My Teacher My Hero

The Department of Education is spearheading the celebration of the National Teachers’ Month, an advocacy that began in 2008 as an idea by DepEd Secretary Brother Armin Luistro together with Metrobank Foundation, Inc. president Chito Sobrepeña to recognize the contribution of Filipino teachers in shaping the country’s future leaders. It was President Noynoy Aquino who signed Presidential Proclamation 242 declaring the period from Sept. 5 to Oct. 5 of every year as “National Teachers’ Month” (NTM).

A lot of activities have been lined up to celebrate the NTM, with individuals, corporations and organizations mobilized in a multi-sectoral effort across the entire country to create a strong advocacy that “cultivates a Filipino culture that celebrates all teachers’ service and heroism,” the NTM Coordinating Council said.

Teaching is perhaps one of the most underpaid professions but despite the low pay, a lot of teachers never waver in their passion and idealism to mold the minds of our young people. In many parts of the country, teachers walk for hours and use their own resources to buy chalk, etc. just to fulfill their calling. During elections, they serve as board of election inspectors and in the process put their lives at risk. In fact, there have been too many stories about teachers dying just to protect the sanctity of the ballot especially in election hot spots like Maguindanao.

People shouldn’t have to wait for the National Teachers’ Month to say “thank you” to these everyday heroes.


The source article copy and paste this link in your browser to continue reading the complete article

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/bacolod/opinion/2012/09/29/pacete-my-teacher-my-hero-245483

http://ezinearticles.com/?My-Teacher,-My-Hero&id=7823579

Book review: ‘The Smartest Kids in the World: And How They Got That Way’ by Amanda Ripley

The deeper Ripley goes, however, the less certain she is of the answer to our school problem. Teachers in the high-scoring countries give their students more rigorous assignments and get more support from parents, principals and students for demanding work than teachers do in the United States. Ripley embraces that key concept. But some of those nations share the American habit of thinking that not all students need rigor.

The source article copy and paste this link in your browser to continue reading the complete article
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/review-the-smartest-kids-in-the-world-and-how-they-got-that-way-by-amanda-ripley/2013/09/20/6214e32e-1a14-11e3-8685-5021e0c41964_story.html

The Best Educational Apps and Games for Kids

Children of all ages are sharpening their growing brains with technology. With the sea of apps that all claim to be "educational," though, let's discuss which ones are really the best for our kids.

Schools have long been using software and video games to teach kids, of course (any one else play The Oregon Trail?). With tablets, advanced gaming systems, and other modern achievements, kids can also be learning all the time at home (maybe even unbeknownst to them)—and have fun all the while.

The source article copy and paste this link in your browser
http://lifehacker.com/the-best-educational-apps-and-games-for-kids-1302569890

Teacher’s shoes

After all I’ve said, I believe there’s no other work as fulfilling as teaching our students. There’s this saying that I agree with: “Though there are bad things that are happening, still, good things are as infinite as the raindrops when it’s raining.” For me, teaching is like being in love. You are in ecstasy. You feel great the whole time even if you’ve had a bad day. You know you are fulfilled but you can’t describe it, no words can truly capture what you’re feeling inside. Even if you’re tired as hell.

Yeah, there’s no money in teaching—but the everyday connection with our students is just so priceless. Even if we gathered all the money in the whole wide world, it will never have value compared to what we undergo and are about to undergo. We may never be rich in our job, but our lives are getting richer every day.  Read the source opinion in the Philippine Inquirer at this link

http://opinion.inquirer.net/59821/teachers-shoes

For Filipinos, English proficiency is fading sadly...

For example, those doctors, nurses, seamen, teachers, domestic helpers (and really just college graduates in general) who speak English well have an edge on the rest and are able to work abroad, thanks largely to their competency in English. They help make Philippine migrant workers one of the largest migrant worker groups in the world. Indeed, the more than 10 million Filipino workers abroad have managed to prop up the Philippine economy by sending some $16 billion back home to their families last year, amounting to the fourth largest level of total remittances in the world, and accounting for almost 12 percent of the country’s entire GDP. Indeed, remittances from overseas workers have time and again made it possible for the country to survive many crises, and they will perhaps help it weather the current financial crisis.

Since the economy depends on the ofw and the call centers for a major part of its spending power,,,,,its like the ostrich has stuck his head in the sand ignoring English is the economic driver of the the country!

Call-center agents, Filipinos chatting on their headsets to inquiring English-speaking customers half a world away, were supposed to provide the answer to the Philippines’ economy. They could be drawn from the country’s famously large pool of English speakers to tap into the lucrative offshoring and outsourcing (O&O) market.

But employers in the industry say they now have to reject 95 of 100 job applicants because their English proficiency is inadequate.

A country where spoken English once ranked as an official language has seen its collective proficiency slide over the years, even as the economic importance of the english has grown. The decline stems in part from nationalist campaigns to promote Filipino and from inattention in schools, which the government is taking steps to undo.

Employers say it is increasingly difficult to find people with adequate English, and some O&O employers think the labor supply has dried up.

English once dominated

The shortage is ironic given that the Philippines once boasted, with some justification, of being the world’s third largest Anglophone country.


If students’ math and science scores are poor, their performance in English is even worse.
“If we do not supply the demand, then we will lose our business,” Garcia says. “We will always need the English language.”  Teachers please take note too!


Read the complete articles here at this link
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-Pacific/2010/0510/For-Filipinos-English-proficiency-is-fading


http://english.safe-democracy.org/2009/01/21/the-philippines-still-grappling-with-english/

How and Why to Teach Your Kids to Code

 click the links to read the articles

I Raised My Kids On the Command Line...and They Love It

Hopscotch HD Introduces Kids to Programming

Whether or not your child grows up to be the next Zuckerberg, programming is a highly useful skill for him or her to learn. It teaches vital problem-solving, creativity, and communication skills. Plus, it can be downright fun for you both. Here are some of the best tried-and-true apps for teaching kids of all ages how to code. Read…

http://lifehacker.com/how-and-why-to-teach-your-kids-to-code-510588878

Universities bolster MOOCs for online learning

Coursera offers an array of free, non-credit, college-level courses online

Millions of people worldwide have signed up for these massive, open online courses
Involvement of entire state university systems may show a new level of acceptance of MOOCs
Public universities and systems in nine states say they'll join a push to greatly expand and improve online learning.

Coursera, a Silicon Valley-based company, is announcing today that it will partner with university systems in Colorado, Georgia, New York, Tennessee and Texas to develop and evaluate the potential of technology that is fueling dramatic changes in how higher education is designed and delivered. Partnerships with several state flagship universities also are being announced, bringing to more than 70 the number of schools or systems working with the company.

Coursera is one of a handful of young companies or non-profit groups that offer an array of free, non-credit, college-level courses to anyone who has an Internet connection and a desire to learn.
Millions of people worldwide have signed up for these massive, open online courses — known as MOOCs. Their key features include short videos and interactive quizzes that provide instant feedback. Some educators worry that colleges and universities are rushing to adopt such technology without considering concerns about quality and impact.  Read the full article here at USAToday link

 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/05/30/universities-coursera-moocs-online-learning/2371421/