Week 1: Introductions and creating an Academic Blog

Hello, everyone!

It has been a week of multiple learning experiences. I really thought that I knew about the interactive web. Now, I realize how valuable it is to be in this course.

Reflecting about my own learning experience has not been that easy! In fact, I have been thinking for about two days about how to start doing my blog and what to write on it for this first time. After analyzing some blog samples provided by our gentle instructor, Courtney, and seeing my classmates’ ones, I think that I got it!

Guys, this is not easy! Once, Prof. Deanna Hochstein told us during a Critical Thinking workshop in my country, Venezuela, that we are not used to thinking or reflecting about our own learning experiences and that it was something we do not teach to our students. Smart words, Prof. Hochstein! She was completely right!!! 

Now, that I have been pushed to thinking is that I realize how important it is to encourage our learners to think about their own thinking. I feel that after doing my own job on this, I have grasped the essence of what “reflective blogs” are and what their objective is.  Basically, this experience about reflective blogs helps us, students, to make us conscious on our own learning.

Reasoning through “reflective blogs” make us drain about our own positive and negative feelings about any learning issue. It makes us more humble in the sense that we can recognize our own weaknesses and strengths. It makes us understand how difficult it might be for others to learn something for the first time and to think about their own learning process. Sometimes, we as teachers do not pay attention to as how hard it is for our students to learn.

Sharing this reflection with others makes us grow since they may give us their feedback and we can also reflect on that. Giving this feedback is like putting on someone else’s shoes. You may know if they really fit on the owner or not. So, you can act in accordance with their thinking records. That is, we as teachers can help our students to overcome their learning experiences.

I am really enjoying this web skills course. I think that I can apply what I have been learning about “reflective blogs” in my English Phonetics and Phonology and Language Skills classes. Most of my students consider that they are difficult subjects. Now, I am more interested in knowing about my students’ thoughts. I really love teaching and I want to help them. Besides, this knowledge will make me more sensitive about my students’ feelings and needs. Therefore, I can improve my classes based on my students own reflections about their learning process.

Thank you! Thank you very much for teaching me how valuable it is to use “reflective blogs” in the language classroom! I really appreciate it!!!

Warm regards from Venezuela!