APEC week (7)

Welcome back!

Here is a view of the Sydney we want the rest of the world to see this week. It's going to be a bit hard to get close to it during the APEC week, so I thought you may like a reminder of the beauty of our city while you work away on your assignments.

I hope everyone is working on your webquest and final report. We will do more work on report writing in the afternoon, but keep checking the previous posts for ideas on structure and language.

Today I would like to work on our exchange with Liverpool. We will work on email writing and our wiki. Most of you should have received mail from one of the Liverpool students.

• Check your emails if we haven't done it yet and start preparing an answer. This is part of your unit of work Developing literacy using technology. Write a draft and feel free to ask me for help if you need it. When it's ready, send your reply.
  
• Some of the students from Liverpool have already written about the type of topics they would like to discuss in our forum. Go to ESOLforum and give us your ideas. Read everyone else's first and agree or disagree.
• Go to our Kogarah & Liverpool wiki. By now you know what a wiki is (basically a collaborative website). Today you are going to create your own page and write in it. There are two things I would like you to do:
• First go to the voicethread world map (it's in the page Kogarah Contributors in a link called Kogarah Students). You can listen to my recording as an example of what to do. To be able to write, you have to register with voicethread. Most of you have already done it. Type your name and where you come from. You can draw a circle or a cross to tell us where your hometown is. Tell us something interesting about your hometown. If we have time, we'll try to record again, although I haven't heard from our IT person who was working on it last week.
  
• Then ask me for the wiki password. You need it to be able to create a page and write on the wiki. First read the suggestions on what to write as an introduction. You will find them below the big picture of the Sydney Opera House. Click on the tab called New Page. Give it your name and link it to your name on the student list. Write an introduction about yourself. Add a couple of links to an interesting website about your country and hometown or anything that intersts you (hobbies, music, etc). At home you will be able to add a photo, etc. I'll be around to assist you if you need help, but you'll see how easy it is!
  

Bridges

Can you see the bridge climbers?


View from the bridge pylon

On Sunday 18th March is the 75th anniversary of the construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. There will be big celebrations in the city. Read about it here. If you want to walk across the bridge that day, you have to register here. For more information on the Bridge, you can check the Pylon Looklout website. We went on an excursion last year because my students were interested in the Sydney Harbour Bridge, but climbing it is so expensive! The Pylon Lookout is much cheaper than climbing the bridge. Can you find out how much is it? What's the difference in price?

1. A different type of bridge is the one we can build across the Tasman Sea. What is this? It's the body of water found between Australia and New Zealand. There are some ESL students in New Zealand that would love to hear from you. You can visit their class blog, William's Class Blog, read what they wrote about their first day in class and write to them by sending an email. You can also write to the whole class in their classblog comments. Tell them about yourselves, your life in Sydney, etc. and ask them to visit your blog. Soon we'll be recording a message for them.
2. Marion's class is going to participate in our forum. It will make it more interesting. This week they have already started a new discussion. It is a challenge. Go to the forum and answer the question. The challenge is that you are not allowed to repeat any of the other students answers! This means that you have to read what everybody else has said. So go there early...
3. Listen to Lisbeth's podcast. She is one of our teachers. I think you will enjoy listening to her conversation with myself and my 2006 students.

Well done to all of you, including Marion's students, who wrote the answers about the beach signs, your thoughts about the text on the Aussie Cozzie and the comparison between 2 pictures from the pictures of Aussie Cozzies in different years. Please read my comments and correct your language.

I've received some of your reports on your hometown. They are getting much better and as you can see, your language improves with each draft. Keep them coming!