Random Quote
Arguments over grammar and style are often as fierce as those over IBM versus Mac, and as fruitless as Coke versus Pepsi and boxers versus briefs.
---- Jack Lynch
A university is what a college becomes when the faculty loses interest in students.
---- John Ciardi
One man alone can be pretty dumb sometimes, but for real bona fide stupidity, there ain't nothin' can beat teamwork.
---- Edward Abbey
I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.
---- Thomas A. Edison
Drink coffee! Do stupid things faster!
---- unknown
Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence.
---- Robert Frost
Always be wary of any helpful item that weighs less than its operating manual.
---- Terry Pratchett
The voodoo priest and all his powders were as nothing compared to espresso, cappuccino, and mocha, which are stronger than all the religions of the world combined, and perhaps stronger than the human soul itself.
---- Mark Helprin, Memoir from Antproof Case, 1995
It is a paradoxical but profoundly true and important principle of life that the most likely way to reach a goal is to be aiming not at that goal itself but at some more ambitious goal beyond it.
---- Arnold Toynbee
I'm sick of following my dreams. I'm just going to ask them where they're going and hook up with them later.
---- Mitch Hedberg
The important thing is not to stop questioning.
---- Albert Einstein
America believes in education: the average professor earns more money in a year than a professional athlete earns in a whole week.
---- Evan Esar
Technology will not replace teachers...teachers who use technology will
probably replace teachers who do not.
---- Ray Clifford
Man invented language to satisfy his deep need to complain.
---- Lily Tomlin
As an adolescent I aspired to lasting fame, I craved factual certainty, and I thirsted for a meaningful vision of human life - so I became a scientist. This is like becoming an archbishop so you can meet girls.
---- M. Cartmill
I do not fear computers. I fear the lack of them.
---- Isaac Asimov
This may be the most interesting blog theme I've ever seen. http://eflgeek.com/index.php Definitely in my top 5 at least.
---- Steve Dembo
Man invented language to satisfy his deep need to complain.
---- Lily Tomlin
A magician pulls rabbits out of hats. An experimental psychologist pulls habits out of rats.
---- anonymous
Don't knock the weather. If it didn't change once in a while, nine out of ten people couldn't start a conversation.
---- Kin Hubbard
To have another language is to possess a second soul.
---- Charlemagne
Education's purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one.
---- Malcom Forbes
To get something done, a committee should consist of no more than three men, two of whom are absent.
---- Robert Copeland
I never teach my pupils; I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn.
---- Albert Einstein
Tact is the knack of making a point without making an enemy.
---- Isaac Newton
Twisted Sister
Next week is special listening week for my freshmen classes. During this week we don’t use the textbook but rather do a number of listening exercises and talk about how to improve listening and various resources including podcasts & audio books. I have a couple of activities from the past that I decided to scrap because I wasn’t satisfied with them. This semester I’m replacing them with a 25 minute lesson around a music video by Twisted Sister.
This exercise is more about enjoying the video and song at a holistic level rather than at a discrete word by word level. There are no gap exercises and I only have four vocabulary items explained. Students are expected to respond to the general message (gist) of the song and video. I feel that the comedic nature of the video will appeal to the students as will the general rock anthem and parents vs children theme. Overall it’s a fun video that should get students laughing.
I have the video on my hard drive but it’s a very low resolution file 320x240. If I could only get a higher resolution file 640x480 would be great, even better would be a full DVD quality. Oh well, I’ll work this as is for now.
I’m really enjoying having video facilities in our classrooms this semester. I’ll be taking my Grinch activity and extending it to include the DVD which I own.
Sean. inscribed these words of wisdom on Sunday Mar 25, 2007 at 09:59 PM
Video | Materials | Lesson_Plans |





jd wrote 3 words on Monday Mar 26, 2007 at 06:53 AM
here you go:
Sean. wrote 31 words on Monday Mar 26, 2007 at 06:58 AM
JD,
I removed your link because it is leads to pirated material and if I link to things like on this blog, my host can cancel my contract with no notice.
jd wrote 40 words on Monday Mar 26, 2007 at 07:00 AM
oh, i’m really sorry about that. i found out it’s dead, anyway… sorry.
i won’t post another link, but you can find a higher resolution copy of that video if you look around.
good luck with your lesson… sounds fun
Sean. wrote 50 words on Monday Mar 26, 2007 at 07:08 AM
JD,
don’t worry about it. It’s not like I have that broadcast on my site. I have looked for a couple of weeks and that is the best file to be found. Anyhow, if my lesson goes well (today and tomorrow) I’ll buy the DVD if I can find it.
jd wrote 102 words on Monday Mar 26, 2007 at 07:22 AM
cool. i’m sure it’ll be great.
although i don’t quite get what differentiates a 320x240 youtube video posted by ducky1964 from anything else on the internet. file sharing isn’t illegal by nature, as i’m sure you understand. what gives “ducky1964” the right to fair use of that video? the fact that it’s only vhs quality and taped off of mtv? doesn’t really seem logical to me. but i understand covering your back. it didn’t take me more than 2 minutes to find a 53 megabyte copy of the same video on a popular filesharing service, though. you do what you have to
Sean. wrote 19 words on Thursday Mar 29, 2007 at 07:57 PM
JD,
that’s the exact same file I have, but the quality is crappy. Just wish it had higher resolution.