WELCOME!

Hafa Adai and welcome to our class blog! My name is Dr. Matilda Naputi Rivera, and I’ll be your instructor for the fall intersession semester.  I am an Assistant Professor for the Department of English and Applied Linguistics at the University of Guam.  I have also served as an Assistant Professor for UOG's School of Education, where I previously chaired the TESOL Program.  I teach as an adjunct professor for SOE's Reading, TESOL, and Instructional Technology Programs.  


I served as an ESL Teacher/Coordinator with the Guam Department of Education for 15 years.  I am a Guam International Reading Association (IRA) Board Member, as well as the webmaster for Guam IRA, Ginen I Hila I Maga'Tataotao Siha Association, SOE Alumni Association, Pacific Islands Bilingual Bicultural Association (PIBBA), Guam Nikkei Association, and Palau Language Commission.

This course will be delivered online via the UOG Moodle (http://campus.uogdistance.com), class blog (www.blogger.com), e-mail, and other technology tools. Today marks the first day for our course. If you didn’t receive the ED638 syllabus, Calendar of Events, and blog instructions yet, please visit the links above.

You must post an entry in our ED638 class blog to reflect on our class topics, activities, etc. as indicated in your Calendar of Events. As part of your blogging, you must also post a comment relating to your fellow classmates' entries. I don't expect you to comment on everyone's post, however, you must comment on at least four of your classmates' entries. You can comment by simply clicking on the "comments" link and then “publish” button. Therefore, you are required to create "posts" and "comments." Due to copyright issues, don’t forget to also include the source of the images you upload.

Be mindful that your entries must be grammatically correct, as it is part of your grade and can be viewed on the world wide web. You must also refrain from typing in all caps, as it is a form of shouting online. Please do not type informal comments or slang messages, as this online journal is further reinforcement for you to practice your writing skills, and essentially reflect on the ED638 activities we’ve engaged in. As a result, this further enhances your learning experience.

Take care, and happy blogging!

Dr. Rivera :)