Level 4 >> Post 10 (week 13) English Language Challenges

> What comments can you make about your experience learning English at university? What about the use of blogs?

> What aspects of your English need to be improved and how do you plan to do this?

> Outside the English class, how much are you using English these days? What for?

- Wordcount: 260

- Make comments on 3 of your partners' posts + 1 comment on my blog.


Hi dear students, today's blog session is about the English challenges during the process at university and in the future.

I think using blogs while learning, in this case English language, has a lot of importance, because you have to use the language to show your thoughts. Also, it gives you the opportunity to be in touch with the language the whole time. The use of blogs or any other interactive platform to learn English not only at university, but in general terms is an amazing manner to improve your skills as a non-native speaker. I believe that by using blogs you can improve your writing skills as well as your knowledge about vocabulary.

However my speaking skills are not bad at all, I think I have to improve them in order to have more understanding of variety of topics, so I can talk to people about them. Also, my reading skills are quite good but they need to be improved as well. In order to improve my skills, I will start a weekly plan to remember everything I've forgotten about these two important skills. I will start by reading a lot of tips about reading and speaking skills, so at the end of this year I will recover every aspect of my English abilities.

I use English all the time, wherever I go I can use my English, because tourists are usually lost so I give them directions or just a piece of advice about a new place in town or the best way to move around the city.


That's all folks.


See you soon (I hope)

LEVEL 4 (WEEK 12) POST 9 >> Changes to my study programme

Hello class,

Today's blog session is tremendously important, as it has to do with your own life a students.

So, the question is the following, IF YOU WERE IN CHARGE OF THE CAREER, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE? 

In this session, you will have to write about these things:


>  The curriculum (the subjects you have to study)

>   Workload and length of studies (the time your studies last and the quantity of work you have to do)

> Faculty facilities (buildings and infrastructure)

> Use of technology

> Teaching methods (how teachers teach the subjects)

In my experience as a student of pedagogy in English, I would change several things like the use of technology and some teaching methods that some teachers had when I was a student. Also, my career has some practicum subjects, only 2 of them, so the idea is to creat more practicums as the students need to practice in real life what to be a teacher means. 

The curriculum in my career can have some variations from university to university, as one University can focus more in the pronunciation or another University can have its focus on the Evaluation process. According to this, the curriculum should have more subjects where students can show their abilities, for example speaking in real situations and not only with books, creating more and different materials to teach properly the different abilities of English. 

As well as a lot of careers, Pedagogy lasts for 5 years and I think that's too much time, because every University adds different subjects according to their vision and mission, for example my University is Catholic so they add subjects related to religion and catholicism. Sometimes, they can be a waste of time for you, if you don't believe in these point of views. 

Finally, the facilities of the Universities need to be good and they should have everything you need to carry out your tasks in a good way. My University didn't have too many things to practice our English, they only have 1 English lab for the entire career, and we were too many students for only 1 room, in which you could find computers and some dictionaries. I would add more labs and more things to practice the language, like a room where you can create plays and make different speaking tasks, because as you know is one of the most important aspects when you learn a different language.

That's all.

So, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE IN YOUR CAREER?

Don't forget to comment on your classmates' blogs (3 posts) and 1 comment on my blog.

   

LEVEL 4 (WEEK 11) POST 8 >> PERSONAL OPINIONS

Dear students,

Today's blog is a lot different from the rest of what we have been doing the semester, and here is why. On this blog you need to choose 4 of the questions and give your opinion about them.

Here are the questions:

List 1:

                      

What is your opinion about owning an exotic pet?
What is your opinion about women in the military?
What is your opinion about child labor?
What is your opinion about violence on television?
What is your opinion about tattoos?
What is your opinion about killing stray dogs to prevent sanitary problems and animal over population?


List 2:

                 

What is your opinion about legalizing marijuana and other drugs?
What is your opinion about the Chilean tradition called ‘mechoneo’?
What is your opinion about cloning?
What is your opinion about recycling?
What is your opinion about “barras bravas” (hooligans)?
What is your opinion about legalizing abortion in some cases?

Okay, to start with this blog I will choose 4 questions and each question will have its answer, so feel free to copy the way I'm doing it, or you can do it as you feel more comfortable.

- My first question is the following: What's my opinion about tattoos? 

Well, I think tattoos are really awesome, because they aren't just ink or a simple draw in your skin, they are more than that, as each tattoo has its own meaning and every tattoo reminds you of a situation, a place, a person or even a moment when you were happy or sad. 

Even though having a tattoo done can be really painful for some people, I believe is one of the best ways to keep your memories alive. I myself have 8 tattoos at this moment, and each day I want another one, so if you want to have a tattoo done, don't think about it twice!!! Just do it! 

- My second question today is the next one: What is your opinion about owning an exotic pet?

This is a tough questions, because I love animals and I think they deserve to have live free wherever they want without cages or any other thing that prevents them to be safe. I believe that exotic animals deserve to live far away from the big cities, and far away from people who want to hurt them because of their skin, fur or even horns, in the case of elephants. 

People who own exotic pets should take them back to the wilderness and make those animals to live free, but there're other people who are hunting them, so they'll never be safe enough living outside. Perhaps, if people can take a really good care of the animal and be worried about it, they should continue doing it, as they can be away from hunters. 

- My third question for this blog is: What is your opinion about “barras bravas” (hooligans)?

Hooligans come from the English football and I don't know if have ever watched a football match from England. Well, I have... and let me tell you that they can be really scary. Hooligans are a group of fans who support a specific team.. But what's the matter with them? It's good that you support a football team, what is not correct is to hurt people by supporting your team, or just because THAT person likes the rival of your team. 

I believe that "high-risk matches" should be played without people, or people in charge should worry more about the fans who attend these matches. Also, there should be more control with these "hooligans" and don't let them be in any of these matches if they have a police record. 

- Finally, the last question of today's blog is: What is your opinion about child labor?

I don't support child labor at all... I believe that a child should be just that... A child!! A child can play, run and be happy. I really hate when I see children on the streets working or asking for money.. because they should be at schools, or simply having fun.. 

I know that this thought can be quite positivist and naive, because in our country people with low incomes send their children to work and earn some money, while parents are just sitting in their house waiting for them to bring some money, and it can't be like that... I know there're laws that support children in this matter, but... Are these laws really working as they should? I think they're useless if nobody says anything when they see a child working on the streets. Laws can't work if no one is interested in making the system work as it should.

Well.... Those are my opinions!! Do you agree or disagree?? Let me know your thoughts!!! 

- Make comments on 3 of your partners' posts + a comment on your teacher's post.

- Number of words: 240 minimum (60 per answer aprox.)

POST #7: Themed post #3 --> A favourite picture of you

Say the following things while you write your text:

- Why do you like it?
- Where are you in the picture?
- How long ago was the picture taken?
- Describe the situation in which the picture was taken.
- How do you feel when you see the picture?


Number of words: 230

Don't forget to make comments on at least 3 of your classmates posts.

Hello dear survivors of the English course, today's blog session is about a picture of you. Well, I already added a picture of myself and I hope you like it.

I'm going to tell you more about the picture. I think you all know where the photo was taken, yes!! It's our beautiful London. For someone like me, I mean a Teacher of English, being there is like a dream came true. I really like this picture, because as a said it's in London and also because it was one of my first travels in Europe.

This photo was taken back in 2010, a long time ago, but every time I see this picture is like being there once again. It was the first day, I have just arrived from Sweden and I think it was past midnight. Well, after a long journey, by taxi, from the airport to the hostel a friend of mine took this photo. The taxi cost at least £150, which is equivalent to $97.000, so you can imagine how I felt when the taxi driver told me how much I had to pay. After this photo was taken, I went to grab something to eat because I haven't eaten anything at that moment and luckily I found a good and cheap place.

I chose this picture because it reminds me that dreams come true, and if you work hard and put a lot of effort in achieving what you want, you will get your reward in the future.

LEVEL 4 - POST 6 - POSTGRADUATE STUDIES (WEEK 8)

Dear Students,

Today, you need to write about a postgraduate course that you would consider taking in the future.

Include:

- Reasons to do the course
- Subject(s) you would like to study
- Where you would like to study (Chile or abroad)
- How you would like to study (distance learning, blended system, part-time course, etc)
- Any other relevant ideas

- Make comments on 3 of your classmates’ posts + a comment on your teacher's post.


- Word Count: 220 words


Hello dear students,
Today's blog is about something quite similar to the last session, but this time you will have to focused on your "post graduate studies". What are these post-graduate studies? Well, in short, they are a complement for your undergraduate studies, and in some cases they are more important than your previous studies. Here you can study more in depth what you like the most and what you want to put more emphasis in the future (in your job)

As you may know, I already have a post-graduate study, I got my Master's degree last year and one of the main reasons for doing it, guess what?, was to get more money! No kidding, it was just that I needed to do it for personal growth and also, because I wanted to learn more about that subject. My master was about Methodology in English, but the entire name of it was "Magister en la Enseñanza del Inglés como Lengua Extranjera", it's quite a long name, but it sounds really nice when I tell people that I've studied that.

Actually, I learned quite a lot during these studies and if I'm really critic with my undergraduate University, I have to say that I learned more in my Master than I learned during my 5 years of Pedagogy. I know it sounds weird, but it's true! Sometimes, long careers are just a waste of time, and Universities force you to take subjects that nobody cares about, but that's another topic!

Now, I'm really thinking about going abroad to study and start doing another Master! (Yes, I like studying... :) ) As I said in the previous blog, I'm thinking of going to England or Sweden to study a Master in Linguistics which is one of my dreams. Here in Chile, you can find the same Master in Universities like USACH or P.U.C, but it's not the same, so that's why I'd like to go there and study a full-time course for a complete year. I think the main reason to do this Master is that it will allow me to teach whatever I want at whatever University I want, because they teach you different and more advanced things like Grammar and Phonetic things (I actually studied these topics at university, but every year, somebody came up with new things)

Well, I know what you might be thinking, Oh! You're going abroad to study, you must be crazy!! Actually, it's true, I might be crazy, but crazy people do crazy things to be happy, and I strongly believe that this is the NEXT STEP in my career as a teacher!! And apart from that, it's ENGLAND! What else can I ask for!!!

So, if you're thinking about studying something else, take a look at some scholarships and you'll see that it's not difficult to get one!!!!

Please, tell me if you're considering taking a post-graduate in your area of expertise either here in Chile or in another country...

LEVEL 4 >> POST 5: My Future Job (week 7)

Hello students,

Here you have the blog session of today's class. These are the questions you need to answer. 

> At university, what major have you taken / are you thinking of taking? Explain why.

> What kind of job would you like to have? Describe.

> What aspects would you consider when choosing your job?

> If you were asked in a job interview about your strengths and weaknesses, what would you say?


> Words: 210

> Leave comments on 3 of your partners posts.


USEFUL WORDS AND PHRASES: (by Juan Luzzi)

-I’ve taken… / I’m doing a major in… / I’m thinking of taking… / I’m considering to study…/ I’m planning to do… / I have in mind to… / I’ve decided to… / I’m hoping to… / I’m playing with idea of… __ing / I’d love to…/ I can’t choose between ….. or …../ I’m torn between ….. and ..… / It looks like I’m going to… / As long as we can get ……………, I'll be studying… / I’m not 100% sure, but I might …/ It's a toss-up between ……… and ………..

-I’d like to get a job as…/ I’d like to work as …/ I hope to get a job in… /I wouldn’t like to…/

- Some aspects could be: Salary - Benefits - Location – Hours - Co-workers - work atmosphere/environment.

- I’m good at … ___ing / I’m good with… (money, numbers,etc)/ I’m terrible at…./ I become nervous about ___ing / I am very confident in… __ing / I can… / I can’t… /

MY FUTURE JOB

         Hello there, in today's blog session I'll be telling you more about my future job. As you may know, I studied English pedagogy at Universidad Católica Silva Henríquez for 5 years. Since then, I've taken several courses to improve my English skills. I've just completed my Master's degree in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL). The main reason for doing this, despite the salary or the benefits, is that I love teaching and more importantly I love English as a whole.

         I'd like to get a job as a teacher of an English programme, maybe in a good environment where people share ideas and experiences, in order to keep learning how to be better teacher every day. I'm not 100% sure about the location andt the amount of hours per week, but I might like to work at my home University.

          I've been interviewed in several occasions and I've answered their questions in the same way every time. I'm good at learning new things, also I'm good with languages but I'm terrible at remembering things, such as names and dates. I can create different and innovating material, but I can't work at home after my schedule.

          Well, now I'm playing with the idea of going abroad to get a PhD in Applied Linguistics and then to work doing research all around the world, but I can't choose between going to Sweden or to England.


Can you help me out with my decision?

Level 4 - Post 4 (week 6) > Free/Themed Post 2

THE BEST TECHNOLOGICAL DEVICE IN MY LIFE

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.


Wordcount: 200 --> PLEASE, STICK TO THIS AMOUNT OF WORDS.



Hey guys!

In today's blog session I'll tell you more about my favourite technological device. Well, as you may notice during the lessons, I'm always carrying my computer with me, because it's a part of me. So, my beloved tech device is the computer.

I still remember when I first got this computer, it was the first thing I bought with my very first salary as a teacher 5 years ago. I believe that's why I take care so much of it and also because I save everything in it. I can keep everything here, from old pictures and different types of movies to lessons material. In addition, I use it all the time, for example to watch movies, listen to music and to keep in touch with my family or friends.

One of the things I like the most about my computer is how useful can be, because I can keep everything saved without using any paper or space at home; although, some people might say that a cellphone is more useful than a computer, but I think a computer is better in terms of utility.

According to what my life would be without this device, I believe that it wouldn't be the same, because I'm so used to have my computer with me all the time and that's why my computer is a big part of my life.


Cheers.

Tips:


- Remember to keep your ideas into paragraphs.

- Be careful while using verbs in past tense.

- Try using more connectors, to link your ideas