Don't hate "new things" at first sight. 6/12

Project based learning(PBL) is a program for student to experience to start business as a class.　
Actually, I thought that program was pretty good idea for student in 21st century.
Even if students will belong to a big corporation, the experiences to run their own business by themselves is very useful.
They can understand how difficult to run a business and how corporation run.
I think it is Japan that the country which really needs that program.

During a discussion about PBL, one of my friend said that I need someone give me assignments. I don't know so much but many Japanese student might say same thing.
It's really sad thing for Japan's future, we need to do everything by ourselves in 21st century. If not, we will be used by information, technology and will be behind others who do everything by themselves.
But but but, interestingly, soon after, she said that I don't wanna take PBL program because PBL is forced by teachers, not our choice.

WAIT.
She said I need someone give me assignments, then she also said I don't wanna do forced by teachers.
I see, she just doesn't like "new things".

As an individual, I don't wanna be same as her.

I have known about Google's 20% free time policy.
This means that if people work 5days in a week, they can get 1day free in weekday (20%×5=100%).

Oh, I really want to be in such workplace.

But, how about us as a student?
We have more than 50% free time in everyday, right?
If we don't want to take course, we don't need to do that.

So, from now on, I will stop to use excuse that I don't have time.

There is no perfect. Always improved areas are there. 6/10

Today, we did presentations about our essay topics.
Influenced yesterday's lecture, many classmates made excellent slides!!

Most of them used very memorable pictures and well contrast font colors.
Some of them used videos related with their topics and these videos were so helpful to understand reality behind their presentations.

Actually, I was impressed by my classmates presentations because their slides looked like much better than mine.

Then I'll describe their good points in presentations.

・Show outlines the beginning of presentations
・Well organized and good flow of topics
・Use good videos to catch audiences attention.
・Good transitions by google slides
・Good pictures as backgrounds.
・Good contrast font colors (Ex. Animal abuse→Black and Red)
・Good use of color
・Use body languages without any hesitations.


Then I'll describe some points needs to be improved
・Time keeping
・Lack of confident
・Eye contacts
・Jump topics

A famous man or woman (I don't remember...) said that you need to learn from other's mistakes because life is not enough long to make all mistakes by yourself.

I'll improve my oral presentation skills and the techniques to make good slides.

Practice makes Perfect. 6/9

An hour presentation needs one hundred hours. when our teacher said that, I thought he was a professional presentator.

His attitude toward his job is what I do for everything in my life.

one thing needs much more preparation than what I do.

Practice makes perfect, and preparation makes perfect as well.

But, I have had a problem to time management since I was child.

I usually finished my assignments in summer on the last day of summer vacation.

After entering ICU, the situation is almost same as my childhood.

I’m always thinking that I need to change, but it is pretty difficult to alter habit made by long time.

Practice and preparation need well organized schedule and time.

So, when I try to make something perfect, I need time to practice and preparation.

…….Oh my god, even a elementary school kids know that thing.

There is a difference between knowing the path and walking the path.

No bias No Life. 6/8

Bias exists everywhere around me.

What we need to acknowledge is the we can’t escape from bias.

I have bias, and you have bias.

You have bias, and your friends have bias.

You judge your teacher based on bias, and your teacher judges you based on bias.

In today’s lecture, our teacher said that the movie Load of the Ring was influenced by the world war Ⅱ. 

I watched that movie but I didn’t notice that bias and even didn’t try to find bias.

But, now I can try to find bias and can find some fun through these finding bias process.

In the end of today's class,

one of my friend said 

“I have a confident with that I have no bias.”

I replied 

 “Oh, you don’t have any bias? That’s a bias."

Cover, not Copy. 5/29

Today's class was something special for me.
Out teacher said that Cover is totally different from copy.
We watched some music videos which were covered by some singers and bands.
Some of "cover" artist make just "copy" of genuine music, however, a few of them add their creativity to genuine one and make their cover music different from genuine one.

Actually, I'm trying to start my business with my partners.
Then, the simplest way in business to success is to "copy" forgoing business someone launched.
But, that is not enough and is it worth trying for us?

As a first step of new business maker, we need to make "cover" plan, not "copy" plan.
If we have these thoughts that we need to add our creativity and make something different after learning from forgoing business, we could make good things for people and these challenges are gonna be worth trying!!

Ok, everything I will try, I'm gonna add my creativity to "copy" and make my version of "cover".

This advertisement of android which I saw at Times square in New York is so meaningful for everyone in 21st century.

Tips for good presentation. 5/27

In the beginning of today's lecture, our teacher quote catch-22 to describe ICU's contradiction.

Multimedia room should be open for students who want to use it, so a class which consist of students can not use multimedia room.

What I felt cool was that our teacher easily use a example of literary work.

That might be based on his refinement, and I can guess he had read many books.

I genuinely could respect him.

Anyway, we researched and watched video about presentation skills.

I watched pretty good tv program about presentation in NHK(Nippon Hoso Kyokai), but NHK videos are not on any free movie web site such as youtube, so I could't share that program with my classmates.

In that tv program, Joichi Ito, who is a head of MIT Media Lab, told that when presenter change the subject, he or she should turn their direction of body as well. 

It's called chapterizing.

In videos I watched, one of them said that good slides have less words and more pictures, but some said that people can read faster than can listen.

It's inconsistent, isn't it?

Mention my ideas make my ides clearer. 5/25

Today, we had a small presentation about our essay topic in a small group.
I needed to explain and convey my ideas to 4 people.
Presentation, whether in front of many people or not, needs clear mind.
So, When I stand in front of people and mention my idea, I'm required to understand my idea.

And also, questions and feedbacks are so important to reconsider my ideas.
Opinions from outside of my mind is so helpful to recognize what I couldn't come up with.

When my audience asked some questions to me, I couldn't answer a couple of his questions with confidence.
This means I didn't understand my topic fully and I need to think more about my ideas.

I could notice that things from a small presentation.

Free range studios tell us a reality. 5/22

Free range studios, which I did't know, has a lot of interesting and meaningful videos in the internet.
Actually, I think that website is one of the best staff to learn English and new information at the same time.

The story of staff, which is one of the popular video series in free range video, is easy to understand what happens behind "ordinary" and "daily" products.
I watched "the story of bottled water" in that website, and I was a kind of shocked by that content.
As a man who drink bottled water everyday, I actually have robbed water of someone I haven't met in some developing countries.
I didn't know where bottled water comes from, but this video told me a reality.

About 9hundred million people can not drink clean water around the world.
However, in developed countries such as Japan, some people say I need clean water even they have much cleaner tap water  than developing countries.

How many planet do you need? 5/20

Finally, we finished watching the corporation.
That was pretty critical movie against the corporation.
All things in that movie are not fiction which most people didn't know before.

However, we can't live without corporation.
Our life is totally depend on products from corporation.

We already know how child labour works and how corporation exploits it.
We can criticize them but actually we need to buy their staff, this means we have been feeding them.
You may say we shouldn't buy these products and should buy fare trade staff.
But, H&M is quite cheep and fare trade shirt are expensive for students.

Of course, when I get rich and become a man of conscience, I'll buy fair trade staff.
However, now for me as a student, actually, cheaper is better.
I don't buy fair trade coffee in cafeteria, I don't buy fair trade clothes.
Sometimes, I  buy fair trade shoes or bags when I like these design.
But, usually, I don't change my decision for the only one reason that this product is not fair trade staff.

Anyway...Ralph Lauren is too much expensive compared with their products quality. They should stop make price such high or give their employees in Vietnam more salary.

Actually, I think the problem is there are too much corporation which exploit employees in developed countries.
We know some of them like NIKE and GAP, however, even we stop buying their products, we might grab another unfair products which we couldn't recognize.

With drinking a cup of fair trade coffee in his hand, someone might buy Ralph Lauren's 100$ shirt.

When some professional talk about poverty in developed country, he might be with high quality fancy suit made in Vietnam and he might not know price breakdown of that price.

.......So, what we can do now?

.......I have no idea.

Should I criticize NIKE wearing GAP clothes?

http://www.polorlukonsale.com/images/Men-BigPonystripedPoloShirts26-26/Men-Palph-Lauren-Color-Block-Polo-white-and-black-for-cheap.jpg 

Medical kit needs injured. 5/19

Psychological counselor needs mental illness.
Medical kit needs injured.
Weapon needs victims.

These things which I was thinking during today's class is, I believe, truth.

In the movie, the government and corporation keep friendly relationship even during the war.

If a weapon corporation wants to get more profit, they need conflict.
If a medical supplies corporation wants to get more profit, they need injured.

They easily can corporate each other, because their benefit is related.
They need a war.

Then, the government can get tax from the corporation in their state.
More profit in corporation means more tax income in government.

Actually, war makes people cry, but makes corporation laugh.
A part of people, who are not in danger zone, wants war to get their benefit.

And it is what is going on this real world.

Press around the world. 5/18

In today's lecture, most interesting point for me was the corporation and press can lie.
We, people, allow to lie, and there is no law for individuals to ban laying.
In the context of law, the corporation is considered as individual, so theoretically, they don't need to say right thing or correct answer, because they are also individuals.

However, is this ok?
The corporation actually consists of many individuals.
When they try to deceive one individual, they can do that easily because they are big enough to force something.

A girl from Japanese imperial family entered ICU since this April.
Then, Japanese mass media have been reported about her and ICU, whether the information is correct or not.
Actually, almost all people around me who are not ICU students believed these kind of gossip from press.
One good example is here, she likes dancing since her childhood and she wanted to join one of the most popular dance club in ICU.
Actually, my seniors in that dance club told me that she attended practices several times before she entered ICU.
So, they and me thought she really wanted to join that club and practice dance with high quality members.

That club had a welcome party to freshmen include her in Kichijozi, and press could get that information "she will appear that place".
Actually, on that day, there were many press around that place to take some pictures and write some gossip.

Then, one of cub member knew that many press will come to take pictures of her in welcome party, so they change place and date in order to keep their privacy.

If everyone can trust press that they won't write incorrect information or gossip. it doesn't be matter.
However, press already have wrote incorrect and improper information about that dance club.
So, they couldn't trust them.

If press can use incorrect information and can lie, they can do personal attack in public by incorrect information.

A good way to listen to lecture. 5/11

Today's lecture was one of the most interesting lecture for me.
We watched the film whose name was "The corporation" , then we discussed some parts.

In Sweden, advertisement to children is banned by law.
The film considered the advertisement to children as a bad thing because they try to use children as consumers, and our teacher seemed that he agreed with Sweden's policy.

However, I don't think that Sweden's idea is good.
When children watched advertisement to themselves, whether it is consciously or unconsciously, they sometimes may want to get some staff which was advertised.
But, parents can stop them buying unnecessary staff or too expensive staff.
Children can learn how to recognize it is necessary staff, right price, and worth paying money, through that experiences that watching advertisement, trying to buy and being forced to reconsider by parents.

If there is no advertisement to children and they can't learn how to recognize, they will be "good" consumer when they get old and are independent of parents. because they have never experienced to tell too expensive price from right price, necessary staff from unnecessary staff, and good staff from bad staff.
( "good" means that good consumer for the corporation.)

One more thing, (I didn't know that thing but) there were university students who got scholarships from corporation by wearing and using their products.
Some of us criticized them because they are advertisements and try to make many people want to buy that products.
However, if they wore only fair-trade clothes, ate fair-trade foods and got scholarships from the corporation which try to generalize fair-trade, are they doing wrong thing?

I felt what they were doing was very good idea.
When we are watching "the corporation", most students in class tend to take everything in film in negative way.

Actually, I got inspiration to my essay topic from university students who got scholarships from corporations.

Critical thinking against ICU. 5/1

University of Leicester writing support centre was very good.
There were many concrete introduction to many areas of academic things such as presentation and writing academic papers.

Especially, in presentation area, there are 32 self checks for having a presentation.
It is very good for presenter to make good presentation.

Actually, I need to do presentation about my new business plan in front of investors, so it is very important and useful for me.

One more thing, we compared with ICU writing support centre and other world famous university's one.

All writing centres except ICU one have many specific information and instructions.
However, ICU one said just please come and see us, then let's discuss about your questions. It is not for students out of ICU.

One more thing, ICU one has Japanese version and English version as well, but the example video of tutorial in English version is Japanese.
Students and tutors in that video talk about everything in Japanese only, OYRs and some September students can not understand what they are saying.
My teacher said that is "localization".
And, in the introduction to cultural studies class which has some September students, one students submit comment sheet and ask question in English.
Then the professor answered, but the answer was in difficult Japanese which I do not think it is easy to understand for September students.

So, ICU, as a super global university in Japan, doesn't care about OYRs and September students so much.

If we can use our "critical thinking" to ICU, we can see many strange points in ICU.

Time flies like a drone. 4/29

The most effective way to learn something new is to cooperate with partners, my teacher said.
When we checked many articles on FutureLearn, we divided many articles and shared information which each member read.
Actually, if I have not so much time to get information, I need some partners to divide works.

I interpreted that one person doesn't have to be perfect, I don't need to do everything by myself.
The best way to make a project is to divide works for people who are good at specific technics.
If I have a confidence with talking in public, I should have a presentation.
If someone has a confidence with reading and summarizing text, he should do that.

Actually, my friends and I are making our own business plan to build our own company.
Then, I'm mainly writing business plan and making sentence attract people because I'm in ICU and I learned how to make a good presentation and how to catch readers attention through ELA.
My friends who are in science institute are making application program because they are really interested in writing chords.

I don't need to write program, because they can do that.
They don't need to talk in public, because I'm confident with that.

When I have partners who I can trust, it is a very good strategy to do anything.

I

http://toraumaa58.com/31.html 

How to make Academic Essay. 4/28

What is "good" for everyone around the world?

The most interesting part of today's lecture was that there is no definition of good for everyone.

We need to do 5A's check before deciding our academic essay topic.
5A stands for academic, achievable, access, argumentative, and attractive.

I think if I can make a topic perfectly meet 5A's check, my essay must be great paper.
In other words, to meet 5A's check may most essential part of writing good paper.

I'm taking another class which name is "public communication", and it helps me to write my academic essay.
In that class, our teacher mentioned about background research.
When my essay topic is about popular or famous, we don't need to write background research more than one section.
However, when my essay topic is about specific things or so scientific idea, we need to explain background information and write down background research as much as readers need.

Actually, I'm thinking about Asian economy as a my essay topic, but the problems based on 5A's check are achievable and argumentative.

I have only 8weeks to finish my essay, and "asian" is too big definition.
So, maybe I need to specify one country or religion in Asia for my academic essay topic to meet achievability.

Oh, how can I make my essay more argumentative?
I can research one country's economy and can say that is good or bad.
Should I compare with some countries or something?

The critical view point of the corporation. 4/27

Today, we watched film which is "The corporation".
That film said that the corporation is psychopath which can not keep promise, do anything for benefit for themselves, can not cooperate with anyone, and so on.
History shows us that corporations have been doing whatever they wanted to do, even it was against law or it damaged others.

The phrase "free trade" has been used by corporations or mainly developed countries.
"Free trade" between poor area and a corporation is actually free for only a corporation, not for poor ares.
"Free" doesn't mean "fair" and "clear".

During the film, one of commentator said that a corporation doesn't care about anything except their products and benefit.
So, they are willing to break a law, harm people, and destroy environment.

But, I didn't fail to catch his next comment.
He said "when environment itself become product, it's gonna be different."

Yes, sometimes corporations do wrong things on purpose, and we should point out their failure.
But, we need to think about solution, not only getting angry to them.

I think the essential view point for good future is inside of this comment.
"When environment itself become product, it's gonna be different."

A corporation takes care of only their products and benefit.
Then, what will happen when their product change an environment or people.
Theoretically, they will take care of an environment and people, and they will consider an environment and people as essential parts of their business.

As 21st century business, an environmental business or business for poor people ( it may be called as "social business") should be more popular and mainstream.

from a web site "Cora's music journey"

http://scmjourney.blog.fc2.com/img/00431834.jpg/

Benefit for what? 4/22

We learned many things from the film of The Corporation and our teacher's lecture.
I didn't know the difference between a company and a corporation.
A company is a small organization to do what the leader want to do with their co-workers.
A corporation is a "big" organization to do what the authority want to do.
"Big" means that a corporation has many stockholders who can express their opinion and change corporation strategy.
When a boss of one company tries to do something he wants, he can do that because his company is his own belongings.
However, if he change his company into a "corporation", he can't decide what his corporation do, because corporation needs to meet stockholder's expectation.
Usually, stockholder's expectation is profit, means money.

In class, our teacher showed us a good example.
A president of his company wants to introduce eco-friendly paper for every single paper in his company.
This eco-friendly paper will take more cost, but he want to take care of environment.
Some will say it is very good idea for environment and his company's reputation, and others may say it is bad strategy because there is no advantage for profit.
If it is his "company", he can do that even it will high cost and low profit.

(Financial network)

http://www.iqsintl.com/index.php/about-us/the-company/

However, if it is a "corporation" which has many stockholders to get capital, it will trigger some discussions. 

In 21st century, many people can agree with the eco-friendly strategy, because now people is aware of environmental issue around the world.

But, some people want to focus on getting more profit.

I can understand there are some people who don't pay attention for other than profit.

The problem is that only few people disagree with that plan, but they will win in the court.

By law, a corporation need to seek to get more money, so even if a CEO want to take a eco-friendly strategy which will good for environment and lose a little bit benefit, a corporation can not do that.

When there are 100 stockholders, and 99 of them agree with eco-friendly plan.

Only one disagree with that plan because of finance.

Then, that corporation can not take that plan because of law.

http://eigo-tatsujin.net/phrase/5031/

Why there is still such a old-fashion and stupid low?

In 21st century, there should be some corporations which focus on environment or people's happiness, rather than profit.

I can understand there was a law which say corporation should focus on making profit, but now, why no country changes that law?
Many people are thinking that thing, but maybe someone doesn't want to do that.

Writing support. 4/20

Today, we have a RW class in normal class room and noticed that Japanese university and company(most, not all) are behind other developed countries in terms of creativity and 

Our teacher mentioned about Pioneer which is Japanese electronics company.

They have one of the best technology to produce electronic devices and their products had been popular even they were expensive.

However, once Korean or Chinese company produced a little bit lower and much more cheeper model than Pioneer, many customer stopped choosing Pioneer one.

At that time, Pioneer should have change their static or tried to produce different model which is same price as Korean companies.

But, they didn't, they persisted their quality of products. They sold what they wanted to sell, not what customer wanted to buy.

As a result, they had no choice but to stop producing their high quality television.

(IT media news) 

http://www.itmedia.co.jp/news/articles/0604/19/news097.html

If they had a creativity to make cost low or change their strategy, they could keep their professional job.

They had technology and experiences to produce high quality products, but they didn't have a creativity.

Second, there is few generational change in must Japanese universities include ICU.

Many important post in university are filled with old people who did good job 20years ago and now out of fashion. They don't have any fresh-new ideas, they have only stereotype and old common sense.

Yes, we need to pay respect to them, because actually they did good job when they were young, but they have to recognize that they often have a bad influence on their places. 

Actually, all they need is just to give permission to do something for young person. When there are reason and young person have a confident to that, they just need to give permission to do that. They don't need to show their old common sense. 

A generational change is one of the biggest issue for young person include us and future in Japan.

Asahi Judiciary

http://judiciary.asahi.com/investigation/index2.html?id=0039

I need to wake up now. 4/15

I don't know why, but I've been sick since last weekend.
Without parents in dormitory, it need time to become healthy.
After checking my RW classmates blogs, I'm really sad to miss today's RW class.

Actually, I already know about MOOC and TED.com, but probably if I was in class, I could know about them more.

And many classmates mentioned about Private browsers in chrome.
What is this!?
I don't know about that thing.

One of the best way to learn new things is to ask people who are familiar with that field.
We don't need to do everything alone, just ask and listen to lecture are sometimes better than try to do everything from beginning to end.
For us in ICU, we should learn about IT from our teacher, Rab, because he is a one of the most well-informed about IT in the world, and probably he is the best teacher about IT in ICU.

My parents pay tuition to ICU instead of me, and there are many people who can't have education even though they are smart and want to have education.
It is my mistake to be sick, and I need to become healthy as soon as possible.

Anyway, my classmates blogs and feedly really help me to know what they learn in class which I missed.

Sick during spring. 4/13

I haven't been well since this rainy morning, I feel sick.

So, I was absent from all classes on my second day of spring term.

Fortunately, I have a couple of friends in my RW class and I could ask them what they did in today's class.

All students except me did background research about "the corporation" written by Joel Bakan, they told me.

I took your ARW class in last autumn term, and I already experienced how this blog improves my writing.

Although, I couldn't attend today's class, I'm gonna write today's blog as my homework and a practice.

The definition of corporation is "a large company or group of companies authorized to act as a single entity and recognized as such in law" (from Oxford Dictionaries).
I think that one person can not make "corporation".
"Corporation" consists of some people, not one person.
So, I guess this book, the corporation, is about people or group, not individual's story.

Joel Bakan, the author, is a Canadian and professor of law at University of British Columbia (UBC) in Canada. He has a law degrees from world famous universities such as Oxford and Harvard. So, we can say he is professional of law and we can guess that his stand point of view will be based on law, not psychology or biology.

And also, film and television miniseries based on his book was created by Mark Achbar.
He is a Canadian filmmaker, and he is interested in nuclear power, poverty and hegemony, so he might make critical film to dominant group.

Before reading book, I guess Bakan's book is critical to corporate power, bacause he worked with a filmmaker who have negative thought against corporate power.