For those who've never heard of Kodu, it's a game-making program created by Microsoft. It can be downloaded free from their website.我來介紹一下Kodu這個製作遊戲的軟體, 它昰微軟所製造, 可以在他們的網站上免費下載.
Using Kodu, kids can create games playable on their PC or Xbox 360, and they can also share these games with others online. Our school's computer teacher, Kai-ho Chan, told me about it a month ago. I was skeptical at first, but after playing with it for a few hours I began to see a lot of possibilities. 小朋友可以利用 Kodu, 在他們的電腦或昰 Xbox 360上設計遊戲, 也可以在網路上和朋友分享他們的遊戲. 我們學校的電腦老師詹凱賀在一個月前告訴我的, 一開始我抱持著懷疑的態度, 直到我自己玩了幾個小時後, 我開始看到許多的可能性.
One of the great things about Kodu - at least as far as English teachers are concerned - is that it's only available in English. This means that English teachers can use Kodu to teach the language, while at the same time engaging the students in the creation of a game. The programming language used in Kodu is quite simple, and should be accessible to students with a couple years' English under their belts. Kodu的其中一項優點值得美語老師重視, 那就是它只有英文版. 也就是說美語老師可以利用它來教美語, 讓孩子在設計遊戲的當中學英文, 它的程式語言相當簡單,一般學過兩年英文的孩子應該都可以勝任.
Those uncertain about the accuracy of this claim should really check out Kodu. It takes a while to install, but after you do it should be obvious that this program has a lot of potential. All you would need is a computer running a newer version of Windows. Once kids get started with it, it's hard to get them to stop!對我的看法有疑慮者應該實際操作看看, 它需要花點時間下載, 但之後會發現這個軟體有許多的潛力. 你只需要有一部較新版的 Windows的電腦, 一旦孩子開始操作, 就很難叫他們停止.
Mr. Kai-ho Chan and I wrote a unit plan for Kodu, which has been entered into Microsoft's yearly e-learning competition. I would love to link that unit plan to this post, but I want to wait until after the results are in. I think we wrote a fairly strong unit plan this time, but of course there's no telling until the winners are chosen. When the winners are chosen - which should be two weeks from now - I'll be sure to put that unit plan online.凱賀老師和我寫了一份 Kodu的課程計畫, 也以這份計畫參加微軟每年舉辦的電子學習比賽, 比賽結果出爐後, 我將很樂意把課程計畫與大家分享, 我覺得我們這次的課程設計很棒, 但昰所有結果都要等到最後才知道, 兩個星期後才會選出得獎者, 我會在那之後把教案放上網的.
Oh, and teachers: enjoy the four-day weekend! Happy New Year! Happy 2013! Chinese New Year is on the way! 給所有的老師們 : 2013新年快樂, 好好享受四天假期! 農曆年也快到了!
P.S - Going to Taipei next weekend. Our school's computer teacher and I advance to the final round of Microsoft's "PiL Competition." Wish us luck!
Showing posts with label microsoft. Show all posts
Showing posts with label microsoft. Show all posts
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Teaching English 7: The MPiLGEF
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| The Washington Monument |
Here's another thing that teaching English in Taiwan can get you: free vacations. I just got back from an expense-paid vacation in Washington D.C., as part of a team attending Microsoft's Partners in Learning Global Education Forum (or MPiLGEF, for "short").
Yes, teaching English in Taiwan is about more than sexy teaching assistants and arguments over textbooks. It's also about getting paid to go overseas.
A few months ago, one of my coworkers asked me to help him translate something into English. Being free that day, I said yes. By the time I was done, I had translated his entire project for the Microsoft Partners in Leaning summit in Taiwan from Chinese into English, and I was cursing myself for not having asked for money.
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| In front of the White House |
He and another teacher [above] went on to "win" that particular summit, and he was picked to attend the MPiLGEF this November, in Washington D.C. Needless to say, he was a bit freaked out about visiting an English-speaking country, so that was how I got invited along.
I think this was also his way of paying me back for all those hours spent translating. If this is so, I consider us more than even. Had I known that all that translating would lead to a free vacation in Washington D.C., I would have worked even harder on it.
So last week we took the plane from Taitung to Taipei, spending the night in Taipei before the long haul to America. It's about 20 hours from here to D.C., including a three hour layover in Japan. The Taitung County Government had already agreed to fund my travel expenses, and Microsoft was picking up the tab for our accommodation and food.
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| "A funny thing happened on the way to the Microsoft Global Education Forum..." |
We spent the next five or so days walking around D.C., and attending the Forum at odd intervals. A lot of the Forum was relatively "optional," and we took every opportunity to visit the nearest museum or national monument. I had a great time there, and I would look forward to doing something like that again.
My two coworkers were a bit disappointed when we didn't win any of the award categories during the closing ceremony, but in my opinion the odds were stacked heavily against us. After the fifth or sixth AMERICAN school was recognized for their "contributions to global education," it was easy enough to laugh the whole thing off.
If any other Foreign English Teachers are reading this, you might pay close attention the next time one of your Taiwanese coworkers asks for your help. You never know - it might lead to something surprising!
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| The DC Subway: the most run-down subway I have ever seen. |
Our Trip to Washington D.C. 我們的戶外教學
1. What Were We Doing in Washington D.C.? 我們為甚麼要去美國華聖頓D.C.?
Myself and two other teachers from my school attended the Microsoft Partners in Learning Global Education Forum from November 7 to November 11, 2011. One of these teachers wrote a lesson about plants, the other teacher added technological elements, and I translated the lesson from Chinese into English. As a result of his efforts, the teacher who wrote this lesson was invited by Microsoft to attend the Forum. One thing led to another, and all three of us ended up going. 我和兩位同事參加了從11月7日到11月11日由微軟公司所舉辦的全球教育論壇. 其中一位同事負責寫關於校園植物的教案, 另一位同事負責電腦技術, 而我的工作則是把課程翻譯成英文. 因為教案獲得肯定,所以那位同事受微軟公司邀請去參加論壇. 也讓我和另一位同事能跟著成行.
2. What is the Microsoft Partners in Learning Global Education Forum? 微軟全球夥伴教育論壇是什麼?
The MPiLGEF is a big conference about education. It takes place every year in a different country. This year it was in Washington D.C. Last year it was in South Africa. Next year it will be in Greece. 這個MPiLGEF是一個關於教育的大型會議. 每年在不同國家舉辦. 今年的舉辦地點是美國華聖頓D.C. 去年在南非. 而明年將在希臘舉行.
Part of the Forum is the exhibition of each school's winning unit plan or project. Another part is speeches. A third part is educational workshops. There are also opening and closing ceremonies. All in all, it takes about four days. 會議包含各個參展學校的課程展覽會,演講和與教育有關的講習. 另外也有第一天的開幕和最後一天的晚會. 整個會議總共佔了四天的時間.
Teachers throughout the world compete to get selected for this Forum, and those who end up going to the Forum also compete against one another for recognition in one of several educational categories. My school was one of three schools in Taiwan to be selected for the Forum, and only one of these schools (a school in Jia-Yi) was selected for recognition in Washington D.C. 全球的教師先在自己國家參加比賽取得參加論壇的機會, 而參加論壇的教師也在同一時間互相競爭, 角逐各項教育領域的冠軍.全台灣只有三所學校被選出,其中一所學校(在嘉義)獲得獎項.
3. How Long Were We There? 我們在那邊多久?
We left Taitung on November 6. From here we flew to Taipei, where we spent the night. On November 7 we flew to Washington D.C., and on November 12 we began the long, long journey back. Including a three hour layover in Japan, the trip takes about 20 hours. Accounting for time zones and flight times, we were gone for about six days. 我們11月6日從台東機場出發, 在台北過了一夜. 11月7日從桃園機場飛往美國華聖頓D.C., 最後在11月12日開始我們冗長的回家的路. 包括在日本轉機的時間, 差不多要20個小時. 將會議的時間和交通的時間一起算, 我們整個行程差不多花了6天.
4. The Best Parts of the Forum? 論壇中最棒的部分?
The exhibition of our project was fun. I got to meet a lot of teachers from all over the world, and I learned a lot from them. One of the lunches Microsoft provided was excellent, and the Closing Ceremony at the end was quite interesting. I had never been to this kind of conference before, and I found it to be an eye-opening experience. 我覺得那展覽會很好玩. 我有機會跟許多不同國家的教師聊天. 微軟公司提供的午餐中的其中一次很棒, 最後一天的晚會也很有趣. 我以前沒參加過這種會議, 所以我覺得這個經驗讓我大開眼界.
5. The Worst Parts of the Forum? 缺點呢?
The speeches and teacher workshops were agonizingly boring. To make things worse, they were geared almost entirely towards teachers in Western (English-speaking) countries, and those from outside the West probably didn't get much out of them. Many people were also unhappy with the judging process as applied to our projects. You might call this "sour grapes," but there was a definite bias in favor of Western teachers. 那些演講跟教育研習超無聊的. 我也覺得這些活動比較適合西方的老師(說英文者). 很多老師也覺得比賽不是很公平. 你可能覺得我有這種想法是因為我們沒有得到獎項, 但是我認為評審比較偏愛西方的老師..
6. Other Stuff We Did... 我們在華盛頓還做了......
We walked. We walked A LOT. I am now thoroughly acquainted with Washington D.C. From Georgetown to Union Station, from the Capitol Building to the Lincoln Memorial, we saw just about all of the famous stuff, and went to a few good restaurants besides. 我們逛街. 我們走了好久. 從Georgetown到Union Station, 從Capitol Building到Lincoln Memorial, 華聖頓有名的景點我們都去過了. 也吃了些好吃的美式料理.
7. Highlights of Washington D.C. 華聖頓最棒的部分.
The coolest looking thing in Washington D.C. (hands down) has got to be the Washington Monument. The Lincoln Monument and the Jefferson Monument are also very cool. My favorite of the Smithsonian Museums had to be the Museum of the American Indian. The hamburgers at Five Guys are great, and there are more than a few great bars in the D.C. area. Speaking as an American, the breadth of history on display in this city is truly amazing.
華聖頓D.C.的Washington Monument是最有看頭的景點. 那邊的Lincoln Monument跟Jefferson Monument也很棒. 我想Smithsonian最好的博物館是它們的Museum of the American Indian. Five Guys這家餐廳的漢堡滿好吃的. D.C.也有一些不錯的酒吧. 對我這個美國人來說, 華聖頓D.C.是一個充滿歷史的城市.
8. Would We Go Again? 再去一次嗎?
To Washington D.C.? Naw, probably not. We've seen almost all of it. 去華聖頓D.C.嗎?應該不要. 我們大部分都去過了.
As for the Forum, scheduled to take place next year in Greece, we are still discussing it. Having been through all this Microsoft business once already, we feel like we have a fighting chance to get picked a second time. The only question is whether or not we want to deal with all the work and pressure required to get there. Six days PAID vacation in Greece sounds like heaven to me, but there is a long road to travel between now and next year's Forum! 有了這次經驗以後, 對於明年在希臘舉辦的微軟教育論壇, 我們三個都認為很有機會再參加,為了去希臘可以再戰一次. 但是否要再一次承受準備和來回奔波的壓力? 在希臘放六天的假聽起來很不錯, 可是這之間還有很長一段路要走.
Myself and two other teachers from my school attended the Microsoft Partners in Learning Global Education Forum from November 7 to November 11, 2011. One of these teachers wrote a lesson about plants, the other teacher added technological elements, and I translated the lesson from Chinese into English. As a result of his efforts, the teacher who wrote this lesson was invited by Microsoft to attend the Forum. One thing led to another, and all three of us ended up going. 我和兩位同事參加了從11月7日到11月11日由微軟公司所舉辦的全球教育論壇. 其中一位同事負責寫關於校園植物的教案, 另一位同事負責電腦技術, 而我的工作則是把課程翻譯成英文. 因為教案獲得肯定,所以那位同事受微軟公司邀請去參加論壇. 也讓我和另一位同事能跟著成行.
2. What is the Microsoft Partners in Learning Global Education Forum? 微軟全球夥伴教育論壇是什麼?
The MPiLGEF is a big conference about education. It takes place every year in a different country. This year it was in Washington D.C. Last year it was in South Africa. Next year it will be in Greece. 這個MPiLGEF是一個關於教育的大型會議. 每年在不同國家舉辦. 今年的舉辦地點是美國華聖頓D.C. 去年在南非. 而明年將在希臘舉行.
Part of the Forum is the exhibition of each school's winning unit plan or project. Another part is speeches. A third part is educational workshops. There are also opening and closing ceremonies. All in all, it takes about four days. 會議包含各個參展學校的課程展覽會,演講和與教育有關的講習. 另外也有第一天的開幕和最後一天的晚會. 整個會議總共佔了四天的時間.
Teachers throughout the world compete to get selected for this Forum, and those who end up going to the Forum also compete against one another for recognition in one of several educational categories. My school was one of three schools in Taiwan to be selected for the Forum, and only one of these schools (a school in Jia-Yi) was selected for recognition in Washington D.C. 全球的教師先在自己國家參加比賽取得參加論壇的機會, 而參加論壇的教師也在同一時間互相競爭, 角逐各項教育領域的冠軍.全台灣只有三所學校被選出,其中一所學校(在嘉義)獲得獎項.
3. How Long Were We There? 我們在那邊多久?
We left Taitung on November 6. From here we flew to Taipei, where we spent the night. On November 7 we flew to Washington D.C., and on November 12 we began the long, long journey back. Including a three hour layover in Japan, the trip takes about 20 hours. Accounting for time zones and flight times, we were gone for about six days. 我們11月6日從台東機場出發, 在台北過了一夜. 11月7日從桃園機場飛往美國華聖頓D.C., 最後在11月12日開始我們冗長的回家的路. 包括在日本轉機的時間, 差不多要20個小時. 將會議的時間和交通的時間一起算, 我們整個行程差不多花了6天.
4. The Best Parts of the Forum? 論壇中最棒的部分?
The exhibition of our project was fun. I got to meet a lot of teachers from all over the world, and I learned a lot from them. One of the lunches Microsoft provided was excellent, and the Closing Ceremony at the end was quite interesting. I had never been to this kind of conference before, and I found it to be an eye-opening experience. 我覺得那展覽會很好玩. 我有機會跟許多不同國家的教師聊天. 微軟公司提供的午餐中的其中一次很棒, 最後一天的晚會也很有趣. 我以前沒參加過這種會議, 所以我覺得這個經驗讓我大開眼界.
5. The Worst Parts of the Forum? 缺點呢?
The speeches and teacher workshops were agonizingly boring. To make things worse, they were geared almost entirely towards teachers in Western (English-speaking) countries, and those from outside the West probably didn't get much out of them. Many people were also unhappy with the judging process as applied to our projects. You might call this "sour grapes," but there was a definite bias in favor of Western teachers. 那些演講跟教育研習超無聊的. 我也覺得這些活動比較適合西方的老師(說英文者). 很多老師也覺得比賽不是很公平. 你可能覺得我有這種想法是因為我們沒有得到獎項, 但是我認為評審比較偏愛西方的老師..
6. Other Stuff We Did... 我們在華盛頓還做了......
We walked. We walked A LOT. I am now thoroughly acquainted with Washington D.C. From Georgetown to Union Station, from the Capitol Building to the Lincoln Memorial, we saw just about all of the famous stuff, and went to a few good restaurants besides. 我們逛街. 我們走了好久. 從Georgetown到Union Station, 從Capitol Building到Lincoln Memorial, 華聖頓有名的景點我們都去過了. 也吃了些好吃的美式料理.
7. Highlights of Washington D.C. 華聖頓最棒的部分.
The coolest looking thing in Washington D.C. (hands down) has got to be the Washington Monument. The Lincoln Monument and the Jefferson Monument are also very cool. My favorite of the Smithsonian Museums had to be the Museum of the American Indian. The hamburgers at Five Guys are great, and there are more than a few great bars in the D.C. area. Speaking as an American, the breadth of history on display in this city is truly amazing.
華聖頓D.C.的Washington Monument是最有看頭的景點. 那邊的Lincoln Monument跟Jefferson Monument也很棒. 我想Smithsonian最好的博物館是它們的Museum of the American Indian. Five Guys這家餐廳的漢堡滿好吃的. D.C.也有一些不錯的酒吧. 對我這個美國人來說, 華聖頓D.C.是一個充滿歷史的城市.
8. Would We Go Again? 再去一次嗎?
To Washington D.C.? Naw, probably not. We've seen almost all of it. 去華聖頓D.C.嗎?應該不要. 我們大部分都去過了.
As for the Forum, scheduled to take place next year in Greece, we are still discussing it. Having been through all this Microsoft business once already, we feel like we have a fighting chance to get picked a second time. The only question is whether or not we want to deal with all the work and pressure required to get there. Six days PAID vacation in Greece sounds like heaven to me, but there is a long road to travel between now and next year's Forum! 有了這次經驗以後, 對於明年在希臘舉辦的微軟教育論壇, 我們三個都認為很有機會再參加,為了去希臘可以再戰一次. 但是否要再一次承受準備和來回奔波的壓力? 在希臘放六天的假聽起來很不錯, 可是這之間還有很長一段路要走.
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