List of Free Online English Dictionaries

>Are you looking for a good free online dictionary? Look no further, because we provide you with the links to the best...and the rest.

We will also test some of the most commonly used dictionaries, thesauruses and reference sites. Watch this space for updates

The list:

- Dictionary.com : one of the best and user-friendly dictionaries available on the web
- Merriam-Webster: One of the best but not as user-friendly as Dictionary. It will take you some time to get used to the interface, but you can't beat the quality
- American Heritage Dictionary: easy, quick, no-frills but delivers what it promises
- Cambridge dictionaries: good but very superficial

Breaking Electronic Locks on DVDs

A lot of teachers use DVDs in their classroom. And sometimes they might be tempted to break an electronic lock on a DVD in order to distribute several copies to their students. This is in most cases illegal. But the U.S. Law makes an exception for some classrooms.

Breaking Electronic Locks

Most copies of movies (DVDs, electronic copies, etc.) have digital locks that prevent the use of snippets and, except in a few specific circumstances, it is illegal to circumvent those locks. 17 U.S.C. 1201(a)(1)(A). The only exception relating to the classroom is for the film or media studies department of a university.

In Title 17 of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, Section 201.40 the Librarian of Congress determined that "during the period from November 27, 2006 through October 27, 2009, the prohibition against circumvention of technological measures that effectively control access to copyrighted works set forth in 17 U.S.C. 1201(a)(1)(A) shall not apply to persons who engage in noninfringing uses of . . .
(1) Audiovisual works included in the educational library of a college or university's film or media studies department, when circumvention is accomplished for the purpose of making compilations of portions of those works for educational use in the classroom by media studies or film professors."
There is an exception in 17 U.S.C. 201(d) which provides that "A nonprofit library, archives, or educational institution which gains access to a commercially exploited copyrighted work solely in order to make a good faith determination of whether to acquire a copy of that work for the sole purpose of engaging in conduct permitted under this title [17 U.S.C.A. S 1 et seq.]." This would include the educational use permitted by Section 110(1) or fair use. However, the exception only applies to making a determination of "whether to acquire a copy" of the work, not to the use of the work.

N.B.: The analysis on this web page applies only to copyrights in the U.S. and we are informed that in other countries, Canada for instance, a license must be obtained for the uses permitted in the U.S. This analysis should not be construed as legal advice and, any person, before acting on it should seek advice from their own attorney.

Authorities: 17 United States Code, Sections 110(1) and 1201; Public Performance Rights for Movies and the Face to Face Teaching Exemption from the College of St. Benedict, St. John's University; "Use of Video Cassettes in the Classroom," by Ralph D. Mawdsley; 32 Education Law Reporter 1163; West Publishing Company, 1986; and "Copyrights, Cassettes and Classrooms: The Performance Puzzle," by Francis M. Nevins, 43 Journal of the Copyright Society of the U.S.A. 1 (1995).

OneStopEnglish - Free Language Material

Are you looking for interesting ELT resources? You want to talk to 420,000 other language teachers? Maybe even share some of your lesson plans or download exercises? Well, join OneStopEnglish and jump right in.

OneStopEnglish is the world's leading ELT resource site and offers the largest range of ELT materials on the web, including lesson plans, worksheets, news articles and professional support, all available for you to download and use in the classroom, absolutely free.

The website is composed of 3 parts :

1. the free "browse" part where you can find lots of interesting reading material and lesson plans

2. the free "registered" part with a monthly newsletter with up-to-date information about what's new on the site. You will also be able to use a new worksheet search and access an interactive forum for sharing ideas

3. the subscription which costs about €36 and gives you brand-new content created by expert authors, including weekly news lessons published in conjunction with the Guardian Weekly, downloadable flashcards and games, as well as monthly lesson plans in key content areas.

Fair Use of DVDs in a Classroom

The U.S. Laws prohibit the unauthorized use of copyrighted material in Classrooms. However, there are some exceptions like for example "Fair Use".

Fair Use in Any Classroom Context

Section 107 of Title 17 contains a list of the various purposes for which the reproduction of a particular work may be considered "fair use" and, as such, does not require a license. "Fair Use" is limited to relatively small portions of copyrighted materials used for criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. The statute sets out four factors to be considered in determining whether or not a particular use is fair:
1. the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;
2. the nature of the copyrighted work;
3. amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
4. the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.
The distinction between "fair use" (which is permitted) and infringement (which is not permitted) is unclear and is not easily defined. There is no specific number of words, lines, or notes that may safely be taken without permission. Acknowledging the source of the copyrighted material does not substitute for obtaining permission. Adapted from: Article on Fair Use by the U.S. Copyright Office. Click on the link for more about fair use.

Fair use does not entitle a person to break any electronic locks.

Using Movies in your ELT Classroom - Copyright Laws

We all love to use movies in our ELT classroom. But what are the risk? Are we breaking the law when we show a DVD or BluRay that was copied? Or is it illegal to show a movie that we rented from our local Blockbuster video store?

The following article deals with the U.S. Copyright Laws. Feel free to send us those copyright laws that apply in your country.

ISSUES OF U.S. COPYRIGHT LAW RELATING TO
THE USE OF MOVIES IN THE CLASSROOM


Rented or Purchased Movies May Be Played By Teachers Without a License in the Classrooms of Public Schools and Nonprofit Educational Institutions

Section 110(1) of Title 17 of the United States Code grants a specific exemption from the copyright laws for:
performance or display of a work by instructors or pupils in the course of face-to-face teaching activities of a nonprofit educational institution, in a classroom or similar place devoted to instruction, unless, in the case of a motion picture or other audiovisual work, the performance, or the display of individual images, is given by means of a copy that was not lawfully made under this title, and that the person responsible for the performance knew or had reason to believe was not lawfully made ....
This means that no license from the copyright holder is required when a teacher at a public school or non-profit educational institution uses a lawfully purchased or rented copy of a movie in classroom instruction. It doesn't matter who purchased or rented the film, so long as it was legally obtained. The exemption is granted for "face-to-face" teaching activities only. This means that the teacher (or a substitute teacher) must be present. The exemption covers a "classroom or similar place devoted to instruction". This gives teachers some flexibility. For example, it is likely that a gymnasium used for large educational presentations in which several classes are convened together would be covered so long as a teacher presented the film. Note that remotely accessing a film from a central memory storage facility is probably not permitted. See 17 U.S.C. § 1201(a).

It is illegal to circumvent technological measures that effectively control access to copyrighted works, such as digital locks, to make compilations of scenes from various movies. Title 17 U.S. Code § 1201(a)(1)(A). However renting or purchasing a movie and showing a small portion of it and then taking it out of the DVD or VHS player and putting in another does not involve circumventing any type of lock.

What is ELT and other Abbreviations

ESL (English as a second language), ESOL (English for speakers of other languages), and EFL (English as a foreign language) all refer to the use or study of English by speakers with a different native language. The precise usage, including the different use of the terms ESL and ESOL in different countries, is described below. These terms are most commonly used in relation to teaching and learning English, but they may also be used in relation to demographic information.

ELT (English language teaching) is a widely-used teacher-centred term, as in the English language teaching divisions of large publishing houses, ELT training, etc. The abbreviations TESL (teaching English as a second language), TESOL (teaching English to speakers of other languages) and TEFL (teaching English as a foreign language) are also used.

Other terms used in this field include EAL (English as an additional language), ESD (English as a second dialect), EIL (English as an international language), ELF (English as a lingua franca), ESP (English for special purposes, or English for Specific Purposes), EAP (English for academic purposes). Some terms that refer to those who are learning English are ELL (English language learner), LEP (limited English proficiency) and CLD (culturally and linguistically diverse).




Source: Wikipedia.org

OneStopBlogs - Your Guide to Blogs on the Internet

If you are an ELT teacher, you will love the new features of OneStopEnglish. Take for example onestopblogs, the online grapevine for English teachers. Featuring blogs from the best teachers, trainers and linguists on the web, onestopblogs is your portal for news, views, tips and trends in ELT.

How does it work? Simple

-> Find out what teachers are talking about in Top Stories

-> Read your favourite blogs or find new ones

-> Keep up to date with publications, papers and conferences