Students participation 

    2. Email exchange with on-line instructor 
    3.  Other writings 
     

    2. Email exchange with on-line instructor

     One of the most interesting parts of this project is the way students can participate in the design of the units. Writing and receiving messages to and from the on-line instructor or to their class teachers students can say their opinion about the units, tasks, selected topics, and thus, be an active part in the process of learning. These messages are also guided to make students reflect on specific aspects, such us vocabulary learnt, difficulties, progress.... Some of the messages are really satisfying. Some of the foreign students also participated in this part of the project, which shows their involvement in "Virtual English". 
     
  • message 1 to the instructor: some examples (see guide)
     
    From Jordi Collado       April, 29th, 98 
    to Dolors,  

    Hello Dolors, 
    I’m Jordi Collado. I go to  IES Gallecs. 
    I’ve got this credit because my english isn’t very well and will try correct it. 
    I like it because write the letters with the computer and speak with my friends  throw mail. I know about computers very much because have studyed three years and my objective is do to study computers. I know the work programs and games,… 
    I know about Internet very much but haven’t Internet in my home. 
    Thank for listening to me. Bye bye. 
    Jordi 
    (Mollet del Vallès) 


    From Eva and Noemi  
    Para:           dpermany@pie.xtec.es 
    Asunto:         Opinion of Eva and Noemi 

     Hi ! We are two pretty students from the school called Jacinto Verdaguer  (in Cornella) .Our names are Noemi and Eva and we are sixteen and fifteen  years old. We like this credit because is too funny to work with Internet in English. 
      Sometimes is so difficult to find the correct way for do all the things well, but our teacher is kind with us and she often help us.Her name is Esther (your friend). 
    We aren't too much expert with the computer (for Noemí is the first time that she uses the computer but Eva uses it frecuently).  We hope to learn all Internet secrets, but we think that we haven't enough time ( the credit will be about two months). 
      We suggest you that we could to do a lot of friends with Internet (we think that this is another objetive of the credit.) and to use  the computers individually.The last thing is impossible in our class  (there are only eight computers) but it's nice to work with a  fellow girl. 
        It was a pleasure to write for you. See you.  
     Eva and Noemi 
    (Cornellà) 


    From Vicente 
    to Dolors 
    My name is Vicente Olucha Hernandez. I´m 17 years old. My school, is Ramon berenguer IV, in Cambrils.  
    I´m in this credit because, I like to meet new people. I don´t now if I like this credit. My expectations about credit is to pass. 
    The computer is a wai easy and funni learn. 
    Vicente 
    (Cambrils) 

    From: Ville 
    to: Dolors 
    My name is Ville Varkki. 
    I go to Kiuruvesi Comprehensive school. This credit is a part of my English lesson.  
    I like it as I want to know people from Spain. I hope I'll learn more English. I know a little about computers. I'm not very experienced with them but I use them nearly every week. 
    I have a little experience about the Internet. I know how to use it. That is enough for me. 
    Ville  
    (Finland)
     
  •  message 2 to the instructor: some examples (see guide)
     
    message to Dolors about unit 2          12th, May, 98 
    from Josep Solé 

    In the Unit 2, I have reached the aims, more or less. I've got familiar with the basic functions of Netscape browser, but I haven't could surf online and I've must surf offline. I've known the customs and traditions of other countries, and so more vocabulary. 
    I've written to other people from other country how is my town and my country too. 
    In the Unit 2, I've enjoyed reading some traditions from other countries, for example, Brazil.  
    One thing perhaps I will always remember is that in this credit I've surfed in internet for the first time. I think this unit has been interesting but a bit boring. 
    Josep 
    (Caldes de Montbui) 


    From Mary and Isa 

     Hello Dolors! 
     We are Mary and Isa, two students of the Institut Jacinto Verdaguer. 
    In this unit (unit 2) we make 5 tasks. In the first task, we saw the funcions of the Netscape, this is very interesting because with these we known more things of the Netscape and we known used the Netscape. In the second task we went to Internet and was very funny but, oh my God, we lost very much. In the third task we read a text of Romania, is interesting because we learnt things of Romania,and  we made some exercises about this. The fourth task consisted in write a text about a tipical subject of our country, city, autonomy...  
    Mary wrote about Barcelona at night, and Isa wrote about the meals in Catalonia. Ah! and we sent the texts to Internet and this was very good. 

     The best thing of this unit that we liked was read the text of Romania, because now know that Romania is beautiful. But the difficult thing was wrote our text of the our contry.  
    We will remember always don't open a lot of links because we lost very much. And for finish our opinion about this credit is that is interesting, funny because we learn very much about  a lot of subjects. 
     We are happy for talk with you, but we finish. 
     Good bye, Dolors.  
       Mary and Isa. 
    (Cornellà) 


    From: Riikka Ikaheimo 
    to: Dolors 
    Dear Madam,  
    I think I reached the the goal of the task. It was quite easy.  Our teacher had worked lot to make it easy. It was nice to read about Romania. I didn't have enough time in the lab personally. The Flag task was nice. I wish we had more of this kind of things. I will remember it all. I think this is a good idea. It is different from the ordinary learning process. It is very individual, I mean. 
    Yours, 
    Riikka Ikaheimo 
    (Finland) 
    . 
  •  message 3 to the instructor: some examples (see guide)
     
    Hi Dolors, I'm Mercè Domènech from Cambrils, I'm going to answer your questions about unit 3. 
    Bye Dolors, so long. 

    1. Have you learnt how to use the search engines ? 
    Yes, a little. 
    2. Do you think this is a good way to find information ? 
    I think this is a good way because there are many webs with a lot of information 
    3. Have you learnt new vocabulary related to the topic of the unit ? 
    Some words that I didn't know their meaning. 
    4.What do you think about the course ? 
    It's very interesting and exciting because we do different things. 
    5. Do you like it ? 
    Yes, I like it. 
    6. Are you having a good time ? 
    When we are in the chat and when we don't do compositions. 
    7. Are you getting on  well with you key pal ? 
    yes, until now :-). 

    Mercè Domènech. Cambrils 1998. 


    Dear Madam,  
    I learned a little about searching even though I don't know much about 
    computers. I can use the robots somehow if neede. This searching is 
    more fun than from books. I may have learned a little, perhaps. 
    The keypal exchange has gone well. My keypal writes very short 
    letters.  They should be longer.  Otherwise my keypal is nice. 
    Yours, 
    Satu Auvinen  
    (Finland)
     
  • message 4 to the instructor: some examples (see guide)
     
    Here are Finnish students' last messages to you on the theme "Internet is a good way to practise and learn English". 
    Marjatta  

    Yes, it is, I think. learning with the help of the net makes studying much nicer and more practical.  The better the topics are the more effective the results.  If I compare this Virtual English with normal studying I can honestly say that Virtual English was nicer and in that way even more effective than normal studying. But I am afraid of 
    the day when net is losing its novelty and it gets common it might lose its interest to many. 
    Mikko Partanen 


    Yes, it's true in some way. Now I am talking about learning English words: you can learn from letter exchange   except if you have a penpal who uses too much common words, then I probably learn nothing from him. Talking about chat: in some chat channels if the language is your mother tongue you hadly learn anything by chatting. We were not able to contact any foreign channels which was a pity. 
    Ville Varkki 

    Positive aspects: Sometimes I may face some words that are unknown to me.  It makes me try to find out the meanings of words from the dictionary. Then I learn the meaning of the word. When I do chatting I may learn new words. Negative aspects: none. 
    Ekku Immonen 

    In my opinion learning English and the web use was a good idea because I learn 
    everything much easier on the Internet than from books and learning that way is much more fun. the only negative aspect is that we didn't have enough time to 
    practise the web use in the computer laboratory as we planned to do. The lab turns are hard to get in general as so many people use it in our school. 
    Pete Vainio 

    Positive aspects: yes, you learn new words and phrases.  You also learn about traditions in other countries.  You can find information in English and learn to use the web. You learn interesting things and you learn to express yourself in English. You don't have to be reading textbooks all the time, you search and find out 
    yourself. Negative aspects: If you are not too good at understanding it is not there in your mother tongue. If you are not a person who learns by seeing a thing only once 
    you don't necessarily repeat it at home or at school as you do with textbooks. 
    Eeva-Kaisa Karkkainen 

    I agree. I find the use of Internet interesting and refreshing in this everyday school life. the penpal idea was good, it was interesting to write about your home town, your country and learn about your keypal's opinions and views. The only negative side was the shortness of time. There wasn't enough time to get into anything deeper and the disappointment of not getting to the computer laboratory as often as we would have wanted to. 
    Riikka Ikaheimo 
     

3.  Other writings

    Students wrote a lot during this credit. Apart from messages and letters they had to complete  the tasks of the five units and also wrote some creative texts, some of which have been sent  to Web sites which publish ESL students writings, like  Exchange or Write Now. Read some of our students published contributions in Exchange (Click on Class Projects, then Essays about Spain) 
     
    creative text about "my country or town" (see guide in unit 2) 

    The Olympic Games of Barcelona 

     In 1986,the election of Barcelona as see of the Olympic Games of 1992 made reality an old desire.J.A.Samaranch announced the designation on Barcelona as see of the XXV Olympcs the 17 th of October 1986. 
     Beside the zone of the Diagonal, the Olympic ring of Montjuïc(Stadium,Palace Sant Jordi and swimming-pool)were one of the principals stages of the sportings competitions. 
     The 25th of July 1992 had place the inaugural ceremony of the Olympic Games of Barcelona in the Olympic Stadium of Montjuïc,with the assistance of 65.000 spectators and 2500 millions of people of all the world that they followed  across the Television.The act,that combined a vanguardist aesthetic with the symbols more stabliched of Catalonia,was a song to the peace and the coexistence among cultures. 
     The Palace Sant Jordi is a space for more uses, it was the stage of the gymnastics competitions,handball and voleyball. 
     The Olympic Stadium besides the atlethic trials,it was see of the inauguration and clousure of the XXV Olympic Games and the IX Paralympic Games. 
     The swimming-pools Bernat Picornell were constructed in 1969 and they were restructured for the Games,they were stage of the swimming and of waterl-polo. 
     The area of the Vall d'Hebron is a sporting group,it consist of the Municipal Centre of Tennis,the Municipal Centre of Ball and the Sport Palace,besides the Velodrome,constructed in 1984. 
     In Castelldefels,an artificial waterway was constructed,it has 1200 metres for the canoeing's races in calms waters. 
     The canoeiging's competitions in slalom took place in Seu d'Urgell.to cause of the distance in relation to Barcelona ,in the Seu d'Urgell and Banyoles (Rowing competitions) they built villes for residence of  the sportmen. 
     The international dimension of the Games supposed to count on with some better substructure as the restructuration and extension of the airport. 

    Mª Alejandra Pérez Montes  
    Catalonia(Spain) 
    Cornellà 


    Something about Caldes de Motnbui 

    Caldes de Montbui is situated in the north-west of Spain and in the south of Catalonia, 30 Km from  Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia. The territory is very irregular,  the  south is very flat and in the north there are some mountains. The tallest mountain is “El Farell, which is about 800 m high. A river “la riera de Caldes” divides Caldes in two parts,  and the population is situated in the part west. In Caldes there are  about13.000 inhabitants but it is growing more and more every year. 

    Caldes has been famous since thousands and thousand of years for its spas and its hot water(the water springs at about 70ºC). Caldes has the hottest water in the Iberian peninsula. In Caldes, some years ago there were a lot of spas and a lot of people came in to  prove its medicinal waters.  A famous artist, Manolo Hugué, who was a close friend of Picasso came to Caldes hundred years ago to take its medicinal waters, and now, there is a museum of his sculptures and pictures, and there is a lot of exhibits of Picasso too. 

    Caldes has a lot of traditions and typical products, one of the most famous typical product is “els carquinyolis” a kind of hard biscuit with almonds. In September we celebrate “la festa Major”, the biggest town celebration. This celebration has a lot of traditions. One of the oldest traditions is “els gegants”, where two giants and a lion walk around the town. 

    Caldes has a lot of places to enjoy the nature. You can see a lot of paths to do by cycle, walking,... and there is camping too, next to the nature.  
    If you want to visit the spas, enjoy the nature and met a lot of traditions, come to Caldes. 

    Josep Solé Lluís         13-5-98 
    (Caldes de Montbui)
     
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