Preparing for G

[Mitzi100]

Hi Everybody,
Only Yulia gave me her log today. The rest of you should have it ready for next Sunday. After that it will be considered late, and you will lose points! You may send questions about a phrase or a sentence, but I will not check whole tasks any more. Look at the corrections you have, and check your grammar carefully before deciding that the task is ready for the log.

Now we'll start getting ready for the G module. We'll start out by working on compositions. We'll use the forum this time, instead of my e-mail. I want to give to practice both in writing and also in finding mistakes and trying to correct them.

Here's the plan:

1. I will give you the assignment, and you will write a composition that is at least 120 words long. Post your composition on the forum.



2. Read somebody else's composition and find one or two mistakes in the categories of vocabulary, grammar and mechanics (spelling, paragraphs, punctuation)



3. Post a message to the forum saying what you think the mistakes are and how you think they should be corrected.



4. After a few comments, I will write to the forum and say who is right.



These tasks will count towards your magen grade for G, so don't ignore them!! Did you hear that the magen will be 60% of your grade for the Winter Bagrut?! You will also get a bonus of 10 points on your exam for putting up with the sirens and rockets!!



OK. Here is the first assignment:



This year, one out of four of our weekly English lessons was an online task on the forum on the Internet. This was a solution to a scheduling problem, but some teachers are interested in trying this as a regular feature of their courses. Since you have been part of this experiment, the school is interested in your opinion of the learning value of this type of lesson.



Write a composition expressing your opinion on this issue. Include specific examples to back up your opinion.



*Remember this is a composition, not a letter!

* You should have at least 3 paragraphs:

1. an introduction

2. explanations or reasons to back up your opinion

3. conclusion.

* Think and plan before you start writing.



Read this message again from the beginning, so that you are quite sure what you have to do. The first part of this task (the composition) must be done by Thursday. The second part (commenting on someone else's composition, must be done by Sunday. As usual, you can send me a message with any questions you may have.

[jenia buzilo]

There are many ways to have lessons. Teachers can teach us or have lessons whith us at school , in a private way or make some courses during our holidays.
Today, there is the most modern way of teaching through the computer . Teachers started to give their lessons, their explanations through the internet.
In my opinion, from one side this method of teaching is very interesting, helpful and productive. I think when you are at home, you feel yourself more free and nobody can disturb you and you are able to concentrate on your thoughts, on your way of working and writing.
From the other side it's a little bit boring because you are alone and there is none to help or ask some questions. I think it wiil be better to hold video conferences where several people can work together at the same time and the teacher can give some advices and explanations.
This experiment is interesting and successful.

[Eran]

Learning by the Internet is an interesting idea, and it has it has its own advantages and disadvantages. On one hand it's useful because students can do assignments when they want and when it's convenient for them, and also it can replace a lesson which could only take place at a difficult hour. On the other hand, it's kind of difficult for students to work from their home, because at home there are many more distractions then in school.

I think that lessons online could be a good solution if the lesson cannot take place at normal hours. For example, online tasks could replace a lesson which otherwise would have to take place at the 10th hour. I don't think that online tasks need to be a regular feature in lessons because it's kind of hard to concentrate when you are sitting in front of the computer at home, and it's easy to just start surfing to other sites, at least in my case.

In short, online tasks have their virtues, but they also have their shortcomings, and I think that the weight of the shortcomings is larger than the wight of the virtues.In conclusion I think that we need to use online tasks only if we don't have a choice.


To Jenia- With is written without the h (not whith). I don't think you need the comma in your second sentence.

[Adi]

Sometimes it is very difficult to plan a schedule for classes which have a lot of different lessons. It is impossible to announce a lesson with teachers when the schedule is fool and there is a limit for weekly hours that students or teachers can take.We searched for a solution to this problem and we found the Online Lessons.
In the internet is very easy to open a forum and to use it for any topics anyone like to debate about. Another use for a forum can be a school lesson.The teacher is the one who chooses the topics. He can give an assignment as a topic as well . And the student have to do the assignments due to a week or till the day teacher decides.
This solution is very comfortable for all. Every student can do the assignment when he have time due to the week. The teacher don't need to spend his time for printing assignment sheets for every student. This way of learning saving up money time and nerves for everyone.

To Eran:
I think that "and also" is suppose to be just "also" without "and"
I think you had to write "at home.........then at school" ( at instead in)

[Julia Klepfish]

This year I experienced a new way of having lessons. Instead of having it in class with students, we did it on the Internet, using a forum for this.
I think that having lessons in this way wasn't really productive. In my opinion, part of it was our fault because we didn't take it too seriously. I also think it is harder to focus on the task when we are at home in front of the computer because we usually find ourselves surfing to other sites.
There was also a good thing about this type of lessons, the fact that we could do the task whenever we had free time.
Although there are some advantages to have lessons on the Internet, I think it is better to have lessons in the regular way, unless there is a schedule problem.

To Adina: "or till the day teacher decides" I think you should write "the" between "day" and "teacher".

[Yana S]

This year in our English lessons we have used a different way of learning. We did it from our home by sitting at the commuter. This new method of teaching is gaining momentum all over the world in many schools. This method have it's advantages and disadvantages which on one hand are very contributing to the English learning but on the other hand they don't so useful.

This way of teaching has a lot of advantages. One of them it's the place where the lesson is being transferred- our home .Every student can sit in his room and make the assignments at the best conditions he can has and I think that it also improves the writing and the thinking because when you are in your favorite place you can concentrate better and reach to better results. The second good thing about this is the convenient time for doing the tasks. Every student can choose the best time for him when he feels good and doesn't feel tired like we feel sometimes at school for doing the assignments we were asked to. Of course that the time is limited for a couple of days but it's better than a time of one hour lesson. Another thing that I think that helped the most was that we haven't lost lessons. The reason we have chose this method this year was because we couldn't choose a convenient time for the lesson at school. By this way we were able to make our assignments on time and didn't loose time, I think that it is a very good replacement for lessons that for some reasons can't be taken.


There also are a few disadvantages in learning by that way. One thing is that the checking and the answering on the questioned that the students had been immediately like in a real lesson. In class we can ask the teacher something and get the answer and the help we needed immediately, but at this way it is taking time to get the teachers answer, and sometime because of this the students can't finish their assignments on time.
Another thing that can really harden the home work making is the destructions at home, like the TV, little brothers that make a lot of noise and the computer itself.

In conclusion, as I know my self and the other students in my class I think that the destructions that we have at home will overpower on the assignments that we have to do. At class most of the time we sit quietly and can concentrate better. So my opinion is that this way of learning must be used when we have no other possibilities.

[Anton ch]

Different kinds of forums are used by people for many reasons. One of these is the problem with the class schedule. Students can be given some on-line tasks, which they have to do. As every thing in our life the on-line tasks have advantages and disadvantages..

On the one hand, the advantages are clear. On-line tasks or on-line homework are something new. That is why the students can not say immediately "that's boring" because every time they get a lot of new things which underline other part of the English language. The teacher has the opportunity to give a lot of different assignments that usually are interesting to do. Furthermore, there is more time for doing the assignments and you can choose the most convenient time for doing it.

On the other hand, there are some disadvantages for the on-line tasks.
First, in order to fulfill these assignments you have to use your personal computer. That means that you spend more time in front of the screen. It causes damage to your eyes and makes you very tired. Second, if you have problems with the connection to the Internet you would post answers after the dead line and get fewer points for your homework.

Although, there might be some problems with the on-line tasks ,the most common one is connection to the Internet but, it didn't make the assignments annoying to do .In my opinion like most electronic systems of communication the forum enables us to use this new way of studying English and challenges us to learn English in a creative way.

[Slava]

School is school and home is home. That is how many students see the picture, and maybe that is how it should be. While I find the concept of online tasks productive and time saving, I don't think it suits all types of student groups.

There is a different feeling when you get homework and when you get an email telling you what has to be done. When you get homework there is that impending pressure that the assignment will be checked on the next lesson. Which vanishes after the assignment is checked and done with. With the online assignments, while having a deadline, you don't feel that pressure vanishing, because there is none. When a student can hand in an assignment at his own time and he doesn't get feedback from the teacher that it is checked for mistakes, the student may get the impression that it is not as important, and the threats of lower grade might pass without any implications.

In conclusion, while I'm for the online assignments, I don't think that it will work efficiently unless there are going to be some changes that are going to make the assignment feel more imposing.

To Anton Ch.:
Surf, not serf. Sites - better referred as websites, not real mistake.
It is an English composition, not a text you write in הבעה. You introduction doesn't really fit, and in English you do not say that you are going to talk about something, you just do it. You should have written your opinion and in the next paragraph explained and based it. It would have been better if your introduction would be one paragraph, not two.
Write cannot instead of can not.
In forums you post answers, not upload them (see the button that says POSTREPLY? Well, it doesn't say UPLOADREPLY anywhere).
Again, that is an English composition, your conclusion should be related to your opinion and what you have written, not just a general and vague sentence that has nothing to do with what they truly asked you.

[ilan.p.]

There are many ways how you can learn. At school, hire a private teacher or to learn in the interent. The last way I mentioned wasn't so clear for me until now. This year I practiced in on-line lessons . Of course there are advantages and disadvanteges.

In my opinion, the whole process was useful. I could do the assignments when it was comfortable for me,for exapmle in the morning when I did'nt have lessons or in the evening after a good meal. I had a fresh mind and the details were assumed better. Besides,the 10th lesson was very problematic ,because we all were tired so that there wasn't any reason having lesson so lately.

On the other hand,the teacher wasn't in front of me.I couldn't adjust to the new way of styding and practising. When I didn't know a word, I had to look up at the dictionary ,and it was quite annoying.

In coclusion,I think that this is a great replacment when you have problems with your schedule .Everyone should try this.

To Adina: 1) "he has time to do" instead of"he have.."

2).."to the forum" and not "to a forum"

[Anton I]

School is the place where we need to learn new things about how to progress in life. Home is the place that we all think about when we are in school, this is the place we want to rest in and enjoy. Here is the big question, should both come together?

I think that transferring school to my home (especially to my computer, the only object that I can spend so many hours sitting in front of) is not a good choice. That’s because at home I can almost never focus in front of the computer (there are too many opportunities and things to do on the Internet). Because of that, my “home work” is almost never as good as I planned them to be. I am really rather spend every day in school until late rather than to finish early and do online assignments at home.

In conclusion, online tasks may be a "time savers" but they don't always fit, and therefore should be done at school instead of at home.

To Ilan:
1) In the first line you wrote "interent" instead of "Internet".
2) In the introduction you wrote "disadvanteges" instead of "disadvantages".

*Edited after checking mistakes.

[JennyI]

It's a known fact that kids do not like get up early for school or to wait many hours for a lesson. Because of this, many kids lose patient and decide to skip class. To make sure that this stop happening teachers decided to have class on the Internet.
I've been learning English on the Internet because we had a problem with our class schedule and it helped me a lot. Because there is no pressure and I could work from my home, I could take my time on projects and check my work much better. When we did 12 angry men, the Internet helped a lot. We were able to see two short videos and we needed to write about it. I don't think we could have done this if we had a normal class.
In conclusion, the online assignments worked for me and I belive it will work for those who will take it seriously.

to Yana S: "We were able to “have a lesson” in the Internet, our teacher gave us..." - after "Internet" it should be a new sentense.

[Dima]

Today in the modern age we can have a lesson using the internet but it not always a good idea. On one hand it not a lesson as we have at school in a specific time it’s a on-line assignment that everyone can do in a comfortable time for him, on the other hand not everyone has an internet accesses.
In my opinion on-line lessons can be a good replacement for a normal lessons but not for all the lessons only for the lessons that by the schedule placed in an uncomfortable hours. But before start using this lesson system the teacher need to make the students understand that is serous lesson and the students must do it.
In conclusion I think the on-line lessons can replace some lessons but it not very good for a regular lesson.

[yula k]

For a lot of kids, the computer is not just for games and chaiting whith their friends .For them it is something more they can study whith out leaving their bedroom.So when a kid misses school because he was sick he can complete it from his home when he feels better.

In my opinion I dont really like this kind of lesson because every studernt can see the work that we post on the forum .So the kids feel embarrassed of the other pupils and this work should be personal that only the teacher would see.But this is good to because the kids can see the others mistakes and learn from it.Also sometimes if the student doesn't understand something ,it is much easy to explain to the teacher what the problem is face to face and not on the computer,and the teacher would explain him the solution much better too.

For conclusion , this kind of lessons could be done if there is no other choice,and we can see that if it was effective all the kids would study in the computer but this is not what really happens and from that we can see that the better way to learn is in class against a desk and not against a computer.

[emanuel.Y]

In the last years pupils started to use the computer for writing instead using the notebook, and now some of the teachers are thinking to teach and learn on online instead of lessons in the classroom.

In my opinion it's a good idea because in this way everyone can learn when it's convenient him, and when he has some free time.In this way everyone can have more spare time for himself also, because we don't learn all the time in the class, because sometimes your friends disturb you and there are a lot of noises out of the class, and those things don't let you concentrate.

In conclusion this method of learning has a lot of advantages, and I think the teachers have to use this method in their courses, and then they will see if it's a convenient way to teach and learn.

To Slava-
*You wrote "I don't think it can fit all types of student groups",instead "fit" you have to write "suit".
To Yana.S-
*You wrote "This method have it's advantages and disadvantages",instead "have" you have to write "has".

[jenia buzilo]

to Emanuel-
wiil- will
whith- with
thinf-think

Word from Slava who is too lazy to post a new message:
Dude! Did you just take what he wrote and put it on word? 'Cuz those first two mistakes you "fixed" are him fixing you...

[Michael]

This year we did one task in English online every week, due to scheduling problem. We submitted our tasks on a forum which one of our pupils in class made for us. Our teacher posted the instructions of the task and the date the task must be done by.

This year we have experienced the method of online lessons because of a scheduling problem. I didn’t enjoy the online lessons because it was hard to motivate myself to do the tasks, which is something I don’t have to worry about in public school lessons because most of the teachers know how to motivate the pupils. Another reason which causes me to think that online lessons are worse than public school lessons is that you can’t ask the teacher if what you think is right or wrong. For example, I wrote something which I wasn’t sure if it's correct or not and after I finished writing it the teacher told me it was wrong and I had to rewrite it, which is something that could be prevented if I could ask the teacher about it before writing the task.

In conclusion, I don’t like the online lessons and I prefer the public school lessons in which the teachers can motivate us and answer our questions before we write the tasks.

[Michael]

because I wrote my composition late I will fix 3 mistakes instead of 2
yula k:
1) "chaiting" - chatting!
2) " whith"- with!
3) " thiere"- their!
4) "the work that we post on the forum every studernt can see"- the forum can be seen by every student.
Dima:
5) "but it not always a good idea"- but it's not always a good idea.

[jenia buzilo]

I corrected my mistakes.


There are many ways to have lessons. Teachers can teach us or have lessons with us at school , in a private way or make some courses during our holidays.
Today, there is the most modern way of teaching through the computer . Teachers started to give their lessons, their explanations through the internet.
In my opinion, on the one hand this method of teaching is very interesting, helpful and productive. I think when you are at home, you feel yourself more free and nobody can disturb you and you are able to concentrate on your thoughts, on your way of working and writing.
On the other hand it's a little bit boring because you are alone and there is none to help or ask some questions. I think it will be better to hold video conferences where several people can work together at the same time and the teacher can give some advices and explanations.
This experiment is interesting and successful.

[liorap]

During this year one of my four English lessons was an online task on the forum on the Internet .
This thing means that all the assignments that I need to do, I write them at home and post them to the forum.

In my opinion, this way of studing has some advantages and disadvantages. For example, when I make a work at home, I do it in a better conditions. I can drink a cup of tea or I can make the task in parts.
But this forum isn't always so efficient. The problem is that when I get a task to make at the lesson, I do it right thier. And when I need to do something at home, I can forget to do it .

In conclusion, I think that this way of learning isn't suitable for all the students and teachers. But I suggest to everyone to try it.

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