Week 1 Reflection

     As I sit down and reflect about what I  have learned so far in this week, two words imediately come to mind : organization and clarity. It is just remarkable how well and clear the directions have to be for a class to work properly like ours is doing now. I'm not going to lie, it has been  a very challenging and tough week, but at the same time I have enjoyed every single moment of it.

     The different websites I have been using and practicing with have been crucial. In the past, I have used blogger with my students but until now I did not understand all of the features that are at my fingertips. For instance I didn´t know how to change the language of my blog. I also didn't know how to include a comment section allowing anyone to comment, not just the registered users but also people that have simply stumbled onto our blogs. To be perfectly clear, I want to express my joy for the newfound tools at my disposal in regards to blogger.

     Another cool website worth trying is www.nicenet.org. Here one can create group discussions about a given topic and students can reply to one another. While using nicenet I feel like I am talking to my colleagues face to face because of it being conducive to a much smoother conversation. The rapport is great. Likewise, Google maps are a must! I was reading the article ¨Using Google My Maps for Classroom Project¨  written by Robert K.Elliot, when a few lines stood out to me. He mentions, once ours students are familiar with google maps, that we can create activities like Talk about your Home. In this example, one goes to his/her  home town on google maps, he/she then clicks on the blue pin and adds a title (his/her name) and a brief description of what his/her city is famous for. I did that for my yellow team and for myself, and I felt very proud of Luque, my town and thought the exercise was worthwhile.

     It has been only the first week and I am learning quite a bit! I have so many things in my mind  that I would really like to apply in my teaching very soon. Needless to say,  the comments and support from colleagues and professors are just magnificent. Little by little, and step at a time I am learning and absorbing everything that is taught to me like I did as a college student 18 years ago. And I just love it!

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