Li-Fi Internet: The wireless internet of the future. #18

     Would you like to be able to access to wireless internet in places where the infrastructure cannot support it? Well, maybe this is not too far from reality, and Harald Hass explains it in the talk he gave for "TED Reimagining Borders". 
      Harald presented his idea as a innovative response for the massive extension of the Internet that there will soon be in order to close the digital divide, and also to allow thousands of devices, such as cars, coffee makers or alarm clocks. to be connected to the internet through Li-Fi, instead of using Wi-Fi. This process is rather simple, Li-Fi uses light to transmit data to solar cells and panels which harvest the energy that then will be received by the different devices. Therefore, we will be able to be connected to the internet even in those places where the infrastructure does not permit it, such as roads and countrysides. 
     I found this talk really interesting because I believe that technology may be the solution for problems such as pollution and energy consumption. Furthermore, it is a fact that the Internet makes our lives pretty much easier in every aspect. Therefore, by replacing batteries with solar panels to be used for Li-Fi not only will we improve environmental issues but also, we will be connected every time, everywhere.

Sidewalls #17

      In the last few weeks, I have been working with different genres related to walls. In this entry, I will express my analysis based on the Argentinian movie I have recently seen: "Sidewalls". The main characters of this movie are a man and a woman who face the same problem: loneliness. Both characters feel trap within the four walls of their apartments, which are quite small and full of things. Not only are both of them internally struggling against a kind of phobia which prevents them from moving forward, but also they have previous frustrated relationships that have affected them in one way or another. 

      Throughout the movie, these similarities between the two characters are showed in a way that emphasises the fact that even though they live only a few metres away, they do not know each other. It is also showed how in this decade of technological advances, which are supposed to improve communication, people may feel even more lonely and isolated than before. All their problems seem to disappear when both decide to build a window on the wall of their apartment, as a way out of the desolation they feel. This window might be a way of destroying the wall which prevents them from finding happiness. 

World of Walls #16

    The motive for writing this entry is to continue discussing the topic of walls. Recently, I have read an article from the website "Mail Online" about walls all over the world which has informed me about the existing walls in the different countries. In addition to that, I have learnt facts that absolutely shocked me. To begin with, I have to admit that I did not know that there such a great number of walls over the world, certainly I knew about the wall which divides the American and Mexican border but I hadn't even imagined that there were at least 10 more. The purpose of building such walls is virtually the same: not to permit a certain society enter to the country. The source of the deterrent could be varied, for religious discrepancies, to decrease the crime rate and increase security, to protect themselves from the risk of terrorism or even to prevent refugees seeking shelter to settle in the country. In my opinion, I do not think these barriers are useful, on the contrary, they are the cause of great amount of violence and chaos, as well as being an explicit example of discrimination, prejudice and intolerance.
     One of the things that shocked me the most was watching a video which showed how migrants fight and crush into police lines at Macedonia border tolerating terrible conditions such as the heat and crowding. Another shocking video showed how drug smugglers cross the Mexican border in broad daylight which is the reason why I believe these walls are not an innovative strategy. Nowadays, people have the resources to trespass such frontiers. Honestly, I do not know if these walls will be pulled down some day because they are part of great political movements that are supported by a large number of people. 

Poetry - I Build Walls #15

    After reading the poem "I build walls", I could reach to the conclusion that walls cannot always be made of bricks or any physical material, on the contrary, building "walls" can sometimes be used in a metaphoric way with the intention of hiding feelings and thoughts. This sort of walls can be implicitly or explicitly built around someone's feelings, since there are times when a person build these "walls" with the purpose of not hurting himself or someone else. Some people might think that by not showing your feelings life would be easier. Not only would this prevent awkward situations in which you may end up being hurt, but also it places you in a comfort zone where you feel secure and protected.
     Taking into consideration my own experience, I admit that some time ago, I was used to build this kind of "walls", I also used to think that being close to somebody would only demonstrate your weaknesses and vulnerability, consequently I was not used to show my feelings or thoughts. As time went by and I became older my perception changed. The experiences I have gone through had a considerable influence on this because they made me realise life is too hard to live it on your own. 
      As I have already mentioned before, in the past I used to believe that there were certain times when it was necessary to build these "walls". However, nowadays I have no doubt that it is pointless trying to cover your feelings, emotions or beliefs since making mistakes, hurting people, or feeling that sense of despair and sorrow is part of living, and going through bad experiences also make you the person that you are today. 

Across the Great Divide #14

    This entry is going to be specially dedicated to the subject of walls, more precisely, to the distinction between the East and the West side of Germany after the Berlin wall came down. In the following lines, I will attempt to account for the title of the article "Across the Great Divide" by Charles P. Wallace. I think we should consider what the author understands by "the great divide". If the Berlin wall has already been destroyed, why has the author chosen such a controversial title? We can presume that even though the physical barrier has disappeared, there may be another kind of division which is more symbolic. What's more, taking into consideration the basic meaning of the word "Across", which is from one side to the other, I believe that the author will provide a number of aspects which are relevant to the different realities of living on the West side or the East side of Berlin. 
    As regards the paratext of this article, there are some aspects to take into consideration. For instance, the most notorious things are the title and the photographs which show us different instances discussed in the text. In addition to that, the sub tittles serve the function of attracting the reader's attention by providing controversial phrases which were presented in the text. Without analysing the text from a bottom up approach, we can infer that it is about the differences of living in one side or the other side of Berlin. I have reached to this conclusion because of the following examples: 1- the two photographs on page 26 that demonstrate the different houses on the West and East side. 2- The quotes of people who were interviewed and their desire of coming back in time before the Wall collapsed. 3- The author's selection of words in the epigraph which indicate contrast such as antonyms (old - new, come together - split).  Regarding the semantic organisation of the paratext I can identify words of the same semantic field, undoubtedly, these words are related to division, such as "half", "split", "divided" and its counterpart "united", there are also words related to walls, such as "border", "barrier" and "concrete". Through out the whole text, there is repetition of words such as "wall", "East", "West", "Berlin". and "disappointment" since they have considerable importance in this topic. 
      Taking into consideration its macrostructure, I could find that paragraphs number 1 to 3 read about the two different ways of living (West vs East), paragraphs number 4 and 5 are related to its government (Social Democratic Party vs Conservative Christian Democratic Party), paragraphs number 6 to 9 deal with employment and insecurity in the West side vs East side, in paragraphs 10 to 12 the author explains the economic differences, and finally, in the last paragraph, number 13, the author concludes the article expressing most of the citizen's attitudes towards the falling of the wall. 

Written assignment - Death Penalty #13

     It is widely believed that death penalty is one of the worst punishments in the world, no matter the person’s stand or point of view. Throughout this essay, I will outline three of the most important reasons why I strongly consider myself to be against capital punishment. Every individual who is born in this world has equal human rights which guarantee that it should not be denied the opportunity of having a second chance of social reintegration to those people who are not perfect, in the same way the criminal justice system has its flaws. 
     Firstly, human Rights are considered to be the basis of a respectable life and way of living. According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted and proclaimed by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1948, “Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person” and “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.” Therefore, sentencing a human being to death violate their freedom and rights as a member of society. 
     Secondly, everyone should be given a second chance to become a better person. Human beings are considered to be imperfect and even those who break the law should have the opportunity to rectify themselves. Not only is this a human right, but also it demonstrates that justice is for everyone and its top priority is to preserve life. Nowadays, there seems to be a tendency for believing that retribution is the answer for such crimes, just like the saying “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”. However, I undoubtedly believe that every life is precious. In addition to that, it is rather evident to me that violence could never be the answer of anything. What example or role model can we give if we sentence a person to this ultimate death? 
     Thirdly, it is believed that no one can be flawless and without doubt, it is also the case of the criminal justice system. Some of these imperfections remain in the dark until it is seen that innocent people face wrongful execution. Not only does this irreversible mistake contribute to lose of faith in law and justice among citizens but also it is an irrevocable punishment. According to the Amnesty’s annual review of death penalty worldwide, it was recorded that at least 1,634 executions took place in 2015, this was proved to be the highest number recorded by Amnesty International since 1989. How many of these deaths were provoked by unfair legal counsel sentencing people to die for crimes they did not commit?
     To bring this paper to an end, it is important to highlight that many people argue the effectiveness of capital punishment in deterring people from committing crimes but this is not so since the death penalty is a manifestation of violence, not a solution to it. We should bear in mind that the foundation of justice is a respect for human dignity, and for their rights, as well as having the opportunity to rectification. Taking into account the eighth article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we could state that “Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law”. We, as society, should accept that human beings are not perfect as well as consider that the law has weaknesses. Under no circumstances, should capital punishment be acceptable.
Bibliography
- Amnesty International (2016). Death Penalty. Web Site: https://www.amnesty.org/en/what-we-do/death-penalty
- United Nations (UN). (1948). United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. pp 1 - 3. Web site:  
http://www.jus.uio.no/lm/un.universal.declaration.of.human.rights.1948/portrait.a4.pdf

Jeremy Irons' position against death penalty - Entry #12

In this VIDEO, Jeremy Irons outlines arguments against capital punishment to support an international campaign against death penalty.

Key words: Death penalty, punishment, society, crime rates, legal counsel, irreversible, offenders, tolerate, acceptable, abuse, human rights, torture, execution, horror, human beings, equality, imprisonment, revenge.

Key phrases: Societies that use death penalty don’t have lower crime rates than those that do. Death penalty affects economically disadvantaged people who can’t afford legal counsel. Death penalty is irreversible and unacceptable. This punishment abuses basic human rights. There should be equality among all human beings. There should be a line between what is right and what is wrong. There should be a line between imprisonment and execution. 

Jeremy expresses his position against death penalty by stating these arguments.

1) Death penalty do not prevent high crime rates, and even if it does, it is by no means, acceptable.

2) Capital punishment is addressed to economically disadvantage people and therefore, it does not encourage equality of human rights. (statistically proved)

3) Not only, is death penalty irreversible but also, it results in death of innocent people.

4) Death penalty is not acceptable because it also abuses 2 fundamental human rights, which are that “everyone has the right to live” and that “no one should be tortured”.

5) Death penalty means torturing people both physically and psychologically since the offenders are forced to wait for their death.

6) Human rights belong to all human beings no matter how terrible the crime is or what terrible things a person has done. It is very important to remember that respecting those human rights differentiates what is right from what is wrong. If we, as society, crossed that line, what would be the difference between them and us? 

Yoko Ono's letter to the Parole Board - Entry #11

20 years had passed since John Lennon was murdered in cold blood when Yoko Ono, his widow, decided to write a letter to the Parole Board in response to their decision of releasing John’s murderer, Mark David Chapman. 
We can clearly see that she is against this decision taking into consideration these 5 main points she’s made:
1. If the man were to be released, many people would feel betrayed.
2. It would also serve as an example for others who would want to receive world attention.
3. Therefore, it will bring the chaos and confusion all over again.
4. John’s family would not feel safe again for the rest of their lives.
5. And Finally, it would not be safe for the man either, since there are a lot of people who are heavily afflicted by what he has done, and they would take the law into their own hands.

A podcast on argumentative essay - Entry #10

Argumentative writing: Step by step
Jennifer Gonzales, English language arts teacher, explains us how she teaches argumentative essay writing step by step. This is my summary with the information discussed in her PODCAST.

Step 1: Watch how it is done. 
In this step, students should read good examples of essays in the genre they want to write, such as argumentative or persuasive writing. It’s important to read different real world writing which is appealing to students’ interest and to compare different pieces of writings in order to notice the way they are written. It’s also important not to demand that students should follow a certain formula.

Step 2: Verbal Argument, freestyle.
Students should start making verbal arguments, a really good way of doing it, would be to use ice breakers in which students are told a statement and they should decide whether they agree or disagree on it. After that, they are supposed to defend their position and in that way they realise that the strategies of arguing are something they are used to doing all the time, but in an informal and verbal way.

Step 3: Informal Argument, not so freestyle.
Once they’ve already had the opportunity of persuading somebody about their position, it would be a good activity to tell them a certain topic and give them some articles for them to read in order to have background information for their arguments. After that, the situation of an argument is recreated but this time, they would have some evidence to contextualise their position. Once the debate is finished, they are supposed to write down a written argument, in which they should state their main point, and three reasons to back that up in order to practice a thesis statement.

Step 4: The assignment
The first thing to do, it to take a good look at the assignment paying attention to the instructions. It is always better, for teachers, to give a variety of topics (more or less 4 choices) so that students can choose what they are more comfortable with. At this stage, it a good possibility to give students different articles about the topics so that they do not mess things up by searching on their own.

Step 5: Building the base
Pre-writing is a very important step in this stage. First, once students have decided their three main points, teachers should work on a lesson about writing a thesis statement. Collaborative work may be helpful at this stage, because that would give them different models. (Students are not going to write exactly the same words anyway). Starting your own writing essay (as teacher) would be really helpful too, because in that way students can see that even for a decent writer it is not that easy to write an essay. Once they all have their own thesis statement, students should move at their own pace through the assignment.

Step 6: Writer’s workshop – writing the essay
Some amount of lessons should be needed to help them how to choose the best evidence for their argument, or help them recognise something which is credible or legitimate, how to quote and explain those quotes, teach them how to site sources, how to build successful background knowledge and how to use transactions effectively. Samples of argumentative essays should be presented to students so that they could see how the skills are implemented. This step should take about 2 weeks of preparation and correction of issues.

Step 7: Final assessment
Once students have finished they essay, they are supposed to submit it but only if they are sure that they have done the best they could and the paper fulfils the requirements needed. You should know that not all students finish at the same time, so if you do not have a deadline for the assignment, you should prepare another activity for those advanced students.

The five-paragraph essay - Entry #9

Created with Padlet

A Poem About How The English Language Is CRAZY!

A well-written paragraph - Entry #8

In the following video Parts of a Paragraph - English Adacemic Writing Introduction. May 19, 2009 from the site:  "engVid - Free English Video Lessons"  it is discussed how to structure a written paragraph in English.





The parts of a paragraph are

• Topic Sentence 

     It should include an important topic & your opinion about it

• Body 

     Supporting arguments for your T.S.

     Order of importance or chronology

• Closing Sentence

     Remind the topic to the audiece & keep them thinking


Examples of Topic Sentences:

1. Many politicians deplore the passing of the old family-sized farm, but I'm not so sure. I saw around Velva a release from what was like slavery to the tyrannical soil, release from the ignorance that darkens the soul and from the loneliness that corrodes it. In this generation my Velva friends have rejoined the general American society that their pioneering fathers left behind when they first made the barren trek in the days of the wheat rush. As I sit here in Washington writing this, I can feel their nearness. (from Eric Sevareid, "Velva, North Dakota")

2. There are two broad theories concerning what triggers a human's inevitable decline to death. The first is the wear-and-tear hypothesis that suggests the body eventually succumbs to the environmental insults of life. The second is the notion that we have an internal clock which is genetically programmed to run down. Supporters of the wear-and-tear theory maintain that the very practice of breathing causes us to age because inhaled oxygen produces toxic by-products. Advocates of the internal clock theory believe that individual cells are told to stop dividing and thus eventually to die by, for example, hormones produced by the brain or by their own genes. (from Debra Blank, "The Eternal Quest" [edited]).

3. We commonly look on the discipline of war as vastly more ridigd than any discipline necessary in time of peace, but this is an error. The strictest military discipline imaginable is still looser than that prevailing in the average assembly-line. The soldier, at worst, is still able to exercise the highest conceivable functions of freedom -- that is, he or she is permitted to steal and to kill. No discipline prevailing in peace gives him or her anything remotely resembling this. The soldier is, in war, in the position of a free adult; in peace he or she is almost always in the position of a child. In war all things are excused by success, even violations of discipline. In peace, speaking generally, success is inconceivable except as a function of discipline. (from H.L. Mencken, "Reflections on War" [edited]).

4. Although the interpretation of traffic signals may seem highly standardized, close observation reveals regional variations across this country, distinguishing the East Coast from Central Canada and the West as surely as dominant dialects or political inclinations. In Montreal, a flashing red traffic light instructs drivers to careen even more wildly through intersections heavily populated with pedestrians and oncoming vehicles. In startling contrast, an amber light in Calgary warns drivers to scream to a halt on the off chance that there might be a pedestrian within 500 meters who might consider crossing at some unspecified time within the current day. In my home town in New Brunswick, finally, traffic lights (along with painted lines and posted speed limits) do not apply to tractors, all terrain vehicles, or pickup trucks, which together account for most vehicles on the road. In fact, were any observant Canadian dropped from an alien space vessel at an unspecified intersection anywhere in this vast land, he or she could almost certainly orient him-or-herself according to the surrounding traffic patterns.

Genre: Exploring Ideas in Literature - Entry #7

Exploring literature can help people think about the important questions in life, and there is a variety of genres of literature.

Fiction Stories about made-up events and characters. It should guarantee a thrilling plot, a vivid setting and compelling characters. They might have themes, too. • Short story = often focuses on a single event or invident • Novel = is longer and explores different events, srotylines and characters.  • Novella = longer than a short story but shorter than a novel. It has a limited number of characters.       Academic vocabulary Plot – conflict – character – setting – theme – narrator – point of view

Nonfiction Texts which describe real events, people and places. Informational nonfiction are those sources you consult for information.  • Autobiography/biography=the true story of a person's life. Written in first-person point of view (autobiography) or from third-person point of view (biography) • Essay = focuses on a single subject. It could be reflective, persuasive or descriptive. Might be written in formal style with an academic tone or informal style with a conversational tone. •Speech = oral presentation with the intention of sharing ideas, beliefs or proposals.  • News/feature articles = intent to inform or entertain, should be objective and fair.  • Functional documents = serve the purpose of inform a specific audience (manuals, workplace documents) Academic vocabulary Purpose – text features – argument - persuasion

Poetry Words are chosen and arranged to create certain sounds and meanings in order to produce specific effects. It should be ear-chatching and unforgettable. Poems are made up of lines arranged into groups called stanzas which may or may not follow a recognizable form.  • odes, sonnets, narrative poems, lyric poems, haikus. Academic vocabulary Form – line – stanza – speaker – rhyme – rhythm – sound – devices - imagery

Drama It is written to be performed on stage; characters and conflicts are developed through dialogue and action whereas stage directions are written in italics throughout the play. It should have all the elements of a good fiction but it is usually divided into scenes which are grouped into acts. • comedies, radio plays, historical dramas. Academic vocabulary Plot – character – act – scene – stage directions - dialogue

Media It is also included since it refers to forms of communication involving large numbers of people. Media messages influence people's beliefs and actions and that is why it is important to become media literate and know how to read all types of media messages.  • Feature films = motion pictures that use narrative elements to tell stories with the purpose of entertaining and making money • News media = Designed to inform and entertain viewers presented in many forms such as magazines, newspapers, television, the radio and the Web. • TV shows = programs broadcast on television which are sponsored by advertisers. They could be dramas, sitcoms, talk shows, documentaries and reality shows. • Advertising = is designed to persuade a target audience to but a product, use a service or agree with an idea. • Web sites = Present information through text, graphics, audio, video, animation and interactive features. Most web sites are not checked for credibility. Academic vocabulary Medium – message – purpose – target audience

Communication & miscommunication - Entry #5

    Miscommunication is something that might happen to every one of us, every day. This could lead to confusion, animosity and misunderstanding and happens because communication is a complex phenomenon. 

    For the transmission model, communication is a message that moves directly from one person to another. But this doesn't happen in real life, that is why, the transactional model believes that communication involves receiving feedback and creating meaning together. For this model, one person expresses his/her interpretation of a message and the other person hears his/her own interpretation of that message resulting in a shift in meanings and interpretations. 

    Those interpretations are based on some internal factors such as age, religion, gender, ethnicity, race, experience or background and also on external stimuli or noise. 

     In order to avoid miscommunication, there are some key points that people should bear in mind. 1- Differentiate passive hearing vs active listening. 2- Listen with your eyes, ears and gut. 3- Try to understand and be understood. 4- Be aware of your personal perceptual filters. 

Graphic organizer - What is Academic Writing? - Entry #6

According to this document about Graphic Organizers: The Use of Graphic Organizers to enhnace Thinking Skills in the Learning of Economics I have chosen the Chracteristics Map to make a summary of the arcticle "What Is Academic Writing?"

Speech acts: Constative and performative - Entry #4

When are words just words and when do words force action? Watch this video and find out the difference between constative and performative words.

Words and phrases coined by Shakespeare

Advice on academic writing - Entry #2

Advice on academic writing from micaela crescini

How did English evolve? - Kate Gardoqui. Entry #3

This video tells us the origin of some English words that are frequently used nowadays. In the year 400 C.E. the Celtics in Britain were ruled by the Romans who protected them from the Barbarian tribes but soon after the Roman empire collapsed, the Anglo-Saxons invaded Britain and they stablished their Germanic language as the common language. This is what we call "Old English".

In the 700, several Viking invasions divided the island into two, the Saxons on the one hand and the Danes, who spoke Old Norse, on the other hand. The mixture of Old English and Old Norse resulted from the marriage between this two cultures.

         Finally, in 1066, the Normans from France invaded Britain and placed William the Conqueror on the English throne and French became the language of the royalty. They also brought Clergy members who added words from Latin. Consequently, Old English took in words from different styles and origins and grew as the language that is today.

Entry #1

I hope you all have and excellent year, and remember...