lunes, 20 de febrero de 2012

FINAL REFLECTION ON THE COURSE

Throughout this course that started by the end of November and which already finishes today, I must say that it has fully lived up to my expectations. As I told you at the beginning, my first aim of taking part in this online was to reflesh my knowledge of ICTs  and at the same time if I could learn something new even better.
I am a  secondary school teacher who was feeling a bit frustrated, since in my school , it is four years now since we started with the new technologies like wikis and blogs, but they were intended for the best students, that is, the ones in the multilingual groups,or as we called  them "eleanitzako taldeak" in Basque. Due to the fact that I started in that secondary school four years ago, I didn´t have the opportunity of choosing  the so called  multilingual students, and as a result  I couldn´t put the ICTs  into practise  with them. This year however, we have been provided with interactive  whiteboards and portable computers and  I think that from now on  all students will have a better access to the new technologies.
I have  enjoyed  all the activities we have done in this this course, but I especially the wiki, maybe because I was familiar with it  and in my working place  other colleagues and  I have created subjects using it ( citizenship and English club).  I have done all the activities, but to be honest  with the activity of the treasure hunt  I  didn´t meet the deadline, and then  I did it too simple, so that´s why  I´ve decided to improve it .
As for the blog, I really enjoy making blogs, but more  for myself  than for my students.
I was really happy when I managed to  create the questionnaire on the elsvideo , it took me a long time to realize how it worked, but I never gave up. That´s something that I often tell my students: Be determined and don´t give up. 
As for the activities that I  found least useful,  I should say that  at the beginning of this course we  were requested to give articles and give our opinion, sometimes I found it  a bit  difficult to judge other people´s writings.  Nevertheless, in the long run I  appreciated it , as it made me write long texts  in English, something that I hadn´t done for a long time.
Maybe, I can  sound too  proud  but  to tell you the truth  I   haven´t  faced any technical  difficulties when using these computer  tools. Thanks to the fact that  in my working place we had already attended courses about  ICTs,  I was in fact a false beginner when I started this online course.  Otherwise I don´t think I would have been able to understand  and  do all the tasks .
To be realistic, I have not  interacted  much with my peers. Maybe, because it was the first time I did an online course, and  I  found  it  a bit  awkward to  exchange information or judge other people that I didn´t know at all.  That´s why  I am not found of  social networking sites, I daresay  I am a bit old-fashioned in that respect or  I could also say I have been a bit self-centred.  When I  started my blog, I  saw my peers  designs, and I liked them, but I  wanted to be  original, although sometimes it is difficult , when it comes to blogs.  Anyway, I think all the participants  should  copy the other  peers´ blog sites,  because they can be  really helpful in our teaching  practise.
This  school year  I don´t want  to  put all my ICT knowledge aside and forget about  this,  even though I had the "worst" groups , at least, this final term ,once a  week   we must start doing a project  using a wiki. And in that way  I  will  help students develop their digital competence and make them love this subject.

domingo, 19 de febrero de 2012

Geotagging my neighbourhood with google maps

It´s just a coincidende, since a couple of weeks ago, one of my colleagues commented on the new possibilities of introducing google maps in our projects,and she briefly explained it to us.
We can use it in different ways, but as I see it the best way is for preparing trip routes. I´ve posted 5 different places of my suburbs, and we can also ask our students to do the same with their suburbs and choosing the places they consider the most interesting in their living area. Apart from giving a short explanation of each place, they can also upload photos and videos.
MY SUBURB, LA PEÑA

lunes, 6 de febrero de 2012

MY MUSIC VIDEO : Katy Perry "California Gurls"

 



Katy Perry - “California Gurls”
1.-Before listening. Warm up activities.

1.- What do you think is the song about?
2.- What does the title of the song refer to?
3.- What do you know about California?
4.- Are you familiar with the singer of this song, Katy Perry? What can you say about her?
While listening:
2.-Fill in the gaps with the words from the box.
Wild, peek, water, travel,greener, warm, party, juice, journey, little, gin, love, golden, trees
[Snoop Dogg]
Greetings loved ones, let’s take a…………….
[Katy Perry]
I know a place where the grass is really……………
……………, wet and ……………, there must be something in the ………….
Sipping ………. and …………., lying underneath the palm ……………
The boys break their necks trying to creep a …………sneak………………
You could ……………the world
But nothing comes close to the…………. coast
Once you …………….with us, you’ll be falling in …………………
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
3.-Divide the missing words into:

Nouns / adjectives / verbs


4.-Understanding the song.

How do you translate the sentences?
“There must be something in the water”
What type of verb is ”must”?
Does it mean obligation or certainty?
The boys break their necks trying to creep a little sneak peek.
Do they really break their necks? (No, they don´t. It´s an exaggeration)

5.- Unjumble the lines. Number them.

………..Daisy Dukes, bikinis on top
……… .Fine, fresh, fierce, we got it on lock
………..oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
………...California girls, we’re undeniable
………...Sun-kissed skin, so hot will melt your popsicle
………...West coast represent, now put your hands up
…...……Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
…….1…California girls, we´re unforgettable
6.- Look at the words above: undeniable, unforgettable. What part of speech do these words belong to?
Undeniable unforgetable. (they are adjectives)
How are the underlined letters called?
• (They are negative prefixes. They carry a negative meaning “not”, “opposite of”).
• Common negative prefixes in English are :
un im in il ir dis
(Some of these prefixes are only attached to a noun or adjective. While some are only attached to a verb. It is not possible to predict whether the negative prefix un / in / or dis is used with a particular word. The correct form must be learned.
Write suitable negative prefixes for the following adjectives:
Honest
Organized
Possible
Experienced
Pleasant
Popular
Efficient
Legal
Satisfied
Responsible
7.- Correct the mistakes ( there are 5 mistakes).
Next to a beach we stand in our stilettos
We drive my jeep, Snoop Doggy dog on the stereo
You could travel the world
and nothing comes close to the ivory coast
If you come with us, you’ll fall in love
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
8.-Underline the adjectives (in red), and the verbs (in blue) that appear in the following lines.
Toned, tan, fit and ready
Turn it up cause its gettin’ heavy
Wild wild west coast
These are the girls I love the most
I mean the ones, I mean like she’s the one
Kiss her, touch her, squeeze her
9.-Place the underlined words into the suitable column according to their vowel sounds:
/ i / /i:/ /ai/ /ei/
The girls a freak, she drives a jeep
The men on the beach,
I’m okay, I won’t play, I love the bay
Just like I love LA
Venice Beach and Palm Springs
Summer time is everything

10.- Number the lines as they appear in the song.

a. All that ass hanging out
b. Bikinis, tankinis, martinis, no weenies
c. There´s only a few children who do what we do
d. Just to get in betweeny
e. Katy my lady (yeah)
f. You looking here baby (uh huh)
g. I’m all up on you
h. Cause you representing California California girls man
i. I wish they all could be California girls (x2)
j. Come on boys, hanging out
Vocabulary
11.- In this song you may find some words difficult to understand. Match the words to their definitions.

1. Daisy Dukes………………………a) hot dogs or frankfurters
2. Weenies……………………………b) high-heeled shoes.
3. Tankinis…………………………… c) (US) ice-lolly or ice-cream
4. Popsicle…………………………….d) to press something firmly
5. Stilettos……………………………..e) a short look
6. Peek………………………………...f) extremely short denim shorts.
7.Squeeze…......................…………..g) A two-piece swimming costume for women.

About the music video

After listening to the song, students can also watch the video and reflect on what they expect to watch.
The students answer some questions about the video.
The teacher freezes the first scene.
What play on words does the video make? (California - Candyfornia)
Where does the video take place?
Is it a real world? Why? (It is an unreal board game)
Name some kinds of sweets that you can see. (ice-lollies, candy canes, candy sugar, jelly bears, sugar dice…)
What type of clothes is Katy Perry wearing?
Who is the black man?
How does the music video end?
What do you think about the music video? Do you like it? Justify your answer.

My animoto video



I´ve already created my animoto video and I think I will use it in class for introducing topics as a warmer. It is similar to movie maker, but the problem with the animoto one is that it is too short, however,  I´ve seen on the web it is also possible to upgrade it.( in the payable version).

domingo, 22 de enero de 2012

My wiki on Easter

At last I´ve finished the wiki on Easter. To be honest it isn´t the first time that I´ve made a wiki, but it always takes time if you want to prepare something decent.

http://easterholidays.wikispaces.com/

sábado, 7 de enero de 2012

CREATING OUR OWN PODCASTS

As I see it , podcasts can  enhance our digital competence a great deal, but it is not easy , especially for us  non-native speakers of  English to have our voices recorded. We often feen unconfident, uneasy when doing that.
I think that unlike teachers, our students  are not so afraid of making mistakes and they  like experimenting with this new tool. To be honest, last year  I learned the basics about this program -audacity-but I´ve never tried this  with my students.One reason against this is that recording the students´ voices is not so easy as it seems and sometimes they can become disruptive on doing that. In addition, students  need to compare their recordings with the original ones to be aware of their mistakes.

MY  PODCAST
Here I want to recite  a very inspiring poem to me, especially  when I feel blue or in a gloomy state of mind.

Not Waving But Drowning by Stevie Smith

Nobody heard him, the dead man,

But still he lay moaning:

I was much further out than you thought

And not waving but drowning.

Poor chap, he always loved larking

And now he's dead

It must have been too cold for him his heart gave way,

They said.Oh, no no no, it was too cold always

(Still the dead one lay moaning)

I was much too far out all my life

And not waving but drowning.

lunes, 19 de diciembre de 2011

MY TREASURE HUNT

The Christmas season is here once more  . And both children and adults are looking forward to this time of the year.  I´ve included  a webquest  about Christmas in the United Kingdom  to help  my students  learn about Christmas customs and traditions whilst having a funny good time.



ACTIVITIES
SECTION A
1.-On  what  date is Christmas celebrated in  England?
2.-What is the the start of the Christmas season called?
3.-What takes place in most primary schools in England at Christmas time?
4.-What is a traditional British Christmas play called?
5.-Which two colours are the traditional colours of Christmas decorations?
6.-When did Christmas trees first become popular  in England?
7.-What did people use to decorate their trees with during the Victorian times?
8.-When was the first Christmas card sent and who printed it?
9.-What are the songs sung at Christmas time called?
10.-Why is Christmas Eve an exciting time for children in England?
11.-How did children  used  to send their letters to father Christmas?
12.-What traditionally  happens at three o´clock  on Christmas Day?
13.-What is the traditional bird eaten  on Christmas Day?
14.-Who was the first person to eat turkey  on Christmas Day?
15.-Who invented Christmas Crackers?
16.-What is another name for Boxing Day?
The answers can be found  www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/xmas

SECTION B
When  you finish  answering the questions  above,  I  want you to  find at least  four differences and four similarities beween Christmas customs  in Great Britain  and Spain and jot them down here.

SECTION C
 It´s Christmas time: VIDEOS FOR CHRISTMAS: Santa Claus is Coming to Town
1.-Watch the video, read the lyrics, look up the words you don't understand and write them in your folder (5 or more).
2.-Go to YOUTUBE and find another version of this song. Download the video into your folder and say why you like it (write more than one sentence, pleas



e).