tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47698889740854959962024-03-19T06:24:26.266-03:00TOEFL iBT Prep"The limits of my language are the limits of my world."
Ludwig WittgensteinCarla Raguseohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07607688161575099317noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769888974085495996.post-8767812741328117462009-04-14T00:21:00.013-03:002009-04-15T00:42:16.974-03:00About American Universities<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpnnPJjDaMz8F7_SKl769yq4BBLqkj-tKjQiW8kr1TGXcE8vZI8V4Wg3o9tWq0XTeS25LC5qPd_REdFgh0l7MRqSXku2S7cx1uEQkCy9V3Xp5bMp5L5wB1QWTFOEtHgpMhqz1NADKbRYU/s1600-h/catholic+university+washington.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 188px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpnnPJjDaMz8F7_SKl769yq4BBLqkj-tKjQiW8kr1TGXcE8vZI8V4Wg3o9tWq0XTeS25LC5qPd_REdFgh0l7MRqSXku2S7cx1uEQkCy9V3Xp5bMp5L5wB1QWTFOEtHgpMhqz1NADKbRYU/s200/catholic+university+washington.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324387497305975234" border="0" /></a>Last year, I met <a href="http://web.mac.com/mdmulholland/key2spanish/Welcome.html"><span>Professor Mónica Dominguez Mulholland</span></a> through one of my blogs for language teachers. Since she teaches Spanish at the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Catholic University of America in Washington DC</span>, I thought it would be a good idea to carry out a short exchange with her class to learn a bit more about university life in the USA.<br /><br />In the TOEFL iBT we have listening and short readings related to different campus situations and we've discussed some of the differences with our system as well. Let's take this opportunity to exchange information with the protagonists! The discussion has already started in Spanish on their blog: <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://spanishisfun.wordpress.com/2009/04/07/%C2%A1proyecto-internacional/">Spanish is Fun - Proyecto Internacional</a>, so let's move on to English now.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Here goes the first question to get started:</span><br />In my case, it is related to the faculty (professors). How are office hours assigned? Do they depend on the number of courses each professor has? Are these hours also offered online? In Argentina, professors do not have office hours as a part of their daily work schedule. According to the material we've read and listened to, office hours seem to be a great idea since students can discuss their questions in depth and professors can address the specific needs of individual students. Do students take advantage of this extra time?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">I look forward to your answers ... and to more questions, of course!</span>Carla Raguseohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07607688161575099317noreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769888974085495996.post-33987797552624094692009-04-04T18:47:00.009-03:002009-04-04T23:20:06.130-03:00Great Expectations<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh67ycZWc3210C6t7CpoL1LKrKkmQ7kjkFQymhLDL3GlXcr3joSt6Guwt79rlA3MzM6584sGQcFJ9vFnxkZp2po90bQjuNrUGfYNhDZLAfPMfHbdmNrfUrW8MuVBf4MJHz03zlWRI51rS4/s1600-h/great-expectations.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh67ycZWc3210C6t7CpoL1LKrKkmQ7kjkFQymhLDL3GlXcr3joSt6Guwt79rlA3MzM6584sGQcFJ9vFnxkZp2po90bQjuNrUGfYNhDZLAfPMfHbdmNrfUrW8MuVBf4MJHz03zlWRI51rS4/s200/great-expectations.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320957923166341090" border="0" /></a><br />So, here we are starting a new TOEFL year! I'm sure when you first entered the classroom on a Saturday morning you had a lot of questions: Will I be able to prepare for the TOEFL test in one semester? Do we need a textbook?, What does Blended mean?; and so did I : Will I be able to connect to my students this year?, Are they really motivated to prepare for the TOEFL challenge?, Will they like me?<br /><br />After two years teaching both the regular and the blended courses, this year I'm only teaching the Blended one. If our virtual platform extends the walls of our physical classroom, this blog will be another online meeting spot where we'll be able to go even beyond the limits of our virtual learning environment. Reaching further and further ahead!<br /><br />Let's make the most of our TOEFL experience!<br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/cdnphoto/571691808/">Great Expectations</a></span>Carla Raguseohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07607688161575099317noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769888974085495996.post-51068767575703455452008-07-27T03:05:00.009-03:002008-07-27T14:48:57.989-03:00Blogging from Norfolk<div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOLYZ_S6Qh-2SRCoHU9bI7evmlsCFHL8S4JNNbcPWTBkOQkImBFhadpdn9qdNI7OKDRN9MYeZzZ4He-C6CCuZlACL4D6zcbDF0od7kTnzWwaN3xwgu6HmZQOT9ZZMCn599dCITYO9pZFM/s1600-h/Norfolk.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOLYZ_S6Qh-2SRCoHU9bI7evmlsCFHL8S4JNNbcPWTBkOQkImBFhadpdn9qdNI7OKDRN9MYeZzZ4He-C6CCuZlACL4D6zcbDF0od7kTnzWwaN3xwgu6HmZQOT9ZZMCn599dCITYO9pZFM/s200/Norfolk.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227571472488034562" border="0" /></a><span style="" lang="EN-US">In order to make the most of her learning adventure in the USA, Mariana has decided to start a travel blog: <b style=""><a href="http://www.mytriptonorfolk.blogspot.com/">http://www.mytriptonorfolk.blogspot.com/</a> </b><span style=""> </span>to share her experiences in Norfolk with us.</span><span style="" lang="EN-US"> I simply suggested the possibility of starting an “online journal” about her trip to capture her views and impressions while honing her writing skills in English and she accepted the challenge right away!<o:p></o:p></span></div> </div><p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><b style=""><span style="" lang="EN-US">Why blogging?</span></b><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyJn_jhzIB7DK-pgIQggLNPceXbzRRr4VbWvHmsby7WKUfPToFJcBbc5T0IqgpAPhuM3yT8sRelEkLAqYXsVTfMoVzwl_pN5FYEmN4RNAxFBkEB37R12_STh9zTyeXx86j85c3erTynn8/s1600-h/Mariana.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyJn_jhzIB7DK-pgIQggLNPceXbzRRr4VbWvHmsby7WKUfPToFJcBbc5T0IqgpAPhuM3yT8sRelEkLAqYXsVTfMoVzwl_pN5FYEmN4RNAxFBkEB37R12_STh9zTyeXx86j85c3erTynn8/s200/Mariana.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227571802453576962" border="0" /></a></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-US">Because it allows us to engage in</span><span style="" lang="EN-US"> <b style="">expressive and meaningful writing</b> and develop</span><span style="" lang="EN-US"> self-reflection. What’s more, blogs are open conversations with the world. As a teacher, I’ve improved my own writing and learned more from other people than I could have ever imagined since I started sharing and spreading my ideas on the web, engaging in relevant conversations with </span><span style="" lang="EN-US">my students</span><span style="" lang="EN-US"> and with </span><span style="" lang="EN-US">colleagues worldwide</span><span style="" lang="EN-US">. <o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="" lang="EN-US">Let’s join Mariana on her blogging trip and help her blog grow and develop. It’s a great way of keeping in touch with a friend while also learning ourselves and experiencing the joy of authentic communication.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Carla Raguseohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07607688161575099317noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769888974085495996.post-19668550758145069602008-06-22T17:27:00.010-03:002008-06-25T01:37:18.829-03:00TOEFL iBT Class Project<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5WcNZs_ggMxVyPsG_SyYkQ3RCJPjPnSkYt3JXXkYLb2bsJhj2nInpHSHhRY9jQAj70MGj-djhveup6xXcRLHSJO7ioB-a3Y1UHF-iZ24EkCbXK7RhPZqK4hsgIe7xx-5zqMmuUhh9G0s/s1600-h/toeflProject2.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5214805427921121026" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; CURSOR: pointer" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5WcNZs_ggMxVyPsG_SyYkQ3RCJPjPnSkYt3JXXkYLb2bsJhj2nInpHSHhRY9jQAj70MGj-djhveup6xXcRLHSJO7ioB-a3Y1UHF-iZ24EkCbXK7RhPZqK4hsgIe7xx-5zqMmuUhh9G0s/s200/toeflProject2.gif" border="0" /></a>Dear all,<br /><br />I am proud to announce a new edition of our <a href="http://toeflibtprep.blogspot.com/2007/08/class-project.html"><span style="color:#3333ff;"><strong>TOEFL iBT Class Project</strong></span></a>!<br /><br />Following the iBT integrated skills format, the project consists of oral presentations on an academic topic that belongs to your own fields of study, complemented by written summaries that will be complied on our <a style="COLOR: rgb(51,51,255)" href="https://toeflibtprep.pbwiki.com/">class wiki</a> for future reference.<br /><br />The <a style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(51,51,255)" href="https://toeflibtprep.pbwiki.com/">TOEFL iBT Wiki</a> is an ongoing construction that represents our shared body of knowledge, our interests and our learning paths.<br /><br />This year the first presentation will be delivered by <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/17989584251949715050">Mariana</a> next Wednesday (before her trip to the USA) on In Vitro Fertilization (IVF).<br /><br />Can't wait to get started!<br /><br />Cheers, CarlaCarla Raguseohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07607688161575099317noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769888974085495996.post-23277880865843569062008-05-10T19:00:00.017-03:002008-05-23T23:00:32.543-03:00Canada-Argentina Skype Conversation Exchange<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3eJbwH9K_EyDiS3pxjhPT7cRJslxrz1C-P5WPuhazsavebX5fo8ixnu40cZFAdTWmna_1Gw6v1kviyOfCKxwRjcDxJf3oxJ__VzA0fJ0Uz11KLIvIaOmsXiE14vaQevyxJVx-e38ZaUo/s1600-h/arg2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5198883397339177778" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3eJbwH9K_EyDiS3pxjhPT7cRJslxrz1C-P5WPuhazsavebX5fo8ixnu40cZFAdTWmna_1Gw6v1kviyOfCKxwRjcDxJf3oxJ__VzA0fJ0Uz11KLIvIaOmsXiE14vaQevyxJVx-e38ZaUo/s200/arg2.jpg" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA3_BpkahJvlVu7_1DC0hwus8FZ7jwCQQ3zjbmHFt6t3N0_iKrflo4Hf62nPxu0cY_nDn6g3f9wHv_hlBhG2ZJzJBC6jZ0BKZkU-E9QpqPrU4x5IBqVrK21D2RoofNVTXaRdk_K-9jfzE/s1600-h/canada2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5198882744504148754" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA3_BpkahJvlVu7_1DC0hwus8FZ7jwCQQ3zjbmHFt6t3N0_iKrflo4Hf62nPxu0cY_nDn6g3f9wHv_hlBhG2ZJzJBC6jZ0BKZkU-E9QpqPrU4x5IBqVrK21D2RoofNVTXaRdk_K-9jfzE/s200/canada2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />As I told you last week, we are about to start a Skype Conversation Exchange between the TOEFL groups (Regular and Blended) and the students of Spanish 149 at the <a style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238);" href="http://www.uvic.ca/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">University of Victoria</span></a> in British Columbia, Canada.<br /></div><br />We've already started a blog at: <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 238);" href="http://www.canada-argentina.blogspot.com/">http://www.canada-argentina.blogspot.com/</a> to post our introductions and get to know each other before the actual conversation exchange starts. If you are willing to take part in this project, just let me know and I'll send you an invitation to join the blog as authors.<br /><br />This project will be based on the principles of <a style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 238);" href="http://www.slf.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/learning/idxeng11.html">Tandem Learning</a>. You will work in pairs with a language partner and together you will decide on the topic, frequency and length of each conversation based on your specific needs and interests.<br /><br />I'm sure we'll all profit from this educational and cultural experience!Carla Raguseohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07607688161575099317noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769888974085495996.post-49473242096802783872008-04-30T13:04:00.015-03:002008-04-30T14:09:47.556-03:00TOEFL iBT Webinar: Writing<table width="400" border="0"><tr><td colspan="2"><embed src="http://apps.rockyou.com/board/board.swf?instanceid=4223454" quality="high" scale="noscale" salign="lt" FlashVars="instanceid=4223454" width="400" height="300" wmode="transparent" name="rockyou" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"/></td></tr><tr><td width="100"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.rockyou.com?type=corkboard&refid=4223454&source=cblogo"></a></td><td width="309" rowspan="2"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.rockyou.com/board/corkboard-create.php?instanceid=4223454&source=cbaac"></a></td></tr><tr><td><a target="_blank" href="http://www.rockyou.com/board/corkboard-create.php?refid=4223454&source=cbgyo"> </a></td></tr></table>
<br />Dear all,
<br />I’ve just attended a <strong>TOEFL iBT Teacher Webinar</strong> (web seminar) on the Writing Section offered by <a href="http://www.ets.org/portal/site/ets/menuitem.fab2360b1645a1de9b3a0779f1751509/?vgnextoid=69c0197a484f4010VgnVCM10000022f95190RCRD"><span style="color:#3333ff;">ETS</span></a>. The presentation focused especially on the Integrated task and reviewed its main features as well as general strategies, classroom activities and useful resources that can help students improve their writing performance.
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<br />As you already know, the TOEFL Writing section includes:
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<br /><strong>1 Integrated Task</strong> in which you’ll have to synthesize the information from a reading passage and a lecture in a written response. Time: 20 minutes Length: (150 -225 words)
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<br /><strong>1 Independent Task</strong> in which you’ll have to express and support an opinion in the form of a written essay. Time: 30 minutes Length (250-300 words)
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<br />Each task is rated on a 0-5 scale. The average score is based on the two tasks and then converted to 0-30 scale.
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<br />You can find the recommended resources on our <strong><a href="http://toeflibtprep.pbwiki.com/"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Class WIKI</span></a></strong> (link on the sidebar).
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<br />Next month we will be focusing on the Integrated Writing and we’ll discuss some strategies that can help you excel in this new task.
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<br /><strong>Enjoy the resources!</strong>Carla Raguseohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07607688161575099317noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769888974085495996.post-75991918185514078152008-04-23T14:32:00.007-03:002008-04-26T19:47:30.052-03:00Independent Writing: BrainstormingToday we went over the main steps of the writing process:<br /><br />-Brainstorming: generating ideas<br />-Planning: organizing ideas<br />-Drafting: writing several versions of the essay<br />-Editing: Correcting mistakes in content, organization, grammar, vocabulary and mechanics(spelling, punctuation, capitalization)<br /><br />This week we are going to brainstorm ideas on a new topic:<br /><br /><strong>The Best Source of News<br /></strong>“Due to the development of new technology such as satellite communication and the Internet, we can get updates on the latest breaking stories as soon as they happen. However, some people argue that these sources mainly report unconnected events while newspapers or weekly magazines provide a deeper and contextualized analysis of the news, helping us understand what those events mean.”<br /><br /><strong>What do you think? What is the best source of news (newspaper, cable TV, the Internet, magazines, the radio)?</strong><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfPVStPcFzpxcxojTqnH5T9Fw_yZTWzHEGbTCFgkL3x8UdNbDONboatc7yw7rjMLr7SS-zoPSYozBRoW-7LjYGdl1HSmn3vEzIxMHhoUSv8syyoNmRTKzMb9KHykSEmLA5lGCZkK0L81E/s1600-h/newspaper.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5192495596233596226" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfPVStPcFzpxcxojTqnH5T9Fw_yZTWzHEGbTCFgkL3x8UdNbDONboatc7yw7rjMLr7SS-zoPSYozBRoW-7LjYGdl1HSmn3vEzIxMHhoUSv8syyoNmRTKzMb9KHykSEmLA5lGCZkK0L81E/s200/newspaper.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgThmF0-vd1uCQE1FnBkx7PYlOWnO9vO0FfXjxVXGaosl_SYT6Oq84R1MWLTOK266d-dlgAUlaHZ_9I98LILuFftBO-oeP6seDTA5gPp-1BmkD_VK5rturqFr_OyfnkhxwdcyO_bIazKgU/s1600-h/TV+news.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5192495729377582418" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgThmF0-vd1uCQE1FnBkx7PYlOWnO9vO0FfXjxVXGaosl_SYT6Oq84R1MWLTOK266d-dlgAUlaHZ_9I98LILuFftBO-oeP6seDTA5gPp-1BmkD_VK5rturqFr_OyfnkhxwdcyO_bIazKgU/s200/TV+news.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4jKmJrokSep7iAJd7eL9936XZ0iL07tzcnJhM5FuMo7sW9qZgeyI8deHESR6_LKPnlpXMALkS7puY5jPREPJnZvPvv3fnNZOVdautrIxge929O9DpyotV8eLiIriQgvqFOf0FkxGxL-Y/s1600-h/Internet+Nes.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5192495935536012642" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4jKmJrokSep7iAJd7eL9936XZ0iL07tzcnJhM5FuMo7sW9qZgeyI8deHESR6_LKPnlpXMALkS7puY5jPREPJnZvPvv3fnNZOVdautrIxge929O9DpyotV8eLiIriQgvqFOf0FkxGxL-Y/s200/Internet+Nes.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC01uJTkgaAAFPDp2JtQRVj79N96Xf6N9IVb_o1r1SDn8Z1tYDfdDfxKj_1IuMNRTu0ba6_TrRy4KEEHRvrEXWd-7pBFs2S0na6QfvMCJhZoUYP1Egyk9f4g2kwpWeC009-3Nm8hOaICQ/s1600-h/radio+news.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5192496128809540978" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC01uJTkgaAAFPDp2JtQRVj79N96Xf6N9IVb_o1r1SDn8Z1tYDfdDfxKj_1IuMNRTu0ba6_TrRy4KEEHRvrEXWd-7pBFs2S0na6QfvMCJhZoUYP1Egyk9f4g2kwpWeC009-3Nm8hOaICQ/s200/radio+news.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><strong>Let's brainstorm the pros and cons of the different sources!<br /></strong><br /><strong><em>Need some help to get started?</em></strong> <a href="http://www.elllo.org/english/Mixer/41-NewsSource.html"><strong>Listen to six people</strong> </a>from different countries talk about where they get their news from.<br /><br /><strong>Remember we are going to use your contributions to start working on the essay next week! </strong>Carla Raguseohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07607688161575099317noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769888974085495996.post-25617409539736074752008-03-17T18:16:00.006-03:002008-03-18T17:18:14.765-03:00A New TOEFL Year<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ2jdBVXOoWjloizvVESI7k6MpzMLQqVmTumCivmG716mf9lFLShnf-GS8IMiksY8OHHg2hgmRIUHE2yAiV2JfbPlV-naKbg1BEzdXadR21o1mZkx7i7X4s-7uH-Y4zlyfjKrTu-q8YCE/s1600-h/TOEFLiBT.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5178834510654006882" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ2jdBVXOoWjloizvVESI7k6MpzMLQqVmTumCivmG716mf9lFLShnf-GS8IMiksY8OHHg2hgmRIUHE2yAiV2JfbPlV-naKbg1BEzdXadR21o1mZkx7i7X4s-7uH-Y4zlyfjKrTu-q8YCE/s320/TOEFLiBT.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div>Welcome to TOEFL iBT Prep! </div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjUZipXTT3dpJVn4wcZAv8zJ7jggFwPm9I6jzr8vBxfmkG2RQGAi5etU0kb-wuTxmTFFJMSCCt8mKygcEnP0-fIdakglW4YPRM9Mrefc2itsZJcX68FyiqHDzaZqDV4uw2YDUzSdioqpo/s1600-h/TOEFLiBT.jpg"></a>It’s a pleasure for me to meet a new group of TOEFLers ready to experience and go beyond the possibilities of the English language in an academic context. Each of you is an essential part of the learning puzzle we are going to build together throughout the year.<br /><br />To learn more about the new TOEFL format, <a href="http://www.ets.org/portal/site/ets/menuitem.1488512ecfd5b8849a77b13bc3921509/?vgnextoid=f348af5e44df4010VgnVCM10000022f95190RCRD&vgnextchannel=b5f5197a484f4010VgnVCM10000022f95190RCRD"><strong><span style="color:#cc33cc;">let’s take the TOEFL iBT Tour</span></strong></a>.<br /><br />In order to know each other better, it would be nice if you could write a brief personal introduction as well as the goals you wish to achieve by taking this course or the reason why you want to take the TOEFL. Setting clear goals always helps us focus and reflect on our work and keep track of our progress.<br /><br />I look forward to sharing this experience with all of you.</div><div></div><div><a href="http://carlaraguseo.edublogs.org/">Carla</a></div>Carla Raguseohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07607688161575099317noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769888974085495996.post-1121486124227076212007-12-23T11:29:00.000-03:002007-12-23T15:39:06.331-03:00Season's Greetings<div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#cc0000;">Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!</span><br /></span></strong><br /></div><blockquote><p align="center"><span style="color:#666666;"><span style="color:#333333;">For last year's words belong to last year's language<br />And next year's words await another voice.<br />And to make an end is to make a beginning.<br /></span>~<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T._S._Eliot">T.S. Eliot</a></span><span style="color:#333333;">, </span><span style="color:#333333;">"Little Gidding"</span></p></blockquote><br /><span style="color:#ffffcc;">.......</span><object id="InsertWidget_6cce1b31-c72f-47b4-9837-1708d7054c3d" codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="218" width="360" align="middle" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000"><param name="_cx" value="9525"><param name="_cy" value="5768"><param name="FlashVars" value=""><param name="Movie" value="http://widgetserver.com/syndication/flash/wrapper/InsertWidget24.swf?appId=6cce1b31-c72f-47b4-9837-1708d7054c3d"><param name="Src" value="http://widgetserver.com/syndication/flash/wrapper/InsertWidget24.swf?appId=6cce1b31-c72f-47b4-9837-1708d7054c3d"><param name="WMode" value="Transparent"><param name="Play" value="0"><param name="Loop" value="-1"><param name="Quality" value="High"><param name="SAlign" value="LT"><param name="Menu" value="0"><param name="Base" value=""><param name="AllowScriptAccess" value="sameDomain"><param name="Scale" value="NoScale"><param name="DeviceFont" value="0"><param name="EmbedMovie" value="0"><param name="BGColor" value=""><param name="SWRemote" value=""><param name="MovieData" value=""><param name="SeamlessTabbing" value="1"><param name="Profile" value="0"><param name="ProfileAddress" value=""><param name="ProfilePort" value="0"><param name="AllowNetworking" value="all"><param name="AllowFullScreen" value="false"><br /><br /><br /> <embed src="http://widgetserver.com/syndication/flash/wrapper/InsertWidget24.swf?appId=6cce1b31-c72f-47b4-9837-1708d7054c3d" name="InsertWidget_6cce1b31-c72f-47b4-9837-1708d7054c3d" width="360px" height="218px" quality="high" menu="false" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" align="middle" allowscriptaccess="sameDomain"></embed></object><br /><img style="VISIBILITY: hidden; WIDTH: 0px; HEIGHT: 0px" height="0" src="http://runtime.widgetbox.com/syndication/track/6cce1b31-c72f-47b4-9837-1708d7054c3d.gif" width="0" border="0" /><br />Best wishes to all of you...Carla Raguseohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07607688161575099317noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769888974085495996.post-50935945772451979362007-12-02T13:06:00.000-03:002008-01-15T02:42:10.472-02:00Time for reflection<span style="DISPLAY: block; WIDTH: 280px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><embed pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" align="middle" src="http://www.bubbleshare.com/swfs/album_mini_bouncy.swf?4215" width="280" height="215" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" flashvars="rss_feed=http://www.bubbleshare.com/rss/273920.f76f3b5587f/feed.xml" allowscriptaccess="sameDomain" bgcolor="#ffffff" quality="high"></embed><span style="DISPLAY: block;font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:9;" ><span style="font-size:78%;">BubbleShare: </span><a style="FONT-SIZE: 100%" href="http://www.bubbleshare.com/"><span style="font-size:78%;">Share photos</span></a><span style="font-size:78%;"> - Delicious </span><a href="http://recipes.kaboose.com/holidays/christmas-recipes/christmas-recipes.html"><span style="font-size:78%;">Christmas Recipes</span></a><span style="font-size:78%;">.<br /></span></span></span><br />We've come a long way dear TOEFLers! It's been an amazing year with lots of excitement, new experiences, some disappointments, puzzling situations, great ideas, ... learning, learning, learning 24/7!<br /><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">I strongly believe the new TOEFL is a breakthrough in EFL/ESL assessment since it really focuses on the development of integrated communication skills and critical thinking, resembling real life academic situations. Therefore, a TOEFL prep course should foster authentic interaction, knowledge sharing and collaborative learning.<br /><br /></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><div align="left">I've tried to find some images to help us reflect on our learning process. How would you describe the TOEFl iBT Prep courses (regular and blended)? As a puzzle, a building process, a bridge, a race against time? </div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><br /><div align="left">What do you think? Can you find your own metaphors for the TOEFL iBT?</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div>Carla Raguseohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07607688161575099317noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769888974085495996.post-34533206301876338982007-11-13T01:47:00.000-03:002008-01-15T03:40:40.150-02:00A Vision of Students Today<object width="400" height="330"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/dGCJ46vyR9o&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/dGCJ46vyR9o&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="400" height="330"></embed></object><br /><br />It seems I'm still under the effects of <a href="http://www.rosarioblogday.com.ar/">Rosario BlogDay</a>. Clicking my way through Rosario's blogosphere, I came across some unique spots like <a href="http://potlatch.wordpress.com/">Potlatch</a> or <a href="http://blog.aikawa.com.ar/">BlogPuntoAikawa</a>. Now I've found this compelling video by <a href="http://www.ksu.edu/sasw/anthro/wesch.htm">Mike Wesch</a>, the author of the masterpiece <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLlGopyXT_g&feature=related">The Machine is Us/ing Us</a>. It relates to some of the topics we discuss in class such as the educational system, overcrowded classes at University, the relevance of the content we teach and learn, etc.<br /><br />The opening quote reminded of the thesis statement of <a href="http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf">Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants</a>. Doubtful about my status of digital citizenship, I decided to share this video with you. It was created with the collaboration of 200 students at Kansas State University. Maybe we have something to add to the discussion...<br /><br />For further information you can visit: <a href="http://mediatedcultures.net/ksudigg/?p=119">http://mediatedcultures.net/ksudigg/?p=119</a>Carla Raguseohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07607688161575099317noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769888974085495996.post-88300904501805996252007-10-17T02:24:00.000-03:002008-01-15T02:42:43.810-02:00Meet the Blended TOEFL iBT classDear all,<br /><br />I’d like to introduce you to the Blended TOEFL iBT Course students.<br /><br />Since August, we’ve been sharing a new, innovative experience called Blended Learning, a combination of face-to-face and online learning. We meet at ARICANA every Saturday morning and work throughout the week on a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) called Moodle. They also have lab sessions and have done some of the same assignments you’ve worked on, but, most importantly, they share many of your goals, fears and dreams.<br /><br />Together, we’ve faced the challenge of teaching and learning online, of becoming a community, of learning through the language and beyond it.<br /><br />I’m sure you’ll have a lot to discuss and learn from each other.<br /><br /><span style="DISPLAY: block; WIDTH: 380px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><embed pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" align="middle" src="http://www.bubbleshare.com/swfs/slider.swf?4158" width="380" height="189" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" flashvars="rss_feed=http://www.bubbleshare.com/rss/259776/feed.xml" allowscriptaccess="sameDomain" bgcolor="#ffffff" quality="high"></embed><span style="DISPLAY: block;font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:9;" >BubbleShare: <a style="FONT-SIZE: 100%" href="http://www.bubbleshare.com/album/259776">Share photos</a> - <span style="font-size:100%;">Here comes <a href="http://holidays.kaboose.com/halloween/index.html">Halloween</a>!</span><br /></span></span>Carla Raguseohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07607688161575099317noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769888974085495996.post-32891057060154817442007-09-29T16:30:00.000-03:002008-01-15T02:43:54.407-02:00Early Spring Musings<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUL-cMzCsI1f7IATrSe7379kErRnBV9tcZjyT14fFK63iyboxvEZ30pzq2LvTESIvg_mtIIvA6z_TVsGoy9KkEwAsV4PCg507YBNkqv7xTjZbQTONMNM2NbggBHZ-NAReRit2gGwBaO0M/s1600-h/spring.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5115711179084983666" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUL-cMzCsI1f7IATrSe7379kErRnBV9tcZjyT14fFK63iyboxvEZ30pzq2LvTESIvg_mtIIvA6z_TVsGoy9KkEwAsV4PCg507YBNkqv7xTjZbQTONMNM2NbggBHZ-NAReRit2gGwBaO0M/s200/spring.jpg" border="0" /></a>Is it all coming to an end? I wonder…<br />An amazing bunch, the TOEFL group fills up my life with challenging questions, compelling discussions and endless correction hours. As the end of the year approaches, some of you have to leave early to meet required deadlines and achieve your most cherished goals.<br />The TOEFL test is definitely not an end in itself, but a point of departure. Just like a crowded platform before a journey, filled with promises, hurried good-byes, a bit of anxiety and anticipation, it is a path to new beginnings.<br />After <a href="http://worldlywisdom.wordpress.com/2007/09/28/bye-dear-toeflers/">Vani’s farewell party </a>, I have to confess I felt a bit sad, but before I could get too gloomy, it dawned on me that this space is a treasure box where some of those unique moments we spent together will be kept. And then I thought we can keep it rolling for new groups, new stories…<br />Why let this channel of communication dwindle when it can thrive and bloom with new voices?<br />What do you think? How do you feel about sharing this blog with another TOEFL group?Carla Raguseohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07607688161575099317noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769888974085495996.post-20857680315852210222007-09-29T16:14:00.000-03:002008-01-15T02:44:31.617-02:00Mrs. Dalloway<em>"Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself."<br /></em><br />If you want to find out more about Vanina's book, you can check out the following links:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiihZa8p7KBnvsiOHlcBWSnYjcYdhnBeXG5U09sCgqYzTPvWYaXzeQt1pEDzfkMZOvCZIqYmjf4ShMqQ_djKj5x_4jeT2qPw-akNOgknbAu877ozbe5lAmcIMCJMsNuDvIvsP9MKfgbf0s/s1600-h/flowers2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5115708000809184610" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiihZa8p7KBnvsiOHlcBWSnYjcYdhnBeXG5U09sCgqYzTPvWYaXzeQt1pEDzfkMZOvCZIqYmjf4ShMqQ_djKj5x_4jeT2qPw-akNOgknbAu877ozbe5lAmcIMCJMsNuDvIvsP9MKfgbf0s/s200/flowers2.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5HZG3CGRkQPIxyBHyYhHTwXwDi16__W_DVyyMtLaKerRo5Nk4yy1lMSrc1iNE-qnHdEsIE117l1vD4gNwbPhx0Jpa07WH9IsvaMi_kFg-VhqgpCP9cSHPW7YWYLwKQJXf7DKaGKM0F0A/s1600-h/Woolf.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5115707816125590866" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5HZG3CGRkQPIxyBHyYhHTwXwDi16__W_DVyyMtLaKerRo5Nk4yy1lMSrc1iNE-qnHdEsIE117l1vD4gNwbPhx0Jpa07WH9IsvaMi_kFg-VhqgpCP9cSHPW7YWYLwKQJXf7DKaGKM0F0A/s200/Woolf.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><p></p><br /><br /><p></p><br /><br /><div align="left">. . <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mrs._Dalloway">Mrs._Dalloway</a> . . . . . <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Woolf">Virginia_Woolf</a> . .</div>Carla Raguseohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07607688161575099317noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769888974085495996.post-28307206153059902162007-08-17T01:01:00.001-03:002008-06-25T01:37:52.731-03:00Class Project<strong>What is the difference between a group of students and a community of learners? </strong><br /><strong><br /></strong><em><span style="color:#333399;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnh8H3jA8Oej4ZNFNi4NNMF5Cw4v5nsV5fr2T-zbjdhhML0Pt3cjdPDyi5Z6g7RUuijMXdt7f1oYhOtUfFJAt7S3pP1d7YaAaLSYlFYKRfMw3nhD6_5tL-nJ4P9R3lL6kLKuma7d0655c/s1600-h/puzzle2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5099541319706759954" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnh8H3jA8Oej4ZNFNi4NNMF5Cw4v5nsV5fr2T-zbjdhhML0Pt3cjdPDyi5Z6g7RUuijMXdt7f1oYhOtUfFJAt7S3pP1d7YaAaLSYlFYKRfMw3nhD6_5tL-nJ4P9R3lL6kLKuma7d0655c/s200/puzzle2.jpg" border="0" /></a></span></em><em><span style="color:#333399;">"In a community of learners, teachers and students together construct a culture that values the strengths of all participants and respects their interests, abilities, languages, and dialects. Students and teachers shift among the roles of expert, researcher, learner, and teacher, supporting themselves and each other."</span></em> <span style="font-size:78%;">Aída Walqui, West Ed, San Francisco, California</span><br /><br />I think one of the strengths of our class is the possibility of learning form each other's knowledge and experience. Although this is exactly what we've been doing since the very first day, the aim of the present <a href="http://toeflibtprep.pbwiki.com/Class+Project"><span style="color:#333399;">project</span></a> is to create a collection of mini-lectures on specific academic topics related to your fields of study and close to your hearts. Topics that matter.<br /><br />The start couldn't have been more powerful. Delivered with great clarity, passion and commitment, Maxi's presentation aroused great interest on a topic that is both too important and too painful to be forgotten.<br /><br />Remember you can read a summary of his presentation on the wiki and you can also give your feedback or ask more questions there. Each presentation will then contribute to a kind of <strong><span style="color:#333399;">TOEFL iBT wikipedia</span> </strong>we are building together.<br /><br />I look forward to the rest of the presentations!Carla Raguseohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07607688161575099317noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769888974085495996.post-78841649546585172342007-07-13T02:34:00.000-03:002008-01-17T15:46:55.111-02:00Learning through GamesIt all happened here, on this virtual spot. An image, a word, a comment sparked the initiative.<br /><br />Last Thursday a failed meeting ended up in a gaming session. Childhood memories, an old Monopoly game from NYC, a common interest, a shared language, similar goals?<br />A new plan:<br /><a href="http://roadtohappiness.wordpress.com/2007/07/11/toefl-ibt-prep-class-game-night-monopoly-nyc-edition/"><span style="color:#3333ff;"><strong>TOEFL iBT Prep Class Game Night Monopoly NYC Edition</strong></span></a><strong><br /></strong>And some basic rules you worked out :<br />- Always speak English<br />- Have fun, it's just a game<br /><br />Here's what <a href="http://edweb.sdsu.edu/people/bdodge/bdodge.html"><span style="color:#330099;"><strong>Bernie Dodge</strong></span></a>, the creator of <a href="http://webquest.sdsu.edu/"><span style="color:#330099;"><strong>WebQuests</strong></span></a>, thinks about the power of games in education:<br /><span style="color:#cc0000;"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Power = Attention x Depth x Efficiency</span><br /><br /><embed style="width:300px; height:226px;" id="VideoPlayback" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docId=4573666403024789579&hl=en" flashvars=""> </embed><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;"><a href="http://www.infinitethinking.org/2007/03/itm-extra-p-x-d-x-e.html"><span style="font-size:78%;color:#6600cc;">http://www.infinitethinking.org/2007/03/itm-extra-p-x-d-x-e.html</span></a><span style="color:#6600cc;"><br /></span><br /><span style="color:#000000;">And you thought you were just playing a game!?</span><br /><br /><span style="color:#000000;">Just as I told Vani in a recent e-mail:</span><br /><span style="color:#000000;">Remember when we talked about experiencing the language at the beginning of the year? This is exactly what you are doing. I knew an exam prep course could be more than just grammar and drilling. It's about people and connections. You've proven me right!</span><br /></span></span><span style="color:#3333ff;">Have fun tonight!<br /></span><span style="color:#cc0000;"></span><br />Update: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmiYppuLJP4"><span style="color:#3333ff;">TOEFL iBT Monopoly Game Night Video</span></a>Carla Raguseohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07607688161575099317noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769888974085495996.post-48562700730910515592007-07-07T22:21:00.000-03:002007-07-13T03:32:00.398-03:00Have a nice winter break!<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;color:#000000;">D</span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="color:#000000;">ear TOEFLers,</span> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvkzI9by8008SkYAqjMk3VEQ7nMWnLqTVDHkBXGNfv8oSRBGto6mA6tEHge88NPNfLndn_0O6vZvqZ2WABQIQqYXtHb39mRUYyVJvjT_2bzauvuVHE7JlZdh_6gKfRAtOL_lozZwk566o/s1600-h/winter-kids-boys-childern1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5084634701363654978" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvkzI9by8008SkYAqjMk3VEQ7nMWnLqTVDHkBXGNfv8oSRBGto6mA6tEHge88NPNfLndn_0O6vZvqZ2WABQIQqYXtHb39mRUYyVJvjT_2bzauvuVHE7JlZdh_6gKfRAtOL_lozZwk566o/s200/winter-kids-boys-childern1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color:#000000;">I’m glad you could all get together to celebrate the end of the first term and your first complete practice test. I’m really sorry I missed it! : (</span></span><span style="color:#000000;"><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I’ve added a couple of videos to the wiki in case you have time and want to enjoy some top notch resources while honing your listening skills. The picks include: </span><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><span style="color:#6600cc;">Steve Jobs’ Commencement Speech at Stanford University<br />Google Tech Talk by Kevin Kelly “The Next 50 Years of Science” </span><br /><span style="color:#6600cc;"><br /></span><span style="color:#000000;">See you all on July 23rd.<br />Hugs, Carla<br /></span><br /></span>Carla Raguseohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07607688161575099317noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769888974085495996.post-43148219838956013312007-07-05T16:16:00.000-03:002007-07-13T03:32:40.080-03:00Meeting post Mid Term<span style="color:#000000;">Hi everyone! We'll meet at OConnel's at 9 pm tonight.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769888974085495996.post-6421502003367655692007-06-26T00:41:00.000-03:002007-07-15T01:28:10.469-03:00TOEFL iBT Photo Album<span style="DISPLAY: block; WIDTH: 372px; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><embed pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" align="middle" src="http://www.bubbleshare.com/swfs/player.swf?3826" width="372" height="307" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" flashvars="rss_feed=http://www.bubbleshare.com/rss/188853/feed.xml&size=360x270" allowscriptaccess="sameDomain" bgcolor="#ffffff" quality="high"></embed><span style="DISPLAY: block;font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:9;" ><a style="FONT-SIZE: 100%" href="http://www.bubbleshare.com/album/188853/overview"><span style="font-size:85%;">This album</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;"> <span style="color:#000000;">is</span> <span style="color:#000000;">powered by</span> </span><a style="FONT-SIZE: 100%" href="http://www.bubbleshare.com/"><span style="font-size:85%;">BubbleShare</span></a> <a style="FONT-SIZE: 100%" href="http://www.bubbleshare.com/album/188853/share#add_to_blog"></a></span></span><br /><span style="color:#000000;">I've uploaded the first group photo to an album. If you bring your cameras next class, we can add the rest of the photos here.<br /><br />I just want to wish Pablo the best of luck in his new life in Spain. We are going to miss his him a lot!<br /><br />And remember to get ready for the mid-term next week!<br />Complete test coming soon...</span>Carla Raguseohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07607688161575099317noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769888974085495996.post-66777646164772626342007-06-19T14:21:00.000-03:002007-07-13T03:35:22.543-03:00Welcome to Cyber TOEFL Prep<span style="color:#000000;">Nowadays, with such a wide array of online communication and collaboration tools available, there’s no excuse to stop learning, working and sharing during a long holiday week, right? So, here I am, ready to go beyond the walls of the classroom with you once again.<br /><br />First, there’s a site called </span><a href="http://www.examenglish.com/">Exam English</a> <span style="color:#000000;">which has free online exercises for the most important ESL/EFL exams.</span> <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/13397596906147004693">Nik Peachey </a><span style="color:#000000;">,</span><span style="color:#000000;"> a British learning technology consultant I met in Córdoba, has prepared a reading passage for the TOEFL iBT .<br />You can try it out</span> <a href="http://www.examenglish.com/TOEFL/toefl_reading.htm">here</a>.<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#3333ff;">Wiki News</span></strong><br /><span style="color:#000000;">Vanina has sent us a link to a funny video, so I’ve added</span> <a href="http://toeflibtprep.pbwiki.com/Videos"><span style="color:#3333ff;">a new wiki page to share videos</span></a> <span style="color:#000000;">related to language learning or any other relevant topics. I’ve also made some changes in the </span><a href="http://toeflibtprep.pbwiki.com/Vocabulary"><span style="color:#3333ff;">Vocabulary Page</span></a><span style="color:#000000;">. </span><span style="color:#000000;">Each vocabulary item is a link to a new page, so in order to read the definitions you have to click on each word. In this way the vocabulary “home” page will feature a glossary of the available words and other relevant vocabulary resources such as concordancers and exercises.<br /></span><br /><span style="color:#000000;">As you can see, you have plenty of possibilties to work throughout the week. Choose your own TOEFL iBT adventure!</span>Carla Raguseohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07607688161575099317noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769888974085495996.post-79996919298591739262007-05-21T23:05:00.000-03:002007-07-13T03:37:27.854-03:00<span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Mini Test</span><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8DujUSEAgrwxhOUuWC-Aj5lSrF5psYvs-xNpuytpz4-4NgxB0PWnhPJR3s9Utk_rDJQgxKUCu3A1vMf-ksO3CA-Z9VEoUSbM1oENg-Al8A3np3pc3yGfn1r5r8XnDXKUCRpEdrOw0G9xl/s1600-h/IMG_2333.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5067201837726308802" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8DujUSEAgrwxhOUuWC-Aj5lSrF5psYvs-xNpuytpz4-4NgxB0PWnhPJR3s9Utk_rDJQgxKUCu3A1vMf-ksO3CA-Z9VEoUSbM1oENg-Al8A3np3pc3yGfn1r5r8XnDXKUCRpEdrOw0G9xl/s400/IMG_2333.jpg" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769888974085495996.post-55879534140600785532007-05-19T13:02:00.000-03:002007-07-13T03:47:36.808-03:00Next Week<div align="justify"><span style="color:#000000;">Dear all,<br /><br />As you already know, I'm traveling to Córdoba this Monday to attend the first</span> <a href="http://esl.unc.edu.ar/jornadaseducacion.html"><span style="color:#009900;"><strong>Congress on Applied Technology in Language Teaching</strong></span></a><span style="color:#009900;"><strong> </strong></span><span style="color:#000000;">that is held in Argentina. I really hate to leave you, but I think it is essential for us teachers to keep abreast of the latest developments in our field. I strongly believe the successful integration of electronic tools in language classes can enhance students' performance by fostering authentic communication and providing access to a wide array of multimedia material.<br /><br />Anyway, everything is set for you to go on working, so here's the plan for the week:<br /><br /></span><span style="color:#000000;"><strong>Monday </strong>(20.30-22.00)<br />You'll take your first</span> <span style="color:#993399;"><strong>mini-test</strong></span> <span style="color:#000000;">at the computer lab.</span><br /><span style="color:#000000;">The</span> <span style="color:#993399;"><strong>mini-test</strong></span> <span style="color:#000000;">will feature the following tasks:<br /></span><br /><br /><table style="border-collapse:collapse;"><tr><td colspan="2"><embed src="http://apps.rockyou.com/rockyou.swf?instanceid=69467474&ver=102906" quality="high" salign="lt" width="256" height="192" wmode="transparent" name="rockyou" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" ver="102906" quality="high" salign="lt" wmode="transparent"></embed></td></tr><tr></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#000000;"><strong>Reading:</strong> 1 reading passage (20 min.)<br /><br /><strong>Listening:</strong> 1 conversation<br />1 lecture (15 min. approx.)<br /><br /><strong>Speaking:</strong> 1 Independent Task<br />2 Integrated Tasks (15 min. approx.)<br /><br /><strong>Writing:</strong> 1 Independent Writing (30 min.)</span></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"><span style="color:#000000;">At the end of the test you'll check your scores on the reading and listening tasks. Please, write them down since Leda is going to keep a record of your scores. As regards the speaking and listening tasks, you'll record your responses and print your essays so that I can correct them the following week.</span></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"><span style="color:#663366;"><strong>Important:</strong></span> <span style="color:#000000;">Please, <strong>be punctual</strong> so that you can do the whole test within the time allotted.</span></div><div align="justify"><strong><span style="color:#993399;">Try to do your best and enjoy the experience!</span></strong></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"><strong></strong></div><div align="justify"><strong><span style="color:#000000;">Wednesday</span></strong></div><div align="justify"><span style="color:#000000;">Beatriz will meet you in room E2 at the usual time. Please, bring your book and booklet and remember to do Vocabulary Ex. 8.</span></div><div align="justify"><span style="color:#000000;"></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="color:#000000;"></span></div><div align="justify"><span style="color:#000000;">Do not hesitate to leave your comments or questions here. I'll keep in touch throughout the week. I'm really going to miss you a lot. (I mean it!)</span></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#33cc00;"><strong>Good luck!!</strong></span></div>Carla Raguseohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07607688161575099317noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769888974085495996.post-17397796094931764112007-05-02T23:42:00.000-03:002007-07-13T03:41:37.983-03:00How do you feel about having a class wiki?<p><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ZmByB0sIPog" width="425" height="350" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent"></embed><br /><br /><span style="color:#000000;">I'm sure all of you have heard about</span> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page"><strong>Wikipedia</strong></a><span style="color:#000000;">, the free encyclopedia anybody can edit.</span></p><p><span style="color:#000000;">A wiki is then a fully-editable user-generated website that allows a group of people to share and build knowledge collaboratively. For example, I'm sure each of you keeps a record of new vocabulary. What would happen if every student added a word to a common vocabulary page on a daily basis? We would soon have a huge resource of relevant vocabulary. The same would happen with writing tasks and extra reading resources.</span></p><p><span style="color:#000000;">Anyway, this is just a suggestion. You can visit our baby wiki at </span><a href="http://www.toeflibtprep.pbwiki.com/"><strong><span style="color:#3333ff;">www.toeflibtprep.pbwiki.com</span></strong></a> <span style="color:#000000;">. I just started it today, so I could only add a couple of pages. Once in the wiki, click on the sidebar on the right to see the pages. Also, the default home page features two videos: one on how to edit a wiki and the other on the use of wikis in education. Have a look!</span></p><p><span style="color:#000000;">I'll send you the password by mail just in case you want to give it a try.</span></p>Carla Raguseohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07607688161575099317noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769888974085495996.post-68281342402081064702007-04-29T17:19:00.000-03:002007-10-02T13:22:07.053-03:00Class UpdateLast class we started dealing with Lesson 1 (Factual and Negative Factual Questions) in the Guide to Reading section. This lesson features three short articles you have to scan in order to find specific information. We worked on the first passage (on Dentistry) in class and the other two were assigned as homework for Wednesday.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHDl7JcVkfIwyYdENM6l9z4pG6do03IBw8lwisvDdKvcvP9se3r51Fw2O94-057YZQd_KoY1WJ7hUa0t6qKkpqF-zy86FvGRkgCA1vREqY8k7JAnDdrF1Juqzz53P0aVB-_7vv_Laom3I/s1600-h/Dentist-Fields.jpg"></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8dXGbl5wTchl-hYroKbydlzgFF2NtnOZ2zAupwvHid3uHE8vgioKWFgEZR-2TEoZzOc2VbOyL00rdH6glMxoX647jhnYx4UGuj5-ah-cIiHlR1ZhKEPcD6uYAVcZIBAt7RT4Yg5R1kjw/s1600-h/Dentist-Fields.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5058950401925541170" style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8dXGbl5wTchl-hYroKbydlzgFF2NtnOZ2zAupwvHid3uHE8vgioKWFgEZR-2TEoZzOc2VbOyL00rdH6glMxoX647jhnYx4UGuj5-ah-cIiHlR1ZhKEPcD6uYAVcZIBAt7RT4Yg5R1kjw/s320/Dentist-Fields.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Apart from learning about the unusual origins of dentistry and its early fearsome methods, we had a look at some modern<strong><span style="color:#cc33cc;"> </span></strong><a href="http://healthresources.caremark.com/topic/dentalprocedures"><strong><span style="color:#cc33cc;">dental procedures</span></strong> </a>such as scaling and root canals. In addition, we read some <a href="http://dentalphobiastories.tripod.com/"><strong><span style="color:#cc33cc;">real stories</span></strong> </a>written by people suffering from <a href="http://www.dentalfearcentral.org/what_is_dental_phobia.html"><strong><span style="color:#cc33cc;">phobia of dentists or dental phobia</span></strong></a> and discussed its causes as well as some possible ways both dental professionals and patients can cope with this problem.<br /><br />By the way, I found this wacky website about <a href="http://www.unusualphobias.com/Phobias.html"><strong><span style="color:#663366;">Unusual Phobias</span></strong></a> and was surprised to see the weird (completely illogical) phobia I suffer from is actually one of the most popular ones. Can you guess which one it is? ;)<br /><br />Next Monday, we are going to start working on the <strong>Grammar Tutorial</strong> in your books. You are supposed to do the exercises on <strong>pages 706-708 for homework</strong>.<br /><br />See you in class!Carla Raguseohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07607688161575099317noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4769888974085495996.post-39707521036651449022007-04-29T16:22:00.000-03:002007-04-30T01:48:03.011-03:00An early bird...Mariano has sent me an e-mail to let me know he’s already signed up for the TOEFL. He’s also posted an entry on his blog: <a href="http://roadtohappiness.wordpress.com/2007/04/26/new-developments-on-the-road-to-happiness/"><strong><span style="color:#000099;">New development on the road to happiness</span></strong></a> where he wrote some nice words about our group and the time we spent together. He’s planning to drop by on Monday to tell us about it. I really hope we can keep in touch and share all the exciting experiences he’ll have along the road.<br />Thanks, Mariano, for your enthusiasm and contribution to our class.<br />Best wishes,<br />CarlaCarla Raguseohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07607688161575099317noreply@blogger.com0