BCCCLIP2AS

Cheers

2006-06-07T10:17:00.000-07:00

Hello Super Students-

It has been wonderful to work with you this semester. Despite our various "learning experiences" and "beautiful mistakes" (the teacher's included), I think that we have had a very productive term. In addition to having learned some grammar, organizational patterns, etc., I hope you have gained a better understanding of how systems work (whether college, our government, or the UN) . I hope that you will continue to ask questions and fight for what you believe in, "intell_ _ _ _ _ _ _ and polit _ _ _ ." I know that you will make a difference in whatever field you choose.

As was mentioned in class, here are a few sites that I recommend that you peruse.
The International Center in NY - English Conversation and American Culture for Immigrants and Newcomers to the US.
NY Public Library - Centers for Reading and Writing - Computer Instruction and Small Group Tutoring.

I hope you continue to read the newspaper, listen to National Public Radio WNYC AM 820 or FM 93.9, and explore the wonderful cultural institutions that NY offers.

That's all for now.

"Bye-bye grammar book, National Public Radio, newspaper..." Until we meet again (which should be soon, self-motivated adults!)

Cheers.

Links to articles in prep for finals

2006-05-22T04:20:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all of the hard work done by the intelligent students of BCC, I would like to welcome other CLIP students to peruse our blogs.

The following students have posted valuable information in preparation for our final exams. Please click on the names of the students on the right hand side of this page. Thanks.

Eilyn and Nathalia - drugs

Magdeline and Jennifer - nurses and counselors

Atia and Reyna - transportation

Claribel - rent control

Martina - computers and after school programs

Ivelisse and team are working on health care.

Possible blog site for BCC CLIP

2006-05-17T11:40:00.000-07:00

Today we discussed the possibility of making a BCC CLIP blog site for the whole program. What do you think?

Spring Exploration

2006-04-26T11:37:00.000-07:00

We are fortunate to have so many hours in CLIP and thus the opportunity to learn from the many rich cultural institutions in the area.
Here is the schedule so far:

May 11th - Whitney Museum
May 18th - Washington D.C. or a local field trip (more information will be coming soon.)
May 25th - Ellis Island Museum
June 1st - American Museum of Natural History (the Darwin exhibit)
Date: TBA - a walking tour of Jackson Heights, Queens.

Please take some time to peruse the sites.

What should we do about immigration laws?

2006-04-05T11:43:00.000-07:00

As the topic of immigration continues to perplex the nation, our class read the NY Times article entitled, "Immigrants and the Economics of Hard Work." Please have a look at what my thoughtful and experienced immigrant students had to say in response.

Emigrate and Immigrate

2006-04-03T07:24:00.000-07:00

Reyna asked a very good question, "What's the difference between emigrate and immigrate?"
Here is what the on-line Merriam-Webster dictionary had to offer.

EMIGRATE
Main Entry: em·i·grate Pronunciation: 'e-m&-"grAtFunction: intransitive verbInflected Form(s): -grat·ed; -grat·ingEtymology: Latin emigratus, past participle of emigrare, from e- + migrare to migrate: to leave one's place of residence or country to live elsewhere- em·i·gra·tion /"e-m&-'grA-sh&n/ noun

IMMIGRATE
Main Entry: im·mi·grate Pronunciation: 'i-m&-"grAtFunction: verbInflected Form(s): -grat·ed; -grat·ingEtymology: Latin immigratus, past participle of immigrare to remove, go in, from in- + migrare to migrateintransitive senses : to enter and usually become established; especially : to come into a country of which one is not a native for permanent residencetransitive senses : to bring in or send as immigrants- im·mi·gra·tion /"i-m&-'grA-sh&n/ noun- im·mi·gra·tion·al /-shn&l, -sh&-n&l/ adjective

Visual Literacy

2006-03-31T20:01:00.000-08:00

What do you see?

What evidence can you find in the visual text to support your interpretations?

NY TIMES Recommended Reading Re: Internet Use

2006-03-31T19:44:00.000-08:00

Today's NY Times had a couple of articles that could be of interest to our class.

"College Admission Angst Finds a Forum on Web" discusses the use of on-line venues, including blogs to express feelings related to the college admission process. What are some of the benefits of writing your thoughts in this type of forum? What are some of the possible problems?

"Digital Divide Closing as Blacks Turn to Internet" talks about the increasing use of computers among minorities. What types of programs already increase on-line access and what would you suggest to help reduce the gap between the have and the have-nots?

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

HELLO BMCC

2006-03-24T07:23:00.000-08:00

Hi Super Students from BMCC,
I understand from your teacher, Rivka Little, that you have quickly learned the art of blogging.
Is there anything that you would like to know about our class before we meet in person?
My students from BCC look forward to working with you this semester.
Cheers.

Firefox

2006-03-21T14:57:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Josh Levy, who has generously given his time to help fix some computer glitches, I have started to use Firefox in order to see all of the buttons on Blogger. Perhaps my computer-savvy students will try to download it at home, for free. This might clear up some of the problems that a few students were having last week.

2006-03-14T17:51:00.000-08:00

As my first step into fresh territory – a new cultural/ linguistic realm for me (I think of it as BSL -Blogging as a Second Language), I thought it would be appropriate to see what other teachers were doing with blogs and the ESL classroom. I came across a site that specifically helps ESL and EFL learners start their own blogs (http://eslblogs.org/) as well as a comprehensive discussion of blogging for education by James Farmer (http://blogsavvy.net/category/blogging-for-education/). Of course, I need to mention my teaching partner this semester, Josh Levy (http://www.levjoy.com), from Hunter college who has helped my class embark on this on-line journey. Thanks, Josh.
(Note: I am obviously experiencing a little technical difficulty as I can't seem to locate the hyperlink icon. If my smart students are reading this, I hope they realize that I can empathize with them in the learning of a new language, BSL. Cheers. We are all learners.)