Friday, November 26, 2010

PORTFOLIO

How to prepare your Portfolio.

As you already now, the Portfolio represents 30% of your qualification. You should consider that.

Don’t start preparing your portfolio at the end of the semester. You have to review all the activities, and it would be very difficult to remember things clearly if you haven’t taken notes on them. Therefore, pay attention to every activity and think of it, as if you were writting a diary.

The activities in which you have been the protagonist would be important, but don’t think the presentations your classmates prepare aren’t relevant: the best way to take part in them is to follow them. Beeing active during the classroom activities will make the preparation of your portfolio very easy. But, remember: don’t let the time fly: it would be much easier to write on what’s been done when it’s fresh.

For each activity, you should write a description and then comment on it, give your opinion on it, criticize it. Criticizing doesn’t mean considering only the negative aspects, but also and more importantly the possitive ones. You should be constructive, and not destructive when you criticize; beeing constructive implies searching for alternatives.


This was the advice at the beginning of the semester... I hope you have already started preparing it. So now, what?? You have some of your presentations on the intranet, check them, that will help you.

Try to be creative -as you've been during the debates. This time you can express your opinion on each topic.

Finally, the structure of the portfolio should consist in:

. An introduction
. A description and a critical overview of every activity -History of the English Language, presentations in group and their subsequent debates, invididual presentations(yours and your classmates'). The blog would help you remembering the activities and the presentations too.
. A conclusion
. You may add your comments on the blog in an addenda.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

List of individual presentations

(English learning resources)

http://testingeslresources.blogspot.com



Multimedia English Classroom – Katherine Torres

www.Ivillabaier.cl - Jorge Molina (done)

Pronunciation sites – Daniela León (done)

Pronunciation tips BBC – Robin Martínez (done)

www.ESLALL.com Ximena Tirapegui (done)

www.USAlearns.com Karina Curihuinca (done)

English Teaching Lab – Francisco Chandía

Claudia Yáñez – Cambridge resources

Dream English – Pamela Sepúlveda

Movie Segments to assess grammar goals – Valeska Ramos

Technology resources for English teachers – Pablo Quintún

MALTED – Lilibeth Illanes

Monday, September 27, 2010

Do we master technology?

Does technology master us?

How do we use technology in our daily lifes? Is it important? Have we somehow felt addicted to technology, to a certain extent? Do we depend on it?

Think about the way our grand-parents used to live. Of course, technology didn't have the preeminence it has today. Think about the positive and negative aspects of technology. Technology should liberate us from unwanted tasks. Is it so? Julio Cortazar, an Argentinian writer, wrote a short text about a watch that was intended to be a gift. But he concluded the man was the present for the watch.

Do you consider yourself as a digital native?

Which are the digital utilities you use most? Why?

Which utilities would you use most as an English teacher?
Have a look at this, if you want, and choose one of the sites.

By the way, did you know...?

Is the exploration of the universe necessary?

Universeb

40 years ago, Man landed on the moon. It was a dream come true. At that time, it was posible due to the "Star Wars" between the USSR and the USA. Nowadays, China is planning another trip to the moon. And Mars? when is a human beeing going to land on Mars? Do you think exploring the Universe should be a priority? Why? Do you think we can afford Space exploration? Of course, science-fiction has already built many Castles and Kingdoms in other Galaxies. Can you think about one or two? Which one do you prefer, and why? And what about extra-terrestrial life? Is there someone out there?

What can we do for our planet?

Technology and Ecology


Technology and Ecology. Does technology always mean progress?

Is our planet truly in danger?

What can we do for our planet? What should be done?



This is the text that goes with the trailer of HOME, a free movie directed by Yann-Arthus Bertrand. What do you think about it? Do you agree? Do you think we have to worry about the future of our planet?

In 200,000 years on Earth, humanity has upset the balance of the planet, established by nearly four billion years of evolution. The price to pay is high, but it's too late to be a pessimist: humanity has barely ten years to reverse the trend, become aware of the full extent of its spoliation of the Earth's riches and change its patterns of consumption.



An Inconvenient Truth. Trailer.



Here you have a controversial proposal. Do you agree? Why? Why not? Can you think of another way of changing what is beeing done to Nature?

Can machines think as we do?


LIKE TEARS IN THE RAIN. The most famous scene from Blade Runner, directed by Ridley Scott, adapted from Phillip K. Dick's novel Do androids dream of electric sheep?




2001, A Space Odyssey. Trailer.




Which is the difference between the ways machines and human beeings think, in Isaac Asimov's opinion?

In which way do you think we should anticipate the future in order to avoid the negative aspects future changes can bring?

Can man be a little god? Genetics and Ethics

Some visionary writers -science-fiction writers- anticipated our debate on Science and Ethics. Let's have a look at their works in order to consider the limits scientists have to face and respect.



Frankenstein creates his monster.



Trailer.



This is the first ten minutes of the 1996 drama, The Island of Dr. Moreau. It was originally written as a novel by Victorian novelist and thinker H.G. Wells and is about a mad doctor who alters animals through vivisection to resemble humans.