EmF Diagnosis - Testing and Therapies For EmF Symptoms

EmF Diagnosis - Testing and Therapies For EmF SymptomsThere are many individuals that experience emotional emf problems, and this could also occur if you have children who are not coming out of their shell. Emotional my problems and the medical effects of being overactive EmF can result in all kinds of physical disorders that include dizziness, headaches, fatigue, and other problems. But how is EmF diagnosis made?EmF diagnosis is usually based on three different tests, two of which can be performed by the EmF tester and one which are done by the EmF tutor. If you were to discuss the EmF test results with an EmF practitioner, they would explain that the EmF tester would run a series of tests on your EmF symptoms while you were resting. This is a common EmF test and is used to help identify the EmF problem.These EmF tests would be performed by the EmF tester. The EmF tester would begin by measuring the EmF level in your body. Once the EmF level has been measured, the EmF tester would r epeat this EmF level reading to you, and then another measurement will be taken.This EmF tester would then start to play a series of numbers with your hands to see what kind of EmF response you get. Once the EmF tester has gotten the EmF response from you, he would then see if there is any other EmF response. As the EmF tester repeats the EmF response, he would keep running the EmF tester several times.If you feel as though you are going through a EmF problem, the EmF tester would then proceed to do more EmF testing. If there is any EmF response from you, the EmF tester would measure it by holding up your hand and looking at the number that is displayed on the screen. Once the EmF tester has measured the EmF response, the EmF tester would then run another EmF test.If you have found no EmF response, or the EmF response to the EmF tester does not move the EmF tester one place, he would tell you that you are likely EmF affected. If you have been feeling EmF symptoms, it is important th at you get treatment for your EmF problems. The EmF tester would then take a series of measurements to make sure that you are not really EmF, or there is a greater chance that you are EmF affected.With the EmF tester's help, it is possible to determine EmF effect from those individuals that are experiencing EmF problem. You may want to consult your EmF practitioner to see if they can help you determine if you may be having EmF problems.

5 College Dorm Room Must-Haves

5 College Dorm Room Must-Haves This post is part of our 2017 Back-to-School Series. Throughout the month of August, visit the Varsity Tutors blog for back-to-school advice, tips, and tricks for all ages. Getting ready for college is an adventure that starts before you ever set foot on campus. With academic challenges, new social situations, and maybe even a new city to explore, the last thing you want to worry about is dorm room essentials. College dorm room must-haves can include an alarm clock, ample storage, and a handy first aid kit. And these materials can make adjusting to dorm life much easier. Looking to feel prepared when dorm living begins? Here are five college dorm room must-haves: College dorm room must-have #1: Alarm clock While this might seem like an obvious item to mention, todays college students often forego a physical alarm clock, instead opting for an alarm on their cell phones. However, cell phones are not indestructible, and in case something happens to yours, it helps to be prepared. If youre a particularly heavy sleeper, try setting your alarm to repeat, and move it across the room before you go to bed at night so theres no way you can sleep through the racket. Ring, ring! Whats that? The sound of you being on time for your 8:00 a.m. biology lecture. [RELATED: How to Create Your First College Schedule] College dorm room must-have #2: Power strips and surge protectors Older dorm rooms sometimes undergo multiple renovations over time. Often, this means outlets can be in corners behind doors or furniture. If youre hosting a study party or movie night, you wont regret having easy access to those out-of-reach spots. Having a surge protector means you can charge your electronics with ease, even in your lofted bed or behind your roommates futon. College dorm room must-have #3: Storage seating Dorm rooms can be tight when it comes to space, so its important to utilize every nook and cranny. Furniture stores carry many useful seating pieces that are hollow and can double as a space to store anything from textbooks to scarves and gloves when theyre out of season. Bonus tipfind furniture pieces that are similarly shaped so you can stack them or tuck them out of sight under your bed or a desk when you arent using the extra seating. [RELATED: A Summer Checklist for Incoming College Freshmen] College dorm room must-have #4: First aid kit Dorm living is an adventure, and it comes with its ups and downs. University clinics and healthcare services might not be available 24/7, so it can help to have some emergency medical supplies in your dorm room. When youre feeling down, having a customized first aid kit can hold you over until you can get an appointment with a health professional. Consider keeping these items in your dorm room: Over-the-counter pain medication Antihistamines Cough drops Band-aids You never know when you might need them! College dorm room must-have #5: Shower caddy and bath towels The bathroom is the last place you want to be caught unprepared. Extra bath towels will always come in handy, especially for that day you get caught in the rain on the way home from class or take an impromptu trip to the beach or lake with friends. Make the daily trek from your dorm room to a shared bathroom a little easier by bringing a waterproof shower caddy to organize your shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. When you arent using it, a shower caddy is compact enough to tuck away in your closet. Dorm living doesnt have to be synonymous with living without. These are a few dorm room essentials that will make your life easier as a dorm resident. Your best college self starts with a safe and comfortable living space, so make sure to follow this list to set yourself up for academic success! [RELATED: Things to Know About Living in a College Dorm] Any topics you want to know more about? Let us know! The Varsity Tutors Blog editors love hearing your feedback and opinions. Feel free to email us at blog@varsitytutors.com.

7 Motivational Tips to Become a Successful Speaker for Best Leadership - Introvert Whisperer

Introvert Whisperer / 7 Motivational Tips to Become a Successful Speaker for Best Leadership - Introvert Whisperer 7 Motivational Tips to Become a Successful Speaker for Best Leadership “You can speak well if your tongue can deliver the message of your heart.” Personal Branding starts with how well you speak about YOU.  I want to help you accelerate your career by connecting you with your Free Instant Access to my eBook â€" The Definitive Guide to Creating and Using an Elevator Speech.  In this guide, I give you simple to follow instructions for creating a “wardrobe” of ways to talk about you â€" to leave a lasting impression. Get your copy now! Brought to you by Dorothy Tannahill-Moran â€" dedicated to unleashing your professional potential. Introvert Whisperer

Should I Go To the Georgia Institute of Technology

Should I Go To the Georgia Institute of Technology The tutors behind Varsity Tutors are not just here to teach theyre sharing their college experiences as well. Katie is a graduate of the Georgia Institute of Technology from which she holds both Bachelors and Masters degrees in Aerospace Engineering. She is an Atlanta tutor who specializes in Calculus tutoring, Earth Science tutoring, Geology tutoring, and much more. Check out her review of her alma mater: VT: Describe the campus setting and transportation options.How urban or safe is the campus?Are there buses or do you need a car/bike? Katie:The campus is in the heart of midtown Atlanta, but it is very much a campus bubble environment. The campus is compact and easy to walk across in about 15 minutes. The campus bus system rings the campus and travels to the nearest train station. The area is quite hilly, but it can be biked if you are in shape. If you have an on-campus meal plan, there is no need for a car or bike. However, if you need to travel to the grocery store, you definitely need a car. The campus bus system provides a weekend grocery shuttle, but it is not convenient for most students. Traveling around the city does require a car, as the public transit options are limited. VT: How available are the professors, academic advisers, and teaching assistants? Katie:The Georgia Institute of Technology (Tech) is a large school, so you do have to compete with a lot of other students for time with faculty. Generally, professors and teaching assistants (TAs) are more than happy to schedule a meeting, but you have to take the initiative and reach out to them. Advising is done on a school-by-school basis; some colleges have dedicated advisors, while some require that the academic faculty take on advising in addition to teaching. In the latter case, advising is minimal, and students really have to figure out their own schedules. VT: How would you describe the dorm life rooms, dining options, location, socialization opportunities with other students? Katie:Campus is structured with two clusters of dorms, one on East Campus and the other on West Campus. Within those clusters, there is ample opportunity for socialization and interaction. There are two dining halls in the East cluster and one in the West cluster. The food is decent, but not spectacular. In the center of campus is the student center, with a wide variety of commercial dining options that are quite good. Life in the freshman experience dorms is a lot of funyou live with other freshmen and often take the same classes. The rooms are small, but is the same not true of all dorms? Most of the dorm buildings have been renovated in the past five years, so the finishes are new and the buildings are much more energy efficient. VT: Which majors/programs are best represented and supported?What did you study and why? Did the university do a good job supporting your particular area of study? Katie:Tech is most definitely an engineering school, first and foremost. I major in Aerospace Engineering, which is one of the shining stars in the schools belt. While all of the engineering programs are difficult, they are some of the best in the nation. I chose Aerospace Engineering because I wanted to work in the space exploration field, and Tech allowed me to get started with that my freshman year through the co-op program. The school encourages and strongly supports co-oping, internships, and undergraduate research, which lets you start your career years before people at other schools. VT: How easy or difficult was it for you to meet people and make friends as a freshman? Does Greek life play a significant role in the campus social life? Katie:I met people very easily my freshman year, mostly through classes. I met many people in the freshman-only dorms. I bonded with the people around me in class, as well as my lab partners, some of whom I am still friends with today. Additionally, there are tons of student organizations that hold a fair during freshman orientation to recruit new members. While Greek organizations are present on campus, only a small portion of the student body participates. VT: How helpful is the Career Centerand other student support services?Do many reputable companies recruit on campus? Katie:My interaction with the Career Center was during my freshman year, when I worked with them to find a co-op job. They were incredibly helpful, providing resume work, counselors, and access to interviews. All the major companies come and recruit on campus during the career fairs (held each semester) and throughout the year. Most students find a job with their choice of employer quickly, and many receive multiple offers. Often the recruiters are Tech alumni, which makes the interviews much more friendly. VT: How are the various study areas such aslibraries, the student union, and dorm lounges? Are they over-crowded, easily available, spacious? Katie:Dorm lounges fluctuate in their availability; they are empty most of the semester, then packed right before exams. The student center has limited study options, but the Undergraduate Learning Center/library is massive and has every possible studying option. There are many computer workstations for individuals and groups, rooms that you can reserve for group sessions, and study carrels for individuals. You do have to plan and reserve space during busy times, but you can find it. Also, Atlanta has great weather in the spring, so studying outside in the spring and summer is really nice. VT: Describe the surrounding town. What kinds of outside establishments / things to do are there that make it fun, boring, or somewhere in between?To what extent do students go to the downtown area of the city versus staying near campus? Katie:Like I said before, campus is kind of a bubble. Most students stay on campus, or just off-campus in an area called Home Park, for social activities. No one, students and residents alike, goes downtown for pretty much anything. However, there are lots of little neighborhoods to the north and east of campus that have great nightlife. The city can be a lot of fun, but sometimes you have to dig for what to do. We have fantastic restaurants for all palates and budgets, but our arts scene is limited. Atlanta is fairly close to the North Georgia mountains, so many students go hiking or camping as a close, weekend-long vacation. VT: How big or small is the student body? Were you generally pleased or displeased with the typical class sizes? Katie:The student body is large and growing, and there are definite growing pains in some areas. The introductory freshman classes often have several hundred people in lecture, and they may have additional sections added during registration. Upper-level classes are typically 30-50 people, depending on your major. While the classes are large, most professors and TAs are more than happy to work one-on-one with students who need help. Classes are rarely canceled for low registration. You may have trouble getting the classes you want, and you are unlikely to have much ability to tailor your schedule in the first few years. In the upper-level classes, your school will usually only offer the classes that the bulk of the students need that semester, so you may get stuck taking an extra semester. It all depends on good planning early in your career. VT: Describe one memorable experience with a professor and/or class. Perhaps one you loved the most or one youregretthe most. Katie: My best experience was a combination of a class, a professor, and my co-op job. Starting in the second semester of my sophomore year, I worked at the Georgia Tech Research Institute, the research arm of the school, as a research engineer. I alternated semesters between working full-time and attending school full-time. My boss at my co-op job served as a great mentor, and he encouraged me to enroll in his graduate-level classes that summer. I learned a ton, and I developed my independent research skills under his guidance. Those skills served me well throughout my undergraduate studies and set me up for graduate school. Check out Katies tutoring profile. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of Varsity Tutors.

Everything you Need to Know about Spanish for Beginners

Everything you Need to Know about Spanish for Beginners A Guide to Learning Spanish for Beginners ChaptersFrom Beginners Spanish to Having an Advanced LevelIs There a Minimum Age to Learn Spanish for Beginners?How Can You Teach Your Child to Speak Spanish?From Spanish Basic Vocab to Fluency: How Long Does it Take to Become Bilingual?Is There an Age Limit for Learning Spanish?When Will I Start Dreaming in Spanish?Tips for Starting to Learn Spanish as a BeginnerStarting to learn a language isn’t easy. You need to put together a battle plan. A strategy.  This is important for anyone setting out to learn a language as it allows to you follow a route whereby you can see real tangible progress. It also limits the chances of you wasting your time aimless sifting through language textbooks, or doing the odd grammar exercise online.Spanish is a language that is spoken by around 440 million native speakers worldwide. It's global appeal is therefore obvious, and it is subsequently held in high esteem in schools and universities in all four corners of the globe.Learning to speak Spanish re quires patience, motivation, and a plan of action. This plan will be different depending on you, your goals, and your budget.Starting out to learn any language can be tough, so here at Superprof we have put together a few ideas about how, as a beginner, you can start to learn Spanish, as well as some of the things you should look out for.In an age where there’s the internet and private tutors, starting to learn Spanish online isn’t that much of a problem. Since some English vocabulary has Spanish roots,  certain words that you see during your Spanish lessons will be instantly recognisable.However, when you try to look for a Spanish course, you'll find so many different options like “learn Spanish free”, “Spanish classes online”, “free Spanish classes”. No matter what you type into Google nowadays, you get thousands of results.You will find that certain methods are more useful at different stages of your Spanish learning journey, so don't be afraid to switch them up w hen you feel like a particular method of learning Spanish is no longer useful. In fact, any plan of attack for learning Spanish will involve a whole variety of methods to help your reach true fluency.It's a long road to becoming fluent in Spanish, but don't lose hope! (Source: pixabay.com)When you do come to learn Spanish, you’ll need to first learn the basics:The Spanish alphabetSpanish grammar (pronouns, adjectives, personal pronouns, adverbs, etc.)Expand your vocabularySyntaxThe verbs “ser” and “estar”.Conjugations that can be a bit of a nightmare for English speakers who’ve never studied another language before.NegationOnline Spanish can help you do this, or you can take a beginners class at a local language school.After you have mastered the basics, it’s time to start improving your Spanish. This is where a private Spanish courses or a Spanish teacher can be really useful. When you learn Spanish with a private tutor, they can adapt their classes to you and your le vel. You can also learn how to speak Spanish in a comfortable environment such as your own home.Don’t forget you can complement language courses with multimedia resources such as films, podcasts, and dedicated smartphone and tablet apps. These are great for studying basic Spanish phrases and expressions as well as just kill some time while the commercials are on.The next step might be spending some time in a one of the 20 Spanish-speaking countries across the world. Spanish is spoken far and wide, so why not travel to Latin America for example? You can learn about plenty of different Spanish accents and improve your speaking, pronunciation, and comprehension.Finally, you can start working on moving from conversational Spanish to advanced Spanish and gaining fluency in your new language. How can you learn Spanish easily? Through immersion, of course! However, living in a Spanish-speaking country isn’t immersion if you don’t use Spanish every single minute of the day.  Remember that you can immerse yourself in Spanish to a certain extent at home. Watching Spanish movies, listening to Spanish radio, and reading Spanish newspapers, are all ways of increasing your exposure to the Spanish language.Is There a Minimum Age to Learn Spanish for Beginners?Parents often ask this question as they’re eager to raise their child as bilingual, rather than having them learn it as a foreign language at school.  So when should they start learning Spanish or a second language?There’s not really a minimum age to start learning Spanish! It’s recommend that you start teaching them Spanish as soon as you can so that they become familiar with the sounds and vocabulary of the language. So, if you're a Spanish speaker, make sure that you’re speaking to them in Spanish from an early age.Parents can teach their children Spanish from a very young age. (Source: www.lifeofpix.com)If you want to raise your child as a bilingual speaker, each parent needs to decide on a different l anguage to speak. This way, the child will find it easier to distinguish the two languages in the same way they can distinguish the two parents.This is how bilingual families tend to do it. It’s generally thought that the child will be able to distinguish the two languages by the age of 4. By the age of 7, they’ve reached the age at which language learning slows down a bit. After this age, they won’t be able to learn the language as another mother tongue. This idea is known as the “critical period hypothesis”.If you want your child to learn a second native language from a very young age but you aren't a Spanish speaker, you could try to find an  immersion daycare centre where they can learn the Spanish language.How Can You Teach Your Child to Speak Spanish?Let’s put the theory into practice!While we know that older children can always do exchange programs in Spanish-speaking countries, study languages at college, or practice speaking with a friend, how can you teach Span ish to kids?Why not put them on the path to becoming fluent and start teaching them Spanish with the help of tablets? There are plenty of dedicated websites and apps for parents wanting to teach their child the basics of almost any language. There are also cartoons and books for learning Spanish that children will love! They’ll learn to love Spanish with fun stories and colourful pictures.A private Spanish tutor is also an effective option. There are tutors available who are happy to teach children between the ages of 3 and 10 all , and will even travel to your home to do it. While your child won't be learning all the different Spanish tenses in their Spanish lessons, they can play games and listen to native Spanish speakers. A number of the tutors on Superprof even offer free Spanish lessons for the first hour so you can see if you like them or not, but you should check with each individual tutor to confirm this.Finally, there’s always family. If you’re lucky enough to have a ny family members who speak Spanish, you should make the most of visiting them and making sure that your children benefit from free and effective Spanish practice!This is also one of the most common questions we get about learning Spanish: how long to learn Spanish?  First of all you will need to define what is means to be bilingual. Do we mean being able to write, read, speak, and listen in Spanish? Does it mean getting a good result in a Spanish test? Dreaming in Spanish? Being a native speaker?The time it takes to learn Spanish depends massively on the methods you use. (Source: pixabay.com)The other part of this conundrum is that the answer will differ depending on your objectives.  The time will also depend on which methods you use. If you’re opting for private tutorials, you can expect it to take months or years. When it comes to total immersion you can do it in around 6 months if you’re using Spanish at home, at work, and when out with friends.Additionally, you should also complement these methods with smartphone apps, podcasts, studying in classes, and using dedicated websites. These methods can also be great for training your ear in Spanish.Don’t forget that it’s also much easier for younger children to learn to speak Spanish fluently, than it is for adults so don't postpone it for the future; start taking Spanish classes near me today!Is There an Age Limit for Learning Spanish?Yet another question about time.  Is there an age limit for learning Spanish? Whether you’re learning Russian, French, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Chinese, you could ask the same question!Of course not! There’s no age limit when it comes to learning a language.Even if a child can learn a language quickly, adults have certain advantages over them, including:MaturityKnowing how to learnConcentrationPersonal motivationFamiliarity with similar concepts in their own languageAn adult can also make use of all the learning methods we mentioned earlier: they can hire a priv ate tutor, travel to a Spanish-speaking country, watch films in Spanish, make Spanish-speaking friends.You should therefore never think that you are too old to learn Spanish, because that is simply not true!When Will I Start Dreaming in Spanish?Would you like to dream in Spanish?  Dreaming in Spanish is literally the dream when it comes to learning Spanish. When you reach this stage, it means that you’re either bilingual or that you’ve completely fallen in love with the language.Does dreaming in Spanish mean that you're bilingual? (Source: pixabay.com)Unfortunately, there’s not really any significant studies showing when this starts happening.However, it does seem that neither high school nor college Spanish is enough to start dreaming in Spanish. It seems to be that you need to be bilingual or completely immersed in a Spanish-speaking culture.Listening to, and speaking, only Spanish every minute of every day will force your brain to think in the language. It'll happen quickly if you practice every day!Then, as if by magic, your subconscious will, too!Tips for Starting to Learn Spanish as a BeginnerLet’s finish with a few tips for those just starting their journey into the world of Spanish.  Knowing how to go about learning Spanish is one of the most important steps that you will take in your Spanish learning process. This is because if you don't know how to start, you will almost definitely feel like you are aimlessly wandering through the Spanish language with no real objectives and goals, and no real plan of how to progress.In doing so you will more than likely see less progress, and you won't be able to make connections between the different aspects of the language that you learn which can result in you becoming disheartened, and thinking that learning Spanish is an impossible task.Therefore, when it comes to learning Spanish, keep the following tips in mind:Stay motivatedDefine your goalsSet realistic targetsFind a method that works for youStart w ith the basicsPractise, Practise, Practise!Following these tips won't make you bilingual overnight, but they will help you get yourself on the road to bilingualism. Remember that attitude is equally important as how to learn the language, so always try to stay positive and keep focused on your end goals (maybe a holiday to Spain or a job in Argentina) when you are having a difficult day with the Spanish language.

Pen Pal Exchange Project

Pen Pal Exchange Project Useful links on the pen pals: Start a Pen Pal Exchange project for studentson the Virtual Writing Tutor. For instructions on how to create a pen pal exchange for your students, check out these step-by-step pen pal exchange creation instructions for teachers.Click here for an article on pen pals that students can read to introduce them to the concept of pen pal writing.? What is a Pen Pal Exchange? The Virtual Writing Tutors Pen Pal Exchange is a type of online forum, moderated by one or more teachers, with messages written by students and replies from their pen pals. Teachers can match up pen pals from the same group, from different groups, or from groups taught by collaborating-teachers located anywhere in the world. Whereas pen-and-paper pen pal writing projects generate stacks of handwritten letters forthe teacher to give corrective feedback on, the Virtual Writing Tutors Pen Pal Exchange provides automated feedback on grammar, spelling,and vocabulary. How? Two Essentials of Great Pedagogy The Virtual Writing Tutors Pen Pal Exchange links two very powerful elements of good pedagogy: teachers and technology. Yes, every teacher uses technology, whether they realize it or not. Blackboards and photocopies are forms of technology too, right? Skilled teachers The first element of great pedagogy is the teacher. The Pen Pal Exchange system depends upon a skilled teachers ability to plan a successful writing project, with goals, lessons, and evaluations. (We have preloaded an example of pen pal writing tasks that you can use or modify.) To support this half of the equation, we have developed a pen pal template development page that guides the teacher step-by-step in specifying the topics the students write about, in itemizing the required vocabulary, in establishing the minimum number of words for each message, and in tolerating no more than the maximum number of errors you are willing to allow. Powerful technology The second part of the equation is the technology. The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry if the available resources are missing. Planning to have 150 students write 10 well-developed meaningful messages to pen pals in 10 weeks and receive handwritten feedback on errors and vocabulary is likely to exhaust even the most energetic teacher. Thats why I have incorporated the Virtual Writing Tutors grammar checker, word counter, and target structure checker into both the editor students use to compose their messages, and behind the scenes to check their messages automatically for the requirements of the assignment and record scores for the teacher to review. Skill + Power = Good Pedagogy Combining your plan for a series of form-focused writing tasks with the Virtual Writing Tutors onboard corrective feedback tools ensures good English language pedagogy: maximizingthe repeated exchange of meaningful messages with a form-focus. Add in Mastery Model scoring so that the students grade matches his or her effort and ambition, and students keep working and working at their English writing until they get the result they want. There is another way that technology can support the success of a pen pal exchange project. Tracking who wrote to whom is a major headache for teachers in trying to develop a pen pal writing project involving students in different classrooms. It seems simple enough: have students write messages, collect them up, and redistribute them to students in a different group the next day. However, the mounds of paper to collect and distribute can get messy when playing postman. So, the Virtual Writing Tutors ability to track and directmessages to multitudes of pen pals with email reminders helps to ensure a successful pen pal exchange for English Second Language learners. Your Virtual Writing Tutor Pen Pal Exchange is sure to help your students develop their basic interpersonal communication skills very quickly. Ready? Start your Pen Pal Exchange project here. FYI: its free, I dont send spam, and you can delete all traces of your project when you are done. What can a teacher do? Teachers can set the following required elements of a pen pal exchange: Topics the number of writing topics to write pen pal messages aboutMinimum word count the minimum number of words and a score for meeting or exceeding the minimum word count.Max # of errors the maximum number of grammar and spelling errors to allow in a message to receive the full score.Required target structures a list of target structures to use in a message, the minimum number of those target structures to include in a message, and the score for meeting or exceeding the minimum number of targets in a message.A photo depending on the topic, the teacher may wish to require a photo.A voicerecording students benefit from a 10% improvement in explicit recall of vocabulary items when they are read aloud (compared with silent study), so a teacher may want to require a voice recording of each message to enhance recall. Teachers are also able to do the following: create pen pal templates with all of the settings listed aboveimport existing templatescreate groupscreate an online invitation to join a particular groupmatch up pen pals with pen pals in different groupsshare groups with other teachers to create exchanges involving different students around the province or around the worldmonitor students progress and scoresremove absentee or misbehaving students What are students able to do? Pen pals are able to do the following: delete every trace of themselves from the website (The Virtual Writing Tutor respects your right to be completely forgotten)add one photo to discussadd a voice recordingcheck grammar and spellingcheck for the target structures required by the teacherpost and repost messages What can the system do? The Virtual Writing Tutor can detect thousands of error patterns and provide explicit feedback on spelling and grammar errors. It can also count words and detect the use of target structures in a message. Based on what the VWT finds, the system automatically generates a score determined by the number errors, number of words, number of targets structures, and the inclusion of a photo and an audio recording in the pen pals message. It also calculates a score based on the number of replies a student makes on other students messages. What do students write about? The system allows pen pals to write on any topic. This semester, I intend to get my students to write on a series of standard topics. To see the writing project I have planned for them, download my list of topics below. * writing topics for the VWTs Pen Pal ExchangeDownload What does the Pen Pal Exchange look like? The topic list looks like this. You can have as many topics as you like. The first topic in blue is standard. It is a message form the teacher who moderates the exchange. The topics in red that follow are set by the teacher using a template creation tool. The teacher can add as many topic as he or she wants. The editor used to write a message to your pen pals looks like this. Message tools for pen pals to use when writing their messages The feedback on spelling looks like this. The feedback on grammar errors looks like this. You get feedback on target structures like this. The list of target structures set by the teacher in the exchange template is automatically added to the search tool like this. The feedback on the the use of target structures looks like this. Students have a dashboard that gives them access to a range of information, which they can access with hyperlinks. For example, they can hop over to their own messages, the messages posted by their pen pals, and see the people in their group. Clicking on a score take the student to a detailed view of their feedback. Teachers also have access to this view. What do the teachers tools look like? You can match students like this. You can add pen pal guests to an exchange manually or automatically. Teachers can see group members, deploy a template, and match students with pen pals from the same or different groups. The teacher can get an overview of the students score or see in more detail the individual scores that contribute to the students total score. An Article on Pen Pal Writing Click on the image below to read the article about pen pal writing. It could serve as good introduction to students in preparation for a pen pal exchange. Pen Pal Listening Exercises To see online activities that you can share with students to introduce them to the concept of pen pal writing, click on the images below: Please follow and like us:

11 English Idioms for Progress and Speed ?? - Learn English with Harry

11 English Idioms for Progress and Speed ?? - Learn English with Harry Fast cars and fast lives. We are surrounded by speed. Speedy broadband connections and speed  dating  (meeting lots of people for 1-3 mins trying to find a partner) are only two ways in which our  lives are pre-occupied (controlled) by speed. Here are several English idioms for progress and speed.  11 English Idioms for Progress and Speed GET YOUR SKATES ONThis means you have to hurry or be quick as you are either going to be late or  miss something.ex. If we are going to get the 5pm train we better get our skates on as we are behind  schedule.SPREAD LIKE WILDFIRE    Wildfires occur in forests that are very dry and have not had rain for a very  long time. Sometimes caused by a lightning strike but more often due to human error, wildfires  spread very quickly particularly if there is some wind. That is the literal meaning. However, we can  also use it in a metaphorical sense.ex. He told one person that he was leaving the  company and in a matter of minutes the rumour had spread like wildfire through the whole  building.MAKE VERY GOOD TIME  We usually use this to highlight the fact that we are moving quickly and  progressing to our destination. Sometimes we use it after we have had a short delay and then we  begin to travel more quickly.ex. I set off for Manchester but the traffic in London was  very slow. After an hour the traffic cleared and I began to make very good time. I was certain I  would get there ahead of schedule.LIKE A BAT OUT OF HELL  Hell is usually associated with being very hot and not a place you would really  like to go to or spend any time in. Therefore when someone is in a hurry to leave a place and does so  quickly we often use this phrase like a bat out of hell.ex. He went to his friends party  to celebrate a birthday. When he got there he noticed his former girlfriend in the other room. He left  quickly like a bat out of hell as he did not wish to meet her. 11 English Idioms about Speed and Progress Enjoyed this infographic? Here’s what you can do next: Facebook WhatsApp Twitter Vkontakte NO SOONER SAID THAN DONEUsually refers to doing something quickly when someone asks you to do  them a favour.ex. Mike’s wife was tired of looking at the broken shed door in the  garden. She asked Mike would he be able to fix it. Mike did not think it would take long so promised  to do it immediately, right at that very moment. He said it will be fixed before noon. No sooner  said than done.GET OFF TO A FLYING START This usually refers to something that begins very well or very quickly. It  might not continue but you do not know.ex. The business got off to a flying start. No  sooner had he put the advert up on the internet than he got about 5 calls. He had really got off to a  flying start!Of course,  not everything goes as quickly as our English phrases and idioms suggest. In fact  sometimes the opposite might happen.AT A SNAIL’S PACE Snails are very slow creatures and when people are slow we compare them to a  snail.ex. I wanted to go for a walk to get some exercise. I asked my wife to go with me. It  was a mistake. She was walking very slowly at a snail’s pace where as I wanted to walk quickly to  stretch my legs! At a Snail's Pace Idiom Meaning PUT THE BRAKES ON If you want to slow down a car or your bike you apply or press the brake and the  car or bike will slow down and stop. We can also use this phrase when we don’t want to finish a job  too quickly. If we finish it too quickly someone might give us something else to do.ex. I was working  with my colleague putting all the good into boxes. We were working quite quickly. My colleague told  me to slow down, to put the brakes on, otherwise we would be finished well before lunchtime and  the boss would only give us something else to do.TAKE YOUR TIME A bit like the previous idiom (put the brakes on) this refers to not being in a hurry  and suggests there is plenty of time.ex. When I was young and a meal was served I would  rush to the table eat very quickly so I could get back out to play or do whatever I was doing before  the meal. My parents always shouted hey,slow down take your time, it’s not a race.TAKE YOUR FINGER OUTIts more slang expression than the other and a l ittle bit rude but it is in very common use. When somebody is a little bit frustrated or annoyed of someones lack of progress, they tell them to take the finger out.ex. My boss was waiting for the sales report for several weeks, he finally lost his patience and screamed at me to take my finger out and have the report on his desk by lunchtime.ON YOUR BIKE (Irish English)Another informal expression to encourage somebody to ether do something or go away.ex. My son was training to persuade me to invest heavily in a new laptop for him. When he showed me the price on the internet, my only comment was: On your bike (get lost), you can make do with the one you have.