Hi World!
My English course is about to finish and so this week I have my last task! Well, I’ve many things to tell you, so I’ll try to be clear!

Do you remember that last week I wrote about my final presentation? Well, it’s done! Barbara and I worked together on that and I really hope that my colleagues and teacher will appreciate it. It’s a comparison between the university system in USA and Italy. On Monday we will present it orally; I really hope to speak clearly and fluently and I hope to catch the attention of people listening to me!

Barbara and I are the last to present the final work as the others made it last Monday; for their presentations they used the webcast, that is a conference online where a person presents his/her ppt file while the presentation goes on. They did that in collaboration with some American students; I was there and listened to all the works…what do I really think? I lost a great chance!! Anyway, now it’s the end and it’s time for our presentation in class without webcast :(!

We have a final task, too. During this week we have to chose one of the wiki pages we wrote during these months and correct it completely in such a way that it can be used for other courses or means. I decided to work on “Alternative energy sources in Italy”. I corrected the structure, the references, I made a language revision, I tried to do all the characters uniform. Clearly I did not do this work alone; I collaborated with Francesca and I have to say that working with her is very good! If you (Francesca) read my blog…thank you for having decided to work with me!

Now it’s time to go! What can I say!? Well… this is my last week of English lesson at university in my life as then I will graduate; I have to say that I’m a bit afraid for what there will be in my future…
Anyway, for the moment let’s think that I have to graduate!

Bye to everyone!!
Giorgia

Hi everybody!

How are you?? I'm fine although this period is a little bit full of works to do for all the courses.

Anyway, I have to tell you what I'm doing this week and I did last week at lesson...clearly I'm speaking about my English course!

I begin telling you what I'm doing this week! For next week I'm supposed to prepare a rough copy of my final presentation; as I told you in the last post (see below if you don't remember :)!!!...), my final work is about "University system in Italy and Usa"; clearly it's still a rough copy and so I don't give you the link, but you'll be able to visit it when it's finished...if you are interested in it! I'm working together with Barbara, a colleague and a friend of mine; I decided to prepare this work with her because I know how she works and she knows my way of working. For this reason the work is easier as we know each other. I really hope it will be an interesting presentation! I'll let you know when it's done!

Now I want to speak about (or better...write?!?) what we did at lesson last Monday.... what a wonderful lesson! Why? Well, I saw my american peer! Yes, last week we made our exchange all together and thanks to a camera we saw our colleagues in the USA! At the beginning it was a little bit embarassing as none of us wanted to speak; then somebody began and it was easier!

We asked them for some questions about the subjects for our final presentation and then we spoke about the terrific event which happened last week in West Virginia (the boy who enterred the university and killed so many students). Previously we had spoken between us (Italian students) about that and we tried to find the reasons why this fact happened there and not here in Italy. We asked them about that but they didn't have our same explanations for that; I think that they are inside the American society and it's difficult for them to be objective. The same thing would happen to us if it was an Italian fact.

Yes, with this exchange all together we've finished our Skyping experience :(. If you have not understood yet I think it was wonderful!! I had the chance to speak in English and get in touch with an other culture... it was just a beginning but it was stimulating!!

Well, what can I say...Thanks to the people who permitted this experience!

We'll "see" next week in the blog and I'll let you know the last news!

Bye

Giorgia

I'm here again!!!

Hi world!!
I'm here to tell you about this week!

During the lesson on Monday I knew that our final presentation will be on the Net...AHHHHH! What a responsibility! I really hope that it will be a good job. I work on "University system in Italy and USA" together with Barbara; we've just begun collecting some pieces of information and we edited a general outline on our work. I don't want to give you the link to go to this page because it's a rough copy!

On Monday I had my skyping exchange, too! By now, my peer and I spoke together friendly! He is so nice that I enjoy myself speaking to him! Last week he wanted us to talk in Italian so that he could try to understand and speak but then we finished talking in English!

Next week I will have to ask him for some pieces of information about the subject for my final presentation so that he can give me a direct feedback! I really hope he can help me!

This week, too, my colleagues and me were supposed to write a new wiki page, "Water resources in USA". I wrote about the situation in the western US; yes this week I decided to focus my contribution on a very specific aspect. I had always contributed in something general so this week I wanted to change!

Well, that's all...for today...but next week I'll be here again!
Have a nice weekend!
Bye
Giorgia

Hi!!!

I'm here again after Easter!

This week we had four tasks...when I saw them I was afraid but then I realised that only one was big!

My friends and I began writing a new wiki page: "Water resources in Italy". I decided searching and writing information about "Vajont"...Don't you know what it refers to? Please, click on the link and read what we wrote!

Last week, in class, I had my skyping exchange!! My American peer and I spoke about Easter..the similiarities and differences in the celebration...but how many differences between us!! He didn't even come back home...And what about me? On Sunday, I stayed with my family and during "Pasquetta", on Monday, I went around with my friends; yes, this is the traditional Italian habit on this occasion!

During this week we have to begin thinking to our final presentation for our English course, too; this is a problem as we have to find a subject which has its aspect both in Italy and USA. I think that my colleague and I will write about University system as I'm interested in the great amount of differences that exist between the two...I think it will be a little bit difficult but I hope it will be a good work in the end!

Have a nice week!

Bye

Giorgia

Here I am!!

Hi people!
Yes…I’m here again as all weeks! Why? Well…I have to tell you what I did this week!!
Are you ready??…Don’t be afraid, please, I’m joking!

First of all, my colleagues and me began writing a new wiki page “Alternative energy sources in USA”. It was a great adventure; I had to “jump into” the world of energy in USA but I realized that nobody had written anything yet; for this reason I tried to search general information about this subject so that the page could have from the very beginning an order and a structure…I hope that my contribution has been useful!
Every day I visited the page and it’s great the way it became more and more interesting to read as we kept on writing and writing.

Concerning the other wiki page “Alternative energy sources in Italy”, we were supposed to improve it…grammar, structure and form were to be revised!
I worked in the part about “Regions” and I tried to eliminate the repetitions and to integrate the various paragraphs!

And then…What did I do during the last lesson on Monday?!..The EXCHANGE! Yes..I had the chance to speak again to my American peer and it was great! We spoke about his habits at university (in particular I wanted to know something more about fraternities as our teacher told us something but I wanted to know more about that).
I realized that during these exchanges, at the beginning it’s difficult for me to speak in English but then, keeping on in the conversation, “my English” becomes more and more fluent and that is very satisfying for me.

I look forward to having a new conversation with my peer!
Bye
Giorgia

Italy and its energy sources

Hi People!

Yes…I’m here again this week and with a new task!
Unfortunately last Monday, at lesson, I didn’ speak to my American peer..he was on holiday..how lucky he was!
For this reason I will tell you about my weekly task..

This week my colleagues and I were supposed to begin to search information and writing about “Alternative sources of energy”! When I read that this was the subject of my new task I felt bad!!…Why?? I didn’t know ANYTHING about this subject! Yes, I know I’m a bit ignorant…

However, thanks to this task I was obliged to search some news and first of all…READ, READ, READ!
My colleagues had already written some generical aspects and so I could begin my discovery from that; But, at the end of first approach to the subject, my curiosity went towards the regional situation…what is happening in Veneto? Are we well-informed about this subject? And above all, do the institutions have some projects?

That’s why I decide to write about my Region’s initiatives and situation concerning “alternative sources of energy”.
Perhaps do you want to go visiting the result of this weekly task!? Click on "Alternative energy sources in Italy! You wiil certainly find something inetersting and perhaps that you don't know yet! Naturally it’s the work of my colleagues and me beacuse you certainly that a wiki is a place where everyone contributes!

Well, boys and girls, see you next week!
Bye
Giorgia

Interculturally competent..what a difficult goal!

Hi Everybody!
Here I am this week to speak about my weekly task.

As far as my weekly task is concerned, I was supposed to do two activities:
- Modify and improve the wiki page “Recycling in USA”;
- Read and reflect upon “intercultural competence”.

Concerning the first I had my usual problems with technology…yes..I have still problems with technology! I know that by now I should be an “expert” but everytime, I make some
little “disasters”; fortunately I always try to learn from my mistakes.

The second task, on the contrary, was really interesting; I read some documents about “intercultural competence” and then, filling a questionnaire in, I reflected upon this term.
The word “term” reduces its whole meaning; as a matter of fact, “intercultural competence” refers to a level of knowledge, skills and consciousness which permitt a person to understand other cultures and civilisations, looking at them through an objective eye.
I think this is one of the most difficult goals to achieve and you have to be completely open-minded and willing to learn, learn and learn!!

Sometimes I think….My life will be a continuous learning…and If I have to tell you the truth, this is not bad…I think it can be very stimulating!

Well, with these reflections I finish my weekly post..

Have a nice week,
Bye
Giorgia