Referential Elements

Cohesion in a text is accomplished through words that refer to other words or information elements, already mention or that are going to be mention in the text. This relationships are done through repeating the same word, use of synonym , personal pronouns, object pronouns, possessive pronouns and demonstrative pronouns.

a) John Said that he was not going to school
b) When he came John tripped over the blocks.

Back-referential pronouns, such as the pronoun in example a, are called anaphora. Forward -referential pronouns, such as the one in example b, are called cataphora.

Personal pronouns:

 he/she/it/him/her/they/them,

the pronouns- they/them, can refer to people or to facts in the text.

The pronoun it, refers to objects, animals, ideas, places, thoughts, emotions. Its value is neutral and represents a singular element.

Demonstratives:  this / that or these / those
Adverbs of place:  here, there;
Question words: when, where, what, which, who

Examples:
* This book is intended for student who are studying ESP.

* The monkey took the banana and ate it. "It" is anaphoric under the strict definition (it refers to the banana).
* Pam went home because she felt sick. "She" is anaphoric (it refers to Pam).
* What is this? "This" can be considered exophoric (it refers to some object or situation near the speaker).
* The dog ate the bird and it died. "It" is anaphoric and ambiguous (did the dog or bird die?)
* I went home to take a nap because I thought it would make the headache go away. "it" is anaphoric (refers to the nap)

Identifying reference in a text
Theory
http://www.uefap.com/reading/underst/refer/refer.htm
Exercises
http://www.uefap.com/reading/exercise/refer/refer.htm
http://www.uefap.com/reading/exercise/refer/refer2.htm

More
http://people.rit.edu/japnce/payne/teachers/referencewords.html

Workshop

1. Look for an article related to your field of expertise. Use Google, write key words related to a topic you want to read about.
2. Write a post in your blog. Introduce the topic of the article. Make sure to add the link where you got it from. Write a short summary of the article. Say what it is about.Give your opinion about it.
3. Select two paragraphs from your article and copy them in your blog.
4. Look for the referential elements in the two paragraphs.

Keep on shining love and peace!

Verb Phrase

Verb Phrase

A verb of more than one word is called a verb phrase. It is a phrase consisting of a verb, its auxiliaries (helping verbs), its complements, and other modifiers. Auxiliary verbs always come before the main verb.

A verb phrase is a syntactic unit that corresponds to the predicate. There are two types of auxiliary verbs. Inflected auxiliary verbs e.g. be, have, do and Modal auxiliary verbs e.g. will, should, must etc.

Verb Phrase Examples

Below are some verb phrase examples with explanation:

* She has taken the job. (Auxiliary has + main verb taken)

* Mom is making the room.  (auxiliary is  +  main verb  make)    

* He did sing at the party.      (auxiliary do  +  main verb sing)

* He has been coming late everyday.     (auxiliaries has been + main verb take)

 

In a VERB PHRASE (VP), the Head is always a verb. The pre-Head string, if any, will be a `negative' word such as not [1] or never [2], or an adverb phrase [3]:

        [1] [VP not compose an aria]
        [2] [VP never compose an aria]
        [3] Paul [VP deliberately broke the window]

Many verb Heads must be followed by a post-Head string:

        My son [VP made a cake] -- (compare: *My son made)
        We [VP keep pigeons] -- (compare: *We keep)
        I [VP recommend the fish] -- (compare: *I recommend)

Practice Exercise #1  

Underline the verb phrase:

    She kept working like a machine.
    They were being exploited.
    Life goes on.
    I came across these old books today.
    Her new dress fell apart in the washing machine.
    My little brother has always looked up to me.
    No one gets away with murder.
    Take off your clothes and jump in the lake.
    We have to work out a plan to handle this situation.
    It is difficult to wake up very early every day.
    I threw the dirty ball away from the bag.

Practice Exercise #2

Directions: In the following sentences, underline the subject of the sentence and double underline the complete verb phrase. Label the subject (s), helping verb (hv), and main verb (mv)   

1. Chocolate has been loved for many centuries.

 

2. I am not sure for how long exactly.

 

3. Some people might store their chocolate in the refrigerator.

 

4. Chocolate should be served at room temperature.

Exercise # 3

Look at the model.   

A logo is not your brand, nor is it your identity. 

Noun phrase: A logo

Head noun: logo

Pre-modifiers: a

Post- modifier: -

Verb phrase: is not your brand, nor is it your identity. 

Head verb: is

Helping verb: -

Verb tense: is  Simple Present

Now, check the following sentences and Label the noun phrase (NP), head noun (HN), pre-modifier (PreM), post modifier (PostM) Verb phrase (VP) Head verb (HV), helping verb (hv), and main verb (mv).

1.These guidelines ensure that the identity of the company is kept coherent, which in turn, allows the brand as a whole, to be recognisable.

2. A logo does not sell the company directly nor rarely does it describe a business.

Workshop

1. Look for an article related to your field of expertise. Use Google, write key words related to a topic you want to read about.
2. Write a post in your blog. Introduce the topic of the article. Make sure to add the link where you got it from. Write a short summary of the article. Say what it is about.Give your opinion about it.
3. Select two paragraphs from your article and copy them in your blog.
4. Find three sentences and underline the complete verb phrases. Verb phrase (VP) Head verb (HV), helping verb (hv), and main verb (mv)
5. Also, Label the noun phrase (NP), head noun (HN), pre-modifier (PreM), post modifier (PostM) Verb phrase.

Keep on shining love and peace!

Noun Phrase

Nominal Phrase Construct (abbreviated NP)
The nominal phrase is a group of two or more words that together substitute for a simple noun. As with the simple noun, the phrase answers the question "who" or "what" is involved in the verbal action. The nominal phrase takes the same position in a sentence---"The boy with the red hair bought the milk"---as does the simple noun---"Bobby bought the milk."

Nominal Phrase Head
Each nominal phrase has a head. This is a simple noun that the remaining words modify. In the sentence, "The boy with the red hair bought the milk," the boy is the head noun. The prepositional phrase "with the red hair" modifies the boy.

Simple Nominal Phrases
A nominal phrase does not necessarily require modification of the head noun. The sentence, "The boy buys milk," contains the nominal phrase, "the boy." The addition of the definite article turns the single word noun into a phrase.

Form

Noun phrases normally consist of a head noun, which is optionally modified ("premodified" if the modifier appears before the noun; "postmodified" if the modifier follows the noun). Possible modifiers include:

* determiners: articles (the, a), demonstratives (this, that), numerals (two, five, etc.), possessives (my, their, etc.), and quantifiers (some, many, etc.). In English, determiners are usually placed before the noun;
* adjectives (the red ball); or
* complements, in the form of a prepositional phrase (such as: the student of physics), or a That-clause (the claim that the earth is round);
* modifiers; pre-modifiers if before the noun and usually either as nouns (the university student) or adjectives (the beautiful lady), or post-modifiers if after the noun. A postmodifier may be either a prepositional phrase (the man with long hair) or a relative clause (the house where I live). The difference between modifiers and complements is that complements complete the meaning of the noun; complements are necessary, whereas modifiers are optional because they add information about the noun.

Read more: What Is a Nominal Phrase? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/facts_6921580_nominal-phrase_.html#ixzz1tlvYrOVR


Watch these videos for more on noun phrases

Exercises
1. The basic structure of phrase

Workshop

1. Individual task. Look for an article related to your field of expertise. Use Google, write key words related to a topic you want to read about.
2. Write a post in your blog. Introduce the topic of the article. Make sure to add the link where you got it from. Write a short summary of the article. Say what it is about.Give your opinion about it.
3. Select two paragraphs from your article and copy them in your blog.
4. Find three sentences and find the NP, head noun, pre modifiers and post modifiers.

Keep on shining love and peace!

Cognates

There are thousands of words in Spanish and English that share the same roots and therefore may appear or sound very similar in the two languages (cognates).

A true Cognate  is a Spanish word that looks or sounds similar to an English word and has the same meaning. Some examples are shown below.

Spanish Word    English Translation  
profesor          professor
carácter           character
música            musica
literatura         literature
inteligente       intelligent

A false cognate is a Spanish word that looks or sounds similar to an English word but has a totally different meaning. Some examples are shown below.


Spanish Word     English Translation     Confused With     Spanish Translation

abandonar	to quit	to remove	quitar
absoluto	absolute	absolutely	absolutamente

Workshop

1. In pair task. Go to this page and work on the exercises. Copy the exercises in a Google document so both of you can edit and work in the same document.
2. Individual task. Look for an article related to your field of expertise. Use Google, write key words related to a topic you want to read about.
3. Write a post in your blog. Introduce the topic of the article. Make sure to add the link where you got it from. Write a short summary of the article. Say what it is about.Give your opinion about it.
4. Select two paragraphs from your article and copy them in your blog
5. Draw a chart with examples of true and false cognates.

Resources and References
FALSE FRIENDS OR FALSE COGNATES
http://www.saberingles.com.ar/curious/falsefriends.html

COGNATES/PALABRAS AFINES
http://dlti.us/doc/COGNATESDISD.pdf

False cognates
http://www.123teachme.com/learn_spanish/false_cognates

Keep on shining Love and peace!

Content and Function Words

Words 

When we read any text in English, we'll find words. According to Wikipedia.... " a word is the smallest element that may be uttered in isolation with semantic or pragmatic content (with literal or practical meaning). This contrasts with a morpheme, which is the smallest unit of meaning but will not necessarily stand on its own. A word may consist of a single morpheme (for example: oh!, rock, red, quick, run, expect), or several (rocks, redness, quickly, running, unexpected), whereas a morpheme may not be able to stand on its own as a word (in the words just mentioned, these are -s, -ness, -ly, -ing, un-, -ed).

A complex word will typically include a root and one or more affixes (rock-s, red-ness, quick-ly, run-ning, un-expect-ed), or more than one root in a compound (black-board, rat-race). Words can be put together to build larger elements of language, such as phrases (a red rock), clauses (I threw a rock), and sentences (He threw a rock too but he missed).

Content words and Function words

Content words are words that have meaning. They are words we would look up in a dictionary, such as "lamp," "computer," "drove." New content words are constantly added to the English language; old content words constantly leave the language as they become obsolete. Therefore, we refer to content words as an "open" class.
Nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs are content parts of speech.

Content Words	examples
Nouns	John, room, answer, Selby
Adjectives	happy, new, large, grey
Full verbs	search, grow, hold, have
Adverbs	really, completely, very, also, enough
Numerals	one, thousand, first
Interjections	eh, ugh, phew, well
Negative Auxiliary verbs	aren’t, won’t, can’t
Demonstratives	Those, this, that
Question Words	How, when, why
Yes/No answers	yes, no (as answers)

Function words are words that exist to explain or create grammatical or structural relationships into which the content words may fit. Words like "of," "the," "to," they have little meaning on their own. They are much fewer in number and generally do not change as English adds and omits content words. Therefore, we refer to function words as a "closed" class.
Pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, determiners, qualifiers/intensifiers, and interrogatives are some function parts of speech.

Function Words	examples
Prepositions	of, at, in, without, between
Pronouns	he, they, anybody, it, one
Determiners	the, a, that, my, more, much, either, neither
Conjunctions	and, that, when, while, although, or
Modal verbs	can, must, will, should, ought, need, used
Auxilliary verbs	be (is, am, are), have, got, do
Articles	Few, a, the, an
Particles	no, not, nor, a

Practice 
Content or Function? Check your answer
went
with
just
quickly
the
hard
next to
CD ROM
open
had

Workshop:

1. Look for an article related to your field of expertise. Use Google, write key words related to a topic you want to read about. Add your article to your Scoop.it.
2. Create a document and write about the article. Introduce the topic of the article. Make sure to add the link where you got it from. Write a short summary of the article. Say what it is about. Give your opinion about it.
3. Select two paragraphs from your article and copy them in your document.
Draw a chart. Find 2 examples of each of these: 

• Content words: Nouns, adjectives, verbs, adverbs, numerals, demonstratives, question words, interjections. 
• Function words: prepositions, pronouns, determiners, conjunctions, modal verbs, auxiliary verbs, particles.
• Prefix and suffix
• Cognates: True and false

References:

Word (definition) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Word
Introduction to Content/Function Words http://banana.psychol.ucl.ac.uk/transcription/intro.html
PARTS OF SPEECH http://www.towson.edu/ows/ptsspch.htm

TOEFL Content Vs Function Words
http://toefl.jumbotests.com/info/toelf-content-vs-function-words

Getting the Tools

For this classes we will be using different tools:

* A Class blog: Doris3m EFL Center English for work
* On line dictionaries
* Gmail Services
* Facebook Group
* Wikipedia
* Blogs and sites related to your field of expertise.

You must create your own blog to post the different activities in the class
Click on the following link to read about how to work on your blog:  Interesting facts about blogging

Keep on shining love and peace!
Doris3m

3rd Term Assessment Jan-Apr 2012

Greetings, my dear students! We got to the end of this adventure together. It's been interesting. Hope you guys have found what we shared benefitial to your career.

3rd term Assesment

Final project: 10 pts
Blog posts: 10 pts

Final Project Post:
The exhibition of the projects will take place in Second Life. Each group must have a stand to exhibit their proposal for the project in world (second life at URBE EFL Center in SL). The stand must include the products designed as well as a description of the project. Include the names of the participants and their avatars.

Students will post their projects in their blogs individually: products, description of the project, individual participation and their opinion of the project. Images and opinions of the experience in Second Life. Images of the Avatars and their names. Also, they will post the slide of their final presentation describing their projects.

Blog Posts: 
Unit 6: Job Interview - Prepare a questionnaire of ten questions and practice answering those questions with the information related to the job you selected, cover letter and resume.

Unit 7: How to -  Write a post explaining how to build a poster or something simple in sl. Add images of the session we shared in class. Is it easy or difficult to build in this virtual world? what could you build here?

Unit 8: Skimming and Scanning - write a post with the exercises in this lesson.

Interview to Jenne Dibou - Write a post about the interview we had with this designer. Add images.  Write your opinion of it.

Well, have fun and keep on shining Love and Peace! Doris3m

Final projects Jan-April 2012

Well, we got to the third term. Time to work on finishing the project. But what's the project about?  groups will work on ideas related to their field of expertise.

Final Project Groups:

Group Number 1
Corporate Identity - Corporative Design
Jessica Nieto, Julio Monagas, Rossina Suarez y Alejandra Bajayo

Group Number 2
A magazine - EditoriaL Design
Rafel Sifontes, Nataly Palacios, Joselyn Fuenmayor,  Leydimar Pineda, y Ariana Fuenmayor

Group Number 3
A Museum  - 3D Design
Andres Arrieta, Andres Villavicencio, Ana Atencio and Mariana Carradini

Group Number 4
A website

Nahir Brinez

The exhibition of the projects will take place in Second Life. Each group must have a stand to exhibit their proposal for the project in world (second life at URBE EFL Center in SL). The stand must include the products designed as well as a description of the project. Include the names of the participants and their avatars.

Students will post their projects in their blogs individually: products, description of the project, individual participation and their opinion of the project. Images and opinions of the experience in Second Life. Images of the Avatars and their names.

Well, this is going to be fun! See you in SL!

Pionia Destiny

A building class in SL

Cyber Placebo. (aka Edith Paillat) will be visiting us today for a basic building class...  It's going to be fun!!!

Meeting point: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Nova%20Vita/172/103/4075

Well, here we have some links where we can find more on building.. tutorials, tips and tricks...

How To Build in Second Life
Dr. Anthony Curtis – University of North Carolina at Pembroke

http://www.uncp.edu/home/acurtis/NewMedia/SecondLife/HowToBuildInSecondLife.html

Building Tools
http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Building_Tools

Building in SL
http://sl4calico.pbworks.com/w/page/5099141/Building%20in%20SL

SL Tutorials
http://www.sltutorials.net/mtree/Buildings_%26_more/

 

Unit 8. Skimming and Scanning

The Topic: Skimming and Scanning

Skimming

Skimming is used to quickly identify the main ideas of a text. When you read the newspaper, you're probably not reading it word-by-word, instead you're scanning the text. Skimming is done at a speed three to four times faster than normal reading. People often skim when they have lots of material to read in a limited amount of time. Use skimming when you want to see if an article may be of interest in your research.
    
There are many strategies that can be used when skimming. Some people read the first and last paragraphs using headings, summarizes and other organizers as they move down the page or screen. You might read the title, subtitles, subheading, and illustrations. Consider reading the first sentence of each paragraph. This technique is useful when you're seeking specific information rather than reading for comprehension. Skimming works well to find dates, names, and places. It might be used
to review graphs, tables, and charts.

How to Skim:

* Read the title.
* Read the introduction or the first paragraph.
* Read the first sentence of every other paragraph.
* Read any headings and sub-headings.
* Notice any pictures, charts, or graphs.
* Notice any italicized or boldface words or phrases.
* Read the summary or last paragraph.

Test Your Skills.
Try a Skimming Exercise Skimming text to look for main ideas

1. Skimming text to look for main ideas 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/worksheet/en05skim-e3-w-skimming
2. Skimming a school prospectus
http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/worksheet/en05skim-l1-w-skimming-a-school-prospectus
3. Skimming Exercise
http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/570/pulp/hemp1.htm

Scanning

Scanning is a technique you often use when looking up a word in the telephone book or dictionary. You search for key words or ideas. In most cases, you know what you're looking for, so you're concentrating on finding a particular answer. Scanning involves moving your eyes quickly down the page seeking specific words and phrases. Scanning is also used when you first find a resource to determine whether it will answer your questions. Once you've scanned the document, you might go back and skim it.
    
When scanning, look for the author's use of organizers such as numbers, letters, steps, or the words, first, second, or next. Look for words that are bold faced, italics, or in a different font size, style, or color. Sometimes the author will put key ideas in the margin.

How to Scan:

* State the specific information you are looking for.
* Try to anticipate how the answer will appear and what clues you might use to help you locate the answer. For example, if you were looking for a certain date, you would quickly read the paragraph looking only for numbers.
* Use headings and any other aids that will help you identify which sections might contain the information you are looking for.
* Selectively read and skip through sections of the passage.

Test Your Skills. 
Try a Scanning Exercise to find information quickly

1. Scanning text to find information quickly
http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/worksheet/en05skim-e3-w-scanning
2. Scanning a job advertisement
http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/topic/skimming-and-scanning/resources/l1
3. Scanning exercise
http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/570/pulp/hemp2.htm

Test Your Skills.

Take the quiz http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/quiz/en05skim-l1-quiz

Bibliography
1. 42 Explore http://42explore.com/skim.htm
2. Skillwise English http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/factsheet/en05skim-e3-f-skimming-and-scanning

Image: taken from http://studyskillscitycollege.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/149592_174149429262843_146769142000872_590487_1366812_n.jpg?w=460

Interview to Jenne Dibou

 Jenne Dibou came to meet us and tell us about her experiences as a creator in Second Life. This is the conversation we had.....

[07:31] Jenne Dibou: greetings to all :)
[07:31] Pionia Destiny: welcome
[07:31] imraff: hello jenne  :)
[07:31] Nushita: hi!!
[07:31] sosirena: hi !!!
[07:31] nahirnmlsum25: hi :-)
[07:32] papitasyhelado: hiiiiii
[07:32] imraff: Welcome to URBE
[07:32] Pionia Destiny: Welcome to Urbe.. jenne
[07:32] Pionia Destiny: Do you have a microphone..?
[07:33] Jenne Dibou: thank you all:) still loading, but i can see already some of you
[07:33] Jenne Dibou: yepp, is this a voice event?
[07:33] Pionia Destiny: do you have a mic?
[07:33] Pionia Destiny: if no we can use chat
[07:33] Jenne Dibou: yes, let me try to set up
[07:33] Pionia Destiny: don't worry
[07:34] Pionia Destiny: please have a seat
[07:42] Jenne Dibou: sorry as you talk is a bit wavy sometimes too loud and sometimes silent
[07:43] Pionia Destiny: We are using the chat to introduce ourselves
[07:44] Jenne Dibou: (should i start? :)
[07:44] imraff: Well, Hello, I'm ImRaff in SL, I'm a Graphic designer and advertising student, I'm editorial designer on a newspaper here in my city, Nice to meet you :)
[07:44] Nushita: Hi Jenne! Im Nushita!...or Nataly :) well we are all graphic designers here...from URBE...Raff and I are making a magazine for SL!
[07:44] nahirnmlsum25: hello my name is nahir, im finishing the graphic design carreer, and i would love web and game design
[07:45] papitasyhelado: Hello, i'm Ariana i'm a graphic designer student at URBE
[07:45] OneHornMolly: What's up, names Andres. I'm currently studing graphic design but I don't like it. It's a pleasure to meet you. :{D
[07:45] Jenne Dibou: :D

[07:46] alex: hi, my name is alexandra, i´m also a graphic design student,it's a pleasure to meet you,thanks for coming to talk to us
[07:46] imraff: I'm creating with other classmates the SECOND MAG, a magazine about SL Lifestyle, so we want to make an interview  you :)
[07:46] sosirena: Hi.... i'm Rossi... i'm graphic design student. My passions are the fashion design and the dance.
[07:47] Jenne Dibou: =) all right, but i am really bad interviews... so dont expect too much :D
[07:47] sosirena: it's nice too meet you
[07:47] Cerealbx: Hi, my name is Jessica, i'm studying graphic design, i love the animation, i want to be a cartoonist-animator and.. i'm a sexy nutritious cereal ;D
[07:47] imraff: well, the questions are easy, don't worry xD
[07:47] sosirena: haha XD don't worry
[07:47] Marianac16: Hi, I'm Mariana Carradini. I'm studing Graphic Design in URBE. I'm now in my residence because i ate some bad seafood
[07:47] Pionia Destiny: Let's start with your questions
[07:48] imraff: hahahahaha xD
[07:48] papitasyhelado: hhahahahahaha xDD
[07:48] Nushita: lol
[07:48] Pionia Destiny: Let's start with the questions..
[07:48] Marianac16: brb.
[07:49] Jenne Dibou: all right, should i ask, or should i try to answer some of them ? :))
[07:49] Pionia Destiny: if you want to make a question... type your question and finish it with the @
[07:50] imraff: hey jenne! Since when are you in SL? @Jenne
[07:50] papitasyhelado: What do you like most about SL? @Jenne
[07:51] Nushita: well @jenne the avatar you are using now is the same one from the beginning? or has it changed too much?
[07:51] Jenne Dibou: hello Imraff, i am here in SL since 2007, and i built my first cube around april of 2007.
[07:52] Jenne Dibou: papi: i like the most, it's always changing, always something new things coming, and i can learn non-stop tinkering around^^
[07:53] Jenne Dibou: Nush: my avatar changed a lot, yes. first i was blonde, but then i decided follow my RL appearance, and i the last few years i worked on it. now matches about 75%:)
[07:53] nahirnmlsum25: how much time do you spend on SL on a regular day? "@jenne
[07:53] papitasyhelado: Do you think people can find, a job, education, love and friendship in a virtual place like SL? @Jenne
[07:54] imraff: Who invite you? or how you decided to start on this game? @Jenne
[07:54] Jenne Dibou: nahir: in 2007-2008-2009 about 14-16 hours a day. and from 2010 it reduced to cc. 6-8 hours
[07:54] nahirnmlsum25: OMG
[07:54] papitasyhelado: O M G
[07:54] Nushita: wooow
[07:55] imraff: i prefer typed
[07:55] Jenne Dibou: ok, i keep here
[07:55] OneHornMolly: @Jenne, Do you work with other 3D programs or any other designing programs?
[07:56] Jenne Dibou: so for papi: yes, i believe, SL can be a base of a nice life. certainly it must be connected somehow into RL, but yes, here can be found anything from job to relationship, etc.
[07:57] Jenne Dibou: imraff: i read about SL in a hungarian website as an interesting mmoRpg. so i gave it a shot. and i learned, the news were wrong: SL is not a game. its a second life.
[07:57] Cerealbx: @Jenne why do you select second life? Why not another 3D game online like IMVU?
[07:58] papitasyhelado: If you designed an environment in SL, how would it be like? @Jenna
[07:58] Jenne Dibou: One: i usually work with maya. this is the first i learned, but i tried almost all of them. i am always seeking for the best pipeline for SL and it changes. depends on the job, and the version of SL viewer
[07:58] Marianac16: @Jenne, Have you tried to do 3D designs in other places besides Second Life?
[07:59] Jenne Dibou: Cereal: i tried one another world, that already closed... forgot the name, other creators moved there to try it. but i think any other virtual world is so nice complex as SL. and well.... i know mostly only this one ^^
[08:00] sosirena: What inspires you to design?@jenne
[08:00] Jenne Dibou: papi again about the enviroment: its always abandoned, and ruined a bit, but still can be seen, it was fancy once a long time ago
[08:01] imraff: do you work alone? or you have a group work?
[08:01] imraff: @jenne
[08:01] Jenne Dibou: Marian: yes, i worked in some other small projects, but i made only mesh models, nothing more. actually i dont like model too much on the computer, i prefer clay, water and dirt^^
[08:02] Jenne Dibou: sosi: my inspirations coming from everywhere. any kind of art, or any part of life. i just got impulses, and it mirrors back in my creations.
[08:03] nahirnmlsum25: what do you do specifically? in what area are you really good at? Or waht area do like the most?
[08:03] Jenne Dibou: imraff: i make my models alone, but i can not script. i am too dumb for that, i have a partner: Mandy Marseille, she makes all my scripts and sounds.
[08:04] OneHornMolly: @Jenne- Are you an afficionado, or, did you study some sort of Design school?
[08:04] Jenne Dibou: nahir: i like to rest a lot, and enjoy the life:) and i think, i am not really good in 3d, its just a luck, that my feelings can come through my works.
[08:06] imraff: On your country, is well known SL? Is something famous, do you know people from your country?
[08:06] Jenne Dibou: One: i studied as 2d designer and a window-dresser. also studied art of history at the university, but i never finished that. found too boring :)
[08:07] Jenne Dibou: imraff: in my country people think about SL as a game. mostly young people playing it as rpg, a 3d facebook. however, i met already some artists from hungary, but they are working induvidual, like me.
[08:08] Pionia Destiny: jenne we'd like to go to forgotten city with you...
[08:07] Pionia Destiny: would you take us for a short stroll?
[08:07] Pionia Destiny: please select the place you would like to show us...
[08:07] Pionia Destiny: and tp us there... some of my students haven't been there yet
[08:08] Jenne Dibou: and also one of the hungarian universitates trying to make a land here, a school, but they are too low quality imho :(
[08:09] imraff: @Jenne What do you think about our appearance? which avatar took your attention since you're here? who's the most funny? who do you think is the most sexy hehehe? Talk us about that ;)
[08:09] Jenne Dibou: ok, we should go to our land, so i answer this last question
[08:10] Jenne Dibou: :D
[08:10] Jenne Dibou: i like you all!
[08:10] Jenne Dibou: you are al lovely, and i think even the stock avatars expressing your personality
[08:10] Marianac16: :D!
[08:10] imraff: thanks :D
[08:10] Andrewevp: =D Thanks!!
[08:11] Nushita: :) :D Thanks @jenne
[08:11] Jenne Dibou: all right, so should we go to the forgotten city?
[08:11] sosirena: ;) !!!
[08:11] nahirnmlsum25: yea lets go
[08:11] Pionia Destiny: yeah
[08:11] Jenne Dibou: i send TP to Pionia, so hope nobody will be lost
[08:11] Pionia Destiny: Ok

[08:13] Pionia Destiny: Forgotten City (208,53,104)
[08:17] Teleporte realizado desde Nova Vita (185,117,22)
[08:20] nahirnmlsum25: *@jenne
[08:21] Jenne Dibou: i am here, feel free to ask^^
[08:21] Pionia Destiny: students are still rezzing
[08:21] Pionia Destiny: they are little eggs..lol
[08:21] Jenne Dibou: yes, lot of things around sorry:(
[08:21] nahirnmlsum25: well jenne this is great!!!!
[08:21] Pionia Destiny: so people jenne says... all right, i think we can start here in the museum area maybe... there are some working machinery, and some pictures too... not sure, what are you interested in
[08:23] Jenne Dibou: yes, and after that, i accidently gave you teleport to our shop area :D
[08:23] nahirnmlsum25: did you did all of this by yourself?? @jenne
[08:23] Jenne Dibou: and all scripts and sounds by Mandy Marseille
[08:23] Jenne Dibou: yes, all prinworks are made by me.
[08:23] Jenne Dibou: once i tried to write a small script, about 10 line long
[08:23] Jenne Dibou: but it almost crashed the whole sim, so i gave it up
[08:23] imraff: uhm
[08:23] imraff: its awesome
[08:23] nahirnmlsum25: LOL... an waht type of sript do you use?
[08:24] nahirnmlsum25: *what
[08:24] imraff: this is big, and have so many elements
[08:24] nahirnmlsum25: well try to use...
[08:24] Jenne Dibou: i wrote a sound changer... but i failed definietly :D
[08:24] nahirnmlsum25: no i mean is what JAVA. HTML.. MYSQL, JQUERY. the name of the script.. does it have one?
[08:24] Jenne Dibou: we have on this sim about 6 levels, and some of them are whole sim size, like the winter area up in the sky
[08:25] Jenne Dibou: it was a lSl script

[08:25] OneHornMolly: ooo, winter sky
[08:25] Jenne Dibou: the built in one
[08:25] nahirnmlsum25: ohoho ok did know that script.. :S
[08:26] Jenne Dibou: but i dont like to talk about my scripting abilities, frusrating to have none :D
[08:26] nahirnmlsum25: haha dont worry you are VERY good at what you CAN do...
[08:27] Nushita: yeah this place is awesome
[08:27] Jenne Dibou: we have a lot of things around btw. a huge city at the main floor below, but you can play a working shooting gallery, the mini horse game, we have the winter area with real size ski-jump track etc. we have even a space station with an alien shooting game :D
[08:28] Jenne Dibou: maybe even a bit too much, but we were pretty busy in the last 5 years^^
[08:28] IceCreamL: *0*! woah ♥
[08:29] imraff: wow, that is a hard work!
[08:29] Jenne Dibou: it was mostly fun, not a work.
[08:30] imraff: do you inspire on some enviroments to create the places? @Jenne
[08:30] Jenne Dibou: we experienced a lot, played with the ideas around, and all these things just came real. and even more kept in my pocket hidden :D
[08:30] imraff: i meant, the house is very different to common houses
[08:31] Jenne Dibou: imraff: i get inspired by many various things... and my houses, well.... i usually plan to build something -sometimes even have a sketch or a plan- but once done, mostly i created something really different :D

[08:32] sosirena: what we need to know for create a place like this ? @jenne
[08:32] Jenne Dibou: sos: i think not too much. using at basic level one 3d application (3dsmax, blender or maya) and have a lot of idea, and patience.
[08:32] Jenne Dibou: and linden dollar for the wrong uploads :D
[08:33] Jenne Dibou: oh, and certainly a 2d application for textures
[08:34] papitasyhelado: how can i play this?
[08:34] Nushita: how does that horse game work?
[08:34] Jenne Dibou: hmmmm... its lame, if i say, i dont know? :D
[08:34] Nushita: hahahha
[08:34] IceCreamL: aww hahaha np :3
[08:34] Jenne Dibou: Mandy makes things alive... but i think you must sit, and then click on the horse... or something like this
[08:35] TavooR: I touch the horser but... nothing happend lol
[08:35] TavooR: horses*
[08:35] OneHornMolly: you touched me?!
[08:35] Jenne Dibou: :)))
[08:35] TavooR: totally dude
[08:35] TavooR: :$
[08:35] TavooR: xDDD

[08:36] Jenne Dibou: i would say, you should try the shooting gallery, i know that how works^^
[08:36] Jenne Dibou: this statue here is maybe interesting
[08:36] Jenne Dibou: the baldie with the hat
[08:37] BUNNY (?): mennyémá odébb
[08:37] BUNNY (?): hop
[08:37] Jenne Dibou: it was my first render in my life :)
[08:37] Jenne Dibou: and also my first sculpt statue
[08:37] TavooR: great job!
[08:37] ~JD~ Mechanical Toy factory Supply Barrel propiedad de Jenne Dibou te ha dado '~JD~ Mechanical Toy factory Supply Barrel'  ( Forgotten City (206,9,319) ).
[08:37] TavooR: its pretty cool
[08:37] Jenne Dibou: i could use maya only so badly, that i could not even rotate and position the lofted surfaces in the working area :D
[08:38] TavooR: can u come with me to the shooting galley?
[08:38] Jenne Dibou: sure, lets check over there
[08:39] TavooR: i can't find the gun XD
[08:39] Jenne Dibou: ~JD~ MTF Flintlock Shooting Gallery Toy 1.15
[08:40] Jenne Dibou: its name... nice short, as i give usually :)))
[08:40] Jenne Dibou: its in the Objects folder
[08:40] ~JD~ MTF Shooting gallery high score 1.0 propiedad de Jenne Dibou te ha dado '~JD~ MTF Shooting Gallery Rules'  ( Forgotten City (168,57,324) ).
[08:41] Jenne Dibou: and looks like this
[08:41] Jenne Dibou: then you just stand here, go to mouselook mode, and shoot the things running around:)
[08:42] Jenne Dibou: like this, but better :)

[08:43] Jenne Dibou: going to mouselook you can by rolling the mouse wheel forward
[08:44] Jenne Dibou: try it Ice... or press the M button off-chat
[08:44] Nushita: :o careful with that gun...haha
[08:44] Jenne Dibou: yepp, like that
[08:44] Jenne Dibou: if it turns to red, you hit it
[08:45] Jenne Dibou: and the gun has a cork bullet, so dont worry:)
[08:46] Jenne Dibou: :D
[08:46] Jenne Dibou: wow it sounds now like a war:)
[08:46] Nushita: hahah
[08:47] Jenne Dibou: Nush, if you push the arrows up and down
[08:47] Jenne Dibou: the swing swings
[08:47] Jenne Dibou: and it works like a real one
[08:47] Jenne Dibou: and works with the SL physics
[08:47] Nushita: ohh nice..
[08:47] TavooR: hahahaha this is so much fun! :D
[08:47] Nushita: :D
[08:47] Nushita: :o scary...
[08:47] Jenne Dibou: hmmm just a bit low :)
[08:47] Jenne Dibou: must set it
[08:48] Pionia Destiny: Thanks so much.. we have to leave now...
[08:48] TavooR: heeey thanks for the lovely conversation today! :D
[08:48] Jenne Dibou: like this
[08:48] Pionia Destiny: it was great
[08:48] Nushita: :o we got to goooo @jenne but thanks a lot! your place is fun and awesome!
[08:48] IceCreamL: omg that was fun *0*!! thank u so much for everything <3 thx for your time ♥
[08:48] TavooR: heeey thanks for the lovely conversation today! :D
[08:48] alex: we have to go, it was a pleasure meeting you thank you for your time
[08:48] Jenne Dibou: :D sorry i could not show more... but feel free to come anytime
[08:48] Pionia Destiny: we will write on our blogs and will give you the links to see.. them
[08:49] Jenne Dibou: and if you still have question, just ask me, please. if i can, i will answer.
[08:49] Nushita: it was great to meet you jenne!!
[08:50] sosirena: thanks for all .... :)
[08:50] Jenne Dibou: it was fun for me too, thank you all!

2nd Term Ja-apr 2012

Greetings, my dear students! We got to the end of this term. It's been interesting. Hope you guys have found what we shared beneficial to your career.

2nd Term Assesment

2nd term test: 10 pts
Blog posts: 10 pts

Blog Posts:

1. Final Project Post: Post your project in your blog (all members must do this individually). Write about these questions: What's the project about? Why is it important? How do you relate it to your career? Who are the participants in the project? what are their responsibilities in the project?  How are you doing it?

2. Verb Tenses: http://doris3meflcenterenglishforwork.blogspot.com/2009/03/verb-tenses.html 

3. Finding a job on line. http://doris3meflcenterenglishforwork.blogspot.com/2008/02/finding-job-on-line.html

4. Cover letter: http://doris3meflcenterenglishforwork.blogspot.com/2008/06/unit-4-writing-cover-letter-and-resume.html

5. Toefl practice: http://doris3meflcenterenglishforwork.blogspot.com/2009/03/toefl-test-practice.html

6. Second Life. EPOCH-Legend: http://doris3meflcenterenglishforwork.blogspot.com/2012/02/epoch-legend.html

7. Second Life. Photo contest: http://doris3meflcenterenglishforwork.blogspot.com/2012/03/photo-contest-on-fashion-trends.html

* Remember to add the links to all the articles you have used in your exercises....

Well, have fun and keep on shining Love and Peace!

Doris3m

Meeting a SL Designer!

Well, we visited the Forgotten City sim in SL and we were amazed by the beauty and creativity of the place, so we invited one of the graphic designers that worked in its creation.

Her name is Jenne Dibou. You can visit her blog here: http://jdmtf.blogspot.com/

She accepted to come see us on Wednesday 21. So be ready to meet her and ask her about her work. It'll be a great idea if you could bring your headphones and microphone.

2nd term Jan-apr 2012

Please open the link in a new tab.. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KeO5swqb0bYGO6kR-NyTJJkCZX80rMwjteG2Tse63CM/edit

A Photo Contest on Fashion Trends ! !

Hello, there! have you ever participated in a contest.. a design contest? well, this is a great oportunity... second Life is offering a Spring Fashion Contest you can participate in... Now, this is what you are supposed to do:

Find the freshest fashion trends happening in Second Life and capture them in a snapshot. Share what you think the new/now/next things will be for Spring fashion.

There will be one grand prize winner (L$5000) and three runners-up (L$1000 each). Just imagine the new cutting edge styles you could rock with that kind of budget!


How to participate: Entries can be posted from March 5 (at noon PT) through March 19, 2012 (at 11:59 p.m. PT). Take a snapshot of what you think is the latest fashion trend happening in world. Save the image to your computer so you can upload your submission for the contest. Keep an eye out for the contest to go live in the Official Contest Forum.

How to vote: Votes will start at midnight PT on March 20 an last until noon PT on March 27, 2012. To vote for your favorite, simply Kudo the image of your choice. Only one vote per person!

For some tips on how to take good pictures in Second Life, take a look at the Knowledge Base article.

Submission Rules:
•Community voting on the best image begins on March 20, 2012, at 12:00 a.m. PST and ends at 12:00 p.m. PST March 27, 2012
•Contest participants may enter only once - once an entry has been uploaded, you will be unable to change or modify your entry
•Community participants may only vote/Kudo one entry
•Images must be free of text and logo, and no larger than 500x500 pixels in size
•Images should be unaltered by any external photo editing tool except for sizing the image.
•The image with the most Kudos wins the grand prize of L$5,000 - if there is a tie, Linden Lab will select the final winner.
•An additional 3 images will win L$1,000 each as runners up - in case of any tie, Linden Lab will select the runners up
•The winners will be notified on March 27, 2012 via in-world chat or notecard.
•The L$ prize will be deposited into the winner’s Second Life account by end of day March 27, 2012
•Entries that violate any of these guidelines will be disqualified.

EPOCH-Legend

====================================

EPOCH-Legend

Art of Escher  /  Beast  /  Clowning 

26th FEBRUARY  - 11th MARCH 2012 (PST)

====================================

"EPOCH" creators and designers, it's a great opportunity for showcasing what they do in SL. They create something for the event, put their unique point of views into items, and collaborate with other designers to inspire each other. Also EPOCH will be a perfect chance for shoppers and art fans to check talented designers and their latest works all at once.

On the 26th February, very first EPOCH event called "EPOCH-Legend" will be open. We've got more than 50 shops, 3 themes and 4 venues to present you the best 2 weeks fair full of fun.

We have 3 themes; "Art of Escher", "Beast" and "Clowning", and exhibit each one in the themed venue on different sims. Hop from one to another!

Theme :  Art of Escher 
Venue : hosted by Forgotten City, decorated by Uriah Eulenberg
Participants : 2byte / Del May / Epoque / ISON / La Malvada Mujer / maitreya / NERD PROJECT / nordari. / Nylon Outfitters / skin& bones vespertine / Vita's Boudoir / Vive9 / Willow / Yummy / {what next}

Theme :  Beast 
Venue : hosted by Tee*fy, built by Azure Electricteeth
Participants : (pda) / *Art Dummy! / *deviant girls* / [pivaaca] / AITUI TATTOO / Antebellum / BALACLAVA!! / Cheap Makeup / graph* / Ladies who Lunch / LaGyo / mijn.bötique / Olive Juice / PIDIDDLE / Sleepy Eddy / Tee*fy /Toki-Doki / Whippet & Buck / Zigana

Theme :  Clowning 
Venue : hosted by North West, built by nyasyousa oh and shiroyagi  writer
Participants : *mikan / *MY UGLYDOROTHY / Beetlebones / Body language by Sweet Lovely Cute / Boudoir / COYURA CREATION / duboo / Five minutes after / fore / House of Fox / HPMD / Iruco / Lisp Bazaar /LOVE SOUL / Milk Motion / North West / Ohmai / Picnic / PRISS / The Secret Store

Creators Cafe 
Creators Cafe is built for designers, creators and bloggers or anyone to communicate each other. Also it's a place linking up all the venues.  This cafe has not only portals, but there are a theatre, DJ booth and all the installation for coming up events. Even we have changing rooms for you to unpack boxes you've got from other venues.

To communicate with other cretors, or for a hang out place to catch up with other bloggers, or simply spend some time in this cozy place, please have fun in this Creators Cafe.

What's your mission for this term..?

1. You have two weeks to go participate in this wonderful event.

2. Select 1 venue and visit it. Also visit the Creators Cafe. You can visit all venues if you want to.

3. Take pictures of what impresses you the most. Describe your experience in your blog. Write from the point of view of a designer and a creator.

4. Prepare a questionnaire of at least 5 questions to ask the creator about designing and his or her work in SL. (include a little bio of the designer and photos of his or her work).

5. Visit the blogs of two designers and give your opinion.

6. Have fun. You can do this by yourself or in pairs. 

*** You can find more information in the blog of the event: http://epochsl.blogspot.com/

Keep on shining Love and Peace!
Doris3m