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/

'Take a stand for teachers' and Let’s thank our teachers

In celebration of World Teachers’ Day on Oct. 5, Education Secretary Bro. Armin Luistro urged the nation to look kindly at our mentors and give them the recognition they deserve by saying “Thank You.”
“All of us were once students and we all have at least one teacher who have made a difference in our lives and to whom we owe who we are today,” Luistro said.

Read more
http://manilastandardtoday.com/2012/10/04/lets-thank-our-teachers/

MANILA, Philippines - The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) highlighted the importance of giving teachers the "recognition and support they deserve" as countries celebrate World Teachers' Day today, October 5. It has chosen "Take a stand for teachers" as this year's theme.

"Teachers are the custodians of learning; they impart knowledge, values and skills; at their best, they tap into the hopes and talents of young people and help them to grow into productive citizens. Yet too often, teachers are not given the recognition and support they deserve," said UNESCO director-general Irina Bokova in a message published in the UNESCO website.

"On World Teachers Day, I pay tribute to the millions of teachers around the world who are working with passion and skill to nurture their students and whose influence on our world is potentially profound. Let us recognize that investing in teachers is a wise investment in our efforts to build strong economies, cohesive societies and a future of dignity and opportunity for all," Bokova said

A Digital Tool to Unlock Learning

One way to help students gain agency over their own education is through technology.  A  free Web-based platform CFY developed called PowerMyLearning which contains 1,000 (soon to be 2,800) digital learning activities and games from across the Web that have been carefully selected and categorized by teachers and education specialists.

 

The program appears to have made a big difference especially for struggling students. The school reports that the percentage of last year’s sixth graders with learning disabilities who met or exceeded standards in math (testing at level 3 or 4) increased by 36 percent, while the percentage of students who had been below standard (testing at level 1) decreased from 23 percent to zero.

• Math
• Language Arts
• Science
• Social Studies
• Art & Music
• Computer Programming
• Using Technology
• Your Life

• For Parents
• For Teachers
• CFY Families
• Local Resources

Go to original site http://powermylearning.com/directory/

 

To read the complete NY Times article click here http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/19/a-digital-tool-to-unlock-learning/

Philippine DepEd to hire 61,000 new teachers next year

Education officials on Monday said the department’s P293-billion budget was intended to end the backlog in facilities for public school children.


During the budget hearing, Tinio also pitched for higher pay for volunteer kindergarten teachers, as well as for the regularization of all 23,000 of them. The volunteer teachers get a P3,000 honorarium a month, but could get up to P6,000 if they teach two sessions.

Luistro said about 8,000 of them were scheduled to be regularized in 2013.
 
Aside from hiring 61,000 new teachers, the education department would procure 907,000 seats and 31 million textbooks and other learning materials, Undersecretary Francis Varela said.

Read more here  http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/263532/deped-to-hire-61000-new-teachers-next-year

How To Find Your Own Online Classes

 If you're looking for more or more varied course material, here are some resources to help you find great, university-level online classes that you can take from the comfort of your desk, at any time of day.

• Academic Earth curates an amazing list of video seminars and classes from some of the world's smartest minds, innovators, and leaders on a variety of topics including science, mathematics, politics, public policy, art, history, and more.
• TED talks are well known for being thought provoking, interesting, intelligent, and in many cases, inspiring and informative. We've featured TED talks at Lifehacker before, and if you're looking for seminars on the web worth watching, TED is worth perusing.
• edX is a collection of free courses from leading Universities like the University of California, Berkeley, MIT, and Harvard. There aren't many, but the ones offered are free, open to the public, and they rotate often.
• Coursera has a broad selection of courses in-session or beginning shortly that you can take for academic credit (if you're enrolled) or just a certificate of completion that shows you've learned a new skill. Topics range from science and technology to social science and humanities, and they're all free.
• Udacity offers a slimmer selection of courses, but the ones offered are not only often for-credit, but they're instructor led and geared towards specific goals, with skilled and talented instructors walking you through everything from building a startup to programming a robotic car.
• Education-Portal.com has a list of universities offering free and for-credit online classes to students and the public at large.
• Open Culture's list of free online courses is broken down by subject matter and includes classes available on YouTube, iTunes U, and direct from the University or School's website.
• The Open Courseware Consortium is a collection of colleges and universities that have all agreed to use a similar platform to offer seminars and full classes—complete with notes, memos, examinations, and other documentation free on the web. They also maintain a great list of member schools around the world, so you can visit universities anywhere in the world and take the online classes they make available.
• The Khan Academy offers free YouTube-based video classes in math, science, technology, the humanities, and test preparation and study skills. If you're looking to augment your education or just take a couple video classes in your spare time, it's a great place to start and has a lot of interesting topics to offer.
• The University of Reddit is a crowd-built set of classes and seminars by Reddit users who have expertise to share. Topics range from computer science and programming to paleontology, narrative poetry, and Latin. Individuals interested in teaching classes regularly post to the University of Reddit subthread to gauge interest in future couses and announce when new modules are available.
• The Lifehacker Night School is our own set of tutorials and classes that help you out with deep and intricate subjects like becoming a better photographer, building your own computer, or getting to know your network, among others.

 

Duolingo to the list, its ace for learning a new language! I'm halfway through Spanish at the moment - [duolingo.com]

 

[Saylor.org] is another great resource for free online learning.

 

Read more at http://lifehacker.com/5938782/plan-your-free-online-education-at-lifehacker-u-fall-semester-2012

 

http://lifehacker.com/5938782/plan-your-free-online-education-at-lifehacker-u-fall-semester-2012#extracredit

Best Jobs/ Best Occupations/ Best Courses for 2012

All of our Best Jobs of 2012 are outstanding, but the top 25 make for a particularly great career choice. We’ve ranked them, comparing their projected growth to the year 2020 to their industry’s employment rate. Also contributing to a job’s overall score is its average salary, predicted job prospects, and a quantitative assessment of job satisfaction.
http://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/rankings/the-25-best-jobs

Jobs Rated 2012: Ranking 200 Jobs From Best to Worsthttp://www.careercast.com/jobs-rated/2012-ranking-200-jobs-best-worst

The 10 Best Jobs of 2012http://www.careercast.com/jobs-rated/10-best-jobs-2012

The 20 Best-Paying Jobs For Women In 2012http://www.forbes.com/sites/jennagoudreau/2012/07/16/the-20-best-paying-jobs-for-women-in-2012/

 

U.S. Universities Reshaping Education on the Web

As part of a seismic shift in online learning that is reshaping higher education, Coursera, a year-old company founded by two Stanford University computer scientists, will announce on Tuesday that a dozen major research universities are joining the venture. In the fall, Coursera will offer 100 or more free massive open online courses, or MOOCs, that are expected to draw millions of students and adult learners globally. 

Over the past decade, online instruction has exploded in higher education.
Take the World's Best Courses, Online, For Free.
https://www.coursera.org/

Over 1,000,000 Downloadable Books, Music, and Movies free

The Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge" It offers permanent storage of and free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public-domain books.

http://archive.org/index.php

Free computer science online tutorial service Khan

On Wednesday, free online tutorial service Khan Academy will launch a new series of instructional videos covering the field of computer science.

"This project is going to blow the doors off Computer Science education," boasted Khan's dean of computer science and noted JavaScript programmer John Resig, in a Twitter message. "I have a feeling that people are going to have A LOT of fun with it."

 

Watch. Practice. Learn almost anything for free.

With over 3,300 videos on everything from arithmetic to physics, finance, and history and hundreds of skills to practice, we're on a mission to help you learn what you want, when you want, at your own pace.

 

Khan Academy offers more than 3,000 free instructional videos in various subjects, including math, physics, finance, and history.

 

http://www.khanacademy.org/

 

for more information on computer science go to my blog

http://itphilippines.blogspot.com/

 

Introduction to programming and computer science

Videos

1. Introduction to Programs Data Types and Variables
2. Binary Numbers
3. Python Lists
4. For Loops in Python
5. While Loops in Python
6. Fun with Strings
7. Writing a Simple Factorial Program. (Python 2)
8. Stepping Through the Factorial Program
9. Flowchart for the Factorial Program
10. Python 3 Not Backwards Compatible with Python 2
11. Defining a Factorial Function
12. Diagramming What Happens with a Function Call

1. Recursive Factorial Function
2. Comparing Iterative and Recursive Factorial Functions
3. Exercise - Write a Fibonacci Function
4. Iterative Fibonacci Function Example
5. Stepping Through Iterative Fibonacci Function
6. Recursive Fibonacci Example
7. Stepping Through Recursive Fibonacci Function
8. Exercise - Write a Sorting Function
9. Insertion Sort Algorithm
10. Insertion Sort in Python
11. Stepping Through Insertion Sort Function
12. Simpler Insertion Sort Function

Philippine DOLE extends career coaching for college, high school students

“The activities, which will be in the form of seminars are meant to inform students on key labor market information, including jobs that are in demand and which will be in demand in the next 10 years,” Baldoz said, as she urged students to plan their future career based on these jobs by attending the seminars.  Click here to read more
Related

Guides for Specific Careers

Philippine Career Guide

India Graduates Many, Too Few Fit to Hire (could this be also the Philippines?)

India projects an image of a nation churning out students who are well educated, a looming threat to the middle-class workers of the West. But in reality, companies are having increasing difficulty finding employees.  Problems include overbearing bureaucracy and a focus on rote learning rather than critical thinking and comprehension. The curriculum in most places is outdated and disconnected from the real world. Click here to read complete article

Education Woes in India
Students at SVPM College of Engineering in rural Maharashtra state say their classes got a whole lot more interesting after their professors took a course on how to teach. Click here to read complete article
 

DENR sets deadline for 2011 `eco-friendly´ schools search

What is the best course to take now? Computer scientists and programmers

But engineers are in high demand abroad and a good number of OFWs are highly paid skilled engineers. Then again, not all engineers are created equal. There are also some types of engineers more in demand atcertain times than others. It seems that these days, it is all about computer engineering.
 
As for salaries, NYT reports that “Google is paying computer science majors just out of college $90,000 to $105,000, as much as $20,000 more than it was paying a few months ago. That is so far above the industry average of $80,000 that start-ups cannot match Google salaries.”
The Times continues: “…the shortage of qualified engineers has grown acute in the last six months… Nationwide unemployment among computer scientists and programmers is higher than in other white-collar professions – around five percent… But even with a glut of engineers on the job market, few have the skills that tech companies look for, said Cadir Lee, chief technology officer at Zynga.

“Colleges rarely teach the newer programming languages like PHP, Ruby and Python, which have become more popular at young Web companies than older ones like Java, he said. Other skills, like working with large amounts of data and analytics, can be acquired only at a few companies.”

Philippine Schools take the open road to Free Software for classroom computers

TAKING advantage of free and open source software, a government program has been bringing computers and the skills to use them to public high schools nationwide in an effort to narrow the digital divide.

 all running Edubuntu, a variant of Ubuntu Linux designed for classroom use. “There are significant savings because we chose free and open source software,”

“If you’re a first time user, there is no difference between Ubuntu or Windows. Even among the teachers, first time users are not a problem,”  Click this link to read the complete article 
 

Read Other related links to check out by clicking

Best Free Software downloads easy downloads what every computer needs

About filehippo on youtube

Best Free Online Applications and Services

Best websites for teacher reference from Larry Ferlazzo’s blog

1. The Best Web 2.0 Applications For Education — 2007
2. The Best Places To Get Royalty-Free Music & Sound Effects
3. The Best Web 2.0 Applications For Education — 2009
4. The Best Web 2.0 Applications For Education — 2008
5. The Best Websites To Help Beginning Readers
6. The Best Resources For Helping Teachers Use Bloom’s Taxonomy In The Classroom
7. The Best Online Learning Games — 2007
8. The Best Sites To Learn About Valentine’s Day
9. The Best Internet Sites For English Language Learners — 2007
10. The Best Teacher Resources For “Foldables”
11. The Best Websites For Learning About Martin Luther King
12. The Best Websites For Learning About Halloween
13. The Best Sites For Learning About The World Cup
14. The Best Places To Learn About Christmas, Hanukkah, & Kwanzaa
15. The Best Online Learning Games — 2008
16. The Best Sites To Practice Speaking English
17. The Best Music Websites For Learning English
18. The Best Online Sources For Images
19. The Best Ways For Students (And Anyone Else!) To Create Online Content Easily, Quickly & Painlessly

Reference link click here for Larry Ferlazzo’s blog