|
ESL Forum:
Techniques and methods
in Language Teaching
Games, activities
and teaching ideas
Grammar and
Linguistics
Teaching material
Concerning
worksheets
Concerning
powerpoints
Concerning online
exercises
Make suggestions,
report errors
Ask for help
Message board
|
ESL forum >
Message board > A personal message or a message board on your birthday?
A personal message or a message board on your birthday?
|
|
**********
|
|
I suggest we focus on the subject, please.
When we are discussing a subject in a forum, it �s only natural, since it �s dialogical thinking,
we must and naturally refer to other members � arguments.
This is connecting and referring:
As X was saying...
We refer explicitly As X was saying...
We refer implicitly As said before...
What �s the difference here? The first approach is more communicative, more connective, the second approach sounds like someone more distant. I always encourage people to be more connective, because the discussion is closer to presence, where bodytalk conveys all kinds of additional cues to the relationship. To debate is to relate.
If we come to a forum and say don�t refer to me, this is not thinking critically.
It�s a nuisance to the dialogical process, which we can observe here, like people saying, before they get to the point
I don �t mean to hurt anybody�s feelings (usually does and everybody is aware)
I�m not pointing fingers at anyone here (usually is and everybody is aware)
please don �t misundertand me (the top defensive approach)
This is not communication, this is metacommunication
with crap like this, we bring noise to the communication.
So, please, let�s get to the point
Can I, please, draw your attention to my suggestions?
Can you refer, agree, disagree, use sound arguments, please?
I �ve been through this over and over: medical doctors, nurses, lawyers, economists discussing in forums. When it comes to teachers....
Guys, we CAN DO IT!
EVERYBODY!
WE CAN BE GOOD THINKERS!
WE CAN BUILD ON ONE ANOTHERS� ABILITIES AND KNOWLEDGE!
YES, WE CAN! |
15 Aug 2009
|
|
|
eng789
|
|
There are so many teachers on this site. Some may really need that 5 minutes of fame when people remember their birthday. I know it made me feel good to get birthday wishes.
I think if non-members see the birthday threads they will say - what a nice caring group. They not only share materials and help eachother, they are also like one big family.
Life is too short, and it definitely doesn �t look good for non-members to read all these negative posts. |
15 Aug 2009
|
|
|
**********
|
|
Quote:
doesn �t look good for non-members to read all these negative posts.
Eng do me some justice. Pick all my negative remarks and bring them here, if you can. Be fair. Fairness is an essencial dimension of critical thinking .
I also suggest.
1.Let �s try come up with an articulate suggestion, like the one I posted before.
2.Then we discuss the suggestions.
3.We build up on which one of us has proposed, and come up with a final draft.
Any comments on my suggestions? I �ve been waiting for some two hours after I posted my suggestions. |
16 Aug 2009
|
|
|
eng789
|
|
I didn �t see your post when I wrote mine. I was too busy trying to decide what to say. I was just giving my opinion - I wasn �t pointing a finger at anyone. |
16 Aug 2009
|
|
|
**********
|
|
I see. you found no negative marks in at least one of the contributors, and yet you generalized from we don�t know which. OK. Let �s proceed, then
I �ll copy paste my initial contribution and help you out on being busy.
How can you contribute?
This is my contribution on this issue:
Forum
- Forums are meant to discuss issues related to the goals of a community.
- This is a community of practice. What bonds us here? We all are ESL Teachers, so ESL teaching and teaching issues are the ones to be tackled in the forum, to sustain the community in its main goals. A forum is a place for professional reflection, then.
- This particular community of practice builds on sharing and there is professional aid to provide a help desk service. So, the forum can also provide specific help:
- Supporting newcomers
- Supporting members with professional-related needs that can be supported by other members.
How to organize this?
There can be several THREADS in a forum:
- 1) One thread to support newcomers.
- 2) A thread to support members who need professional-related help
- 3)Threads to discuss methodological/scientific issues, which are already defined, as much as I can observe.
- One step ahead: I can suggest two threads a week
- Another step ahead: There could be moderators for these forums, I suggest, assigned by Victor. In this kind of forums we have here, there is no need to solve problems, synthesize, draw conclusions. Members just explore a certain subject and build on it, I mean: think dialogically. If people are focused on a defined subject they are not so prone to end up in a taking-sides type of discussion which doesn�t improve professional reflection.
CAF�
Why did cafes appear in online communities and with what purposes?
Online relationships tend to me more impersonal than other kind of communities. There tends to be less sense of belonging and more isolation of the members.
How can caf�s help on this subject? They provide emotional support, sense of belonging, social presence, which is basically the awareness of being one among others
What do you do in cafes? Celebrate BIRTHDAYS!!!, LIFE, chit-chat, change pictures, change information on countries,
You know there is an awesome tapas caf�, in Barcelona, coming from Catalunya Plaza, two blocks ahead in Paseo de Gracia, on the right, very close to La Pedredra. Just DON�T MISS IT!
change recipes, boys talk about football and restaurants, mind your tongue and adrenaline! Girls, who are, much more assertive, as you can see for yourselves, talk about family and stuff (deliberate stereotype.) Celebrate birthdays and whatever comes to your mind, considering that this is still a community of practice, not the YOUTUBE FORUM, but all of us seem to understand the difference.
Whose is the final decision? Everybody!
VICTOR�S!!!
What do YOU think of THIS?
Can you build on what I propose here? Just as we (I guess) do in our schools. Someone comes up with an idea and we build on it? If we can�t do this, it means we are lacking some abilities here to behave like a community.
EDIT: I suggest everybody comes up with SOUND arguments
(Out to another thread. Coming back soon) |
16 Aug 2009
|
|
|
**********
|
|
So, I guess no one could or would come up with a suggestion.
I �m going to watch that river on the avatar and the lighthouses conversing.
Images can be posted in foruns. They convey information about the contributor, the things that are important in his life, they can be an element of self-disclosure, thus reducing transactional distance. The same problem of cognitive load, that we have discussed today. Can´t be too big. Exceptionally, I offer you this precious sight.
|
16 Aug 2009
|
|
|
Jayho
|
|
Hi everyone
And so the saga continues ...
I do believe that Victor has made a rule regarding this issue - It�s in his thread that he posted back in May.
Take a look at his thread and the number of members that applauded his decision. It had tremendous support.
Cheers
Jayho |
16 Aug 2009
|
|
|
tricia973
|
|
In that thread Victor suggests using the caf�... and many members supported him BUT I think now, we are facing a problem some members predicted in that same thread, you can check for yourself...
I personally do not use the caf� since many times I forget about it reading the forum threads or looking for recent contributions or replying to PMs or at the reported contributions section... HOWEVER, I found it very relaxing and a way of feeling closer to other members when I come across some threads which are NOT connected to just work! And birthdays wishes are among the best threads I �ve found so far... |
16 Aug 2009
|
|
|
goodnesses
|
Yes, Dear Tricia!
But, don �t you think it �s a bit amazing and curious that only 1 person was not completely satisfied of the idea. She wanted more than sharing birthdays greetings, funny pics and other amiabilities. She wanted a place where to play games. Yes, where to play games.
And that all the others, no exception, many of which seems to me a bit familiar on this thread right here, were all full of praise to Victor for his great, objective and professional idea.
I don �t say it was not legitimate, I just think that when some one grant you a favour it is not good to ask for more, especially when you know the favour he granted you was not an easy job.
This is my last post here and about this issue.
My last word is "let �s all have some respect for the guy who is spending so much efforts and precious time to keep this site alive."
Take care all.
|
16 Aug 2009
|
|
|
HARIM
|
|
I �m sorry if I couldn �t comment on time because I was very tired last night.I have two more questions to ask:
First, how would the forum look for 36 hours if ten people from different parts of the world have the same birth date? (take into consideration the time difference between countries)
Second,how would members feel if we post some teachin related issues in the cafe?
Anyway,after reading yesterday �s thread and today �s,we feel that the majority of teachers here appreciate and value Victor �s decision to design a place for socialising and leave this board for discussing serious teaching matters.What we need is just democracy and tolerence and a good manner to inform new members about the rules.Victor can �t do it himself each time he sees a birthday wish with a large picture filling the bord.
Cheers |
16 Aug 2009
|
|
< Previous
1
2
3
|
