It's now or never

So this is the time and place to talk about this Blogging experience. In my opinion, I think it was useful because I got a chance to get to know you better and to know your weaknesses along with your strengths. That was useful to know what to emphasize in class.
I consider myself very lucky in having such interesting students, being able to learn from them and, hopefully, helping them improve their writing. I definitely enjoyed reading your stories and comments. All of you are very talented young students with incredibly imaginative minds. You created wonderful stories and told me and your classmates a little bit more about yourselves, tastes, likes and dislikes.
I have to admit though that it was very difficult to keep the rhythm of the classes because we had both classes the same day and we had several holidays.
Definitely one of the disadvantages was having to tell some of you every 5 min to stop using other resources online and to "focus!" on what we were doing. Especially to some of you that get so easily distracted. Yes, you know who I'm talking about. At the same time, the advantage of being there while you were writing and correct/help you when you needed it, it was very good because that gave me a much better idea of how you were really progressing in your writing.

Thank you all for giving, or at least trying to give, your best in this activity.

Now it's your turn:

Write about your blogging experience.

- Did you enjoy it? Why? Why not?

- Did it help you improve your English?

- Give your opinion of the advantages and disadvantages of blogging in the English class.

- Add comments to at least 3 of your classmates’ blogs

- Minimum 200 words

Nightmares, ghosts, trees and The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

I think that everybody, at least once, has had a horrible nightmare. Some people say that they are triggered by events that you live through the day or shocking things that you see and store in your memory.

I remember when I was little my whole family used to rent an old house in Coquimbo for the summer. We were usually about 12 people distributed in 3 or 4 bedrooms. Mostly teenagers and children. Once one of my cousins from the south came with us. He is from Temuco. One day, we were watching a movie at night. At that night cartoons were even weirder than now. I really don't understand how could I ever be interested in seeing 4 mutant turtles with the names of famous Italian Renaissance painters that learnt ninjutsu from a mutant rat called Splinter.

Anyhow, after watching the movie we all went to bed. There weren't many beds so my cousin from Temuco had to sleep in the couch. It was a typical night in Coquimbo. Very dark, windy and chilly. Every two hours you heard the train passed a couple of blocks from our house, the branches of the trees outside the house created strange shadows in the walls with the street light that entered the living room and the windows were usually gently hit by the motion of the branches against them.

It might have been around 3AM when we heard an awful scream. "Al-wanda!!!!"-my cousin cried out. He kept repeating that word, screaming, and shouting like crazy. We all woke up and went to see. He was crying. Apparently he had had a nightmare but he was so terrified he couldn't speak. Everybody kept wondering what could that word mean... Al-wanda. My mom thought it was a famous criminal in the south, or somebody he knew back there. After a few minutes he calmed down and said "Al-wanda... the rat... Splinter, outside". Nobody had a clue about what he was saying. But suddenly he pointed outside and repeated the word, and somebody said "algo-anda"... Complete silence followed and then we all laughed our hearts out. After a few minutes we all came back to bed. We had had enough of mutants suspense for the night.

Ok, now it's your turn.
This is a themed blog session. Just try to follow the directions given in class. Remember to keep it clear, simple, and use different paragraphs to separate your ideas. 


You have to write about 180 words and, as usual, you have to leave comments on at least three of your classmates' posts.

Ted

One of my favorite websites is Ted-Talks www.ted.com. I really like it because it has lectures from very well-known and knowledgeable scholars and scientists that talk about a wide range of topics, from science, nature and the human body to theater, art, and education.
I use this website every week to ask some of my students to practice listening to specific-content lectures. If they have difficulty understanding, they can use subtitles provided they are in English, of course!! And if they are still having difficulty understanding, they can read the transcripts with me in class and check for useful vocabulary and discussing later about the topic.
There is one new section in this website that I like a lot. This is Ted-Ed. It also has lectures but these are accompanied by very entertaining and illustrative videos that make your understanding of the topic a lot easier. http://ed.ted.com/lessons Another important feature of this website is that once you finish the lecture, a set of 5-6 questions appears so you can assess your understanding of the topic and you can also answer some questions and dig deeper into the topic if you find it interesting. I definitely recommend it!!

Now it's your turn!
You have to write a blog and you can choose between these two topics:

Option 1
- Write about a career-related website that you enjoy visiting:
You should
-provide a link
- Describe the website (sections, features, etc)
- say how often you visit this website
-explain why you like it

Option 2:
Who is a person/expert on your field that you admire?
You should say:
- Who she/he is (short biography)
- What she/he has done (examples of their work)
-Why you like her/him.
- Include his/her image.

Write about 170 words.
Add comments to at least 3 of your classmates' blogs.

My favorite picture

I really don't know when this picture was taken, but I love it. It represents many, if not all, of the things I search for in life: peace, love, nature.
I think it's pretty clear what it shows... Valparaíso Bay. It was taken after a rainy day. You can see the clouds covering most of the sky and the sun setting in the horizon. You can also see some of the buildings and a couple of ships. 

This is a picture taken from one of the places where I have been the most happy in my life. It takes me back to many precious moments that I will definitely never forget. The picture was taken by a very special person, my best friend, and the first time I saw it I was mesmerised by it and since then, I see it everyday.
Every time I look at it I just want to go back...

Now it's your turn.
You have to describe a picture that you like. You have to write
- who took it
- when it was taken
- why you like it
- what it shows and you have to upload it too!!

GOOD LUCK!

Technology

I have had my computer for more than two years now. It's a netbook. It's small, white, light and very useful. I got it because mine was stolen from the institute I used to work in. I mainly use it for work, but I have to admit that I also use it to do a lot more things e.g. to contact friends, family, buy things, etc.
Sometimes it's difficult to do certain things with it because it doesn't have installed a "normal" operating system. It has Linux... Ubuntu, actually. I really like it, because it's user-friendly and all the programs are free, but it isn't always compatible.
I use my computer almost everyday, whether it be for work or leisure. And even though it doesn't have that much memory, I have tons of information in it, so I would go crazy without it.

Now it's your turn:

Task:
Write about your favourite piece of technology.

Say:

What it is.
When you got it.
How you use it.
How often you use it.
Why you like it.
What life would be like without it.


- 130 words minimum.
- Include a picture.
- Comment on at least 3 of your classmates’ blogs.

Feeling the blues

Born in Dallas, Texas in 1954, Stevie Ray Vaughan was the talented leader of Double Trouble, a soul rock band that unfortunately did not release many records.
SRV died very young; he was only 35 when his helicopter crashed when it was heading to Chicago right after two amazing  jamming sessions with Clapton.
"Texas Flood" is a master piece that shows the potential that this amazing guitarist had and how, even when you may not have any professional training - he couldn't even read music-  you can skilfully make a Stratocaster talk, loud and clear.
I like SRV because it just lights up my day whenever I listen to him. He was unbelievably talented and his tunes take me to places I've never been to, but can clearly imagine.

I love all the songs of the album and even though I think "Lenny" is my favorite one, I'll end this post paying tribute to the name of my blog... A nursery rhyme that rocks the blues out of you.

 

Now it's your turn!

- Task: You have to choose one of the following topics and write at least 120 words and post comments to at least three of your classmates' posts.

- band / singer >>

- name
- what do you know about them?
- what type of music do they play?
- why do you like this artist/band?
- what's your favorite song? why?
- publish a picture or video

or 

concert/exhibition >>

- what was it?
- when did you go?
- where was it?
- why did you like it?
- mention more details about it
- publish a related picture or video

To be or not to be

I was born in Santiago  and I have lived here all my life. I am the youngest daughter in a close-knit family and the only sibling that still lives in Chile. Both my brother and my sister got married and are living in the USA, San Francisco and Virginia, correspondingly.
When I finished my high school studies, all I wanted to do was to study Archaeology.  Unfortunately, I was never accepted, so I decided to study English literature and linguistics. So, I began a BA in English Linguistics and Literature without even knowing what Linguistics was (I was there for the Literature part). Luckily, I loved it. Even though it was very hard, I managed to successfully pass all the courses and I graduated with honors from Universidad de Chile.
I have always been intrigued and interested in Arabic culture, so I decided to do a Diploma in Arabic at the Arabic Studies Center (UChile). I was unbelievably hard to learn a new alphabet; it took me 6 months! but I finally managed to understand most of the symbols and sounds.
Since I left school I have been a vegetarian. I love trying new dishes and I really enjoy cooking, especially pastries. I also like sports, though it sounds a bit ironic when people find out that I don't know how to ride a bicycle... but I'm learning. You can learn anything if you have the will to do it. Right now I'm practising yoga. It is very fun and believe or not, it can be very demanding sometimes!

Now, your task:

You have to write your own auto biography

You have to write at least 120 words and you have to include:

- birth info

- studies info (elementary/high school/ univ)

- hobbies

- family info 

- others 

And don't forget to post comments on at least 3 of your classmates' posts!