[NIFL-TECHNOLOGY:3218] RE: ESOL Dictionaries

From: Ricardo Diaz (diazr@literacy.upenn.edu)
Date: Wed Apr 14 2004 - 11:50:17 EDT


Return-Path: <nifl-technology@literacy.nifl.gov>
Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id i3EFoHm24250; Wed, 14 Apr 2004 11:50:17 -0400 (EDT)
Date: Wed, 14 Apr 2004 11:50:17 -0400 (EDT)
Message-Id: <5.2.1.1.2.20040414113621.0262c008@postoffice.dca.net>
Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov
Reply-To: nifl-technology@literacy.nifl.gov
Originator: nifl-technology@literacy.nifl.gov
Sender: nifl-technology@literacy.nifl.gov
Precedence: bulk
From: Ricardo Diaz <diazr@literacy.upenn.edu>
To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-technology@literacy.nifl.gov>
Subject: [NIFL-TECHNOLOGY:3218] RE: ESOL Dictionaries
X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Version 5.2.1
Status: O
Content-Length: 2658
Lines: 81

Nick:

1. I agree with you that working w/ a dictionary is a good habit for any 
learner; however, I think that many students only need to be taught to work 
w/ the class chosen dictionary because often if they don't understand, they 
initiate interesting discussions by asking. The habit of using a particular 
dictionary, however difficult, eventually gives enough skills for the 
learner to learn how to choose one for individual use.

2. For ease of use (right click, the choose Mydictionary) once installed, I 
like

http://www.mystudyweb.com/html/sidebar/mydictionary.html
It consults many of the dbs you wordiq uses but their access is faster; the 
learner still has to deal w/ the sifting through the defintions, see #1.

3. Google and its toolbars.
One can start a search or translation in many languages and w/ an interface 
in that language:
http://www.google.com/language_tools?hl=en

Even better, if one installs the toolbar, a lot of other information and 
language options are easily available.
http://toolbar.google.com/


Ricardo


At 08:06 AM 4/5/2004 -0400, you wrote:
>List,
>         I enjoy this desktop web source for my ABE students as a quick
>dictionary/encyclopedia resource: http://www.wordiq.com/dictionary.html
>
>         It is my belief that teacher supported and encouraged dictionary 
> use is
>vital, long forgotten and underused in many of our US classrooms.
>
>         Further, the level of dictionary used is quite important to 
> attain student
>success. The student is quickly lost and frustrated with too high a level
>dictionary, as the words in the definitions are at to high a lexile level.
>This necessitates more looking up of words and you have lost your student to
>the wonders of giving their mind the definition of the word they were
>looking up in the first place.
>
>         All this to ask members of the list:
>
>1.      Does anyone out there use a better web based ABE dictionary than the
>above or have their favorite?
>
>2.      Does any ESOL teacher have a favor website for a Spanish-English 
>and/or
>Creole-English dictionary? Any foreign languages...?
>
>Thank you,
>
>Nick Griffis
>Adult Education
>Inlet Grove H.S.
>Riviera Beach,
>Florida 33480
>561-882-9967


___________________________________________________________________
Ricardo Diaz
Project Manager
diazR@literacy.upenn.edu

International Literacy Institute
National Center on Adult Literacy                       Literacy.org
University of Pennsylvania
3910 Chestnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19104-3111 USA

215-898-2100
(direct): 215-746-6746
fax: 215-898-9804
___________________________________________________________________



This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Thu Dec 23 2004 - 09:48:03 EST