Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Project Exploring the Internet: Day 4

So this project challenge hasn’t been too overwhelming yet. I’m having a lot of fun doing it so far and I got my first follower yesterday and my second today! VERY COOL!

The comments I’ve gotten so far have been very positive. This is great.

So, back to it….

For a LONG time I’ve wanted to learn American Sign Language. There aren’t any courses nearby so I’ve never done it. I decided to look online for some free places to learn. I found some great ones.

Why didn’t I think of that a long time ago?

I mean, the internet is right there! Why wouldn’t I search for it? Why didn’t anyone tell me this stuff was online?

You see, this is EXACTLY why I’m doing this Project Explore the Internet. It’s for me to learn about new things but also for me to share really cool things with other people. Hopefully y’all share some too.

If I would have found these sign language sites years ago, I may be fluent now.

Well, forget me, my 3 year old (Waaby) would probably know more now than she does.

She already knows “apple,” “thank you,” “mom,” and “dad.” Waaby uses them every chance she gets. It is SO CUTE!

When I saw this You Tube video that babies can learn sign language before they can speak I got really excited, even though a little frustrated that I didn’t know about it with all of my kids.



The baby’s name in that video is Fireese. She is so cute! It’s amazing what she and her mother have accomplished. Other Fireese videos:
12 Months, 13 Months, 15 Months, 17 Months, 2 Years, ABC’s

I guess the best way to start is the ABC's and there are some videos on You Tube that can help you there: Expert Village ABC's, Mark Esposito ABC’s,
Smart Hands ABC’s, Rob Nielson ABC’s

I still don’t have the ABC’s down. Waaby and I will keep practicing.

:)

The American Sign Language Pro site is incredible. They have a dictionary so that you can find any word you want and they have a video showing you how to sign that word, not just a picture you have to figure out. It's incredible and more than I expected. You can’t really tell from a picture in a book how to do the motion. The videos in the dictionary were a welcomed surprise.

The dictionary and videos aren't just limited to just words either. There is also a section with a large list of phrases. This section is really going to help us in learning.

Expert Village with Rachel Berman, has some good videos out there that are really good at teaching you certain aspects of signing and not just the signs. These are short, but really good lessons:
Basics: Deaf/Hearing, Introducing Yourself, Where are you from?, Essential Expressions, Etiquette, Talking About Yourself, The 5 W Questions, Socializing, Personality, Clothes, Shoes, Glasses and Contacts, Phone and Email, Face, Height, Hair, Ethnicity, Likes and Dislikes, Hyper and Mellow, Friendly and Unfriendly, Anxious and Nervous, Happy and Sad, Angry, Excited and Not Excited, Confused, Bored, Indifferent and Tired, Numbers, Names, Pets, Furniture, Home and Address, Laundry, Yard, Computer and TV, Colors, Drinks, Vegetables, Fruit, Meals, Grocery Shopping, Zoo Animals, School

In these videos, this student gives basic lessons for her mom. It's really good. Lesson 1 and Lesson 2

The Rob Nielson videos on You Tube are pretty good:
Numbers, Greetings and Introductions

Signing Time with Rachel Coleman has GREAT videos for kids that Waaby absolutely loves. Eyewitness News did an interview with her and it was very informative. I'm so glad she's been able to use her talents with sign language.

Here are a few of their videos:
Nice to Meet You, Colors of The Rainbow, Helping Out Around the House, Walking Through the Zoo, Signs for Teachers, Happy Birthday, Days of the Week, My House, Spring, Going Outside, Bugs, Caterpillar Dreams, Proud to Be Me

Researching for this post was fun. I'm sure I missed many good sites and if you know of any, please post them.

One thing I want y'all to be careful of though, is that there is a lot of not-so-good stuff out there. There are some videos where a lady is doing the signs wrong. It's really frustrating when you are starting to learn something, and then you find out it's wrong.

There are also other forms of sign language. So you really have to be careful that you stay with the same kind of sign language. American Sign Language is what I used here and it is what is used in the United States.

On another note: I'm learning a lot doing this project but I still don't have my windows covered for winter. LOL!

This blog may get me put in the doghouse.

:)

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10 comments:

Southern said...

I'm not sure what kinds of adult classes yall have of up. Down here, we always have these seasonal booklets that has things to do . sometimes they off sign language. try checking athe the local collage or your bank for these booklets. most of the time its a 6 week course. and usally will not cost more then 25 dollars. I really enjoyed looking at your blog. Spread the word for me too. as I only have two followers.

Danny Biolokko said...

Nice, I usually play with my child too, doing some things like in the videos.

Good luck with your project!

Jody said...

Thanks Southern and Danny!

:)

Diane AZ said...

I always wanted to learn sign language. You sure have found a lot of resources through your internet exploring project. I really like that idea of teaching babies some basic signs.

Southern said...

You are very welcome.

Minerva said...

Like you, I always wanted to learn ASL. I have a friend who teaches at the Maryland School for the Deaf. She got her teaching degree from Gallaudet College in DC, the only college specifically designed for the deaf(even though she is not deaf) All classes are in ASL.

Jen said...

That's like learning a foreign language to me.
Our church just introduced sign language at one service; I think it's great and it would be benificial in helping others.

Kortney said...

Sounds like an interesting adventure and I can't wait to follow along with you! And btw, thanks for the comment on my blog. :)

Jody said...

Thanks all of y'all for the great comments!

:)

Connie said...

A friend of mine used sign language with her kids from when they were babies. I was amazed at how much they could learn and communicate with her at a very early age. I too wish I had known about it and done it with my own sons when they were little. It would have saved both them and me some frustration. Great post, Jody. :)