Weeklies

Web 2.0: How can I put the web to work for me?

See "What is Web 2.0?" (business, page 6)
By Jon Fernquest

Let's say you're at a job interview. The guy who may be your next boss asks you what "Web 2.0" is.

You work on the web 24 hours a day. Of course you know what Web 2.0 is.

Can you explain the idea quickly, in a couple of meaningful sentences, before your new boss starts to yawn and fall asleep? Can you prove to him that you really know what you're talking about?

Today's article is like that job interview. It gives you the essence of the idea, nothing less, nothing more. Not only will you learn what Web 2.0 is, you'll also see a model of concise and meaningful communication. Here are some questions to help guide your reading (See answer key at end for answers):

1. Where was the buzzword "Web 2.0" first created?
2. What does the "2.0" in "Web 2.0" mean?
3. How do Web 2.0 websites differ from more traditional websites?
4. What difference is there in the way people use websites in Web 2.0?
5. What does the Web 2.0 catchphrase "the web is the platform" make more important?
6. What makes Google Maps a "definitive Web 2.0 site" and such a wonderful browsing experience?
7. What are the two parts of Ajax?
8. What does Ajax help browsers do that they couldn't do before?

Web 2.0 and collaboration

Computers and the web are slowly but surely becoming a sort of universal platform for activities as different as socializing and making friends (See Myspace) to studying subjects like science and English in a teacher guided elearning classroom (See Moodle).

The web is becoming a place where people collaborate and successful web software is becoming software that aids this collaboration.

When a couple of people get together and start writing a daily blog together they have the beginnings of a magazine. Of course, a magazine has more than writers. There are also computer people to make the website look good and catch the attention of readers, the advertising sales people who sell advertising space so the magazine can make money and stay in business, and the editors to tie the whole publication together and ensure its quality.

Many real magazines like Seed magazine, a science magazine, use customized weblog software, one kind of Web 2.0 software.

A long tail of specialists

As the world becomes more and more specialized, the web has the potential to bring these specialists, who may live on other sides of the world, together. In another Bangkok Post article today the idea of "the long tail" is discussed (See Geoff Long, Between the Lines, Database, page 7).

The idea of the long tail is basically that small groups of specialized people are important. For example, I am a specialist in Burmese history, such a small and specialized niche outside of Burma that it hardly seems like it could support people writing books about it, right? I should become yet another specialist on Bush and the Iraq War just like millions of other Americans, then I would be doing something useful, right?

The problem with this argument is that the whole world is composed of niche subjects and when you put all these small specialized subjects together you have something very big and important.

The point about Web 2.0 is that it allows these niche specialists who may live on other sides of the world to collaborate, share information and ideas, and work together.

By the way, this "long tail" is just one kind of power law. A power law works like this, in the diagram, if you rank all the things that people are reading on the web, the webpages ranked first have almost all the readers, the one's ranked last hardly have any. The "long tail" in the diagram runs off the page to the right with all the people reading low frequency specialized webpages. Once these people were considered unimportant, not anymore.

Another power law is called Zipf's Law, the law that says that most of the vocabulary words you find on a page of text are from a very small set of words. This means if you learn these high-frequency words, they will be very useful, but is learning the low-frequency words really less important? Some of them are very important.

For example, if I advise you, "Don't feed your dog chocolate or she'll die." All the words in this sentence are high-frequency except "chocolate" which also happens to be the most important word to understand here.

The point that I'm making here is that word frequency lists won't guarantee success in language learning, in the long run only regular habitual exposure to a wide variety of authentic language used in the areas you are interested in, like business, will do the trick. (By the way, the diagram above is from one of my online papers.)

Vocabulary (in article)

Web 2.0 - the second generation of internet services that allows people to collaborate and share information over the internet (See Wikipedia:Web2.0)

Google Maps - a large collection of maps available over the internet that helps you find locations and plan the route you take to get there, often combined with other web services, for example with classified real estate advertisements to show you how to get to a house that is for sale, not yet available in Thailand (See Wikipedia:Google_maps)

Flickr - the most popular photo album available for free over the internet, many people use Flickr to post photos to their weblogs (Subscribe to it here, read more about it in Wikipedia:Flickr)

Wikipedia - the most successful internet encyclopedia, articles can be written directly into the encyclopedia over the internet (See Wikipedia on Wikipedia)

Microsoft Outlook Web Access - provides e-mail and other mailbox contents such as contacts and calendars over the internet while you are away from the office or home (See Wikipedia:Outlook_Web_Access)

Ajax - imagine changing stock prices displaying on your webpage without having to do anything, Ajax allows data to be passed between the server and your webpage without you doing anything like hitting the enter key or refreshing your browser, "Ajax" means Asynchronous JAvascript and Xml (See Wikipedia:Ajax)

Web services - software that allows software on different computers connected to the web to talk to each other and work together, this is not easy since different kinds of computers like a Mac or a PC use different kinds of software so you need some common language (See Wikipedia:Web_Services)

web feeds - summaries of content available once they know that the new content exists they can go to the web site and consume it (read, listen, watch it)

RSS - the most popular standard for web feeds on the internet

tagging - sharing the content that you create with other people by assigning keywords to the content to describe it [Longer explanation: using a set of keywords (subjects, categories) to describe online content (blog article, photo), websites like del.icio.us , Technorati, or Flickr collect these tags, so when people do searches the tags help people find similar content (photos similar to their photos, articles about a subject they are researching)]
(See Wikipedia articles on Tags and Folksonomy)

podcasts - audio or video content or a show that people can download or stream over the internet, web feeds are used to tell people about the availability of new podcasts (See Wikipedia:Podcast)

blogs - weblogs, a series of daily articles published by a person or a group of people that are usually focused on a special subject, the first and still most popular weblogs focus on American politics and the Iraq War (See Wikipedia:Weblog)

hype - a lot of praise and excitement created about a product to make people buy it (most of it is probably not true)

up-to-date - latest, newest (opposite: out-of-date)

demystify - give a clear explanation of something making it easier to understand

O'Reilly - the most famous and innovative computer book publisher of the internet era (See homepage and Wikipedia:O'Reilly_Media and Wikipedia:Tim_O'Reilly)

buzzword - a fashionable word used in an specialized area such as computers, some examples are: Web 2.0, blogs, podcasts, and tagging

Answer Key:

1. Where was the buzzword "Web 2.0" first created?

It was first used at a O'Reilly Media seminar in 2004. [For further information read this article]

2. What does "2.0" in "Web 2.0" mean?

The second generation of websites and services provided over the internet.

3. How do Web 2.0 websites differ from more traditional websites?

They are more like desktop applications such as Microsoft Office than plain HTML webpages for passive reading and viewing.

4. What difference is there in the way people use websites in Web 2.0?

Users are more active collaborators than passive web consumers of web content.

5. What does "the web is the platform" make more important?

The web services delivered with web browsers and web servers.

6. What makes Google Maps a "definitive Web 2.0 site" and such a wonderful browsing experience?

As the user drags and zooms the map around in real time, the user can switch between map and satellite views without the software redrawing the map. [Note: This is because Ajax has asynchronously uploaded the data before you needed it, anticipating your need.]

7. What are the two parts of Ajax?

Asynchronous Javascript, a web programming language, and XML, a web data format.

8. What does Ajax do for browsers that they couldn't do before?

They make a webpage behave like a desktop application.

Ajax does this by exchanging "small amounts of data between your browser and the web site server so that only the parts of your page that have actually changed get updated, not the whole page."

Posted by Jon Fernquest at 08:45 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Enjoying the results of the ICT age

See 'Reaping the benefits of technology' , Learning Post, page L6

from Boon Boonprayoon

There is little doubt that the Internet, computers and technology have played a key role in learning and have become one of the most efficient educational tools. Information and Communications Technology, or ICT, has also become a familiar word. The United Nation Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), recently held a consultative meeting and launched the Next Generation Teachers Project. According to this feature,  the project will reap the benefits of technology and catapult teaching into the ICT age. The project will benefit teachers and the students when it is implemented.

    The feature is quite simple, direct and, therefore, very easy to understand. One of the best ways to work on this reading material is through a pre-reading activity such as skimming and scanning. You can start reading by looking very quickly through the article and the illustration — the picture above the article, and find out what it is all about. I have included two sets of questions, one is to pick out the main idea and the necessary details of the article; the other set includes questions for discussion. Try to work on both sets. The answers of the first set of questions are in the teacher's notes, but the answers for the discussion are open for you own opinions.

Comprehension Questions:
1. What organisation took part in the meeting?
2. What kind of meeting was it?
3. When and where was the meeting held?
4. What was the purpose of the meeting?
5. What is the pilot group? And how do these participating institutions become a pilot group?
6. How are the roles of the teachers and students changing?
7. How long will it take for the the project to be completed?

Discussion Questions:
1. What effects do you think the project will have on you?
2. What should an innovative learning environment be like?

consultative - giving advice or making suggestions: advisory
reaping the benefit - to enjoy the result
catapult - to throw or to launch something suddenly as if from a catapult, i.e., to move something ahead very quickly
collaboration with - working with another person or group of people to create something
pilot - done on a small scale in order to see if something is successful enough to do on a larger scale
ensure - to make sure that something happens or is definite
utilise - to make use of something
enhance - to increase or further improve the good quality, value or status of something
innovative - introducing or using new ideas, ways of doing things
facilitator - a person who helps somebody do something more easily by discussing problems, giving advice, etc.
implement -to carry out
conduct - to organise or do a particular activity
formulate - to create or prepare something carefully, giving particular attention to the details
subsequently - afterwards; later; after something else

Extra exercise

I would also like you all to practice your skills in grammar. Try to arrange the following words into a sentence without looking back at the feature. To make sure of getting correct answeers, study the parts of speech of each word and keep in mind that an affirmative sentence starts with a subject (which is a noun or a noun phrase) and then a verb or phrasal verb.

1. May 16, launched, the Next Generation of Teachers Project, UNESCO, on.
2. 10 countries, UNESCO, to participate, in Asia-Pacific region, has selected, in the project.
3. not just, the aim, to improve, is , the ICT skills of teacher educators and pre-service teachers.
4. for the changing roles, to prepare, the underlying philosophy, of both teachers and students, is.
5. shift, will, from, the role of the students, to active participants, in the learning process,that of passive recipients.

Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 09:37 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

An Undeveloped Island

See "Blessing in disguise" (Horizons section, page 8)
By John Ross

Good morning and welcome back to school if you are a student or a teacher. If this is your first time using the lessons found here, every Thursday in this section of the 'You can read the Bangkok Post' website we look at a story about tourism from the Horizon section of the newspaper.

This week we look at a story about Koh Taen. Thailand is famous around the world for its beaches and islands. But of course when a place becomes very popular more and more development takes place over the years until the original natural charm is almost gone. This week's article mentions Koh Samui as an example of this. The writer uses the word 'touristy' to describe the popular island, meaning that there are a lot of tourists, hotels, restaurants, shops, traffic and other forms of development. But the article is about Koh Taen, a nearby island that is very undeveloped and is described as a 'complete contrast' to Koh Samui which means that it is the exact opposite to the very popular and well known island. It is described as an 'ecotourism paradise'.

The article mainly focuses on the benefits of being an undeveloped destination, but it also includes some of the problems. That is the meaning of the title "Blessing in disguise'. Although the island may seem unattractive to many people because is is not very developed (the disguise), it is really something good (the blessing). The good thing is hidden.
  
Before you read the story think about the advantages and disadvantages of an island with not much development. The, use the vocabulary words listed below to help you read through the story and answer these questions.

1) Where is Koh Taen located?
2) How can we get there?
3) What are some of the advantages of visiting this undeveloped island?
4) What are some of the problems?
5) What does he suggest that airlines do to help travellers with getting from the airport     to their hotel?

After reading the article work with a partner or in a small group to discuss visiting the island in the roles of a tourist and a travel agent. Use these questions to get started.

We would like to go somewhere very peaceful and undeveloped that is not very touristy. Where would you recommend?
Where is Koh Taen located?
How can we get there?
What can we do there?
Where can we stay?

VOCABULARY
from the pictures:
patches - areas
stunning - very beautiful
ambience - atmosphere, feeling
crave - want, need
lush - rich and green
picturesque - beautiful like a picture
prosperous - successful
tiny - very small
reserve - an undeveloped area
enthusiasts - fans
haven - a heaven or paradise
deserted - abandoned, left
inhabitants - the people; compare with 'uninhabited, and 'inhabit' below
migrated - moved
outnumber - are more than
cater to - take care of
stand out from - is different from
up-and-coming - new
uninhabited - having no people living there
boasts - has, features
spotted - seen
bumped into - met, seen
alternative - choice, option
chaotic - very busy
holds no water - is not true
emitted - sent out
inhabit - live in, at or on
hideouts - place to stay
dwindling - becoming less or smaller
income - money
elsewhere - another place
stems from - comes from, is because of
pristine - perfect, pure
rustic - rural, undeveloped
proprietor - owner and operator
infrastructure - roads, bridges, piers, restaurants, shops, buildings, etc.
rely on - depend on 
revenue - money
headache - a problem
more fancied - more popular

Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 12:08 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Slaying patent trolls slowly

See eBay ruling a victory for patent reformers (Database, page 2)
By Jon Fernquest

What is a patent troll?

How do patent trolls abuse the American legal system and make life more difficult for computer users?

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a decision that protects companies operating online like eBay, the online auction company, from patent trolls.

Patent trolls are trying to interfere directly in online businesses with automatic legal injunctions that prevent an online company's software from doing certain things. In the eBay case the patent troll, "focused on the online auctioneer's button for buying products at a fixed price, bypassing the bidding process."

Many believe that the American patent system allows people to patent ideas that are either plain commonsense or are laws of nature or mathematics. What if someone wanted to patent the law of gravity or the use of electricity? Should they be able to collect money from you every time you turn on your lights? The legendary Stanford computer scientist Donald Knuth is one of the most vocal critics of this use of intellectual property law.

Why is this court decision relevant to computer users in Thailand? Here are some questions to guide you through reading this article and help you answer this question (See the answer key at the end):

1. Can you find the two definitions of "patent troll" given in the article?
2. According to the U.C. Berkeley law professor quoted, how does the Supreme Court ruling help people fight abuses of the patent system?
3. Did eBay win the case?
4. Did the court award damages to MercExchange?
5. Did the court issue an injunction against eBay?
6. What does the judgement say about how injunctions can be issued?
7. What is the Business Software Alliance and what is its position on this case?

Relevance to Thailand

After ploughing through this article you're probably still wondering how this is relevant to computer users in Thailand. Patent trolls only work in American courts where American laws help them get large amounts of money from large corporations.

The Software Patent Debate has become the focus for discussion over whether companies should be able to claim ownership with patents over ways of doing business with computers. There are arguments both for and against software patents.

Stanford computer scientist professor Donald Knuth, one of the most respected computer scientists in the world has called software patents, "seriously harmful to the vast majority of people who want to do useful things with computers." He observes:

"When I think of the computer programs I require daily to get my own work done, I cannot help but realize that none of them would exist today if software patents had been prevalent in the 1960s and 1970s. Changing the rules now will have the effect of freezing progress at essentially its current level."

Knuth was the author of the first real desktop publishing program, named TeX, that is still the standard in the science and math world. Knuth claims that, "If software patents had been commonplace in 1980, I would not have been able to create TEX." (Source of quotes).

Software patents are part of a bigger problem. How will Thailand ever catch up with the west economically and intellectually if western books and knowledge never make their way into university libraries here? This is a question you are likely to ask yourself, if you teach or attend a major American university and then come back to Thailand.

The biggest objection to patent trolls and software patents is that they turn ideas that should be public property into private property to be bought and sold. Thai scientists and researchers will eventually come up these, often commonsense, ideas one day. But when they finally do climb this mountain, they will find a little picture of a smiling patent troll planted there...and also papers serving them a lawsuit.

Vocabulary (in article)

a patent – exclusive rights to use an idea or invention (See Wikipedia:Patent, Software_patent, and most importantly Software patent debate)
reformer – a person who tries to improve a bad situation, for example poor people have no land so the reformer fights to get them land
block – stop, prevent
an advocate – a person who helps a group of people solve a problem (by using the legal system and also by writing about the problem so that the public become aware of their problem)
infringe on a patent – use an idea that the patent-holder owns, so the patent-holder can seek money from them in court for using their ideas
the offending service – the software service in eBay that violated the patent
barring – stopping, preventing
unanimously ruled... – all the judges making the decision agreed that…
exceptional circumstances – an unusual situation, a situation that is not normal
pitted against – in a conflict with, fighting with
a rallying point – a symbol that people that people who want to solve a problem use to focus and concentrate their efforts
riddled with abuse – full of abuse
patent trolls – a small company holding a patent that it doesn’t use, the company makes money by sueing other companies using an idea similar to the idea in the patent (See Wikipedia:Patent_trolls)
to sue – to try to get money from someone for harming you by using the legal system
filed a friend-of-the-court brief – a statement providing additional information or arguments contributed to the trial of a legal case by a person outside the case (See Wikipedia:Amicus_curiae)
intellectual property – (See Wikipedia:Intellectual_property)
to infringe – to break or disobey a rule or law
to willfully infringe – it wasn’t an accident, they knew that they were breaking the law, but they did it anyway
a concurring decision – a concurring opinion, a written statement by judges in the case that agrees with the decision of the case, the opposite is called a “dissenting opinion” (See Wikipedia:Concurring_opinion)
licensing fees – money paid to use someone’s intellectual property
exhorbitant fees – cost much more than the correct price
equity – (See Wikipedia:Equity)
injunction – (See Wikipedia:Injunction)
grant or deny injunctive relief – a court orders to do or stop doing something, this order can be enforced by the police
discretion, to have the discretion to do something – have the authority to make a decision about issues in this area
within the equitable discretion of the district courts – these courts have the authority to make these equity decisions
The Business Software Alliance – organization representing large software companies, tries to stop software piracy (also called copyright infringement of software) (See Wikipedia:Business_software_alliance)

Answer Key:

1. Can you find the two definitions of "patent troll" given in the article?

a. First definition: “…small businesses that sue established companies to enforce patents for ideas that have never been developed into products.”

b. Second definition: “An industry has developed in which firms use patents not as a basis for producing and selling goods, but instead, primarily obtaining licensing fees.”

2. According to the U.C. Berkeley law professor quoted, how does the Supreme Court ruling help people fight abuses of the patent system?

The ruling provides them with a “tool” to deal with “widespread misuse of the patent system”.

3. Did eBay win the case?

No, eBay lost the legal case, but the plaintiff did not get everything they requested.

4. Did the court award damages to MercExchange?

Yes, in the end they were awarded $5.5 million.

5. Did the court issue an injunction against eBay?

No, the court did not issue an injunction. The plaintiff wants an injunction to be issued preventing eBay from using the software idea that they have patented.

6. What does the judgment say about how injunctions can be issued?

Courts have to use their “discretion” and “flexibility” in each case. Courts must apply the body of law called “equity” when issuing injunctions. Injunctions cannot be issued automatically in every case without a ruling by judges.

7. What is the Business Software Alliance and what is its position on this case?

The Business Software Alliance is a group of commercial software companies that is known for fighting software piracy (copyright infringements). This legal case is one of the rare cases where they agree with the Open Source software community holding that the ruling was, "a clear victory for innovation and for consumers, and a defeat for patent trolls and others who are abusing the legal system."

Posted by Jon Fernquest at 10:12 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Tips on Writing Practice

See IELTS Writing: Organise and plan before you write (Learning Post, page 4)
From Boon Boonprayoon

An article in today's Learning Post caught my attention as soon as I started reading it. It provides useful tips on improving your writing — not only for those who are planning to take IELTS or TOEFL tests, but also Thai learners of the English language in general.

Writer David Park states in his tips for IELTS writing that you must identify the parts of the essay question and determine its focus (its main or central point). Then you should brainstorm your ideas related to the topic. In doing so, he suggests that you break down the focus of the question into smaller "brainstorming questions":  "What?", "In what way?", "Why?", and "Who?" are important questions that help you brainstorm your ideas faster and easier. In the article, Mr. Park sets out a sample question: "To be successful in education, it is more important to be a good student than to have good teachers. Would you support that statement?"

His explanations on how to develop your essay are clear and well-organised. Try to follow these tips step-by-step. Mr. Park emphasises that once you have listed all the answers to the brainstorming questions, decide whether you agree with the question or not. Your answers in the brainstorming process will help support your opinion.

Another very important tip in writing your essay is that it does not matter whether you decide to agree with the question or not. What helps you get good marks on your essay is, as Mr. Park suggests, a strong thesis statement, well-organised ideas, relevant supporting details (the evidence that support your thesis statement), and a strong conclusion.

Timing is also vital. Find out what Mr. Park suggests on time management.

After finishing the column, I would strongly encourage you try to write the answer to the question and send in your answer to the Bangkok Post at the given address:

Essay Question, Editor
Learning Post, Bangkok Post
136 Na Ranong Road, Klongtoey
Bangkok 10110

Here are some words and phrases that may help you start your own essay and connect each of your ideas so that your essay is easy to read, clear and strongly supported:-

Introductory phrases:
In my opinion, / In my point of view, / From my point of view, / or From my perspective, etc.

Introductory clauses:
I agree that /   I believe that   / I support the idea that  / or  It is clear to me that, etc.

If you do not totally agree with the question, you may start your argument with these words and phrases:
Although  /  even though  / despite  / in spite of , etc.

Example:  Although it is important to be a good student, I believe that having good teachers play key role in the students' success in education.
or  Even though being a good student is essential to be successful in education, it is clear to me that having good teachers is more important in the academic success of the students.

focus -  main or central point (or question)
brainstorm -the way of coming up with ideas in order to solve a problem or create good ideas
break down - to divide into parts to be analysed
well-organised -  well arranged or planned
emphasise - to give special importance to something, or to stress
thesis statement - a statement or an opinion that is discussed in a logical way and presented with evidence in order to prove that it is true
supporting details - details that show or prove that your thesis statement or argument is true
conclusion - the end of a piece of writing
vital - necessary or essential in order for something to succeed
encourage - to persuade somebody to do something by making it easier for them and making them believe it is a good thing to do
argument - the act of disagreeing in a discussion using a reason or set of reasons

Extra Tips:

When it comes to writing practice, Thai learners are very likely to have difficulty in writing a good clear essay. Many write what is actually a Thai essay translated into English — this includes word selection and sentence structure. Before getting to improving your writing skills, I would like to emphasis that the two language are quite different.

It may be helpful if you realise how the English-speaking writers write their essays. According to research by Robert Kaplan,
English-speaking writers often organise their thoughts in a linear pattern. This means that they develop their argument in a straight line. The details and examples must relate to the main ideas.

Here is a typical sequence:
Opinion --> thesis statement --> reason 1 --> example / detail --> reason 2 --> example / detail --> reason 3 --> example / detail --> conclusion.

Remember that it is always better to write a simple direct statement (subject + verb). A more complicated or complex sentence may result in the readers' confusion - or in many cases, your own.

Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 07:49 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

The Intel programme: a new assessment

See "Teaching Ahead with Technologies," learning post section, page 6

The photos to the right are photos I didn't get to include in my 2004 feature on the Intel programme. Perhaps your recognise some of those pictured.

I’m quite familiar with the Intel “Teach to the Future” programme described in this feature. Back in my Learning Post days, I wrote a feature of my own on the programme. That was almost exactly two years ago when the programme was just completing its first year.

    I recall being very impressed with what had been accomplished in such a short time. But I also recall some words of caution by Paul Wedel, Asia Executive Director of the Kenan Institute which had provided much of the training support for the programme.

    This was a pilot programme he pointed out. “The pilot schools were largely the better schools in and around Bangkok. We face a real challenge in meeting the needs of the schools outside of Bangkok.”

    Well, here's a chance for us to find out how well this challenge has been met. Below are some of the things that impressed me about the design of the programme and its first year of operation. As you read today's feature, look for evidence that these positive elements are still a part of the programme. Also, is there evidence that the programme has made significant progress since 2004?

Things that impressed me in 2004

1. The programme was a real partnership between the Intel Corporation, the Ministry of Education, local educators and local experts. It was not simply a group of foreign experts coming in the pass on their knowledge.

2. The programme used a curriculum framework developed by Intel, but adapted to local needs.

3. The schools and teachers participating in the programme were carefully chosen to ensure they could actually use what they learned. The teachers were intended to become "master teachers", passing on their knowledge to at least 20 teachers at the own schools.

4. A major goal of the programme was the use of information communication technology (ICT) to help students develop their thinking skills through project-based learned

5. The programme was designed to be practical, giving teachers a chance to play the role of both students and teachers. The teachers learned the principles of asking essential questions and to carefully consider their learning objectives. They learned to constantly evaluate their work against these learning objectives.

6. Teachers learned the importance of helping their students use the computer as a tool — for research, for presentation and for communication.

7. Local educational officials were involved at all stages of the programme planning.

8. There was a strong followup component to the programme with visits to schools to see how effectively master teachers were using what they had learned and to find out what kind of problems they might be having.

Now, read the feature. In 2004, very few schools had started using the techniques taught in the programme with their students. Has this changed?

Overall, the vocabulary in this feature is quite easy. Here are just a few words and expressions that might be useful to have explained.

reflect on - to think about
thought-provoking - something that encourages people to think deeply about somthing
academic disciplines - fields of study like natural science, social science, languages
diversified - developed a wider range of uses
collaborate - work together in order to produce or achieve something
address the issue - to decide how to deal with a subject or problem
sustainability - the ability to have something continue
inflexible - difficult to change and make more suitable for a particular situation; rigid

    

Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 06:01 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Idioms and adventure in Shanghai

See "Taken for a ride" (Horizons section, page 3)
By John Ross

Don Ross is a veteran of the tourism scene in Asia and has been writing for the Bangkok Post for quite a number of years. I have never used his Traveller's tales column for lessons because, as a native speaker of English, he uses an advanced level of language that is very difficult for the average student. For example, the title of the story is 'Taken for a ride'. Do you know that this is an idiom meaning 'cheated'. You will see it used again in the story when Don mentions, "...although I wasn't hit on the head and shipped out to sea, a Shanghai taxi driver took me for a ride..."

But today, I think that we are finally ready to look at the type of idiomatic expressions that are used by native speakers while reading about Don's recent adventure in Shanghai. First, read through the story using the vocabulary below and have a look at the questions so that you can be sure that you understand the general content of the story. Then, see if you can guess the meanings of the various idiomatic expressions that Don uses in his story. Use the context of the story to help you figure out the meaning.

1) How did Don get to his hotel in Shanghai?
2) What was the problem with the second part of this journey?
3) Did he have this problem when he returned to the airport?
4) What did he do at the airport while waiting for his flight?
5) What does he suggest that airlines do to help travellers with getting from the airport     to their hotel?

                    IDIOM                                                       MEANING

1) the golden rule	a. close to
2) the chances are	b. blaming and felling angry at myself
3) armed with	c. enter
4) fine tuning	d. cost too much
5) within earshot	e. having a bad mood
6) without a care in the world	f. had some information
7) feed off	g. planned for
8) the pitfalls	h. the victim, the person who is taken advantage of

  

9) kicking myself	i. the basic information about something
10) read up on	j. became more happy
11) shanghaied	k. you suddenly know the truth
12) bargained on	l. poor quality
13) the sacrificial lamb	m. a few
14) the early bird catches the worm	n. to be careful

  

15) the truth dawns	o. cheated
16) had a clue	p. act nervous or uncomfortable
17) with a chip on his shoulder	q. talking to you in a very aggressive way
18) making her way	r. reduced a little
19) a handful of	s. destroyed, ruined, spoiled
20) put paid to	t. the most important thing to remember
21) in your face	u. attention to detail
22) bat an eyelid	v. not worried, quite happy
23) taken to the cleaners	w. looking back at one's experience

  

24) an excuse for	x. the problems and disadvantages
25) dug out	y. a person who is not lazy will be successful
26) make someone's day	z. probably
27) in hindsight	aa. captured and robbed
28) pull into	bb. working for a living
29) cheered up	cc. do some research or get some information about
30) to be on the safe side	dd. found, located

  

31) shaved off	ee. make someone happy, do something good for someone
32) the nitty gritty	ff. carrying, having
33) break the bank	gg. take advantage of

  

VOCABULARY

hail - call
invariably - always
assembled - put together
a breed of - a type of
vulnerable - weak
delinquents - bad people offer, give
squirm - move around
wander - walk around in circles
maglev - magnetic levitation train
whisks - carries quickly
overpass - a bridge
purchasing - buying
promptly - quickly
reverses - turns around
proclaims - says, announces
sleek - shiny and having a smooth shape
ushers - shows the way, helps to a seat
odometer - a meter showing how far something has travelled
viaduct - an elevated road or railway
precisely - exactly
sparkling - shining
routine - normal, usual
rank - row
amiss - wrong
diminish - become less or smaller
phoney - fake, not real
concierge - a concierge assists hotel guests with various tasks like finding taxicabs, restaurants, and interesting places to visit
abbreviated - short, small
cardinal principle - the most important thing
obscured - blocked the view of
buggy - vehicle, in this case the train
reckon - think, guess
to spare - to have extra
tagline - motto, slogan
descent - when going down
reinstate - bring back
crop - group
lofty - high, good
concept - idea, plan

Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 12:41 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Thailand's strategic policy for digital content

See "Thailand's booming digital content industry on course" (Database, page 3)
By Jon Fernquest

Recent joint initiatives between government, academia, and business seek to promote Thai productions in the international digital content marketplace.

Digital content products include, "games, films, e-learning, web sites, advertising, special effects and corporate communications."

Today's article gives you the background on how Thailand plans to become more competitive in the international digital content marketplace. The Market for Alternative Investment (MAI) at the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) is planning to play a key role in increasing Thailand's competitiveness in these markets.

Here are some tasks and questions to guide you with your reading (See answer key at the end of the article for answers):

1. While you read, circle the places in the article where collaboration and cooperation between Thai companies and organizations is discussed or implied.

2. How is MAI planning to facilitate cooperation between companies and academia?

3. Underline the organizations mentioned in the article. Are you aware of what these organizations do?

4. How much is employment in the Thai digital content industry projected to expand?

5. How does the MAI president describe the risk-return profile of the digital content industry?

6. What kinds of government incentives might help companies in this industry?

7. What other Asian countries offer incentives to companies in this strategic industry? What incentives do they offer?

8. Why do you think the digital content industry might be a strategic industry for Asian countries?

There's a lot of interesting further reading if you have more time. Read about the origins of MAI [Market for Alternative Investment]. Check out the two presentations on Thai competitiveness on Michael Porter's website. In the Michael Porter paper there is a discussion on page 19 of "Institutions for Collaboration". The software industry is also discussed briefly.

[Check back shortly for relevant links]

Vocabulary (in discussion above)

joint – two or more people do something together
initiatives – an action taken to solve a problem
academia – universities, the professors who work in them, the research these professors do, and the organizations for sharing and publishing this research
digital content – content provided through computers, digital content products include, "games, films, e-learning, web sites, advertising, special effects and corporate communications."
collaboration – working together on a project (usually refers to intellectual work like writing a book or doing research) (See Wikipedia:Collaboration)
projected – planned or expected
risk-return profile – the economic tradeoff between risk and return in an investment, as risk increases return also increases, the amount added to the price of the investment, the risk premium, is added to compensate the investor for taking the risk of holding the investment and possibly losing money (See Wikipedia:Capital_asset_pricing_model [CAPM])
incentives – a reward that gives a person a good reason to do something, if the person does that thing they gain the reward or benefit (See Wikipedia:Incentive)
strategic industry – an industry that to remain competitive it is important for a country to develop over the long-run

Vocabulary (in article)

on course – going in the right direction, traveling on the correct route, doing in the correct way
the future looks rosy – the future looks good, the future looks bright, optimistic about the future
content providers – companies that sell digital content products and services
turnover – the value of goods and services that a company sells over a period of time
special effects – using computer graphics in a movie to create scenes that are impossible or difficult to create in real life (See Wikipedia:Special_effects and Wikipedia:Industrial_light_and_magic)
to boast… – can claim proudly to have achieved…
intellectual property – ideas that people own, different from physical property like owning a car or land (See Wikipedia:Intellectual_property)
memorandum of understanding – an agreement that defines the working relationship between two parties. It often comes before a formal agreement (Based on: tto.sdsu.edu/inventors_terminology.html)
work collaboratively – work together on a project (usually refers to intellectual work like writing a book or doing research)
to be notorious – to be well-known for something bad
a facilitator – someone who helps another person achieve something
entrepreneurs – people who start small new kinds of business who usually take a risk in doing this
venture capitalists – business funding provided for new, growing or struggling businesses which are generally high risk investments but offer the potential for above average returns. A venture capitalist (VC) is a person who makes such investments (From: Wikipedia:Venture_capitalists)
the preferable route – the way or method that most people like more than others
economies of scale - production is cheaper when a company produces more, as production increases the average per unit cost of production decreases (See Economist:Economies_of_scale and Wikipedia:Returns_to_scale)
a tax break - a reduction in taxes

Answer key:

1. While you read, circle the places in the article where collaboration and cooperation between Thai companies and organizations is discussed or implied:

a. “the Software Industry Promotion Agency (Sipa) is working with the Market for Alternative Investment”

b. “Animation and multimedia would become a part of every field of business such as the entertainment, learning, and education industries, as well as advertising”

c. “No one can do everything on their own and thus they have to merge and jointly create the products”

d. “Co-production of digital content makes sense because each company has its own intellectual property”

e. “…now it is collaboration, in the form of an alliance between the professional and technology associations, the Thailand Animation and Computer Graphics Association (Tacga) and Bangkok ACM Siggraph, and co-productions that are important.

f. “Sipa will…promote entrepreneurs and the merger of small companies…”

g. “Sipa, in conjunction with Tacga and Bangkok ACM Siggraph, recently signed a memorandum of understanding…”

2. How is MAI planning to facilitate cooperation between companies and academia?

"As a facilitator, MAI would help match entrepreneurs with venture capitalists...the industry should collaborate, to work on a large enough scale" [See economies of scale in vocabulary definitions above]

3. Underline the organizations mentioned in the article. Are you aware of what these organizations do?

1. Software Industry Promotion Agency (Sipa)
2. Market for Alternative Investment (MAI)
3. Computer Graphics Association (Tacga)
4. Bangkok ACM Siggraph
5. Roncarelli Report on the Computer Animation Industry 2003

4. How much is employment in the Thai digital content industry projected to expand?

“Based on Sipa’s goals, there will be around 1,000 people working in digital content within three years compared to today’s 500 to 600.”

5. How does the MAI president describe the risk-return profile of the digital content industry?

“…this notoriously high-risk, but high-return industry…”

6. What kinds of government incentives might help companies in this industry?

“…tax breaks and funding initiatives…”

7. What other Asian countries offer incentives to companies in this strategic industry? What incentives do they offer?

“In countries like Korea, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore, the government offers private companies incentives such as tax breaks for 10 years…”

8. Why do you think the digital content industry might be a strategic industry for Asian countries?

Many answers are possible here: 1. Given its artistic heritage Thailand probably has a competitive advantage in products where art and creativity are an important input, 2. It will diversify Thailand's economy away from dependence on agriculture towards industries like IT with high human capital and educational inputs,...many possible answers...[See Michael Porter's competitive analysis and recommendations for Thailand, I will look for the link and give it here]

Posted by Jon Fernquest at 09:55 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Have you checked out the library recently? 

See "Libraries of the future today", back cover, Learning Post

From Boon Boonprayoon

Have you recently dropped by at the school's library? What is it like? It cannot be denied that going to library, doing research or independent study and borrowing books to take back home are some of the least favourite tasks among ordinary Thai students — school nerds and bookworms are excluded. Shopping is more fun, Malls are more exciting. Spending time browsing  the Net and chatting with friends on line are even more pleasureful! But what does this mean to the future of the country?

    According to this feature, the average IQ level among Thai youth is lower than 80. How shccking! One attempt to improve this situation is to make the library become more inviting to students. Up-to-date books, CD-Roms and computer access are all part of the new library to make it a more positive learning place.

    Today, the IE Centre, located within Bangkok's Science Centre for Education (Bangkok Planetarium) has provided new ideas and learning atmosphere. It has been transformed into a community library and learning centre. Let's find out from the reading what is there to find. You will also find out about a new generation library at the Sarawittaya School.


nerds - showing an abnormally high interest for computers and scientific subjects
bookworms - people who are very fond of reading
excluded - not included
transformed - completely changed in appearance so that it is better
up to the task - as high or as good as something
diversified - to develop a wider range of interest, skills, etc. in order to be more successful
cubicle - a small rooms that is made by separating off part of a large room
conducive - to make it easy, possible for something to happen
approach -the way of dealing with the task in a particular way
arrangement - the way things are organized
integration - the act or process of combining two or more things so that they work together
obligation - something which you must do because you have promised to do or because of the law
traffic - the movement of people from one place to another; the number of people visiting the library
edutainment - products such as books, television programmes and especially computer softwares that both educate and entertain
gear -  to make change so that it is suitable for a particular purpose
oriented - to adapt for a particular purpose
instant hit - become popular instantly or as soon as it is introduced to
documentaries - a film or radio or television programme giving facts about something
promising - showing signs of being good or successful
foundation - a principle idea

Activity

As it is the first day at school, I would start with the easiest yet most important exercise: Sentence structure: subject and verb. Although this material is to help strengthen your reading skills, I would like you to try not to worry about the vocabulary and start working on the structure of sentences. Once you can identify the structure of sentences you read, you will be able to get to the story easily because subjects of the sentences will point to the main idea of the passage you read.

Identifying the subject and verb of each sentence. 

1. School libraries today are quite different from those of the past.
2. Today's libraries still contain the traditional bookshelves and rows of cubicles, but some have been transformed into a learning centre.
3. Libraries should play a more active role in creating an environment conductive to learning outside classroom.
4. Both the government and public sectors have begun focusing on promoting the love of reading among children.
5. Besides housing more than 30,000 book titles, the centre organizes weekend activities for kids, such as painting and group reading.
6. Between 150 and 200 users each day take advantage of the free services, with school children making up approximately 60 percent of the traffic.
7. Community libraries are geared towards servicing people in general, so the books don't have to be academically oriented.
8. This distinction does not mean that school libraries should remain serious and detached from the students' lifestyle.
9. Each week, teachers pose a trivia question about reading and challenge students to actively search for an answer from one of the books available in the school's library.
10. This activity has become an instant hit and has increased the student traffic in the library.

After you finish the exercise above, try to think of what you want the school library to be if you were allowed to renovate it. What do you want to add to the library? And where should public libraries be added in your neighborhood?

Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 10:02 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Seaside Excursion

See "Easier Done than Told" (Horizons section, page 3)
By John Ross

Photos from top: One of the seven cannons at Phra Chulachomklao Fort; salted shrimp at Sakhla Village.

Today we look at an interesting story about Phra Pradaeng in Samut Prakan. You may be wondering what this area near Bangkok has to do with tourism. As the article points out, it is not well known as a tourist destination. But it also lists a number of tourist attractions that are located there.

Read through the story using the vocabulary below and summarise the four major attractions of Phra Pradaeng including the details for each place.

1) name of attraction
    __________________________________
    details
    __________________________________
    __________________________________
    __________________________________

2) name of attraction
    __________________________________
    details
    __________________________________
    __________________________________
    __________________________________

3) name of attraction
    __________________________________
    details
    __________________________________
    __________________________________
    __________________________________

After learning about Phra Pradaeng, you can role play with your partner as travel agent and tourist. Use these questions to get you started:

1) How can we get to Phra Pradaeng? 

2) How far is it from Bangkok?

2) What can we do there?

VOCABULARY

rustic - rural, undeveloped, in the countryside
ideal - perfect
stretch (noun) - a long section
slated - scheduled
islet - a small island
soil - dirt, earth
erosion - the washing away of something
initiated - started, began
successor  - the next one, in this case King Rama III
statuette - a small statue, similar to 'islet'
colonialism - the expansion of a nation by taking over other parts of the world
enable - make possible
funds - money
fleet - a group of ships, in the case the navy
ushered - led
showcases - features, exhibits
state-of-art - up-to-date, most modern
parlance - including, made up of
decommissioned - stopped being used, retired
mothballed - stopped being used, retired
dissected - divided into parts
mangroves - trees or shrubs with stiltlike roots and stems that grow along the seashore 
bivalve cockle molluscs - a type of shellfish
intruding - invading
heroics - actions of a hero
cultivated - grew, farmed
forking - dividing into two or more ways
reminiscing - remembering
spotted - saw
lush - thick and growing well
vegetation - plants and trees
thrive - grow well
subsidence - weakening, similar to 'erosion'
been through - experienced

Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 01:18 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Temples of Wonder

See "Cultural diversity" (Horizons section, page 1)
From John Ross

Indonesia is the most populous Muslim-majority nation in the world, but as today's article points out, Indonesia has four major religions: Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity, both Catholics and Protestants. And some of the major tourist attractions in this country are ancient Buddhist and Hindu temples. The article focuses on the two largest temples, both of which are located on the island of Java. A map of Indonesia is available here and a map of Java here 

    Borobudur is a World Heritage Site and the largest Buddhist monument in the world and is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It is located about 40 kms northwest of the ancient royal city of Yogyakarta. Prambanan is the largest Hindu temple compound in Indonesia. It is located about 18 kms east of Yogyakarta. Let's learn about these sites using the vocabulary below, then check our knowledge by answering the questions.


1) When was the construction of Borobudur started?
2) When was it completed? 
3) What are some of its important features?
4) When was the Hindu temple of Prambanan built?
5) What are its main features?
6) When and how were Borobudur and Prambanan damaged?
7) What happened soon after that?
8) What are some other attractions to be found in Yogyakarta?

    After learning about Borobudur and Prambanan, you can think about or discuss the following questions with your friends.

1) Have you ever been to Java or other parts of Indonesia such as Bali? 

    If yes: When? Where? How was it? Who did you go with? What did you do?

2) Would you like to visit Borobudur? Do you think it is an interesting place?

3) Why or why not?

4) How about Prambanan?

VOCABULARY

eruption - when a volcano becomes active and explodes
spewing - spitting out
evacuation - leaving a building or area because of danger
witnesses - sees, experiences
outburst - eruption
terrace - level
ring finger - the third finger where a person wears their wedding ring
resemble - look like
inverted - turned upside down (You can see the shape of the bells that resemble an inverted rice bowl in the picture.)
bas-relief - a 3-dimensional sculpture on a wall (Again, have a look at the pictures.)
depicting - showing
ensemble - group, set
a testament to - proof of
harmony - peace and cooperation
apart from - in addition to
Ramayana - the Indian name for the Ramakien
troupe - group
comprising - including, made up of
epic - a long story, here it refers to the Ramayana
boasts of - is proud of, features
pristine - very clean and natural
paddy fields - rice fields

Posted by Terry Fredrickson at 11:55 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Could unorthodox business ideas become the norm?

See “Schwartz takes over at Sun” (Database, page 2)
By Jon Fernquest

Like humans, companies can starve and die if they are not fed right.

Humans live on food. Companies live on ideas.

It could be a new product idea. It could be a new idea about an old product.

But if a company does nothing new, if it just repeats the same old ideas, other companies will overtake it and the company will die.

The computer company Sun Microsystems in Silicon Valley has just appointed a new chief executive officer with a new innovative approach to strategy.

What Sun needs is an iPod: “a runaway hit product to give the company new life in a new market.”

Who or what is Sun? Why is its choice of a new executive officer important?

Jonathan I. Schwartz, the new CEO of Sun MIcrosystems, does not look or behave like a CEO normally does. In the article, how does his biography and personal appearance challenge traditional stereotypes about corporate leaders? (See answer key at end).

In the computer world, Sun is know for producing servers and the Java programming language. Outside of the computer world, Java is best known as a platform for games on mobile phones, but Sun has not profited much from Java. They have only profited from, “indirect revenue when telecommunications companies purchase Sun hardware for new information services, like Java-based games that require more computers on the back end.” Schwartz may shift Sun’s strategy and, exploiting the mobile phone-Java connection, “push Sun directly into consumer markets.”

If you were Schwartz, what would your business plan be? What kind of iPod-like consumer product would you design to best use Sun’s Java technologies?

While you read, circle the ideas and business practices that differentiate him from other corporate leaders (See answer key at end).

You might want to check out Jonathan Schwartz's weblog and Wikipedia entry. For listening practice, listen to a keynote address he made at an important meeting on open source software.

Vocabulary (in discussion above)

a stereotype – the fixed image and beliefs that the public has about a kind of person or thing, for instance all westerners eat a lot of bread or dentists are boring people who don’t take risks
keynote address - the speech that begins a large meeting that sets out the main theme of the meeting

Vocabulary (in article)

whiteboard – the large white board used for writing on in classrooms and conference rooms
at first glance – the first thing that you think of when you see or read something
unorthodox – not ordinary or standard practice
aggressively priced – very competitively priced, priced to get lots of customers
set-top box – a box that connects a television to outside video, audio, web pages, or games coming from cable, satellite, or telephone (See Wikipedia:Set_top_box)
a ponytail – tieing your hair in a single strand hanging behind your head, the actor Steven Seagal wears a ponytail, George Washington did too (See Wikipedia:Pony_tail)
by way of – via, go through one place to reach another
affluent suburbs – neighborhoods of rich people on the edges of large cities
perched above – on a mountain, hill, or cliff overlooking some place
to aspire – to have a strong desire to achieve
fledgling – new and without experience
novel – new and different from what has been done before
computer workstations – the personal computer that sits on a user’s desk (servers are not workstations)
a magic bullet – a remedy that cures a disease that seems incurable, a solution to a problem that is difficult to solve
in the wake of – after a big important event (the wake of a ship is the waves behind it as it passes)
to fend off something – to defend yourself from something
warming to… – becoming more interested in…
shunning – avoiding and keeping away from someone or something
succession planning – planning for changes in leadership
revamping – make changes to improve
a runaway hit product – a popular product whose popularity never ends
has the reins – has control (reins are used to control horses)
computer network infrastructure – all the equipment and software that keeps the internet and local networks at companies running
a stronghold – the company has strong control over this industry or product
slackening – becoming slower, less active, and less intense
mobile phone handsets – the mobile phone that you hold in your hand
payback – return, the reward you receive for doing something
to contend that – to state or argue that something is true
the back end – software that runs on the server and not the user’s (client’s) computer or mobile phone (See Wikipedia:Front_and_back_end)
“shame on me” – said jokingly about himself, people usually say “shame on you” to a child who is behaving badly
monetise – turn into money, revenue and a profit

Answer key:

1. Different ways that Schwartz’s biography and personal appearance challenge traditional stereotypes about corporate leaders:

a. “wearing the ponytail”
b. “he was a liberal arts major at Wesleyan college in the 1980’s”
c. “Schwartz’s place of residence…a house on the edge of the Mission District of San Francisco”

2. Ideas and business practices that differentiate Schwartz from other corporate leaders:

a. “likes to take visitors on whiteboard tours of what at first glance appear to be highly unorthodox business ideas”

b. General Motors should give away cars to people who subscribe to their support service

c. “I belong to a club that exists around the world that says progress is made by the unconventional…And that is reflected in many things, whether it’s where I choose to live or the company I work for or the ideals to which I aspire.”

d. “Schwartz has made it a rule to conduct novel marketing experiments.”

e. “has taken to selling computing time for a dollar an hour from a large grid of the company’s servers.”

Posted by Jon Fernquest at 11:24 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)