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29 May 2011

My first PLN love!


My first PLN love!

Earlier this month Brad Patterson @brad5patterson proposed a blog challenge on Twitter. I'm not a real blogger, the only blogging I do is adding some activities for my young learners here, but I liked the idea so much that I decided to take the plunge. So here is the outcome: 
                                An interview with Carla Arena @carlaarena
Some Background:
It was a Sunday, 14 November, 2010, when my life started to change. And it was all Carla's "fault"! Searching the net, I came across Carla’s blog post on elearning speedgeeking and that led me to her twitter account (or was it the other way around?) The truth is, it was then that I fell in love with Carla, who was the first member of my adorable PLN and to whom I owe having become a more engaged and techy teacher. Therefore, my interviewee couldn’t be anyone else, but her. Without further ado, I share, with enormous pleasure,  a bit more of this incredible human being with you.

About Carla
Besides her family, the trio teaching, cooking and photography are part of Carla’s true passions in life. They are all related to magic moments in life, alchemy, creativity. Carla was once  just another government worker working a long day. Her life really turned upside down when she taught her first class in a methodology class at Casa Thomas Jefferson, in Brasilia. From that day on, she became a teacher. And, what a great teacher! From the beginning, she found the power of technology as a connective and transformative tool in the classroom. Nowadays, more than tech in class, she’s excited about the new possibilities of its way beyond the four walls. That's why for the past years she has dedicated herself to the eLearning program at the Casa and to volunteer work in the Electronic Village Online (a TESOL-CALL-IS project) Coordinating Team and as an online moderator of free training sessions for educators.

Carla’s blog: http://collablogatorium.blogspot.com/


The 5 Standard Questions:

If your students were to label you with 3 adjectives, what might they be?

Geeky, loud and all smiley

What would we find in your refrigerator right now?
Juicy fruits, vegetables, cheese, ham, wine (always!), beer for my husband

If you weren’t a teacher, what might your profession be?

A National Geographic Photographer or a chef?

What has been your most difficult class as a teacher?

The most difficult class for me was when a very dear teenage student died in a car crash. I was devastated, but had the tough task to be the support for all those wonderful, helpless teenagers in class...It was one of the most demanding days in my teaching profession.

What was the last book/movie you read/saw, and what have you seen/read way too many times?

Books? I'm reading three now. Just finished Seth Godin's "Poke the Box". I'm finishing Malcolm Gladwell's "Outliers' and just started "Digital Education. Opportunities for Social Collaboration", edited by Michael Thomas.

About my favorite movies of all times? "Cinema Paradiso". It is just a portrait of my own Sicilian family.

Extra Question:

How different is Carla, the mother from Carla, the teacher?

Carla, the mother, is very demanding, but caring. Always alert. Carla, the mother, is as close to her kids as one can be.

As for Carla, the teacher, she's softer, always cheerful, demanding, but not pushy. More understanding.

Both Carlas care for the other, are totally passionate about life, and try to inspire others to do their best, to pursue their dreams.

Ping Pong

Day or night? Both

Salt or sugar?
Sugar

Air, fire, earth or water? Air

Hot or Cold? Hot

The city or the country?
Urban

Modern or Classical? Modern

Film or book? Film and book

Say the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear these prompts:


My family: my balance, my passion

Favourite quote: "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." Einstein

A role model: Dennis Oliver, an incredible friend and educator

A dream: democratizing access to education in Brazil

Brazilian Educational System: still has a long way to go. We need transformation.

I hate: injustice

I love:
cooking, traveling and taking photos

My PLN: lifelong learning and connections

Other interviews in the challenge:
@Brad5Patterson         and          @CeciELT


@CeciELT       and      @Shellterrell


@theteacherjames     and       @annamusielak


@seburnt           and       @vickyloras


@bcnpaul1          and         @brad5patterson


@shellterrell     and      @seburnt


@vladkaslniecko        and          @annamusielak


@sandymillin      and       @naomishema



@davidwarr       and          @hoprea


 
@vladkaslniecko      and       @tarabenwell

 
@abfromz          and       @evab2001

 
@vickyloras          and        @esolcourses

9 comments:

  1. Hi Marcia !

    Congrats for plunging so courageously into the blogosphere.

    Nice to hear a bit more about Carla. We crossed paths at IATEFL and she always had such a sweet smile, but we never found that chance to talk. Da próxima vez !

    Catch ya'll later ;-)

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  2. I really enjoyed this interview! Thanks so much for posting it. It reminds me of a George Strombolopolous interview. Great little images/links at the bottom too!

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  3. Hi Brad,
    Thank YOU for your continuous support and encouragement. And Carla is inspiring indeed! ;)

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  4. Tara,

    What a nice surprise to see you here! Really glad you enjoyed it. The compliments should go to Brad, really. Images and links at the bottom were "borrowed" from his blog post: PLN Interviews... Who's Next? BTW, I've just updated the post and now it shows your amazing interview as well. ;)

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  5. Loved learning so much about Carla :-) She's super inspiring and a sweet person who I hope to have more contact with (she also finds my accent when speaking Portuguese hilarious, and that's earned points with me ;-)). I loved the ping-pong Marcia... Wish I had thought of some of those for mine with Shelly.

    Great post!

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  6. Dear Márcia,

    What can I say? It is just so inspiring to see that what we do reach other educators in such unexpected ways. We were all beginners at one point or the other, and you're now going farther and farther, exploring the potential of technology to connect others and be connected. I feel honored and touched by your interview. Thanks!

    Cecília, your Portuguese accent is totally awesome, even more so because we don't notice it in English! Brad, da próxima vez vamos conversar mais! Quem sabe no Braz-TESOL do Rio no ano que vem???

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  7. Hello Márcia...

    I also started this cyberspace adventure with Carla back in 2008 when I did her amazing course "webtools4brazilianeducators". She was living in the USA back then.
    I could not agree more with you. Carla is sheer inspiration and I am glad to see you have embraced this fascinating new world being surrounded by the best!
    Loved your blog.
    Best wishes from Franca-SP-Brazil.

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  8. Great post Marcia!I'm very lucky to work with Carla Arena and to be her close friend! We learn a lot with each other and have lots of fun too!

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  9. Oh no - you beat me to it ! How could I possibly have imagined that Carla was not yet on the PLN challenge ! Carla is my online fairy godmother ! Our first online contact dates back to B4B (Blogging for Beginners)- and she never gave up on me, even though it's taken me those 5 or 6 years to "come out" online :-)
    Despite the fact that I live in Europe, we actually meet f2f, at IATEFL Brighton

    And it's great to see the comments above from people met both online and f2f

    amitiés from France

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