Monday 22 February 2016
Tips for success with learner-centered technology
The above tips were suggested during my OneStopEnglish webinar on February 10th. Here, I've added a few further notes to them. 1 | Find out what apps (etc) your students already use and start with those If many of your learners are already using, say, Instagram, that's probably the place Continue reading
Mara Rooney regrets playing whitewashed native American
Rooney Mara has found her guilt regarding her lily-white turn as Tiger Lily in the derided and disastrous Peter Pan prequel "Pan," which set fire to about $200m all told.
Even before Joe Wrights live-action retelling of Peter Pan hit theaters, the production came under fire for casting Rooney Mara as the Native American Tiger Lily, and thousands signed a petition objecting to Maras casting. Now, less than a week before the Academy Awards and in the middle of the #OscarsSoWhite controversy, Mara has opened up about her own involvement in the whitewashing debate in a new interview with The Telegraph.
I really hate, hate, hate that I am on that side of the whitewashing conversation, she told The Telegraph. I really do. I dont ever want to be on that side of it again. I can understand why people were upset and frustrated.
Tell me, o internet, how Mara came to hate, hate, hate, hate being on the wrong side of the conversation, but only after the movie became a career-blighting bomb.
Sunday 21 February 2016
Saturday 20 February 2016
Friday 19 February 2016
Trump praises mass-execution of Muslims with bullets dipped in pigs' blood
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump ended a rally in South Carolina Friday by recalling, approvingly, the probably-apocryphal tale of General Pershing's execution of Muslims.
... an apparent myth about how General John Pershing summarily executed dozens of Muslim prisoners in the Philippines with tainted ammunition during a guerilla war against the occupying United States.
"He took fifty bullets, and he dipped them in pig's blood," Trump said. "And he had his men load his rifles and he lined up the fifty people, and they shot 49 of those people. And the fiftieth person he said 'You go back to your people and you tell them what happened.' And for 25 years there wasn't a problem, okay?"
The story appears to be a hoax spread via e-mail forwards, according to rumor tracker Snopes.com, with no evidence it occurred.
The moral of the tale, according to Trump: "We better start getting tough and we better start getting vigilant, and we better start using our heads or we're not gonna have a country, folks."
A lifetime of glory; a cup of sake.
Thursday 18 February 2016
In FBI vs. Apple, New York Times editorial board sides with the tech resistance
"Apple is doing the right thing in challenging the federal court ruling requiring that it comply," reads a New York Times editorial today on the battle of the backdoors brewing between the government and the iPhone's maker.
The Simpsons Sphere: 500 simultaneous episodes in one 360? video
Wednesday 17 February 2016
The Launderettes cover the Boxtops
Listen mister, can't you see? I got to get back to my baby once more...
Tuesday 16 February 2016
Martin Scorsese's Jeb.
He spent $125 of other people's money. It was time to pay the debt.
RE: Jeb Bush tweets picture of engraved gun with the title "America"
Monday 15 February 2016
Lunatic "prosperity preacher" endorses Trump
Super creepy "Prosperity Christianity" preacher-scammer Mike Murdock is endorsing Donald Trump for president. Seems a good fit. Says Murdock, "I ain't seen a woman as good looking as a $100 dollar bill."
Vaped crusader
During a House Transportation Committee hearing on a proposal to ban vaping on airplanes, Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) took a hit from his vaporizer and exhaled a cloud of mist, saying, There is nothing noxious about this whatsoever." The congresswoman sitting next to him waved the cloud away.
Rep. Duncan Hunter argued the amendment would make it tough for people with asthma inhalers or people inhaling "medicine of the future" through vaporizers to take their hits on a plane.
"For freedom's sake," said Hunter.
Draw a story
Introduction
This lesson uses a wonderful idea from Chris Riddell, currently the 'children's laureate', of turning children into illustrators.
Learners will listen to a story and imagine each scene. Then they will work in groups, making colourful illustrations of key points from the story. When they finish they will put their pictures together to form a picture book version of the story. Finally they will use the picture book to retell the story in groups.
Note: If you choose to play the audio of the story at LearnEnglish Kids, you will have to become a member. Follow the instructions at http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/ before the lesson.
This activity works with most stories and can be adapted to use with other ages and levels. If you have a mobile device, why not film the groups retelling the story. Then send the recording to parents - make sure you have parental permission to do this.
Topic
Stories, picture books
Level
A1+
Time
50-60 minutes
Materials
- Teacher notes (download below)
- Ali and the magic carpet story text (download below or visit http://learnenglishkids.britishcouncil.org/en/short-stories/ali-and-the-magic-carpet)
Language Level:
Puppy shoots Florida man
A man who decided to shoot a bunch of puppies was himself shot by one of his intended victims. NBC News reports that Jerry Allen Bradford, 37, of Pensacola, Florida, sustained a gunshot to the wrist when "one of the dogs put its paw on the revolver's trigger."
On Monday, Bradford was holding two puppies -- one in his arms and another in his left hand -- when the dog in his hand wiggled and put its paw on the trigger of the .38-caliber revolver. The gun then discharged, the sheriff's report said.
Deputies found three of the puppies in a shallow grave outside Bradford's home, said sheriff's Sgt. Ted Roy.
The other four appeared to be in good health and were taken by Escambia County Animal Control, which planned to make them available for adoption.
Last chance to get Boing Boing's Maker Box from Quarterly.co
The only thing better than getting a package in the mail is getting a package filled with awesome, DIY kits! That's why we have teamed up with Quarterly to curate their inaugural Maker Box. Think of all the awesome projects that have been featured on Boing Boing, now in a box delivered directly to you. Quarterly's Maker Box hits your doorstep once every three months and will feature a variety of projects, from tech-influenced kits to gardening. We know that everyone can be a Maker and we're excited for you to start seeing the world as your very own DIY kit.
Each package will include at least three kits, save one for each month of the quarter or do them all at once! The choice is yours. The kits will vary in theme and final product, but each kit will be hours of hands-on fun! The cost is $100 every 3 months with this first box shipping out at the end of February.
So what's going to be inside the very first Boing Boing x Quarterly Maker Box, #MKR01? Well, here's a teaser for what to expect!
When's the last time you sat down and made something with your hands? If you are a Maker, probably an hour ago. Or if you are new to making, it may have been a while ago. Or maybe you cooked a meal, drew your own art, or just finished a puzzle. There are many different types of Makers out there from hackers, tinkerers, independent inventors and traditional artisans.
Whether or not you define yourself as a Maker, you can definitely be one and this box is the perfect starter kit.
MKR01 is all about celebrating DIY in all aspects of your life. You'll receive three kits, each with a new twist on life (*Hint, hint!). And if that weren't exciting enough, there will be a puzzle included in the box. You will have to solve it in order to receive the letter from us and Quarterly! Think of it as your very own treasure hunt.
There's only a limited number of boxes available, so subscribe now, before you miss out on this fun, creative, and engaging box.
Antonin Scalia, 1936-2016
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia is dead at 79. The longest-serving judge on the court, he was appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1986 and became its most outspoken conservative, joining textualist and originalist interpretations of the U.S. Constitution with a scathing attitude that made his dissents and opinions enjoyable to laymen.
The New York Times describes him as having led a conservative renaissance on the Supreme Court--one likely to end sharpish having died during a liberal presidency.
He was, Judge Richard A. Posner wrote in The New Republic in 2011, "the most influential justice of the last quarter century." Justice Scalia was a champion of originalism, the theory of constitutional interpretation that seeks to apply the understanding of those who drafted and ratified the Constitution. In Justice Scalia's hands, originalism generally led to outcomes that pleased political conservatives, but not always. His approach was helpful to criminal defendants in cases involving sentencing and the cross-examination of witnesses. ...
He was an exceptional stylist who labored over his opinions and took pleasure in finding precisely the right word or phrase. In dissent, he took no prisoners. The author of a majority opinion could be confident that a Scalia dissent would not overlook any shortcomings.
I was a Jeopardy! clue
I got quite a treat yesterday afternoon when my email and Twitter filled up with people letting me know that I was mentioned in a Jeopardy! clue!
(more...)
Romance Novels from Scarfolk, the English horror town trapped in the 1970s
Scarfolk, you will recall, is a Wyndhamesque horror-town in the English countryside, trapped in a continuous loop from 1970-1980, whose strange artifacts slowly leak into our world.
(more...)
Wednesday 10 February 2016
Twitter growth grinds to a full stop, Wall Street reacts accordingly
"On Wednesday, after many quarters of slowing user growth, Twitter said its monthly visitors in the fourth quarter totaled 320 million -- exactly the same as the company reported in the previous quarter," reports Mike Isaac in the New York Times. "While the number was up 9 percent from a year ago, when monthly active users stood at 288 million, the figures showed that Mr. Dorsey's recent moves have made little impact in attracting users."
Tuesday 9 February 2016
Trump and Sanders take New Hampshire
Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Bernie Sanders won their respective primary elections in New Hampshire today. Trump, with about a third of the votes, prevailed over John Kasich, with Ted Cruz and Jeb Bush in a virtual tie for third as of 10:30 p.m. Sanders won 58% of the Democrat vote, to Hillary Clinton's 40%; Clinton's concession speech was well-received and conciliatory, suggesting that the ground underfoot has definitively moved left.
Somewhere, Chris Christie is bullying an underling, burning himself out so he can quit without looking like a total asshole on TV. His greatest achievement in the race, nuking Marco Rubio's surge from orbit, offers a delicious irony: no-one has ever so completely proven that debates matter, yet gained so little from having done so. There are now many "Marco Rubio robot" nicknames in circulation. The correct one is Rubot.
Meanwhile, in old Hampshire, English coastguards have told children to stop playing on the beach during storms, and a legendary local stray cat that lived at a bus stop died of "horrific injuries," having been run over, possibly by a bus.
Update: beaten to it by Xeni.
Monday 8 February 2016
Sunday 7 February 2016
Happy Mutants Guide to Understanding Football
Football is about one thing and one thing only: dance. As far as I can tell American rules football is where men in elaborate costumes, featuring tight pants, seek to stop other men from dancing.
Colloquially known as a touchdown celebration, the body of rules and regulations managed by the credible governing body, the National Football League, seems to focus on allowable practices to bar the opposing team from dancing. After they've determined what you can do to stop a dancer, and what things are permissible to get the dancer on to the dance floor, known as an "end zone," the NFL then heavily regulates what type of dancing is appropriate.
We have seen Footloose, sad things happen when you try to stop people from dancing. In the NFL this frustration frequently seems to present as abuse and other ugly, unacceptable social behaviors.
I do like the commercials.
Webinar Feb 10: Getting your learners to use technology
Join me February 10 for a free webinar celebrating 15 years (!!) of OneStopEnglish, one of my favourite sites for English teachers. I'm going to be talking about how we can (and should!) be getting our learners to use technology, indeed one of my tips is this: Don't touch the ... Continue reading
Saturday 6 February 2016
Sugar skull tea spoon
Cute, and useful, this skull shaped tea spoon is perfect for removing and straining tea bags.
For $3.50 this novelty spoon is worth having.
SUCK UK Sugar Skull Tea Spoon via Amazon
Thursday 4 February 2016
I Will Always Remember You
The power of simple animation can be overwhelming. This film, I Will Always Remember You by Hugo Guinness, done for The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, is shattering.
The technique used by artist Hugo Guinness appears to be a tribute to Windsor McKay's Gertie the Dinosaur, the first animated character (in 1914) generally credited as having a personality. It is used here not for whimsy, but artfully to devastating effect. So many emotions conveyed by so few lines.
Sometimes the simplest things are the most effective.
https://youtu.be/yopa2wvHqhQ
For a mere $50, you can foster a young elephant.
From The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust [https://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/]
Every orphan of poaching once had a family. As Hugo Guinness' moving animation shows, at our Nursery, we offer hope, a future and a second chance at life to victims of the ivory trade. This is their story.
?#?RememberMe? - Please share this film far and wide! Survivors, like the orphan elephant in the film, have the opportunity to not only live, but to go on and start their own families back in the wild.
Want to be a part of their future? Foster an orphaned baby elephant in our care.
Our biggest thanks to acclaimed artist Hugo Guinness, Allegra Pilkington and Luisa Crosbie for creating such a powerful animation, with original music by Joe Trapanese and support from J. Crew.
Wednesday 3 February 2016
Snow artist stomps awesome fractals with just his two snowshoes
From The Finch and Pea:
For more than a decade, Beck has made elaborate designs in snow, mainly in the French Alps, using only snowshoes and a compass. He started out making mandala-like circular shapes, but moved on to much more complex designs over the years. Beck told Discovery News that he started incorporating fractal patterns into his work after reading James Gleick's book "Chaos: Making a New Science."
More images at the artist's website and on Facebook.
About the image below, he explains:
The first attempt to draw the dragon made for Baslev's movie DRAKONY, in Siberia (Yakutsk) in October 2015. This was rejected as I had used a bit too much artistic licence and not drawn accurately enough according to the sketch I had been given!
[caption id="attachment_446496" align="aligncenter" width="500"]
[Via Smithsonian Magazine]
Tuesday 2 February 2016
Fun activity with cats and dogs and a biro
In my session this coming weekend at the IH Barcelona ELT Conference (February 5 and 6), I'm going to be talking about how both teachers and learners can use simple drawings in some fun, language-rich activities. Here's one that requires both you and your learners to be able to draw ... Continue reading
Monday 1 February 2016
Boko Haram attack in Nigeria kills as many as 100, unknown number of women and children kidnapped
![A child walks in the rubble of Dalori village, after Boko Haram killed scores in a Jan. 30 raid. [CNN]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_vr538IUT7NGtktmqvTcDbGB0wRiuQBkiWU_aECT80KIj0MzNsQ56Qdod-xXXFPrvxLK5EKIYS9Fwyg4hW5FGreXvGWzG2ThUfoRYRqczZ5D6tH-yH9dg9NWjgC5f-nB4_JmFpx=s0-d)
Another brutal attack is reported to have taken place in Nigeria, led by the Islamic armed group Boko Haram. On Saturday night, Boko Haram militants carrying machine guns rolled into the village of Dalori on motorcycles, opening fire on every living thing in sight.
Justice Department to investigate SF Police, as protests over Mario Woods killing continue
As protests continue over the death of Mario Woods, who was shot and killed by an SFPD cop in December, the Justice Department announces it will conduct a “comprehensive review” of the San Francisco Police Department.
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