Dream Thoughts

The following list can be shared with our students. The various entries are related to the importance of keeping our dreams alive. Teachers and students can commment on each of them.


1. Care enough to take action.

2. See it BIG and keep it simple.

3. Never wish your life away. A day is gone forever. Enjoy each day and make it the best you can.

4. Believe in yourself. BE yourself. BE honest with yourself.

5. Tell the truth to others and to yourself.

6. Choose to be happy. No one can stop you!

7. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!

8. Listen to your inner voice. Hope. Dream. Encourage the dreams of others.

9. Use your imagination. Keep thinking about your dream. This is how to make your dreams grow and change.

10. Be grateful for your strengths and talents.

11. Give to others and good things will naturally come back to you.

12. Add to the world and be thankful.

13. March to the beat of your own drum.

14. Focus on what's important.

15. If you "can't say nothin' nice, don't say nothin' at all." -Thumper (Bambi)

16. When people tell you your dream is too risky, just remember that the real risk in life is never daring to dream! Never value another person's opinion of your dream more than you value your own.

17. Think differently. If you don't need to reinvent the wheel, put a new spin on it!

18. Be prepared to work VERY hard if you plan to be VERY successful.

19. If you are not ready to take criticism, you are not prepared to succeed.

20. Draw a symbol of your dream and keep it close at hand for daily inspiration.

21. Seek advice from someone who's had success in your desired dream-area. Offer your services as a way to learn more about your dream.

22. Be on the lookout for success. Never let opportunities pass by because you think you're not ready. Sometimes you need to LEAP and then build your wings on the way down!

23. Never be afraid to SPEAK your dream aloud. When you do, dreams become more real to you and to those around you.

A Story that Teaches Us

I sincerely hope you enjoy this magical tale.
One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do.
Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey.
He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well.
At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement he quieted down.
A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up.
As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!
Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a steppingstone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up.

And... remember:
Think you can and you will be able to do it!!!

Motivation and Learning

The following link leads us to another blog which is full of inspirational ideas related to the teaching world. To start with, there is a quotation about Motivation, which reflects the idea that we all can do it. DOOOOOOOOOOO IT!!!

http://www.schoodoodle.com/blog/2008/08/free-teacher-movitational-quote-i-will.html

This webpage is full of ideas for learning any foreign language. It is worth visiting this source of useful information.

http://foreignlanguagefun.com/

CV

http://cid-3290f629a053ffcd.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/Personal%20CV/CV.doc

Learning some Idioms and Proverbs

This slideshare is a great opportunity to work with visual and kinaesthetic learners. Firstly, students watch the slideshare. Then, they work on the different idioms and proverbs by drawing some meaningful and representative pictures. Finally, they act them out.

HOW TO CREATE AN ACCOUNT IN YOUTUBE

Because of the previous activity, I was asked how to create an account in youtube. The following video shows us this process easily and dynamically.



Estas lineas corresponden a la actividad de la sesión 10 del curso "Blogs, guía completa para Docentes y Emprendedores".
Procedimiento para localizar el video publicado

1.Primero debemos registrarnos. Si ya tenemos una cuenta, debemos ingresar el nombre y la contraseña. En caso de no tener el registro como usuario debemos cliquear en el botón “Sign Up” y seguir los pasos presentados en el video anterior.
2.Para subir un video, debemos describirlo y categorizarlo pues ésto permite su fácil localización.
3.Luego, cliqueamos el botón “Upload” para permitir el proceso de subida.
4.Para encontrar nuestro video debemos utilizar la barra de búsqueda o “Search”. Allí deberemos teclear alguna palabra que utilizamos para describir nuestro video.

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IMAGINE BY JOHN LENNON - THE DEBATE

Enjoy the following piece of music with your eyes closed.

The following video is to debate on social issues. After listening to John Lennon´s hit, students watch Bush´s version. The teacher brainstorms the main social problems emphasized on the video. Finally, students can prepare some posters describing typical social issues in Argentina.

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SOME MEMORABLE QUOTATIONS TO REFLECT ON

Hi marcela!!! It is an honour for me to post some rich material and to share it with teachers all around the world. In this case, I would like to reflect on some quotations written by an inspired teacher, Dr. HAIM GINOTT.
All the best for you Marcela!

Bluebird.

TEACHER

"I have come to a frightening conclusion.

I am the decisive element in the classroom.

It is my personal approach that creates the climate.

It is my daily mood that makes the weather.

"As a teacher, I possess tremendous power

to make a child´s life miserable or joyous.

I can be a tool of torture

or an instrument of inspiration.

I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal.

In all situations it is my response that decides

whether a crisis will be escalated or de-escalated

and a child HUMANIZED or DEHUMANIZED."

Dr. Haim Ginott.

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HAVE FUN WHILE PLAYING TIC-TAC-TOE

This is a template to use while playing tic-tac-toe. It is an easy way to make SS practise English grammar or vocabulary.
These are the rules:
1. The game is played on a grid that's 3 squares by 3 squares.
2. You are X (tail), your friend or team is O (head). Players take turns putting their coins in empty squares. To place the coin in an empty square you have to choose a card and answer it correctly.
3. When all 9 squares are full, the game is not over. Players continue moving following the yellow lines.
4. The first player to get 3 of his coins in a row (up, down, across, or diagonally) is the winner.
Enjoy yourselves!!!

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Learning English with Shrek - A lesson plan about love

The following lesson plan aims at making Ss become involved in the lesson while learning idiomatic expressions. I have used a song and a video to provide them with context. The idioms that are introduced are related to the context LOVE. For extra activities, Ss can play Mime the idiom and Dominoe.

!!! The section Appendix contains the worksheets as well as the webpage for the video.

Warming up (previous knowledge, students´ imagination)	The teacher (T)makes students (Ss) listen to a piece of music. They try to guess who is singing. The song´s writer is Bryan Adams. This song belongs to the song Shrek 2. While the Ss are listening, the T makes questions like: ---Who can be the singer? ---Do you like the song? ---What is it about? --How do you imagine the video clip of the song?
Practice nº1 Oral practice	Now the Ss watch the video and confirm predictions. The T asks for the scenes related to love. She also asks what types of relationships Ss can find in the video.
Practice nº2 Listening	Now the T gives Ss a photocopy with the lyrics of the song. Ss have to do two different activities. First they decode the images. To check they listen to the corresponding stanzas. Secondly, they listen and put the lines in order.
Practice nº3 Writing	Now the T hands out photocopies with a multiple choice exercise with idioms related to love. Ss work in pairs and deduce their meanings. To check, different Ss read aloud and discuss the possible answers.
Practice nº4 Drawing	Each S draws a picture for two idioms and adds an example of his own. Then they present their pieces of work and explain their drawing. The pictures are stuck on a poster.

*Web page for the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUyu5prWjTE

*Lyrics of the song I´m a believer by B. Adams

I thought love was only true in fairy tales
Meant for someone else but not for me
Love was out to get me, thats the way it seemed
Disappointment haunted all my dreams

And then I saw her face
Now Im a believer
Not a trace of doubt in my mind
Im in love
Im a believer
I couldnt leave her if I tried

I thought love was more or less a giving thing
More I gave the less I've got, oh yeah
Whats the use in trying, all you get is pain
When I wanted sunshine I got rain

And then I saw her face
Now Im a believer
Not a trace of doubt in my mind
Im in love
Im a believer
I couldnt leave her if I tried

Whats the use in trying, all you get is pain
When I wanted sunshine I got rain

APPENDIX

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TECHNOLOGY - ENTRADAS DESDE CORREO ELECTRÓNICO

Technology in the English classroom
Estas lineas pertenecen a una actividad práctica correspondiente al curso 'Blogs, guía completa para Docentes y Emprendedores a distancia' de la Universidad Nacional del Litoral.
Indudablemente, la posibilidad de publicar desde un simple mensaje de correo electrónico es increíble. El avance tecnológico nos permite atravezar todas los límites y estar intercomunicados sin importar el tiempo y el lugar.

LET´S CONTINUE WITH THE BLOG...

I would like to share with you the following extracts written by Michael Morgan (University of Detroit Mercy, Detroit, Michigan, USA):
. . . Bits (binary digits) can be used productively or unproductively in the ESL/EFL classroom. Users who are bit literate (Hurst, 2007) recognize when technology is unproductive. ESL/EFL teachers should achieve "bit literacy" (Hurst, 2007) because it would allow them to reclaim their classroom from any technology that interferes with English Language Teaching. It is becoming easier to equip students with technology. Central to making technology more productive is to know how it will equip ESL/EFL students with the skills they need. Technical skills are no substitute for language skills. ESL/EFL students are empowered when teachers harness new technology in ways that promote language learning. . . When teachers use technology responsibly, when they accept that it is okay sometimes to "let the bits go" (Hurst, 2007, p. 167), then teachers and students will benefit from technology in its supporting role in the ESL/EFL classroom. . .

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MORE QUOTATIONS THAT INSPIRE US

Education's purpose is to

replace an empty mind with an open one. Malcolm Forbes

By learning you will teach, by teaching you will learn. -Latin Proverb

The best teachers teach from the heart, not from the book. Anonymous

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Teaching quotations that sweeten the soul.-

A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where

his influence stops. ~Henry Brooks Adams

A good teacher is like a candle - it consumes itself

to light the way for others. ~Author Unknown

A teacher is a compass that activates the magnets of curiosity, knowledge, and wisdom in the pupils. ~Ever Garrison