Reminder: New Blog at http://tinyurl.com/d48ge4
Reminder:
New Blog at
http://tinyurl.com/d48ge4
However this “old blog” has
good archives about Real English and
the Deaf, the Webheads (1) and (2),
Real English Victiom of Extreme Plaigiarism
and other items of interest to
ESL EFL students & teachers,
especially Real English users 🙂
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 1 so far )I hope it works!
Ronaldo Mangueira Lima Júnior is from Brazil. His Bolg is called I hope it works! He’s finishing his work on an MA in Applied Linguistics. He just wrote the most insightful review of Real English that I’ve ever read. As an EFL teacher in Brazil, he has the same problem that I have teaching EFL in France, and which many other sprouting digerati/teachers of the EFL world have been experiencing for many years.
Here’s Ronaldo’s review of Real English.
He brings up two very interesting questions concerning communicative language teaching and correctness, while making extremely astute observations about how these concepts are concretely related to Real English video.
Although he points out that he is a “non-native teacher teaching in a non-native country” (definitely EFL), he writes a lot better than most native-English speakers. Very clear, very succinct.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 9 so far )Hundreds of New Exercises
New
ESL Video Lessons for Beginners, and extensive review material for all shades of Intermediates.
I think teachers can send their beginner and intermediate students here and find that their motivation to learn English will get a boost.
I always hesitate when I use terms like “beginner” and “intermediate”, since Real English is real, and real means normal speed, which means “fast” to the ears of all learners of English as a Second or Foreign language. This is why the so called “beginner” lessons are essential review for higher levels.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 2 so far )Our First 2008 Videos Now Available
This is a picture of Joanne. It was the first time she interviewed for Real English. She did excellent work as a first-time interviewer.
In this picture she is interviewing Colonel Roberts. We met him between our “serious interviews”, and asked him different types of questions. It’s a fun interview at http://www.real-english.com/colonel-roberts.asp, based upon what he was doing when we met him: making people do push-ups on the sidewalk in Miami Beach!
All of our latest videos are for intermediate and upper intermediate levels, which is one reason I added the versions with closed captions, making them more accessible to a wider range of levels.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 2 so far )Contribute Questions for Our Next Filming Campaign
We will soon be filming again in South Beach, Miami, and in New York City, and this time we would like to hear from you, the users and teachers, about what sort of questions you would like us to ask. Perhaps if you just think of your students and the sort of practice they might need or enjoy, you can suggest some specific questions.
To give you ideas of the types of questions we ask – all the videos we have made so far are here.
Here’s an example suggestion from Bruxolini, a teacher who discovered Real English via YouTube:
“I’d like to see people doing sports, talking about their daily routine and schedules, what they do at work. Anything that extends vocabulary, for ex., from talking what they do, then what they do at/while work(ing).
Thanks for your interest.”
Webheads in Action
- Webheads in Action
December 28, 2008 – Listen to Michael Coughlin’s new song (click on play above).
Michael wrote on the Webheads YG:
“For ages I’ve wanted to write a song about being a webhead and I’ve finally had a first go at it… It’s pretty raw at the moment as I recorded it straight on to my PC using Audacity and a standard PC mic. Later in the (southern) summer I’ll record a better version of it.
A very happy holiday season to you all,
It sounds great to me right now. I can’t wait to hear the 120 track version!
I already told Michael I hear a Tom Petty influence (an obvious compliment), but I didn’t mention that he’s definitely singing not only my kind of music, but also the music of my generation, and I wonder what the youngsters amongst us think of the musical aspect, the composition, as it were, as opposed to the lyrics?
The mp3 file is on this Wikispace, in case you want to download Michael’s song like I did.
CHORUS
Webheads – all over the world
Webheads – we’re all over the world
24/7 – we’re online
It doesn’t really matter – whatever the time
Someone’s there to answer the CALL
CHORUS
You want to know how to do it right
Or maybe you’re lonely in the middle of the night
Someone’s there to answer your CALL
CHORUS
You want to join your class up across the world
Or you want an expert to talk to them live
Someone will answer your CALL
CHORUS
You’re going on a journey to a foreign land
Want to meet a friend there to show you around
There’ll be someone there to answer your CALL
CHORUS
Learning together – sharing our views
Living together – sharing our news
Always someone there – on the same wavelength
CHORUS
By Michael Coghlan
I updated an Introduction to the Webheads for those of you unfamiliar with us.
Who are the Webheads? What do they do?
Founded by Vance Stevens, “Webheads in Action” is the most active online community involved with computer mediated communication in the field of English as a Second or Foreign Language. Members from nearly every country on the planet are represented. Its 700+ active members represent the most robust online manifestation of the 40-year-old, 14,000 member TESOL organization. There are so many links and so much information on the internet about and by the Webheads, that it all seems a bit mind-boggling at first. In my opinion, the best way to get started is to subscribe to the main Webheads Yahoo Group and lurk for a few days to get a feel of the daily life of this community. You will find beginners and experts on various topics all mixed up in one exciting thread after another. It’s also a very tight, caring group. Friendships run deep amongst members, so you will find almost as many personal messages as professional ones, which seems a bit strange to those who are familiar with more traditional forums. Don’t sign up if your aim is to promote a certain product or service. You probably won’t be blocked or removed in such a case, but you will be ignored. This is a place for serious self-help and professional development, with mutual sharing of resources and ideas, the more experienced always helping out the less experienced in any particular specialization, whether it be a question concerning Web 2.0 places of interest or how best to use software in the classroom… A large percentage of members are ESL/EFL teachers, perhaps nearly half of them native speakers of English.
Teresa d’Eça has compiled an historical account of many important moments in the life of the Group, as well as an Index of Webheads’ sites and blogs.
So if you’re a teacher interested in discovery, experimentation, and self-improvement in the realm of computer mediated communication, this is definitely a community you will want to explore.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 6 so far )Maira and Roberta from Belo Horizonte
We have interviewed thousands of people since we began Real English in 1992. Sometimes these people contact us after seeing themselves on our site.
This morning we received a message from Maira, who lives in Brazil. We interviewed her and her friend Roberta 4 years ago. You can see her video here on YouTube, or here on the Real English site.
Here is the message she wrote us:
Hi, I’m Maíra, the girl in the video you made on Nantucket.We didn’t know if you were going to use our interview or not, we thought it was a video for some language school in France. We were so surprised to see it here. Anyway, we liked it. And it’s nice to be one of the most viewed videos.Oh, I just loved how you guys described us: Culture Collectors. I had never thought in that way but you are right, its so me!!! I don’t know if you can understand me or if I got to express myself correctly, it just feel good think about myself as a culture collector. Thanks. I’d appreciate if you could send this message to the interviewer and the rest of the group.
Like I said in the video, let me add something else… we went to Europe, one month backpacking, 10 countries even Marocco. Definitely the best trip we’ve ever had.
I was checking Real English website, its really interesting and helps people to learn about the language. Great job!
Regards,
Maíra
Real English for the Deaf – ASL & ESL
Reminder 2005 — new Real English blog at http://the-original-real-english.blogspot.com/
American Sign Language and English as a Second Language
– Closed Caption Videos Used in a Mixed Class for the Deaf and Hearing
Real English is listening. 
