English Conversation Course for Part-Time Students

Tuesday, 10 January 2017

Week 7 [09.01-15.01.2017] Carsharing comes to Poland

Have you ever heard about car-sharing? It is not widely common topic here, in Poland, but we're just getting increasingly closer to innovative solutions.

Source: http://www.autobild.de/bilder/e-carsharing-mit-car2go-in-stuttgart-3733904.html#bild1

Car-sharing is a scheme of car rental mostly for short time exploitation (from minutes, hours to several days).

Process of car-sharing takes place in the mobile apllication and gives benefits of obtaining a car without any additional costs (which we're forced to pay when we own a private car). This model meets the current needs of the user.

You might consider who is car-sharing created for. Surely for people who're making use of car intermittently. It also gives us a possibility of using different type of car.

Recently the word is that air pollution in polish cities embarrasses statistics of smog even in Beijing. Car-sharing could help in reducing traffic. Increasing interest of car-sharing is also due to changing view about possession of car. The costs of owning a car is constantly rising, plenty of young people're deciding to use a public transport.

Why shouldn't we confuse this kind of transport with a typical car rent office? Carsharing isn't limited by any office's working hours, user's ability to drive is checked, method of payment is established in application. Getting into the car is much easier with carsharing method because of facility of acces from public transport.

Statistics say that carsharing allows user to save the money (even 135-435$ per month of transport costs - University of Berkeley's Research in 2008).

The first city that provided carsharing in Poland was Cracow with the fresh brand Traficar.

Source: http://mojafirma.infor.pl/moto/wiadomosci/rynek/747323,Jak-dziala-Traficar-w-Krakowie.html

1. What do you think about carsharing in Poland?
2. Would you be involved in exploiting carsharing method?
3. Do you believe that carsharing will tactilely contribute to traffic and air pollution reduction in polish cities?

Monday, 9 January 2017

Week 7 [09.01-15.01.2017] Learning programming by kids

Over the last few years I have noticed an interesting trend. Many companies and nonprofit organizations organize programming events or courses for kids, teenagers or adult laymen.
Many companies have created interactive toys for learning programming in an interesting way. For example: plastic bricks or robots controlled by a smartphone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=638Wb4hhXVk

http://www.sphero.com/starwars/bb8

Another example is Stratch. It is online software developed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Children without programming skills (data structures or code syntax) can create visual applications or games and share their project with everyone. This is awesome. This software is used by many teachers in public school in USA. Children are learning more effectively, e.g. how to resolve problems than create useless programs.

Please watch this video. Mitch is a computer scientist from MIT University.

This trend is very good for developing children's imagination. Code learning develops passion and creativity.

Linda Liukas says:

“ I'm looking for, the moment when the kid realizes that the world is definitely not ready yet, that a really awesome way of making the world more ready is by building technology and that each one of us can be a part of that change”

Today teenagers can change the world. Parents should only show different learning paths. Of course, not everyone will be a professional programmer . This is only a tool to exercise your creativity.

I think that code is the next universal language needed in different fields of science: medicine, physics - all doors are open.

Please watch this video. It is very inspirational.

A few years ago when I was learning programming there were no interesting books for beginners. Therefore, my learning process lasted long. Nowadays there market offers very interesting books for children They include funny colorful illustrations and many visual code examples.

Questions

What do you think about code learning by small kids (5-6 yr old)?
Do you know any approachable methods to develop imagination or creativity?
What do you think about technology learning in Polish schools?
Do you know any creative toys for kids? Please, present them.

Week 7 [09.01-15.01.2017] Why do people work?

Why do people work? What motivates them? What is the main reason we wake up in the morning and go to work? There is no universal answer, we are complicated beings, but I will try to give you essential information, analyze psychological and economic motives and attempt an answer.

What instantly pops into one’s head is probably money. We obviously need it to buy food and clothes but also for more than bare survival. As customers are the essential part of the economy, extensive research has been done on the decision making process, but the early classical economists’ answer failed to account for complex psychological factors. There’s more to it than money.

Before we jump to the psychology of work, let’s look up “work” in a dictionary. Work is an ‘activity in which one exerts strength or faculties to […] overcome obstacles and achieve an objective or result’. The keyword is to ‘achieve’. People strive to be meaningful in their lives: doing sports, breaking records, helping other, saving lives, developing inventions. We want to be seen and appreciated.

There are three factors which lead to better performance and personal satisfaction: autonomy, mastery and purpose.We get satisfaction from seeing the fruit of our work, helping others, or generally doing something meaningful and the harder the task, the greater our satisfaction upon its completion. Modern companies build their HR policies trying to boost those motives and are attempting to offer progress, development, fame and achievement, among others. Those drive people’s lives.

When it comes to economics, it’s a little more straightforward. We need money to survive, but also to ensure the best living conditions for us and our families. The evolutionists would even, argue that we work to have the resources required to be more attractive as a partner and to be able to take good care of our offspring. And that gives us more chance of successfully passing our genes. The economic motives could also determine whether we work for a big or small company, are self-employed, or start an independent business, but those might also have quite a different rationale and stem from the psychological factors.

I think we all feel those reasons to work exist and play part in our lives, but at the same time a majority of people around us keep doing jobs they don’t like. Some people work because they love what they do and money is just a consequence of that, but there are also people who are indifferent or even hate their jobs , but feel the need for a secure income.

What motivates you to work?
What other reasons to work do you see?
What do you feel are the strongest motives among people you know?

Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/work

Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us Daniel H. Pink

Week 7 [09.01-15.01.2017] Tim Burton Movies

I would like tell about creation film, which was produce by very popular, American director, producer and scriptwriter which is Tim Burton.

Tim Burton as a matter of fact Timothy Walter Burton was born 25 August 1958 in Burbank in state of California. Never don’t finished secondary school but without problems to be admitted to a California Institute of the Arts to department animation. His career, he was begin in Walt Disney studio as animator. Next in 1989 he was created film factory where he was begin create great but controversial and full of black humour films. His first film was Juice of beetle which was produced in 1988, next was Batman film, which to bring him big popular.

In this film play a lot of great actors and actress such as Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Kim Basinger and other. Action to act out in Gotham City, where to appear Joker, gangster, whose do a lot bad things dwellers. Police and Authorities of city can’t do anything, to cover him. Then in the city to apparat Batman whose help people and cover Joker.

Next characteristic, great movie, which is emitted at 1990 is Edward Scissorhands. In this film is tell history robot, which was produced by to underestimate inventory, whose can’t finished his work, because he was died erlier. Edward will be later found by traveling salesman whose, visited horrible castel, where he was. Next Edward will be teach to life in town. In this film play Johny Deep, Winona Ryder, Dianne Wiest and other.

Very popular film which was director by Tim Burton is Charlie and Chocolate Factory which was filming in 2005. Tell history boy about name Charlie Bucket, whose won ticket to, closed few years earlier factory, because workers to steal and sold receipt on chocolate and other exceptional product which was produced in this factory, which was to devise by Willy Wonka, who is owner this factory. Willy Wonka close this factory for people and produce someone by means of gnome and other strange creatures.

In this movie play a lot of actors and actress such as Johny Deep, Freddie Highmore, David Kelly, Helena Bonham Carter, Noah Taylor and other.

Tim Burton also is director and producer little controversial but funny films. Examples is Corpse Bride or FrankenWennie.

Film FrankenWennie tell history young boy, whose dog was deducted by car. Desperate boy take dog and begin experiment, which effect will be come back dog to life, what the end success. Frankeweenie life and his behavior is how life dog. Boy want keep this information in secret, but don’t succeed it, what it has dangerous consequence.

Tim Burton apart from film production, to give book at name The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories in 1997.

For me it is one of few interested film director.

Questions:

1. Do you know Tim Burton?

2. Do you like his creativity?

3. Which films his production are you watched and which is you favority?

Week 7 [09.01-15.01.2017] A different way to learn business

Great idea! Share practical knowledge about business. I want you to introduce a school that is different than all others. This school invites real business people to give a lecture. They only hire people that have their own company, and they do real project. Here, you don't have exams; you only need to listen, ask questions and talk. Real examples and real histories of how to build a successful company. You hear about failures of these people, and what they did wrong. They try to share experiences and best practices. This school is ASBIRO.

Many people are thinking of running their businesses and are looking for offers of studies at universities of economics or different kinds of higher business schools. Get there, go to lectures, get books to read and memorize, write projects on more or less thrilling topics in some way associated with entrepreneurship, and finally sit an exam- you have become an educated entrepreneur. Among lecturers there are the people who were the first graduates specialising in economics, innovation, and business management. The school gives you practical knowledge and skills: how to register a company, how to deal with ‘ZUS’, how to set up a company, e.g. in UK.

If you study there, you have a chance to see and talk with plenty of great entrepreneurs like Andrzej Blikle, Robert Gwiazdowski, Paweł Tkaczyk. The tradition is that on Saturday after classes all students of courses with professors go to a restaurant, where you can discuss various topics. During dinners you get the most interesting information, advice, inspiration, and knowledge.Networking meetings are held in the hotel restaurant where participants can stay overnight.

QUESTIONS:

Do you like the idea of school without exams?

How do you learn about business?

Monday, 12 December 2016

Week 6 [12.12-18.12] - Fine feathers make fine birds - Power of the web design

Have you ever judged someone by how they look? Subconsciously we do it every day, not only with people but also food or internet sites. This directly impacts our everyday choices: from a cookie at a bakery to a new car at a car showroom. That is why the look of your website is a key to a good marketing strategy of yours. The user of your website needs only 3 seconds to decide whether he wants to stay there. That is why a site has to be attractive, intuitive, clear and coherent with the company’s image. The results of the largest neuromarketing researches¹ which have ever been conducted, confirm that it is not consciousness that plays the key role in selecting products but the senses, subconscious and neurotransmitters (such as serotonin which regulates appetite). To sell a product one needs to take care of not only its exposition but most primarily of the quality and image of it, including its flagships – websites, applications or an online store.

Along with the increase of client’s expectations, the pressure for providing the highest quality content rises. The site has to be well designed and clear, otherwise we risk losing visitors. 38% of people leave a website if it does not look good or the content is not attractive.² Of course the sole image is not everything, we should add to it its functionality. The loading time should be no longer than 3 seconds and each additional second is a loss in terms of conversion even of 7%. The site has to be well planned so that the visitor does not have any problems with finding the things he is looking for. If he is not able to find them, or the site will take too long to load, then he is going to leave quickly in search of another one, which may be a site of our competitor. If you run an online store, then an ordered, esthetic layout and an intuitive and convenient navigation through the site are your priorities – thanks to them you will make the client visit you again. Nowadays, up to 52.7% of all Internet users in the world are people who use mobile devices. They expect to find contact information, location, products and services in a few seconds.

Example of the responsive web design (Copyrights Adriana Łagowska)

Each of us wants to have a good experience using products and services, and because the technology is changing rapidly, designing a suitable website or store that is responsive and meets the expectations of customers leads to better sales results. If the user experience is positive, it is more likely that he will return or recommend the product to others.

¹ For scanning the brains of the participants a fMRI and an EEG have been used. During the three year project (2004-2007) 2081 people from various countries and continents (for example America, England, China and Japan) have been researched. More than 200 researchers were engaged in the project. The total cost was 7 million dollars. The researches were conducted by Martin Lindstrom who published them in his book titled “Buyology – Truth and Lies About Why We Buy.

² According to researches carried out by Adobe on 2008 users above 18 years old, “The State of Content: Expectations on the Rise” October 2015.

What is User Experience?

If video do not start please use this link

From Introduction to User Experience Course, Free online course from The University of Michigan on the EdX Platform. CC Personal Non-comercial License

Sources:

Martin Lindstrom, “Buyology – Truth and Lies About Why We Buy
Adobe, “The State of Content: Expectations on the Rise”, October 2015.
http://masslomap.org/amazing-websites/
https://speckyboy.com/designing-3-second-rule/
https://blog.kissmetrics.com/loading-time/
https://www.statista.com/topics/779/mobile-internet/

Questions:

1. Have you ever chosen any food product because of prettier packaging?

2. Do you know any examples of bad user experience? What is the most frustrating thing?

3. How often do you buy online via your smartphone or tablet? What kind of online shopping do you prefer – via smartphone/tablet or laptop/pc?

4. Can you present an example of website design that impressed you the most?

Week 6 [12.12-18.12] New Year's Resolutions

New Year’s Resolutions

Each year we say we’ll start doing something or try stop doing something. A New Year's resolution is a tradition most common in the West. It’s kind of self-improvement.

http://www.marburycreativegroup.com/blog/2016/01/12/our-new-years-resolutions/

At the end of the old year we come to believe it is high time to change. We expect to roll up our sleeves and get down to the nitty-gritty.

The most popular resolutions chosen by people are:

· Weight loss

· Quitting smoking

· Taking up sports or some hobby

· Spending less time on social media (such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.)

· Taking a trip

· Helping others

· Socializing

· Spending more time with family members

Why are New Year's resolutions destined to fail?

All year long we are tempted by little sins like eating snacks, gossiping, drinking alcohol, being a couch potato or a lazy master of memes and others.

People make resolutions as a way of motivating themselves – says Timothy Pychyl, a professor of psychology at Carleton University in Canada.[1]

Resolutions are a form of an effort to reinvent oneself. People aren’t ready to change their habits and additions. Although we have a problem, we set up unrealistic objectives.

Another aspect of failed resolutions is the fact that we are afraid to take risk and we get back to old behaviors. Last minute decisions tend to be based on what is on your mind at that time. Instead, we should take some time out and reflect upon what we really want to achieve.