"In Life, nothing is permanent but change.", said the philosopher Heraclitus . The video is a beautiful and thought provoking one. Finally it is the moments that count the most- moments of happiness, moments of laughter, moments that make a difference. In our race in life ,we tend to forget those moments and when we run to grab them ,they are gone , lost forever. Don't lose the opportunity to catch those moments and leave smiles and laughter that will create memories that can last for a lifetime.This is the life lesson that I learnt this week. I keep forgetting this lesson and it comes back to me in all its majesty to remind me that it is the small moments of happiness and laughter that are in reality the greatest times in our lives.
.It has been a roller coaster ride full of learning and change. The highlights of this week , for me, in our learning hub ,were as follows:
- Finding a partner
- Padlet
- How to thrive and not just survive in a one computer classroom by Glori Chaika
- Twenty Ideas for using mobile phones in a Language Classroom by Hayo Reinders
- Robert Godwin- Jones Emerging Technologies : Autonomous Language Learning.
A New Partnership :
I just feel blessed to have a mentor like
Celeste and finding a partner like
Atyrgul. I look forward to working with my new partner and learning and growing together.
Padlet:
Padlet was amazing. I enjoyed choosing the look and loved the zing in the words that introduces the padlet. I also enjoyed going through different videos and choosing the ones I wanted to place on my padlet.
The activity of how I would use my padlet in class was invigorating. I felt inspired ,especially with the idea of a treasure hunt and piecing the story together. Instinct tells me that my students will just love it.
How to Thrive and not survive in a one computer Classroom:
First of all, I love the rhythm and sound of ' How to thrive and not survive'
Secondly, I was intrigued by the idea of creating 'stations' and 'multiple activities'.
I found the strategies and activities really wonderful-the clues that could be applied to a varied number of activities was one of the springboards of my treasure hunt idea.
Karen Cole's idea was great- assisting the Principal , thereby reaching out to an entire school and helping them by forecasting the weather ,enabling them to get ready with the right clothing for the next day.
Twenty Ideas for using mobile phones in a Language Classroom by Hayo Reinders.
Now this is one article my students would love to get their hands on and they will definitely bless Hayo Reinders for it because use of mobile phones are not permitted for students in school . Both students and parents will definitely welcome the use of mobile phones though each will have a different reason.
On reading the article, I definitely saw and believed that if used in the right manner this was a fantastic tool that encouraged autonomous language learning and my students would not only use it very gladly but go around boasting about it.
I loved the idea of clicking photographs and used it in context with the current events taking place in India- the effect of demonetization on the people.
This article was very interesting and helpful.
Robert- Godwin - Jones' article had its own sets of insights with its perceptive insight of changing times, changing needs and the availability of different resources leading to different opportunities and the rise of different developments:
"The dramatic increase in online resources, network services,
and educational software, together provide new opportunities for self-directed
learning. In the last few years, developments in mobile technology and the
explosion in social media use have accelerated the level of interest."
I agree with the writer that :
"For students mobile devices integrate real-life interests
and academic roles. If learner autonomy is about personal choice, then mobile
should serve as an ideal enabler. Examples of personal choice in action, that
is, case histories of individual learner stories, can be an effective method
for exploring how individual choice can work in a variety of circumstances."
"“Critically aware learners” are the ones who will do well in
a fast-changing world, in which knowledge is far since being fixed."
The writer reflects my own belief and perceptions of the modern age and the need for a dynamic educational system that will provide the students with both roots and wings.
While researching , I came across this video which I would like to share. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did and the class of students in the video did.
While just logging out of my email, I came across this article which can be found :
https://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/33263496/frozen-and-traumatised-puppy-covered-in-industrial-glue-and-left-for-dead-by-children/#page1
Pascal is believed to be no older than four-months-old and was left for dead near an industrial estate in Istanbul, Turkey.
By the time his rescuers discovered the young pup, the glue had hardened into a concrete like substance and one of his ears had lost all blood flow.
Pascal was left for dead by a group of children after they dragged him through the mud, covered in industrial glue
The puppy was so traumatised, he could barely move following his mistreatment.
Pascal required several medical baths to help his terribly infected skin heal
The caretakers at Pascal's medical centre are now seeking donations to help cover his rising medical bills
Videos showing his transformation from malnourished and on the brink of death to a healthy, well-fed puppy has drawn more than a million admirers from across the world, with the rescue centre hoping some donations will be made to help cover his growing medical bills.
“We know his soul will mend in time and the adoptive family will play a major role in this. Our medical team is doing everything for him.”
To help Pascal return to full strength, donations can be made directly to the
He’Art of Rescue.
This makes me realize that even if this has happened in Istanbul, it could have happened anywhere. We as educators need to be alert and in leading our students towards the light of intellectual growth and development, let us never forget and always be alert . Let us make it one of our primary goals to ensure that they value all life and that they evolve into better human beings. Let not the light of the spirit ever become dark because then- even if we have great intellectuals we will have no human beings.Let us give them a heart that bleeds for the weak and helpless and a voice that speaks for the voiceless so that no other Pascal should ever have to face such a traumatic fate at the hands of children.
I look forward to next week- it looks like a huge major mountain for me to climb but I am taking one day at a time and one step at a time. I am leaving you with two inspirational videos-one I liked because the bear cub ... no if I tell you, it will spoil the end . I just felt that it is tragic in life that one animal's food is another animal's life and as we feel relieved that one lived we forget that the other can die -out of starvation because its life rests on the death of another. So one has to lose when another one wins and even when I felt glad, I also felt sad. I wanted both to win.
Wishing each one of you all the best for your final projects and always remember that ,'When the going gets tough, the tough get going' :
Keep Smiling and reach out for the stars to capture your dreams and make them come alive!!!!
