After blogging and sharing my views on many different kind of topic each week, this blogging exercise has made me realized that there are a lot of events taking place around world that I have never been exposed to.
My past few weeks of blogging experience has been a really eye-opener for me because it had made me become conscious on different kind of happenings around the world where one of which may had left an impact to the people globally would be the topic on ‘Environment day.’ Additionally, blogging has increased my level of knowledge, awareness and developed my interest towards current affairs.
Besides, blogging every week trains and helped to improve my writing skills and widens my ‘used-to-be’ limited vocabulary space. Also, keeping me on track with the latest current affairs because I’m exposed to different kind of articles each week.
Blogging allows me to share my thoughts and views through words form rather than verbally because sometimes writing out can convey certain things better than saying it out loud. Hence, the overall of blogging experiences has brings me plenty of benefits, it slowly mature me from an ignorant person who don’t keep up to news to someone who is aware of the current affairs happenings now.
With that, I’d like to sum up my entire meaningful blogging experience.
ShuMei
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence, often known as EQ, refers to the ability to perceive, control, and evaluate emotions.
It seems that employers today do not just look at technical skills, experience or qualifications when it comes to hiring new employees. People skills play just as an important role. Being able to empathise with others give you the edge amongst other employees as it is believed that IQ plus EQ makes you a more rounded person.
From a business point of view, the employees need to be able to relate to their clients and interact with other fellow employees. This will make one more able and showcase their leadership quality and ability to work as a team player as well. Working with others is sometimes never easy and patience and understanding is important. This is when EQ comes to play.
Therefore, emotional intelligence, the ability that helps people harmonize and understand one another should become more and more valued as a workplace asset in the years to come.
It seems that employers today do not just look at technical skills, experience or qualifications when it comes to hiring new employees. People skills play just as an important role. Being able to empathise with others give you the edge amongst other employees as it is believed that IQ plus EQ makes you a more rounded person.
From a business point of view, the employees need to be able to relate to their clients and interact with other fellow employees. This will make one more able and showcase their leadership quality and ability to work as a team player as well. Working with others is sometimes never easy and patience and understanding is important. This is when EQ comes to play.
Therefore, emotional intelligence, the ability that helps people harmonize and understand one another should become more and more valued as a workplace asset in the years to come.
Last entry.
The entire blogging experience has changed my opinions on quite a lot of things. I have learnt things which i did not know in the past and the blog articles have also increased my knowledge on certain things. It has also changed my outlook on some things. Things are always looked at different points of view and not only one. This allowed me to be more mature in my thinking and I should not stick to only one point of view.
However, some of the articles that are given are not easy to understand because of the wide range of vocabulary that was used in it. I had to read multiple times to understand what the whole article is about. Some articles are so interesting that I have done some research on it to learn more about the topic. The articles and research have benefited a lot especially the article on plagarism. I did not know that plagarism could cause such heavy sentences.
All in all, blogging about all these articles have improved my skills on writing and update me about the constant happenings around the world, allowing me to know more information of the different topics that were given. It has also widened my range of vocabulary as I would check up the words which i have no idea what they meant. The blogging of articles have helped me a lot in terms of knowledge.
And i would like to end this last one with a thank you. :)
However, some of the articles that are given are not easy to understand because of the wide range of vocabulary that was used in it. I had to read multiple times to understand what the whole article is about. Some articles are so interesting that I have done some research on it to learn more about the topic. The articles and research have benefited a lot especially the article on plagarism. I did not know that plagarism could cause such heavy sentences.
All in all, blogging about all these articles have improved my skills on writing and update me about the constant happenings around the world, allowing me to know more information of the different topics that were given. It has also widened my range of vocabulary as I would check up the words which i have no idea what they meant. The blogging of articles have helped me a lot in terms of knowledge.
And i would like to end this last one with a thank you. :)
Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence (EI) is describes as the ability, capacity, skill or, in the case of the trait EI model, a self-perceived grand ability to identify, assess, manage and control the emotions of one's self, of others, and of groups.
After reading both articles on Emotional intelligence, it tells me that employers these days would prefer employees with high EQ as it is mentioned, “Employers are looking for better-rounded workers these days” Because a person with high Emotional intelligence possess a number of key quality skills such as self-awareness, impulse control, including how they manage stress on the job which is one of the key point that employer look into when hiring because a person’s well-being portrayed by them can indirectly affects company’s reputation. Also, taking initiative, and whether you can be counted on to report to work on time, meeting expectations and the ability to motivate and lead others.
As these days, characteristic that employers are looking for when hiring are no longer focusing on certificates or level of education. Communications plays a big part of role in the business world, because it involves a lot of convincing and making other party to rely on you. Which is therefore, a person with high Emotional intelligence would usually converse better and they usually know how to manipulate around with the situations. Besides that, good communicators are needed when teamwork is necessary to get projects completed on time.
Also, the ability to understand and acknowledge another person's point of view is significantly needed in today’s business world as it is mentioned in the article, “If you are an employer looking to hire for a leadership position, you want to know whether they can put themselves in someone else's shoe” A person with high Emotional intelligence usually think about other’s people feelings first before they do or say anything which is why it is needed in today’s working world because it can steer clear of any unnecessary arguments or misunderstandings.
In a nutshell, Emotional intelligence is also equally important as having knowledge because it is skill that we would use in not just in a business world and also our daily lives too. It helps us to get to the bottom of problems more resourcefully.
ShuMei
After reading both articles on Emotional intelligence, it tells me that employers these days would prefer employees with high EQ as it is mentioned, “Employers are looking for better-rounded workers these days” Because a person with high Emotional intelligence possess a number of key quality skills such as self-awareness, impulse control, including how they manage stress on the job which is one of the key point that employer look into when hiring because a person’s well-being portrayed by them can indirectly affects company’s reputation. Also, taking initiative, and whether you can be counted on to report to work on time, meeting expectations and the ability to motivate and lead others.
As these days, characteristic that employers are looking for when hiring are no longer focusing on certificates or level of education. Communications plays a big part of role in the business world, because it involves a lot of convincing and making other party to rely on you. Which is therefore, a person with high Emotional intelligence would usually converse better and they usually know how to manipulate around with the situations. Besides that, good communicators are needed when teamwork is necessary to get projects completed on time.
Also, the ability to understand and acknowledge another person's point of view is significantly needed in today’s business world as it is mentioned in the article, “If you are an employer looking to hire for a leadership position, you want to know whether they can put themselves in someone else's shoe” A person with high Emotional intelligence usually think about other’s people feelings first before they do or say anything which is why it is needed in today’s working world because it can steer clear of any unnecessary arguments or misunderstandings.
In a nutshell, Emotional intelligence is also equally important as having knowledge because it is skill that we would use in not just in a business world and also our daily lives too. It helps us to get to the bottom of problems more resourcefully.
ShuMei
Emotional Intelligence
Today, in the job industry, emotional intelligence is an important factor to get ahead. It is how well our understanding of people are. This is something the hiring managers are looking in their employees and the age of emotional intelligence is EQ. It includes "soft skills", self-awareness, managing own time, etc.
Emotional intelligence helps people to communicate better with each other. For example, in the working life, people with a higher emotional intelligence is able to communicate better with business partners compared to people with a lower emotional intelligence. Moreover, people with a higher emotional intelligence manage their own time well, manage their stress on work better, able to motivate and lead their colleagues during work and also understand how their mood and behavior would affect others. This all shows that having high emotional intelligence is important in the working industry as this is maybe the main factor how managers employ their workers.
In addition, the increasing emphasis on business globalization and technology requires a lot of cooperation, communication and teamwork to get the projects done on time and in a budget manner. Thus, hiring managers have to hire workers with these qualities so as to maintain their company.
According to the article, 'Emotional Intelligence' a new hiring criterion, it states that older employees have higher emotional intelligence. People who want to apply for higher levels jobs have to be prepared to undergo a test which tests them on their EQ.
Emotional intelligence helps people to communicate better with each other. For example, in the working life, people with a higher emotional intelligence is able to communicate better with business partners compared to people with a lower emotional intelligence. Moreover, people with a higher emotional intelligence manage their own time well, manage their stress on work better, able to motivate and lead their colleagues during work and also understand how their mood and behavior would affect others. This all shows that having high emotional intelligence is important in the working industry as this is maybe the main factor how managers employ their workers.
In addition, the increasing emphasis on business globalization and technology requires a lot of cooperation, communication and teamwork to get the projects done on time and in a budget manner. Thus, hiring managers have to hire workers with these qualities so as to maintain their company.
According to the article, 'Emotional Intelligence' a new hiring criterion, it states that older employees have higher emotional intelligence. People who want to apply for higher levels jobs have to be prepared to undergo a test which tests them on their EQ.
Self reflection
After writing several blog entries for the Effective Writing module, I am more aware of the current affairs happening around me. There are times when writing a blog entry seems so hard. Finding the right things to say, researching more on the topic presented and making sure the 6Cs are applied really used up a lot effort, unlike your normal personal blog cum diary.
I think the blog is a good way to showcase the writing talents of the students. Since everyone has a different view on things, it is nice to know how my other classmates are thinking. Honestly, the topics presented are not your average topics youths talk about amongst themselves.
I have also learnt to work on my writing as it is something I have not been doing in the past 4 years. With every entry that I wrote and knowing that there is someone reading my views and appreciating them do give me a sense of self-satisfaction.
In writing the blog entries, I have also discovered more about myself. I know that there is still room for improvements. I learnt that I need to manage my time well so as to meet the deadlines. Have I become more mature? I would like to think so. I admit I procrastinate too much and therefore I apologise for the delay in entries.
I think the blog is a good way to showcase the writing talents of the students. Since everyone has a different view on things, it is nice to know how my other classmates are thinking. Honestly, the topics presented are not your average topics youths talk about amongst themselves.
I have also learnt to work on my writing as it is something I have not been doing in the past 4 years. With every entry that I wrote and knowing that there is someone reading my views and appreciating them do give me a sense of self-satisfaction.
In writing the blog entries, I have also discovered more about myself. I know that there is still room for improvements. I learnt that I need to manage my time well so as to meet the deadlines. Have I become more mature? I would like to think so. I admit I procrastinate too much and therefore I apologise for the delay in entries.
English Language
English is the most essential language to communicate and interact with people around the world. Since the world is made up of different ethnicity, it is only wise to have a common language such as English.
In Singapore, although Malay is our national language, English is the main language used in Businesses. It is also the language we use to interact with our friends and fellow colleagues of different race groups.
Countries such as China are now stepping up their efforts in making sure that the citizens learn English. A nation made up of mostly Chinese-speaking citizens, needs to keep up with the world in terms of being able to communicate in a common language which is English.
In my opinion, if citizens from China are making the effort, Singaporeans should probably do the same. We are so used to speaking in ‘Singlish’ that the standard of English amongst Singaporeans has dropped. A way to counter this is to raise awareness and organise more ‘Speak Good English’ campaigns so that we Singaporeans, could communicate better.
In Singapore, although Malay is our national language, English is the main language used in Businesses. It is also the language we use to interact with our friends and fellow colleagues of different race groups.
Countries such as China are now stepping up their efforts in making sure that the citizens learn English. A nation made up of mostly Chinese-speaking citizens, needs to keep up with the world in terms of being able to communicate in a common language which is English.
In my opinion, if citizens from China are making the effort, Singaporeans should probably do the same. We are so used to speaking in ‘Singlish’ that the standard of English amongst Singaporeans has dropped. A way to counter this is to raise awareness and organise more ‘Speak Good English’ campaigns so that we Singaporeans, could communicate better.
Cyber Wellness
The World Wide Web as we know it has become a necessity to the society. It provides easy search of information, interaction and communication with family, friends and in most businesses, with fellow associates and clients. Therefore, it is essential that people practice cyber wellness. “Cyber Wellness refers to the positive well-being of Internet users and a healthy cyber culture for the Internet community”.
A way to cultivate the habit of cyber wellness is to nurture the youth as they “spend an average of 17.2 hours on the internet each week”. Cyber wellness helps youth to understand the issue of copyright and illegal activities that goes on online.
Issues such as cyber bullying and downloading of content off the internet have been on the rise. Cyber bullying comes about when an internet user abuses another party verbally. This could lead to great distress faced by the victims.
Social networking and blogging websites are platforms for internet users to express their thoughts and feelings but negative words used might unknowingly hurt another party.
Most youth nowadays tend to download contents of the internet without being aware it is illegal as they might be breaching copyright laws.
Youth might think that they are doing nothing wrong or that they could get away with it because the internet as we know it is a form of faceless communication. Anybody can pose as whoever they wish to be.
Schools has taken action by introducing cyber wellness to their students. But cyber wellness is not just for youths. It’s for anybody that uses the internet no matter how young or old they are.
A way to cultivate the habit of cyber wellness is to nurture the youth as they “spend an average of 17.2 hours on the internet each week”. Cyber wellness helps youth to understand the issue of copyright and illegal activities that goes on online.
Issues such as cyber bullying and downloading of content off the internet have been on the rise. Cyber bullying comes about when an internet user abuses another party verbally. This could lead to great distress faced by the victims.
Social networking and blogging websites are platforms for internet users to express their thoughts and feelings but negative words used might unknowingly hurt another party.
Most youth nowadays tend to download contents of the internet without being aware it is illegal as they might be breaching copyright laws.
Youth might think that they are doing nothing wrong or that they could get away with it because the internet as we know it is a form of faceless communication. Anybody can pose as whoever they wish to be.
Schools has taken action by introducing cyber wellness to their students. But cyber wellness is not just for youths. It’s for anybody that uses the internet no matter how young or old they are.
English Language
In this mid 20th century, English language has been widely used around the world now, becoming the leading language of communication internationally, it is widely learned as a second language and used as an official language in many countries, as well as in many world organizations. It is the most natively spoken language in the world, after Mandarin Chinese.
After reading the both articles on "Beijing steps up English-language drive" and " Global English Strengthening U.S. Supremacy.” It has made me realised the importance of learning English language in this century and how it can benefit us when it comes to economic terms.
This is true as it can be seen in our country, Singapore. In Singapore, English language is being taught at a young age when students first started schooling. Furthermore, as Singapore is slowly developing into a more English-educated country, where English is the main language spoken and written other than our own Mother-tongue language. Even formalities procedures such as filling up forms or even rules and regulations are printed in English language. Also, in our daily lives like taking transportation or going into malls also involves of using of English language on the signboards or advertisement for their shops.
As the world is becoming more globalised, more countries are getting more developed so as to not lose out to other countries. China is one of the best example out of many developing countries. In order to expand china’s businesses to the westerner countries, businessmen are learning English language as well as kids that are entering kindergarten. When both parties have a common language to communicate with, this will assist in clinching off deals in business world efficiently rather than having a communication gap in between which makes it difficult as you’ll need translation to understand what the other party is saying. And sometimes, translating from one language to another may not express exactly what the person is referring about.
As a final point, this shows that learning English language is important because it is an international language and the world now is speaking and writing it hence it is best when English language are taught at a young age.
ShuMei
After reading the both articles on "Beijing steps up English-language drive" and " Global English Strengthening U.S. Supremacy.” It has made me realised the importance of learning English language in this century and how it can benefit us when it comes to economic terms.
This is true as it can be seen in our country, Singapore. In Singapore, English language is being taught at a young age when students first started schooling. Furthermore, as Singapore is slowly developing into a more English-educated country, where English is the main language spoken and written other than our own Mother-tongue language. Even formalities procedures such as filling up forms or even rules and regulations are printed in English language. Also, in our daily lives like taking transportation or going into malls also involves of using of English language on the signboards or advertisement for their shops.
As the world is becoming more globalised, more countries are getting more developed so as to not lose out to other countries. China is one of the best example out of many developing countries. In order to expand china’s businesses to the westerner countries, businessmen are learning English language as well as kids that are entering kindergarten. When both parties have a common language to communicate with, this will assist in clinching off deals in business world efficiently rather than having a communication gap in between which makes it difficult as you’ll need translation to understand what the other party is saying. And sometimes, translating from one language to another may not express exactly what the person is referring about.
As a final point, this shows that learning English language is important because it is an international language and the world now is speaking and writing it hence it is best when English language are taught at a young age.
ShuMei
Is the World Cup decreasing productivity at work?
Football enthusiast rejoices as The World Cup is here once again. The football event happens once every 4 years and lasts 30 days and is being anticipated by football enthusiast around the world. The venue of the event changes each time it is held. This year, South Africa takes pride in being the host country.
Headache will soon ensue as employers worry about the productivity of the employees. As there is a time difference between countries, football enthusiast around the world will get to catch the live match at different timings.
In Singapore, the live telecast is usually broadcasted in the wee hours of the morning. Most will stay up just to catch the match. In doing so, they ended up going to work tired and lethargic due to the lack of sleep. As it is a month long event, most football enthusiast would have to endure the lack of sleep so as to not miss the live telecast.
This is a cause of worry for employers as productivity will decrease if the employees are not focus on the task at hand. Employees might also be easily distracted by their colleagues who might discuss about the match in the office.
In the following article, it states that “employees are likely to watch replays on their computers in the office, have post match discussions, as well as participate in online forums - particularly as the final approaches.” There is also the issue of shortage of manpower if the employees do decide to take leave just to catch the live match or are not able to get up for work the next day.
Despite the negativity when it comes to World Cup and the workplace, there are some good to it. Colleagues who might not speak to each other at work might start to interact and talk about the World Cup. They might even go out and catch the match together thus establishing a friendly bond outside the workplace.
Thus, the World Cup might not be all that bad for the workplace after-all.
Headache will soon ensue as employers worry about the productivity of the employees. As there is a time difference between countries, football enthusiast around the world will get to catch the live match at different timings.
In Singapore, the live telecast is usually broadcasted in the wee hours of the morning. Most will stay up just to catch the match. In doing so, they ended up going to work tired and lethargic due to the lack of sleep. As it is a month long event, most football enthusiast would have to endure the lack of sleep so as to not miss the live telecast.
This is a cause of worry for employers as productivity will decrease if the employees are not focus on the task at hand. Employees might also be easily distracted by their colleagues who might discuss about the match in the office.
In the following article, it states that “employees are likely to watch replays on their computers in the office, have post match discussions, as well as participate in online forums - particularly as the final approaches.” There is also the issue of shortage of manpower if the employees do decide to take leave just to catch the live match or are not able to get up for work the next day.
Despite the negativity when it comes to World Cup and the workplace, there are some good to it. Colleagues who might not speak to each other at work might start to interact and talk about the World Cup. They might even go out and catch the match together thus establishing a friendly bond outside the workplace.
Thus, the World Cup might not be all that bad for the workplace after-all.
Office productivity
The World Cup is the world's most widely viewed sporting event. The most anticipated event that held once every 4 years world widely. Which is no doubt that even non-soccer fan are also engaging into the World Cup fever, let alone those soccer fans.
Since World Cup is a worldwide sporting event, with different audience watching it all around the world. This will means that the telecast of the match live will be broadcast at a different time of the day because of the different time zone. Thus, this is where the root of the problem is because some matches are held usually during midnight time as for Singapore.
Employers will be facing a deficiency of getting work assigned on time and a slow rate of office productivity because of the workers and students who stayed up late just to catch the exciting soccer match. As they will be struggling to wake up early on time for school or work. Or for some who managed to wake up in time, they will also find it hard to stay focus in their work as they are lacking out of enough energy and sleep. Which will cause a decrease in level of overall work performance. As a result, this will affect office productivity not just pertaining to individually but the company as a whole too.
On the other hand, it is mentioned in the article that “Is it important, or unimportant? The second: Is it urgent, or not urgent? If work falls in to the important and urgent box then obviously: Do it right now and chances are you'll be able to enjoy the game without thinking about it.” Nevertheless, it doesn’t matter if the matches are held during midnight because as long they know how to priorities. As this will help them to aim what is to be done first and next.
Additionally, it is also mentioned that “Instead of dampening people's spirits and expressing their frustration, she said it's an ideal time for bosses to embrace the spirit of the sport, and build employee morale through celebration and a culture of teamwork.” This World Cup fever brings a common topic for employees and employers to discuss about. Which could also serves as a time for employers to take a step front to understand better and be acquainted with their employees which will be useful in the long run when communicating in work.
In conclusion, the World Cup fever brings about pros and cons. Overall, the consequences of anticipating in the World Cup fever shouldn’t escalate to something serious so long you are able to prioritise.
ShuMei
Since World Cup is a worldwide sporting event, with different audience watching it all around the world. This will means that the telecast of the match live will be broadcast at a different time of the day because of the different time zone. Thus, this is where the root of the problem is because some matches are held usually during midnight time as for Singapore.
Employers will be facing a deficiency of getting work assigned on time and a slow rate of office productivity because of the workers and students who stayed up late just to catch the exciting soccer match. As they will be struggling to wake up early on time for school or work. Or for some who managed to wake up in time, they will also find it hard to stay focus in their work as they are lacking out of enough energy and sleep. Which will cause a decrease in level of overall work performance. As a result, this will affect office productivity not just pertaining to individually but the company as a whole too.
On the other hand, it is mentioned in the article that “Is it important, or unimportant? The second: Is it urgent, or not urgent? If work falls in to the important and urgent box then obviously: Do it right now and chances are you'll be able to enjoy the game without thinking about it.” Nevertheless, it doesn’t matter if the matches are held during midnight because as long they know how to priorities. As this will help them to aim what is to be done first and next.
Additionally, it is also mentioned that “Instead of dampening people's spirits and expressing their frustration, she said it's an ideal time for bosses to embrace the spirit of the sport, and build employee morale through celebration and a culture of teamwork.” This World Cup fever brings a common topic for employees and employers to discuss about. Which could also serves as a time for employers to take a step front to understand better and be acquainted with their employees which will be useful in the long run when communicating in work.
In conclusion, the World Cup fever brings about pros and cons. Overall, the consequences of anticipating in the World Cup fever shouldn’t escalate to something serious so long you are able to prioritise.
ShuMei
Self Reflection - Thought and opinions over the last four weeks
After past few blogging experiences on different topic, I have become more attentive with current affairs in both society and environmental prospect. It has also widens my knowledge and I am becoming more alert to the happenings around the world and what are the influences and impacts that it may bring to us.
The article which has left a deep impression and sets me in deep thoughts is the article which focuses on ‘Environmental day.’ After sharing my opinions about the article, it has raised my awareness and concern towards the environment individually. It is because the damage that have been done to the environment is permanent and irreversible, it may lead to series of events which can cause destructions to the mother earth. These destructions that have been inflicted to the mother earth can cause huge impact to us if we don’t act fast to salvage, which explains my rising concern towards the issue. Because the impact will have serious repercussion to everyone worldwide, the most prominent example out of so many impact that we are experiencing now is global warming.
In a nutshell, blogging and sharing my thoughts on different current affairs from society as a whole to environmental issue have increased my awareness towards the happenings around the world. Additionally, it has also developed my interest in reading up current affairs as well.
ShuMei
The article which has left a deep impression and sets me in deep thoughts is the article which focuses on ‘Environmental day.’ After sharing my opinions about the article, it has raised my awareness and concern towards the environment individually. It is because the damage that have been done to the environment is permanent and irreversible, it may lead to series of events which can cause destructions to the mother earth. These destructions that have been inflicted to the mother earth can cause huge impact to us if we don’t act fast to salvage, which explains my rising concern towards the issue. Because the impact will have serious repercussion to everyone worldwide, the most prominent example out of so many impact that we are experiencing now is global warming.
In a nutshell, blogging and sharing my thoughts on different current affairs from society as a whole to environmental issue have increased my awareness towards the happenings around the world. Additionally, it has also developed my interest in reading up current affairs as well.
ShuMei
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Last blog entry :D
Please write a second blog entry at the same time to reflect on the entire blogging experience.
I feel that writing a blog entry is quite fun and interesting as we find out more about the world we tend to go further as we find it interesting. For example, the entry about the World Cup 2010. If we did not write a blog entry about that, i think that most of us don't even know why companies are having troubles with the football fans. Thus, i feel that writing blog entries has widen our perspective and make us look beyond our limits.
Even though we were forced to write these entries, i feel that it is a good practice. We have to read the articles given for ideas and we have to brainstorm it. I think that it is a good exercise for our brain cells. If not forced, i personally don't think anyone would care about cyber awareness or even about other countries progress in learning english. This way, people like me who don;t read the news can know more about the world.
It is also a good time to learn how to blog, for those who have not tried it before. It is a way to express one's self and to write about the past. It can be kept as a journal as it is part of our history. It helps us to open up to the world as people all over the world can see what we type about.
It does help us improve our english as we continue writing. Practice makes perfect! However, i'm not sure if my english did improve :D
Thus, i think that this entire blogging experience has been a meaningful one that helps us widens our perspective and mindset about the world.
I feel that writing a blog entry is quite fun and interesting as we find out more about the world we tend to go further as we find it interesting. For example, the entry about the World Cup 2010. If we did not write a blog entry about that, i think that most of us don't even know why companies are having troubles with the football fans. Thus, i feel that writing blog entries has widen our perspective and make us look beyond our limits.
Even though we were forced to write these entries, i feel that it is a good practice. We have to read the articles given for ideas and we have to brainstorm it. I think that it is a good exercise for our brain cells. If not forced, i personally don't think anyone would care about cyber awareness or even about other countries progress in learning english. This way, people like me who don;t read the news can know more about the world.
It is also a good time to learn how to blog, for those who have not tried it before. It is a way to express one's self and to write about the past. It can be kept as a journal as it is part of our history. It helps us to open up to the world as people all over the world can see what we type about.
It does help us improve our english as we continue writing. Practice makes perfect! However, i'm not sure if my english did improve :D
Thus, i think that this entire blogging experience has been a meaningful one that helps us widens our perspective and mindset about the world.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Emotional Intelligence.
Hi.
Emotional intelligence is often called EQ these days. Older people tend to have more emotional intelligence as they have been through a lot due to their experiences as compared to the youngsters nowadays. Therefore companies would rather employ people with a higher emotional intelligence so that they can improve the company's standard.
Emotional intelligence consists of a few variables. Such as paying attention, knowing one's self, demonstrating reliability, not fibing about anything and sending a thank you note to show appreciation. Employers also try to hire people with more thaof a liberal art background. These are the characteristics that employers look for when hiring a new employee.
Emotional intelligence is often called EQ these days. Older people tend to have more emotional intelligence as they have been through a lot due to their experiences as compared to the youngsters nowadays. Therefore companies would rather employ people with a higher emotional intelligence so that they can improve the company's standard.
Emotional intelligence consists of a few variables. Such as paying attention, knowing one's self, demonstrating reliability, not fibing about anything and sending a thank you note to show appreciation. Employers also try to hire people with more thaof a liberal art background. These are the characteristics that employers look for when hiring a new employee.
Nowadays, finding a job takes more than knowledge and certificates. Employers would look at the leadership quality of oneself's and the emotional intelligence they hold. This is so that they can communicate well with other employees and not have any conflicts. Also, with a better global experience, employers would not hesitate to hire you.
In conclusion, emotinal intelligence describes the ability to identify the emotions of one's self, of others, and of groups. Thus, it is better to have an emotional intelligence as it helps us in our work.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
My blogging experience
After blogging for these 14 weeks, I believed I have used for a lot of my brain juices to type out my views on them. I am definitely not one who will sit in front of my laptop to read through all those lengthy and information-loaded articles, moreover, I’d still have to express my views on the blog! That surely requires a lot of discipline and effort to complete them. However, I am really thankful that I am exposed to the area of reading articles weekly and blogging them.
It has indeed widened my perspectives and vocabulary in a great manner and it sort of “forced” me to read them as there seems to be no other way out. I enjoyed the process of reading those articles which you have attached for us, googling them and checking all those words which I just don’t get it at dictionary.com. I could still remember how reluctant I will be as usual to drag my feet to start on the blog entries. Some of the excuses which I will offer myself will be, “it is still early, you can do them later!” or “this doesn’t seem to be my priority right now” and I would just continue with whatever I am doing at then. Thankfully, I have already made my way to this entry!
One of the entries which I like most will be the one on World Cup. Maybe because I am also one who likes football, therefore, I read through those articles with a little much more effort. I can easily put myself into that situation of itching for a football match and how anxious my friends around me would be over their favourite country. Though Spain is not the country which I supported, I was still equally elated as she emerged the champion in World Cup 2010.
Due to this blogging, I have received much more information about the things that are happening around the world and am able to have some common topics with my friends and not just being the consumer. Though I admit that I dislike blogging initially, I am proud to say that my perspective has changed! (:
-Yongqing!
It has indeed widened my perspectives and vocabulary in a great manner and it sort of “forced” me to read them as there seems to be no other way out. I enjoyed the process of reading those articles which you have attached for us, googling them and checking all those words which I just don’t get it at dictionary.com. I could still remember how reluctant I will be as usual to drag my feet to start on the blog entries. Some of the excuses which I will offer myself will be, “it is still early, you can do them later!” or “this doesn’t seem to be my priority right now” and I would just continue with whatever I am doing at then. Thankfully, I have already made my way to this entry!
One of the entries which I like most will be the one on World Cup. Maybe because I am also one who likes football, therefore, I read through those articles with a little much more effort. I can easily put myself into that situation of itching for a football match and how anxious my friends around me would be over their favourite country. Though Spain is not the country which I supported, I was still equally elated as she emerged the champion in World Cup 2010.
Due to this blogging, I have received much more information about the things that are happening around the world and am able to have some common topics with my friends and not just being the consumer. Though I admit that I dislike blogging initially, I am proud to say that my perspective has changed! (:
-Yongqing!
Emotional intelligence
Emotional intelligence (EI) describes the ability, capacity, skill or, in the case of the trait EI model, a self-perceived grand ability to identify, assess, manage and control the emotions of one's self, of others, and of groups. It is seen as a good factor when it comes to the outside world.
Employers are all looking for people who have higher Emotional Intelligence in order for them to be able to work well in the company to produce high productivity and also in terms of relating to the colleagues. They often look out for traits like; do you have the maturity and independence to follow a project to completion? Can you motivate and lead a group of your peers? Do you genuinely care about the company's values and goals? Are you the type to be sensitive to the needs of a troubled co-worker? Can you control your anger when a supervisor is rude to you? The ever-increasing business emphasis on technology and globalization means more communication, cooperation, and teamwork is necessary to get projects completed on time and on budget. Companies have to hire good communicators if they want to survive. And personally, i feel that empowering people by helping them develop EI skills, enables them to become internally self-managed and capable of making their greatest contributions.
In the article named Report on Business, it is said by Maria Odoardi that “When I am interviewing somebody, I am definitely looking for clues that this person is a relationship-builder … it’s just really important that you are going to get along with people,” She values a lot about how people communicate to one another and i agree with her about its importance. If I were to be the employer, i wouldn’t want to hire someone who is bad at relationships and leads to conflicts and misunderstandings instead of being a help to the company.
To sum it up, i feel that character and competence surely comes together. Not only should one be skilled and experience, his or her character must also be well enough to take up the position in the company if we were to say in the working aspect. Emotional intelligence is a big bonus if you have it.
-Yongqing!
Employers are all looking for people who have higher Emotional Intelligence in order for them to be able to work well in the company to produce high productivity and also in terms of relating to the colleagues. They often look out for traits like; do you have the maturity and independence to follow a project to completion? Can you motivate and lead a group of your peers? Do you genuinely care about the company's values and goals? Are you the type to be sensitive to the needs of a troubled co-worker? Can you control your anger when a supervisor is rude to you? The ever-increasing business emphasis on technology and globalization means more communication, cooperation, and teamwork is necessary to get projects completed on time and on budget. Companies have to hire good communicators if they want to survive. And personally, i feel that empowering people by helping them develop EI skills, enables them to become internally self-managed and capable of making their greatest contributions.
In the article named Report on Business, it is said by Maria Odoardi that “When I am interviewing somebody, I am definitely looking for clues that this person is a relationship-builder … it’s just really important that you are going to get along with people,” She values a lot about how people communicate to one another and i agree with her about its importance. If I were to be the employer, i wouldn’t want to hire someone who is bad at relationships and leads to conflicts and misunderstandings instead of being a help to the company.
To sum it up, i feel that character and competence surely comes together. Not only should one be skilled and experience, his or her character must also be well enough to take up the position in the company if we were to say in the working aspect. Emotional intelligence is a big bonus if you have it.
-Yongqing!
English Language
English is deemed as the official language in Singapore this English Language is made compulsory for all students. English is always seen as an important language but what is the reason behind it that makes majority feel that it is so? I guess it might be because English is slowly becoming the global language since it is so widely spoken in the world.
In Singapore, almost every single thing is portrayed in the English, for example, newspapers, labels, buses and books used in schools. In the article of English.chosun.com, it says that "English is a first language for 400 million people, and a fluent second for between300 and 500 million more," he quotes the International Herald Tribune. "Add on top of that the 750 million who have studied English as a foreign language and you have well over 1 billion members of the English-speaking world." It can be clearly seen that English is being spoken more than any other languages and it is believed that the driving force behind the growing influence of English is the quest for economic betterment.
No one wants to be left behind in the fast moving world. Everyone seeks for improvement and growth economically. Singapore would be a country which attracts tourist because it is a bilingual country who has English as her official language spoken. It surely won’t filter out those tourists who are from English-speaking like America. Maybe most might feel that English-speaking might be a problem for countries like China.
However, we are wrong. China has also started to step up, no longer staying in the mindsets of many that she is only a country who can tackle Mandarin. In the article titled, Beijing steps up English-language drive, it mentions that “the Authorities in Beijing plan to make most residents -- from hairdressers to policemen -- learn English under a drive to convert the Chinese capital into a "world city," The government has also started to start a programme which calls for all kindergarten to in the city to introduce English courses within five years.
This has clearly shown the importance of English to many. I myself speak English more than any other languages and i am really pleased to be able to communicate with two of my module mates who are foreigners in English. If not for this worldly used language, i can’t possible be able to communicate with them.
Language quite literally anchors human progress -- it allows children to learn,authors to write, consumers to buy, companies to produce, leaders to negotiate,people to travel, and enables just about anything else that you can imagine.
-Yongqing!
In Singapore, almost every single thing is portrayed in the English, for example, newspapers, labels, buses and books used in schools. In the article of English.chosun.com, it says that "English is a first language for 400 million people, and a fluent second for between300 and 500 million more," he quotes the International Herald Tribune. "Add on top of that the 750 million who have studied English as a foreign language and you have well over 1 billion members of the English-speaking world." It can be clearly seen that English is being spoken more than any other languages and it is believed that the driving force behind the growing influence of English is the quest for economic betterment.
No one wants to be left behind in the fast moving world. Everyone seeks for improvement and growth economically. Singapore would be a country which attracts tourist because it is a bilingual country who has English as her official language spoken. It surely won’t filter out those tourists who are from English-speaking like America. Maybe most might feel that English-speaking might be a problem for countries like China.
However, we are wrong. China has also started to step up, no longer staying in the mindsets of many that she is only a country who can tackle Mandarin. In the article titled, Beijing steps up English-language drive, it mentions that “the Authorities in Beijing plan to make most residents -- from hairdressers to policemen -- learn English under a drive to convert the Chinese capital into a "world city," The government has also started to start a programme which calls for all kindergarten to in the city to introduce English courses within five years.
This has clearly shown the importance of English to many. I myself speak English more than any other languages and i am really pleased to be able to communicate with two of my module mates who are foreigners in English. If not for this worldly used language, i can’t possible be able to communicate with them.
Language quite literally anchors human progress -- it allows children to learn,authors to write, consumers to buy, companies to produce, leaders to negotiate,people to travel, and enables just about anything else that you can imagine.
-Yongqing!
Cyber Wellness
Using the internet when the computer is being switched on has already become part of our modern lives. “What else can we do if we do not surf the net?” might be what most people might say if we were to ask about their opinions about the absence of the Internet. However it is equally important to know what would be some of the danger we might experience in the midst of having fun online. We need to learn how to protect ourselves when we are using it.
"Cyber Wellness refers to the positive well-being of Internet users and a healthy cyber culture for the Internet community. It involves an understanding of the risks of harmful
online behavior, an awareness of how to protect oneself and others from such behavior, and recognition of the power of the Internet to affect oneself and thecommunity at large.”
In the article on AsiaOne.com, Singaporean teens spend an average of 17.2 hours on the Internet each week, most of them don’t know much about cyber-wellness, defined as being responsible, respectful and rational, as well as being alert to scams and how to protect themselves. This is such a concern as many are not unsure about what’s illegal and what’s not and also about copyrighted laws. I think that Cyber Wellness should be publicised even more to people out there despite their age as long as they are able to learn about the Internet. It is definitely good to inculcate this value to them to let them know about the importance of Cyber Wellness. After all, using the Internet shouldn’t be restricted to only the teenagers or working adults. Housewives can be one the users too! Parents will be a great help in teaching their children about this value as well.
In the passage titled, Empowerment through Information Technology, it says about NIAC believing that no group should be left behind in the information age and that
Internet can be a powerful empowering tool to level the playing field for the disabled
and senior citizens. The disabled has been exposed to IT technology in 2002 and i love the idea od spreading this to them. As the disabled are already lacking in many aspects, they should not miss out one of the needs in our lives which is the Internet. They will be able to overcome their disability and with this, it can open up greater opportunities for them.
No one is too young or too old to learn as long as they have a willing heart. Thus, Cyber Wellness should be taught and brought across to as many people as possible in order to ensure that Internet would be a medium.
-Yongqing!
"Cyber Wellness refers to the positive well-being of Internet users and a healthy cyber culture for the Internet community. It involves an understanding of the risks of harmful
online behavior, an awareness of how to protect oneself and others from such behavior, and recognition of the power of the Internet to affect oneself and thecommunity at large.”
In the article on AsiaOne.com, Singaporean teens spend an average of 17.2 hours on the Internet each week, most of them don’t know much about cyber-wellness, defined as being responsible, respectful and rational, as well as being alert to scams and how to protect themselves. This is such a concern as many are not unsure about what’s illegal and what’s not and also about copyrighted laws. I think that Cyber Wellness should be publicised even more to people out there despite their age as long as they are able to learn about the Internet. It is definitely good to inculcate this value to them to let them know about the importance of Cyber Wellness. After all, using the Internet shouldn’t be restricted to only the teenagers or working adults. Housewives can be one the users too! Parents will be a great help in teaching their children about this value as well.
In the passage titled, Empowerment through Information Technology, it says about NIAC believing that no group should be left behind in the information age and that
Internet can be a powerful empowering tool to level the playing field for the disabled
and senior citizens. The disabled has been exposed to IT technology in 2002 and i love the idea od spreading this to them. As the disabled are already lacking in many aspects, they should not miss out one of the needs in our lives which is the Internet. They will be able to overcome their disability and with this, it can open up greater opportunities for them.
No one is too young or too old to learn as long as they have a willing heart. Thus, Cyber Wellness should be taught and brought across to as many people as possible in order to ensure that Internet would be a medium.
-Yongqing!
World Cup Fever
Due the World Cup which would be most people’s common topic at then, employers were especially worried about the office productivity. World Cup might most probably affect the employees' performance at work and the employers' business as well. Despite many precautions which were being taken, World Cup still never fails to whet the appetites of many, including myself. After all, it doesn’t come by often, it happens only once in four years!
As mentioned in the article, as long as we are able to prioritise, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem. It says the first question is: "Is it important, or unimportant?" The second: "Is it urgent, or not urgent?” By using this tool, it is indeed able to help us to visualise clearer to see which will be at our own priority. I am able to agree with this because my tuition teacher taught me how to use it when i was having my Os at then. If we are able to complete the work being assigned as soon as possible, then we will be able to watch those matches without having any worries of receiving a phone call from our employers.
Many of the Singaporeans have a great passion in football, and without saying, they would be more than willing to sacrifice their sleep to spend the night watching the match or even go to the nearby coffee shops to watch it. The article, Lower productivity, more sick leave expected during World Cup: HR experts, mentioned “that the World Cup is likely to have an impact beyond tired faces at the office.” This is so real to me because i am still able to remember that majority of my classmates were being restless and feeling so tired the next day after the final match, Spain VS Holland. It not only happens to the employers or employees, but also to students who are into football like me.
In my own opinion, i think that it is definitely fine to be into the World Cup fever because it is rare! I think that employers should be flexible when it comes to this because it is pointless to have employees present yet they are not a bit of focused as their hearts are itching for World Cup. “Instead of dampening people's spirits and expressing their frustration, she said it's an ideal time for bosses to embrace the spirit of the sport, and build employee morale through celebration and a culture of teamwork.” I couldn’t agree more than this.
-Yongqing!
As mentioned in the article, as long as we are able to prioritise, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem. It says the first question is: "Is it important, or unimportant?" The second: "Is it urgent, or not urgent?” By using this tool, it is indeed able to help us to visualise clearer to see which will be at our own priority. I am able to agree with this because my tuition teacher taught me how to use it when i was having my Os at then. If we are able to complete the work being assigned as soon as possible, then we will be able to watch those matches without having any worries of receiving a phone call from our employers.
Many of the Singaporeans have a great passion in football, and without saying, they would be more than willing to sacrifice their sleep to spend the night watching the match or even go to the nearby coffee shops to watch it. The article, Lower productivity, more sick leave expected during World Cup: HR experts, mentioned “that the World Cup is likely to have an impact beyond tired faces at the office.” This is so real to me because i am still able to remember that majority of my classmates were being restless and feeling so tired the next day after the final match, Spain VS Holland. It not only happens to the employers or employees, but also to students who are into football like me.
In my own opinion, i think that it is definitely fine to be into the World Cup fever because it is rare! I think that employers should be flexible when it comes to this because it is pointless to have employees present yet they are not a bit of focused as their hearts are itching for World Cup. “Instead of dampening people's spirits and expressing their frustration, she said it's an ideal time for bosses to embrace the spirit of the sport, and build employee morale through celebration and a culture of teamwork.” I couldn’t agree more than this.
-Yongqing!
ENGLISH
In my opinion, english is important as it a universal language commonly used all over the world. Without english, it is hard to communicate with people of different races.
In China, the government is making the citizens there to learn and pass their english. They aimed far, wanting a pass from the majority by 2015. As a growing country, i feel that it is important for China to start learning english as they do a lot of exporting and importing with other countries. The need of communication is important so that no misunderstandings would occur. There for, the government made a good decision for asking them to learn and master english, for their own and the country's benefit.
In China, the government is making the citizens there to learn and pass their english. They aimed far, wanting a pass from the majority by 2015. As a growing country, i feel that it is important for China to start learning english as they do a lot of exporting and importing with other countries. The need of communication is important so that no misunderstandings would occur. There for, the government made a good decision for asking them to learn and master english, for their own and the country's benefit.
Beijing is also trying to catch up with other countries. They are planning on teaching kindergarten kids english and adults with high degrees in China are to master a 1000 sentence of basic english. This shows that the government is doing something to increase the country's standard and conversations in english are popular ever since the olympic games 2008.
As stated in the article from Global English 'Strengthening U.S. Supremacy', half the world's people are projected to be speaking English by 2015. This shows the improvements in countries such as China and India as english is a universal language and it is important to communicate with the various languages.
In conclusion, learning and mastering english is important as it is a universal language used among all countries and to avoid miscommunication between various races. A lot of important businesses uses english language. Therefore, english should be taught to the people when they are young so it is easier for them to memorise and remember. As they get older they tend catch the lessons slower. Parents should also talk to their kids in english so that they can practice it at home too.
cyber awareness
After reading the articles given, i feel that cyber awareness is important as internet is widely used by teenagers and nowadays, even primary school kids are starting to use it. Not only do they use it for online learning, they use it to play games, chat or even go to their own facebook accounts that they make by faking their date of birth.
Also, kids nowadays may download illegal games, not knowing what it contains. There may be virus or even hackers that will hack the computer once the download is completed.
Kids are unaware as there are no adult supervision and since they do not have a basic background of the internet safety, they do not know the consequences of downloading illegal stuffs.
It is good that NYP adopts the teachings of cyber awareness through the general study modules. That way, students can learn the safe way of using the internet and won't download illegal stuffs as they know the risks.
I feel that primary and secondary school students should be taught about cyber awareness and that there should be adult supervision when they are using. Laptops and computers should be locked with passwords so that kids can only have internet access when teir parents are home.
Also, kids nowadays may download illegal games, not knowing what it contains. There may be virus or even hackers that will hack the computer once the download is completed.
Kids are unaware as there are no adult supervision and since they do not have a basic background of the internet safety, they do not know the consequences of downloading illegal stuffs.
It is good that NYP adopts the teachings of cyber awareness through the general study modules. That way, students can learn the safe way of using the internet and won't download illegal stuffs as they know the risks.
I feel that primary and secondary school students should be taught about cyber awareness and that there should be adult supervision when they are using. Laptops and computers should be locked with passwords so that kids can only have internet access when teir parents are home.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
English Language
English language is an important language to me as it is the only common language that we can communicate with foreigners. For example, when we are overseas, different countries have different languages. In order to communicate, we use english to communicate.
In article "Global English 'Strengthening U.S Supremacy' ", it states that majority of the world population speaks english. Newspapers, magazines are mostly published in english language. Many people from China have learnt english for a gateway to the middle class security. They feel that learning how to understand and speak English is a security to them. It is an advantage to them as when they have working partners from an English-speaking country, they would then know how to communicate with them rather than having a translator with them. In this way, this would improve their working style.
In the article, "Beijing steps up English-language drive", it states that the country is making most of the people there to learn English and also to pass english tests by the year 2015. This is for the benefit of convenience either during work or in school and also to enhance international relations.
All in all, understanding english is a benefit as it can help people from different countries to communicate, helps in different areas from international to work and to school.
In article "Global English 'Strengthening U.S Supremacy' ", it states that majority of the world population speaks english. Newspapers, magazines are mostly published in english language. Many people from China have learnt english for a gateway to the middle class security. They feel that learning how to understand and speak English is a security to them. It is an advantage to them as when they have working partners from an English-speaking country, they would then know how to communicate with them rather than having a translator with them. In this way, this would improve their working style.
In the article, "Beijing steps up English-language drive", it states that the country is making most of the people there to learn English and also to pass english tests by the year 2015. This is for the benefit of convenience either during work or in school and also to enhance international relations.
All in all, understanding english is a benefit as it can help people from different countries to communicate, helps in different areas from international to work and to school.
Cyber Wellness
Cyber wellness is the positive well-being of Internet users. It includes how to protect oneself from harmful online behaviour from the internet. It teaches us how we should protect ourselves on the internet and also how cyber wellness can affect us. In order to educate students on how to protect themselves from these dangerous people online, schools have organised talks about cyber wellness to allow them to understand more, what the disadvantages are when making friends online and to raise awareness of the danger on the internet.
According to the article "Singaporean youths still lacking in cyber wellness", it states that singaporean teens have lost control of use of computer. This shows that they rely heavily on computers, and which is why they have to know the basic knowledge about cyber wellness so that they can protect themselves and also, the community. Teenagers should know how to manage their time properly and not use their computers too much as it is dangerous if they know nothing about cyber wellness. Cyber wellness does not only include harmful behaviour only, it also includes piracy. Examples of it will be copying of songs. Parents should know what their children are doing on the internet. They will be charged if they are caught as these crimes are against the law.
Parents play a part in ensuring that their children are safe when using the internet and also, to ensure that they do not do any copying of files from the original ones. In addition, they can tell them more about cyber bullying and such to make sure that teenagers are knowledgable on cyber wellness. This is important because it keeps the healthy cyber culture going.
According to the article "Singaporean youths still lacking in cyber wellness", it states that singaporean teens have lost control of use of computer. This shows that they rely heavily on computers, and which is why they have to know the basic knowledge about cyber wellness so that they can protect themselves and also, the community. Teenagers should know how to manage their time properly and not use their computers too much as it is dangerous if they know nothing about cyber wellness. Cyber wellness does not only include harmful behaviour only, it also includes piracy. Examples of it will be copying of songs. Parents should know what their children are doing on the internet. They will be charged if they are caught as these crimes are against the law.
Parents play a part in ensuring that their children are safe when using the internet and also, to ensure that they do not do any copying of files from the original ones. In addition, they can tell them more about cyber bullying and such to make sure that teenagers are knowledgable on cyber wellness. This is important because it keeps the healthy cyber culture going.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Office productivity
According to the article "Some employers fear world cup", many of the employees in China are taking off days just to watch the world cup which was held in the middle of the night. They specially took leave to stay up to watch. I feel that they should not neglect their work just to watch the world cup. In the article, the man is quitting his job for the world cup. Even though some of the employees have to work the next day, they still watched it no matter how late it is. This may affect their work and in turn, may get fired if their attitude during work is poor. This affects their office productivity and they would lose their jobs if this happen frequently during the world cup.
If the supporters would want to watch the world cup either in the middle of the night or in the middle of their workday, they should learn how to prioritise and not allow their lack of sleep or the game to affect their work. They have to sort out which is important and which is not. Either way, they have to sacrifice their work or the soccer game. When work is affected, the office productivity decreases, affecting the country. World cup should not be a factor to affect their work as they can choose whether to watch or not. If they choose to watch it, their attitude at work should not be poor, causing them to lose their job or risking it.
If employees really want to watch the game, they can watch the replays which would be showed on television at night after their work or they can have topic discussions about the world cup. Employers can also do a part in helping the employees by shortening the working hours so that the employees have more time to rest. In addition, this would not affect the office productivity much. Employers are already expected to receive more sick leave and low office productivity during this period of time when the world cup is going on. The most employers could do is to extend the deadline of the employees' projects and reschedule their meetings.
If the supporters would want to watch the world cup either in the middle of the night or in the middle of their workday, they should learn how to prioritise and not allow their lack of sleep or the game to affect their work. They have to sort out which is important and which is not. Either way, they have to sacrifice their work or the soccer game. When work is affected, the office productivity decreases, affecting the country. World cup should not be a factor to affect their work as they can choose whether to watch or not. If they choose to watch it, their attitude at work should not be poor, causing them to lose their job or risking it.
If employees really want to watch the game, they can watch the replays which would be showed on television at night after their work or they can have topic discussions about the world cup. Employers can also do a part in helping the employees by shortening the working hours so that the employees have more time to rest. In addition, this would not affect the office productivity much. Employers are already expected to receive more sick leave and low office productivity during this period of time when the world cup is going on. The most employers could do is to extend the deadline of the employees' projects and reschedule their meetings.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Self-Reflection
After blogging on the various articles, I am more aware of the current affairs happening in Singapore as well as the issues facing the world today. The one article that I can relate to the most is the issue on Plagiarism.
As students, we are constantly doing research and gathering information for our projects. With the accessibility of the internet, any information can be acquired easily and at our own convenience.
On the other hand, this creates the problem of plagiarism since there are no limitations on how the information can be used. Students that are stressed out and rushing to meet deadlines might be tempted to take the easy way out, which is to plagiarise.
One of the ways that the lecturers of NYP have help curb this issue is by constantly reminding the students to keep their reports plagiarism free and the consequences if we were to plagiarise. I am thankful for that because by being more aware on the issues of plagiarism, it has helped me a lot in my school assignments. I have learnt to be more creative in my writing by making a point to use my own words and to not ‘copy and paste’ blindly.
I have also learnt to respect the work of others by quoting my sources. After doing the reports for my projects as well as writing the blog entries, I came to realise that I would definitely not appreciate it if someone were to copy my work and not give credit when due as I had put in a lot of time and effort in the assignments given to me.
As students, we are constantly doing research and gathering information for our projects. With the accessibility of the internet, any information can be acquired easily and at our own convenience.
On the other hand, this creates the problem of plagiarism since there are no limitations on how the information can be used. Students that are stressed out and rushing to meet deadlines might be tempted to take the easy way out, which is to plagiarise.
One of the ways that the lecturers of NYP have help curb this issue is by constantly reminding the students to keep their reports plagiarism free and the consequences if we were to plagiarise. I am thankful for that because by being more aware on the issues of plagiarism, it has helped me a lot in my school assignments. I have learnt to be more creative in my writing by making a point to use my own words and to not ‘copy and paste’ blindly.
I have also learnt to respect the work of others by quoting my sources. After doing the reports for my projects as well as writing the blog entries, I came to realise that I would definitely not appreciate it if someone were to copy my work and not give credit when due as I had put in a lot of time and effort in the assignments given to me.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Self-Reflection
After reading the article 'Self-reflection may lead independently to creativty, depression'. I do not agree fully with the author's view. Not everyone who are writers and artists are the same. Mental health researchers and practitioners shouldn't link creativity with depression. They should not judge people based on creativity. Like what study co-author Jutta Joormann, a PHD, a Stanford University researcher says, "Depression is associated with inactivity, difficulty concentrating and lying on bed, which seems contrary to creativity." This explains well that depression is totally not linked with creativity.
For the questionnaires that 99 undergraduates did in Syracuse University, it may be inaccurate. With such a small number of students doing the questionnaire, the results cannot be solely based on their results. Afterall, they have different views. Moreover, there should be more students not just from pyschology, arts, science and writers group, they should get students from other groups to obtain an even more accurate and reliable result.
For the questionnaires that 99 undergraduates did in Syracuse University, it may be inaccurate. With such a small number of students doing the questionnaire, the results cannot be solely based on their results. Afterall, they have different views. Moreover, there should be more students not just from pyschology, arts, science and writers group, they should get students from other groups to obtain an even more accurate and reliable result.
Monday, June 28, 2010
World Environment Day
The Earth as we know it is suffering from environmental issues, with humans as the main culprit.
The article ‘Ocean fish could disappear in 40 years: UN’ brings about a worrying issue that food supplies from the ocean might be dwindling in the future. Some of the causes include overfishing and pollution of the ocean.
Overfishing happens when too many fishes are being caught and not given time to breed. The fishes are therefore unable to sustain their population.
Humans, especially those from the poorer nations, depend on fish as their source of food and fishing as a source of income. In order to meet the demand of a densely populated nation, which is reliant on fish for food, bigger vessels are being used. This is even encouraged by the fact that the government is willing to subsidise the fuel cost of the activity.
Oil spillage and improper disposal of waste are forms of ocean pollution. The recent incident of British Petroleum (BP) rig collapsing and sending a massive oil spillage, threatening marine life and their habitat proves just how serious the effects of ocean pollution is.
In the article ‘2010 Year of Biodiversity Tries to Rein in Runaway Extinctions’, it states that wildlife is facing extinction due to climate change contributed by human activities.
Global warming occurs when there is a rise in the average temperature in the atmosphere. Causes of global warming can be contributed to increasing of CO2 level and thus resulting in a climate change.
The effect of climate change is a cause for a worry as it is affecting the wildlife’s habitat and food web. As stated, polar species are being affected by loss of ice due to global warming. Marine life and wildlife in the tropical region are also affected due to the rising sea level and rising ocean temperature.
However, there might still be hope for the marine life and wildlife facing extinction as more and more people all over the world are raising environmental awareness and joining the movement.
United Nation has marked 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity - the variety of life on Earth, with the purpose of raising public awareness on the importance of biodiversity and the consequences of its loss to human well-being.
Singapore is also doing her part by running the ‘Saving Gaia’ campaign, a MediaCorp’s green initiative, in conjunction with World Environment Day.
As individuals, we can also do our part. Some examples include; using the public transport and cutting down on personal transport whenever possible, putting the 3R (Reduce, Reuse & Recycle) into practice, using the fan instead of the air-con and turning off the power switch when not in use.
Most of the activities involved are not hard to do and can be incorporated into our daily routine. It all boils down to the individuals and whether they are willing to take the initiative.
The article ‘Ocean fish could disappear in 40 years: UN’ brings about a worrying issue that food supplies from the ocean might be dwindling in the future. Some of the causes include overfishing and pollution of the ocean.
Overfishing happens when too many fishes are being caught and not given time to breed. The fishes are therefore unable to sustain their population.
Humans, especially those from the poorer nations, depend on fish as their source of food and fishing as a source of income. In order to meet the demand of a densely populated nation, which is reliant on fish for food, bigger vessels are being used. This is even encouraged by the fact that the government is willing to subsidise the fuel cost of the activity.
Oil spillage and improper disposal of waste are forms of ocean pollution. The recent incident of British Petroleum (BP) rig collapsing and sending a massive oil spillage, threatening marine life and their habitat proves just how serious the effects of ocean pollution is.
In the article ‘2010 Year of Biodiversity Tries to Rein in Runaway Extinctions’, it states that wildlife is facing extinction due to climate change contributed by human activities.
Global warming occurs when there is a rise in the average temperature in the atmosphere. Causes of global warming can be contributed to increasing of CO2 level and thus resulting in a climate change.
The effect of climate change is a cause for a worry as it is affecting the wildlife’s habitat and food web. As stated, polar species are being affected by loss of ice due to global warming. Marine life and wildlife in the tropical region are also affected due to the rising sea level and rising ocean temperature.
However, there might still be hope for the marine life and wildlife facing extinction as more and more people all over the world are raising environmental awareness and joining the movement.
United Nation has marked 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity - the variety of life on Earth, with the purpose of raising public awareness on the importance of biodiversity and the consequences of its loss to human well-being.
Singapore is also doing her part by running the ‘Saving Gaia’ campaign, a MediaCorp’s green initiative, in conjunction with World Environment Day.
As individuals, we can also do our part. Some examples include; using the public transport and cutting down on personal transport whenever possible, putting the 3R (Reduce, Reuse & Recycle) into practice, using the fan instead of the air-con and turning off the power switch when not in use.
Most of the activities involved are not hard to do and can be incorporated into our daily routine. It all boils down to the individuals and whether they are willing to take the initiative.
OLE OLE OLE OLE!
WORLD CUP 2010.
Personally i feel that other countries that World-Cup too seriously. There are such things as recording and internet. They can record the match or look at it in the internet when they end their work or before work. That way, it would not affect their sleep and they get their work done.
China, for example, takes the matches too seriously. They would rather lose their job than to miss a match, as quoted from "Some employers fear World Cup - People's Daily Online". This shows that they did not think about the future. If they were to quit their job during the world cup season, what are the chances that they might get back the job or find a similar one iin a short period of time. The chances are unlikely, especially in China where the growth of population is very high.
As for the England fans, they are to a big advantage as there are pubs nearby that show the matches live, based on the data from "BBC News - How to manage your workflow around the England game". This shows that the England fans have no excuse of not being able to watch as they can rush off to a nearby pub after work. They also encourage the people to prioritise. Therefore, they are encouraged to do their work first, and then leave for the match. Therefore it wont affect their work and they would want to do it faster. Despite that fact, they may be excited to watch the match that they do their work wrongly. They do it for the sake of doing it and not because they want to. That is a huge loss to the company as their data would be interpreted wrongly.
Most Singaporeans would rather work than watch the matches as some channels do not show the matches live. However, they would watch it online later and discuss about it the following days as stated in http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1061763/1/.html. This would affect their rate of work too as majority of the people are unable to multi-task and tend to focus on only one topic. Therefore they would be unable to finish their work on time.
The world cup season would also affect the quality of the employee's work. When the team they support lose, they would feel lousy and would not pay proper attention to their work. When the team they support win, they would be overjoyed and go out to celebrate. Causing them to be late for work or not focus. Therefore, no matter what idea they use to watch the World cup, it would still affect their quality or work and the time.
love love, fatima.
hi, my name is fatima.
SELF DISCOVERY :O
I do not agree with the experiment carried out by Syracuse University psychology professor Paul Verhaeghen, PhD, Joormann and their colleagues who instructed 99 undergraduates to complete questionnaires measuring current and past depressive symptoms, creative interests and self-reflective rumination.
Firstly, different people have a different personality and behaviour, which means that the anwers are inaccurate. Secondly, by expressing one's self, it does not show any sign of depression as the person may or may not want to write an honest opinion. Thirdly, self discovery should be done by the person itself and not some randomly picked people to do a quiz and judge for them.
Self discovery is for the person to find out more about themself. They do that by experiencing life and learning from mistakes. Also, to find symptoms of stress and depression is to observe the behaviour of a person and not by asking them to write down or do questionnaires. They will experience during their daily activities.
Noone is the same, everybody is different. Thus everybody have their differences and their own depression. They have their own way of overcoming it, not only by creativity.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Self-reflection may lead independently to creativity, depression
After reading this article which mentions that major depressive disorder is eight to 10 times more prevalent in writers and artists than in the general population, that leads to mental health researchers and practitioners to have a conclusion that long linked creativity with a higher risk for depression.
I don’t really agree to what the author has said because “a study in the June issue of Emotion (Vol. 5, No. 2) suggests that self-reflective rumination--a focus on the self and one's feelings--may explain artists' tendency toward depression, taking the blame off creativity itself.” This simply means that artist don’t believe that creativity could be one of the reason which leads to having depression. It simply meant that our creative mind is unable to be stretched to where we want it to be, which the inability to meet its “goal”, thus we would be depressed. Being creative is surely not one of the reasons.
“Depression is associated with inactivity, difficulty concentrating and lying in bed”, said a Stanford University researcher, whereas creative people are no inactive, majority are able to concentrate well and they are usually not on the bed. That is obviously a paradox thus how possible is it for one being creative leads to having depression? It seems to be quite unlikely actually.
Experiments have also been carried out by 99 undergraduates, and they merely need to complete questionnaires measuring current and past depressive symptoms, creative interests and self-reflective rumination. The students also participated in two creative behaviour tests that measure fluency of imagination and originality. And the end result showed that there’s no direct link between depression and creativity. However, self-reflection was correlated with both an increased risk for depression and an interest in, and talent for, creative behaviour.
Self-reflection should be done on one’s accord because that person should be willing enough to take in whatever comments given and self-reflect on his/her own. Surely not to bring himself/herself down, but just to evaluate to see how else one can strength and improve oneself.
-Yongqing!
I don’t really agree to what the author has said because “a study in the June issue of Emotion (Vol. 5, No. 2) suggests that self-reflective rumination--a focus on the self and one's feelings--may explain artists' tendency toward depression, taking the blame off creativity itself.” This simply means that artist don’t believe that creativity could be one of the reason which leads to having depression. It simply meant that our creative mind is unable to be stretched to where we want it to be, which the inability to meet its “goal”, thus we would be depressed. Being creative is surely not one of the reasons.
“Depression is associated with inactivity, difficulty concentrating and lying in bed”, said a Stanford University researcher, whereas creative people are no inactive, majority are able to concentrate well and they are usually not on the bed. That is obviously a paradox thus how possible is it for one being creative leads to having depression? It seems to be quite unlikely actually.
Experiments have also been carried out by 99 undergraduates, and they merely need to complete questionnaires measuring current and past depressive symptoms, creative interests and self-reflective rumination. The students also participated in two creative behaviour tests that measure fluency of imagination and originality. And the end result showed that there’s no direct link between depression and creativity. However, self-reflection was correlated with both an increased risk for depression and an interest in, and talent for, creative behaviour.
Self-reflection should be done on one’s accord because that person should be willing enough to take in whatever comments given and self-reflect on his/her own. Surely not to bring himself/herself down, but just to evaluate to see how else one can strength and improve oneself.
-Yongqing!
Biodiversity
After reading the article, it kind of struck me that the world’s animal and plant species are beginning to disappear due to human activities! The purpose of the International Year is also to raise public awareness of the importance of biodiversity and the consequences of its loss to human well-being. A large amount if ten species likely to be hardest hit by climate change.
Global warming which is the releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels for transportation like driving and flying and home energy like electricity, heating, and cooling. All of these are leading to global warming. And global warming plays too big a part to the Earth's biodiversity and native ecosystems.
I was quite upset to find out the clownfish is one of the victims of ocean acidification. It is really true that i begin to find clownfish adorable only after ‘Finding Nemo’. And due to the fact that the acidic water disrupts their sense of smell, it impairs their ability to find their specific host anemone, which they rely on for protection.
As the world today cares the most about money, a lot would prioritise money above any others. That definitely leads to more and more people taking money into consideration instead of our Mother Earth which means they would go for economic benefits than environmental benefits. In my opinion, we should definitely not put the Earth to risk. At times when I am at home, I’d usually love to switch on the lights of most of the rooms and would be too lazy to actually switch them off. However, my conscience would always bug me. Not because I am afraid I would waste my parents’ money but because i do want to be part of those people who saving the Earth!
Thus, i think it is all of our responsibility to protect and save the Earth. So let’s move our hands and feet to urge people around us to join us too!
-Yongqing!
Global warming which is the releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels for transportation like driving and flying and home energy like electricity, heating, and cooling. All of these are leading to global warming. And global warming plays too big a part to the Earth's biodiversity and native ecosystems.
I was quite upset to find out the clownfish is one of the victims of ocean acidification. It is really true that i begin to find clownfish adorable only after ‘Finding Nemo’. And due to the fact that the acidic water disrupts their sense of smell, it impairs their ability to find their specific host anemone, which they rely on for protection.
As the world today cares the most about money, a lot would prioritise money above any others. That definitely leads to more and more people taking money into consideration instead of our Mother Earth which means they would go for economic benefits than environmental benefits. In my opinion, we should definitely not put the Earth to risk. At times when I am at home, I’d usually love to switch on the lights of most of the rooms and would be too lazy to actually switch them off. However, my conscience would always bug me. Not because I am afraid I would waste my parents’ money but because i do want to be part of those people who saving the Earth!
Thus, i think it is all of our responsibility to protect and save the Earth. So let’s move our hands and feet to urge people around us to join us too!
-Yongqing!
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work.
After reading those two articles, Tokyo University to crack down on
Plagiarism in theses and Schools stress to pupils: No copying, I have a better understanding of the importance of plagiarism.
In my opinion, i think plagiarism is something which should be emphasized even more, but not only to students studying in Secondary School, but even students who are much more younger or even taught since young. Plagiarism definitely needs to be conveyed to the adults as well. Plagiarism is a big offence because in the first place, we should not even copy other people’s work as that has to do with integrity which teachers and parents would always remind their students and children respectively. The message of being original should be brought across at all times.
In the article about the Tokyo University, it is stated that the president of that university will overhaul its thesis examination process and throw the book at anyone found to have plagiarized other people's work. It clearly shows about how much they value the originality of students’ work. Also, in the article of school stressing to students about no copying, all institutions said they relied most on teachers' intuition to spot instances of plagiarism and to take action against the student. However, i still insist on the fact that every single one of us should take pride in whatever work we are being tasked to do.
It is surely annoying enough to know that someone actually copied your work or like what a lot would say, “let me take a look and see how i should go about doing it”. The one who actually copied won’t even know how much effort that person has put in just to make sure the assignment is being done well. Adding on that, if teachers are not able to actually realise that the latter actually copied people’s work and graded him/her with a good grade, i really think it would be too unfair.
Plagiarism should be a value which is inculcated since young to every single one of us. And i would really appreciate if actions would be carried out if Schools were to suspect plagiarism, by using specific detection software.
-Yongqing!
After reading those two articles, Tokyo University to crack down on
Plagiarism in theses and Schools stress to pupils: No copying, I have a better understanding of the importance of plagiarism.
In my opinion, i think plagiarism is something which should be emphasized even more, but not only to students studying in Secondary School, but even students who are much more younger or even taught since young. Plagiarism definitely needs to be conveyed to the adults as well. Plagiarism is a big offence because in the first place, we should not even copy other people’s work as that has to do with integrity which teachers and parents would always remind their students and children respectively. The message of being original should be brought across at all times.
In the article about the Tokyo University, it is stated that the president of that university will overhaul its thesis examination process and throw the book at anyone found to have plagiarized other people's work. It clearly shows about how much they value the originality of students’ work. Also, in the article of school stressing to students about no copying, all institutions said they relied most on teachers' intuition to spot instances of plagiarism and to take action against the student. However, i still insist on the fact that every single one of us should take pride in whatever work we are being tasked to do.
It is surely annoying enough to know that someone actually copied your work or like what a lot would say, “let me take a look and see how i should go about doing it”. The one who actually copied won’t even know how much effort that person has put in just to make sure the assignment is being done well. Adding on that, if teachers are not able to actually realise that the latter actually copied people’s work and graded him/her with a good grade, i really think it would be too unfair.
Plagiarism should be a value which is inculcated since young to every single one of us. And i would really appreciate if actions would be carried out if Schools were to suspect plagiarism, by using specific detection software.
-Yongqing!
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Environment Day
After reading the articles on the extinction of biodiversity in the world; about we’ll be facing fishless oceans by 2050 and the endangered ten species that will be facing extinction due to climate change. This serves as a strong warning to us that it is time we should start paying more serious attention to this issue and start putting efforts to keep our Mother Earth in a good condition before it become an irreversible problem.
In my personal view, I feel that global warming contributes the most to the widespread extinction of flora and fauna. Global warming is known as the increase in the average temperature of the earth. This has been a worldwide issue that raise many controversies between the political and public. The most prominent cause for global warming is due to human activities such as burning of fossils fuels and coals to produce electricity. Additionally, more population will mean more requirements, like the basic necessities such as food, electricity and transport. In order to fulfil these requirements, more fossil fuels are consumed, which eventually leads to global warming. Hence, these burning of fossils fuels let out carbon dioxide, which traps heat within the atmosphere of the earth and thus, contributes to global warming.
This increase in temperature will generate a series of events which can cause a lot of destruction on the planet such as melting of polar ice-caps which leads to a rise in global sea level, changes in climate patterns and widespread extinction of flora and fauna as a rise in global temperature will hamper the biodiversity of various ecosystem. Changes in climate will result in loss of habitat for many animal species which makes them vulnerable to extinction like the polar bears for example.
We have already done enough of damage and hence it is time we should be exposed to and understand the global warming causes, effect and future repercussions and find solutions at the earliest. We can start by doing little things that happens in our daily life. We can start by doing on our part to reduce waste by choosing reusable products instead of disposables. Recycle paper, plastic, newspaper, glass and aluminium cans. Little efforts like this can help reduces the emission of carbon dioxide annually.
In conclusion, we may not live to face the dreaded consequences of global warming, but if we don't act fast, it will be our future generations who will have to bear the burnt.
ShuMei.
In my personal view, I feel that global warming contributes the most to the widespread extinction of flora and fauna. Global warming is known as the increase in the average temperature of the earth. This has been a worldwide issue that raise many controversies between the political and public. The most prominent cause for global warming is due to human activities such as burning of fossils fuels and coals to produce electricity. Additionally, more population will mean more requirements, like the basic necessities such as food, electricity and transport. In order to fulfil these requirements, more fossil fuels are consumed, which eventually leads to global warming. Hence, these burning of fossils fuels let out carbon dioxide, which traps heat within the atmosphere of the earth and thus, contributes to global warming.
This increase in temperature will generate a series of events which can cause a lot of destruction on the planet such as melting of polar ice-caps which leads to a rise in global sea level, changes in climate patterns and widespread extinction of flora and fauna as a rise in global temperature will hamper the biodiversity of various ecosystem. Changes in climate will result in loss of habitat for many animal species which makes them vulnerable to extinction like the polar bears for example.
We have already done enough of damage and hence it is time we should be exposed to and understand the global warming causes, effect and future repercussions and find solutions at the earliest. We can start by doing little things that happens in our daily life. We can start by doing on our part to reduce waste by choosing reusable products instead of disposables. Recycle paper, plastic, newspaper, glass and aluminium cans. Little efforts like this can help reduces the emission of carbon dioxide annually.
In conclusion, we may not live to face the dreaded consequences of global warming, but if we don't act fast, it will be our future generations who will have to bear the burnt.
ShuMei.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Environment Day
Many animals are going extinct because of environment. It is suffering from global warming which is the rise in temperature in the surroundings. Human beings are partly responsible for the cause of global warming because we tend to ignore the consequences of global warming.
Global warming can cause animals to die because of the surrounding conditions and thus, these animals will go extinct soon. Animals like the polar bear, rely on sea ice to survive. They need a cooling habitat to live in so that they will not die. If we continue on having global warming, the temperature in the surroundings will increase, therefore, ice starts to break and this causes the polar bear to lose their habitats and not being able to adapt to the surrounding. In order to ensure that animals dont go extinct, we have to save the environment by reducing on the amount of pollution we are producing.
Another factor is some trees which some animals feed on will die too. If the environment's temperature rises, there will be a drought. Trees will die because of the lack of water. This would affect the animals as they are suffering from lack of food. This, in turn, starves the animals and soon, they starve to hunger.
Fish and other living creatures living in the sea suffer too because of global warming. Pollution like water pollution affects the creatures in the water. When the water gets dirty because of water pollution, the water gerts polluted. When the living creatures respire, they breathe in the dirty air. This causes harm to them. As a result, the life span of these living creatures shortened.
To solve this, we have to reduce global warming and pollution to save the animals and living creatures in order to enable them to remain alive and not go extinct. We should use the 3Rs- Recycle, Reuse & Reduce. This would definitely help the environment and the animals, living creatures.
Global warming can cause animals to die because of the surrounding conditions and thus, these animals will go extinct soon. Animals like the polar bear, rely on sea ice to survive. They need a cooling habitat to live in so that they will not die. If we continue on having global warming, the temperature in the surroundings will increase, therefore, ice starts to break and this causes the polar bear to lose their habitats and not being able to adapt to the surrounding. In order to ensure that animals dont go extinct, we have to save the environment by reducing on the amount of pollution we are producing.
Another factor is some trees which some animals feed on will die too. If the environment's temperature rises, there will be a drought. Trees will die because of the lack of water. This would affect the animals as they are suffering from lack of food. This, in turn, starves the animals and soon, they starve to hunger.
Fish and other living creatures living in the sea suffer too because of global warming. Pollution like water pollution affects the creatures in the water. When the water gets dirty because of water pollution, the water gerts polluted. When the living creatures respire, they breathe in the dirty air. This causes harm to them. As a result, the life span of these living creatures shortened.
To solve this, we have to reduce global warming and pollution to save the animals and living creatures in order to enable them to remain alive and not go extinct. We should use the 3Rs- Recycle, Reuse & Reduce. This would definitely help the environment and the animals, living creatures.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
week 7's post.
Hi. My name is Fatima.
Global warming occurs when the temperature rises and the earth heats up. This happens when greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide trap heat and light from the sun, increasing its temperature.
Global warming causes the water level to rise, covering the low land countries/islands. This causes the plants to die as there is too much water. Animals would lose thier habitat and source of food, causing it to be extinct. Poor people in rural countries that depends on animals for survival would also die as they would not have enough food to be shared among themselves. Ice would start to melt causing animals such as polar bears and seals to lose their home and have a lesser space to be free.
However, most countries are adopting the 'Save The Earth' campaign. More people are taking public transport instead of driving their own vehicles. Car and oil prices are also increased to discourage people from buying a car. The citizens are starting to recycle which means that there are lesser things to burn, as a result, there are fewer greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
In my opinion, global warming is indeed very dangerous as it can cause the human life to be extinct together with other living things on Earth as global warming has a huge impact on man kind. Humans need oxygen to live, if all the plants on earth were to die, humans would have lesser air to breathe. When plants die, animals too would have to find a new source of food for survival. The only thing left will be humans. Thus humans would be a prey to animals. Imagine kittens eating birds. This time, cats are gonna eat humans.
Thus, if man kind were the ones who cause global warming, we should play the role of making things better. We should start to recycle and conserve electricity as every little thing we do affects the environment.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Plagiarism is defined as the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work. Plagiarism, however, may not be stated as an offence in law but it can lead to a serious issue if no action is delivered to address this problems.
After reading the two articles, plagiarism is seen as the common concern and I realised that it is most often violated among students especially. As a student, I will share my opinions at a student’s view on plagiarism committed by students.
Firstly, educations are getting tougher and more competitive each generation. Students often feel pressurized to complete their assignments that will be due quickly, therefore, they start to plagiarize because it provides the fastest way to produce their work without much effort involved. Additionally, with the easy accessibility of internet, this could makes plagiarism seemingly much more effortlessly done.
Secondly, one out of the main reasons that contributes to plagiarism that occurs amongst students is due to, peer pressure. The most common misconception that students had is, ‘everybody else is doing it the same.’ Therefore, students often feel is perfectly alright to plagiarize since their peers are doing the same too or they feel that they must do the same to keep up.
One of the way to deal with this issue is to start educating from young. Schools should educate their students the consequences of plagiarism. Students should be taught about the concept of plagiarism so that they’ll be equipped with adequate knowledge of it and teachers should encourage students not to plagiarize by teaching them the proper way of doing their work, also, students should also be taught how to appreciate and respect author’s and owner’s work by crediting.
With that, I’d like to sum up my views on plagiarism.
xo, ShuMei
After reading the two articles, plagiarism is seen as the common concern and I realised that it is most often violated among students especially. As a student, I will share my opinions at a student’s view on plagiarism committed by students.
Firstly, educations are getting tougher and more competitive each generation. Students often feel pressurized to complete their assignments that will be due quickly, therefore, they start to plagiarize because it provides the fastest way to produce their work without much effort involved. Additionally, with the easy accessibility of internet, this could makes plagiarism seemingly much more effortlessly done.
Secondly, one out of the main reasons that contributes to plagiarism that occurs amongst students is due to, peer pressure. The most common misconception that students had is, ‘everybody else is doing it the same.’ Therefore, students often feel is perfectly alright to plagiarize since their peers are doing the same too or they feel that they must do the same to keep up.
One of the way to deal with this issue is to start educating from young. Schools should educate their students the consequences of plagiarism. Students should be taught about the concept of plagiarism so that they’ll be equipped with adequate knowledge of it and teachers should encourage students not to plagiarize by teaching them the proper way of doing their work, also, students should also be taught how to appreciate and respect author’s and owner’s work by crediting.
With that, I’d like to sum up my views on plagiarism.
xo, ShuMei
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Plagiarism
Both articles are talking about the common issue: Plagiarism.
It's the copying of the author's words and not crediting the author at all. I feel that plagiarism is a big offence because we should not copy other people's work without giving credits to the author. At the very least, we should not copy all but edit some words. With the internet and google, it is easy to do plagiarism. Schools should teach students from primary level about cyber-wellness so that they know what kind of punishment they will get for an offence like plagiarism. Punishment may range from counselling to failing of courses to revoking degree. At primary levels, the punishment will be lighter and it gets more severe when the edcuation level gets higher.
Students should understand the property of these authors, they should know that they cannot copy works of people on the internet. It is stated in the article "School stress to pupils: No copying" that 'secondary schools and higher-level institutions typically spell out academic spells out integrity in student handbooks or campus'. Schools should also organize talks to emphasize on plagiarism, about the offence made and the consequences.
On the article "Tokyo university to crack down on plagiarism in theses", an adult's doctorate degree was being revoked because of plagiarism. I feel that adults should know about what will happen if they do these, rather than students. Adults too, should also be taught about plagiarism as one offence may affect their future.
It's the copying of the author's words and not crediting the author at all. I feel that plagiarism is a big offence because we should not copy other people's work without giving credits to the author. At the very least, we should not copy all but edit some words. With the internet and google, it is easy to do plagiarism. Schools should teach students from primary level about cyber-wellness so that they know what kind of punishment they will get for an offence like plagiarism. Punishment may range from counselling to failing of courses to revoking degree. At primary levels, the punishment will be lighter and it gets more severe when the edcuation level gets higher.
Students should understand the property of these authors, they should know that they cannot copy works of people on the internet. It is stated in the article "School stress to pupils: No copying" that 'secondary schools and higher-level institutions typically spell out academic spells out integrity in student handbooks or campus'. Schools should also organize talks to emphasize on plagiarism, about the offence made and the consequences.
On the article "Tokyo university to crack down on plagiarism in theses", an adult's doctorate degree was being revoked because of plagiarism. I feel that adults should know about what will happen if they do these, rather than students. Adults too, should also be taught about plagiarism as one offence may affect their future.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Plagiarism
In view of the given articles, ‘Tokyo University to crack down on plagiarism in theses’ and ‘School stress to pupils: No copying’, plagiarism is the common issue between the two.
Plagiarism is to copy someone else’s hard work and pass it off as your own without giving credit when due.
With the internet being readily accessible, gathering information has become convenient. Most information online are free and can be easily copied. A person might have the misconception that they are free to copy someone else’s work undetected.
Therefore, raising awareness regarding plagiarism is important. As seen in the article, ‘School stress to pupils: No copying’, some primary schools in Singapore have taken action to curb plagiarism by introducing cyber-wellness as part of the school’s syllabus.
The importance of the syllabus is introduced to students as early as primary 1. It will be beneficial for the students to start early as they will be well versed in the syllabus when they move on to post primary education.
Students at an early age need to be taught the consequences of plagiarism. In the article, it states that the punishment for plagiarizing in polytechnics and universities ‘would normally be a fail grade in the course, suspension, or expulsion in the most severe cases’.
In the other article, ‘Tokyo University to crack down on plagiarism in theses’, an assistant professor at the University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Engineering, was not only dismissed but stripped off his doctorate degree for plagiarizing.
In a scenario where a person is caught for plagiarizing, the chances of society doubting that person’s work in the future are very likely. For this reason, the credibility of that person would also be questioned.
As there is no clear penalty for plagiarizing, it is up to the schools to set the rules and make the ultimate decision.
Plagiarism is to copy someone else’s hard work and pass it off as your own without giving credit when due.
With the internet being readily accessible, gathering information has become convenient. Most information online are free and can be easily copied. A person might have the misconception that they are free to copy someone else’s work undetected.
Therefore, raising awareness regarding plagiarism is important. As seen in the article, ‘School stress to pupils: No copying’, some primary schools in Singapore have taken action to curb plagiarism by introducing cyber-wellness as part of the school’s syllabus.
The importance of the syllabus is introduced to students as early as primary 1. It will be beneficial for the students to start early as they will be well versed in the syllabus when they move on to post primary education.
Students at an early age need to be taught the consequences of plagiarism. In the article, it states that the punishment for plagiarizing in polytechnics and universities ‘would normally be a fail grade in the course, suspension, or expulsion in the most severe cases’.
In the other article, ‘Tokyo University to crack down on plagiarism in theses’, an assistant professor at the University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Engineering, was not only dismissed but stripped off his doctorate degree for plagiarizing.
In a scenario where a person is caught for plagiarizing, the chances of society doubting that person’s work in the future are very likely. For this reason, the credibility of that person would also be questioned.
As there is no clear penalty for plagiarizing, it is up to the schools to set the rules and make the ultimate decision.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
PLAGIARISM
Hi my name is Fatima :D
Plagiarism is the use of someone else's story as their own original work without giving any credit.
Based on the article "Schools stress to pupils: No copying.", I feel that it is important for kids to learn about plagiarism at a young age. This is to prevent them from copying and to train them to respect people's work. Even though there are not many plagiarism cases in primary schools, it should still be taught to the students so that they can prevent it from happening. Also, students should be exposed to these kind of situations in case plagiarism were to happen. They should be taught to respect one's writing and even if they want to copy, they should credit the person by stating the person's name and the evidence.
However, it is also unnecessary for primary school students to learn this as they are not aware of plagiarism.In fact, if the teachers teach them about plagiarism, they might attempt to try it out of curiosity. Then that would cause a bigger problem for the teachers. Maybe plagiarism should not be brought up until it has happened.
Based on the article "Tokyo University to crack down on plagiarism in theses", i feel that it is the adults who is the offender. Adults use it more than students, in fact, the big cases are caused by adults. It may be because of the fact that they are not taught about plagiarism, but still, as an adult, they should know what is right or wrong. See, now a lot of professor's doctorate are being revoked. They have no originality.
I feel that it is more important to teach it to the adults at work rather than students. Students do not understand the meaning of plagiarism and its consequences, whereas an adult knows it very well.
i have stated my views :D
I'm sorry if my blog post is bad, i have been staring at the computer screen from 4-7.50pm but i can't seem to write anything, my brain cells died :(
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Possible for Singapore to stay 'forever young'?
After reading the extract on PM Teo’s view if Singapore to stay ‘forever young’, i have some views about this. Singapore has five 'building blocks' that provide it a strong foundation to continue to thrive in the future. PM Teo also related to ‘Iceland, also enjoyed a boom, particularly in the mid-2000s. It was regarded as quite a miracle. However, poor regulation of the banking and financial sector resulted in a highly leveraged economy and small nations like Switzerland , or cities such as New York or London, that have done well for centuries.’
Being 'young' is really an attitude of mind - to keep ourselves socially and economically energetic, competitive and attractive. Of those five points, i believe that a strong culture of education and learning is able to help Singapore stay ‘forever young’. By having a strong culture of education and learning, it will always allow people to stay fresh and new, and even relevant to the world. Due to the importance of education, it will encourage people to want to have the heart and the desire for even better education and seek for knowledge, innovation and ideas.
Singapore has all along been emphasising on the importance of education. Singapore students have consistently done very well in international comparisons in science and mathematics and also in literacy. Education is already encouraged at a very young age of four and Singapore does seek to provide even better education for all. Investments are made heavily for universities, polytechnics and Institute of Technical Education to be even better.
Both parents and students also see education playing a big role in their lives. It is definitely true that if parents were to not give their child any stress, majority would not even want to educate themselves. True enough that many want to pursue a good education as they believe that that would help them to get a better and stable job in the future.
Education will never ever grow old and it will always be relevant to any others. Education has never ever been about institutions as well. As long as someone is willing to learn and education oneself, that will do. Education surely plays a big and important part in helping Singapore to be ‘forever young’.
- Yongqing.
Being 'young' is really an attitude of mind - to keep ourselves socially and economically energetic, competitive and attractive. Of those five points, i believe that a strong culture of education and learning is able to help Singapore stay ‘forever young’. By having a strong culture of education and learning, it will always allow people to stay fresh and new, and even relevant to the world. Due to the importance of education, it will encourage people to want to have the heart and the desire for even better education and seek for knowledge, innovation and ideas.
Singapore has all along been emphasising on the importance of education. Singapore students have consistently done very well in international comparisons in science and mathematics and also in literacy. Education is already encouraged at a very young age of four and Singapore does seek to provide even better education for all. Investments are made heavily for universities, polytechnics and Institute of Technical Education to be even better.
Both parents and students also see education playing a big role in their lives. It is definitely true that if parents were to not give their child any stress, majority would not even want to educate themselves. True enough that many want to pursue a good education as they believe that that would help them to get a better and stable job in the future.
Education will never ever grow old and it will always be relevant to any others. Education has never ever been about institutions as well. As long as someone is willing to learn and education oneself, that will do. Education surely plays a big and important part in helping Singapore to be ‘forever young’.
- Yongqing.
How Singapore Can Stay 'Forever Young'
After reading the article 'How Singapore Can Stay Forever Young', here are some of my views and opinions with reference to the first point, a strong culture of education and learning.
Singapore has always emphasized on the importance of education. This can be seen by the Government implementing ‘Compulsory Education’ in the year 2003. Students need to be equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to be productive citizens in a knowledge-based economy.
A strong culture of education and learning not only depends on the students. Parents also play a part in a child’s education. The Government has passed ‘The Compulsory Education' act whereby parents can be fined or sentenced to imprisonment if their child fails to attend school regularly.
Schools in Singapore are well equipped with facilities and trained staff to educate the young minds. Students are given the freedom to choose their path and interest of study after completing their secondary education. Those whom are less fortunate are granted subsidies so that they are not deprived of an education.
Besides having a strong foundation in education, Singaporeans also need to adapt and upgrade their skills to meet the demand of a constantly developing nation. For example, as technology advances, companies are sending their employees to attend subsidised training and courses. An up-to-date workforce means that Singapore will be at the forefront among countries such as Switzerland or cities such as New York where their economy thrives.
When it comes to education, there is no age limit. Therefore, I do agree that a strong culture of education and lifelong learning is vital in keeping Singapore ‘Forever Young’.
From my perspective, Singapore can remain ‘Forever Young’ by having more bilateral ties with developed and thriving countries. Hence, we can learn more or gain insights from them. For example, tourism and gambling has been the primary drivers of the economy in Las Vegas and Macau. In bringing the casino and integrated resort to Singapore, the tourism industry stands to gain the same prosperity.
Singapore has always emphasized on the importance of education. This can be seen by the Government implementing ‘Compulsory Education’ in the year 2003. Students need to be equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to be productive citizens in a knowledge-based economy.
A strong culture of education and learning not only depends on the students. Parents also play a part in a child’s education. The Government has passed ‘The Compulsory Education' act whereby parents can be fined or sentenced to imprisonment if their child fails to attend school regularly.
Schools in Singapore are well equipped with facilities and trained staff to educate the young minds. Students are given the freedom to choose their path and interest of study after completing their secondary education. Those whom are less fortunate are granted subsidies so that they are not deprived of an education.
Besides having a strong foundation in education, Singaporeans also need to adapt and upgrade their skills to meet the demand of a constantly developing nation. For example, as technology advances, companies are sending their employees to attend subsidised training and courses. An up-to-date workforce means that Singapore will be at the forefront among countries such as Switzerland or cities such as New York where their economy thrives.
When it comes to education, there is no age limit. Therefore, I do agree that a strong culture of education and lifelong learning is vital in keeping Singapore ‘Forever Young’.
From my perspective, Singapore can remain ‘Forever Young’ by having more bilateral ties with developed and thriving countries. Hence, we can learn more or gain insights from them. For example, tourism and gambling has been the primary drivers of the economy in Las Vegas and Macau. In bringing the casino and integrated resort to Singapore, the tourism industry stands to gain the same prosperity.
‘How Singapore can stay forever young as a city’
Singapore has been known as one of the fastest developed country and a highly developed state capitalist with mixed economy. And Singapore conducts an open business environment, with relatively corruption-free and stable prices all year round, additionally; it is one of the countries with the highest gross domestic products per capital in the world. Perhaps, being steadfast could be one of the strategies that Singapore could adopt in staying young. Although, having stability in the economy sector does not mean that it can sustain the country for long in staying forever young.
As the old saying goes, “it takes two hands to clap.” Therefore, leading in the economy sector alone is not enough. As Singapore continues to develop and prosper, in my opinion, it is essential for a country to remain competitive and innovative. So that Singapore would be constantly coming up with new and innovative ideas to upgrade themselves in order not to lose out to other countries.
Out of the five points in Mr Teo’s speech, I personally feel that a strong and forward-looking leadership would be the most important feature in making Singapore to ‘stay young’ as a city. Leadership holds a very important key feature in Singapore therefore having a good leadership meant that leaders in the government would make wise and right decision and not what is popular in order to make Singapore growing into a more competitive country. With good leadership, this enables Singapore to enjoy political stability and confidence, with that, Singapore will be able to venture into other areas in the country.
A forward-looking leadership in Singapore enables the country to further develop into a more competitive manner as leaders are open-minded and are willing to take risks. Besides being open-minded, forward-looking leaders are to be able to foresee problems ahead of time and carry out proper planning in preparations for emergencies.
In conclusion, having a forward-looking and strong leadership is the most important key feature that Singapore should adopt in ‘staying young’ because having leaders that are anticipating of future challenges means a competitive country and also looking for solutions to ‘future problems’ or problems that requires solutions that are out-of-the-box. This helps Singapore to constantly remain far ahead of her competitive and this is one of the measures that Singapore could practice in ‘staying forever young’
ShuMei
As the old saying goes, “it takes two hands to clap.” Therefore, leading in the economy sector alone is not enough. As Singapore continues to develop and prosper, in my opinion, it is essential for a country to remain competitive and innovative. So that Singapore would be constantly coming up with new and innovative ideas to upgrade themselves in order not to lose out to other countries.
Out of the five points in Mr Teo’s speech, I personally feel that a strong and forward-looking leadership would be the most important feature in making Singapore to ‘stay young’ as a city. Leadership holds a very important key feature in Singapore therefore having a good leadership meant that leaders in the government would make wise and right decision and not what is popular in order to make Singapore growing into a more competitive country. With good leadership, this enables Singapore to enjoy political stability and confidence, with that, Singapore will be able to venture into other areas in the country.
A forward-looking leadership in Singapore enables the country to further develop into a more competitive manner as leaders are open-minded and are willing to take risks. Besides being open-minded, forward-looking leaders are to be able to foresee problems ahead of time and carry out proper planning in preparations for emergencies.
In conclusion, having a forward-looking and strong leadership is the most important key feature that Singapore should adopt in ‘staying young’ because having leaders that are anticipating of future challenges means a competitive country and also looking for solutions to ‘future problems’ or problems that requires solutions that are out-of-the-box. This helps Singapore to constantly remain far ahead of her competitive and this is one of the measures that Singapore could practice in ‘staying forever young’
ShuMei
The point which i totally agree with is the second part which is explaining about the culture of seeking knowledge, innovation and ideas.
As Singapore is a small country, it has a smaller recognition. In order for Singapore to stay young, it is becoming more like a research and development hub which covers almost every area such as wealth management, media and design and much more. Moreover, Singapore are employing top scientists to Singapore to work so as to allow these foreign talents to be passed around and also to nurture their top students. When these students are nurtured, they will be taking on a new challenge which results in greater competitions with other countries. This is one of the reasons Singapore is able to stay young.
The second reason is that more foreign multinational corporations are setting up in Singapore and this creates more jobs for Singaporean as they need people to run the company. These foreign multinational corporations are setting up in Singapore to sell their products. Products that are coming in are made using new skills and different ideas so that Singapore will stay young and not continuing using those products that are using the same old skills. This reason allows Singapore to rise up instead of staying at the same position. We have to be at the forefront of knowledge, innovation and ideas so that Singapore can stay young.
From my point of view, Singapore can stay young by having more casinos and integrated resorts because quite a lot of countries have casinos set up. So as not to be indifferent from these countries, Singapore should build more of these resorts and casinos to get on the same pace. When more and more casinos and integrated resorts are set up, more jobs will be created. Machines in the casinos and roller coaster in the integrated resorts will be developed using new skills. This helps to keep Singapore to stay young.
As Singapore is a small country, it has a smaller recognition. In order for Singapore to stay young, it is becoming more like a research and development hub which covers almost every area such as wealth management, media and design and much more. Moreover, Singapore are employing top scientists to Singapore to work so as to allow these foreign talents to be passed around and also to nurture their top students. When these students are nurtured, they will be taking on a new challenge which results in greater competitions with other countries. This is one of the reasons Singapore is able to stay young.
The second reason is that more foreign multinational corporations are setting up in Singapore and this creates more jobs for Singaporean as they need people to run the company. These foreign multinational corporations are setting up in Singapore to sell their products. Products that are coming in are made using new skills and different ideas so that Singapore will stay young and not continuing using those products that are using the same old skills. This reason allows Singapore to rise up instead of staying at the same position. We have to be at the forefront of knowledge, innovation and ideas so that Singapore can stay young.
From my point of view, Singapore can stay young by having more casinos and integrated resorts because quite a lot of countries have casinos set up. So as not to be indifferent from these countries, Singapore should build more of these resorts and casinos to get on the same pace. When more and more casinos and integrated resorts are set up, more jobs will be created. Machines in the casinos and roller coaster in the integrated resorts will be developed using new skills. This helps to keep Singapore to stay young.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Who says Singapore gets older every year!
Hi my name is fatima.
Of all the five points that DPM Teo has touched on, i would like to share opinion on the fourth point, whereby Singapore is a magnet for talent.
Since SIngapore has little raw talent, the government is offering scholarships and bursary's for foreign students so that they can come to Singapore to study. This way, the foreigners would use their talent here in Singapore. For example, Li Jia Wei. She was from China. However, in the Youth Olypic Games 2009, she played badminton for Singapore. This are foreign talents that SIngapore needs and that we lack of.
However, if we have too much foreign talent, our local talent would have no place to nurture their talents as the government is too focused on nurturing the foreign talents. Also, other countries would try to get hold of our local talent and then Singapore would lose their own people. Too much foreigners in the country is also not good as Singaporeans would lose their sense of belonging.
Singapore can stay young as a city by keeping up with the latest technology and upcoming events. Voluntering for big events such as hosting the YOG and F1. This way, Singapore is not kept in the dark, instead it is actually the Sun, which knows everything. By building casino's and Integreted resorts, Singapore is attracting more tourists to increase their gross domestic product(GDP). It has nothing to do with Sigapore staying young unless you talk about Singapore active in having events. And by not taking o levels, it only makes things worst. Students would not have a good education and their qualifications would not be as high as other foreign citizens. So this doesn't make Singapore stay young, it is in fact pulling Singapore down. If the students take o levels and continue with a high qualification, they would work in Singapore and suistain a stable economic growth, keeping Singapore young and knowlegdeable.
And therefore, that is my opinion! Thank you :D
Of all the five points that DPM Teo has touched on, i would like to share opinion on the fourth point, whereby Singapore is a magnet for talent.
Since SIngapore has little raw talent, the government is offering scholarships and bursary's for foreign students so that they can come to Singapore to study. This way, the foreigners would use their talent here in Singapore. For example, Li Jia Wei. She was from China. However, in the Youth Olypic Games 2009, she played badminton for Singapore. This are foreign talents that SIngapore needs and that we lack of.
However, if we have too much foreign talent, our local talent would have no place to nurture their talents as the government is too focused on nurturing the foreign talents. Also, other countries would try to get hold of our local talent and then Singapore would lose their own people. Too much foreigners in the country is also not good as Singaporeans would lose their sense of belonging.
Singapore can stay young as a city by keeping up with the latest technology and upcoming events. Voluntering for big events such as hosting the YOG and F1. This way, Singapore is not kept in the dark, instead it is actually the Sun, which knows everything. By building casino's and Integreted resorts, Singapore is attracting more tourists to increase their gross domestic product(GDP). It has nothing to do with Sigapore staying young unless you talk about Singapore active in having events. And by not taking o levels, it only makes things worst. Students would not have a good education and their qualifications would not be as high as other foreign citizens. So this doesn't make Singapore stay young, it is in fact pulling Singapore down. If the students take o levels and continue with a high qualification, they would work in Singapore and suistain a stable economic growth, keeping Singapore young and knowlegdeable.
And therefore, that is my opinion! Thank you :D
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Mother Tongue, A 'Second Class' Subject?
Singaporeans Split On Mother Tongue Weighting
With regards to the issue posted above, decreasing the weightage of Mother Tongue language in the Primary School Leaving Examination(PSLE) hits close to home for many. Singapore is a multiracial country known for its diversity in races and languages. We pride ourselves in being able to live in tolerance regardless of race, language or religion. Decreasing the weightage of Mother Tongue has lead to some citizens asking ‘has Mother Tongue become a second class subject'?
It is true to a certain extend that decreasing the weightage of Mother Tongue in the PSLE means that students will be able to concentrate more on the other given subjects such as English, Mathematics and Science. This also means that students are expected to perform better in the 3 other subjects.
There are however disadvantages of decreasing the weightage. Students that has a flair for their Mother Tongue subject would not be entitled to equal chance of getting into the top Secondary Schools. With the weightage lowered, students might not deem Mother Tongue as important as the other subjects. There is also the possibility of cutting short Mother Tongue lessons to cater to the other subjects which is of higher weightage, which in turn might affect the demands of Mother Tongue teachers.
In conclusion, decreasing the weightage of the Mother Tongue subject might cause more harm than good.
With regards to the issue posted above, decreasing the weightage of Mother Tongue language in the Primary School Leaving Examination(PSLE) hits close to home for many. Singapore is a multiracial country known for its diversity in races and languages. We pride ourselves in being able to live in tolerance regardless of race, language or religion. Decreasing the weightage of Mother Tongue has lead to some citizens asking ‘has Mother Tongue become a second class subject'?
It is true to a certain extend that decreasing the weightage of Mother Tongue in the PSLE means that students will be able to concentrate more on the other given subjects such as English, Mathematics and Science. This also means that students are expected to perform better in the 3 other subjects.
There are however disadvantages of decreasing the weightage. Students that has a flair for their Mother Tongue subject would not be entitled to equal chance of getting into the top Secondary Schools. With the weightage lowered, students might not deem Mother Tongue as important as the other subjects. There is also the possibility of cutting short Mother Tongue lessons to cater to the other subjects which is of higher weightage, which in turn might affect the demands of Mother Tongue teachers.
In conclusion, decreasing the weightage of the Mother Tongue subject might cause more harm than good.
Monday, May 17, 2010
I feel that mother tongue is still vital in Singapore as we cannot just depend on English to communicate to people. In order to build up the knowledge for their language for future use, students are being taught their mother tongue subjects and they have to take their monther tongue exam paper during PSLE to test their understanding level of their own language. Moreover, quite a number of students rely on mother tongue to help them score better.
Increasing number of people in Singapore are using English to communicate with each other. This in turn, neglects the use of mother tongue. As chinese, we should learn how to speak our own language. It would be a disgrace if we do not even know how to speak or write our own language. We should also know our language well so as to communicate with our grandparents or parents who may only have chinese as a communcation language.
Increasing number of people in Singapore are using English to communicate with each other. This in turn, neglects the use of mother tongue. As chinese, we should learn how to speak our own language. It would be a disgrace if we do not even know how to speak or write our own language. We should also know our language well so as to communicate with our grandparents or parents who may only have chinese as a communcation language.
PM Lee: Mother Tongue still vital?
As generations passed, slowly, we see a steady increase in dominance of western cultures spreading across after each passing generation. If this continues, gradually, mother tongue cultures will be slowly diminishing in this world. Therefore, I agreed in Mr Lee saying of ‘Mother tongue education is still vital.’ Mother tongue is definitely still essential as of this generation and in the future as well, after all, it is something that we are ‘born’ with it and are being recognized at. Mother tongue is just like a base of our knowledge, and also it signify the root of each different cultures and races, without this ground or base, it is equivalent to planting a seed onto a ground without giving it a proper care, and hence, it will not grow. There goes in applying our knowledge into mother tongue languages. If this negligence towards mother tongue languages continues, this will causes local cultures to be lost. When that happens, this will affect foreign sector’s economy in our country thereupon this may directly affect society-at-large for businesses as foreigners will no longer take interest of local cultures, this may contribute to loss of investments from foreigners and as well as loss of revenues earned from the foreign sector thus creating problems like recession, unemployment. Therefore, Mother tongue education is definitely still vital in Singapore.
xoxo, ShuMei
xoxo, ShuMei
Mother Tongue still vital?
I agree with PM Lee Hsien Loong's statement that Mother Tongue education is still vital. Singapore has always been known for her bilingualism and i don't believe that by just cutting the weighting of Mother Tongue would do any help to the students.
It is said that, for years, a vocal and potentially growing group of English-speaking parents has argued that the weighting given to mother tongue penalises pupils who excel in all subjects except Mother Tongue. And due to that, many can't get into top schools. However, other subjects like Mathematics, Science and even English itself require the usage of English three times more than mother tongue. It seems to be rather fair too. Chinese might also be the only language which students from Chinese-speaking families can most probably do well in.
As cliché as it is, how can a Chinese not know how to speak in his/her own language? In the midst of catching up with the world in English, we should not also forget our very own Chinese roots. Moreover, Chinese surely would also come in handy if we were to be at countries like China and Taiwan. Though English is the most spoken language in the world, i don't agree that mother tongue should be should be neglected and i hope to see mother tongue playing an important part in the culture as the time passes by.
- Yongqing's :D
It is said that, for years, a vocal and potentially growing group of English-speaking parents has argued that the weighting given to mother tongue penalises pupils who excel in all subjects except Mother Tongue. And due to that, many can't get into top schools. However, other subjects like Mathematics, Science and even English itself require the usage of English three times more than mother tongue. It seems to be rather fair too. Chinese might also be the only language which students from Chinese-speaking families can most probably do well in.
As cliché as it is, how can a Chinese not know how to speak in his/her own language? In the midst of catching up with the world in English, we should not also forget our very own Chinese roots. Moreover, Chinese surely would also come in handy if we were to be at countries like China and Taiwan. Though English is the most spoken language in the world, i don't agree that mother tongue should be should be neglected and i hope to see mother tongue playing an important part in the culture as the time passes by.
- Yongqing's :D
Sunday, May 16, 2010
my name is fatima :D
In my opinion, mother tongue should continue as a subject in PSLE as it enables them to relate to their own culture and race. It is important as it helps them develop a sense of belonging and understand themselves better as they have learnt it since young to communicate with their family members. Also, some students rely on their mother tongue to score for a higher aggregate in PSLE. Everyone thinks that second language is not important as long as the students know how to speak english. However, english alone is not enough. Some students may be weak in english and thus not able to communicate well. Bilingualism in english and malay, chinese or tamil is a heavy load for the students. Becoming monolingual in english would cause them to lose their cultural identity. However, since english has been our working language for several years, people may think that mother tongue is unneccessary. Both is important, the children would just have to pick off from where they left and study to be able to strive in both languages. Even adults with no kids thinks that it is a need for students to excel in their own mother tongue as it is something they should be proud of, knowing their own language. We learn english, yes we can use it in most countries. But what if one day we were sent to the rural areas of China and Pontian? We would have difficulties communicating with them. Therefore, mother tongue should not be banned as no matter what, the students deserve to learn it.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is defined as the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work. Plagiarism, however, may not be stated as an offence in law but it can lead to a serious issue if no action is delivered to address this problems.
After reading the two articles, plagiarism is seen as the common concern and I realised that it is most often violated among students especially. As a student, I will share my opinions at a student’s view on plagiarism committed by students.
Firstly, educations are getting tougher and more competitive each generation. Students often feel pressurized to complete their assignments that will be due quickly, therefore, they start to plagiarize because it provides the fastest way to produce their work without much effort involved. Additionally, with the easy accessibility of internet, this could makes plagiarism seemingly much more effortlessly done.
Secondly, one out of the main reasons that contributes to plagiarism that occurs amongst students is due to, peer pressure. The most common misconception that students had is, ‘everybody else is doing it the same.’ Therefore, students often feel is perfectly alright to plagiarize since their peers are doing the same too or they feel that they must do the same to keep up.
One of the way to deal with this issue is to start educating from young. Schools should educate their students the consequences of plagiarism. Students should be taught about the concept of plagiarism so that they’ll be equipped with adequate knowledge of it and teachers should encourage students not to plagiarize by teaching them the proper way of doing their work, also, students should also be taught how to appreciate and respect author’s and owner’s work by crediting.
With that, I’d like to sum up my views on plagiarism.
ShuMei.
After reading the two articles, plagiarism is seen as the common concern and I realised that it is most often violated among students especially. As a student, I will share my opinions at a student’s view on plagiarism committed by students.
Firstly, educations are getting tougher and more competitive each generation. Students often feel pressurized to complete their assignments that will be due quickly, therefore, they start to plagiarize because it provides the fastest way to produce their work without much effort involved. Additionally, with the easy accessibility of internet, this could makes plagiarism seemingly much more effortlessly done.
Secondly, one out of the main reasons that contributes to plagiarism that occurs amongst students is due to, peer pressure. The most common misconception that students had is, ‘everybody else is doing it the same.’ Therefore, students often feel is perfectly alright to plagiarize since their peers are doing the same too or they feel that they must do the same to keep up.
One of the way to deal with this issue is to start educating from young. Schools should educate their students the consequences of plagiarism. Students should be taught about the concept of plagiarism so that they’ll be equipped with adequate knowledge of it and teachers should encourage students not to plagiarize by teaching them the proper way of doing their work, also, students should also be taught how to appreciate and respect author’s and owner’s work by crediting.
With that, I’d like to sum up my views on plagiarism.
ShuMei.
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