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Graduation

This version was saved 11 years, 1 month ago View current version     Page history
Saved by Teresa Almeida d'Eca
on February 17, 2013 at 3:01:23 pm
 

 

 

 

It's Graduation time, BaW13ers!!!

 

 

 

 

 

BaW13

Becoming a Webhead 2013, better known as BaW13, was the tenth very successful round of this exclusively online workshop. This year we celebrated our "10th anniversary". It's the longest-running EVO workshop ever.  :-)

 

Fernanda (Portugal), Larisa (Russia/USA), Dafne (Venezuela/Spain) and I (Teresa, in Portugal) coordinated a fabulous Team of Moderators, all of them former BaW participants: Ayat (Egypt), Helen (France), Jose Antonio/JA (Brazil), Maria (Argentina), Marijana (Croatia), Mbarek (Morocco), Sharon (USA) and Svetlana (Czech Republic). A very heartfelt "Thank you!" to all for a fantastic job, great enthusiasm and constant commitment! Here's our symbolic token of appreciation. :-)

 

 

 

This team was backed up by an equally fantastic group of Guest Speakers, most of them Webheads, "longtime friends" and faithful collaborators: Vance Stevens (UAE), Michael Coghlan (Australia), Graham Stanley (Spain), Arjana Blazic (Croatia), Claudio Azevedo (Brazil), Rita Zeinstejer (Argentina) and Rubena St. Louis (Venezuela).

 

We had a couple of innovations in the Live Sessions with demos of tools in real time. Teresa and Fernanda demoed Yahoo Groups and PBworks in Week 1. Teresa, Ayat and JA demoed audio and video tools in Week 2. Ayat and Marijana demoed Twitter and Blogger in Week 3.

 

In Week 5 there was a presentation by three mods and a participant - Ayat, Maria, Marijana and Claudia - who talked about their "joint" blended learning projects soon after finishing BaW11. The aim was to show that so much can be learned in 5 weeks that it's possible to carry out projects that totally change students' experiences while learning English.

 

All the presentations were a huge success and extremely enlightening. Thank you to all our speakers! Here's our symbolic token of appreciation.  :-)

 

 

Last but not least, a special word to our Participants, a group of very active, enthusiastic, committed and adventurous colleagues, eager to explore and absorb as much as possible in the shortest possible time, without whom BaW13 wouldn't have happened. They're a wonderful group of people from all corners of the globe, who gave life to a very active, hardworking, energetic, non-stoppable and wonderfully stressful 5 weeks. Kudos to you all!!! Hopefully, many of you will continue with us the rest of the year since all the resources will remain online and the mods will stay around to give timely help. Here's our symbolic token of appreciation.  :-)

 

 

 

 

A "mini UN"

Baw 2013, with its 260 members from 49 countries spanning the 5 continents, is truly a global community or, as I have always defined it, a mini UN. Several participants never sent an introduction, so we don't know where they come from.

 

This year we had participants from Algeria (3), Argentina (7), Armenia (1), Australia (2), Azerbaijan (2), Bangladesh (1), Brazil (8), Bulgaria (1), Canada (10), Chile (1), China (1), Colombia (2), Croatia (6), Czech Republic (1), Egypt (3), England (4), France (8), Germany (4), Greece (3), India (3), Iran (4), Israel (4), Italy (4),Jamaica, a first timer (1), Japan (2), Malaysia (1), Mexico (3), Morocco (3), Nepal (1), Nigeria (1), Peru (6), Poland (1), Portugal (3), Romania (2), Russia (11), Saudi Arabia (16), Serbia (7), South Korea (2), Slovenia (3), Spain (4), Suriname (1), Taiwan (1), Tunisia (6), Turkey (7), UAE (8), Ukraine (3),Uruguay (2), USA (19) and Venezuela (9). (Several participants never introduced themselves, so we have no concrete info about them to include here.) After such a great performance during these 5 weeks, I can only say that I just wish the authentic UN could work as well and as collaboratively as we do! We would definitely be living in a better world!  :-)

 

After 10 rounds of BaW, we have reached 3,000 colleagues in 105 countries! This is something very special, above all when we know that BaW has changed some people's careers for the better. Not to mention the influence in all the students involved. And how rewarding that is!  :-)

 

 

(Clickable map)

 

 

 

Kudos??!!

Kudos is a word often used by veteran BaWers. What does "kudos" mean? What better explanation can I give you but a poem, written for us "from the heart" by a very dear BaW06 participant, Analía Dobboletta, from Argentina, who gives us a very sensitive and heartfelt poetic definition.

 

Kudos is one of those words

  that heightens the spirit.

  Kudos means "you've done it"

  It brings pleasure to the 'kuder'

  because they're with you.

  It's a compliment for the 'kuddee'

  because they've overcome the hurdle.

  Kudos brings joy to Bawers.

  It's the password for 'way to go'!

  It's the username for high achievers.

  It's the thread for admiration.

  It's the subscription to lol.

  Kudos is Bawers' jargon,

  a catchy jingle,

  a tribute paid for courage,

  and for perseverance,

  and for bravery!

  Kudos implies I'm so glad that you could,

  so  proud that you did,

  so sure that you will!

  Kudos to YOU!

 

Maria Teresa Ciaffaroni suggested that it be "used as BAW06 anthem". Dafne and I agreed and decided that it would become our anthem.

 

Hope you like the Becoming a Webhead (BaW) anthem!  :-))

 

 

 

Time to party

A relevant part of our Graduation party is food, drinks and gifts that participants share with one another. Here's this year's Graduation Party page where you will find very nice messages and photos from all over the world as a token of BaW13ers' appreciation for these fabulous 5 weeks together, learning in a fun, F.U.N. (Frivolous Unanticipated Nonsense, an acronym coined by Vance Stevens, our Webheads in Action coordinator) and very collaborative way.

 

(Click the image to see the page)

 

 

 

BaW13 cake

There's no party without a cake and no virtual BaW Graduation party would be complete without a virtual cake to celebrate "not the end of a workshop, but the beginning of a new era... life after BaW 2013"! João, my husband, baked this BaW 2013 cake, this year with a different touch: ten candles for each year of BaW's existence, each one with its own very special meaning! Have a taste! Enjoy it!!   :-)

 

 

 

 

 

10th anniversary cake

And since no birthday party is complete without a birthday cake and singing "Happy Birthday", we have a special treat for those with a sweet tooth, a second cake... a "10th Anniversary" birthday cake.  :-)

 

 

And a "Happy Birthday, BaW!!!" video.

 

Unable to display content. Adobe Flash is required.

 

 

( taken from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxuMXoiKDoY )

 

 

 

Join the Webheads in Action (WiA)

No, it's not over yet! There's still one final step for those of you who wish to do so.

 

Five weeks ago many of you probably didn't have a clue about what you were getting into. Five weeks later you have come of age and are "full-fledged Webheads", ready to join the Webheads in Action (WiA) community of practice. On behalf of Vance Stevens, our Webheads coordinator, Fernanda, Larisa, Daf and I now invite you to join our "mother group", the Webheads in Action(When you register, please refer that you're a "BaW13" member.)

 

Welcome! We hope you'll feel part of a big cyberfamily and as fulfilled and challenged as Fernanda, Larisa, Daf and I have been for several years!

 

As Webheads, you are now entitled to the "Proud to be a Webhead" badge that Ibrahim Rustamov, a participant-turned-friend from Tajikistan, created for us: his special gift to BaW08. It's very cute! You can embed it in your Web Web pages, blogs or wikis.

 

(You can copy it from http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f178/i_rus/bawbadge08.gif )

 

 

 

Geese: A BaW classic

Before we call it "a Graduation ceremony and party", maybe you'd like to reflect a little about the meaning of BaW through the lenses of this presentation-turned-BaW classic.

 

Geese is a presentation about togetherness, collaboration and community spirit - some of the basic ingredients that are a big part of any "Becoming a Webhead" workshop and family!

 

 

 

 

And BaW13 continues...

We all know that "Rome wasn't built in a day" and we know even better what a teacher's life is like. The BaW13 team doesn't strive for the impossible, but.... almost.  ;-)

 

Naturally, we know that it isn't possible to cover everything we have to offer in the 5 weeks, but it's all there because we like to give participants flexibility and freedom of choice each week. And because we know it's not humanly possible to explore and experiment all the tools, all the materials remain online ad eternum (or as long as the platforms exist!). And the BaW13 Team stays around for the rest of the year to help, collaborate and... continue learning with everyone. After all, we are a group of lifelong learners.

 

By the time BaW13 comes along, I hope you'll all feel like Natasa Bozic:

 

"I'll probably keep returning to BaW to lurk. This place is home" (17Feb10)

 

Stay with us, return as lurkers, as active participants... whichever way you choose, but do return. It means that you enjoyed the ride as much as we did and that learning happened, and strong bonds and friendships were built.   :-)

 

 

Thank you!

Before we turn the BaW13 page today and face "the first day of life after BaW" tomorrow, Fernanda, Larisa, Daf and I would like to heartily say a last "Thank you" to all our fabulous guest speakersmoderators, and participants for a fantastic job and perseverance to the last day, and for having made this 10th round of the Becoming a Webhead workshop the success and life-changing event it was for several of you, no doubt. Without you all, none of this would have happened.

 

Here's to you all!!

 

Peace, Health, Happiness and... many tech successes in your classrooms!  :-)

 

 

 

 

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