Another year has just started, but this time what we are asked to do for the English course is something completely new and unexpected: developing our own blog and exchanging our knowledge by web. My first reaction was: "Well, it is going to be a nice challenge!"
I have been studying English for thirteen years and and I have tested myself against the most different tasks: translating and analysing a text, writing a novel, describing my personality and interests, composing an essay on a scientific topic, even creating and recording an advertisment! I didn't think I could get surprised by a totally different approach, but...well, I was wrong! Practising English by using computerized tools with the aim of creating a space of my own: it sounds great! I am not an expert in using the computer, at all, but I have to admit that I have a bent for technology: I am curious by nature and now I have the chance to learn how to use a new programme and what happens when I press this button or that one...that's my bread and butter! I am like a child who needs to know how his toy works: I check every window, click every link, think of how to make my posts look better, so step by step I try to improve my skills in handling the blog and look with satisfaction at the results of my efforts. I have found a funny and stimulating way to express my creativity and for this reason I decided to choose a title like "The wings of my thoughts": even though I feel more confident in using a pen and a piece of paper to write, informatics gives you the opportunity to show what you can do in a very original way, offering your fantasy many creative tools. The web is the "fourth dimension" we all live in, a world-wide community that allows us to reach any place of the planet just with a click; we are supposed to know how to use it not be excluded and this course urges students to exploit this new means of communication.
I also appreciate the possibility to use colloquial English in our posts in the blog: if we spend all the time on translating specialized texts, we run the risk of forgetting the most basic terms of everyday language, those words and expressions that we really need when we go abroad. I hope I will be able to enrich my vocabulary by visiting interesting websites and commenting on them; I also think that the activity of peer revision will be useful to widen my knowledge and to correct my mistakes.
As you can see, I have great expectations for this course! There is only one problem: I tend to be a perfectionist, so I' m VERY SLOW in sending my posts! Shortening the time to carry out the e-tivities will be another of my goals!
