Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Statues

A statue is a sculpture in the round representing a person or persons, an animal, or an event, normally full-length, as opposed to a bust, and at least close to life-size, or larger. Its primary concern is representational.
The definition of a statue is not always clear-cut; sculptures of a person on a horse, called Equestrian statues, are certainly included, and in many cases, such as a Madonna and Child or a Pieta, a sculpture of two people will also be. A small statue, usually small enough to be picked up, is called a statuette or Figurine.
Many statues are built on commission to commemorate a historical event, or the life of an influential person. Many statues are intended as public art, exhibited outdoors or in public buildings for the edification of passers-by, with a larger magnitude than normal words could ever have for the common man.
On rare occasions, statues themselves become historic and inspire their own historic events. In 1986, when the Statue of Liberty marked her one-hundredth anniversary, a three-day centennial celebration in her honor attracted 12 million. The guest list was unique. "We invited all the great statues of the world to her birthday party and created giant puppets to represent them," said Jeanne Fleming, director of the event. "Each one arrived accompanied by native music."
There is an urban legend concerning a code for mounted statues, whereby the horse's hooves are supposed to indicate how the rider met his end. One hoof off the floor would indicate the rider died of wounds received in battle, or perhaps was just wounded in battle; two hooves off the floor would indicate the rider was killed in battle. An examination of the equestrian statues in most major European cities shows this is not true. If it ever was true, the practice appears to have died out in the 19th century.
Statues are amongst the wonders of the world, with the Colossus of Rhodes and the Statue of Zeus at Olympia among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World and the Moai of Easter Island among the wonders of the modern world.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Authentic material vr Non authentic material

Authentic MaterialsAuthentic Materials are language materials that were originally intended for native speakers, not second-language learners.We offer an Authentic Materials Guide that provides in-depth information about the nature of Authentic Materials and resources for their use. On this site we also offer Authentic Materials.For example: Menus, Letters, some publication and many others.
Using authentic materials
Using authentic materials is one of the mainstays of an imaginative and motivating higher level course, but rarely features at levels lower than intermediate. There are several reasons for this, primarily a kind of fear that students will panic when faced with language that is largely unfamiliar, and a feeling that to prevent this the language should be edited to the students' level.In teaching language for learning purposes, the educators’ main goal is to provide learners with the linguistic knowledge about the language. This knowledge includes grammatical rules, vocabulary lists and other linguistic codes. The underlying premise of this approach is that by informing learners about the language, it will help them decode a text in the target language. order to decode the text. Under these circumstances, the language educators tend to create teaching materials that are specifically designed to teach the linguistic concepts of the language.
Non-Authentic Material
Usually the non-authentic material does not have the characteristics of real-life language. It typically consists of the linguistic items that aim to teach or advance learners’ knowledge about the language. An example of a non-authentic text is passages from textbooks that were created by the authors to illustrate or practice new linguistic items. The semi-authentic material tries to include the characteristics of real-life language, but at the same time still focus mainly on teaching and reinforcing the language goals. The latter includes newspapers in easy Hebrew or edited stories.

Teaching methods

Each pedagogic approach is described succinctly so you can quickly understand how the technique might be relevant to your teaching. Written by fellow educators, these descriptions include tips for effectively using each technique, related research on their impacts on learning, as well as a set of example activities.
This list is by no means comprehensive. It reflects the interests and priorities of the partners and projects that have contributed to the library so far. If you'd like to contribute to the library and help this list grow we'd love to hear from you.
· Assessment provides educators with a better understanding of what students are learning and engages students more deeply in the process of learning content. Compiled by: William Slattery at Departments of Geological Sciences and Teacher Education, Wright State University, Dayton, Ohio.
· Calibrated Peer Review™ (CPR) is a web-based management tool that enables discipline-based writing with peer review in classes of any size.
· Campus-Based Learning uses the campus environment itself as a teaching tool. Compiled by: Suzanne Savanick at SERC, Carleton College.
· Concepts are conceptual multiple-choice questions that focus on one key concept of an instructor's learning goals for a lesson. When coupled with student interaction through peer instruction, ConcepTests represent a rapid method of formative assessment of student understanding. Compiled by: David McConnell, North Carolina State University.
· Cooperative Learning involves students working in groups to accomplish learning goals. Compiled by: Rebecca Teed (SERC), John McDaris (SERC), and Cary Roseth (UMN).
· Experience-Based Environmental Projects get students involved in their own learning. Compiled by: Karin Kirk at Montana State University.
· The First Day of Class is your opportunity to stimulate excitement about the course, establish a positive classroom climate, and engage students with course content - right from the start.
· Gallery Walk activities get students out of their chairs to actively work together. Compiled by: Mark Francek at Central Michigan University.
· Game-Based Learning was written to assist geoscience faculty who want to start using games to help them teach. Compiled by: Rebecca Teed at SERC, Carleton College.
· Interactive Lectures provide short activities that can break up a lecture. Compiled by: Heather Macdonald (College of William and Mary) and Rebecca Teed (SERC).
· Investigative Case-Based Learning involves students in addressing real world problems. Compiled by: Ethel Stanley (BioQUEST, Beloit College) and Margaret Waterman (Southeast Missouri State University).
· Jigsaws: When you have several related data sets you would like students to explore, a jigsaw may be an option. In a jigsaw, each student develops some expertise with one data set, then teaches a few classmates about it (and learns about related data sets from those classmates). Barbara Tewksbury, Hamilton College.
· Just-in-Time Teaching gets students to read assigned material outside of class, respond to short questions online, and then participate in discussion and collaborative exercises in the following class period. Compiled by: Laura Guertin at Pennsylvania State University Delaware County.
· Lecture Tutorials are short worksheets that students complete in class to make lecture more interactive. They are designed specifically to address misconceptions and other topics with which students have difficulties. Compiled by Karen Kortz, Community College of Rhode Island, and Jessica Smay, San Jose City College.
· Making and Testing Conjectures is an effective way of engaging students in learning and helping them to develop their reasoning abilities. Compiled by: Shirley J. Alt at The University of Minnesota - Twin Citie
· Peer-Led Team Learning engages teams of six to eight students in learning sciences, mathematics and other undergraduate disciplines guided by a peer leader. Peer leaders are drawn from the pool of students who have done well in the course previously.
· Peer Review uses interaction around writing to refine students understanding. Compiled by: Laura Guertin at Pennsylvania State University Delaware County.
· Process-Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) is a research based learning environment where students are actively engaged in mastering course content and in developing essential skills by working in self-managed teams on guided inquiry activities.
· Quantitative Writing engages students with numbers by asking them to analyze and use quantitative data in written reports and arguments. Compiled by: John C. Bean at Seattle University.
· Role-Playing immerses students in debate around Earth science issues. Compiled by: Rebecca Teed at SERC, Carleton College.
· SCALE-UP is a Student-Centered Active Learning Environment for Undergraduate Programs. Carefully designed studio classrooms facilitate student teamwork and instructor movement between groups.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Costa Rican typical food


Typical food in Costa Rica is not only delicious but easy to make. the main ingredients are usually grains such as rice, beans and chickpeas and some vegetables that are tradiotionally from the area such as camote, yuca and guineo.

As in every country worldwide...Costa Rica has it is traditional foods, the ones that form the Tico diet. The products purchased monthly that make up this diet is known as the "canasta basica".

Five O'clock in the morning and the aroma of breakfast cooking permenates the air in the barrio (neighborhood). One does not need to ask what is cooking...cause it is most certainly the official Tico breakfast "Gallo Pinto" (literally translated as Painted Rooster) which is made by frying a mixture of day old rice & spiced beans. It is interpreted differently by each person who makes it but will most likely have some onions, green peppers, garlic and fresh culantro.

Then for lunch the most famous lunch plate in the Tico diet is the "CASADO" (literally translated as "marriage") and is the "plato del dia" (plate of the day) everywhere. It is contents can vary quite a bit from house to house or region to region...but it will always contain RICE (arroz) and BEANS (frijoles), and will normally contains some sort of MEAT (carne) and COOKED VEGETABLES (picadillo). Frequently it will have some FRIED PLANTAIN (platano) too.Lets not forget the CORN TORTILLAS, as they are the perfect "go-withs" for Latin meals.

Wherever you travel, cultural and socio-economic factors influence the foods people consume. Same goes for Costa Rica...but less so I believe. No matter the social status or banking statement, Tico's love the same foods. In fact, Tico's living abroad often comment on the lack of "familiar" food or the ingredients to make it !Here are a few of the most common Costa Rican plates. You won't travel far in Costa Rica without having the opportunity to try these.

Here are a few of the ones you will want to try while touring around the country:

· EMPANADAS...this little half round fried pies have a corn shell and their filling can be most anything, but some common types are, FRIJOLES (beans) -VEGETALES (vegetables) - QUESO (cheese) - CARNE (meat) - PAPAS (potatoes) etc.
· TACOS...the traditional Tico Taco is quite different than it is Mexican counterpart. It's tubular shape and roast beef-like filling is unique to Costa Rica. Topped with shredded cabbage and a mix of catsup and mayonnaise.
· GALLOS...simply put, a gallo is a corn tortilla with something on it! It could be Picadillo or a prepared meat (beef-pork-chicken). Gallos are very popular and accompany beer in taverns as well as a quick snack in a road side SODA (a cafe of sorts)
· Frescos —natural fruit drinks made from fruit, water or milk, and sugar. In water, try tamarindo (tamarind), maracuya (passion fruit), carambola (star fruit), or cas (sour guava). In milk, papaya, mora (blackberry) and guanabana (sour sop) are delicious.
· Tamales—traditional Christmas food but also available year round. Costa Rican tamales are made from ground corn, seasoned with small pieces of pork, olive, cooked rice and other stuffings. They are cooked and often served wrapped in banana leaves.
· Homemade tortillas accompany every traditional Costa Rican meal, and if you’re lucky enough to be offered thick, warm corn tortillas made by hand, don’t pass them up.
· Picadillos—A uniquely Costa Rican way to prepare vegetables. Water squash, potatoes, carrots or other veggies are chopped into small cubes and combined with onions, garlic and a small bit of ground beef for seasoning.
· Casado-a typical, inexpensive lunch or dinner plate (“casado” means married). Rice, beans, picadillo, salad and your choice of chicken, beef or fish are served with tortillas and a fresco. A casado will fill you up.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Esperanto

The Esperanto is a neutral language, is not from country or ethnic group.
Within a few years, people started learning it and formed a worldwide community. Since then, Esperanto has been in use just like any other language.

It was created by L. L. Zamenhof at the end of the 19th century; he was convinced that a common language would be necessary to resolve many problems. The word Esperanto means "a person who is hoping", was adopted by Zamenhof as a pseudonym for his first book. It was gradually adopted in popular parlance as the name of the language itself.

Characteristics

Esperanto has a very regular structure.
The language is phonetic, and the rules of pronunciation are very simple, so that everyone knows how to pronounce a written word and vice-versa. All this make the learning of the language relatively easy. Most Esperanto roots are similar to words from Romance, Germanic or Slavic languages.


Linguistically speaking, Esperanto is neither superior nor inferior to any unplanned language; you can do the same things with it that speakers of English, Chinese, Russian or Quechua can do with their languages. Whether it is superior or inferior to other planned languages is an open question, since none of the others have gathered a great enough number of speakers for a long enough period of time to provide evidence one way or the other.

Advantages


1. It is a neutral language, being the property of no particular group of people and therefore the equal property of everybody

2. It is relatively easy to learn. It would appear from personal experience and anecdotal evidence that, for an English speaker, Esperanto is perhaps five times as easy to learn as Spanish, ten times as easy as Russian, and "considerably" easier than Chinese, Japanese or Arabic.

The Esperanto is most commonly speak in countries like In Central and Eastern Europe, particularly the former satellite nations of the old Soviet Union (including its Baltic republics), and in East Asia, particularly mainland China. It is also fairly well known in certain areas of South America, notably Brazil, and Southwest Asia. It is less well known in English-speaking North America, Africa.

Here are some words in Esperanto maybe in the future it going to be useful for you!

Hello : Saluton /sa.lu.ton/
What is your name? : Kiel vi nomiĝas ? /ki.el vi no.mi.as/
My name is...: Mi nomiĝas... /mi no.mi.as/
¿how much? : Kiom? /ki.om/
Can you talk Esperanto? : Ĉu vi parolas Esperanton ? /u vi pa.o.las es.pe.an.ton/
I do not understand: Mi ne komprenas vin /mi ne kom.pe.nas vin/ (entre otras posibilidades)
Thanks: Dankon /dan.kon/
Please: Bonvolu /bon.vo.lu/

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

MY CONTACTS

Carlos Mayorga: http://www.universidadlatina.blogspot.com/
Rodolfo Guevara: http://www.rguevara-rodolfo.blogspot.com/
Maricruz Molina: http://www.maricruzmolinatrejos.blogspot.com/
Alex Guevara: http://www.aguevara02.blogspot.com/
Jennifer Molina: http://www.jennypaola-jenny.blogspot.com/
Jessica Barquero: http://www.jbarquero.blogspot.com/
Pituca: http://www.p2k34.blogspot.com/
Braulio Araya: http://www.braulioarayacarrillo.blogspot.com/
Yerling Caseres: http://www.garbage-yerling.blogspot.com/
Maringen Gonzales: http://www.recursos-maringen.blogspot.com/
Haylen Cubillo: http://www.dixicubillo.blogspot.com/
Jonathan Gutierrez: http://www.john2269.blogspot.com/
Dana Arias: http://www.nana03-animegirl.blogspot.com/
Greivin Araya: http://www.greivinaraya.blogspot.com/
Nidia Gayle: http://www.nidiagayle.blogspot.com/
Magaly Rojas: http://www.magaly-mrojas.blogspot.com/
Sirley Sandi: http://www.tilism.blogspot.com/
Marisol Arce: http://www.marysolarce.blogspot.com/
Meydellyn Vargas: http://www.meypinkypunky.blogspot.com/
Maribel leon: http://www.marileon21.blogspot.com/
Jorge Paniagua www.jpaniagua.blogspot.com
Karen rojas www.milena29.blogspot.com
Henry trejos www.henrymetal87.blogspot.com

Multiples intelligences

Is an educational theory, that describes different kinds os intelligences and this can be divided in:

1.Bodily-kinesthetic: The poeple that have this intelligence are good at phisical activities like sports and dance they prefer activities which use movemnt.

2.Interpersonal: People in this category are extroverty and are characterized by their sensitivity to others mood, fellings, tempetaments amd motivation, and their ability to cooperate in order to work as part of a group.

3.Verbal-linguistic: Intelligence has to do with words, spoken or written. People with verbal-linguistic intelligence display a facility with words and languages.

4.Logical-Mathematical:This area has to do with logic, abstractions, inductive and deductive reasoning, and numbers.

5.Naturalistic:This area has to do with nature, nurturing and relating information to one's natural surroundings.

6.Intrapersonal:This area has to do with introspective and self-reflective capacities. Those who are strongest in this intelligence are typically introverts and prefer to work alone.

7.Visual-Spatial:This area has to do with vision and spatial judgment. People with strong visual-spatial intelligence are typically very good at visualizing and mentally manipulating objects.

8.Musical:This area has to do with rhythm, music, and hearing. Those who have a high level of musical-rhythmic intelligence display greater sensitivity to sounds, rhythms, tones, and music.