Posting by jenny

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/07/19/peer-to-peer-telephone-service
I found this article on nytimes.com. It is about a telephone service over the internet using computers. The difference with this service and others is that Ooma carrys the calls over the internet and then completes the call using regular telephone service. But people only have to pay for local charges, [and] this service will eliminate long distance charges. It's kinda interesting to see how technology has changed in the last few years. Personally I wish that technology would stop changing. People keep coming up with things that are newer and better than the last. I think that is people keep doing this that we are eventually gonna be able to communicate without actually communicating. Almost like a science fiction movie or book. The cars are gonna change and the phone service and the television, soon it will be a completly different world. I thought this article was interesting because I was aware of the new service of calling on the internet to replace the telephone butI was not aware of this. It is also interesting that is how expensive it sounds to me. I would almost rather not have a way to talk on the phone than pay $399.00. I hope you find this article as interesting as I did.

by Jenny

Posting by kj

www.literalminded.wordpress.com "Condiment Coordination" Posted October 21, 2007 by Neal Whitman

Although I admire the mind power this type of word coordination and this topic uses, it makes my head spin! It is like an algebra equation for writing/speaking. LOL. I am sure with practice this word coordination would be easily recognized, but until today, I had no idea it even existed. Of course, now that I have been exposed to it, I unwillingly will start recognizing all the word coordination mix-ups that my children will offer me on a daily basis.

by kj

Posting by becky h.

Article: "New Language Features Introduced on DNR Phone Service" By Patty MurrayMonday, November 5, 2007.

"The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is going bilingual. The agency is launching one of the country’s first multi-language customer help lines aimed at hunters and sportsmen. Callers to the DNR’s customer help center will her that the agency not only has longer hours, but that languages other than English are nowavailable. The line is staffed to answer people whose primary languagesare Hmong or Spanish.The DNR is using existing staff to answer questions, and it hired people who speak Spanish or Hmong to fill vacancies. Secretary Matt Frank says it hasn’t cost his agency any more money to offer the bilingual service, and he says it will better serve everyone who has a question about licensing or regulations. He says he can’t say how many people with limited English proficiency who maybe speak Hmong or Spanish have tried to call in the past. He says it may be that people just assumed they wouldn’t be able to get an answer. He says they want it possible for everyone to call. One doesn’t even have to use a phone to get customer service. Frank says customer service representatives will be able to answer questions via online chats through the DNR’s website.The expanded customer services quietly went into effect in June. More than 16,000 calls were taken last month and Frank expects that number to rise as more people become aware, and as more questions arise as the gun-deer season approaches later this month.The toll-free information number is 1-888-WDNR-INF."

Becky's comments on the above article: I found this article to be very interesting because it shows that even though we think we are doing a good job communicating there are ways that we can improve. If someone does not understand the language, the rules and laws mean nothing. With the rapid changes in technology we sometimes forget the basics. Understanding what is being communicated, whether it is written or communicated verbally has to be interpreted by the receiver to be effective. If a language barrier exists, effective communication can not happen. According to this article, adding abilingual staff, will not only help with the phone calls but also with any questions online. Language is a great communication tool if everyone can understand what is being said.

by becky h.

Posting by j.p.derrick

http://www.alphadictionary.com/blog/?p=177#comments

Yes, without all the hidden humor in our beloved English language, it would be most dull. I have taken 6+ years of Spanish (which the reply post to the blog deemed the language of love?) and there are not nearly as many ways to have fun with words. I didn't learn how to effectively communicate in Spanish until I got out of high school and into a job where Spanish was the only language we spoke! Then it was sink or swim.

by j.p.derrick

Posting by nicole steele

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/14/arts/televison/14watc.html?_r=18&oref=slogin (note--you will need to log in to see the nytimes articles. It's free)

This article is about how on television there has been more racial and diversity remarks. People have been questioning this because who knows who will watch it. It could be very young children [who] can have bad responses toward diversity. People are saying racial remarks are too sensitive to be on television. [There] even has been talk about gays being on television as well. People have over time been more used to hearing jokes and remarks toward diversity. But there have been a lot of racial remarks that have become very defensive toward a group of people. The N.A.A.C.P. and also Congress are asking African-American artists to watch their language. It was only known that only non-white comedians can use racial remarks, but even that has become a problem. People still watch and listen to all these different media. I think it is in result that not everyone can be happy about what is shown on television regarding language. I think if people don't like it, they do not have to watch or listen to what is going on. The racial remarks will be on television because people think it is funny. I don't think racial and gay remarks will ever change. People will always hear it and will not like it. I think if people do not want to listen and hear about the racial remarks, they do not have to listen to it. People think it is funny and that is why it has become so popular on television. I believe it is your own choice to watch and listen to something that you think is wrong or right. On television they don't do it to harm and offend others. It is on television so people can joke about the fact how everyone is so serious about everything. People need to realize that not everything is meant to make others upset, and take it so personally.

by nicole steele

Posting by tspence

http://www.alphadictionary.com/blog/?p=170

I thought this article was very interesting. It was great to hear how some of the words we perceive to be right, actually come from something else. It reminds me of being around toddlers that can not speak very well.

by tspence

Posting by c_mewes

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/radio/podcasts/grammar_grater/archive/2007/10/18/

Taylor, L. "Episode 16: One thing leads to another." The Grammar Grater

Although I've never heard the word "penultimate" used as slang or properly, I thought the article was really interesting. It shows how the meaning of a word doesn't necessarily have to have anything to do with how people use it. This really reminded me of how people use the word "gay." It's becoming really popular to use the word gay as a way to put something down, or to say that it's dumb. If you confront someone who uses the word gay as an insult, they defend the usage by saying that they don't mean it in a bad way. Although in all reality they are taking a whole group of people and constantly associating those people with a negative connotation. It's perpetuating the stigma that being gay is a negative thing. I'm willing to bet there is not a single person that uses the word gay as an insult has ever thought about what they're really saying when the use the word, but to them it doesn't matter what the word means.

--c_mewes

Blog Extra Credit

You may participate in the Blog Extra Credit if you choose. There are two parts. You may participate in both, one or the other, or neither (no points then!). For all comments, the same rules apply as did for the blogging assignments in Weeks 2 – 6.

Part 1: (30 points) DUE TO ME BY WEDNESDAY, NOVEMEBER 21
Locate a web article using one of the links show below under the heading “Links” that deals with one of the subjects shown. Read the article, then write your comments and include the link to the article you read. Email your comments to me for approval. If I approve your link and comments, I’ll post it to the class blog for you.

Links: Locate an article from one of these sites. If you have a good article you would like to use, you may submit the site address to me for prior approval.

Choose an essay from one of these blogs/sites:
http://www.alphadictionary.com/blog/
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/radio/podcasts/grammar_grater
http://literalminded.wordpress.com/

OR

Find an article on writing, grammar, language use, communication, or cultural diversity/multiculturalism from one of these blogs/site:
http://www.wpr.org/
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/
http://www.nytimes.com/
http://www.aldaily.com/#weblogs
http://www.chicagotribune.com/

Part 2: (10 points) POST BY MIDNIGHT, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29
Post a comment to one of the entries posted in November in your class blog, the other class blog, or my personal blog. You can access all the blog links through the “View my profile” screen or enter the URL in your browser. You can only earn a maximum of 10 points regardless of how many comments you post. You will NOT get credit unless you actually post on the blog, so you must sign on and enter the comments. Emailing me your comments won't count.

Tongue twisters

You can share any tongue twisters you come across here by writing them as comments.

Official ending of the weekly blog assignments

This is a stamp honoring Charles Babbage, who is credited with first conceiving the idea of computers back in the nineteenth century. The stamp brings together the immense changes in the field of communications--from handwritten pages using stamps to digital messages using today's computer technology.

The last blog assignment, posted last Sunday, 9/30, is due by midnight tonight. There have been five formal assignments. If you haven’t responded to them all, please do so! I’ve amended the title of each assignment to include the number 1-5 to help you locate them. This week, I will hand out in class the instructions and the rubric for the Blog Reflection. If you haven’t already done so, read the entries posted by your fellow class members in preparation for your Reflection. I will keep the blog open for the semester and we may continue the online conversation. I’ve enjoyed this experiment and feel it was successful for the following reasons:

• It allowed people who (like myself in a classroom situation) don’t always feel comfortable speaking up in person to also contribute to the discussions
• It provided another way to communicate besides our in-class work, my lectures, and the textbook readings
• It furnished a greater variety of voices than what was possible in the classroom situation through the links to other websites, blogs, and authors.

Thank you all for your good work in these assignments!

Assignment #5: When daily tasks can be a challenge

This link is to a blog written by Karen Espinasse, an American writer and photographer who lives in France with her French husband and two children. Several times a week, Espinasse posts one of her photographs and writes a brief essay with French words sprinkled through it. She describes what it is like to live in a foreign country doing the small daily chores of life, like filling a car’s tank with gas. Each French word is defined at the end of the essay, but try reading the essay first before you look at the definitions. Here is the link: http://french-word-a-day.typepad.com/motdujour/2007/09/sans-plomb.html

What is your reaction? Here are some questions you can ask yourself to get you thinking:

• What was it like reading something that was written in two different languages?
• Could you understand the gist of the meaning before you read the definitions?
• How do you think you would react if you were in a similar situation—doing a simple task in another culture and/or country?
• Did you have a particular insight while you were reading this that you’d like to share?
• Have you had a similar experience?

In a one to three paragraph essay, explain your reaction and thoughts. You don't have to address all the bullet points above, but use them as idea triggers.

Assignment #4: What nonverbal clues say about you

In May, I participated in the commencement ceremony at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, receiving my Master’s of Science in Career & Technical Education. By chance, I was seated in the front row. As I watched the Bachelor’s candidates traipse past me on the way to the stage to receive their degrees, I noticed how many of them were wearing sneakers and even rubber flipflops. Some of the men had bare calves showing between too-short gowns and their sneakers—I assumed they were wearing shorts rather than actually being flashers in gowns rather than raincoats. These people were entering their next stage of life as college-educated adults with careers and had no idea that their first action as a graduate screamed, “I’m a kid and totally clueless as to how I should act in the realm of adults.” Conversely, the young men and women who were appropriately shod for a formal ceremony were presenting themselves as adults ready for professional positions.

For this week's assignment, describe a recent (within the last month or so) occurrence when you noticed someone over age 17 whose nonverbal clues were sending out the message “I am a clueless kid even though I’m legally an adult.” Then, describe another recent occurrence when someone was appropriately dressed for the environment in which you saw them.

Brainstorming cross-cultural topic ideas

This is an extra posting (sorry, not for extra credit) where you can ask questions, read other students' thoughts, and see my responses about topics for your cross-cultural presentations. What topics are you thinking about? What are you interested in? Do you want help with how your topic can be related to other customs, cultures, ideas? What about comparing your job with one in another culture? For example, if you are in the nursing program, consider comparing the duties of nurses in Western culture versus the duties of Native American medical practitioners? Have you traveled in another country? What customs did you observe that were very different from what we do in the Midwest? This is your chance to brainstorm with me and with other students. Have fun with it.

Note: This week's official essay assignment is just below this one, so don't forget to enter your comments there for the week.

Assignment #3: Symbols, words, and reality

Read the article titled “PG-13 Warnings” by Kenton Whitman. It’s located on his Web site at http://kentonwhitman.com/blog/2007/09/10/pg-13-warnings/ As you read it, think about how we’ve been looking at the way the meaning of language resides in people, not the words themselves. After you’ve read Whitman’s article, write 1-2 paragraphs describing your reaction to the article, and thoughts you had as a result of reading it.

Sexist language

No one noted (or used as an example for the classroom assignment) the sexist language quote I posted this week! It really sounds bad to 21st century ears, but remember--this man was writing a hundred years ago before we (men and women alike) became sensitive to the issues of gender in the English language.

Assignment #2: Perils of language

Photo by Dan Page, published in Time Magazine, September 17, 2007.

In this week’s issue of Time Magazine, there is an article titled “Words Don’t Mean What They Mean” by Steven Pinker. Read the article at this link:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1659772,00.html

For your comments, write a brief summary of your reaction to the article. Read what other students write. Notice the variety of reactions.

Assignment #1: Blogging is communication

My dedication to visiting blogs began several years ago. I learn of blogs through following the trails of assorted referrals, links, and searches. According to the blog search engine Technorati at http://technorati.com/ , there were 71 million blogs as of May 2007 (that would be 71 million and 1 as of June 4 when I started mine).

I am, in my face-to-face life, an avid networker, who keeps in touch with people, who connects people, and who can always find a resource for a question or a problem. Blogging, I’ve decided, is the ultimate in networking. As I wander through the blogosphere I began noticing what made me return to a blog. I would revisit blogs if I liked the writing style, sense of humor, graphics, links, and/or content. It was a very personal mix.

I regularly visit blogs of agents, writers, publishers, public relations professionals, artists—this is just as important to me as a writer as reading the Wall Street Journal is to an investment broker.

Register first, (see instructions at the right side of this blog) and then enter a comment in response to this question: What type of communication (intrapersonal, dyadic, etc--see others on pages 6 6o 9 of the textbook) is blogging? Explain why you chose that type.