Finally....

Make a Smilebox greeting

I am living in a celebrity-like life

I have been living in a celebrity-like life since the spring semester was over.
You know...
Shopping, shopping and shopping ( even though most of the time I am doing grocery shopping not luxury shopping, it's still shopping).
Having tea time with friends (well...once).
Doing manicure and pedicure ( well....once, again HA. Not very satisfied with the service. By the way, I learned these two terms in an authentic environment. How meaningful).
Reading novels ( the first time I am so appreciated the establishment of libraries).
Anyway, no working, no worrying. Do whatever I like.

Well... not exactly, I still need to do some housework, you know like cooking and cleaning.
And I found out, only the celebrity can have nice polished nails for a long time ( no housework, no hair washing by themselves. And I learned they have changed the color once three days).
The color of my hands' French Manicure faded after two days. I removed them with grief.
Fortunately, those of my foot nails still look nice.

I am living in a celebrity-LIKE life:)

The last day of class, HOORAY!

(This suppose to be an animation, why didn't you move??? Wave you hand RIGHT NOW!!....PLEASE, Kitty.)

I can't wait for summer coming.
I am taking 4 course this semester. How brave I am.
Since I wanna graduate next term, I have to be brave.

Keep blogging is like writing a journal.
Do you guys write a journal?
I don't.
I am a lazy lazy lazy bone.
If I stop blogging, it's simply- I AM LAZY. Ha.
I am even lazy to watch TV, go to a movie, interact with people recently.
They used to be my favorites.
What's going on with me?
Why do I lose any interest on anything?
Because I am getting old?

Back to track,
My final project is using web 2.0 to motivate my students' English learning.
It's challenging to apply the tools into interactive practices and activities
because they have to be meaningful and relevant to students' lives.
After several days brain storming, I am pretty happy to see the outcome. even only one unit.
It's time consuming for sure.
I can foresee the problem for teachers to integrate information technology into their teaching practices.

My website has a huge room to improve.
And I am planning working on during summer. How diligent student I am.
You get to give me A+, Dr. Foreman. Hahahahahaha.

I am really happy to take this course with many of you.
Hope to have chance to see you next semester.

फिनल, फिनल, फिनल इस coming

इ दोन;टी क्नो वहत'स गोइंग ओं?
थे ओनली वोर्ड्स अरे थे कुएस्शन मार्क??????

Final Project Overview

Check my draft on my wiki.
Have fun on my super dry paper.
Ha!

Web 2.0 Expo

Doris, Mei-Ling and I went to the conference on Thursday afternoon- Booth Crawl in the Expo Hall. The fist booth we stopped by is called Zude. According to its ad: it is a new social computing platform offering users an unprecedented level of freedom and creativity. Using an endless supply of free web pages, groundbreaking drag-and-drop technology and a complete set of social networking features, users can create a media-rich website experience to share with the world.
It sounds pretty interesting. Maybe it can play the platform for my final project. However, when I try to join, I couldn’t find the submit button in the signup area. Too bad. I browsed the website for a while, the interface is not friendly to me. Too many “new terms” are not in my concept map about the web authoring. And the tool bar doesn’t make sense to me. In other words, if I want to use it, I need to spend quite a lot of time to figure out how.

The other tool I am interested in is called “bluestring”, which is a centralized location for preserving your photos, videos and music. Users can easily incorporate media from multiple locations into slideshows and creations that can be shared easily with family and friends. So the main points are

• Share exclusively with whom you choose and no one else. Your media never leaves your BlueString account. You are always in control of who can see your BlueString stuff.
• Publish your photos or videos into your own blog or website.
• Create links that you can share or post wherever you choose.
• Just drag and drop the stuff you want to share.
  

So the idea is different from flickr. I am still playing it. Well, there is no video tutorial; I am kind of not used to. HA! And I have to sign up first to get deeper understanding, which made me a little bit uncomfortable. Anyway, hope to find some useful functions in education.

interface analysis

Wetapint is my target interface to analyses since I am considering using it as the platform of my final project, English e-learning website with web 2.0.
As a novice, I found wetapint is not so easy to “play around”. I guess the main reason might be I am not familiar with website design, that is, I might not have an accurate concept map of writing a web page.

Site pros:

• A tutorial video showing me how to build a personal wiki site
• One person can create more than one site
• In “my wetpaint wikis”, it shows me the wiki(s) you have created and the wikis you have joined.
• Navigation buttons are corresponded to my concept map, I have no difficulty to find them.
• It generates the sitemap for the creator and users.
• In “setting”, I have the right to decide who can edit or add my page and who can post threads; I can create my won template; I can choose my page style; I can rename my site name and add header image.
• Since the website is for education, I can contact with the custom service and ask for ad free.
• The pages I create can show their hierarchical structure, which is able for me to design several modules for my target learners.
• It provides threads so I can use it to interact with my target learners.
• It can embed most of web 2.0 tools , such as youtube, ovicethread, flickr, etc.
• “edit” is familiar as Word.
  

Site cons:

• It’s difficult to “add page” in the right position of the hierarchical structure. If I add in the wrong place, I have problem to move it to the right spot. Buttons of “add page” and “move page”, ”delete page”, “rename page” are not nearby. They are supposed to be grouping together.
• Once I name the page, for example “itec830-assignment1”; even though later on I delete it, I can use the name “itec830-assignment1” no more.
• It provides users with sitemap; however, it shows at the very bottom of the web page with rather small font size and with a group of non-associated information.
• It can’t not play the function of e-learning website providing the practice activities, such like multiple choice questions, true or false questions and so on and so forth.
  

In sum, I found wetpaint has the most functions I need for the project, except the last flaw which is my most concern, not be able to provide immediate feedback. If I can’t figure out the solution, well, then I have to find another platform instead.

meaning

Well Design Every Day Things

My two favorite tools in the kitechen

Joseph Joseph Chop 2 Pot.
This innovative chopping board uses the latest technology in polypropylene living hinges, when the handle is squeezed the board folds into a chute to help guide diced and chopped food into the pot. This product is dishwasher safe and comes with a 3 year guarantee.
Size: 38cm x 22cm x 1cm
I bought it at a damn good price $6.99 ( the original price is $14.99) at Macy's, SF downtown. I was longing for this product when in Taiwan. Finally, I got it. Hooray. Beautiful and handy.
More information:
http://www.josephjoseph.com/


Kyocera Revolution Series 5.5" Ceramic Santoku Knife

Advantages of Ceramic Knives
1. Ultra-Sharp Long Life Blade: Holds its edge much longer than steel. Lasts many months or years without sharpening.
2. Stain and Rust Proof: Impervious to the food acids which discolor steel products.
3. No Metallic Taste or Smell: Maintains the fresh taste of food. Won't brown fruits and vegetables.
4. Easy to Clean: Non-stick ceramic surface makes for easy clean-up.
5. Easy to Use: Lightweight and perfect balance make it a pleasure to use(Does not cover cutting bones, prying or flexing).

I fell in love with ceramic knives at the first time using them. Actually, I used a ceramic peeler first since it cost less and I wanted to know if it was as good as the salesman's description. Well, again it is damn good, and I got it with half of the original price. Now, I can easily cut a big watermelon into halves without kick with my favorite ceramic knife. In fact, the ceramic knife is one of the few things that I insisted to bring from Taiwan. HA!
More information:
http://www.metrokitchen.com/kyocera/
Am I a ceramic knife salesman? The company should pay me. HA!

Even though I love both stuff, they have their own down sides. I looked around my surroundings, and found no design products I was 100% satisfied with; no matter how much I have spent . The design of every day thing...can be well, but not perfect.

Guest Speaker, Eugene Lee

This Tuesday, we have a guest speaker, Eugene Lee, in class. His background is pretty impressive. Like many Korea-American kids, with their parents’ super high expectations, he attended super universities and become a super man in his career. Super! I am wondering if his 10-year-old girl is given the same expectations as he was. Ha.

The main topic of his speak focused on applying Wiki into running his company. A new idea“enterprise 2.0” is pretty inspiring. Due to the features of his company, I believe there should be no problems to carry into effect from up to bottom, How about “ school 2.0”? Without saying there are several obstacles ahead, but educators should try to overcome them in this digital age.

According to Eugene, the core wiki use:
1. Collaborative intelligence
a. Securely communicate &share dynamic information across the enterprise.
b. Great for field sales & marketing teams comprised of employees & external partners.
2. Participatory knowledgebase
a. Capture & organize together content from customers & internal experts.
b. Great for technical support & customer service.
3. Flexible client collaboration
a. Efficiently manage complex projects with geographically dispersed teams
b. Great for extranets where connecting with.
4. Business social networks: discover the experts & tap the innovation.

My Spring Break

Concept Map? How About a Video?

One minute and you get A Whole New Mind. HA!

w8 Daniel H. Pink-a whole new mind

A whole new mind in a high concept and high touch age.

Meaning-one of the Six Senses:

There are two practical, whole-minded ways for individuals, families, and business to begin the search for meaning: start taking spirituality seriously and start taking happiness seriously.

First, We ought to take spirituality seriously because of its demonstrated ability to improve our lives- something that might be even more valuable when so many of us have satisfied our material needs.

Second, Dalai Lama believes the very purpose of our life is to seek happiness. Happiness can not be pursued; it must ensue. What does happiness derive from? According to Dr. Martin E. P. Seligman, a professor at the university of Pennsylvania and founder of the "positive psychology" movement, happiness derives from a mix of factors. Part of it depends on biology. But all of us can learn how to reach the upper portions of our individual range-where happiness can ensue. Others contribute to happiness are engaging in satisfying work, avoiding negative events and emotions, being married, and having a rich social network. Also important are gratitude, forgiveness and optimism.

What methods can we start the search for meaning?

• Say Thanks: Feelings of gratitude enhance well-being and deepen one's sense of meaning. Two variations on this them are the birthday gratitude list and the gratitude one-a-day.
• Take The 20-10 Test: ask yourself, if you inherited $20 million, no strings attached, would you spend your days the way you spend them now? If you know you had at most ten years to live, would you stick with your current Job? If the answer is no, that ought to tell you something.
• Measure Your Spirit: try to do two self-assessments that help measure qualities and attitudes associated with Meaning. First is called the Spiritual Transcendence Scale (more info: www.evergreen.loyola.edu/~rpiedmont/STSR.htm). Second is called the Index of Core Spiritual Experience( more info: www.tinyurl.com/5sz7u).
• Read These Books:
  
• Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
• Authentic Happiness by Martin E. P. Seligman
• Flow by Mihalyi Csikszentmihalyi
• What Should I Do With My Life? by Po Bronson
• Mindfulness by Ellen Langer
• The Art of Happiness by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler, M.D.
• Visit a Labyrinth: resources are
  
• Websites:
• The Worldwide Labyrinth Locator: www.labyrinthsociety.org
  
• The Labyrinth Society: www.labyrinthsociety.org
  
• Labyrinthos: www.labyrinthos.net
  
• Labyrinth Company: www.labyrinthcompany.com
  
• a wooden "finger labyrinth": www.relax4life.com
  
• Books
• Walking a Sacred Path by Lauren Artress
• Labyrinths and Mazes by Jurgen Hohmuth
• Picture Yourself at Ninety

w7 youtube

My friend sent me. Share with you

w7 twitters and delicious

I am not convinced to use twitters like Marcus' saying. But I did find someone recommend it as one of top tools for learning.
http://www.c4lpt.co.uk/recommended/cristinacosta.html

I like Heidi’s presentation of del.icio.us. When trying to use it, I found out tagging is really useful. And one tricky but interesting thing is that if I type “ concept map” in tags, it will automatically divide into two tags, concept and map. And in both tags, I will find the url I saved. In other words, one url can tag for more than one purposes.

For next assignment, our group decided to use google docs to collaborate our works. I am happy to explore this technology and find the advantage for saving the process of brainstorming.

moodget

If you are interested in my "mood",
get on this website

http://www.labpixies.com/moodget/

w6 Learning for the 21st century

I am pretty happy to read the articles. It supports the rationale for my project, which means the idea that I am going to create my personal instructional website combined with web 2.0 tools for my students is in the trends of 21st century education. HA!

w6 having fun with flickr

Love in the air，原由 KeaNy 上載。

I am trying flickr and having fun with it.

w5 MacWorld 2008 conference

Wow! I indeed enjoy the advanced technology when “ watching” the lecture. I relaxed myself on the bed, clicked the stop and play bottoms whenever I need, used the screen print skill to capture the images or the contents I like from the slides, opened a new tab to look for the resources mentioned in the presentation, looked up online dictionary for the vocabulary I don’t know, and typed in the terms for more information. I have done so many things and gotten so much information within one and a half of hours and only using my laptop. Cool.

I am not net generation, but I have to confess myself that I don’t like reading textbooks; I prefer to get my information from talking and listening. I would like use of visual images in conjunction with text, a feat easily accomplished through animation and diagrams on the web. I am NOT net generation but in a rapidly evolving information ecology.

What is web 2.0? According to the presentation, I summarize following key points:
• A platform
• A mashup
• Everyone creates and publishes content
• Participation
• Collaboration

I especially like what he said “ Every click should meet user’s expectations and lead them toward a goal. I will put it in mind when I design my final project.”

In addition, I am interested in two e-learning projects he mentioned: “ Explore Jazz” and “ Ariel: A reader’s Interactive Exploration of Literature”. They seem like apply to my learning preference. Maybe some of the idea can be use in my creative work.

w5 edu2.0, google earth, flicker and podcast

I like the collective idea that eud2.0 provided. It looks like ilearn, but utilizes more web 2.0 tools and seems much easier, handier, and more functional for teachers. I am looking forward to its progress and using it for my instruction.

I am appreciated to see the various types of presentations: powerpoint, wiki, camtasia studio ( I get to learn this one). And I am wondering what tool I am going to us for my presentation. Retro transparency. HA.

w4 reflection

My wiki:
http://yufenwu.wetpaint.com/
I like the way wiki providing for organization.

I am glad to find out that wiki can be used as a presentation tool. That will be very convention. The only thing I hope is that when I am back to Taiwan, there is an access to internet (and a computer will be much better) in every classroom in my school. I really want to apply what I have learned here and to inspire my students with new instructional technology and skills.

And also, I am interestied in podcasting. I am thinking the way to implement it in language learning courses. The first idea jumping out of my mind is recording students' speaking practices. I believe there are more instructional implements. Again, I am concerned about the facility and technology issue; people in Taiwan use PC (90% up) and the softwares I learn here are mac's mostly. I need more information about the PC softwares. HA!

w3 Learning in the digital age

I am interested in the perspective of Digital Learners. According to the article, today’s digital kids think of information and communications technology (ICT) as something akin to oxygen. They use ICT to meet, play, date, and learn. Digital students have developed their own screen language for their digital culture and constantly discovered new things as they browse through emergent digital libraries and other Web resources. They try new things without reading the manual or taking a course; learning becomes situated in action. They learn, create and respond to information through a complex montage of images, sound, and communication.

The Internet and other technologies honor multiple forms of intelligence. Therefore, it’s up to all educators to comp up with the techniques that help students want to reach their highest potential. Educators are not to teach students the new tools of rich media, but rather to expose them to critical thinking and new means of expression and argumentation in nonlinear, interactive and time-based media.

As a junior high teacher, I am concerned about two dimensions. First, training in instructional use for computers is irrelevant for teachers who have no computers or severely outdated computers in their classrooms. In Taiwan, I think this is the key problem. Second, learning networks are not assessable to some students; therefore, if it is a good idea to apply the technologies into the introductory courses taught at the junior high level. If it is fair to the students who are in the digital era but indeed have no computers or internet access at home.

w2 connectivism

A new learning theory for the Digital Age.

According to Siemens, over the last twenty years, technology has reorganized how we live, how we communicate and how we learn. He provided some significant trends in learning that as a junior-high English teacher I am deeply concerned:

• Learning now occurs in a variety of ways- through communities of practice, personal networks, and through completiong of work-related tasks.


• Learning is a continual process, lasting for a lifetime.


• Technology is altering our brains. AThe tools we use define and shape our thinking.


• Know-how and know-what is being supplemented with know-where.

Because of thiese new learning tredns, the connectivism theory is brought up. Connectivism is the integration of principles explored by chaos, nentwork, and complexity and self-organization theories.

In my opinion, the connectivism emphasizes on helping building learners' abilities to connect the knowledge economy. What are the learners abilities?

• to recognize and adjust to pattern shifts


• to classify their own interaction with an environment


• to form connections between sources of information, and thereby create useful information patterns


• to draw distinctions between important and unimportant information

Now in Taiwan, there is an educational reformation promoting the idea of giving the students abilities for living in the digital era. And that's the reason why I am in ITEC program now. Update myself.

what is web 2.0

The first day of itec 830.

Met several old classmates which made me feel much more comfortable and confident for the new class.

The pace of itec 830 is pretty much like the promotion of new technology.

Fast.

What is web 2.0?

I heard the term first in my life in itec 800.

Briefly, in my opinion, it's a two-way technical communication platform which provides people a place to talk, to share, to research 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.