How To Stop Cheating In Test Grading

How To Stop Cheating In Test Grading Teachers have tried many tactics to stop their students from cheating. But, it was the teachers themselves who got caught cheating in 2011. They were erasing and changing their students answers on achievement tests to make themselves look better, according to an article in the New York Times. In recent years, the government has made the achievement or proficiency tests the cornerstone of its education debate. It uses these tests to measure students achievement, comparing them to students in foreign countries and past students. The government then blamed teachers for their students poor performance on these tests, and it even threatened many of them with their jobs if they could not improve their students scores. Many teachers simply could increase their students scores; so they took the easy way out and cheated. Some teachers gave their students answers to questions before the test; others showed students test questions, and some even erased and changed their students answers. Naturally, this was a huge scandal for education, and many administrators are now trying to make these tests more credible. The Department of Education created a panel in July to change the way achievement tests are graded. Some of its programs have already gone into effect, and others will require approval by states education policy boards. However, little has actually changed. All states must now administer the tests on the same day, and all educators who proctor or grade the exams must be certified to do so. Some states do not allow teachers to grade their own students exams; however, some still do. But, many educators and administrators feel that not enough is being done to ensure the credibility of these tests. They believe that every state should ban its teachers from grading their own students exams. Others believe that states should hire independent investigators to examine cheating scandals and help ensure it does not happen again. They want states to computer scan all answer sheets, looking for eraser marks because they believe that many teachers have gotten away with cheating However, education budgets are tight at every state right now, and implementing programs to ensure teachers from cheating seems unnecessary to many states.

Are There any Support Programs to Help Kids Who Need a Little Extra Attention

Are There any Support Programs to Help Kids Who Need a Little Extra Attention 0SHARESShare Personalized Online Tutoring:             Online tutoring websites offer interactive one-to-one personalized tutoring that train students in a way to master the subject. It focuses on in-detail specific concepts of subject/topic helping out to prepare answer to very specific questions. It is most reliable approach as it targets students’ tutoring considering individual strength and weaknesses. Real-Time Homework help, Assignment Assistance and Essay Writing Help:   Every student has different learning style, speed and grasping power. The students can ask for any kind support right from homework, assignment work, designing projects, etc. The students can share files confidentially with the tutor in online classroom and discuss the issues that require assistance. Tutor gives real time guidance by facilitating writing essays and comprehension, homework, assignment work, academic papers. It gives lot of extra academic support to the student to get high grades. On Demand Guidance: Online tutors offer 24*7 services and support to the students to guide them through their difficulty at any time anywhere. K-12 grade and college students can get on demand spontaneous assistance on varied subjects like Math, Science, English, Social Studies, Accountancy, Economics, etc. Online Math tutor is most the favorite on demand support taken by students. Library Programs: Library programs are basically online portals that connect affiliated public and private libraries to the tutors and students. The students can get instant support and guidance on any kind of resources accessed from these libraries. This is merely wonderful service for communities who are serious learners. Online Forum: Online forum is again famous online support programs where students seek extra help from the forum contributors. The students can find answers and learn through the exposure to various perspectives. [starbox id=admin]

What is a Lute, and How is it Different From the Guitar

What is a Lute, and How is it Different From the Guitar Shanika As a guitar player, I rarely had to deal with the issue of explaining what my instrument was to people I met. Even non-musicians are generally familiar with the guitar and the many forms and shapes it takes. When I made the transition to playing the lute, however, this changed significantly, due in no small part to the odd-looking case that I have to carry the instrument around in. People will often ask me, “What is a lute?” In truth, the history of the lute is a long one and I often simply explain that it’s like a guitar with more strings. If I have the time, though, I really do love to give a more complete answer. Read on to learn a brief overview of the history of the lute, and some comparisons between the lute and its more famous cousin, the guitar. The lute is a descendent of the oud, which was most likely brought to Western Europe by the Moors in the 9th century, when they occupied Spain. While the Spanish would seem a likely conduit for the instrument to enter the rest of Europe, they generally rejected the instrument, and the oud instead traveled with merchants through Sicily and up into Italy. The oud is a fretless melodic instrument, double-strung in courses, that is perfectly suited to the subtle tunings, systems and scales of the Middle East. In order to better integrate the instrument into Western European music, a few changes were made; adding frets was the first of these changes. Because Western European music was harmonically-driven and used precise tuning systems to harmonize multiple notes at the same time, the oud needed the addition of frets to comfortably play in tune with other musicians. This simple addition of frets marked the change from oud to lute. Despite the obvious harmonic implications that frets allow, the lute remained largely a melodic instrument until the beginning of the 16th century. Like oud players, the new European lute players continued to play the instrument with a plectrum or a bird quill. Through paintings and other iconographic sources, we have been able to reconstruct much of this early picking technique and determine that it is remarkably similar to modern mandolin and even electric guitar playing. The pinky of the plucking hand rests on the body of the instrument and acts as an anchor and a reference point for the rest of the hand. This allows for very fast and accurate diminutions. The fretting hand seems to have been very similar to modern technique. Depending on the size of the instrument, the thumb of the fretting hand could hang over the neck and even fret notes when needed, or if the instrument was too large, the thumb remained relaxed behind the neck. The end of the 15th century marked an amazing change for the lute, one that helped make it the most popular instrument for more than 200 years. A group of German lutenists discovered that by using the fingers to pluck instead of a plectrum, they could play entire polyphonic works. The hand position itself remained largely the same, but the instrument could now play solo material of remarkable complexity. The addition of a low sixth course (double string) also increased the gamut of the instrument, allowing for full bass lines. A few years later, the very first lute publications were printed by Ottaviano Petrucci. First came Francesco Spinacino in 1507, and then Joan Ambrosio Dalza in 1508. What becomes quickly apparent from these early publications is the high level of lute playing that is present so soon after the development of a polyphonic technique. The lute then exploded in the 16th century. Courts like those of Henry VIII, Francois I and the Pope in Rome hired lutenists as personal musicians and as means of cultural competition, pitting lute players against each other in contests that often impacted a rulers status amongst his peers. The highest-level lute players were paid in amounts comparable to modern NBA stars. Alberto da Ripa of Mantua, for example, was hired by the French court of Francois I, as the royal lutenist. In addition to earning the second-highest salary at court (of everyone, not just musicians!), he was given land and yearly stipends of food and alcohol. Intense competitions for these lucrative jobs produced musicians of unbelievable capability. The lute was easily the most dominant instrument of the 16th century, its regard only increased by the fact that it was linked (erroneously) to the Greek lyre of legend. The Florentine Cameratas influence on the arts in the 1570s and 80s helped propel a deep interest in reviving Greek culture, a culture that many considered the peak of human civilization. In fact, it was this invented connection to the legendary Greek instrument that may have allowed the lute to survive as long as it did. Despite its popularity during the 16th century, the lute began to lose ground in the early 17th century. The addition of more and more bass strings, up to 11 total courses (or 20 strings total, with two single strings), and the increased popularity and manufacturing of keyboard instruments, started to alienate the lute from the general population. The instrument was getting more difficult to play and more costly to maintain, and simpler instruments like the guitar were becoming more readily available. Thomas Mace, in his “Musicks Monument” (1676), tried to defend the lute and uphold it as the supreme instrument, but ultimately his argument showed that the lute was on a decline, and one from which it never quite recovered. Despite this decline, great players of the lute continued to produce amazing music and hold the highest positions at important courts. For example, the great German lutenist Sylvius Leopold Weiss (1687-1750) was the highest paid musician at the Dresden court and was reportedly so talented that another musician, jealous of his abilities, tried to bite his thumb off! The lute survived the 18th century, often playing continuo in orchestras, including Mozarts, and filling the second violin position in string quartets. Ultimately, the lute died out in the first decades of the nineteenth century. The beginning of the 20th century also marks the beginning of the lute revival. While early players and researchers like Diana Poulton did much to expand our knowledge of the lute, it wasnt until the virtuoso guitar player Julian Bream began playing the lute in concert that audiences and players started to become aware of the beauty and complexity of the instrument and its repertoire. The generation since Bream has elevated lute playing to very high levels. Players like Paul ODette, Robert Barto, Nigel North, and Hopkinson Smith tour the world and often have fanatical followings. The large body of music (60,000+ pieces) and its predisposition to added embellishment hopefully guarantee the lute a new life in the 21st century. Some students may be interested in how the lute differs from the modern classical guitar, an instrument that has come to share some of its repertoire. In terms of the actual instrument, even the largest lutes are significantly lighter in build than the average guitar. This lighter construction means that the lute is much more responsive, but produces less volume. The lutes double strings, or courses, tuned in octaves and unisons on the higher strings, produce a different timbre than the guitars thicker, single strings. The strings of lutes today are also generally either made of animal gut, nylgut (a synthetic gut), or nylon, while the classical guitar generally uses only nylon strings (wound and unwound). Depending on the type of the lute strings, the sound can be crisper and brighter than the modern guitar. The most obvious difference between the lute and the guitar is the pear-shaped body of the lute, which is produced by gluing ribs of wood together and then gluing the soundboard on top. This “tortoise shell” shape is descended from the oud, and some other instruments today, like the mandolin, have also retained this body shape. The lute can be a fickle, even difficult instrument, but when well-played, it produces some of the most beautiful and powerful music ever written. Perhaps one day it will regain its stature and stand beside the guitar as not only one of the most beautiful instruments, but also as one of the most popular. Laudon S. teaches music theory, guitar and classical guitar lessons in Baltimore, MD. He specializes in classical and early music, as well as bluegrass and folk. Laudon has been teaching for over 10 years and he joined the TakeLessons team in January 2011. Learn more about Laudon or search for a teacher near you! Photo by Kevin Kenny Interested in Private Lessons? Search thousands of teachers for local and live, online lessons. Sign up for convenient, affordable private lessons today! Search for Your Teacher

Finding Your Voice Type

Finding Your Voice Type How Do You Know Which Musical Register Corresponds to Your Voice? ChaptersWhat Is Tessitura?Practise Singing According to Your Voice TypeLearning About Voice Type from a Singing TeacherWhat Type of Song Should You Choose if You Can’t Hit the Notes?Common Types of Voice“Music is the greatest communication in the world. Even if people don't understand the language that you're singing in, they still know good music when they hear it.” - Lou RawlsMusic and singing are universal disciplines. After just a few lessons, the world of music will be within your reach!Most people sing regularly. However, not everybody knows how to sing. After all, your voice type will dictate the types of songs you should choose.So how do you know what your voice is capable of? What songs work with each voice type?In this article, we're going to see what tessitura is, how you can practice according to your voice type, how a singing teacher can help you get the most out of your voice type, the songs you should be choosing, and the most common voice types.Find out about th e best singing lessons near me here. TraceySinging Teacher 4.92 (13) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors PortiaSinging Teacher 4.91 (11) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors NicolaSinging Teacher 5.00 (11) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JazzSinging Teacher 5.00 (6) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors PerrineSinging Teacher 5.00 (3) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors TiemSinging Teacher £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors TomSinging Teacher £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MiriamSinging Teacher 5.00 (4) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsWhat Is Tessitura?We all have our favourite songs and artists. However, our favourite artists aren’t the best resources for getting your voice right. Once you work out your voice type, you can sing more appropriate to your abilities. (Source: Free-Photos)This is all down to tessitura, which refers to your voice type and the range of notes you can hit. Once you’re outside of your range, you’ll struggle to regularly hit these notes.  You don’t need to repeatedly sing Mariah Carey songs.For women, there are four main tessiture:Contralto. The deepest range.Alto. Slightly higher but still a deep range.Mezzo-soprano. The deeper of the two high ranges.Soprano. The high range and the most common female voice.For men, there are also four main types of voice:Bass. The deepest male range.Baritone. The higher of the two deeper ranges and also the most common.Tenors. The lower of the higher chest voices.Countertenors. The highest range of male voices.Whether you’re a man or a woman, an amateur or a professional, you need to know what type of voice you have. Imagine getting ready for a concert with a list of songs that are outside of yo ur vocal range.  If you like a particular song but it isn’t in your tessitura, you’ll struggle to master it.Practise Singing According to Your Voice TypeOf course, practice makes perfect and regularly singing songs for your voice type will help you to improve. With a bit of practice, you’ll see that there are songs suited for different voice types and start to see the different registers.Here are popular singing lessons near me. Different types of voices work better with different styles of music. (Source: Uschi_Du)The natural voice is also known as your chest voice.Passagio is the bridge between the two main registers.Finally, there’s the higher register which is known as “falsetto” for men and “head voice” for women.These three registers aren’t technically different ways to sing but rather vocal techniques with particular timbres.  You’ll need to try out the various registers. We can all sing, but we can’t all sing in tune and breathe correctly when we sing. TraceySinging Teacher 4.92 (13) £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors PortiaSinging Teacher 4.91 (11) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors NicolaSinging Teacher 5.00 (11) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors JazzSinging Teacher 5.00 (6) £40/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors PerrineSinging Teacher 5.00 (3) £50/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors TiemSinging Teacher £40/h1st lesson free!Discov er all our tutors TomSinging Teacher £25/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutors MiriamSinging Teacher 5.00 (4) £35/h1st lesson free!Discover all our tutorsLearning About Voice Type from a Singing TeacherThe perfect solution is to have a second set of ears. After a few sessions, a singing teacher will be able to tell you what type of voice you have and the type of singing and register you should adopt.  Be it a ballad, heavy metal, or opera, there are plenty of genres to sink your teeth into.On Superprof, you can find qualified and experienced private tutors to help you with musicality and singing, analysing your voice, and finding where it lies in the range of voice types.They’ll also work out the type of singing that’ll work for you. It’s pretty simple.What Type of Song Should You Choose if You Can’t Hit the Notes?“If everyone started off the day singing, just think how happy they'd be.” - Lauren MyracleEveryone can struggle to hit a note. Every voice can hit all t he notes within its range. You just need to be able to harmonise with any given note within your range. Before you start filling up stadiums, you need to work out how to get the most out of your voice. (Source: Free-Photos)You need to learn how to use your larynx, articulate your vowels and consonants correctly, and manage your stress. With the help of singing exercises and a teacher, you’ll soon start mastering your voice.From there, you’ll start asking about register and key when you start to become aware of your strengths and weaknesses. A singer with a higher tessitura can’t sing songs for a lower voice type.Your repertoire should reflect your voice type and include artists with the same voice type. Training is key to mastering your voice type.Imagine taking your stabilisers off for the first time. You need to go for it.Common Types of VoiceFor some, having a certain voice type will limit the songs they can sing. Very high or very low voices have a smaller repertoire to work from than the more common voice types. (Source: Pexels)Firstly, whether you’re a man or a woman will already dictate which songs you can and can’t sing due to the range of notes. Baritones and tenors (for men) and altos and mezzo-sopranos (for women) tend to have the advantage of a larger range when it comes to singing.We can’t promise that you’ll be singing operas but you’ll feel more comfortable with most songs. You don’t want to feel threatened by a song, after all.Similarly, the extreme ends of the spectrum will struggle with songs designed for the other end. A bass will struggle singing something for a tenor, for example. Whereas baritones and tenors should be more comfortable with it.  The idea is to learn what you’re capable of and don’t set unreachable goals.You also need to ensure that singing remains enjoyable. If it isn’t and your vocal cords are tired and you’re struggling with your breathi ng, you might need to change to a different song.In short, your voice is your instrument and you need to take care of it. Getting help from a voice coach or tutor is always a good idea. We can all sing as long as we respect our voices. While butchering a song is bad, butchering your vocal cords is even worse!The rest is up to you!Each voice range is different and just because you can't hit certain high notes, it doesn't mean that you can't become a great operatic singer. With a bit of vocal training and guidance from a voice teacher, you'll see which songs and pieces work well with certain vocal ranges.You can also learn more about registers from a singing coach or tutor. They can even show you artists with the same tessitura as you. Again, a tutor can help you work out the best repertoire.  If you'd like to learn more about singing, consider getting help from one of the talented tutors on Superprof. There are three main types of singing tutorial and voice coaching and each type has several advantages and disadvantages so what's right for one student may not be right for another.In face-to-face tutorials, there's just you and the tutor. This means that the tutor can focus on helping you to improve your voice and will put together a bespoke programme for you to follow. These are usually the most costly type of private tutorials since you're paying for all the tutor's time both in and out of class but they're also the most cost-effective.There are also online tutorials where the student is taught via webcam. With the tutor not having to travel to their lessons and being able to schedule more lessons per week, these tend to cost less per hour than face-to-face tutorials. Since the tutor isn't in the room there with you, these tutorials are better for academic subjects rather than vocational ones. If you both have a good microphone and a good internet connection, online tutorials are a great option for those wanting to learn to sing on a budget.Finally, there are also tutors offering group tutorials. If you and a group of friends are interested in learning how to sing, you could hire a tutor together and divide the cost of the tutor's time. Of course, you won't get as much individual attention from your singing coach as you would in the other types of tutorials but you will pay less per hour per student.No matter which type of singing coach you go for, they'll be able to help you work out your voice type, plan lessons that can help you improve your voice, and suggest songs and activities that work best with your tessitura.

Volunteer Day at Hidden Villa in Los Altos Hills

Volunteer Day at Hidden Villa in Los Altos Hills AJ Tutoring’s first volunteer days were great successes! Over two days, 25 tutors came out to work on the organic farm at Hidden Villa, an educational non-profit based on 1600 acres of land in Los Altos Hills. Hidden Villa’s mission is to inspire a just and sustainable future through its programs, land, and legacy. We were happy to volunteer our time to help that happen!One day’s crew was put to work in the CSA (community supported agriculture) plot to transplant crops for the growing season. In three hours, we were able to plant 2,000 onions, 800 heads of lettuce, and 80 fennel bulbs. Our transplanted spinach and tomatillos will provide nearly 500 pounds of food! We finished the hot afternoon by digging 500 “homes” for tomato plants that will soon be transplanted in the field.Our second day’s crew worked in the olive grove near the CSA lot. Hidden Villa’s half-acre olive grove produces hundreds of gallons of olive oil each year. We worked to cover the grove with mulch, which helps the soil around the trees retain moisture and nutrients. This group also took a farm tour, which included baby pigs, baby goats, and chicks.A big thank you goes out to the team at Hidden Villa for helping us coordinate these volunteer days!

U.S. Supreme Court Rules on Same-Sex Marriage

U.S. Supreme Court Rules on Same-Sex Marriage June 26, 2015 was a historic day in the United States, as the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that the constitution guarantees the right to same-sex marriage.Before today, 36 of our 50 states allowed gay marriage, which covered 70 percent of all Americans.This is probably the most quoted part of todays  decision,  â€œNo union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family,” he wrote. “In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were.  It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage.  Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves. Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization’s oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right.”Same-sex marriage has long been a cont roversial topic in the United States,  even President Obama, who spoke today praising the decision, was quoted in 2004 as saying, marriage is something sanctified between a man and a woman.Below is a 2 minute segment from President Obamas speech today. Watch it and see if you can answer the questions below.Answer the questions in comments and we will respond.1. _ ___ __, theyve reaffirmed that all Americans are entitled to the equal protection of the law.2.  The statement above addresses the constitutional reasons for this decision. What does it mean?3. Why do you think he called our current system a patchwork system?4. What uncertainty does this remove for same-sex couples?5. How does Obama think this decision will affect marriage?6.  Do you think this change in U.S. law will have an effect in other countries?

Alexa, Teach Me a Language! How You Can Get Fluent with an Alexa Device

Alexa, Teach Me a Language! How You Can Get Fluent with an Alexa Device “Alexa, Teach Me a Language!” How You Can Get Fluent with an Alexa Device Many of us have someone special living in our homes.Not exactly family, but…We ask her questions and give her basic commands, so she certainly seems real, doesn’t she?You know who I mean.Maybe she lives at your house, too.“Alexa…”That’s right. I’m talking about always-present, ever-ready, through-thick-and-thin Alexa.“Alexa, turn on the kitchen light.”“Alexa, play some slow jazz.”“Alexa, order pizza. With a side of garlic knots, please.”She’s a live-in genius who follows orders without hesitation.Perfect for ordering take-out. Turning on the lights. Giving your life some background music. After all, thats the extent of her abilities, right?Wrong!If you think that’s all your  resident companion can do, think again!If you’re not saying, “Alexa, teach languages,” you’re not giving Alexa the credit she deserves.Let’s see what this little digital polyglot can really do! What Is Alexa?This technological magic called “Alexa” is Amazon’s cloud- based virtual assistant. Her name is evocative of the library of Alexandria where at one time all knowledge was thought to be held.Alexa is a voice-controlled know-it-all that’s connected to something called AVS, short for “Alexa Voice Service.”  The AVS is available to be integrated for use with Amazon products like the Echo or Dot. They’re all speaker devices that accommodate the service.Okay, But How Can Alexa Teach Languages?Alexa has skills. Think of skills as apps that expand Alexas knowledge and help her understand more requests. They go way beyond basic commands! Fortunately for us, she has tons of skills specifically designed to  teach languages.The nuts and bolts of accessing this technology is simple.Just sign into your Amazon account online. On the lefthand side of the search bar, there’s a dropdown menu. Press “Alexa Skills” to go to the skills offered. Search “languages,” then choose one to learn. Press “get this skill” and access the content on a ll Alexa devices!Then? Start speaking with Alexa! It’s so simple to learn either one language or many. Your choiceâ€"Alexa’s ready whenever you are to take the next step on your language learning journey. Below, well give you plenty of language-focused skills to start you off!And Alexa is always gaining skills. If you know a language that she doesn’t, you can actually teach Alexa a language  with a skill called Cleo. Shell ask you questions in English and you answer in your language!“Alexa, Teach Me a Language!” How You Can Get Fluent with an Alexa DeviceMultiple-language SkillsTalk about a language-learner’s jackpot!There are a number of Alexa skills that can teach more than one language so if youre aiming to become a polyglot, why not try out one of these? Of course, they work just as well if you’re only interested in one target language. The learning’s up to you and Alexas ready to help.If you enjoy this type of innovative language learning, FluentU is the perfect tool to round out your Alexa learning.FluentU makes it possible to learn languages from music videos, commercials, news, inspiring talks and more.With FluentU, you hear languages in real-world contextsâ€"the way that native speakers actually use them. Just a quick look will give you an idea of the variety of FluentU videos on offer:FluentU really takes the grunt work out of learning languages, leaving you with nothing but engaging, effective and efficient learning. It’s already hand-picked the best videos for you and organized them by level and topic. All you have to do is choose any video that strikes your fancy to get started!Each word in the interactive captions comes with a definition, audio, image, example sentences and more.Access a complete interactive transcript of every video under the Dialogue tab, and easily review words and phrases from the video under Vocab.You can use FluentU’s unique adaptive quizzes to learn the vocabulary and phrases from the video through fun questions and exercises. Just swipe left or right to see more examples of the word youre studying.The program even keeps track of what you’re learning and tells you exactly when it’s time for review, giving you a 100% personalized experience.FluentU currently has programs for Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, French, German, Russian, Italian, Japanese, Korean and English.Start using FluentU on the website with your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes store or Google Play store.Rosetta Stone“Alexa, open Rosetta Stone.”Learn Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, German, Japanese or Russian with this skill.It’s designed especially for those preparing to travel, so itll help you  recognize and produce essential phrases for a trip. For example, the lesson categories include greetings, ordering food and drink, asking for and following directions, understanding time and travel issues and shopping with ease.You may already be familiar with the popu lar Rosetta Stone language programâ€"a great option for focused language study outside of Alexa-time. Like their Alexa skill, Rosetta Stones language programs are aimed at getting you speaking correctly, quickly, with speech-recognition technology and immersive vocabulary and grammar lessons. Check out the full programs on offer for:SpanishFrenchGermanItalianArabicChineseJapaneseKoreanPortugueseTranslatedAlexa, ask Translated how to say Wheres the bathroom in Danish.Alexa translates sentences from English into 36 languages when she’s got this skill in her repertoire. Its an excellent tool to learn new phrases quickly or even practice your pronunciation by imitating Alexas responses.If you’re having trouble keeping up, just ask her to slow down. Alexa will adjust her speaking speed to accommodate any listener.Daily Dose“Alexa, teach me Spanish with Daily Dose. ”Substitute Italian or Chineseâ€"or any of the other languages. It’s really that easy!Daily Dose enables Alexa to t each 34 languages including Spanish, French, Italian, Chinese, Hebrew, Russian, Dutch, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese you name it. There are even options to learn Persian, Hindi, Indonesian or Afrikaans, among others.Theres a  â€œword of the day” for quick vocabulary building. Then there are 10- to 20-minute daily lessons aimed to get you speaking your target language. It all  makes daily learning almost as exciting as date night! Pencil in “Alexa and me time” on your schedule. The meetings will be so much fun you’ll be looking forward to them between dates!Three to five new lessons are added every week, making this a continuously evolving Alexa skill.This Alexa skill comes from the same people behind the Innovative Language podcasts, which are just as prolific! These podcasts bring thousands of video and audio lessons to language learners, with new ones added all the time. The podcasts are designed to be informative but entertaining and full of up-to-date cultural information .So if this Alexa skill works for you, youll definitely want to expand your learning to one of the following Innovative Language podcasts! Theyve got:SpanishPod101FrenchPod101GermanPod101ChineseClass101RussianPod101JapanesePod101ItalianPod101ArabicPod101PortuguesePod101KoreanClass101EnglishClass101My Linguist“Alexa, ask My Linguist to translate ‘Your eyes sparkle in the moonlight’ into Italian.”With My Linguist, Alexa can quickly translate words or phrases into 52 languages. It’s also possible to get the translation spelled out  so you can write it down correctly.By the way, Alexa’s Italian translation:  I tuoi occhi brillano al chiaro di luna.  (Your eyes sparkle in the moonlight.) Feel free to use that one the next time you’re trying to get on someone’s good side!SayHi Language Learning“Alexa, ask SayHi to teach German.”This skill makes Alexa a brilliant language teacher for Spanish, French, German or Danish learners.She provides full conversational lessons tha t are designed to have learners understanding and repeating each lesson by the time it’s complete. It also boosts your memory with spaced repetition technology, which has you review key language elements at just the right moment before you forget them. This is the place to pick up these four languagesâ€"and have fun while doing it!Language-specific Alexa SkillsSpanish Vocabulary“Alexa, ask Spanish Vocabulary to ask me words from the vacation vocabulary list.”With this skill, Alexa is able to teach Spanish vocabulary from themed word lists. Currently there are four available: basic vocabulary, numbers, times and dates and vacation.Turning on the spelling mode makes it possible to hear every Spanish word spelled out, which is perfect if youre compiling lists or making flashcards for the words youre learning.The words run on a continuous loop. You can  ask Alexa how you’re doing on this oneâ€"and she’ll provide an honest answer!German Article“Alexa, start German Articles.†This skill is unique because Alexa brings along Hans, her German pal, to untangle the ins and outs of German articles. It’s all about der/die/das and how to use these different words for the appropriately.Alexa provides a random noun and the learner responds with correct article (or their best guess!). Hans pipes up if an incorrect response is given, providing the correct answer with an example to substantiate his reply.Chineasy“Alexa, ask Chineasy for today’s lesson.”With this skill, Alexa teaches Chinese through daily seven-minute lessons. There’s a new phrase to learn each day, as well.There are more to lessons with this skill. Daily exposure to Chinese culture and Chinese stories are shared by special guests. The guest list is impressive and includes rock stars, professors and scientists.Weather in Russian Language (Russian Sky)Alexa, ask Russian Sky for tomorrow.This is a fun language skill! Use this one and Alexa will report the weather in Russian. You can specifica lly ask for the weather in Russian cities, to  learn weather phrases while getting a little daily connection to Russia, even from afar.And if you have travel plans to see Red Square, dont wonder about what to pack. The forecast is available for today, tomorrow and next week!So now you see that Alexa is a great addition to your family, don’t you? She’s a language-learner’s BFFâ€"and she lives right in your own home! It doesn’t get much better than that!Don’t keep Alexa on pizza-ordering or temperature-changing detail. Let her help you prepare for travel. And as you’re learning languages with Alexa, don’t just listen. Add to your vocabulary log so your language skills grow every single day.Let’s face it, there’s no need for another language partner as long as Alexa’s around.She’s the ideal language buddy. She covers all the basesâ€"and she’s not going to eat the last slice of pizza, either!

I am new at Tutorz.com, what did I learn

I am new at Tutorz.com, what did I learn Hello everybody! My name is Dariya and I’m a newcomer at Tutorz.com. What did I learn during my last days? First of all I’d like to mention that my life has changed significantly. In December 2011 Tutorz.com has opened a marketing office in Donetsk, Ukraine. Our American boss Dirk Wagner is building our team on the concepts which are quite unusual for the Ukrainian companies (and probably not only for the Ukrainian ones). From the very first days when I came to our office I could feel that I was sincerely welcome here. It was a very surprising feeling because usually when you start to work in a new company you often can see suspicion and distrust in the eyes of your new colleagues. It always takes some time to win the confidence and to find friends among them. Good and warm relations from the very beginning this was the first lesson which I learned here. Dirk has become not only my new boss but also my private tutor as my duties included customer service and Internet marketing which were absolutely new activities for me. It took just several days for him to teach me the basics and the main surprise for me was that the study was neither intense nor boring at all. We had a lot of fun and I consider that it’s rather uncommon for tutoring process. Dirk was n’t my first tutor. Ukrainian educational system is very far from being perfect and although we learnt English at school for 6 years and also at University for 5 years but still the most part of my mates had great problems with speaking or at least understanding English. As for me although I graduated from a prestigious high school my mother had to hire a private tutor to improve my English when I was in high school and afterwards I had to continue my learning in a private English club. But my former tutors never were as well-wishing, patient and friendly as Dirk. So the second les son for me was that such kind of tutoring approach exists and can be effective. So during my first days at Tutorz’ team I gained not only basic knowledge of my new duties but I also realized that learning must not be boring and hard. On the contrary with a great tutor it can be interesting and fun process. And the main lesson is that the friendly and warm atmosphere at team makes the work not only pleasant but also very productive.