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London Webquest 2020

The links for this activity are in the following Google Drive Folder:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lwrlMkvQET_NCRL4T9-3ohqM38XjO5Uw?usp=sharing 

Post 7: Childhood Series.

Post 7: 

Childhood Series.

You have to structure a text telling us about the programmes you used to watch, as a child.

 - Comment on your teacher's post and also make a comment on 3 of your classmates' posts
- Word Count for this post : 170 words 

Example:

Childhood Series

Believe it or not, when I was a child there weren't many series on TV, besides, I used to live in the 8th region, in a lost town in the middle of nowhere and we did not receive much technology nor state of the art cinema, theatre, cultural venues, etc.

It was the late 80's and national TV was the only option available, and consequently, the very limited programmatic grid they offered and the series that you could see were quite classical, the typical Disney style, with Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse and my favourite: Goofy.

I cannot tell you that I really remember their adventures on screen, because I was less than 5 years old, but I do remember having felt very proud after receiving positive appraisal from my parents when I was able to properly pronounce Goofy's spanish name (Tribilín), which was hard for someone mastering language in his early years. 

As years went by, things changed in my life and in the country, and in the year 1995, there was a new service arriving into the region, it was CABLE TV!!!!! The first couple of months, and since it was a real novelty, not many people seemed to have hired the service, and the channels were not all yet given in Spanish. It was then when I discovered Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network Channels, and also Scooby Doo. The TV shows for kids were broadcast in English only!.

I remember I really Really REALLY loved not understanding it all but I was happy when I realized Scooby and his gang had solved a mystery, I was happy just by understanding even only the gist of the episode.

Later in my life, I changed my likes from cartoons to soap operas and series, series with human beings and with more adult-like topics. My favourite has always been Friends and Seinfeld, and still nowadays I prefer series rather than cartoon, although to be honest, after letting my self be stimulated by my current students, I am developing a crave for anime series and movies.

Post 6 : Carrer-Related Website OR An Expert on your Field

>> Carrer-Related Website OR An Expert on your Field 

For this post,  you have to choose only ONE of these  2 options:

Post 1 (Instructions). 
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: 160

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Post 2 (Instructions)
Who is a person/expert on your field that you admire?

Say:

-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.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Example: 

The man in the picture is Noam Chomsky, He is a very well known and widely respected Language Scientist. He is american and all his life, he has done research in the areas of grammar and language development among others. 

At the core of his theory there is the thought that the structures of language are not mere ordering of words in  that there are principles underlying the structure of language biologically determined in the mind and he thinks they are, therefore, genetically transmitted, in other words, since we come to life as humans, we come with the capability for language development.

He changed my perspectives of why people learn a language, of how people learn it and how can that process be reproduced in further stages of life such as "learning" a language as an adult or  as he says, "acquiring" a foreign language in later stages and contexts of a lifetime.

He is considered the Father of Modern Linguistics and because of his extensive research, many new methodologies to language study, and also many new areas have opened up, an example is the applications of his language theory into Neuroscience and IT, and even today he keeps on opening up new ares of thought mixing his theories with discourse and particularly public discourse critical analysis, and needless say, he is a must-study for every linguistics or language-related-area-student.

Post 5: The Story of a Picture

The Story of a Picture

Write about a photograph you like.

Say:

Who took it
What it shows
When it was taken
Why you like it
Upload it too

Include any other information you'd like to mention.
Write at least 150 words.

Add comments to at least 3 of your classmates’ blogs

The story of a picture

This might look a bit naive but , let me tell you, it is alcohol!, it was taken at a pub in Paris, in a bar across from Place Vendome. I was with friends and we wanted to see the non-romantic and alternative side of the city.

This picture is a portrait of the memories I have from my best holiday ever, and even though I haven’t had many superb holidays, because most of time I prefer visiting my family more than anything else, I have had some memorable ones.

It was the year 2008, if I don’t remember incorrectly; and I was under big stress because I had had several problems at my job. Anyway, to make a long story short, I dropped by the place I used to work for and they told me: “here you are”… it was a NICE, FAT Christmas bonus.

That day, I was with a friend of mine, and after hearing that I had received my present, she shouted at me, from the entrance: “Man!!!! Let’s go out!!!”….

Two hours later, we were hiking around Paris Downtown, we meant to tour as much as posible, getting to see idilic landscapes and also, both being teachers, we wanted to share with the locals and not visiting the typical touristic places.

We toured around Montmartre, the Quartier Latin, and the Quartier de L'Opéra -where the picture was taken. We spent nearly the whole afternoon walking around, very lost until we ended up in the strangest bar, where drinks were all related to Hospital, which we thought was very original. From that improvised adventure, there are many stories we can both tell our children, and other thousand anecdotes, I cannot let you know in this blog entry’s extension.

Post 4: My Pet.

Let's write about our pets.

Cover the following topics:
- How did you get it and what is it?
- What Characterictics does it have?
- What importance does it have in your life?
* In case you do not have a pet, let us know about someone you love who owns a pet.

- Comments: Leave a comment on the Teacher's post + 3 of your classmates posts
- Word Count: 140 words

_______________________________________________________________

 

My Pet .

A several years ago I adopted Dulce Luna Primorosa Masías  at an “Adoption Session” sponsored by Garras y Patas Foundation. 

There I found Dulce, a very beautiful, two-year-old, female stray (or mongrel) dog. She is a mixed dog and before we came across with each other, she had been given for adoption because her previous owner had got very ill and could no longer take care of her. Luckily, she didn’t spend too much time waiting for someone to take care of her!

She is was a "mature" dog but paradoxically full of energy. She was not trained as a puppy and despite she has some bad habits she has never spoilt it badly inside the flat, the only very big issue with her is that she pulls on the leash, A LOT! she’s always pulling and barking at cats in the streets which is dangerous because a fierce cat could attack her. 

Another thing is that she doesn’t have the best fur quality, she's always losing hair and I have to brush her twice a day, also I walk her two to three times a day and feed her also  twice a day (or so I try because sometimes I have classes and cannot make it for three-walks a day, and now in this pandemic, the strolls have been cut down to 30 mins, once a day only, she's been a bit mad fot it!).

I look after her the best way I can, in order to keep her in the best possible shape, after all she is my companion and at times I see her as my family, she is not very independent as any other dog so I have to arrange my schedule to have time to see her and that’s why we spend quite a lot of time together and little by little we have become a small but very loving, human-dog pack-family.

___________________________________________________________________

Post 3: My Favourite of Technology.

Write about your favourite piece of technology

Say:

What it is.
When you got it.
How you use it.
How often you use it.
Why you like it.
What life would be like without it.




- 130 words minimum.
- Include a picture. 
- Comment on your teacher's post and 3 of your classmates’ blogs.

___________________________________________________

The Apple Without The Worm

I will tell you about something that happened many years ago, around 2010. For some time I had been quite disconnected from all society, I had already spent 6 months without a mobile.

Back then I had started working for a telecommunications company and I had to be on the phone mostly all day long, and that's why I decided, in the end, to get rid of the "cell-phone".

Time went by and some day I had an urgency, I had to hand in a very, very important document, but with the rush, I left it over my desk at home, and the only way to get it was to call my friend and ask him to drop by and bring it along.

Having thought so, I rushed out the underground to get a pay-phone but guess what, ALL of them were not working, and after several tries, and a big anguish, I managed to contact my friend and get my papers...but it was already a bit late, and the only way I could get in touch was by borrowing a co-worker's mobile!

Next thing, I got a mobile phone, in the 2011, after nearly a year without it. After a while I learnt there were new models, and new apps and the inclusion of 3G, I finally changed to iphone!!!... I use it for everything: to make a call, a free-call, to use wasap, teaching apps, grading apps, ppt creation and many more tools that I have come accross with.

I love my new mobile because of its functionality and the freedom it gives me, because I do not longer need to be behind the desk to do all of the tasks my profession requires. I also love it because it helps me being updated on everything I need updating on, and furthermore, because I might have lots to do, and even though I am very forgetful, with my iphone, I can always be aware of it all!.

Without it, life would be rather the same, perhaps, with the difference that I would be forced to spend less time behind the mobile, but at the same time, forced to spend longer hours behind the desk. If I did not have it, I would be even busier, not being able to work on the run. That's why I now love and use my mobile.

Post 2: Why did you choose this career/study programme?

Post 2: Why did you choose this career/study programme?

Write about:

- your dream jobs when you were a child

- other career options that you had at the moment of applying to university

- what made you decide in the end

- your experience at university until now

- the kind of job you would like to have

 > word count: 120 words 

 > don't forget to leave comments on 3 of your classmates posts and on your teacher's post as well.

______________________

Example: 

I studied English Linguistics, and I always thought "what would my future job be?"… And here I am!!

I always wanted to have a fun, light, easy going and not too hard to do job, but always wanted to be with people.

From all the many areas I could work in, I always wanted something neither too-much outdoors nor indoors, furthermore, I wanted something that would produce some kind of social change, a good important and deep change.

In other matters, I wanted to travel, to see the world, to meet strange people, well... strange meaning, different than me and my friends and family. With teaching languages, I have been able to do all the former, which leads me to think it was the right choice.

I tried working in an office once, in a job that was not as stressful as a teacher's job but after a year, and after missing the classrooms a lot, I decided to go back to stressful, challenging but rewarding teaching.

Nowadays, I am thinking on taking up on PHD studies in the field of Applied Linguistics, I would like to do it either in the Netherlands, Switzerland and/or England. 

I would like to do it in those countries, well, in the two first ones because they have a long history of successful multilingualism and because they are definitely good at languages. England on the other hand, would be my last choice, and this is because of a fact that gave birth to a joke, that is, - and please, no offense-, but the joke says: "how do you call a person who speaks only one language? […] you call them British"...LOL

Post 1- Autobiography

Hi all!!

Today:

You have to write your auto biographies. You have to include:

- Birth info
- Studies info (elementary/high school/ univ)
- Family Info
- Hobbies
- Others...

> Number of words: 100 (minimum)
> Make comments on three of your classmates posts
____________________________________---
SAMPLE:

I was born far south, well, not so far, just 510 km south from the capital.


My home city used to be Concepción, where in 1985 I was born; but when I was 5 years old my Father got a job in another city so we had to move to Los Angeles.

Los Ángeles is a small city, at about 180 km from Concepción, it's a service and pulp-industry town, and it is also the capital city of the Bio-Bio Province.

The city is sourrounded by very green landscapes and because of the pulp industry, the sorroundings nowadays, is nearly covered with pine trees and eucalyptus, which are used for the production of the raw material used to make paper.

My father, who is an engineer, and my mother, who is a housewife, took us all with them and I ended up being raised in this new town. I also went to school there. I spent all my life, from 1st primary to 4th high school in catholic institutions.

My hobbies were not many, I used to play volleyball, I took guitar lessons, but finally, I think the most enjoyable hobby was to learn new languages, and because there were not many options, I studied English.

After high school I went college and after graduating, i was granted with a scholarship by the British Council to go and study in the UK, so I went to live for onw year in the cold north of England. There I lived in a city called Sheffield, i worked as a language teacher for Rotherham City Council (another nearby county) and I was studying my courses in Manchester. I was a bit exhausting for all the travelling but I was young and happy for the opportunity. 

After finishing my scholarship I flew to France and spent several months in Paris where I could learn French and get to travel around Europe. Finally, i moved back to Chile, directly to my hometown and after the 2010 Super Earthquake, life brought me to Santiago where I have been living for the past 10 years.

I hope my future helps me keep my southern roots and perhaps, I will come back to the south....one day.


Lastly, one anecdote: 

One of my favourite bands of all times is the Arctic Monkeys, they are from Sheffield, the city I lived during my studies in the UK. And the funny thing is that the band has an old video which location is the street I used to live in Sheffield!, Actually you can even see the Pub I used to go to with friends.

Here's the link, in case you want to see more of the real english streets. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEukS2YN9B8