blog 10-evaluation of the blogging experience

Hey,
You've almost made it to the very end. I have to say it's been fun reading your blog and getting to know a bit more about your interests and also about architecture. I also got to understand a little better what it really means to study Geography and the sorts of things that a Geographer does.
I have to admit that it's been a learning experience for me because I knew very little about architecture and through your presentations I got some insight into what architecture and geography entails, which have very strong links between them.
Now that we are on our last blog it's time for you to evaluate your experience working with blogs.

• What did you like most about it?
• what did you dislike?
• what was the most difficult thing about writing blogs each week?

• word count 200

session 9-themed post

Session 9-Themed Post

Instructions:
As a class decide on a topic to write about
Word count 190 minimum

Newspapers

Newspapers in Chile have changed a lot in the past 20 years. I think that the change in the content areas of newspapers reflects how Chilean society has become more diversified and as with most things, the transformation has had both positive and negative effects.

Some newspapers have kept their traditional format, using formal language and reporting on ‘serious’ news while others have modified the kind of language and vocabulary they use and others have adjusted their contents according to what people are interested in knowing and talking about.

In terms of language, La Cuarta is a clear example of a newspaper that has diversified the type of language it uses to reach readers that might have not read traditional newspapers. Some would say that it uses vulgar, working-class vocabulary and that it doesn’t contribute to educating working-class people. I think that La Cuarta is an inclusive newspaper because some people that had never had the habit of reading a newspaper started reading and it became a habit for them.

As of content, Las Ultimas Noticias is quite different from what it used to be. Now, the headlines are mostly about ‘models’ and people related to showbusiness. Honestly, when I look at the front page of Las Ultimas Noticias most of the time I don’t know who the people in the pictures are and then I think : “Who cares if I don’t know. These things are just gossip and not real news.” I don’t think Las Ultimas Noticias makes a real contribution to anyone, but well that’s just my opinion.

In all, newspapers have seen dramatic changes and with the advancement of digital media, in the future they might not even exist.

 

session 7-career related

Bonny Norton

Bonny Norton was born in 1956 in South Africa but her nationality is Canadian. She is a professor at the Department of Language and Literacy Education at the University of British Columbia, Canada. She is a world renowned scholar and her main contributions to the field of language learning can be found in the development of her theories of language learning and identity and also in language learning and investment.
I started reading some of her work about four or five years ago and she was a great source of inspiration during the time I was doing my Master's. Her work influenced me in such a way that I decided to do my thesis on immigrant learner identity construction in English as a Foreign language. Bonny Norton's work has been key in the field of linguistics and it has also been relevant from a sociocultural perspective because it uncovers complex social and cultural issues that impact the experience of language learning, either positively or negatively.
Identity construction and language learning is a new field here in Chile and Bonny's work speaks to me at a very personal level, and this Friday I will be speaking about immigrant language learner identity in Chile a t RICELT conference and I would like to carry out a doctoral degree on this topic as well. 

blog 7-career related website or person in your field

Write about a career related website that you enjoy visiting..
You have to:

- provide the link
- describe the website (sections, features,etc)
- say how often you visit the site
- explain why you like the site.




>Add comments to 3 of your classmates’ blogs + a comment on your teacher's post
>Word Count: 170

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Say:
OR
Write about a person in your field that you admire.
You have to include the following: -Who she/he is. (short biography)
-What she/he has done. (examples of their work)
-Why you like her/him.
-Include his/her image

> About 170 words
>Add comments to 3 of your classmates’ blogs + a comment on your teacher's post.


I

session 8- a subject you enjoyed

What subject did you enjoy studying this semester?

Instructions:

• Talk about and describe a subject you have enjoyed studying this semester.
• Explain what you liked about it.
• Describe what you do in class.
• word count 180
  

Master's experience 

When I did my Master's a couple of years ago, there were subjects that I really liked and others that were just OK. Overall, I feel all my classes contributed to helping me have a better and more critical understanding of teaching and learning.
The first year, there was a subject that I really enjoyed and I began to read more about it. The subject was called Second Language Acquisition and it is known among academics just as SLA. This subject is very interesting and complex as it connects with different areas of knowledge such as linguistics, neuroscience and brain plasticity, a bit sociology and well the list just goes on and on. In simple terms, SLA deals with how people at different stages in their life learn a language and it explains what happens in people's brains as they 'acquire' a second language.
Classes consisted of lectures and also case studies that we analysed either in groups or independently; personally, I preferred working on my own. Our teacher was not only very knowledgeable, but also extremely charismatic and so the class was  a lot of fun as well. I would like to read more about SLA but currently I don't have much time to spare :-(