Blog on!

That's all, folks!

2008-06-09T15:49:00.000+02:00

The end of the school year has finally come! For you, my dear 9th graders, this is also the end of primary education and the beginning of a whole new "adventure" in September.

Alas, it is also the time to say goodbye. We've had quite a few laughs along with occasional shouting on my part, haven't we? You're all a bunch of very special people with unique personalities and I hope you stay that way (though some learning will eventually be necessary..., right boys?). I wish you all the best in life!

Now, for the traditional piece of advice. I could go on for ages about what you should or shouldn't do with the rest of your lives. But I'm not going to do that. Instead, I really hope you'll listen to the following song and follow the lyrics here.

Next, watch (and listen to) this video of Steve Jobs (Apple Computer CEO) giving his, now legendary, speech at Stanford University.

Now, that's about 20 minutes of advice. I think you've had enough! :)

New blog!

2008-05-27T13:07:00.002+02:00

Ok, here it is! Our new blog we have together with the 9th grade from I.OŠ Celje! Read the first three introductory posts and the first "real" post by Nina. Then COMMENT!!! I'm really looking forward to the following weeks!

"Funny news!" and news bloopers!

2008-05-05T20:15:00.004+02:00

Just so you see news can also be amusing! Some of it is acting and some are actual bloopers. You should have no problems guessing which is which! Vote for your favourite one!

E-Delo vs. 24ur.com vs. RTV Slovenija

2008-04-23T18:13:00.006+02:00

Image via Wikipedia

On Tuesday we talked about newspapers, newspaper headlines and news on TV. We also read a text on improving TV news so that these would be more interesting for young viewers (that would be you). In our discussion we also touched upon the differences between the news on national TV and on POP TV. If you remember I also mentioned that I read news on-line. And here comes your task:
- follow these links to E-Delo, which is the web page of the popular Slovene newspaper, 24ur.com and RTV Slovenija
- do not look at only the home page!
- decide which you like best and explain why
Things you can mention: the menus, the way the page looks, the type of news, the quality of the articles...

I expect at least three sentences (and I don't think that's asking a lot....:))

Obama vs. Clinton

2008-04-15T22:06:00.003+02:00

Source: http://www.espn4.com/

Today "some" of you had no idea who Barack Obama is. Well, I think that is simply not acceptable. He has been an important part of daily news for the past year or so. Why? Because he is one of the two remaining candidates (the other being Hillary Clinton) of the democratic party for the upcoming US elections in November. The winner is going to run against the republican candidate John McCain. So...? Why is this important? Let me tell you why. Because the USA is the world's most powerful country that influences the lives of all of us, whether we like it or not, and this fact makes the president of the USA one of the most important people in the world.

This year the elections are somewhat special. Following the links that I provided and reading something about both democratic candidates, you are going to tell me why! The reasons are quite obvious (just look at their pictures) ...

BE CAREFUL! We are not discussing politics here, we are discussing news! Why are they "news"?

Music and films

2008-04-05T08:45:00.002+02:00

Have you ever thought what films would be like without music, just dialogue and sounds produced by objects or living beings? Well, I want you to think about that for a moment. What is the purpose, the role of music in films? What is its function? What does it do? To give you a hint, here are some examples of famous film scores (follow the link for a definition). What genre do they appear in and is that important? I'm looking forward to your comments!

Listen carefully!

2008-03-26T12:20:00.002+01:00

This is a fun way of listening to music and learning at the same time. Watch the video and answer the questions. Don't forget to check at the end!

Coldplay - Talk

For Tanja...

2008-03-21T19:45:00.003+01:00

This one is for Tanja who's at home, definitely not having the time of her life. We hope you'll soon join us back at school! Hang in there!

It's Sting with one of his best songs: Fragile...

Victors 2007

2008-03-18T15:17:00.000+01:00

Victors were last Saturday on POP TV. What do you think about the winners? Did they deserve it or not? Did Potrč earn his Victor or not? I'll see what you think. Now something to make you laugh...these movies are all from Victors.

An interview with...

2008-03-15T09:06:00.005+01:00

Yesterday, we talked about the music industry. We mentioned the artists, the managers and the big record companies. We, more or less deliberately, left out another important part of this business: the media! TV, radio, print media, internet and their "serious" journalists, photographers and paparazzi, form the public opinion with their articles, interviews and photo stories. They bring the lives of the stars into our homes!

This time I want you to become journalists! Think of the questions you would like to ask a big music star or a popular band. Use your imagination! Think about the things you would really like to know!

Write at least two question. To avoid repetition read other questions before you post your own ones! Have fun!

Source: http://www.rollingstone.com

Eurovision

2008-03-08T20:39:00.006+01:00

There is some talking that it will be canceled or moved from Beograd Serbia cause of crisis there and cause many countries are not welcome there.But let's leave that for later.Just talk about it and have fun. :)

The Oscars!

2008-02-29T17:40:00.006+01:00

The Oscar Night is long over, the winners are happy and part of movie history, the nominees disappointed and soon forgotten. You can visit the official page of the Annual Academy Awards, or read about it at Wikipedia.

What I am interested in, is your opinion about the following Oscar speech delivered by Halle Barry some years ago. Is she for real or is she faking it? What would you say, how would you react if you won such an important award?

So, here is your task:
a) give your opinion on Barry's speech
b) tell us your words and reactions in a similar situation.

Minimum two sentences please!

Blogging with "Stripgenerator"

2008-02-23T15:35:00.012+01:00

Which one is closer to the truth? This one:

Or this one:

I listen to...

2008-02-21T16:33:00.004+01:00

The holidays are coming and you'll hopefully have even more time for our blog. Therefore, your next assignment will require some more work.

First, I want you to read the text "A (very short) history of ROCK MUSIC" in your books (p.52).
Then, I'm asking you to follow this link and do some more reading about the different music styles of our world. You don't have to read everything, just the parts that interest you or are important for what's coming next.
Choose a singer or a band you like listening to, write a presentation, together with some links for your friends (youtube, wikipedia, the homepage of the singer/band...). Use whatever information you can find on the net but do not copy/paste!
Read your friends' presentations and respond to them.

I'm really looking forward to your work!

Just to give you a taste, here is one of my favourite singers,

and (still) one of my favourite bands:

The voting is over!

2008-02-18T19:16:00.013+01:00

As far as I can tell, you more or less like the way our blog looks. If I'm mistaken, I expect your suggestions in the comments. Use your imagination! And just to show you how popular our blog is, check out the following pictures by our fans! Do you like them?

I got my name in lights with notcelebrity.co.uk

Newsr News
Another one by Urban! (click on it...)

Guitar!

2008-02-16T19:14:00.005+01:00

I'm a big guitar fan, at least I used to be when I was your age. Occasionally, I still like to listen to an excellent guitarist, like this kid from Taiwan. No assignment this time, just enjoy and feel free to comment!

Valentine's Day

2008-02-14T00:01:00.005+01:00

Ah, Valentine's Day! I couldn't resist writing a post about this very special celebration (you know me...). This time I don't want you to look up any information about it . Oh no! I want you to comment on the following proverbs about love:

"Love is blind"

"It's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all"

"All's fair in love and war"

Do you agree or disagree? If you don't want to commnet on them that's fine! Instead, add other proverbs that you find on the internet, tell us about your favourite love songs, romantic comedies, famous love stories you've heard about, or, if you want to, leave a message for someone you like or even love (no names, please!).
In short, our today's topic is love!

Here we go!

2008-02-12T08:30:00.001+01:00

As you all (hopefully) know, the subjects of our new theme are music & film. My first assignment for you connected with music is as follows: I want you to look up what a "grammy" is, and post whatever you find in your comments! There's a lot of information "lying around" waiting for you to notice it. One last thing: since I want you all to post something, only one piece of information per student, please, but you can comment on the winners as much as you like! Ups...

Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage.com

You can do it!

2008-02-11T19:07:00.000+01:00

Dear students!

This blog is for you to post your comments, reactions or thoughts on whatever subject your English teacher (that would be me) "throws" at you! Be patient! This is something new for all of us, so for once, we are all learners.
Rules? Only three so far:
1) English only, please!
2) No Ctrl+C - your work is what I'm interested in!
3) Grammar is not so important! (this one is for me...) Why? Because the main aim is to COMMUNICATE!

I hope we'll all have tons of fun with this new activity!
Blog on!