Updated 5 December 2004. Items will be posted with the newest at the top.

posted 11 Novem5 December 2004 - scoring guides and advice for fine final Writing test and Oral test

posted 14 November 2004 - Project #2; instructors set start date and deadlines for their own sections, and determine whether both stages or only the first will be done this quarter.

posted 11 November 2004 - Writing test #2 and Oral test #2

posted 26 October 2004 - Assignment #3 - rate your proficiency & progress; revision of course schedule; fixed links on course pages and the Wie, bitte? structure page for Kontext 2 (sound links)

posted 16 October 2004 - free language software for Palm OS: 1) Dialogs, Glossaries, Reference Grammar, Proficiency Guidelines, and maps for Wie, bitte?; 2) PalmLexikon™ German-English / English-German basic vocabulary organized by themes.

Scoring guide for reading dialogs out loud (.pdf, 8KB). Will be used on oral tests where dialogs are checked. Can also be used for self-evaluation.

posted 12 October 2004 (click here or scroll down past this posting for the recent posting about Project 1, the postponement of the weekly "Tagesschau" assignment, and some bug fixes on the course website)

Previews of the first oral test and writing test are ready. Links open in new windows, with links then to PDFs.

The information we are getting from your responses in Assignment #2 tells us four things: 1) The majority of you are comfortable with the basic intent of the course and the classroom activities, but 2) some of you are uncertain about important procedures and policies (tests, etc.); 3) some of you are puzzled about how to study a language; and 4) some of you are having difficulty accessing the on-line and CD-ROM materials.

About (2) procedures and policies: These are explained in much detail in the Course Description which was the focus of Assignment #1. The email you sent us was to have been sent only after you read the entire Description. If you still have questions, first re-read the Course Description. 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.

About (3) study techniques: In all sections, the staff has demonstrated 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 (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.

About (3) study techniques: In all sections, the sta

About (4) accessing materials: If you have completed Assignment #2 and are still having difficulties, 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 (393NH, 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). If you are using a laptop, bring it with you.

posted 11 October 2004

Project 1 - "Have Fun with German" is now available. (The link opens in a new window.) It is officially assigned as of Tuesday, 12 October, for the TTh section, and Wednesday, 13 October, for the MWF sections, with corresponding due dates.

The weekly "Tagesschau" which was tentatively listed to start in Week 3 has been postponed by one week so that you could pay more attention to the first project.

An incorrect link involving Assignments 1 & 2 has been fixed. Entschuldigung! So was gibt's ja doch ab- und zumal (Stuff like that happens every now and then).

posted 3 October 2004

Week 2 of the course begins on 4 October.

A "Survey of Materials" has been added to the website. It shows available resources with their locations on the WWW and CD-ROM versions of Wie, bitte? and in the photocopy package.

Assignment 2 is ready for you to begin (begin at start of Week 2, due at start of Week 3). This is a NEW Assignment 2 and replaces the OLD Assignment 2 in the Course Description. It became clear quickly that, this year, almost no one needs the help with acquiring basic materials and checking technology that was the focus of the old assignment.

posted 28 September 2004

The pages having to do with the course documents, assignments and schedule have been re-organized. "Course Documents" now has just the link-list for the documents. Use it to find documents quickly and to check whether you have looked at everything. "Schedule and Assignments" still gives the day-by-day and week-by-week schedule. But to keep the calendar short, assignments and tests are on individual pages whose links will open them in new windows. This should cut down on scrolling and avoid unnecessary duplication of links.

Wie, bitte? CD-ROMs are now available in the Learning Laboratory of the department of Foreign Languages and Literatures. The lab is in 393NH, directy across from the entrance to the main FLL office. Disks are free. If you think you got a defective one, just throw it away. If you have problems with more than one disk in a short time, the fault is almost certainly with the computer, not the disk.

posted 26 September 2004

German 101 begins Monday, 27 September. Enrollment is much higher than it has been in years, and three of the five sections are currently full. We expect some places to open up in each section. Please be patient. We'll do all we can to get you in!

ASAP go to "Course documents and assignments," download the basic course description, and start assignment 1. Then go to "schedule" and check the course calendar.