Strong And Weak Points in Seminar

First of all thiking about the given time, before the seminar we all were thinking that 40 minutes are too much to speak about these topics. Surprisingly, most of the seminar members found the given time was less after the seminar. Overall I felt it alright and a bit more confident about doing arguments. Top of that getting to know how to convince people with my point of view giving them different examples.

Now about the contribution to the seminar (as I think) I would like to say, it was ok I was speaking properly taking my time and giving others the time to speak.

Most of the times when I used to start the sentences I was using seminar language like, To a degree yes, but...., At that point you are right, but... etc. In addition I tried to use the body language as much as I could sitting on the chair in a round.

I was listening very carefully by paying full attention to the speaker and continuing the argument by picking up some points from their part of speach. And the pronounciation was (I think) ok because in the whole seminar no body asked me to repeat something or they didn't catch anything I said.

There must be some grammar mistakes but I am not sure and I have a problem memorising new vocabulary words as I have already mentioned to Steve.

Feedback on Firday's Seminar

In our seminar held on friday on Television viewing habits around the world with the Jim's class I discovered different types of things for example "how much TV people watch around the world", "The kind of programmes people watch" etc.

The key points we discovered were like in China people watch the TV about 30 hours a week which is about 75% of the working week time in the UK. It was quite surprising for me because, how can people spare so much time only for Television? one reason I can understand is if they are related to media somehow they can watch the TV even for more than 30 hours because it is the part of their job.

Secondly in Japan and Iran the percentage of the young people watching TV is decreasing now a days. Which is higher among men as compare to women, which could possilbly be because of other technologies (like internet and video games) are taking over the TV industry and they have to struggle hard to get the people tune in the TV.

Speaking about the Television Images we found that most of the TV images are not quite correct. They show us the other side of the picture, the media doesn't mirror the society actually. One of the reason we discussed is may possibly be the most of the TV channels in most countries are under the government control and they just do what ever they are told to do. Even in the reality TV shows its just not reality. Most of the stereotypes really reinforce the society like some of the action heros for adolescents, superman for young children etc.

We found another interesting thing while The future of television and viewers was under discussion that the Media Literacy is quite important and it should be taught in the schools, interestingly all of the seminar members agreed on that point. Talking about the future of television we were uncertain like what could it be. This seems to be a result of the growth of different technologies such as computers and gaming industries.

Importance of Media Literacy and Knowledge

Because it makes you a better citizen

Media literate people understand that media are constructed to convey ideas, information and news from someone else's perspective. They understand that specific techniques are used to create emotional effects. They can identify those techniques and their intended and actual effects. They are aware that the media benefit some people, but leave others out. They can (pose and sometimes answer) questions about who benefits, who is left out, and why. Media literate people seek alternative sources of information and entertainment. Media literate people use the media for their own advantage and enjoyment. Media literate people know how to act, rather than being acted upon. In this way, media literate people are better citizens.

Why study the media?

1. Media saturation
2. Media influence
3. The manufacture and management of information
4. Media education and democracy
5. The increasing importance of visual communication and information
6. The growing privatization of information
7. Educating for the future

How much TV do you really watch

How much TV do you really watch?

"I don't watch that much TV," this is the sentence we hear most commonly when we ask someone about thier viewing habit. Unfortunately, the reality is really different. According to the most recent figures from Nielsen Media Research Inc., average person watches TV for 4 hours and 35 minutes every single day. Worse, the average household has a TV playing for 8 hours 14 minutes every day.

TV's Effectes on Academic Achievements

I found this article on the "National Institute on Media and the Family" website and found really intersting, in this article the effects of TV are divided by the age groups, like what age groups are more influenced by the TV programmes.

This article can be found HERE

Key principles of Media Literacy

Key principles of Media Literacy

1. The ability to distinguish fact from fiction.


2. The ability to identify and appreciate different levels of realism.


3. A better understanding of the actual mechanisms of production and distribution of TV programmes, CD-ROM games, films, interactive software, websites etc...


4. The ability to differentiate reportage from advocacy.


5. Awareness and assessment of commercial messages within programmes (product placement etc) and a critical approach to advertising.


6. An awareness of the economic and presentational imperatives that underlie news management.


7. The ability consciously to explain and justify media preferences.

Media Literacy

Definition of Media Literacy

Understanding the Word Literacy

1. the quality or state of being literate, esp. the ability to read and write.
2. possession of education: to question someone's literacy.
3. a person's knowledge of a particular subject or field: to acquire computer literacy.

The Kind of programmes people watch

Violence in Media Entertainment

This article can be found here Violence in Media Entertainment


In this article the writer talks about how our society is influenced by the media violence in the name of entertainment. A research was done in between 1993 and 2001, in which and increment of indecency by 378 per cent was reported. TV shows in 2001 averaged 40 acts of violence per hour most of them was before 8 pm which is the prime time for children to watch TV.

Other research indicates that media violence has not just increased in quantity; it has also become much more graphic, much more sexual, and much more sadistic. In 2001, only a quarter of the most violent television shows, and two-fifths of the most violent movies, were rated R. The majority were rated PG or PG-13. The description of the rating of movies can be found HERE.

According to UNESCO's research in 1998 conducted in 23 countries around the world including U.S., Canada, Europe, Arab states, Latin America, Asia and Africa they found that, More than half (51%) of boys living in war zones and high-crime areas chose action heroes as role models, ahead of any other images; and a remarkable 88% of the children surveyed could identify the Arnold Schwarzenegger character from the film Terminator. UNESCO reported that the Terminator "seems to represent the characteristics that children think are necessary to cope with difficult situations."

New words from the article

Main Entry: elude
Part of Speech: verb
Synonyms: avoid, baffle, ditch, dodge, duce, escape, evade, flee, foil, frustrate, hide, outwit, sidestep, slip

Main Entry: dominate
Part of Speech: verb
Definition: To occupy the preeminent position in.
Synonyms: predominate, preponderate, prevail, reign, rule
Idioms: have the ascendancy, reign supreme

Main Entry: societal
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: Of or relating to the structure, organization, or functioning of society.
Synonyms: social

Main Entry: notion
Part of Speech: adjective
Synonyms: imaginary, notional, theoretical, unreal, visionary, whimsical

Media Vocabulary Exercise

Turn on the TV! There is live coverage of the cricket match between England and Australia.

Those were today's headlines. And now it's Angela McCarthy with her weather forecast.

I can't stand that stupid comedy. Can you switch to another transmission, please?

A soap opera is some kind of TV drama in parts based on inter-human relationships.

We're just getting some breaking news, that a tidal wave has destroyed much of the city of Atlanta.

I like the new presenter introducing and reviewing progammes on our local TV.

'The Weakest Link' is a very popular quiz based on general knowledge, broadcast daily on BBC television.

The time of day when most people are watching television is known as prime time

Many TV viewers were shocked when late-night presenter John Smith's face started puffing up horribly while on air.

"Welcome to another live TV debate. Our host is as usual Simon Bainbridge, and his guests today are some of Poland's most prominent politicians".

Steve's Homework - 22/07/08

George Dyson: The birth of the computer


I listened to this talk on TED.COM and took some notes for some note-taking practice, the talk can be found HERE


last year I told u a story in 7 mins of proect implausible technology
this year i m gonna tell u about the birth of digital computer
this technology is inevitable
including changing biology
first atomic bomb at trinity which ws the manhaton project
3 of the smartest people
thomas hobbes 1656
wanoymen said he was thinking something more important than bomb, he was thinking abt the computer
addition and subtraction
u can do the whole thing with addition in 1679
1945 reinvents the whole same thing
June 1945
just reading a tape in and translating out
controlled input and the output
programing has to be perfect or it wont work
essentials were all there for these machines to work
I m trying to revise history nd give these guys some more credit than they had
each of these machines has billions of transistors
every step of the way
women did the most of the programming as very first programmer
this machine was cloned about 50 other places in around the world
very sensitive electro magnatic disturbances
begineng of the computer grapics was in 1954
those guys drink all the tea with sugar in it
runing time 2 mints
impossible to follow the damn thing where is the directory
found the trouble in code
code error but the machine is not guilty
wts the use Good Night!
smell of burning the v belt
high speed was 16 MHZ
we duplicate the errors
all it happens is machine is runing
they were actualy desinging the bomb
Bils Aal Barricelli
he went around the countery after that
exactaly wt happens is now basically
he claimed machine is wrong code is right
nemirical testing of evolution theories
this was life like or a new kind of life another birth of computer
the memory sizes were really small in the beginng my laptop is 1000 million times more than the beginer computer
theory of self-reproducing thoery
4 million built every 24 hours
he explained in a very generous way
last entry in the log book in 1958

New words I learnt fron the talk

Main Entry: Implausible
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: Not plausible or believable.
Synonyms: flimsy, improbable, inconceivable, incredible, shaky, thin, unbelievable, unconceivable, unconvincing, unsubstantial, weak

Main Entry: Inevitable
Part of Speech: adjective
Synonyms: assured, certain, decided, destined, doomed, fatal, fated, fateful, imminent, impending, ineluctable, inescapable, in the cards, necessary, sure, unavoidable, unpreventable

Steve's Homework - 21/07/08

1. Speaking in the favour of the environmental perspective we'd like to say that, this development won't be good for our island. The foreigners will ruin the beauty of the island.


2. Looking at the economic side of the argument the development could create a lot of resources for the upcoming generations, but from an environmental viewpoint the pollution created by the development will put current resources of income in trouble such as fishing, boating etc.


3. Economically speaking this development can bring fortune in the history of the island.


4. From our point of view this development won’t bring a big change in the history of the island.


5. From an environmental standpoint this development will create tonnes of emissions during and after the build-up.

Research Conclusion and Citation

Conclusion

This assignment has explained us the sorts of problems international students have prioritized by the importance for them. The purpose of the current study was to determine whether there was any difference between the male and female international students. The study has proven that there are differences between the male and female students’ problems. It is clearly shown (Figure i) that female students are really struggling with their finances whereas male respondents’ ratio is quite low. The second major finding was the visa problem which was about the double in percentage in females than the male interviewees. This research will serve as a base for the future studies for example why the students are having difficulties to get the visa to come and study in the UK, significantly female students. The study has gone some way towards enhancing our understanding about the problems of international students in the UK. This research has thrown up many questions in need of further investigation. More information on why is getting the visa for the international student is so difficult would help us to establish greater degree of accuracy on this matter. These findings suggest several courses of action for both the universities and the British government which could possibly be in favor of international students, for example universities can offer student loans to international students similar to their home students. And the British government can reconsider their rules of the visa for the international students.

References

The Independent 2006-07
The Independent 2008, Education, 04/07/08, [http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/universities-too-reliant-on-foreign-student-fees-853522.html ]

Tuition Fee for 2008-09
London Metropolitan University 2008, International, 08/07/08,
[http://www.londonmet.ac.uk/international/howtoapply/tuitionfees.cfm]

International Students Problems
High Beam Research 2008, Education, 08/07/08, [http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-177361675.html]

Note: in citation [ = "<" and ] = ">" due to the HTLM restrictions.

Gap Maker Exercise

The text for the exercise was taken from Here


Throughout the period he was dealing with her, she kept up the facade that she was genuinely grieving for the death of her husband."

The following August, a body was found off the coast of Hartlepool and police asked Mrs Darwin if she would be prepared to identify it.

As a detective explained the situation, she burst into tears and said she wanted the body to be John's so he could be laid to rest, and so that she could move on, Mr Robertson told the jury.

He added: "We submit this was a convincing performance and one which obviously required no prompting, let alone coercion, from her husband."

Mrs Darwin's defence centres on her claim that she was coerced by her husband.

Mr Robertson said that for the defence to succeed, she must prove that Mr Darwin was present at the time each offence was committed .

She will also have to show that the pressure was so great that she had no choice, and "she was impelled to act in a way against her own will".

He showed the jury a photograph of John and Anne Darwin smiling and posing with a Panamanian estate agent, when the couple were looking to buy property in Central America with the proceeds of their fraud, he said.

Homework - 07-07-08

Reducing the length of the working week has many advantages, especially in terms of a better work-life balance. While it is economically difficult to do this.

The use of iPods has increased considerably. However, the number of CDs purchased either online or on the high street has decreased.


A few companies attempt to achieve a balance between the environment and business. Whilst most of the companies aim for pure profit.

A considerable amout of towns in Europe have been pedestrianised in contrast with very few towns in North America have been.

There are number of arguments for abolishing the death penalty conversely to the few supporters.

Homework - 03/07/08

www.learnenglish.org.uk
I found it very good we can read, listen and test ourselves as they provide the written and recorded metirals and a test to find out how much do we understand and the second main thing we can find material related to different subjects.


www.uefap.com
good website we can find material to improve our writing skills, proof reading exercises, punctuations, articles etc. Worth visiting this website.

Homework - 02/07/08

Exercise 2: Passives.
Rewrite the underlined parts of these sentences. Instead of using ‘people’, ‘somebody’, or ‘they’, write a passive sentence with an appropriate verb form.

We maintain them.
They are maintained.

We define tropical forests.
Tropical forests are defined.

Scientists distinguish methane because it has.
Methane is distinguished because it has.

They reformed the old dilator procedure.
The old dilator was reformed.

The government passed the Disease Regulations.
The Disease Regulations are passed.

Researchers isolated and crystallised lysozyme.
Lysozyme was isolated and crystallised.

The recent local crime surveys replicate these findings.
These findings are replicated by the local crime surveys.

Everybody eventually generally accepted the date.
Eventually the date was accepted generally.

We next consider a range of rival theories.
The range of rival theories are considered next.

The examiners should conduct the examinations.
The examinations should be conducted.

We’ll confine the discussion.
The discussion will be confined.

The researchers transcribed many genes and synthesise many proteins.
Many genes were transcribed and many proteins were synthesised.

They separate the main equation.
The main equation is to be separated.

Homework - 02/07/08

Change the following verb to noun

To distribute --- Distribution
To solve --- Solution
To predict --- Prediction
To communicate --- Communication
To introduce --- Introduction
To transport --- Transportation
To produce --- Production
To pollute --- Pollution
To conserve --- Conservation
To govern --- Government
To develop --- Development

Homework - 02/07/08

Exercise 1: Passives
Rewrite these sentences. Instead of using 'people', , ‘somebody’, or ‘they’, write a passive sentence with an appropriate verb form.

Someone had reported the theft to the police.
The theft was reported to the police.

Someone has given £1,000 to the charity.
£1,000 is given to the charity.

Someone will demonstrate the program to the students.
The program will be demonstrated to the students.

Someone explained the procedure to me.
The procedure was explained to me.

People are destroying large areas of forest every day.
The large areas of forest are being destroyed every day.

Somebody has bought the land next to the university.
The land next to the university has been bought.

I hope they will have completed all the marking by tomorrow.
I hope all the marking will be completed by tomorrow.

They should have finished the library by the time you arrive.
By the time you arrive the library should have been finished.

People expect better results soon.
The better result is to be expected soon.

Students should send their complaints to the head of department.
The complaints should be sent to the head of department.

They had to postpone the lecture because of illness.
The lecture had to be postponed due to the illness.

An electrical fault could have caused the fire.
The fire could have caused by the electrical fault.

They are going to hold the next year’s conference in Birmingham.
The next year’s conference is being held in Birmingham.

Everyone knows this fact very well.
This fact is very well known.

They opened the new lecture theatre only last month.
The new lecture theatre was opened only last month.

You must write the answers on the examination paper in black ink.
The answers must be written in black ink on the examination paper.

They are now manufacturing this type of computer in Korea.
This type of computer is now being manufactured in Korea.

Someone should investigate the problem.
The problem should be investigated.

Homework - 03/07/08

Most iPod owners reported that on average, only 20 of the tracks on their iPods would have been bought from the iTunes shop.
Far more important, they described was free music ripped from CDs someone already owned or acquired from file-sharing sites.
83% of iPod owners defined that they do not buy digital music regularly. The minority, 17%, buy and download music, usually single tracks, at least once per month.
On average, the study declares that only 5% of the music on an iPos will be bought from online music stores. The rest will be from CDs the owner of an MP3 player already has or tracks they have downloaded from file-sharing sites.
“It is not instructive to think of portable media player owners nor iPod owners specifically, as homogenous groups” reflected the report.
It demonstrated “Digital music buyers do no necessarily stop file-sharing upon buying legally.”
The importance of “free” to digital music fans should not be underestimated, suggested the report, and should be a factor for newer digital music firms, such as Spiral Frog, which use an ad-supported model.
“Digital music purchasing has not yet fundamentally changed the way in which digital music customers buy music.” Predicted the report.

Research Results and Report

In our research about the student problems in which we wanted to find out if there is any difference between the sorts of problems male presessional students have compared to female presessional students.
In the research carried out on 01/07/08 we found out the different types of problems presessional students have and compared them between female and male students. Our total number of respondents were 27 in which 16 were female and 11 were male.

If we look at the female group first we can clearly see that in the study we found that almost a quarter of female students have the Finance (funding) problem as the most and slightly less than 15% have the language and the home sickness as their most problem. As we can clearly see about 20% of the female students described that getting the visa to UK is the very big problem for them and almost 10% of students are having trouble in opening a bank account as their major problem. We should not mention it but less than five percent of students are having problem with the child care.






After having these general problems when we asked them the problems regarding overall life in UK, the quality of study and the staff at London Met University they replied us again differently. About 50% percent of them are Quite Satisfied with the life in UK and around 45% of them are quite satisfied with the quality of study in London Met but on the contrary just over a third are Not Very Satisfied with the quality of study and same we found with the quality of staff slightly lower than half of them are Just Satisfied with the quality of staff at the University.

Now on the other side of the picture if we look at their counterparts male students’ chart we can certainly say their problems are really different than the female students. But amazingly as we can see that male students did not have the problem with the Food and Child Care at all which is really astonishing. If we see the chart below and recall the females’ we can see that male students have about the same percentage of problem to their rivals for the transportation. Same point in the Language problem but with just a fraction of difference while there is a big difference in the Accommodation. Male students find it really hard to find an accommodation as compare to females.