There are 4 skills in English that are meant to be developed when learning the language: writing, speaking, reading and listening; even though most people would say that "speaking” is the most difficult one to be acquired the truth is that "writing" gets the first place in terms of complexity and accuracy. Writing Blogs is a good opportunity to put in practice our knowledge, to exercise it and to improve it and therefore to increase it. We are living in a globalized world where the common language for doing business and exchanging information such as advances in medicine and science is English. All relevant research results when having them published are in English since international magazines are in the so called “Universal Language”. It is a known fact that when doing business with China enterprises there’s no need to know Mandarin but English; first approaches via email and the following contracts are written in this foreign language. Covenants among universities from different countries are agreed in English too.

Level 3 >> Post 10 Evaluation of your Blogging Experience

Write about your experience using blogs in the English class.
Say:
> What you think about the experience in general
> How much you feel your writing skills have developed
> What you would like to include in the future
> What else you would like to write about

Wordcount: 200
Make comments on 3 of your classmates' posts and also on mine.

Dear students, this is our last blog session!!!

There are 4 skills in English that are meant to be developed when learning the language: writing, speaking, reading and listening; even though most people would say that "speaking” is the most difficult one to be acquired the truth is that "writing" gets the first place in terms of complexity and accuracy.

Writing Blogs is a good opportunity to put in practice our knowledge, to exercise it and to improve it and therefore to increase it.

We are living in a globalized world where the common language for doing business and exchanging information such as advances in medicine and science is English.

All relevant research results when having them published are in English since international magazines are in the so called “Universal Language”.

It is a known fact that when doing business with China enterprises there’s no need to know Mandarin but English; first approaches via email and the following contracts are written in this foreign language.

Covenants among universities from different countries are agreed in English too.

Summarizing: in current world the way of communicating is through e-mails and texting; relations among friends, employer-employee, teacher-student, companies, universities, governments and so forth are importantly carried on in a written manner.

Nowadays our mobile phones are used more for writing rather than speaking.

Therefore WRITING is and has been a skill of great significance, in any language, and its communication value and usefulness go hand by hand with the everyday development of a modern society

One last piece of advice: speak as you write, especially when formality is a must and you’ll prove yourself worthy of using the language of William Shakespeare.

Post 9: my favorite place

·         Now you have the chance to write about your favourite place for having fun or being relaxed it could be in Santiago or in another region.

·         Tell us how often and why do you like this place.

·         Write about the first time you went there  and say why you ended up liking this place.

·       Demonstrate that you have fun and enjoy being in this place.

·       Add any other piece of information you considered relevant

·         Remember:

ü  organize your ideas well

ü  express your opinions or experiences in a coherent way

ü  your writing must have a guiding thread

ü  divide your composition into paragraphs

·         Comments: leave a comment on my post and on 3 of your classmates posts

·         Word Count: 190 words

If I had to choose a place where I enjoy being in it I would have to say that it is my house. I have lived there pretty much my entire life. I got there when I was 6 months old, when my granny inherited the house, it was one of my great-grandfather properties so it is a very old house, I think it is 100 hundred years old!!!
I have my fondest childhood memories like being taken care by my granny, sharing with my numerous cousins, playing with friends, etc.
Also, I have lived and experienced many things such as the 1985 and 2010 earthquakes, me taking care of my granny during her sickness until her last days and the legal struggle to keep living in this place against the greedy will of some relatives of mine. My granny left a testament favouring me.
I love my house, it is my shelter, there I can recover myself and gain strength to carry on, I also love the fact that is big, I have a large back yard which is great for barbecues, my bedroom is  spacious enough for a queen size bed and my pets have plenty of square meters to wander. 

home sweet home

Post 8

Today you have to talk about which has been your favorite subject at university so far/the one that has caught your attention the most or lastly the one you have disliked the least!!!

The idea is you:

• say what subject is
• explain or give reasons why you enjoy it
• share any other relevant ideas you deem worth mentioning.
• write no less than 180 words 
• remember to leave comments on 3 of your clasmates' and on mine.

Thinking about my last studies, the master’s degree that I studied at Universidad Central, I remember that one of mi favorite subjects was one that I had during the fourth semester called “Gramatica y Fonología Española versus Inglesa”.

I liked it for many reasons, the professor was awesome and even though she was very young she knew a lot of on this matter, her classes were very amusing, in spite of the complexity of the contents; analizing sentences until their last particle and study words until their minimum sound could be like being in labour! 
Even though the tests were very difficult and challenging most of times I got good grades, so I was considered by my colleagues one the best students of that class, maybe that’s why it ended up being one the subjects I remember the most.

To be fair, the real reason is that something I’m really keen about is English Phonetics because as I see it this is the hardest-won part of this foreign language therefore its relevance and importance when the achievement of a good level of pronunciation is someone’s goal.

Finally, I strongly believe one of the main problems of Chilean students of English is the lack of accuracy in terms of their voicing when speaking this language.

Post 7: a carreer-related website / an expert on your field

Dear Students

This week you have to write about a career-related website that you enjoy visiting: 

1. Provide the link 

2. Describe the website (sections, features, etc) 

3. Say how often you visit the site 

4. Explain why you like the site

BUT if you don't have or know a website related with your future career you can write about an expert/a person on your field that you admire

You have to mention:

1. Who this person is (short biography)

2. What this person has done (examples of his/her work)

3. Include his/her image

WORDCOUNT: 170 WORDS
Make comments on 3 of your classmates' post + your teacher

Thinking of a specific career related website is difficult for me because I visit many nowadays; but I remember when I just started to work as a teacher I had one it was my favorite: www.mes-english.com. Even though it is neither an appealing nor a relatable name for an English teacher’s website for me it was like a first time teacher’s paradise. 

This website has flashcards, PPTs, worksheets, games, etc. and the thing that I liked the most; the site allows you to use its images and formats to create your own brand new material!!! I modified a lot of PPTs and create tons of wordrsearches, crosswords, spelling readings and vocabulary handouts; all of them including visual aid, of course!!!

I was so happy because I was able to put in practice all the ideas that I had in mind on attractive teaching material. I have admit that not all the material created by me worked 100% well but that wasn’t an issue because I had the chance of improving it for the next course.

Currently, a website that I use quite often is www.wordreference.com, which is one the best online dictionaries, it is also available as an APP so you can carry it with you 24/7. Apart from getting a word translation you can know and understand its meaning in context and most of the times also listen to its pronunciation with several accents, for me that is simply awesome!!!

Post 6: MUSIC

·         Now you have the chance to write about your favourite music: singer/band/music style.

·         Tell us when and how was the first time that you hear their music.

·         Say why you ended up liking this music.

·       Demonstrate that you are a fan of their music.

·       Add any other piece of information you considered relevant

·         Remember:

ü  organize your ideas well

ü  express your opinions or experiences in a coherent way

ü  your writing must have a guiding thread

ü  divide your composition into paragraphs

·         Comments: leave a comment on my post and on 3 of your classmates posts

·         Word Count: 160 words

Today I’ll let you know about a “guilty pleasure” of mine; my favourite female latin singer “Ana Gabriel”

I remember that I was 13 years old the first time that I heard a song from her called “Simplemente Amigos”; actually I heard and watched it at the same time because I saw her video clip on my granny’s black & white TV.

I got immediately impressed by her powerful rough voice, her interpretation was full of emotion, every single word sung by her sounded so true; it was as if she had been sharing an episode of her life, maybe she was!!!

It is also interesting to highlight that she isn’t the prototype of beauty; some people would dare to say that she is ugly, but that made her even more appealing to me; a real Mexican woman singing her grief in such a peculiar way like no one did before, so true to herself.

   Here you can find her single "Simplemente Amigos"

After discovering her in 1989 I started to buy many of her albums in cassette format, like “Tierra De Nadie”, “Quien Como Tú”, “En Vivo” (here she sings “Hasta Que Te Conoci”); then when the CDs became popular I bought these same albums again in digital format and I added “30 Grandes Éxitos” to my collection. Finally, I started to get all her new singles on the Internet using eMule.

For many years it has been said that she is a lesbian and based on her latest statements given to the press, most probably she is but I think maybe that is one of the many reasons why she is such a special artist and this makes me admire her even more.

If I had to make a “mea culpa” it would be that I have never seen her singing live. Shame on me!!!

LEVEL 3 >> POST 5 (week 9) >> A PHOTOGRAPH YOU LIKE

Write about a photograph you like.

Upload it and say:

ü  Who took it

ü  What it shows

ü  When it was taken

ü  Why you like it

ü  Include any other information you'd like to mention.

v  Write at least 150 words.

v  Add comments to your teacher + 3 partners

This picture shows the first time I went to a sky center. It was the year 2015 and a friend of mine, Alba, came out with the idea of taking advantage of the winter season and travelling to a sky center in order to go skiing or snowboarding.

Her idea was followed among our friends in common and we decided to go to Lagunillas and go SNOWBOARDING!!! 
Nobody knew how to do it so it was a spectacle of never-ending fallings off, luckily none of us got hurt but the following day we woke up with serious muscle aches and bruises, well... not that serious because we came back the next year XD

The picture was taken by someone who was there having fun same as us but to be honest I don’t even remember if it was a man or a woman.

We enjoyed every moment; it is one of my treasured memories. Having new adventures with your friends is the best!!!  

Post 4: PETS (your favourite animal)

·         Now you have the chance to write about current or past pets of yours.

·         If you have never had the chance of having a pet before or you don’t like the idea of having one please explain the reasons why in detail.

·         If you don’t have a pet but there is a wild animal you find appealing or interesting please write about it in full.
·         Remember:

ü  organize your ideas well

ü  express your opinions or experiences in a coherent way

ü  your writing must have a guiding thread

ü  divide your composition into paragraphs

·         Comments: leave a comment on my post + 3 of your classmates posts

·         Word Count: 140 words

During the course of my life I have had a lot of pets, cats mainly, dogs, fish and I even had a rabbit; however “the dog is the man’s best friend”, no question about it.

This is not just my opinion I am simply quoting the common phrase about domestic dogs, referring to their millennia-long history of close relations, loyalty, and companionship with humans (first recorded use of the phrase in the 18th century).

Leaving controversy behind I am going to tell you about my “Copito”. He was left outside my window when he was a very little puppy. I noticed he was there because of his crying but as soon as I saw him I knew he was a gift sent to me so I decided to adopt him right way and since then we have shared a lot of experiences.

He has made me company and shown his affection to me for over ten years, I have seen him grow and grow old too.

It is easy to love an animal at its young age when it is healthy and playful but having a pet is a huge responsibility, it is a commitment with another living being that will need your care for the rest of its life, especially during its golden years, where special food, permanent intake of palliative medicines, frequent visits to the veterinarian and even medical procedures are part of its necessities. 

Both of us were so young!

3^rd Blog (week 5) YOUR FAVORITE PIECE OF TECHNOLOGY

v  Now you have the chance to write about your favorite piece of technology:

·         Explain why this device is your favorite one
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.

·         Detail its main features

·         What you use it for

·         How you would improve it

·         Add any other piece of information you consider relevant

·         Remember:

ü  organize your ideas well

ü  express your opinions or experiences in a coherent way

ü  your writing must have a guiding thread

ü  divide your composition into paragraphs

·         Comments: leave a comment on my post + 3 of your classmates’

·         Word Count: 140 words

Awrrr, my first cellphone...

My favorite piece of technology is my cellphone (I’m pretty sure it must be everybody’s favorite piece of technology)

I haven’t had that many during my life, 6 in total, however you have to consider that I was born in the ANALOG ERA!!!

I think that nowadays mobile phones are a need, in my particular case I use mine for working purposes rather than for fun.

Thanks to the application software built for mobile platforms (app for short) I am able to have access to good and useful dictionaries and programs such as WORD, POWER POINT, EXCEL and PDF to mention some of them.

I also use it for storaging English audio files that I need for my classes and checking my e-mail, which is something of huge relevance since I get all job offers and work related info by this mean of communication. I’ve just have realized I could continue with this check list of uses FOREVER!!! :/

Anyway, last but not least, I use this device for socializing, of course!!! Not everything in life is about work.

Something I would improve of these devices is their durability; I honestly believe they are not built to last for long, their battery life is quite short and their memory capacity diminishes gradually with use.

Nevertheless, in my opinion, a mobile phone has been one of the greatest inventions so far.

Level 3 - Post 2 (week 4) Why did you choose this major/study programme?

Write about:

- your dream jobs when you were a child

- other major 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: 130 words

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

When I was a child I didn't have a dream job, however I remember that my mom tried to influence me by constantly saying: “you have to be doctor”. I think maybe I will someday but a Doctor in Education :P

When I became an adolescent and I was close to finish High School I considered the idea of being an actor, this was a strong calling that I felt for several years but I got a lot of animosity towards this option from my family and close ones and in the end I wasn’t brave enough to do it so acting was left in the past...

However I was always good at English so I decided to take advantage of it and develop myself in that area and I can say that so far everything has been going well. As I always say in class: so far so good!!! (but in this case with exclamation marks)

After almost a decade working at *CFTs and **IPs, last year, I started working at Universidad de Chile. It was a dream come true, I never thought my first experience teaching at a university would be here.
I also dream of getting a job at the Ministry of Education. Perhaps I will get it one day, you never know!!!

*(centro de formación técnica)

** (instituto profesional)

POST 1- LEVEL 3 - PRE INTERMEDIATE

POST 1- LEVEL 3 - PRE INTERMEDIATE 

MY AUTO BIOGRAPHY

Dear students, as the first post of this semester, you have to write about your biographies.

You have to include:
- Birth information
- Studies information (elementary/high school/university)
- Family's information
- Hobbies
- Others... (upload some pictures of yours)

- Number of words: 120 (minimum)
- Make comments on three of your classmates posts + a comment on your teacher's post as well.

*the last 2 items are mandatory!

My full name is Alejandro Daniel Vilca Flores, most of my friends call me Vilca so I can say that is sort of my nickname as well. 

I was born in Santiago 42 years ago on December the 5^th. 

I am an only child and my mom is retired.

I studied at Oratorio Don Bosco, back then during the 80’s it was only an elementary school but currently, it is a primary and secondary school. I loved studying there! Salesians rock! 

Anyway, I had to finish my secondary education at Colegio Santa Cruz (a nuns’ school) and even though it was a co-educational institution I did not enjoy the experience that much.

Salesians rock!!!

After some unsuccessful attemps studying Veterinary Medicine and Business I decided to follow my heart and study Bilingual Translation at Instituto Chileno Norteamericano, then since there was a covenant between the institute and Universidad Mayor I continued studying pedagogy there until I got my degree as a Teacher of English and Licentiate in Education. 

Nowadays I am finishing a Master in Education (minor in English as a foreign language) at Universidad Central.

I have had many hobbies and done many extra activities in my life but the one I am very much into it now is Karate. I do it 3 times a week at the YMCA (I got my green belt last year) and even though it is tough and demanding it is really rewarding.