Digital Illustration and My Favorite Stranger Things Characters

I just wanna share some of my recent digital illustrations here.😊 Since our specialization is TLE-ICT (Illustration), I felt compelled to showcase a sample demonstration for digital illustration. So here it goes...

For vectorizing Eleven, I used Adobe Photoshop as my digital illustration tool. Unfortunately, some of my learners do not have laptop or computer with Photoshop application, so I just challenged them to use their mobile illustration apps like Ibis Paint Tool, MediBang, or Autodesk Sketchbook and practice the digital tracing process through the application's painting tools. As for their performance task, I asked them to vectorize or trace their own profile pictures. Upon seeing their outputs, I could say that they did enjoy this lesson a lot. I'll try to post some of the best here, with  their permission of course.

Here is my vectorized version of Eleven from Stranger Things:

I also recorded my drawing process:

Also, with the use of Autodesk SketchBook app, I also tried to draw a Chibi version of Will Byers. I did show this as sample output for my students and not surprisingly some of them even came up with  better outputs than mine😀, which actually made me very happy! 

My 10:00 PM Thoughts on Distance Learning

Never had I imagined that our education would drastically shift from face-to-face into distance and virtual learning because of this COVID-19 pandemic. Yes, in the past, I was quite envisioning that we would really transitioning into a technology-mediated teaching and learning scenarios, but not in this hastily and very frustrating way. The digital divide in our country is so real that we cannot totally rely on virtual distance learning alone, knowing that many learners do not have online access. It is not just really equitable. Good thing is that the Department of Education offered different modalities so that learners with totally no online access can somehow continue their learning with the help of Self-Learning Modules (SLMs). But is it fair, knowing that there are learners who have 24/7 online access and all the gadgets and technology tools at their disposal to participate in online classes and constantly communicate with their teachers? I just feel sad for these learners who were deprived of these technology tools because of poverty. In our city (at Valenzuela), we are fortunate to have Rex Gatchalian, as our visionary and vibrant city mayor, who found a way to lend distance learning tablets for all the Valenzuelano learners, who do not have gadgets to watch livestreaming, video lessons, and participate in follow-up sessions. The tablet they borrowed even has a free SIM card with free internet load. 

This distance and virtual learning modalities we are all in right now would somehow continue until everyone is vaccinated against the virus. We can just all hope and pray that we will surpass this trying time early this year, knowing the vaccines are soon to be rolled out next month. Meanwhile, what we can do is just to still give our very best as their virtual and distance learning teacher, extend more and more patience for those who cannot comply with our prescribed tasks and outputs, and practice the art and science of time management, because in this work-from-home setup, we all need to know when to start and when to stop working. Make time for your self-care, because your mental health also matters.

This was during our prerecording session for DepEd NCR's Video Lesson Project

 

Happy New Year! 🥂🎆

I never thought I could ever visit this blog again! At first, I thought that working from home, because of this COVID-19 pandemic, could give me time to publish more often in this blog of mine but I was tremendously wrong. Working from home as an online teacher is way more demanding compare to the face-to-face classes. I can no longer draw the line between my personal and work time and space. I bet it will still take some time for me to really adjust in this new teaching and learning setup. Don’t get me wrong, I do not have problem at all when it comes to adapting with the technologies necessary for distance learning since I am an ICT for education enthusiast, but most of my stresses would come from the fact that most of my students cannot participate in our online classes and submit class requirements for so technology access and economic issues. (Insert a long and deep sigh here) I think we will just have to endure this until that time that everyone has been vaccinated and we have achieved herd immunity. 

Despite the lockdowns, I was able to still participate in many writeshops and workshops organized by the Department of Education: 

• SHS PRIMALS Writeshop on Entrepreneurship 
• Homeroom Guidance Program Module Writeshop 
• Career Guidance Program Policy Making Workshop 
• National Policy Guidelines for Educational Guidance and Counseling Services 
• SHS Writeshop on Empowerment Technologies 

I feel so blessed for the trust and confidence being given to me to participate in all these worthwhile endeavors. This new year, my only wish and fervent prayer is for all of us to have a better 2021. Stay safe and healthy always. God bless us all!  

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Just want to share here my happiness... 

😊 

Got my first gifts for myself, 2021 Starbucks Planner (Green Siren) and Organizer (Black Reserve):

On Being Productive During Community Quarantine

Hey! It's been a while! Finally, I found the time to post here again.

Last Thursday night, President Rodrigo Duterte put Metro Manila under community quarantine to protect the citizens from the contagion. This COVID-19 pandemic is really a serious matter that the world is currently facing.. Hoping that you are safe, while reading this, with your family. All of us should better stay at our home, as instructed by the government. I am just quite sad that many are panicking, instead of having a calm and resolute disposition in these times of crisis. I have seen in the market how people would hoard disinfectant stuffs as if they need to stack up for a year.. This is not really a healthy attitude for us, knowing that there are also others who equally need these very important commodities to fight the pandemic. Thank God that the national and local government are doing their very best to pass and execute policies with regard to hoarding of alcohol, facial masks, rice, and other grocery items.

Citizens are also encouraged to avoid crowded places and practice among themselves social distancing. As a personal precaution, our family has decided to cancel all our outside activities. We were sad by this scenario, 'cause my sister together with her husband just arrived from New Zealand last week and that many of our planned itineraries were cancelled. However, I realized that we can still manage to enjoy the rest of this community quarantine days by staying at home.

I am just really summoning more of my introvert self now to enjoy and still become productive for the rest of the days that we don't have classes. So these are the things that I am planing to do:

• Exhaust the use of our virtual classroom - the platform I am currently using to still interact with my learners despite classes suspension. Tomorrow, I will be giving them their Online Long Test, which I prepared last Friday. 
• This is a time for me to catch up with some books I started reading last month and to start reading the books I bought last year that have never been opened from it plastic wrappers. :D
• I could work on with some of my baby projects I was not able to finish, 'cause of the regular school days and routines that have glued my attention. 
• Finally watch my Netflix series and movies I planned to finish last month but failed, 'cause again I became very inundated with things I don't even consider productive at all.. my God I felt like I am wasting my life. 
• Write some posts here in my online hideout - JOABT.  
• Practice my Yoga meditations. 
• Reconnect with my most favorite people in the world - my family!

Perhaps you can relate to some of my plans in maximizing the rest of the month, or perhaps you have your own unique strategy and plan on how you will spend the days. I would like to hear some of your plans. Feel free to comment below.

Stay safe everyone! #COVID-19

My 2020 Starbucks Planner

How’s your new year so far?

It’s been a great and productive first week of class for the year 2020. I accomplished so much in my class and we are just waiting for the Third Quarter Exam Results.

By the way, let me just share with you my new planner from Starbucks that I acquired through the eighteen stickers I collected from November to December last year. This one is color frost grey with leather cover made from Valencia, Spain. This is my third year, collecting SB planners and I am pretty sure this will become a personal tradition, because I am such a fan of both their coffee and the aesthetics of their yearly planner.

Hoping that this would be a great year for me and my family. I am also wising the best for you,  whoever and wherever you are. Let's take a closer look at this SB Planner (Frost Grey):