Rule your mind or it will rule you.

-- Quintus Horatius Flaccus, known in the English-speaking world as Horace, was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus.

Vessel vs fire

The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled.

-- Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus (AD 46 – 120) commonly known in English as Plutarch — was a Roman historian (of Greek ethnicity), biographer, essayist, and Middle Platonist.


Learning is not a filling process, it is a thinking process too!

Dexterine Ho

Organization

When things on your desk or in calendar or in your room start making no sense, you know it's time to do something about it.

Getting organized and start with a small task which can be done within half an hour is not as hard as procrastinating about it.

Consider it your new project and dig in 30 mins per day and within a month, you will see the result and be amazed by your work.

If you do nothing and just spare 30 mins adding more things on your desk, in your calendar or in your room, you will be equally amazed by the destruction you created with one month.

Either way work, so the choice is yours!

I think it is normal for one to move one way and reverse it from time to time, so long as you have some positive move in a year's time, your will grow the good habit of organization.

Hence you are not able to get organized with a short period, then plan it within your comfort zone. The key point is get started and accumulate the positive move everyday.


Dexterine Ho

Ten Best Vocabulary Learning Tips

The Ten Best Vocabulary Learning Tips

For the full text, visit the link at:
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/vocabulary_tips.htm


Here are the 10 headings:

1. Read, Read, Read!

2. Improve your context skills.

3. Practice, practice, practice.

4. Make up as many associations and connections as possible.

5. Use mnemonics ( memory tricks).

6. Get in the habit of looking up words you don't know.

7. Play with words.

8. Use vocabulary lists.

9. Take vocabulary tests.

10. Get excited about words!

Teaching is Learning from the other angle

If you are language learner and like to have a glimpse into the integrated Language course in higher education institute like National Institute of Education (NIE, Singapore), you may like to read the above book.

I have written one chapter and it is:

Chapter 15: Reciprocal Peer Tutoring in Digital Literacy Course
by Dexterine Ho Soo Miang

I think students learn a lot through peer interaction. Language and Digital Literacy Skills (the course that I am conducting in NIE) is something that you need to practice very often, and peer tutoring is the best as "the tutor" is always with or around you.

The rules of learning language, computer skills, and many subject knowledge are similar:

Use it, perfect it!

Or

keep it, lose it!

If you like to read the book, it is available for rental from INNO HANDS-ON, Singapore. Email dexterine@yahoo.com or smho@pmail.ntu.edu.sg for more details.

Alternatively, you may purchase a copy from Amazon

For more details on the book, visit the web page by the editor of the book (Dr. Michael Vallance's) at:

http://homepage.mac.com/mvallance/professional/Personal73.html

701 e-Learning Tips

These tips are from senior managers and training professionals around the world. The free digital book is available from:

http://www.masie.com/701tips/

Complete book (8.2 MB PDF)


Here are some tips I extracted from the e-book:


#7: e-Learning Is Learning Is Learning

e-Learning is just a media, a small "e" in front of learning.
Thus, everything fundamental about learning applies as well.

Victoria Penacca

Telefonica

#139: Adapt, Don't Just Copy

Put thought into the creation of the e-Learning module. Follow instructional design principles. E-learning is NOT just a conversion of Word or PowerPoint documents. E-Learning is a different medium - adapt your content accordingly.

Ashok Malani

TIMGC, Inc.

#219: Chunk Your Training

Keep you lessons at 30 minutes or less but if training on a new application, 60 minutes or less is best. Online recordings? 20 minutes or less.

Ginger Jones

Siemens Energy & Automation

The Complete book (8.2 mb PDF) edited by Elliot Masic and published in Summer 2004 has 141 pages and 14 chapters covering the ABC’s of getting started to global implementation strategies.

With 701 e-Learning tips analyzed and categorized in this e-book, I am sure you will find some tips useful and applicable for your study and learning!

Fun with words

What these words have in common?


Banana

Dresser

Grammar

Potato

Revive

Uneven

Assess


Answer:

In all of the words listed, if you take the first letter,

place it at the end of the word, and then spell the word backwards, it will be the same word.


I received the above words list and the answer from a friend. It take me awhile before I am convinced that it works.


Here is my illustration of the two-steps reversed process:


Banana --> ananaB --> Banana

Dresser --> resserD --> Dresser

Grammar --> rammarG --> Grammar

Potato --> otatoP --> Potato

Revive --> eviveR --> Revive

Uneven --> nevenU --> Uneven

Assess --> ssessA --> Assess


I am sure if we check through dictionary and use the same method to pick up words, there will be more words of the same kind!


Dexterine Ho

What does research tell us about teacher learning?

What does research tell us about teacher learning?

Read more

at
http://singteach.nie.edu.sg/teacher-ed.html


Article highlights:

What research shows about teacher learning?

When the workshop ends - and real learning begins!

Getting the most out of your professional development


Find out more from:

SingTeach: new issue
at
http://singteach.nie.edu.sg/language-ed.html

SingTeach is an e-magazine produced for teachers and teacher educators by the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

It keeps you informed about the latest events in NIE.If you would like to subscribe to the SingTeach mailing list, just send an email to sgteach@nie.edu.sg with the subject title "subscribe”


What does research tell us about teacher learning?

full text of the article is available at
http://singteach.nie.edu.sg/teacher-ed.html

The following is what I extracted from the article:


Lessons learned outside the classroom

Have you ever wondered if the 100 hours you clock in for professional development is really helping to make you a better teacher? Read on to find out what the research shows.

"Professional development is a continuous process of individual and collective examination and improvement of practice.” (American Federation of Teachers)

As teachers, we attend countless workshops and in-service courses. Added to these, there are many other avenues for teacher learning to take place, such as action research, reflective journals and online communities.

They are part and parcel of a teacher's life.

But how many of those workshops actually improve our pedagogy?

How much of the new knowledge we gained is translated into better teaching practice?


Maximizing your learning

In their project, “Teacher Learning and the Acquisition of Professional Knowledge”, American researchers Suzanne Wilson and Jennifer Berne surveyed a number of research projects and found three themes that make for effective teacher learning.

1. Learning must be activated

Teacher learning needs to be “activated”, ...“see” learning in action – when they learned to learn as their students would. By being able to identify with their students, they were able to understand the curriculum more thoroughly and thus became better teachers.

2. Learning must be shared

Interaction is integral to teacher learning. When teachers are able to come together and talk about what they do, to share teaching beliefs and practices, and to critique each other as professionals – that is where learning truly begins...

3. Learning must continue

For real learning to take place, it must continue long after the seminars and workshops are over. The researchers noticed that many of the teachers involved in the projects stayed in touch long after the projects were over. This enabled them to continually meet and share their experiences in and out of classrooms.

...

So we know what makes for effective teacher learning. What we often forget is that real learning is hard work!

...

What does research tell us about teacher learning?
For more details, read the full text of the article at

http://singteach.nie.edu.sg/teacher-ed.html

MIT World : a primary source of great ideas on the web

MIT World is a free and open site that provides on demand video of significant public events at MIT.

MIT World's video index contains more than 500 videos and is a primary source of great ideas on the web. The url is:

http://mitworld.mit.edu/


I visited the site today and listen to:

China's Development and China-U.S. Relations
Zhou Wenzhong
February 10, 2009

It is about 1 hour and 11 mins, the downloading speed is good and the video is of high quality.


For those who do not know MIT World yet, here is what I extracted from:

About MIT World
http://mitworld.mit.edu/content/about


MIT World — A Primary Source of Great Ideas on the Web


Which ideas and innovations can change the world?

MIT World answers that question by publishing key presentations by the MIT faculty and guest speakers who are shaping the future.

These free, on-demand videos, available 24/7 to viewers worldwide, reflect and extend MIT’s educational mission—to provide the best education in science, technology, and related fields—to engaged learners anytime, anywhere.

More a publication of thought leadership, and less a news site, MIT World aims to capture the pulse and excitement of the range of ideas discussed at MIT every day and share them with the world.

...

Characteristically, the MIT World videos are scholarly, relevant, and accessible to a wide audience.

Content may include the latest discoveries in science, engineering, architecture, humanities, technology, and management, as well as technical seminars in emerging fields and presentations that illuminate trends in society, the arts, and humanities.

MIT World commentary provides an intellectual context for the lecture and links to relevant sites.

...

Founded in 2001, MIT World is a project of the Office of the Vice President for Institute Affairs.
iTunes Connection

Some MIT World videos can be downloaded from Apple's iTunes U site. Visit iTunes to browse MIT's public and course lectures from MIT World and OpenCourseWare.

Sponsors

MIT World is sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Institute Affairs at MIT. Funding for the web site redesign and technology development is provided by the Lord Foundation of Massachusetts　　

Source of info:

About MIT World
http://mitworld.mit.edu/content/about


To select the video, you may browse the index by tabbing the "Browse Video" tab or use the "Explore Ideas" tab to look at a word map and to decide which word to explore. The bigger the font, the higher the hits. I think it is a great ideas as I am a visual person who enjoy graphic way of representing size of database.

Here are a list of Topics available from MIT World:

Architecture/Planning
Arts
Biotechnology
Defense/Military
Economics
Education
Engineering
Environment/Energy
Exploration/Travel
History
Innovation/Invention
International Affairs
Business/Leadership
Media
Medicine
MIT
National Security
Public Policy
Science
Technology

Dexterine Ho

Reference Desk: refdesk.com

If you need some reference books, dictionaries or encycolpedias etc, visit

http://www.refdesk.com/

I like to use the page and use it to look up words using The free dictionary under

DICTIONARY AND ENCYCLOPEDIA:
TheFreeDictionary.com:

It is a quick way to learn what is the meaning of a word and how the word is pronounced.


Dexterine Ho

Facing obstacles

If you're trying to achieve, there will be road blocks.

I've had them; everybody has had them.

But obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.


-- Michael Jordan (b. 1963)

One at a time

All of us tend to long for a great day but you don't even know where to begin.

Why set ourselves up for frustration by aiming for the stars?

Just start with one thing to pursue first and go from there.


Dexterine Ho

Convictions

The height of your accomplishments will equal the depth of your convictions.


-- William F. Scolavino

Make a to do list

One of the secrets of getting more done is to make a TO DO List every day,

keep it visible, and use it as a guide to action as you go through the day.


-- Alan Lakein

Organization

Some time, we do not need to have any big achievements to have a great day.

In fact, all we have to do is tidy up our desk and let the things go back to its original place.

When you can get what you need when you need it, learning is easy and it will flow naturally.


Dexterine Ho

Learning is a painful process

Pain is temporary.

It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place.

If I quit, however, it lasts forever.


-- Lance Armstrong


Learning is a painful process, yet this kind of pain is temporary.

"It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place."

If you quit, the pain of not learning something will lasts forever!


Dexterine Ho

Tips from MindTools.com

Mind Tools' mission is "to help people around the world learn the practical skills needed to excel in their careers". Nevertheless, the tools offered are useful for all kinds of learning.

To view the range of tools on available, visit
http://www.mindtools.com/

If you are interested in "Memory Techniques"
click the link below:

http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTIM_00.htm

The tools in this section help you to improve your memory. Even if you do not have the time needed to develop this quality of memory, many of the techniques here are useful in everyday life.

For example:

* Mnemonics

* Using Your Whole Mind To Remember

* Designing Mnemonics: Imagination, Association and Location


If you find the tools too overwhelming to learn within hours or within days, you are right, the tools are useful, yet you need not learn all of them at one time.

Remember to focus on what you need at the moment, and just master one technique and apply it first.

If you have some other needs, then move on to acquire the second technique. Mastering the technique through your own application and it will be yours. If you just keep reading and never apply them, it will be forgotten and become useless.

The best rules in learning is, never learn more them three techniques in one go without any application, keep your learning time short and have some interval to keep the mind fresh when you add new learning techniques to your brain.

Other sections in MindTools are:

• Leadership skills
• Problems solving
• Decision making
• Project management
• Practical creativity
• Time management
• Communication skills
• Stress management
• Information skills

To view the range of tools on available, visit http://www.mindtools.com/


Dexterine Ho

Completing what you start

I cannot emphasize enough that completing what you start is one of the most worthwhile things you can do for your health and well-being.

It's a joyful process because, as you complete, the unconscious starts clearing, your energy is returned to you,

and you begin to live in the present making conscious decisions and completing them on the spot.

-- John-Roger

Step outside of your comfort zone

If you have the courage to step outside of your comfort zone,

you will not only be amazed by the marvel and sights of the world, but also with the wonders that lay deep within yourself.


-- Rosanna Ienco