Sunday, February 21, 2010

Questions about TED talk

Please write at least 1 paragraph (with at least 5-7 sentences each) for each question. Respond thoughtfully and thoroughly.

1. Please explore the website. Look at the other talks, the topics, the options (subtitles/transcripts). What do you think about TED talks? Do they seem interesting to you? Do you think they could help with your English? How?

2. What did you think of Chimamanda Adichie's talk? What resonated with you? (=What did it make you think about and feel? What did you like/dislike? What did you learn?)

3. Do you agree that we often have "single stories" about countries, cultures, and people? Why is this the case? What do you think are some of the stories (stereotypes) about your country or culture?
Chimamanda Adichie: "The Danger of a Single Story"

Here is the link for the page for this talk (including the transcript) and for access to ted.com:

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story.html




Tuesday, February 16, 2010

"Even in English, a Language Gap"

Please write at least a paragraph for numbers 1 and 2, and number 3 if you can answer it.

1. What did you think of the article? Was it interesting? Challenging?

2. Can intercultural relationships work? What are some of the problems that can come up? Are there benefits? Are some cultures better suited for each other than others?

3. Have you ever dated someone outside of your culture or know anyone who has? How was your (or their) experience?

Monday, February 15, 2010

Welcome to 8B's super awesome blog! We are technology masters of the world!

We will be using this blog for listening and pronunciation practice, readings, posting and discussing writings, and general collaboration and fun.

Also, feel free to post anything interesting you find on the internet (such as articles or videos) that you feel would benefit the class' English learning experience.

Happy blogging!

Whitney