Hello blogheads,

Today's task is related to our culture.

In your opinion, who is the greatest Chilean of all time?

Say:
Who it is,

What he/she did,

Why this person's deeds are important,

What question you would like to ask this person if you met them.

Mention anything else you think is important.

Write a minimum of 200- 250 words and comment on ALL your classmates' blogs.

Hello bloggers,
Here is some help to practice for the oral interaction test that will be held in the near future. Remember you need a partner for this activity (In pairs)It is a good idea to decide on it now.

You will speak about a topic chosen at random for a minimum of 5 mins.
Giving your opinion

"I think…."


"I feel that…."


"In my opinion…."


"As far as I'm concerned…."


"As I see it…."


"In my view…"

Giving a strong opinion

"I'm absolutely convinced that…."


"I'm sure that….."


"I strongly believe that…."


"I have no doubt that…"


ASKING for SOMEONE'S OPINION

"What do you think (about /of X)?"


"What's your view (on)?"


"How do you see the situation (of)?"

Agreeing and disagreeing
Agreeing

"I think you're right."
"I agree with you."


Strong agreement
"I couldn't agree with you more."
"You're absolutely right."
"I agree entirely."
"I totally agree."


Agreeing in part

"I agree with you up to a point, but..."
"That's quite true, but..."
"I agree with you in principle, but..."


Disagreeing

"I'm not sure I agree with you."
"(I'm afraid) I don't agree."
"(I'm afraid) I disagree."
"(I'm afraid) I can't agree with you."
"(I'm afraid) I don't share your opinion."

Note that when you disagree with someone, you can often sound
more polite by using a phrase such as "I'm afraid..."

Disagreeing strongly

"I don't agree at all."
"I totally disagree."
"I couldn't agree with you less."

Keeping a conversation going
Making comments

"No!" - to show surprise
"I don't believe it!" - to show surprise
"Wow!" - to show admiration or surprise
"That's incredible / amazing / unbelievable" - to show great
interest in the subject of conversation
"How awful / terrible" - to show sympathy with someone else's bad
news

Asking questions

"Really?" - to show surprise
"And you?" - when someone asks you how you are
"Did you?" - can be used to encourage someone to tell their story.

For example, "I saw her last night" "Did you?" "Yes, she was with one of her friends, and she

Learning

something you'd like to learn

There are lots of things I would love to learn to do. However, to be realistic, some of them would be too complicated. For example, I’d love to learn to play the flute but you need a lot of time and dedication to become a competent musician and I don’t think it would be a feasible instrument to learn at this stage of my life. One thing that I would like to learn well would be to play the guitar. I can play basic stuff and I know some chords but I'd like to be able to play any old song nicely and in rythm. I I just wish I wanted it more so I devoted more time to it and improved. I feel and been told I am good. I took singing lessons for some time and made no progress whatsoever, so even though I'd like to sing better, I have little hope. It is all related to my lack of commitment, I suppose. Work and studies really take most of my time and I cannot seem to find time for pleasurable activities more than watching movies and socialize at the weekends.  Another thing I'd like to learn is more about the mother of all sciences =philosophy (This would help me with my studies!). It is also the kind of thing I don't think I find the time to do. Finally, Improving my pc skills and dancing salsa is also on my list but I think I am one of the stiffest people ever:(
Last but not least, I really think this life is a constant learning experience. In everything we do, interaction we have we have something to take with us. I love that.
Write about yourself.
Is there something in particular you would like to learn?
Is there something you started learning and stopped that you would like to pursue?
Tell us about your interest!
write a minimum of 205 words plus 3 comments on blogs where you have not commented before and 1 anywhere you like.

When I was younger, I loved to go out clubbing or to parties. However, in recent years I tend to go out to eat rather than to dance. Santiago has some great restaurants and you can eat out quite cheaply. There are "picadas" like Golfo di Napoli for wonderful pizza or pasta or slightly more expensive places with wonderful International cuisine like Thai House or Olan (Peruvian). I am a Pescatarian, I eat fish and seafood but not meat (of any kind) so that is always a factor when I eat out.

I don’t think I have a favorite kind of food. There are some foods that I do not like much, for example Korean food. I suppose it is because the meat dishes are the specialty. I love very hot food, lots of spices and taste. There is a nice Indian in Santiago. It is a bit pricy but it is really nice.  It is called Rishtedar . Many of the dishes are spicy hot and there is a scale of spiciness from 1 to 6 (from mild to blow-your-head-off). I love spicy food but grade 4 is as hot as I can stand.

I also love places like “el naturista” in the center, where you can enjoy porotos Granados or fantastic quinoa dishes for a very reasonable price.

Write about somewhere you like to eat out.

 Say:

What it’s called,

Where it is,

What it serves,

What you like to eat there.

 

Mention anything else you thing is important. Write at least 200 words. Leave a comment on my blog and on the blogs of 3 classmates.

This week I'd like you to write about the best holiday you ever had. I cannot say for sure but I think mine was a trip my husband and I made to Peru and Bolivia in 2001. We flew to Arica and stayed the night in a hostel. The next day we took a minibus to Tacna and a bus to Arequipa. We stayed in a cheap hostel in Arequipa but also spent one night in Colca Canyon (to see the baby Condors). On the trip to Colca we made friends with 2 Italian guys and 2 Israeli girls who we kept meeting throughout our trip. After about 4 days in Arequipa we took a flight to Cusco. We could have taken a 19-hour bus ride for about 2 dollars but we decided on the 30-minute, 50 dollar flight because it was rainy season and some of the roads were blocked. Also there had been rumours of bandits holding up the buses and robbing the tourists. Cusco was great. Obviously we went to Machu Picchu which was amazing. It was raining when we arrived but the sun came out late in the afternoon when all the one-day tourists had left. My husband and I had arranged to stay overnight in Aguas Calientes, the nearest village, and we walked up to Machu Picchu again the following day at 8 am to see the sunrise. We also climbed Huayna Picchu as well which has an amazing view and is a great place to take photos. In Aguas Calientes we met a group of Argentinians in a bar and they told us about an amazing hotel in Coroico, Bolivia that involved travelling down the "Road of Death". So, off we went to Coroico via Puno (for 30 minutes), Copacobana for two nights, with trips on Lake Titicaca to La Isla del Sol and La Isla de la Luna included, and La Paz. Coroico was great. The Road of Death was scary and the hotel was just as amazing as the Argentinians had said it was. Actually, the Road of Death (in the picture)  was so scary I didn't want to leave Coroico! Eventually, I had to. Luckily we made it back to La Paz safe and sound. A couple of days later we took a bus back to Chile via Lake Chungara. Great trip! So, write about a great holiday you had.

 Say:

 Where you went,

 Who you went with,

 How long you stayed,

 What you did,

 Why you enjoyed it so much.

 Mention anything else you thing is important. Write a comment on the blogs of at least 3 class members.

Hi Guys

Today I’d like to tell you about a band I really like. Actually, it wasn’t easy to decide because I really love music and I sort of enjoy nearly all sorts. Nowadays there is so much choice that with a bit of organization (moneywise), one can get to a couple of shows a year.

One band I really like and have liked for a while is “Rush”. I really like the fact that they have gone through different styles from experimental rock to a more pop style at one point. I like them because some of the lyrics are very meaningful to me and the music is cool. I’ve never been a fan of the lead singer’s voice but I’ve learnt to like it with the years. I think I like many of the songs but today I’ll mention “time stand still” as my favorite ( I don’t really have one!). It brings me a lot of memories from being a teenager and hanging out with friends.

I saw them live a couple of years back here in Santiago and I really enjoyed it.  The musicians are all really great and I think anybody who knows about playing the drums or the guitar would know this. I really enjoyed even the songs I did not know.

What about you?

Refer to a 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
- 210 words minimum
- make 3 comments on your classmates posts.

Option 1

Hello Everyone,
Have a listen to this talk on how language became what it is and how it has evolved and what Mr. Pagel sees as the inevitable future.


Think about what Pagel says and develop your thoughts on this topic. Write what you feel about what he says on the origin of language, on how it has evolved, on what he foresees as the future of language.

How do you feel about your own language? How do you relate it to your identity as an individual and as a Chilean?

http://www.ted.com/talks/mark_pagel_how_language_transformed_humanity.html

Write a 220 Word text on your reflections. Write 3 comments.

Option 2

Write about a free topic. Anything you feel like writing about. Please organize the text. Give it an introduction, develop ideas  and wrap it up!
220 words and 3 comments.

Cheers everyone!

Strike

Hi guys,

Today, I am sitting here in the lab with no students (16:00), and wondering  why my students are not here.

I am not sure this strike is a response to the national issues on education or if it relates to internal problems  of the faculty.

On the one hand, I understand that striking and demonstrating seem to be the only ways to be listened to in this country. On the other hand, thanks to the strikes and the way in which classes are recuperated, we only see the deterioration of an already weak educational system.

It is very complex to find a happy medium.

Write about the problems here in or in your faculty? Here are some questions to help you.

Why is Facso (and a number of faculties at U Chile) on strike this week?

How do you participate in these strikes?

What benefits do you think will be obtained?

From your experience, what are the drawbacks of these strikes?

Can you think of other means that can contribute to obtain what you (students) are after?

Write a minimum of 200 words and 3 comments.

Talk Review

Remember I told you a bit about multiple intelligences a few weeks back? Well, last week I noticed there seems to be an interest in education in this class. This is why I have selected this task for today.

This week we are taking a look at the TED website: http://www.ted.com/.

You can use subtitles in English, please!

You have to visit it, watch Sir Ken Robinson's talk "Do Schools Kill Creativity?" ,


 and then write a 200- word review on  points he makes that you found more/less interesting.
Of course, 3 comments are always a must.

Guys,
Please remember on April the 10th I published the way the blog would be evaluated.
Do not forget that formative evaluation is done in class. If you come, you get the mark. If you don't come, you get a 1.0. It is your responsibility to be in class and to do the work assigned :)
Next week may be important :)

Dear all,

Today we will do a revising task.

I told you about the theory of multiple intelligences because I have to admit I agree with Howard Gardner when he states the traditional idea of intelligence is very limited and the traditional educational models hinder the potential of a lot of children.

I structured my presentation in a way that allowed me to show you the foundation and the main elements of this theory in 3:30 minutes. I also allowed for a short justification of the topic chosen. I think like the idea that Gardner really challenged most experts in cognitive psychology and to a certain extent development. I strongly believe this theory should be applied at elementary school level so all children could develop their strengths and improve their weaknesses.

Today, I’d like you to revise for your presentations this Thursday.

Tell us about the topic you have chosen.

Why you’ve chosen it

How you will organize it

Roughly mention what  the most interesting part of this theory is, author, etc. And why you think it could be interesting for us as an audience.

Write a minimum of 190 words and write 3 comments J

Hi Guys,
Please remember you need to show command on Thursday. If you stand in front of the class to read, the máximum mark you will get is a 3.5. The same if your slides have long texts. Remember you should have just a few words and short ideas to help you and the audience :)

Dear all:

Today I’d like to tell you a bit about myself. When I finished school I realized I did not know what to do. I loved languages but I also loved music. So I took a year off and worked to save money. Later I entered translation because I liked languages. I did English and German but right in the middle of it, there was a chance to travel to Germany and work there. So I did. When I got back to Chile I fell into teaching by chance.  Later I got my teaching degree.

I think teachers are a great contribution to society but only if they have a vocation. If not, they may be great researchers or academics, but not good educators. I feel a teacher needs to be alert and attentive to what is happening in the classroom in the whole sense of the word. They also need a lot of patience & knowledge in their area of study. A teacher, as any other professional needs constant training  (formal or informal) because the world changes, students change, and so does methodology.

I think one of my favorite subjects at Uni was phonetics. I loved the idea of studying & recognizing the English sounds and also to contrast them with the Spanish sounds. I also enjoyed semantics and pragmatics.

One professional I admire in my area of study is Rod Ellis. He is very well known in the area of second language acquisition.  He has published a lot of books & I love the way he writes. In his books he has covered areas of second language acquisition not only from the traditional angle but also in a more critical fashion. He has got a very clear way to express his ideas. I think this is good because not all teachers have the time to read and if it is too complex, they may get lost and stop reading. This, I think is because the lack of research most teachers (especially school teachers!) do

Say:

-Why are you studying this career?

- How do professionals in your area contribute to society?

- What tools will a professional in your area need to have in the future?

- What is your favourite subject?

- Include this and more in your answer.

- 195 words minimum. (3 comments to classmates)

Up in arms! Post May 2

Hi guys,
Today we read a piece of news about the banning of miniskirts in Korea. I personally find this kind of prohibition crazy. There is so much happening in this world, there are so many things which are unfair that worring about how people dress is a joke to me. I am sure in Korean women are well pissed off.
So today I think it would be good to write about something that gets us "up in arms".
I could give you some examples:
I get "up in arms" when I see people being nasty or arrogant to others. I get slightly upset when adults are being stupid  and don't want to admit it until it is too late. I also get up in arms when I see we have a state that only benefits entrepreneus and not citizens (in many ways)
I suppose there is no point in getting upset. We need to let people make their own choices.
Write about something that gets you up in arms.
Is there anything you find unacceptable?
You can refer to laws like the one passed in Korea about miniskirts or a different one. You can refer to a personal experience or someone else's.
Refer to
What exactly is it that makes (or made ) you angry?
Why ?
What do you think you can do to overcome negative feelings or to change things?
Include any other other information you find relevant.

Write  a minmum of 180 words
Write a minimum of 4 comments.

Today we have a free topic. 

I am going to write about something I like and something that makes me happy. “Plants”.

I have always wanted  to live out  the city but the possibility to buy a house is becoming less and less of a chance, so in 2011 started growing stuff  on my balcony.  I decided on this after watching a documentary called “food inc”. In this , they speak about how very few corporations have become the owners of all food.  I started reading about the pesticides and which vegetables tend to absorb them the most (it is the green ones!).  Since I have always been a city person I went to a “vegetable workshop” and after that, I bought all the necessary elements for  this. Pots, soil, and other stuff.

The first  seeds I got were for tomatoes, spring onion and chives. Later I got coriander, parsley and lettuce . Nowadays I have also Matico, llantén and a lot of flowers.  I like flowers with loud colors.

I like the idea of growing stuff without chemicals. It tastes different. It tastes good and it is cheaper :)

I also have a lot of worms for hummus (natural fertilizer) in case you want some...

Today you get what you wanted.
Today you have a "free post"
Remember to include the following.
When you became interested in this topic/person, etc.
Why you find it interesting. What is special about it.

Write a minimum of 180 words and 4 comments.

Listening practice

http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/listen-and-watch

http://elt.oup.com/student/headway/preint/f_everydayenglish/hwy_pre_dialogue08?cc=cl&selLanguage=en

http://elt.oup.com/student/headway/preint/f_everydayenglish/hwy_pre_dialogue01?cc=cl&selLanguage=en

http://www.elllo.org/

http://www.esl-lab.com/

Dear bloggers,

This week I'd like you to write about an ambition you have for the future. It could be a trip you would like to make, a sport you would like to try, a person you would like to meet or a job you would like to do. It could be almost anything!

Personally, I have more than one ambition. One of them has to do with travelling. I have been very lucky and travelled a fair bit in Latin America and Europe. However, I’d love to visit Asia and India in particular I am a sensitive person so I know poverty and injustice would shock me and make me sad, but it is the rich culture which has inspired me lots. I would like to learn about Ayurveda medicine but I am also very interested in meditation so I’d love to maybe join a Zen Buddhist temple for some time. I think doing this would bring me peace of mind and personal happiness. This is not an easy goal to achieve but I have hopes that one day, I will do it.  

 I think a lot of things have inspired me, in particular, the readings by “Osho” and also a friend of mine who, in my opinion has found the perfect spiritual balance through meditation.

Write about an ambition you have.

Say:

What your ambition is,

Why you would like to achieve this ambition,

Who or what inspired your ambition,

What it would mean to you to fulfill your ambition.

Write at least 160 words. Leave a comment on at least 4 blogs.

Remember you can practice basic stuff here.

http://thelastclassine.blogspot.com/

It is your responsibility :)

Hi Guys,
I read all the posts and I'd like to give you some English tips.

Please remember to take advantage of the sites I have posted on this blog (Links ABOVE) to help you in your writing process.

Please use the information below to help you, too
I'd like to remind you that English, as opposed to Spanish, always needs a subject in a new sentence.
E.g.
Se fue y nunca volvio. She left and never returned.
Fuimos a esa fiesta y lo pasamos súper.   We went to that party and we had a great time
No lo publicaron por razones políticas.(¿Quienes? Ellos) They did not publish it for political reasons.
Fue una excelente idea  It was a great idea.

Notice that in English, the adjective (calificativo) always goes before the noun (sustantivo)

Fue un viaje terrible. It was a terrible journey.
Vieron algunos paisajes extraordinarios. They saw some amazing landscapes.
Ese libro era muy bueno. That was a really good book.

Lastly, don't forget to conjugate the verbs in the past when you are referring to the past.

I love the internet.I love the fact that I can learn about anything I am interested in or just ask about particular things. I spend some time on the internet every day. I use google a lot, I use gmail, youtube and facebook sometimes, etc.

I am interested in politics even though I despise most politicians. Politics is present everywhere and in all areas, and I suppose I became interested the day I realized how Education was affected by political decisions. How educational research to a large extent was determined by the administration at the time.

A few years back, I was reading about genetically modified food and found a website by chance. The site is www. democraciadirecta.cl. I liked it immediately because it showed news about communities and ordinary people, about decisions taken and affecting a lot of citizens. I like to know about the people in general and not just about those around me. I like to see articles about issues that do not appear in mass media.I visit this website once a week and look at interesting articles. Another website I like is www. ciperchile.cl. This website shows a lot of serious journalistic research that would never appear on TV. A friend of mine told me about this site by chance. I visit it every two weeks more or less.

Write about a website you like. Why you like it. How you discovered it and how often you visit it.

Write a minimum of 160 words. Post 1 comment on your teacher’s blog and 2 comments on 2 different classmates J

Hello everybody,

First of all, I hope you are very well.

As you can see on my blog at the top (↑), there are tabs with useful websites so you can quickly access useful material: Plataforma- website, a dictionary site, a pronunciation dictionary site, word order site, etc. You can customizeyour blog too!

Before we start blogging seriously, there are some important points we need to address.

The blog activity has been design to be done IN CLASS. Why? Because we want to make sure you do the full activity (post + comments) in the time assigned, with the resources assigned (Especially your teacher to guide you). The blog activity can be done with a dictionary (NOT A TRANSLATOR) Why?“Because we want you to learn from the experience”.By using your head when writing in English, you actually take in the word order in English and you actually learn vocabulary as you use it. With the dictionary you learn, with the translator you don’t. So if you use a translator in class, you get the minimum mark for your post :(

Remember by reading my post you can learn about word order and structure. There is evidence we learn when we read!!!

About the marking for the blog activities.

When you come to class and do the post and comments in class, you get 2 points.

When you don’t come to class and do the post and comments within 48 hours, you get 1 point.

No post, no points.

The final mark for the blog consists of two marks.

1 mark for “coming to class and do the blog post and comments in class”

1 mark for 3 particular blog posts. These will be selected and marked considering linguistic aspects.

Let’s start!

Hello Everyone,
My name is Beatriz and I am a Chilean teacher in my thirties. I am a teacher and a translator and a linguistics fan. I also love animals, movies, music. I really like research in the area of education especially within the critical paradigm. I love travelling and getting to know new people.

I like the simple things in life; birds, flowers, plants, and camping out of the city and spending time with my family. I also like going places in my bicycle. I come to Uni on my bike most of the time :) 
One of my dreams is to visit Asia. I hope I can do it one day :)
I like teaching, especially the area of linguistics.
Good bye....

Welcome to Evening mix class!

Follow the instructions below.
Please ask if you don't understand.

Your first task is to create a blog and to link all your classmates.
To begin with you need to create a gmail account.

1. If you have a google account: sign in first, if you don’t have a google account: create a google account
2. Go to: http://www.blogger.com/
3. Click: create your blog now
4. Please remember to change the language during set up so that your blog is in English.
5. Name your blog
6. Choose any template you like
7. Go to dashboard, scroll down to the bottom of the page & change the language to English.

8 Go to design, add a gadget, layout,  LINK LIST, and add names & links and when you have the last name linked, save. Ask the teacher if you are not sure.

9. Start posting (dashboard) Write a short introduction of yourself :) Minimum 120 words