What a lovely weekend in Alhama!

I was looking forward to returning to Alhama de Granada for a few days from the moment I left there the first time and, at last, my wife and I could go there last Friday for the weekend. We drove quietly from Granada in our car and we stopped in the Bermejales’ reservoir to have a coffee, where we could enjoy a lovely sunset. After that, we arrived at the “Balneario Hotel” of Alhama, where we stayed for the two days.

The village is really much more beautiful than I remembered. We were able to visit the fantastic canyon wall, the Roman Bridge, the Synagogue, the Inquisition House, two of its better known Churches and the Arabic bath.

We spent the most unforgettable weekend enjoying the town’s monuments, eating typical local food, walking through its nice streets and, of course, walking along the riverbank in the depths of the nearby canyon. It was such an amazing experience. However, the best moment occurred on Saturday evening when, after a long day of sightseeing, we arrived at the hotel and we had a really relaxing bath in the hot spring. The next morning we slept in until the moment we had to leave the hotel and then came back to Granada.

Julián García Díaz, 3 CAL

My dream holiday: LOJA

Yesterday I came back from my dream holiday in Loja. I always wanted to go to the Almazara Hotel. It´s next to the town of Riofrío. I went with my wife and my child. To get to the hotel there is a road with many potholes.

When I was driving my car to the hotel from the city of Loja, I went over one of these potholes and damaged the car’s sump, causing all the oil to spill out onto the road. We arrived at the hotel in a taxi.

We stayed in a room with a good view of the stable where there were many horses, we had a fantastic view of the mountains.

We went to the birth of the Riofrio River and we went to all the famous restaurants. We also went to see the trout and sturgeon in Riofrio village.

Every afternoon we swam in the big pool that was in the hotel. Next to the pool there was a bar and there were deck chairs around the pool where I always sunbathed. Those were the best moments of each day.

Juan Antonio Ortiz Lizana, 3 CAL

My dream holiday: Montefrío, I'm gonna miss you!

Yesterday, we finished our adventure traveling around the Poniente Granadino. Montefrío was our last stop, and it was only 32km away from Loja where we stayed at the Manzanil hotel. (I told you about it in my last post). While Juan was driving to Montefrío, Pablo fell asleep and I read an article from National Geographic. Did you know Montefrío has one of the best views in the world according to the publication? In fact, NatGeo is the name of one of the town’s viewpoints. It was named thus in honor of the prestigious magazine.

There, we visited the Castle and the Church of La Villa. My favourite moment was when I imagined the battles between Nazaríes and Christians with my child. The most impressive building I’ve ever visited is the Encarnación Church, which sports a fantastic circular structure.

Apart from that, we enjoyed the wonderful views from different viewpoints and we went sightseeing through its narrow streets and we took a lots of photos. Another reason why we liked it was its gastronomy. We chose to eat at the Jomay Restaurant and we tasted delicious local dishes. As you can tell, everything was great, so I hope to go back one day.

María Ascensión Moral Fernández, 3 CAL

“In the future we won't need teachers — we'll all be able to study on line ..." (3)

If you ask me, I would along with the idea that students have many possibilities to attain their goals by themselves by only using the internet because this resource offers them the opportunity to learn in different ways so they just have to take the ones which will be the most appropriate for their capabilities.

However, you are missing the point that teachers are extremely useful for our society. As far as I’m concerned, teachers are able to adapt the subject to the students’ peculiarities. Also, they make education far more personal and individual by resolving your doubts instantly. Teachers have made an incredible effort to achieve the place where they are nowadays. What would we do without them?

To summarise, it is simply true that the internet is bringing education closer to the citizens. Nevertheless, it can never replace teachers.

Marina Castellano - C1.1

“In the future we won't need teachers — we'll all be able to study on line ..." (2)

A piece of chalk or a mouse?

I agree only up to a point with this view. It's clearly undisputed that the internet is providing precise, accessible information for so many. But, on the other hand, I must say that although it's free, computers and wi-fi are not. Not everyone can have the chance to access it. What about low-income families? Don't they have the same right to education and to get a worthy job? That's exactly what a competent, dedicated teacher can do. Teachers can help any good student to have good qualifications for a better future, from Spain to a remote tribe in Africa.

It's one thing to access the "machine" of the internet for information or entertainment and quite another to acquire enduring skills, knowledge and experiences from teachers. Also, there's the human factor when it comes to keeping* track of each student's progress. We shouldn't forget that online information is data. Someone has to analyze, interpret it, and of course guide, clarify doubts, give correct feedback and motivate.

Overall, our computer mouse can make education and life easier and more pleasant. However, there's nothing compared to learning something face to face, so it all starts by going to school.

Mª José Rodríguez - C1.1

“In the future we won't need teachers — we'll all be able to study on line ..." (1)

I'm sorry, but that simply isn’t true. You’ve got a point that most subjects we want to study are available on the Internet, but it doesn’t necessary mean that we won´t need teachers in the future.

Many people do learn languages, cooking, history or drawing through apps, by using online classrooms or watching tutorials. We actually look for resources on the net to improve our skills, but not because we want to replace teachers with machines. I personally feel that a teacher is absolutely essential. If you want to succeed you need someone who encourages you through your struggles and this is better if you can keep eye contact with them and feel human affection.

A free, open online course is very attractive to enroll in but, according to experts, more than 90% of people who register in these courses don’t finish. I myself know quite a few examples of people who started a course online and after a short period of time they found it boring and dropped out.

Teachers will never disappear, not until learning online holds students’ attention as teachers do. On the internet we can find a huge amount of information, but a teacher is much more than a “purveyor of knowledge” — he or she provides you with values, too.

Esther Cáceres – C1.1

Describing myself (3)

My name’s Victor Manuel, but everyone calls me Victor. I’m 43 years old. I’m Spanish and I live in a small village near Granada (Moraleda de Zafayona).

I’m going to tell you about myself. I’m a civil guard and I work in Granada. I’m married and my wife’s name’s Almudena. I have two beautiful daughters. Their names are Nadia and Irina. Nadia, who’s 14, is the older, and Irina’s only 9 years old. I also have a small brown dog. Her name’s Cory.

Regarding my physical appearance. I have short brown hair but I’m beginning to have some grey hair. I also have brown eyes. I’m medium height and thin.

I think I’m a positive, friendly and serious person. My friends say I’m very kind but I don’t think so. My boss tells me I’m very hard-working.

I like going to the gym, cycling, running, swimming, walking and I do all of them. I don’t like football. When I can, I like cooking for my family. I don’t usually watch television but I watch a comedy film with my family once a week and, finally, I like pop and rock music but I don’t have any favourite singer or group.

Víctor Guerrero - 2º B

Describing myself (2)

Hello. My name’s Victoria Gracia, but you can call me Vicky. Actually, I think everybody calls me Vicky. I’m 24 years old. I’m from Spain. I live with my mother and my brother in Loja.

At present, I’m working as an assistant pharmacist in Loja. It isn’t my dream job, but I like it and I need to save some money. Also, I’m taking care of a boy some hours every week. In relation to my studies, I’m studying English at the English school of my town.

I have long straight red hair and brown eyes. I think I don’t have big eyes, but they aren’t small. I’m a bit overweight and fairly tall too.

As regards my personality, I’m clever and hard-working. I think I’m serious and shy but I’m kind too. I’m not really generous, but I help people when they need it. I think I’m a good person.

When I have some free time, I like watching films or series online or on TV. I love comedies and crime films. I sometimes watch English film or series. It’s good for my English progress. At weekends, I go out with my friends. We love going to the cinema and having a drink.

Vicky Velasco - 2º B

Describing myself (1)

My name's María Julia but everyone calls me Julia. I'm 51 years old. I'm Spanish and I live in Loja, a town in Granada, but I was born in a town in Córdoba. I've never lived in another country.

I'm going to tell you about myself. I do clerical work and I work in a court. I like my job, but sometimes it's not easy. I live with my husband and my children, a boy and two girls. They’re teenagers. I haven't a pet because my dog died a week ago.

I have long straight brown hair and dark eyes and my nose is very ugly. I'm a bit overweight, so I always want to go on a diet but I never do.

Nowadays I think I'm a friendly and extrovert person, but when I was a young girl I was shy. I'm very talkative with my friends, but I'm serious in my job.

From Monday to Friday I work in my job only during the morning and I go to English classes on Monday and Wednesday in the afternoon, so I don't have much free time and when I have it, I like to do sports, watch TV and go out with my family anywhere.

Julia Cobos - 2º B