Visit to SPH News Centre at Toa Payoh

The participants of the Learning Journey to the News Centre had the privilege of having Peter Khoo talking to us about "Transforming a Newspaper Company - Beyond Prints, Beyond Boundaries.

I learned that my generation is known as the digital immigrants whereas our pupils are Digital natives.

Peter Khoo shared about how he grew up in Circuit Road in a 2-room flat shared with 15 other cousins. He was a Saint Andrew's boy and even a Lion City cupper, a contemporary of Fandi Ahmad.

He shared about he loved to write and actually wrote articles which he would post at the back of the classroom for his friends to read.

He shared about how the Internet Business model based on being free was not viable. The mobile phone was used as a comparison to show that people would not think twice about using it despite the cost of using it. Five cents for an sms, etc

The results of the survey to assess where people in Singapore and Malaysia obtained the news from

Singapore (2006) - 1st Newspaper 2nd TV 3rd Internet

Malaysia (2004) - 1st Internet 2nd Newspaper 3rd TV

This shows the changes made in the understanding and consumption of Media

An interesting point to note is the Internet has reopend old wounds in the tense racial ties in Malaysia. Makes you wonder about whether technology actually advances society.

SPH is the fifth largest Media group in the world - a little fact that is overlooked by its distractors - Temesek Holdings 1% - The foreigh ownership exceeds 50%

Operation Margin for SPH is around 35%

How to leverage user-generated platform e.g. STOMP

Class application - Hook them with something as well as teach the content that they need to know and learn

Legal point - Newspaper are liable when they report slander between two parties that proves to be inacurrate but on the Internet, it would not be liable if it remains unedited.

The mypaper has possibilities with its bilingual content

Human interest cannot be quelled

Human interest drives everything

It's about relevance.

Destination Imagination - Instant Challenge

Instant Challenge (25 Sept)

The task-based challenge would appealto boys where the teams are to find ways with the items provided to mow down figurines set about 1 to 1.5 metres away. One group actually come up with a catapult idea and Calvin, a team member seeing the ineffectiveness of the projectiles fashioned an oversized paper bullet as thick as a finger. It did the job of knocking down 4 out of the 40 figurines at the target area.

Movie - Patriot

Patriot

Some quotable quotes.

I am not a child.
You are my child

Major Jean Villeneuve: Are you sure this is the right place to recruit for a Militia?
Benjamin Martin: [shouts] God save King George! [Music stops and the pub regulars pull out their guns and begin throwing stuff at them. The two men run outside and shut the door behind them]
Benjamin Martin: I think we came to the right place!

Reverend Oliver: A shepherd must tend his flock... And at times, fight off the wolves. (Why Christians need to fight)

Benjamin Martin: Aim small, miss small.

Writing - Draft Revision

Writing

I found out that it is better to set aside time in class to go over the composition drafts and for students to revise the drafts on the spot.

Class management issues:

1) Have follow-up asssignments for those you finish early.
2) Check the work again after the revision is done (Preferably in class if time permits)
3) Simple Monitoring system (Use of whiteboard) to determine who is done and what is due.

Reading

Reading.

Alan Morley's article on Creative Writing/Reading is very enlightening:

I liked the quote about how EL language teaching lacks a creative spark.

Here's a quote from John McRae (1991) from Literature with a Small "l". Oxford: Macmillan.

"In future years, the absence of imaginative content in language teaching will be considered to have marked a primitive stage of the discipline: the use of purely referential materials limits the learner's involvement with the target language and leads to a one-dimensional learning achievement. Representational materials make an appeal to the learner's imagination..."

Google Books

Google Books allows you to read certain books directly off the Internet. One drawback though is that you can't copy and paste any of the text. The advantage though is that one can get to read books by cutting down on time in searching the old-fashion way as well as being easy on the wallet.

John's Strengths

23 Sept 2008
According to my wife, John is a very happy boy. He always wakes up with a smile in the morning.

He takes great pleasure in his newly-learned skill which is to use a public phone to call us during his recess. This acquired skill means a small step for him as he develops into a more independent individual.

Spiritual Matters

Ralph mentioned about getting together on a regular basis to discuss about spiritual matters. I am in agreement with this idea. As the Bible, "as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

Educare Matters

Some names to remember of the members in the Educare BOD

Dr. Shirley Lim - Chairperson (Former RI teacher)
Ng Hua Chong - Formerly of Singapore Commerical Enterprise (or SCE)
Vik Tor Pak - Formerly a teacher at Nan Hua, now MD at Litespeed

Prime Time Teaching

Try this schedule: Start teaching your most difficult subjects right away in the morning. Concentration and motivation are at their prime for both you and your students. Save the last periods of the day for more relaxing subjects such as active learning and art.