The web is us

Following my previous post, I'll keep on talking about web 2.0, and how it is changing the way we work, learn, communicate, live, etc. It is amazing to see how many things we can accomplish only a click away.

I still can't cope with all the gadgets, widgets, softwares, networks, and every possible resource available on the web. Everytime I think I have everything under control, that I have all my resources at hand, there is a few more that appear, with new and improved features...no wonder I get my mailbox full of junk mail...I keep on signing up for every site that offers me something different, or better or new...but at the end, I stick to the simple (not simpler) ones: Plain text, not so much ornamentation, less widgets/gadgets/emoticons/useless stuff.

Here's a great video that shows how have things change...how have we changed over this Internet Era.

English Tips

There is nothing like buying yourself that book that you know will help you become a better person, or teacher in my case. But it is even better when you can get it for free. Well, thanks to our Russian friends, we've got the opportunity of downloading thousands of books, movies, audio files, etc.

The webpage is www.englishtips.org and it is specially focused on English teaching and learning, although there are other areas too.

These pdf books are great, as we do not only save money but trees as well. Try it and you'll see why do I spend hours and hours downloading great sources of inspiration for my lessons.

Windgirls

If you are a girl and like wind/kitesurfing, sailing or surfing, join us to create the biggest windgirls network!

IronSUP, incredible odyssey

David D'Vórquez, a well-known Arican surfer, windsurfer and kitesurfer just completed an amazing 7 days odyssey paddling and surfing from Arica to Iquique in a Bic SUP board, courtesy of Nautisport. It took him a week to complete the 250 kms. distance between those spots. In his journey, he was able to see penguins, seals and even a shark attacking a seawolf.

I wish I could go on an adventure like that one some day. Here is the video:


Stand up Paddle from vrebolledo on Vimeo.

Powerpoint

We teachers, and mostly everybody, use powerpoint as a tool in a daily basis.
We all know that a good presentation takes a lot of time to accomplish, but at the
end you will have better results and your message will get to its destination.

I have done several ppt presentations with educational purposes, and I must
admit that I tend to fall into some ppt sins, like writing a lot in one slide, instead
of using more slides and less text in each one.

But let's be realistic, who on earth has that amount of time to create wonderful
slides? Well, I think if we all contribute in some way, we could all do so...

How?

Slideshare! This is a great creation where people actually upload their presentations
and SHARE them!!! so you can download one and adjust it to your own needs.

The best is that it has got several different topics, som you can browse or search the tags
wich suit your needs.

I myself have uploaded several of my presentations and I am sharing them for free.
I invite you to take a look and download them if you want to:

"The hot chick" funny quotation

The Hot Chick is a 2002 movie starring Rob Schneider
as a low-life thief who switches bodies with an arrogant
cheerleader, played by Rachel McAdams. (Wikipedia)

Quote: (Rob Schneider and Anna Faris)
We'd be bestest friends forever.

Boys are cheats and liars.
They're such a big disgrace.
They will tell you anything to get to second...

Baseball, baseball, he thinks he's gonna score.
If you let him go all the way, then you are a...

Hor... ticulture studies flowers.
Geologist studies rocks.
The only thing a guy wants from you
is a place to put his...

Cock... roaches, beetles,
butterflies, and bugs.
Nothing makes him happier than a giant pair of...

Jug... glers and acrobats,
a dancing bear named Chuck.
All guys really want to do is...
forget it, no such luck.

Web 2.0 in second language teaching/learning

There are so many different tools within the Internet to use in the ESL classroom. We only need to be aware of them and learn how to use them.

So, What kind of tools can we use? and How can we make our students to use them?

• Well, the first and most common tool would be the creation of a Blog where the teacher could post information about lessons or the latest events of the class. Another idea is for each student to develop a blog by their own, so they can subscribe to each other's and post comments or share ideas, experiences, etc.

• Secondly, there is another tool that could be very engaging for our students, i.e. Second Life, a virtual world, where people can chat, create their own worlds, build, etc. You can create your own second language world and share it with teachers from other countries in order to create a kind of virtual-pen pal net.

• Other way to support your lessons is to create a Wiki, a site where everybody can add information about anything. You can engage your students to colaborate on doing one bby letting them know the importance of this tool. The best known example of a Wiki is Wikipedia (which our students know really well).

• Podcasts are audio files that you can upload to and/or download from different websites. These are quite useful for listening activities and for learning about different topics. There is a wide variety of subjects, from news reports to gossiping, jokes and general knowledge. You just need to choose the adequate for your class. You can make your students tape their own recordings as well and then upload them in your blog, wiki, etc.

• Now, if you have some .html or web knowledge, you could create your own webpage and upload your own information, lessons, worksheets, etc. But let's be realistic. There is no much time left for a teacher to develop a whole site and to keep it updated, so we can use all these other wonderful tools and more. (Flickr, Scribd, Slideshare, Google tools, Youtube, etc.)

The options are endless. The thing is to find and apply them.