Friday, October 17, 2008
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
News From Mississippi
Dear all,there is an article in the April issue of Olemiss (University of Mississippi) Technews about some of the Web 2.0 tools I created with my ESL students. You can read it here:http://www.olemiss. edu/depts/ it/technews/ TechNews- April08.pdf or go to the Technews website: http://www.olemiss. edu/depts/ it/technews/ and check the April 2008 issue.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Our ESL Voicethread Projects!
My students and I have explored Voicethread - and created a couple of presentations on different topics you might find interesting and fun to watch! For teachers: I have also uploaded a lesson plan you can find on my TeacherWeb page ("Lesson Plans" section).Check on the following links if you want to find out more about:1. Beyonce and her career as a singer and actress: http://voicethread.com/#q.b106050 (or type in "Beyonce" in the Browse section of Voicethread);
2. My experience in NY by Gabi Lu http://voicethread.com/share/103345/
3. Advantages of Travelling http://voicethread.com/#u75245.b89426
4. Past Perfect -http://voicethread.com/#q.b90651 and http://voicethread.com/share/89461/
5. Modal Verbs: http://voicethread.com/#u64820.b89478.i455697
6. Niagara Falls: http://voicethread.com/#q.b105995
7. Rodeo Superstitions http://voicethread.com/share/106194/
8. The sttue of Liberty http://voicethread.com/#q.b105979
Don't forget to create an account or sign in to be able to watch them.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Ronaldo and TESOL 2008
Attending my first TESOL Convention, going sightseeing in New York and meeting some of the Webheads in Action f2f for the first time are all experiences I'll never forget!
You can check out all my NYC pictures here, or take a look at this album, which has webheads photos:
I have also blogged about this experience.
You can check out all my NYC pictures here, or take a look at this album, which has webheads photos:
 |
| NYC + CTJ and Webheads |
I have also blogged about this experience.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
What people were complaining about
I heard a lot of complaints while I was at the TESOL Convention. Here were some of them:
It was disorganized.
The maps and signs were inadequate or unclear.
Volunteers were not well-informed, and sent people on wild goose chases.
Scheduling:
In general, a shorter convention meant more schedule conflicts than usual, so people were double-booked and could not attend everything they needed to.
Popular speakers were scheduled in small rooms, so people had to wait a long time to get into sessions and then were sometimes turned away. The rooms on the fifth floor of the Sheraton were infamous. They were so overcrowded at one point that fire marshals or police were called in for crowd control, and there were humongous lines at the elevators. People were allowed up only when other people left. This was not a problem in the EV; events were well-attended but not over-crowded. Mini-workshops filled up but if you got there on the first day you could sign up for anything, and if you came to full sessions you could often get in if people who had signed up didn't show, or you could attend as an observer.
Internet:
Inadequate and expensive internet access. In the hotels, free Wi-Fi was available only in the lobbies, and presenters were required to pay exorbitant fees for computers and internet access in their rooms (I was told over $800 per session!!!!), so many presenters opted to show only screen shots while others just resorted to presenting in the EV, which had constant internet access but very limited space.
Expense:
Well, New York is an expensive city. The convention hotels were expensive, the restaurants were expensive, the convention itself was expensive for those who paid out of pocket. Everything cost more than it would in most smaller cities.
It was disorganized.
The maps and signs were inadequate or unclear.
Volunteers were not well-informed, and sent people on wild goose chases.
Scheduling:
In general, a shorter convention meant more schedule conflicts than usual, so people were double-booked and could not attend everything they needed to.
Popular speakers were scheduled in small rooms, so people had to wait a long time to get into sessions and then were sometimes turned away. The rooms on the fifth floor of the Sheraton were infamous. They were so overcrowded at one point that fire marshals or police were called in for crowd control, and there were humongous lines at the elevators. People were allowed up only when other people left. This was not a problem in the EV; events were well-attended but not over-crowded. Mini-workshops filled up but if you got there on the first day you could sign up for anything, and if you came to full sessions you could often get in if people who had signed up didn't show, or you could attend as an observer.
Internet:
Inadequate and expensive internet access. In the hotels, free Wi-Fi was available only in the lobbies, and presenters were required to pay exorbitant fees for computers and internet access in their rooms (I was told over $800 per session!!!!), so many presenters opted to show only screen shots while others just resorted to presenting in the EV, which had constant internet access but very limited space.
Expense:
Well, New York is an expensive city. The convention hotels were expensive, the restaurants were expensive, the convention itself was expensive for those who paid out of pocket. Everything cost more than it would in most smaller cities.
Post-TESOL Reflections - The Ginga Movement
I finally could write my reflections on the thrilling experience of meeting the Webheads again and getting to know f2f some others. New York with the Webheads could only be full of Ginga!
Here's my post about the Ginga Movement.
My photos are at http://www.flickr.com/photos/carlaarena/sets/72157604412851519/
I also made a very short video during the Electronic Village so the ones who were not there could have an idea what it looks like.
Here's my post about the Ginga Movement.
My photos are at http://www.flickr.com/photos/carlaarena/sets/72157604412851519/
I also made a very short video during the Electronic Village so the ones who were not there could have an idea what it looks like.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
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