oder Nord hab den Jackpot an Board will von hier über London direkt nach New York. Denn ab heute leb' ich jeden Tag als ob ich Morgen tot wäre. Laufe durch den Park und werf‘ mit Geld als ob es Brot wäre. Nur noch Kaviar Champagner oder Schampus, Baby ich erfüll' dir wirklich jeden Wunsch mit Handkuss. Frühstück in Paris und danach joggen auf Hawaii und um das Ganze noch zu toppen gehen wir shoppen in LA. Also pack dir deine Zahnbürste ein, denn ab heute bist du mehr als an nur einem  Ort Daheim. Mit meinem Babe in der Hand und 'nem Safe an der Wand. Können wir tun was wir wollen und das Leben ist noch lang, Also komm. Baby bitte mach dir nie mehr Sorgen um Geld, gib mir nur deine Hand ich kauf dir Morgen die Welt. Egal wohin du willst wir fliegen um die Welt, haun' sofort wieder ab, wenn es dir hier nicht gefällt. Sie will Kreditkarten und meine Mietwagen Sie will Designerschuhe und davon ganz schön viel haben Manolo Blahnik, Prada, Gucci und Lacoste Kein Problem dann kauf' ich halt für deine Schuhe gleich  ein ganzes Schloss. Sie will in Geld baden und sie will Pelz tragen. Und sie will schnell fahren, einmal um die Welt fahren. Sie kann sich kaufen was sie wollte doch nie hatte denn ich hab jetzt die American Express und zwar die schwarze, also komm... Baby bitte mach dir nie mehr Sorgen um Geld, gib mir nur deine Hand ich kauf dir Morgen die Welt. Egal wohin du willst wir fliegen um die Welt, haun' sofort wieder ab, wenn es dir hier nicht gefällt.

Once Around the World Baby, please don’t worry ‘bout money ever again just give me your hand tomorrow I’ll buy you the world No matter where you want to go, we’ll fly around the world We’ll take off right now if you don’t like it here East, west, or north I’ve got the jackpot on board via London from here directly to New York ‘cause from now on, I’ll live every day as if it’d be my last Run through the park throwing money around as if it were bread. Just caviar, champagne or bubbly Baby, I’ll really fulfill your every wish with a kiss on the hand, breakfast in Paris; and then go jogging on Hawaii and to still top all that off, we’ll go shopping in L.A. so don’t forget to pack your toothbrush ‘cause from now on you’re at home at more  than just one place With my babe hand in hand and a safe on the wall we can do what we want and our lives are still long so come on Baby, please don’t worry ‘bout money ever again just give me your hand tomorrow I’ll buy you the world No matter where you want to go, we’ll fly around the world We’ll take off right now if you don’t like it here She wants credit cards and my rental car she wants designer shoes and of those a whole lot of them Manolo Blahnik, Prada, Gucci, and Lacoste; no problem, then I’ll just buy a whole castle  for your shoes. She wants to swim in money and she wants to wear fur She wants to drive fast, drive around the world once so she can buy the stuff she wants that she never had since I now have American Express, and the black one at that so come on… Baby, please don’t worry ‘bout money ever again just give me your hand tomorrow I’ll buy you the world No matter where you want to go, we’ll fly around the world We’ll take off right now if you don’t like it here

If you want to find out more about the man behind the mask, check out Cro's website:
http://cromusik.info/



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German: Word of the Week - tiefsinnig

Here is Christina with your German word of the week!

This week:
tiefsinnig /  profound

The adjective tiefsinnig has the words "tief" (deep) and "der Sinn" (the sense, meaning) in it. "Tiefsinnig" means something along the lines of "full of deep meaning," and it can thus be translated into English as "profound."


Here are some examples of how you can use this word:

Deine Gedanken sind sehr tiefsinnig. / Your thoughts are very profound.
Seine Lieder sind leider nicht besonders tiefsinnig. / Unfortunately, is songs are not very profound.
Sie schreibt sehr tiefsinnige Bücher. / She writes very profound books.
Ich liebe tiefsinnige Texte! / I love profound texts.
Alles was du sagst ist so tiefsinnig! / Everything you say is so profound!

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German: Verb of the Week - bitten (09/22/13)

Hallo alle zusammen! Here is Christina with your weekly German verb.
This time: bitten / to ask, to beg


Principal parts: bitten / bat / gebeten
Helping verb: haben
Type: irregular verb


Examples: 
Kann ich dich um einen Gefallen bitten? / I can I ask you for a favor?
Du hast mich gestern schon um Geld gebeten. / You already asked me for money yesterday.

Präsens

ich bitte
du bittest

er/sie/es bittet

wir bitten
ihr bittet

sie/Sie bitten

Perfekt

ich habe gebeten
du hast gebeten

er/sie/es hat gebeten

wir haben gebeten
ihr habt gebeten

sie/Sie haben gebeten

Präteritum

ich bat
du batest

er/sie/es bat

wir baten
ihr batet

sie/Sie baten

Plusquamperfekt

ich hatte gebeten
du hattest gebeten

er/sie/es hatte gebeten

wir hatten gebeten
ihr hattet gebeten

sie/Sie hatten gebeten

Futur I

ich werde bitten
du wirst bitten

er/sie/es wird bitten

wir werden bitten
ihr werdet bitten

sie/Sie werden bitten

Futur II

ich werde gebeten haben
du wirst gebeten haben

er/sie/es wird gebeten haben

wir werden gebeten haben
ihr werdet gebeten haben

sie/Sie werden gebeten haben

Präsens Konditional

ich würde bitten
du würdest bitten

er/sie/es würde bitten

wir würden bitten
ihr würdet bitten

sie/Sie würden bitten

Perfekt Konditional

ich würde gebeten haben
du würdest gebeten haben

er/sie/es würde gebeten haben

wir würden gebeten haben
ihr würdet gebeten haben

sie/Sie würden gebeten haben

Präsens Konjunktiv

ich bitte
du bittest

er/sie/es bitte

wir bitten
ihr bittet

sie/Sie bitten

Perfekt Konjunktiv

ich habe gebeten
du habest gebeten

er/sie/es habe gebeten

wir haben gebeten
ihr habet gebeten

sie/Sie haben gebeten

Präteritum Konjunktiv

ich bäte
du bätest

er/sie/es bäte

wir bäten
ihr bätet

sie/Sie bäten

Plusquamperfekt Konjunktiv

ich hätte gebeten
du hättest gebeten

er/sie/es hätte gebeten

wir hätten gebeten
ihr hättet gebeten

sie/Sie hätten gebeten

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News: Position at Georgetown University

The German Department invites applications for a full-time, tenure-track position in Applied Linguistics/Second Language Studies at the Assistant Professor level to begin in August 2014. We are looking for candidates who provide evidence for: existing research and potential for participating in highly competitive and innovative cross-departmental research initiatives in multilingual studies; active involvement and leadership in planning and delivery of the Department’s undergraduate German studies curriculum and graduate programs; strong commitment to collaborative program administration; outstanding  teaching potential from first year German classes to graduate seminars; and excellent command of German and English. We expect the candidate to have a Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics/SLS with a German focus (or equivalent) in hand by time of appointment. Competitive salary, benefits, incl. research account. Teaching load 2/2. Further information on the Department, its curriculum, and teaching approach at german.georgetown.edu.

 For initial screening, send letter of application, CV, and three recent references to Prof. Peter C. Pfeiffer at pfeiffep@georgetown.edu (preferred) or at Department of German, Box 571048, Washington, DC 20057-1048 by November 15.

 Short-listed candidates will be asked for a writing sample. Interviewing will occur on campus in early 2014.

 Georgetown University is a Jesuit and Catholic University with a proud tradition of encouraging and fostering diversity.

 Georgetown University is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action employer fully dedicated to achieving a diverse faculty and staff.  All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, sex, sexual orientation, age, religion, national origin, marital status, veteran status, disability or other categories protected by law.

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News: Web Project Assistant at Goethe-Institut New York‏

The Goethe-Institut New York is seeking a Web Project Assistant to conceive a website for the nationwide promotional campaign Just Add German 2013/14. This is a temporary, one-year position.

http://www.goethe.de/ins/us/ney/uun/job/en11564091.htm

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News: Ohio district to relax Internet filter for teachers, students

From SmartBrief:

Beginning this month, an Ohio school district will relax its Internet filters to allow teachers and students easier access to educational material. This is a change from the district's past practice, which took a hard line against sites with potentially objectionable content, including YouTube, anatomy diagrams and retail sites. Under the new practice, high-school students also will, for the first time, have access to social media, but their activities will be monitored.

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2013/09/14/online-filters-wont-block-educational-sites.html

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Jobs: Position at Immersion Preschool, San Diego, CA

Lovely German Immersion Preschool in San Diego has an interim position in January for a lead teacher. Interested persons who are native/ fluent speakers and meet the CA licensing requirements for preschool teachers please contact Martina Preczewski.  Only applicants with a license to work in the US can be accepted.

Martina Preczewski

Die Rasselbande Preschool

619-465-4420

Rasselbandecoop@yahoo.com

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Jobs: Part-time German or German/French position, Newton, NJ‏

Kittatinny Regional High School, Newton, New Jersey, is looking ASAP for a part-time teacher of German OR German & French, to teach 2 classes of German II (High School) and 1 class of exploratory French (grade 7). Applicant must have a NJ Certification or a CEAS. More information about the school can be found at www.krhs.net.

Please send letter of application and a copy of certification to:

Christian Angelillo, Principal

Kittatinny Regional High School

77 Halsey Road

Newton, NJ 07860

Fax 973-383-4392

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News: Mapping where English is not the language at home

"More than a quarter of counties in the United States have at least one in 10 households where English is not the language spoken at home. Spanish is, by far, the most common language other than English spoken in the home, especially on the West Coast, in the Southwest, the Eastern urban corridor and other big cities. Native American languages are also common in the West, as is French around New Orleans and in some counties in the Northeast. German is a common language in some Midwestern and Western areas"

Mapping where English is not the language at home

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News: El futuro del aprendizaje Móvil - UNESCO

 

 

El futuro del aprendizaje Móvil.

Implicaciones para la planificación y la formulación de políticas. UNESCO

"El presente estudio forma parte de la Serie de documentos de trabajo de la UNESCO sobre aprendizaje móvil, cuyo propósito es lograr una mayor comprensión de cómo las tecnologíasmóviles pueden ser utilizadas para mejorar el acceso, la equidad y la calidad de la educación en todo el mundo."

El futuro del aprendizaje Móvil by srivero

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News: The Flipped Classroom

Hello everyone,

Here is a very interesting article I found that discusses a model of teaching and learning based on experiential education.
"It is a model in which authentic, often hands-on, experiences and student interests drive the learning process, and the videos, as they are being proposed in the flipped classroom discourse, support the learning rather than being central or at the core of learning."


The Flipped Classroom: The Full Picture for Tinkering and Maker Education


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French: Guédelon (Video)

From My French Neighbor:

In the heart of Puisaye, in Yonne, Burgundy, a team of fifty people have taken on an extraordinary feat: to build a castle using the same techniques and materials used in the Middle Ages.

The wood, stone, earth, sand and clay needed for the castle's construction are all to be found here, in this abandoned quarry. Watched by thousands of visitors, all the trades associated with castle-building - quarrymen, stonemasons, woodcutters, carpenters, blacksmiths, tile makers, basket makers, rope makers, carters and their horses - are all working together to complete the castle.

Work on the site began in 1997 and is scheduled to take 25 years to complete.

Guédelon offers a unique opportunity to witness all the various different phases of a castle's construction.

Let yourself be transported from the present day, back to the sights and sounds of a 13th-century construction site.

Guédelon offers something for everyone: archaeologists, historians, teachers, students and families.



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Old English by British College Students

Chris here with a great link to share for those interested in the history of English. From the Huffington Post (original post):

As English continues to become the global go-to language, it's easy to forget that it was drastically different even just a few hundred years ago. These students from the University of Sheffield in the UK recreated famous movie scenes in Old English, an English precursor from the 12th century.

You can read the full article here:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/09/old-english-demonstrated_n_3894620.html?utm_hp_ref=tw

And here is the video:


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German: Clueso - Chicago (song)

Here is Christina with your weekly German song!
This time a beautiful German song about a beautiful American city:
"Chicago" ("No, Man!") by Clueso.

Clueso, a.k.a. Thomas Hübner, is a German singer, rapper, and songwriter named after Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther. He is known for songs with deep lyrics that go under your skin! Enjoy!

Chicago - Deutsch Sie is immer da,  wo was los is, immer mitten in der Stadt. Dort, wo die kleine Welt  ganz groß is, sieht sie sich an den Lichtern satt. Sie erzählt dann und wann von dem und dem, denn sie hat jeden schon gehabt. Auch wenn sie sich selbst nicht ganz so pflegt, pflegt sie zumindest den Kontakt. Und sie träumt von Chicago, von Chicago, irgendwo, wo sie keiner kennt. Und sie träumt von Chicago, von Chicago, dort wo niemand, niemand ihren Namen nennt. Mit ihrem sonnigen Traum vor Augen läuft sie durch den Regen. Und jedem, den sie auf der Straße trifft, erzählt sie, sie wär da gewesen. Beschreibt, in welcher Ecke sie schon war, denn sie kennt immerhin dies und das. Und wenn du bisschen was dabei hast, nimmt sie dich mit für eine Nacht. Sie nimmt dich mit nach Chicago, nach Chicago, irgendwohin, wo dich keiner kennt. Sie nimmt dich mit nach Chicago, nach Chicago, dort wo niemand, niemand deinen Namen nennt. Doch wenn man ihr erzählt, welchen Traum sie lebt, dann spielt sie gleich verrückt. Denn auch wenn sie kurz schläft, sobald das Licht angeht, dann muss sie schnell zurück. Manchmal trifft sie sich mit ein paar Leuten an einem unbestimmten Platz. Und wenn dort frisches Zeug durch die Adern fließt, Gibt man ‘n Löffel an die Kumpels ab. Und diesmal is sie nicht gekomm‘, vielleicht hat sie’s nicht gepackt. Nur eine kleine Nachricht ist alles, was sie hinterlassen hat: Ich komm nie mehr! Ich bin in Chicago, in Chicago, irgendwo, wo mich keiner kennt. (Oh— oh) Ich komm nie mehr! Ich bin in Chicago, in Chicago, dort wo niemand, niemand meinen Namen nennt. (Oh — o — Oh) In Chicago! Wo mich keiner kennt! Ich komm nie mehr! In Chicago! (Oh — oh) Ich komm nie mehr!

Chicago - English You can always find her  where the action is Always in the middle of the town That’s where her little world  becomes so big ‘Cos she can’t get enough of the lights. Every now and then she talks about some guy or another ‘Cos she’s been with everybody Even if she doesn’t really take care of herself She takes good care of her connections. And she dreams of Chicago, of Chicago, A place where nobody knows her And she dreams of Chicago, of Chicago, A place where nobody, nobody calls her name. With her sunny dream in sight She runs thru the rain. And she tells everyone she meets in the streets That she has been there. Describes what corner she had been to ‘Cos she knows, after all, this and that And if you have a little something on you She takes you along for the night She takes you along to Chicago, to Chicago, A place where nobody knows you She takes you along to Chicago, to Chicago, A place where nobody, nobody calls your name. But when you tell her What kind of dream she’s living She immediately starts acting crazy ‘Cos even if she only sleeps a little, As soon as the light comes on She has to get back quick. Sometimes she meets with a couple of people At an indeterminate place And when fresh stuff flows thru your veins You share a spoonful with your buddies. And this time she hasn’t come Maybe she hasn’t made it A little message is all That she’s left behind: I won’t be back! I’m in Chicago, in Chicago, A place where nobody knows me.  (Oh— oh) I won’t be back! I’m in Chicago, in Chicago, A place where nobody, nobody knows my name. (Oh — o — Oh) In Chicago! Where nobody knows me I won’t be back In Chicago I won’t be back!

If you would like to find out more about Clueso, you should check out his website:
http://www.clueso.de/en/

Let us know what you think! Connect with us @C_LaCross