Posting 2- Blogging

The Art of Blogging

Overview, Definitions, Uses, and Implications
George Siemens December 1, 2002

Uses for blogging

As an emerging tool, blogging uses have still not been completely explored. Some current uses:
*Knowledge sharing and knowledge management - see Bottoms Up KM Development
*Customer service - see Blogging Goes Corporate
*Interactive journalism - see Instapundit
*Communication
*Self-expression
*Learning - see SchoolBlogs
*Self-marketing
*Campaigning/social reform - see Tara Grubb
*Community building
*Experience tracking - A K-log Pilot Recap
*Storytelling - see Grassroots KM Through Blogging
Most common uses for blogging are personal and, considering its origins as a personal web publishing forum, this makes sense. Emerging uses promise opportunities in corporations and education. Further application will also be realized as existing uses (communication, learning, knowledge management, interactive journalism, etc.) are adopted by various industries - notably entertainment, health care, government...........

http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/blogging_part_1.htm- you can visit this website for the full article.

Other link that related to blogging:

http://www.educause.edu/pub/er/erm04/erm0450.asp

As we may know and what we have learned in our class and tutorial, blogging offers powerful opportunities for online collaboration for both language professionals and learners. It may provide a practice environment where we can think, reflect, and create language slowly for a real-life audience in other words we can improve and enhance our writing skill. Again as our lecturer mention, blogging is valued as a pedagogical tool appears to be in its authentic, interesting and communicative nature. Of course we will use hypertext, to connect to what others have written on a topic or to resources on the Web, this then provide us with lots of information and sources. Blog entries are normally followed by a comment button, allowing readers to write a reaction, which is then logged and linked, along with all other comments, into the original text, thus making us improve our language by sharing and exchange ideas and thoughts. Besides that, by including videos, sound, photographs and links blogs can be interactive and colourful, also by that it will attract us to read and the most important is that we will be motivated on continuing doing the blog. What I like most is that when we are blogging, our teacher or lecturer can see when and what we write and they can provide us with feedbacks via comments linked to our post thus we will improve our writing skill. All in all, by blogging we can improve and enhance our writing skill step by step=). We just have to keep on learning!!!=)

These are some blogs that I find interesting and I like to visit.

http://thelanguagelearningblog.com/

http://www.enotes.com/blogs/english-teacher-blog/

Posting 1- Reading for Information and Pleasure!

I wouldn't say he's stupid, but...

Ways to Describe Someone as Stupid

1) A few clowns short of a circus.
2) A few fries short of a happy meal.
3) The wheel's spinning, but the hamster's dead.
4) The butter has slipped off his pancake.
5) The cheese slid off his cracker.
6) Body by Fisher, brains by Mattel.
7) Warning: Objects in mirror are dumber than they appear.
8) Couldn't pour water out of a boot with instructions on the heel.
9) As smart as bait.
10) Her sewing machine's out of thread.
11) One Fruit Loop shy of a full bowl.
12) Her antenna doesn't pick up all the channels.
13) His belt doesn't go through all the loops.
14) Proof that evolution CAN go in reverse.
15) Receiver is off the hook.
16) Not wired to code.
17) Skylight leaks a little.
18) Her slinky's kinked.
19) Too much yardage between the goal posts.
20) Got a full 6-pack, but lacks the plastic thingy to hold them together.
21) A photographic memory, but the lens cover is on.
22) During evolution his ancestors were in the control group.
23) Gates are down, the lights are flashing, but the train isn't coming.
24) If brains were taxed, he'd get a rebate.
25) Standing close to her, you can hear the ocean.
26) Some drink from the fountain of knowledge, but he just gargled.
27) One sandwich short of a picnic.
28) Not the sharpest knife in the drawer.
29) One of her DuraCells is in upside down.
30) His elevator doesn't stop at all the floors.

http://www.webenglishteacher.com/stupid.html

Since I was a kid until now I really, I mean really, really hate the word STUPID and also people who use that word. For me it’s such a rude and mean word. Don’t you think so? Besides using the synonym of STUPID for example dim, thick, slow, dull, unintelligent and so on, I’ve been searching through the internet and I found this. It’s really surprising that there are a lot of other words/phrases or should I say idioms, perhaps figure of speech would be better, that are more ‘polite’ to be used. Besides using not clever, dense, numb and so on these phrases are very interesting, fun and funny. This is why besides reading it for information; I also read it for pleasure. For example, ‘a photographic memory but the lens cover is on’ and another one is ‘her antenna doesn't pick up all the channels’. I find it funny and ‘cute’. Cute as if the person is not knowing things (‘blur’) and that particular person looks cute. Its good information you know. So people out there who like to and always use STUPID, there’s always other options for you guys to convey the meaning of this word. Just have a look at http://www.webenglishteacher.com/stupid.html for a lot more words and phrase. You can also ‘dig through’ the main web http://www.webenglishteacher.com and go to ‘Just For Fun’ link. There is a collection of jokes, puns, parodies and other fun stuff and even activities that you can do. Most are humorous and show different aspects of English at play. Enjoy!

LEARNING ENGLISH VIA ESL WEBSITE

This URL provides resources for teachers and also for learners (link to IB). Includes lesson plans (for the activities in the classroom), more than a thousand classroom activities contributed by teachers. There are also video, puzzles, jokes(they provide English article for fun) and criticism (educators can take advantage of online technology to share ideas and to benefit from the work of others, beginning teachers can find guidance; experienced teachers can find inspiration). This website is suitable for teachers of course and also for students because it helps them a lot with all the information and guidance. Other links, media- they can learn how to be particular on searching information, journalism- teaches editing and writing. Interdisciplinary Resources such as Art, Family and Consumer Science, Health, math music science Web design, give a lot of information and benefits. Overall the website is kind of boring to see but after we went through it, it has a lot of information and benefits. So people, you should try and have a look; don’t judge a book by its cover!

www.webenglishteacher.com

Computer Assisted Writing using Word Processor

There are many features in Word Processor that can give you benefits throughout your writing. But there are also disadvantages in using Word Processor. Here are some advantages and disadvantages that I found out writing using Word Processor.
There are some added values in using word processor in writing. In view of time saving, it saves a lot of our time. As for me, I am quite familiar with computer so typing using keyboard is not a barrier. Besides, using all the features in it can also save our time. For example, we don’t have cut pictures and glue and we have to wait for it to dry and so on. It is not just that, it will also make our work tidy. We can write proper in term of our hand writing and the task that we do. I mean like I mention earlier, if we paste a picture our work will be quite messy because of the glue and so on. Beside that, all this features are in one processor which you can simply use it without making yourself difficult. There are also lots of facilities in this word processor. For example, word count, you can use it to count how many words are there in your writing. You don’t have to count it one by one, I mean manually. There is also Flesch Kincaid Grade Level which can check our grade level according to the native speaker. We can check our spelling and grammar besides using the thesaurus which you can try and observe how easy you can search and use different word choice. Actually there are many more features, these are few. You’ll know if you explore more.
Despite all the advantages, there must be some disadvantages right? Well I found out some and from our discussion in the tutorial, writing using word processor it’s going to a double work. This is because when we use word processor we still have to use the paper right? We have to print and then submit. It is not just that, we also will lose our identity which we will not show our personality. This is because through our hand writing we can see all these characters. As for some people, when they write they need a pen where when they touch the pen or pencil the ideas on writing something will ‘pop-up’. Beside that, you have forgotten the fundamental of writing. Usually we need to brainstorm first before we write for example, do a mind map or draft. This way our writing will be more well-organized and efficient.
All in all, writing using word processor has its advantages and disadvantages. You just need to know how to use it effectively.

BlAcK aNd WhiTe

Black and white.......

It's just like our life you know. Sometimes there are sweet memories and sometimes there are bitter memories. There are so much things that we've been through and only we know what we've been through right??... Black resembles the bitterness and white represents the sweetness. Also black for the darkness in our life and white is vice versa........
Anyhow, I love my life... hehe..