Week Ten

As the semester starts to wind down, I find myself wondering just how I will best integrate technology into my future classroom. Thinking back on some of the classes I've taught in the past, I'd say self-grading on-line quizzes to prepare for vocabulary tests would probably be well received. As would many of the great and creative tools we've covered so far.

Of course anything that gets the kids listening to English, reading in English, and writing in English would be great for fluency. Perhaps an English TV series with subtitles (like how they showed us "Srugim" with Hebrew subtitles in my Ulpan)... I'm thinking Brady Bunch with follow up questions about the moral dilemmas faced by kids in the 1970s.

Speaking of the previous century...

I searched my name on Google Scholar to make myself feel good - more than 30 citations of some riveting economic research I was privileged to be part of!

Back to the current day and age, inspired by the United Nations lack of understanding about the Middle East, and Israel in particular, I used the "Simple English Wikipedia" tool to see if maybe a search about Israel could help them. In fact, I think it could help them. A lot.

Until next time....

(Go on, click on it)

But wait... there's more. Raised in Israel, on Brady Bunch episodes and lots of Google Searches, my very own English speaking daughter has helped me with one more fun tech tool.... Prezi.

Week 9 - A Top Ten List

Top Ten Things I Love About Learning English In An Israeli Teaching College for Women

10. Is anyone old enough to remember that thing about getting 200 points just for bubbling in your name correctly on the SATs? I am a native speaker of English in a program filled with non-native speakers. 200 feeling smart points every day, baby. Every single day.

9. Lot's of young newly married classmates means sometimes during attendance this happens:
"Yael?"
"Yael's not here - she gave birth over the weekend"

Even better is that during break, in the atrium, in any direction, I get to see babies. Babies! All around me! If you know me, you know that my Achilles Heel is babies.

8. My awesome teachers teach English using Supertramp and Rod Stewart Songs, Land of the Lost Pakuni linguistics, and classic I Love Lucy clips.

7. Being that Israel officially teaches British English, I often feel like I am learning (British) English as a Second Language. I am storing up expressions like "dead lucky" and "I could do for some more tea" alongside my cache of unused present perfect sentences (I've just seen the Queen!) for that inevitable moment when I am tested in "British". Also, I now feel the pain of anyone learning any kind of English as a Second Language. Ouch!

6. I get to send great YouTube clips like this one to my Phonetics teacher. Class participation was never so fun!

5. Special family time (check out my little story builder exercise starring some of my crazy kids)

4. Doing my part for the neglected step-child of Israeli English with my "Make American English Great Again" grammar quiz

3. gurgling baby noises in class. this comforts me when when my classmates make fun of the way I say "IMPORTANT". For the record, I do NOT speak like this!!!

2. fun homework like writing this blog

1.  did i mention babies?