Video project rubric

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B7F9tVZ2QCpgbHQyakJDczVvcjA/edit

My expectations for my students using multimedia...

Though my students are studying at the university level, their English abilities are quite low. Because of this, I don’t want the focus of the assignment to be on perfect English. That will just discourage them and they might not be as motivated to do well. Instead, I will grade them on their ability to creatively utilize the presentation tools, like Prezi or PowerPoint. They will research a topic and present that topic in a creative and interesting manner to the class. The focus will be on the visual message and how they put the information together and present it; not just the accuracy of English. I will have used these types of multimedia in the class, so it is something that the students will be familiar with seeing. I will show an example of what their projects should be like, so they have some basic guidelines to follow. The rest will be up to them to be as creative and imaginative as possible. I think this is a good exercise for Korean students who are not often pushed to explore ideas in a creative manner.

Incorporating what I have learned into my teaching...

I learned a lot more practical information than theoretical information from this course. Out of all of the multimedia materials we discussed and learned about, I will definitely use Prezi, Screencast, and Zimmertwin for my English conversation classes. Prezi turned out to be easier than I expected to execute. It is also a more interesting tool than Powerpoint and I think my ESL students will enjoy using it. Zimmertwin is another tool that can be used for presentation. The storylines are animated and will be easy to use once you get the hang of it. It is also more interactive than traditional presentation materials so my students should find that interesting. Starting next semester, I will ask students to prepare a presentation using either Prezi or Zimmertwin. They will be given a topic from the textbook and research it either by themselves or in groups. Then they will be required to present it to the class in English. It will be a good mid-term project for my students to incorporate what we have learned during the first part of the semester. I have been giving them written tests, but by using these tools students will feel less pressure to memorize answers and simply perform well on their tests. They can have fun completing these projects as well as learn how to apply the information in class to life situations. I am looking forward to next semester when I can implement these new multimedia tools.

Course syllabus

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HsyPGOcCIryEjsLU4vbBqj0QDmI6MUQ6UHBXOrY9FsQ/edit#

My favorite tool I've learned about in the class so far...

Before I knew anything about Prezi I hated the program because it looked too complicated to use. It looked interesting and entertaining but I didn’t think I would have the patience to learn a new program to implement in my classes. However, after I learned how to use that presentation tool and got the hang of it, I was amazed by how simple it is to prepare a show. It is more dynamic and exciting than any other presentation tool I’ve ever seen. It’s true that it takes a while to get used to it but once you do, it becomes the most powerful tool for your presentation. Students are engaged and interested in the information that is being presented. It catches their attention and makes them focus on the topic at hand because the screen is always changing and evolving. I can and will use Prezi in the beginning of the next semester to present the syllabus and class introduction for the ESL courses. Also I will use it for listening section of my ESL courses by adding YouTube videos within my presentation. I look forward to seeing how my students respond to this new type of presentation.

Audiofile - Is fishing your hobby?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6QKTnh6Dvc&feature=youtube_gdata

This blog is to be shared with Hyup Sung University students...

http://hyupsungenglish.wikispaces.com/

Get back to the roots of our education...

Education is knowledge obtained or developed by a learning process. In many ways in the West, it has been hijacked from its original objectives. For example, most American educational institutions were meant to serve as places of training and admonition in the fear of God. America's first public school was established in 1635 by John Cotton, a Puritan minister. Reading, writing, and arithmetic were always of secondary value compared to instruction in the ways of God.
Harvard, William and Mary, Yale, and Princeton are the four oldest learning institutions in the USA. As we know, many US Presidents have graduated from one of these institutions. All four have strayed far from their roots. Harvard University was founded in 1636. The principal donor for its foundation was a clergyman named John Harvard, from whom the university derives its name. It is the oldest university in America and was established for the purpose of training and releasing into society clergymen and scholars with Puritan values. Its motto is Veritas, which means "truth." Seven American presidents have attended there. It is one of the most prestigious educational institutions in the world. William and Mary College was founded in 1693 and is the second oldest university in the US. It was originally founded as an Anglican school. Three US presidents were educated there. Yale University was founded in 1701 by ten congregational ministers and is the third oldest university in the US. Jonathan Edwards, the revivalist, and leader of the Great Awakening, attended Yale; the divinity school houses a Jonathan Edwards Center devoted to the study of his works. Five US presidents attended Yale. Princeton University was founded in 1746 and is the fourth oldest university in America. Its motto is “Under God's Power She Flourishes.” Princeton was established by Presbyterians and was designed to train Presbyterian ministers. Four US presidents came from Princeton. These four universities are responsible for 18 American presidents as well as many other world leaders. Although these universities should be the top places to influence Christianity globally, they have instead become a fortress for liberalism, which is manifested in a philosophy that displaces God and puts man in the center.
As a Christian, I believe all hell broke loose in the American education system because the system has lost its true purpose. I am not saying they should stamp "Jesus" all over a curriculum in public educational systems, but at least find decency in their hearts to go back to values that founding fathers have cherished. Where is our decency and goodness to serve others? What happened to our basic moral foundation? It was these foundations that Americans built the country upon to become a global leader, and it is only with the same foundation that they can continue. They built their nation’s house upon a foundation in the fear of God and she grew into a global leader; and it is only with that same foundation that they can sustain themselves as a world power for the future to come.

Why on earth does the world praise the Korean educational system?

Whenever President Obama speaks about the US public education system, he always speaks positively about the education system of Korea. Why does he praise an educational system that is fundamentally broken, and only teaches students how to pass the university entrance exam? Students do not learn how to be creators or inventors; they are taught nothing more but to be future working drones in society. He praises this system that puts such massive amounts of stress and pressure on students that result in Korea having one of the highest suicide rates in the world. This is not a system of educating, but of pressurizing until they burst. Dictators, not leaders, want to simply control the population by turning them into obedient workers, not free thinkers. Education is about encouraging and educating students to think creatively, have opinions, and express those opinions to learn from one another. Teachers and leaders should be inspiring students and challenging them to meet the needs of this changing world.

However, instead of fostering an environment of freedom and liberty, we see them slipping away at an alarming rate. Regarding many of the Constitutional rights of America, such as the freedom of speech, the right to assembly, and the right to a trial by jury, the American government is looking more like communist China. Recently, President Obama signed a bill that removes the freedom of peaceful protest. On December 31, 2011, the NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act) was signed into law, authorizing worldwide indefinite military detention of any citizen or non-US citizen suspected of terrorism, whether detained in America or abroad, not limited to a battlefield. Passing these bills is in strict violation of the Constitution, and is against every value of liberty that founded the country. Is America in the process of becoming a communist country or is she already there?

I thought the Founders of America were men of godly character and strong moral value. What happened in these last 200 years? We, as human beings, are thinkers, not mindless drones. I read more and more about how the socialist curriculum (such as but not limited to big government will provide all of our needs; there is no God; traditional family is whatever you want it to be) is being pushed and presented to our children through the public educational system in the USA. Educational changes are happening fast and Americans need to recognize the state indoctrination of their children before it is too late. The problems and challenges America is facing are very interesting because the outcome will impact the world. American, Canadian, and Korean educational systems all feed off of each other. If the context of the US educational system changes, the rest of the world will change as well. If you are reading this, I hope that I have sparked an interest in you that you will do more research to see for yourself the problems and dangers we face in the public school systems, both in America and abroad.

How to access student information...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cg18xMDIIqg

The movie "Chinese New Year!"

http://zimmertwinsatschool.com/node/10935?designated=new

Login Name : Student18120
Password : 1306

My Favorite Lesson

I teach university students who are beginner’s level in their English. One of my favorite lessons was Unit 3 in the Interchange Level 1 book. It was called, “How much is it?” The objective of the lesson was for students to build confidence speaking English by using the language that they already know. They learn simple phrases that can be useful when making a purchase. Phrases such as “How much it is?”, “That is expensive/cheap.”, “Can I have a discount?”, etc. The focus is on very basic vocabulary and simple sentence structure. The activity for that lesson involved creating a mock flea market using classroom objects. I divided the students into groups. Within each group some of the students would sell the items and others would try to buy them. At the end of the activity, they compared their earnings in groups to find out who made the most money at the flea market. I rewarded those who made the most money accordingly (usually some chocolate bars from the US and so forth). Even those who are extremely shy at speaking English can participate in this activity because the context of the situation (bargaining at a market, simple phrases in English) is comfortable and familiar to them. I enjoyed seeing the students interact and have fun trying to get the best deal, yet make the most money.

•What are the challenges you find with following copyright laws? How can you and your students contribute to Creative Commons resources?

In Korea, the challenge is enforcing it and talking about it. I don't think Koreans and other Asians in general know what copyright means. For example, people use their computers to download and watch movies these days. The problem is that there are more websites where you can download movies illegally than ones that are legal. Once the consumer can get the product for free (via the internet) they will not pay for it (go to the store and purchase it), whether or not it is in violation of the law becasuse they believe there is no consequence for their actions. Also simply enforcing copyright laws is not a fundamental solution because it just focuses on the protection from the illegal download.
Koreans don't talk about why it is wrong to steal other people's work. It is not seen as a moral dilemma to cut and paste something and call it your own. Teachers need to make special effort to explain to students why we have copyright laws and the importance behind them.  Teachers must also be strict to enforce anti-plagerism in the classroom. Students should receive punishment for stealing work, but because teachers don't even understand the full importance of stopping plagerism it becomes an even more difficult problem to solve.

How can you become a more effective presenter?

There are many things to make oneself a more effective presenter, and as a professor in my university, my job requires me to be a presenter every day. First, it’s important to know the audience. Although I teach beginner’s English conversation, I am dealing with young adults at the university level. I have to relate to them in a way so they can connect to the topic. Another important part is knowing the students’ purpose for listening to the class. Some of the students are learning English to speak more fluently, but the majority is there to earn credit for graduation. When presenting to students, I must be concise, get to the point, and relate to them to keep the students engaged. In this digitizing era, presenters can use a variety of materials, videos, pictures, and other visual aids to make the class more interesting.

Which of the NETS-S is most important for you to address in your class?

1. Creativity and Innovation

Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and
processes using technology.

With the rapid progress of modern civilization, creativity and innovation in education and economy are becoming the major driving forces behind all the things that we enjoy. For example, take a look at most of, not all, Apple products. Although there are some anti-Apple users out there somewhere, most of us appreciate its products. Creativity and innovation are two of major values of human resources in the 21st century knowledge-based society.

Through technology, their importance is emphasized in today's knowledge economy which is based on the production and distribution of knowledge and information. The ability of an organization to grow is depended on its capability to generate new ideas and to utilize them effectively for the long-term benefit of the organization. Again, take a look at what Apple is doing.

Welcome to my blog!