complement of Lab3: Hot Potato experience

We finally made it! I take charge of “cloze,” “Match,” and “Quiz.”
And I found it’s quite easy and convenient to set up some tests for learning. We did those tests according to the news article we chose from CNN so that they can practice the vocabularies and see if they really understand that article. Those are all simple tests but actually facilitate the learning by checking if learners themselves understand it or not.
So I thin k it is really a great scaffold to help in learning.

Besides, we have to make all the tests together to create a basic index for this assignment.
Therefore, we made an index by ourselves since we learned something when doing the WebQuest.
Finally, it came out
and we’re so glad that we made something we took as a difficult work at first.

News web with "Hot potato" practice

http://hk.geocities.com/heatherbell0816/index.htm news and hot potato

scripts for broadcasting

Hello, everyone I am abby,
I am vercy.
Today we are going to discuss the article from the CNN Website about Consumption with a conscience.

First paragraph says Shopping is big business throughout the globe,
but how much is actually being consumed responsibly?
Oh, so does the topic talk about the responsibility of consumption?
Yeah it is obvious to understand. Let’s move on.

This month on Art of Life,
Wait, wait, wait, what is art of life?
A program belonging to CNN talks about lifestyle.
Oh oh I see
And then it says that we meet the people, products and charities that can help you make positive changes.
Here are some examples to explain how we make a choice from purchasing the commodities that can help in responsible consuming.

First one isTwo worlds apartFrom Brazil's shantytowns to the catwalks of New York, we discover how one designer's social work is connecting these two very different worlds.
What do you mean by shantytowns?
Let’s check this word on the online dictionary…s h a n t y t o w n…
here’s the result. a city district inhabited by people living in huts and shanties.
But what exactly is shanty?
Okay I’m so sorry. Shanty means small crude shelter used as a dwelling, okay?Okay! let’s continue
Carlos Miele's powerful social conscience is just as strong as his fashion sense. Through his luxurious creations, he's giving a lot back to his native country. From From..uh….uh…what’s the pronunciation?
Let me see, oh, Rio de Janeiro to Sao Paulo
Yes , from them,we meet the women and children who are benefiting.Oh!!! Here’s a video link for us to see this program. Here’s one part of this program talking about how Carlos Miele's designs help shantytowns in Brazil
But we can’t be so selfish to enjoy it without you participants because you can’t see this clip on air, hahahahah, so~~rry

Let’s continue
Okay The second paragraph isGreen with styleGone are the days of choosing a 4 x 4 for its off-road capabilities alone. Monita Rajpal gets behind the wheel of the Lexus RX to test drive the world's first luxury hybrid vehicle.
I like lexus!!!
Oh, so what?
I just express my feelings!!
Okay whatever.
Its engine uses both petrol and electricity. It's kinder to the environment but how does it perform? We find out.
Find out what?
Well, I don’t know either.
Whatever.It’s my turn.

The third example saysSeeing beauty in the unwanted
Yes, I know, it’s 3 R! reduce, reuse, and recycle!
Smart girl! You’re right.
Thank you
For Dutch designer Piet Hein Eek there is no such thing as waste.
Seeing beauty in the unwanted, he uses discarded material from scrapyards
Wait! I’m wondering about the meaning of scrapyards.
Ok I’ll check it. S c r a p y a r d...
Well, scrap is just the trash or junk. So scrapyard is a yard to put trash there.
He uses the trash to make high-end furniture.
We find out how he's transforming recycled materials into unique designs in a slick re-purposing of junk.
Here’s also the video for this example. And we’ll skip that.

Okay and The final example is Rock in the name of charity
Art of Life is at London's famous concert arena the Royal Albert Hall where three top British musicians, including the Kaiser Chiefs, are rocking this venue in the name of charity.
What is the Royal Albert Hall?
Okey, I will check on wikipedia.
The Royal Albert Hall of Arts and Sciences is an arts venue dedicated to Queen Victoria's husband and consort, Prince Albert. It is situated in the South Kensington area of LondonOKAY?
YES, I got it!
Roger Daltrey, of the rock band The Who, set up these gigs for the Teenage Cancer Trust seven years ago where bands donate their time, and fans donate money to this worthy cause. and also a video we’ll still skip.

So these examples all explain how we can mix the consumption into conscience to make this world better!
Ya! Class dismissed! WOO~~WOW!

Lab 3: Broadcasting and Hot Potato

This time in the lab is not as easy as the first time, but also not as hard as the second time. Firstly, we have to form a group of only two people and find a news article from CNN or U.S.A today website. The news article is for us to discuss and record it. We have to discuss it like a radio DJ on the air, talking like hosts in “Studio Classroom.” It’s really fun because we can play like a host behind the scene and talk as if there are many listeners sitting besides the radio.

Abby and I pick an article about the connection between luxury and conscience. This article reminds us that there are several ways to be responsible for our living environment while we are consuming. We can buy a car with little damage of pollution, or we can support the rock band, donating the money and enjoy the concert at the same time in a name of charity. We can also use something used to create a new recycled one. Therefore, the conscience takes the responsibility of consumption. I really like this issue, which is educational and also useful.

Then, we spent some time to create some talks in an atmosphere of radio show. We added some humor or experience element in the talking, and also explain the unfamiliar words.

In the end, we record it several times. It’s really hard to be a radio host, because you have to speak like you never design it beforehand and also fluid enough. Abby and I didn’t do it very well; however, I think it’s an interesting lab experience.

Due to the time limitation, we didn’t have much time to do the “Hot Potato work,” we just try it several times. It’s a kind of software for teachers to set up some word plays. The test can be designed in a fun way. But the limitation is not easy to handle because we have to buy it and log in, or we can’t execute some extra services. It’s really a pity!

Lab 2: schmooze

To be honest, this time I really got nothing but frustration. In this time in the lab, we spent almost three hours to figure out how “schmooze” works. Since it is set up as a small online college, of course, we should learn to run it ourselves. However, it’s not that easy to understand. I think the most important factor is the format, which is kind of old and makes me dizzy.

At first, I can’t even understand how to move in the campus till I got the information of each function. Then, I knew that we have to learn to enjoy the process of learning by following the instruction or orders. In this class, we had three objectives to do. And I didn’t accomplish anyone of them. I could almost get it but there are still some complicated factors bothering me.

However, what I enjoyed from it is that I like the role playing. In schmooze, we suppose to be a role that we can set for ourselves. Then, we can meet some unexpected people from other countries and have some great interaction with them. I believe it’s probably one of the characteristics of schmooze. The areas in schmooze, like cafeteria, library, and student union, are something we are quite familiar with as a college student. Therefore, I think the experience is authentic and real for us to go around the campus and do some talking and actions with other people.

Though I didn’t reach the goals, but I indeed experienced something from it. I met people, no matter they are real or set in schmooze, and had great interaction. I think the idea of schmooze is great, because the learning process is just like a game, but I suggest the format can be better if it uses colorful picture and 3D environment. That will make the participants more comfortable there and also more like the reality.

News broadcasting discussion

News link: http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/04/27/aol.april.show/


10-15 interesting or key words and their English definitions using an online dictionary (cite sources):

Consumption: the act of consuming something
Conscience: motivation deriving logically from ethical or moral principles that govern a person's thoughts and actions
Charity: an activity or gift that benefits the public at large
Shantytown: a city district inhabited by people living in huts and shanties
Shanty: small crude shelter used as a dwelling
Catwalk: narrow platform extending out into an auditorium; "models displayed clothes on a catwalk at the fashion show")
Benefit: something that aids or promotes well-being; "for the benefit of all"
Luxury: wealth as evidenced by sumptuous living
Discard: throw or cast away; "Put away your worries")
Scrap: worthless material that is to be disposed of
Recycle: use again after processing; "We must recycle the cardboard boxes"
Donate: give to a charity or good cause


5-7 comprehension questions and answers:

1. Oh, so does the topic talk about the responsibility of consumption?
Yeah it is obvious to understand.

2. Wait, wait, wait, what is art of life?
A program belonging to CNN talks about lifestyle.

3. What do you mean by shantytowns?
Let’s check this word on the online dictionary…s h a n t y t o w n…here’s the result. a city district inhabited by people living in huts and shanties.
But what exactly is shanty?
Okay I’m so sorry. Shanty means small crude shelter used as a dwelling, okay?
Okay!

4. From..uh….uh…what’s the pronunciation?
Let me see, oh, Rio de Janeiro to Sao Paulo
5. Find out what?
Well, I don’t know either.

6. Wait! I’m wondering about the meaning of scrapyards.
Ok I’ll check it. S c r a p y a r d
Well, scrap is just the trash or junk. So scrapyard is a yard to put trash there.

7. What is the Royal Albert Hall?
Okay, I will check on Wikipedia. The Royal Albert Hall of Arts and Sciences is an arts venue dedicated to Queen Victoria's husband and consort, Prince Albert. It is situated in the South Kensington area of London, okay?
Okay, I got it!


A 5-sentence summary:

This article talks about we consumers should be responsible for this world when consuming something. There are four examples of how those people use their conscience to make their products or activities. “Two worlds apart” describes a designer gives something back to his country with his creative social work. “Green with style” describes the example of Lexus to be made with concern of environment. “Seeing beauty in the unwanted” talks about recreation that uses unwanted materials. “Rock in the name of charity” says that a band can hold a concert to raise money with charity.

class on 3/23 in the lab.

Yes, happiness was my feelings that day.

At first, I was really nervous that my computer doesn’t equip with IE, but it was fine to use kkman, anyway.

Then, we began to give feedback for our classmates on BB, I think it’s a good way to read carefully about what others said and to try to give the response of my own thought. After all, it’s kind of nice to give and also receive feedback of the posting.

The second step, we had to put the notes of our group on Blogger with the use of front page. In fact, it was my first time to use front page to edit things and it was surprising that the usage is quite easy. Once I thought if I had to create a web page, I had to be really good at program designing, some codes or whatever seems far from me. And now I found it’s not. I just have to click and the software will create the codes for me. But I know there must be something more difficult about this software. I think I’ll try if there’s a chance.

However, the difficult part was that we couldn’t put the chart on Blogger because it’s too complicated. We tried a lot of times and a lot of ways, like scanning the original scripts or minimizing the chart, because we thought only the chart can express our notes clearly and directly. In the end, we made it by drawing the chart by PowerPoint, making it in the form of the picture by 小畫家, and then inserting it by Blogger editor. I was glad we finally did it by combining different software.

In the last part of the class, we went to the Tapped-in and created our offices. We went through everyone’s office to ensure that we can use it understandingly and well. It was fun and it reminded me of the times when I went to the chat room ever day in junior high. In the end, we had to discuss the final project with the group members in the online office. It was weird that we sat so closely but had to talk to each other on line, but it was interesting, too. Considering about the challenge and the interest, our group decided to do the option 2. I was surprised because we all thought we would do the first one because it’s easier and more familiar for us. However, after the discussion, we thought that we had to give it a try, to do something different so that we may learn something we don’t know yet. And the sense of the accomplishment would be great if we challenge ourselves.

Therefore, initially, we wanted to a web for the younger learners and the concept is “children book” with games, pictures, drawing, etc. I hope we could make the project fantastically and overcome the difficulties, just like “the chart problem!” We said, “We’re together!”