Media Literacy for students

On November, 3 – Media Literacy for students in Dnipro Window on America center, Ukraine.

After the completion of the International Media Literacy and Information Week, we continue instructing students and their teachers on the color selection choice meaning in the contemporary media, the impact of fake news on the social well-being, and the most popular fakes revealed in the English-speaking community.  

During the session, Academic Integrity issues were also addressed.

Participants number –  8 persons.

"Fundamentals of Academic Integrity" Project for students

"Window to America" Information and Resource Center has many partner in Dnipro city. For National Mining University students we offer information about Academic Integrity.
This academic year the WOA staff continue to familiarize students with the concepts of "plagiarism" and "academic integrity." 
The Window to America Head Svetlana Usenko presented a slide show aimed to emphasize to the students that knowledge acquisition is hard and independent work they should do on a daily basis. The students begin to write scientific papers for different projects, they will need to prepare themselves for University studies. The ability to distinguish plagiarism from non-plagiarism, familiarity with the quotation rules, and the awareness of the codes of honor in colleges – all these steps will lead today’s school kids to a successful career.
The participants number – 27 people.

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The Old Man and the Sea - the 65th anniversary

This afternoon the Window on America center in Dnipro was visited by a mixed group of NMetUA students and NMetAU teachers (Myrgorodska Oleksandra and Pavlienko Anna). 

This group has been studying English through the great writing by E. Hemingway, which brought his author the Nobel Prize. It is The Old Man and the Sea. In the course of studies, the students a bi-lingual (English and Ukrainian) edition of The Old Man and the Sea. This very edition allows reading the original and comparing the professional translation with the own decisions. The translation was made in1974 by Volodymyr Mitrofanov and published by Dnipro Publishers (Kyiv) in 1991 with wonderful illustrations by a Ukrainian artist Mykola Pshinka.
We briefly looked through E. Hemingway’s milestone facts with the presentation of the WOA and watched the beautiful cartoon film, a screen version of The Old Man and the Sea by E. Hemingway. We discussed the themes touched in the novel: the teacher and the student, the life and the death, relations between the generations. We even tried to act as the actors and played the dialogue as if we were shooting a new screen version of the novel. The students had a good opportunity to exchange the ideas about the novel with Mr. Jason, an American volunteer who also decided to participate in the class. 

We continue working with the novel. What did the fisherman do with the marlin’s head? Why did everything in the old man’s house was old and dirty though he was strong enough to do the jobs around the house?
Participants number – 6 person.

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International Translation Day and Fundamentals of Academic Integrity at WOA Dnipro

Today the WOA Dnipro Center was visited by a big group of the 1st year students from the National Metallurgical Academy of Ukraine. Their major is “Technical Translation”.
The group was familiarized with the history of the International Translation Day observance. The information was illustrated with several relevant videos. The display of Dictionaries from WOA’s collection impressed the group and their lecturers as paper-based dictionaries are still popular with translators as a reliable tool.
 

The highlight of the visit was the presence of our US guest – Mrs. Tamara. She works as a professional translator and interpreter in the USA. She shared her experiences with the students and answered their questions about the work of translators in the USA.
This academic year the WOA staff started to familiarize students with the concepts of "plagiarism" and "academic integrity." The Window to America Head Svetlana Usenko presented a slide show aimed to emphasize to the students that knowledge acquisition is hard and independent work they should do on a daily basis. 

Students write scientific papers for different projects, they will need to prepare themselves for the Final University Tests. The ability to distinguish plagiarism from non-plagiarism, familiarity with the quotation rules, and the awareness of the codes of honor in colleges – all these steps will lead today’s University students to a successful career.
Number of participants – 25 persons.

Visit of Mining University students

This afternoon the Dnipro Window on America center (Ukraine) was visited by a big group of Mining University students whose major is “Finance”.
The WOA’s Head S. Usenko presented the free resources available at the center and illustrated the presentation with the informative video about the WOA Center.
The students were also informed about the possibility to enroll to the Massive Open On-line Courses available at various educational platforms. The ambitious students were invited to   join an on-line course from the prestigious Pennsylvania University - “English for Media Literacy”.
The lecturer Ms. Krylova as a long time WOA’s partner received   souvenirs from the WOA!
Participants number – 25 persons.

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JAZZ CONCERT “American Jazz Classics: Wes Montgomery”

Within the framework of the project “U.S. ART Residence in Dnipro” a concert show “American Jazz Classics: Wes Montgomery” took place the DOUNB Library’s Art department (Dnipro Window on America center, Ukraine).
 The library patrons were offered a live performance of jazz by the musician from the Dnipro’s Academy of music – guitarists, a saxophonist, a drummer and a pianist. The talented local jazz musicians were introduced by the expert – PhD in Musical Theory Ms. Irina Riabtseva.
The library patrons were delighted to learn more about the life and work of the talented guitarist Wes Montgomery. His story was illustrated with the live music numbers.
 The musicians received the round of applause from the audience and souvenirs from the DOUNB Library. The performance took place at the DOUNB library Art department.

 The WOA staff invited the musicians and the GABFEST Club committee for an after-event tea.  With the background of jazz music we discussed the plans for future cooperation of the DOUNB Library and Dnipro’s Academy of Music.
Participants number – 55 persons.
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video 

Presentation of recourses for English learners

Presentation of recourses for English learners: eLibraryUSA.
The Information and Resource Center "Window on America" was visited by the 1st year students of National Metallurgical Academy (the lecturer – O. Myrgorodskaya). They had a pleasant surprise – the encounter with the WOA’s American volunteer Mr. Kelly.
The students watched the WOA’s promotional video about the new library services, learned about the electronic services of DOUNB library to support the learning process. The young people observed with interest the Xmas tree-shaped book shelf. It showcased helpful materials for English learners - "winter" vocabulary, idioms, phrase verbs, books and films on DVDs. Their teacher recommended the students to read the WOA adaptive literature books in order to improve the language skills.
The students were urged to join the most popular WOA’s projects: the English-language Movie Club on Wednesdays and the English-speaking club "GABFEST" on Saturdays.
Students received promotional materials that will keep good memories about the DOUNB library in the year 2017.
Participants number – 9 persons.

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Future librarians and International Standards

The "Window on America" Center was visited by the students of the Dnipropetrovsk College for Culture, their major is “Library Science”. The group learned about the DOUNB Library statistics which give the idea about the different aspects of library work and the sources of new book arrivals. The WOA’s staff told the students about the history of the center, its mission, modern types of activities, the types of patrons who participate in various activities that help to learn English.
Students were introduced to the American Library Association (ALA), which is the driving force for the national library network. The ALA became the benchmark for Ukrainian libraries in project development and activities planning. The young people were invited to join the youth section of the Ukrainian Library Association and to learn how to be creative and innovative in a Ukrainian library, how to surprise the world with extraordinary library projects.
Number of participants – 5.
#УкраїнаSpeaking
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The American Hospitality Culture

The Window on America center in Dnipropetrovsk continues its project “Discover USA” with partner Universities of Dnipropetrovsk city.
On April, 4 the facility was visited by a group of students from the local faculty of the National University for Culture and Arts. The students major was Hospitality Management.
The WOA staff member Ms. Tamara Gavryliuk delivered a lecture “The American Hospitality Culture”. The achievements of the US hospitality industry were presented to the students in a slide show. Big-screening of videos about the leading American hotels, restaurants and culinary professionals illustrated the topic and gave an insight into the differences in hospitality across nations.
Number of participants – 16 persons.
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Studens of Juridical Lyceum

Within the framework of the educational project #УкраїнаSpeaking DOUNB Library and "Window on America" Center were presented to new comers.
Studens of Juridical Lyceum learned about the modern library service which operates 24 hours 7 days a week through its website and online catalog. Head of the "Window on America" center Svetlana Usenko told the members of Activate English Club about the planned activities to observe the "Year of English in Ukraine" and #УкраїнаSpeaking project # that will help all who wish to improve their knowledge of English.
Library members were acquainted with the WOA Center’s book collection and learned about the opportunity to use its free resources for learning English: attending Movie club and English-speaking club, access to e-LibraryUSA, the vocabulary board games. The students watched a slide show that highlighted on-line resources such as УкраїнаSpeaking, American English, Voice of America, SHAREAMERICA, English is fun and others.
Number of participants – 8 persons.
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Activate English Group started

The Activate English Group at DOUNB library is an integral part of the EXPRESS-ENGLISH course offered to the Window on America Dnipropetrovsk readers in year 2016.
The year 2016 in Ukraine is the year of the English Language. The Activate English Group was created for people who have been studying English for several years, but are too shy to speak.
The objective of the course is to activate the passive knowledge and enable the students of English to express themselves in English no matter how small might be their vocabulary.
The participants of the group will be offered some revision activities to refresh their grammar skills. The vocabulary for the topics will be presented and illustrated with native-speaking videos to activate their comprehension skills.
The activation of the speaking skills will take place during the conversation pair practice.
The materials for the Activate English Group are compiled and presented by the qualified ESL teacher. They are based on original textbook by the reputable language house “Macmillan” and various free on-line resources for ESL study.
 All the participants found the session educational and helpful.
Number of participants – 28 persons.
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Intro of УкраїнаSpeaking project to students

Within the framework of the educational project #УкраїнаSpeaking DOUNB Library and "Window on America" Center were presented to new comers.
Members of new Activate English Club learned about the modern library service which operates 24 hours 7 days a week through its website and online catalog. Head of the "Window on America" center Svetlana Usenko told the members of Activate English Club about the planned activities to observe the "Year of English in Ukraine" and УкраїнаSpeaking project that will help all who wish to improve their knowledge of English.
Library members were acquainted with the WOA Center’s book collection and learned about the opportunity to use its free resources for learning English: attending Movie club and English-speaking club, access to e-LibraryUSA, the vocabulary board games. The students watched a slide show that highlighted on-line resources such as УкраїнаSpeaking, American English, Voice of America, SHAREAMERICA, English is fun and others.
 

In the second part of the meeting the participants were offered a funny activity – “Speed English” conversation. This form of training is recommended to practice students’ speaking skills. The members of the group had conversations in pairs with several counterparts by changing their seats in the room. The conversations lasted only few minutes (speedy), but with several different people in a row. This   activity enables the learners of English to practice the same material several times.
In a short time the question was changed and the procedure of changing counterparts was repeated.
The rotation of questions and participants was organized by the librarian. She prepared a slide-show with questions that helped to have a conversation with the topic “Meeting New People."
Number of participants – 34 persons.

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Students celebrate The Year of English at "Window on America"

Master students of the Electrical Engineering faculty visited "Window on America" center. They got acquainted with various services this center offers to everyone interested in the language and culture of the USA.
One of the most useful was the opportunity to access one of the biggest electronic libraries e-Library USA. This electronic resource can be very helpful in their research and preparation for Master thesis.
You can both work and have fun at the "Window on America" center. 
"Apples to Apples" is one of the various board games the Center visitors can enjoy. This simple game is a funny chance to use your imagination and learn new words and their combinations.
Learning can be fun with Window on America and the Department of Foreign Languages.
The number of visitors – 6 persons.
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Celebrating Arthur Miller at 100 – 3

"On the Art of Drama in English" "Window on America" (#Dnipropetrovsk #Ukraine) information and resource was visited by a group of students from NMetAU. WOA center has a long-time partnership with this Academy.
The visit was dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Arthur Miller (1915-2005) - a famous American playwright, screenwriter and novelist. WOA’s head Svitlana Usenko prepared for the students a slide show which presented the most interesting facts from the biography of the playwright who was a prominent figure in the realm of American theater. The group also watched video excerpts from the play "Death of a Salesman," which has brought worldwide fame to A. Miller.
The play "Death of a Salesman" (1949, director Elia Kazan) was staged 742 times. Miller received the Pulitzer Prize (1949) for this play and later – a bunch of other less prestigious awards. Other popular Miller’s plays: "After the Fall," "Incident at Vichy ", The Creation of the World and Other Business." He also wrote an autobiographical book "Timebends: A Life”.
"Death of a Salesman" was re-made on Broadway 4 times by different directors with different casts. It was staged in many countries, including the USSR and China. At least 7 times it was filmed in different countries. The play put forward very important human problems: intertwining of personal and economic problems; craving for wealth, craving for love and respect and their conflict. The play was well taken by the public and impressed many people in the theater world. However, Arthur Miller is known for his social life as well. For four years (1956-1961) he was married to Marilyn Monroe. Arthur Miller's novella "The Misfits" was filmed in 1961 - the last movie where Marilyn Monroe starred. It was writer’s farewell gift to his beloved woman and the only dramatic role of M. Monroe.
"I tried to help her cope with the problems ... Unfortunately, I have failed to do that" – wrote Miller.
Number of participants – 12 persons.
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Presentation of WOA’s resources for students

The "Window on America" center (Dnipropetrovsk / Ukraine) had a presentation of free resources for those wishing to improve their English skills. The presentation was arranged for the second-year students group from the Dnipropetrovsk National Mining University of Ukraine (NMUU).
They listened to the presentation of the helpful library resources for languages’ study and free resources for improving the English skills. Students examined the WOA’s technical equipment, the DOUNB Library’s collection of documents in foreign languages at the respective department, the WOA’s book & image displays “If you want to study in the USA” and “America 24/7”.
Students learned about the popular WOA’s activities:
- free access to the digital “eLibrary USA” to prepare academic papers,
- possibility to watch US movies with authentic soundtrack (in a group or individually),
- possibility to meet native speakers at the “Gabfest” English-speaking club sessions.
The students reviewed the promotional trailer about the library resources and received promotional materials. They were invited to follow the WOA’s announcements via the website, social networks (Facebook), to view reference materials and on-line links to the blog.
Number of participants – 15 persons.
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Presentation of WOA’s resources for students

Today "Window on America" center (Dnipropetrovsk / Ukraine) had a presentation of free resources for those wishing to improve their English skills. The presentation was arranged for the first-year students group from the Dnipropetrovsk National Mining University of Ukraine (NMUU).
They listened to the presentation of the useful library resources for languages’ study and free resources for improving the English skills. Students examined the WOA’s technical equipment, the DOUNB Library’s collection of documents in foreign languages at the respective department, the WOA’s  book & image display  “If you want to study in the USA” and “America 24/7”.
Students learned about the numerous activities:
-    free access to the digital “eLibrary USA” to prepare scientific papers,
-    possibility to watch US movies with authentic soundtrack  ( in a group or individually),
-    possibility to meet  native speakers at the “Gabfest” English-speaking  club  sessions.
 

The students reviewed the promotional trailer about the library resources and received promotional materials. They were invited to follow the WOA’s announcements via the website, social networks (Facebook), to view reference materials and on-line links to the blog (http://woadnepr.blogspot.com/).
Number of participants – 15 persons.
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PR campaigns in the US Hospitality Industry

The Window on America center in Dnipropetrovsk continues to implement the library project “Cross Cultural Encounters for Ukrainian University students”.
The aim of the project is to introduce the WOA and its resources to the students majoring in “Hospitality Management”.
This week the 4th year students of the Kyiv University for Arts and Culture (Dnipropetrovsk branch) have been invited to the WOA center once again.
The group of students listened to the lecture “PR campaigns in the US Hospitality Industry”. The lecture was delivered by the center’s staff member T. Gavryluk.
 

The information was illustrated with numerous videos about the successful PR campaigns organized by the White House (vegetable garden, Easter reading, Easter egg roll, etc.). The examples from the hospitality industry were also presented and included prize winning PR campaigns for a tourist destination (Canadian Yukon) and a hotel chain (Hilton).
The insight into the PR campaign producing was provided through the video about fashion shows of a world famous US designer Donna Karan (DKNY).
The materials provided in the lecture allowed the students to compare cases of PR campaigns in other countries (Ukraine, France).
The lecture at the WOA center was a valuable addition to the theoretical course in Public Relations.
Number of the visitors – 15.
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Celebrating Arthur Miller at 100

"On the Art of Drama in English" at "Window on America" (#Dnipropetrovsk #Ukraine) information and resource was visited by a group of 10th year students from the local highs school No.141. WOA center has a long-time partnership project with this school.
The visit was dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Arthur Miller (1915-2005) - a famous American playwright, screenwriter and novelist. WOA’s HEAD Svetlana Usenko prepared for the students a slide show which presented the most interesting facts from the biography of the playwright who was a prominent figure in the realm of American theater. The group also watched video excerpts from the play "Death of a Salesman", which has brought worldwide fame to A. Miller.
 

The play "Death of a Salesman" (1949, director Elia Kazan) was staged 742 times. Miller received the Pulitzer Prize (1949) for this play and later – a bunch of other less prestigious awards. Other popular Miller’s plays: "After the Fall," "Incident at Vichy ", The Creation of the World and Other Business." He also wrote an autobiographical book "Timebends: A Life”.
"Death of a Salesman" was re-made on Broadway 4 times by different directors with different casts. It was staged in many countries, including the USSR and China. At least 7 times it was filmed in different countries. The play put forward very important human problems: intertwining of personal and economic problems; craving for wealth, craving for love and respect and their conflict. The play was well taken by the public and impressed many people in the theater world. However, Arthur Miller is known for his social life as well. For four years (1956-1961) he was married to Marilyn Monroe. 

Arthur Miller's novella "The Misfits" was filmed in 1961 - the last movie where Marilyn Monroe starred. It was writer’s farewell gift to his beloved woman and the only dramatic role of M. Monroe.
"I tried to help her cope with the problems ... Unfortunately, I have failed to do that" – wrote Miller.
Number of participants – 32 (30 – pupils, 2- teachers) persons.
Have a look at more pictures, please

Celebration of the Columbus Day in the USA

The "Window on America" Center (Dnipropetrovsk / Ukraine) staff was invited to visit local high school No. 22 and present a letter on US traditions and holidays. Due to the date of the school visit it was natural to select the topic “Celebration of the Columbus Day in the USA”.
The presentation was offered to three groups of students the 6th, the 9th and the 10th graders. All groups were offered the slideshows with fun facts about the Columbus trips to the New World. The senior students already new many facts about Columbus, but they appreciated the new vocabulary that was introduced during the presentations. The focus in the presentations for senior students was on the impact the Columbus’s trips had on the European countries and the population of America.
 

The junior students were excited with less complicated presentations that involved cartoon materials and were illustrated with songs about Columbus in English. The students had to demonstrate their auditing skills as the songs were offered without sub-titles or lyrics.
Both groups were interested in the video-illustration of the topic- a video about the Columbus Day parade in New York in 2013. The students were informed about the Italian community active participation in the parade. In year 2013 the highlight was a show of Italian cars in the streets of New York. The tricky task for the groups was to enumerate the logos of the car brands shown in the illustrative video.
The teachers were grateful to the WOA staff for a lecture that increased the students’ knowledge of American traditions.
Number of participants – 85 persons.
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Cross Cultural Encounters for Ukrainian University students

The Window on America center in Dnipropetrovsk continues to implement the library project “Cross Cultural Encounters for Ukrainian University students”.
The aim of the project is to introduce the WOA and its resources to the students majoring in “Hospitality Management”.
This month the fourth year students of the Kyiv University for Arts and Culture (Dnipropetrovsk branch) have been invited to the WOA center.
Svitlana Usenko, the head of Window on America center, presented the resources of the Center (Books, Movie Club, English speaking club Gabfest, Rosetta Stone software, e-gadgets, etc.)
The group of students with major in “Hospitality Management” listened to the lecture “Logistics in the Hospitality Industry in the USA”. The lecture was delivered by the center’s staff member T. Gavryluk.
 

The information was illustrated by numerous videos about supply chain management at the world known American restaurant brand - McDonald’s. We started with the logistics of the McDonald’s operations in Ukraine. After that McDonald’s participation in the Beijing Olympics in 2008 was showcased. The supply chain organization and management for this remote destination impressed the students.
The examples from the hotel industry logistics were also presented. The sustainability and challenges of logistics management were touched upon and illustrated with relevant YouTube videos.
The lecture at the WOA was a valuable addition to the theoretical course in Logistics.
Number of the visitors – 35.
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