Inside the Cyber Studio: Ana Maria Menezes

Due to the popular response I've decided to issue two columns a week instead of one. I will post one at the beginning (monday/tuesday) of the week and then one at the end (friday). Otherwise, it would just take to long to get through all of them.
Keep in mind the questions might change from time to time (especially as technology changes), and I'm looking to provide other formats as well (audio/video).

I hope you all find this to be a fun/exciting journey as we get to learn a bit more about each other and why we love technology & education.

Ana Maria Menezes
blog: http://lifefeast.blogspot.com/

1. Where do you live? Uberlandia/Minas Gerais/Brazil
2. How long have you been working w/ technology/education? 20 years w/ education, 4 years w/ technology + education
3. What OS/platform fo you use for your work? Windows
4. What is your favorite Web 2.0/21st Century tool and why? My favourite web 2.0 tool is my blog. By blogging I've discovered I have a voice in the world which can be heard by like-minded people. It's the space where I test web tools, share projects I develop, and most of all , meet people who are interested in the same area. I also love twitter because of the amount of information shared in a short amount of time.
5. What is the biggest misconception about technology? My favourite web 2.0 tool is my blog. By blogging I've discovered I have a voice in the world which can be heard by like-minded people. It's the space where I test web tools, share projects I develop, and most of all , meet people who are interested in the same area. I also love twitter because of the amount of information shared in a short amount of time.
6. What are the biggest hurdles you face as a technology educator? School educators are normally reluctant to changes. Their biggest fear is that technology might interfere with the quality of classes.
   
   As a teacher trainer, I try to help teachers overcome their fear of not mastering the use of technology and dare to explore unknown grounds. I always say "If I was able to learn how to use these tools, so can you."
7. What has been your biggest success in technology integration? I've tried several tools with my students, developing different projects, but one I thought was really successful was a project I developed with 15-19 year old EFL Brazilian students (intermediate level), where once a month they would write a post in their own blogs. They also visited each other blogs and left comments. By choosing their own theme for the blog, and being free to express their own ideas in the blog, I noticed they finally found their voice in English. They noticed that even though they were making mistakes, they could still express themselves.
8. What has been your biggest setback in technology integration? Students in Brazil still associate the use of internet only with leasure, therefore, when we propose something different like doing homework using the internet, they are a bit resistant. However, when you involve them in communicating with the world then they can understand why technology can offer them something they can't get only from books and classes.
9. Who/what has been your biggest inspiration in technology/education? My number one inspiration is Carla Arena, an EFL teacher in Brasilia who introduced me to the wonderful world of edutech. She's an enthusiastic blogger and explorer of new web possibilities.
10. Where do you see technology integration heading in the future? I see a big change in education in the future. With technology students don't need to be at the same place anymore. They are not restrained to teachers from their own country or teachers nearby. Anyone can learn from their own homes and from anyone in the world. Our role as teachers will change too, we are not the givers anymore, we are helpers, guides and facilitators.

Fun

1. What is your favorite book? The Illuminator
2. What is your favorite movie? The color of Paradise

Next on Cyber Studio: Tarak Brahmi