What do young Cambodians think?

What do young Cambodians think?

You can get some idea here.
New term, new bloggers.

Comments on their blog are most welcome!

Young Cambodian Bloggers

Another intake of students. So another new blog.

Check out the ideas and interests of young Cambodians (this group is, on average younger than other groups and range from 10-14 years-old) on their new blog at:

www.10yl.blogspot.com

Comments are of course very welcome- they are usually read with amazement first and then with great appreciation.

New Students, New Blog

New Term. New Students. New Blog.

Last term's students loved the feedback they got from abroad! If anyone feels like dropping by and making a comment, here is the link.

http://www.younglearnersx.blogspot.com/

Cambodian Calling

Blogspot blocked, then unblocked and then blocked again. Blocked this time for more than 3 days but, it seems, only by my ISP.

So its time to call Metfone's helpline to see what the problem is.

The call is answered in just a few seconds though and the operator says 'of course!' when I ask if he speaks English.

I explain the problem and it takes some time; he's never heard of blogspot. Nevermind that the issue of blogspot being blocked by internet companies such as the one he is manning the help-phones for has been front page news. And nevermind that it has been reported that many bloggers have rung to complain- he has no idea about blogspot.

He promises to look in to the problem and report back. Of course he never does.

So I call again a day later. The help-line fellow has never heard of blogspot.com. I spell it out slowly for him. He notes down the details and spells the address back to me: 'B L O G S P O R T. C O M.'

"NO, no," "B L O G S P OT. C O M, " I spell slowly.

This time he's got it he says,' "B L O G S P O R T. C O M"

We do the BLOGSPOT- BLOGSPORT spelling bee for a while and finally he really does get it. Having done so he promises to look into the problem and call me back.

Of course he never does.

On the third call the operator is aware of the problem and he promises to look into the problem and call me back.

Of course he never does. But today, miraculously, blogsport.com blogspot is up and running again.

To be fair though this experience probably isn't far different from the 'help' one receives from helplines in developed countries, and I didn't have to wait minutes for the call to be answered, nor was I met by an automated answering machine.

Banned! Blogspot Blocked

Cambodian censorship is on the rise. Free speech is under attack. The Cambodian government is becoming ever more draconian as it sues, imprisons and harrasses those opposed to it.


Several days ago the government, it seems, sent out the word to Internet service providers that any sites ending with blogspot.com should be blocked. Some providers, including ours, duly obliged and this blog, like any other blogspot site could not be viewed in Cambodia.


The reason? The government wished to stop a blog that was publishing articles critical of it, from being accessible to Cambodians. That's right, all blogspot sites were blocked so as to stop one blog from expressing opinions contrary to the governments. So much for free speech.


The government denies ever giving such an order- while explicitly claiming that the site in question should be closed- but the providers claim that they did. And why would the providers have a reason to lie?

All blogspot sites are accessible again, although the process has been haphazard with some, like ours, taking an extra day to finally unblock blogger's accounts.

But how long that lasts is anyone's guess. I suspect it's all downhill at an ever-accelerating rate for free speech, from here on.

Blogging Again

My Young Learner student pretended not to be particularly pleased; but she was- a brief but big smile gave her away. I'd just told her that I'd read her post on the class blog about a resort in Kampot and that  someone from Norway had made a comment on her post, too. We talked about Norway and found it on the map. That someone from far away had written on their blog interested the class.

Just as we were about to move on the same student, unable, despite her best attempts to contain herself, called out "And teacher, someone from Australia made a comment on a post, too!"

My student is a bright, young girl but she needs encouragement to stay connected with the lesson; a couple of comments on the blog provided her with that, and more!

http://www.younglearnersten.blogspot.com/

http://www.younglearners13.blogspot.com/

Cambodian Students Blogging

Last term I had my young Cambodian students writing a class blog. They enjoyed it and it gave them the chance to improve their computer skills whilst working on their English, too. For all of them the experience is competely new; many of them are on 'FaceBook,' but they had no idea about blogs at all.

It was so successful that I am doing it again with my new intake of students. They aren't as tech-savvy as the last group but they are developing quickly. Like all Cambodian students the biggest job is drumming out of them the idea that a quick cut-and-paste job of someone else's work is acceptable.

After several explanations they get it- but like any young kids they are always looking for shortcuts so the teacher has to be extra vigilant!

Should anyone feel like making a comment on any of the posts- and the students would be delighted- then go here for my class:
http://www.younglearnersten.blogspot.com/

Or, here for Ann's higher-level Young Learners Class:
http://www.younglearners13.blogspot.com/