Name: Shaun

Web Site: http://www.internationalcounselor.org/

Bio: Shaun McElroy is a High School Counselor at Shanghai American School - Puxi Campus. He blogs at internationalcounselor.org as well as a number of other sites including U Tech Tips. A lover of macs and gadgets, theories and nature, you can find Shaun posting about higher education and following your dreams at the International Counselor

Posts by smcelroy:

    Great article: 10 ways Universities Share Information Using Social Media

    July 16th, 2009
    0

    I am at the OACAC conference and will be facilitating discussions are web 2.0 and college admissions. Luckingly, over at MASHABLE,  Vadim Lavrusik has a great article exploring how universities are using social netwrking:

    Instead of focusing
    their attention on promoting information to mainstream media, some
    university public affairs offices are using the power of social media
    to engage the community directly. In many cases, social media tools
    like Facebook Pages
    have given universities an opportunity to speak to audiences on their
    own, reaching thousands of people interested in keeping up with news at
    the school and connecting with others on the social network.

    4 Comments "

    Own your facebook

    June 18th, 2009
    0

    Twitter and myspace always allowed you to have a real name. Facebook, on the other hand, just assigned you a number. How big brother of them. For a long while there was speculation that facebook would let you boy your vanity URL, but surprise surprise, they let you pick your own for FREE–and you can still do it.
    just log into facebook and then type in the browser
    www.facebook.com/username
    Facebook will give you suggestions based on your profile user’s name or you can type anything you want in there.


    Happy facebooking!

    2 Comments "

    Kindle U: The birth of the etext?

    May 7th, 2009
    0

    Amazon launches the Kindle DX today jumping into the higher ed
    textbook market with much fanfare. With 6 well selected partners,
    Princeton, UVA, PACE,Arizona State, Case Western Reserve, and, Reed, higher ed pundits should be jumping up and down.

    Apparently
    the kindle Dx is not yet fully baked. Although resleased you cannot
    actually get one. THe good news is that it is bigger: Over 9 inches of
    screen real estate, you can view it landscape or portraight, it has
    more memory and finally it can read PDFs! The bad news is the price:
    $489. And that is without the textbooks. US textbooks are the most
    overpriced books in any market. Most students rely on selling them off
    after having used them once. Can you resell a kindle book? I think
    not. THey have lined up some of the biggest names in publishing such
    as Addison-Wesley, Wiley Higher Education, Longman & Prentice Hall,
    but no word on pricing. Will they hold to thei 9.99 Kindle edition
    pricing? I doubt it, not with current texts often running $150 or more.
    Yet Amazon maintains it is revolutionizing higher ed. Sounds more like
    the are adding yet another revenue stream and students may get little
    relief.

    Commenters are weighing in at engadget. One oberver shares my concern cynicism over the partnership:

    My thinking is that the success of the Kindle DX depends almost solely
    on the pricing of the content. If textbooks are 40 to 50 percent
    cheaper than the ones in the university bookstore then the device will
    practically pay for itself (even at $489), and Amazon will have opened
    the door to a huge potential market. Alternatively, if newspaper
    subscriptions are offered at a heavily discounted rate, or if the DX
    itself is offered at a subsidized price with a newspaper subscription,
    then it’ll get a strong foothold in a niche that’s only going to get
    bigger. Of course, the chances of either of those happening is probably
    less than 50-50, and the chances of both are slim to none, which leaves
    the Kindle DX in much the same position as the original Kindle and
    Kindle 2: a device that either needs to get a whole lot better or a
    whole lot cheaper.

    A current Kindle 2 owner observes:

    I spent a lot of time in college and law school at library tables
    stacked six inches deep in open reference books, and there’s simply no
    way to recreate that experience with a Kindle, no matter how big the
    screen. Plus, I know I’m not the only one who writes all over the
    margin and highlights in five colors when I study — if I tried to do
    the same using the tools on the Kindle, I’d basically end up with a
    totally inverted screen. Maybe I’m wrong and all the kids are clamoring
    for a $500 black and white e-book whose advantages over paper are
    dwarfed by its limitations, but I have a feeling the Kindle DX will be
    a novelty on the academic scene for a long time to come.

    A current satudent checked out another ebook reader

    Recently, I got an opportunity to borrow the iRex Reader 1000 for a
    week. Seeing as I have some of my university textbooks in pdf format, I
    loaded them on to see how it was. To be honest, I was very
    dissappointed. Not by the device itself, it really is a beauty and
    e-ink is a wonderful technology. But when I study, I am constantly
    going back and forth in my textbooks, to reread and compare. The
    refresh rate of these devices makes this quite a painful affair.
    It
    is immensely frustrating when you want to have another look at a
    formula on a previous page, and because that page is no longer in
    cache, you have to wait a couple of seconds (for image heavy pdf files
    i’d sometimes have to wait almost 30 secoonds if the page was not
    cached) before the page turns. I found it too disruptive in my studying
    to be useful. As much as I love the concept of these devices, these
    kinds of limitations kept me from purchasing one. It really cannot
    replace the usability of a textbook (though the increased portability
    is absolutely wonderfull).

    On the other hand, I also loaded up
    some novels, and that is where the device started to shine for me. Due
    to lack of images and predictive lookahead caching, page turns werent
    disruptive at all, and it was quite a pleasure to read on its amazing
    screen. I think I read more in that week than in the previous months
    combined. But for novels, you do not need a large device like this, a
    smaller device is much better for that purpose.

    So yeah, I
    really don’t see this new Kindle catching on. However, if it helps
    E-Ink technology become cheaper and more mature in the future, then it
    has my full support.

    Yet one student sees two key advantages:

    The only real advantage I see to this for textbooks is text searching.
    This is the real advantage to digital libraries and .pdf files. So many
    nights studying, I wish I could just search for a particular phrase in
    my 800 page text book so I could just skim the definition. The index
    just doesn’t cut it most times. But what this would need marginal notes
    and a savable highlight functions for this to even begin to replace a
    text book, and maybe an external output to display two books at once
    for comparisons or displaying multiple references (or split screen
    viewing).

    Also, a slightly lighter backpack would go a little easier on the back some days.

    But will it change education?

    I also recognize that this isn’t going to Change Education As We Know It,
    but we’ve gotta start somewhere. Most technology takes quite a bit of
    incubating before it’s truly applicable to most people, and while the
    Kindle DX won’t make e-books the de facto standard in education, it’s a
    decent step in that direction. A future generation is going to think
    those paper textbooks we all used “back in the day” were pretty silly,
    so for the sake of generational pride I’m happy to be moving in the
    right direction.

    And the dirty secret? Only 300 students will be included in the trial at the six universities–and the universities have not even figured out which courses.

    But
    I think the time has come for the true e-text. IF not the kindle (at
    that price point, and no touch screen, I doubt it), then who? PErhaps
    the Irex:

    with a cost of 587 Euros, I think not.

    What about the sony reader?

    Too small, but they have OLED technologies making their way into their new generation walkmans?

    Honestly there are too many to go through–check out the ebook reader wiki–but the one with a lot of promise is plastic logic’s upcoming release:

    plastic logic
    plastic logic

    The have some interesting YOutube videos demoing the product. Plastic Logic videos are available on YouTube. Get it to market already!

    3 Comments "

    LiveBlogging: Scott McCloud

    April 17th, 2009
    0

    “I am just a little guy walking back and forth.” Scott McCloud is giving a speech to our school. We have fourth and fifth graders in with seniors. Very cool. He and his family wandered all around USA, UK, Spain and some cities in Canada. he makes his living making comics…and speaking. He is using Keynote to make the presentation. So far, only one word has been on…in 50 slides. Just one word: Comic..

    every medium tells it story in different ways.
    They all have something in common. You want to loose yourself in the stories.

    Telling his story, he mentions his dad graduated from Harvard and the kids gasp. Seriously they gasp. He confesses he was a nerd. Loved Chess–a kid calls out yes.
    I was a fourteen year old boy living in America. Of course I loved comics.

    Good career road map.
    Started in high school, had great friends who were really into it. Passion is born. Went to Syracuse University and studied illustration and went to work at DC and god his own comic called Zot.

    Still no words. Most images on screen has been four.

    We are all human beings we all look for structure we look for connection.
    temporal map-map of time

    what happens when this art form moves from paper to digital.
    We read and write facial expressions, but we never quite understand them. Go play with grimace project.

    Some examples:
    pup comics
    e-merl.com

    This presentation fascinated me on four levels:
    1) He did not just talk about tell stories, but told stories well.
    2) I love comics, so that was a given.
    3) His use of keynote was masterful and elegant.
    4) He delivered this presentation to students as young as 9 and as old as 18 (not to mention 25 or 30 teachers there) and kept all engaged and energized.

    2 Comments "

    Moving on? Get a head start on the language

    April 4th, 2009
    1

    Last night I was over at friends as they started gearing up for their next move to Mali. As we queeried them on the country, history, attractions and languages, it occurred to me that it was time to update the list I post from time to time about using your ipod to learn languages. Well as luck would have it, Open Culture keeps the list very updated:

    A great way to learn 37 languages for free. Spanish, French, English,
    Mandarin, Russian and much more. Why pay for Rosetta Stone when you can
    learn a new language for free.

    Arabic

    • Arabic Language Lessons iTunes Feed Web Site

      • The US Peace Corps serves up 10 lessons that will teach you the
        Arabic spoken in Jordan. The web site includes a useful transcript.
    • ArabicPod iTunes Feed Web Site
      • Includes mp3 podcasts and PDF transcripts.
    • Survival Phrases Arabic iTunes Feed Web Site
      • Provides the essentials you’ll need to get around.
    • The Arabic Circle – iTunes Feed
      • While not offering language lessons per se, the University of
        Chicago’s Center for Middle Eastern studies offers weekly lectures in
        Arabic that include social, cultural and academic investigations of the
        Arabic speaking world. Students will find it handy for practicing their
        comprehension.
    • The Arabic PodClass Feed Web Site
      • A fledgling podcast that’s worth a look.

    Bulgarian

    Catalan

    • One Minute Catalan iTunes Feed Web Site

      • A good way to get going with a language still spoken by some 12 million people, many living in Northeast Spain.

    Chinese

    • Cantonese Lessons Feed Web Site

      • This is a very fledgling Cantonese language series. It has one
        lesson so far. So we’ll have to see if this is for real. In the
        meantime, please let us know if you find a richer collection of
        Cantonese lessons.
    • Chinese Learn Online iTunes Feed Web Site
      • A dialogue-based introduction to Mandarin Chinese. Load them on your iPod and get up the Chinese curve.
    • Chinese Lessons with Serge Melnyk iTunes Feed Web Site
      • Weekly lessons in Mandarin that get very strong reviews from iTunes users..
    • Chinesepod.com iTunes Feed Web Site
      • A series of well-reviewed lessons that will let you learn Mandarin on your own terms.
    • iMandarinPod.com iTunes Feed Web Site
      • A more advanced podcast, this series of lessons teaches Chinese by
        talking about Chinese culture or what is happening today in China.
    • LearnChinesePod.com iTunes Feed Web Site
      • A Mandarin language podcast taught by Yao in New York City.
    • Mandarin Chinese ConversationiTunes Web Site
      • A language series put together by TimesOnline.
    • Mandarin Chinese Feed Web Site
      • 10 Lessons by the US Peace Corps. Make sure you visit the site and download the pdf that accompanies the lessons.
    • Popup Chinese iTunes Feed Web Site
      • Offers lessons for beginners and also students at intermediate and
        advanced levels. In addition to language lessons, Popup Chinese
        provides annotated short stories, HSK test prep materials and a variety
        of speaking and listening exercises. They broadcast out of Beijing, and
        all voice actors speak the standard northern dialect.
    • Survival Chinese iTunes Feed Web Site
      • Learn the phrases you need to get by while traveling in China.
    • Think and Talk Like (the) Chinese iTunes Web Site
      • Cathy Lu takes a look at the Chinese language, while introducing students to China’s history and culture.
    • World Learner Chinese iTunes Feed Web Site
      • Another in the mix of possibilities.

    Danish

    • Dare to Danish iTunes Web Site

      • This is not your usual series of language lessons. Here, a “dirty Dane” teaches you “stupid phrases and more.”
    • One Minute Danish iTunes Feed Web Site
      • We get a lot of requests (believe it or not) for Danish. So here’s another useful podcast created by the One Minute series.

    Dutch

    • Laura Speaks Dutch iTunes Feed Web Site

      • A series of podcasts that will help you travel to Holland. It’s worth checking out the accompanying web site.

    English

    • Business English iTunes Web Site

      • Learn the English you will need to function effectively in an American business environment.
    • English as a Second Language Podcast iTunes Feed Web Site
      • A very well liked collection of ESL lessons. Over 100 episodes in the collection.

    • English for Spanish Speakers (’Por Fin Aprende Ingles’) iTunes Feed Web Site

      • Si usted haya asistido al menos a un curso de ingles, y usted
        necesita la oportunidad de escuchar al ingles y hablar el ingles,
        entonces ‘Por Fin Aprende Ingles’ es el podcast perfecto para usted.
        Presentado por Carla Staufert-Sauvier, una profesora de Mexico, y Jade
        Lindquist, una profesora de los EE UU.
    • ESL Business News iTunes Feed Web Site
      • A weekly podcast of international business news read in slow, clear
        English. Listen to the podcast and follow along in the accompanying
        script.
    • On Demand English iTunes Feed Web Site
      • Daily podcasts that will teach you English and American customs. Well done.
    • The Bob and Rob Show: Weekly English Lessons from a Yankee and a Brit iTunes Feed Web Site
      • Taking a more unconventional approach to teaching English, this
        program uses humor to teach intermediate-to-advanced students idioms,
        grammar, and slang in both American and English flavors.
    • Tu Ingles! iTunes Feed Web Site
      • “Tu Ingles” is designed to help Spanish-speakers improve their ear
        for English. The weekly program features drills of verb conjugation,
        interviews, advice about idioms, and excerpts of speeches and other
        recorded spoken material from famous English speakers.

    Esperanto

    • Esperanto-Lecionoj iTunes Feed Web Site

      • These lessons will help you become familiar with Esperanto, a purely international language

    Finnish

    • Special Finnish Feed Web Site

      • For listeners with some command of Finnish YLE Radio Finland offers
        daily broadcasts in “Special Finnish”. The five minute broadcasts cover
        items of current interest. To ease understanding, we simplify the
        language and slow down the delivery. Some grammatical forms are not
        used at all. The level of Finnish used is planned to match the expected
        ability to understand Finnish shown by persons in Level Two Language
        Command (ofFinnish) as defined by the Council of Europe.”

    French

    • Easy French Poetry Podcast iTunes Feed Web Site

      • A French as a second language Podcast, using poetry as a topic for discussion using everyday conversational French.
    • French for Beginners iTunes Feed Web Site
      • Fun, effective lessons for beginners. Provided by the French Ecole.
    • FrenchPod.com iTunes Feed Web Site
      • A series of well-reviewed lessons that will let you learn French on
        your own terms. FrenchPod currently offers free podcasts on a schedule
        of 5 per week with extra shows on the weekend. The podcasts are
        accompanied by text expansion exercises and other tutoring aids.
    • Le Journal en français facile iTunes Feed Web Site
      • Nightly news from RFI presented in slowly spoken French to assist you with your comprehension.
    • Learn French by Podcast iTunes Feed Web Site
      • A well-reviewed series of lessons for beginners and those who want to brush up on their French.
    • Learn French with Coffee Break French iTunes Feed Web Site
      • The producers of the very popular Coffee Break Spanish now offer a podcast that will teach you French.
    • Learn French with Daily Podcasts iTunes Feed Web Site
      • These lessons are brought to you by French teachers from Paris.
        They are best suited for those who already have some beginning French
        under their belts.
    • Ma France iTunes Feed Web Site
      • The BBC offers 24 video podcasts that will teach you French.
    • Mali French Feed Web Site
      • The Peace Corps teaches you some of the French spoken in Mali.
    • The French Pod Class iTunes Feed Web Site
      • A very popular collection that teaches students the French language and different facets of French culture.
    • The Verbcast – French Verbs by Relaxation iTunes Feed Web Site
      • A four-week series of lessons that will allow you to refine your knowledge of French verbs.

    German

    • Deutsch – warum nicht?

    • German Podcast.de iTunes Web Site
    • GerGermanGrammar iTunes Feed Web Site
      • German grammar lessons aimed at American students.
    • Lernen Wir Deutsch iTunes Feed Web Site
      • Presented in video, these “vodcasts” get high marks for being not only educational but also very entertaining.
    • MyDailyPhrase.com iTunes Feed Web Site
      • Learn German phrase by phrase over a course of 20 weeks. The
        podcasts will cover all the language you need to know to get by on a
        visit to a German-speaking country. This series is put together by the
        same people created the popular series “Coffee Break Spanish.”
    • One Minute German iTunes Feed Web Site
      • Presented by the Radio Lingua Network
    • Slow German iTunes Feed Web Site
      • Annik Rubens reads slowly and clearly from parts of her popular podcast, Sleepless in Munich (Schaflos in Munchen).
    • Slowly Spoken News iTunes Feed
      • Deutsche Welle provides a nightly news broadcast in German that’s spoken slowly so that you can work on your comprehension.

    Greek

    • Learning Greek iTunes Feed Web Site

      • From the Hellenic American Union, these lessons will teach students
        Modern Greek. For those who already have some foundation in the
        language.

    Hebrew

    • Elementary Hebrew iTunes

      • The audio and video files come from a course taught in a seminary.
    • Hebrew Vocab Pronunciations iTunes Web Site
      • Here you get straightforward pronunciations of words in Hebrew.

      And, by the way, you can find a good resource to learn Biblical Hebrew vocabulary here.

    Hindi

    • I Speak Hindi Feed Web Site

      • Covers essential
        words and phrases that you need for your trip to India. There are also
        Beginner Hindi lessons for those that want to seriously start to learn
        the language.
    • Learn Hindi from Bollywood Movies iTunes Feed Web Site
      • This looks like a fun approach to learning a language.
    • Namaste Dosti – The Learn Hindi Podcast iTunes Feed Web Site

      • There are few options when it comes to learning Hindi via podcast, so the podcast author decided to fill the void.

    Hungarian

    • Let’s Learn Hungarian iTunes Feed Web Site

      • Learn with Steve or Gyorgyi, a native speaker.

    Indonesian

    • Learning Indonesian iTunes Feed Web Site

      • A complete online Indonesian course geared towards developing conversational fluency in the Indonesian Language.

    Irish

    • Learn Irish Feed Web Site

      • As the title says, here’s a quite new podcast that will teach you Irish. Hopefully, it will continue to grow.
    • One Minute Irish iTunes Feed Web Site

    Italian

    • ItalianPod.com iTunes Feed Web Site

      • A series of well-reviewed lessons that will let you learn Italian on your own terms.
    • LearnItalianPod.com iTunes Feed Web Site
      • A series of Italian language lessons that will get you up and running. I have personally used them and found them effective.
    • Let’s Speak Italian iTunes Feed Web Site
      • This collection will help you learn Italian in small, manageable 5-minute bites.
    • MyDailyPhrase.com iTunes Web Site
      • Learn Italian step by step over a course of 20 weeks. The podcasts
        will cover all the language you need to know to get by on a visit to a
        Italian-speaking country. Created by the same people who put together
        the popular series “Coffee Break Spanish.”
    • World Languages Podcasting – Italian Podcast iTunes Feed Web Site
      • It’s admittedly a bit of an untraditional way to learn Italian.
        This podcast lets you listen to conversations about Australian culture
        in Italian.

    Japanese

    • Japanese Class (Video) iTunes Web Site

      • These videocasts from the Kyoto Japanese Language School get strong
        reviews. They use video effectively to demonstrate how to write in
        Japanese.
    • JapanesePod101.com iTunes Feed Web Site
      • Over 100 quality lessons aimed at the beginner. Users give it high marks.
    • Learn Japanese iTunes Feed Web Site
      • Japancast teaches Japanese using lessons from anime and everyday conversation.
    • Learn Japanese Symbols iTunes Feed Web Site
      • These lessons teach students how to work with Japanese symbols, such as Kanji, Hiragana, and Katakana.
    • Survival Phrases iTunes Feed Web Site
      • Learn the must-know phrases for traveling in Japan.

    Korean

    • Easy Quick Learn Korean iTunes Feed Web Site

      • One of the newer and seemingly more robust options for learning Korean.
    • Learn Korean iTunes Feed Web Site
      • A little new and “rough around the edges,” according to reviewers, but perhaps worth a look.
    • Kimchigirls iTunes Feed Web Site
      • An option that looks to have more promise.
    • Survival Phrases iTunes Feed Web Site
      • Gets the phrases that will get you by.

    Latin

    • Latinum iTunes Feed Web Site

      • The Latin Language Learning Podcast from London.
    • Nightly News in Latin Feed Web Site
      • “Nuntii Latini – News in Latin – is a weekly review of world news
        in Classical Latin, the only international broadcast of its kind in the
        world, produced by YLE, the Finnish Broadcasting Company.

    Lithuanian

    • Lithuanian Out Loud iTunes Feed Web Site

      • Offers beginners, intermediate and advanced lessons.

    Luxembourgish

    • One Minute Luxembourgish iTunes Feed Web Site

      • Another niche language covered by the Radio Lingua Network.

    Norwegian

    • One Minute Norwegian iTunes Feed Web Site

      • Learn Norwegian in minutes with the Radio Lingua Network.

    Polish

    • One Minute Polish iTunes Feed Web Site

      • Another podcast provided by the Radio Lingua Network.

    Portuguese

    • Brazilian PodClass iTunes Feed Web Site
    • Brazilian Portuguese iTunes Feed Web Site
      • A conversation-oriented introduction to Brazilian Portuguese.
        You’ll also get introduced to Brazilian culture, and learn about the
        differences between the language spoken in Brazil and Portugal. NOTE:
        Mp3s for the first 16 lessons can be found here.
    • Ta Falado: Brazilian Portuguese Pronunciation for Spanish Speakers iTunes Feed Web Site
      • Created by the Texas Language Technology Center in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at UT-Austin.

    Romanian

    • Learn Romanian iTunes Feed Web Site

      • A quick way to learn Romanian survival phrases to help you on your journey.
    • One Minute Romanian iTunes Feed Web Site
      • Quick lessons by the creators of the One Minute language series.

    Russian

    • A Spoonful of Russian iTunes Feed Web Site

      • Recommended by our readers.
    • A Taste of Russian iTunes Feed Web Site
      • This “isn’t a boring Grammar course, it is a real chat on different
        topics which can be heard in everyday life. It is a chance to listen to
        the native speakers talking at home, at work, at the shop, at the
        party, etc.”
    • Business Russian iTunes Feed Web Site
      • Presented by the UCLA Center for World Languages, this series teaches students the essentials of Russian business communication.
    • Russian (Kazahk) Feed Web Site
      • No Borat jokes. Learn some Kazahk style Russian from the Peace Corps. Be sure to download the accompanying PDF file.
    • Russian Literature iTunes Feed Web Site
      • Also presented by UCLA, this podcast helps users improve their
        comprehension and vocabulary by listening to excerpts from Tolstoy,
        Gogol, Chekhov and other Russian literary greats.
    • One Minute Russian iTunes Feed Web Site
    • RussianPod101 iTunes Web Site
      • Helps you learn Russian and Russian culture at your convenience.

    Spanish

    • Cody’s Cuentos iTunes Feed Web Site

      • A Spanish-language podcast of classic fairy tales and legends. The
        fact that you probably already know the story in English will aid your
        comprehension of understanding the tale in Spanish.
    • Coffee Break Spanish iTunes Feed Web Site
      • Learn Spanish in a low-key, effective way. Currently the #2 overall
        favorite in iTunes’ podcast collection. They must be loaded on iPods
        everywhere.
    • Finally Learn Spanish – Beyond the Basics iTunes Feed Web Site
      • If you’ve had some Spanish classes and you need experience
        listening to and speaking the language, then Finally Learn Spanish has
        a collection of podcasts for you.
    • Insta Spanish Lessons iTunes Feed Web Site
      • Weekly comprehension and grammar exercises for students of all levels. One of the more popular podcasts on iTunes.
    • Learn Spanish at SpanishPod101 iTunes Feed Web Site
      • A podcast created by teams from 5 Spanish speaking countries.
    • Learn Spanish Survival Guide iTunes Feed
      • If you’re planning a trip to a Spanish speaking country, and if you don’t know the language, this will help get you up to speed.
    • Learn to Speak Spanish iTunes Feed Web Site
      • Learn to speak Spanish in just 15 minutes per day.
    • LingusTV iTunes Feed Web Site
      • A unique entry into the instructional language podcasts arena. It’s
        an educational video podcast done in the form of a television sit-com
        (situation comedy), laugh track included. While the actors speak solely
        in Spanish, Spanish subtitles are provided and explanations of
        vocabulary and grammar points are provided on the web site.
    • Notes in Spanish iTunes – Feed – Web Site
      • Produced by Ben Curtis and Marina Diez, a husband-and-wife team out
        of Madrid, Spain. Ben is British and Marina is Spanish and they too
        have built quite a large following for their conversational Spanish
        podcasts, (for beginners, intermediates and advanced students), which
        promise to teach listeners “real Spanish” the way it is actually spoken
        every day in Spain.
    • Rojas Spanish Language iTunes Feed Web Site
      • “No English is spoken here. These podcasts are for the Intermediate
        and Advanced Spanish Speaker who would like to sharpen their Spanish
        skills. The fine points of the language will be presented and explored
        through a variety of topics to include; music, history, culture, food.”
    • SpanishPod iTunes Feed Web Site
      • A series of well-reviewed lessons that will let you learn Spanish on your own terms.
    • SpanishPod101 iTunes Feed Web Site
      • Distinguishes itself from other currently available instructional
        podcasts by providing lessons that feature different accents from
        around the Spanish-speaking world. Dialogues are repeated multiple
        times and an English translation is provided, to further aid learning.
    • Spanish Sense iTunes Feed Web Site
      • Another set of podcasts that lets you learn Spanish on your own terms.
    • Spanish Podcasts for Beginners iTunes Feed Web Site
      • Podcasts recorded by native Spanish speakers with clear explanations in English.
    • Voices en Español iTunes Feed Web Site
      • Geared toward more advanced students, this podcast features an
        interview in Spanish with a native speaker from Spain, Latin America or
        the U.S. It’s also accompanied by a bilingual blog that includes weekly
        Spanish grammar tips.


    Swedish

    • Klartext Feed Web site

      • News in easy-to-understand Swedish.
    • Learn Swedish with SwedishLingQ iTunes Feed Web Site
      • Our readers have been waiting for Swedish lessons to come along. Here it finally is.
    • Swedish Survival Phrases iTunes Feed Web Site
      • From the makers of the Survival Phrases series.

    Tagalog

    • Viloria.com Pinoy Podcast iTunes Feed Web Site

      • Learn to speak Tagalog to give you the advantage when you travel to the Philippines.

    Thai

    • Learn Thai Podcast: Free English Thai Audiolearning Course Feed Web Site

      • Apparently the lessons are good, but they’ve been having some technical problems and not all podcasts are always available.

    Vietnamese

    • Survival Phrases iTunes Feed Web Site

      • You get the gist from the title. Learn here some phrases that will help you survive in Vietnam.

    Yiddish

    General How-To

    • Teach Yourself a Foreign Language iTunes Feed Web Site

      • This program discusses how to go about learning a foreign language
        on your own. Some people liked it, some didn’t. Check it out and judge
        for yourself.

    5 Comments "

    Facebook in real life: Creepy, yet brilliant

    March 5th, 2009
    0
    See more funny videos and TBT Videos at Today’s Big Thing.

    1 Comment "

    Burden of Proof? Facebook expulsion

    February 15th, 2009
    0

    It is on his facebook, so he wrote it, right? He should be held accountable if it is lewd or inflammatory, right? He has violated his college’s code of conduct, so he should be punished, correct? But what if he says he did not write it? A Calvin College student refuses to apologize for a message posted on his facebook page because he says he did not write it:

    Harris is accused of writing a message about a former girlfriend — who was not named — on the social networking site in November. The message referred to the woman in two slang terms and referenced sexual activity.

    Harris, who was studying accounting, Asian studies and international development, claims the former girlfriend had his password and wrote the message herself out of spite following their breakup.

    This situation is fraught with problems: If a note had been posted on bulletin board signed by the student and he said someone else posted it, would he be expelled? I suspect not. In the 21st century, your online presence is not private. Your ability to control your image is easily manipulated. A few months ago, I received an invite for friending a former boss on facebook. The profile had several pictures of my boss. Only it was not her account. A few days later I got an email from her secretary saying that this was not her and please ignore the request. So who had stole her identity? And why would they want to be my friend?

    2 Comments "

    inauguration , hope and technology

    January 20th, 2009
    0

    It has all changed.

    15 and half million views of a homage of a meshup that appeared on
    youtube that did as much to boost Obama’s profile early in the election

    . This is a web 2.0 government, looking for a real discussion:
    “Your stories and your ideas can help change the future of the country. When we come together around a common purpose, great things are possible.”
    How can that not inspire? Sure the cynics can readily dismiss it as a ploy. They tried to dismiss Obama’s money making using the web and look where that got them.
    So why is a Canadian talking so enthusiastically about an inauguration of a US president in a technology blog for international educators? Sure, I caught the fever, I have been obamaized. This inauguration captures the promise of web 2.0, just as you have been using it. Techcrunch does a great list of how the web 2.0 will be following along:

    —Hulu: Will be streaming live, Fox.com will also be using Hulu’s stream.

    —C-Span: Washington D.C.’s video standby will have four live feeds to choose from.

    —CNN.com: Partnering with Facebook so you can see your friends’ status updates while watching.

    —Current TV : Will add a Twitterstream to its coverage.

    —Ustream.tv: This stream will also be available on your iPhone, great for those along the parade route too far away to see the main stage.

    —Starbucks and movie theaters: For those who cannot make it to Washington, MSNBC is hosting screenings of the inauguration in movie theaters and Starbucks across the country (although it looks as though these are already sold out).

    — Joost is also broadcasting the inauguration live.

    —Obama Girl is streaming her coverage on Stickam.

    Where To Stay

    —CrashTheInauguration: If you are going to Washington, D.C. and still don’t have a room, you might find a couch to sleep on at CrashTheInauguration. And if you are lucky they might even serve you Obama O’s for breakfast.

    Where To Share

    —Twitter: Just search for “inauguration” or “Obama”. The chatter has already started.

    —NPR Inauguration Report:
    Run by NPR’s social media desk, it will be collecting dispatches from
    spectators via Twitter, Flicr, YouTube, and text message. All Tweets or
    text messages that start with “#inaug09? or “#dctrip09? will be
    included in NPR’s feed, as well as Flickr photos and YouTube videos
    tagged “inaug09? or “dctrip09.” There are also an accompanying iPhone
    and Android apps called IR09, Inauguration Report 2009 (more details here).

    —CNN/Microsoft 3D Photosynth: People at the inauguration can upload their photos and Microosft will combine them into a 3D panoramic Photosynth (more details here).

    —Citizen’s Briefing Book: Got a policy suggestion for the transition team? Submit one or vote for the best ones at Change.gov

    —Where Were You?: A video contest sponsored by Memelabs that will let people share where they were on this historic day.

    iPhone Apps and Follow-up

    —Ustream.tv: Stream the inauguration to your iPhone (see above).

    —Inauguration Report 2009: Submit your own report to NPR with text,
    photos, or audio. Reports post straight to NPR’s Inauguration feed (see
    above).

    —PointAbout 2009 Presidential Inauguration Guide: Free app with a
    countdown to the inauguration, distance to the inauguration steps, and
    lets you navigate Washington, D.C. with maps of public transport, parking, free WiFi zones, and a Zagat’s restaurant guide for the city.

    —CrashTheInauguration (same as above, but on your iPhone).

    —Change (U.S.) Politics (iTunes link). Cast your approval rating of the Obama administration across 14 issues

    —PolitFact’s Obameter: Obama made more than 500 promises during the election campaign. Track how many he keeps with the Obameter.

    –and Operah has a free song from Will.I.am and Bono.

    1 Comment "

    Backlash growing on using web 2.0 technologies at uni

    January 20th, 2009
    0

    “The university is being called on to produce knowledge as
    never before … and it is also being called upon to transmit knowledge
    to an unprecedented proportion of the population.”

    Absorb that statement for a monet, before I reveal that it was not written last week or last year. It was written before I was born: In 1963 to be exact by the President of the University of California, Clark Kerr. As unversities struggle to fufill or even find their role in society, many are embracing technologies. I am a big fan of this. But not everyone is.
    From the land Downwunda:

    A STUDENT petition at the University of Western Sydney is
    demanding cuts in fees to match cuts in face-to-face teaching time as
    the university extends the virtual classroom.     Podcasting is a technology that’s supposed to download a good news story: Cyber uni plugs into gen Y! But Tammy Lawlor, 21, a first-year arts student, is not impressed with the new podcast era at the University of Western Sydney.

    Me personally I love podcasts. But I graduated from Uni some time ago. I use Itunes U and Ted Talks to keep abreast of developments. I have taken to reading books as a walk to school. By reading, I mean listening. I still read in the old fashioned way when I am home. But a couple of long bus trips recently helped me knock off Blink and Lost in Planent China. But this is adult learning. Universities should be something different. Something unique:

    The Idea of the University

    “It is the place to which a
    thousand schools make contributions; in which the intellect may safely range
    and speculate, sure to find its equal in some antagonist activity, and its
    judge in the tribunal of truth. It is a place where inquiry is pushed forward,
    discoveries verified and perfected, and rashness rendered innocuous, and error
    exposed, by the collision of mind with mind, and knowledge with knowledge ….
    It is a seat of wisdom, a light of the world, a minister of the faith, an Alma
    Mater of the rising generation.”

    –John Henry Cardinal Newman (1801-1890)

    Do podcasts dimish the seat of the wisdom? Pehraps, especially when the podcasts are done in isolation with no “collision of mind with mind.”

    “The
    isolated learning experience is not satisfying for me,” Ms Lawlor said.
    Nor for many other UWS students, judging by the signatures on her
    petition. Students say no to podcasts | The Australian

    That is the crux. Education means to bring out…to lead forth. A podcast is a great listen. But if you only listen, if you never question, interact, dialogue you are failing at an opportunity to find meaning.


    Zen and the Art of
    University

    The real University is a state of mind. It is that
    great heritage of rational thought that has been brought down to us through the
    centuries and which does not exist at any specific location. It’s a state of
    mind which is regenerated throughout the centuries by a body of people who
    traditionally carry the title of professor, but even that title is not part of
    the real University. The real University is nothing less than the continuing
    body of reason itself.     R. Prisig


    4 Comments "

    inauguration , hope and technology

    January 20th, 2009
    0

    It has all changed.

    15 and half million views of a homage of a meshup that appeared on
    youtube that did as much to boost Obama’s profile early in the election

    . This is a web 2.0 government, looking for a real discussion:
    “Your stories and your ideas can help change the future of the country. When we come together around a common purpose, great things are possible.”
    How can that not inspire? Sure the cynics can readily dismiss it as a ploy. They tried to dismiss Obama’s money making using the web and look where that got them.
    So why is a Canadian talking so enthusiastically about an inauguration of a US president in a technology blog for international educators? Sure, I caught the fever, I have been obamaized. This inauguration captures the promise of web 2.0, just as you have been using it. Techcrunch does a great list of how the web 2.0 will be following along:

    —Hulu: Will be streaming live, Fox.com will also be using Hulu’s stream.

    —C-Span: Washington D.C.’s video standby will have four live feeds to choose from.

    —CNN.com: Partnering with Facebook so you can see your friends’ status updates while watching.

    —Current TV : Will add a Twitterstream to its coverage.

    —Ustream.tv: This stream will also be available on your iPhone, great for those along the parade route too far away to see the main stage.

    —Starbucks and movie theaters: For those who cannot make it to Washington, MSNBC is hosting screenings of the inauguration in movie theaters and Starbucks across the country (although it looks as though these are already sold out).

    — Joost is also broadcasting the inauguration live.

    —Obama Girl is streaming her coverage on Stickam.

    Where To Stay

    —CrashTheInauguration: If you are going to Washington, D.C. and still don’t have a room, you might find a couch to sleep on at CrashTheInauguration. And if you are lucky they might even serve you Obama O’s for breakfast.

    Where To Share

    —Twitter: Just search for “inauguration” or “Obama”. The chatter has already started.

    —NPR Inauguration Report:
    Run by NPR’s social media desk, it will be collecting dispatches from
    spectators via Twitter, Flicr, YouTube, and text message. All Tweets or
    text messages that start with “#inaug09? or “#dctrip09? will be
    included in NPR’s feed, as well as Flickr photos and YouTube videos
    tagged “inaug09? or “dctrip09.” There are also an accompanying iPhone
    and Android apps called IR09, Inauguration Report 2009 (more details here).

    —CNN/Microsoft 3D Photosynth: People at the inauguration can upload their photos and Microosft will combine them into a 3D panoramic Photosynth (more details here).

    —Citizen’s Briefing Book: Got a policy suggestion for the transition team? Submit one or vote for the best ones at Change.gov

    —Where Were You?: A video contest sponsored by Memelabs that will let people share where they were on this historic day.

    iPhone Apps and Follow-up

    —Ustream.tv: Stream the inauguration to your iPhone (see above).

    —Inauguration Report 2009: Submit your own report to NPR with text,
    photos, or audio. Reports post straight to NPR’s Inauguration feed (see
    above).

    —PointAbout 2009 Presidential Inauguration Guide: Free app with a
    countdown to the inauguration, distance to the inauguration steps, and
    lets you navigate Washington, D.C. with maps of public transport, parking, free WiFi zones, and a Zagat’s restaurant guide for the city.

    —CrashTheInauguration (same as above, but on your iPhone).

    —Change (U.S.) Politics (iTunes link). Cast your approval rating of the Obama administration across 14 issues

    —PolitFact’s Obameter: Obama made more than 500 promises during the election campaign. Track how many he keeps with the Obameter.

    –and Operah has a free song from Will.I.am and Bono.

    No Comments "

    Innaugeration, hope and technology

    January 20th, 2009
    0

    It has all changed.


    15 and half million views of a homage of a meshup that appeared on
    youtube that did as much to boost Obama’s profile early in the election

    . This is a web 2.0 government, looking for a real discussion:
    “Your stories and your ideas can help change the future of the country. When we come together around a common purpose, great things are possible.”
    How can that not inspire? Sure the cynics can readily dismiss it as a ploy. They tried to dismiss Obama’s money making using the web and look where that got them.
    So why is a Canadian talking so enthusiastically about an inauguration of a US president in a technology blog for international educators? Sure, I caught the fever, I have been obamaized. This inaugeration captures the promise of web 2.0, just as you have been using it. Techcrunch does a great list of how the web 2.0 will be following along:

    —Hulu: Will be streaming live, Fox.com will also be using Hulu’s stream.
    —C-Span: Washington D.C.’s video standby will have four live feeds to choose from.
    —CNN.com: Partnering with Facebook so you can see your friends’ status updates while watching.
    —Current TV : Will add a Twitterstream to its coverage.
    —Ustream.tv: This stream will also be available on your iPhone, great for those along the parade route too far away to see the main stage.
    —Starbucks and movie theaters: For those who cannot make it to Washington, MSNBC is hosting screenings of the inauguration in movie theaters and Starbucks across the country (although it looks as though these are already sold out).
    — Joost is also broadcasting the inauguration live.
    —Obama Girl is streaming her coverage on Stickam.

    Where To Stay

    —CrashTheInauguration: If you are going to Washington, D.C. and still don’t have a room, you might find a couch to sleep on at CrashTheInauguration. And if you are lucky they might even serve you Obama O’s for breakfast.

    Where To Share

    —Twitter: Just search for “inauguration” or “Obama”. The chatter has already started.

    —NPR Inauguration Report:
    Run by NPR’s social media desk, it will be collecting dispatches from
    spectators via Twitter, Flicr, YouTube, and text message. All Tweets or
    text messages that start with “#inaug09? or “#dctrip09? will be
    included in NPR’s feed, as well as Flickr photos and YouTube videos
    tagged “inaug09? or “dctrip09.” There are also an accompanying iPhone
    and Android apps called IR09, Inauguration Report 2009 (more details here).

    —CNN/Microsoft 3D Photosynth: People at the inauguration can upload their photos and Microosft will combine them into a 3D panoramic Photosynth (more details here).

    —Citizen’s Briefing Book: Got a policy suggestion for the transition team? Submit one or vote for the best ones at Change.gov

    —Where Were You?: A video contest sponsored by Memelabs that will let people share where they were on this historic day.

    iPhone Apps and Follow-up

    —Ustream.tv: Stream the inauguration to your iPhone (see above).

    —Inauguration Report 2009: Submit your own report to NPR with text,
    photos, or audio. Reports post straight to NPR’s Inauguration feed (see
    above).

    —PointAbout 2009 Presidential Inauguration Guide: Free app with a
    countdown to the inauguration, distance to the inauguration steps, and
    lets you navigate Washington, D.C. with maps of public transport, parking, free WiFi zones, and a Zagat’s restaurant guide for the city.

    —CrashTheInauguration (same as above, but on your iPhone).

    —Change (U.S.) Politics (iTunes link). Cast your approval rating of the Obama administration across 14 issues

    —PolitFact’s Obameter: Obama made more than 500 promises during the election campaign. Track how many he keeps with the Obameter.

    –and Operah has a free song from Will.I.am and Bono.

1 Comment "