Wednesday, April 29, 2009

ESL Basics Website for English Teachers and EFL Learners


My name is Andrea Michael, and I'm an ESL teacher at Campbellsville University and on ESLbasics.com. I ran across your contact information and wanted to formally invite you to come watch and learn at ESLbasics.com!

ESLbasics.com brings English to life through hundreds of ESL/EFL/TESOL videos.

We have hundreds of ESL/EFL/TESOL videos, including:

* Vocabulary
* TOEFL Preparation
* Idioms
* Phrasal Verbs
* Business English
* Teacher Tips and Activities

At ESL Basics, we believe that real-life context is a student's best friend, not a list of terms to memorize. This is why our vocabulary is surrounded by a conversation. ESL Basics fosters an environment where students aren't just learning one word, they are acquiring language. ESL Basics is structured around a philosophy of student-centered lessons, videos, and usability. We also know that everyone learns better together, so we have created the ability for students to share what they find with their peers through social networks around the globe.

ESLbasics.com was founded by my brother Josh and I in order to bring English to life for English language learners around the globe. I have been teaching ESL and TESOL for three years at Campbellsville University, and love teaching English and training teachers to do their best in the ESL/EFL classroom. One of my passions is designing creative lesson plans, and using media with my students. That's why I created ESLbasics.com . My brother Josh teaches business English with ESL Basics, bringing ESL to businessmen and businesswomen all over the world.

Check us out for yourself, and please pass us along to your students.

If you would like to sign up for weekly newsletters, create a login on our homepage.

Plus:

Check out our Facebook Group Follow Josh on Twitter

Also, the RSS feeds for our three blogs

Andrea's ESL Blog Andrea's TESOL Blog Josh's Business English Blog

Happy Teaching and Learning!

Andrea Michael
Co-Creator of eslbasics.com
andrea@eslbasics.com

Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an EFL Teacher Trainer, Intellectual Development Specialist, author and speaker. He has written ESP, foreign language learning, English language teaching texts and hundreds of articles used in more than 100 countries. Get your FREE E-book, “If you Want to Teach English Abroad, Here's What You Need to Know" by requesting the title at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com Need a blogger or copywriter to promote your school, institution, service or business or an experienced writer and vibrant SEO content for your website, blog or newsletter? Then E-mail me for further information.


Monday, April 27, 2009

Swine Flu in Humans - The Facts


Swine Flu in Humans
http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/key_facts.htm

Swine Flu
Report from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) Atlanta, GA USA

What is Swine Influenza?

Swine Influenza (swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza virus that regularly causes outbreaks of influenza in pigs. Swine flu viruses cause high levels of illness and low death rates in pigs. Swine influenza viruses may circulate among swine throughout the year, but most outbreaks occur during the late fall and winter months similar to outbreaks in humans. The classical swine flu virus (an influenza type A H1N1 virus) was first isolated from a pig in 1930.

Swine Flu in Humans

Can humans catch swine flu?


Swine flu viruses do not normally infect humans. However, sporadic human infections with swine flu have occurred. Most commonly, these cases occur in persons with direct exposure to pigs (e.g. children near pigs at a fair or workers in the swine industry). In addition, there have been documented cases of one person spreading swine flu to others. For example, an outbreak of apparent swine flu infection in pigs in Wisconsin in 1988 resulted in multiple human infections, and, although no community outbreak resulted, there was antibody evidence of virus transmission from the patient to health care workers who had close contact with the patient.

How common is swine flu infection in humans?

In the past, CDC received reports of approximately one human swine influenza virus infection every one to two years in the U.S., but from December 2005 through February 2009, 12 cases of human infection with swine influenza have been reported.

What are the symptoms of swine flu in humans?

The symptoms of swine flu in people are expected to be similar to the symptoms of regular human seasonal influenza and include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite and coughing. Some people with swine flu also have reported runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

Can people catch swine flu from eating pork?

No. Swine influenza viruses are not transmitted by food. You can not get swine influenza from eating pork or pork products. Eating properly handled and cooked pork and pork products is safe. Cooking pork to an internal temperature of 160°F kills the swine flu virus as it does other bacteria and viruses.

How does swine flu spread?

Influenza viruses can be directly transmitted from pigs to people and from people to pigs. Human infection with flu viruses from pigs are most likely to occur when people are in close proximity to infected pigs, such as in pig barns and livestock exhibits housing pigs at fairs. Human-to-human transmission of swine flu can also occur. This is thought to occur in the same way as seasonal flu occurs in people, which is mainly person-to-person transmission through coughing or sneezing of people infected with the influenza virus. People may become infected by touching something with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose.

What do we know about human-to-human spread of swine flu?

In September 1988, a previously healthy 32-year-old pregnant woman was hospitalized for pneumonia and died 8 days later. A swine H1N1 flu virus was detected. Four days before getting sick, the patient visited a county fair swine exhibition where there was widespread influenza-like illness among the swine.

In follow-up studies, 76% of swine exhibitors tested had antibody evidence of swine flu infection but no serious illnesses were detected among this group. Additional studies suggest that one to three health care personnel who had contact with the patient developed mild influenza-like illnesses with antibody evidence of swine flu infection.

How can human infections with swine influenza be diagnosed?

To diagnose swine influenza A infection, a respiratory specimen would generally need to be collected within the first 4 to 5 days of illness (when an infected person is most likely to be shedding virus). However, some persons, especially children, may shed virus for 10 days or longer. Identification as a swine flu influenza A virus requires sending the specimen to CDC for laboratory testing.

What medications are available to treat swine flu infections in humans?

There are four different antiviral drugs that are licensed for use in the US for the treatment of influenza: amantadine, rimantadine, oseltamivir and zanamivir. While most swine influenza viruses have been susceptible to all four drugs, the most recent swine influenza viruses isolated from humans are resistant to amantadine and rimantadine. At this time, CDC recommends the use of oseltamivir or zanamivir for the treatment and/or prevention of infection with swine influenza viruses.

What other examples of swine flu outbreaks are there?

Probably the most well known is an outbreak of swine flu among soldiers in Fort Dix, New Jersey in 1976. The virus caused disease with x-ray evidence of pneumonia in at least 4 soldiers and 1 death; all of these patients had previously been healthy. The virus was transmitted to close contacts in a basic training environment, with limited transmission outside the basic training group. The virus is thought to have circulated for a month and disappeared. The source of the virus, the exact time of its introduction into Fort Dix, and factors limiting its spread and duration are unknown. The Fort Dix outbreak may have been caused by introduction of an animal virus into a stressed human population in close contact in crowded facilities during the winter. The swine influenza A virus collected from a Fort Dix soldier was named A/New Jersey/76 (Hsw1N1).

Is the H1N1 swine flu virus the same as human H1N1 viruses?

No. The H1N1 swine flu viruses are antigenically very different from human H1N1 viruses and, therefore, vaccines for human seasonal flu would not provide protection from H1N1 swine flu viruses.

Share the facts and information with your language learners.
If you're at risk in any way, get medical treatment or a vaccination - NOW!


Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an EFL Teacher Trainer, Intellectual Development Specialist, author and speaker. He has written ESP, foreign language learning, English language teaching texts and hundreds of articles used in more than 100 countries. Get your FREE E-book, “If you Want to Teach English Abroad, Here's What You Need to Know" by requesting the title at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com Need a blogger or copywriter to promote your school, institution, service or business or an experienced writer and vibrant SEO content for your website, blog or newsletter? Then E-mail me for further information.


Sunday, April 26, 2009

3 Facts You Need to Know About Learning a New Language

It’s a pretty challenging task when you think of it, but with time and effort, nothing is impossible. Learning a new language can be a rewarding experience, especially when you earn those appreciative glances and admiring compliments on your newly-acquired skill. We don’t think much of learning to talk when we’re young – it’s a natural ability, and this is why kids pick up any number of languages with an élan that’s hard to come by for adults. But there are reasons to learn a new language, no matter how old you are. Sure, the older you get, the harder it becomes, but that’s no reason to turn down a challenge.

So if you’re ready, here are a few facts you need to know about learning a new tongue:

You either use it or lose it: If you want to become fluent in a new language, you need to keep using it. You need to listen to people talk it and you need to converse in it yourself, on a continued basis. If you don’t, you’re likely to end up forgetting it. Learning a new language is just like any other skill – it requires continuous honing through regular use. I took a course in Japanese a couple of years ago, but it pains me to admit today that I only remember how to ask the question “What’s your name?” and respond to it. Once the course was over I had no incentive to keep speaking the tongue; of course, the fact that there was nobody to talk to didn’t help much either. So if you learn a new language and want to remember it, continue to find avenues where you can use it.

A language is a way to keep mental disorders away: It’s been proven and is now official – learning a new language stimulates your brain and makes your mental processes more active. You’re boosting the blood flow to your brain and this helps keep your neurons and blood vessels in great shape. When you push your brain and attempt to learn a new language, you postpone and even prevent the onset of debilitating mental disorders like Alzheimer’s disease that can impair your memory and make you lose your power of cognitive reasoning.

It’s easy when you can’t be choosy: Try moving to a country where no one speaks any language other than the local vernacular. You’d be surprised at the speed with which you pick it up. Sure, it’s going to be difficult at first and you may have to resort to sign language and face a ton of misunderstandings and funny situations, but in the end, it’s all going to be worth it because you’re going to be speaking like a native in a matter of weeks. When there’s no other language to choose to converse it, you’re forced to learn the local lingo, and this makes you pick it up faster.


This post was contributed by Katie Wilson, who writes about the online universities. She welcomes your feedback at KatieWilson06@gmail.com. After graduating from college she took time off to pursue a writing career. Katie writes for online education sites offering tips, advice, and general information regarding education, learning, and studying.

Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an EFL Teacher Trainer, Intellectual Development Specialist, author and speaker. He has written ESP, foreign language learning, English language teaching texts and hundreds of articles used in more than 100 countries. Get your FREE E-book, “If you Want to Teach English Abroad, Here's What You Need to Know" by requesting the title at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com Need a blogger or copywriter to promote your school, institution, service or business or an experienced writer and vibrant SEO content for your website, blog or newsletter? Then E-mail me for further information.


Thursday, April 16, 2009

Describe Your First Day as an English Teacher


My "First" Day as an EFL Teacher

Since I had such a “hodge-podge” kind of start with ESL I can’t really remember my true “first day” of teaching. What I DO remember though is the first class that impressed me the most from back then up until now. I was assigned to teach a class of Chinese learners soon after starting as an ESL teacher for a Federal / State government Literacy program in Easton, Pennsylvania called PROJECT of Easton. (The small town of Easton is the home of former world heavyweight boxing champion Larry Holmes who fought both Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson.)

Anyway, what I didn’t know was that the class consisted of about a dozen or so Chinese who’d just arrived in the USA literally the week before. When I say they knew nothing, I mean they knew absolutely NOTHING about the USA. They didn’t even have winter clothes and it was still cold out although technically it was “Springtime”.


Not only that, they were from different regions of China which meant that they couldn’t even talk to each other! Using the training and little experience I did have, I survived the first class. They seemed pleased and I said to myself, “If I could manage this, nothing else would ever phase me in an English class again. Tue enough, to this day it hasn’t. That was my toughest, “trial-by-fire” EFL class experience. After that classes with them were great. They’d even bring me “authentic” Chinese food for lunch after class. I got to eat some strange, but tasty things after those classes. From then on, I was “hooked”.

So, what was YOUR first day as an English teacher like?


Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an EFL Teacher Trainer, Intellectual Development Specialist, author and speaker. He has written ESP, foreign language learning, English language teaching texts and hundreds of articles used in more than 100 countries. Get your FREE E-book, “If you Want to Teach English Abroad, Here's What You Need to Know" by requesting the title at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com Need a blogger or copywriter to promote your school, institution, service or business or an experienced writer and vibrant SEO content for your website, blog or newsletter? Then E-mail me for further information.


Monday, April 13, 2009

The Importance of Learning Another Language




Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an EFL Teacher Trainer, Intellectual Development Specialist, author and speaker. He has written ESP, foreign language learning, English language teaching texts and hundreds of articles used in more than 100 countries. Get your FREE E-book, “If you Want to Teach English Abroad, Here's What You Need to Know" by requesting the title at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com Need a blogger or copywriter to promote your school, institution, service or business or an experienced writer and vibrant SEO content for your website, blog or newsletter? Then E-mail me for further information.


Tuesday, April 07, 2009

Free Foreign Language Learning Online


If you are interested in learning a foreign language or if you are looking for foreign language materials to use in the classroom, you may want to consider checking into some of the free courses that are now being offered online by colleges, universities, and other learning institutions. Although these courses do not grant college credit or degrees, they do provide students with excellent instruction in foreign languages. Some of the organizations that currently provide free foreign language learning online include:



MIT


The Massachusetts Institute of Technology offers thousands of free online courses through their Open Courseware Program. The free foreign language courses provide instruction in Chinese, German, French, Spanish, and Japanese. Courses are also available to help students explore various cultures and literature. Most courses include audio, video, and text components.



Carnegie Mellon University


Students can take two different foreign language courses online through Carnegie Mellon's Open Learning Initiative. The first course introduces students to the French language. The second course picks up where the first course left off to teach students intermediate language skills. Both video-based courses are free and include multiple lessons.



University of Notre Dame


The University of Notre Dame offers several free online courses for self-learners. One of the most popular courses delves into the language of Haitian Kreyol, or Creole. The course also explores Creole culture and beliefs through lectures and readings.



Utah State University


The Languages, Philosophy, and Speech Communication Department of Utah State University has made two free Chinese courses available online through the school's Open Courseware Project. This first course introduces students to the Chinese language and culture. The second course continues the instruction. Both courses focus on pronunciation and simple Chinese character writing.



Open University


The UK's Open University is dedicated to providing high-quality university education to all through its OpenLearn project. Some of the free foreign language courses that can be explored online offer instruction French, Spanish, English, German, and other modern languages. Many of the courses are text-based, though there are a few that also offer audio or video materials.



Brigham Young University


Brigham Young University offers dozens of free online courses through their Independent Learning program. Most of the courses fall into the religion category. However, there is one English language course designed for Chinese speakers. The course is split into easy-to-follow modules and includes a wide range of self-study materials.



BBC


The BBC has an amazing collection of modern language courses on its website. All of the courses can be explored for free online and may be taken at the beginner or intermediate level. The 12-week courses (audio and video) provide instruction in 36 different languages, including French, German, Irish, Spanish, Chinese, Portuguese, English, Italian, and Welsh. Students who sign up for BBC's free email tips can also receive a certificate at the end of each course.



FSI Language Courses


FSI Language Courses hosts an enormous library of free online courses that were developed by the U.S. government. Each language course was used by the Foreign Service Institute at one point and now resides in public domain. The FSI courses offer instruction in more than 30 languages, including Finnish, French, Cantonese, Hindi, Korean, Romanian, and Swahili.



Mango Languages


The Mango Languages online learning system has been hailed as one of the best places to learn a foreign language online. More than 30 million people have free and total access to Mango through their local public library. Individuals who do not have access through their library can still try one of ten Mango Language courses for free.



Livemocha


Livemocha is a free social language learning network that offers over 160 hours of beginner and intermediate level language lessons. The site also gives language learners a place to practice structured conversation exercises with a native speaker. Other Livemocha features include a quiz tool and other community-based interactive tools that are designed to make learning fun and rewarding.



Internet Polyglot


The Internet Polyglot is a really good place to find short foreign language lessons online. The site offers free access to everyone and provides numerous ways to memorize words and their meanings. Internet Polyglot also offers a game section to make learning a foreign language more fun. Some of the languages that can be learned on this site include English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Greek, Latin, and Hebrew.




Guest post from Karen Schweitzer who writes for the college database at OnlineColleges.net.

Sunday, April 05, 2009

New Squidoo Lenses in March 2009


New Squidoo Lenses in March 2009


For your continuing interest and information, here are some new Squidoo lenses posted in March 2009. I post and use these as readings, for web quests and extra assignment material fro various ESP classes such as Health, Business Administration and Computer or Technology language groups.


A Fat Loss Workout Slim Down Plan
http://www.squidoo.com/fat_loss_workout_plan

Five Traits of a Successful Woman
http://www.squidoo.com/successful_woman_traits

Successful Weight Loss in Women
http://www.squidoo.com/women_weight_loss_keys

Why Women’s Fat Loss is Easy
http://www.squidoo.com/womens_fat_loss

Can UFOs Be Explained By Natural Phenomena?
http://www.squidoo.com/UFOs_explained

Piraña: Deadly and Delicious
http://www.squidoo.com/piranha_deadly_and_delicious

Dynamite Salt Water Lures: Make Your Own for 75 Cents or Less Each with These Easy Steps
http://www.squidoo.com/make_fishing_lures

Free Technology for Teachers
http://www.freetech4teachers.com/2009/03/explaining-daylight-saving-time.html


Making Effective Use of Short Stories in English Language Teaching
http://www.squidoo.com/shorts_for_English_teaching



Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an EFL Teacher Trainer, Intellectual Development Specialist, author and speaker. He has written ESP, foreign language learning, English language teaching texts and hundreds of articles used in more than 100 countries. Get your FREE E-book, “If you Want to Teach English Abroad, Here's What You Need to Know" by requesting the title at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com Need a blogger or copywriter to promote your school, institution, service or business or an experienced writer and vibrant SEO content for your website, blog or newsletter? Then E-mail me for further information.


Friday, April 03, 2009

Making Effective Use of Short Stories in English Language Teaching



A Well-Proven Method of Language Acquisition

One of the most effective long-term methods of learning a language is that of an on-going series of readings. In fact, among the ways native speakers of English, French and other languages continue to improve and grow their first language (L1) skills, reading ranks very high up on the list. Whether or not language learners are able to wade through a complete book or novel, reading short stories is a time-proven method of language learning and acquisition.

Edgar Allan Poe

The “invention” of the short story, then Horror story and the Detective mystery story are all credited to Edgar Allan Poe (pictured) who first began publishing series of less-than-book-length stories in the mid-1830s. Many of his most popular and famous stories have been passed down through the decades and filmed as full-length feature films. Among the more noteworthy of his Horror and Detective / Mystery stories are these, my personal choices:

The Fall of the House of Usher published September 1839
William Wilson published in 1839
The Murders in the Rue Morgue published in April 1841
A Descent Into the Maelstrom published May 1841
The Masque of the Red Death published in May 1842
The Pit and the Pendulum published October 1842
The Tell – Tale Heart published January 1843
The Gold Bug published June 21, 1843
The Black Cat published August 19, 1843
The Premature Burial published July 31, 1844
The Purloined Letter published in 1844
The Cask of Admontillado published November 1846

Detailed information on Edgar Allan Poe, his life and his collected works is available from the Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore.

But why are short stories so useful and effective in English language teaching and learning?

Advantages of Short Stories in English Language Teaching and Learning

There are several distinct advantages in using short stories in ELT. The principal advantages include but are not limited to:

• The controlled length of short stories
• The concise writing with carefully selected vocabulary and lexis
• The use of contemporary or colloquial language
• Insertion of authentic, natural dialogue
• Short stories typically maintain high interest and attention levels

With the difficulty normally associated with getting foreign language learners to read, short stories quite readily lend themselves to capturing and holding the often brief attention spans of learners in societies which are predominantly non-reading ones. Get the learners interested in the story’s beginning and leave it from the, Poe will more than likely do the rest with his inimitable, attention-grabbing style and in-depth visual imagery.

Consider this terrifying excerpt from “The Pit and the Pendulum”:

“Down — steadily down it crept. I took a frenzied pleasure in contrasting its downward with its lateral velocity. To the right — to the left — far and wide — with the shriek and the plunge of a damned spirit; to my heart with the stealthy pace of the tiger! I alternately laughed and howled, as the one or the other idea grew predominant. Down — certainly, relentlessly down! It vibrated within three inches of my bosom! I struggled violently, furiously, to free my left arm.”

You can feel and imagine the ravings of a man slowly being tortured to death as he waits to be slowly, methodically sliced in two by the descending cold steel from which, it seems, he has no escape.

Use of Short Stories in English Language Teaching – A Never-Ending Supply

A virtually unending supply of fresh, original short stories is almost always available from a broad range of reference sites and resources such as short story contests online and in print, online and print libraries, both public and private, author and writing websites – and, Public Domain repositories like Gutenburg. English language teachers and learners need never lack for fresh, original short stories to read or use for language teaching or language learning.


Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an EFL Teacher Trainer, Intellectual Development Specialist, author and speaker. He has written ESP, foreign language learning, English language teaching texts and hundreds of articles used in more than 100 countries. Get your FREE E-book, “If you Want to Teach English Abroad, Here's What You Need to Know" by requesting the title at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com Need a blogger or copywriter to promote your school, institution, service or business or an experienced writer and vibrant SEO content for your website, blog or newsletter? Then E-mail me for further information.


Wednesday, April 01, 2009

April Fool's Day


Happy April!

“I hope nobody made a fool of you today, being April Fools Day!

I woke up this morning to my husband telling me it snowed last night and the ground was covered. Ha! I would NOT be taken for an idiot this year, no tricking me with something so absurd!

Usually, I’m quite gullible and always forget it’s April 1st and fall for everyone’s lame attempts (one year my mom called me and said there was a man and elephant walking down the road...).

This year, I went to bed remembering not to fall for anything dished out by my husband or my son. So, after my husband made his stupid joke, I slithered out of bed shaking my head and slightly irritated that he would wake me up when I still had 7 more minutes I could have been sleeping (I wouldn’t call myself a morning person).

There was a sliver of doubt nagging in the back of my head, but was not going to be taken for a fool...or was I?

I glanced over my shoulder, made sure my husband wasn’t looking, crept up to the bedroom window and quietly pulled the blinds back to peek outside. I suppose I was the fool, after all, whether my husband was or wasn’t watching me, I was looking, wasn’t I!

Guess what?

I was a double fool, not only did I not believe him, but he was telling the truth! Urgh, there’s over two inches of white stuff on the ground and still coming down heavily.


Post text by permission of Rhonda Callow at Bright Hub



Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an EFL Teacher Trainer, Intellectual Development Specialist, author and speaker. He has written ESP, foreign language learning, English language teaching texts and hundreds of articles used in more than 100 countries. Get your FREE E-book, “If you Want to Teach English Abroad, Here's What You Need to Know" by requesting the title at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com Need a blogger or copywriter to promote your school, institution, service or business or an experienced writer and vibrant SEO content for your website, blog or newsletter? Then E-mail me for further information.