My First Voicethread Message

Hi. Long time, no blog. My mind went blank and I couldn't think of anything worthwhile to blog about. I was thinking of inflicting injuries on myself, so that I could get blogging ideas.
I did something very similar. I recorded my voice. I used Voicethread and the software part is all right, but...
I lived under the illusion that I had this very pleasant, melodious, deep voice. Only yesterday someone at the Zoo told me I sang beautifully (Yes, I am afraid I sang at the Zoo). So, after such a compliment, I decided I should finally tackle Week 4 assignment. I left a short listening comprehension exercise in my class blog (Coffee Time).
Somebody should have told me I had a lisp before. I would have refrained from speaking in public. I mean, of course I knew about the lisp. What I didn't know was that I actually sound like Daffy Duck.
Our time on Earth is short. The idea was that we should spend it listening to ourselves through that beautiful resonance box our body creates. So what business do we have recording ourselves?
Lucky I didn't try leaving a singing Voicethread message.
By the way, I didn't know how to post Voicethread as a regular message, so I added it to the footer of my page. There has to be a way, but I haven't worked it out.

You might also like: My first Podomatic podcast
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blogging4educators

How to become a Webhead (for the first time)

As I announced rather loudly in my previous post, I have become a Webhead. I have attended two wonderful, but rather demanding six-week workshops - Becoming a Webhead (BaW) and Blogging4Educators. Since this was my first time and I was a total beginner, the mere fact that I got to the end makes me very proud of myself.

So, how did I do it? I developed a number of survival techniques that I would like to share with you.

Here is the tutorial:

How to become a Webhead
Difficulty: very difficult
What you'll need:
- a computer (make sure it's in working condition - it might not be by the end of the session)
- Internet (preferably a fast connection)
- lots of coffee
What else might help:
- insomnia (If you already suffer from it, cherish it. It is your best friend now.)
- flu (Getting ill is very useful, as it will keep you inside. You will get bored and do every weekly assignment in your wiki just to amuse yourself. Be careful not to get high fever, though, as that will keep you in bed. We don't want you in bed, we want you in front of your computer.)

Survival tip 1: Everything you need is in your wiki (thanks Carla Arena for this tip). Look at your weekly assignment. Concentrate on doing it. Forget everything else that's going on.
Survival tip 2: Don't read the daily digests. They will only confuse you. Check the messages directly from the forum - it is much easier to see what the message is about, and decide whether you are going to read it now or later. Also, saves you from scrolling down the daily digest and reading the same messages over and over again. Or you can wait for the week to be over and read the weekly threads. Just be careful not to miss a message addressed directly to you.
Survival tip 3: Don't just read about it, do it. Start a blog and write in it. Make a wiki. Do whatever is your official homework that week.
Survival tip 4: If you have missed something, leave it until after the end of the workshop. I was away during week 4 and when I got back I continued with week 5. I haven't touched week 4 yet, but hope I'll do it by next January.
Survival tip 5: Don't take it too seriously. Socialise. Make new friends. Enjoy it all.

You might also like:

My online seminars

I have graduated as a Webhead
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Blogging4Educators, BaW

I have graduated as a Webhead!

Blogging with my students - a change of plan

I made a real mess with the last post. That's what happens when you write about something you haven't thought out carefully beforehand.
So here it is - there are not going to be hundreds of class blogs, there is going to be only one. I will start with my upper-intermediate class for two reasons:
1. their English is relatively good and
2. I taught them in the previous semester, which means that I know them.
Also, they are doing portfolio assessments, so I could merge these two things together (again, I haven't thought it out carefully).
I am not going to teach (grammar or vocabulary) in the blog.
I was thinking of starting it as a meme, something like our Week 4 challenge. What do you think?
Any ideas on how to merge blogging and portfolio assessment?

Technorati Tags: blogging4educators, week 6 challenge

My blogging projects for 2008 - part 2

Concerning my class blogs:
- in this semester I will start two blogs - a blog for my two elementary classes and another one for my two upper-intermediate classes.
- I am not sure how I will name the blogs yet, but they will probably be called Coffee Time Elementary and Coffee Time Upper-intermediate. Why Coffee Time? Because it will be like chatting over a cup of coffee, informal, yet creative.
- I will start the blogs, but they will be group blogs. If some of my students feel like starting individual blogs, I will be more than happy to offer them support.
- I will demand word verification and moderate the comments.
- this will be an individual project to start with, but I hope some of my colleagues will like it and start doing the same.
- these particular blogs will be active between March and June 2008
- the blogs will be connected to the curriculum, but we will also write about whatever interests the students – films, music, books. We will use the blog to socialise outside classroom and get to know each other better. I will try to use a lot of pictures and visual stimuli.
- the students will have to post from their home computers. Some of them have slow connections, so I will have to bear that in mind.
- I think it would be realistic to expect the students to post twice a month, not more (unless they wish to). I will do some preparatory activities in class before the assignment and some error correction activities after the assignment. I will NOT correct their errors in the blog.
- Apart from the regular assignments, I hope the students will feel free to post entries and comments whenever they feel like it.
- There is no way I can force the students to post (no marks), but we do portfolio assessment in my school, so I will encourage the students to see their class blog as an E-portfolio. Also, some of them take exams, and this is excellent exam practice. I suppose some of them will not blog regularly, maybe not at all.
- At the beginning, they will write for me. Then, I hope they will start to communicate with each other through the blog. After that, they will find out there is a whole world outside listening to them. I hope they will go through these three stages quickly.
- I am not sure how I will advertise these projects. A poster on the school notice board sounds like a good idea. Dekita? Yes, if I get the students to participate.
- I have to be careful with widgets because some of my students have slow Internet connections. I will embed a few, to make the blogs look more appealing and to help other people find them.

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Technorati Tags: blogging4educators, week 6 challenge

My blogging projects for 2008 - part 1

Concerning my personal blog, i.e. the blog you are reading now:
- it will remain active, of course
- I won't change its name - I know Natasa's blog is too general, but I like it
- I will stick to Blogger, I am really happy with it
- I will demand word verification, as I already do
- this is an individual blog, but I welcome your coments
- I will blog about: teaching English, Web2 tools, CALL, good books and films, travel, life...
- I will post from my home computer
- I don't know exactly how often I will post. On the average, once a week.
- Why will I post? Because I enjoy it, to stay in touch with you and to set an example for my students. Also, so that my students can get to know me better.
- My target audience? Again: you, my students and of course anyone else who cares to stop by.
Also, my colleagues, both at my school and in my country. My family and friends.
- I don't know what I could do to promote my blog. Write well?
- I already have a handful of widgets: a web counter, a subscribe button, del.ici.ous, Blogger and Technorati buttons. Oh, and a Voki. I guess the widgets speak a lot about the sort of person the blogger is. I moght get some more widgets, I really like them.

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Technorati Tags: blogging4educators, week 6 challenge

Five things you didn't know about me

Well, here it is:

1. I love coffee. Just the thought of a nice, warm cup of coffee makes me smile.
2. I love reading and watching crime stories and whodunits.
3. My favourite singer is Leonard Cohen.
4. I still dream of writing a great novel and becoming a famous writer (though I hardly ever sit down to write at all nowadays).
5. I am afraid of the dark.

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Technorati Tags: blogging4educators, b4echallenge