Update from today

Schedule for this week is posted under weekly schedules and right here:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B-rIza1967iVQWZTS0dVcVI3cjA

For those of you who were absent from my class today--Joe, Luisa, Omar, and Mohammed--please look over the schedule carefully so that you understand everything we're doing this week (there's a lot). Since you missed the group work in class related to the articles, I will post some special blog work for you to do to allow you to discuss them.

Have a great LONG weekend!

Like I said today in class, I cannot believe that we're at mid-term. Wow! I want to let you know how much I'm enjoying our class. While each one of you is so entirely unique, together you are just awesome. I look forward to doing more team projects in the second half. The presentations this week were just fantastic. Also, your writing on the blog and your voicethread contributions have been very thoughtful, so I look forward to more of those as well.

For Tuesday, I'd like you to read two articles in the book, one of which you were supposed to read already. That's chapter 5, review test 4 (pp. 205-215) and chapter 6, review test 4 (pp. 256-262). I will post questions on the blog for you to respond to regarding these readings.

Of course you know that you have to keep up with The Tipping Point. However, your next reading test probaby won't be until we go back into the Call Lab the following Monday. I'm posting the list under vocabulary lists. I'll also post it right here: 
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B-rIza1967iVMGdlZ2NINklyb1E

Finally, I have posted another TED lecture for you to listen to and respond to. I hope you enjoy it.

I hope you'll all come out for a great time on Sunday. I'll be there from 1-4. The picnic tables are near the basketball court. The park isn't that big so you shouldn't have trouble locating us.  I'll bring a propane stove and kettle so we can make hot cocoa/tea/coffee and I'll also bring tablecloths and some charcoal and maybe some hotdogs to grill. If some of you bring snacks and drinks, we'll be set.

Tipping Point Vocabulary Slides (updated)

Introduction and chapter 1:
http://www.slideshare.net/holly_cin/tipping-pointslideschapter1-14976424

Texas Renaissance Festival information

Tickets for the TexRenFest are now for sale in room 118. 

This is a great event that you shouldn't miss! 

Vocabulary Practice for You

In order for you to improve your vocabulary in general, I have given you access to the on-line materials available at Townsend Press. So when you log in, go to the vocabulary book. Although I am not going to test you on this, I recommend that you try to do 2-3 chapters a week on your own. It is not required, but I will give you extra credit for doing the exercises and on-line tests. This is truly a wonderful way for you to build your vocabulary substantially each week. In turn, this will make reading much easier and far more enjoyable for you.

If you finish all of the chapters from this book, I will open up more materials for you to access :D

Missing Listening Work

Mohammad:  2, 4
Omar:  1, 2, 3, 4
Jacky:  1, 2, 3, 4
Vu:  3
Vero:  3
Shay:  1, 4

Please watch the videos and post your responses ASAP.

Listening Work #5: Creativity in the Workplace (due Tuesday 10/30)

http://www.ted.com/talks/tim_brown_on_creativity_and_play.html

Picnic on Sunday

Let's get together for some fun, frisbee, and football at Godwin Park, which is located near my home at 5101 Rutherglenn Drive  Houston, Texas 77096.

From 1-4.

Bring your friends.  

Let me know if you need a ride. We'll arrange rides, so don't worry.

Reading work for chapters 5 & 6 (organizational patterns)

I have opened up some mastery tests on the Townsend Press site for you to practice. I'd like you to do mastery tests 1 and 2 from each chapter. If you want to do more, you are welcome to do so.

LCC Social Events

The LCC would like to have a weekly social event. This week, the event is the UH football game on Saturday. Students can meet at the fountain outside the LCC at 2 pm, walk to the tailgate at 2:30, and go to the game at 3:30.  Conversation Club guides will be wearing LCC T-shirts. We'll encourage students to wear their T-shirts, too. To get in for free, students must bring their UH IDs.  Details will be posted on Facebook and the bulletin board.

Blog Writing: Responding to "Personal Relationships..." (due Wednesday, 10/24)

Read the article "Personal Relationships in the Not-So-Good Old Days," on pp. 163-165, and answer TWO out of the three the following questions.

(Ileana, Vero, Lin, Kyoung, and Fatimah do not have to answer these questions but are welcome to if they so choose since the topic is so interesting.)

1.  The author writes that "when wives beat their husbands, it was the husband, not the wife, who was likely to be punished... He had shamed the village by not controlling his wife properly." Do you think there are still men today who feel they are supposed to "control" their wives?  Explain.

2.  In paragraph 7, Stark states that in the traditional family "the primary unit of society and attachment was not the family but the peer group." Does this statement apply at all to society today?  At which stages or in what situations might people today feel closer to their peers than to their family members?

3.  The author writes, "Only in modern times have most people married for love."  Do you think love is the only thing people consider today when choosing a mate?  What other factors might be important to consider when selecting a potential life partner?

Post-lecture listening (Milestones in Technology) (due Thurdsay, 10/25)

1.  The lecturer names several inventions from after the Industrial Revolution. Which ones do you consider to be true milestones when examined from a perspective covering many thousands of years of technological advances?

2.  Do you believe that some areas of technological research and development should be limited or prohibited? If so, which ones? Why?

I posted the schedule for this week under weekly schedules

homework for Tuesday

Monday, October 15: CALL LAB

Voicethread (On technology)

Implied main ideas on line (mastery tests 1, 2, and 3)

TP reading quiz, chapter 2 (until p. 59)

HW: RS, pp. 162-167 (chapter 4, review test 4), reading and questions; blog response (due Wednesday)

VT on technology (due Wednesday)

LL, pp. 49-50, activities 8 and 9 (vocabulary)

Tipping Point Reading Quiz #2 (chapter 2, pp. 30-59)

1.  Explain the concept of “six degrees of separation.”

2.  Describe what a connector is and explain why they are so successful at bringing people together.

3.  According to Gladwell, what is the basis for most friendships?

4.  Gladwell writes that in finding a job, “weak ties are more important than strong ties.” Explain.

5.  What has been the most interesting part of the book for you so far?

Blog Writing: Tipping Point, chapter 2 questions

Have a great weekend!

Homework:

1. Tipping Point, pp. 30-59. Take notes. Prepare 4 questions that you expect me to ask on the test. Send me the questions by Sunday night: holly_cin@yahoo.com

2.  Reading Skills:
pp. 150-151, check your understanding (CYU)
pp. 153-154 (CYU)
Review test 2 and 4
Mastery test 4 and 6

Holly's lecture on plagiarism

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Lp7cPtb35Ec#!

The quality of the image isn't great but the audio is good.

Vocabulary list for TP chapter 1 slides (due Monday)

Don't look in the dictionary unless you're desperate. First, find the word in its context in the book. You can even use the sentence from the book in your slide (but put it in quotes and cite the book and page number--ie. Tipping Point, p. 25)

Introduction:

Baffled--Mohammad

Staple (adj. or noun)-(rice is a staple of Asian cuisine)--Mohammad

Conventional explanations--Eiman

Plunge--Eiman

Plummet--Ileana

“Ebb and flow”--Ileana

Contagious--Fatimah

Decline--Fatimah

Incremental changes--Omar

Taper off--Omar

Decelerate--Jacky

Radical notion--Jacky

Intuitively--Joe

Deliberately--Joe

Chapter one:

Equilibrium--Lin

Culprit--Lin

Deteriorate--Vu

Hollowing out--Vu

Subtle--Yo

Severe/severity--Yo

Scale back--Kyoung

Demolition/demolish--Kyoung

Shatter--Shay

Acute infection--Shay

Chronic infection--Veronica

Lingering problem--Veronica

Keep [something] in check--Bank

Purge--Bank

Have an impact on someone or something--Chune

Provocative--Chune

Cluster--Luisa

Anonymity--Luisa

Alienation--Luisa

Diffused--Luisa

Slides list 3

http://www.slideshare.net/holly_cin/r-svocablist3-14765768

please let me know if you've sent slides and they're not here.

The debate format tonight

I wasn't sure about the issues to be discussed in the debate tonight, and now I know why. The format is called a "Town Hall," where undecided voters in the audience get to ask the candidates questions, unlike the prior debate which was conducted by a moderator asking the questions. The questions are pre-screened to make sure they are appropriate so we can expect DECORUM in the room.

I'm getting my popcorn ready...

"Town Hall" Presidential Debate tonight at 9pm et / 6pm pt

By Nate, on October 16th, 2012

The second in the series of three Presidential Debates will take place tonight featuring a "town hall" style format from Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. This debate will be 90 minutes long and will featured pre-screened questions from a group of undecided voters. The topics will range from domestic to foreign policy and everything in between. We will have the live stream embedded so you can watch the debate right here on this page.
Air Time: Tuesday, October 16, 2012 @ 8pm
Channels: ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS, CNN, Fox News, MSNBC and more including CNN Espanol and others

Tipping Point reading quiz 1 (introduction and chapter 1)

1.  In the introduction, Gladwell mentions snow as a tipping point phenomenon. Explain.

2.  What does the "Law of the Few" mean?

3.  What does "the stickiness factor" mean and why is it important in "tipping?"

4.  Gladwell uses the example of the New York City murder of Kitty Genovese, which was witnessed by 38 bystanders, to illustrate "the power of context." Explain what this means.

Listening Work #4: On Teaching Math (due Wednesday 10/17)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-YFwwl-DIU&feature=youtu.be

This lecture relates to the discussion we had in class on Friday following Mohammed's presentation and his comments on how he succeeded in math. Thank you to Ileana for bringing this video to my attention.

Here's my question for you to comment on:  What does this lecture teach you, not about math, but about teaching?

Have a great weekend

Hi Guys,
I can't believe we just completed 4 weeks together (well, I know that I wasn't there for four weeks, but you know what I mean). Now I'm in. Every day.

I think you know what to do to be prepared for Monday. We'll do a voicethread discussion of "Return to the Source," so please be ready for that. Also, I'll give you a reading quiz on the intro and chapter 1 of Tipping Point. You can use a page of notes, so take good notes.

I don't have the listening work yet. I'll post it tomorrow or Sunday. I think it will have something to do with the election.




Here is the slides list for vocab list 3 (due Monday):

Slides List 3:
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B-rIza1967iVWlFZcGVwdFJkaDQ

Have a great weekend--enjoy the mild weather. 
HC

p.s. I forgot to say how impressed I've been with your awesome presentations. What a pleasure to watch and learn from you! 

The Vice Presidential Debates Tonight

I know I said that we were going to talk about the presidential debates but have yet to do it.

We will do it next week. We'll talk about the first debate and then prepare for the second debate, which is next week.

In the meanwhile, the vice presidential debate is TONIGHT. This should be something interesting for you to watch, and of course it will be excellent listening practice.

The key to enjoying this debate and getting the most out of it is PREPARATION. If you know what to expect, then the listening will be a lot easier. To do some pre-listening, read the following short article:

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/OTUS/eleven-things-hear-tonights-vice-presidential-debate/story?id=17453918#.UHdYdhiAFLA

You can also watch this short video clip:
http://gma.yahoo.com/5-things-watch-vice-presidential-debate-064654960.html

You can watch the debate on line or on tv. (NBC).  The debate begins at 8p.m.

If you're not interested, that's okay. But this is history in the making and you're right here!

If you watch them, please post your initial impressions of the candidates as a comment.

Reading book's website

For the reading book on-line companion site, go to:

http://www.townsendpress.com/learning-center/

Click on learning center (at the bottom).
Sign in to the account.
Locate me as your instructor.
Let me know if you're in.

If you didn't pass the main ideas test...

please meet me tomorrow after class at 12:30 to go over the test and practice finding the main idea.

Also, if you missed any of the previous tests, I can give it to you then as well.

Please buy this book for our class

I have finally decided on which book we're going to read this term. It's not a novel, as I had originally planned. Rather, its a book about the social phenomena of epidemics--not the spread of medical diseases but instead how new ideas, trends, and fashions spread "epidemically" through a culture. I think that you will find the material very interesting and extremely well-written. It was a best-seller here in the U.S.

The name of the book is The Tipping Point. The author is Malcolm Gladwell. You can buy the book on Amazon for 3 or 4 dollars (including shipping). You can also find the book in a local bookstore (not the campus bookstore), and probably even at Half Price Books.

Please get the book as soon as possible. I'd like you to be ready to discuss chapter one next Monday (a week from tomorrow). I will photocopy the introduction and first chapter for you and give it to you on Wednesday or Thursday.  In general, we will read about 30-40 pages of the book a week so be prepared to dedicate 3-4 hours a week to do this reading.

Listening Work #3: Visual Memory (due Tuesday, Oct. 9)

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/joshua_foer_feats_of_memory_anyone_can_do.html

After listening to the talk, discuss what, if anything, you have learned. How does what he says relate to you as language learners?

Invitation to Voice Thread

Please go to the following web address and try to log on. You should be in my group 6Afall2012. I haven't entered anything for you to actually do yet. You'll start that on Monday in the Call Lab. Please post a comment (here on the blog) if you're successful (or if you're not). You can also upload a picture so we'll know "who's talking."

https://voicethread.com/groups/subscribe/73843/16e4ea9af/

Slides list two

We're missing slides from Omar and Joe. If you've already sent them, let me know and it's my mistake. If you haven't already sent them, then it's your mistake, so please send them now!

Schedule for next week

I will prepare the full schedule for the week on Friday. Here's what you need to know right now.

Monday: Go to Call Lab
Stage 1 presentations: Vero, Luisa, Joe
Vocabulary review game (list two)
Voice thread (response to reading "Return to the Source")


Tuesday:
Stage 1 presentations:  Lin, Shay, Mohammad, Yo
Vocabulary test (list two)


Wednesday:
Stage 2 presentations: Kyoung, Vu, Chune


Thursday:
Stage 2 presentations: Vero, Luisa, Joe


Friday:
Stage 2 presentations:  Lin, Shay, Mohammad, Yo

Your First Presentations

Vero:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZma8eslPzM

Ileana:
http://youtu.be/muk7t5pECLc

Omar:
http://youtu.be/eZjBBYmkBxE

Vu:
 http://youtu.be/avTydOi_TfE

Joe:
http://youtu.be/Wc1micVgKAU

Chune:
http://youtu.be/WPROboMym9w

Jacky:
 http://youtu.be/-8ql7d70mC4

Bank:
 http://youtu.be/MQTo8aZSXf4

Luisa:
http://youtu.be/lgQXUHgtZvI

Lin:
 http://youtu.be/nCjMmn4xEA8

Mohammed:
 http://youtu.be/4K9t6xkvYT0

Shay:
 http://youtu.be/NH4M309q1HQ

Kyoung:
 http://youtu.be/NqAGqpNtgRU

Yo:
 http://youtu.be/ssm5a86vZg8

Events in Houston

Hi all!!!
Here are some activities that come to Houston in the netx days. Are you interested in???


http://www.galvestonoktoberfest.com/                      http://www.koreanfestivalhouston.com/

Retrieved from www.galvestonfest.com

Retrieved from www.koreanfestivalhouston.com

I plan to participate in both, so if you want to take part in, just let me know!!!

Saludos,  Vero