Hi guys,
yesterday during Sarah's lesson we spoke about the risks of using Internet.
I have never paid attention to this problem, even if some risks are clearly visible.
word in a For example, the risk of running into illegal and violent content: you just have to put the wrong word on a search engine and you access to a series of unwanted illegal sites.
Another risks could be the privacy violation. If anyone put my complete name in a search engine, they could see my exams at the university and even my marks.
In this case you can do nothing because you cannot stop doing exam just because you don't want your marks were visible to anyone.
In the case of other information that I put on the Net the solution is much simpler: I use a nickname instead of my complete name every time I wrote on the net (for example Cristina P in this blog...in other occasion I'm a bit more original :) )
This solution solves the problem of privacy violation but you can't use a nick name in every situation...so the problem is still there... :(
That's all for now!
See you next week
Bye Cristina P............ :)
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Google Docs....
Yesterday we started using a new tool called Google Docs, that could give us the opportunity of using online a program similar to "Microsoft Word".
I'll tell you the truth. I started using it from one of the first lesson of this second semester, when Sarah mentioned for the first time this useful tool. During Sarah's lessons, Google Docs was a very useful tool because permitted me to write a text and to save it online without using the USB-key or the email. So during Sarah's lesson I wrote all my notes in Google Docs and then at home I was able to print them. Thanks to Google Docs you can access to your paper from every computer online.
Yesterday Sarah showed us also that Google Docs could be very useful sharing tool because you can share your papers with other people, with whom you decided to share. However, yesterday this way of sharing was a bit complicated: there were too many people online.Google Docs was difficult to use because every 30 seconds the page went up and down , every time someone was saving the page.
A part from that, I think that it is a very useful tool but I prefer using it on my own :)
I'll tell you the truth. I started using it from one of the first lesson of this second semester, when Sarah mentioned for the first time this useful tool. During Sarah's lessons, Google Docs was a very useful tool because permitted me to write a text and to save it online without using the USB-key or the email. So during Sarah's lesson I wrote all my notes in Google Docs and then at home I was able to print them. Thanks to Google Docs you can access to your paper from every computer online.
Yesterday Sarah showed us also that Google Docs could be very useful sharing tool because you can share your papers with other people, with whom you decided to share. However, yesterday this way of sharing was a bit complicated: there were too many people online.Google Docs was difficult to use because every 30 seconds the page went up and down , every time someone was saving the page.
A part from that, I think that it is a very useful tool but I prefer using it on my own :)
Thursday, April 23, 2009
TASK 3 - MLA VS APA
As I wrote in task 1, citing sources is one of the easiest way to avoid plagiarism.
MLA (Modern Languages Association) and APA (American Psychological Association) are two styles you can use to cite a source.
The basic difference between the two styles is the field in which the citations are used. MLA is used to write a text within arts and humanities categories, while APA is used to cite sources within the science category.
When I started writing my BA thesis, my tutor showed me a site where MLA citations were explained. During the entire draft of the thesis, she was very strict in correcting the citations (even the commas and the spaces) and now I’m a bit obsessed with it.
MLA (Modern Languages Association) and APA (American Psychological Association) are two styles you can use to cite a source.
The basic difference between the two styles is the field in which the citations are used. MLA is used to write a text within arts and humanities categories, while APA is used to cite sources within the science category.
When I started writing my BA thesis, my tutor showed me a site where MLA citations were explained. During the entire draft of the thesis, she was very strict in correcting the citations (even the commas and the spaces) and now I’m a bit obsessed with it.
TASK 2 - READABLE WRITING
For task 2 I found out a site that could be useful for my thesis. The academic article I chose is concerning the benefits of Internet in the languages education.
The article, written by a professor of the University of Arizona, has an hourglass structure.
The text is divided into paragraph and each paragraph is organized in a logical manner with an introduction, a body and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a subheading that anticipated the content of the paragraph.
There is a logical flow of ideas that follows a chronological sequence. As a matter of fact, after the introductive paragraph, there is a paragraph concerning the application of technologies in language teaching during the 80ies and 90ies.
The following paragraphs , instead, are concerning the new technology (Internet) and its development as language teaching tool.
The text is very clear and concise, using simple language that anyone could understand.
The article, written by a professor of the University of Arizona, has an hourglass structure.
The text is divided into paragraph and each paragraph is organized in a logical manner with an introduction, a body and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a subheading that anticipated the content of the paragraph.
There is a logical flow of ideas that follows a chronological sequence. As a matter of fact, after the introductive paragraph, there is a paragraph concerning the application of technologies in language teaching during the 80ies and 90ies.
The following paragraphs , instead, are concerning the new technology (Internet) and its development as language teaching tool.
The text is very clear and concise, using simple language that anyone could understand.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
TASK 1 - HOW TO....AVOID PLAGIARISM
Let’s talk about plagiarism. After reading through some web sites, I realized that I knew almost nothing about plagiarism.
Two years ago, the tutor of my thesis was very clear about plagiarism and told me at the very beginning that if she ever found out that I passed someone else’s words as my own she would not let me graduate.
Unfortunately, plagiarism is a very widespread phenomenon because it is so easy to copy and paste a text and pass it as your own. In many countries plagiarism is considered as an act of fraud because you steal someone else’s work.
In my opinion, two of the most useful web sites about plagiarism are http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/589/01/ and http://www.plagiarism.org/ that provides an explanation of the issue of plagiarism and many solutions to avoid it.
Reading through these two web sites I found out many ways to avoid plagiarism but in particular I focus my attention on the method I used for my thesis: citing sources.
If you cite the source you tell the reader of the text that you borrowed from someone else the information, giving him/ her the credit and providing the information to find the source at the end of the page.
Two years ago, the tutor of my thesis was very clear about plagiarism and told me at the very beginning that if she ever found out that I passed someone else’s words as my own she would not let me graduate.
Unfortunately, plagiarism is a very widespread phenomenon because it is so easy to copy and paste a text and pass it as your own. In many countries plagiarism is considered as an act of fraud because you steal someone else’s work.
In my opinion, two of the most useful web sites about plagiarism are http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/589/01/ and http://www.plagiarism.org/ that provides an explanation of the issue of plagiarism and many solutions to avoid it.
Reading through these two web sites I found out many ways to avoid plagiarism but in particular I focus my attention on the method I used for my thesis: citing sources.
If you cite the source you tell the reader of the text that you borrowed from someone else the information, giving him/ her the credit and providing the information to find the source at the end of the page.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Authoritative or not authoritative...that is the question...
The lesson of Wednesday was about the evaluation of online resources. We reflected upon the criteria we use to evaluate a source and we discussed them in class.
After that, we tried to use these criteria to evaluate some sources about the topic “personal learning environment”. We searched them through Google Scholar, Google Books and Google Blogs.
It is easier to found evaluated sources through the first two search engines, because Google Scholar presents articles, essays, PDF texts while Google Books presents entire book or part of books that could be considered reliable and authoritative information.
In Google Blogs is more difficult to find reliable sources and to understand if a source in a blog is authoritative or not, is fundamental to use the criterion of the author (who is he/she? - is he/she authoritative? Is he/she known?)
I was difficult to find an authorative blog about “personal Learning environment”. In my opinion, the two blogs that respect most the criteria analysed during the lesson are The Bamboo Project [http://michelemartin.typepad.com/thebambooproject blog/2007/06/the_psychology_.html] and Elearning] and deliberative moments [http://www.members.optusnet.com.au/rlubensky/2006/12/ present-and-future-of-personal-learning.html].
After that, we tried to use these criteria to evaluate some sources about the topic “personal learning environment”. We searched them through Google Scholar, Google Books and Google Blogs.
It is easier to found evaluated sources through the first two search engines, because Google Scholar presents articles, essays, PDF texts while Google Books presents entire book or part of books that could be considered reliable and authoritative information.
In Google Blogs is more difficult to find reliable sources and to understand if a source in a blog is authoritative or not, is fundamental to use the criterion of the author (who is he/she? - is he/she authoritative? Is he/she known?)
I was difficult to find an authorative blog about “personal Learning environment”. In my opinion, the two blogs that respect most the criteria analysed during the lesson are The Bamboo Project [http://michelemartin.typepad.com/thebambooproject blog/2007/06/the_psychology_.html] and Elearning] and deliberative moments [http://www.members.optusnet.com.au/rlubensky/2006/12/ present-and-future-of-personal-learning.html].
While during the Thursday lesson we talked about some grammar aspects and our mistakes in our posts.
We focused our attention in particular on the linking words and in particular on the distinction between coordinators (and, or, but) and subordinators (because, since, as).
Then we concentrate on the further division within the subordinators and on the fact that they are not preceded by a comma (unfortunately, it is an usual mistake…)
The explanation of this aspect of the grammar was very useful because I often make mistakes, confusing subordinators with conjunctions and using commas when they are not necessary.
We focused our attention in particular on the linking words and in particular on the distinction between coordinators (and, or, but) and subordinators (because, since, as).
Then we concentrate on the further division within the subordinators and on the fact that they are not preceded by a comma (unfortunately, it is an usual mistake…)
The explanation of this aspect of the grammar was very useful because I often make mistakes, confusing subordinators with conjunctions and using commas when they are not necessary.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
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