Final Reflections

 Reflecting the IERW class of this semester...

  I think I have improved my writing this semester. For me, the top best 2 aspects of this course is formal essays and a blog. I learned how to organize each paragraphs and the format of formal writing. As there were many writing opportunities through blog and essay, this helped a lot for me exercise writing, proofreading, and revising based on professor's detailed feedbacks. Although all could have a hard time writing a full, long formal essay, this remains in our writing ability, experience, and the data. I will keep up extending the writing exercises through attending class and continuing the blog. This was my first time I kept a blog and I enjoyed piling up my records of writing. This seems like a diary that show what or how I thought about something such as articles from the book and recent issues. I think it is meaningful work to keep on doing the blog. For these reasons, I would definitely recommend this course to others.

Formal Essay #2 Rewrites

Hyunmin Sung

Prof. Kyle Brebner

IERW (03)

08 December 2015

Problems of Full Online Degree

According to KOSIS, Statistics of Korea, 31.8% of 2014 online lessons is operating in unilateral way. Compared to 2011 when the figure was 18.7%, the level of one-sided online lessons increased a lot and this trend is continuing. The direction of universities’ education toward allowing students to earn a full degree without taking any on-campus courses is the trend. Although some might argue it is possible to have active online discussions, recent courses are not much created in that way. Therefore only taking those one-way online lessons and getting the degree without taking any on-campus class have many disadvantages in the aspect of activity, communication, educational quality, and Korean educational environment so that students should not take full online courses.

The effect of education is strengthened through activities of real experiences. Online study cannot provide various actual learning experiences at the same level of on-campus study, and then it would deteriorate learning efficiency. In general, some on-campus lessons contain assignments such as presentation and team projects. These assignments drive students to find and study deeply on their own, and give them a chance to announce their opinions or information they studied and share ideas in front of class, which encourages them to keep up the stream of lessons they learned and be passionate about the class. Even though people can do active online discussions, the effect is totally different between debating in real circumstance with facing each other and just through computer screen with typing in the facet of attitude, environment, and experience. In addition, some necessary activities can only be implemented in off-line. For example, specific areas such as science, cooking, art, music, and physical education especially require off-line lessons because many elements are needed. Some materials and facilities that cannot be arranged individually should be prepared to experiment and practical training should be tested with personal feedbacks. However, with online classes, they cannot be furnished and merely theoretical approach would exist. This might cause heuristic and realistic problem, which can lead students to learn by rote.

The lack of communication in online modes of studying exerts a significant influence on students in many ways. Firstly, communication is related to students’ participation. Students tend to participate in on-campus class rather than online because, in case of no-face-to-face courses, no one actually cares whether taking the class or not and they can just play and not listen. They also tend to lose their motivation to continue when they missed or did not follow the course. Yeo-gak Yun, a professor of Korea National Open University pointed out that remote education has many cases of suspending or abandoning the study and one of the reasons is because they missed the academic schedule. With face-to-face courses, however, professors check for their attendance and attitude during the class. This lead students to attend the class at least because of the grade and as the attendance is the basic element before participation, on-campus lecture has more possibility of participation than off-line.  In this regard, students can earn direct impact in participation rate. Moreover, there are also indirect effects in that exchangeable communication has a considerable difference in the aspect of spontaneity and one-to-one relationships. On-campus professors often ask abrupt questions and offer feedbacks based on students’ understanding. Students can also raise questions during or after class and the answers are immediately provided. Through these processes, professor can recognize which students took his or her class and know approximately how much effort each of those students invested in the study. This builds familiarity and personal emotion between professors and students based on human contact, which can give students a purpose to actively take part in classes. All these factors elevate their satisfaction and concentration. Therefore, prompt and vigorous communication works positively to students’ participation rate that is related to their contentment and concentration to the class.

             The quality of education is the most controversial matter in this issue. To begin with, online courses typically convey content-oriented lectures. Sang-jin Lee, the former Vice-Minister of Education, mentioned that Korean online education has acted as a supplementary way to enlarge opportunities of higher education, but, with regard to degrees, it faded original ideology that is based on learners’ free participation and voluntary study. He worried qualitative debasement. Recent online lesson continues to deliver mainly lecture-based content without utilizing various media. Jong-sun Park, a professor of Seoul Cyber University emphasized, “Only content delivery focused on knowledge is being repeated and this recognizes online lectures as low quality education.” Both professors pointed out about dilution of the quality of online lecture and more diverse methods should be capitalized on. Besides, some courses simply transcribe book content as it is. In this way, the contents are being linearly designed and operated. It is no different from reading books by themselves but paying money. The quality should be enhanced in the part of contents, and also this whole procedure has to reflect Korean passive educational culture.

             The circumstance of Korean education is passive. As most students are raised in academics, they are not used to autonomous learning. This background is not commensurate with students to fully learn from the internet, so if students gain their degree in that way, the outcome would be nothing much left in their brain but the degree in their hands. A study by Jin-Tae Chang(2008), A study of Multimedia Efficiency, Autonomy and Interaction through on-line Language learning also shows Korean authoritative-centered culture has a problem with learner-autonomy and some external assistance such as regular off-line meetings and tutoring systems should be entailed for those students who had dilemmas with self-directed learning.[1] This implies that only online based learning would bring about more of bad and negative impact on earnest school work and teachers’ guidance of traditional lessons is a prerequisite of students’ ardent school work, considering Korean teaching style.

             In conclusion, it is worthwhile to prevent universities from approving students to obtain their degrees only by means of online lessons for four reasons; practical exercise, interaction, educational quality, and Korean passive educational condition. This does not mean 'online course is bad so do not take it at all.' As taking classes only through online is inefficient, it has bad impacts for students to earn a university degree without ever stepping into the campus. For our countries’ prospective educational setting, structure should be formed into learner-centered design instead of lecturer-centered. Although this would take a long time to be stabilized and firm, once it does, juggling online and on-campus lecture in good balance would inflict immense ripple effect and lead students to fulfill deep and extensive study actively.

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[1] Jin-Tae Chang(2008), A study of Multimedia Efficiency, Autonomy and Interaction through on-line Language learning, pg.10-11

#7 Korean, as One Official Language

 As the world is being globalized, more than one language seems compulsory to have the ability to fluently use foreign language. However, this doesn't require a policy to designate the second language as an official language. People who are related to those works can learn languages through education. Korea should not have more than one official language for three reasons: social confusion, unnecessary of multilingual, and expansion of Korean.
 
 A world dominant language coming into our society as another official language can cause social confusion. If English that most Korean parents and companies prefer is selected to be sanctioned, loud voices probably argue for more usage of the second language rather than our first language. This circumstance would foster the chaos of the society, which affects a negative effect on the stream of our nation. Although this confusion would even out, it is time and cost consuming and considering no change after the time when we already had some talks about English as an official language a few years ago, this implies it is no need.

 As we realized, it is not necessary to establish official languages and we can just learn them. While some say it is essential to make use of major languages in this globalized world, it doesn't mean we have to set it as official. If then, all other countries should arrange English or Chinese as their official language. A problem of language replacement could be developed as mostly dominant languages would be added to an authorized community language. By exploiting activated programs or internet websites that is helpful for foreign languages, people who need or want to learn them can selectively and individually gain many chances to be educated. 

 Keeping Korean as one official language has an effect of spreading our national language. Canada where bilingual of English and French is used puts every notice in both letters. As such, if we validate similar policy, foreigners, at least living in Korea, probably never feel learning Korean is needful. It would not give any motive to learn Korean because they can just live on without knowing even a word in our language. Even though some may think there are already some foreigners living without learning Korean, that is just a part and inconvenience should still exist to give them incentives or even curiosity.

 National official language should be kept as one, Korean in order to prevent any social chaos, needlessness of the policy and to disseminate Korean. Why don't we fulfill effort to propagate Korean widely to become prevailing, instead of thinking whether to bring others to our special community language or not.

#6-2 4D Printing

 Have you ever thought of a material “creating” itself on your hands? Some might come up with Bumblebee from the movie, Transformer. However, the new technology, 4D printing doesn’t need a motor. This innovation is expected to bring growth in market scale and current industrial level.

 Skylar Tibbits, the founder of the Self-Assembly Lab at MIT pioneered 4D printing. All might have heard of 3D printing, which added the aspect of ‘place’ to traditional 2D plane printing. Now, 4D appeared with the aspect of ‘time,’ joined to 3D. According to Tibbits, ‘where 3D printing simply creates a dimensional object, 4D printed objects are constructed using “smart materials” which can be activated by various stimuli such as heat, water, current, sound or pressure.’

 An expansion of market scale with 4D printing has potential profit. Prof. Sung-il Ham prospected 4D printing industry will increase the market size up to around \60billion ($51,458 million) by 2025. According to a new market research report published by MarketsandMarkets, the total 4D printing market will be valued at $63 million by 2019, and it’s expected to reach a staggering $555.6 million by 2025. As the scale of the market enlarges, more and more companies will enter into the industry to earn value and gain.

 Moreover, the magnificent technique will upgrade industrial level. As you know, delivery cost is related to the weight. If the minimum size of material is produced making full use of 4D printing, this light product will be delivered to a consumer and then build itself into the final object. As such, 4D printing will minimize the space occupation and transportation expenses, which is good news for companies. The innovation also draws medical field with regard to medical implants. Patients can be treated by simplified and minimized nano-product, such as artificial bone, which shape shifts itself after put it into the body. Jin-yee Seo, a leader of technical information analysis center of KISTI, explained 4D printing can be used in various areas but will groundbreaking development in medical sector related to artificial fingers, joints, and so on.

 In conclusion, there are bright outlooks with market scale and industry level due to 4D printing technique. Let’s be proud of our world in the aspect of keeping on challenge and evolution.

#6-1 Innovative Car Seat-cover

  Have you ever experienced any car accidents? A car is one of our most important transportation that many people use, and the safety problem is a major consideration while driving. Daewon Industry developed a new technology that car's seat-cover absorbs the energy made from the car collision, which provides safety and economic benefits.

   The innovation, awarded from the New Excellent Technology(NET), guarantees the safety. As the seat-cover absorbs the collision shock, it minimizes one's injury of body and need. Besides, Korean Agency for Technology and Standards delivered that this technique has an effect of significant decrease in death rate.

  Another effect that this technology contains is economic gain. According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and energy,  in manufacturing process, it will bring 55percentage of cost-cutting. In addition, the profit on sales is expected to reach 180billion won in three years by applying the skill to approximately 450,000 units of cars. Moreover, as the skill has lots of advantages, our country can seize the power in international market. This significant competitiveness in exports will  elevate and enhance our nation's position.

  With Daewon's new technique of car's seat-cover, people will feel relieved with the security and economic interest will be created. However, don't be careless. Even with any safety devices, still should have safety conciousness!!

Formal Essay #1 Rewrites

Hyunmin Sung

Prof. Kyle Brebner

IERW (03)

11 November 2015

Fall into Music, Flutter

If you see yourself right now, aren’t there something familiar in your ears? A music and earphone are our daily life. If you see Feign: Flutter, which is one of my favorite paintings, you can sympathize with what the artist is trying to say. This art was drawn by a Korean modern artist, Hyunjung Kim in 2013. She made different and various works of art under a title, “Feign Story,” and Flutter is one of them. In this essay, Flutter would be introduced through description, some background details, interpretation, and evaluation.

             As appreciating arts without any background information makes people think more, before depicting the details, the description would materialize the picture. A beautifully pigtailed girl wearing a purple, graceful Hanbok, which is Korean traditional clothes, is facing the side and wearing headphones with her eyes quietly closed. The white headphone is contemporary and famous one, branded “b” for ‘beats by dr.dre.’ On her head, six different, specially-looking animals are surrounding her in a semicircle. From the left, a purple hippopotamus is largely opening its mouth with lots of books; a black and white striped zebra with one green antler and the other one in red has put a pink eyeliner; a grey elephant has worn many colorful earrings on both its ears; a white polar bear wearing a Korean traditional hat, which a prince wore, carries a red grasshopper on its back; a pink squirrel with a black ribbon tie is eating something; and lastly an alligator with its mouth opened a little has a pretty colorful butterfly seat on its teeth.

             Based on the portrayal, to understand the art better, fine points that the artist wants to tell can largely be divided into two; total background and the specific art, Flutter. The big, outer frame of Flutter, “Story of Feign” shows informal everyday life with figures wearing Hanbok. The point that Hyunjung Kim intended here is a contradiction between “informal” life and the “elegant and secret” characteristic of Hanbok. She firstly draws a figure in the nude, and goes through the step of dressing the figure in Hanbok. She dyes thin Hanji, which is traditional Korean paper, in person to effectively express Hanbok in a ‘translucent’ way. This makes her message ‘one can see what is underneath the dress’ clearer. Under the theme, Flutter is the real picture I want to introduce. The motive came from Kim’s experience in everyday life. She loves to listen to music because she becomes stabilized emotionally, and can get intense energy while listening. She focused on the feeling of being in a different world as a main character in a movie as soon as she puts on earphones. As there are no restrictions in the world of imagination, infinite and limitless thoughts ignite people to heart plunge. What she believes is that music is more than mere auditory stimuli, and some powerful energy is made which takes her to certain spaces or connects to certain time. This touching and flutter feeling of music has connection with art in that art can also go beyond time and space through visual stimuli. She wishes people to be moved and fluttered by these works.[1]

             To add how I interpreted, Flutter seemed friendly but new, and at the same time gave me a chance to flash back. The combination of Hanbok and the headphone, which is a discriminative harmony of traditional and contemporary, and the peculiar animals around the girl’s head, which flashes on something imaginary, were interesting. She used familiar elements in a novel way. With this basic consideration in mind, I read the title of the piece and tried to puzzle them in my own way. I naturally knew that the girl is fluttering while hearing music as it drives her fantasy fly everywhere because I have experienced it. In addition, as people with their headphone or earphone on are the most common scenery from subways to airplanes, many people these days should also have went through. By appreciating music, they can gain energetic motives and healing while being in just one self’s secret area regardless of how the world goes around. This also can be enjoyed through an indirect experience by watching some music movies such as ‘Begin Again.’ In short, I thought it was familiar and fresh, and felt the similar way as the artist tried to speak; music has an immense power that moves people.

             Kim’s art is reflective of society and Korean but easy, which suits my artistic taste. Her overall works of art are reflective of our modern daily life so that all can sympathize and agree with it. People can feel what the girl in the picture is feeling. It is because most have experienced being in a totally disparate place, which might be free or exciting, while listening to the music regardless of places in their daily life. Furthermore, I sensed another allure in the touting of our heritage, Hanbok. The reason is not only the glamor that drums up worldwide attention but also the beautiful mind of Kim. As I like things that have a purpose to spread Korean culture and tradition, the presentation of our historical clothes through art is luring enough. This also promotes awareness intensively at the point that Kim is a modern artist. Besides, compared to other abstractive or overly subjective arts, her works are portrayed simple, frank, and straightforward. Therefore, it is easy to understand what the artist is trying to say. These demonstrate that implicit communication occurs between the artist and the spectator in her artworks.

             In conclusion, Flutter shows music contains an impressive power to let people’s fantasy run wild and throw people in a different place of ones’ own. The magnetic factors of the art come from reflecting and Korean but easy attributes. Considering the artistic point with our lives, as modern people have close association with music or arts, people should arrange their time to feel liveness sensing the flutter by appreciating them. Once a while, step out from the busy, stressful and competing society and concentrate on music deeply, not just enjoying and touching the next button. You all can be anyone in anyplace you want right now, just by plugging in earphone in your ears. Feel your heart and your own breath.

 

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[1]http://kimhyunjung.kr/

 

 

 

#5 Rescue Our Future Resources with Our Own Hands

  All you might have heard a saying “small changes result in big difference.” According to it, it is obvious that habit has a tremendous power. For our future to be greener, there are two easy habits we can do; plugging off and recycling.

  Plugging off what we are not using saves energy. Don’t you, pretty much time, notice the lights were on after you come back home? The lights were being wasted for all those seconds from you leave till return. If we switch every light off during the daytime or when we don’t use, we can use that much energy in the future. In addition, in winter, many people are busy turning heater on without thinking other solutions. However, if it is not too cold, wearing more clothes is better than turning the heater on all day long. For same thing, in summer, some people enjoy turning air conditioner on while wearing warm clothes or blanket. This causes a significant waste of energy. Not wasting is another way of saving, so plugging off when you don’t use is simple but imperative green act.

  Taking a bit more time to recycle saves our resources. If we recycle papers, trees won’t be cut that amount. This means one of our natural resources that grants us fresh oxygen and absorbs carbon dioxide can be conserved just by our little green act. Besides, reprocessing provides them a chance to rebirth. For example, cans are reused as a base material of iron and steel. This implies we can save our reserves with our own hands. In recent days, many people make consumables utilizing used or old goods; such as a bag reformed by a banner, a pencil case redesigned by remainder of fabric and so on. Consuming resources again alternatively preserve our limited supplies.

  As a result, even with only two habits, plugging off and recycling, we can improve our sustainable future.  These environment-friendly behaviours will also bring cost benefits. The former is related to a decrease in our house maintence fee  and the latter has connection to diminution in a plastic bag fee, which we have to pay for throwing trashes away. Why don't you earn all those advantages right now?