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Brazilian Kids Learning English By Video Chatting With Elderly Americans
Hugh Pickens DOT Com (2995471) writes "Tim Nudd writes that it's the perfect match: Young Brazilians want to learn English. Elderly Americans living in retirement homes just want someone to talk to. Why not connect them? The advertising company FCB Brazil did just that with its 'Speaking Exchange' project for CNA language schools where young Brazilians and older Americans connect via Web chats, and they not only begin to share a language—they develop relationships that enrich both sides culturally and emotionally. 'The goal of the Speaking Exchange project is to transform lives,' says Luciana Fortuna. 'Our students have the opportunity to practice English with people who are willing to listen. During the chat sessions, the students discuss ideas and information from their lives in Brazil with the American senior citizens, many of whom have never had contact with anyone from Brazil before.' The pilot project was implemented at a CNA school in Liberdade, Brazil, and the Windsor Park Retirement Community in Chicago. The conversations are recorded and uploaded as private YouTube videos for the teachers to evaluate the students' development. 'The idea is simple and it's a win-win proposition for both the students and the American senior citizens. It's exciting to see their reactions and contentment. It truly benefits both sides,' says Joanna Monteiro."
The reddit reposting service.
This scheme is a great success that is transforming the Brazilian culture. The first videos are already up on .
Never mind English, there are lots of paths to learning it in most countries. Not so the other way. How about a scheme for those of us who want to learn some other, relatively minor language, where it is difficult to even find basic texts outside its native country?
This scheme is a great success that is transforming the Brazilian culture. The first videos are already up on youtube.
isn't involved, right?
Yeah, let's teach the children that it's a good idea to videochat with older strangers on the internet, what could possibly go wrong?
I have seen far too much senior exploitation. Any profits made by this enterprise should be surrendered to benefit the seniors being used. Not only are they being used. They are being used to further facilitate the downfall of the USA and its cultures and history.
I challenge anyone to find senior participants in this program who doesn't reek of piss and vomit and worse. That's not the "new deal" these seniors signed up for. And if we, as we grow older, have any hope to live our last years in dignity, we would to well to ensure our seniors do as well. It is a tradition of respect that will save us and nothing else.
Sorry, i don't want to be pedantic on this but really upsets me when people say "Americans", it's wrong in so many ways that worries me a lot for the kind of education that US kids have. For example, it would be awful if you refer to a french and a portuguese in this way: "Portuguese kids and Elderly Europeans". As far as i know, Brazil is still an American country.
Finally.... a real use for the internet.
Everywhere I go I see manicure shops and similar offering to teach Brazilian. I don't see there being a problem in this case.
'estadounidense' doesn't exist in English.
Just wait for some Brazilian kid trolling elderly to early graves.
Wonderful!
This service has even been certified : http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-x__K...
Rolf Harris, Stuart Hall, and those Muslim gangs
Vocês crianças saia do meu gramado!
(You kids get off my lawn!)
I hadn't the slightest objection to his spending his time planning massacres for the bourgeoisie... (P.G. Wodehouse)
We've created an application (allinsongs) to learn english for brazilian people and vice versa. It's available for android and iphone.
www.allinsongs.com
Not all of us care to read Reddit.
The ones who sure surely are mentally strong enough to handle a repost every now and again?
Besides, don't you have the private pleasure of reading it first...
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Sorry, i don't want to be pedantic on this but really upsets me when people say "Americans", it's wrong in so many ways that worries me a lot for the kind of education that US kids have.
No problem, I'll do it for you, sans-apology.
First up "i" should be uppercase, even my spiel chucker knows that.
Second, depending on where and when you were born/educated there are between 5 and 7 continents. There's also a reductionist 4 name convention for academics that's based on contiguous land masses (ie: each continent is an island).
The meta-pedant is as follows:
1. There is no such continent called "America" in English speaking nations.
2. Slashdot is published in English.
3. "America" is globally recognised as an abbreviation of "The United States of America" by English and non-English mass media. If the author/speaker is taking (in English) about the definition of "America" (in Spanish), then the context should make that clear to the reader in order to be understood.
Therefore: When posting on Slashdot, Brazil is most definitely a South American nation and "America" is a North American nation.
"For example, it would be awful if you refer to a french and a portuguese in this way: Portuguese kids and Elderly Europeans"
You think so? - What's the problem? ALL Portuguese are European, NOT all Europeans are Portuguese, right?
I highly recommend using logic and reliable data to alleviate your emotional stress about the issue, It works for me, believe it or not, I do not suffer any mental trauma reconciling the facts that, 1. Victoria is in Canada. 2. I'm a Victorian living in Australia who has never set foot in Canada.
And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
wtf? what's in it for them?
...can barely speak and write decent Portuguese, so why would they want to learn English or any other foreign language for that matter?
Can't be bothered conversing with the old folks? Fed up with their tales of the old days and embarrassing folksy casual racism?
Problem solved! Get a developing nation child to talk with them instead, so you can get on with your busy life. All the advantages of cheap labor without the annoyance of immigration!
Is it because they used youtube? Because internet based language exchange programs have been going on - at least in southeast Asia - for quite a while now.
Language exchange is one of the most obvious uses of videoconference over the Internet; it's been done ever since broadband (basically anything faster than dial-up) Internet access was widely available, with plenty of sites devoted to that purpose.
Is it news because it's about elderly Americans and young Brazilians? This is more like an unabashed slashvertisement.
Why can't I stop figuring Grampa Simpson?
How can anyone learn English by chatting with Americans?
I hear...Donald Sterling will soon have a lot of time on his hands. Maybe he can talk to some nice kids in Brazil.
Sounds good in theory, but I think some people are under the misconception that the language commonly spoken in the USA is identical to English. In some instances, the two languages are not even mutually intelligible.
I think I remember a Ted talk where a PC connected to the internet was just "appeared" in a hole in the wall in a small village and with no instruction the locals could use it to browse the web and skype (or similar) to british retiree volunteers. They quickly picked up a range of skills entirely self guided including a knowledge of english. I think it might have been this one
Nullius in verba
You got modded flamebait because you posted on Slashdot.
Just give it a minute. The mod will likely change. There is no need to get all upset because the very first moderator who looked at your post was in a bad mood.
Slashdot is a pit of vipers. Don't let the poison get to you.
When I was first learning Spanish, I had a very hard time understanding some older people. To me, they sounded like they had cotton in their mouths. I assume the elderly often sound like that to foreign-speakers trying to learn another language. I'm not trying to bash the elderly -- but they do have a unique way of sounding that language students may find challenging. Still, if you can make out their words, you can probably understand just about anyone.
Horrors, hell, and damnation! Are they paying those senior citizens for their labor? I thought not! They have effectively outsourced Brazilian language teachers with unpaid labor from the US!!
John Herbert, of Spooner Street, Quahog
Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"
Monroe Doctrine baby!
Seriously. it's accepted by the vast majority of the world. When you say "American", even the nut-jobs like yourself know the reference is not to a Brazilian or Canadian. Why the hell do you want to change that?
I mean, if we go with your logic, no one should call themselves American because there is no "America". There is "North America" and "South America".
It's colloquial and because it is so, it is proper. The issue is with you.
this ap is pussy licking not good and I hate it
u stink no one wants u