Graduation time is here, BaW11ers!!!
BaW11
Becoming a Webhead 2011, better known as BaW11, was another very successful session for the 8th consecutive year. Daf and I (Teresa) coordinated a fabulous team of moderators, all of them former BaW participants, namely, Sharon (USA), Dennis (USA), Fernanda (Portugal), Jose Antonio/JA (Brazil), Mbarek (Morocco), Larissa (USA), Anisoara (Romania) and Helen (France). And we had a very welcome newcomer, Valentina Sitnik (Russia). Thank you all for a fantastic job, great enthusiasm and constant commitment! :-)
This team was backed up by an equally fantastic group of Guest Speakers, most of them longtime friends, Webheads and faithful collaborators: BJ Berquist, Graham Stanley, Michael Coghlan, Rubena St Louis and Rita Zeinstejer. Claudio Azevedo (week 4) was a newcomer. All the presentations were a huge success and extremely enlightening. Thank you to all our speakers! :-)
Last but not least, a special word about 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 BaW11 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, non-stoppable and stressful 5 weeks. Kudos to you all!!!
A "mini UN"
Baw 2011, with its 287 members from 56 countries spanning the 5 continents, is truly a global community or, as I have always defined it, a mini UN.
This year we had participants from Albania, a first timer (1), Algeria (1), Argentina (13), Armenia, a first timer (2), Australia (4), Azerbaijan, a firt timer (1), Bolivia, a first timer (1), Brazil (16), Canada (8), Chile (1), Colombia (2), Costa Rica (1), Croatia (3), Cyprus (1), Czech Republic (1), Dominican Republic, a first timer (1), Egypt (8), England/UK (9), France (4), Germany (3), Greece (5), India (3), Indonesia (2), Iran (2), Iraq, a first timer (4), Israel (1) , Italy (8), Japan (1), Lebanon, a first timer (1), Malaysia (2), Mexico (4), Morocco (15) - great PR job, Mbarek!! kudos to you!!!! -, New Zealand (2), Nigeria (3), Pakistan (1), Panama, a first timer (1), Paraguay, a first timer (1), Peru (1), Philippines (3), Portugal (1), Romania (3), Russia (7), Saudi Arabia (3), Serbia (2), Slovenia (2), South Korea (1), Spain (5), Sudan (1), Thailand (1), Togo (1), Trinidad and Tobago (1), Tunisia (2), Turkey (3), UAE (4), Ukraine (5), Uruguay (2), USA (25), Uzbekistan (1), Venezuela (7), Vietnam (1) and Yemen, a first timer (1). After such a great performance during these 5 weeks, I can only say that I just wish the authentic UN worked as well and as collaboratively as we do! :-)
BTW, 8 rounds of BaW later, we have reached over two thousand colleagues in 98 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. How rewarding that is! :-)
(Clickable map)
A very "special" announcement
I (meaning Teresa) am very honored to tell you that two weeks ago I was invited by the Director of the Training Institute of the Far Northeastern University in Yakutsk, Siberia, to give a 7-day workshop to a group of English teachers from the university and schools in the Republic of Yakutia. This is my second visit to Yakutsk in less than a year and our own dear Larissa is responsible for all this. I leave on Feb. 21 and arrive back home on Mar. 5. I'm going to see a lot of very dear friends. Departure is only a week away! Wowwee!!!!!!
I'd like to add that I took lots of photos last year and only a couple hundred are online in my Flickr account. You can them by clicking here. Well, one of them caught the attention of a German Architecture magazine, published in paper, called Bauwelt. They asked my permission to publish it and here's the whole story.
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 suggested that it be "used as BAW06 anthem" and Daf and I agreed.
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 BaW11ers' 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 go to the page)
BaW11 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 2011"! João, my husband, baked this BaW 2011 cake with eleven candles, each one with its own very special meaning! Have a slice!
Certificates
Finally, no BaW workshop would be complete without a symbolic Certificate of Participation to all participants.
Families - neglected husbands, wives and children - weren't forgotten! Here's our token of appreciation for your patience and understanding! It was definitely worth it! :-)
Time to 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, hopefully attending our party today, Daf and I now invite you to join our "mother group", the Webheads in Action.
Welcome! We hope you feel part of a big cyberfamily and as fulfilled and challenged as Daf and I have been for 9 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 pages, blogs or wikis.
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!
(Click the image below and enjoy!)
And BaW11 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 BaW11 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 with all the tools, all the materials remain online ad eternum (or as long as the platforms exist!). And the BaW11 team stays around for the rest of the year to help, collaborate and... continue learning with everyone else. After all, we are a group of lifelong learners.
By the time BaW12 comes along, I hope you 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 BaW11 page today and face "the first day of life after BaW" tomorrow, Daf and I (Teresa) would like to heartily say a last "Thank you" to all our fabulous guest speakers, moderators, and participants for a fantastic job and perseverance to the last day, and for having made this 8th 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.
Daf and Teresa in the suburbs of Valencia, Spain (Mar 2005)
Here's to you all!! Thank you!!!
See you in life after BaW11!
Teresa and Daf on behalf of the BaW 2011 team!
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