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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Buenos días a todos. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>This is my first time corresponding with
all of you.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>I have just introduced USA Learns to the
mid-intermediate ESOL adult learners at the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">West Side</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Learning</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Center</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>. (past two weeks)
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>We have established a specific time and
day each week for a Learners’ Circle. Interested ELL adults and a
facilitator meet to discuss, share, and clarify any topics of choice from the
learners’ USA Learns experiences. We hope to evolve into a ‘language
partners’ format (peer-to-peer) with language partners deciding on their
face-to-face meeting time and place. A quarterly get-together of everyone
participating is planned for Saturdays, including ‘la familia’.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>We are introducing USA Learns to our local
library branches for those learners without home-based technology. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Observation: Those learners with higher
formal education in their heritage language and experience with technology have
become engaged in USA Learns very quickly. Others have become so motivated by
the integration of language and technology learning that they arrive early and
stay later than class times in order to use it.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>I enjoy the information shared through
these Special Topics conversations.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Hasta pronto,<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<div>
<p class=MsoAutoSig><strong><b><font size=2 color=navy face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;color:navy'>Theresa Pagano<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></strong></p>
<p class=MsoAutoSig><b><font size=2 color=navy face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;color:navy;font-weight:bold'>MANOS and <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">West Side</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Learning</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Center</st1:PlaceType></st1:place></span></font></b><font
color=navy><span style='color:navy'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoAutoSig><b><font size=2 color=navy face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;color:navy;font-weight:bold'>Partners in Learning, Inc.
& <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Syracuse</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">City</st1:PlaceType> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">School District</st1:PlaceType></st1:place><o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoAutoSig><b><i><font size=2 color=navy face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;color:navy;font-weight:bold;font-style:italic'>"A
community connected by diverse cultural and language-learning
experiences."<o:p></o:p></span></font></i></b></p>
<p class=MsoAutoSig><b><font size=2 color=navy face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;color:navy;font-weight:bold'>(315) 435-4967</span></font></b><font
color=navy><span style='color:navy'><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoAutoSig><b><font size=2 color=navy face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;color:navy;font-weight:bold'><a
href="mailto:manos@twcny.rr.com"><font size=3><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>manos@twcny.rr.com</span></font></a><o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 color=navy face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;color:navy;font-weight:bold'><a
href="mailto:manos@twcny.rr.com"></a></span></font></b><font color=navy><span
style='color:navy'> </span></font><b><font size=2 color=navy><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;color:navy;font-weight:bold'><o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<div>
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face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>
<hr size=2 width="100%" align=center tabindex=-1>
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<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma;font-weight:bold'>From:</span></font></b><font size=2
face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>
specialtopics-bounces@nifl.gov [mailto:specialtopics-bounces@nifl.gov] <b><span
style='font-weight:bold'>On Behalf Of </span></b>David J. Rosen<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Tuesday, November 18, 2008
9:25 PM<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> specialtopics@nifl.gov<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> [SpecialTopics 1142] EFA
compared with USA Learns - EFA usersplease weigh in</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Colleagues,</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>I suspect there are some experienced users of English For
All (EFA) listening in on this discussion. Perhaps some of you, by now, have
had a chance to look at USA Learns. What do you think? Is USA Learns, as
John put it, EFA on steroids? Do you like the changes you see? Do
they address concerns you yourself might have raised about EFA? What changes
are you looking forward to using with your adult English Language distance
education learners?</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Do you think that USA Learns has significantly different
low(er) level content than EFA?</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Do you agree that it makes sense to have everything on the
USA Learns web site? Do you think something has been lost by not having
print materials?</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>What features, if any, do you think are innovative,
that make especially good use of a web site as a medium for instruction?</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>How do you address the concern that someone raised that
learning English using distance learning might not provide enough opportunity
to use and practice the language?</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>John, Jere, and Leslie, please feel free to add to this list
of questions for EFA users who might have by now spent some time looking at
USAL. </span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>David J. Rosen</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Special Topics Discussion Leader</span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
</div>
<div>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><a href="mailto:djrosen@theworld.com">djrosen@theworld.com</a></span></font><o:p></o:p></p>
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