Weeks 1-3 Recap

In Week 1 we heard Bill Moyers' interview with Mark Johnson on his documentary, "Playing for Change." (Did you notice the pun, or play on words, on the word change? Street musicians often play for change -- that is, for coins or small amounts of money.) In Week 2 Richard St. John summarized his 8 Secrets of Success in a 3 1/2 minute talk at TED, followed by his sobering reminder that success is a continuous process of change, renewal, and adaptation. That same week we listened to Steve Jobs give his 2005 commencement address at Stanford University, where he told the newly-minted graduates to "Stay hungry. Stay foolish," a quote from the last page of the last Whole Earth Catalog (Jobs called this bible of alternative culture "Google in paperback form"). He talked about his close brush with death after receiving a diagnosis of terminal pancreatic cancer that later proved curable. This life-changing experience led to an epiphany: "Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new." Although it made the Internet rounds, I had never heard of Jobs' speech until Ken Auletta mentioned it in his April 23, 2010 interview with Charlie Rose, which we listened to on April 30. As you recall, the interview was a fascinating analysis of the emerging ebook market, of which Amazon currently controls 80% with its Kindle reader. The publishing and bookstore business has been turned upside down as a result. Apple, led by Steve Jobs, recently launched the Ipad as an ebook reading device that not only stands on Kindle's shoulders, but goes further in advancing functionality. Along with competing ebook reading devices from Sony and others,  Apple is going toe-to-toe with Amazon for a bigger share of the ebook market. In Week 2 we also listened to Wilma Mankiller, in an interview with Terry Gross on Fresh Air, explain why she lost her fear of death after surviving a near-fatal automobile accident that killed a close friend. (Mankiller, the first woman elected Chief of the Cherokee Nation, died of cancer in early April at the age of 64.)  In Week 3 we learned about how Kiva works in Uganda from the FrontlineWorld report, and got a lesson in microfinance from Nobel Peace Prize recipient Muhammad Yunis.  The classic 1971 recording "What's Going On" by Marvin Gaye was a window into the social and political upheaval of that year. "Picket signs and picket lines. Don't punish me with brutality. Come on talk to me. So you can see. What's going on."  I think you'll agree that the three-minute video on how stock markets work was to-the-point. And now you know what a wiki is so you and your friends can create and maintain one. Yaaay!

I've enjoyed listening to the students' short presentations on This Day in History and, from what some have told me, students are finding value in this exercise, as it allows them to practice a short talk in front of the class. Plus, they're learning some historical trivia (which will come in handy if anyone ever becomes a contestant on Jeopardy!) There was the debate on social networking, the discussion on "success" and how you define it, the TED talks, and the timed TOEFL speaking. All of these activities contribute to the goal of giving students practice and getting feedback on their speaking and presentation skills.