Post 9 Free Themed Post

Dear Students, this is our last Post in the lab, I hope you all had a nice time working here.

For now, please think on a Topic you would like to be your final written exercise.

Don't forget to the following expressions.

(Choose one per category)

Giving your opinion

"In my opinion…."

"As far as I'm concerned…."

"As I see it…."

Giving a strong opinion

"I'm absolutely convinced that…."

"I strongly believe that…."

"I have no doubt that…"

Agreeing 

"I think (that's) right."

"I agree with...."

Strong agreement

"I couldn't agree with (X) more."

"I agree entirely."

"I totally agree (with)."

Agreeing in part

"I agree with (this) up to a point, but..."

"That's quite true, but..."

"I agree with (X) in principle, but..."

Disagreeing

"I'm not sure I agree with (X)."

"(I'm afraid) I don't agree."

"(I'm afraid) I disagree."

"(I'm afraid) I can't agree with (that)."

"(I'm afraid) I don't share (that) opinion."

Good luck, and don't forget to comment on your classmates' posts.  You can agree or disagree with them!

Post 8, My Favourite Subject this term

Write about your favorite subject this term. Among others, include:

> Name
> Describe what you do in classes
> Mention the main contents you have seen
> Explain why you like the subject 

(You can compare among different subjects)> Word Count: 180
> Make comments on 3 of your patners' posts.

Post 6 Free Theme. Would you like to reach an old age?

Post 6. Talk about If you would like to reach an old age.
-Talk about the Pros and Cons of your Choice.
-Include 3 subordinate Conjunctions.

word count. 160 words.

In my opinion, reaching and old age in this country can be either a dream or a nightmare depending on your income.

   If you have the benefit of having a stable and profitable job, the retirement system lets you enjoy your old age relatively well. Of course, this can be just a delusion, since I haven’t met anyone who have benefited from our current system.

Nevertheless, retiring in Chile is a benefit for all of those who can afford it.

I haven’t thought about my case, but it is an obvious issue to us all, especially when you have to respond for your own savings.

On a different note, I don’t think that money is the only issue when thinking about old age. Obviously, it affects all your possibilities, but I think that no matter how much you prepare for your elder years, you have to mature in order to really enjoy the possibility of a long life.   We cannot just focus on youth, and youth only. Even though our culture is focused on the values of youthfulness, individuality and wealth, we can only truly enjoy life by letting go much of those goals. I think that if we live in a sensible way each stage of our lives, reaching and old age can become a gift and not a burden.

TO OLD AGE.

I SEE in you the estuary that enlarges and spreads
itself grandly as it pours in the great Sea.

                                                                           Walt Whitman.

Post 5, An important Photograph

Dear Students, today's topic is an important Photograph for you. You can choose a photo from your personal record, or from any other place. The important thing is that you can explain the story of that particular picture and why it is relevant for you.

In my case, I am going to present you a picture I had half-forgotten from my facebook photo folder.
In there, It appears Pedro Cid (R.I.P.) and myself, many years younger. The reason I wanted to talk about this picture is to pay homage to this young man, with whom I belonged to a short-lived band. I cannot say that I was close friends with Pedro, we just met during rehearsals and what not, but It is a strange bond the one that it is formed between band members. He was the DJ, and I played bass. Even though we came from different worlds and lifestyles, I can say for sure that we always enjoyed sharing our views on music and on life. He was a very serious and driven musician. During the rest of the time, he worked in odd jobs, and also in outdoor activities.
Well, regarding the picture, It was taken in Cine Arte Alameda, in Santiago, during the winter of 2009. I think It was the first time for us playing there. I was quite inexperienced and nervous, but I remember Pedro keeping its cool at all times, he was a very reassuring person, and you can tell that on how concentrated he is at that moment.
We played for a few years, and when the band disbanded, we lost contact. Some years ago, I received the news that he was gone, he had died in a very tragic event. So, getting together as a band again is impossible. Nevertheless, The music and the memories remain.


Ok, So, What about you? What picture does it talk to you?
Don't forget to comment below. Also, check and comment on your partner's posts (3 at least)

Before you start, please check out this page on Coordinating Conjunctions, this is one way of connecting sentences.

Coordinating Conjunctions

Start using them in your post ( At least 4 different examples)

Post 4 (Free Themed post) In the upcoming municipal elections, Will you vote?

Hey Guys, I was checking your posts, They were quite interesting and challenging, so I will also give my opinion on this subject.

I have to be completely honest with you, I wasn't thinking that much about next election, and even less about voting. As a matter of fact, I had voted before without giving it much of a thought. I remember that my first election was a great event for me. I went with my dad and we both agreed about the necessity of stating your opinion, even if it was a marginal one. We tried to make a ritual out of it for a few years, but eventually, we couldn't coordinate ourselves in order to vote together, so I couldn't go with him anymore. Well, that's another story, but my point is that If you don't nurture your civic culture, your opinions start to become shallower. When I was younger I used to share my political views a lot. I had friends that were interested in these topics, so a lot  of our time together was spent talking about daily issues, social processes, and the nature of power.
Now I still care, but I haven't found the place for discussing freely. I have tried sharing my political views inside University, but it can be quite intimidating sometimes.
This year, I think I will definitely vote, and try to get myself informed. I am quite aware that this is a flawed system, but just ignoring this fact will not make any difference.
As I read  from many of you, many people still cannot vote and are thus invisible for the reality of power. Just by thinking of this, Voting becomes not just an option but a human right that needs to be nurtured and defended.

Post 3. My favourite piece of technology

Hi guys, Today we will discuss on Technology, not in the big sense of the word, but on its low-scale, day-to-day use.

Please check out my Post to get an idea for the Topic:

 I used to think that I  didn't care about technology at all, but currently I consider it a very important topic.
On a personal level, I check my e-mails daily and carry my phone at every time. I think I have a healthy relation with the internet, but anyways, who  wants to admit to be hooked on something?
If I am completely honest, I have to say that I depend a lot on my personal computer, 
I use it to both work online and to learn a lot of stuff from it. 
It is my main source of information, gathered from news sites, articles at specific sites, and social feed. I also enjoy listening to podcasts, It is a great way to improve and update my english.
I believe that learning to create and program in a computer is a great way to achieve a deeper understanding of technology today and its possibilities.
Regarding my work, I have done some visual pieces, using programs such as Adobe Photoshop or Processing. Still, I am not saying that I am a tech geek; I can barely work on them at a user level. 
When I was very young, I actually had computing classes where teachers taught us a bit of programing. I don't know if kids today are aware of this.
To sum it up, My favourite piece of technology today is my personal laptop, I would be completely lost without it. It is my main source of information and communication. I prefer it over mobile phones due to its bigger processing power and its storage size.
Also, I can constantly update my English vocabulary and grammar.

Finally, I want to share a project I did when I was in a Media Workshop, back in 2015. It is made with a very simple programming tool, and it uses a web camera and a laptop.

So, What do you think of the use we make of technology? Please share your thoughts.

Write about your favourite piece of technology (it doesn't have to be very fancy, just keep it simple and honest) ;)

Say:

What it is.
When you got it.
How you use it.
How often you use it.
Why you like it.
What life would be like without it.




- 130 words minimum. (no less than this please)
- Include a picture. 
- Comment on your teacher's post and 3 of your classmates’ blogs.

Post 2 - Why did you choose this career/study programme?

Hey Guys, I hope you all had an excellent week!

 Today I'm going to ask you to talk about yourselves again, this time about your career choice. As we saw last week, we all had very special stories about how we got here the first time. Now I want you to provide more reasons and insight into your posts.

Why did you choose this career/study programme?

First, check out my post:

Well, this is an odd question, since you all know I'm finishing a second BA. So, I will try to concentrate on my first days at the English school in Filosofía y Humanidades faculty.

Since I was very little, I always had a fondness for learning. My favourite activities were reading books. My mother had a great children's library at her job(she worked in a nursery school). So my first memories are of reading Children's classics, such as 'Hansel and Gretel' or 'Goldilocks and the three bears'. I loved these stories, many of them included wonderful illustrations. I wondered how I could create images that could tell stories in a new way.  

Afterwards,  I became interested in real-world events, such as History, Politics and Philosophy (I'm such a Nerd). So, during my last high-school years I was a bit of a mess, thinking about my prospects.

What should I study? Should I follow my instincts? Or should I study something sensible (logical)?

Many people tried to give me advice, but I only found their own hopes and fears projected 

on me. In the end, I followed my gut and natural curiosity: I wanted to study something that could help me to continue my studies in the future. 

I decided to study English Literature ( I didn't know anything about Linguistics at that point), I wanted to read all the English classics in their original language. In the end, many things turned out to be different for the better.

I learned a lot about Linguistics, which is a unique Science that has influenced many areas of knowledge up to these days. For that same reason, I learned to study and write at an academic level, which is one of the best skills you can learn at University.

I wasn't thinking about earning a living by then. But things have gone pretty well for me. I have a teaching job, I can meet very interesting people (that means you!), and keep on learning.

Early inspiration.

You should read them some day soon!

What do you think of this? Don't forget to comment!

So, Now is your turn!

Write about:

- your dream jobs when you were a child

- other career options that you had at the moment of applying to university

- what made you decide in the end

- your experience at University until now

- the kind of job you would like to have

Remember

You should write at least 120 words. 

Don't use a translator, use an online dictionary  instead.  (www.wordreference.com)

Feeling a bit blocked? Relax, write first some key words, and then start writing. Follow each step above.

After you finish, go to three of your classmates' posts, and make some comments, this is the most important part. 

 Let's have some fun...