A Portal to Media Literacy

A presentation by Professor Mike Wesch which I find compelling and inspiring!. "To learn is not to acquire information (data),but figuring out how to collect, evaluate, and analyze information". Schools need to teach students how to learn.The presentation worth every minute of the 1:06.

TKT at the British Council, Khartoum

The British Council, Sudan, has offered EFL teachers in Khartoum a chance to take the TKT course and exam. The course is offered on two locations (thanks!). The first one is in Khartoum, at SELTI premises, and the second one is running in Omdurman, at the Islamic University.It is a semi-intesive course, so being out there daily from 2:30 -7:00 P.M is very hard for me. This is a critical time for my kids to be on the door when they come back from school, bathing, lunch and homework, No mama, no home work, that seems to be their rule of thumb!!!:-)
Feedback? I have to wait for another two days to form a fair impression and a positive feedback.

Do I really have a Phoenix characterisitcs?

Today, while chatting with a very dear friend of mine, the  conversation held my complaining about everything around me; how terrible my academic situation is, how sad I can't work, how miserable all my life is...etc. He commented that I had the same characteristics of a Phoenix bird. I didn't know what were they. I went and Googled. Here what I came up with:
Rising again from the ashes, the beautiful scarlet and golden Phoenix bird is synonymous with rebirth or recovery, especially after calamity.

Calamity:An event that brings terrible loss, lasting distress, or severe affliction; a disaster.

The answer is, Yes, I definitely do!!

A turning point in my life!!

Stay tuned!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's today!

Today, I'm 28, again:-))))

Roll Laptop

Where I live in 1950

Social Isolation and New Technology

Today, I came across interesting article and a report about technology and isolation. Both holds much of my context in Sudan. I will take some time this week to summerise and forward to others in the e-learning field in Sudan, but for now,I am copying and pasting from George Siemens, eLearning Resources and News:
"Technology use is routinely equated with social isolation. We are often told (and in turn tell our youth) to "log out and interact with the real world". Barry Wellman - with his Netville research - was the first researcher that I'm aware of who questioned the tech use=isolation viewpoint. People who are connected online often have higher levels face-to-face interactions. A new Pew Internet (motto: "why say it in 20 pages when you can say it in 84") report, Social Isolation and New Technology, explores how Internet and mobile use influences network diversity and socialization (or isolation). In the process, the report challenges most myths about online participation: most people have diverse networks, are socially connected (not only in remote online relationships but also to local online networks), participate more actively in volunteering than individuals with less online activity, and visit libraries and public spaces".
Read online

What Makes Sudan a Unique Country?

I decided to make two of my students join an international project with international educators who play as facilitators to their students to create blog posts about what makes their country unique. This project, about what makes Sudan a unique country, has been done by 2 students, Anas and Mohamed Babiker, in their second class at Computer Science College, University of Science and Technology,(Al-Tagana). They used "Ulead VideoStudio" . I uploaded the video to YouTube.

What am I playing with today? Google Wave

I am Lost!

by Awesomeness66is | Create your own Cartoon at www.toondoo.com

Snack Culture

Snack Culture

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Eghed elGhalad, Alnas Zrofh

Weakness of English Language in Sudan:Our Friendly Clichés (s)

When will the time come when all the Clichés and trite words about the reasons of the deterioration(another cliche!)of English language in Sudan will end??
In an investigation(a Cliché?) about the reasons of weakness of English language,Alrayalam, a daily newspaper, listed the usual friendly:-) Clichés which we have been living with for more than 19 years. Teacher training, syllabi, number of students, the learning environment and the unclear pedagogical vision.Who listened/will listen and started/will start to act? NO ONE!! Let's beleive that the time will come soon, inshaa Allah!

FEEDHIT Live Traffic Map for my blog

I haven't checked Feedjit recently. I am amazed of how Web 2.0 tools update and add new features everyday. The Live Traffic Map for the blog subscribed was before when I started using the tool, but it was not sophisticated like the one I have seen today (below).I believe that the new features of RSS and aggregation software have added to the this. Feedjit gives you "Today's Popular Pages for Map Area" in %. The ones whcih got the biggest rate are Suda-Cyber-Sailing 2.0 [50%, Sudaneseonline is back today! [7%],Teaching Values, Unconsciously! [7%], British Council Sudan Workshop at Rotana [3%],Sudanse music خلي العيش حرام - السمندل [3. It also shows "Country Page Views for Map Area". It's interesting to know that for my blog, USA got[32%](biggest number of bloggers)
United Kingdom [8%]
Philippines [4%]
Canada [4%]
Germany [4%]
India [4%]
Netherlands [3%]
Denmark [2%]
France [2%]
Ireland [2%]
South Korea [2%]
Saudi Arabia [2%]
Colombia [2%]
Argentina [2%]
Brazil [2%]
Jamaica [1%]
Hong Kong S.A.R., China [1%]
Malaysia [1%]
Serbia [1%
Sudan [1%](Pity:-)
Sweden [1%]
Morocco [1%]
Kuwait [1%]
Algeria [1%]
Egypt [1%]
Belgium [1%]
Tunisia [1%]
Taiwan [1%]
Belarus [1%]
Russia [1%
South Africa [1%]
Moldova [1%]
Turkey [1%]
Macedonia [1%]
Finland [1%]
Romania [1%]
Jordan [1%]
United Arab Emirates [1%]
Thailand [1%]
Israel [1%]
I am here now, procrastinating from preparing hundreds of tasks for the new term.
Ahhh! At least I am not wasting my time. I am not Twittering, but exploring and blogging:-)

What does the web think of you?

This simple graphic illustrates one way the internet can be used to get an insight into a person, by analysing publicly available information associated with a name.You can enter your own details into the Personas tool here. If you feel uncomfortable watching the process of this tool scouring the web for information about you, that’s the idea. It was designed to show you have a publicly available profile which you cannot control.
Here is what I got when tried this out: Type Hala Fawzi, tells you its charactiriaing Hala Fawzi and then tells your story with the web, in few letters. Wow! Education is the biggest piece of cake I am in!!

Talks John Lloyd inventories the invisible

Eid Al-fitr in Khartoum

How great it is to drive around in Khartoum these days! It feels wonderful to see streets empty of Hays(es), rakshat and amjad(at). WowW! My kids told me today that they wish if it was like this All year:-)Again, I miss my cell phone for taking pictures!So, I Googled and found the photo belowwhich was taken on a very quite Friday in Khartoum.
Eid Mubarak.

Dad's Digital Identity: Soon!

Dave Comier writes:"There is a sense in which we are storing the memories of ourselves, of our friends, of the ways that we are all connected to each other. Of our love".So True!
Now, I am thinking seriously, a part from adding his photos to a bubbleshare album and making a movie using Windows Movie Maker, to write and document my relationship with my dad, whom, the minute I read this post, I was missing so much. Four years has passed(23-9-2005).
George Siemens, on his blog, highlights a post for Dave Cormier who "offers an insightful (and touching) post on how identity and memory are preserved online. He compares the passing of a colleague (last year) and his brother (20 years ago) and how they are remembered today. The identity people create online today is, in a sense, a gift to their children and future generations. I know my grandparents through a few black and white pictures. As Cormier notes, his children/grandchildren will know him through rich media. Memories preserved in full colour. Too often, when discussing identity, the focus rests on "don't post this online, you'll regret it in the future when you're [running for office, interviewing for a new job, etc.]". The flip side of this argument is aptly expressed in Dave's post.

He takes good care of me!

I am having a problem these days. My priorities are shifting dramatically.I don't need to open up to the ideas and energies flowing around my life. Life to me becomes much easier when I trust that Allah will take good care of me.I need to be in touch with that certain part of myself. I believe that will help me align with my higher purpose, and I will be able to keep on driving the vehicle...to continue the journey which, hopefully, will lead me, and the ones I hold tightly to, through a path of health, wealth and happiness. Inshallah:-)