Resting on the journey

Just completed my e-portfolio and although I am exhausted, I am also in a reflective mood. It is always good to take stock of what one has done, and this is the first time I have actually put together an e-portfolio. Learning is great, and although my work is not as good as I would have liked (is perfection attainable?) I am humbled at the journey that I was able to make with assistance and encouragement from others. For all those who suggested this learning experience and everyone who has been supporting me, thank you!
I realise that the journey is far from being over, but I need to take time to catch my breath and admire the scenery. In resting, I gain strength and insight for the great adventure that still lies ahead!

Just found the widget above on the website for International Pi day! A cool way of using ICT to promote Pi (and mathematics). At the same time there is an interesting application on another website that finds a string of numbers within Pi. Where is 3112011 (today's date)?  At 6,532,234 digits after the decimal point! Check out your birth date or any other date of interest! Happy Pi Day everyone!

ICT and the 'fun' element

Continuation on my post, as I reflect about Second Life. Many articles discuss the fun element about ICT and hence its attraction to users (especially younger ones). I am not complaining as an 'older' user, I am also glad to take advantage of the fun aspect of using ICT. Enjoyment makes the frustration of figuring out new things (such as teleporting) worthwhile.

Second Life - A (new) reality?

So, finally I have tried out Second Life. I spend a long time protesting against trends (it took  two years of pressure from my sister before I joined Facebook and though I don't use many of its features, I now 'get it').Something similar happened with Second Life. Three weeks ago when I first heard that professionals had a meeting in Second Life, my first reaction was ... really? I thought it is someting for entertainment and let me be frank, waste of time.

But now that I have joined and I have tried out some of the features (see me fly!) I now understand why my lecturer said that it is a "totally new experience". I can feel myself change, I suppose after using it for some time, I'll 'get it'. Of course, there is an element of fun but I am not complaining. It is worth to try it out and of course reflect on its pros (meeting people, travelling to places, 3D) and cons (time-consuming, costly in terms of internet up/download). Is this a new (virtual) reality or are some aspects of reality more emphasised than other aspects? Still reflecting

Do you Teach or Do you Educate?

Reflection: Just found this great video on YouTube while I was checking out some links for ICT sent by our lecturer. This video has been a challenge for me (after all in my profile I described myself as a teacher) but also an inspiration. It is not so much the term but the philosophy and the approach underlying my actions. In my work as a mathematics teacher the most important thing I had wanted to realize was to somehow make my students appreciate and enjoy mathematics.  I have also realized that my greatest achievement as a teacher along the years has been to make my students independent and able to think for themselves. In actual fact what I am called to be is an educator and not just a teacher. Hope I can live up to this ideal.                                 

GeoGebra - Learning can be fun!

GeoGebra is a superb tool for the teaching and learning of Mathematics. It is free if you are using it for non-commercial purposes and the website here provides not just a chance to run and/or download the program but also a lot of extra materials.

One of the best things about GeoGebra is the ease by which "complicated" constructions and graphs can be accomplished in a few clicks. This was what impressed the students to whom my ICT elective group introduced it last week. For me the best part was to see students try out GeoGebra on their own. After the initial hesitation, they completed not just the assigned tasks but ventured into some new constructions and were seen enjoying themselves. This is the power of GeoGebra and all other education-related software packages, they make learning fun!

Achieve your dreams

Last Saturday, I read a really nice book titled the The Last Lecture.  The book is about Randy Pausch and his "last lecture" and also additional material he shared with the writer Jerry Zaslow. It is a truly inspiring book, it points to what is really important in life. I'm not going to spoil the joy of discovery for those of you who do not know what it is about.

I have decided to have this as my first post in my new series because I feel that it is fitting that I start with something inspirational. As a computer engineer Randy Pausch has achieved a lot but he finds his great joy in the fact that he has helped others achieve their dreams. As a teacher who plans to use ICT more in my own teaching, this gives me something to aspire to. To all of you out there ... go and achieve your dreams!