[5665] in Zephyr_Bugs
ESL.net Spring 2004 Newsletter
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Esl.net Newsletter)
Mon Apr 19 06:58:46 2004
Message-ID: <20040419034210.C4DD67B3A1BC757F@esl.net>
From: "Esl.net Newsletter" <nl@esl.net>
To: zephyr-bugs@mit.edu
Reply-To: nl@esl.net
Date: 19 Apr 2004 03:42:11 -0700
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<td rowspan=3D"2" align=3D"left" valign=3D"middle"><h1 align=3D"center">=
<strong><font color=3D"#FF0000">ESL.net=20
Spring 2004 Newsletter </div> </font></strong></h1></td>
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<TABLE BORDER=3D"0" WIDTH=3D"100%" CELLPADDING=3D"1" CELLSPACING=3D"1">
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<TD> <FONT SIZE=3D"3" COLOR=3D"#003399"> </FONT><font size=3D"3"><a=
href=3D"http://www.esl.net"><b>Home</b></a><b>=20
> Newsletters > Spring 2004</b></font></TD>
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<TR>=20
<TD BGCOLOR=3D"#003399" HEIGHT=3D"2"><IMG SRC=3D"images/spacer2x2.gif" W=
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<br>
<TABLE WIDTH=3D"100%">
<TR>=20
<TD VALIGN=3D"top"> <h2> <B>Contents:</B></h2>
<UL>
<LI><a href=3D"#feature"><strong>News</strong></a> - <strong>ESL.net=
</strong>=20
exhibits at Public Library Association Convention</LI>
<LI><A HREF=3D"#Review"><B>Product Review</B></A> -<strong> </strong=
>Easy=20
Writer© grammar tutorial CD-ROM</LI>
<LI><strong><a href=3D"#Interview">Interview</a> - </strong>Read our=
interview=20
with the developer of Easy Writer©<strong> </strong>software<=
/LI>
<LI><a href=3D"#Trivia"><strong>Trivia Question</strong></a> - One c=
orrect=20
response will receive a free pocket translator</LI>
<LI><A HREF=3D"#Specials"><B>Newsletter Specials</B></A> - Special o=
ffers=20
only for our newsletter subscribers</LI>
<LI><A HREF=3D"mailto:?subject=3DESL.net%20Newsletter&body=3Dhttp://=
www.esl.net/newsletters/Spring2004.html"><B>Send=20
to a Friend</B></A> - Please send this along to anyone you think m=
ight=20
be interested</LI>
<LI><a href=3D"#Subscribe"><strong>Subscribe / Unsubscribe</strong><=
/a>=20
- Change your mailing list preferences</LI>
</UL>
<hr class=3D"dividers">=20
<h2><a name=3D"Feature" id=3D"Feature"></a>News: <font color=3D"#00000=
0">Librarians=20
Converge in Seattle for PLA</font></h2>
<table width=3D"100%" border=3D"0">
<tr>=20
<td width=3D"18%"><img src=3D"http://www.esl.net/images/larry_conv=
ention_pla.gif" alt=3D"Larry Zoumas at the PLA show" width=3D"199" height=3D=
"147"></td>
<td valign=3D"top"><div align=3D"left"></div>
<div align=3D"left">
<p align=3D"justify"><strong>ESL.net</strong> exhibited at the=
2004<strong>=20
Public Library Association (PLA) </strong>Convention in Seat=
tle,=20
WA. We believe that libraries share a responsibility with sc=
hools=20
to help English learners in the USA improve their fluency. <=
strong>ESL.net</strong>=20
Director, Larry Zoumas, handed out catalogs, answered questi=
ons,=20
and demoed many great products to many of the 6,000 attendee=
s.=20
All in all, we had the pleasure of speaking with at least 50=
0=20
librarians and we wished we could have met even more! For th=
ose=20
of you who missed us, we will be at the <strong>American Lib=
rary=20
Association (ALA)</strong> Convention in Orlando, FL in June=
.</p>
</div></td>
</tr>
</table>
<hr class=3D"dividers">
<h2><a name=3D"Review" id=3D"Review"></a>Review: Easy Writer© CD-=
ROM for=20
Windows</h2>
<table width=3D"100%" border=3D"1">
<tr>=20
<td width=3D"18%" rowspan=3D"8" valign=3D"top"><div align=3D"cente=
r"><a href=3D"http://www.esl.net/easywriter.html"><img src=3D"http://www.esl=
.net/images/easywriter-m.gif" alt=3D"Easy Writer" width=3D"125" height=3D"14=
0" border=3D"0"></a></div></td>
<td width=3D"22%"><div align=3D"right"><strong>Platform:</strong><=
/div></td>
<td width=3D"60%">Windows XP, 2000, ME, NT, 98, 95</td>
</tr>
<tr>=20
<td><div align=3D"right"><strong>Target Ages:</strong></div></td>
<td>12 to adult</td>
</tr>
<tr>=20
<td><div align=3D"right"><strong>Levels:</strong></div></td>
<td>Intermediate, Advanced </td>
</tr>
<tr>=20
<td><div align=3D"right"><strong>Methodology:</strong></div></td>
<td>Authentic Material, Fluency First</td>
</tr>
<tr>=20
<td><div align=3D"right"><strong>Scope:</strong></div></td>
<td>Reading, Writing, Grammar</td>
</tr>
<tr>=20
<td><div align=3D"right"><strong>More Information:</strong></div><=
/td>
<td><a href=3D"http://www.esl.net/easywriter.html">http://www.esl.=
net/easywriter.html</a></td>
</tr>
</table>
<p align=3D"justify"><strong>Easy Writer©</strong> is a multimedi=
a tutorial=20
for intermediate to advanced ESL students. It also makes a good revi=
ew=20
for native English speakers. The CD-ROM runs on Windows computers an=
d=20
contains hours of fun writing correction and practice. </p>
<p>The program works by having the user correct common mistakes of oth=
er=20
ESL students. The ESL writings are chosen from real students through=
out=20
the world. The letters are broken up into different levels of diffic=
ulty.=20
</p>
<p>How does it work? Students read the writings on the screen and then=
correct=20
them by simply clicking on the mistaken words and then entering the =
correction=20
into the keyboard. The <strong>Easy Writer©</strong> software w=
ill=20
then alert the student if his correction is wrong, or congratulate h=
im=20
if the right correction was made. Help is always available at any ti=
me.=20
Also, if the student does not know the answer he can just click to g=
et=20
it along with a full grammar explanation.</p>
<p>ESL students can use <strong>Easy Writer©</strong> to reinforc=
e=20
previous ESL writing skills learned in school. And ESL schools that =
incorporate=20
the program into their curriculum will give their students a fun and=
sound=20
way to learn and practice good writing skills. There are different v=
ersions=20
of the software designed for use by individuals and language labs al=
ike.</p>
<p align=3D"justify">Jane Boris, the author of <strong>Easy Writer<B>&=
copy;</B></strong>=20
software, has been teaching ESL grammar for over 20 years. Jane feel=
s=20
that one of the most difficult aspects of teaching ESL is proper gra=
mmar=20
skills in context. Every teacher knows what good writing is, but ver=
y=20
few can actually teach it. Since every piece of writing is unique, i=
t=20
is often a moving target. </p>
<p align=3D"justify">What many grammar students need most is practice =
and=20
supervision. Since this is impractical in our era of tightening teac=
her=20
budgets and time constraints, <strong>Easy Writer<B>©</B></stro=
ng>=20
comes to the rescue by giving students a chance to practice on their=
own=20
with a computer. The software keeps track of mistakes and guides the=
students=20
toward a better understanding of the English language.</p>
<p><a href=3D"http://www.esl.net/easywriter.html" target=3D"blank"><st=
rong><img src=3D"http://www.esl.net/images/arrow.gif" width=3D"37" height=3D=
"27" border=3D"0" align=3D"absmiddle">Read=20
the Full Review with screen shots and pricing...</strong></a></p>
</TD>
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=3D"0" CELLPADDING=3D"0" WIDTH=3D"100%">
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color=3D"#FFFFFF" size=3D"-1" face=3D"Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif=
">Site=20
Links </font></strong></TD>
<TD width=3D"11" ALIGN=3D"right" VALIGN=3D"top" BGCOLOR=3D"#003399=
"><div align=3D"right"><IMG SRC=3D"http://www.esl.net/images/dingurt.gif" WI=
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<TD> <div align=3D"center">=20
<p align=3D"left"><b><a href=3D"http://www.esl.net/softw=
are.html">Software</a></b></p>
<p align=3D"left"><b><a href=3D"http://www.esl.net/video=
.html">Video</a></b></p>
<p align=3D"left"><b><a href=3D"http://www.esl.net/audio=
.html">=20
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ooks.html">=20
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on.html">Pronunciation</a></b></p>
<p align=3D"left"><b><a href=3D"http://www.esl.net/youth=
.html">=20
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<P><hr class=3D"dividers"></P>
<a href=3D"http://www.esl.net/catalog.html"><img src=3D"http://www.esl=
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<TR>=20
<TD VALIGN=3D"top"><hr class=3D"dividers"> <a name=3D"Interview" id=3D"I=
nterview"></a>=20
<h2>The ESL.net Interview With Jane Boris</h2>
<p> <em>In this edition of ESL.net Interview, we talk with Easy Writer=
developer=20
Jane Boris.</em></p>
<p align=3D"justify"><strong>What was the inspiration for the Easy Wri=
ter=20
program? </strong><br>
The inspiration for the Easy Writer program was my students’ o=
wn=20
writing, and the energy that they had invested in its creation. Orig=
inally,=20
I knew I wanted to develop a software application for writing, but I=
didn’t=20
have a an idea or concept that really drove me, that would excite me=
and,=20
potentially, its users. Then somebody asked me, “What “w=
orks”=20
in your classroom?” What immediately came to mind was the inte=
raction=20
between students when, having spent days and even weeks starting fro=
m=20
a simple idea or topic to a fully developed essay, they were excited=
ly=20
working in small groups, each one sharing his completed essay with t=
he=20
others in the group. Any classroom writing teacher (or any individua=
l=20
who has ever taken a writing course) can tell you how the writing pr=
ocess=20
bonds students together. So that focus, that shared moment of satisf=
action=20
and learning, was my starting point, and my inspiration. </p>
<p align=3D"justify"><strong>How long was the development cycle of the=
first=20
version? </strong><br>
From the time I drew out my ideas on paper to the first time Easy Wr=
iter=20
was commercially available was slightly over four years. During that=
period=20
of development, my own students were using it in the computer lab, a=
nd=20
I used their experience and feedback to help me further develop it f=
or=20
others. </p>
<p align=3D"justify"><strong>What was the biggest challenge? </strong>=
<br>
There were different challenges at different stages of the software&=
#8217;s=20
development. Given that before I committed to this project I had kno=
wn=20
next to nothing about computers and even less about computer program=
ming,=20
clearly the first big challenge was learning how to tell the compute=
r=20
what to do. I would read a computer programming book and have no ide=
a=20
what it was saying. That, in turn, brought the challenge of continui=
ng=20
to problem-solve in the midst of great frustration. The upside of th=
is,=20
though, was that it reminded me of the frustration felt by a person =
learning=20
a new language – he knows that he has something to say, and he=
knows=20
what he wants to say, but he doesn’t know how to say it. In th=
ese=20
moments of near despair, I used that feeling to help me develop a de=
eper=20
appreciation for and sensitivity to the challenges our students face=
in=20
learning to communicate in a new language, and to help me to think o=
f=20
ways to understand and simplify their task. The satisfaction when so=
mething=20
actually worked the way I wanted it to would be the reward.</p>
<p align=3D"justify"><strong>What academic model was this software bas=
ed on?</strong><br>
The model of teaching that Easy Writer comes closest to is the Fluen=
cy=20
First model. In Fluency First, the teacher identifies what grammatic=
al=20
structure(s) the student needs help with, and prepares a lesson base=
d=20
on that structure. You’ll notice that in Easy Writer, when a s=
tudent=20
is working on an essay and wants additional help with a particular s=
tructure,=20
he goes to the Grammar Help! page, clicks the error he is troubled b=
y,=20
and receives a grammar lesson about that point, as if a teacher were=
there=20
to answer his question. When he wants, he can return to the essay he=
was=20
working on and continue from there. I like this model because it per=
sonalizes=20
the teaching and the learning experience.</p>
<p align=3D"justify"><strong>How is the companion book progressing? </=
strong><br>
Currently, the cover is being designed, and then the book will be av=
ailable.=20
Originally conceived as a companion workbook to the software, the Gr=
ammar=20
Help! Student Handbook has happily developed into much more than tha=
t.=20
It is, of course, a companion to the software. But one good thing le=
ads=20
to another, and it will also be a wonderful student handbook and ref=
erence=20
book in its own right, with grammar lessons and editing and writing =
exercises=20
that can be used alone - without the software. Like Easy Writer, all=
the=20
sentences and paragraphs used as examples and in the exercises come =
from=20
students’ writing – mostly ESL but also native English-s=
peaking=20
students requiring remediation. Like the software, there are numerou=
s=20
skills covered - grammar, editing, writing, reading - and much to ke=
ep=20
the student’s attention and involvement. </p>
<p align=3D"justify"><strong>How often are new versions released?</str=
ong><br>
Easy Writer is an ever-evolving work. Whenever we make an improvemen=
t=20
to the software, the very next customer gets the benefit of that imp=
rovement.=20
We do this because our primary interest is the user, the student. Ou=
r=20
last major version, 3.0, was released in July 2002; it was the XP-co=
mpatible=20
version and incorporated many new features and additions as well. We=
have=20
continually had minor version updates since then as we’ve adde=
d=20
more grammar units, improved navigation, etc. Our next version, 3.3,=
to=20
be released when the book becomes available, will incorporate even m=
ore=20
grammar and activities, and will indicate the correlating unit of th=
e=20
Grammar Help! Student Handbook, thus making it easy to use the softw=
are=20
and the book as a set.</p>
<p align=3D"justify"><em>Questions asked by <a href=3D"mailto:larry@es=
l.net">Larry=20
Zoumas</a> of ESL.net and answered by Jane Boris of Software for Stu=
dents.</em><br>
</p></TD>
<TD VALIGN=3D"top" BGCOLOR=3D"FFFFFF"> </TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
<hr class=3D"dividers">
<table width=3D"100%" border=3D"0">
<tr>
<td>=20
<h2><a name=3D"Trivia" id=3D"Trivia"></a>Trivia Question </h2>
<p>What is the formal name for the "language acquisition techniqu=
e"=20
which involves sitting in a comfortable chair while relaxing and lis=
tening=20
to Classical music?</p>
<p><strong>Email responses to <a href=3D"mailto:info@esl.net?subject=
=3DTrivia%20Contest">info@esl.net</a></strong></p>
<p>One randomly drawn correct answer will win a <strong>FREE 4 million=
-word=20
pocket translator</strong>!</p>
<p>The previous newsletter's question was: "What is the minimum n=
umber=20
of ESL students a school district must have before they must comply =
with=20
No Child Left Behind legislation?" The answer is "40"=
.=20
Most people guessed either "1" or "10". One pers=
on=20
guessed "39", so maybe that was a joke or something. Overa=
ll=20
there were 5 correct answers out of over 200 entries. Congratulation=
s=20
to the 2 winners of hand-held translators.</p>
<hr>
<h2><a name=3D"Specials" id=3D"Specials"></a>Specials: Spring Into Act=
ion and=20
Buy! </h2>
<TABLE WIDTH=3D"100%" BORDER=3D"0" CELLSPACING=3D"5" CELLPADDING=3D"5"=
>
<TR>=20
<TD VALIGN=3D"middle"><div align=3D"center"><a href=3D"http://www.=
esl.net/americanscenes.html"><img src=3D"http://www.esl.net/images/americans=
cenes-s.jpg" alt=3D"American Scenes" border=3D"0"></a></div></TD>
<TD VALIGN=3D"middle"><div align=3D"justify"><a href=3D"http://www=
.esl.net/americanscenes.html"><strong>America=20
Scenes ESL Video Series</strong></a><br>
American Scenes introduces the student to seven thematic setti=
ngs=20
of American life, including travel, housing, university life, =
emergency=20
situations, everyday activities, and social settings. Language=
is=20
natural, but grammatical structures are reinforced and idioms =
are=20
introduced. American Scenes comprises 7 programs, in all conta=
ining=20
33 episodes.The series comes in different editions, each one s=
pecifically=20
designed for classroom or self-study use. Bilingual versions a=
re=20
also available, in Spanish-English and Chinese-English.<br>
<a href=3D"http://www.esl.net/americanscenes.html"><strong>Mor=
e About=20
America Scenes...</strong></a></div></TD>
</TR>
<TR>=20
<TD VALIGN=3D"middle"> <div align=3D"center"><A HREF=3D"http://www=
.esl.net/aura-tellp.html"><IMG SRC=3D"http://www.esl.net/images/tmmpro-s.gif=
" alt=3D"Tell Me More Pro" BORDER=3D"0"></A>=20
</div></TD>
<TD VALIGN=3D"middle"> <P align=3D"justify"> <B><a href=3D"http://=
www.esl.net/aura-tellp.html">Tell=20
Me More Education Language Lab for Windows</a></B><br>
This one is already so affordable it does not have to be on sa=
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Built for schools and network based language labs, <strong>Tel=
l=20
Me More Pro</strong> includes all the features required to com=
plete=20
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mar,=20
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<a href=3D"http://www.esl.net/aura-tellp.html"><strong>More Ab=
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</TABLE>
<TABLE BORDER=3D"0" CELLSPACING=3D"5" CELLPADDING=3D"5">
<TR>=20
<TD><a href=3D"http://www.esl.net/video.html"><img src=3D"http://w=
ww.esl.net/images/15off-s.gif" alt=3D"15% off" border=3D"0"></a></TD>
<TD><div align=3D"justify"><strong><a href=3D"http://www.esl.net/v=
ideo.html">15%=20
Off Any Video Order Over $1,000 Until June 1st, 2004</a></stro=
ng><BR>
For a limited time, our newsletter subscribers can receive <B>=
15%</B>=20
off any video order over $1,000. That's a savings of over $150=
!=20
Choose from any of the <a href=3D"http://www.esl.net/video.htm=
l"><b>video=20
products</b></a> from our catalog (orders must be 100% video p=
roducts=20
totaling over $1000) at <A HREF=3D"http://www.esl.net"><B>ESL.=
net</B></A>.=20
That includes popular series like Speak To Me, Stage One, Amer=
ican=20
Scenes, SpeechMasters, and more. Order <B>before June 1st</B> =
and=20
use promo code <B>"TFS127</B>" on the purchase order=
to=20
receive your automatic 15% discount. <A HREF=3D"http://www.esl=
.net/video.html"><B><br>
Browse ESL.net Videos Catalog...</B></A> </div></TD>
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