Final reflexion first baccalaureatu

A hard year. This is how I would describe this last year of high school in Col·legi Montserrat. We all knew when we start firts Baccalaureate, that this year won't be easy, but we couldn't imagine that more changes would come. The e-portfolio has become a challenge for all os us. We have become more autonomous and we have learnt how to work with computers. In fourth of ESO we worked with them, but this year they have become essential for working. Moddle has been the most important tool, and we have use it mostly every day. All the units where there. We have also use google docs so the teacher can correct and we can see the corrections. In my opinion we have learnt a lot, because we have worked all the aspects that are important in grammar, vocabulary, writing and also we have practiced a lot our speakings, which is going to be the most useful tool if we go abroad. This is what I apreciate most fromt his year. It is difficult to achive speaking english every day in english class, but in my opinion I have done it. Also it has helped us a lot because we have worked in grups. In my case, I would say that my base group have been a very important part of my english academic year. I have done all my units, videos and the audioblogs with them . I think that we have learnt together, and we have helped one each other in the most difficult situations, for exemple when we were really stressed at the begining! What at the begining seemed at chaos, has turned a great experiencie for my academical life. I could never imagine myself doing an e-portfolio like this one. I have to admit that sometimes has been very difficult to combine Units, Portfolio... We have had to work really hard. We spent a lot of time with the portfolio, a time that probabaly some years ago we would spent doing simple exercices. I think that we haven't lost time doing it. We have learnt another way to learn, that in my opinion is much more useful than doing exercices. Now, I know how to express myself better than before because of my learning blog. I have learnt a lot of aspects of english culture and my communicative abilities have improved a lot. I have also learnt how to write all type of compostions, what at the begining of the year seemed very difficult. Experiencies like creating an e-portfolio makes us grow our habilities as students. In our future I think this portfolio will be very useful, I will demonstrate my knowledge on english language with it. I will see the activities that I did when I was younger, and I will compare my level and see how it has increase or decrease. Since I started in Col·legi Montserrat english has become something essential in my education. Even before my parents took me to english schools, because as I do, they think that English is something basic and essential in my life. I have done projects in primary with intel·ligències múltiples, PBL in high school and many many projects like scripts and videos in theatre or create a song. All this activities have made that my level of english increase, and I didn't notice while it was increasing, because is while you are doing this kind of activities when you learn. I have the opinion that doing simple exercices is not enough. When I went abroad for studying english, no one gave me a paper with grammar exercices. I had the challenge to comunicate with foreigner people in other language that is not my native. Thanks to this type of activities that I have done in school before, I was able to do it. The only way to learn, it is obvious that is with grammar, but we have to practice in the best way for learning, that is speaking and writing (what is really going to be useful in our daily life). This year we have given a lot of importance to this two topics, so it is the most positive thing that I will remeber. I would say that portfolio is the climax of all my academic life in Col·legi Montserrat. It is where I demonstrate all my knowledge, and how I apply it in my life. Also I wouldn't like to forget thanking to Anna my teacher. She is the one that trust in us, and that has made this project possible. She has also been a very important in difficult moments, overcoat at the beggining where we didn't know what we were really doing. She has helped and explained the main things, and it has also been very imporant all her experience as teacher. It hasn't been easy, but I have achieve it: doing an e-portfolio and learn english in the way that I like: learning what is going to be useful in my life. See you next year

EXAM UNIT 5

This Monday we have done the exam of Unit 5. Personally I think the most difficult part for me is the passive. Although I have the clear structure of a passive sentence in my mind, some sentences make me doubt. However I think I did quite well on the exam. This week the project has not advanced a lot because with the exam we have lost one class. I GET AN 6`7 IN THE EXAM!

UNIT 5

We have already started the new project of Unit 5 called “TV Influence on society”. I think this Unit is going to be more interesting and entertaining because this is a topic that involves us as well. The TV influences on society is a real fact that affects us in many ways. I consider that TV has good points but also bad points. Nowadays TV offers us information, communication, entertainment…But as well I know that watching TV with excessively is bad for us. Moreover, we have to take into account the bad influences of this trend programs called “Rubbish TV”. They don’t respect human values, vocabulary and the contents are not really what we could call education. This affects especially to children, because they normally learn what they see or hear on TV. Personally I hate this type of programs although I admit I sometimes spend some time watching them if I have nothing else to do. I think this project is going to be interesting, because in groups we are going to try to find solutions, interact and keep conversations about this topic. We have divided in groups (my group is formed by Ester Monsonís, Mata Font and Alex Dàvila). As well we have started some individual “preliminary tasks” and read a text about Rubbish TV just to introduce the project. Now each member of the group is investigating a TV channel to try to find all the problems this channel has. I am the responsible of investigating Disney Channel. I find it very interesting because this is the Channel that is more connected with children. At first I thought I was going to find nothing, but I am wrong. Up to now, my researches have given me unexpected answers. This week we have searched for more information of our channel. It has called my attention the fact of subliminal messages of sexual content appearing in some series of movies of Disney channel witch actually is for children. Why is all this necessary? As well it is shameful the use of some inacceptable words or vocabulary. Well, I am finding more information and evidences than I thought I was going to find. As well at the end of the week we have commented our channel to the rest of the group and we have started to think of a product. Thinking of the message we want to give, we have decided to make a magazine which contains the necessary information to make people aware of this problem of TV. Our objective with this product is to keep parents, educators, children and everyone who’s keen on TV to be confident and safe from all programs and shows. We could say that nowadays, TV is changing and producers produce what makes a lot of money. However we hope that our product makes people conscious of this negative influence and thus reduce the audiences of this rubbish programs. Therefore, producers would have to leave out this kind of programs and produce what people prefer to watch. We shouldn’t forget that the viewers are in charge and if everyone supported this idea, things would change and the protection and education of children would be ensured. What are we going to include in our magazine? This is the question we asked ourselves at the beginning of this week. Now that this week has finished, we have more clear ideas. It is going to include a law which is going to find the problems of TV and the solutions, some interviews, an article of the negative influences of TV, some citizen’s opinions and an advertisement for our social network in which people is going to be able to comment and show their opinion. Actually we have already finished the law and we are starting to create the social network but we are still not sure if we want to create a facebook page or tweeter page. Next Monday we have to give in the project. This week we have finished the interviews and we have written the group article. Just finished! However this weekend we are going to change few things to make it more professional and we are going to finish the visual part. As our product is a magazine, the visual part is very important because it has to call the attention to the public. This is a part that I really like, designing the magazine, choosing the colors, the typography… I have to say that it has been quite difficult for the group to write the article because we have already talked a lot about the same topic in the other article, the individual report, our magazine…so it was like repeating all the time the same. We didn’t know what else to mention to make it different. Finally we have been able to write a great article with the collaboration of the entire group. Finished! This week we have ended our project of Unit 5. On Monday we delivered the individual report and the group article. Today Wednesday I am writing because I am very satisfied of my final work. This morning we have delivered our final product (a magazine) and we have done the oral presentation in front of the class. I must say that I was very nervous and that the text I wrote specifying what to say in the exposition I forgot it. However, I am very happy because I have been able to improvise and explain my part in other words and I think me and my group, we have done quite well. Moreover, I am very surprised because for the moment, the other groups I have seen in the expositions have done very nice and original products. http://es.calameo.com/read/001392828f0b1f311ce0e

Mobile World Congress 2012

A group of students we have gone to the.This congress included some leadership conferences, exhibition of more than 1400 companies exposing their products and technology that will define the mobile future and some awards for the most innovative mobile solutions and initiatives from around the world. It is the best place in the world for mobile industry networking and finding business opportunities. It is very impressive because news have announced that the congress has had more than 67.000 visitors from 205 different countries around the world. As well it has contributed in the local economy with more than 300 million euros. I am very glad to have been able to visit the congress. I have liked it a lot. We have visited some stands of new technological and mobile enterprises that have explained us their ideas and products. However, what I have liked the most is the conference of Travis Allan, founder of the ischool initiative.

TV Influence

Nowadays we have to be aware of how television is changing our lives. Children face inappropriate content that can negatively influence their development. The truth is that big companies produce what sells. Nowadays what sells is rubbish TV, which has large audiences and entertains a lot of public. But, is this really the education we want for the people of the future? Do we want children to grow up being educated by the influence of TV? Watching TV excessively is bad for children, it leads children to unhealthiness such as downgrade mentally, having bad sight… Moreover, it is said that children who watch TV excessively are worse in academic learning. However, when TV is not watched excessively, it should be a good resource to promote education and entertain at the same time. Parents should be encouraged to promote age-appropriate educational TV into their children’s lives because good TV is a valuable tool for stimulating children’s cognitive development. However, nowadays many programs do not offer this possibility to children. It is believed by many parents that it is good for children to watch different type of TV programs so that they are aware of how the world is around them. But the problem is that children unconsciously learn what they watch on television and the more they see bad things, the more they get used to it and believe that something rude and inadequate is normal. Since television has existed, there are several advantages of watching TV, such as communication with other parts of the world, the weather forecast, sports or just entertainment. Therefore, we can find negative and positive impacts on children watching TV. Taking in account the popular impact of the nowadays communication media, and belonging to a school community as we do, we have found convenient to try to find some solutions to this problem. We want to evoke some serious consciousness on the worrying social issues that TV broadcasts cause to children and young learners. We are part of these young learners as well, and we have realized that society is being affected by rubbish TV and unconsciously this affects in a negative way. For this reason, we want society to support us in our point of view. Measures taken by the government to try to take out rubbish TV at times when children are watching it, seems to be not enough. Different measures have already been taken to improve the quality TV, but this is difficult because producers, as I have mentioned before, produce what sells. New programs and series which show culture and increase the knowledge of citizens need to be emitted. The main problem is that Rubbish TV is offered to us and supported by the producers. As it is very difficult to take this type of programs out of the market, we have decided to develop the education of the children so that they decide to keep distanced this type of programs by themselves. There is a code or rule that by its beginnings was signed by some television channels, which must emit the programs and series taking into account some established principles. The problem is that this code or rule is not being effective at all and it is difficult to avoid the problem. We want to disseminate and publicize these principles. For this reason, a product that helps parents and educators to decide which TV programs are most suitable for children and young learners has been created by us. This product is as well for teenagers who have already the age to be able to distinguish by their own the good from the bad points. To carry out our product, first of all we did some research about some of the most important TV channels in our country: TVE1, Clan TV, Disney Channel, TV3, Antena3, Telecinco… After all the research we have been able to find out the problems that nowadays TV is suffering and decide which criteria might be effectively applicable by parents, tutors or educators not to allow children and young learners to watch certain programs and as well make children conscious of all this. Having seen a wide variety of programs in many different TV channels, for different ages and in different schedules, it is evident that TV has many negative influences. Children's health, education and behavior are badly affected by watching TV. It seems that values which are important in our society such as respect, equality, freedom are not respected on TV. In many programs bad language with rude and inadequate vocabulary is used. The way many programs constantly show people’s private life is a shame. I would say the same for programs that propose and produce sexual content. Talking about sexual content we cannot forget the point of subliminal messages shown in some series made especially for children such as series of Disney Channel. Besides many times the contents of some programs are inadequate such as violence, conflictive topics, drugs, alcohol…Violence, sexual images, and profanity on TV ask for imitation because for example, violence is often produced and promoted as a fun and effective way to children. When watching TV, images which may leave them shocked and susceptible are absorbed by children. Another point is the superficiality that is shown on TV. As I have already mentioned, many programs are constantly showing people’s private life and not just people who are worthy of admiration. These are people recognizable by society, people that appear in these programs just for the money. They don’t care about important and human values and to keep the audience, they resort to unacceptable means. They just laugh at others, make stupid jokes, insult people or look down on them just to have a good laugh. We should ask ourselves if these are the people that we really want as an example and reference for children. Programs which are inadequate for children should be emitted at specific hours when children are at school or very late at night. Certain words and vocabulary should be restricted. And making public someone’s life without their permission should be forbidden as well. Producers should make sure that people who appear in their programs are a nice influence and not rude and impolite. Moreover subliminal messages should be changed and even more in films or programs made especially for children. But, What if I say that all this measures are already in this code or rule? There are many possible solutions, but they are not enough. Also, some measures that parents can take are: use program guides and TV ratings to choose appropriate programs for children, watch TV with their children whenever possible, and comment what is seen on TV. We are surprised on how much influence has television in our daily routine. That’s the reason why our product will be effective, easy and simple. People need to have access to quality TV but what is even more important is that people need to be aware of the problem and try to avoid it. Our product is useful for parents and educators as this list of the most current TV problems and let them know which are the sources their children are influenced. We have created a magazine. The objective of this magazine is to spread this alert message. It contains different articles, interviews and others. It has taken us a long time to bring this product out. Do your parents allow you to watch anything you want? Would you allow your younger siblings to watch all TV programs they like? Why? After our personal reflection we started doing some preliminary tasks and we read a text about Rubbish TV. When we realized of the problem, in groups we distributed us different channels to analyze. I analyzed Clan TV (which actually is very important because it is the one more related with children) and TVE1,. At the end we joined the ideas and started to think about how to do the product. Our objective with this product is to keep parents, educators, children and everyone who’s interested in TV to be confident and safe from all programs and shows. Also to be aware of the fact that it’s not difficult to choose the right program and that there is a variety of them on TV. We want to make them see on their own the difference between a programs which should be watched and others which not. Reality shows have increased and, yes, we can change the channel, but children are not aware this unconscious danger. So that’s why one of our proposals in this product is protecting them. We could say that nowadays, TV is changing and producers produce what makes a lot of money. However we hope that our product makes people conscious of this negative influence and thus reduce the audiences of this rubbish programs. Therefore, producers would have to leave out this kind of programs and produce what people prefer to watch. We shouldn’t forget that the viewers are children and if everyone supported this idea, things would change and the protection and education of children would be ensured. Cristina Abad

UNIT 4

I have worked this unit in the same way than the other two that we have done before. Unit 1 I did it alone, Unit 2 and 3 I worked with the same group: Alex Dàvila, Marta Font and Ester Monsonís. For me it is great, because I love working with them because we are great friends and we also know how to concentrate and work hard. Also working with someone makes that work seems easily. We have the opinion that we don’t have to distribute the work because if not we don’t practice everything, so we did all the activities together. It seems difficult because being three we don’t agree at the same things, but in our case this hasn’t meant a difficulty, because we agree in almost everything. I also want to say that working with them has helped me a lot because we always help one each other in the things that we are worst. I would say that we complement one each other and for us it is great! We also have a little bit of fun, we have to admit, while doing the podcast. When we were wrong or we start saying things without sense we start laughing and we couldn’t stop. In my opinion this is the great part of working with them, we concentrate when we have to work, and also we laugh when we can. I have to mention that this unit hasn’t seemed very difficult for us. In grammar we worked with defining and non-defining relative clauses both in oral and written productions , which we have done sometimes. It was just like a revise. We looked for some dfining and non-defining relative clauses activities that were from our level in internet and we start doing them after revising a little bit some aspects as for example when we have to use them. Also we learntg new collocations and new linkers of addition and contrast. In vocabulary we worked with word giving antonyms to words either by means of a prefix or another word, which was also easy. We had to form antonyms from words with prefixes. It is different than in Spanish, because in English we don’t use a preposition between the two words, and the order is changed. But as I have said this topic didn’t mean a difficulty for us. At least the vocabulary part we had to join verbs with the correct expresions, like have a bad day, be excited... Listenings I'm watching Gossip Girl. I'm in the fourth season and every time is more and more interesting. I love watching it! Also I have started watching The Big Bang Theory which is really funny, but as it has a lot of intelligent humor, if i wouldn't have the subtitles, probably I wouldn't understand many of the jokes that are done in the program. I have tried to listent the serie and to not look at the subtitles, but it is difficult because I would say that my eyes go to the spanish translation. Maybe further forward I will try to look the episodes in english with no subtitles, but well it is going to be difficult, but I think I will get used to, as I have done with the subtitles. First of all it was very strange because I used to watch GG in Spanish and when I changed it was difficult, but now I cannot see the serie in Spanish because I hate it! As readings I finish the book that I started at the first Unit which was Oliver Twist. It has two parts, one in Spanish and the other in English. It was a difficult book, although it was adapted to Spaniards. I had one page in Spanish and the other in English, the translation in the right part of the book and the English part in the left. So when I didn't understand something I look at it. As in the listenings, I don't find the readings as difficult as I founded them at the beggining of the term. Also we learnt to write an an against essay, an also explain someone's biography that you have to explain for the very beginnig until now. This Unit I have worked with three more people. The next one, which is the last one, I will work also with them. It has been a very good experience for me to work with different people of the class. I am really proud of the work that we have done, and I am sure that the next Unit will be as this one, or even better! https://docs.google.com/a/cmontserrat.net/document/d/1kOQSQWYTWPZg12ri3qxBdY8Rn-0gmu4v21P6d2PMAuM/edit?pli=1 Cristina Abad