jueves, 22 de noviembre de 2007

The advantages and disadvantages of blogs in the English classroom.

Hi everyone! This is going to be my last blog assignment and it’s going to be an essay about the advantages and disadvantages of using blogs in the English classes. So I hope you read it and like it. Then you can post me to say if you are agree with or not.

Everybody knows that one of the most efficient ways to learn something is practicing it. Well, the same thing happens when we talk about the learning of a new language, as english. Some activities like listening to music in english, or watching movies in english with the subtitles in english too are ways of practicing this language that can help a lot. Writing and reading in english is also a very effective way of learning it.
Nowadays there are other resources, like technology and internet that can help to learn another language. So the porpoise of this essay is to analyze the advantages and disadvantages of the use of an specifically technologic resource that, through the internet, can help us to learn english: the blog.

First that all, we’re going to understand that when we read things that are written in english or when we write a text in english we begin to think in english. By this way our mind works following another kind of rules that belong to the english grammar and we assume this ways of creating phrases. In this aspect the use of a blog has a big advantage because it makes you develop this way of thinking, but at the same time you can count with internet, a very special resource that offers you any kind of information and also can bring you some translator websites to know how to say in english all the words you don’t know how to.
This connection between internet and blogs gives an incentive to the search of english written information, and certainly that is a big advantage of the blog.
On the other hand, I would consider as a disadvantage the distraction that the internet can bring you, because it contains so much different websites that is really easy to get caught up by all them and that can make you lose a lot of time.

Finally, making a balance between the advantages and disadvantages of using the blog in the english classes, I would conclude that is a very good resource and it fits as a very good way to practice a language. It’s also dynamic and the best thing is that while you are learning a new language you’re learning to use this new technology. At least I didn’t know how to work in a blog before, but now I have some ideas and if I wanted to I could keep using it, taking all the benefits of this new communication resource, like sharing my ideas and opinions about everything I want.

Well, that was my essay. I hope you agree with my opinion.
Don’t forget to post!! Bye!!

jueves, 15 de noviembre de 2007

A good film to watch…

Hi everyone, today I’m going to talk about a movie that I would like to recommend to you all. Well, actually it’s not a movie, it’s like a documental and it’s called Baraka. Maybe you have heard about it, maybe not, anyway I’ll tell you a few things.
This documental has not any actors or dialogues, it consists in a lot of images of nature and unknown places of the world. These images are always enclosed with a very special music. So the music and the fantastic images create an absolutely great and special atmosphere. The most interest things that the documental shows us are all kind of human tribes of different parts of the world. It allows us to see the most estrange and particular rituals. It’s really shocking and impressive. But then the documental gives a radical turn and begin to show images of the city and modernity, both as concepts. So, at the end of the documental you ask your self about which are the best ways of human living, if all this that we call progress is actually better that the uncivilized ways of living. Does this progress improve our life or doesn’t it? I really like this documental, because it makes you think in a very deep way without the need of any dialogue or an actor’s performance.

Well I hope you get to see this documental, bye!!!

miércoles, 14 de noviembre de 2007

Evaluating a classmate's blog

Hi everyone! How are you all today? I really hope that fine, no, great!
Today I'm going to do a new activity I haven't made before. I will talk about a classmate's blog. Well the first thing you should all know, is that I have english classes every Tuesday and Thursday (that's why my blog is written in english jaja), so today I'll evaluate the blog of one of my english classmates.
The blog I choose belongs to Nicolas. As I, he's a student of psychology.
I like his blog a lot. I think that the colors and the esthetic is great. I also think that his english is very good. I've read a few assignments and I like how they are written, I like the redaction and the vocabulary used. I've also enjoyed the style of the blog, it's like modern jaja.
But I would tell Nicolas to hurry with the last assignments, there’s not much time left to the end of the year and the days are passing faster and faster. Well at least that’s not so bad, because I know that we are all expecting to the end of the year, ‘cause after that comes the best part of the year, or my favorite one at least. Yes, yes, I’m talking about holidays!
Well now I have to continue with another assignment, so I guess I’ll be seeing you soon!!

Bye bye!!

jueves, 18 de octubre de 2007

The best of my "fiestas patrias"!

Hi there everyone!
Today I will tell you about all the things that I did during "fiestas patrias". First that all you should know that this is one of the most important parties in my country, I even would say that is the most important one. It's a great celebration where we, as chilean people do a lot of traditional activities, such as dancing "cueca", drinking "chicha", making a lot of barbacues, going to "fondas" and many more. What I did this year was a couple of barbacues with my friends and we decided to drink only "chicha" in honor to the celebration. I had a great time, laughing a lot and seeing my friends almost everyday. This year was special too, because we had three holidays, instead of two as it has always been. So the party didn't stop in about five days jeje. But it was nice to have those days to be relax and have fun with my friends and family. I just can't wait till the next 18 arrives!! But meanwhile I'll have to prepare myself for another great celebration... the new year!! Jaja, no, I was joking, but I can't deny that I'm eager for vacations to come and this heavy heavy year to pass. It's incredible how the time goes and goes, still this time at university has been great.
Well, I hope you all had enjoyed this 18 as I did, so see you soon!!
Bye!!

jueves, 11 de octubre de 2007

A great piece of art: "The shout"



Hi everyone!

This time I'm going to talk a little bit about art. I'm not really an expert in this area, but I can't say that I don't like art, because I consider my self a musician, and at least, I love music as a way of making art. But now, I want to show a particular piece of art that I like very much. I'm talking about "The shout", a painting of Edvard Munch that I'm pretty sure you all should know. The most amazing part of this painting, at least for me, is the expression of the shouting man, it's incredible how Munch creates it with just a few lines, it's like so expressive and empty at the same time. I know it sounds weird, but that is what I see in that face. Also the colors of the sky call my attention, the whole enviroment makes you want to scream! And those siluets behind the man... They look very scary.
Well I hope you consider this painting a great piece of art as I do.

Post your comment! Bye!!

jueves, 6 de septiembre de 2007

Article Summary: "Working in a complex intersection: Healing disaster trauma in a foreign culture"

Hello everyone, how are you? I hope you're fine. Today I'll show you a summary I've made of an article I read last week. This article, called "Working in a complex intersection: Healing disaster trauma in a foreign culture" was written this year by Alan Krohn and it belongs to the American Psychoanalyst Magazine 41 Volume.
This article relates the work of a group of psychoanalysts (psychologists) in Sri Lanka. This trip took place in year 2005 and 2006, and its objetive was to study the post-tsunami mental issues that people there suffered.
The first case that this article relates doesn't have a big relation whit the tsunami, but I think that it's a very interesting one and it show us how the unsafe conditions that the tsunami left can affect people from there. It's about a 14 year old child who was assaulted by a man while she was urinating. The man stole her a chain she was wearing, and then forced her to hold some liquid in his mouth, so she couldn't scream while he ran away. After this the child had visions of this episode and fear to walk alone in his enviroment. She said that the man didn't do anything to her, she only was afraid because she thought that she could kill him. Curiosly the gilr fainted every day at 8 o'clock, the same time of the assault she suffered. This was explained by the big stress her body felt at that moment. This is a typical symptom of hysterical cases. Finally the author psychologist discovered that the
cause of the girl’s problems was not her feelings issues but a chemical that has entered her brain. This is a particular hysterical dynamic. They resolved this problem with weekly sesions of therapy. The final conclusions that the group of psychologists took from this trip was that Sri Lanka was a place with a totaly diferent culture, so the ways of concibe issues as the self concept are different, so
they, as occidental psychologists, should study the culture in a deep way to apply all their kwnoledge to the Sri Lanka reality.

jueves, 30 de agosto de 2007

A great guitar tab page you can use!!

Hi everyone!

Today I'd like to show you a page that I use to visit very frequently, the page is called lacuerda.net and you can find it on my lynks. This page contains a lot of guitar tabs, and as I love to play guitar, when I want to know how to play a determinated song I search for it in the page and then I can play it. In this page you can also find the possition of the chords that you don't know how to play, some scales to practice and even the instructions to learn how to play guitar! Isn't that amazing?? Well guys I hope you visit the page and you enjoy it as much as I do. See you!!

martes, 12 de junio de 2007

Summary

Hi there, this day I'm going to write a summary of an article I red that's it's related with Psychology. This article talks about latent inhibition, a phenomenon of the learning process, very important in psychology.

Well, first that all the article defines latent inhibition as a delay in learning of an asociation between two events, that happens when you have been previously exposed (or pre-exposed) to one of this events without the subsequent occurrence of the second event. The explanation that the authors give to this, is that when one event is presented to us without any immediate consequence, we learn this event as that, as one particular event, so then when we try to associate another event it's more difficult, because we have already learned the occurrence of the event without any subsequent consequence (or second event). The important of this phenomenom is that it happens to all of us and it's present in our daily life.

jueves, 7 de junio de 2007

A very interesting topic

Hi everyone! In this oportunity I'm going to talk a very interesting subject that I've been studying in Psychology. The literal translation of this subject would be Psychology of Development. I think that it's very interesting because it talks about the evolution of human as an specie, all through our history. I would that the most grat thing about this topic is that we study the biological evolution and the cultural evolution, and let me say that bouth are quite amazing. Well here I send a couple of links that can give you some information about evolution and development: http://www.ecotao.com/holism/huevo/, http://www.kli.ac.at/theorylab/Areas/CE.html.

I really hope you enjoy it! bye!

jueves, 31 de mayo de 2007

This is a typical weekend


Hellow again!!

This time I'm to talk about my last weekend, that way you will be able to know what kind of thing I do in these days or peace and rest. This weekend was great for me, I joined with some friends and we had a lot of fun. Since we are studying at the university we don't have much time to go out, as we did when we were studying at school. In those days we went out every single weekend, on Friday and on Saturday. We really like to have fun, and now we use every moment to get joined and talk, laugh and know what is everyone of us doing with his life. It's been more than a year since we left school and we all separate, but I'm very happy because I see them a lot and I still think of them as my best friends. Here you can see me with three of my best friends, their names: Cale, Chuky and Charly.

jueves, 17 de mayo de 2007

Links

Hi everyone!
As you can see, I ve' added a couple of links to my blog. In this links you will find information about psychology, the one I hope is my future profession. Well one of this links belongs to APA, the American Psychologycal Association. This association is one of the most important institutions of psychology. In this this webside you can found the latest investigations of psychology, information about the principal characters in this area and many more things, visit it! The other webside I chose belongs to a very important journal of psychology. It also contains the most recient studies about psychology and psychological therapy. If you think you're getting a little crazy, visit it! jajaja. Well, that's all, bye!

jueves, 10 de mayo de 2007

Check out this song...

Well, hellow again. Today I'm going to talk about a song named "Sunday Bloody Sunday". This song belongs to U2. I like it because it has a great melody and it talks about a warlike conflict that happened during a Sunday day. Its content really shows how terrible can a warlike conflict be. On the other hand, U2 has always been a group that fights against violence and injuste in the world. I like that, I think that it's a very noble idea to mix music with this kind of lyrics. Well here we have "Sunday Bloody Sunday"'s lyrics. I really hope you enjoy it and you post something about it. So... bye!!

I can't believe the news today
Oh, I can't close my eyes
And make it go away
How long...
How long must we sing this song
How long, how long...
'cause tonight...we can be as one
Tonight...

Broken bottles under children's feet
Bodies strewn across the dead end street
But I won't heed the battle call
It puts my back up
Puts my back up against the wall

Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday

And the battle's just begun
There's many lost, but tell me who has won
The trench is dug within our hearts
And mothers, children, brothers, sisters
Torn apart

Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday

How long...
How long must we sing this song
How long, how long...
'cause tonight...we can be as one
Tonight...tonight...

Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday

Wipe the tears from your eyes
Wipe your tears away
Oh, wipe your tears away
Oh, wipe your tears away
(Sunday, Bloody Sunday)
Oh, wipe your blood shot eyes

Sunday, Bloody Sunday
Sunday, Bloody Sunday

And it's true we are immune
When fact is fiction and TV reality
And today the millions cry
We eat and drink while tomorrow they die

The real battle just begun
To claim the victory Jesus won
On...

Sunday Bloody Sunday
Sunday Bloody Sunday...

jueves, 3 de mayo de 2007

A new blog here!!!

Hellow everyone! guess what? a new blog has been created here, and it's about me.
Actually more than talking about me, this blog is a great idea, because with him I would be aloud to talk of everything, about all kind of things. And the best of it is that you also can give me your oppinion. Isn't it great? it's like if we were comunnicating, like being talking by msn, but as you can see, this blog has a more formal character than msn, but steel it could fun and interesting. I really hope you like this blog and you write on it, that way I would be able to know what do you think about it. Ok, so see you guys! Good luck!