Monday, June 29, 2009

Getting an A

Dear Mr. J.B.,


I got my A because I am a more passionate "showgirl" in my classroom. I have learned to manage my time, resources and energy to come up with a bag of tricks i have designed for the entertainment, enjoyment and growth of my students.



I am a teacher reformed by my experience in teaching Special Ed. I smile more openly to my students and colleagues. I welcome each class with an unwavering vigor, because I know that I am blessed to love what I do.

I no longer seek to punish students who are lazy. I seek to recognize their efforts and their good points. When I enter a grade on the computer, I try to think far ahead into the future and see how a grade would impact my student's future?


I am now preparing for a presentation for my colleagues on how to enrich their bacg of tricks in the classroom using technology. I am excited to share with them the wonders of podcasting, short videos and, online collaboration. I am thrilled to help them befriend technology.


Thank you for being an A profoessor.

oh the drama

there are times when i can do with a little drama, and then of course there are times when I wish I can be spared of it.

a few days ago, i have been approached by my co-teachers about my transfer back to the middle school. when they asked me how i felt about being transferred, i said, it was okay, it was like coming back home. i'm not overjoyed and leaping and dancing, but i welcome the idea of going back to a place that has made me a better teacher. i am glad to return to a family of not just co-workers, but also friends.

it did not occur to me that most of my coworkers at the HS would think that i requested the transfer.

i didn't.


my transfer back to the MS meant that someone from the MS would have to be transferred to the SH to cover my position. this teacher was not so happy with this change/transfer. she was upset.

i didn't understand why she was upset. but then again, when i got the job two years ago, wasn't too excited either. what baffled me about her reaction was the fact that she is a more experienced teacher than me. i did't think i had anything to tell her that she didn't already know.


i wish her and my kids the best.

in the world of possibility, this may be a whole new world of wonderful adventures.

Sunday, June 28, 2009

lighting a spark

Roz and Ben Zanders shared stories in a world of possibilities when someone entertains, or even embrace the possibility in an otherwise hopeless situation.

I'm sure you've all had teachers who have lit a spark in your life, one way or another. They have left a warm ember in your heart that you kept within you, and before you know it, it had lit up inside of you and have resided in there, with a steady burn.

Although I'm an English teacher, it was not my favorite subject in school. It was not because I did have excellent teachers, it's just that my Social Studies teachers have always lit a spark in me.


I have always maintained close ties with my first batch of students. Most teachers will never forget the first batch of kids that they taught. On the weekend before my birthday, I saw 3 of my former students, all professionals, all grown up.





It always gives me pride to see them, and how well they have succeeded in life. We talked about their high school days, the laughable moments and the silly stunts they pulled. I look at the man and two ladies and for myself, I wish that from then until my last teaching day, I can light a at least a tiny spark in my students' life.

scratch that...

i'm one of those kids who get very excited about new things. a new kin d of shampoo, new seasoning mix, a new candy flavor, new book.


a new program to create games.... hmmmm.


and so last year in my mythology class, i thought of using scratch. We didn't really get too far with it. I was a bat frustrated because I felt like an idiot most of the time. But then again, I wasn't a student of EDMT yet so it was not natural (yet) for me to get my fingers dancing on the keys to type and search for video tutorials.


I saw the video tutorials about scratch. it was simple enough, but I think someone, if not me, can make an easier and a simpler and ,ore effective video tutorial. My teacher in our Digital Media and Education Applications class have ingrained a standard in me about length and coverage of video tutorial. "keep it short and simple; break it down."


i'm gonna try scratch with my mythology class again. Maybe we'll get farther this year. :)

Here's Showing you what I Know

Wow, This is it, the last day. Unbelievable. No bull, I didn't think I would like this course as much as I do. I love this course, I've learned so much about different aspects of Media Presentation, and I am embarrassed to say that I haven't even seen all of the tech advice my teacher has prepared for us. No excuses, Sir B. I do want to take your course, (I mean audit it) because I think I want to learn more so I can share more with my kids.


In terms of my final media project, I am still undecided as to which media I will use. I have learned though that thoughtful planning and insightful thinking are both beneficial for a good choice. I am comfy with making slide show with audio, but is that the best medium for mt thesis presentation. I'm still not sure.


Here's what I know though. Technology, or media presentation tools in particular have been created to make the teaching and learning experience mire dynamic and engaging. This generation of students are more challenging to engage, and it is up to us, to keep up their interest. It is our responsibility to give them our best so that we can cultivate the best in them. (yes, this is still, no bull doodoo).



I have my first day of camp tomorrow, and I still have last day of school, as in my work, so I can't make it to my first class in camp. I could have easily just asked for a substitute and give my kids some busy work until I can meet them on Tuesday.
BUT...

I want them to feel that I am thinking about them, and I am excited about learning with them.


Paper or plastic"

Eerr, I mean a letter or something else?


I got on my trusty Mac and recorded a laughable video of me talking to them since I can't be with them live.



I used Keynote, got some images off the nest and pasted their URLs, and voila, uploaded it on YouTube.

And oh, this is also to show my latest action figure.


Of course I could've made an a longer video, but then I had to stop myself and assess the situation. I just want to introduce them to the course. That 3 minute video is actually long and cold be edited, now that I think about it, but then there's tomorrow, and the next day and that gives me time to think of exploring other media to use in class.


I'm thinking of trying Mr. Smith's top picks of free 3D animation software for my class. I'm so excited, I'm so excited!!!!


Thanks Mr. B, for giving us some direction to make our presentation skills better, and more organized (crossing my fingers on that).

Friday, June 26, 2009

gym happy


i went back to gym after, oh two months. it took me long enough, huh? i have so many excuses i don't even know where to begin.

today was quite difficult, but the endorphons kicked in. i feel that i have ,melted a bite out of the cupcake i just ate yesterday.

48 thousand more calories to go.
48 red velvet cupcakes to go
5 cream puffs.
5 pieces of party puto.


huff huff huff.


i can do this.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Stick-'em!

Last night, the numero uno team chupacabras prime and our dear instructor for MAC got together last night for a session in skype and stickam.

We are so high-tech, I feel like a Jetson, I kid you not!

It never fails to bring me joy and excitemetn to talk about technology and its application to my everyday life and in the classroom, I really feel like a walking talking advertisement for FSO. I know it tickels the socks off of my mom when I tell her about a nerw thing I've learned in school, or a new gadget. Part of it is excitement and the other half is the joy, that there is something I can share with my mom, or teach her. Every now and then I would call her up when I have a grammar4 question that I can't seem to find an answer to. Thank goodness for international calling and the popularity of mobile phones in the Philippines.

Anyway, so the gang and Mr. Joe shared inisghts and of course a few laughs on some of the week's topics. i got kicked out a few times and managed to get back in live, a few minutes before we ended our session. Thank goodness we were on skype so I can still gen into the conversation as I tried to log in 48 million times.

Stickam still has a lot of glitches, but hey, it's free. I know pretty soon the web 2.0 community will come up with a fortified and more nutritious version.

I'm thinking of recommending stickam to my former students in the Philippines who are trying to organize their 10th year reunion. They have met on a conference chat via yahoo messenger. Although I am a loyal YM user,I can alreasy foresee the chaos of having 17 twenty somethings trying to group chat purely by text.

I told them to take advil 30 minutes before the conference.

I initally thoughtof Wimba, but then again, it's not a free program.

So thanks, Mr. Joe B, for introducing us to stickam.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Wk3 Ron Smith Interview Interactive Q & As

1. What is the name of the school where Mr. Ron Smith teaches?
Media Academy in Hollywood High School,
Hollywood California

2. What is the specialization of the Media Academy in terms of training students?

Mr. Smith teachers the students anything related to media as a training for the media industry in Hollywood.

3. According to Mr. Smith, what type of media do his students gravitate to?

Usually Flash animation and Video



4. In terms of engaging using technology in engaging his students, how does Mr. Smith view his class and his students?
Mr. Smith views his classroom like a laboratory and tests whatever new technology he has read up on or heard of on his students. Examples are podcasts and text messaging when they came out.



5. What presentation technology do teachers use that are already outdated for today’s students?
Examples of technology that are still used in the classroom that are not considered relevant to students are : power point, overhead projectors, and word documents projected on screen.

6. Why is digital media such as Flash, as a presentation tool, such a hard sell for most teachers?
It is a hard sell for most teachers to use digital media because it is
time consuming .


7. What is Scratch?

It is an open source software that lets you create your own game online or in your own computer.



8. What is SketchUp?
It is a Google program that lets you create 3D models.


9. What is Blender?
It is an open source 3D animation software.


10. How does Mr. Smith introduce the software to his students?

He does not tell too much information to his students, and he lets them explore and play with t on their own.

Saturday, June 20, 2009

First thoughts on The Art of Possibility



photo from : www.coverbrowser.com

The Art of Possibility - Stepping Into A Universe of Possibilities

Let me just start that had this book could not have come to me, (even as a required reading) ata better time. I used to be one of those “too cool to care, or too cool to be kind” people, and I was too cool to be caught with an inspirational book.

Fast forward to June 2009, and I am loving every page of this book. I think if we “feed” a little bit of this book to every American, we will be a nation of shiny happy people. Organically happy. Seriously. There is just too much negativity in our society.

So much fear. So much hating. So much worrying.


You know I thought when I came to live here in the USA, I would be happier or my life would be better. Well, it is now. But before I got to this point of happiness and peace, I must say that I was more worried about making it here in US compared to making it in the Philippines. I am not putting the blame on America. I am pointing my fingers at our culture of fear, commercialism and our massive superiority complex. The bottom line is, even though we are more comfortable compared to other people living in less affluent countries, most of us are still not happy. I know I wasn’t.


I had to be reborn spiritually to come to where I am now.

And so I embrace the Zanders’ book with a warm hug. Here are a couple of thoughts on the first chapter.


On the two marketing scouts for a shoe company

“ A shoe factory sends two marketing scouts to a region of Africa to study the prospects for expending business. One sends back a telegram saying

SITUATION HOPELESS STOP NO ONE WEARS SHOES

The other write back triumphantly

GLORIOUS BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY STOP THEY HAVE NO SHOES


Needless to say, this anecdote cracked me up. After a few moments of settling my laughter, this story made me reflect on my which kind of person I am. The anecdote made me ask myself, which one am I? Am I the like the first scout or am I like the second scout? I was very much like the first scout for most of my life. It’s been two years now that I seem to be more and more like the second scout.

When I resigned from work and got rehired by my district as a Special Ed High School English teacher, I was scared and worried. At one point I was grateful for getting rehired. However I also felt sorry for myself for being stuck with the school’s baddest of the bad. For a hile too, I thought I was being punished for making hasty decisions.

What a trip!


What was I thinking?! Teaching special ed has been a great blessing! It really is. And to quote my “kids” I say teaching special ed is a blessing. Dead ass. Do you want to know why? Because not every teacher can teach special ed and live to tell the tale. Being that I have been blessed to be in this field for 12 years now, I suppose you can say I have the right to say what I said.

Teaching special ed, for me was not a punishment. It was a privilege. It was a privilege to teac my kids and to be a able to get to know then. I feel that I have learned so much from my two years. I feel that I emerged from my experience a better teacher, equipped with new skills.

This coming school year, I am moving back to my original home, the middle school. My principal was able to get first pick, and I feel so loved that he asked for me to come back. A part of me is sad to leave my kids. We have a strong bond already. But see, If I wallow in sadness, then I would not see that I am embarking on a new adventure at the middle school.

I choose to step into the universe of possibility.





“We grow up in a world of measurement, and in this world, we get to know each other and things by measuring them (p. 18) ”

I was immediately struck by the similarity of this message to a passage from The Little Prince. There was part in the beginning of the story when Antoine de Saint Exupery’s pilot’s character when he was describing how grown ups put importance in numbers. This is so true. Sometimes, when I catch myself giving in to self pity because I don’t earn as much money as my childhood friends, I tell myself off and remind myself how blessed I am to love what I do. My fiancĂ© reminds me every now and then, of how happy he is that I love my job. He’s right. I do love what I do. Who wouldn’t love waking up in the morning and preparing for a day full of surprises,( both pleasant and otherwise?) Who wouldn’t love playing dress up for school , dressing up for a show? Who would not love hanging out with teenagers and inviting them to express how they feel about stories written by people who have long gone, or of stories from another place and time, either real or imagined?


I know I do.


And though from time to time I am still plagues by values of measurement, I try my best to look at life as little adventures and my successes with them. After all, there is always something gained from experience, be it a good or a bad one.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Neil Gaiman-topia

I am a huge Neil Gaiman fan. my favorite book is American Gods. As soon as I finished the book, I became obsessed with the idea of putting up my dream cast for the movie version that I wish they would make. Of course there is no movie version. Yet. I am hopeful that some Hollywood execs might pick it up and make thousands of fan like moi, very mvery happy.


The premise of AMerican Gods is quite similar to another Brit great, Douglas Adams' Long Dark Teatime of the Soul. The only twist is, Ragnarok in Gaiman's novel take place between the old gods of ancient mythology and the new "American" gods such as Money, Technology, Media, etc.


I'm gonna sopt before I drool on my mom's netbook.

Anyway, as I was re-reading my favorite book I am already forming a dream team in my head. Shadow can be played by The Rock, his cheating wife can be played by Renee Zellweger. Johnny Depp can play the role of Wednesday (Odin) . Eminem can be a deity of television or MTV.


It is indeed an amazing and sometimes mind blowing thing to really absorb how many books are published each year. SO many books, so little time. And not much money to create film versions of the books. sigh.

I am still hoping for American Gods on the big screen. I'm hoping it's the real, old school hollywood movie without too much CGI, but any attempt will do.

Any takers?

33



I turned 33 today. and like birthdays past, I spent a few minutes thinking of my mother. at how things were with her life when she was my age. it always amazes me how simlilar and different we are. at 33, she has three kids aged 16, 15, and 11. She was a single mom earning a living for 3 kids.

as for me, i am thousands of miles away from my mom and brothers. this is my 8th birthday away from them, and although it gets easy, there is till a part of me that wishes i can spend my day with them.

enough of the drama, for this is a day of thanksgiving to God. I am so blessed to be here, year 33, alive, fighting the fight and living with more love for everyone. this birthday is more special because I am in the middle (or 3/4, rather) of my master's degree program, I am engaged to my mahal, and most of all, I am saved.


I went out to lunch with my tutees today. They are an important part of my life. They teach me as much as I teach them. Indeed, the Lord has blessed me with them, because I get to experience the joy of being like a parent to them. I am so proud of them.

MAC Class Wimba Week 3

Post 1

I've forgotten how I first felt about Wimba. Man, it's been 9 mos. We are almost there.
When i tell people about my online courses at FSO, most of them are amazed and awed at how "hi-tech" my classes must be. Last month, Dr. Siegel used the video/webcam feature of Wimba so we can actually see each other as we talk and ask questions, and discuss the week's topics. I had so much fun seeing my classmates on video. This month we continued having the web cam feature on and with my current professor, classes been going well.

I bet that when I get the chance to tell my graduate story experience to my former colleagues and students, their jaws would drop. really. Man, I used to imagine classes like this when I was a kid. Seriously. Well, at first I used to imagine that we can talk on the phone and see each other, and then I used to play pretend where my "teacher" would be somewhere in another country and we would "watch" her teach us from our own classroom in the Philippines. Well, it's really here and i totally blows mind when , now at 2009, this online class is a reality.


Did I mention that though we are hi-tech now, some things never change?
We would pass notes to each other during class. :)

Monday, June 15, 2009

On Being Christian and Harry Potter

I became a born again Christian on January 27, 2007. It was literally and figuratively being a new person. I am a new Christian, a toddler if you can call it, so I have a lot more learning to do.

As I walk with Lord, I have come to face my past. One of my past is being quite the Harry Potter fan. I remember getting involved in heated discussions with "narrow-minded" parents who have strongly opposed reading HP in the English class. I remember a lot of things from my old life, and I just shake my head and laugh to myself. Now back to "the one who lived." I remember reading the 7th book in record time, 7 hours and 10 minutes. I read the book within 24 hours. I', sure I'm not the only one with such fanatic tendencies.

But since becoming a Christian, I just felt a natural ebbing away of my enthusiasm regarding anything Harry Potter. I have not even had a recent viewing of any for the 5 movies (all of which I have on DVD) OI have all 8 books in on my shelves, but for some reason, the excitement is not there.

I am glad to have read Chapter 5 of Convergence Culture. I can relate to the dilemma of which side to take. What is a Christian to do?

I was enlightened that some Christians are taking different approaches to deal with Harry Potter and how huge it has become in our culture. I agree with some christian groups who have taken discernment as an approach to look at HP and use it as a means of
strengthening our faith and evaluate the book from a Christian standpoint. I still give credit to JK Rowling for creating readers in a generation of computers, TV, and video games.

I am not going to burn my copies of HP. Maybe on of these days, after grad school, I will read it again and look at it from a Christian discernment standpoint, and maybe share something with my students in Sunday school.

Sunday, June 14, 2009

THE STAR WARS SAGA

I have mixed emotions about Quentin Terentino’s StarWars Chapter (Jenkins, 2006). For one thing, Jenkin’s discussion illuminated both the fans and the creator/artists side of creative convergence on the whole Star Wars universe. I definitely gained insights from both sides. At first, I sided with the Star Wars fan in their battle against Lucas and his big guns. This is why I recall definitely enjoying watching the Southpark brat pack jab at George Lucas in their signature irreverent humor. In that particular south park episode, George Lucas’s character was portrayed as overprotective , lawsuit-happy artist who acted like a diva and would not allow any change, be it major or minor to be done on any of his “works” without his approval.

The age of internet has definitely brought a forceful change in the artist/creator-fan dynamics. Fans can gather in cyberspace and discuss anything and everything they want about their favorite artwork and or artist. These discussions can also inspire creative fan work as an homage to the artist. I can see how this is exciting for any hardcore fan of comic books or film. Indeed, the internet has provided the venue and platform to which fans can meet and interact without even stepping our of their doorsteps.

On a personal note, As much as I am thrilled to find and interact kindred spirits. I am more of a purist. I let the artist do as s/he pleases. I respect the artist’s work and I’d like to leave her/him in peace. I suppose the Star Wars fans are a different breed of fans. They really hard core, and they,live, eat and breathe Star Wars. I guess I’m what you may call a distant or a diluted Star Wars fan. I have a few action figures, a talking Yoda doll that every new guest has to pose with for pictures. I love Kevin Smith movies because Jay and Silent Bob always makes cultural reference about GL and Star Wars. Yada yada yada. I geddit, some of us can’t seem to get enough of it, so much so they have perverted some of the characters and wrote erotic fan fiction about Star Wars Characters. I mean, really? The only hot character I can marginally consider as hot is Han Solo, but then I’ve had a crush on him as Indiana Jones.

I take the side of GL on this erotic fan fiction thing. I mean, those works are simply disrespectful and irresponsible. Discussion boards and offshoot stories are fine. I think they actually help enrich he Star Wars universe that GL may not (gasp) have thought of. Point in case is the game aspect of the Star Wars business empire. The game developer has acknowledged that he used the help of Star Wars fan to recreate a richer Star Wars environment since they obviously know a lot about the SW world that he does. In this case, two heads is better than one. Parodies may be fine to a certain extent and to a certain degree of humor, Star Wars erotica is stepping over the line.

On Being A Potterhead

I am a Harry Potter Fan. I am such a huge fan I attended two midnight parties just so I can get my shaking and caffeine powered hands on the book as soon as it is released to the muggle world.


These pictures were taken on July 16, 2005. The pretty lady I am with in the picture, sporting the same Griffyndor rugby shirt is my partner in crime and bestfriend, Charly.

We had so much fun that night, and we got many compliments on our shirts, which we bough at Old Navy. We found some party pooper Slytherin students in our local Barnes and Noble so for the sake of the book, they agreed to take a photo with us.







Sunday, June 7, 2009

The American idol Phenom

Yes, I also used to watch American Idol.

Yes, I have, at one point called the 1866 or 1800 to cast my vote.

I love Kelly Clarkson.

The chapter on American Idol brought back memories of eagerly making it home in time to plop myself in front of the TV and yell out loud to it, either in glee or indignation at the talents and/or lack thereof on the contestants. The cattiness of Simon Cowell was also amusing.

Reading Jenkins book was amusing too. I can definitely say I am one of the people he's talking about. Yes, I was guilty of voting for Jasmine Trias, the Hawaiian contestant because of her Filipino ancestry.

What blew my mind (a bit) was how it took one show to fast forward the popularity of what now is seemingly and indispensable means of communication : texting. FI\inally, America embraced the wonderful world of text messaging. Finally, we caught up with the other half of the world who has used text messaging for quite some time now.


Again, the question the bugged me was, can we use text messagins for a greater good other than teach our youth how to be creative spellers?


I kid you not. In the Philippines, since we don't have 911, one can just text his/her friendly police station for help.


gah.

Spoilers and Survivor

I admit. I was a survivor fan. Had I been a hardcore one, I would've really enjoyed visiting the spoiler sites. At some degree, I can understand the obsession and the mind play that came along with unraveling the mysteries of location, casting and order of contestants being booted off. The whole angle about ChillOne's real identity and the speculations that ChillOne may be Mark Burnett himself was fun reading for me.


It just makes me wonder : If total strangers can come together and rally behind a reality TV show. Can we turn this power of convergence for the common good?

I sure hoppe we're getting there.

What I know

learning is not an individual endeavor. im m experience with my classes in FSO, i learn ed most from the experience and knowledge of my selfless and super helpful classmates.


I have discovered this shortcut to upload slides into iphoto, which i can then use for imovie.

week 1 videos

this new class is a great tool for us to streamline our media projects and polish some rough ends on the skills and knowledge we have acquired in the past several months.

i like how organized my professor is. his videos are also short, to the point and easy to understand. so far the book we have on convergence culture has been interesting, but i don't find it as engaging. maybe chapter 3 will shed some light on it.


food for thought : Just because a media is cool and complex doesn't mean it's always the best choice to use for a presentation.


must remember that.

Friday, June 5, 2009

It's about time

background music : it's about time by the lemonheads

Oh bo, by george, can you believe it, it's month 9 already!!! agrh!!!!
unfortunately, all the grad school work has kept me from blogging about mindfarts and the like.

and to continue with the whining... i just realized that neil gaiman has two books i haven't read yet, and i'm buggin out about it. in fact, rick riordan's last book of tbhe Percy Jackson and the Olympian Series is already out and i didn't have a seizure when i didn't get it on the day it came out.

ah me. i'll get back into shape after graduation. it's all good.

for this month in grad school we will be learning how to manage our media assets, hence, hthe course title. so far the book has been entertaining. i'm reading up on the spoilers of the survivor tv show. i can't wait to read the chapter on harry potter.


lots more to learn, and I am psyched!!!!