......years ago I started blogging, and it was an event that changed my life in quite a dramatic way. Janet's Abruzzo Edublog is now officially over five years old and I would like to say what a joy it has been to blog and to share my ideas, lessons, presentations, experiments on web 2.0 tools, and thoughts on life in general. Writing has given me a new confidence and has made me very happy. This year, I have not had the time to devote myself to updating this blog as often as I would have liked to. However, I have still somehow managed to create 2 teaching blogs, lasting the two-week period I taught each of the following classes:
Just for fun and for some light relief, I also set up a new blog for our chickens!! Yes, it is true, just for Freddy the cockerel and 6 chickens. Sadly, it has not been a good year for him and his companions, but things should be better in 2014.
Thanks to everyone who reads my blog, thanks to all the members of my PLN both here and on Twitter, and thanks to everyone who inspires me to continue writing. This includes all my wonderful colleagues, students and classes I have taught the past five years since moving to Abruzzo.
I hope to do a fuller analysis of 2013 at the end of this year. Watch this space :-)
I came across this saying the other day, and it struck me as being so positive and uplifting, that I knew I had to write it down, so here it is!!
"Always reach for the stars, because even if you don't get there, you will be out of this world."
I am following the EVO Digital Storytelling for Kids session and so far, I am having such a wonderful time. I just love being a "student" again. Everyone is sharing so many ideas and being supportive of each other's efforts. It is a world I love being drawn into, and it helps me appreciate what it is like to be participating in an online course from the student's eyes and perspective. As an online moderator myself, it is important to be able to feel this perspective, so that in the future, I can incorporate the magical ingredients it takes to make a course a successful and enjoyable one.
Collaborative group work certainly is one of the key ingredients. Having a sense of "belonging" to a community is also fundamental and at the heart of what makes a session run smoothly. Together with excellent, committed moderators who always know the right moment for when to comment and give encouragement, it all contributes to a unique moment in one's personal and professional development.
The truth is that I had planned not to do an EVO session this year, due to a lack of time to devote and immerse myself fully, but as I mentioned in the previous post, I was encouraged to join in, and the rest so they say, is history....I am so glad I am participating!!
Dvolver
Below is a Dvolver film I have created for one of the Week 3 tasks. It sums up the journey I am following with so much enthusiasm.
The Lillies
Here is a simple story I created with Creaza, called The Lillies. Can you guess what happens before the final slide? You need to use your imagination! Please do join in with your ideas in the Comments' box at the very bottom of the post.
Motorbike Stuff
Here's a cartoon I couldn't resist creating, using one of my own favourite images of Abruzzo for the background:
Crazy Rider created with Creaza
The cartoon shows ME doing a wheelie in Abruzzo!!
Can you guess whether the following statements are true about me or not?
Janet
has actually been on the back of a motorbike doing a wheelie.
has ridden thousands of miles on the back of a motorbike.
lists her favourite motorbike of all time as the Honda Goldwing 1500
likes flicking through motorbike magazines such as Motociclismo
has actually seen Valentino Rossi win a Moto GP
has ridden in formation with a Police Outrider for the former Queen Mother
has a signed Valentino Rossi original poster called "First Blood"
knows what an Akrapovic exhaust sounds like
enjoys travelling around Abruzzo by motorbike
has taken training and passed her CBT (Compulsory Basic training) in the UK for riding a 125cc motorbike
Animoto Motorbike Scenes Animoto is an excellent tool for creating short, snappy slideshows with music. The free version allows you 30 seconds, which is a bit limiting, but is good enough to create some lovely presentations.
Below is an Animoto video called Abruzzo by Motorbike. It shows images I took (mostly from the back of the motorbike!) on a trip around the beautiful region of Abruzzo.
Answers to the True / False questions are at the bottom!
Using Comics & Cartoons to learn a language
I think learning a language by creating simple comics is an excellent idea. Can you work out what the characters are saying in Itlaian?
An Italian Dialogue created with Creaza
Mille Grazie
I would like to say a very big thank you to all the lovely moderators on the EVO Digitalstorytelling for Young Learners session and also to all my fellow EVO participants for helping to make it such an interesting and valuable learning experience for me so far. Roll on week 4!!
Post Scriptum
All the statements about Janet and motorbikes are TRUE!!!
Can you believe it? Sometimes I can't believe it myself, but I'm very glad I tried these things...
When I am old and wearing purple, I will look back on these heady and incredible moments, and they will help me to face the last inevitable journey....
This Tagxedo contains the key to how to become a billionaire...
I had never heard of Sara Blakely before I woke up this morning. Now I know that the sales of pants have made her into a super billionaire. However, they are not your usual "pants". They are in fact called "Spanx" and they make people look slimmer.
Why have I chosen to focus on this story? Reading through the very interesting post on Yahoo News Online, I came across the idiom "have a brainwave".
To "have a brainwave" means to have a brilliant idea. What was Sara Blakely's brainwave, which has made her the youngest self-made billionaire in the world? Simple really.
"Blakely had the brainwave of cutting the feet out of a pair of tights (or panty hose as they are known in the US) to create a smoothing and firming effect. However, when she wore the cut off tights underneath her trousers she found the tights rolled up her legs all night.
This wardrobe malfunctionmeant an idea was born. At 29, Blakely invested her life savings of $5,000 (£3,190) trying to come up with something flattering to wear under white trousers. Control hosiery Spanx was born and Blakely wrote the patent herself to save money."
I'm always on the look-out for idioms in context. You can't get a better context than Sara Blakely's amazing brainwave...
I have summarised the article as a tweet in under 140 characters. I have used an idiom (have a brainwave), a fairly new expression ( have a wardrobe malfunction) and a phrasal verb (come up with = produce, think of).
2011 was a simple year, yet full of exciting, fabulous events. My current life in the Abruzzo countryside is a mixture of down-to-earth living and connecting with people from all over the world via the Internet.
Helping K carry logs chopped for firewood in our jungle.
A new olive tree, my Xmas pressie!!This 3-year-old olive tree cost 8 euros from our local garden centre, Rosa D'Oriente in Cepagatti. Dr Luigi very kindly selected this Leccino variety for me. The idea that this olive tree will be here in a hundred year's time, long after I am gone, gives me a good feeling. It should withstand all that nature will throw at it and it will survive to grow into a venerable tree, I hope!!
The happiness I derive from living amongst chickens, cats, dogs, falcons, the occasional wild boar, olive groves and vineyards is one that invariably transcends having the latest material goods. However, I have to confess, I do get the odd pang of desiring something, but I content myself by saying I can't have it NOW, but hopefully at a later date. This usually does the trick....
I know this solitary lifestyle could be transient, so I am making the most of it, and yet at the same time, trying to do my utmost to further my teaching career, whether virtual or face to face, which is now in its incredible 33rd year!!
Many Heartfelt Thanks to....
.......all the wonderful team at The Lake School of English, Oxford for their continued support. I enjoy teaching there so much, and the course participants are always so keen! Many best wishes to all the lovely staff, and teachers and students I have had the pleasure of teaching this year.
In addition, I would like to say a very special thanks to all the fabulous team at The Consultants-E for making this year very interesting and varied with the different online projects I have had the pleasure to have been involved in.
To everyone I know, via this blog or Twitter or other projects I have participated in this year, I would like to say a very, very BIG thank you to my PLN - Passionate Learning Network. I appreciate all the support and guidance that I receive. I hope I can give the same back to you, I really do.
So, 2011 is nearly over and it's time for a few reflections!!!
Blog ChallengesI took part in 6 blog challenges! Thank you to each and every challenge organiser. It was a pleasure to be a part of the EFL community. Below are links to the original blogs, which hosted the challenges.
The Year of Webinars and E-Conferences
I continued to attend and present at international webinars and Virtual conferences. I feel immensely happy that I participated in them and I still can't believe it's true!! My trusted and faithful laptop has taken me on a rollercoaster virtual ride and I was in 7th heaven!! Thank you to all the organisers of the following events!
Connecting Online 2011 Virtual Round Table Reform Symposium 2011 The Year of Firsts!
I tried out quite a few new tools for the first time and you can see which ones in the Tagxedo below. You can find out how I got on with them by searching for the labels on the sidebar.
Scoop.it My Scoop.it web curation site on Comics and Cartoons was begun in July 2011 specifically to house the links and resources connected to my Reform Symposium online webinar on Fun with Comics and Cartoons in the Classroom. I would like to say thank you to all my fellow "Scoopers" for suggesting new comics and cartoon sites and posts to add to this growing collection, which I hope is useful in some way! In particular, the BookChook blog has very kindly suggested lots of materials to add, and I appreciate this collaboration very much!
The Comics and Cartoons Scoop.it site is doing very well! It now has 100 followers, and has had 2,000 page views, with 1,200 visitors! I am delighted by this,and would like to thank everyone involved in making this particular project such a great success. I don't plan to curate other topics for the moment, as I already follow quite a few topics anyway. However, I don't know what 2012 will bring, so it will be interesting to see what happens in this area.
Electronic Village Online 2011
I attended a 5-week course in January 2011 on Digital Storytelling and learned so much from my lovely tutors and fellow participants. What I gained from the course helped me to produce my very own digital story called "An Idiomatic Love Story". This formed the central part of my first ever presentation at IATEFL Brighton 2011. You can find all the materials I created here. The Year of SEETA Courses!
I attended 4 marvellous free online courses via SEETA and I had 4 of the best tutors in the world as moderators! Interacting with fellow teachers from around the globe was also amazing. If you would like to read my feedback on each of the courses below, please look under the label SEETA in my blog Sidebar!
IASKU
A special mention to Chiew from IASKU blog for the fantastic interviews that he is recording with teachers from all over the globe. It was a huge honour for me to be interviewed by him during the summer. Click here to view all his guest interviewees.
ELTChat
I would like to say a big thank you to all the fab moderators and team of ELTChat, held every Wednesday at noon and 9pm UK time. They are doing stirling work in givng teachers from all over the world the chance to discuss pedagogical matters of great interest. I hope to be a more active member in 2012!! To find out more, click on the ELTChat wiki link here.
QR Codes
Writing a blog post on QR codes was one of my most researched topics this year and has led me to be curious about how they will impact on the future of learning. Already I can see that they are playing a big role in a lot of areas such as marketing a product, for example. Recently, I have read a piece on Motorcycle News quoted as follows: "BMW is now incorporating QR codes into the camouflaging used on disguised road-going prototypes, so sharp-eyed and curious onlookers can use their smartphones to scan the codes and go to an official website to find out exactly what they have just seen."
I have discussed the use of QR codes with my hubby K, and I think I have imparted a curiosity in him to find out more about their use. I am thrilled that he has taken on board some of the ideas. He is now busily researching ways to deal with such codes in his industry, high level motorbike training. He's already experimenting with a QR code for his blog home page.
To the left, you can see a photo I took of K riding home on his motorbike after testing out the new road surface!! It passed the test, thankfully. You can see the same photo here.
Wallwisher Resolutions for 2012
I'd like to invite you to add your wishes for 2012!! Hope they will all come true!! Just double click on the Wallwisher to post a stickie and add your wish or resolution.
The King and I You may be wondering why I chose this title. Well I had a picture taken with the King of Rock at the Honey Club in Brighton!! Elvis Presley was there!! Well, actually an Elvis impersonator who was very, very good indeed. I couldn't resist it, but I had to have a photo with him. As soon as I saw him, this blog post title flashed through my mind and here it is!! That's the way my mind works. Title first, blog post second.
The occasion was the onestopenglish 10th anniversary birthday party celebration on the beach front. The wine was flowing, the food was delicious, and the partygoers were lively and dynamic! I went on my own but within seconds I had met up with lots of lovely people, who I chatted to throughout the evening.
Janet with Shelly
Sue, Tara, Brad and Marisa
Sue, Petra, Janet and Burcu
The Tagxedo below in the patriotic shape of England is a summary of my thoughts and feelings of the 45th IATEFL Brighton Conference. I have read so many fantastic summaries already that I'm afraid I feel that I wouldn't be able to add anything new or fresh, so I have decided to sum it up briefly using a few Web 2.0 tools, images and links to some fab blog posts with great reviews. Every single session I attended was inspiring, and you can view most of the presenters' materials and resources in the index here.
I was in 7th heaven throughout the 4 days in Brighton. Or more to the point, on cloud 9!! There was so much to see and do that I was spoilt for choice!! The weekend was like the merry-go round below - full of action, fast and furious! Now I am slowly but surely going through the links to presentations and slides that presenters have kindly uploaded on their session page on the BrightonOnline site.
I couldn't attend all the talks, but I have been reading a lot of summaries from my PLN. One talk I missed was "Web 2.0 Tools for IELTS speaking and writing success" by Amanda Wilson and Susan Dempsey. This is interesting for me because I have taught a lot of IELTS examination classes and anything to make them more dynamic, is most welcome!! I like all the web 2.0 tools that are suggested in this session.
Tech Gurus I met someone I owe a lot of my technology awareness to: none other than Mr Russell Stannard himself. His presentation was wonderful and I enjoyed finding out so much about different web 2.0 tools and their applications. A Channel Live reporter from Tuxpi was able to snap the photo below!
The room was packed full and I enjoyed the talk immensely. Click on Teacher Training Videos to see all the fabulous tools that Russell shows us how to use.
I also attended another of my Tech Gurus presentations. Nik Peachey's fab talk on "Digitising your ELT Course Book" proved to be very exciting, and it was great to see him in action in person. You can view the full session details here.
World Premiere The world premiere of An Idiomatic Story 2011 took place in Brighton & Hove. It has now been made into an award-winning film!! You can view the original screenplay on Slideshare here. Please click on the promotional film poster produced by BigHugeLabs in order to view it better.
Brighton Images
The Brighton Pier was lovely by night. I had to have fish and chips as soon as I arrived and I bought them from the Pier. The chips were absolutely delicious! Brighton beach was empty while I was there, as you can see. I enjoyed eating my sarnies on the pebbles, and just watching the ebb and flow of the waves. I also reflected on the variety of the pebbles The sunsets were lovely.
The B&B was conveniently located near the seafront and Brighton Conference Centre.
A Busman's Holiday Brighton's colourful red buses reminded me that I was having a "busman's holiday". A busman's holiday is when you go on holiday and do the same thing that you would normally do in your job. In my case, I am a teacher and I had my first proper holiday in ages in Brighton by attending a Teachers' conference, so I was actually learning and talking all about my job the whole weekend!! I am not complaining, though. Iwould do it all over again and I feel lucky to have been there.
Some Feedback Blog Posts Finally, for some links to some fab feedback blog posts please see below!
This Youtube video by OUPELTGlobal sums up the wonderful Brighton conference. Thanks also to Eva for her very kind words about my session!!
Tying the Knot Sadly, Frederick was denied the pleasure of tying the knot with his beloved Isabella, so I'll have to make do with the Royal Wedding instead, which takes place on Friday 29th April.
I'll be in Abruzzo on the actual day. I wonder how Italian telly is going to cover the Big Day? Watch this space!!
The fateful words "She is just a sort of bigoted woman " and "That was a disaster" will go down in history as a spectacular case of Prime Minister Gordon Brown shooting himself in the foot. His prospects of winning the forthcoming General Election next week have possibly been irreparably damaged and his reputation lies in tatters. The cartoon above taken from the Independent shows a picture of Gordon Brown shooting himself in the foot over the choice of words he used about pensioner Gillian Duffy when he thought he was in private. Unfortunately, as the whole world now knows, his microphone was still switched on when he got into his car.
I love the headline above- "Gillian only popped out for a loaf and came back with Brown toast". A wonderful use of informal language "pop out" meaning to go out for a short time, and the play on words "Brown toast" which means that Gordon Brown is in desperate straits or indeed, doomed.
Thanks to the English Blog's excellent coverage of the events here, I was able to view some brilliant cartoons and use them as a handy warmer and discussion opener with my eager FCE / Upper Intermediate level students in the morning and my group of lovely secondary school teachers in the afternoon. I had a copy of the Guardian newspaper to hand and the front page showed a dejected Prime Minister with his head in his hands. The following is a Tagxedo of the words that came up in the discussion that ensued.
What will I do with myself from now on? The last four days have been action-packed with exciting virtual events from Harrogate. I have virtually had the time of my life and it has been absolutely wonderful. The Online Forums will be open for quite a while if anybody would like to continue posting comments and sharing ideas here. I have used Twitter more than ever before and it's been quite a revelation for me!
I read about this new tool called tagxedo via my Twitter stream from Free Technology for Teachers and being ever curious, I had a little go with it yesterday. I downloaded a plug-in called Silverlight and then I simply typed in the URL to my blog in the Create section and hey presto, the lovely shape above was generated. It is still in Beta form, so the words don't move around yet as they do on the official tagxedo website. I sent Russell Stannard from Teacher Training Videos a DM tweet asking him if he could make a video on tagxedo, and the answer was almost immediate. Within a short time he sent me a link to a video tutorial which will be available on his site very soon. Absolutely amazing!
I also read this very interesting post by Eva Buyuksimkesyan on her delightful blog A Journey in TEFL which included a lovely tagxedo cloud.
Can you guess what the tagxedo below is about? Do you think tagxedo will replace Wordle as a teaching tool? I'd love to hear what you think.
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