What happened to the Blog?

Hello everyone!

You may notice our blog looks a little different (again).  And we will probably continue to make changes.  

I have switched back to the "simple" template for several reasons:

• I have found that the "dynamic" template we were using is especially challenging for students new to the blog.
• I often found that there were errors when the page was loading with the dynamic template.  Sometimes the comments would not show.  Sometimes I couldn't see the videos.
• I want some of the features of our blog to be easier to find.  

Now, the pages are back at the top of the page.  In the pages, you can find information about the blog, tutorials, and links to helpful websites.  

Having trouble finding a particular post?  Try searching with the labels on the right-hand column.  We have about 350 posts now, on many, many, many different topics, including culture, animals, music, dance, poetry, performances, and presentations to name a few. 

Also, I was thinking that our background (which is blank right now) could be designed by students.  Students could submit art or original photos.  If we have many submissions, we could update it each month.

I would love to hear your feedback.

-Eric, NYC, USA

A SECOND TERRIBLE NEWS!

Hi everybody,

In this evening, I spoke to our lovely friend and teacher Hakim Benachour and I heard that he lost one of his aunts!  As he said: "she was very close to us".

Hakim, we know how hard it is to lose two important person in a short period of time, but anyway, This is life and we must accept it as it is.

                 We present to all the family our sincere condolence

"INNA LI ALLAH WA INNA ILAYHI RADJIOUNE"(to God we belong and to Him we shall return)

New look for our Blog!

Hi everyone,

For all students and teachers from NYC and Bejaia City, I want you to know that our blog is really growing-up and up. I want to make it more strong by making some changes in the design and navigation part.
So, be ready for a new look.

Music: More About This Land Is Your Land

This Land Is Your Land has a long history in American culture.  So, naturally, there are a lot of great articles and media to enjoy about it.

On this post you will find:

• a link to a podcast history of the song
• a link to the This Land Is Your Land Project
• more performances of the song

Podcast
The story of Woody Guthrie's 'This Land Is Your Land'
Learn more about Woody Guthrie, and the history of this song.  You can play the podcast, and read the text.  A podcast is like a radio program for the Internet.  

Want to share a performance with others?
This Land Is Your Land Project
The Public Broadcasting Service in the US has created a wonderful project, perfect for students and teachers who love to record performances of music. (I'm talking about you!  And me!)  This project is collecting performances from people all around the world.  They are going to create a "video-mosaic" combining different performances.  You can see an example of a video-mosaic bellow, where Woody Guthrie "performs" with U2, Arlo Guthie (Woody Guthrie's son), Bruce Springstein, Little Richard, and more.  Our classes could be part of this documentary!  Click on the link above to 

• Learn more about the project
• See and hear others perform the song
• Share your performance of the song

Video: This Land Is Your Land Video-Mosaic  


Video: Live Concert at the Washington Monument, in Washington, D.C., USA


Video: God Bless America
Some say that Woody Guthrie wrote This Land Is Your Land because he was tired of hearing God Bless America.  I would say that God Bless America is a patriotic song: it celebrates the nation, as something superior to other nations.  I would not call This Land Is Your Land patriotic, because it celebrates the people.  

Respond
Are you interested in performing This Land Is Your Land?
How can we collaborate on the performance?

Technology Teachers

From HikingArtist.com

You Understand Technology
If you are reading this, you are probably pretty good with computers.  You know how to find our class blog on the Internet.  You know how to navigate the blog.  You probably comment frequently on posts.  Maybe you have even made a video.

Learning how to use technology can be frustrating for many students, and teachers as well.  The potential problems are endless.  Even after you finish making your movie, you have to move it from your computer to somewhere on the Internet.  And that requires skill.

You Can Help Other Students and Teachers
I knew this blog could be successful when I saw conversations happening in the comments. 

(Here's a secret: If you want to make a teacher cry with joy, compliment the work of another student.)  When I saw these conversations, I knew that this could really be a place where students from across the world could: 

• meet other English learners, 
• share their thoughts, questions, and creativity
• and teach others.

But I want every student and English teacher at our schools to be able to participate, share their lives, and teach us something about English.

What can you do?

If you are reading this, you can teach us something about using computers, the Internet, and technology.  I would like to begin collecting tutorials about many different topics.  For example: 

• How to open a Gmail address
• How to make a movie (on Macs and Windows)
• How to share photographs
• How to use DropBox 
• How to use Audacity
• How to use Google Documents 

These are only a few examples.  If you recently learned how to do something on the computer, tell us about it.

But I don't know how to make a tutorial!

There are many ways you can help others with technology.  

• Make a step by step list.
• Make a video.
• Record your computer screen.
• Share a link to a helpful video or website.

Here is a website with 8 free applications to record your computer screen.

But I don't know how to explain technology in English!

That's OK.  If you are a student in Algeria, your computer applications are probably in French.  If you are a student from South America, you probably use the Internet in Spanish. Learning to use computers is already difficult.  Learning to use computers in a new language can be overwhelming.  Tutorials in French or Spanish would be really helpful to other students using this blog.

Respond

What do you know how to do on the computer?

What is difficult for you on the computer?

-Eric, NYC

To Everyone: More MUSIC!

Hello everyone!  I have started making posts about music, and I have been updating the Music for English page (at the top of the blog).  I will keep posting more music every week. But, this isn't my radio station.  

• What music do you want to hear, read, and write about?

• Is there great music you want to share with others?

Make suggestions in the comments
You can make suggestions on this post, or on the Music for English page.  Please write the name of the musician, the song title, and paste the link to the website where we can hear it.

Make a new post
In your post, write a little background or information about the music, embed the video, and paste the lyrics.

If you are not a blog author, email your teacher for an invitation.  A blog author can make a new post.  You must have a Google (or Gmail) account to post on Blogger.  (But you don't need a Google account, or an invitation to comment.)

English music only?
I think music is a wonderful way to learn and teach others about culture.  If you know great non-English music, you can include an English translation of the lyrics.

-Eric, NYC

PLEASE READ: Copyrights and the Internet

Update (April 7, 2013): GFCLearnFree.org explains in clear language how copyrights work on the Internet: Blog Basics-Obtaining Content and Fair Use.

Hello students and teachers.  I need your help.  Can you help me educate others about copyright law, and create some guidelines for using material on this blog?

What Happened?
I was uploading some new class videos to YouTube today, when I saw something surprising.  There were notices from YouTube next to some of the videos: Third-Party Content Matched.  The videos show a performance from a group of students in class.

You can see the videos in a previous post: The Christmas Truce Performance.  

In the performance, the students play a song: We Wish You A Merry Christmas.  This version of the song is owned by EMI Music Publishing.  EMI was the largest music publishing company in the world.  Apparently the company has been sold, but the copyrights to the music remain.

Copyright law is difficult and confusing (at least to me).  The lyrics of the song originate from a 17th century English folk song.  So who could own those words? Well, EMI owns the recording.  It is surprising to find what can be owned as property.  The famous I Have a Dream speech, delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1963, is owned by EMI Music Publishing.  This means there are restrictions on how the recording of his speech can be used.  Al Jazeera has an interesting article about the controversy. 

Potential Problem
I submitted to YouTube an acknowledgement that the copyrighted song is part of the video.  This means that EMI has the right to advertise on the video, or block the video from playing in certain countries.  I don't understand everything about this.  This is what I know:

• When videos contain copyrighted material (music, images, text, or movies) YouTube can remove, block (the owner can limit who can see the video), or monetize (the owner can add advertisements to the video) 
• YouTube can close your account: You lose any videos you have uploaded.  You must wait six months before you can open your account again.

How can this affect our blog?
Honestly, I don't know.  Right now, we don't have a problem.  Most of our posts contain original content.  However, YouTube discovered copyrighted content used in a class video.  I think it is important to become educated about copyright laws and restrictions.  I think it is important to create some basic rules.  

Do copyrights only apply to YouTube videos?
No.  Copyrights can be applied to any medium: 

• text, articles, lesson plans
• music and recordings
• images, photographs, symbols, and art
• videos, movies, and recordings of performances

Why is this important?
I personally disagree with the actions taken by YouTube (in regards to The Christmas Truce performance).  

• The song is a small part of the performance.  
• The video is not public (you can only see it on our blog).
• The video is being used for educational (not commercial) purposes.

However, YouTube provides an amazing service, and it's free.  It must obey the law.  Aside from legal problems, there are other reasons why I think understanding copyright laws are important.

• Artists and writers deserve credit for their hard work.
• We would be upset if anyone used our videos, stories, or photographs on another website without our permission.

One of the easiest options is using work from the Creative Commons.

from the Creative Commons Downloads page

Creative Commons
The Creative Commons works within existing copyright laws,  however, it gives more options and freedoms to the creators or users.  The owners can allow users to freely download, share, post, or make changes to their work.  CreativeCommons.org allows users to easily search for a variety of media (including images, logos, music, video, etc.).  Once you find what you are looking for, it will give instructions for how you can use it, and how the owners want to be attributed (or recognized for their work).

There are many sites that collect media with Creative Commons licences.  One of my favorites is The Free Music Archive.  

There is music of every kind here.  All of it can be downloaded for free.  Most of it can be used in our projects.

What can we do?
We have many talented and intelligent people among us.  Together, we can ensure that our blog remains safe, and that we give proper credit where credit is due.

My request to our Internet community:
1. Can you research or share what you know about Copyright Law on the Internet?  I would like to create a set of guidelines or rules for posting content on our blog.  We can create a new page (a tab at the top of our blog) for this information.

2. Can you find good resources for Creative Commons material?  CreativeCommons.org and FreeMusicArchive.org are two examples.

3. How do we want to label this site? We can register at CreativeCommons.org to protect our content, but there are many options.


My Final Thought
This topic is complicated and confusing.  The best thing we can do is to learn more about it, and talk about it.  Please start the conversation in the comments.  There are no stupid questions, and all thoughts and comments are welcome.  In fact, I see some potential here for ORAL WAR style debates.

-Eric, NYC

Question for all Tech Smart Students: What is a blog?

I have a problem.  Can you help me?

In our classes, there are students who could probably design their own website. And there are students who are learning how to use email.

How do you explain this thing we are using? In other words:

What is a blog?

How is a blog different from other kinds of websites?

What can you do with a blog?

I would love to share your responses in my class Thursday night.  Any ideas?  You can respond in the comments.

-Eric, NYC

To Everyone: Comments and Changes

Hello. Your teachers and classmates have made some changes to our blog.

Comments
I know that students are visiting the blog everyday. And that is truly exciting. Students will know that you have seen their projects when you comment. I have changed the comment settings to make it easier to comment. When you finish looking at their pictures, reading their writing, or watching their videos, please leave a comment every time. Your comments can be short and simple. Tell them what you think, and write your first name so the authors know who to reply to. And blog authors, please reply to comments on your posts. Let's get the conversation going!

Pages
At the top of the blog, you will find new tabs, called "pages" on a blog. These pages have information about the blog, information on how to use the blog, and links to useful and free websites for learning English. Please comment on the pages if you have suggestions or questions.

-Eric, NYC

Tech Notes: About Posting Videos

Students in Bejaia and NYC have been making videos, and want to share them on the blog.  But how?

For Blogger to play a video in a post, the video must be stored somewhere on the Internet.  Blogger's tool for uploading videos is new, and itsn't perfect.  When I have tried to upload anything over 5 minutes, there has been a problem.

Blogger is a Google product though, and is well integrated with other Google products like Picasa and YouTube.  The most recent set of video introductions were all shared through YouTube.  The same Google account you use to post on Blogger, will provide access to Picasa for web albums, and YouTube for your video galleries.

I was reluctant to use YouTube.  And I would understand your reservations.  Aside from being the most popular video sharing site on the Internet, it may be the most popular thing on the Internet.  Perhaps you've seen videos that have gone viral (or literally spreading as quickly as a virus). Perhaps you've seen some nasty comments from YouTube users.  Or maybe your school's Internet network blocks all access to YouTube (which is true for most American public schools).

Now that I've listed all of the reasons not to use YouTube, here are the reasons why I am using YouTube (for now).

1. Unlimited uploads (?): I can't confirm this yet, but I have not seen any notice about MB limits to my account.  I considered Vimeo.com, but the free account is limited to 500 MB per week.  To upload longer videos (longer than 15 minutes) I needed to confirm by YouTube account by receiving a code on my cell phone.  Very easy.

2. Easy to upload: I am uploading multiple videos as I write this.

3. Privacy settings: Being on the Internet (even YouTube) doesn't mean that anyone is going to see it.  You have to work to get noticed, using categories, tags, and other forms of metadata, for example.  It seems just as unlikely to get noticed walking in a crowd in Times Square.

And I don't really want my students videos to get noticed on YouTube.  I want them to be viewed in context on our class blog here. Any video uploaded to YouTube can be public (and searchable), unlisted (from what I understand, this video will not be found without a direct link) and private (only people invited to see it can).  I am using the unlisted setting, so that anyone viewing the videos on the blog can see them.

4. Editing Features: YouTube has tools to improve your video online.  You can also make slide shows combining images, videos, and music. 

For Teachers: A Note about Technology Used

I wanted to share some information about the Audio Stories,  how students made them, and how I share them on this blog.

Drafting Scripts
Over the course of the fall 2012 semester, students drafted personal narratives about their lives and topics important to them.  They used their final texts as scripts to record an audio story, something like a podcast or radio program.


To produce the audio files, we used a free audio editing program called Audacity.  Audacity is open-source, and can work on Windows or Mac operating systems.  It is also fairly user-friendly, and yet able to produce professional level recordings.

Recording
The students spent many nights practicing their scripts.  They recorded using the built-in microphones in lap-tops, as well as voice-recorder applications on smart phones.

Editing
The pieces of their recordings were assembled and edited in Audacity, and many students added sounds they recorded, or music from YouTube and MP3s.

Publishing
The students shared their audio stories through a shared DropBox folder (DropBox is a free cloud file-storage application).  We also burned CDs featuring the 11 completed recordings.  We did not have a blog for the class at the time, so I will publish their stories here, as soon as I have permission from individual students to share their work.

On the Blog
Posting audio in Blogger is a little more challenging than attaching photos or videos. (Maybe I'm just overlooking something!)  For Karina, Hakima, and Madjid, I was able to link through a podcasting service called PodBean.  With PodBean, and other podcast sites, you can embed a player directly to the Blogger post by copying and pasting an HTML code.  It's not as difficult as it sounds.

However, when I tried to upload another audio file to PodBean tonight, I found that I had reached my limit for this month!  I will have to try some other alternatives.

-Eric, NYC

Level 4 NYC: About Post Titles

Now that we have several class in New York City, and potentially other classes in Bejaia contributing, I would like to make a request.

We may soon find that the blog platform is not ideal for this (and I am open to suggestions...if you know a better way, please tell me!).

Until then, I would like to suggest a method for organizing our posts, to make it easier to search for past posts.

The format I have been using is simple.

Class Name  City (colon) The Title of Your Post
Level 4         NYC     :      About Post Titles

What do you think?

-Eric, NYC

Level 4 NYC: Our blog is growing!

Wow!  I can't tell you how excited I am to see posts from other classes.  I really hope that students and teachers will continue posting and commenting.  I want this blog to be a shared space---a place to collaborate and share ideas, and find motivation and inspiration. 

So...thank you so much.

-Eric, NYC