Beware the time-eater: Cambridge University's clock

It's gold, features six patented inventions … and has fangs.

For all its apparent eccentricity, the clock is based on solidly traditional clockwork - unusual in these days of digital electronic clocks. It has taken seven years' research and construction, incorporates six patented inventions, and is predicted to run for at least 250 years assuming the world lasts that long.

"It is terrifying, it is meant to be", said John Taylor, the creator and funder of an extraordinary new clock unveiled on 19 September 2008 by Stephen Hawking at Corpus Christi College in Cambridge. "Basically I view time as not on your side. He'll eat up every minute of your life, and as soon as one has gone he's salivating for the next. It's not a bad thing to remind students of. I never felt like this until I woke up on my 70th birthday, and was stricken at the thought of how much I still wanted to do, and how little time remained."
Christopher de Hamel, an expert on medieval manuscripts and Fellow Librarian at Corpus Christi, described the clock as "hypnotically beautiful - and deeply disturbing".

The monster momentarily stops the turning dial with its foot to mark the minutes, shown as blue LED lights shining through slots. It was originally conceived by Taylor as a literal interpretation of the grasshopper escapement invented by his hero, the Georgian clockmaker John Harrison whose fabulously accurate mechanisms solved the problem of establishing longitude at sea.

The creature, modelled by sculptor Matthew Sanderson, was inspired by medieval armour and gradually became more ominous: part-lizard, part-stag beetle, a Chronophage – time eater.

Henry VIII and Newton's apple

Punting in Cambridge, second week....

Punting in Cambridge...

Photos taken during the evening guided tour of Cambridge, Tuesday, the first week.

Photos taken in Cambridge, August 2009, Homerton College

Homerton College, Cambridge

Cambridge, august 2009

Cursul la care am participat in perioada 2 august - 14 august 2009, in Marea Britanie:

Using New Technology in Language Learning

Institutia organizatoare:
Bell International Cambridge

Locul desfasurarii:
Homerton College, University of Cambridge

Obiectivul principal al cursului a fost de a-i determina pe profesorii participanti sa exploreze potentialul noilor tehnologii in predare-invatare. In cele doua saptamani cursantii (din Polonia, Spania, Bulgaria, Norvegia, Slovenia, Turcia, Finlanda, Tunisia, Romania) au participat la activitati diverse care au urmarit nu doar aspecte de continut si metodologie, cat si posibilitatea de a intalni personalitati ca Jeremy Harmer si Michael McCarthy.
Astfel competentele si abilitatile dezvoltate au fost atat in domeniul noilor tehnologii, cat si lingvistice, metodologice, de comunicare si adaptare, de lucru in echipa.
In ceea ce priveste utilizarea noilor tehnologii pentru motivarea elevilor din generatia „native digitals” activitatile si sarcinile de lucru au urmarit: utilizarea creativa a programului Word, crearea unor exercitii atractive utilizand Hot Potatoes, exploatarea programului Audicity pentru invatarea gramaticii si vocabularului, utilizarea si crearea de wiki, blog, web quest etc. S-a realizat proiectarea unor lectii in Moodle si familiarizarea profesorilor participanti cu „Second Life”, evidentiindu-se avantajele si dezavantajele utilizarii in predare. Profesorii au creat materiale utile utilizand Wikipendia, YouTube, wikis, blogs, Paint, Power Point, Web Quests, Audicity, au creat pagini web si un site personal, au experimentat folosirea networking in predare (ex. Ning).
Institutia organizatoare a oferit posibilitatea ca profesorii sa opteze pentru workshopurile la care doresc sa participe in functie de interesul fiecaruia. Am ales patru workshopuri care s-au dovedit foarte interesante, interactive si care mi-au oferit foarte multe idei inovative la nivel metodic (’Hot on the shelf! The best of new British Literature’, ’Helping our Learners to Learn’, ’Storytelling – using ’live listening’ and picture stories in the classroom’, ’Drama Techniques and Activities for the Language Classroom’).

Cursul mi-a oferit de asemenea sansa de a cunoaste profesori din diverse sisteme de invatamant, comparand astfel aspecte diverse ale procesului educativ din spatii culturale si geografice indepartate (de exemplu profesori in Irak care se aflau la Cambridge pentru sase saptamani). Cambridge reprezinta nu doar un centru al invatamantului de prestigiu, ci si o regiune turistica fermecatoare. Raul Cam care traverseaza orasul ofera posibilitatea de a experimenta puntingul si de a admira superbele cladiri medievale ale unor colegii precum Trinity College, St Catharine's College, Pembroke College, Queens' College, Gonville and Caius College, Corpus Christi College, Darwin College. Exista 31 de colegii in Cambridge, parte a Universitatii Cambridge. Pentru a cunoste cat mai mult din geografia, cultura si civilizatia Marii Britanii, instituita gazda a organizat mai multe excursii: in Londra, Oxford, Ely, Bury St. Edmund, precum si vizite la muzee si galerii de arta. Muzeul Fitzwilliam mi-a oferit posibilitatea de a admira picturi in original de Picasso, Monet, Degas, Renoir, Cézanne.

Cambride Social Programme

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zya-k2uWEZA

Second week in Cambridge