Efforts to improve

Hey, Sara and Anna! 

As you can see, I'm trying to improve my blog...I'm just at the beginning, but I hope you'll like it better than before! 

Have a nice evening and see you tomorrow!! : )

Anna and Sara: good job!

Hello!!

Today it's raining, and I feel a bit nervous... isn't it Spring? Come on, weather! : (

Anyway, as I promised yesterday, I took a look at Anna's favourite websites and I noticed she searched something about languages and travelling as Sara and I did. What is different is that she searched something about Russia. At the beginning I was surprised, but then I thought that maybe it's just because she studies Russian at university... I have no idea, I'm gonna ask her explanations about it. I visited the websites she found about Russia, 'cause I was very curious about it, and I found the one which is called "English Russia" extremely funny! For example, in this website you can see the ID of the oldest Russian woman (who is 130!) followed by some pictures of her taken when she was younger. The curious thing is that she looked like an old woman even in the past! ; ) 

Then, I noticed that Sara added some websites to our network, and I visited the one about cruise ship jobs. I was attracted by it because I'd like to work on a cruise ship after my next graduation.I have to say I really liked this website, because it's well organized and easy to read. 

To sum up, I think my classmates did a good job, because the websites they found are funny and interesting!  

Social bookmarking: Sara, we have the same tastes!

Hi there, here I am again! 

Well, we started a new adventure, that is, the social bookmarking. Let's immediately say that every time Sarah says "Ok, today we're gonna learn something new" I'm afraid, because, as I said a lot of times, I'm helpless at using technology. I must admit that going to class helps me a lot, because if I need help I know that someone's gonna answer my questions, but I still feel a bit uncomfortable with these new tools. Anyway, I don't give up, don't worry!!! Never give up! I'm gonna become a blog (and various tools) expert! ; )

Talking about social bookmarking, I found out it's an easy way to store and share my favourite websites and blogs online instead of on my computer, as I don't have my computer 24 hours a day with me. I think this tool is extremely useful, especially because, as I was required, I created a network with my group (and some other classmates) so that I can easily see what their favourite websites are. This means that I don't waste time to do my own search if I see that my classmates searched the same topic I wanted to, because I know that they first did the search and they chose the sites I can see. 

An interesting thing is that I found out that my classmates and I really have the same tastes. I took a look at Sara's favourite websites, and I noticed that she searched the same things I searched. In fact, she saved some websites about job offers, about vacations and about Padua. I was a bit surprised, because I really searched the same things! To tell the truth, she searched a lot about music, too, but I didn't, maybe because I listen to every kind of music as I don't have favourite singers or groups. Anyway, I really like the sites she found about the job offers, which is exactly the same I saved, and I liked the one she saved about vacations, which helps you find flights, book hotels and rent a car. 

Tomorrow I'm gonna make a post about Anna's favourite website!

Take care! : )

A lot of work needs to be done...

Hey guys, this is a brief post reflecting about what I'm doing in my blog. 

I'm really trying to follow Sarah's instructions. In fact, I'm trying to write not really long posts and I'm trying to make them readable by writing short paragraphs with only one idea each. I highlight the key words for each paragraph, too, in order to clarify what the main idea is. 

I know I still have to do a lot of work, because, for example, I didn't put links or colours in my posts, and the paragraphs don't have the same length, but I'm trying to do my best. 

What do you think about it? Feel free to leave any comments you'd like to. : )

Are we gonna loose YouTube?

Guys, did you read the articles about the disappearance of some videos on YouTube that Sarah provided us? I did, but it was not a surprise. In fact, I heard about this story through television and newspapers. To sum up what's happening, some videos on YouTube, both official and produced by amateurs, disappeared because of copyright problems. The fact is that Warner wants to be paid for its copyrighted works. 

Let's say I don't blame neither YouTube nor the record label, in this case Warner. Nowadays technology is widely spread all over the world and we use it for every reason. If we have to search for a piece of information, we just turn the computer on and open Google. If we want to have fun, we turn the computer on and we start to play in "Pet Society" on Facebook, or we just chat. Technology is an extremely important part of our life at the moment, and it's going to become worse and worse (or better and better? It depends on how much you like it!). Well, I don't love technology, but I'm aware of the fact that it's very useful and that it improves our lives a lot from some specific point of views. For example, it really simplifies our lives with mailing. What is important is to organize it, in order to avoid problems. Technology has to follow some rules, otherwise it's going to become impossible to use it properly and someone's going to abuse of it. Actually, it's already happening. 

In this particular case, I share the disappointment because of the disappearance of some videos on Youtube, which I regularly use and which is one of my favourite tools, but I understand Warner's rights. It's not that everybody can do anything, rules have to be established and followed. I think that the only solution is that Warner and YouTube come to an agreement about the money that the latter should pay to the former to use its material. I personally think they should hurry up, otherwise the users are going to loose a lot of good material that should be protected (some videos on YouYube are soooo funny!). 

About the block of YouTube in China, I just think it's outrageous. China is trying to hide what's happening in Tibet, and the rest of the world lets this happen! I have no words to explain the shame I feel. I feel helpless about this situation and the people who can do something about it (the politicians) do nothing! I can't believe it's happening... what a shame! And the fact China said its governement is not afraid of the Internet but it's the opposite is a further demonstration (the first one was the block of YouTube) of the fact China's government fears the Internet a lot. It's important to be aware of the Tibet's situation, and it's important to do something! But we all know that politicians are going to do nothing, as usual. 

Bloglines: I feel lost alone!

HI EVERYBODY! Or should I say "Hi Sara and Anna" (the names of the two girls of my group)? 

First of all, I have to apologize for having neglecting my poor blog. Last Thursday I missed the lesson because of some family problems and I didn't check our course blog. I'm sooo sorry!

Actually, I'm sorry and upset, because it seems that missing a Sarah's lesson is missing a loooot of work! In fact, I tried to figure out what you did in class and I found out you discovered a new tool, that is, bloglines. I must admit (sorry for using "must", Sarah, but professor Falinski said that this is a fixed expression) I was starting to become desperate. If you're wondering about the reason, let's say I hate technology so that it's very difficult for me to become confident with new tools alone. 

Anyway, I read Sarah's instruction and I read what you wrote about bloglines. I also watched the video that Sarah provided us which was supposed to explain to the students who were absent what to do with bloglines. The result is that I think I got the usefulness of this tool, but I'm not totally sure of it. What I know now is that bloglines is an Internet database that you create of your favourite blogs. You wrote that this tool is a good way to reduce the time and effort to check websites for updates. In fact, if I'm not wrong, subscribing to bloglines.com means receiving updates from the websites you indicate as your favourite. Am I right? Anyway, I'll ask someone to help me with this tool during the next lesson. For the moment I joined the community of bloglines, and they told me they will send me a confirmation of the registration by e-mail. I'll see. 

Well, the conclusion is that loosing a Sarah's lesson is awful, I feel lost alone! : ( 

Reflective blogging post... a (not too much) serious post...

Well, I'm supposed to reflect on my learning process through blogging. I guess it's easier to say than to do... ; ) Let's say that I'm at the very beginning of my experience with blogs and honestly I'm still a bit confused. That's the reason why it's quite complicated to say if anything I found in the blogosphere until now might help me achieve my targets. Anyway, I think that reading blogs about different topics is useful because at least I can learn new vocabulary. Hopefully things will become clearer soon so that I'll say more about the usefulness of the activity I'm doing. For the moment, I can say that my next language learning targets are to become more fluent in speaking and to improve my listening skills. Of course I'd like to improve my poor vocabulary, too. This is my last University year, which means this is my last possibility to make my English become really good. I must admit I feel ashamed when someone calls me "doctor", because I don't feel like I'm at the top of my University career and I'm not proud to say it. So, the only thing I can do is doing my best to change this situation. Right? Good.  : ) Now that I established my next goals and that I promised to try to turn to them, I can say that during the past weeks I did almost nothing to achieve them. Hihi! ; ) The fact is that I don't have enough time... no, this is a bad excuse. : ( Seriously, I always promise to myself to watch an English movie, to read an English book, to listen to an English radio or to study some grammar rules I forgot, because I'm convinced that the self-learning is important, but then I have to attend other lessons, I have to work, I go out etc. The result is that I forget my good intentions. Fortunately, I'm attending this course and professor Taylor's course so that I can practise my oral English by participating in class, my written English by doing the homework I'm supposed to do and my listening skills by paying attention to what my teachers are saying. I know it's not enough. It's true that at this point of my University career English should be my whole life. ; ) I'll try to apply myself more, I promise! Well, the more I do the better is for me, right? Anyway, it's never enough. One of my favourite maxim is "you can always do better"!

Can this "blog adventure" improve my English??

Well, I've never thought about having a personal blog... I think the main reason is that having a blog is not really common here in Italy... not yet, at least. Maybe it'll become fashionable in few months, like Facebook. To be honest, there's another reason why I've never thought about creating a blog, but it's more personal... you know, I already have msn, Facebook and of course the mail address. I daily spend a lot of time checking all of them, and I sometimes feel like I'm loosing my time (especially when I should study but before starting I access to facebook "just for a moment" and then I realize that I waste 3 hours of the little time I have).
Anyway, now I HAVE to create my own blog, so it's not my fault, at least! Hihi, just kidding! Seriously, I think this can be a great experience, for many reasons. First of all, I can learn something more about the Internet, which is really huge. Then, I can have my personal space in which I can put anything I like (I could notice that a blog has more functions and gadgets than Facebook). Last but not least, I can learn a lot about colloquial English. The fact is that I've always studied formal English at school, and now I'm required to write in academic English (God, please help me!), but none of the teachers I had focused on making me become an expert of colloquial English expressions! ; ) That's why I think that I'll enjoy this experience a lot and that it can be useful for me. I mean, I have to be able to write a good essay (no problem, I love writing), but I firmly believe I have to be able to talk to foreign people of my age without seeming ridicolous, too. Both formal and informal styles are important.
So, let's start this new adventure! Have fun everybody!! : )