EFL Geek 3.0 - ESL & EFL in Korea

Random Quote

There are painters who transform the sun to a yellow spot, but there are others who with the help of their art and their intelligence, transform a yellow spot into the sun.
---- Pablo Picasso

As an adolescent I aspired to lasting fame, I craved factual certainty, and I thirsted for a meaningful vision of human life - so I became a scientist. This is like becoming an archbishop so you can meet girls.
---- M. Cartmill

This may be the most interesting blog theme I've ever seen. http://eflgeek.com/index.php Definitely in my top 5 at least.
---- Steve Dembo

Study without desire spoils the memory, and it retains nothing that it takes in.
---- Leonardo DaVinci (1452-1519)

Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe.
---- H. G. Wells

To have another language is to possess a second soul.
---- Charlemagne

Isn't it interesting that the same people who laugh at science fiction listen to weather forecasts and economists?"
---- Kelvin Throop III

The least of learning is done in the classrooms
---- Thomas Merton

Don't knock the weather. If it didn't change once in a while, nine out of ten people couldn't start a conversation.
---- Kin Hubbard

I'll be more enthusiastic about encouraging thinking outside the box when there's evidence of any thinking going on inside it.
---- Terry Pratchett

Technology will not replace teachers...teachers who use technology will
probably replace teachers who do not.
---- Ray Clifford

A university is what a college becomes when the faculty loses interest in students.
---- John Ciardi

Man invented language to satisfy his deep need to complain.
---- Lily Tomlin

Education's purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one.
---- Malcom Forbes

"It was on my fifth birthday that Papa put his hand on my shoulder and said, 'Remember, my son, if you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of your arm.'"
---- Sam Levenson

No one can understand the truth until he drinks of coffee's frothy goodness.
---- Sheik Abd-al-Kadir

A magician pulls rabbits out of hats. An experimental psychologist pulls habits out of rats.
---- anonymous

America believes in education: the average professor earns more money in a year than a professional athlete earns in a whole week.
---- Evan Esar

Just because your voice reaches halfway around the world doesn't mean you are wiser than when it reached only to the end of the bar.
---- Edward R. Murrow

Arguments over grammar and style are often as fierce as those over IBM versus Mac, and as fruitless as Coke versus Pepsi and boxers versus briefs.
---- Jack Lynch

As soon as I buy the moose head, I have to go pick up some KY jelly.
---- Mary Roninette Kowal

Man invented language to satisfy his deep need to complain.
---- Lily Tomlin

Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence.
---- Robert Frost

I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.
---- Thomas A. Edison

I do not fear computers. I fear the lack of them.
---- Isaac Asimov

White Man Cafe

If you are a white man and tired of teaching ESL in Asia, but don’t want to go home you could always head to Japan. Looks like there’s a market for the White Man Cafe.
Hat tip to the English Blog. Original video on CNN, but I found it on YouTube and embedded it here for your viewing convenience.

Sean. inscribed these words of wisdom on Wednesday Jul 23, 2008 at 09:40 PM
Random_Ramblings | Video | (0)

Video in the Classroom

My latest article for the Korea Herald is now out and it is on using video in the classroom. Read it at the Korea Herald site or look in the extended entry.

I have previously posted several entries with materials for download on this blog. You can find them below.

There might be more, but I can’t remember everything I’ve written on this blog in the last 4.5 years. If you find these useful, please leave a comment and let me know.

At the bottom of the article I’ve included a reader question - the first on the column, if you can help out, why not leave a comment.

Korea Herald Readers

Welcome. Feel free to comment and leave your thoughts on this weeks column. If you would like to learn more about me visit my bio page. I have also been blogging at this site for 4 years so there are a lot of entries if you care to look through the archives. Some of my favorite or more popular entries are available on the classic entries page.

Read the rest of this post

Sean. inscribed these words of wisdom on Tuesday Jul 22, 2008 at 02:43 PM
Teaching | KH Column | teaching_application | Readers_Questions | (1)

Moodle 1.9.2

A couple of days ago I upgraded my moodle install to 1.9.2 I never upgrade mid semester just in case there are problems, even though the upgrade is always flawless.

Today I’ve been setting up my courses for fall semester and noticed a couple of new features that I like. First off, when adding a resource such as a pdf or word file you have the choice of veiwing it or returning to course - previously moodle automatically displayed the file. I know what it is and don’t need to see it, so this is a good change.

When I reset my course and changed the start date - all assigment due dates changed to match the new semester. Previously I had to go in and manually reset each assignment, which was annoying as I inevitably missed one or two and had students in a panic about not being able to submit assignments. Also in the assigment edit screen is the ability to set grade categories - previously you had to save the new assigment and then go into the grade book. This will be a good time saver.

The best part is AJAX editing!The best part is AJAX editing! Yes, now you can drag and drop weeks, resources or assignments wherever you want them to be. This is much more efficient than the old method of multiple clicks and page refreshes. This is truly a great find.

Overall I’m very happy with this upgrade so far and will have to explore the other new features, perhaps it’s time to checkout the changelog. In any case some nice changes from 1.8+

Sean. inscribed these words of wisdom on Sunday Jul 20, 2008 at 12:49 PM
Moodle | (0)

Help a researcher

Charles is conducting research on Korean oral literature and culture as seen by foreigners. If you live or have lived in Korea then go fill out this survey and help him out.

I’m filling it out now and have also added the link to my facebook profile.

Sean. inscribed these words of wisdom on Saturday Jul 12, 2008 at 07:59 AM
Public_Service_Announcement | Random_Ramblings | (0)