SUMMER BLOG #7: Story time!

It is time to that you begin to think about a personal story that you will share with the class. This story should be something fun and humorous that has happened to you in the past. I suggest you sign a story that you have told many times and that you are very familiar with. It can be any story that you like from your past. I suggest you pick a story that is short and as simple as possible. I also suggest you pick a story that is very visual. I want you to share your story here and make a copy of it as well to bring to class. We will work on editing it together and transform it into ASL.




Watch the following story and comment on how this can help you develop your personal story. Pay attention to how the story comes to life and think how you can make your story come to live. Comment on each others stories and make suggestions how they can make their stories visual as possible.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QYOQLKAu74

SUMMER BLOG #6: All Deaf Band?

Him? Nope! Although Beethoven became deaf at age 35, this is not who I am referring to.






An all Deaf band! HUH? YES! Read more!













4 Hearing Loss Reviews: Beethoven's Nightmare


November 13, 2006
Hawaii-based deaf band called Beethoven’s Nightmare

After more than 30 years, Beethoven’s Nightmare comes out with a debut CD.
In the 1970s, three deaf college students gathered habitually in a Gallaudet University dorm room to make rock music and nurse dreams of becoming stars. More than 30 years -- and many broken barriers -- later, the trio that's billed as the only all-deaf rock band in the world has come out with a debut album. The CD, which is the first known in the world to feature an all-deaf rock band, is another milestone for Hawaii-based Beethoven's Nightmare, which has played venues around the United States and wowed audiences and record executives alike. "After 30 years, it's finally paid off," said Ed Chevy, the band's bassist and an American Sign Language teacher, at a CD release party yesterday in Hawaii Public Radio's Atherton Studio. "We want to say music is a universal language. ... This kind of music helps us express ourselves." Ron Tish, owner of Koke-Kula Records & Publishing, agreed to produce the band's CD after hearing about them through Susan Miller, the director of the University of Hawaii's Center of Disabilities Studies and a longtime fan of the band. Tish said he worked with the band extensively to tune their music for "hearing" ears. The deaf musicians had excellent rhythm, Tish said, but were off-key -- usually playing too high or too low. He also brought in hearing-abled backup singers -- Hawaii residents and siblings Troy and Cheesa Laureta, both of whom have life-threatening asthma -- and guitar, percussion and keyboard players. Tish said that in his promotion of the band's CD, he wants to downplay "the sympathy aspect" of the band and "up-play the phenomenon." "These guys had the courage to stick it out for 30 years," he said, while sitting at a piano at the Atherton Studio before yesterday's event. Chevy, whose real last name is Corey, said the band wanted their CD to be a "crossover album -- the hearing culture working with the deaf culture." And the title track on the band's CD, called "Turn It Up Louder," speaks to the band's aim of bridging deaf and hearing people through music. "Turning up the volume so 'hearing' people can hear what 'deaf' say and feel," the song starts out, with a 1950s' style sound, which the band calls "retro rock-and-roll." The chorus of the song, which comes in a stanza later, continues with the theme: "If you're wondering what we're all about, we're the only deaf band in the world. And if you can't understand all the words all we need to do is turn it up louder!" Chevy wrote most of the songs on "Turn It Up Louder" and almost all of them reference his and his band members' deafness.
One is called, "It's Just a Deaf Thing." In "Crash It Out," the CD's seventh song, Chevy sings, "Attempting to break the deaf sound barrier with a heavy steady beat. Talking about crash it out." Chevy says a second CD is already in the works, and fellow band members -- Steve Longo, of Oakland, Calif., and Bob Hiltermann, of Hollywood, Calif., -- are already mulling over new songs.
I cannot wait for you to see these guys! Here is a clip. Please reflect on what you see and post a meaningful discussion question or comment for your class.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kV0x95n3BvA

Summer Blog #5: Hearing Dogs

I know that most of you know what a Seeing Eye Dog is but have you ever thought about a Hearing Dog? Hearing Dogs are becoming increasingly popular. They are trained to do several things for their owners such as alerting them when their name is called, the phone rings, someone is at the door, their children are crying, a person is near, their alarm clock goes off, the fire alarm is blaring, and several other important messages. Hearing Dogs can greatly enhance a Deaf person's life and make them feel more secure in a hearing world.

Please watch on youtube the Sam Simon Foundation (part 1)

Have you ever thought of Deaf people using Hearing Dogs? Have you ever seen one working? What do you think?

Summer Blog #4: Deaflympics

Who doesn't love the olympics??! I thought this was the perfect time to introduce you to the Deaflympics. That's right Deaf people have Deaflympics that are completely accessible to them!

Check it out!

The information is directly taken from:
http://www.disabled-world.com/sports/deaflympics/taipei-2009/

The latest entry figures for the Taipei Deaflympics, which will take place from Sept. 5 to 15 2009. ICSD has confirmed that 3985 athletes from 81 countries have already entered to compete in 20 sport events.

2801 people have signed up to become volunteers, and are currently going through training at Taipei Municipal University of Education and National Taipei University of Education. Plans are in the works to also recruit 50 international volunteers to help out with the competition.

The Deaflympics started in 1924 and is the fastest growing multiple sport event in the world. It is a place where deaf people come together and celebrate their differences and compete for gold on an equal playing field against other deaf athletes.

In 2009 more than 3000 athletes from over 65 countries will compete. The Deaflympics comes under the umbrella of the IOC but are run by Deaf people for the Deaf.

The first World Games for the Deaf had under 200 contestants from ewer than ten countries; modern Deaflympics events feature thousands of deaf and hard of hearing athletes from multiple countries.

President Ma Ying-jeou said that hosting the Deaflympics will not only thrust Taipei onto the international stage and provide an excellent opportunity to introduce Taiwan to the world, but increase international community's understanding of the country. "I hope that next year with the Kaohsiung City hosting the 2009 World Games in July and Taipei City hosting the Deaflympics in Taipei in September, Taiwan will once again be on the international stage and let the world know that Taiwan will never be absent from major international sporting events," Ma said at an event to mark the beginning of the one-year countdown to the 21st Deaflympics.

The international sports event for people who are hearing impaired will be held in Taipei from Sept. 5-15, 2009.

"Through the Deaflympics, we hope everyone can get to see the modern and rich culture of Taipei City," Ma added.

To highlight the significance of the event, the president began his speech using sign language to say "I am Ma Ying-jeou, and I’ll take part in the 2009 Taipei Deaflympis." He received loud applause from the audience.

Named host city for the 21st Summer Deaflympics in 2003, Taipei is the first city in Asia to host the Deaflympics games, marking a historic milestone for the hosting of international sporting events in Taiwan.

Noting that the theme of Deaflympics is "Equality through sports," Ma said athletes should have the spirit to "fight to the end and never give up" just like Taiwanese taekwondo Olympian Su Li-wen, who fought to the last minute and nearly won a bronze medal despite painful and crippling injuries.

Su, along with two Taiwanese Olympic bronze medalists Chen Wei-ling and Lu Ying chi, also attended the countdown event to call on the general public to take part in the 2009 Deaflympics.

International film stars Jackie Chan and noted actress Lin Ching-hsia were also at the activity.

Action star Chan told the audience that he has one deaf ear after falling down from a tree while shooting a movie in Yugoslavia in 1987. But he has overcome the inconvenience of losing hearing in one ear.

"Never give up and you will be the winner," he said.

After singing the theme song of the 2009 Deaflympics "Power in Me," Ma, Chan and other participants at the event together activated a 365-day-countdown clock and wished for a smooth and successful games.

Around 4,000 athletes from 80 countries are expected to take part in the 2009 Taipei Deaflympics. They will compete in 20 sporting categories.

The Deaflympics date back to 1924 when the first Summer Deaflympics were held in Paris, France. In 1995 the Games received official recognition by the International Olympic Committee. Today, 96 national deaf sports federations are members of the International Committee of Sports for the Deaf.

The Deaflympic games are more than simply athletics and sports. They provide an arena for Deaf people to meet, communicate, network and socialise with other Deaf people. This social interaction is seen as a vital part of the games.


Please comment on the information that I provided you as well as the videoclips below.

Opening Ceremony

http://videos.disabled-world.com/video/186/deaflympics-opening-taipei-2009

Jackie Chan and Deaf Olympics

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqFZc5eRAMc&feature=related

Here is the official website for the Deaflmpics
http://english.2009deaflympics.org/bin/home.php

Summer Blog#3: ABC STORIES

CULTURAL INFORMATION: ABC AND NUMBER STORIES

A treasured part of the heritage of the Deaf Community is their language, ASL. It is, as with any culture, an important part of their identity. One of the fun and special traditions enjoyed and shared by the Deaf Community is signing stories using Number or Alphabet hand shapes. In these stories, various hand shapes do not stand for the numbers and letters themselves, but are used as signs or gestures to convey concepts. They are signed in alphabetical or numerical order, and used in amazing ways to sign or act out a story.


I want you to watch these ABC stories that I have chosen for you. The first story that I have selected shows how each letter is used to develop the story and you can see on the screen the letter as the signer uses it. Keep in mind these handshapes represent things, not the letters! The other two clips you must follow on your own. On Monday I am going to ask you to create your own ABC story! Story telling is a huge part of the culture and I wish to expose you to the many ways story telling is used. This will also allow you to learn how to better incorporate body langauge, mime, and facial expressions into your signing which are all important in your development of learning ASL. Not only that, you will be able to participate in a special fun tradition shared by Deaf people.

After you have viewed the videoclips, I want you to discuss these amazing stories with your ASL sisters and brothers (classmates). What did you think of them? What was easy for you to understand? Difficult? What fascinated you? What was inspiring? What can you compare this to in English?

Now think about traditions in your own families (think about your hertiage, culture, religon etc.)that are important to you and why. Also, what traditions are important to the American Culture? Compare and Contrast this to ABC stories in Deaf Culture.
Enjoy!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qj1MQhXfVJg&feature=related


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Iv8a299bQE&feature=PlayList&p=91196F2C6E7FD521&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZl9k3h0Glo&feature=related

Summer Blog #2: TV Programs For Children

Take a moment and think about all the programs you watched as a child. Weren't they great!? Ahh those were the days. Don't we have fond memories of the days of Cookie Monster shoving cookies into his mouth, counting with the Count, and of course who could forget Elmo's pet fish Dorthy and singing little jingles to the tune of "Jingle Bells"? Or wasn't it fun to figure out all the clues in our handy dandy notebooks? And Barney, who could every forget that lovable, yet somewhat annoying dinosaur that taught us to play nice and always share through great songs and dance! Okay, come back to the present! I want you to specifically, think about all the programs that were educational based (Sesame Street, Magic School Bus, Blue's Clues, Liberty Kids, Between the Lions, Arthur, Wishbone, Clifford, Barney, just to name a few!) How did they teach you? What did they teach you? Why did you enjoy them? Why did you (or still do!) want character pj's?

Now how many programs do you know about that were created specifically for Deaf children? Think of any? I have selected two shows that I would like you to watch. The first one is "Signing Time" that can be found on PBS in the mornings and is very popular program. The second one is called, "DeafPlanet" this can be found on the web at http://www.deafplanet.com/en/deafplanet/
Please blog about how beneficial you found these programs to be for Deaf children. What did you find beneficial, entertaining, fun, educational, and cultural? Which one do you think is best suited for Deaf children and why? What audience did these programs have in mind? I have included what I would like you to watch below but feel free to explore the DeafPlanet Website and view Signing Time on PBS for more information. Feel Free to share ANY thoughts, comments and questions with your fellow students other than what I asked you to discuss.

I would like you to watch "Caterpillar Dreams" on Signing Time at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGF3iC0o_1s
I would like you to watch "What Goes Up" on DeafPlanet at
http://www.deafplanet.com/en/deafplanet/
To get to this show you must click Shows and then select "What Goes Up"
Posted by Monica at 8:34 AM 40 comments

Summer Blog # 1: Enable

Deaf people and sign language are sometimes displayed by the media. For this blog posting, I want you to view how the media portrays Deaf people. I have selected three commercials. These commercials all use sign language as their primary communication method. I want you to watch there commercials and think about what message they are sending about Deaf Culture and Deaf people. Do you feel these commercials show the strengths of Deaf people and their language? Who were these commercials for? Did they reach both the hearing world and deaf world? Which commercial do you think portrayed the best image of Deaf people and their culture? Which do you think portrayed the worst? Support your responses. Watch the Pepsi commercial "Bob's House", the Chinese Pantene Commercial and the Thailand Toothpaste commercial (located on the YouTube links to the right). For the Thailand Commercial view:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeAhnagJdcA
and for the Chinese Pantene Commercial view:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opOQlA0LVqo which of these commercials do you feel are based on Deaf folklore. In Deaf folklore being deaf allows the person to triumph or succeed. As a result of their deafness they are able to overcome an obstacle. How does this commercial portray that being Deaf allows triumph rather than defeat?

Feel Free to add any comments and questions that you wish. This blog is designed to be used for a class discussion. All comments, opinions, thoughts, ideas, and questions are welcome. Be sure to read all students postings and to comment on those as well. You must respond to at least 2 students.

Monica