Comments on: Blogging2.0 Journey – From Replication to Conversations

By: carlaarena

carlaarena — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 12:31:17 +0000

Dear José,

I just mentioned to Ronaldo the importance of focusing, having a purpose for our blogs, as well as specific goals. I can see you have already set your own. Now, the next big question is how? How do you plan to engage students in more dialogue?

As for the “integrate activities in a more efficient way”, maybe you could narrow down your objectives and decide how you plan to address your class blogging according to your teaching style and goals and students’ needs and interests. Would love to keep sharing with you and learning with you!

By: Jose Antonio

Jose Antonio — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 19:57:53 +0000

Hi Carla,
What a post! It really made me reflect on my journey as a blogger. When I think about the way I started doing things and the way I do them now, I see there is progress, but I still don´t know where it would take me. It would certainly be a place I have never been before. Reflecting on our practices is painful sometimes because it makes us see that there are things we need to work on. Every year, I take some time to reflect on my blogging journey and see that I need to make improvements in the ways I use web 2.0 tools. This year I want to promote more dialogue and integrate activities in a more efficient way. I am looking forward to seeing where this will take me.
Abraços
JA

By: Ronaldo

Ronaldo — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 07:38:32 +0000

Hey carla!

This was a great reflection. You know, since you recommended Konrad’s post (Towards Reflective Blog Talk), I’ve been thinking about ways of speeding up my way into blogging. The first blogs I had with students were with only one author, me, and my students were consumers of my content. Last semester, though, I decided to work with blogs where I had multiple authors – my students, and the experience was great. Now, with your encouraging reflection and some reading I’ve been doing, I decided to work with students blogs this semester. I’ve even already opened a portal at 21classes to have my 5B students (two different groups) interact. Of course I’ll need some help on my way…
=)

By: A Never Ending Journey » EduTalks

A Never Ending Journey » EduTalks — Wed, 13 Feb 2008 05:42:53 +0000

[...] still haven’t realized if they were skeptic about it, if they lacked the time, or if it was a fear (2.0) factor. In a way I was sorry they didn’t engage. Most graduated without having a deeper and [...]

By: carlaarena

carlaarena — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 22:22:54 +0000

Dear Alicia,

Thanks for stopping by and sharing your views. It’s been happening the same with me. Through my blogging reflections and the conversation I’m attentively “listening to” and engaging in, I can see I’m getting a much better understanding of the potential blogging unleashes. Though I’ve been blogging with my groups for some time, the contexts change, we change. Nowadays, there are more blogging tools that not only help us keep the conversations, but are also visually appealing. Great opportunities for us to learn together with our learners. The process never stops.

By: Alicia Rey

Alicia Rey — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 18:59:12 +0000

Wow – Congrats on your reflections , Carla- I feel so much identified with many of your impressions when you started blogging.
I’ve been in the SMiELT08, and at the same time I’ve been peeping into your EVO 2008 group sessions on Blogging – I loved what I saw there, too.
With all this input that I’ve been having from these online research / training opportunities I’ve realised there are so many changes I have to undergo to really get the most out of my teaching for the benefit of students’ learning . Hope I can fulfill my brand new expectations with my online practice in my ELT world.

By: ani

ani — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 16:42:23 +0000

Dear Carla,
Your post gave much to think about. Indeed, what a post! Unlike you, i’m a newbie here, and i mostly find it all overwhelming. I’m still trying to find my way IN the classroom, and i have all these methodological issues, and concerns… so when i start to think of the path to take when it comes to using techonology, well, it’s chaos in my mind. everything moves so fast, here! There are word-webs being built at the speed of light everywhere – it’s an accelerated comunication process. I know, or rather, i suspect that in time, i’ll get used to it, but for now, i still move at regular speed, my teaching mind moves at the same rythm as the minds of my very young students. And you know how children are like, they’re not at all synchronized with grown-ups times. So just like them, i take my time to reflect upon what people say, and it often happens that when i’m ready to say something, that time has gone. This is the most challeging aspect of blogging, for me. Everything is a time-saver, when it comes to blogging… But none of this is to say i don’t believe and agree with your own words “The possibilities are limitless. I simply need to keep exploring how to balance them in a way that I focus on my learners’ drives, my main teaching and learning goals and my institutional settings.” I’m now marvelling at the possibiities of voicethread, and how I can gather all the kids around this very unusual blackboard where they can see, hear, and write! Im my everyday teaching I try to take into the classroom a thought I learned from one of my teacher trainers: don’t explain, demonstrate. this is my guideline for almost everything i do with the kids. This is what I also want to do with the blog – help them to find the need for language, for natural language. Of course they’re very small, and I’m sorry if i’m a bit out of context here, since you all seem to have older students, but at this stage of L2 early learning, i’m really more focused on their learning process and it’s hard for me to imagine a way to ’send them out’ on the blogging world on their own whithout loosing track of the blogs’ esl educational purpose.
But i’m willing to expand my imagination!

By: Cristina Costa

Cristina Costa — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 15:39:56 +0000

Dear Carla,
What a post!

Indeed there is a long road to ride along the blogsphere, but that is not a reason not to get onboard and start enjoying what can be a great journey.
You are right, learning is all about taking chances and travelling, be it through books and blogs, one’s and someone else’s experiences, in person or virtually. What matters is that we allow ourselves to try and gain new perspectives about a world we should not take for granted. Not all experiences will be easy and not all will be pleasent, but there is always a lesson to be learned. And the deeper we go into that learning path, the more we will know; yet the more we will realize of what still remains to be learned.
I have read somewhere that live is a journey, so you should travel it well.
I can’t agree more. For me travelling is to experience new things, to challenge myself through others’ approaches and visions. It is about sharing perspectives and trying to understand different sides of the same story. It is about being open to be challenged every single day! It is about daring… in that sense we may be rebels and subversive in our practice…. or are we just innovative educators?