Our Class 2008
From the Sydney Opera House, Happy New Year!
Let's hope 2006 brings peace and happiness to everyone.
I also would like to make it possible for my 2006 students to be able to communicate and exchange ideas with other ESL/EFL students across the world. We will be continue blogging and podcasting from Sydney, so keep watching...
Our Class 2006!
Our Class 2007Our Class 2008Labels: ESL, ESOL, multiculturalism, p2p, web 2.0
Merry Christmas
Xmas in Huesca. Photo by my brother Manolo
Xmas at home in Australia
Merry Christmas and a peaceful 2006! Australian map from Wendy's homepageIf you get bored these holidays, try this interesting webquest (click on the title above). If, on the other hand, you feel a bit lazy, just click here and explore different parts of the world and how they celebrate Xmas. You could go to my country, Spain, and find out what "the Mass of the Rooster" is or what "hogueras" are.You could also read about your own country (in English!) and tell us about some of its traditions for this time of the year.(Write in comments) For those of you who don't know about Christmas in Australia, go to this interesting site, Christmas in Australia, and read about many different aspects of an Aussie Christmas.Labels: ESL, ESOL, multiculturalism, p2p, web 2.0
Nielsen Park, Sydney (dusk) - Last Sunday a group of friends celebrated the birthday of one of us with a picnic in Nielsen Park. If you haven't been there, go during the holidays. It is a beautiful safe beach-it has a shark net- with a big park full of huge fig trees, which makes it perfect for picnics.
A couple of weeks ago I told two of our ESOL students about it and they took themselves there by public transport. From Nielsen Park they walked to Vaucluse House, visited it and continued their walk to Pasley Bay and finally Watsons Bay. They loved it and thanked me for having recommended it to them. So, if you want to see a diferent area of Sydney, get yourself a map, train /bus timetable, or drive there, and search the net for information on the park, bushwalks, Vaucluse House, etc. and ...enjoy Sydney!
While you are searching for information, see if you can answer these questions:
- Who runs Nielsen Park?
- How long is the Hermitage Foreshore walk?
- What facilities are there?
- Who runs Vaucluse House?
- When was it built?
- Who lived there?
- What architectural style was it built in?
- What can you do in a day there?
- How long is the walk from Nielsen Park to Watson's Bay (you can measure it in Google Earth)
- Visit our Sydney's People Podcast and listen to Dimitra's interview.
- Keep visiting Time4English. Chose whatever activities you feel like doing.
Labels: ESL, ESOL, multiculturalism, p2p, web 2.0
Last class for 2005
Today is our last class. We can do many things, but first have a look at
Yuki's Podcast in his blog, Torpedo.
Visit our
Sydney's People Podcast, listen to the
Birthday Podcard and answer the questions. There's a more challenging text about intercultural exchanges below the podcast, read it and tell us what you think in the
forum.
If you want to learn how to post voice too, read the
instructions on how to record your voice, posted in Sydney's People Podcast.
Please read the post about the
New Zealand blogs.Karen, the teacher, has emailed saying they are interested in doing something together next year. So it looks as if we may be doing work with Italy and New Zealand. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to visit them in person? I'm afraid virtual tourism is more probable!
You can listen to the news in
Time4English an then chose anything you feel like doing from their extensive range of activities.
Some new students haven't had time to go into our online module
Approaches to Learning. Today would be a good time to do itl, so that you can work at home during the holidays... if you haven't got more interesting things to do!
Anyway, enjoy your long break and keep an eye on this blog. I'll try to find interesting things for you to do. I would love if you did the same and keep me and each other entertained with your blogs and podcasts.
See you next year!
Labels: ESL, ESOL, multiculturalism, p2p, web 2.0
New Zealand Blogs
A teacher of English from New Zealand has written a post about our blog. Read it
here.You can also visit her class blog, called
PI BW Class blog (term 4).Have a look at your blogs and read the comments her students may have left. If they left their own URL (the address of their blog), visit their blogs and write comments too.
This is part of what we've mentioned in several occasions, communicating with other ESL students from different parts of the world. Hopefully you can continue working on your blogs during the summer break.
Labels: ESL, ESOL, multiculturalism, p2p, web 2.0
Party Time
Thank you everyone for the great end of year party!
Thanks a million from Marion for the surprise birthday party! She was really touched. We are going to miss you a lot, but it's good that you are all going to continue with your studies, either English or other courses.
I'm waiting to get some of your photos, but meanwhile these are the ones I took. You can see the rest in flickr by clicking on any of these.
Lisa has given me her photos, these are some of them, 
but if you want to see more, you'll have to visit
Lisa's blog (on the rightside bar).If you want to see them bigger, click on any of them and you will be taken to flickr, where they are hosted.
Now back to work!
- There's a new podcast in Sydney's People Podcast. Listen to it and answer the questions to help you with the listening. You will also have to write some new questions for your classmates to answer. The first part is a bit noisy, but Nicole's voice is clear.
- Go to Time4English and do the listening in News Stories Library-Upper Intermediate- Aboriginal Culture
- Today I'd like everybody to enter the online module. New students haven't had a chance to use it and it'd be nice to do it before the summer break, so that you know how to access it during the holidays.
Labels: ESL, ESOL, multiculturalism, p2p, web 2.0
Today I want to introduce you to the world of
podcasts.
- Search the net. You could use alltheweb.com (remember what the librarian told us yesterday) and get an explanation of podcast.
- Go to the link Sydney's People and listen to the 2 podcasts. You can have a look at more photos from Spain in flickr by clicking on any of the ones on the Trip to Spain post.
- Answer the questions about the Interview with a university student.
- Now go to the forum and give your opinion about the question for this week.
Labels: ESL, ESOL, multiculturalism, p2p, web 2.0
Today's Work
Hi everyone!
Today I"ve got a few things for you to do.
- We were thinking of going to Sculpture by the Sea. Can you search the net to find out how we could get there by public transport? Write your answer in your blogs.
- You can also add to your blog a link to a good website with information about Sculpture by the Sea and some photos.
- Time4English sent me an email with a new type of activity they are thinking of including in their website. It's called a webquest. Ask me for a copy and enjoy the adventure.
- Go to the forum and discuss ideas to invite Michael's Roman students to do something in common with our class.
- Go to our module, Approaches to Learning, and read the announcement for today.
Labels: ESL, ESOL, multiculturalism, p2p, web 2.0
Autumn in Zaragoza, Spain by Luis Aguado 
Labels: ESL, ESOL, multiculturalism, p2p, web 2.0
News & Fun things
We have been approached by a teacher from the British Council in Rome. You can read his message in the comments of the
Showcase post. He is wondering if we would like to do some activities with his students. I think it is a great idea and it's part of what we have been talking about: the internet connects us to the rest of the world.
What about inviting them to our forum?These are some other ideas:
PledgeBankImages and languageMeanwhile have a look at their blog on the side bar :
Rome EFL Blog. Also this is a profile of Michael,
The teacher, by one of his students:
Michael by Serena. Feel free to write comments to them.
- I've changed the link to the forum to another space in the sidebar shared by a new project: Our Podcast. Have a look here for a definition of pocasting: Wikipedia podcasting entry.
In a few words it means that I am learning how to do recordings to post in our blog. You can subscribe to them and the idea would be for you to do podcasts yourselves. You will find some examples of podcasts below listening (right sidebar) and also if you visit this ESL podcast site: podfeed. - Go to Time4English and listen to the news item on the front page.
- Write a letter to the editor about the use of security cameras in your local shopping centre in your blog.
- Have a look at our group map, Kogarah TAFE ESOL. You can upload a photo of yourself.
- We are also waiting for the dates of William Shakespeare, Leonardo da Vince, Martin Luther King, Agathe Christie, etc from Marcelino.
- Your letters to the editor were very good. You got the idea of how to structure them and use supporting evidence or explanation to your arguments. Some of you did very well in linking all of the above in your conclusion. You should publish them in your blogs. Someone might use them as an example.
- How many modal verbs can you find in all the text above? You ought to know them all by now. Just kidding!
ESL
Labels: ESL, ESOL, multiculturalism, p2p, web 2.0
Showcase
We had a big day yesterday! Marion, Michelle and I spent it at the NSW TAFE Quality Awards Showcase.
We had a stall with 2 laptops. One was projecting our module Approaches to Learning 4 onto a screen and the second one showed a photo story displaying your work for the module and your own blogs.
It was very pleasing to see your work in the Approaches to Learning forum today. I hope to read your fantastic summaries of the discussion in your notes.
You have also demonstrated that you can be independent learners by completing most of the extensive work Marion and I set up for you.
Well done everybody!
ESLLabels: ESL, ESOL, multiculturalism, p2p, web 2.0
You can welcome our 3 new classmates in their blogs:
Irina,
Yin Ie &
Richa.
As you didn't have the opportunity of doing last week's work, we can do it now. Go to
Hi from sunny Spain! and do the work I set up from my hometown of Huesca.
When you finish we can start work on English for job seeking. Stephanie prepared a lot of work for you on resume writing and job interviews. Go to Time4 English, Advanced-Bussiness 2 and do the following:
- Read all the information on Resume writing (you can print it for further reference)
- Do the exercises at the end
- Write your resume
ESLLabels: ESL, ESOL, multiculturalism, p2p, web 2.0
Hi from sunny Spain!
Sorry I haven´t been able to be with you this week, but I had to be here with my family to celebrate my parents´ gold wedding anniversary.
The photo on the left is from Vienna, where I stopped for about 6 hours. I found the city very beautiful, with grand avenues and magnificent buildings. There were lots of great shops too, but I couldn´t buy anything (it was 6 am!). I went through a Turkish market that was just beeing set up. It was full of fresh fruit, candied fruit, nuts, sweets and delicious deli goods.
Just in case you go near a computer, here is some work for you:
- This is a photo of Loarre Castle, where the film The Kingdom of Heaven was done. Search the internet and write a summary of the plot in your blog. You can also write about the stars, film director, the setting, etc.
- Have a look at this collage and write a story inspired on it. All the photos have been taken by me in Spain.
3. Go to Time4English and read/listen to This week´s news and The odd spot.
4. Now work on the online module, Approaches to Learning. Try to do as much as you can.
See you soon!
Labels: ESL, ESOL, multiculturalism, p2p, web 2.0
- Last Monday you watched the movie Rabbit Proof Fence with Marion. Yesterday we wacthed My Big Fat Greek Wedding. You were asked to write a review about it. There are many examples in Time4English. Go there and do the listening exercise on My Big Fat Greek Wedding and then the movie review Mona Lisa Smile. You can also read other reviews.
- Also in Time4English, listen to THIS WEEK'S ODD SPOT and THIS WEEK'S STORY. When you finish reading Crocodiles Save People, print it or save it in your floppy and change the passive sentences into active sentences and the active sentences into passive. You can write it in your blog.
- Last Friday I went to the ICVVET conference, as you well know. I met an ESOL student from Randwick TAFE , Alex from Russia, who has created a Website for his classmates. Check it out: sydney Club. You can contact the students, as they have published their email addresses.
- Have a look at this new link (on the right side bar) ABC English Bites. Go to Learning English and you will find many units of work with video adn audio files and quizzes and activities. Some are for beginners (Living Englisdh), some for advanced learners (Study English, IELTS preparation).
- I have sent a link with your blog addressses to del.icio.us where there are other ESL students with blogs. It is a project started by Dekita. They want to encourage ESL/EFL students to communicate with each other across the world throught the Net. During the holidays, you can start exploring other students' blogs, write to them in their comments and invite them to look at your blogs. Next term we may try to work with one of those classes.
Labels: ESL, ESOL, multiculturalism, p2p, web 2.0
P2P in EFL/ESL Exchange
Monday, September 19, 2005
Our Class 2005This is a class of of adult migrants in Sydney, Australia. The level of English is heterogeneous, from lower-intermediate to advanced and our school year goes from February to December. We meet 4 times a week for 5 hours a day and one of these classes is in the computer lab.
Here are the links to our blogs:
SusSilviaGraceIsmatEvaLisaSaedehKarenRaniaJessicaOlga M2NentisAnaLabels: ESL, ESOL, multiculturalism, p2p, web 2.0
This week you are going to really do your work online. I will be at a staff development workshop outside St George TAFE, so you will be on your own, using our blog and our online module from either home, the TAFE library or your local libray. I hope you can follow the instructions. Remember to read them carefully and work at your own pace. Any problems, please let me know (by email, blog comments or the module communication tools) and we will talk about it next week.
- Read all the notes (6 pages) on presentations from Time4English and, in your blog, write in point form the 10 most important things you have to remember when you do your presentation next week.
- Let's research information for your presentation topic. Search Google or another browser. We found two good sites: The World, The World Factbookwhere you will find information on most countries. Use the info you think is relevant and intersting . Write it in a Word document and save it in your floppy. Otherwise print it. But always rewrite everything in your own words. It's very hard to remember words that are not yours for an oral presentation. You should not memorize it, just use notes and visual aids (palm cards, OHTs, power point) to help you remember.
- Go to our online module Approaches to Learning in Janison. Read the announcement and do the work. (I've put a permanent link below Time4English)
- Have a look at Rosa's Homework where I put the photos from last Thursday's party (thank you again!) and my test photostories (Rania, it worked at TAFE today). We will try to make one for each of your blogs.
Labels: ESL, ESOL, multiculturalism, p2p, web 2.0
Rosa's Homework
You told me to do my homework this weekend. Here it is.
Click on this link to view a small photo story:
Our Class intro. This will be the first of many...
Here is another one:
8th September 2005
Thank you very much for a great surprise party!
I didn't realise Silvia and Jessica left the class together to start preparing. I didn't realise people were staying back for any reason other than continue working on your blogs.
I didn't find it strange to see Sherye appear to say hello, even though she's been away sick for a long time... Only when Sue sent me a birthday card and then I saw a flash from a digital camera going off at the end of the computer room, it dawned on me that something was going on. But nothing prepared me for the big surprise that awaited me downstairs. What a great feast! The food was delicious, the decoration was fantastic, the surprise visit from Marion and everyone's company was the best ever!
Labels: ESL, ESOL, multiculturalism, p2p, web 2.0
Today we are going to concentrate in our online module, Approaches to Learning, so we won't be doing a lot of work here.
1. Olga didn't believe me when I said that in Australia water goes down the drain in the opposite direction to other countries in the northern hemisphere. When I read the newspaper on Friday, I found this in
Column 8 (
The Sydney Morning Herald (Friday 2nd September, 2005):
Jenny Rollo, of Putney, wants some advice on traffic rules. "I was watching the skaters at Macquarie icerink yesterday," she writes, "and it occurred to me that they always take a counter-clockwise route. What is the direction in other rinks, in Australia and the world? One would have thought that the natural direction here would be clockwise, because of our driving on the left-hand side of the road. Or does this have something to do with the direction of the water going down a drain according to the hemisphere you are in?"
Nevertheless, when I tried to look for further information, I found this quote in
Earth Quest, a scientific site that seems to be reliable:
There is a strong urban myth that water drains through plugholes in an anticlockwise/clockwise direction in the northern and southern hemisphere due to the Coriolis force. This is untrue, even when ‘demonstrated’ by tourist operators who step on either side of the equator with a pan of water. They’re simply using tricks of the hand and eye. Water drains from a sink in a pattern based on the shape of the sink and how the water starts moving.
You can also check the abc forum with Dr Carl, where he also dismisses the myth. This reminds us of the fact that it is important to distinguish between facts & opinion (or in this case urban myths). Be critical when you read or hear something!
Do you know any other urban myths? If you do, write about them in your blog. We can try and find out if they are facts or just popular belief...
2. Go to Time4English Upper Intermediate / Advanced 5L Presentations, and do pages 5 & 6. Print them or save them in your floppy disk. You will soon need them to help you with your presentation.
After reading page 5, write down the advice the give you on some things you should or shouldn't do.
After completing page 6, write down in point form the extra pices of advice given..
3. Today we will do our weekly forum in our online module Approaches to Learning.Labels: ESL, ESOL, multiculturalism, p2p, web 2.0
From the Sydney Opera House, Happy New Year!
Let's hope 2006 brings peace and happiness to everyone.
