Jun
30
TICs y Lenguas
June 30, 2008 | Tagged Argentina, blog, blogging, edubloggers, ICT, languages, team blog | 2 Comments
Having been an active participant in the English speaking edublogosphere for some years, I also feel the need to connect to Spanish-speaking edubloggers. After attending Rosario BlogDay, joining Edublogger Argento, and taking online courses in my L1 for teachers of different foreign languages, I became aware of the growing community of Argentinian educators who are integrating technology into their classes. In spite of being able to share knowledge, events, tools, information and, most importantly, our cultural identity, there was still something I could not share with many of them: my blog, simply because it was in another language.
I really treasure this space, not only because it witnesses my learning adventures and my professional development, but also because it allows me to connect with EFL colleagues all over the world and build virtual networks of collaboration. However, at a certain point, I also feel the need and the responsibility to help spread those networks f2f. I know that there are still very few EFL teachers in my area that would commit to such a venture, but what if we invited other (foreign) language teachers, of Spanish, French, Portuguese, etc.? Then, the network would be stronger, allowing diversity while focusing on the special interest of language teachers, and in our mother tongue, letting us also become a part of the general educational community.
So I thought a team blog would be a good starting point. I contacted Griselda Sassola, a teacher of French who’s been working with ICT for a long time. We’ve started a blog called TICs y Lenguas (ICT and Languages), which intends to be an open space for discussion and interaction. We are going to invite teachers to publish their posts as authors and we have also set up static pages for announcements and resources.
I know this is going to be a long path, but we’ve already set the ball rolling!
May
24
Mate&Blogs
May 24, 2008 | Tagged BlogDay, blogging, Edublogger Argento, mateyblogs, Rosario | 6 Comments
A spin-off of RosarioBlogDay, MateyBlogs, the first collaborative blogging workshop in Rosario, took place today at CEC combining one of our dearest Argentinian traditions with the 2.0 spirit.
After three brief presentations conducted by Fernanda Rubio, Francisco Sanguinetti on how to integrate mutimedia content, and Federico Aikawa, who shared some practical blogging tips, we divided ourselves into three groups to share experiences and discuss questions with the coordinators. Surprisingly enough, I was in a group full of teachers! 
I was especially glad to meet Gabriela Spadoni and María Sabina Codarín, Edublogger Argento members, after our failed f2f meeting last night.
The wrap up presentation was in charge of Federico Picone who discussed the importance of social networks and other Web 2.0 tools.
Some tools that were mentioned:
Gickr
Luna Pic
Photoshop Express
Twitxr
Alianzo
Once again, it was great to meet such an enthusiastic and diverse community of ArgenBloggers face to face.
See you all at the next MateyBlogs!
Feb
9
Edublogtalk: distributed conversations
February 9, 2008 | Tagged b4echallenge, blogtalk, conversations, distributed, edublogtalk, knowledge, metablogtalk, tagging | 6 Comments
When Blogging4Educators started, I understood we had designed a number of environments to interact with participants, mainly, our YG and two blogs to host weekly discussions. During the first two weeks, fascinating conversations developed as we shaped, defined and built ideas dialogically on our blog threads.
On week 3, however, the task was to post entries and tag them blogging4educators and/or b4echallenge. We started experimenting with the power of tagging not only to organize, classify and describe our user-generated content on the web, but as a way of bringing conversations together, helping our edublogs talk to each other by decentralizing the discussion. We all started reflecting on different aspects of the week’s topic making it even more enriching and multifaceted as we allowed the new bloggers in our session to find their voice and to build their own readership. (Not bad in less than 4 weeks!)
So instead of converging on one spot, conversations are distributed, helping ideas flow creating interconnected semantic contexts. We are generating blogtalk, edublogtalk, metablogtalk, we are seeding the web with our ideas, but through tagging we are generating a context that helps us build open circles of thought and interaction.
Since week 4 started, I’ve been reading non-stop. From Konrad Glogowsky’s reflective post to Lilian’s teaching context and Carla’s reaction with Fear 2.0 plus all their comments! I simply don’t know where to start contributing to the discussion. It’s so deep, so broad, so complex and so essential. As Will Richardson said in The New Face of Learning “In this new interactive Web world, I have become a nomadic learner; I graze on knowledge”. I guess this post is just to say I’ll feed a bit more on your reflections and add my own piece to this learning puzzle. What do we talk about when we talk about blogs in education?
Image: this is what Edublogtalk looks like in Websites as Graphs
Related readings: Deconstructed Distributed Conversations
The Web as Distributed Knowledge
Feb
6
TBE - Final Assignment
February 6, 2008 | Tagged business english, E-Teacher, TBE | 3 Comments
After a very hectic semester, Jesica and I have been finally able to submit our final assignment for the Teaching Business English Course – E-teacher Program scholarship.
During the course we explored and gained a deeper insight into various aspects of TBE such as needs analysis, CLT, resources, cross-cultural business communication and material design, among others. As in most online learning experiences, the greatest advantage was to collaborate with colleagues from other countries and learn about their particular culture and teaching contexts.
The aim of the assignment was to design a 6-hour workshop to share all we have learned in TBE with our colleagues. We chose to focus on the use of web-based material to design communicative activities for Business English classes. Through the wide array of authentic multimedia material that is available on the web, we can provide our students with relevant updated resources that address their specific needs and interests and enhance their motivation. Although we couldn’t include it in the current schedule, a further development would be the integration of web 2.0 tools, which have already made their way into the business setting as well. (See Blogs Will Change Your Business)
Towards TBE 2.0…
Feb
1
5 Things You Don’t Know about Me
February 1, 2008 | Tagged b4echallenge, drama, meme, phobia, Woody Allen | 5 Comments
I’m ready for the b4echallenge. Here it goes:
- I attended kindergarten in New York City and cried every single day because I couldn’t understand what my teacher said. (See related post)
- I studied drama for seven years and performed in a play called “Wonders in the Land of the Alices”. In 1998, I decided to quit and focus on Teaching Training College since at the time I worked as a secretary and I really hated that job. I do think, however, I still channel my creativity into teaching.
- I have button phobia. Yes, that’s right! Buttons! (I don’t even like the word) People generally don’t believe me or simply laugh at me when I tell them about it, but I’ve discovered I’m not the only one. Check this out: Unusual Phobias - buttons from Unusual Phobias
- I don’t drink alcohol at all. No particular reason. I’ve simply never tried it. Oh, but I love chocolate! I’m a chocoholic. 
- I’m a big fan of Woody Allen. I love his films, especially the ones he made between 1977 and 1992 (i.e. From Annie Hall to Husbands and Wives – the classics ) When I was in 4th year in high school, we saw “Another Woman” in my Philosophy class and I’ve watched every new film he’s made ever since. (My secret dream: to be in one of his movies. Maybe I can play the role of an English teacher who lives in NYC and goes to the shrink because she has a phobia of … you know! ;))
I’m now in the hands of Technorati.
Who’s next?
Jan
27
Budding Blogs and Dandelions
January 27, 2008 | Tagged beginners, blogging4educators, blogs, budding, dandelions, EVO08, metaphors | 2 Comments
The Blogging Season
No, I’m not into gardening at all, but I have always found metaphors essential to grasp new concepts and to connect to them emotionally. Just as flower buds look fresh and promising anticipating spring, the beginning of the blogging season at EVO always fills us with renewed hope and an undeniable sense of excitement as we build broader networks of educators who will not settle and who are ready to explore new grounds for their teaching on the web.
Budding Blogs
The first two weeks at Blogging4Educators have been really hectic. 169 participants + 10 moderators have exchanged more than 600 messages with introductions, questions, tips, accomplishments, help requests and invitations, building initial bonds of fellowship and trust. During the last couple of days, however, most of the subject lines include the words “My New Blog”. It’s just moving to see all the care and dedication teachers have put into their budding blogs, from choosing a template that transmits the right atmosphere to a name that reflects the purpose of their blogging journey. The first posts generally include first impressions and reflections on the creation process, introductions to the online world, technical considerations, aims and statements of purpose. There are blogs related to art, university, high-school and primary classes, brain-based learning, reflections, etc. Many participants have also found their own metaphors for their blogs. There are boomerangs, watercolors, chats, potpourris and as many compelling concepts as a lively group of enthusiastic teachers can put together. Just as they come up, we are proud to witness an emerging ecosystem of edublogs on our session’s Pageflakes.
Seeding the Web
As first attempts to connect to each other, these budding bloggers proudly published their new URLs on the YG and in their comments on colleagues’ blogs. They also started building their blogrolls, spreading links to other blogs into the new B4Ed blogosphere. This reminds me of dandelions which spread their seeds worldwide. While many people consider dandelions an invasive weed, others claim their health benefits and write poems to their beauty. Similarly, blogs are seen by some as trivial online journals that plague the web whereas an increasing number of educators can account for their relevance in the learning process. In particular, these ubiquitous flowers have a very special meaning for me since after my immediate reaction to their questions about dandelions through a post on our class blog , my TOEFL students understood the importance of contributing their knowledge and resources and sharing information about topics that interested them with the whole group. However, unlike dandelions whose seeds develop without any special attention, blogs continue growing and spreading ideas on the web through the perseverance and commitment of the authors and the contribution of thoughtful readers. It is our intention at Blogging4Educators to facilitate meaningful connections and knowledge sharing among participants as our blogging skills flourish and become deeply rooted in 
our teaching practice.
Dear B4Eders, A bunch of hugs for all of you!
Related Google search: budding blogs, metaphors and dandelions
Delve into the mind of a Budding Blogger
Why dandelions?
Dandelion blog
My dandelion patch
Photos: Flikr (with Creative Commons license)
Jan
11
Countdown to Blogging4Educators
January 11, 2008 | Tagged blogging4educators, EVO08, TESOL | Leave a Comment
Three days before EVO 2008 official launch, the action has already started at Blogging4Educators. There are more than 110 participants from all over the world eager to exchange greetings and introductions and to share resources and expectations.
The preparation process has been such a lively experience! Some time ago I defined our work as “messy collaboration and compelling creativity”. Now, after four months working with my dear Blogging Teammates, I should add restless editing and intercultural constructivism! We’ve been blogging across time zones (Japan, UAE, Ukraine, UK, USA, Brazil, Argentina) juggling school work, family vacations, moving houses…. Why do we do this? Simply because we learn so much together! It great to see all the different learning environments we’ve set up, but the best thing is that these spaces are only half-formed since they will only bloom and reach their full potential through the collective work of all participants. The best is still to come…
Carla A., Mary, Erika, Gladys, Cris, Claudia, Nina, Ana María, Vance, Dennis, let’s go for it!! Happy new EVO everyone!
Jan
9
Exploring Social Networks
January 9, 2008 | Tagged Edublogger Argento, Facebook, Ning, social networks | 4 Comments
“We know we can publish information. What we need to focus on now is how we connect to each other; how we build contexts that help us learn.” Just as Pablo Mancini mentioned in RBD, social networks were the highlight of 2007 and the trend seems to be growing stronger.
I am aware of the importance of social networking features in Web 2.0 tools, such as blogs, as a way of linking to each other’s thoughts and engaging in conversations. In fact , they are essential to build learning communities. However, I think some of the “popular” social networking sites are just about making contacts, and I wonder if they may have any significant impact on the way we communicate i.e. if they can help us build learning contexts.
By the end of December, I started to explore two different kinds of social networking sites:
Facebook
I’m always reluctant to engage in the latest fashions (be them on or offline) without knowing exactly what they are about. I think that the second worst thing to resisting technology integration in education is just integrating it superficially without being aware of its underlying assumptions.
This time the invitation came from outside the “blogosphere”. An Argentinian friend who is living in London decided to use Facebook to post and share her photos when another application ceased its service. I received the invitation in September but could only join the site in December after the end of the hectic school year.
After filling out the ever-present profile, I was surprised to see the site suggested two people I might want to add as friends based on my existent contact. I appreciate the ease with which you can find people. In fact, on the very first day I was able to get in touch with a member of the Raguseo family in New Jersey! I searched and found colleagues I added to my friends list. And I kept on searching and finding… movie stars, fan groups… even the President of Argentina has her own Facebook profile!?! However, once my curiosity was satisfied, my enthusiasm somehow faded away. Connections are somewhat loosely joined. It’s a nice interactive directory, but a network of contacts is not a community. So, how do we move from a social network to a learning community?
At a merely social level, this also brings a whole lot of reflections about the “friends feature”. Although the connecting concepts can be varied, including your personal interests, your “friends” constitute the main connection. Now, this is weird. I don’t have so many friends strictly speaking – the kind of people you would share your deepest feelings or your problems with – so what does the word “friend” mean in this context? How can some people have 126 friends in their network? Are they seeking social power? Is it just for fun? The topic is by no means simple, and I’ve found there’s a lot to read and reflect about: Gladwell and Social networks
Ning
A couple of days later, I came across an emerging community of Argentinian edubloggers on NING: Edublogger Argento. I had already heard about other communities such as Classroom 2.0, but I didn’t know they had been developed there.
According to Wikipedia “The unique feature of Ning is that anyone can create their own custom social network for a particular topic or need, catering to specific audiences.” Since my interest on the Web 2.0 is mainly related to education, I find this kind of networks much more relevant to my interests, not only because members have a common interest, but because they support shared discussions and learning spaces.
Each user has his/her own page he/she can customize and develop. The updates on each page are shown on the main area (home) which also features the latest discussions on the forum. It’s amazing to see how this newly-born community defines and shapes itself through group discussions, shared videos, images and other collaborative spaces such as the group’s wiki.
A New Learning Space
Through Edublogger Argento I’ve found a place to start my first blog in Spanish and to connect to a wider group of educators with different professional backgrounds connected by a geographic (national) context. It’s quite a different perspective from my current communities which are multicultural and connected by a common professional field and a shared second/foreign language. How do members of these different communities relate to each other and build up their spaces and collective knowledge? What are the subtle differences in communication? Style, tone, topics, degree of involvement? I look forward to discovering new learning paths and a new way of connecting to others to enhance my intercultural awareness and build new learning networks. Just another step in an ever-enriching, life-long educational experience.
Update 19/01/08
Related reading:
It is about Educational Networking NOT Social Networking
Dec
4
The CALL Interest Section of the international TESOL professional association has announced the 2008 EVO sessions (January 14 - February 24). Every year, EFL/ESL teachers from all over the world take part in online seminars and workshops to explore and discuss topics related to the integration of technology in English Language Teaching.
This year I have the pleasure of being part of the moderating team for one of the sessions, Blogging for Educators , together with an amazing group of colleagues I met during EVO 2006 and 2007. Although most of us have never met f2f, we are willing to collaborate and share all we have learned about edublogging in the EFL classroom.
EVO sessions are a unique opportunity to exchange ideas and build long-lasting relationships with colleagues worldwide. You do not need to be a TESOL member to participate. The sessions are free and open. Check out this site to find out information about the 12 different sessions available: http://evo08sessionscfp.pbwiki.com/
I look forward to meeting you all there!
Nov
16
Rosario BlogDay - More Surprises!
November 16, 2007 | Tagged Rosario BlogDay | 3 Comments
After RBD, I’ve had the pleasure of engaging in meaningful and unexpected conversations with some unique local bloggers (new friends?) . I guess I’ve just become aware of the fact that I’m an English-speaking blogger in Spanish-speaking city, but that does not seem to be a problem when it comes to sharing concepts and ideas in the blogosphere. Since this is an officially bilingual blog (like me), I’ll share this brand-new video about RBD with all of you. Check sec -1.15 and -0.35. Guess who’s there!
PS. Mate and blogs? I’m in! More photos-ON24
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