S.Y. 2013-2014 Welcome Banner

It's way past 1 a.m. and I am still awake.

Why?!

I've been working for this welcome banner that my school head assigned to me. I am not really in my creative mode today... It takes me half an hour to think of a design layout and more than an hour to finish working on it with Photoshop. I hope she will approve this tomorrow (I'm crossing my fingers). We need to post this banner in front our school this Friday for the "wear a smile campaign" of DepEd this opening of classes. 

Here's the layout:

[Now I can catch some z z z z ]

[signing off]

Cooperative Membership Education Seminar

Brigada Eskwela Update: Last Friday was the culminating day for our Brigada Eskwela 2013. As for my last task, I was assigned by my Head Teacher, Mrs. Tanfelix, to help in the enrollment of our incoming senior students. It was an easy chore at first, but when the line of students and parents started to pile up in our receiving table, I started to be perturbed on how to entertain them one by one. I was thankful that I was not alone assisting our Master Teacher, Sir Cruz. I was with Ms. Ferrer, our new TLE teacher. She was in-charge for the enrollment forms, while I focused on looking for the names in the master list and collecting their fee for the Identification Card.

In the afternoon of the same day, we, the faculty officers and some selected members, attended the Cooperative Membership Education Seminar held at Legislative Building of Valenzuela City Hall. This seminar was actually requested by our Faculty Club President, Mrs. Lo as the first step in launching our Faculty Club Credit Cooperative.  The speaker talked about the history of cooperative in our country, RA 6939 establishing the Cooperative Development Authority, Principles, Practices, Purposes and Types of Cooperative. We truly learned a lot from this seminar. The speaker even shared some factors to be considered for the success of our cooperative operations. 

The seminar concluded with an open forum for some questions and inquiries. I was very fortunate to be part of this seminar. It made me aware of some important principles behind a successful cooperative. Then, our Faculty President suggested electing the 5 interim Board of Directors and 10 Officers. Everyone agreed so that we could prepare for the accreditation of our cooperative and organized the first general assembly. I was appointed as the secretary. May God bless me with this another great responsibility.  

Brigada Eskwela

The “bayanihan spirit” is always relived every time we conduct the annual National Maintenance Week or “Brigada Eskwela.” All schools are encouraged to seek the cooperation of the different stakeholders of the school (students, parents, teachers, school staffs, and local officials) to do repairs, clean-up and maintenance before the classes start.  In engaging the time, effort and expertise of all volunteers, we can assure our preparedness for the opening of classes.

Today, our Brigada Eskwela kick-off activity starts with a FUN RUN at exactly 6:00 a.m., wherein many participants have joined. This fun run activity serves two important purposes for our Brigada Eskwela: (1) since we require all the participants to pay a registration fee, we are able generate initial fund to support the week-long activities; (2) this is our way to make the community aware of this school activity and seek their participation. We also solicit the help of our local government officials by sponsoring some of our cleaning materials.    

It is indeed a tiring day but I feel so fulfilled that I am involving myself actively in this kind of activity of our school. In simple tasks like sweeping the pavements and corridors, fixing some broken chairs and repainting the walls and bleachers, I know I am making the school a more comfortable place for our dear students. 

Fun fun run =)

The clean-up drive

Microsoft Philippines Learning in the 21st Century

Last Thursday, I had a great learning experience packed with elegant and classy accommodation by a 5 star deluxe hotel. I was one of those fortunate teachers who were invited to attend this very empowering seminar titled “The Microsoft Philippines Learning in the 21^st Century” held at InterContinental Hotel in Makati.

The programme started with an inspiring welcome address by Ms. Karrie Ilagan, Microsoft Philippines’ General Manager.

Mr. Anthony Salcito, Vice President for Education of Microsoft Corporation, gave his keynote message about Microsoft’s vision for education through a visual teleconference using Skype. He clearly states the tremendous shift with technology, the aspirations of 21^st century learning environments and the dynamics that are changing the teaching and learning situation. He challenged all educators to think beyond the immediate tradition of technology and create a broader goal for the future.

Partners in Learning – What does it mean to me?

This topic was discussed by Ms. Clarissa Segismundo, the Education Programs Lead of Microsoft Philippines. She introduced us to their web portal Microsoft Partners in Learning, which has rich resources, discussions about technology integration and free tools for educators.

Windows in the Classroom – Being more effective with technology

Mr. Paolo Ocampo, Windows in the Classroom Evangelist, gave us a vibrant demonstration on how we can maximize the features of Windows 8 as a tool to enrich our teaching strategies.

Office Tips and Tricks for Teachers

Mr. John Erwin Magno, Office Specialist of Microsoft Philippines, revealed to us some of the hidden but useful features of MS Office 2013. This speaker awed the audience with his sense of humor and some tricks on how to use the full potential of Microsoft Office 2013.  

with my co-ICT teachers in Division of Valenzuela

Philippines Election Day 2013

Today is the BIG DAY for all Filipinos who are hoping for good governance and progressive changes in our country. Every one will have a chance to vote for their preferred candidates who they believe that advocacy and platforms are worthy of their vote. I am very much amazed how my neighbors here are so excited to go to their respective polling precincts to cast their votes, but equally sad that most of them are just voting with strong preference for those who are “sikat” (famous) or from “kilalang pamilya” (prominent clan).  What is even worst is that there are some who will trade their votes for money or for momentary benefits.

How I wish that Filipinos would become more intelligent in voting for more deserving candidates. Doing a background research, discerning candidates with fruitful years of service (for those who are re-electionist candidates) and reviewing the platforms and agenda of each candidate will somehow help us choose the most rightful candidates for their desired positions. We should vote wisely. This is the only chance that we can choose who should represent and form the government that will decide for the major issues of our country like free education, health and housing services.

Lastly, I would like to voice out here that our life will not automatically change for the better just right after we have voted for the candidates who we believe will save us from our present conditions. After we elected those candidates, they will just do their thing, some will stick to their promises and become effective leaders (hats off to these kinds of public servants), while others will forget their agenda as if they have been inflicted with the mysterious Alzheimer’s disease (this is the usual case). It is still our own personal efforts that will really pay off in the end, if we want to live a better life. 

election ink on forefinger to avoid double voting

New DepEd National Uniform for Teachers for School Years 2013-2015

For the school years 2013 to 2015, Department of Education is prescribing two new designs for male and female teachers and non-teaching personnel. According to the DepEd Order No. 7, s. 2013, the first design shall be worn every Mondays and Wednesdays and the second design every Tuesdays and Thursdays. However, the regional and division offices can prescribe their own sets of uniform, which shall be used every Wednesdays and Thursdays respectively. Every Fridays are wash days (as teachers, we should consider wearing smart casual every wash day).

The following are the designs for male and female teachers:

Just last Friday, after my training in Informatics, I went to Divisoria market alone (despite my worries about snatchers, sadly, they are so many there). I found this store inside 999 mall selling official DepEd uniforms. They are selling the textile materials for 550 pesos per set. I negotiated for a lower price and got them for 500 pesos per set.

The textile materials I bought for the new DepEd uniform for teachers S.Y. 2013-2015

Summer ICT Trainings

I was so blessed to be part of some ICT trainings held this summer.

The ICT-4E (Information and Communications Technology for Education), which was initially launched last year, is a project of our very dynamic and supportive City Mayor, Hon. Sherwin T. Gatchalian, with the coordination of the DepEd – Valenzuela Educational Supervisor for ICT, Dr. Leilani Mendoza.  It aims to enhance the ICT skills of all public high school computer teachers of our city and standardize the curriculum for all senior high school students.

Informatics Valenzuela was chosen to host the different trainings in the different fields of ICT. I already took up the following trainings last year and managed to finish these courses triumphantly (hehe).

• Graphic designing with PhotoShop 
• Graphic designing with CorelDraw 
• Web Designing with HTML and CSS
• Database Management System with MS Access

For this summer, PC Assembly and Troubleshooting and Java Programming are offered. I already finished PC Assembly despite my hatred to crimping rj45 cables (it always takes me so many minutes before I come up of a functioning one).

One training to go! Tomorrow our Java Programming starts. I am so excited to learn about Java. To be honest with you, I really have a little background with programming. So, this is my chance to somehow challenge myself to expand my horizons, learn something new… and something intricate.  

I am equally grateful to STI College of Caloocan for hosting an IT training exclusively for Gen. T. de Leon National High School IT teachers this summer. Of course, this couldn’t be made possible without the effort of our IT Coordinator Mrs. Pelicano, who proposed for this event. CSS and HTML Web Designing, Animation with Flash CS5.5 and Programming with Visual Basic 6.0 are the topics we covered for this training.

It adds to my confidence every time I attend trainings, seminars and workshops. As teachers, we should never stop learning. We should continuously fill our bucket of knowledge and skills and keep ourselves abreast of current trends in the subjects we taught and in educational practices in general. 

Ways to Assess Students Work

As a computer teacher I have almost experienced using all sorts of assessment. I am into exploring for the most effective assessment strategy that I can utilize in my classroom. However, the more I search for it, the more I realize that somehow these different kinds of assessments, may it be standardized exams or alternative assessments like portfolios, have their own rightful place in the teaching and learning process of our students. But, which is the best assessment method? Personally, I do not have a strong preference to one particular kind of assessment. So let me just simply delineate the importance of each kinds of assessment.  Based on my teaching experience, the following are the beauty of the different assessments I have used in my own class:

• Authentic Assessment

This kind of assessment, which is evaluating students’ abilities in real world contexts, is considered more meaningful than any traditional or standardized examinations. Giving our students some tasks that are closer to real world applications will help us prepare our students for the world of work and profession.

• Performance-based Assessment

I usually conduct this kind of assessment; this is a direct way of witnessing how our students will apply their learning through meaningful tasks or activities that we’ll give them. As long as we are supporting this kind of assessment with proper feedback system and giving them multiple chances to get it right, satisfaction and enjoyment of learning among them can be guaranteed.

•  Portfolio Assessment

I am generally amazed in this kind of assessment. I have utilized paper-based portfolios before, just last school year, I have implemented an ELECTRONIC PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT (both process and product portfolios) among all the senior high school students I am handling. Through creating their own blog sites, my students were able to organize their learning evidences. The effectiveness of portfolio assessment lies on the dedication of the teacher for it really entails a lot of time in planning and grading the students’ outputs. But, it will be worth all the effort because this assessment documents the stages of learning and provides a progressive record of student growth at the same showcasing their best work.

In the teaching and learning process, assessment’s role is indeed very significant. It will help us determine if our learning objectives have been met. Assessing the works of our students affects the students’ grades, their advancement, even curriculum modifications.

According to Edutopia.org (2008), when assessment works best, it does the following:

·         Provides diagnostic feedback

·         Helps educators set standards

·         Evaluates progress

·         Relates to a student's progress

·         Motivates performance

Importance of Understanding Different Learning Styles

Teaching in one method or strategy is like producing products using one pattern or mold. But learners are not just products; they are human with different needs and sensitivities. If we really want them to be engaged with our subject matter, then we need to think of different strategies that can captivate their interest as learners with different personalities.

Understanding the different learning styles of our students by conducting an inventory of their interests and preferences (e.g. The Kolb Learning Style Inventory) can help us determine the different strategies that we can implement to promote learning engagement among our students. Personally, I see the importance of knowing one’s learning style with my own learning experiences. When I was in my elementary and high school years, I had tried every technique to increase my focus and concentration and be able to absorb more of our learning materials – studying with a group, creating rhymes and mnemonics, drawing diagrams and even listening to my own recorded recital. Until I have encountered an online inventory test in knowing my own learning style preference and found out that I am more of a visual learner.

(In searching the net for a similar online test in identifying our own learning style, I have found this site, which will ask you to answer 16 questions to find out if you are a visual, auditory or kinesthetic learner.)

Since then, I have increased my focus and concentration with my studies. Currently, in taking up my graduate studies, I am enjoying the benefits of knowing my own learning style. Most of the time our professors give us a lot of reading assignments. So to avoid information overload and to absorb the gist of every chapters or books that I have read, I see to it that I will draw a mind map about the important key points. In this way, I can easily review what I have read and it makes me feel more confident that I have captured the substance of the whole text.

Identifying the learning styles of our students has a great impact to teaching. We should not plunge into teaching immediately; analysis of the learners should be done first. That is if we want to capture the interest of most of our learners. As I have stated previously, facilitating an inventory for the learners’ preferences and interests can help us to determine the teaching strategies and techniques we can apply to match the different learning styles of the students. Hence, helping our students find their own learning style, will not only help them achieved and met their learning goals, but also it could transform them to become lifelong learners. Since that they are enjoying the learning experience, they will not hesitate to go beyond the subject we are teaching them, they will even become inspired to explore more about it.

In my own experience as a classroom and laboratory teacher, I usually include Multiple Intelligences of Howard Garner in my lesson planning. I see to it that somehow I could capture the interest of my students who are words, numbers and pictures smart. I would also facilitate some role playing and dramatizations to cater the needs of those who are people smart and assigned reflective journal for those who are self smart. And a lot of tools and strategies can be utilized to match with the different learning styles and multiple intelligences of our students. The effect is indeed tremendous. Students become more engaged with their learning. Since they know how they can learn best, they score better on exams and tests. Stress and frustration are lessened since they enjoy the way that they are learning. 

Philippine's School Calendar for S.Y. 2013-2014

Last February 20, 2013, Department of Education released the School Calendar for S.Y. 2013-2014 for the public and private elementary and secondary schools. Classes will start on Monday, June 3, 2013 and the last day shall be on Monday, March 31, 2014 with a total of 201 school days.

Click the link here to read and download the memo.
DepEd Order No. 10, s. 2013

Different Ways A Teacher Can Spend Summer Vacation

Summer time! This is the moment that we teachers can find an ample time to enjoy and relax. After those ten months of hard work inside the classroom to facilitate quality learning for our dear students, is it not just fair to spend quality time for ourselves and love ones?  Definitely, you will agree to me that there are actually many ways to spend our summer vacation. And I bet that you are always certain with your plans on how you would like to spend and enjoy it. But still here is my list of some productive and revitalizing activities that you may consider to include in your own summer vacation plan.

Productive Activities

These are activities that can help you improve your financial situation or enhance your professional credibility to qualify for promotion and salary increase.   

• Enroll for some units in your chosen Graduate School
• Volunteer to become a summer class teacher
• Attend training and career-enhancement seminars
• Participate in some community service activities
• Write work text or module in preparation for the next school year
• Apply for a part-time job

Doing some of these productive activities may create an impression among your colleagues and friends that you are ambitious, self-absorbed and cruel to yourself. But, if you believe that it is very important for your short-term or long-term plan to somehow spend your vacation inside the school again or another workplace, then stick to your plans, later they will realize the things that you value the most and they will just support you with your goals.

Revitalizing Activities 

These are activities that help you rejuvenate and charge your mind, body and spirit for the next school year. Do not feel guilty to indulge and pamper yourself with some revitalizing activities listed here. Remember an old adage by Bertrand Russell that says, “The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.”

• Go out of town with your colleagues, friends and loved ones.
•  Spend an overnight in your favorite resort or beach
• Visit a spa salon
• Set a date or small reunions with your high school or college friends
• Watch movies
• Reorganize your home office and/or faculty office and stuffs
• Continue your hobbies (painting, blogging, playing musical instrument, reading books, etc.)

So whatever it is that you are planning with your summer vacation, whether you like it to be productive or revitalizing, or both, get to enjoy it and make the most out of it. Happy Summer!

Let the Journey Begin

All aboard! 

This blog will be my travelogue in recording every momentous moment and expressing my deepest thoughts in the course of my journey as a high school teacher.

Although, I am not really a professional writer, I am so fond of sharing my reservoir of ideas in teaching that I want some other interested teachers to know. Hence, I created this blog.  

Aside from being my online diary, I will post here just like anything about teaching – suggestions for grading and testing, classroom management tips and tricks, technology integration, stress busters and teacher wellness, classroom humors and all sort of things that will cultivate the brave teacher within us. 

This is it. Buckle up my friend and let the journey begin!