tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66285426920395342802024-03-14T11:08:30.183-04:00VocabSlam BlogThe blog devoted to studying that doesn't have to suck.adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08970251193396095601noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628542692039534280.post-9600897381855793022014-05-26T23:35:00.001-04:002014-05-26T23:45:22.322-04:00Research supporting VocabSlamLots of research stands behind VocabSlam's core concepts of peer-to-peer, affective, and contextual learning.<b><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B8JIr8-a5uVZMUxpcjJhMzRmV3M/edit?usp=sharing" target="_blank"> Here's a summary of that research</a></b>, which we recently presented at Columbia University.adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08970251193396095601noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628542692039534280.post-19022780649833112122013-12-20T16:59:00.003-05:002014-03-18T11:36:20.101-04:00#Banned The year 2013 was a great one for VocabSlam and the students who use our website to score big on the SAT and GRE. Our <a href="http://blog.vocabslam.com/search/label/Banned%20words" target="_blank">banned word list of 2012</a> proved <a href="http://www.vocabslam.com/2012/05/prescience.html" target="_blank">prescient</a> as even <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/17/opinion/brooks-the-thought-leader.html?_r=0" target="_blank">David Brooks at the <i>New York Times</i></a> agreed that the word "space" was <a href="http://gre.vocabslam.com/2012/07/hackneyed.html" target="_blank">hackneyed</a>.<br />
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As we've said <a href="http://blog.vocabslam.com/search/label/Banned%20words" target="_blank">before</a>, VocabSlam is all about NOT wasting your time on unnecessary words, which is why we’ve narrowed down the list of most frequently occurring words to the top <a href="http://www.vocabslam.com/search/label/*Top%20SAT%20Words" target="_blank">300+ SAT</a> words and <a href="http://gre.vocabslam.com/search/label/*Top%20GRE%20Words" target="_blank">400+ GRE</a> words. Don't waste your 2014 brainspace on the following words, people!<br />
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<b>MOOC</b><br />
This stands for "massive open online course", a fancy term for a college lecture on YouTube that you can watch in you pajamas (and you Might Overindulge On Cheetos). Is it Mediocre Overly-Hyped Online Crap? Well, VocabSlam crew member <a href="http://www.rebeltoruler.com/1/post/2013/12/long-live-the-mooc.html" target="_blank">Nick wrote about the usefulness of MOOCs</a> and we generally wondered why anyone would want their educational product to sound so phonetically similar to the <a href="http://sat.vocabslam.com/2012/05/pejorative_6838.html" target="_blank">pejorative</a> term "<a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=mook" target="_blank">mook</a>".<br />
Ey oh! Ya banned, getouttahere!<br />
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<b>Twerk</b><br />
Isn't it just a more <a href="http://www.vocabslam.com/2012/05/banal.html" target="_blank">banal</a> version of <a href="http://youtu.be/iQTk6zQ6ryY?t=3m" target="_blank">daggering</a>?<br />
Boom, <a href="http://gre.vocabslam.com/2012/07/succinct.html" target="_blank">succinctly</a> slammed.<br />
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<b>Hack</b><br />
Talk about ubiquitous! (OK, these guys will...)<br />
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"Hack" got waaay overplayed in 2013, like the Bennifer of today. It used to refer to modification of something, like a computer, to suit one's own (often <a href="http://www.vocabslam.com/2012/05/nefarious.html" target="_blank">nefarious</a>) needs. Those who hacked tended to look like this guy:<br />
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But by 2013, "hack" transitioned from the <a href="http://sat.vocabslam.com/2012/05/esoteric_4542.html" target="_blank">esoteric</a> to the popular and you could hack anything. You could hack a date, hack your kids, or hack your breakfast. All you needed was less gluten! (Look out in 2014, gluten).<br />
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On the one hand, we note how most words on this year's banned word list are used as verbal crutches. They're replacements for other words and can serve as heuristics or mental shortcuts. This could have the effect of decreasing your overall vocabulary-- not so VocabSlammy. On the other hand, we like the use of mnemonic devices to help you remember words. So, when you see "hackneyed" you will now always think of hack.<br />
Boom, thoughtfully banned.<br />
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<b>Selfie</b><br />
The word sounds so much like "selfish" that its meaning is pretty self-evident. It's annoying when Bieber does it but <a href="http://www.pophangover.com/35871/the-best-animal-selfies-of-2013/" target="_blank">hilarious when pets do it</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxZKv2XPqYs4S956FEmghBRRogWXF-qhJZilAFPWlVi4n8hsbIOqTT3DVqkQHXprMCeQB3fBpd9VFrAsnal7b-vKILllra4A04R0uz9XTmXordzbkdy3ZrvUPnqUvlXL3WJlQxRK4e8MG6/s1600/catselfie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxZKv2XPqYs4S956FEmghBRRogWXF-qhJZilAFPWlVi4n8hsbIOqTT3DVqkQHXprMCeQB3fBpd9VFrAsnal7b-vKILllra4A04R0uz9XTmXordzbkdy3ZrvUPnqUvlXL3WJlQxRK4e8MG6/s200/catselfie.jpg" height="200" width="149" /></a></div>
We're just thankful that the Selfie Revolution didn't overlap too much with 2010's <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=duckface&safe=active&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=6660UvbeMuzFsATxp4GIDQ&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1067&bih=718" target="_blank">duckface-mageddon</a>.<br />
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<b>Hashtag</b><br />
As Twitter grew into its third incarnation toward becoming Skynet and continued to penetrate our vernacular with neologisms, people in 2013 began adding "hashtag" to the end of real-life situations. Like, "OMG Tommy, I can't believe that you ate that whole box of Twinkees! HASHTAG YOUFAT." This movement from the virtual-to-the-real-world is analogous to how Words With Friends became a board game.<br />
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This is some weird chicken-and-egg sh*t!<br />
Hashtag, Banned!<br />
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<b>3D</b><br />
We think that the 3D craze started with 3D Doritos.<br />
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Before that, were Doritos impossibly thin and existed on two axes, like the <a href="http://celebrity-lists.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/kate-moss.jpg" target="_blank">Kate Moss</a> of junk foods? Today, they're 3-Difying EVERYTHING. Shampoo. Toothpaste. Deodorant??<br />
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In 2013, it was all about 3D printers. They've been heralded as the panacea for everything from jet engine parts to <a href="http://gizmodo.com/an-aid-group-is-3d-printing-medical-supplies-in-haiti-1474958161" target="_blank">umbilical cord clamps in Haiti</a> (reminds us of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yFhR1fKWG0&feature=youtu.be&t=8m59s" target="_blank">dropping iPads in Africa</a>). Maybe just print up more iPads? Or why not just print more 3D printers, like when you ask a genie for infinite wishes? How much does that ink cost anyway?<br />
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Newsflash: everything's 3D. Boom, slammed. See you in the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnURElCzGc0" target="_blank">4th Dimension</a>, 2014!<br />
<br />adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08970251193396095601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628542692039534280.post-60319426785985105232013-08-23T14:30:00.000-04:002013-08-28T12:03:16.085-04:00VocabSlam Twitter Contest!!<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;">VocabSlam, the test-prep company that gives you the most frequently occurring SAT and GRE words and lets YOU have fun using them, has just posted its 250th video of real people using vocab words in their own sentences. To celebrate, we are challenging our users by launching a VocabSlam contest on Twitter! The contest will reward the most creative and popular usage of an SAT or GRE word. The winner will receive a $25 gift card to Barnes & Noble.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;">The contest will be held from Monday August 26 to Monday Septe</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; display: inline; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px;">mber 2.<br /><br />Here's how it will all go down:<br /><br />• At 9 a.m. on Monday August 26 we will post a word and video to our Twitter page: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.Twitter.com%2Fvocabslam&h=mAQGjpJ3l&s=1" rel="nofollow nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">www.Twitter.com/vocabslam</a><br />• Participants can then start posting sentence examples using the word with the hashtag #vocabslam<br />• Whoever gets the most retweets by 5 p.m. on Monday September 2 will win the gift card!<br /><br />Here are the contest rules:<br />• To win, the word must have the highest number of retweets and must be used properly in a sentence as judged by the VocabSlam team<br />• The sentence must not be derogatory or overly profane<br />• There is no limit to how many examples one user can post<br /><br />Be sure to like our Twitter page so you can get first dibs at offering a sentence example when we announce it Monday morning!<br /><br />Good luck! And remember: Studying Doesn’t Have to Suck!<br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.Twitter.com%2FVocabSlam&h=AAQHON2Bp&s=1" rel="nofollow nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">www.Twitter.com/VocabSlam</a><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.vocabslam.com&h=3AQFfRawN&s=1" rel="nofollow nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">www.vocabslam.com</a><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.YouTube.com%2Fvocabslam&h=nAQHv_0g6&s=1" rel="nofollow nofollow" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">www.YouTube.com/vocabslam</a></span>adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08970251193396095601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628542692039534280.post-77444287296738137942013-06-16T10:48:00.000-04:002014-03-17T16:42:20.009-04:00VocabSlam TutorsVocabSlam is happy to offer tutoring services in New York City beginning in June, 2013. Our team of highly experienced tutors can help you study for the SAT & GRE (all sections), as well as other exams. If you are interested, please fill out the <b><a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1KxbkXiiPLHhBgFlwdW-eN6hLcc41ty88ys0Gw9BKBfw/viewform" target="_blank">New Student Questionnaire</a></b> and a team member will contact you. Email us at <a href="mailto:tutors@vocabslam.com">tutors@vocabslam.com</a> with any questions.<br />
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Meet our tutors:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj136cFKznKDqZipFeJXQEYcpRza702imb2gHjDpDBpXeEhdByloWfCBC1keSMGH9yHbw8QHkzetJ3ze5AE5hVoIIGDWETRVYjvlupcEcxliOJAEy5zkH2Rgmlqf_PELa3kN2EiHXBu3UFP/s1600/matt1-final-for-web.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj136cFKznKDqZipFeJXQEYcpRza702imb2gHjDpDBpXeEhdByloWfCBC1keSMGH9yHbw8QHkzetJ3ze5AE5hVoIIGDWETRVYjvlupcEcxliOJAEy5zkH2Rgmlqf_PELa3kN2EiHXBu3UFP/s1600/matt1-final-for-web.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b>Matthew Camp</b></div>
Matthew Camp is the founder and CEO of PrepSlam, LLC, the parent company of VocabSlam and VocabSlam Tutors. Matt is a PhD candidate at Columbia University, studying Politics & Education. He has taught SAT courses for Kaplan and Test Takers, Inc., and has held employment in higher education and public relations for more than 10 years.<br />
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Matt specializes in showing students the underlying patterns of standardized exams, building on their existing knowledge, and helping students manage time and stress. Matt received a MA in Public Policy from Rutgers University and double majored in political science and psychology at the University of Delaware. He likes the Beach Boys and biking around New York City (with a helmet!).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi2N4zDfUl5u63KmYTT8CrV0d41F8RQmBSLEtXdtz_Q7S6KW8PHpPFBpfQttjafaMej95C1lVfKuOQDlh4zAijc6N-sHv1L1wYJsk38-ihlB4hA6-SuMCA-IC_iQ22fUMLsW4QxgT2UF2L/s1600/josh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi2N4zDfUl5u63KmYTT8CrV0d41F8RQmBSLEtXdtz_Q7S6KW8PHpPFBpfQttjafaMej95C1lVfKuOQDlh4zAijc6N-sHv1L1wYJsk38-ihlB4hA6-SuMCA-IC_iQ22fUMLsW4QxgT2UF2L/s1600/josh.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b>Joshua Haimowitz</b></div>
Joshua Haimowitz graduated Columbia University with an M.A. in Physics Education after graduating from Rutgers University with a B.S. in Evolutionary Anthropology and Physics. He has passionately pursued various interests within education for over seven years. These include experiences tutoring a variety of standardized tests, high school math and sciences, as well as instructing guitar, bass, and other musical instruments. In addition, he has spent time abroad, in Asia, teaching ESL (English as a Second Language) classes.<br />
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Joshua utilizes a goal-oriented approach to tutoring in which specific weaknesses must first be identified, and then targeted for improvement. Metacognitive habits and practices are encouraged using think-aloud strategies in order for the student to have awareness of their own approach to the problem or content. This fosters a keener perception of the tricks employed by the writers of the exam and ways for the student to avoid common pitfalls. A combined strategy of improvement in fundamental skills with an advanced understanding of the specific aspects of the test generates a very powerful and effective approach to score enhancement.<br />
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<span style="text-align: start;"><b>Nick Kurian </b></span></div>
Nicholas Kurian is studying economics, with a focus on education policy, at Columbia University. Nick has over 10 years experience with the SAT, GRE, GMAT, LSAT, SHSAT, and a wide variety of New York State Regents exams. A Wesleyan University graduate, he served in the United States Peace Corps in French-speaking West Africa. On his return, he worked for several test prep companies, both boutique and corporate, as a teacher, teacher trainer, and curriculum developer. He taught a wide variety of students, from public schools to independent schools to Catholic schools, and a wide variety of ages, from middle school to mid-life crisis.<br />
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He spent a three years teaching World History and AP Statistics at the Bronx Aerospace Academy. After, he founded his own business, Kurian Consulting, and has written an SAT course aimed at the public high schools: <a href="http://www.satgenius.com/">The SAT Genius</a>. Also aimed at the public high schools and middle schools is a course, <a href="http://www.rebeltoruler.com/">From Rebel to Ruler,</a> which gets students ready for college and careers. He is using a tweaked version of the course to structure the peer mentoring programs of Mercy College and BMCC. Nick enjoys drawing, reading, and working out. He is the head trainer at MovNat NYC, which aims to get people to work out in nature by crawling, climbing trees, lifting rocks, carrying logs, bounding down trails, and being generally crazy. He has run 4 marathons.<br />
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<b style="color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">Joseph Luesse </b></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Joe Luesse is the Evaluation and Assessment Manager for Harlem RBI and DREAM Charter School. He received a Master’s degree in Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, and previously taught high school English for 10 years in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Detroit. He likes to get down to Krautrock and Alice Coltrane.</span></span><br />
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adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08970251193396095601noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628542692039534280.post-76325217941416561622013-04-22T11:30:00.000-04:002013-04-22T15:46:38.756-04:00Taking Control of YOUR Vocabulary: Music Edition<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By Dan Altano</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you’re like me, you learn best when you can relate to the subject you're studying. Sure, we can cram for a test and then regurgitate answers the next morning for a decent grade, but when it comes to truly retaining something new, we like things to be in contexts that make sense to our lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s why it can be challenging for us to learn difficult vocabulary from a flashcard with no examples, or perhaps worse, from boring examples that don't relate to everyday life. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That’s where </span><a href="http://www.vocabslam.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">VocabSlam</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> comes in. Think of it like an Etch-A-Sketch for vocabulary. We supply you with the knobs (the word and definition), but how you design your sentence is entirely up to you. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One thing we noticed from the </span><a href="http://gre.vocabslam.com/2012/07/plethora.html"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">plethora</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> of sentence examples submitted by VocabSlam users over the past several months is how often people combine difficult vocabulary with what they already know, resulting in clever and memorable sentences. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><b><span class="Apple-style-span"></span></b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><b><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><b><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">VocabSlam and Music </span></span></b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><b><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the second installment of this three-part blog about taking control of your vocabulary (</span><a href="http://blog.vocabslam.com/2013/02/taking-control-of-your-vocabulary_13.html"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">read part 1 here</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">), we feature VocabSlam user submissions that merge music with vocabulary. </span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/18/nyregion/columbia-professor-and-gza-aim-to-help-teach-science-through-hip-hop.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Columbia University Professor Christopher Emdin </span></a><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/18/nyregion/columbia-professor-and-gza-aim-to-help-teach-science-through-hip-hop.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">has done this with science education to great success</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">, and studies show how such a combination has proved successful. Check out how VocabSlammers use their voices and their instruments to etch the meanings of difficult vocabulary words into their brains. </span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Freestyle Master</span></span></b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange;">Word</span>: </span><a href="http://www.vocabslam.com/2012/05/emulate.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Emulate</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></b><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(Verb);<i> to strive to equal or excel; IMITATE</i></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN;">This up-and-coming MC freestyles his way to a better test score using the word emulate: </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Owning It</span></span></b><br />
<span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: orange;">Word</span>: <span style="color: black;"><a href="http://www.vocabslam.com/2012/05/incoherent.html" target="_blank">Incoherent</a></span></b> <span style="color: black;">(adjective);</span><span style="color: black;"> lacking<i> clarity, cohesion, or intelligibility </i></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: black;"></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Okay so maybe this guy won't be filling in on drums for RUSH any time soon, but who cares? Here he turns his limitations into an opportunity to learn some new vocab and to make us laugh:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/py6ydMSA3O4?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><br /><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Diligence Rewarded</span></span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange;">Word</span>: </span><a href="http://sat.vocabslam.com/2012/05/diligent_5519.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Diligent</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(adjective);<i> characterized by steady, earnest, and energetic effort</i></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span"><br /><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">This one is simply incredible. Watch this VocabSlammer show what diligence can do when learning a unique skill:</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/FLsU3owdsO0?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Jam off Slam Off</b> </span></span></span></span></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange;"><b>Word</b></span>: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://sat.vocabslam.com/2012/05/callous_5789.html" target="_blank">Callous</a></b> (adjective); <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">feeling or showing no sympathy for others</i></span></span></span></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">In this video, multiple VocabSlammers use music to vent their frustrations with callous people:</span></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><b>Plethora of Jams!</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange;"><b>Word</b></span>: <span style="color: black;"><b><a href="http://gre.vocabslam.com/2012/07/plethora.html" target="_blank">Plethora</a></b></span> (noun); a super abundance; an excess</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The street musician at the end of this video creates a song on the spot to tell us about the plethora of jams he has to offer. We dare you to try getting this jingle out of your head once you hear it:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Rocking Redemption</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange;"><b>Word</b></span>: <b><a href="http://gre.vocabslam.com/2012/07/blog-post_909.html" target="_blank">Discredit</a></b> (verb); <em>to refuse to accept as true or accurate</em></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This VocabSlammer aims to prove the haters wrong by rocking out on her guitar:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Say Cello!</b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange;"><b>Word</b></span>: <b><a href="http://sat.vocabslam.com/2012/05/jubilation_6020.html" target="_blank">Jubilation</a></b> (noun);<i> an expression of great joy</i></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A cello player shows her jubilation through song: </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/v0qZDsv6k6E?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Benevolent Beats</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: orange;">Word: </span><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://sat.vocabslam.com/2012/05/benevolent_1111.html" target="_blank">Benevolent</a> </span></b>(adjective); <em>marked by or disposed to doing good</em></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This hip hop drummer doesn't skip a beat when it comes to vocab:</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Behind the Vocab</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: orange;">Word: </span><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://sat.vocabslam.com/2012/05/compassion_4797.html" target="_blank">Compassion</a> </span></b>(noun); <i>sympathetic awareness of others' distress together with a desire to alleviate it</i></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This VocabSlammer uses the word compassion to tell an inspiring story:</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/jKMrr6qsYEI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>That Good Old Feeling</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange;"><strong>Word:</strong></span> <strong><a href="http://www.vocabslam.com/2012/05/effusive.html">Effusive</a> </strong>(adjective); <em>marked by the expression of great or excessive emotion or enthusiasm</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Famous Italian guitarist Davide Citrolo effusively jams on his favorite song:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hope your ears and minds were pleased with these examples. Remember: taking control of your vocabulary starts with YOU. Now it's your turn to come up with some sentences of your own. Can't play an instrument or sing? So what? Grab some pots and pans, strum the back of a tennis racket, or use the back of a comb as a microphone and rock out to some vocab! Be sure to post them on </span><a href="http://www.vocabslam.com/"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">www.vocabslam.com</span></strong></a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>About the author:</b> Dan Altano is Marketing Director at VocabSlam. He also teaches in the English Department at the City College of New York and is the front man of the New York City based band, Withersby. You can reach him at </span><a href="mailto:Dan@vocabslam.com"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dan@vocabslam.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">. </span></span></div>
adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08970251193396095601noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628542692039534280.post-62829027424386684042013-03-26T08:00:00.000-04:002013-03-26T09:34:41.860-04:00An Experience is Worth a Thousand Words<br />
We again welcome Dr. Ebner to discuss the reseach underlying VocabSlam. Today she talks about learning using all of your senses.<br />
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An Experience is Worth a Thousand Words<br />
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By Rachel Ebner, Ph.D.<br />
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To truly learn a word, you’ve got to experience it. This is called “experiential learning,” and it involves deriving meaning from direct, multisensory experiences. It’s one of the most powerful forms of learning. It goes beyond just passively absorbing information (known as “surface-level learning”). Instead, experiential learning requires a student to actively internalize knowledge (this is known as “deep-level learning”). <br />
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Educators have not paid much attention to how important experiential learning is for helping high school and college students expand their vocabularies. This is surprising, especially since it’s widely known that young children rapidly acquire their first words through the direct experience of hearing words paired with what they see and do every day—a process called “fast mapping.” Through this type of direct multidimensional experiences with words, young children eventually develop comprehensive knowledge about a word’s meanings and uses within particular contexts. This form of word learning is so powerful because it transforms a word from an abstract sound or written symbol into something that is meaningful and concrete. <br />
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Unfortunately, rather than pursuing experiential word learning, most older students’ vocabulary acquisition tends to entail passive forms of word learning such as memorizing dictionary definitions. Learning vocabulary in this one-dimensional way (i.e., only by reading a word’s definition) not only is artificial, but also often is frustrating and ineffective. With this type of passive learning, a word remains relatively abstract. No matter how many words, or which words or combination of words, are used to define a word, meaningful vocabulary development will not occur if a student doesn’t have opportunities to experience what the word represents though their multiple senses (seeing, hearing, smelling, touching, etc.) For example, I once had a student from Brazil who told me that before she came to America, everyone kept raving about American cupcakes, something that was not available to her in Brazil. She said that no matter how times or ways her fellow friends tried to describe to her what an American cupcake was like, including how it looked, smelled, and tasted, she just “never got it!” It was not until she came to America and experienced firsthand the look, smell, texture, and taste of her first cupcake, that she finally “got it.”<br />
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Just like my Brazilian student, and as with young children, to truly know a word, you must interact with it by engaging your multiple senses. In other words, memorizing a thousand written words in a dictionary cannot replace the deep learning that comes from truly experiencing a single word!<br />
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About the author: Dr. Rachel Ebner is an expert on student learning. She has an M.A. from Columbia Teachers College, an Ed.M. from Harvard, and a doctorate from the City University of New York. Dr. Ebner brings her research cred to VocabSlam and will explain the research behind what we're doing.<br />
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adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08970251193396095601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628542692039534280.post-91720347228901582642013-02-13T12:40:00.002-05:002013-04-25T09:22:13.986-04:00Taking Control of YOUR Vocabulary: Comedy Edition<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By Dan Altano </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Preparing for the verbal sections of the SAT or GRE can be overwhelming. The day finally comes when you decide to quit procrastinating and buckle down on studying, but before you know it you're staring helplessly at a massive list of big words that you don't use on a daily basis. "Now what?" you ask yourself once your head stops spinning. Well, unfortunately, there aren't many ways around it<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">—</span>to get a good SAT and GRE score you need to know your vocabulary. But how to begin? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The answer to your question may be in an unexpected place: your funny bone. Laughter may not be the first thing that springs to mind when you're thinking about SAT and GRE vocabulary retention, but for lots of VocabSlammers, comedy and vocabulary is a match made in test score heaven. Having fun with words lightens the burden of studying and makes the whole process much more enjoyable. <br /><br /><b>VocabSlam and Comedy</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No matter what kind of sense of humor you have, making yourself laugh can be instrumental to retaining vocabulary. Maybe you like slapstick comedy where people smash into walls and slip on banana peels or maybe you have more of a sarcastic wit. Either way, It all boils down to coming up with examples that will help the words stick in your mind. Take a look at some VocabSlam submissions that leave us laughing and learning at the same time!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A Spray for the Ages</span></span></span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: black; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange;">Word</span>: </span><a href="http://sat.vocabslam.com/2012/05/nonchalant_4816.html"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nonchalant </span></a></span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">(adjective); having an air of easy unconcern or indifference </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">YouTube sensation LA Beast is famous for his bizarre and hilarious eating habits. But did you know he also has an appetite for vocabulary? In one of the most outrageous VocabSlam submissions ever, the LA Beast tries to stay nonchalant under some extreme circumstances. Don't try this at home:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/UhksyARxOVY?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Sit and Learn</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange;"><b>Word</b></span>: </span><a href="http://www.vocabslam.com/2012/05/penchant.html"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Penchant</b> </span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(noun); a strong and continued inclination </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When stand-up comedian Will Garre isn't making people spit out their drinks with laughter at comedy clubs around New York City, he's spending time with his other love: seat pads...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/nVsKLDMWKzo?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>May the SLAM be with you </b></span><br />
<span style="color: orange;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Word: </span><a href="http://gre.vocabslam.com/2012/07/quibble.html"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Quibble</span></a></b></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (verb); to bicker</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Friends quibble over their differences while foes settle their quibbles the George Lucas way:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/lajVOW7wvec?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Cigarettes and Paychecks</b></span><br />
<b><span style="color: #666666;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange;">Word</span>: </span><a href="http://gre.vocabslam.com/2012/07/squander.html"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Squander</span></a></span></b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (verb); to spend extravagantly or foolishly </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A group of VocabSlammers teach us about all the things you can squander: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/pNiM2vMZmVA?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><b>The Finer Things</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: orange;">Word</span></b>: </span><a href="http://sat.vocabslam.com/2012/05/assimilate_5580.html"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Assimilate </span></b></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(verb); to absorb into the culture or mores of a population or group</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This guy does not assimilate with the Occupy Wall Street crowd and he's proud of it:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://3.gvt0.com/vi/_PZL-gD03_c/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_PZL-gD03_c&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_PZL-gD03_c&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><b>SLAM Horse</b></span><br /><b><span style="color: orange;">Word</span></b>: </span><a href="http://gre.vocabslam.com/2012/07/refulgent.html"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Refulgent</span></b></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (adjective); a radiant or resplendent quality or state : brilliance </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Funnyman Marc T. Engberg is a comedian on the rise, but here he puts on his critic hat to review a stand out performance in the Oscar nominated movie <i>War Horse:</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Hcf4kKd31k8?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #666666;"><b>Minute Men</b></span><br /><span style="color: orange;"><b>Word</b></span>: </span><a href="http://sat.vocabslam.com/2012/05/brevity_249.html"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Brevity</span></b></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (noun): shortness of duration</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This VocabSlammer tries to find a variety of examples for the word brevity but it seems that some people only want to talk about one thing:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/4ZI0M2shoqw?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Body SLAM</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange;"><b>Word</b></span>: </span><a href="http://gre.vocabslam.com/2012/07/skeptic.html"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Skeptic</span></b></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> (noun); a person holding an attitude of doubt or a disposition to incredulity</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Not everyone sees pro wrestling the same way:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/eytO57vzWok?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>"The movie was terrible"</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: orange;">Word</span>: </b><a href="http://sat.vocabslam.com/2012/05/disdain_6543.html"><b>Disdain</b></a><b> </b><span style="color: black;">(noun); a feeling of contempt for someone or something regarded as unworthy or inferior ; scorn</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Twilight Saga, television personality Nicole Scherzinger<b>,</b> cheating girlfriends, and the Parks Department are all targets of disdain in this submission compilation:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://1.gvt0.com/vi/dIvw2LQn_v0/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/dIvw2LQn_v0&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/dIvw2LQn_v0&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Keeping it Civil</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: orange;"><b>Word</b></span>: <a href="http://gre.vocabslam.com/2012/07/blog-post_5678.html"><b>Contentious</b></a> (adjective); likely to cause disagreement or argument</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">This VocabSlammer offers up some helpful dating advice:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">When you tailor sentences to your own unique sense of humor, you take control of the learning process. Personalizing vocabulary can be essential to retaining words and there's no better way to do that than to make it fun. As long as you are using the word in the correct way, there is no reason to settle for a bland example. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Now it's your turn to give it a shot. Channel your inner comedian and write some funny sentences with words you didn't know before you started studying and see if it works for you. And remember: studying doesn't have to suck!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>About the author:</b> Dan Altano is Marketing Director at VocabSlam. He also teaches in the English Department at the City College of New York. You can reach him at <a href="mailto:Dan@vocabslam.com">Dan@vocabslam.com</a> </span></div>
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adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08970251193396095601noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628542692039534280.post-39017732979264996202012-11-14T17:30:00.001-05:002012-11-16T14:34:59.944-05:00VocabSlam’s Seven Banned Words of 2012<b id="internal-source-marker_0.9291176958940923" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The “Top Words the Year” lists arrive at the end of the year like Christmas<b> </b>presents for linguaphiles. Oxford Dictionary released its list BEFORE Thanksgiving, but they invented English in England so we’ll let them slide. However, their top word of 2012 is “Gif”. Is this the year 1995, and you're dialing up CompuServe to surf the web with NetScape on your 486 CPU? The rest of</span><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/12/word-of-the-year-gif-oxford_n_2119349.html"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the list</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> reads like it was assembled by 50-somethings who giggle while overhearing their teen kids’ conversations, or at best, Redditors (note: we are Redditors):</span></b><br />
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.9291176958940923" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1. Eurogeddon</span></b><b id="internal-source-marker_0.9291176958940923" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></b><br />
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.9291176958940923" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2. Super PAC</span></b><b id="internal-source-marker_0.9291176958940923" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></b><br />
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.9291176958940923" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3. Superstorm</span></b><b id="internal-source-marker_0.9291176958940923" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></b><br />
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.9291176958940923" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">4. Nomophobia</span></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">5. Higgs boson</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">6. YOLO</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">7. MOOC</span></div>
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.9291176958940923" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lots of other silly neologisms have been blowing up our Vocab Radar 3000 this year. Since VocabSlam is all about NOT wasting your time on unnecessary words (precisely why we’ve narrowed down the list of most frequently occurring words to the top</span><a href="http://www.vocabslam.com/search/label/*Top%20SAT%20Words"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">300+ SAT</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> words and</span><a href="http://gre.vocabslam.com/search/label/*Top%20GRE%20Words"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">400+ GRE</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">words), VocabSlam hereby BANS the following words from your lexicon:</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Curate</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You are banned from using this unless you work in a museum, specifically, as a curator. We’ve heard it used in the indie rock scene and by the startup and corporate communities who are desperate to latch on to a</span><a href="http://www.vocabslam.com/2012/05/modicum.html"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">modicum</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> of coolness. It’s a</span><a href="http://sat.vocabslam.com/2012/05/hackneyed_6398.html"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">hackneyed</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br class="kix-line-break" /> substitute for “assemble,” “pick” or “throw together at the last minute, but if we make it sound pretentious, maybe they won’t know.” For example, “Bradworth and I are going to curate some super awesome-sauce indie bands for our next party in our Williamsburg loft.” Boom, Slammed.</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Space</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You are banned from using this word unless you work in the cosmos, specifically, as an astronaut. It’s been thrown around lately with great panache as another wanna-be fancy word for “area” or “field,” for example, “Tell me how it is working in the education space” or “She’s a real heavy hitter in the TV-VCR repair space.” If something is in a space, it assumes that something surrounds it. So, education is in a space between what and what? Tell me what those things are, and you can use the word space in a non-Aldrinian way. Boom, Slammed.</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Awesome</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We had a long, versatile, and</span><a href="http://www.vocabslam.com/2012/05/exuberant.html"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">exuberant</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> run, awesome, but we’re going to have to put you out to pasture before you completely</span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumping_the_shark"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jump the Shark</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Boom, wistfully Slammed :(</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Epic</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You’re not Beowolf, ok? Boom, Slammed.</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mogul</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While we’ve traditionally associated this word with</span><a href="http://youtu.be/mPTzxuj8WUQ"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">skiing</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, its alternative bossy use has been used almost exclusively in the hip hop world, a la “Hip Hop mogul P-Puff Daddy Sean John Combs” or “hip hop mogul Russell ‘Gramps’ Simmons.” Is there a way to merge the two usages? Can a hip hop mogul be a mogul mogul? Until then, boom, Slammed.</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Zombie</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">They really have invaded...our mainstream consciousness that is! Look, the pilot episode of Walking Dead was really, really good. It was cinematic and suspenseful. Everything thereafter? Let’s just say that the acting has been more frightening than the zombies. There’s no character development (yes we realize this is a zombie show) and it’s turned into a game of "who will die next" like a gory drawn-out game of Clue. We’re rooting for Carl to go next, amiright? Boom, Slammed.</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The suffixes -geddon or -pocalypse</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On a related End Timesey note, we are</span><a href="http://youtu.be/kCpjgl2baLs"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">le tired</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">of</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">this constant wolf-cry. You can’t call every 3-inch precipitation event “Stormageddon” and there really, really won’t be a zombie apocalypse, ever. People have always had a morbid desire to herald the end of the world. It probably won’t happen in our lifetimes. If it does, it’ll probably be via an asteroid from.... space. Until then, shut up and enjoy life. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Boom, Slammed.</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Consider yourself Slammed, banned words of 2012. Hope </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">not </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">to see you in 2013!</span></b>adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08970251193396095601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628542692039534280.post-43049112476392507442012-11-13T10:51:00.000-05:002012-11-16T14:35:14.031-05:00SAT dates keep on passin me by<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.3737782777752727" style="color: black; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here’s a list of upcoming </span><a href="http://sat.collegeboard.org/register/sat-us-dates"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">SAT test and register-by dates</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Test date Register by</b><br /> Dec 1 Nov 16 (late)<br /> Jan 26 Dec 28<br /> Mar 9 Feb 8<br /> May 4 Apr 5<br /> Jun 1 May 2</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b id="internal-source-marker_0.3737782777752727" style="color: black; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Don’t let ‘em keep</span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjsPG0Kspxo&feature=related"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">passin’ you by like what happened in this Pharcyde video.</span></a></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Just realized that he</span> REALLY liked going to school. </span>adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08970251193396095601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628542692039534280.post-84415527390458580682012-11-07T10:05:00.002-05:002012-11-15T12:40:19.021-05:00The VocabSlam Manifesto: A Platform for Creativity<b id="internal-source-marker_0.6096155771519989" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Let’s face it: studying sucks, and we’ve all at some point agreed with noted educational philosophers, the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ex_Pistols"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ex Pistols</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> that </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeSJ9loxFgI&feature=related"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Schools are Prisons</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. But do schools kill creativity? Sir Kenneth Robinson says yes. In his </span><a href="http://vocabslam.com/2011/12/06/prodigious/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">prodigiously </span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">viewed </span><a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">TED talk</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Sir Ken says that we get “educated out of creativity” and that “people afraid to be wrong.” (Our favorite quote is that professors look at their bodies as a form of transportation for their heads.) What do you think?</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What are some creative ways by which you’ve learned or taught? </span></b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span>adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08970251193396095601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628542692039534280.post-24148401164165798872012-10-17T15:31:00.000-04:002012-10-17T15:31:14.879-04:00Have you bonded with your words lately?<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">We're thrilled to introduce the newest member of the VocabSlam team, Dr. Rachel Ebner, an expert on student learning. She has an M.A. from Columbia Teachers College, an Ed.M. from Harvard, and a doctorate from the City University of New York.<br /><br />Dr. Ebner brings her research cred to VocabSlam and will explain the research behind what we're doing. <br /><br />Her first blog is about word consciousness. Enjoy, and be on the lookout for more from Dr. Ebner!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>How do you know when you really know a word? </b></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">By Rachel Ebner, Ph.D.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />How do you know when you know a word? I mean really know it. The answer is that to really know a word, you need to be "word conscious." Becoming word conscious involves a lot more than looking up a word in a dictionary. It involves knowing how to say a word, what it means, and how to use it, in different contexts. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />According to the incremental theory of word learning, word knowledge progresses from having never heard or seen a particular word to developing a comprehensive understanding of its multiple meanings, uses, and even pronunciations. This sort of word consciousness requires repeated, interactive, and multi-sensory experiences with words. Those kinds of real-world experiences literally bring words to life. They enable you to move far beyond perceiving an unfamiliar word as just a string of letters and sounds. They get you to really know a word, not just its dictionary definition. They get you to wrap your mind around a word, emotionally bond with it—in other words, own it. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br />A study that I recently conducted with 70 college students supports this point. I asked study participants to learn the meanings of certain words in relation to the way they were used in an online Wikipedia article. Results showed that students were able to significantly increase their multidimensional word knowledge by using online tools and resources (e.g., hyperlinks, search engines, online dictionaries, pictorial and auditory sources of information) to interact with the words.<br /> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.vocabslam.com/">VocabSlam </a>is an online tool that provides an ideal way to increase your word consciousness. This is because seeing and hearing real people use a particular word in sometimes funny, sometimes serious, and always entertaining ways,dramatizes the word so that you can cognitively and emotionally connect with it in meaningful contexts. That in turn allows you to remember the word, what it means, how it sounds, and the ways that it can be used.</span></span><br />
<br />adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08970251193396095601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628542692039534280.post-59436530358225864512012-05-27T18:31:00.000-04:002012-07-24T11:31:00.533-04:00The VocabSlam Manifesto: Core Principles<b id="internal-source-marker_0.3776759491302073"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We started an education company because studying sucks. As our slogan indicates, we’re pretty sure that studying does not, in fact, have to suck. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">VocabSlam was founded on two core principles: 1) that we learn best when we learn from each other and 2) that we learn best when affect is tied to cognition; that is, when our emotions, feelings, and creativity are tied to a task at hand.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So we’ve created a platform for people to interact, pulling together familiar elements of </span><a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">www.urbandictionary.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and </span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">www.facebook.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. We provide you with the SAT and GRE’s most frequently used words, their certified </span><a href="http://www.meriam-webster.com/" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">www.meriam-webster.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> definition, and let YOU </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">have fun with the words. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But it’s hard to be spontaneously creative. Think of assignments in creative writing class or in art class. It’s really hard when the teacher instructs you to “write anything” or “paint whatever” but it becomes much clearer when he or she provides you with a prompt, or literally, a frame. That’s why we give you the word and its definition as a stimulus, and you try to “Slam” other users’ sentences to get the praise of your friends, family, pets, and paramours.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For the education nerds out there, lots of </span><a href="http://www.nber.org/papers/w15202" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">research</span><span style="color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">supports the idea that we learn best from each other, particularly our peers. But if you don’t want to read graduate level scholarly articles, check out "</span><a href="http://amzn.to/OEvf" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Disrupting Class</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">" a great book that says that the best way to learn is from each other.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So have fun! Make up crazy sentences. Post a video to our YouTube page! The more you do with words, the better. </span></b>adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08970251193396095601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628542692039534280.post-37983270931718457352012-05-27T18:28:00.001-04:002012-05-27T18:32:11.624-04:00Urbandictionary: Our Heroes<b id="internal-source-marker_0.3776759491302073"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yes, the company that helped you learn the meaning of a Donkey Punch and a Dirty Sanchez, is our paradigm. Our template. Our </span><a href="http://vocabslam.com/2011/12/06/exemplary/" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">exemplar</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Our archetype. (This could go on for a while, we’re an SAT vocab company, remember?) Anyway, we’ve had a long, often salacious love affair with Urbandictionary not only because it’s made us seem smart at dinner parties (well, those basement parties at college with those red plastic cups with abspetos falling into them), but because it believes in </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">people</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wos-dDxpJlQ" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Power to the people</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> much? Sure. Urbandictionary, we’ve found, is elegant in its democratic parsimony: it provides a framework for interaction where you make up a word and definition, and the world votes it up or down, and viola, may the best </span><a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=definition%20whore" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Definition Whore</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> win!</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, we were psyched to see </span><a href="http://bit.ly/bZRvF8" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">this profile</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> of Mr. Aaron Peckham, Urbandictionary’s founder. A million visitors a day? Keep up the good work, brother Aaron.</span></b>adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08970251193396095601noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628542692039534280.post-65126455802354074702012-05-27T18:27:00.002-04:002012-10-17T15:21:03.912-04:00The VocabSlam Manifesto: Learning by Doing<b id="internal-source-marker_0.3776759491302073"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We’re pretty sure that old </span><a href="http://www.pbs.org/onlyateacher/john.html" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">John Dewey</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> was on to something when he professed (and practiced) “Learning by Doing”. We were impressed by </span><a href="http://tedxnyed.com/2011/speakers/gary-stager/" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Gary Stager</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> who spoke passionately at </span><a href="http://tedxnyed.com/2011/" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">TEDxNY</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> about </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-06cPuXf30&feature=player_embedded#!" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the value of giving young people discrete projects</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> on which to work. (It gets pretty breathtaking towards the end). All concepts at the core of VocabSlam.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Back at Dewey’s stomping ground, Teachers College faculty developed instruction where you can teach an entire </span><a href="http://blogs.tc.columbia.edu/cfe/" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">curriculum around food.</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Speaking of stomping around, researchers at Arizona State University in Tempe and the University of Wisconsin-Madison </span><a href="http://bit.ly/pyfQti" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">found</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> that students can understand and infer more by physically </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">acting out </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">text—either in real life or virtually—than by reading alone. They like to move it, move it, move it move it, move it move it, </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34z5DGZMf_s" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">MOVE IT!</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Have you seen other good examples of Learning by Doing?</span></b>adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08970251193396095601noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6628542692039534280.post-26766258091964192122012-05-26T10:57:00.000-04:002014-04-17T10:00:46.274-04:00How to Post a VocabSlam Video ReplyIn addition to written sentence examples, VocabSlam welcomes video submissions! Here's how to do it.<br />
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For ANY video on Vocabslam.com, click the YouTube button, <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_gtm7-jXh0nXKjHK6jRHbkxBEtWxFD39guFgFKL3yIfz5CLkSz240m-gMnUDCMppKFTv25JhCGoWeE02jD6Fj0Prdju2Hnkv__MM3tiuLV-HETS72N85WAapaqvUEqpBrLrINbu0VdNAH/s1600/youtube+button.jpg" /> which brings you to the video on YouTube. Once you are there, click "Sign In" below the video (if you are already not signed in). When you are signed in, click the comment box below the video that says "Respond to this video..." Next, click "Create a video response". Then,<br />
<ul>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Choose a
video you may already have in the video list box, or to create a new
video, click Upload a Video, then Start, then Record from webcam.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>You may see a box that says "Adobe Flash Player Settings" If so, click the "Allow" button.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Start recording, click "Upload" when finished.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Fill out label information:<br /> Title: VocabSlam (insert the word)<br /> Description: Vocabslam (insert the word)<br /> Tags: Vocabslam, (insert the word), SAT, GRE<br /> Category: Education</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Click
"View on Video Page" to preview. If you're satisfied, return to
VocabSlam and click "Upload Video Reply!" for that same word.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>You will see the title of your video in the video list box. Click the title and then "Use the selected video" button. </li>
</ul>
Remember to use the word correctly and to only use one vocabulary word per video. Your video will be reviewed by VocabSlam moderators, who will contact you via email within 24 hours. Good luck VocabSlammers!<br />
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Note: For more help visit <a href="http://support.google.com/youtube/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=57409">YouTube Help</a> or email us at Dan@vocabslam.com<br />
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If you would like to be featured on our official YouTube channel, send your raw video file to Dan@vocabslam.com. If the file size is too large, contact Dan for further options.<br />
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adminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08970251193396095601noreply@blogger.com