BIBBI Building International Bridges By Internet The evolution of an idea (What can ordinary people do?) People to People (The Eisenhower program) What if it's unsafe in the other country? Technology plus good will = BIBBI English Lessons page 1 page 2 page 3 page 4 English Links |
| Building International Bridges with SKYPE and email GOAL: How do we link people in the West with people in countries that distrust the West? Today's technology low-cost computers and SKYPE.com high-speed connections to the internet Voice over Internet... for low-cost long-distance phone calls Internet to voice... UPDATE 2006: PennyTalk Hmmmm.... 1. Why not increase contact between people in USA with people in Jordan. ... or Iran... or Afghanistan... or Iraq? 2. A US citizen could call a school in Iran or Iraq and offer to teach English over the telephone...or just talk... 3. Voice over IP is available to most US households, so this abilty to call through the Internet will drop the cost of calling. What if every teacher in USA were given a low price on a cheap PC-to- phone connection device? What about creating a a "Building International Bridges" program to put a device in US households that allows a person to pick up a phone and make a long distance call to the Middle East for pennies per minute? I would be willing to spend $3 for an hour twice a week trying to build bridges over a telephone line..... That's 5 cents a minute to build trust between two households. I want to be able to call up a school or recreational organization in Afghanistan and sit and talk about their life and about life in the USA via telephone. Maybe I can teach a few words of English each week by phone. OR several times a week. Maybe I can learn some Farsi or Arabic and some of their history. Who was Cyrus the Great? RING RING Phone in Iran: “Hello." Teacher: "Hello, this is Steve from the USA. I'm ready to continue the English lesson." Iran: "Oh, it’s that teacher in USA. He’s calling us again. Ahmed, it’s your turn to speak with him.” The Internet can bring people together. I looked at the web page for People to People, an organization started by President Eisenhower. They promote face-to-face visits, but why not also add voice-voice contacts? PC (in US) to phone (in Afghanistan and Iraq and Iran)? Concerns 1. Will contacts from USA to Iran be monitored? 2. Will the FBI assume that these contacts are negative rather than people-to-people efforts? 3. What is the best system? What is the cheapest way to set up communication? It's PC to PC, but ut it’s difficult to set up a PC over there to receive the PC call from USA, so I assume the best way is to use the Voice over IP set up from the US side. 4. What other issues am I missing? The best way to teach a language is with pictures, so maybe a fax machine needs to be set up over there so I can fax a list of questions and then they can answer them and practice making a dialog. 5. Safe and secure transfer of funds to schools in the Middle East. nevitably there will be discussions about the conditions in Afghanistan or wherever and I will want to send $20 or $30 to help them. What’s the best way to send money to Afghanistan? Are there other efforts already set up to make these connections? Building International Bridges By Internet… Are you ready to get started? 1. Sign up for a PC-to-Phone service (see the list below) 2. Call People to People or another international organization and ask for a contact in Afghanistan or another country in the Middle East, perhaps a school or a social club. 3. Schedule a routine, perhaps a daily or twice-a-week call. 4. Use the lesson plans (links are here and at the bottom of the page) Example: 12-hour difference (Miami to Kabul): call at 11 p.m. for a 11 a.m. call in Kabul. 15-hour difference (San Francisco to Kabul): call at 9 p.m. for a 12 noon call in Kabul. Cost: For each 30-minute call, the PC to Phone cost to the Middle East is about $10. A list of PC-to-Phone suppliers (this list is partial -- it was found on Google ) www.phonefree.com www.1internet-phone.com www.webphone.com www.peoplecall.com www.inphonex.com The recommended way to connect will be phone in USA > through PC > to Overseas Phone. The cost is cheaper if the call is made PC-to-PC, but phone-to-PC will be more convenient for call to most Mideastern countries. OR... we can use messenger software PC to PC. Suggested English Lessons Procedure: The students print the page and the telepone call covers the pronunciation and practice of the worksheets. English Lessons (Worksheets for anyone to use -- yes, you don't have to be a teacher to become a good teacher of English. Just teach conversation) page 1 page 2 page 3 page 4 English Links Subscribe to Englishtown.com for more conversation scripts. Back |
| How It Works
The PennyTalk calling card is a convenient way to save on all of your long distance calling from any phone in the U.S. Placing Calls with PennyTalk Once you have opened a PennyTalk account, you can easily make calls at great low rates. Just follow these simple steps: Dial 877-PENNY-25 (877-736-6925) from anywhere in the U.S and listen for the greeting. When prompted, dial your 10-digit account number followed by your 4-digit PIN. For calls to the U.S. and Canada, dial 1 + area code + the number you wish to call, when prompted. For other countries, dial 011 + country code + city code + local number. To make another call press the # key 3 times, wait for the prompt, and then dial the number you wish to call ... It’s that simple! And, before each call connects, you will hear your account balance and minutes remaining. Opening a PennyTalk Account It is very easy to start calling with PennyTalk! A PennyTalk prepaid account can be opened instantly with as little as $25. After you make the purchase, you will be provided an Account Number and PIN to start making calls right away. As you make calls, charges are deducted from your account balance. You may add funds to your account at any time, or enable the Auto-Recharge option so you never have to worry about running out of call time. Click here to sign up or call 1-888-624-9714. Other systems? Recommend your favorite telephone system (for pennies per minute) SKYPE.com Connect via email and penpals FreeEnglishLessons inFlorida.blogspot.com |
| page 1 2 3 4 GAI Global Trees PenPal List Global Cooling Certificates How to create an interesting English class How to become a visual and active teacher |
| Building International Bridges between classrooms and students The students of Downtown Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Florida are interested in exchanging letters and email messages. Please write to us. |
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| Write to: Downtown Academy 101 South East Third Avenue Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301 USA jfriend@downtownacademy.org SteveEnglishTeacher@hotmail.com DowntownAcademy.org |