Page 19 - ELG1707 Jul Issue 449

OUT FEATURES & COMMENT
Thinking
It is likely to become an important way in inside the
which learners will be able to gain access to the
best teachers and interact with native speakers.
Potential investors would be well advised to
target the Far East in the first instance as this
region is quick to embrace new technologies
and has a booming language teaching market.
VRT has enormous potential, but it will
take more than a couple of forward-thinking
professionals in the UAE to make it happen.
Technological development will have to
combine with a robust educational pedagogy.
We have a long way to go.
I suspect that the technological development
will come from Oculus, the leading VR
company that is owned by Facebook.
Understandably, having recently become a
father, founder Mark Zuckerberg is becoming
interested in education – and he has the
resources to make this vision happen. It is
perhaps fitting then that he has the last word:
‘After games, we’re going to make Oculus a
platform for many other experiences.
Imagine enjoying a courtside seat at a game,
studying in a classroom of students and
teachers all over the world, or consulting a
doctor face to face – just by putting on your
goggles at home.’
Mark Steed is the director of JESS Dubai, a
non-for-profit school for pupils aged 3 to 18. It
is the leading IB school in the Middle East.
@independenthead @JESS_Director
editorial@elgazette.com
p18-19.indd 3 7/6/2017
OF THE
BOX
Know your funsultant
from your cruffin
English is a fast-evolving order to improve or maintain
language and it pays to keep one’s health.
up to date with the latest new Further extremes include sage
words and phrases. Word-lover smudge: to burn sage in a room
and journalist Adam Jacot de in order to purify it and remove
Boinod does the legwork for negative energy, and heli-
English teachers trying to keep yoga: taking a helicopter to an
up. isolated outdoor location and
Every year new words slip doing a yoga session there.
effortlessly into unofficial, While fitness and food have
informal English. Invariably, to long been linked, the addition
stand the test of time and to
find their way into the official Many
dictionaries, they need to
catch on. This is most likely neologisms
if they incorporate brevity, appear to
wit or inventiveness rather
than simply be a profanity or be from two
vulgarism. predominant
I have gathered my favourite
box recent neologisms (newly sources:
coined words) that have wellness and
originated often from social food
networks, usually from Britain
and America. Many neologisms
appear to be from two
predominant sources: wellness of poke: a salad made with raw
and food. No doubt there is a fish, indicates a current interest
connection. in overall wellbeing. Less
For example, this year we healthy perhaps are piecaken:
have seen the emergence of the a pie baked inside a cake, and
breath coach: someone who you cruffin: a kind of small cake that
pay to give you advice about is shaped like a muffin but made
how to breathe correctly.
of pastry layers like a croissant.
There is also a funsultant: Love of different foods
someone who advises employees around the world has inspired a
on how to make the company wealth of foody additions. They
a more fun place to work, include knafeh: a dish, originally
and a vibe manager: someone from the Middle East, consisting
whose job is to create a good of layers of pastry and soft
atmosphere in the workplace. cheese, soaked in sugar syrup.
From Japan, we have inherited
These are all designed to
create ambient wellness: a state a raindrop cake: a translucent
of improved health deliberately dessert made from mineral
created by a company’s products water and a type of gelatin.
and processes. There is also seitan: a substance
As part of the mindfulness made of wheat that is used in
craze there’s beditate: cooking instead of meat.
What health conscious
to meditate in bed, and times...
heartfulness: a type of
meditation that involves being
aware of your heart, thought to n Adam Jacot de Boinod is the
author of The Meaning of Tingo
create a feeling of calm. Clean and Other Extraordinary Words
sleeping is the practice of getting from around the World, published
enough good-quality sleep in by Penguin Books
19
1:29:58 PM