Creating a Tour in Google Earth (updated 2-2020)
Information literacy topics:
-Searching strategies for information
-Using technology tools
Learning Expectations:
-(for using all Technology tools): Academic-Problem-solving: “Students will use appropriate tools strategically to solve problems.”
1: Find the activities for this class by starting at the Amity Library web page.
2. Objective: What do we want to accomplish today?
Use Google Earth to create and save a tour of sites of interest in a Latin American country, in which you state different activities that can be done in those locations.
3. Discussion: Functionalities that Google Earth offers. Look at this sample tour: Visita a Gijón, España.
4. Sign into Google so that your work is saved. Now go to Google Earth.
5. How to work in Google Earth.
Movement tips:
- Move around: Left-click and drag your thumb on the touchpad.
- Zoom in and out: use the +/- on screen.
- Look around your location: Hold Ctrl + click and drag the screen.
- View 3D buildings: go to Menu, Map Style, and turn on Enable 3D
Building your Tour:
- Search for a city: Search .
- Search for a specific place by name, or KIND of place in the city (“Parque Isabel la Católica, or “parque.”
- When you find a place you want to include and the place name appears on the right, click
- Name your project appropriately, and “Edit place.”
- Add your own image, and write your own information by clicking “Replace.”
- Search for your image or images, add and format your text.
- When you are done, play your tour by clicking “Present” Lick “3D” in the lower right to tilt the view.:
6. Sharing your Tour in Google Earth
- Use the share icon. Set your preferences so that anyone (not just Amity) can view (not edit.)
La Prensa Internacional
Gracias a la interconectividad de las redes digitales, hoy en día tenemos disponibles en la Web una riqueza de recursos que ofrecen enlaces con la prensa de todos los países del mundo.
En general estas webs no ofrecen el cien por cien del contenido que tiene la versión pagada del mismo periódico o revista, pero dan la posibilidad de ver las portadas, y leer muchos de los artículos que contienen.
Adelante!
México
Venezuela
Perú
Bolivia
Chile
España
Colombia
Serapiglia
Spanish IV-1
Searching for Foreign-language Sources in Google (updated 2-2020)
Information literacy topics:
-Searching strategies for information
-Using technology tools
Learning Expectations:
- Academic-Problem-solving: “Students will use appropriate tools strategically to solve problems.”
1: Find the activities for this class, at:
Amity website→High School→AHS Library Information Center
Find Online Stuff→By Subject→World Language→Class Projects→Serapiglia→
2. Objective: What do we want to accomplish today?
Use full functionality of Google Search to find original foreign-language materials, and strategize with search terms to improve searches.
3. Discussion:
Look at “How Search Works.”
Worth devoting 10 minutes to reading to START to understand how your main source of information says it works.
Look at “How Search Algorithms Work.”
Take-aways:
- algorithms are calculations that determine what is reliable and useful.
- Google’s algorithms decide:
what you really mean in your search,
what results are relevant to you,
what results are reliable,
what information that is EASIEST to view
all based on who and where Google things you are.
Too much power?????
- These algorithms are very susceptible to what OTHER PEOPLE thing is reliable and useful, because they rank by other users’ behavior.
4. Steps to search in foreign language
From main Google search page:
Recommended method:
- Settings/Search Settings/Advanced Search
- Narrow down by LANGUAGE, and to avoid getting American-English translations to Spanish, choose a Region.Settings/Search Settings/Region Settings
or
Alternate method:
- Settings/Search Settings/Languages
- Choose language of results in “Currently showing search results in: (choose language)”
- (do NOT use “Which language should Google products use?” or the browser will appear in that language.)
Hint:
After you search, in the Results page, these options are available under “Settings.”
5. Practice
5.a. Try an initial search. Follow these steps. Reflect on your steps and the results as you go, marking the answers on this FORM.
- Set the browser to return results in Spanish, from a region you choose (See step 4).
- Think of your search terms (maybe 2-4?). What are they?
- How many results did you get?
- Scroll down the first 10 results.
- Are they all in Spanish?
- Do most of them look relevant?
- Do the websites look authoritative, or just like commercial click-bait?
- Do any words appear that look like better search terms than the ones you used? What are they?
5.b. Adjust your search, based on better words you found, adding more terms, and/or removing some terms.
- What are your new search terms?
- How many results did you get?
- Scroll down the first 10 results. Are they in Spanish?
- Briefly explain how these results are different than your first search.
Elena Serapiglia
Spanish IV
Online Dictionaries: WordReference
Information literacy topics:
Using technology tools
Objective: To use online bilingual dictionaries effectively to translate English/Spanish and Spanish/English.
1.Direct students to activity guide online at:
Amity website→High School→AHS Library Information Center
Find Online Stuff→By Subject→World Language→Class Projects→Serapiglia→Online Dictionaries: WordReference
2. Discussion: What works and doesn’t work in Google Translate?
Google Translate can be useful BUT...
3. Presentation/Discussion: WordReference bilingual online dictionaries
Advantages and function of a dictionary: Example: “look”
Shows the part of speech of original and translation. Hover for definition, or look at the WordReference abbreviation list.
Gives the word in context or synonym to make sure it’s the right definition
Gives a translation of the word in context.
Gives choices by different country/region (for different “regionalismos”)
abbreviations used.
4. Student practice and discussion: SINGLE WORD English-Spanish translation
Strategy...
Identify your term. Noun? Verb? Adjective? etc.
Clarify the context.
Nouns, adjectives, etc.
Identify the singular form (usually masculine, but some nouns use the feminine).
Is it slang? Is it an idiomatic usage (i.e. NOT literal use of words)?
Simplify your term, perhaps using a synonym.
Search for single word.
Scan results, confirming part of speak and correct context.
No good results? Change search terms. Look for synonyms.
No luck? Try the user forums at the bottom of the page.
Verbs
Identify the infinitive.
Is it a phrasal verb?
Is it slang? Is it an idiomatic expression (i.e. NOT literal use of words)?
Simplify your term, perhaps using a synonym.
Change phrasal verbs to single words if possible.
Change idiomatic expressions to more conventional terms.
Search by single word, or, if necessary, phrasal verbs (this sometimes works!).
Scan results, confirming part of speech and correct context.
No good results? Change search terms. Look for synonyms.
No luck? Try the user forums at the bottom of the page.
5. Additional student practice and discussion: PHRASAL VERB Spanish-English translation
Phrasal verbs are verb expressions made up of the verb + other words, like prepositions, conjunctions, and object pronouns, that follow specific formulas. The verb changes meaning completely depending on the other formula and the context.
Session Notes
Google Translate can be useful BUT:
When it is WRONG, it:
May just be completely inaccurate.
No me quedan más que $10.
I do not get more than $ 10.
May be too literal.
I only have $10 left.
Sólo tengo $ 10 izquierda.
May not good at figuring out the context from surrounding text.
I don’t want her money. You keep it.
No quiero su dinero. Usted mantiene la misma.
Can’t figure out meaning with no context.
Queda.
Remains.
When it is RIGHT:
May use expressions correctly that just sound awkward.
May use expressions that are unfamiliar to you, or beyond your experience.
Nuria and I have arranged to meet at 8 in the bar.
Nuria y yo hemos quedado a las 8 en el bar.
Most important, when it does show other choices, it doesn’t give enough context. It IS getting better, BUT, dictionaries are often a better choice.
Searching strategy...
Identify your term. Noun? Verb? Adjective? etc.
Clarify the context.
Nouns, adjectives, etc.
Identify the singular form (usually masculine, but some nouns use the feminine).
Is it slang? Is it an idiomatic usage (i.e. NOT literal use of words)?
Simplify your term, perhaps using a synonym.
Change phrasal verbs to single words if possible.
Change idiomatic expressions to more conventional terms.
Search by single word, or, if necessary, phrasal verbs (this sometimes works!).
Scan results, confirming part of speak and correct context.
No good results? Change search terms. Look for synonyms.
No luck? Try the user forums at the bottom of the page.
User language forums, in which many translators participate. NOT everyone is an expert, and sometimes people with little experience give opinions.
WordReference includes plug-ins and gadgets that can be used with browsers like Internet Explorer, Firefox and Google.
