Russian handwriting in US classrooms in the computer age
Stephanie Briggs
sdsures at GMAIL.COM
Thu Sep 9 20:25:42 UTC 2010
I'm assuming you're referring to a desktop PC with a detachable keyboard?
Can't exactly detach the keyboard from a laptop like mine. What I do is use
the Russian keyboard layout in Windows Vista and apply Cyrillic stickers
appropriately.
Stephanie
*****************************
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On 9 September 2010 20:40, Karen Evans-Romaine <evansromaine at wisc.edu>wrote:
> Dear Michael (cc Seelangs colleagues),
>
> Why make students download an ASDF keyboard and give up the chance to teach
> them to type using the Russian standard keyboard already available to them?
> That is a far more logical and practical choice, both from an ergonomic
> point of view and for any future work in a Russian office.
>
> Best wishes,
>
> Karen
>
> Karen Evans-Romaine
> Associate Professor, Department of Slavic Languages & Literature
> Director, Russian Flagship Center
> University of Wisconsin - Madison
>
>
> On 09/09/10, Michael Denner <mdenner at STETSON.EDU> wrote:
>
> > I waste zero time teaching cursive--they need to learn to recognize
> Russian handwriting (I write on the board) but I think teaching пропись is a
> waste of valuable resources.
> >
> > Some students WANT to learn it, and I help them out. But for all written
> work I accept printed (печатные буквы) Russian. I send 4-6 students a year
> to Russia and I've never heard a complaint.
> >
> > One of my first assignments is for them to download an ASDF keyboard
> (like Russian for Gringos) or use translit.ru and type me a message. We do
> a lot of free-writing and I require all of it to be sent by email to me for
> correction.
> >
> > Finally, I'm slowly moving away even from worrying about typing skills
> and encouraging students to record dialogues, essays, even their homework
> assignments. It's something new for me this year, aided in part by the great
> site vocaroo.com, which allows students to make quick recordings online
> and post them easily. I'm requiring them to submit the audio files through
> our class blog (bearinahat.blogspot.com) so they don't fill my inbox. (You
> can see a few early submissions there already--mostly recordings of poetry.)
> >
> > This move to recordings is a response to changes in the ways that
> students communicate: I asked my students recently about their email habits.
> To a one, they said "The only time I use email is to communicate with my
> professors." Gosh, I'm so old I remember email being new.
> >
> > Times they are a'changin...
> >
> > Oh, and, if you DO still teach handwriting, I cannot recommend highly
> enough the very cool Primo and Tempo fonts here:
> > http://nekin.narod.ru/e25.htm
> >
> > They're true handwriting fonts, and use a complex macro to connect
> letters using a variety of liaisons. You'll need to download the documents
> and fonts, read the instructions carefully. But the results are really
> impressive--perfect Russian handwriting. I've posted a couple examples here:
> > http://tinyurl.com/33gpr22
> >
> > ~mad
> >
> > ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
> > Dr. Michael A. Denner
> > Associate Professor of Russian Studies
> > Editor, Tolstoy Studies Journal
> > Director, Russian Studies Program
> > Director, University Honors Program
> >
> >
> > Contact Information:
> > Russian Studies Program
> > Stetson University
> > Campus Box 8361
> > DeLand, FL 32720-3756
> > 386.822.7381 (department)
> > 386.822.7265 (direct line)
> > 386.822.7380 (fax)
> >
> > google talk michaeladenner
> > www.stetson.edu/~mdenner
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: SEELANGS: Slavic & East European Languages and Literatures list
> [mailto:SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu](javascript:main.compose() On Behalf Of
> Melissa Smith
> > Sent: Wednesday, September 08, 2010 3:37 PM
> > To: SEELANGS at bama.ua.edu
> > Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] Russian handwriting in US classrooms in the
> computer age
> >
> > Since Youngstown State has a one-year foreign language requirement and
> > the bulk of our students stop their study at this level, I only require
> > that they be able to READ cursive, and include sections on tests that
> > include reading passages in cursive. I subsequently include writing
> > assignments like greeting cards for different holidays, and give them
> > models written for Russian children. I required that they send me a
> > card for March 8th, International Women's Day, which falls about spring
> > break, and gave them stamped envelopes and blank cards that they were
> > supposed to mail me.
> >
> > This is not an ideal solution, but I try to compensate by getting them
> > accustomed to using internet sources. I once had a student who had
> > emigrated to the US at age 13 and wanted to return to study in a
> > Russian University. Although she had gone to school and learned cursive
> > as a child, she had taken to printing in both languages here. I had to
> > convince her that she would be expected to write by hand were she to
> > return to study in Moscow, and therefore had to retrain her!
> >
> > Melissa Smith
> >
> >
> > On 9/8/10 2:26 PM, Beyer, Tom wrote:
> > > At Middlebury student learn cursive in first year, much like I learned
> > the
> > > Palmer method in first grade. They begin using lined paper- two lines
> > at
> > > first, writing in pen (meaning they have to practice several times
> > before
> > > the final version). After they have learned the alphabet I give them
> > two
> > > books used by Russian first graders to practice penmanship.
> > > But computers for text input also come into play almost immediately. A
> > first
> > > night assignment is to print out a page from rambler.ru, just so they
> > know
> > > their computers have Cyrillic. I also point to input methods, speak of
> > > finding and using online dictionaries, how to type in Cyrillic using
> > either
> > > the Russian or some YAWERTY keyboard or online keyboards. Since some
> > have
> > > Iphones, Ipads, Itouches, and who knows what else before long, etc I
> > simply
> > > point them to google and say figure out how to type in Russian one way
> > or
> > > another on whatever device(s) you have. Many do word lists on the
> > > computer,and there are some other assignments in first year: type a
> > menu,
> > > make a business card, etc. But cursive by hand is still for the
> > foreseeable
> > > future a necessary skill that I feel we should teach.
> > >
> > > Good luck and best wishes to all who toil in the garden of Basic
> > Russian.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > On 9/8/10 9:45 AM, "Monnier, Nicole M." <MonnierN at MISSOURI.EDU> wrote:
> > >
> > > > Richard!
> > > >
> > > > Great question - one I was contemplating posting to the list as
> > well. As I
> > > > began the semester this year, I was struck by how many students
> > don't use
> > > > cursive in English and the added difficulties of this fact for the
> > teaching
> > > > of Russian cursive.
> > > >
> > > > As to your conditions, our current textbook (Live from Russia) does
> > not have
> > > > online exercises, so students inevitably have to handwrite their
> > textbook
> > > > exercises, as well as their exams and quizzes, so learning cursive is
> > > > unavoidable at this juncture. I also tell them that they should be
> > taking
> > > > notes, and all my notes on the board are in cursive; likewise, when
> > they
> > > > head off to Russia (I always tell them "when," not "if"!), they're
> > going to
> > > > find themselves in situations where they'll have to read or write
> > cursive.
> > > >
> > > > HOWEVER, I have been seriously contemplating requiring them to learn
> > how to
> > > > type in Russian, preferably with the Gosstandart layout (again, on
> > the same
> > > > premise that they find themselves in Russia some day with no option
> > of the
> > > > QUERTY translit keyboard), if only because it will give them
> > incredible
> > > > interactive access to real Russian online (Vkontakte, chat, etc.).
> > I'm
> > > > thinking about doing this in the second semester of first-year (ours
> > is a
> > > > 15-week course at 6 hours/week).
> > > >
> > > > I do not curtail students' use of the computer, though few venture
> > onto the
> > > > keyboard on their own in any event.
> > > >
> > > > If our university required all students to have laptops of some
> > sort, I
> > > > would be even more likely to require students to learn to type in
> > Russian.
> > > >
> > > > Other than that, I can only say that I am as curious as you as to
> > other
> > > > practices in our field.
> > > >
> > > > Best,
> > > >
> > > > Nicole
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > ****************************
> > > > Dr. Nicole Monnier
> > > > Associate Teaching Professor of Russian
> > > > Director of Undergraduate Studies (Russian)
> > > > German & Russian Studies
> > > > 428A Strickland (formerly GCB)
> > > > University of Missouri
> > > > Columbia, MO 65211
> > > >
> > > > phone: 573.882.3370
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > On 9/8/10 7:48 AM, "Richard Robin" <rrobin at GWU.EDU> wrote:
> > > >
> > > >> Dear SEELANGers,
> > > >>
> > > >> I¹d like to get some feedback from colleagues on the issue of
> > teaching
> > > >> Russian script to beginners in an era of computer-delivered
> > materials.
> > > >>
> > > >> Imagine using a textbook under the following conditions:
> > > >>
> > > >> 1. Every exercise is online but also available in the printed
> > version of
> > > >> a student workbook (tear out pages, etc.)
> > > >> 2. Your students have computers that can type Cyrillic, and
> > using either
> > > >> the native Gosstandart layout or the phonetic ³student²
> > keyboard, they can
> > > >> type Russian.
> > > >> 3. While all the exercises are on line, some are (a) machine
> > gradable
> > > >> (simple choose the ending or fill in the blank with an
> > unambiguous word or
> > > >> phrase, (b) sentence or paragraph length, submittable
> > electronically to
> > > >> the
> > > >> teacher, but not machine gradable.
> > > >>
> > > >>
> > > >> Questions:
> > > >>
> > > >> 1. Do you teach cursive basically for recognition and embrace
> > the use of
> > > >> all the online exercises?
> > > >> 2. Do you limit the use of the students¹ use of the computer
> > until they
> > > >> have mastered cursive?
> > > >> 3. If you answered yes, to Question 2, what are the limits? How
> > long must
> > > >> they write things by hand? (It helps if you calculate by
> > instructional
> > > >> hours, where a typical 4-hour a week semester of 15 weeks comes
> > to 60
> > > >> hours,
> > > >> a year ‹ 120 hours). Do they have to write everything by hand or
> > is there
> > > >> an
> > > >> acceptable mix of handwritten work and computer work?
> > > >> 4. Any other opinions you have on the subject.
> > > >>
> > > >> Either public or private answers are appreciated. This is not a
> > formal
> > > >> scholarly survey (obviously). I just want to get people to express
> > some
> > > >> opinions on the matter.
> > > >>
> > > >> Thanks,
> > > >> Richard Robin
> > > >>
> > > >>
> > > >>
> > > >
> > > >
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> > ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> > -
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------------
> >
> > Melissa T. Smith, Professor
> > Department of Foreign Languages and
> > Literatures
> > Youngstown State University
> > Youngstown, OH 44555
> > Tel: (330)941-3462
> >
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