Hauptseminar: ''New Media in Teaching Semantics''

This is the main page for an advanced seminar in English linguistics which is currently taught at the Goethe Unversity, Frankfurt/Main. From October 2012 to February 2013 Manfred Sailer and the participants of this class will develop learning material for LRS and for various chapters of the textbook Formal Semantics: An Empirically-grounded Approach. After checking the content and the way of presentation of the material carefully, it will be integrated into the teaching section of this wiki.

Here is a short description of the class:

The teaching of formal semantics is especially apt for integrating New Media because its content is relatively abstract, therefore visualization and concrete examples can help make it more accessible. We will develop material for an Interactive Whiteboard as well as e-learning material. This will be integrated into a wiki that accompanies a new textbook in semantics, which is used in the semantics introductions in the IEAS. The e-learning material will include wiki-pages, podcasts, and interactive online exercises.
The class meetings will alternate between a) sessions in which we introduce tools and methods for using New Media in teaching semantics and b) sessions in which we discuss the content to be represented.
This class is particularly suited for students with an interest in new media, but also for those who would like to learn more about semantics.

Go to the wikipage with the Course Overview.

Links to e-learning sites for linguistics

Podcasts and e-lectures

• Linguistic Voices on Campus: Anja Wanner's podcasts from the University of Wisconsin
• Podcasts from the Department of Linguistics, Arizona: Podcasts and e-lectures from the Department of Linguistics of the University of Arizona
• Open Courseware of the MIT: Material for many linguistic courses taught at the MIT. (Mainly traditional course material)

Links to resources

• Frank Schätzlein's collection of e-learning links (in German)

e-learning platforms

• English Language and Linguistics Online (ELLO): e-learning platform for English linguistics from the University of Osnabrück
• The Virtual Linguistic Campus (VLC): big e-learning platform for linguistics from the University of Marburg:
  • Youtube channel of the Virtual Linguistics Campus (VLC), including a large number of free videos learning and teaching linguistics
  • The Language Index

Links to tools for creating e-learning material

Creating online exercises

In this wiki, we use the online exercise format provided by wikiversity.

At present we do not recommend any of the free online exercise tools since they are all outdated and not actively supported. We list some options nontheless but warn that they may have problems.

• JClic: Software for the creation of online exercises. There is also a German site of JClic. A handbook in German and an online tutorial can be found at www.edugroup.at/praxis/tools/jclic/hilfe.html.
• Outdated and no longer developped since 2009, but still in use: Hotpotatoes: Software for the creation of online exercises. There is also a German site of Hotpotatoes.
  The hotpotatoes family contains a further package, Quandary, a program for creating web-based action mazes, from the hotpotatoes programmers. Only available for windows.

Creating audio content

• Audacity: Software for the creation of audio podcasts
• LAME MP3 Encoder: Plug-in for Audacity

Converters

• XnConvert: Easy to use image converter.
• GIMP: Very complex and powerful image manipulation program.
• HandBrake: Video converter.
• Miro Video Converter: A simple converter for almost any video to MP4, WebM (vp8), Ogg Theora, or for Android, iPhone, and more.

Collections

• Fried Beef's Tech: Seven best sources for royalty-free music (slightly outdated)
• audionautix.com: Free sounds, only requires acknowledgement: music by audionautix.com
• Soundsource: Free sounds.
• Hörspielbox: Free sounds.
• jamendo: Free music.
• stock.xchng: Free stock photos.

Links to tutorials

• Podcast Wiki: German Podcast wiki, including links and tutorials
• Audacity Tutorial for Podcasters: Including some video tutorials.
• German Youtube tutorial for Podcasts with Audacity
• English Youtube tutorial for Podcasts with Audacity