André Klein's Blog, page 17
March 25, 2014
5 German Novels For Beginners and Intermediate German Learners
Learning German with textbooks and worksheets only gets you so far. After a while, you need to start putting the pieces together by speaking to people, watching German movies, reading blogs and newspapers or German short stories. Once you feel comfortable reading shorter pieces, it’s time to progress to full-length reading materials. Today, I’d like to present five German novels and novellas which are both great stories and relatively easy to read for beginners and intermediate German learners.
Die Verwandlung – “Metamorphosis”, by Franz Kafka
First published in 1915 and considered one of the most important 20th century works of fiction, this German novella by Franz Kafka is still studied in schools and universities worldwide. Contrary to many older German literary classics, Kafka’s prose is relatively simple and easy to read for German learners due to its clear (i.e. relatively short) sentences and lack of overly complicated vocabulary.
Kindle: via gutenberg.org
ePub: via gutenberg.org
HTML: via gutenberg.org
PDF: via freilesen.de
vocabulary: 1, 2, 3 via Quizlet
Homo Faber. Ein Bericht, by Max Frisch
Published in 1959, this German novel by Swiss author Max Frisch is about a successful engineer called Walter Faber, who prefers facts to feelings, logic to love and empirical data to emotions. He fares quite well with this rational approach to life until he’s faced with a chain of stupefying coincidences that force him to reevaluate his entire worldview.
Written in modern German from a first-person perspective, this novel is a great way to start can be a good starting point for German students interested in full-length reading material which is neither too challenging nor too shallow. Homo Faber is considered a modern German classic and was also made into a movie by German director Volker Schlöndorff starring Sam Shepard.
Kindle: via Amazon
ePub: via bücher.de
HTML: via gabrieleweis.de
PDF: Google
vocabulary: reading comprehension quiz, flashcards via Quizlet
Die Schachnovelle – “The Royal Game”, by Stefan Zweig
This novella, written between 1938 and 1941 in Brazilian exile, is Stefan Zweig’s last and most famous work. At its heart is the confrontation of a Gestapo prisoner with the psychological ramifications of his situation on the background of a passenger steamer full of affluent travelers and their superficial attitude.
The protagonist, Dr B, put in solitary confinement by the Nazis obsesses about chess in order to maintain his sanity. He plays against himself and is developing a split personality which leads to a breakdown. Now officially declared “insane”, he’s released, but when he finds himself travelling on a passenger steamer together with the world chess champion Czentovic, he’s forced to stare into the abyss once again.
This novella is suitable for German learners due to its brevity, basic vocabulary and sentence structures.
Kindle: via feedbooks
ePub: via feedbooks
PDF: via feedbooks
vocabulary: text comprehension quiz
Der Richter und sein Henker – “The Judge and His Hangman”, by Friedrich Dürrenmatt
Originally published in a Swiss weekly journal as a serial novel between 1950 and 1951, this mystery novel by Friedrich Dürrenmatt is a classical detective story with a crime at its center and a search for the perpetrator.
This German novel is required reading in many German schools, and it’s also appropriate for intermediate German learners looking for suitable reading material, due to its relatively straightforward plot and plain language.
Kindle: via Amazon
ePub: via bücher.de
PDF: Google
vocabulary: text comprehension quiz
Das Parfum. Die Geschichte eines Mörders – “Perfume: The Story of a Murderer”, by Patrick Süskind
This 1985 historical/mystery/coming-of-age novel by German author Patrick Süskind is about a murderer with a supernatural sense of smell. Born with no body scent in 18th-century Paris, protagonist Baptiste Grenouille is stalking and killing virgins, hunting for the “perfect scent”.
Translated into 48 languages and sold more than 20 million times, Das Parfum is one of the most sucessfull German novels of the 20th century.
While Süskinds narrative style may sometimes be a bit ornate, this novel can be a good way for German learners to expand their vocabulary without sentence structure and plot being too difficult too follow.
Kindle: via Amazon
ePub: via bücher.de
PDF: Google
vocabulary: flashcards via Quizlet
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photo: Some rights reserved by cafemama
About the author:
André Klein was born in Germany, has grown up and lived in many different places including Thailand, Sweden and Israel. He has produced two music albums, performed and organized literary readings, curated an experimental television program and is the author of various short stories and non-fiction works.
The post 5 German Novels For Beginners and Intermediate German Learners appeared first on Learn Out Live!.
March 19, 2014
Adéla Obermajerová: I teach people how to learn best by themselves
The following interview is part of an interview series in which we feature education professionals from a variety of different fields in order to highlight individual efforts and creative solutions to education in the 21st century. If you want to participate simply write down and send your answers to the five below questions to info {at} learnoutlive.com and include a picture of yourself. (Please note that we reserve the right to not publish all submissions)
1. Who are you and what do you do in education?
Well… The one who loves wearing skirts and earrings! Also, I work as an English language private tutor and consultant. Working with people from their late teens up to late adulthood, I currently specialize is providing 1-on-1 tutoring in General English combined with learning skills development and personal growth. It´s my mission to show people who are sometimes trying to learn English for many years with no result, that the problem is not in them – it is in the unsuitable, way too analytical methods they may have been using. I help the learner to reflect on their true motivation for learning and also on the main blocks they have. Of course it´s usually speaking blocks. Once identified, we work towards finding out where they come from and overcoming them using effective, yet simple tools like holistic learning and relaxation techniques. My courses are led completely without course books. Instead, I use interesting and fun internet resources and mainly, I encourage people to go “out in the world” and socialize in English!
My vision in education is not to teach anyone English but to help them know how to learn by themselves in a fun way, why. I´m convinced that this is the only way we learn languages: through dialogue and social interaction but by ourselves. This is actually how we have been doing since day 1 in our lives.
2. Describe a typical work day in your life!
I get up at 7 and feed my two pet rabbits. I have been happy enough to find an appartment with my own teaching room so I can work eco-friendly from home. My tutorings start at around 9 – on the spot or via Skype. In the afternoon I feed back on the lessons, both for me and the learners, summarizing what we have been doing and where to go next. I am kind of a lighthouse who sheds light on the process of learning so that the learner would not get lost or lose motivation. I say it is vital to enjoy the journey but it is also good to know where we want to go. Next to preparing the courses, I spend a great deal of time searching for new learning resources both online and in the city of Prague.
3. In what way has technology in general and the net in particular changed your work?
Oh dear, it has changed my work a great deal! I have found that learning a language does not need to mean only doing exercises in a course book (though I used to love them as well – I loved everything about English:-) It can include the more fun things like watching videos and singing songs. More importantly, thanks to the net, you can make sure that the English you are dealing with, is up to date. As a professional, I have benefited from the net in the sense that it has enabled me to reach my target audience – learners who are really willing to make a progress – and not just “attend a course”. Those are the ones I can help most, for you know what they say: “If you’re not willing to learn, no one can help you. If you’re determined to learn, no one can stop you.” I can teach people who live far away from me through Skype, I can share tools with them that are widely accessible, and I can create my own tools like teaching videos. Last but not least, it means to me a wealth of knowledge of modern teaching methods and also a place of networking with like-minded teachers.
4. What challenges do you see for education in the future?
The challenge will be that there will be so much information available (if it is not already happening) and this shall pose two questions. One, will the traditional teaching at school desks lose all its sense? And two, will we know how to manage this overload of information? My view is the one that the school system will have to be transformed into helping children (and people) develop their true potential and present them with opportunities to learn rather than function as a transmitter of facts of knowledge. Information will be widely accessible but we will have to learn (or teach children) how to learn best by themselves.
5. Where can we find you online?
My blog: lotusenglish.cz
My Facebook site: facebook.com/lotusenglish
My YouTube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCbr9mdbVUNOCdLUbGn3Zkcg
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About the author:
LearnOutLive Interviews is an interview series in which we feature private teachers and education professionals from a variety of different fields in order to highlight individual efforts and creative solutions to education in the 21st century. If you want to participate simply write down and send your answers to these five questions to info {at} learnoutlive.com and include a picture of yourself. (Please note that we reserve the right to not publish all submissions)
The post Adéla Obermajerová: I teach people how to learn best by themselves appeared first on Learn Out Live!.
Adéla Obermajerová: I can teach people who live far away from me through Skype
The following interview is part of an interview series in which we feature education professionals from a variety of different fields in order to highlight individual efforts and creative solutions to education in the 21st century. If you want to participate simply write down and send your answers to the five below questions to info {at} learnoutlive.com and include a picture of yourself. (Please note that we reserve the right to not publish all submissions)
1. Who are you and what do you do in education?
Well… The one who loves wearing skirts and earrings! Also, I work as an English language private tutor and consultant. Working with people from their late teens up to late adulthood, I currently specialize is providing 1-on-1 tutoring in General English combined with learning skills development and personal growth. It´s my mission to show people who are sometimes trying to learn English for many years with no result, that the problem is not in them – it is in the unsuitable, way too analytical methods they may have been using. I help the learner to reflect on their true motivation for learning and also on the main blocks they have. Of course it´s usually speaking blocks. Once identified, we work towards finding out where they come from and overcoming them using effective, yet simple tools like holistic learning and relaxation techniques. My courses are led completely without course books. Instead, I use interesting and fun internet resources and mainly, I encourage people to go “out in the world” and socialize in English!
My vision in education is not to teach anyone English but to help them know how to learn by themselves in a fun way, why. I´m convinced that this is the only way we learn languages: through dialogue and social interaction but by ourselves. This is actually how we have been doing since day 1 in our lives.
2. Describe a typical work day in your life!
I get up at 7 and feed my two pet rabbits. I have been happy enough to find an appartment with my own teaching room so I can work eco-friendly from home. My tutorings start at around 9 – on the spot or via Skype. In the afternoon I feed back on the lessons, both for me and the learners, summarizing what we have been doing and where to go next. I am kind of a lighthouse who sheds light on the process of learning so that the learner would not get lost or lose motivation. I say it is vital to enjoy the journey but it is also good to know where we want to go. Next to preparing the courses, I spend a great deal of time searching for new learning resources both online and in the city of Prague.
3. In what way has technology in general and the net in particular changed your work?
Oh dear, it has changed my work a great deal! I have found that learning a language does not need to mean only doing exercises in a course book (though I used to love them as well – I loved everything about English:-) It can include the more fun things like watching videos and singing songs. More importantly, thanks to the net, you can make sure that the English you are dealing with, is up to date. As a professional, I have benefited from the net in the sense that it has enabled me to reach my target audience – learners who are really willing to make a progress – and not just “attend a course”. Those are the ones I can help most, for you know what they say: “If you’re not willing to learn, no one can help you. If you’re determined to learn, no one can stop you.” I can teach people who live far away from me through Skype, I can share tools with them that are widely accessible, and I can create my own tools like teaching videos. Last but not least, it means to me a wealth of knowledge of modern teaching methods and also a place of networking with like-minded teachers.
4. What challenges do you see for education in the future?
The challenge will be that there will be so much information available (if it is not already happening) and this shall pose two questions. One, will the traditional teaching at school desks lose all its sense? And two, will we know how to manage this overload of information? My view is the one that the school system will have to be transformed into helping children (and people) develop their true potential and present them with opportunities to learn rather than function as a transmitter of facts of knowledge. Information will be widely accessible but we will have to learn (or teach children) how to learn best by themselves.
5. Where can we find you online?
My blog: lotusenglish.cz
My Facebook site: facebook.com/lotusenglish
My YouTube channel: youtube.com/channel/UCbr9mdbVUNOCdLUbGn3Zkcg
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About the author:
LearnOutLive Interviews is an interview series in which we feature private teachers and education professionals from a variety of different fields in order to highlight individual efforts and creative solutions to education in the 21st century. If you want to participate simply write down and send your answers to these five questions to info {at} learnoutlive.com and include a picture of yourself. (Please note that we reserve the right to not publish all submissions)
The post Adéla Obermajerová: I can teach people who live far away from me through Skype appeared first on Learn Out Live!.
March 13, 2014
Help Us Improve Our German Learning Books And “Add Your Mustard”!
One of the great things of being an independent publisher (besides the creative freedom) is the direct contact to readers. Over the past few years I’ve received many emails packed with suggestions, questions, comments and more. And no matter how long it takes me to reply, I never miss out on writing back.
There’s no publishing house in between my readership and me. Readers tell me directly what kind of books they like, how they use them, where they discovered them and when they expect the next one to come out (yesterday!). It’s even become a kind of tradition that whoever contributes constructive feedback that makes it into the final edit of a book, gets a mention in the special thanks section.
In other words, readers are an essential part of the publishing process, not just as passive receivers but as active participants!
German Learning Books For The Rest Of Us
In the last few years I’ve specialized in creating German learning books that are both fun, accessible and written in a language that people actually use in everyday life.
To my own surprise, not just independent learners are using these books, but they are even employed in German classrooms across the world — at least, that’s what teachers tell me.
Up to now, I’ve published a series of different German learning books through LearnOutLive. There’s the Baumgartner & Momsen detective series, the Aschkalon interactive fantasy trilogy and the not-quite-serious city-guide beginner series Dino lernt Deutsch, of which the latest episode Karneval in Köln just launched today!
Most of these books have been published in as many different platforms and formats as possible (at least the major ones): EPUB, MOBI, Amazon Kindle, PDF, iTunes, Kobo Books, Barnes & Noble, Paperback and more.
Additionally, they all come without DRM (see also: copy protection) so that readers can transfer and read these books on whatever device they like. DRM can’t prevent piracy anyway. Or to put it in Google’s words: “Piracy is an availability and pricing problem”.
But I digress.
After writing all these books, I’m now at a crossroads. I could continue either of the series or start a completely new one. This is where you come in. I’ve created one of these over-glorified surveys which I aptly called The Incredibly Fabulous LearnOutLive German Books 5-Minute Mini Survey and you are cordially invited to “add your mustard” as we say in German.
Admittedly, I usually just choose whichever project seems the most fun — and yet, it’s hard to argue with popular demand. So, go ahead and sharpen your pencils, dust off your keyboards and tap and swipe as if there’s no tomorrow!
Take Our Survey
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photo: YT
About the author:
André Klein was born in Germany, has grown up and lived in many different places including Thailand, Sweden and Israel. He has produced two music albums, performed and organized literary readings, curated an experimental television program and is the author of various short stories and non-fiction works.
The post Help Us Improve Our German Learning Books And “Add Your Mustard”! appeared first on Learn Out Live!.
March 7, 2014
How To Become A Better Writer By Finding Creativity Within Constraints
Lately, an interesting writing app has been making the rounds. It’s called Hemingway, and it promises to “make your writing bold and clear”.
The way it works is that you type or paste in a few paragraphs, and then the app will try to highlight long and complicated sentences, unnecessary adverbs and overgenerous use of the passive voice.
It’s algorithm also presents you with a so called “Readability Grade” at the end. By correcting your highlighted sentences and words you can achieve a higher “grade”.
The App That Makes Us Write Like 3rd Graders
The Hemingway app has garnered some criticism by people around the web who are saying that the app didn’t help us write more like Hemingway but rather like third graders, because it encourages child-like simplicity instead of elaborate prose.
In an interesting experiment, someone pasted part of a story by the master of brevity himself into the app and the result was only a measly “okay” (grade 15).
The Hemingway app is fun to experiment with, and it’s useful in that it calls out in your writing places of friction—allowing you to decide whether they are necessary or merely sloppy. No one is above clarity. And the app, based on the experience of running examples of my own writing through it today, is, like a good editor, attuned to the places where vanity seems to be getting the better of things. – New Yorker
Forget about the software, focus on the idea
Whatever you may think about the app and its sometimes rather fanatical algorithm, the underlying idea is great: improving expression through limitation.
Let’s face it — words are cheap, now more than ever. Anyone can write anything and publish it anytime, from anywhere in the world.
Our options of creative expression are limitless. And yet, curiously, only by limiting our options can we sometimes find that moment of breakthrough — when we leave aside the distractions of (linguistic) bells and whistles, and start painting pictures in clear and confident strokes.
For example, one of the main reasons why the iOS painting app Paper has become so wildly popular is because it does exactly this: contrary to Photoshop with its esoteric control panels and myriads of options, Paper presents you with a very limited set of tools and encourages creativity within constraints.
In my own writing, I’ve discovered something similar. During the process of writing simple German short stories for language learners, I’ve often found myself wanting to use certain words or sentence constructions (boy, do we have some nice ones — ask Mr. Twain) which in the end would only confuse novice learners, so I had to come up with alternative ways of expressing the same idea.
By now, this practice has become second-nature, so that even when I’m not writing specifically for language learners, I still try to avoid complexities wherever they aren’t warranted by the content.
I don’t know if this practice has made me a better writer, but I’m certain that the voluntary limitation of options in the end opens up far more opportunities — you learn to think in alternatives instead of absolutes.
Because, come to think of it — just because something is complex doesn’t mean it’s good. And the best solutions in life are often the simplest ones.
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photo via morguefile.com
About the author:
André Klein was born in Germany, has grown up and lived in many different places including Thailand, Sweden and Israel. He has produced two music albums, performed and organized literary readings, curated an experimental television program and is the author of various short stories and non-fiction works.
The post How To Become A Better Writer By Finding Creativity Within Constraints appeared first on Learn Out Live!.
February 27, 2014
9 Things You Should Know About Cologne’s Carnival
photo by DanieleCivello Creative Commons
At the end of February, from Thursday* until Ash Wednesday, the city of Cologne is in an exceptional state. Carnival (in German Karneval) has been celebrated in Cologne since medieval times and is so famous that it’s often even called the Fifth Season. There are many German cities which celebrate carnival to varying degrees of intensity, but in Cologne, Carnival is serious business! Any normal activity stops during these days and is replaced by dancing, laughing, singing and serious drinking.
*While the hot phase starts only on Thursday, officially the Fifth Season is already declared on the 11th of November at 11:11.
2. The participants of the Carnival are called “Jecken”
photo by PercyGermany™ Creative Commons
A Jeck is any person that participates in the Carnival. The j is pronounced like the y in the English word yam. Contrary to members of offical Carnival Clubs (Karnevalsverein) who are called Karnevalisten, anyone can be a Jeck.
3. Three Rulers Preside Over the Mad People
photo via Wikipedia (PD)
During the carnival season, three symbolical rulers are elected. Together they are called the Trifolium (or Dreigestirn) which consists of the character of the Prince, the Peasant and the Virgin. The Prince is the prince of the carnival itself, the Peasant represents the wealth and the defensive strength of the city of Cologne, whereas the Virgin symbolizes the virtue and beauty of the city. And yes, the Virgin is always a man.
4. In Cologne the call of the carnival is “Alaaf”, not “Hellau”
photo by Nordrhein-Westfalen Creative Commons
The call of Carnival is called Narrenruf (literally jester’s call). Each city that celebrates the Carnival in Germany and Switzerland has their own call. Also, each city (where carnival is taken seriously) is convinced of the superiority of their own carnival compared to the others, so if you want to join the fray, make sure to get the right call for the right city. For example, they shout Hellau in Mainz, while in Cologne it’s always and only: Alaaf!
5. Don’t wear a (costly) tie on Weiberfastnacht
photo by Josef Türk Reit im Winkl Chiemgau Creative Commons
On Weiberfastnacht (literally women’s carnival), (also known as Fat Thursday), it is customary for women to cut off the tie of any man they see. This custom dates back to a revolt by washer women in the year 1824. Everyone traveling in or through Cologne at this day wearing a tie is bound to wear only a stump by the end of the day. The practice, which on other days would be considered damage of property, is actually sanctified by local law for 24 hours.
6. Kiss or Be Kissed
photo by fireleaf Creative Commons
Another carnival custom of Weiberfastnacht is the so called Bützchen, a kiss on the cheek dealt out by women to any man they meet. This should not be mistaken as a declaration of passion or any other carnal *cough* desires, but simply as a sign of carnivalistic camaraderie and joy. I’ve heard stories of men who have turned their head during a Bützchen, trying to receive a kiss on the lips, but they have been known to only get a slap in the face instead.
7. The Rosenmontagszug is Germany’s Biggest Carnival Parade
photo by DanieleCivello Creative Commons
Traditionally held since 1823, the “Zoch” (Cologne dialect for Zug: train, procession, parade) is the oldest and biggest carnival parade in Germany, comprised of marchers, bands, horses, dancers and floats. The Rosenmontagszug, which takes place on Rose Monday (as the name says), is more than six kilometers long and attended by hundred-thousands of people.
8. 300 tons of “Kamelle” are thrown each year
photo by A.Schauervilla Creative Commons
During the Rosenmontagszug, every year 300 tons of Kamelle are thrown to the delight of children and other sugar-fiends. Kamelle can be anything from candy, paper flowers to animals, but mostly it’s just glorious glucose in all shapes and forms. Serious Jecken have developed various strategies to catch as much flying candy as they can, using anything from their bare hands to umbrellas:
photo by gynti_46 Creative Commons
9. The Floats Often Feature Political Satire
photo by RuckSackKruemel Creative Commons
Part of the Rosenmontagszug are not just the traditional marching bands, horses and dancers but also giant floats, often showing recent events in a satirical light or poking fun at politicians.
photo by RuckSackKruemel Creative Commons
photo by RuckSackKruemel Creative Commons
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all image rights belong to the respective owners (see captions)
About the author:
André Klein was born in Germany, has grown up and lived in many different places including Thailand, Sweden and Israel. He has produced two music albums, performed and organized literary readings, curated an experimental television program and is the author of various short stories and non-fiction works.
The post 9 Things You Should Know About Cologne’s Carnival appeared first on Learn Out Live!.
February 20, 2014
3 Ways To Start Learning How To Code
Knowing how to code is becoming an increasingly important skill for many different fields of expertise. Software is everywhere: in our cars, telephones, books and even refrigerators. While learning to code is not a magic bullet to land the perfect job, it can nevertheless be an great asset in many different situations.
Especially for people who are doing business online in any way, shape or form, coding is a skill as essential as reading and writing. Whether you’re selling handicrafts, teaching online or writing books, learning how to code might be what it takes to set you apart from the competition.
Many people will say: “Why? There are platforms for selling handicrafts, teaching online or publishing books that don’t require any programming skills. They’re already existing. All I have to do is click on a few buttons.”
The great thing about these platforms is that it lowers the entry-barriers. Anyone can participate. But it’s always the platform that has the last say regarding everything from user-interface to commission payments.
In the end, each website or platform is built from the same stuff: code. By learning to code, you can build your own platforms. It doesn’t have to be the next Facebook or Amazon, but perhaps just a little website.
Of course there are many already-existing platforms that promise to help you build a website “without coding” but it’s only so long before you’ve exhausted the set of pre-configured themes and options and come up against a wall which only coding will enable you to break through.
1. Take a Course
First of all, there are many different programming languages, and just like with any other language, one should know why one is getting into it. At Codeacademy you can get a brief overview of and introduction to major programming languages for various fields, for free.
If you’ve never tinkered with code before, Codeacademy will help you to get your feet wet. It’s like Duolingo for programming: not perfect, but very easy to get started with.
There are other free courses and introductions as well, like W3schools or A Beginner’s Guide to HTML & CSS and many others, but in the end it all depends on your personal learning preferences. The material (at least for beginners) will always be the same.
2. Break & Tinker
Once you’ve learned a bit about the basics, it’s important to start applying your knowledge. One way of doing this is by looking at existing codes and getting a deeper understanding by tinkering with them. Sure, you’ll often break the code and render it unfunctional, but errors are one of the best ways of learning what makes a program tick.
Codeacademy will supply you with some basic examples, but for more advanced things to tinker with, head on over to Codepen.io.
For example here’s a very simple code which creates a few colorful buttons:
See the Pen Some buttons… by Ottis Kelleghan (@cheeriottis) on CodePen.
Can you change the colors or the size of the buttons? Go ahead and try it.
Another site to play around with code is Jsfiddle.net. Here’s an example of a bubble animation:
Can you figure out how to increase the number of bubbles and/or change their color?
3. Google & Do It
Last but not least, try and find more examples of working code through Google. There are many forums and sites like stackexchange full of interesting threads with questions, answers and explanations.
Do you need to overhaul your website’s navigation? Want to create a text-adventure game with Javascript? Need to change your WordPress sidebar width? Google it and try to make it work!
There are many great tutorials out there. One of my favorite sites for webdesign is codrops, for example.
So the next time you’re not happy about what Facebook or any other platform is doing, don’t waste time ranting on your blog; build your own platform and projects instead!
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photo: Creative Commons by Foomandoonian
About the author:
André Klein was born in Germany, has grown up and lived in many different places including Thailand, Sweden and Israel. He has produced two music albums, performed and organized literary readings, curated an experimental television program and is the author of various short stories and non-fiction works.
The post 3 Ways To Start Learning How To Code appeared first on Learn Out Live!.
February 13, 2014
Find German Language Games on Steam
When I first started gaming back in the nineties in Germany, there weren’t too many games around in my native language. While most adventure games were eventually translated into German, the English originals were simply much easier to come by. So I took the challenge and made my way through the first Monkey Island and Zak McKracken adventures in English, picking up a lot of (useful?) vocabulary and grammar along the way, while my English lessons in school were still circling around the ole’ “stick, stuck, stuck”.
To make a long story short, if it hadn’t been for English games (and later: movies & books), my Anglosaxon skills would be in a sorry state. So today, I’d like to return the favor by pointing out a few games on the popular Steam platform which can be easily switched to German (the same principle applies to other languages as well, by the way).
How To Change Steam Language
There are generally two ways to control the language your Steam games are running in:
1. By changing the language of the Steam client, all games automatically switch over to that language (if available). See the official Steam support for detailed instructions.
2. You can also individually change the language of each game. By right-clicking on a game in your Steam library and choosing Properties -> Language you can switch the game to whatever language is available, independent of your client language.
The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim (German Edition)
Winner of more than 200 Game of the Year awards, the Elder Scrolls series is an immersive action role-playing game that probably doesn’t need a lot of introductions. The developers put a lot of efforts into making the German version as authentic as possible, down to little details such as consistent usage of the medieval polite pronoun “Ihr” instead of the modern “Sie”.
If you want to play Skyrim in German but with subtitles in English, see this little hack.
Portal (German Edition)
Portal has been called one of the most innovative new games on the horizon, and both the first and the second part are available on Steam with full German audio and interface. The voice-overs are done quite well, actually:
Sid Meier’s Civilization® V (German Edition)
The world-famous strategy game which is all about conquering the world by establishing and leading a civilization from the dawn of man into the space age is fully available in German on Steam, with full audio, subtitles and interface.
BioShock Infinite (German Edition)
The third installment of the BioShock first-person shooter series won many awards and comes with full German language support.
All Daedalic games
Last but not least, for all fans of classic adventure games, Daedalic Entertainment’s games, such as Memoria, Deponia and Ednard & Harvey are all available in full German language, because – you guessed it – Daedalic is a development firm from Germany.
See all Daedalic Games on Steam >>
Wait, There’s More …
Want to find out which other games are available in German on Steam? Follow this link to jump straight to the search results on the Steam shop.
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photo: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic via Wikipedia
About the author:
André Klein was born in Germany, has grown up and lived in many different places including Thailand, Sweden and Israel. He has produced two music albums, performed and organized literary readings, curated an experimental television program and is the author of various short stories and non-fiction works.
The post Find German Language Games on Steam appeared first on Learn Out Live!.
German Language Games on Steam
When I first started gaming back in the nineties in Germany, there weren’t too many games around in my native language. While most adventure games were eventually translated into German, the English originals were simply much easier to come by. So I took the challenge and made my way through the first Monkey Island and Zak McKracken adventures in English, picking up a lot of (useful?) vocabulary and grammar along the way, while my English lessons in school were still circling around the ole’ “stick, stuck, stuck”.
To make a long story short, if it hadn’t been for English games (and later: movies & books), my Anglosaxon skills would be in a sorry state. So today, I’d like to return the favor by pointing out a few games on the popular Steam platform which can be easily switched to German (the same principle applies to other languages as well, by the way).
How To Change Steam Language
There are generally two ways to control the language your Steam games are running in:
1. By changing the language of the Steam client, all games automatically switch over to that language (if available). See the official Steam support for detailed instructions.
2. You can also individually change the language of each game. By right-clicking on a game in your Steam library and choosing Properties -> Language you can switch the game to whatever language is available, independent of your client language.
The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim (German Edition)
Winner of more than 200 Game of the Year awards, the Elder Scrolls series is an immersive action role-playing game that probably doesn’t need a lot of introductions. The developers put a lot of efforts into making the German version as authentic as possible, down to little details such as consistent usage of the medieval polite pronoun “Ihr” instead of the modern “Sie”.
If you want to play Skyrim in German but with subtitles in English, see this little hack.
Portal (German Edition)
Portal has been called one of the most innovative new games on the horizon, and both the first and the second part are available on Steam with full German audio and interface. The voice-overs are done quite well, actually:
Sid Meier’s Civilization® V (German Edition)
The world-famous strategy game which is all about conquering the world by establishing and leading a civilization from the dawn of man into the space age is fully available in German on Steam, with full audio, subtitles and interface.
BioShock Infinite (German Edition)
The third installment of the BioShock first-person shooter series won many awards and comes with full German language support.
All Daedalic games
Last but not least, for all fans of classic adventure games, Daedalic Entertainment’s games, such as Memoria, Deponia and Ednard & Harvey are all available in full German language, because – you guessed it – Daedalic is a development firm from Germany.
See all Daedalic Games on Steam >>
Wait, There’s More …
Want to find out which other games are available in German on Steam? Follow this link to jump straight to the search results on the Steam shop.
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photo: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic via Wikipedia
About the author:
André Klein was born in Germany, has grown up and lived in many different places including Thailand, Sweden and Israel. He has produced two music albums, performed and organized literary readings, curated an experimental television program and is the author of various short stories and non-fiction works.
The post German Language Games on Steam appeared first on Learn Out Live!.
February 4, 2014
Rachel Boyce: Technology has enabled me to interact with my students like never before
The following interview is part of an interview series in which we feature education professionals from a variety of different fields in order to highlight individual efforts and creative solutions to education in the 21st century. If you want to participate simply write down and send your answers to the five below questions to info {at} learnoutlive.com and include a picture of yourself. (Please note that we reserve the right to not publish all submissions)
1. Who are you and what do you do in education?
I am originally from Northamptonshire, where I studied Art & Design at Nene College before attending University in Manchester where I graduated with a Bachelor of Education Honours degree. I have also completed a postgraduate in Business Administration at Salford University.
Before entering into education, I worked in a number of roles in sectors as diverse as import & export, IT, banking and insurance. I was previously employed as a Business Analyst for a major combined banking and insurance services group before moving to Italy in 2005, since when I have been teaching English as a second language to private individuals, local businesses and classes organised through local community groups. In particular I have worked with quite a few businesses that needed to learn and / or improve their English language skills in order to help them obtain new business from English speaking countries. While dong this, I have been able to utilise my previous business experiences in order to teach my students about the business culture and ethos of the UK.
I have also recently started freelance writing specialising in academic articles and in my spare time I play classical violin and I am currently learning to speak Russian.
2. Describe a typical work day in your life!
I don’t have a typical day in my work, my day really depends on what time I have lessons. I am available to teach every day, seven days a week from 9am to 9pm, but not all my time ‘slots’ are always booked up. I am up at 7:30 for breakfast and walking the dogs before starting work at 9am, if I don’t have a lesson to do first thing I work on planning my lessons for the day and week ahead. Once my students start to arrive, either individually or in small groups of 2-3, it is all go for a few hours at a time. I try to grab a bite to eat when I can.
Twice a week, I run beginners and intermediate English language evening classes for local business and community groups. Each class has up to 30 students, although it is very rare that all of them turn up to each lesson, some are local shop owners who don’t close until late some days, others work shifts at the local pasta factory. I try to spice up the lessons to keep the classes interested in learning; I use movies, music and lots of other fun exercises to keep them engaged. All of my students love it when I get out the karaoke CDs. After classes finish, we sometimes go off for a coffee at one of the local bars.
After each lesson, I tend to set homework for my students to reinforce learning points from the lesson, which I post for them online, or send via email. I use Facebook to set up private groups for each class, so they have a designated space to view homework and as a platform for outside discussion. It’s also where I post the lesson content for those who were unable to attend, so they don’t miss out. So there’s usually a lot of daily ‘admin’ outside of the actual teaching. In addition, each day I am either receiving completed homework for marking, or answering queries from my students, not only on homework issues but anything that they have seen or heard in relation to learning English and want clarification on.
I fill in any time I have between work each day with personal bits and pieces, gardening, walking the dogs or visiting friends and neighbours.
3. In what way has technology in general and the net in particular changed your work?
Besides using my computer and tablet to help organise and prepare my lessons, I also use them as a teaching aid to help with the delivery of teaching material. Technology has obviously made communication between teacher and student easier and more effective; I am able to interact with my student(s) quicker which enables me to answer questions and reinforce learning points more effectively.
Technology has also enabled me to interact with my students like never before, email alone is no longer good enough for my students who are all very social aware. Facebook has become the principle point of contact between me and my students and the messenger service is an ideal chat forum. With the rise of smart phones, everyone is always connected to Facebook, so I can get information to them instantly. I think social networks like this will eventually replace texting and email as the norm for communications. I like to use Facebook to supplement my lessons and it helps to provide a variety of content, as well as a boost to engaging students. Much better than the old pen, paper and exercise book!
Social networks have also become my main source of finding prospective students, who can find me and interact with me and my existing students in real-time before deciding whether or not to start lessons with me. They can also get real input from people who are current or past students which gives them confidence in me as a teacher. I am also able to keep in contact with ex-students who I am constantly engaging with to offer support for exams or CV’s.
The internet has become a great source of free resources for language teachers and students alike, but I have also found that it is a great place to earn a living from. I have recently begun to offer English language lessons on-line via Skype or other video-conferencing services. It has enabled me to expand my reach globally to any English language learners and give me many more options to expand and increase my business base. Although technology has been a part of my life for many years, I feel that I have never used it to its full potential, so I have recently begun to explore which technologies available to me I can utilise to help me and my students.
4. What challenges do you see for education in the future?
I think the internet and the amount of information out there is a great challenge for education. The information needs to be filtered with care to ensure the content is appropriate and correct. People can publish anything they like these days on the internet, via social media, YouTube etc. and it is not always correct on many levels, socially, ethically, morally, as well as educationally or (for my area of expertise – English) grammatically! It concerns me that there doesn’t seem to be any form of moderation for information and I wonder what the long terms effects may be for the next generation. I am concerned that things will become too instant and too informal. A little patience and formality is good at times and it is more appropriate in some learning situations in my opinion.
5. Where can we find you online?
Facebook: facebook.com/calazzottolanglab
Twitter: @calazzotto
Blogs: theteacherabroad.blogspot.com / calazzottolanglab.blogspot.com
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About the author:
André Klein was born in Germany, has grown up and lived in many different places including Thailand, Sweden and Israel. He has produced two music albums, performed and organized literary readings, curated an experimental television program and is the author of various short stories and non-fiction works.
The post Rachel Boyce: Technology has enabled me to interact with my students like never before appeared first on Learn Out Live!.
