Upgrade in progress
Jun 30 at 5:05am by ObverseView
http://wordpress.org/support/topic/36228
Upgrade the blog… Should upgrade this blog, too!
I just upgraded my Website Baker that went well. Pretty easy upgrade. Then I tried phpbb2… Screwed up everything! Fortunately, backed everything up! So it was easy to upgrade. But it turns out I forgot to run a simple script. Worked like a charm once that was checked.
Now I have to work on another more modded forum… mmm.
Kenneth
The Hui
Jun 29 at 2:02am by ObverseView
On Forumosa there’s been quite a lot of talk about this unusual way to borrow money. Worth reading it. It’s called in Chinese a ‘hui’.
I’ve done the system twice, and it worked out quite well overall.
In general, though, the last couple of withdrawers do benefit the most, but if the hui is small, it’s not worth the risk.
The trick with the hui however is knowing who you are getting involved with. It really calls for knowledge about people.
My wife and her classmates did two, which both worked out, but the clue was that the classmates were all good friends who knew each other.
I had a friend who kept asking me to go in with him into his wife’s hui. But I refused each time because I couldn’t trust his wife. Turned out I was quite correct too.
If you EVER get involved with a hui, check the membership’s personalities and relationships with each other. This is the basis of a successful hui.
Kenneth
Madonna’s Childrens Books
Jun 28 at 2:02am by ObverseView
My private students and I have been working our way through this series of books by Madonna.
Here’s the list so far
The English Roses
Yakov and the Seven Thieves
The Adventures of Abdi
Mr. Peabody’s Apples
Lotsa de Casha
Click to have a look, I’ll write my own reviews soonish
Kenneth
Are Children Language Learning Robots: Pressure and Students Learning of English
Jun 27 at 2:02am by ObverseView
From the China Post, April 18th, 2005…
According to a recent poll, a vast majority of students feel immense
pressure to learn English.
The survey, organized by the People First Party caucus in the Taipei
City Council, polled 1,180 fifth and sixth graders about their reasons
for learning English. Eighty-eighty percent responded that they felt
intense pressure to learn the language while 84 percent studied
English at cram schools outside of their regular schoolwork.
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/i_latestdetail.asp?id=27713
Actually, this plays very nicely, albeit somewhat late!, into the
discussion of students learning of English… and their exam
performance.
Are we placing too much emphasis on ‘traditional’ learning methods, at
the expense of creating a positive environment for children to learn
English?
For more discussion of this, please visit here and here where there’s been quite lively discussion of these issues.
Click this RSS Feed for more!
Kenneth
Stories About Taipei
Jun 27 at 2:02am by ObverseView
Here’s one from the Telegraph:
1. A shaky experience in Taipei By Katherine Miles
send me more and I’ll put them here at investorblogger@investorblogger.com
Net2phone: signs of desperation?
Jun 27 at 2:02am by ObverseView
I have been using different VOIP programs over the last few years, principally, Dialpad, Net2phone, and Skype.
Net2phone has its own software for download, called Communicator, which always includes some form of spyware. I have had to delete it from two computers after I installed it. Both Search&Destroy and Microsoft Antispyware programs found the adware plugin. Of course, when I removed it, the software wouldn’t then work. After that, I have decided not to use Net2phone again until they remove the spyware addins.
Very annoying… More to the point, is this a sign of desperation on Net2phone’s part? Skype must be really hurting them now…
Kenneth
Comic Books or Comic Waste of Time?
Jun 27 at 2:02am by ObverseView
Stephen Krashen recently wrote this about children’s reading of comic books, typically a pastime derided by parents in Japan, China and Taiwan as bunking off homework, or as meaningless, or as devaluing or undermining traditional reading. Krashen takes a different view… some parents might find this just a tad too ‘dangerous’ for their views. Discretion advised. Certificate T(eacher) requ’d.
Children’s book writer Jack Gantos noted that Jean-Paul Satre "started off reading comic books as a child and that if it wasn’t for comic books, he never would have stuck with books." ("Teachers are getting graphic," May 3).
There are many cases like this. One is Desmond Tutu, who also gives comic the credit being a conduit to literacy. He describes his father as "very patriarchal," but tells us that "One of the things I am most grateful to him for is that, contrary to educational principles, he allowed me to read comics. I think that is how I developed my love for English and for reading." Comic books appear to be a motivator for reading for many youngsters today.
In a study published a few years ago, Joanne Ujiie and I compared heavy, light and non-comic book readers in middle school (ages 10-14). We found that those who read more comics liked reading more, read more in general, and read more books. Thanks to USA Today and writer Greg Toppo for publicizing the contribution of comic books to literacy.
Stephen Krashen
He is writing in response to an article:Teachers are getting graphic published in USA Today. "When the American Library Association invited acclaimed comic book artist Jeff Smith and three fellow artists to its annual meeting in 2002, the quartet huddled beforehand and agreed that this was their best —— and perhaps only — chance to pitch comics to an influential group of tastemakers."
Teaching In Japan
Jun 27 at 2:02am by ObverseView
I was reading Scott Sommers’ Blog about Taiwan, when I noticed he referred to this discussion about Teaching in Japan.
When I first came to Asia, intending to teach ESL as my choice of profession, I too considered going there, but I had the impression at the time (1992-3) that the bubble had burst somewhat for new entrants. Yet, people are still saying that!
I don’t know if there are really a lot of people heading to Japan to teach or not nowadays, but certainly salaries for newbies aren’t really very attractive any more, and you have to pay a lot of money for key deposits, and so on… (But that was always true.)
Scott also mentioned that tenure practices at Universities have also changed as a result of the influx of foreigners teaching. If you want to teach Uni, there, you more than likely will only be offered a max. three year contract.
Given the expenses, the relative salaries, and the trouble getting a real job, is Japan still a viable teaching alternative? Opinions?
Kenneth
Far from Heaven: ***
Jun 25 at 7:07am by ObverseView
iPod
Jun 22 at 5:05am by ObverseView
When iPod goes collegiate
When Kenneth Rogerson walked into his newspaper journalism class on the first day of the school year, the professor could barely contain his excitement. After a quick introduction he broke the big news: "We got the grant," he told his class. "You all get iPods." (more)
