Welcome to the home page for the Padova-Sabanci Exchange

 

The Exchange Aims Partner Classes  Padova-Sabanci students 2008 Activities and calendar Topics to be explored Skype Names Skype partners: Resources Weekly Notes Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Padova students' questions for Skype exchange Sabancı students' questions for Skype exchange Week 4 Week 5 Week 8 Skype exchange 2: Padova students' questions Skype exchange 2: Sabancı students' questions Week 9 Week 10

 

The Exchange

This project involves online collaborative language learning activities between students at the School of Languages at Sabanci University and the Centro Linguistico di Ateneo of the University of Padova.

 

Aims

• to improve students' intercultural competence (awareness of their own culture and familiarity with the 'other' culture);
• to improve their writing and speaking abilities in the language they are studying by communicating in a blog and via Skype with students in the other country;
• to explore contemporary youth issues;
• to improve their intercultural communication skills by communicating with peers from another country.

 

Partner Classes 

	Padova   The course website is located at http://fc.cla.unipd.it/~suzanne_cloke/ @ LCM3 2007-2008.	Sabanci   The SL website is located at http://www.sabanciuniv.edu/do/eng/
Class numbers	16 participating in the exchange	15 students participating in the exchange
Degree course	Students are in their third and last year of their degree program, Language and Culture 3	They are all studying academic English in a pre-faculty course.
Level	Students should be high B2 on the CEFR.	Students have just completed B1 on the CEFR and started B2 this semester.
Class timetable	2-3 hrs/wk  Exchange will take place: Wednesday, 10:30 GMT +1	20 hrs/wk Exchange will take place at the same time - 11:30 GMT +2
Class description	English language course: academic essays, critical thinking skills (reading, listening, speaking). Content-based and on-line learning support materials play an essential role in achieving this aim.	Academic English Language Course: At this level, students not only develop their abilities to read, write and speak fluently and accurately in English, but also learn to become effective communicators who possess sufficient general knowledge to start their Freshman studies. The course values personal intellectual growth and aims to equip students with a high level of language proficiency, academic skills and knowledge of the world. Content-based and on-line learning support materials play an essential role in achieving this aim.
Class textbooks	Writing Academic English , 4th edition, by A. Oshima & A. Hogue, Longman: New York; and Raise the Issues, 2nd edition, by Carol Numrich, Longman: New York.	Beyond the Boundaries: English in an Academic Environment is an academic course book series designed to cater for the needs of students in the 'preparatory' schools of English-medium universities. The series consists of 6 course books at 3 levels with 2 books at each level.
Typical Exchange assignments	Discussing and commenting on cultural issues, youth issues, current issues and online resources.	Discussing and commenting on cultural issues, youth issues, current issues and online resources.
Frequency of assignments	Bi-weekly written exercises on the wiki /blog, bi-weekly Skype exchanges, 1 midterm and final written essay + possible oral presentation	Bi-weekly written exercises on the wiki / blog, bi-weekly Skype exchanges.
The Town	Has a population of 210,000. The main town in the province of the same name. In the Veneto region. Half an hour by train to Venice. Historical town.	The university is located from 40 km from the city center in Istanbul.
Campus	There is no campus. University buildings dispersed throughout the town. Students either live with their families and commute or share apartments with other students during the week and go home on weekends. Some students live in dormitories.	All services such as dormitories and sports grounds are present to provide superior living conditions as well as academic services on a campus spread over 1,260,000 mt. sq.
Students’ Internet access	Few students have broadband Internet access at home. They have access to Internet in the language labs and, obviously, during class. If necessary, there are Internet Points.	Most of the students live in the dorm rooms which accommodate 2 or 4 students. Sabancı University provides lap-top computers to all of its students for their use till the time of their graduation. The high-tech infrastructure, multi-various and fast communication facilities such as wireless connection on the compus are available.

 

Padova-Sabanci students 2008

Click on the Padova-Sabanci Introduction page to add and/or see the introductions of students participating in the exchange.

 

 

Activities and calendar

dates	activities
Week 1 March 3-7	Students sign up for Skype.  See instructions below. Students complete two questionnaires. Create your account here. (Please note: It only runs in Explorer, NOT in Firefox!) Use the same password you use in Skype, so you will only have one password to remember - be sure to write it down somewhere. Once you've created your account, go back to this page and login with your email address and password.  Open the questionnaire 'Padova-Sabanci'. (If you don't see this, click on 'current Cultura Exchanges' in the top menu.)  Then click on 'go'. In the column where it says, 'Your Progress', click on 'go'. (Choose Italian for Università di Padova students, Turkish for Sabanci Universitesi students).   You will find two questionnaires: "word association" and "sentence completion."  In the "word association" questionnaire, write all the words and/or expressions that you associate in your mind with the given words.  In the "sentence completion" questionnaire, add your personal conclusion to the incomplete sentences. All your answers will be anonymous. You must finish this by Sunday night at 9:00 (gmt +1)  March 9th.                                                                       Please remember to: answer both the questionnaires in one sitting (this should take approximately 15-20 minutes) be as spontaneous as possible and write the first things that come to your mind write in English  Students write introductions: Padova-Sabanci Introductions. Feel free to upload your pictures, and pictures of your hometown, your college or university, etc.
Week 2 March 10-14	In class, students discuss the responses to the questionnaires.  Go to Cultura, here. Type in your email address and password, click on view responses to word associations and sentence completion and then click on the responses to these items: Italy, Turkey, school/university, A good student is someone who... In class, write comments about the articles listed in Resources Week 2 in the Padova-Sabanci Blog.  Read the Padova-Sabanci Forum message. This message explains how to join the blog and post a comment. You can post a comment to the messages about the two articles by yourself, with another student or in a group of 3 to 4. Please sign your names, so we know who you are. Be sure to check the blog later to see the other students' comments. You can also post a new message. To do this you will have to join Blogger.com. Students write questions to use in Week Three's Skype exchange in Weekly Notes Week 3 below: Getting to know each other; Similarities and differences between Italy and Turkey (ideas from the questionnaire discussion); Education in Italy / Turkey  In class, try out Skype in the lab. Italians will Skype classmates.
Week 3 March 17-21	First Skype exchanges: Education in Italy / Turkey on Wednesday, March 19th @ 10:30 gmt +1 Students post comments on First Skype exchange in Padova-Sabanci Blog. Go to the Blog after the Skype exchange. Suzanne will post a message. Students can post their own messages in the blog. March 21-26: Easter Break for Padova.
Week 4 March 31- April 4	Students post comments about first Skype Exchange in Padova-Sabanci Blog. Students prepare for second online encounter on the environment and the articles. Write questions in Weekly Notes Week 5 below.  (Second Skype exchange postponed until April 30th.)
Week 5 April 7-11	Padova students edit their essays. Go here: Education Essays. Find your name. Click on it to open your essay, click on Edit page, and edit your essay. Read about the environment and do online quizzes. No classes for Turkish students this week.
Week 6 April 14-18	Italy students comment on articles in the Padova-Sabanci Blog. Sabanci students on Spring break April 14th-23rd.
Week 7 April 21-25	Turkish students read and complete peer editing sheets on Italians' Education Essays .  Write questions for second Skype Exchange.  Liberation Day in Italy: April 25th
Week 8 April 28 - May 2	Second Skype exchange: The Environment on Wednesday, April 30th @ 10:30 gmt +1 May 1st (Labor Day) and 2nd are holidays at the University of Padova.
Week 9 May       5 - 9	Write about Second Skype Exchange in the Padova-Sabanci Blog. Prepare for the last Skype exchange.
Week 10 May    12-16

 

Topics to be explored

This list will change as the exchange progresses, but for now the aim of it is to give everybody an idea of the various issues and topics that are being discussed in the respective courses.

• Education in Italy / Turkey
• Environmental Issues: Allowing human development  or  saving species  from extinction
• University / student life in the two countries
• English as a Lingua Franca
• The Global Village - The advantages and disadvantages of globalization
• Other...

 

Skype Names

Once you've signed up for Skype, please write your Skype name in the table below. This will make it easier for us to connect!

Skype Instructions.

 

Padova	Skype name	Sabanci	Skype name
Suzanne Cloke	mscloke	Ayfer Karaca	ayfer.karaca
Beatrice Mameli	beatrice.mameli	Alp Gürakan	alp.gurakan
Emanuela Bolognese	emanuela.bolognese	Ercan Karadere	ercan.karadere
Mariangela Lion	furbettaamamondo	Can Küçükgül	cankckgl
Giusy La Rosa	giusy.la.rosa1	Oğuz Tatar	chaosdrow
Laura Covolo	lauracovolo	Neyir Yenişehirlioğlu	neyir.yenişehirlioğlu
Elvira Maria Papa	elvira.maria.papa	Ceylan Ersöz	ceylan.ersoz
Vanessa Haas	vanessa.haas1	Nursah Emel	nursahemel
Elisa Groppo	elisa.groppo	Barış Yıldız	peace.star
Monà Gheisarifar	muna.gheisarifar	Gozde Meteoglu	gozdemeteoglu
Valentina Simonato	valentina.simonato	Lezgin AY	lezgin.ay
Elena Luise	elena.luise85	bedi cihan şahin	bedi cihan şahin
Lisa Tognon	lisa.tognon	Murat Bostan	kerem.murat
Beatrice Borsato	beatrice.borsato	Zeki Cem KAYTAN	zeki.cem
Elena Mardegan	nena.elena	Hazal Yılmaz	hazalyz
Manola Miazzi	manola.miazzi	Eylül Kilsedar	eylul.kilsedar
Cristina Moretto	cristina.moretto

Skype partners:

 

Beatrice Mameli Vanessa Haas	Barış Yıldız
Emanuela Bolognese	Neyir Yenişehirlioğlu
Mariangela Lion	Hazal Yılmaz
Giusy La Rosa	Murat Bostan
Laura Covolo	Ercan Karadere
Elvira Papa	Nursah Emel
Manola Miazzi	Gozde Meteoglu
Elisa Groppo	Alp Gürakan
Monà Gheisarifar	Can Küçükgül
Valentina Simonato	Oğuz Tatar
Elena Luise	Eylül Kilsedar
Lisa Tognon	Lezgin AY
Beatrice Borsato	Zeki Cem KAYTAN
Elena Mardegan	bedi cihan şahin
Cristina Moretto	Ceylan Ersöz

 

Resources

 

Week 2	Your first article about Turkey is: A Good Anchor in Newsweek 21/02/08. http://www.newsweek.com/id/109545 Retrieved 7/03/08 Your first article about Italy is: The Viral Video  in Newsweek 21/02/08 http://www.blog.newsweek.com/blogs/ov/archive/2008/02/15/italy-the-viral-video.aspx  Retrieved 7/03/08
Week 4 March 31- April 4	Italy: The Agony and the Ecstasy in Newsweek 25/02/08.                   Farewell, Dolce Vita in Newsweek Turkey: The True Turkish Believer in Newsweek 18/02/08. All retrieved 7/03/08
Week 5 April 7-11	About the environment    Do you know what your carbon footprint is? Take the Earth Day Quiz How to Green a house: Quiz High-Tech Trash Quiz    Click here for online articles and videos on the Environment. Please add to the list.
Week 6 April 14 -18

 

Weekly Notes

Week 1

Padova recap: This week the Padova group managed to get Skype names, filled in the two parts of the questionnaire and will continue working on their personal description.  A great beginning!

 

Sabancı recap: We managed to get Skype names, did the questionnaire. All of the students wrote their introductions. However, something weird happened I cannot see what they have written. A very nice start.

 

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Week 2

Padova recap: The students enjoyed themselves as they discussed the results of the Cultura questionnaire and the articles on Italy and Turkey. In groups they wrote some comments to the articles in the Padova-Sabanci Blog. (They found they had to create an identity to write in the blog by using their email address and password.) The students didn't have time to add many questions to ask during the Skype Exchange in Week 3,  but they will add to the list in the next few days.

 

Sabancı recap: 

They read the article about Italy and enjoyed the video there. They wrote comments about the article. We had no time to make comments about the Turkish article, hopefully they will do it on Tuesday. Since they have covered education as a component of their course I believe they will be able to talk about education system in Turkey.

 

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Week 3

Padova students' questions for Skype exchange

1. What do you think about the two articles?

2. What do you think about the comments in the blog?

3. Give some examples of behavior unique to your culture.

4. What are some similarities and differences in the political, social and cultural sytems in our countries.

5. How are secondary schools organized in Turkey? Do you have different kinds of high schools?

6. Are there extracurricular activities at Sabanci (or in the public schools) like sports, music, language clubs, etc.

7. Is attendance compulsory at your university?

8. How many students do you typically have in your classes?

9. What do you have to do you get credits in a specific subject?

10. Describe the university programs, student accommodation and opportunities for foreign students at your university.

11. Are schools coeducational?

12. What kind of subjects do you study at school?

13. What kind of exams do you have? Oral? Written? 

 

Sabancı students' questions for Skype exchange

1.Does the current education system meet the societal needs in Italy?

2.Have you ever had any educational reforms in your country? What was it? How did the community react to that?

3.What is the most important education problem in your country? How would you fix it if you were in charge?

4.At what age do children start education?

5.Is your education system based on memorisation?

6.What definitions of intelligence are commonly used in your culture?

7.Do your country's political and educational attitude go in the same way?

8.Do you think that the education system in your country is an affective one?

9.Is education a crucial global problem?  

10.What changes can be made in order to prevent the negative ways of Italian education system?

11.What would you do firstly if you were minister of education in your country ? 

 

Padova recap: The students really enjoyed their first Skype Exchange. I saw a lot of thumbs-ups, smiles, laughter and animated faces.  Great Skyping everyone! Italian schools are on vacation next week, so we'll be back in action April 2nd. Before then, students will try to find time to write about their Skype experience in the blog. They will also be read the two articles listed in Week 4 Resources, so they can post comments in the blog when they come back on April 2nd.

 

Sabancı recap: The students were engaged in the Skpe exchange activity and enjoyed it so much that they would like to have it everyday. Most of them exchanged their email addresses. The sutudents were impressed by the English  level of Italians. They gave positive feedback on the experience in the blog. They will get ready for the enivironment issues.

 

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Week 4

Padova recap: The Italian students practiced Skyping and recording conversations with Pamela so they will be able to do it (fingers crossed) next week. Then they will send the audio file of next week's conversation to their partner. They wrote questions for next week's Skype exchange on the environment.

 

Sabancı recap:

 

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Week 5

Padova recap:   The Italian students put their essays in the wiki and with peer and teacher feedback began editing them

 

Sabancı recap:  

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Week 8

 

Skype exchange 2: Padova students' questions

1. What environmental problems are there in Turkey?

2. What is the government thinking to do about them?

3. What do Turkish people do to protect the environment?

4. Does your government encourage/support any environmental initiatives against pollution?

5. Are there any special programs to make people aware of the devastating consequences of their lifestyle?

 

6. Which means of transport do the people usually use in your city / town?

7. Is there a heavy traffic in your big cities?

8. Are there any traffic limitations? Do the cars have particular filters to limit emissions?

9. Is the price of fuel continually growing in Turkey too?

10. How do you feel about using alternative energies? Which alternative energies are commonly used in Turkey?

11. Are people in Turkey concerned about the ozone depletion?

12. What kind of climate change have you noticed in Turkey?

13. What is your 'carbon footprint'? (Did you take the quiz?)

 

14. Do you recycle in Turkey? If so, what do you recycle and does everybody do it?

15. What do you think about what happened in Naples recently? Have there ever been problems like these in Turkey?

16. Do you have garbage dumps and incinerators in your country ? Or do you use advanced techniques such as thermal recycling?

 

17. Do have alot of green areas in your city?

18. What kind of national parks and/or protected reserves are there in Turkey?

19. Do you have "The Day Of Nature" on your calendar? Did you do anything for it?

20. What do you do in Turkey to keep your rivers clean?

 

Skype exchange 2: Sabancı students' questions

1. What are the advantages of using fuel cell cars?   

 

2. What do Italian people do to protect Venice from sinking?

 

3.Do you use recyle bins in schools, streets?

 

4. What kind of vehicles are common for transportation in your country?

 

5. Can decrease in biodiversity be an indication of human extinction?

 

6. Which way of using fuel cells help to protect the environment in the world?

 

7. Is the genetic engineering a solution to the extinction of species including humankind or a trigger of new jeopardies?

 

8. Does the Italian government do anything for endangered species?

 

9. Are people in Italy aware of the breakdown in natural balance and the negative effects of human lifestyle?

 

10. Do these vehicles cause  environmental problem?

 

11. What kind of organizations are being done for enviromental cleaning in your country?

 

12. What type of energy sources can be used instead of petrol and electricity?

 

13. Has your government signed the Kyoto agreement? What are the advantages of this treaty about environment?

 

14. Is the ETNA volcano still active? What are its affects on human life?

15. Is there a recycling system in Italy? If there is how does it work?

 

16. Are there any endangered species in Italy?

 

17. Is there a foundation to save forests and trees in Italy?

 

 

Padova recap:

The Second Skype Exchange

There were a few glitches in getting everyone patnered up since their were 5 absentees in each class (May Day long weekend in Italy ;-). Two Turkish students hadn't brought their microphones, so for one set of students,  the Italian student spoke using her mike while her Turkish partner wrote in the chat and for the other set they just did written chats. They communicated for about 30 minutes.

 

Sabancı recap:

 

 

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Week 9

Padova recap:

 

Sabancı recap:

 

 

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Week 10

Padova recap:

 

Sabancı recap:

 

 

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