My first two weeks of blogging

Hi guys!

Well, I must admit it, I didn’t know anything about blogs before I started attending this English course. Actually, I heard about Beppe Grillo’s blog and I remember I had a look at it once, but it was truly beyond me what blogs really were and what a huge and complex world the blogosphere was! Only just three weeks have gone and I’ve already created my own blog! It sounds a little bit strange to me, but I’m really excited!

At the beginning I had some difficulties because I was not familiar with these technological tools, but then everything became easier! Exploring blogs on Technorati I was astonished that I had so much fun. I’ve become aware of the importance blogs have as form of communication. I’ve realized that bloggers blog for any number of reasons, from promoting a business to merely discussing an interest or reporting their feelings and emotions, and that blogs can be about anything! I love blogs especially for the sense of community they offer thanks to the comment feature. I’ve found it amazing to have the possibility to take part in discussions regarding the contents of blogs and to communicate directly with the person who creates the blog. I also like observing the way bloggers reflect in their blog pages their personalities. Generally speaking, I feel that blogs are an enjoyable way to learn about the world around us!

The Blogosphere from discovermagazine.com

I’m surprised that in so little time not only I’ve learned a great amount of things about blogging but also, and above all, I’ve made a lot of improvements in English! I’ve realized blogging has enormously influenced my language learning.
Personally, I believe there are some problems with the old traditional methods of teaching English. Sitting in a class listening to boring lectures might really be a waste of time because you don’t feel compelled to use your brain. I’ve always tended to study hard for some months and then take a few months off, and, using traditional studying methods, after the break I often forgot most of what I had studied and I lost a lot of vocabulary. Contributing to the course blog and continually updating my personal blog I feel that once I learn something, I don’t forget it.

· First of all I think motivation is very important to learn a language, and this way it’s difficult to lose your enthusiasm because responding encourages you to partecipate actively, and it’s also something more interesting, as you share ideas and opinions.

· I believe in the use of blogs as language learning tools because, when you have to comment a blog’s posts, firstly, you must understand what you are reading, secondly, you must think of an answer in English, and that encourages your brain to think in English. It is an active method because it teaches you something that exactly happens in real conversations. On the contrary, when I only used the old method I didn’t feel ready for real conversations.

· Moreover, I think that, instead of trying to remember rules and translations, blogging offers you the possibility to read so much and about everything without a lot of effort that, over time, you’ll have a feel for English grammar and may easily and naturally improve your vocabulary.

· Until now, at university, I’ve mostly learned formal English because textbooks and teachers have always taught me a written style of English, and unconsciously I’ve learned to speak “written English”. Using blogs I’ve realized the difference, especially in vocabulary choice, between everyday English and formal English is really big. I think before writing complicated essays and translating difficult articles we should improve colloquial English.

I’m a firm believer that, even if we only read and write, blogging might be a successful way to learn English!

That’s all for now, I look forward to reading what you think about!

Selena