I’m posting the abstract and the Power Point presentation together with the links to some Twitter Fiction writers in both languages.

Abstract

Since the turn of the 21^st century the web has evolved from a vast source of information into an ever growing multimedia platform –Web 2.0 – that allows users to share, (co-) create, (co-) author and (co-) edit digital content. At the core of these developments, social networks facilitate connections, instant communication and multimedia format sharing worldwide.

Among the most influential web 2.0 applications, Twitter is a social network and microblogging service that allows users to publish status updates, called tweets, of up to 140 characters, which are distributed to subscribed followers by instant messages, mobile phones, email or the Web. Although it was initially conceived as just a social medium for electronic communication, some users have stretched its limits and have now transformed it into an open publishing platform for micro fiction.

Far from belonging to a unified scholarly literary movement, Twitter fiction has emerged haphazardly from individual and collaborative experiments on the web. Its diversity can be illustrated in terms of a wide variety of genres that range from short stories and thrillers to haiku-style poems. In addition, the phenomenon has spread beyond its original web application to other electronic publications such as twitterzines and e-books.

Current information and communication technologies harness the weightless materialization and viral dissemination of new forms of literature in which the voice of readers and writers blend in participatory interconnected digital literary circles.

Some Twitter Fiction writers:

http://twitter.com/twitterfiction

http://twitter.com/thaumatrope

http://twitter.com/effeffingeff

http://twitter.com/ccocca

http://twitter.com/mcrfccn

http://twitter.com/microtxts

http://twitter.com/nanoism

http://twitter.com/nanoed

http://twitter.com/AStoryIn140

https://twitter.com/arjunbasu

One-minute film based on Arjun Basu’s Twister: Life

Voicethread
MobaTalk Comment System
Skype
WiZiQ

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!

 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…

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!

The great news was finally announced!

About a month ago, Jesica and I received an e-mail from the US Embassy in Buenos Aires telling us that we had been nominated for the E-Teacher Program,  an online program in different areas for English Language Teachers.

Yesterday we were officially announced that we have been accepted to take an online course on Business English, offered by the University of South Carolina.

Although we have a particularly hectic schedule at the moment, since we are designing an online course ourselves (and I am already teaching a TOEFL iBT Blended course), we are delighted at this new professional development opportunity.

I promise to blog more about it soon! :)

Last month, Jesica Bassani and I wrote a short article for an important local newspaper to present two new courses that will be launched at our workplace this semester: a blended TOEFL iBT course and an online Business English course. We presented them as E-learning 2.0 since we are designing them on Moodle with a flexible, interactive approach trying to bring the full potential of the Web 2.0 to the learning 

To our surprise, the article was “improperly” edited and our names, simply, removed. Luckily, today I was able to find  the full version of our article, which was published in a smaller newspaper that is distributed in neighboring cities.

The whole episode made me reflect on the concept of Internet transparency I’ve recently read about. Journalist Mark Tapscott has said that the Internet revolution is forcing transparency, stressing the importance of bloggers and their capacity to enhance transparency and freedom of expression.(Noticias sobre Internet)

Here are the two articles (in Spanish). Can you spot the differences?

smaller newspaper  second article (no permalink – cache version)

important local newspaper

TGIT ( Thank God for Internet Transparency)