International Students and the Internet Francis Leo Collins
Department of Geography National University of Singapore
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International education and transnationalism Cyber-space,
everyday life and transnationalism Mediating educational mobility:
Community portal New Zealand Iyagi Personal homepages Cyworld
minihompy Conclusion
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Methodology: Survey ( n =118); policy/media; participant
observation Interviews: key informants ( n =15); students ( n =29),
former students ( n =14) Diary/mapping exercise ( n =14); personal
homepage analysis ( n =7) Research focus: South Korean
international students in Auckland International students as urban
agents and the transformation of urban space Role of transnational
networks and actors in the mobility and everyday lives of
international students Cyberspaces and intl student lives: Internet
resources as part of student mobility and everyday lives Role of
personal homepages in maintenance of transnational ties Cyberspaces
and interactions with local populations
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Bridges to Learning: Transnational activities that serve to
bridge the distance between student origins and study destinations
Institutional connections Industry intermediaries Interpersonal
networks
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Cyberspace TransnationalismEveryday life
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Korean average: ~11hours/week (2006)
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Post Is there anyone who went to School A during your study
English overseas, or who is currently attending there or who has
attended there? I would like to know if this school is worth to go.
Replies: 1) You will regret if you go there. More than half of the
class is Koreans. Well, any major schools are like this though 2)
My friend went and enjoyed there more than 1 year and came back to
Korea. 3) School A Auckland has 140 students limit but more than 40
are Koreans. Of course its a famous school. Ha ha 4) I am currently
attending School A There are many Koreans in the classes up to the
intermediate level in most schools but there are really a lot of
Europeans in the high-intermediate classes and above at this
school. 5) I am currently attending School B. There are only two
Koreans and the rest are European classmates. Perhaps its worth to
think about the atmosphere of the school when you decide your
school.
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Be Careful of Tutors: I found a tutor because I had an urgent
essay assignment. I explained him about the essay and asked him if
he could help me in advance. He was very confident and he even said
he could write it for me. I met the tutor who cost me $40 an hour
and minimum of 2 hours. When he was helping my essay he didnt
paraphrase the text book contents but almost copied it and let me
know. (Actually I can write the essay like that by myself.) Because
I have been studying overseas only for 1 year my English is not
very good but anyone knows that we cannot copy an essay and submit
it as an assignment. Thus, I told him we shouldnt copy the textbook
too much but he insisted that it was the right way to write an
essay and got angry at me. He really seemed that he just wanted to
fill those hours He is a very old man. During the lesson he spat
out phlegm and blew his nose. Ok, I can understand it if he got a
cold. However, he even touched his toes with his fingers. Is this
OK during the lesson? The teachers who said they are very
confident. Theres nothing they cant do in verbal. When you need a
tutor please find a tutor who is specialised in the subject where
you need help. Otherwise you will waste your money, just like me
Please be careful!!
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To agents who sent messages and replies to questions about
language schools People have been posting suggestions or questions
about agents a lot on the board. I am not surprised. It costs
students a lot of money and they are not very sure of it. Recently
I have seen many agents sending many messages as replies to these
posts as advertisements. I wonder if such personal business minded
replies provide the right information. Also, I think such replies
will confuse the correct right information about the language
school. You probably know that New Zealand Iyagi caf is not the
place where language school agents can run your business. Thus, I
have downgraded the membership of a number of agents who sent
advertising messages to other members. Enough is enough. Please do
not run your business in this caf.
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FLC: Why did you choose to study in New Zealand? Actually at
that time I really wanted to go abroad to study English. First
purpose was a to study English. At that time I was really afraid of
going abroad by myself but fortunately I met Jin-Hee on her website
and Jin-Hee told me she could help me a lot and quite a little bit
I relied on her. Female, Language student
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We used to have a diary each; like it's a diary and you put
like stickers and you would stick photos of friends, it's like
offline kind of thing, it's like offline Cyworld. [With Cyworld]
it's changed to online trend now and everyones doing it and even
the celebrity in Korea is doing it, so it's becoming really really
popular. Female, Tertiary student Everyone is using that [Cyworld]
and it's about myself. I can put pictures and other thingshow do I
say my friends I can write about me and anything else on the
internet. Female, Language student
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Community portal New Zealand Iyagi Construction and circulation
of knowledge about study destinations Shared resources for making
educational choices and learning strategies Personal homepages
Cyworld minihompy Facilitate maintenance of interpersonal networks
that support student mobility Contribute to construction and
circulation of knowledge about place Mediate the distance and
difference students encounter while studying abroad
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Cyberspace contributes to institutional, industry and
interpersonal bridges to learning that facilitate international
student mobility New Zealand Iyagi and Cyworld minihompy also
influence the manner in which cross-border educational mobility
takes place Conceptions of where learning can and should take place
are being challenged Cyberspace contributes to the educational
mobility of some Koreans (facilitating class
attainment/reproduction) Mediates otherwise commercial market
forces through community formations and interpersonal networks The
widespread use of cyber-space has, arguably, democratised learning
Cyberspace mediates and at times directs international student
mobilities Transnationally where students study Locally how
students adapt to new educational environs, maintain linkages with
home Local, national, and international geographies (and social
inequalities) of virtual education