new programme

I tried a new programme

Yes, yesterday I tried a new programme to see if I could use it for distance learning-teaching. It is called EtherPad. It is in beta but it worked. I tried it out with Jens after his lesson and there is a pic of him and the computer screens showing contact.

You can see we have both written text at the same time and picked a different colour so you can easily see who is also working on the same document and where. Very interesting for teaching composition and structure or even spelling. Great what we can do with these machines now and just think what we will be able to do in another couple of years. Can't wait!

Now to pack my bag for I am flying to London tomorrow morning and I have lots of other things to do before then. Have a nice weekend!

Nice workshop

I went to a very interesting workshop yesterday

You know I am a co-founder and member of ELTABB , the English teachers' association here, and I am still active in supporting its activities. I have always liked attending workshops for the people you meet and for the topics. Never stop learning was one of the few wise things my father always said to his children!

The workshop was given by a lady called Ania who runs a private school in Poznan in Poland and spoke perfect English. She introduced a new idea about testing using pictures and labels that she had developed in her school. After the break, we examined how she had developed a feedback form, which is just that, and not an evaluation which many feedback forms are used for. Very interesting idea and very relevant for getting students to come back to the next series of lessons.

Later I went to Oldie Hermann's for a meal and to admire his new cooker, flat screen TV system and a coffee machine that looked like it could also do the weekly washing! A nice lazy evening after the workshop and with lots of humour as usual.

I an now waiting for 'leiber Jan' to Skype me and the turn on TeamView so that we can both work on checking the last part of his MSc paper. It is about ground settlement as a result of pile driving ..... yes, and it is really interesting, even for a non Techie like me. The things I am still learning. I have been invited to a meeting of 'Techies' tomorrow evening to discuss changes to our teachers web site - perhaps I am becoming a little bit techie!

Objects

Stefan said,"We need more photos of objects".

Who is Stefan? He leads my Friday afternoon Photoshop course and is a bit of a camera and computer wizard. We recently went onto the streets around the building where we have the course and took lots of shots for background work. We then added lots of objects by adding 'layers' to make slightly off-beat pictures, and then realised we were running out of objects, hence Stefan's plea.

I looked around my flat and took about twelve photos to take along this Friday and so decided to add to this small story about my daily life here. I chose three - which I think best represent the 'crazy' things we take, but which look really interested when embedded into a larger picture.

Here, I didn't include salt and petter pots, oven gloves, an iron, coffee pot, telephone, butter dish and waste paper basket - and a few other objects you find around the house.

I can create a picnic scene using a snow covered park photo as background, then add a river, with boats, flowing through the park on the bank of which I shall set the picnic. I can put some of my new objects onto the picnic cloth. We have photos of animals from a local zoo, including an elephant so I can give him a wristwatch using this clock, then place all the animals around the picnic cloth.

Lots of flow once you start composing the picture. The aim is to learn how to use the many things available in the programme - even though the results are sometimes interesting .

Stefan is hoping to start a beginner computer course for Seniors in the next couple of weeks and Micha has put his name down for the group. He needs the kind of help available in such a group. Happy snapping!

Snowing again

It's snowing again

It has been snowing on and off here since last Friday. Nice - for Berlin looks very different when covered in white. I played around with my camera to get photos showing the sun on the trees and snow and other objects.


My Friday course is making me more aware of things around me and how they may look through the lens of a camera. The first shot is from my bedroom window which shows the view at the front of my flat.


This is the view from the back, into the garden and the big tree that dominates the centre of the garden and offers welcome shade in summer.

The third photo is also of the garden but facing away from the tree and directed to the trees forming the border to the next flats. I like the white and blue shades in the photos.

This week has been quiet compared to the previous two weeks when I did a lot of covering for sick and holidaying teachers. At least I have had time to finish my book about the history of Spain. Very interesting and I have decided to buy another on my next visit to the UK.

I am helping Jan with one his thesis papers this week. I have been through the 32pages :-) and we are meeting this evening via Skype to discuss my proposed changes. I have also worked on another two documents from a private student and will continue next week. One is based on an excel document so I shall have to brush up my knowledge of excel before we meet. I have got another student working on writing activities, as preparation for an exam in summer, and yesterday we decided to use the internet-computers to assist in the work.

Apart from that, not a lot to report. I am going to my second Spanish class of my new course in about two hours, after which I shall spend some time at the Wellness Club doing my back and leg exercises, before I contact Jan for his work in the evening.

This Saturday I am going to a 'Double Workshop' organised by ELTABB, our teachers' association, so that should be interesting. On Sunday I have nothing planned except more training in the morning, and next week flows into its normal routine ending with my flight to London on Friday - weather permitting!

Went to another concert

I went to another concert last night

Yes, Angelika called me on Thursday to remind me about the concert on Friday. It was excellent. It was at 'my concert' opera house and I had an ideal seat in the middle of the circle, so I had a perfect view and sound reception.

The Komische Oper orchestra was directed by a guest conductor from Bulgaria called Rossen Milanov with the French pianist, Jean-Francois Heisser. Very popular and had to take two encores before the audience would let him go.

The programme was :- Schnittke: (K)ein Sommernachtstraum ( A reference to (Not) A Summer Nights Dream!) - which was delightful in how he made fun of the classic style and parodied it with atonal developments. Great.

It was followed by Prokofiew's Piano Concerto 2. opus 16. A real showcase of a piece which this pianist made look as easy as opening a door. He was a 'mature' pianist and the ease of his style reflected the many years and experiences of playing all over the world.

After the break the orchestra showed what it could do by playing Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dance. All translations of the original German programme by me! A really great evening of music and one I needed after two weeks of intensive work covering for ill and absent teachers.

February 2009 Events

Birthdays in February 2009

The month has already started and I am late posting news about birthday and events this month.

Let's deal with birthdays first for they are the nicest. Sven opened the month with his 34th celebrated with his lovely wife and daughter here in Berlin. Alan Bateson in Castleford enjoyed his 66th on the 4th February followed by Jens on the 5th for his 39th. He lives almost on the Mugglesee and love to visit in summer to enjoy the view of the water from the garden.

Frau Dr. I Pardon has her 61st birthday on the 18th February. She runs the language institute Birgit used to work for and for which I am doing a lot of teaching at the moment to cover for illness and holidays. Eleonora has her big one on the 22nd - yes, she will be 50. She is Jan and Andrea's mother so I wonder how that day will go off.

Heike my student in Berlin has her birthday on the 24th and Adrian has his 'Biggy' on the 25th = his 50th birthday. As you know from reading this blog, I shall be flying over for the event and to meet his daughter, and my god-daughter Charlotte, again. Looking forward to it. The month ends with Peter Bateson in Australia celebrating his 29th with his wife and planning the arrival of their first child at the end of April. Nice age to be a 'Papa' Peter!

Other things -

I was really busy last week covering for illness and holidays at the Institute and I am doing the same this week. Even more so this week as I have to prepare a student for a job interview on Friday at München. We finally sorted out his topic and language for the presentation so all I have to get him to do now is practice and practice and to do it again! Interesting to work with him for he is a Diplom Herr Bau Engineer - as Jan will soon be.

My Spanish course starts on the 12th February so I need to register next week before Thursday. I'm meeting Nicole next meet for a meal, drink and chat. Looking forward to that too.

My Photoshop course has moved to Friday afternoon with a new gang. They are nice and friendly and I like the sessions.

Mondays are for Hans and trying to help him. We recently went to Spandau as you can read on the blog report for January. I plan to take him to an inner city area next Monday. It is one of many he has never been to. He just lived in his own area and moved between his flat, job and local pub!

I have a new student called Jens and am helping him to get through a Cambridge Level 1 course book to prepare him for the exam in June. He needs it to improve his chances on the employment market. His nice 'Mudda und Vadda' are footing the cost of his lessons!

There are some ELTABB workshops during the month and a couple of meetings of sporty Oldies but I haven't decided if I shall gallop along with them yet. I probably will! I am just looking forward to the changes the end of this month will bring as we slowly move from the winter to spring period. I am not a winter person - except when I am on the ski-slope where I love the deep snow, cold days and clear blue sky. Wonderful!