Ignite Talk: Slides

Time and College How is our time being used? Is it being used effectively? How can we improve it?

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 Slide Notes:

Point I - Use of Time

S1: Introduction, name and title. Covers main points, use of time, effectiveness and how to improve.
S2: Time is an important commodity, the importance of investing in ourselves.
S3/4: How do students spend our time.
S5: Common ways we spend time.
S6: "Not everything is bad, but to much of anything is." Take time to drive the importance of how we spend time.

Point II - Effectiveness

S7/8: As students are we being prepared for the world? Are we using our time effectively in a increasingly competitive world?
S9: Students commonly say we're wasting our time learning unusable facts, is it true?
S10: -Critical Point- School gives us techniques and tools to survive and be successful, not just information. How to organize and think critically.
S11/12: We need to build relationships, learn how to relate with others to get the full college benefit.
S13/14: How is our time being used as students, not just as people. Are we plugged into the resources were blessed with?

S15/16: -Critical Point- We need to form a Rebel-ution, to rebel against the status quo and to seek to really push ourselves to the limit, to try something new or to take just a step out of our comfort zone.

Point III - How To Get Plugged In

S17: Not alone, UNCC has over 370 organizations to meet other people with similar interests.
S18/19: Not only just interests but UNCC offers free leadership programs.

S20: Time can never be replayed, or repeated. So make use of it and spend it for things that can help you.

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Hey guys! So this was a topic that was kind of inspired from Ecclesiastics, a book in the Bible. It talks about how everything in this world is vapour, worthless without God. How knowledge fades away, wisdom passes and that even strength and beauty has an eventual end. I took that concept and decided to see how it applies to college, in school in the present. Ecclesiastics, which was most likely written by Solomon asks us why we do things and for what end. Do we do it for fun, for the moment now, or for Gods Kingdom which is eternal?

In the same way, thinking back to college, do we spend time to just live in the moment and enjoy life now? Or do we spend it to think about the future? Video games are fun, they truly are, but too much of it can be bad. Whats worse is to look back at it ten or fifteen years down the road and think with regret, why did I waste my time doing that. I believe that the most effective way that we can use our time is by interacting with people. Sharing joy and love and making a difference in others, because at the end of the day, that word of encouragement could save someones life or push them to apply for that job and leave an impact on their children's children. Relationship and love can travel through generations, and what one person does can be remembered in the history books. So in preparation for that day, when we meet that person who we will influence, I say we need to keep studying, grow as an individual, make friends  and experience what God has to offer. So that when that time or person comes we can come up to them with a loving, organized open and understanding heart, and be the person who helps lift them back on their feet as God has done for us.

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Final Project

For my final project I decided to revise on mini-project III.


“Chinese parents demand perfect grades because they know their kids can get them.” 
                                - Rob Gira, avidcollegeready.org


Both of my Parents were born in the Philippines, so I remember growing up listening to stories about how competitive and tough schooling was in the Philippines.  My Mom especially, would tell me about the stress of college entrance exams and how they were considered the "make it or break it" towards your success in life. They would constantly drill into our heads the value of education and how it is strongly correlated to success. My parents were telling me of siblings applying for the same school with one making it and the other not, friends scoring in the mid ninety percentile for entrance exams while still getting rejected, or people with masters degrees working in retail. My drive for success wouldn't have been anywhere near as strong, if it wasn't for the close bond and connection formed with my parents.


"In Disney movies,"She says, the [studious kid] always has to have a breakdown and realize that life is not all about following rules and winning prizes, and then take off her clothes and run into the ocean or something like that. But that's just Disney's way of appealing to all the people who never win any prizes. Winning prizes give you opportunities and that's freedom - not running into the ocean."
     -Amy Chua, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother


Amy Chua author of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, goes into depth about the differences between the parenting styles of eastern and western families. Although the quote above may seem harsh, I agree that there is some truth in it. From Amy Chua, an author and mother, to even Motoko Rich from my first project, a writer from New York Times, a common theme that seems to be playing out is that personal experience that families bring out. The respect for teachers stems from the respect that the child's parents hold for the instructors and the drive and willingness to study comes from the the parent's desire and close connection mingled with their vision for success.



Because the job markets are so intense overseas, parents don’t just demand more for the sake of demanding, but for there own good or as Rob Gira said, not just because they know their children can do it, but because it increase their chances for a better life. I believe this is an factor to consider when it comes to viewing education in international schools. Students there grow up realizing how competitive the market is and strive to do good, and to live up to their parents expectations. Comparing it to how students are taught here, I thought it was interesting on how we focus on self-esteem and independence, how success can be mingled and can intersect with happiness, how they can coexist. While overseas, success is seen as a means to allow you the freedom to chose the life and career that you enjoy. Although both are catered to completely different areas with different view points, I believe I will always be, just a bit biased towards the overseas ways.



Made a FakeBook focused on the competitiveness of entering the University of the Philippines:  Link!
Citations: Link! 

Inquiry Project - II(I) Themes

So this week is focused more towards specific examples dealing with international school themes.

Made a FakeBook focused on the competitiveness of entering the University of the Philippines:  Link!



“Chinese parents demand perfect grades because they know their kids can get them.” 
                                - Rob Gira, avidcollegeready.org

Both of my Parents were born in the Philippines, so I remember growing up listening to stories about how competitive and tough schooling was in the Philippines.  My Mom especially, would tell me about the stress of college entrance exams and how they were considered the "make it or break it" towards your success in life. They would constantly drill into our heads the value of education and how it is strongly correlated to success. My parents were telling me of siblings applying for the same school with one making it and the other not, friends scoring in the mid ninety percentile for entrance exams while still getting rejected, or people with masters degrees working in retail.

Because the job markets are so intense overseas, parents there need to demand more, as Rob Gira said, not just because they know their children can do it, but because it increase their chances for a better life. I believe this is a humongous factor when it comes to viewing education in international schools. Students there grow up realizing how competitive the market is and strive to do good, and to live up to their parents expectations. Comparing it to how students are taught here, I thought it was interesting on how we focus on self-esteem. We try to cultivate creativity, group work and projects in a relaxed and open respectful environment. I believe that both have there own pros and cons with two completely different outlooks.

                       Students taking IV's while listening to a lecture/studying

                                                                   ~

Inquiry Project - III: Importance of Learning

Teaching and International Learning Why is this Important? | Infographics

...and learning, reflective to how much power education truly has? Are we investing enough time and effort into such a powerful and important thing?

(The above got cut out.)


For this project I did an infograph. I was really interested in the themes of learning, and how schools may differ between different countries but as I began to do some research I gradually changed my sights from themes towards more of the importance and how each country defines and values it. It seems like the more "Westernized" countries seem to place a bigger emphasis on freedom, exploration and community learning while the East tends to dive more into results. Although they're many different methodologys of teaching they all have their own strengths and weaknesses.

Inquiry Project- I

For my inquiry project I decided to focus on international schools and learning. Taking from our readings like Kara Poe Alexander I tried to build my project off from there, seeing if I could come up with themes for international countries, primarily from Asia as a whole and the Philippines, and comparing them to themes that are common here.

My first thought was what makes them successful? Motoko Rich, from New York Times wrote an article, US Students Still Lag Globally in Math and Science, Tests Show, on America's rank in comparison to other countries, and points out that we're around the center of the list. Which is surprising considering we spent over $970 Billion last year and the amount of support and value we seem to place on it. Is it our views that make us different? Is it because of how we view success or school?  Or is it because of the regulations and policys set by the  government?

After careful thought I believe one main difference is how teachers are viewed in foreign countries. They seem to be held in higher esteem, are given better support and are specially selected and pulled out of their programs to continue on training the younger generations. This reverence that is held for them is not only shown in how they are paid and rewarded monetarily but also how students view them and act in class. Classes tend to be far more orderly and respectful when it comes to the teachers.

This is just one of the many things that help influence international learning. For my next project im interested in finding out how teachers were given their niche in society.

Forrest View HS

 

^Forrest View High Logo^

     So last week on wed we got to meet the HS Seniors from Forrest View High. It was a crazy and fun experience and it was kind of boggling just imagining that we were in their shoes not to long ago. I remember being a Senior, even a Freshman and thinking that college was so far away but now, looking back at it, it all seemed to go by pretty fast. College here has taught me how to really study, manage my time and understand that for everything you do, they're are consequences, good or bad. Study, work, eat, play and sleep - there needs to be a balance. I feel like those guys from Forrest View might come in to college and learn a few things too, about the world around them and themselves.

What have you guys learned?

Poetry

I see all sorts of things,
the world- altered, worked with, befriended.
As we party to our own rendition,
get connected, stay connected
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Party, your invited.

On Monday we went around trying to find words or phrases that interested us. Although we all had the same words I thought it was really cool and interesting how we each came up with something unique. Each of us, having different experiences allowed us to create something different. Putting on our own twists on the poetry piece and what ever else we may be working on. Its a way of expressing who we are, and by meeting other individuals, it allows us to interact with, learn and see things we would have never been able to experience otherwise.

Flow

On Feb 20th Lacy gave us a couple of quotes to read from the book Flow. It talked about exploring life on your own, finding a sense of achievement and enjoyment, for enjoyments sake and not to base it on others expectations or measures.

Trying to link this back into class, I feel like we were all born with this sense of thinking. The idea of adventure, of climbing the trees in the backyard or playing games like hide and seek. These ideals were then slowly and systematically replaced when we entered school. In search of results and empirical evidence, schools taught us how to think critically, to analyze, giving us information to critic rather then exploring it ourself.  We were given to tools to decipher the world around us but never the drive, the imagination or creativity. I mean when has school material genuinely been interesting?





Just  a little blurb fueled by Flow's quotes. What do you guys think?

Internationals

On Feb 11 Lacy gave us an excerpt that asked the question of whether or not foreign languages, languages outside of English should be allowed in an English class. Personally I don't believe they should. I agree that yes, having a view point that is unique and different can help stimulate creative writing, and that a different language may or can act as the tool to guide that unique view point, but English class is meant to teach English and the only way to get better is through practice. I whole heartedly believe that we should and need to study other cultures and exam other idea, beliefs and thoughts. That way we may be able to strengthen our own ideals, remain open to others and learn new things. Although when it comes to English, I prefer that we stay consistent and attempt to master one thing at a time.

What do you think?

Media, Music and Culture

So for the past week we've been talking about representation. The connection between media, schools, learning and language. Coming from a Filipino family, with both parents born in the Philippines, I was raised up listening to how different life in America is, and how blessed we are to live here.

So now i am shamelessly going to induce you guys to my favourite music group, Beast. They are a Korean group that does a variety of music, pop and hip-hop while mixed it in with stylized dancing. They among others of the K-pop genre, represent a broad and popular music movement in the Asian area. About two and a half minutes in you see some shots of a school, a medley of different colours and unique sets of clothes. K-pop has helped define and shape the culture within the youth and it can be seen and heavily represented in the videos and lyrics of the songs that they create.

So, although this is just kind of a little way for me to slip in my blurb and hopefully get you guys hooked onto K-pop music with me, it also shows how heavily and influential music and celebrities in general can have on our culture. Regardless if its in Asia, the Philippines or America. What kind of impact do you think our media has on us?


Another one of my favourites by Beast, a practice video.
 Shock - Beast

Belief v Doubt

We live in a world were we are inundated with new information each day. New advertisement, products, songs and labels. A never ending sea of facts, opinions and things in between. Peter Elbow asks us to shift our thinking and focus it onto a new type of game, the believing game.

The believing game is where we consciously make an effort to open our mind to thoughts that we would normally filter out Although I found what he said interesting I think the doubting game does have its place. We need those filters to run and make it through our everyday lives, to stay on track. Its what keeps us focused, instead of going through every thought and idea, we try to pick up only on things that are relevant and important. What are your thoughts on these two games?

Motives for Gaming

    

We live in a world filled with sports, every week teams face off against each other; whether it be baseball, soccer or football. A constant battle against each other to enter championships, win titles and gain prestige. As audience members, the majority of us will never get to play in those super stadiums or on those famous soccer fields. Instead we play similarly competitive games but on a much lower scale and scope.

     The past few weeks Lacy has been going over several authors and articles that relate to gaming and learning. One of the authors said, that people who participate in games can be divided into two main groups, those who are interest driven and those who are driven because of friendship. Competitive play vs recreational.

     Do you think there are drawbacks or consequences between the two? Between the side of recreation and competitive play? Is it wrong that our society places such a high emphasis on competition, and do results justify everything?

A Step, Exploration: The Begining of a Journey

Whew, what to talk about.

College can be so weird sometimes. So many choices and decisions. Unlike high school we only have four months to meet new people and really get to know them. To find those with similar tastes, ideas and dreams. Because of that, the first day of class can be some of the most nerve wracking and trying times of the year.

Prof. Manship, Mrs. Lacy, was really good at being able to quell those fears. She used string games to help break us into our surroundings, meet new people and just have fun. I got to talk to those around me and learn things that were interesting and new. Well you may be asking yourself, "How do string games relate to English class?". Well... they don't. Just Kidding! Our class is a writing and inquiry class. We read an article by Gee who compared learning to playing games. I believe that these string games can be compared to learning in so many ways. We all learn at different paces, have different strengths and interests and sometimes it takes us a little bit of trials a bit of errors and a bit of sweat to get it down.

The first day was great, and I’m definitely looking forward to the rest of the semester. A first step, bit of exploration, but definitely the beginning of an interesting journey.