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Items will be posted with the newest at the top. All tests and assignments will be announced here, in class, and by email. Links will be added also on the "Course documents" and "schedule" pages. If you do not see HERE a link to the new item, the item is NOT YET READY and you are not yet responsible for it. Please don't contact your instructor about it, since that just takes time and can delay the update. We don't forget these things, but there may be delays. The best ways to stay informed are to: 1) check this page several times a week (it comes up automatically when you enter the course website); 2) go to class (obviously!); 3) check your email frequently (be sure the account you use is the one whose address you have given to your instructor, that your mailbox is not full, and that your service will accept the attachments). |
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posted 26 February 2006 Kontext 13 is being revised to fit modern banking and communications. Instead of the online/CD-ROM dialogs and vocabulary, use this link to get the new dialogs and vocabulary list (.pdf, 80KB) posted 8 January 2006 - GER102 startup: The MWF 1015 section (Fischer) meets in its Fall 2005 classroom, NH450. Below is some followup information, intended primarily for people who are absolutely new to the course. About materials: This year, finally, most people are comfortable with the electronic materials, whether they use them from the CD-ROM or directly from the internet. Relatively few people use the photocopies as their main study materials. But, while you may be comfortable with the means of delivery, besure you know what is there for you to use. Exploring the materials and telling us how they fit your expectations are the rationale for Intake Assignment 2, which you should do early in the quarter if you are absolutely new to the course. Many people have incorrectly constructed email e-addresscards. When someone auto-adds them to an addressbook you show up just as [e-nickname]@xxx.yyy. Of course that's your email, but it appears in the field where your human name should show. The results: Your name is alphabetized by your nickname, rather than by last name; if your e-nickname is much different from your human name it's hard for people to know who you are when they're going through what may be hundreds of names (even worse if someone uses a colorful but very different name, such as - true stories from a couple years back, and probably not a good idea in an academic setting - "honeygirl" or "whoflungpoo") About study techniques: In all sections, the staff demonstrates the use of materials and techniques for learning. What you see and do in class is part of what you should use and do outside class - and it's what you'll encounter too in tests. For detailed advice about study activities and a checklist for completing a Kontext unit, re-read the Course Description (page 3 especially), and look at the Study Advice and Checklist (direct link here), which resides on the Course Documents page. A good idea, too, is to arrange an appointment with you instructor (direct link to contact info). After that, send your questions immediately and directly to Dr. Fischer. If important questions turn up repeatedly, answers to them will be put on this page and in the course FAQ. If you are having major difficulties with your own technology, for example in playing sounds or getting pages to display as they do in class, clearing up those difficulties (or changing your study schedule to use PSU labs) is your responsibility. The software programming and the file creation conform to common standards, the software is checked when it is revised, and it runs properly on PSU computers and a wide range of student equipment. The requirement to use a specified browser and plug-ins, in this case Internet Explorer and QuickTime, is a common practice in Technology-Enhanced Teaching. Acquiring and installing such software is your responsibility, as is setting preferences. The difficulty here is no greater than people handle when they download and play music files or set up their instant-messaging. Something we have noticed repeatedly, however, is that computer users (whether people in the course, or the people who do their technology for them) may alter their computer configurations, sometimes intentionally and sometimes not, in ways that cause problems with our materials. Not everyone has or can afford the latest technology for personal use. Our materials, however, work fine on common computers and operating systems that are even several years out of date. In almost all cases, a mid-priced computer acquired within the past couple of years, set up straight out of the box and as the manual directs, works just fine. Such resources are now regarded as were typewriters a generation ago: students are assumed to understand they need them and to furnish them themselves. A different problem is internet connection. Our classroom polling shows that 75% of first-year German students have fast connections (cable, DSL) readily available, often in their homes. But some students live in unserved ares, and some can't afford better connections than just modems over phone lines. PSU labs are readily available to all students, and they should be adequate for studying for the course - if you can arrange your schedule for that, which again is beyond our control and resources. You may find it most convenient to use the resources in the Foreign Language Learning Lab (NH394-N) opposite the entrance to the Foreign Language Department main office). If you are in some aid program, for example veterans' education benefits, which can help supply you with technology for your studies, we will provide you with support documentation to show what you need for the course. Dr. Fischer has spent many years and considerable pizza money making the PSU tech staff happy, and they are nice people anyway. If you are having very specific tech problems (error messages about MIME types, settings, etc.), they may be able to help you. Go to SMC 18 (basement of Smith Center) and mention the course and Dr. Fischer's name. If you are using a laptop, bring it with you. |