5-7 words + 3 sentences

that’s the amount of words one should keep to when communicating important ideas according to Lim (2014). applying to a most recent communication need, the 5-7 words would be “e-learning outdated; blended learning the way”.

the 3 sentences can come another day :p

学以致用 (:

cultural forum

the next cultural forum (aka 精品文化论坛), co-organised by sccl and ci (both belonging to NTU), is coming up on 6th Sep. am preparing for a sharing for the event. will be touching on “Knowledge creation ∙ Education ∙ Information & Communication Technology” and am still in the process of figuring out how to fit everything together for the audience. wish me luck (:

140821-Sep 6 Cultural Forum

the power of introverts

Susan Cain’s TED talk in 2012 – The power of introverts

although we may argue that introvert-extrovert is a spectrum, many at times, introverts are expected to perform based on extroverts’ measures. it’s no surprise that fewer introverts are in leadership positions, cos a key mechanism for assessing someone’s suitability for a position is most often, interview. i’m not sure about other introverts, but i am definitely a fish who feels that it is a (monkey) climbing the tree test an interview is to me. Cain (2012) called it the Extrovert Ideal which all of us are expected to perform towards or under (:

2014-08-08-Susan Cain 2012 look inside
[acknowledgement: Amazon Look Inside of Susan Cain’s Quiet]

us prepaid sim card

if you are looking to buy a prepaid SIM card to be used in the us (united states, or usa), AT&T is one choice, and you can get it shipped to you in advance and activate it according to this guide by datago.co.

you can buy it from datago.co, or do a search on ebay if you like to compare prices from other vendor. good to do buy it at least 3-4 weeks in advance to allow time for (slow) shipping (:

PSX_20140526_230158

critical realism critical realist

“The critical realism is critical because researchers accept that their investigations are fallible, and stress the importance of a critical examination of values and facts. For critical realists, knowledge is gained through neither induction nor deduction but by a process of explanation of a phenomenon at deeper levels. As we gain knowledge, we constantly revise previous knowledge and understsandings.” (Hartas, 2010, p.41)

Patomaki and Wight (200:224, as cited in Hartas, 2010) summarize critical realism as:
– An ontological realism (there is a reality,, which is differentiated structured and layered, and independent of mind)
– An epistemological relativism (all beliefs are socially produced and hence potentially fallible)
– A judgemental rationalism (despite epistemological relativism, it is still possible, in principle, to provide justifiable grounds for preferring one theory over another)

Reference
Hartas, D. (2010). Educational research and inquiry: Qualitative and quantitative approaches. London: Continuum International Publishing Group.