Adjectives Practice

The Present Perfect

Adjectives

Adverbs of Frequency - Adverbios de Frecuencia

Unit 3 Demonstrative Pronouns

Unit 2 Verbo to Be y los Adjetivos

Unit One Verb Be

ADOLESCENTS AND THE LEARNING OF ENGLISH

ADOLESCENTS_AND_THE_LEARNING_OF_ENGLISH.pdf

This is a very interesting article about teaching English to teens.

TEFL Online Tutorial: Teaching English With Games

ESL FUN GAME - Beat the match!

Analyzing Text

Analyzing Text

The purpose of this document is to describe the theory about text description and analysis developing comprehension reading skills.

Text structure refers to how the information within a written text is organized.  Readers experience a variety of text structures. Identifying the structure of a text helps readers read efficiently. Readers select specific comprehension strategies that fit a particular text based on knowledge of how the information is organized. Readers can anticipate what information will be revealed in a selection when they understand text structure. Understanding the pattern of the text helps readers organize ideas for synthesizing and summarizing.  

Chronological/Sequence

Chronological articles reveal events in a sequence from beginning to end.  Words that signal chronological structures include: first, then, next, finally, and specific dates and times.

Cause/Effect

Informational text often describes cause and effect relationships. The text describes events and identifies or implies causal factors.

Problem/Solution

The text introduces and describes a problem and presents solutions.

Compare/Contrast

Authors use comparisons to describe ideas to readers. Similes, metaphors, and analogies are used in compare/contrast organizational structures.

Description

Sensory details help readers visualize information.

Directions

How-to texts frame the information in a series of directions.

Analyzing Text

Analysing text is to make a description about how a sequence of paragraphs makes easy to understand what the writer wants to communicate.

The three phases of textual analysis:

Phase 1: INTRODUCTION

The goal for this phase if for students to be proficient at the pre-reading strategies of textual analysis: 

This phase makes possible predictions about the text.

Before Reading:

Step 1:  Read the title and introduction.

Step 2:  Look at the pictures and read the captions.

Step 3:  Read the first two sentences and subheadings.

Step 4:  Brainstorm what you already know and predict what the text may be about.

During Reading:

Step 5:  Read and label the questions.


Step 6:  Read the passage.


After Reading:


Step 7:  Answer the questions.

Step 8:  Prove your answers.

Step 9:  Check your work.

Phase 2: PRACTICE

In this phase the reader is able to understand the purpose of the writer throughout the lecture.

Before Reading:

Steps 1-4:  Use the title, introduction, pictures, captions, first two sentences, and subheadings to make an informed prediction about the topic and/or main idea of the text.


During Reading:

Step 5:  Read and label the questions.

Step 6:  Read the passage.

After Reading:

Step 7:  Answer the questions.

Step 8:  Prove your answers.

Step 9:  Check your work


Phase 3: APPLICATION

Textual analysis is a means for structuring and facilitating the conversation.

References

<http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/ReadStrat7.html>

<http://www.adlit.org/strategies/23336/>

<http://utminers.utep.edu/omwilliamson/engl0310/analysis1.htm>

<http://www.readworks.org/tutorials/reading-passages/textual-analysis-phases>

Images Reasources

<http://wwwatanabe.blogspot.com/2013/04/close-read-complex-text-and-annotate.html>

<http://www.perceptive-analytics.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Customer-Title-Word-Cloud.png>

<http://www.perceptive-analytics.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Customer-Second-Level-Title-Word-Cloud.png>

  

True Cognates and False Cognates in the English Language

TRUE COGNATES AND FALSE COGNATES IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

Definition: In a technical sense, two words that have a common origin are cognates. Most often, cognates are words in two languages that have a common etymology and thus are similar or identical. For example, the English "kiosk" and the Spanish quiosco are cognates because they both come from the Turkish kosk.

True cognates examples:

Air - Aire

dictionary - diccionario
indelible - indeleble
invincible - invencible
inflammable - inflamable
imperceptible - imperceptible
incorrigible - incorregible
philanthropist - filántropo
perfect - perfecto

False cognates examples:

actual: real, efectivo (y no actual, que se dice current)
actually: en realidad (y no actualmente, que se dice nowadays, at present)
to advertise: anunciar (y no advertir, que se dice to warn)
advice: consejos (y no aviso, que se dice warning, notice)
to apologise: pedir disculpas (y no apología, que se dice defence)
apt: propenso (y no apto, que se dice qualified, able)
argument: discusión, pelea (y no argumento de un libro/una película, que se dice plot)
arm: brazo (y no arma, que se dice gun)
balloon: globo (y no balón, que se dice ball)
brave: valiente (y no bravo, que se dice fierce)
carpet: alfombra (y no carpeta, que se dice folder)
cartoon: dibujos animados, tira cómica (y no cartón, que se dice cardboard)
casualty: víctima o herido (y no casualidad, que se dice coincidence)
collar: cuello de las prendas de vestir (y no collar, que se dice necklace)
command: orden, mandato (y no comando, que se dice commando unit)
to complain: quejarse (y no complacer, que se dice to please)

OK.  I hope that this tip can help you in 

some confusions.  Bye, Bye 

Taken from  about.com/spanishlanguage   and  www.mediateca.8m.com

Adapted for Julián Andrés Parra

Telling the Time

The following activity was designed in Prezi and it was intended to fulfill the required for a group in the below characteristics

English Level                                                  Beginners

English learning need                                     Telling the time

Previous knowledge                                        Days and dates, the numbers

Web 2.0 tool                                                    Prezi

Objective of the activity                                 It is to teach how to express time in English accurately        

Here is the link for the activity

http://prezi.com/kiyumhxpgd7b/telling-the-time/

Complementary activity

In this game you will find different words relate to the vocabulary necessary for telling the time.

http://en.educaplay.com/en/learningresources/1111572/telling_the_time.htm

Materials in Teaching English

Why do We Use Materials/What are Materials for?

Language instruction has five important components--students, a teacher, materials, teaching methods, and evaluation. Why are materials important in language instruction? What do materials do in language instruction? Can we teach English without a textbook? 

Allwright vs O'Neill

Allwright (1990) argues that materials should teach students to learn, that they should be resource books for ideas and activities for instruction/learning, and that they should give teachers rationales for what they do. From Allwright's point of view, textbooks are too inflexible to be used directly as instructional material. 

O'Neill (1990), in contrast, argues that materials may be suitable for students' needs, even if they are not designed specifically for them, that textbooks make it possible for students to review and prepare their lessons, that textbooks are efficient in terms of time and money, and that textbooks can and should allow for adaptation and improvization. Allwright emphasizes that materials control learning and teaching. O'Neill emphasizes that they help learning and teaching

The Role of Materials in Relation to Other Elements 

Since the end of 1970s, there has been a movement to make learners rather than teachers the center of language learning. According to this approach to teaching, learners are more important than teachers, materials, curriculum, methods, or evaluation. As a matter of fact, curriculum, materials, teaching methods, and evaluation should all be designed for learners.

What are Characteristics of Materials?

Littlejohn and Windeatt (1989) argue that materials have a hidden curriculum that includes attitudes toward knowledge, attitudes toward teaching and learning, attitudes toward the role and relationship of the teacher and student, and values and attitudes related to gender, society, etc. Materials have an underlying instructional philosophy, approach, method, and content, including both linguistic and cultural information

Language 

English textbooks should have correct, natural, recent, and standard English. Since students' vocabulary is limited, the vocabulary in textbooks should be controlled or the textbooks should provide information to help students understand vocabulary that they may not be familiar with.

Information on Culture 

The cultural information included in English textbooks should be correct and recent. It should not be biased and should reflect background cultures of English. It should include visual aids etc., to help students understand cultural information.

From Learners' Viewpoints 

Content English textbooks should be useful, meaningful and interesting for students. While no single subject will be of interest to all students, materials should be chosen based, in part, on what students, in general, are likely to find interesting and motivating.

How Can We Learn About Materials? 

There are various ways to get information about textbooks and other teaching materials. Many materials are published by publishers and developed and distributed by commercial companies. Thus, publishers are useful (if not entirely unbiased) sources of information and advice about what materials are available and what materials are appropriate for various purposes. Many publishers provide sample copies on request. Bookstores that carry textbooks are another possible source of information. Clerks at such bookstores may help you find the materials you want. In addition, publishers' displays at conferences are useful. They usually have the most recent materials, exhibitors are willing to help you and answer your questions, and in some cases, you will have opportunities to meet and talk with the authors. Colleagues and friends who are teachers are also good sources of recommendations of textbooks and advice about how to best use them. Finally, there is information from computer mailing lists and web pages on the Internet. Lists on language teaching often have discussions on materials, and you can ask questions and may get good feedback. Many publishers have www pages and e-mail addresses, so you can check with them and also ask questions about the materials. 

Concerns About Materials 

The market of language teaching materials are fairly large, and many companies are competing. They produce new materials and promote them with many advertisements and through their salespeople. You need to be careful about what they tell you. You always need to examine their materials carefully from the point of view of what is appropriate for your students and the classes you are teaching. Another concern about materials is that the copyright issue

Summary and Conclusion
Though there are five elements in language instruction, and learners should be the center of instruction. However, materials often control the instruction, since teachers and learners tend to rely heavily on them. Materials that are appropriate for a particular class need to have an underlying instructional philosophy, approach, method and technique which suit the students and their needs. They should have correct, natural, current and standard English. Teachers need to look for good materials, both commercial and noncommercial, all the time. They also need to be aware of commercialism and copyright issues concerning materials.

List of References

Allwright, R. L. (1990). What do we want teaching materials for? In R. Rossner and R. Bolitho, (Eds.), Currents in language teaching. Oxford University Press.

Clarke, D. F. (1989). Communicative theory and its influence on materials production. Language Teaching, 22, 73-86.

Kitao, K., & Kitao, S. K. (September 16, 1982). College reading textbooks do not meet needs. The Daily Yomiuri, p. 7.

Kitao, K., Kitao, S. K., Yoshida, S., Yoshida, H., Kawamura, K., and Kurata, M. (1995). A study of trends of college English reading textbooks in Japan: An analysis of college English reading textbooks for 1985. In K. Kitao and S. K. Kitao, English teaching: Theory, Research and practice (pp. 205-216). Tokyo: Eichosha.

Littlejohn, A., & Windeatt, S. (1989). Beyond language learning: Perspective on materials design. In R. K. Johnson (Ed.), The second language curriculum. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

O'Neill, R. (1990). Why use textbooks? In R. Rossner and R. Bolitho, (Eds.), Currents in language teaching. Oxford University Press. 

Places of Interest on the web

Site	Description	Address
Edx	edX – is a community dedicated to bringing education to everyone across the globe. Tell your edX story, connect with others, and learn about new courses.	https://www.facebook.com/EdxOnline
Songs for Teaching	Creative teachers can use music to teach content across the curriculum – to students of all ages.We offer thousands of children's songs, lyrics, sound clips and teaching suggestions.	https://www.facebook.com/pages/Songs-for-Teaching/118205941217
English is fun	This page is for those who love English, and want to improve it	https://plus.google.com/106180137997255308995/posts
Multimedia English	Their aim is to make learning English free and available to everyone, no matter where they live or how rich or poor they are.	http://www.multimedia-english.com/
engvid	The web site offers free video English lessons.	http://www.engvid.com/english-lessons/
BBC Learning English	It is a web site that allows us to learn English in a real context like the News.	http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/
VOA	It is a web site that allows people to learn English by looking the news, each one with audio and the text attached to it.	http://learningenglish.voanews.com/
Idioms in English	It is a Facebook page that provides us everyday with a new common and useful expression in English	https://www.facebook.com/EnglishIdiomsExpressions
Live Mocha	It is a portal that allow people to interact with native speakers to practice and learn a new language.	http://learn.livemocha.com/#logged_out
English lesson planner	It is a web site in which you can create, store and find lesson plans for teaching English.	http://www.englishlessonplanner.com/
LearnEnglish – British Council	It is a web site with resources for people who want to learn English. And it is part of the British Council.	http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/

Ingreso y conocimiento de los entornos AVA en la UNAD

¿Qué son los AVA?

Los AVA son un entorno de aprendizaje mediado por la tecnología, lo cual transforma la relación educativa en cuanto a la gestión, la distribución, comunicación y procesamiento de la información dotando a la relación educativa de nuevas posibilidades para el aprendizaje.

Se basa en el principio de aprendizaje colaborativo en el cual como estudiantes podemos realizar los aportes y expresar nuestras inquietudes a través de foros.  Mediante el uso de herramientas informáticas con lo que los textos pasan de ser letra muerta, de un texto en línea y empiezan a transformarse en un entorno comunicativo de construcción de conocimiento.

Los componentes de este sistema incluyen plantillas para la generación de contenidos, charlas, blogs, video conferencias, etc

Los ambientes virtuales de aprendizaje tienen varias ventajas, entre las cuales podemos mencionar las siguientes: facilitan la integración de la educación a distancia y la educación tradicional a demás de poder aprender a través de otros medios, la ampliación del aprendizaje, la relación con las tecnologías en las posibilidades de aprender con tecnología y de tecnología a la vez que también nos ofrece la posibilidad de  mejorar algunas habilidades cognitivas en la interacción cooperativa entre personas.

Video Tutorial - Ambiente Virtual de Aprendizaje

Funciones de un e-monitor

Un monitor nos aporta destreza, experiencia y apoyo, el monitor no nos da respuestas, pero nos ayuda en la solución de problemas, ayudándonos a encontrar respuestas.

En el capitulo VII, Honores, distinciones y estímulos a estudiantes, el artículo 56 Monitorias. Del reglamento general estudiantil de la Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia, UNAD se establece que las actividades de monitoria son un incentivo que la institución otorga al estudiante que haya demostrado alto rendimiento académico y se haya distinguido por su contribución al desarrollo institucional.


El mismo articulo en su parágrafo 2, reza:

Las Funciones que debe realizar un monitor son:

a) Elaborar conjuntamente con el Director del curso académico, tutor de curso, director o
coordinador de los servicios que se prestarán, el plan de trabajo a desarrollar, el cual debe ser
remitido al Director del CEAD o instancias afines con la documentación correspondiente.

b) Entregar los informes de actividades al Director o tutor del curso.

c) Impulsar el uso de las tecnologías de la información y la comunicación en las interactividades
pedagógicas, como revisión de correo electrónico, chat, lista de correo, grupos de discusión, y
otras.

d) Participar en las redes académicas y de aprendizaje constituidas en el curso académico que
monitorea o en el servicio que se presta.

e) Velar por el buen estado de materiales y equipos a su cargo.

f) Apoyar las actividades académicas que demanden los estudiantes.

g) Contribuir a la búsqueda de fuentes bibliográficas actualizadas, sea a través de fuentes
convencionales o de fuentes virtuales.

h) Diagnosticar y socializar las necesidades de formación académica de los estudiantes.

i) Participar en la organización de eventos, simposios o actividades programadas.

j) Participar en los proyectos de investigación propuestos por docentes e investigadores.

k) Las demás que, por la naturaleza de la actividad, le sean asignadas por el Decano, Director de
Centro o instancia afín.



Fuente:.
Universidad Nacional a Distancia. (2006) Reglamento General Estudiantil. Recuperado de http://academia.unad.edu.co/images/reglamento%20academico/reglamento%20general%20estudiantil.pdf
________________

Web 1.0 and Web 2.0

It does not matter if you are a geek in the use of technology to notice that in the last years the use of apps and social networks has increase that much that those features have been applied in the education field thanks to the web 2.0, the term makes reference to a generation of websites in which people work collaboratively in the building of projects, such thing was not possible before when people were using websites built in static html pages.


The main differences between the web 1.0 and the web 2.0 can be taken from the words of Alberto Ortiz de Zárate Tercero in Manual de uso del blog en la empresa pag 18 in which he describes the web 2.0 as a social phenomenon in relation to the creation and distribution of content on the Internet, characterized by open communication, decentralization of authority, freedom to share and use, within an approach that treats the human and economic relations as conversations. Things like these were not possible before the technology development that helped web 1.0 to reach the level of web 2.0.


Let’s give a look to some tools and applications and what they are.

• A social network is a site that facilitates the building of relations among people who share interest, activities, backgrounds, or real life connections.

• Web pages are the content of the www, and can either be static or dynamic, webmail is any email client implemented as a web application accessed via a web browser.

• Blogs are Web sites that contain an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer.

• A wiki is usually a web application which allows people to add, modify, or delete content in collaboration with others.

• Podcast is a pre-recorded audio program that is posted to a website and is downloadable so people can listen to them on their computers or devices.

• Video and image sharing is the publishing or transfer of user's digital files online, thus enabling the user to share them with others (publicly or privately), instant messaging is a type of online chat which offers real-time text transmission over the Internet.

Some examples of these tools are:

§      Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/

Facebook is a social utility that connects people with friends and others who work, study and live around them. As well as to keep up with them

§      Twitter

https://twitter.com/

Twitter is an online social networking service and micro blogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based messages of up to 140 characters, known as "tweets".

§      Prezi

http://prezi.com/

Prezi is a cloud-based presentation software that opens up a new world between whiteboards and slides. The zoomable canvas makes it fun to explore ideas and the connections between them. The result: visually captivating presentations that lead your audience down a path of discovery

§      VoiceThread

http://voicethread.com/

VoiceThread is a totally web-based application that allows you to place collections of media like images, videos, documents, and presentations at the center of an asynchronous conversation and to make comments on them.

§      Vuvox

http://www.vuvox.com/

VUVOX allows you to create interactive slideshows and presentations from photos, video and music from Flickr, Picasa Web Albums, YouTube, Facebook and more.

§      Jing

http://jing.softonic.com/

Jing is an application; it captures anything you see on your computer screen, as an image or short video, and lets you share it instantly

§      YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/

YouTube is a video-sharing website on which users can upload, view and share videos

§      Scribd

http://www.scribd.com/

Scribd is a digital documents library that allows users to publish, discover and discuss original writings and documents in various languages

In conclusion we can state that the improvement in technology has changed the way in which we teach and learn English because with web 2.0 we can create new environments that help students to get involved in the processes according with their interests, and using technology we gain confidence in the practice and learning of English on the web helped by an application or a platform.

SOURCES

·         Alberto Ortiz de Zárate Tercero. (2008). Manual de uso del blog en la empresa. Retrieved from http://www.infonomia.com/img/libros/pdf/BlogsEmpresa.pdf

·         Florida Center for Instructional Technology, College of Education, University of South Florida. (2011). Tech-Ease. What is web 2.0? Retrieved from http://etc.usf.edu/techease/win/internet/what-is-web-2-0/

·         Metaweb. (10/23/2006). Topics. Social networking service. Retrieved from http://mashable.com/category/social-networking/

·         Tech terms. Internet terms. Webpage. Retrieved from http://www.techterms.com/definition/webpage

·         Wikipedia. (31 August 2013). Webmail. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Webmail

·         Merriam-Webster. Dictionary. Blog Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blog

·         Wikipedia. ( 6 September 2013). Wiki. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki

·         Entrepreneur. Podcast. Retrieved from http://www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/podcast

·         Wikipedia. (1 August 2013). Photo sharing. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photo_sharing

·         Wikipedia. (12 September 2013). Instant messaging. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instant_messaging

·         Tech smith. Jing. Retrieved from http://www.techsmith.com/jing.html

·         Wikipedia. (17 September 2013). YouTube. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube

·         Prezi. (2013). About us. Ideas matter. Retrieved from http://prezi.com/about/

·         Linked in. (September 2013). Prezi. Actualizaciones recientes. Retrieved from http://www.linkedin.com/company/prezi

·         Penn State. (March 11, 2013). Welcome to VoiceThread at Penn State. What is VoiceThread? Retrieved from http://voicethread.psu.edu/

Educational Technology and Mobile Learning. A list of 20 free tools for teachers to create awesome presentations and slideshows. Retrieved from http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2012/05/list-of-20-free-tools-for-teachers-to.html