Task 5 - Blog Posts and Responses

Seri Park
May 5, 2020
5 min read

My Blog Post url

3 Blog Posts

1) The Beauty of Cooking

https://saripark1.wixsite.com/website/post/the-beauty-of-cooking

2) Fast eater trying to become a slow eater

https://saripark1.wixsite.com/website/post/fast-eater-trying-to-become-a-slow-eater

3) Spilling all the tea on how I lost 22 lbs

https://saripark1.wixsite.com/website/post/spilling-all-the-tea-on-how-i-lost-22-lbs

3 Replies

1) Hyein Lee (https://aksjrj20.wixsite.com/innibakery)

Hi Hyein, I absolutely love all of your blog posts, but what especially caught my eyes was the one about Dalkong, your dog. I already knew that you had a little dog and have been keeping it for a long time, since you used to send me some photos of Dalkong before. What I did not know was the behind story of her! I didn't know that your parents opposed to having a dog and you were the one who insisted to have one, because I know that all of your family members adore her. I love your expression, 'Dalkong has changed everyone and everything in my life.' That sentence just brings me a big smile. Having a dog is just more than keeping a pet, it means that you have a HUGE responsibility to take care of a living creature, which entails a lot of obligations and things to do. Therefore, all of your priorities has to be changed according to that pet. Although it requires a lot of efforts, energy, time and money to keep a dog, I think it brings a joy and happiness you can never get from something else. I guess there would be lots of episodes around her, and I would love to hear more about Dalkong for sure!

2) Gyoungmin Kim (https://kkm9357.wixsite.com/peaceofmylife)

Hi Gyoungmin! I enjoyed reading your blog posts about your day trip to Coex gallery on March. (Since I could not find the comment box on that post, I am leaving my comment here on an introduction page!) I was a bit surprised as I read the first part of your passage because March 24th is my birthday, haha. Anyways, I am glad that you enjoyed Muha exhibition. To be honest, I have never been impressed by art works at exhibitions in Korea so far, because they all looked unfamilar to me. For example, Muha is not an artist I know well, and I've never seen his art works before. Therefore, even if I try to understand his painting by following the description box on the side (or listen to curator's explanation), nothing special comes up in my mind. I kind of admire those who have this 'artistic sense' like you. You seemed to fully enjoy this exhibition and even bought some souveniors to remember your visit! I am glad that you have your own favorite hobby and things to enjoy in your life. Your blog post made me want to go to the art gallery once again and find the hidden joy out of it!

3) Jeongyeon Lee (https://jyeoni117.wixsite.com/jacey)

Hi Jacey! Thanks for bringing my Voki task as an example in your blog. I was surprised that you redesigned your Voki task and even created a video! This might have taken a lot of time and effort, and I admire your passion towards better and better English teaching skills! Great job!

I played on the video you created, and guess what! I absolutely loved your accent! The funny thing was that the voice of a woman giving a direction sounded SOOO ARTIFICIAL haha. I guess that artificial part of Voki stood out due to the contrast of your voice and computer's voice. While your voice sounded so natural and relaxed, the computer voice sounded uncomfortable and a little bit awkward! So I guess maybe you can record your own voice rather than using the computer voice when giving a direction. Other than that, I love the idea of using all different Voki characters in different voices for the A-D options. This can attract students' attention and set them in a real-life context (by exposing them in all the different circumstances - different accents and voices according to gender, nationality, etc.)

Reflection

https://saripark1.wixsite.com/website/post/my-reflection-on-writing-responding-to-3-blog-posts

For this week's assignment, I had to write at least 3 posts on my blog and comment on my group members’ blog posts. During the past few weeks, I published 12 posts in total, and four of them were not even for the weekly assignment; they were solely written out of pure joy. From the process of writing and responding to blog posts, I was able to learn three things. First of all, writing blog posts significantly benefits English learners, specifically in writing skills. I can take myself as the best example since I view myself as an English learner. I felt that my English composition skills have improved a lot compared to last months when I did not write anything in English. Having no hesitation when writing sentences in English, being able to come up with English words easily without using a dictionary, and not feeling stressed or anxious anymore when confronted with English were the major changes I felt. Since I expose myself to English constantly by writing my own and reading my peers’ posts, I can expand the horizons of English words and expressions. Also, I let myself in a new cognitive state every time I try to compose English writings with a new topic since I have to challenge myself using words and expressions I do not usually confront with in daily life. From my personal experience, I believe a blog can be a strong educational tool for English learners. Secondly, the interactive process of blogging boosts the utmost fun, motivating English learners. I felt a huge difference when writing a blog post solely on my own, and having an audience and getting comments from other bloggers. Of course, the process of writing a blog post itself brings a lot of fun, but when I comment on someone else’s posts and vice versa, I feel I am communicating with others and that brings sheer joy. Having fun is an important factor in teaching because it motivates learners, making them study by their own will and focus easily even if the task is quite challenging. Therefore, the communicative aspect of the blog – commenting to each other – is a key. Thirdly, the interactive aspect of a blog makes learners become more responsible to their writings. Because I acknowledge the fact that there will be readers from the outside world who randomly (or purposely) visit my blog, I tend to double-check what I wrote and proofread before publishing my post. Also, I tend to write with responsibility, checking if I used appropriate expressions or words. In fact, the reader can point out mistakes from the blog post and the author can edit it right away. Through this interaction, the English learner can correct his/her own writing. Although a blog is a powerful, entertaining educational tool for English learners, teachers should be cautious of learners’ level. In other words, teachers have to keep in mind whether the learners are capable enough to compose a sentence, a paragraph, or an essay. Even for intermediate or advanced level students, still writing in a second language is a challenging job that requires a lot of time and effort. Therefore, students can feel a burden if the instructor does not give clear instructions about what to write, and how much should they write about.

Instruction

1) Write 3 blog posts (Include interesting pictures, videos, or links to your blogposts.) Each blog post should be at least one paragraph long. 2) Write 3 replies to any of your presentation group members' blog posts. Your replies should be based on the content of the blog, not on your friend's language use. 3) Post a 1-paragraph reflection on this activity (blogging and writing comments/replies to your friends' blog posts) in your blog.