The Aftermath

Hi Folks,

Thank you for coming to the first CT COP yesterday at the Vanda Room. I am pretty chuffed that quite a number of you managed to take time out from your busy schedules to come down. I hope you managed to make new friends and connect with your colleagues across disciplines and departments. Also, I would like to place on record, my thanks to Roy, Carlos and Wan Fen for sharing with us their good work they are doing with their class.

Okay just beofre you guys head for a well deserved break and a holiday, could you please do this quick survey for me with regard to the COP yesterday so I can make improvements. Your suggestions on themes, possible speakers are also welcome. Once again thank you for coming!
Click Here to take survey

First CT Get Together!

Hi Folks

The first CT get together will be on the 27th of August at 3p.m. at the Vanda Room. The objectives of the get together and the programme are as follows:

- Build a community of lecturers keen on improving teaching and learning practice
- Share new and innovative ideas that can be adopted in the classroom
- Connect with fellow lecturers from different disciplines and build networks

The Programme is as follows:
2:45p.m. - Gather at Vanda Room
3:00p.m. - Refreshments begin
3:30p.m. - Opening Remarks
3:35p.m. - Sharing by Roy Ang (MM)
4:00p.m. - Sharing on Giving Feedback to a Large Group by Yip Wan Fen (CLS)
4:30 p.m. - Sharing on Using Technology in the Classroom by Carlos Acosta (EEE)
5:p.m. - Closing statements and end of programme!

You can register by clicking the link below. You should be on the Intranet though!

Registration => CT Community of Practice Meeting on 27 Aug 08

Using Wikis to Write Lecture Notes Collaboratively

Hi Folks,

Here is an interesting article on how Wikis are used in the classroom. An interesting read that you mught find useful if you are thinking of using Wikis in your own classroom. Get a discussion going if interested! Click the link below to download the PDF file. Enjoy and Happy National Day!

http://www.mediafire.com/?ptkojwps3yz

Mid Week Oh So Cheem Article

Hi Folks,
I hope the week has been treating you well so far. Thought I'll share with you an article that Senior Education Advisor Dennis Sale was sharing with me. Read this and let me know what you think.

An Obituary printed in the London Times........ Interesting and sadly
rather true.

'Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who
has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was,
since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.
He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:
Knowing when to come in out of the rain; why the early bird gets the
worm; Life isn't always fair; and maybe it was my fault.
Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend
more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children,
are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but
overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy
charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens
suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher
fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.
Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the
job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly
children.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental
consent to administer sun lotion or an Aspirin to a student; but could
not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have
an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses;
and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common
Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar
in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.
Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to
realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in
her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death,
by his parents, Truth and Trust
his wife, Discretion
his daughter, Responsibility
his son, Reason
He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers;
I Know My Rights
I Want It Now
Someone Else Is To Blame
I'm A Victim
Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.
If you still remember him, pass this on.
If not, join the majority and do nothing.

How Much Do You Make?

The title caught your attention didn't it? I know as educators we don't earn very much and I also know this as a fact - that many of you have taken pay cuts from the industry to come into teaching to make a difference. So this post is not about the tangible rewards of how much we are worth, (in my opinion we are worth SOOOOO much more than we are currently paid) but about the intangible rewards. This is one of my all time favourite teacher stories and I must thank Elaine because I got this from her comments on the online course. It is not really "emo" but rather it gets you think on two fronts - how much are we really worth / can you really put a dollar value on what we do and more importantly, the incredible amount of power we yield as educators in the classroom. At the risk of a cliche - "With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility. Enjoy the story and thanks Elaine for sharing it!

WHAT TEACHERS MAKE

The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life. One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued, "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?" He reminded the other dinner guests what they say about teachers:"Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach."

To stress his point he said to another guest;"You're a teacher, Susan. Be honest. What do you make?"Susan, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, "You want to know what I make?" "I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.I make a C+ feel like the winner of the Congressional Medal of Honor. I make kids sit through 40 minutes of study hall in absolute silence.""You want to know what I make?""I make kids wonder.I make them question.I make them criticize.I make them apologize and mean it.I make them write.I make them read, read, read.I make them show all their work in math and perfect their final drafts in English.I make them understand that if you have the brains, and follow your heart, and if someone ever tries to judge you by what you make, you must pay no attention because they just didn't learn."Susan paused and then continued.

"You want to know what I make?" 'I MAKE A DIFFERENCE.' What do you make?"