Walking Stick Blogger

I have been wanting to use the web 2.0 tools to undertake independent learning and would like to demonstrate how to make use of my blog as a self-regulated learning tool. With the help of OneNote, Word 2010, Google Scholar, and Google Translate, I am able to combine the tools to engage in active learning. This post documents my collection and learning processes.

I first needed to find French blogs online, and asked for some help from Claudine Delire, a French language instructor from Ontario, Canada. She pointed me in the direction of a number of French directories which I am exploring. From that brief review, I got the keywords I needed:

“blogue”(blogging); l’enseignement (teaching);

I also used Google Scholar, and went specifically to google.fr and entered the keywords.

I was able to find the following resource to start off with:

Integration des outils du Web 2.0 dans l’enseignment - blogue – University of Montreal

http://www.ebsi.umontreal.ca/clip/web2_blogue.html

I then went to Google Translate and copied the French text to see the English translation, side by side.

In this case, I used Word to copy the two selections of text. I then highlighted words and phrases in yellow (academic keywords) and blue (useful words and phrases), and added comments in the margins noting errors or uncertain translations for follow-up.

I saved the Word document in 2010, and have also included a 2007 version as well.

Voice Notes: (MP3): reading_french-1

Annotated Notes (Word 2010 version) : web2_blogue

Annotated Notes (Word 2007 version): web2_blogue1

The cone

netizenship — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 03:15:52 +0000

Tigger, my pet, you are in discomfort.

How I hated to have decided to have others place a cone on you. It will only be a few days, I promise. It is meant to protect you, to restrict your movement so you don’t bite at your wounds. I know it restricts you from eating freely, from cleaning yourself, and from sleeping comfortably. I catch glimpses of your frustration, your eyes filled with pleading and anger, the thrashing of your tail,

Though I want to laugh, heaven forbid, I want to comfort you as best I can, and give in and tear that cone off you when you go into panic mode, twisting your head back and forth in distress, moving around backwards and sideways. I steel myself with resolve when I hear your meows as you struggle to eat and drink out of the bowls.

It has got me thinking how we all wear our own cones, metaphorically, often placed there for our own good by well-meaning others, to serve a higher good, and protect us from ourselves. But then we get used to the twisting and turning of our souls to accommodate the cones that bind us. I think of how the cones in our lives restrict us, hinder us, and though we get by, not quite free, we live in a state of anxiety, tolerating a difficult situation or state of mind the cone requires of us. Without the cone, we grow to believe, we might be doing things that damage us, so we live uncomfortably with the cone on, and come to accept it, to get used to it, and then never bother to take it off. We forget about it, until we see the cones of others.

How funny the cones of others look to me! How blatantly obvious they restrict and bind and hold back these persons? Can they not open their eyes and just see? What the heck is wrong with them? I ask myself.

It gets me thinking further about how I place cones on my students, asking them to restrict their ideas and thoughts to accomplish a task not of their choosing, to finish an assignment bereft of personal meaning, to study facts and rules by rote. How much of what I teach my students a kind of cone that limits their perceptions, funnels certain ideas, and thereby blocking out others?

Tigger, my pet, the cone will be off soon, and you will be free once again to be the cat you are.

I wish I could say the same of my students.

Links for 2009-12-01 [del.icio.us]

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:00:00 PST

Librarians' Internet Index Computer Crimes
cybercrime search results
cybercrime.gov
this is for my computer assignment
CyberAngels Internet Safety Program

Links for 2009-09-23 [del.icio.us]

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:00:00 PDT

A TOWN CALLED PODUNK
this is cool blog about prince rupert.

Links for 2009-08-19 [del.icio.us]

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 00:00:00 PDT

Blog and Social Media Blending: A Metaphor | The Blog Herald
Ellsworth compares blog as hub of wagon wheel

Links for 2009-08-18 [del.icio.us]

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 00:00:00 PDT

Blogs and Wikis on Electronic Portfolios
This is an excellent overview of the use of edublogs to facilitate conversation and develop learning artefacts. Helen Barret's work incorporates blogging for the creation of an e-portfolio.

Links for 2009-07-10 [del.icio.us]

Sat, 11 Jul 2009 00:00:00 PDT

Response to Glenn and Discussion on Open Blogging

Links for 2009-07-08 [del.icio.us]

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 00:00:00 PDT

Links for 2009-07-06 [del.icio.us]

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 00:00:00 PDT

Student Bloggers Bill of Rights

Walking Stick Blogger

Job Interviewing Tips: (Video Resources)

Articles: About.com Job Searching

Useful Online Resources for Professional Social Networking

Working With Excel 2010

Accounting Basics

Critical Thinking Resources

Making Effective Presentations

Managing Personal Change: Some Resources

Office Essentials Resources

Writing Techniques

Six Tips to Writing

Sequencing

Capitalization

Using Apostrophes

How to Summarize

Paraphrasing

Citing Sources

Business Writing

The Cover Letter

19 Rules of Email Etiquette

How to Write an Office Memo

Memo Writing Tutorial

How to Write the Basic Business Letter

How to Write a Business Proposal

Online Search Skills

Web Search Strategies in Plain English (Video)

Boolean Searching Tutorial

Advanced Web Searching

Twitter Search

Searching Blogs

Managing Telephone Calls Effectively

Strategic Resumes

Resume Writing Tips

Resumes for Recruiters vs. Resumes for Employers

Resume Design Tip: Using Bullets in Lists

Keep Cover Letters With Resumes: Using Section Breaks

Using Keywords in your Resume

Customer Service – Calming Customers

Customer Service – Handling Complaints

Handling Complaints and Irate Customers

The Psychology of Customer Anger

Handling Difficult Customers (Slide Presentation)

Dealing with Difficult Customers (Article)

Providing Quality Customer Service

Keys to Customer Service Quality (15 parts)

Introducing Word 2010

Word 2010 Microsoft Tutorials – YouTube

Creating Your First Document Pt. 1

Creating Your First Document Pt. 2

Create Visually Compelling Documents

Using the Navigation Pane in Word

Protecting Your Files in Word

Microsoft Office Videos

Using Email

Telephone Courtesy and Customer Service

Consensus Building

Group Decision Making that Works

Setting SMART Goals

Time Management

3 Cool Goal-Setting Techniques

3 Techniques to Beat Procrastination

2 Secrets to Success: Focus and Consistency

Another Look at Procrastination

Defensive Scheduling

Stress Management

Introduction

Work Stress Management

Top 2 stress relief exercises

Neck and Shoulder Exercises

Computer and Desk Stretches

Building a Professional Attitude

Managing the Workspace

Ergonomic Basics

Managing your filing system

Writing a To-Do List

Avoiding the Busy Trap

Avoiding Distractions with Time Blocking

Stop Multi-Tasking and Focus on One Thing

Getting Around the Desktop

2 Secrets to Success: Focus and
Consistency

Avoiding Distractions with Time
Blocking

Stop Multi-Tasking and Focus on One
Thing