Blog 10: Evaluation of your Blogging Experience

Write about your experience using blogs in the English class.

Say:

> What you think about the experience in general

> How much you feel your writing skills have developed

> What you would like to include in the future

> What else you would like to write about

Wordcount: 200

Make comments on 3 of your classmates' posts.

________________________________________________________________________

Evaluation of My Experience With Students:

As I have always said, when being here in front of a group of people in a class, I feel lucky to have the chance of being able to be their teacher, and I take very seriously and passionately the fact that the work I can make may change History someday – No one knows for sure if some of the people you were teacher’s to, might grow to become a future senator or the future president.

Having said that is time to reflect upon the practices and understand the ways in which the experience of the process of teaching and learning has enriched one’s life. It is time to assess one’s motivations, one’s teaching practice and the learning gained from the students.

By doing the self-analysis exercise, I realize that by being related to the academic affairs of a wide diversity of students from several faculties and majors, this term as well as the former ones, I have learnt and deepened in areas which were unknown to me and so I have learnt about the world of Dentistry and the different functions of the different organs involved in teething. Furthermore I have explored the world of cinema and the many dimensions to it and that are not always displayed for the mere spectator; I have enriched my understanding of the current national affairs just by listening to my journalism students and the discussions they have in the hallways or when just having a coffee with their peers.

From the interaction with my students –n English most of the time, I always insist - I have seen art in a way that was distant to me, I could finally appreciate artistic forms that before seemed sterile to me and needless say that as a whole, when reflecting upon the learning I have obtained from my students, I understand how wonderful my profession is and that from that nourishing feedback we both, teacher and students, receive from each other,  I believe we may endue the world with ways to stop inequity and contribute for citizens to overcome deprivation.

In the future I aim at opening up more to look over students learning styles, to take their ideas and try to include them in class activities that are even more profitable and beneficial not only for the academic endeavor but furthermore for the pursue of happiness. 

Blog 9. Themed Post: a Book or Movie Review

Review: Inside Job

Last weekend I finally watched the film: Inside Job, by Charles Ferguson. It was an excellent documentary for people who don’t want to understand the financial crisis but for those of us who enjoy the "Michael Moore"-type of films. I say this because the movie has an angry tone towards American Financial system and consequent meltdown in 2007.

It depicts the late-twentieth-century American economic policy in an effort to reveal and unfold the roots of the recent crisis – which is attributed to alliance between politics, academics and big business. The film received an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature, and is both a careful exposition of the causes and effects of the crisis that shook the world in September 2008, when 20 trillion dollars were lost.

The movie is a documentary narrated by Matt Damon who seems to be the journalist behind the extensive interviews, however, the piece bases all its research on Michael Lewis’ “The Big Short,”. The documentary looks at all the people who made mistakes and asks how they possibly could have overlooked a crisis so obvious

There are many facts and areas that the movie analyses, ranging from the impact of America’s influence in Iceland’s economy, to the changes suffered in American and World society after the break.

The director’s style is to allow his interviewees do the talking, with a sober voiceover from Matt Damon, but later in the movie, the strategy gets really aggressive, and even there’s a touch of Michael Moore in the later scenes, when he (Damon) insists on hard questioning an economic adviser under Bush, who is currently the Dean of the Columbia University Business School, on the cosy relationship between academia and government.

Particularly, it’s parts four and five of the film (“Accountability” and “Where are we now?”) that are the most devastating. By exposing debatable facts and figures, Ferguson makes it clear that the individual men and women behind the decisions that caused the crisis not only benefited from what happened, but are still running the financial services sector; also, the director briefly comments on the more sordid side of the crisis – the cocaine and prostitutes paid for with money from the people because bankers competed for bigger deals and better bonuses. He also cross examines the academic world– exposing the role that business school economists played in creating the chaos, by giving arguments that supported the financial bubble.

It’s an insightful and very eloquent story of the worst kind of greed, and with the deliberate lack of a resolution, the film – which requires some concentration – will almost certainly leave you feeling that heads must roll.

Themed Post 8: My Life as a Playlist

Music is without any doubt, one of one's life important aspect, especially in the sense that by listening, even just by chance, to a sound-music-tune that is engraved in your memory, you can go back in time and live memories and feelings, once again.

When thinking about this new blog session, I came accross with this very interesting website: 

http://www.abc.net.au/arts/playlist/#!/home 

In there, by posing a set of questions (perhaps a bit too many for my taste), the author helps you to identify the key songs of your life. In doing so, I had many memories coming back again, some of them, really happy, some others, well.... you know happiness is best valued when not feeling it...LOL

I remembered the 90's, when TV was opening up to new tendencies; nationwise, there was a time of trying to relief old tensions, and I remember there was a soapy that marked my life.

I was starting5th grade in primary school and some of my earliest, school-years memories are joint with these old tracks.

I also remember that year was the year I fell in love for the first time and by listening to some of those songs, I remember my childhood intensity...It definetely makes feel somewhat nostalgic, but happy.

 

  

The soap opera was called "Adrenalina", it was a group of high-school girls in the new santiago, they all used to go the this disco, where all the characters came together, and the name of this disco was "Adrenalina" (the facilities used in the soapy were the same that of today's Broadway Disco)

Here, I give you some videos from music of the time, I hope you enjoy:

INTRO:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJIf6kJ0Urk

De Kiruza: Bakan: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvP0AmlY3Jo

VENUS: ESTAS BORRACHO: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNEVNVq3voo

More:............

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqzGNAs3h6c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmWDhT-eAW8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCbgktso6OQ&list=PL3B02C81865427FD7

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCjM-3KlHgY

Post 7: An Expert on Your Field.

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

_____________________________________________________________________________

Example:

The man in the picture is Noam Chomsky, He is a very well known and widely respected Language Scientist. He is american and all his life, he has done research in the areas of grammar and language development among others. The core of his theory lies on that the principles underlying the structure of language are biologically determined in the mind and therefore it is genetically transmitted, in other words, we are born with an innate capability for language development.

He changed my perspectives of why people learn a language, on how people learn it and how can that proces be reproduced in an adult "learning", or moreover, as he says, "acquiring" a foreign language.

He is considered the Father of Modern Linguistics and because of his extensive research, many new methodologies to language study, and also many new areas have been open up, an example of this, is the applications of his language theory into Neuroscience and IT. And still, nowadays, he is a must-study, for every linguistics or language-related-area-student.

Themed Post: My Pet *

I have recently adopted Dulce at an “Adoption Session” sponsored by Garras y Patas Foundation, there I found Dulce, a very beautiful, two-year-old, female dog. She is a mixed dog and before we came across with each other, she had been given for adoption because her previous owner had got very ill and

could no longer take care of her. Luckily, she didn’t spent too much time waiting for someone to take care her!

She is an old dog but paradoxically full of energy. She was not trained as a puppy and despite she has some bad habits she has never spoilt it badly inside the flat, the only very big issue with her is that she pulls on the leash! she’s always pulling and barking at cats in the streets which is dangerous because a fierce cat could attack her. Another thing is that she doesn’t have the best fur quality, she always losing it and I have to brush her twice a day, also I walk her three times a day and feed her also three times a day.

I look after her the best way I to have her in the best possible shape, after all she is my companion and at times I see her as my family, she is not very independent as any other dog so I have to arrange my schedule to have time to see her that’s why we spend quite a lot together and little by little we have become a small but very loving, human-dog pack.

* Posted Ahead, equivalent to post 8. It should contain 170 words . Previous entry, "Career Related Website/an expert on your field", pending.

Themed post 6: "My Experience at University"

"Tough as nails", that was my idea about Uni back when I was a 17 year old  freshman, starting a degree in civil construction.

I had heard my father, many times, telling memories from his college years and the most common thought was that he has to study hard as hell. He even claimed one class could be as intense as one month of regular high school lessons. Imagine that!

So there I was, facing the unknown, suffering a bit from the pledges but still up to the challenge. My first class was Calculus I -engineers' stuff. And ... Voila!  Only  the first class and the Professor had already made a full revision of what we were supposed to have learnt at school.

Of course I freaked out! I had to double study. It was really hard at first but after some time I made very good friends and study groups. I started to remember and make up for the things I did not know.

At the end of the first year, I was an average student, my final grade was just a 5. And worse than that, I had failed the Calculus II course...

Even though I felt I had somewhat failed (totally) , my first experience at university was a great one, I made many friends that I still keep, I learnt tons of new things and more over, I put myself to the test, and I ended up quitting engineering and going into humanities, but then I was more mature, I had already made my way through "learning how to learn", and in the end I could become a great student!...but only when the studies meet my interests, LOL!

The Story of a Picture.

Today: The Story of a Picture.

Hi people:

·       Today:

-        Write about a photograph you like.

·       Say:

·       Who took it
·       What it shows
·       When it was taken
·       Why you like it
·       Upload it too
·       Include any other information you'd like to mention.
·       Write at least 150 words.
·       Add comments to at least 3 of your classmates’ blogs

The story of a picture ...

               

This might look a bit naive but , let me tell you, it is alcohol!, it was taken at a pub in Paris, in a bar accross from Place Vendome. I was with friends and we wanted to see the non-romantic and alternative side of the city.

This picture is a portrait  in memory my best holiday ever, and even though I haven’t had many superb holidays, because most of time I prefer visiting my family more tan anything else, I have had some memorable ones.

It was the year 2008, if I don’t remember incorrectly; and I was under big stress because I had had several problems at my job. Anyway, to make a long story short, I dropped by the place I used to work for and they told me: “here you are”… it was a NICE, FAT Christmas bonus.

That day, I was with a friend of mine who was leaving on a tour that same afternoon, and after hearing that I had received my present, she shouted at me, from the entrance: “Man!!!! Let’s go together!!!”….

Two hours later, we were travelling around 2 countries, we meant to tour as much as posible, getting to see idilic landscapes and also, both being teachers, we wanted to share with the locals and not visiting the typical touristic places.

The toured over Amsterdam (red district and all), Brussels (nice beer!) and finally Paris, where the picture was taken. we spent nearly 3 weeks travelling, and from that improvised adventure, there are many stories we can tell, and another thousand anecdotes, I cannot let you know in this blog entry’s extension.