Reflection on English 396 CALL

Throughout the whole semester, I think the CALL class mainly train my group work and English. Most projects need to be divided into several steps and distributed to 2-3 people. We were not able to manage time very well, we always turned in the homework just right time of the deadline. As we have done a lot of group work, we can do a little bit better than the beginning of the semster.

I didn't have a better understanding of this class until someone told me that I need to focus on my English. Besides the group work, I need to express some given ideas properly in English. That is why I was required to find out some grammatical errors when we did peer reviews. We were also required to give more specific details and examples when we introduced a topic.

In some cases, it is a little bit hard. But I believe I should have done better if I could have managed the time well. I like the project "My Favorite Place" most, while I don't like the project "Podcast".

I have no idea what future students would like. I think the projects I have done are flexible, and we could choose whatever we wanted to write or share. I would like to talk to future students that "Make a good and clear division of work, and make a good preparation of it, and then just do it as planned in a high efficiency."

Challenges of Group Work

We have accomplished a few projects in CALL class this semester. Most of them need students work together by commenting others' draft, recording the podcast, and answering the questions. I think we have met three main kinds of problems.

The first main kind of problem is that we were not able divide the work well. For example, in the project "My Podcast", my teammate and I didn't make an agreement on the places where we were going to write at the beginning. We wasted a lot of time there, and I even typed for him. We didn't organize well, so our first draft failed.

The second main kind of problem is that we didn't comment parnters' first draft very accurately. Each time when we were reading the partners' passage, it seemed that we knew all of them. In fact, we only got the main idea of them. Then I didn't how to comment on their passages, positive, negative or neutral. My inaccurate comments cannot help my partner make a good revision.

The last main kind of problem is that we were not able to record our voice very well. In some case, this kind of problem is more likely the personal issue. However, each time when we made a mistake while recording, we had to stop it and rerecord it. It cost lots of time. What's more, I cannot understand my partners very well. For instance, in the project "Podcast Slideshow", I didn't listen to my partner's voice very clearly in some places. Then I asked her what were them.

Since we met these problems, we didn't even get very good solutions about them. I think the best way to solve this problem is to improve our English level first. What we need to focus on is the division of labor, which we should make everyone's job more clearly and each of us make sure his best work. Maybe, we also need to practise and go over again and again on the project. The last thing as well as very important thing is the positive attitude.

My Favorite Trip

Last winter break, I went to western America with my friends. It was a real long and fantastic trip, which we spent 10 days traveling to Calfornia, Nevada, and Arizona. As I traveled many different places, I got out of boring air of last semester. Also, the trip gave me some new knowledge and some feelings I hadn't never had.

We went to Universal Studio at the first day of the trip. We saw many special buildings in the theme park. We took the tour bus and visited some scenes that had appeared in some famous movies. These scenes are duplicates of the original ones, and the guide explained how they functioned in the original movies. It was really excited to experience it. The next day, we went to Disneyland in Los Angeles. The most amazing things we had that day was the beautiful firework with wonderful music and lighted castle at night. We had photos taken with many catoon characters.

The next a few days, we also visited other parts of western America, such as Las Vegas. Las Vegas is really a miracle, which is built in the desert. The special gambling culture of this city gives people a strong feeling of full of vitality. When we spent a long time viewing the broad landscape on the road, it made me think over the development history of America. Suddenly, a fantastic city appeared in frond of me. It really awsome!

The trip gave me a wonderful experience. I really enjoyed it.

My Best Friend

Everyone has his own defination of the best friend. The best friend don't have to be the one that experience some big events together with you. In my opinion, a good friendship should mean a long time of the relationship in which there is a tacit agreement between two people even though they don't contact each other often. My best friend is such a person.
We were born, and grew up in the same apartment. My family was living on the 3rd floor, and his family was living on the 2nd floor. We often played together in our childhoods, but we didn't really understand what the friendship is. We were seperated when I was ten years old, and his family moved into new apartment. However, we had never stopped keeping in touch with each other because we lived in the same city.
Every weekend, we went to play pingpong together, and he always invited me to his family. His parents regard me as a member of his family. We didn't go to the same middle school and high school; however, we always spent most of our to doing something together during the vacations. Sometimes, we could understand each other just by a look.
Nowadays, we are studying in two colleges of two countries, but we are still in touch with each other. I find out something interesting at this moment: Today the person who I described is the same one with that my primary school teacher asked me to write about my best friend in the writing class.

I Learn Something Important from America

Since I came to America, I have seen many differences between China and America, while I have learnt something important but unvisible. China is a country which has a very long history, which I am extremely proud of. With a deep cultural deposit, China is developing very fast, and Chinese can deal with something in a right way by ancient enlightenments. However, immature and undeveloped management has also caused a lot of problems. Now, I gain some new ideas from American life even though I have heard them, but I hadn't felt so deeply and extremely.
I'd like to talk my experience of watching NBA to explain what I have got. Last weekend, I went to watch Bulls game. At the gate of the stadium, I saw the sculpture of Jordon. I think sculpture is a important way of praising someone's contribution. Since I came here, I have felt deeply how Americans respect each other in some ways, how they estimate personal value. Just because person is respected highly in America, people are very so polite that they would make a concession when some conflicts occur among them or something happen in the public.
The game is very exciting, likewise, the period of time out is also interesting. Many performances and some games joined by some audience or even all the audience made people very happy. The designs of seats and video are perfect, and all of activities are arranged very well. The whole process is not only an exciting basketball game, but also a great dinner of all activities commerically supported.
Both of two sides I have said are the products of advanced ideas and mature management, of which today's China is lacking. China needs to learn more from America, and the more important thing is to put what we have learnt into practise.

Favorite Hobby

My favorite hobby is calligraphy, and I had prectised for several years even though I don't write often recently. A few years ago, calligraphy was the worst thing in my mind, because I had to be taken to the class to practise while I was watching my good friends playing and leaving fuither and fuither from them. When I was 7 tears old, my father asked me to practise calligraphy, and I obeyed. At that time, I didn't know what I really liked to do. 5 years later, I stopped practising; however, I was benefited a lot. In my middle school and high school, my classmates all knew that I had a good handwriting, and I often made blackboard newspaper with others. Gradually, I began to remember my father asking me to practise, and regret not doing as hard as I could. In addition, the content that for calligraphy are always supposed to be some poems and inspiring words. These contents can always encourage people to work hard, live enthusiastically, get well along with others; in a word, they are practical for make self-improvement. Now, I always hold my brush now and then to write something. I will keep doing calligraphy and maintain this form of traditional culture.

My Perfect Career

The person who have had a big influence on my career is my father. Like what I am sopposed to be, my father is a businessman. Although my father as a businessman earned a lot of money to support me studying abroad, what I am interested in and what my father earnestly has taught me have nothing to do with business; meanwhile, what my father has taught me is to become a helpful person for the society.
From natural science classes, I have learnt that what a miracle human beings are living on the earth and how precious but short they are. From social science classes, I have learnt that what a variety of the society we are living in and how immense protential we have and how we bring our wisdom and creativity to change our lives better and better.
My father inculcated me that as a man, I need to endure hardship willingly to adapt to the situation I will face, and try me best to work in order to undertake arduous tasks of leading other people to a better life. I think that being a businessman like father is not only for earning money, but also to create the forture for the whole society, serve others, create jobs, and so on. If let me give others some advices about protential career, I would say that as long as you like what you are going to engage in, try you best to work on that and persist till a success.

The most embarrasing moment

In China, classes of schools and colleges will hold their own new year's parties at the last day of a year. Students celebrates the new year's coming, and it should be enjoyable. Once I was invited to give a performance in another class with my partner. We gave a comic dialogue, and we got a good feedback. When I was tring to get back to my classroom, the monitor of that class stopped me and let me choose one balloon over my head. I selected one, and she broke it. There was a slip of paper which said "be overwhelmed by an unexpected favor". She asked me to behave what a person would be like when he was overwhelmed by an unexpected favor. I had no idea about that and just stood there without doing anything for a few minutes, while the whole class was looking at me. Nobody mediated a dispute, and I felt there was a fire on my face. It was a really hard time for me. Finally, the next performance continued instead of me.