Session 10: Your blog experience

Dear students,
The end of our blog sessions is here... For that matter, you should write about your blogging experience. I hope this one has been useful in some way. As a general comment, I really enjoyed helping you in this process, and I was able to see how many of you really improved your writing skills. I also have to highlight the efforts made by you in order to write something interesting and in a good way. 


Here are the things you should include.



- 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

Post 9: Talkin' about friends

I have to recognize I don't have many friends. Not because I'm unfriendly but because I prefer having a few close friends rather that a bunch of people who I hardly talk to, and who would give a damn if something happens to me. Those who are close to me are the ones I really care, and who also care for me in life's ups and downs. 
However, my closest friend is Doris. It is funny to say 'the closest' since she doesn't live in Chile anymore. Currently, she lives in Switzerland but still we keep in touch regularly. 
I met her at university, although we weren't friends immediately. By the time we were studying, all our classmates used to be kind of immature, so we felt out of place sometimes. At the end, we discovered that working together was really effective, so this got us closer. I think we get along because we have similar thoughts about many things, though I'd say she's more practical than me. One of the things I really like about her, is the fact that she always has the right advice, or something positive to say. Normally, when I feel down, I talk to her  and she always has something wise to say. Through all these years, she's proved to be a reliable and good friend, and that's something I really appreciate. 
I remember the moment in which we were working on our thesis as one of the best memories I have about her. It sounds strange, I know, but during this time we were working together everyday, and sometimes we needed to take a rest. However, we were always encouraging each other to continue no matter what, and the results were amazing. We received many congratulations about our work, and until now we feel really proud. Now that she's away, I miss her quite a lot. Besides, she's now pregnant. The good thing is that I'll be visiting her for Christmas, and that makes me quite happy.




Now it's your turn...Write 180 words and include:

-Who your best friend is

- How, when, and where you met him /her

- Why you consider him / her your best friend. Explain

- What the best memory you have about him /her is

- What activities you do together

make three comments on your partners' blogs

Session 8: Dream Travel Destination

Travelling is indeed one of the things I long to do as much as possible. Though I've had the opportunity to be abroad twice, I haven't been in many other places even in my own country. Now, if I have to name a few places I dream about, indeed Paris and New York are definitely on the first place.

However, there's a stronger feeling about Paris and that's because one of my dearest relatives; an uncle who I really admired, lived there for 30 years. Unfortunately, he passed away a few months ago, and I couldn't be there to say goodbye. When he was alive, he talked about Paris as the most wonderful city in the world, and how it changed his life. In an attempt to follow his steps, I  always planned a trip over there to know more about his life. Now that he isn't here anymore, Paris seems different but still makes me want to be there.  

The place is just amazing. There are so many things to do, and so many places to visit that you could go nuts deciding what to do first. Though the typical places of Paris  like The Eiffel Tower, or the Champs Élysees must be visited, I feel more interested in walking by narrow streets, buying in flea markets, and getting in touch with French culture (even if people over there aren't nice). There are also some interesting tours you can do like the Amelie tour in which you can visit the locations of the film. I think is quite nice to be in a city with such an historical background, and which pours culture. 

I'd love to travel over there with my mother, so that we could both feel closer to our uncle's legacy. I'd also like to go with her because I feel like I owe her something for her constant support and love. I hope we can do it someday soon.

Well, this is the topic for today. You need to Include:

-where you would like to go,                   
-why you would like to go there,
-what things you can do there,
-who you would like to go with,
- if you think it is possible to go there in the future.

- Leave a comment on 3 of your classmates´ posts.
- Word Count: 180 words

Session 7: Career-related website or An expert on your field

For today's post you will have the chance to choose ONE from these two options. 


Post 1 (Instructions). 
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 the site
- explain why you like the site.

>Add comments to at least 3 of your classmates’ blogs
>Word Count: 170
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Post 2 (Instructions)
Who is a person/expert on your field that you admire?

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

> About 170 words
>Add comments to at least 3 of your classmates’ blogs




Here's my attempt:


BBC LEARNING ENGLISH WEBSITE: WORDMASTER

One of the things that I've learned  through the years is that you never stop learning. Being a teacher of English implies working autonomously in your own learning, by acquiring more vocabulary and using it in  different contexts. For that matter, I try to read books in English to learn new words by reading the lyrics of songs I like, or watching films without subtitles. In addition to this, I try to take advantage of what the internet provides. In this sense, there are some really useful websites which I strongly recommend to use. For example, my favorite one is the BBC learning english website, since it has a wide variety of activities, games, audios and sections that are quite interesting and updated. From these sections, the one I really enjoy is the wordmaster game.
To play this game you only need to be motivated to do it. First, you need to select a level from elementary to advanced. Then, you will have to complete different sentences by choosing a suitable word that makes sense with the rest of it but against time! You also have the choice to read a clue in order to answer. However, this will decrease your score. If you are doing well, then you'll receive a score according to your answer and the time you took to give the response. It's quite fun, and makes you think on your instant vocabulary. 
I try to play as much as possible when I have time. Then of course, I use other sections such as The teacher, where you learn different idioms used in real contexts. 


So, here's the link if you feel like playing.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/flash/wordmaster/

Blog Session 6: Free-themed post

For today's post, you can decide the topic of it. However, I'll give some suggestions in order to make the process faster. 

That's why I'll talk about one of my favorite activities nowadays: Reading. I must say, when I was a child, I wasn't very keen on reading. Nevertheless, I changed my mind when I grew up, becoming quite interested in literature. When it comes to name one of my favorite books, I definitely have to include 'The Great Gatsby'. The first time I read it was at university and from that time, I have read it at least 3 times.
This book was written by F.Scott Fitzgerald, a renowned American writer, whose life was quite similar to the characters named in its own work. The story takes place during the 1920's, just after World War I. In those days, there was a general prohibition for selling alcohol in order to reduce crime and corruption. This derived in 'bootlegging' which was the illegal importing and manufacturing of alcohol. If we take a look at the plot, we'll se how all these factors are included in it. 

The main characters of the story are Nick Carraway, Jay Gatsby, and Daisy Buchanan. Nick is the narrator of the story, who sees everything just as is happening. However, he isn't that reliable because in some way he feels close to Gatsby. The latter is deeply in love with Daisy Buchanan, a shallow rich girl with whom he used to have a relationship some years ago. Basically, Gatbsy gets money from bootlegging and becomes rich. In order to get Daisy's love back, he throws parties in his pink mansion almost everyday so that she hears about him. Daisy, who is married to an evil man called Tom, finally meets Gatsby, and is this encounter and a sum of events related to love, betrayal, selfishness and money, that will lead Gastby to a tragic end.

In summary, the major themes behind The Great Gatsby are love, money, social class, and the pursuit of the American dream. What I really like about this book, are the different kinds of symbols included in it, and the historical aspects portrayed so well by the author. I strongly recommend this book, if you are likely to analyze things. 

Ok. Now it's your turn.

If you decide to write about a book, include:

- the name of the book, author, and other details

- short plot of the story

- why you like it

- other relevant information. 

Write 150 words and make 3 comments on your partners' blogs. 

You can also write about an author you like, a magazine you usually read, etc. 

Blog session 5: A photograph

I didn't know which picture to choose. First I thought about choosing a famous picture which in some way was influential in our history. There were many of them, but after a while I was so depressed by the story behind each picture that I changed my mind. That's why I show you this one. It didn't change the world but when it was taken, I was living the best moments of my childhood. Every time I think about it, I wish I could go back in time. 
This was actually during 1988, when I was 4 years old. One of my aunts decided to take us to San Cristobal's hill, with my sister and her friend. I was quite happy since it was the first time I went there. During the day, we did many things such as going to the zoo, riding the 'telefericos' and taking long walks across the park. When we reached the top of the hill, there was this place where you could see the whole city, and I was so impressed by every detail. Over there, we found the strangest Mickey Mouse in the world (LOL). My aunt encouraged us to take us a picture with him, though I've been always afraid of people wearing costumes. In the picture, my sister is on the left, I'm in the middle, and my sister's friend is the one wearing pink clothes. Probably I was smiling because of my nervousness, and now that I see the the picture, that Mickey looks quite scary. Immediately after that, my aunt bought us some masks in the stand behind us. At the end of the day I was really grateful for having such a nice day. 


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!!
- Write at least 150 words

Blog Session 4: You decide what to write about

As previously discussed, today's post will be chosen as a group. However, I'll make some suggestions in order to save time for you to write in the expected time during the lesson.

Remember, you need to choose only ONE

You can write about more personal topics like

• My favorite film/TV series
• My favorite book

Or, write an opinion post about the following topics

• What's your opinion about animal cruelty
• What's your opinion about Chilean TV programmes?

For today's post you need to write 140 words, put a picture and make 3 comments on your partners' blogs. 

Here's my example;

My Favorite Film

It's difficult to choose just one film as your favorite one since there are many I really like. However, I think my favorite film is The Royal Tenenbaums by Wes Anderson. Actually, I quite like Anderson's  work and that's because he doesn't follow the typical model of films. He always chooses nice soundtracks,  locations, and beautiful photo shoots which create a dreamy atmosphere for the filmmaking process.

Concerning this particular film, the plot focuses on the story of three clever siblings who grow up in a family of success, and which later are abandoned by their father, Royal. From that moment, Etheline, their mother, cares about their education. When they're finally adults, they face what real life is. For example, Margot, who used to be a gifted writer now is married to a neurologist, and spends her time smoking. Richie Tenenbaum, a young successful tennis player now travels on a cruise to forget Margot who is actually his stepsister. Finally, there is Chas who was a talented business child and that now spends his time overprotecting his children after he lost his wife in a plane crash. After a series of disappointments, they all come back home.

When Royal knows his ex wife is getting married again, he plans to get his family back. So he convinces them he is suffering from stomach cancer and that he only has a few months to spend time with them. He moves to the family's house and gets closer to every member of the family, specially Chas' sons. However, Chas is the only one who is reluctant to speak to him. While he's living over there, Etheline's fiancé, Henry, realizes Royal is not ill as he said, so he gives him away. After that, Royal must leave coming back to the hotel he used to live in, and where now he has to work. 

When Richie finds out that Margot was having an affair with one of his best friends, Eli, he tries to commit suicide. Later he escapes from the hospital and comes back home. There he finds Margot, who is also in love with him. In this place, they declare their mutual love and kiss.

After the illness experience, Royal feels much closer to his family, and finally accepts Etheline and Henry's marriage. When they're about to begin the wedding, Eli, who was under cocaine effects, crashes with the Tenenbaums' house and almost kills Chas' sons who were luckily helped by Royal. At that moment, Chas and Royal's relationship becomes closer.

Finally, things get better and all the members of the family begin a new life. However, Royal dies of a heart attack. The last person to be with him was Chas. 

As a last comment,  this film was made in 2001 and it's actually one of the most well known films by Wes Anderson. Some of the film stars that participated in it are Gwyneth Paltrow, Bill Murray, Danny Glover, Angelica Huston, Ben Stiller, Luke Wilson and Gene Hackman who won a Golden Globe for his performance.