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Message board > I don ´t know what to do ...
I don ´t know what to do ...
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serene
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My dear Ivona,
You don �t know me, we �ve never exchanged a message before, but today you �ve given me the opportunity to tell you howI really missed you while you were away. You are one of the most lively, spontaneous and outspoken people on this site. So I missed your sense of humour, your witty remarks, your "naughtiness". I also missed your sharing stories and pictures from your teaching practice with your students.
Dear Ivy (I like the way sweet Nebal calls you), I was truly amused with your post today because it �s so typical of you. Please come back to the forum and the cafe and bring your ideas, your pictures and videos, anything you wish, only please be a bit more tolerant to other people. After all, as they say, it takes all sorts to make a world.
Have a good night!
serene |
15 Aug 2009
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Nebal
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Ohhhhhhhhhhh Ivy, do u know that u woke me up from my sleep??? I posted my first answer and slept for two hours, and then woke up again. I hurried to the PC and logged in to see the responses.
I do really have a hard time going back to sleep. What did you do?? Your posts are stronger than coffee.
Anyway, Ivy, I love this big family and I want the best for all parties. So, what �s the solution??? I do like that someone think of sth. I am thinking, but ....
Serene, I don �t know if Ivona likes me calling her this way. Glad that u liked it. I feel it suits our Ivona, right?? |
15 Aug 2009
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mena22
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Hi dear friends! Let �s meet half-way like Ivona has just suggested.
Some people like me love sending birthday wishes to other members; some people like Ivona may have nothing against it but are annoyed by the birthday wishes in the forum. Do we really need to post the birthday wishes in the forum? No, we don �t. Do we need to upset so many members of our community? No, we don �t.
So, let �s do like victor suggested - let �s post the birthday wishes in the teacher �s cafe. Those who like sending the birthday wishes will visit the cafe though they didn �t use to. I know I will!
Hugs,
mena |
15 Aug 2009
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Nebal
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Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh, here is the voice of reason. Thanks Mena for being here.
Well, I don �t mind that we post our birthday wishes in the cafe, but few visit it.
Some may not know about it. How can we be sure???? We might send our birthday wishes and disappear before they can be seen . You know the system of the cafe. |
15 Aug 2009
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gilorit
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Hi Friends
It is 02:00 now and I cannot sleep.. watching TV and reading your posts.
I have to add my point - I am one of the lucky ones that got birthday blessings on this sacred massage board... I was SSSSSSSOOOOOOOOOO HAPPY !!! I felt we are a big family. I came over and over again and read the posts with a big stupid smile. I showed it to my family and friends and everyone admired our smll community. It gives a GREAT feeling and I think it should stay on the message board so many members will have the chance to write.
I am also one of the lucky people who got the chance to meet the people behind the avatars face to face and it was an amazing experience.
What makes this site different is the warmth and friendship relations that are made here every day, all around our common interest - teaching English.
I like you so much Ivona - you are funny, witty, clever and I am sure we would have had great time if we met - but I disagree with you on the birthday issue.
Your friend
Orit:-) |
15 Aug 2009
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**********
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How to build a sense of community here, in this multicultural setting? One member wrote the other day: We are all brothers and sisters here, another responded: I �m not your brother, I �m (first name) �s son.
Why did he respond this way? Was he trying to be rude? Was he trying to emphasize his disagreement with the other member? Is this a cultural issue? My sister says that we Portuguese talk a lot with our body, that this is rude. When I send an icon like this to someone  that I´ve never met, how will the other person take it? Would I send this icon to everybody? Certainly not. The point is that I can cause some totally unexpected reaction any time I type a word, use an icon. How would we take Nebal �s unique style? I imagine her a young, sweet, beautiful woman. How did I make my image of her? Certainly, by the avatar. I have some "scientific " tools to build upon someone �s gender, just the way he/she expresses him/herself, but sometimes I wonder: Am I right? How about the myth we build upon utterances such this "we are a family here". Don �t families fight? We must agree on this: online collaboration and communication is something of a trouble, right? On the other hand: how much easier is belonging to a "normal" community? Everybody is always fighting about something, right? And there are always people like Nebal, trying to zen everybody else, and there are always others trying to stir the fire with more gasoline, does this sound familiar? Some try their best, in their own way, while others will say "I don �t like his/her style..." Some people are very helpful and polite and we don �t even know thier real name, I �m thinking of one in particular, I changed pms with him/her today, but I din �t have the guts to ask: what �s your real name? I �m so curious about this person, because he/she doesn�t fit in in my "gender model" of epistolography. What must each one of us, at his/her corner, be making of all this and how is it going to burst off in a message?
PS: I love Nebal�s Ivy. |
15 Aug 2009
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mena22
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Hi dear nebal! As I said, few visit it right now, but as soon as people know that birthday wishes are going to be there, they will, trust me. So this is not a problem. It is true that the birthday wishes may disappear, but then my dear friend, the only thing each of us has to do is to copy and paste our wishes and private message the happy member to make sure he/she will get them.
Please, now that we know that so many members are upset and that victor would like us to post those wishes in the cafe let us put an end to the problem, shall we?
Hugs,
mena |
15 Aug 2009
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Jayho
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Hi all
I was so pleased when Victor created the cafe as a place where we can chat, share funny images, send greetings, wishes, etc.
Despite Victor�s request some members insist on posting these items in the forum. In my opinion this shows disrespect towards Victor �s request as well as the rules of the site. How do you, as teachers, handle this behaviour in your classroom?
I would also like to add that large, glary flashing/flickering pictures are migraine triggers. As a migraine sufferer I can honestly speak on behalf of other migraine sufferers that being confronted with these intense graphics on the homepage of this site is often discomforting and sometimes unbearable. Thankfully some members now do use the cafe and hopefully more will follow suit. We migraine sufferers will be most grateful if you kept these messages in the cafe where Victor intended them.
Cheers
Jayho
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15 Aug 2009
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Ivona
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@ orit
i think you read my initial post only and missed the one that followed on the birthday issue - that i have nothing against the bday wishes. on the contrary, i think that they should be sent to people because they make them happy (even though i would not be in that crowd).
But, you know about the �space � problem and the motives behind the creation of the cafe, so you should understand. I wouldn �t mind the HB �s a SINGLE BIT even in the forum except for the fact that every single day it �s one and the same story ... it �s the repetitiveness that got to me. the things i complained are, actually, the things that keep being repeated ... i would like some novelty, originality whatever genre they may be incorporated in. that �s my problem. you certainly wouldn �t want your students to play one and the same game over and over again, however good it is .. 
maybe i have too high expectations of the site, the forum, the members ...
@ nebal
Mena repeated/supported what i already said and you call her the voice of reason? tut tut 
@ serena
my tolerance reached its limit tonight 
on a serious note, am i not showing tolerance by suggesting a middle way? and not asking the members to QUIT doing the things that annoy me?
@ nikadixon
It�s not Nebal�s Ivy. It�s my nick in some places. I asked Nebal not to call me �dear� or �sweety� (again one of my quirks), so she resorted to �witch�, �brat�, etc. and sometimes when she runs out of the �sweet nothings� she just calls me Ivy.
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15 Aug 2009
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**********
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Mena, I don �t know about many members being upset. I felt it some weeks ago. Some members have a helpful, positive approach, many people are trying the best they can, I figure. I also feel that the issue of the materials being not original is a non-ending problem, which is still being negotiated. It is a fact that the birthday messages coming back to the forum could help a little as far as sense of community is concerned. There could be some TEC /Rules solutions to tackle the problem of the caf�. Any time I open it and watch all those glittering like jumping out of the computer into my eyes I think: it�s just me, I�m too sensitive, there are reasons to it, so I just shut that window and come back to the forum. Sometimes, when there is an interesting �hot� (for me) topic, here comes a bunch of pictures that pull the thread down: this is a technological limitation. Reasoning about it can help, but there comes someone throwing stones to upset the thread. The sense of belonging which helps to a positive approach is not the same in all members. I realized one of these days that a member appeared with 2 identities (gender/flag) to make a point, only because I sent the person a pm offering help. There are so many �variables� - making this look what it is: a very sound example of complexity. Sorry, I know that my posts are bigger than they should be. |
15 Aug 2009
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