Technology is not my friend today! I think I'm pressing buttons too fast because things are freezing up like CRAZY!!
Anyway, I was late posting the SPI114 Final. It's posted in Moodle, listed as "Final". It will be due Wednesday, 27 July 2011 at midnight. I don't think it'll take you guys that long, but I was late so I gave you a little bit of a cushion.
SPI214 Final is also posted in Moodle.
Hopefully by the end of next week, my webpage will be updated for those of you interested in getting a head start on fall or just eager to study grammar.
I really enjoyed this summer and working with each of you! I'm really excited about the fall semester and hopefully working with each of you again.
Ciao,
MLMoore
PS: I registered 2 new students to the Community Spanish Program! WHOOO HOOO!! :)
Ciao,
MLMoore
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Friday, July 15, 2011
Fall Classes... Oooops
I can't believe the summer session is almost over...
Here's a head's up on the classes I'll be teaching this fall and the times.
SPA111OA MW 10:30-11:45am T129
SPA111IHS TTH 1:00 - 2:15pm T205
SPA112OA TTH 10:30 - 11:45am T129
SPA112OB MW 12:30 - 1:45pm W204 (new room for me...)
SPA211HB M 1st 8weeks 2:30 - 3:45pm N226 (this is a CHANGE from original schedule)
SPA215HB W 1st 8weeks 2:30 - 3:45pm N226 (this is a CHANGE from original schedule)
SPA212HB M 2nd 8weeks 2:30 - 3:45pm N226 (this is a CHANGE from original schedule)
**SPA231HB W 2nd 8weeks 2:30 3:45pm N226 (this is a CHANGE from original schedule)
** While I know this wouldn't surprise anyone that has spent ANY time with me, I must admit it shocked me... I have one more small change... SPA231 is listed in your schedule as Spanish Conversation, but it's ACTUALLY Reading and Composition. If this is going present a problem with anyone's schedule, please see me AS SOON AS POSSIBLE so we can work something out ESPECIALLY if this will cause a graduation problem.
“Before beginning a Hunt, it is wise to ask someone what you are looking for before you begin looking for it.” Winnie the Pooh
Ciao,
MLMoore
Here's a head's up on the classes I'll be teaching this fall and the times.
SPA111OA MW 10:30-11:45am T129
SPA111IHS TTH 1:00 - 2:15pm T205
SPA112OA TTH 10:30 - 11:45am T129
SPA112OB MW 12:30 - 1:45pm W204 (new room for me...)
SPA211HB M 1st 8weeks 2:30 - 3:45pm N226 (this is a CHANGE from original schedule)
SPA215HB W 1st 8weeks 2:30 - 3:45pm N226 (this is a CHANGE from original schedule)
SPA212HB M 2nd 8weeks 2:30 - 3:45pm N226 (this is a CHANGE from original schedule)
**SPA231HB W 2nd 8weeks 2:30 3:45pm N226 (this is a CHANGE from original schedule)
** While I know this wouldn't surprise anyone that has spent ANY time with me, I must admit it shocked me... I have one more small change... SPA231 is listed in your schedule as Spanish Conversation, but it's ACTUALLY Reading and Composition. If this is going present a problem with anyone's schedule, please see me AS SOON AS POSSIBLE so we can work something out ESPECIALLY if this will cause a graduation problem.
“Before beginning a Hunt, it is wise to ask someone what you are looking for before you begin looking for it.” Winnie the Pooh
Ciao,
MLMoore
Monday, July 11, 2011
"Cocolos" bad word?
One of the best things about being a teacher is learning... if you're not learning, then honey you're not teaching!
I was preparing for my Spanish 3 class this fall. (My Spanish 3 classes focus on literature, one of the short stories we'll read is "Tiempo muerto" by Avelino Stanley.) When I came across a word "cocolos" that I had heard before, but this time it had a different tone. So, I investigated and here is what I found...
TIMEOUT: (The selection we're reading comes from the book, "Tiempo muerto.")
Winner of the Dominican Republic National Award for the best novel in 1997, this book investigates the development of the sugar cane industry in the Dominican Republic during the early 20th century. The industry relied heavily on immigrant labor from black workers in the nearby British Islands. These workers, whose native language was English, were called "Cocolos" (a derogatory term referring to coconuts) by Dominican natives and suffered brutal discrimination. Stanley weaves a vivid and painful story through multiple narratives about the life of el abuelo (the grandfather), an immigrant worker from Nevis who worked on various sugar plantations in San Pedro de Macoris and La Romana in the Dominican Republic from 1932 to 1972. Stanley's descriptions are deeply touching, as when el abuelo describes a small village as "at most eight to ten small houses of old and tired wood." Recommended as a multicultural work for academic and large public libraries. Ketty Rodriguez, Sch. of Lib. and Information Science, Univ. of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
http://www.amazon.com/Tiempo-muerto-Dead-time-Spanish/dp/9768175087
Avelino Stanley, born in La Romana, Dominican Republic in 1959. He has a BA in Economics, a MA in Linguistics, and a postgraduate degree in History of the Afroiberoamericana. (I'd love to study the History of the Afro-Latinoamericana!) Below is an interview, in which you can learn more about Sr.Stanley's life, his childhood, and his writings.
http://vetasdigital.blogspot.com/2007/01/entrevista-al-escritor-dominicano.html
TIME BACK IN:
"Cocolo" was used to refer to "black English-speaking" Caribbean migrants, usually from the West Indies British colonies, who came to the cities of San Pedro de Macoris, Puerto Plata, and other areas to work on the docks and sugar cane plantations in the Dominican Republic at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries.
In the beginning, I can understand why it would or could be considered "negative". Think about it, there are already people working the docks and plantations... black, indian... people of color. Imagine a group of people, who speak English, who are darker in color, (therefore easier to separate), who have last names like Smith, Jones (because they come from the British colonies), and more importantly they're migrants, therefore they're hungry for jobs, for opportunites, for a better way of life. Sound familiar?
Of course, there may have been animosity between the people... they've come to the DR and take their jobs. We can relate to that feeling, it happened here in the US and is STILL happening. Anyway, through time, fortunately the animosity in the term "cocolo" disappeared.
Now, I feel it's a term to refer to the rich culture, traditions and history of a people who have become an important part of the Dominican Republic history. That being said, I'm sure like with many words that are used to describe a group of people, "cocolo" can be used in a negative way with a nasty tone, just like it can be used in a positive way that expressed the admiration for the great people it represents.
A friend of mine is Puerto Rican and he said "cocolo" is used in PR to refer people who likes Salsa music and is not considered a bad word in PR. It was even used in black poetry of Luis Palés Matos works.
That being said, I'm a "cocola" and I a proud one!
Los Guloyas (refers to the music of the cocolo people): http://youtu.be/uzXdtbvYgJY .
Traditional music and dance: http://youtu.be/zRfuRjoZObw
Cocolo Dancing Drama Tradition http://www.unesco.org/culture/intangible-heritage/14lac_uk.htm
Ciao,
MLMoore
I was preparing for my Spanish 3 class this fall. (My Spanish 3 classes focus on literature, one of the short stories we'll read is "Tiempo muerto" by Avelino Stanley.) When I came across a word "cocolos" that I had heard before, but this time it had a different tone. So, I investigated and here is what I found...
TIMEOUT: (The selection we're reading comes from the book, "Tiempo muerto.")
Winner of the Dominican Republic National Award for the best novel in 1997, this book investigates the development of the sugar cane industry in the Dominican Republic during the early 20th century. The industry relied heavily on immigrant labor from black workers in the nearby British Islands. These workers, whose native language was English, were called "Cocolos" (a derogatory term referring to coconuts) by Dominican natives and suffered brutal discrimination. Stanley weaves a vivid and painful story through multiple narratives about the life of el abuelo (the grandfather), an immigrant worker from Nevis who worked on various sugar plantations in San Pedro de Macoris and La Romana in the Dominican Republic from 1932 to 1972. Stanley's descriptions are deeply touching, as when el abuelo describes a small village as "at most eight to ten small houses of old and tired wood." Recommended as a multicultural work for academic and large public libraries. Ketty Rodriguez, Sch. of Lib. and Information Science, Univ. of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
http://www.amazon.com/Tiempo-muerto-Dead-time-Spanish/dp/9768175087
Avelino Stanley, born in La Romana, Dominican Republic in 1959. He has a BA in Economics, a MA in Linguistics, and a postgraduate degree in History of the Afroiberoamericana. (I'd love to study the History of the Afro-Latinoamericana!) Below is an interview, in which you can learn more about Sr.Stanley's life, his childhood, and his writings.
http://vetasdigital.blogspot.com/2007/01/entrevista-al-escritor-dominicano.html
TIME BACK IN:
"Cocolo" was used to refer to "black English-speaking" Caribbean migrants, usually from the West Indies British colonies, who came to the cities of San Pedro de Macoris, Puerto Plata, and other areas to work on the docks and sugar cane plantations in the Dominican Republic at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries.
In the beginning, I can understand why it would or could be considered "negative". Think about it, there are already people working the docks and plantations... black, indian... people of color. Imagine a group of people, who speak English, who are darker in color, (therefore easier to separate), who have last names like Smith, Jones (because they come from the British colonies), and more importantly they're migrants, therefore they're hungry for jobs, for opportunites, for a better way of life. Sound familiar?
Of course, there may have been animosity between the people... they've come to the DR and take their jobs. We can relate to that feeling, it happened here in the US and is STILL happening. Anyway, through time, fortunately the animosity in the term "cocolo" disappeared.
Now, I feel it's a term to refer to the rich culture, traditions and history of a people who have become an important part of the Dominican Republic history. That being said, I'm sure like with many words that are used to describe a group of people, "cocolo" can be used in a negative way with a nasty tone, just like it can be used in a positive way that expressed the admiration for the great people it represents.
A friend of mine is Puerto Rican and he said "cocolo" is used in PR to refer people who likes Salsa music and is not considered a bad word in PR. It was even used in black poetry of Luis Palés Matos works.
That being said, I'm a "cocola" and I a proud one!
Los Guloyas (refers to the music of the cocolo people): http://youtu.be/uzXdtbvYgJY .
Traditional music and dance: http://youtu.be/zRfuRjoZObw
Cocolo Dancing Drama Tradition http://www.unesco.org/culture/intangible-heritage/14lac_uk.htm
Ciao,
MLMoore
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
SPI114 Analytical Skills... Focus (seriously)
Sometimes I'm amazed at the way my brain works. COMPLETELY sidetracked today, not feeling like working at all, I accidentally stumbled on information that coincides with what I'm supposed to be teaching...
Last week we discussed memorization techniques. Given a list, how do you memorize the information? Flashcards, chunking, visually, anagrams, some you just repeated the information over and over again, either way.. you have a method and it works for you.
We've talked about this before, as interpreters, you'll have to use your memorization skills repeatedly. You'll have to access your short term memory to remember what has been said, process the message into another language, then repeat it. During the process of converting this message you have to access your long term memory for the vocabulary.
One of the things we haven't discussed is "Focus." (that made me laugh too!) As an interpreter, your ability to "tune out" extra noises is almost as important as your memorization skills. Think about it... you're interpreting for someone bleeding excessively from everywhere in the emergency room... You are surrounded by total chaos, yet you have to concentrate on the situation in front of you. Losing track of the conversation because people around you are missing limbs or eyes or bleeding or screaming... could mean the death of your client.
SINCE we all know that I am "Focus Deficient" I'm going to share a few articles on Improving your Focus.
It seems the easiest way to "test" your "Focus" skills will be to throw some distractions your way next week.
Article 1: 5 ways to Improve your Focus
Article 2: 8 ways to Improve your Focus and Control your Attention
Article 3: 12 Tips to Improve Your Focus
We'll watch 4 videos:
1. 2 in English and 2 in Spanish. I'll try my hardest to keep the videos short.
2. You'll need to relay what you heard in the videos. An opportunity to practice note-taking skills.
3. We'll discuss how much you of the video you were able to understand.
4. We'll discuss the distractions. Could you "tune" them out? Are some distractions easier to block out?
5. Did language have any effect on the experiment?
Ciao,
MLMoore
Last week we discussed memorization techniques. Given a list, how do you memorize the information? Flashcards, chunking, visually, anagrams, some you just repeated the information over and over again, either way.. you have a method and it works for you.
We've talked about this before, as interpreters, you'll have to use your memorization skills repeatedly. You'll have to access your short term memory to remember what has been said, process the message into another language, then repeat it. During the process of converting this message you have to access your long term memory for the vocabulary.
One of the things we haven't discussed is "Focus." (that made me laugh too!) As an interpreter, your ability to "tune out" extra noises is almost as important as your memorization skills. Think about it... you're interpreting for someone bleeding excessively from everywhere in the emergency room... You are surrounded by total chaos, yet you have to concentrate on the situation in front of you. Losing track of the conversation because people around you are missing limbs or eyes or bleeding or screaming... could mean the death of your client.
SINCE we all know that I am "Focus Deficient" I'm going to share a few articles on Improving your Focus.
It seems the easiest way to "test" your "Focus" skills will be to throw some distractions your way next week.
Article 1: 5 ways to Improve your Focus
Article 2: 8 ways to Improve your Focus and Control your Attention
Article 3: 12 Tips to Improve Your Focus
We'll watch 4 videos:
1. 2 in English and 2 in Spanish. I'll try my hardest to keep the videos short.
2. You'll need to relay what you heard in the videos. An opportunity to practice note-taking skills.
3. We'll discuss how much you of the video you were able to understand.
4. We'll discuss the distractions. Could you "tune" them out? Are some distractions easier to block out?
5. Did language have any effect on the experiment?
Ciao,
MLMoore
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