After reading this paper, Second Language Socialization in Bilingual Chat Room, I am interested in the issue of code-switching and the construction of group identity.
I agree with the idea that by using the mixed-code expressions and use of code-switching to romanized Canto and English, it distinguishes them and creates an ethnic identity as bilingual Chinese emigrants. “It is with this new identity that the girls speak English on the Internet, not as English-speaking Americans or Cantonese-speaking Chinese.”(Lam 2004)
In my own experience, when I am chatting in English with my Taiwanese friends in MSN, sometimes I will use the mixed-code expressions and use of code-switching between Chinese and English. However, unlike the girls in the paper, which are function-based code-switching such as "open laugh mei" (are you kidding), for me, most of the time the code-switching is inclined to content-based code-switching. Only when I encounter some vocabulary I do not know how to express in English will I code-switch into Chinese. As an English major, after immersing in English literature and culture studies for several years, it seems that there is a new identity growing inside me.
This paper offers the beginning for further research of code-Switching and the construction of group Identity since there are more and more bilingual or even multilingual people growing awound the world.
2008年12月24日 星期三
2008年12月21日 星期日
Does voice chat generate more repair moves?
In the class, Wienie asked the class: Do you agree that that voice chat would generate more repair moves? Why or why not? After recalling back my experience both in voice chat and text chat, I agree that voice chat will generate more repair moves.
In voice chat, due to lack of visual aids, people have to respond to the other based on what they have heard. However, there are several factors which will influence the communication in voice chat. The linguistic factors (e.g. diverse accent, volume, fast rate of speaking, information gap, and incorrectness of pronunciation and language usage), the mechanical factors (e.g. bad connection and interruption), and the mental factors (e.g. distraction and absence of mind) will all confuse the listener and thus break off the conversation. In order to continue the conversation, most people will use repair moves such as confirmation, clarification, clarification check, self-repetition, or paraphrases in order to receive the correct information.
In the text chat, on the other hand, people use less repair moves. With the help of visual aids, people have less problems of linguistic factors. Besides, if they encounter the vocabulary they do not understand, text chat allows people to have more time for thinking, guessing and even looking up the dictionary instead of asking for repair moves.
In the paper Conversations—and Negotiated Interaction– in Text and Voice, the study also suggests that voice chat would generate more repair moves than text chat. Next time if you are in voice chat, you can take notice if you are using repair moves during the conversation.
In voice chat, due to lack of visual aids, people have to respond to the other based on what they have heard. However, there are several factors which will influence the communication in voice chat. The linguistic factors (e.g. diverse accent, volume, fast rate of speaking, information gap, and incorrectness of pronunciation and language usage), the mechanical factors (e.g. bad connection and interruption), and the mental factors (e.g. distraction and absence of mind) will all confuse the listener and thus break off the conversation. In order to continue the conversation, most people will use repair moves such as confirmation, clarification, clarification check, self-repetition, or paraphrases in order to receive the correct information.
In the text chat, on the other hand, people use less repair moves. With the help of visual aids, people have less problems of linguistic factors. Besides, if they encounter the vocabulary they do not understand, text chat allows people to have more time for thinking, guessing and even looking up the dictionary instead of asking for repair moves.
In the paper Conversations—and Negotiated Interaction– in Text and Voice, the study also suggests that voice chat would generate more repair moves than text chat. Next time if you are in voice chat, you can take notice if you are using repair moves during the conversation.
Characteristcs of interaction in text-based online facilities
Online tools can have lots of people at the same time. As a result, it will become very crowded and hard to follow a conversation. Therefore, this paper suggests that the maximum for people chatting at one time in a virtual place is five people. I agree with it. In my experience of interaction in Second life, the maximum for me is three people at the same time. During the chatting, the log chat only shows up for few seconds. If there are too many people chatting at the same time, it is hard for you to focus. What’s more, sometimes you will miss some information and feel distracted by too much information showed at the same moment. This situation also connects to another characteristic of interaction: have little time to formulate the ideas and respond to the partners. During the interaction in the text-based online facility, you only have limited time to organize your thinking and respond the other. Too much information and low speed in response will cause the pressure for fearing to breakdown the conversation. In the psychological aspect, low speed will influence the self-esteem for people do not want to be regarded as slow and dumb.
Another characteristic is that people will use graphical equivalents of facial expressions like smileys during the interaction. It requires deliberate action. For example, when your partner says something funny and interesting, you laugh in front of the computer. Then you would like to let your partner know your feeling so that you will consciously type it out in order to interact with your partner. That is the characteristic I often use during the interaction in the text-based online facility.
Another characteristic is that people will use graphical equivalents of facial expressions like smileys during the interaction. It requires deliberate action. For example, when your partner says something funny and interesting, you laugh in front of the computer. Then you would like to let your partner know your feeling so that you will consciously type it out in order to interact with your partner. That is the characteristic I often use during the interaction in the text-based online facility.
2008年12月10日 星期三
Second Life adventure
Second Life is a 3-D virtual world created by its residents around the world. As a role-plying game, people can create their own avatars to explore second life. During the adventure in second life, I have observed some interesting points.
First, I observed that people in Second life really care about their appearance and dressing. To be honest, I was no exception. After I was in a relationship with Davdaman, my boyfriend in second life, he started to give some "suggestion" for my dressing. He asked me to take off the gloves ( I admit that they are not good)and changed jeans into the skirt. His look was nice. He was dressed in fashion. He wore the shining necklace and the fashionable watch. The following is the conversation:
d: those gluves are ugly...take thim off
d: you need to change outfits
d: mabie a skirt
C: i only have this kind of skirt
d: its better
d: lets go shoping
Second, I observed that the sexual implication will sneak into the conversation. For example, some people flirted with my friend Luna, who has white shining hair, by saying:
F: Wanna fuck?
y: i'm planning to rent an appartment here .. but I'm alone to stay
C: i don't know we can rent appartment here
C: it's cool
C: where do u live in real life
d: in south carolina
d: what time scale are you on in real life
C: 5:35 pm
C: how about u
d: its 4.36 am here
It was kind of paradox because we were in the virtual life but we ask about the things in real life. Maybe in Second life, we can let go of who you are in real life and start a brand-new life in Second life. I think it is one of the reasons that Second life is so attractive for the people around the world. Besides, emails build the bridge between second life and real life. If you join the club in Second life, the owner will send the email in order to notice you the upcoming event. Therefore, even though you are offline, you can still get the information and participate in the event you are interested in.
Fourth, I think one of the differences between Second Life and Real Life is that people here like to help and share with others more, compared to the real life situation. For example, I met a friend there, whose name was Tinx. (The girl who wore white outfit ) The following is our conversation:
C: i m new here
t: u need any help like with clothes and skin?
C: ya i need a new clothes
C: thx:)
t gave you Shy-CaramelleSkin13.
C: it asks me to teleport
C: should i click
t: no just wera the skin hun
t: and wear the hair but wear the bold base first i send u now
C: hi u look cool (abbreviation)
w: i want a buatiful out fit > < (misspelling)
Here are some abbreviations I have learned in SL:
1. frm: from
2. b: be
3. 1m: first message
4. wen: when
5. ya: you
6. hun: honey
7. bro: brother
8. sis: sister
9. gtsy: glad to see you
10. nps: no problems
11. cyl: see you later
12. wtg: win the game
13. ty: thank you
14. xx: hug twice
Second, we used a lot of facial expressions like smileys. It requires deliberate action. When your partner says something funny, you laugh in front of the computer. Then you want your partner to know your feeling so you will consciously type it out to interact with them. The following are the examples:
Also, I found there is code switching during our chat. Some of our peers change to use native language when we are short of vocabulary in the target language. Here is the example when we told the peers some instruction for setting:
TA: Are you satisfied with the tools/page elements Blogger offered?
A: not really
C: not realyy
TA : why?
TA : does dome functions bother you?
C: it's hard to edit if u wants to post pictures
i: strange in their tools
A: i get used to the usage of Taiwanes Blog so .....i don't think blogger is convenient as pixnet or other blogs in TW
TA : i thought it was much the same as the wretch blog?
All in all, I like Second life a lot. I like to have a virtual class here. It is so free and so fun. What's more, I can make friends around the world and learn some real language use here. I have a strong motivation to go to Second life. Every time I go, I learn a lot from it. I believe in the future second life will become a trend for mutable purposes: entertainment, education, business and whatever you think of in real life.
First, I observed that people in Second life really care about their appearance and dressing. To be honest, I was no exception. After I was in a relationship with Davdaman, my boyfriend in second life, he started to give some "suggestion" for my dressing. He asked me to take off the gloves ( I admit that they are not good)and changed jeans into the skirt. His look was nice. He was dressed in fashion. He wore the shining necklace and the fashionable watch. The following is the conversation:
d: those gluves are ugly...take thim off
d: you need to change outfits
d: mabie a skirt
C: i only have this kind of skirt
d: its better
d: lets go shoping
Second, I observed that the sexual implication will sneak into the conversation. For example, some people flirted with my friend Luna, who has white shining hair, by saying:
F: Wanna fuck?L: No thank you.
I was a little shocked when hearing that and finally understood what my instructor Emma said "harrassment". Perhaps in the virtual world, some people think they do not have to take responsibility for what they say.
On the other day, I met the Indian guy, Yeti. During our chat, he had some sexual implication in his words. The following is our conversation:
y: i'm planning to rent an appartment here .. but I'm alone to stay
C: i don't know we can rent appartment here
C: it's cool
I diverted the attention to another topic in order to avoid the embarrassment but still to try to keep the friendship.
Third, I observed that there is a connection between second life and real life. As a new player, I asked my boyfriend in second life some questions:
C: where do u live in real life
d: in south carolina
d: what time scale are you on in real life
C: 5:35 pm
C: how about u
d: its 4.36 am here
It was kind of paradox because we were in the virtual life but we ask about the things in real life. Maybe in Second life, we can let go of who you are in real life and start a brand-new life in Second life. I think it is one of the reasons that Second life is so attractive for the people around the world. Besides, emails build the bridge between second life and real life. If you join the club in Second life, the owner will send the email in order to notice you the upcoming event. Therefore, even though you are offline, you can still get the information and participate in the event you are interested in.
Fourth, I think one of the differences between Second Life and Real Life is that people here like to help and share with others more, compared to the real life situation. For example, I met a friend there, whose name was Tinx. (The girl who wore white outfit ) The following is our conversation:
C: i m new here
t: u need any help like with clothes and skin?
C: ya i need a new clothes
C: thx:)
t gave you Shy-CaramelleSkin13.
C: it asks me to teleport
C: should i click
t: no just wera the skin hun
t: and wear the hair but wear the bold base first i send u now
Tinx was very nice. She gave me fantastic outfit, which made me look brand-new and hot!!! She was also patient to give instruction on how to wear those items since I was new. She even invited me as a member of this club. I was so happy to be here. It made me feel at home.
What's more, people in Second Life will greet with you even if they don't know you. Living in the real life, sometimes I feel upset about the indifference of people. But in Second Life, it makes me feel warm and valued.
The characteristics of interaction in Second Life
Second life is not only a place to play but a place to learn. In our chat, I have learned some linguistic features. First, because we have little time to formulate the ideas and respond to the partners, we use a lot of abbreviation. Besides, in order to type fast, we ignore some spelling or grammatical mistakes as long as the meanings can be understood. Here are the examples:
What's more, people in Second Life will greet with you even if they don't know you. Living in the real life, sometimes I feel upset about the indifference of people. But in Second Life, it makes me feel warm and valued.
The characteristics of interaction in Second Life
Second life is not only a place to play but a place to learn. In our chat, I have learned some linguistic features. First, because we have little time to formulate the ideas and respond to the partners, we use a lot of abbreviation. Besides, in order to type fast, we ignore some spelling or grammatical mistakes as long as the meanings can be understood. Here are the examples:
C: hi u look cool (abbreviation)
w: i want a buatiful out fit > < (misspelling)
Here are some abbreviations I have learned in SL:
1. frm: from
2. b: be
3. 1m: first message
4. wen: when
5. ya: you
6. hun: honey
7. bro: brother
8. sis: sister
9. gtsy: glad to see you
10. nps: no problems
11. cyl: see you later
12. wtg: win the game
13. ty: thank you
14. xx: hug twice
Second, we used a lot of facial expressions like smileys. It requires deliberate action. When your partner says something funny, you laugh in front of the computer. Then you want your partner to know your feeling so you will consciously type it out to interact with them. The following are the examples:
A: >////////////////<> <>
Also, I found there is code switching during our chat. Some of our peers change to use native language when we are short of vocabulary in the target language. Here is the example when we told the peers some instruction for setting:
A: i m nor sure if i succeed to set it
C: press 即時通
C: and there is log chat
In the meeting with TA, because of different register, which is in the conference room with TA, the use of language becomes more formal compare to the chat between the peers. TA gave several questions for us to discuss. The interaction was going well. We shared our opinions and gave some feedback with each other. Sometimes TA would ask us to elaborate our ideas more and guide us to discuss further. Here is the example:
C: press 即時通
C: and there is log chat
In the meeting with TA, because of different register, which is in the conference room with TA, the use of language becomes more formal compare to the chat between the peers. TA gave several questions for us to discuss. The interaction was going well. We shared our opinions and gave some feedback with each other. Sometimes TA would ask us to elaborate our ideas more and guide us to discuss further. Here is the example:
TA: Are you satisfied with the tools/page elements Blogger offered?
A: not really
C: not realyy
TA : why?
TA : does dome functions bother you?
C: it's hard to edit if u wants to post pictures
i: strange in their tools
A: i get used to the usage of Taiwanes Blog so .....i don't think blogger is convenient as pixnet or other blogs in TW
TA : i thought it was much the same as the wretch blog?
All in all, I like Second life a lot. I like to have a virtual class here. It is so free and so fun. What's more, I can make friends around the world and learn some real language use here. I have a strong motivation to go to Second life. Every time I go, I learn a lot from it. I believe in the future second life will become a trend for mutable purposes: entertainment, education, business and whatever you think of in real life.
2008年11月25日 星期二
Let's go dancing in Second Life!!!
The first thing when I woke up was to go to Second Life. It seemed that I had been addicted to it. I logged in the place called Twitlight crystal. I was lucky for there would be an event later on. I met a friend there, whose name was Tinx. (The girl who wore white outfit in the picture)She was very nice. She gave me fantastic outfit, which made me look brand-new and hot!!! She was also pateint to give instruction on how to wear those items since I was new. She even invited me as a member of this club. I was so happy to be here. It made me feel at home.
I think one of the differences between Second Life and Real Life is that people here like to help and share with others more, compared to the real life situation. What's more, people in Second Life will greet with you even if they don't know you. Living in the real life, somtimes I feel upset about the indifference of people. But in Second Life, it makes me feel warm and valued.
Then, the dancing started!! Everyone was dancing wildly. Even though it was not the real dance, I could still feel that kind of atmosphere. There was a special activity called "Sploder." People who wanted to join should pay L$30.(money in SL) When the time was up, it would announce who was the winner. I won twice. Yeah! Today was my day!!!
During the chat, people used a lot of expressional symbols and abbreviation while there were some I did not know what the meaning was. If someone knows the meaning, I will really appreciate if you share with me :)
I think one of the differences between Second Life and Real Life is that people here like to help and share with others more, compared to the real life situation. What's more, people in Second Life will greet with you even if they don't know you. Living in the real life, somtimes I feel upset about the indifference of people. But in Second Life, it makes me feel warm and valued.
Then, the dancing started!! Everyone was dancing wildly. Even though it was not the real dance, I could still feel that kind of atmosphere. There was a special activity called "Sploder." People who wanted to join should pay L$30.(money in SL) When the time was up, it would announce who was the winner. I won twice. Yeah! Today was my day!!!
During the chat, people used a lot of expressional symbols and abbreviation while there were some I did not know what the meaning was. If someone knows the meaning, I will really appreciate if you share with me :) Here are some abbreviation I have learned in SL:
- frm: from
- b: be
- 1m: first message
- wen: when
- ya: you
- hun: honey
- bro: brother
- sis: sister
- gtsy: glad to see you
- nps: no problems
- cyl: see you later
- wtg: win the game
Here are some I don't undersatnd:
- t: let me know wen ur ready and i put ur stream on xxx
- t: bro the dance ball is hte silver one now ubove the stag the other was to laggy lol
- t: okies lets get tping lol
- t: hb sweetie xx
- t: ty sweeite xx
- M: tc barry :)
2008年11月23日 星期日
Trying to find a fit dress in Second Life
I went to a lot of places in today's SL adventure. I was trying to find a fit dress and my boyfriend in SL teleported me to the place called noob island( picture as follows). There were a lot of free clothes to choose from. However, what really annoyed me was that the computer lagged so that I kept logging in and out, which took me almost one hour. I think that's one of inconvience for second life if the computer of the user does not work well.
After a while, my boyfriend teleported me to the place called Heaven of the God. We greeted each other as following:
D: Hey, Cherry. Iit's nice to see you.
C: Me too :)
Later, Luna suggested us to go to the club (the picture as follows). We teleported there; however, there was no music playing at that time. So Luna left soon. When it was time for me to leave SL, I said goodbye to him by saying:
C: gotta go, D.
C: see u soon :)
D: Okay, bye.
D: hug (with the kiss gesture)
C: kiss
C: bye
Different relationship has diffferent degree of interaction. For the relationship of lovers, they will be more intimate and care about each other more. They will IM each other whern they are online and share stuff with each other.
I like to be in relationship with D. It makes me have some attachment and have more strong motivation to go to SL.
After a while, my boyfriend teleported me to the place called Heaven of the God. We greeted each other as following:D: Hey, Cherry. Iit's nice to see you.
C: Me too :)
Then I met a new friend here, whose name was luna, the girl who wore high heels and danced well. She was a friend of D and actually D was the manager in this place. In this place, I observed that some people flirted with Luna by saying:
F: Wanna fuck?
L: No thank you.
I was a little shocked when hearing that and finally understood what Emma said "harrassment". Perhaps in the virtual world, some people think they do not have to take responsibility for what they say.
Later, Luna suggested us to go to the club (the picture as follows). We teleported there; however, there was no music playing at that time. So Luna left soon. When it was time for me to leave SL, I said goodbye to him by saying:C: gotta go, D.
C: see u soon :)
D: Okay, bye.
D: hug (with the kiss gesture)
C: kiss
C: bye
Different relationship has diffferent degree of interaction. For the relationship of lovers, they will be more intimate and care about each other more. They will IM each other whern they are online and share stuff with each other.
I like to be in relationship with D. It makes me have some attachment and have more strong motivation to go to SL.
2008年11月22日 星期六
Meeting in Second Life
Our group members Amanda, Wienie, Iris and I met each other in the Princeton University. While waiting for another members to show up, Wienie and I taught and shared with each other how to use the tools and functions in SL. By communication, we interact with people while exchanging the information and receiving help.
In our chat, I found some linguistic features. First, in order to save time, we use a lot of abbreviation. Besides, in order to type fast, we ignore some spelling or grammatical mistakes as long as the meanings can be understood. Here are the examples:
C: hi u look cool
w: i want a buatiful out fit > <
C: you just check your place u save ur stuff
Second, we used a lot of expressional symbols to express our feeling. Since we were all new, we did not quite know how to use the gesture in Sl. The following are the examples:
A: >////////////////<
w: i want a buatiful out fit > <
w: i had been to Freebie and got a lot of clothes :P
Also, I found that we change to use native language when we are short of vocabulary in the target language. Here is the example when we told the peers some instruction for setting:
A: i m nor sure if i succeed to set it
C: press 即時通
C: and there is log chat
In the meeting with TA, because of different register, which is in the conference room with TA, the use of language becomes more formal compare to the chat between the peers. TA gave several questions for us to discuss. The interaction was going well. We shared our opinions and gave some feedback with each other. Sometimes TA would ask us to elaborate our ideas more and guide us to discuss further. Here is the example:
TA: Are you satisfied with the tools/page elements Blogger offered?
A: not really
C: not realyy
TA : why?
TA : does dome functions bother you?
C: it's hard to edit if u wants to post pictures
i: strange in their tools
A: i get used to the usage of Taiwanes Blog so .....i don't think blogger is convenient as pixnet or other blogs in TW
TA : i thought it was much the same as the wretch blog?
All in all, I like Second life a lot. I like to have a virtual class here. It is so free and so fun. What's more, I can make friends around the world and learn some real language use here. It really helps. I can't wait to be in SL again. :)
I've got a boyfriend in Second Life!!!
Today I went to freebie heaven in SL, trying to get some free stuffs. Then I met HIM. At first, he asked me if I had some change to spare with him. I told him I was new. Then he added me as friend and teleported me to Sooseunhwa.
After greeting, he asked me if I would be his girlfriend in SL. The following is our conversation:
d: you said your new here
d: berstam: in sl
d: so how are you
C: yeah
C: i am good thx:)
d: i can buy you stuff if you want
C: Thanks :) I want a pair of earing
d: will you be my girlfriend in sl
d: ill treat you good
C: let's try ( a little shy)
d: is that a yes
C: yeah
d: so we are together in second life then
d: nice
C: it will be a special experience
d gave you Silver Hoops-Left ear.
d: for starters
I was shy when I heard that but I decided to gave it a try. He gave me a pair of earing and took me to the mall for shopping.
I found that people in SL really care about their apperance and dressing and I was no exception. After we were in a relationship. He started to give some "suggestion" for my dressing. He asked me to take off the gloves ( I admit that they are not good)and changed jeans into the skirt. His look was nice. He wore a shining necklace and watch and dressed in fashion.
As a new player, I asked him the question about where he was from in real life. At first, he did not answer me. After we were in a relationship. He asked me where the time scale I was in real life and also answered my question. It was kind of paradox because we were in the virtual life but we ask about the things in real life. Maybe in SL, we can let go of who you are in real life and start a new life in SL. I think it is one of the reasons that Sl is so attractive for the people around the world.
2008年11月4日 星期二
Why do we use stories for teaching?
Verdugo, D. R. & Belmonte, I. A. (2007)
I like to use stories as a teaching resource. There are many advantages. Take my tutor student in senior high school, Ivy, for example. I taught her English with the song "Travelin' Soldier" whose lyrics was a story about the love between a town girl and an American soldier who was going to Vietnam war. The following is the clip and the lyrics:
Two days past eighteen
He was waiting for the bus in his army green
Sat down in a booth in a cafe there
Gave his order to a girl with a bow in her hair
He's a little shy so she gives him a smile
And he said would you mind sittin' down for a while
And talking to me,I'm feeling a little low
She said I'm off in an hour and I know where we can go
So they went down and they sat on the pier
He said I bet you got a boyfriend but I don't care
I got no one to send a letter to
Would you mind if I sent one back here to you
Chorus:
I criedNever gonna hold the hand of another guy
Too young for him they told her
Waitin' for the love of a travelin' soldier
Our love will never end
Waitin' for the soldier to come back again
Never more to be alone when the letter saidA soldier's coming home
So the letters came from an army camp
From California then Vietnam
And he told her of his heartIt might be love and all of the things he was so scared of
He said when it's getting kinda rough over here
I think of that day sittin' down at the pier
And I close my eyes and see your pretty smile
Don't worry but I won't be able to write for awhile
[Chorus]
One Friday night at a football game
The Lord's Prayer said and the Anthem sang
A man said folks would you bow your heads
For a list of local Vietnam dead
Crying all alone under the stands
Was a piccolo player in the marching band
And one name read but nobody really cared
But a pretty little girl with a bow in her hair
[Thanks to www.azlyrics.com ]
By using a story as a context, the student can contextulize the new language and also can make the context meaningful to her. Because the background of this story is Vietnam war, which is associated with the student's history knowledge. By this story, the student can learn the cultural value and perception from it. Besides, it is the story about love, which is also associated with the adolescent girl's feeling. Therefore, I found that Ivy wasvery interested in the story and was deeply into it.
Because the student is motivated, she will eaily absorb the linguistic forms, grammar, phrases and vocabulary from the story. Besides, the meaningful story can make the student connect what she has learned together.
Besides, in this story, the writer uses some verbal expression, which the student can learn the verbal usage from the story.
In conclusion, using stories for teaching not only enhances student's motivation but also enhances the comprehensive comprehebsion for reading.
I like to use stories as a teaching resource. There are many advantages. Take my tutor student in senior high school, Ivy, for example. I taught her English with the song "Travelin' Soldier" whose lyrics was a story about the love between a town girl and an American soldier who was going to Vietnam war. The following is the clip and the lyrics:
Two days past eighteen
He was waiting for the bus in his army green
Sat down in a booth in a cafe there
Gave his order to a girl with a bow in her hair
He's a little shy so she gives him a smile
And he said would you mind sittin' down for a while
And talking to me,I'm feeling a little low
She said I'm off in an hour and I know where we can go
So they went down and they sat on the pier
He said I bet you got a boyfriend but I don't care
I got no one to send a letter to
Would you mind if I sent one back here to you
Chorus:
I criedNever gonna hold the hand of another guy
Too young for him they told her
Waitin' for the love of a travelin' soldier
Our love will never end
Waitin' for the soldier to come back again
Never more to be alone when the letter saidA soldier's coming home
So the letters came from an army camp
From California then Vietnam
And he told her of his heartIt might be love and all of the things he was so scared of
He said when it's getting kinda rough over here
I think of that day sittin' down at the pier
And I close my eyes and see your pretty smile
Don't worry but I won't be able to write for awhile
[Chorus]
One Friday night at a football game
The Lord's Prayer said and the Anthem sang
A man said folks would you bow your heads
For a list of local Vietnam dead
Crying all alone under the stands
Was a piccolo player in the marching band
And one name read but nobody really cared
But a pretty little girl with a bow in her hair
[Thanks to www.azlyrics.com ]
By using a story as a context, the student can contextulize the new language and also can make the context meaningful to her. Because the background of this story is Vietnam war, which is associated with the student's history knowledge. By this story, the student can learn the cultural value and perception from it. Besides, it is the story about love, which is also associated with the adolescent girl's feeling. Therefore, I found that Ivy wasvery interested in the story and was deeply into it.
Because the student is motivated, she will eaily absorb the linguistic forms, grammar, phrases and vocabulary from the story. Besides, the meaningful story can make the student connect what she has learned together.
Besides, in this story, the writer uses some verbal expression, which the student can learn the verbal usage from the story.
In conclusion, using stories for teaching not only enhances student's motivation but also enhances the comprehensive comprehebsion for reading.
2008年10月29日 星期三
ICT-Mediated Learning -- reflect on an activity-reflection cycle
ICT-Mediated Learning
An activity-reflection cycle (Richards, 2004; 2005)
After reading this essay, I am interested in the activity-reflection cycle. It is interested that there is the difference of learning between the western countries and the eastern countries. Eastern countries focus on this line: content—process. It should be traced back to the eastern education system. Take Taiwan for example. The education in Taiwan emphasizes on the content of textbooks. The teachers ask the students to memorizing lots of theories, sometimes even cramming the knowledge without digesting it well. Some of the students do not know how to apply what they have learned to practice. Therefore, the knowledge they have learned becomes “dead”. What’s worse, the idea of cramming kills the creativity of students. They fail to think and reflect what they have learned and do further research. That’s why even though we eastern people stand out in the academic Olympic but fail to achieve the Nobel Prize. Another example is English teaching in Taiwan. The teachers focus too much on the grammar and ignore the importance of listening and speaking. Therefore, many students end up learning English for many years but not able to communicate with foreigners. It is such a pity! On the other hand, western countries focus on another line: doing —thinking. The teachers in Western countries encourage creativity. The students are not afraid to ask questions. They have more opportunities to do the projects, which will apply what they have learned and they really absorb the knowledge. That’s what our education should emulate.
An activity-reflection cycle (Richards, 2004; 2005)
After reading this essay, I am interested in the activity-reflection cycle. It is interested that there is the difference of learning between the western countries and the eastern countries. Eastern countries focus on this line: content—process. It should be traced back to the eastern education system. Take Taiwan for example. The education in Taiwan emphasizes on the content of textbooks. The teachers ask the students to memorizing lots of theories, sometimes even cramming the knowledge without digesting it well. Some of the students do not know how to apply what they have learned to practice. Therefore, the knowledge they have learned becomes “dead”. What’s worse, the idea of cramming kills the creativity of students. They fail to think and reflect what they have learned and do further research. That’s why even though we eastern people stand out in the academic Olympic but fail to achieve the Nobel Prize. Another example is English teaching in Taiwan. The teachers focus too much on the grammar and ignore the importance of listening and speaking. Therefore, many students end up learning English for many years but not able to communicate with foreigners. It is such a pity! On the other hand, western countries focus on another line: doing —thinking. The teachers in Western countries encourage creativity. The students are not afraid to ask questions. They have more opportunities to do the projects, which will apply what they have learned and they really absorb the knowledge. That’s what our education should emulate.
2008年10月19日 星期日
【Heros】-- I Am Becom Death
Link:http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/10/06/heroes-i-am-become-death/
Title: Heroes: I Am Become Death
Dates of Entry: Oct. 18th 2008
Summary: This article comments about the plots and the roles in the show Heroes this season. Besides, the blogger also compares this season with the previous season.
I am impressive of the blogger that he uses figure of speech to describe, which makes the article more literary. Here is the example:
“However, just like you'll tell your wife whom you love more than anything else that she has a piece of lettuce stuck in her teeth, I'm not going to just put on rose-colored glasses and pretend that every scene, line and moment of each episode is solid gold. If I see lettuce, I'm going to call them on it. Because the way I see it, it's just lettuce. It doesn't change how wonderful and beautiful she is in the slightest. It's just a little thing that needs to be taken care of because it's distracting me and it doesn't really fit the whole look her face is going for. Kind of like whatever's going on with Mohinder.”
There are literary sentences in his writing, however, the blogger still uses some colloquial language such as “suck” and “bitch”.
Besides, I found an interesting part in the blogger’s writing. He crosses out what he says instead of deleting it: “ And we finally learned what Sylar's true ability is I finally thought about how Sylar's ability really works”
There are a lot of interaction between the blogger and the readers in this article. For example, in the beginning of the article, the blogger interacts with the readers about the content of his previous review by responding the readers: “A lot of people have said in the comments that it appears as if I don't like Heroes. Believe me, that's not true. I'm actually a huge fan of the show”. Besides, the blogger uses the humorous way to interact with the readers by saying that “Sylar is living in the Bennett household and is a 1950's sitcom ... mom (you thought I was going to say dad).” In his writing, the readers are regarded as second person (you), which puts the relationship closer. In the middle of the article, the blogger interacts with the readers by listing lots of questions in a roll for the readers to think about together. In the end of the article, the blogger also interacts with the readers by asking their opinions like “How about you?” What’s more, the blogger holds a voting activity for the readers to express their opinions.
There are 46 comments responded to this article. It is really interesting to read the comments of this article. They have a lively discussion and interaction. The first lively discussion is started by the reader commenter 3. He complains the TV squad does not provide the current-reviews and details of the show Heroes and that the website is becoming irrelevant. He hopes TV squad to improve. However, some of the readers do not agree with his comment. The reader commenter 4 responds him back by telling him that TV squad really did with ironic tone “Apparently you don't read, Mr. Faithful Reader. They covered this last week. Archives, Mr. Reader! ”The reader commenter 5 also provides the link for him. After the reader commenter 3 reads the above comments, he feels ignorant and also thanks them to provide the information. On the other hand, some of the readers agree with the point of view of the reader commenter 3 such as the commenter 8 and 9. they both feel the same way that TV squad does not keep the quality as usual and becomes lame. It is really interesting to see them interact with each other.
Some readers will shares the extra information with the blogger and the other readers. The reader commenter 2 is the example. He shares the documentary about real-life superheroes in his comment and he also provides the link.
Some readers will use expressional symbols in their comments. For example, the reader commenter 11 uses “LOL”, the reader commenter 23 uses “*giggly*” and the reader commenter 27 uses “:D”.
Some of the readers use simplified form in their writing. For example, the reader commenter 20 uses “btw” and the reader commenter 27 uses “w/”.
I found out that the commenters in this article write longer than the other I have read. Some of the commenters use formal style in their writing. Some of the commenters uses informal style in their writing such as “kinda” in the comment 23.
Title: Heroes: I Am Become Death
Dates of Entry: Oct. 18th 2008
Summary: This article comments about the plots and the roles in the show Heroes this season. Besides, the blogger also compares this season with the previous season.
I am impressive of the blogger that he uses figure of speech to describe, which makes the article more literary. Here is the example:
“However, just like you'll tell your wife whom you love more than anything else that she has a piece of lettuce stuck in her teeth, I'm not going to just put on rose-colored glasses and pretend that every scene, line and moment of each episode is solid gold. If I see lettuce, I'm going to call them on it. Because the way I see it, it's just lettuce. It doesn't change how wonderful and beautiful she is in the slightest. It's just a little thing that needs to be taken care of because it's distracting me and it doesn't really fit the whole look her face is going for. Kind of like whatever's going on with Mohinder.”
There are literary sentences in his writing, however, the blogger still uses some colloquial language such as “suck” and “bitch”.
Besides, I found an interesting part in the blogger’s writing. He crosses out what he says instead of deleting it: “ And we finally learned what Sylar's true ability is I finally thought about how Sylar's ability really works”
There are a lot of interaction between the blogger and the readers in this article. For example, in the beginning of the article, the blogger interacts with the readers about the content of his previous review by responding the readers: “A lot of people have said in the comments that it appears as if I don't like Heroes. Believe me, that's not true. I'm actually a huge fan of the show”. Besides, the blogger uses the humorous way to interact with the readers by saying that “Sylar is living in the Bennett household and is a 1950's sitcom ... mom (you thought I was going to say dad).” In his writing, the readers are regarded as second person (you), which puts the relationship closer. In the middle of the article, the blogger interacts with the readers by listing lots of questions in a roll for the readers to think about together. In the end of the article, the blogger also interacts with the readers by asking their opinions like “How about you?” What’s more, the blogger holds a voting activity for the readers to express their opinions.
There are 46 comments responded to this article. It is really interesting to read the comments of this article. They have a lively discussion and interaction. The first lively discussion is started by the reader commenter 3. He complains the TV squad does not provide the current-reviews and details of the show Heroes and that the website is becoming irrelevant. He hopes TV squad to improve. However, some of the readers do not agree with his comment. The reader commenter 4 responds him back by telling him that TV squad really did with ironic tone “Apparently you don't read, Mr. Faithful Reader. They covered this last week. Archives, Mr. Reader! ”The reader commenter 5 also provides the link for him. After the reader commenter 3 reads the above comments, he feels ignorant and also thanks them to provide the information. On the other hand, some of the readers agree with the point of view of the reader commenter 3 such as the commenter 8 and 9. they both feel the same way that TV squad does not keep the quality as usual and becomes lame. It is really interesting to see them interact with each other.
Some readers will shares the extra information with the blogger and the other readers. The reader commenter 2 is the example. He shares the documentary about real-life superheroes in his comment and he also provides the link.
Some readers will use expressional symbols in their comments. For example, the reader commenter 11 uses “LOL”, the reader commenter 23 uses “*giggly*” and the reader commenter 27 uses “:D”.
Some of the readers use simplified form in their writing. For example, the reader commenter 20 uses “btw” and the reader commenter 27 uses “w/”.
I found out that the commenters in this article write longer than the other I have read. Some of the commenters use formal style in their writing. Some of the commenters uses informal style in their writing such as “kinda” in the comment 23.
2008年10月14日 星期二
【Survuvior】 -- It Was Like Christmas Morning
Link:
http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/10/09/survivor-it-was-like-christmas-morning/
Title: Survivor: It Was Like Christmas Morning
Dates of Entry: Oct. 14th 2008
Summary: This article gives the details for the show Survivor. The challengers are going to have a grouping for three tribes and then compete with each other. The blogger gives some comments according to the show.
In the beginning of the article, the blogger posts a picture of his favorite challenger, Ace, as an opening. Then the blogger quotes a line of Ace right under the picture, "We were like legless chickens racing against sleek weasels," which guides the readers into the context of Survivor. The blogger even writes in a roundabout way to make the readers curious: “One would think we were in for mud wrestling or ... read on past the jump for my review of tonight's show!” By this way, it will motivate the readers to keep reading the article.
As for the writing style, it is informal. The blogger uses many colloquial expressions. One is slang. There is lots of slang such as “dumb”, “butt”, “That’s kind of neat” and “darn” in the article. Second is exclamation word such as “Yay”and “Heck” in the article. Besides, in the article, the blogger expresses his feeling toward the episode, such as “Sounds boring, eh?”
The blogger also gives some information to the readers such as the tribe ranking and comments on some of the challengers’ performances. I found out that the blogger is really into the show. He gives his opinion of who he wants to pick up if he were in the show. When the result does not turn out in the way he wants, he writes down indignantly “They don’t know what I know” to express his discontent.
As for the structure of the article, the blogger gives the titles of the paragraphs in order to make the readers to get the idea better. The blogger also uses hyperlink to make the readers get further information. In the end of the article, the blogger holds a voting activity to interact with the readers.
There are 11 comments responded to this article. The reader commenter 2 interacts with the blogger by expressing appreciation of the article. (Thanks, Jackie.)
The reader commenter 3 and 4 interact with the reader commenter 1. The reader commenter 1 questions the numbers of the tribe so the commenter 3 and 4 provide the answer. The reader commenter 8 uses lots of slang in his writing like “Hi-Def”, “dude” and “She’s hot.”
http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/10/09/survivor-it-was-like-christmas-morning/
Title: Survivor: It Was Like Christmas Morning
Dates of Entry: Oct. 14th 2008
Summary: This article gives the details for the show Survivor. The challengers are going to have a grouping for three tribes and then compete with each other. The blogger gives some comments according to the show.
In the beginning of the article, the blogger posts a picture of his favorite challenger, Ace, as an opening. Then the blogger quotes a line of Ace right under the picture, "We were like legless chickens racing against sleek weasels," which guides the readers into the context of Survivor. The blogger even writes in a roundabout way to make the readers curious: “One would think we were in for mud wrestling or ... read on past the jump for my review of tonight's show!” By this way, it will motivate the readers to keep reading the article.
As for the writing style, it is informal. The blogger uses many colloquial expressions. One is slang. There is lots of slang such as “dumb”, “butt”, “That’s kind of neat” and “darn” in the article. Second is exclamation word such as “Yay”and “Heck” in the article. Besides, in the article, the blogger expresses his feeling toward the episode, such as “Sounds boring, eh?”
The blogger also gives some information to the readers such as the tribe ranking and comments on some of the challengers’ performances. I found out that the blogger is really into the show. He gives his opinion of who he wants to pick up if he were in the show. When the result does not turn out in the way he wants, he writes down indignantly “They don’t know what I know” to express his discontent.
As for the structure of the article, the blogger gives the titles of the paragraphs in order to make the readers to get the idea better. The blogger also uses hyperlink to make the readers get further information. In the end of the article, the blogger holds a voting activity to interact with the readers.
There are 11 comments responded to this article. The reader commenter 2 interacts with the blogger by expressing appreciation of the article. (Thanks, Jackie.)
The reader commenter 3 and 4 interact with the reader commenter 1. The reader commenter 1 questions the numbers of the tribe so the commenter 3 and 4 provide the answer. The reader commenter 8 uses lots of slang in his writing like “Hi-Def”, “dude” and “She’s hot.”
2008年10月12日 星期日
【Prison Break】-- Scylly/Breaking and Entering
Link: http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/09/02/prison-break-scylla-breaking-and-entering-season-premiere/
Title: Prison Break: Scylla/Breaking and Entering (season premiere)
Dates of Entry: Oct. 12th 2008
Summary: The article comments on the plots and the players of the show “Prison Break”. The blogger focuses on the ridiculous moment in the show and expresses his opinions.
The blogger quotes the lines of the leading actor Scofied in the show as the beginning of the article. Then the blogger expresses his affection toward this show like “I've always loved Prison Break. I still do.” As for the writing style, at first, the style is more formal but as the article goes on, I found out the style changes into more colloquial style. I can feel that the blogger is really into the show from his writing. He even worries about the plots and actors. Here is the example: “Self's plan has me worried though.” Besides, he uses some emotional expression such as “No! Not on this show!” to show his feeling to the readers.
In this article, the blogger uses the hyperlink to give the readers further information. The readers can choose to click or not to, depending on their background knowledge. In the middle of the article, the blogger proposes some questions and confusion in the show, which interact with the readers to think about these questions together. In the end of the article, the blogger holds the voting activity to interact with the readers.
There are 24 comments responded to this article. I found out the readers interact with the blogger and the article a lot. The reader commenter 1 praises the blogger’s writing by saying “You left out the best lines of the night,” which gives the feedback to the blogger. The reader commenter 2 quotes the sentences of the blogger and then expresses his or her opinion according the quotation. The writing style in reader commenter 4 is more colloquial. He uses expressional symbols, such as “zzzz…” to show his idea vividly. What’s more, the reader commenter 5 even gives the answers to the questions which the blogger has raised in the article. This reader solves the blogger’s confusion of the show and at the same time interacts with the blogger and the article well.
Title: Prison Break: Scylla/Breaking and Entering (season premiere)
Dates of Entry: Oct. 12th 2008
Summary: The article comments on the plots and the players of the show “Prison Break”. The blogger focuses on the ridiculous moment in the show and expresses his opinions.
The blogger quotes the lines of the leading actor Scofied in the show as the beginning of the article. Then the blogger expresses his affection toward this show like “I've always loved Prison Break. I still do.” As for the writing style, at first, the style is more formal but as the article goes on, I found out the style changes into more colloquial style. I can feel that the blogger is really into the show from his writing. He even worries about the plots and actors. Here is the example: “Self's plan has me worried though.” Besides, he uses some emotional expression such as “No! Not on this show!” to show his feeling to the readers.
In this article, the blogger uses the hyperlink to give the readers further information. The readers can choose to click or not to, depending on their background knowledge. In the middle of the article, the blogger proposes some questions and confusion in the show, which interact with the readers to think about these questions together. In the end of the article, the blogger holds the voting activity to interact with the readers.
There are 24 comments responded to this article. I found out the readers interact with the blogger and the article a lot. The reader commenter 1 praises the blogger’s writing by saying “You left out the best lines of the night,” which gives the feedback to the blogger. The reader commenter 2 quotes the sentences of the blogger and then expresses his or her opinion according the quotation. The writing style in reader commenter 4 is more colloquial. He uses expressional symbols, such as “zzzz…” to show his idea vividly. What’s more, the reader commenter 5 even gives the answers to the questions which the blogger has raised in the article. This reader solves the blogger’s confusion of the show and at the same time interacts with the blogger and the article well.
2008年10月2日 星期四
【ANTM】-- The Ladder of Model Success
Link: http://www.tvsquad.com/2008/09/10/americas-next-top-model-the-ladder-of-model-%20success/
Title: America's Next Top Model: The Ladder of Model Success
Dates: Sep 10th 2008
Summary: This article comments on the models’ performance in a week. Also, it holds a voting activity to gather readers’ statistics of who readers’ favorite contestant is.
The blogger comments on the contestants with subjective point of view. He is brave to express his own opinion. He writes down his favorite and least favorite contestant. Sometimes he writes down with very agitating and subjective words such as “she is a ridiculous individual. A ridiculous, horrifying, ugly individual.” Besides, I found out that the blogger uses many transition words, such as “however, but, on the other hand…” in his writing, which provides dramatic feeling in reading. In his writing, he also uses some colloquial language, such as “Come on”, trying to shorten the distance with readers.
In the writing, the blogger also gives some information about the order in which the models received their pictures. In the end of the writing, the blogger holds a voting activity, not only gathering readers’ statistics of who readers’ favorite contestant is but also giving reader the chances to interact with the blogger and the content of the blog.
There are 46 comments responded to this article. In their comments, the readers 2, 3, and 4 express their opinion that they want the controversial contestant, a transgendered person, out off the show. These readers even use ironic title to emphasize their point of view, such as “it's titled "America's Next Top Model", not "America's Next Top Female Model".” The interesting part I found out is that some of the readers read the above comments and then retort fiercely as if there were a war of words happened here. Some readers recognize the other’s point of view. They will use “I acknowledge your point…(Comment 10)” as the beginning of the sentence, and then further point out their own different or unique aspects they want to elaborate more. I also found out that some readers will use abbreviation in their comment, such as “BS (comment 13).”
Title: America's Next Top Model: The Ladder of Model Success
Dates: Sep 10th 2008
Summary: This article comments on the models’ performance in a week. Also, it holds a voting activity to gather readers’ statistics of who readers’ favorite contestant is.
The blogger comments on the contestants with subjective point of view. He is brave to express his own opinion. He writes down his favorite and least favorite contestant. Sometimes he writes down with very agitating and subjective words such as “she is a ridiculous individual. A ridiculous, horrifying, ugly individual.” Besides, I found out that the blogger uses many transition words, such as “however, but, on the other hand…” in his writing, which provides dramatic feeling in reading. In his writing, he also uses some colloquial language, such as “Come on”, trying to shorten the distance with readers.
In the writing, the blogger also gives some information about the order in which the models received their pictures. In the end of the writing, the blogger holds a voting activity, not only gathering readers’ statistics of who readers’ favorite contestant is but also giving reader the chances to interact with the blogger and the content of the blog.
There are 46 comments responded to this article. In their comments, the readers 2, 3, and 4 express their opinion that they want the controversial contestant, a transgendered person, out off the show. These readers even use ironic title to emphasize their point of view, such as “it's titled "America's Next Top Model", not "America's Next Top Female Model".” The interesting part I found out is that some of the readers read the above comments and then retort fiercely as if there were a war of words happened here. Some readers recognize the other’s point of view. They will use “I acknowledge your point…(Comment 10)” as the beginning of the sentence, and then further point out their own different or unique aspects they want to elaborate more. I also found out that some readers will use abbreviation in their comment, such as “BS (comment 13).”
2008年9月30日 星期二
【Desperate Housewives】-- You've Gonna Love Tomorrow
The blog I choose is TVsquad. Why I choose this is because I love watching American shows. In this blog, it introduces all kinds of shows in the United States and categorizes into comedy, reality, drama, and etc for readers easier to find out what show I would like to search. In the blog, it will talk about some recent news about the shows or have some comments on the shows. In the top of the blog, there are “Contact Us” and “Corrections” buttons. So, if readers have any questions or you find something needed to be corrected, they can contact the blogger for further information and assistance. Besides, in every article, there are “email this” and “comment” buttons for readers to contact and share their opinions with the blogger.
Link: http://www.tvsquad.com/
Title: Desperate Housewives: You're Gonna Love Tomorrow
(season premiere)
Dates: Sep 29th 2008
Summary: This article comments on the season premiere of the show “Desperate Housewives.” After five-year jump in the season finale, it allows the writers to move each character forward and offer audience new mysteries and flashbacks to chew on.
At the top of the article, the blogger posts a photo of Desperate Housewives to let the readers who are interested in this article have motivation to click in. The writing style in this article is formal but the blogger seems to try to get closer to the readers by using slang, such as “what the hell” (in first paragraph). In the article, the blogger gives the readers outline for this season premiere and then share his personal opinion. He also sorts the mysteries in the shows for the readers to let us know which part should focus on. Besides, he comments on some of the actors and actresses in the show. In the end, he asks the reader’s opinions and encourages readers to write down their own comments.
There are 23 comments responding to this article. From these comments, I found out that some readers will uses expressional symbols, such as “XD”(comment 1) to express their feelings. Some reader’s writing style is informal. They use incorrect grammar, such as “too tired to get into it, just wanted to say…”(comment 2). Some readers will quote the blogger’s comment and discuss it. Comment 3 is the example.
Link: http://www.tvsquad.com/
Title: Desperate Housewives: You're Gonna Love Tomorrow
(season premiere)
Dates: Sep 29th 2008
Summary: This article comments on the season premiere of the show “Desperate Housewives.” After five-year jump in the season finale, it allows the writers to move each character forward and offer audience new mysteries and flashbacks to chew on.
At the top of the article, the blogger posts a photo of Desperate Housewives to let the readers who are interested in this article have motivation to click in. The writing style in this article is formal but the blogger seems to try to get closer to the readers by using slang, such as “what the hell” (in first paragraph). In the article, the blogger gives the readers outline for this season premiere and then share his personal opinion. He also sorts the mysteries in the shows for the readers to let us know which part should focus on. Besides, he comments on some of the actors and actresses in the show. In the end, he asks the reader’s opinions and encourages readers to write down their own comments.
There are 23 comments responding to this article. From these comments, I found out that some readers will uses expressional symbols, such as “XD”(comment 1) to express their feelings. Some reader’s writing style is informal. They use incorrect grammar, such as “too tired to get into it, just wanted to say…”(comment 2). Some readers will quote the blogger’s comment and discuss it. Comment 3 is the example.
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