I was watching the Apprentice today and I cannot help but be nostalgic about my IMC days back in College. Our life was like the apprentice, we have tons of Pitches every week, presentations, group works  all the drama , and not to mention Dr. K is like Trump. The Only difference is nobody gets fired, but only gets screwed from peer evaluation (if you are a freeloader that is.)

I miss doing pitches.  Creating the idea, coming up with a plan, and finally Pitching it to the client and getting it approved. One of my most memorable was the HELLO Wafer Pitch we did for Dr.K's class, we were not the power group so to speak, but we won the pitch. I even remembered the McCann person's comment : "Tuhog  ang ideas, its like professionals were doing it. "It was a great feeling to hear something like that from the actual account person handling the brand.

I also miss the all nighters. Though we look like zombies, it was really fun working until the wee hours, cramming for an ad at 5am because you have to present it 9 am. Studying and doing your slides in the car on the way to school.. it was quite an experience really. But then ALL  of it was WORTH it. Much of what i know, much of my "Fundamentals" now I owe from IMC, from Dr.K who makes us read 60 (or more) pages of reading every session, to my other professors- Mr.Sy, Mr. Miranda, Mrs Diyco, Ms Ichay and a lot more, my friends, to SCL.. it was a hell of a ride. But its IMC. IMC would not be IMC without the stress and all of this. Proud to be an IMC protege:)

Here's my top ten favorite all time SCL posts complete with links for easy reading...

#17 - Unspoken Prayer Requests (The picture with it is classic.) If you like that one, see #53, #301, #336, and #373.

#50 - Bible Fanny Packs

#123 - Flags, Handbells, & Puppets

#168 - Printing Bulletins on Pen Repelling Paper

#169 - Clapping Our Hands (A step by step guide to the death of rhythm)

#171 - Meticulously Making Messages Match (M)Letters

#173 - The Crock Pot, a love letter along with it's cousin #245 - The Casserole of Hope

#194 - Traveling Mercies

#247 - A Bizarre Relationship with CAPITALIZATION

#371 - The Dude That Drinks Water and Gets Sick on Mission Trips

Although that makes ten, two recent posts are in the runner-up positions -

#358 - Color Coding Salvation (must read the comments on this one!)

#368 - Massages During Church and part two

Okay, so for quite a while I've been limping along on the generic smiley face. I've seen the yellow guys doing other stuff for other people, but didn't know how to make it show up on my writings. You can all now rest easy knowing I've figured out a few new faces. Here's how to get some fresh face at least on Wordpress. I'm writing it out so you can see it - leave off the quotes when typing it yourself...

colon, write the word "eek" and then another colon = :o

colon, "sad", colon = :(

colon, "cool", colon = 8-)

colon, "smile", colon = :)

colon, "wink", colon = ;)

colon, "grin", colon = :-D

colon, "???", colon = :-?

colon, "shock", colon = 8O

colon, "mad", colon = :x

colon, "razz", colon = :P

colon, "lol", colon = :lol:

colon, "oops", colon = :oops:

colon, "cry", colon = :cry:

colon, "evil", colon = :evil:

colon, "twisted", colon = :twisted:

colon, "roll", colon = :roll:

colon, "mrgreen", colon = :mrgreen:

Look for these in future writings. I'll try not to go overboard. Sure you all are thrilled!

[gallery]Mick, Bob, Robert and Eric up at Shoreline were a lot of fun and I learned quite a bit.  We were in the middle of changing out a 26kV breaker with it's associated disconnects, pretty cool.

Never in my life did I ever imagine that my experience with the Latin language in high school would come back around to be one of my most valuable assets in one of my most important interviews to date. No really, I promise it was. All of those darn spirit cheers at State and Nationals, all those tests (most of which I didn't take at Nationals), all those crafts, colloquia, speech practices, practice tests, the nerdy friends, the great company, and the That's Entertainments (both watching and producing) finally paid off for one great tentative chance. Because two weekends ago, for Teach for America, I went to an early hiring fair where I interviewed with about five schools all with completely different make-ups (middle schools, high schools, charter schools), and those interviewing were just as varied (lone principals, CEOs, department heads, in one case: several women who acted just like a firing squad and pretty much killed me on the spot).

When TFA gave me my interview schedule I quickly learned I was blessed to begin with because I had more interviews than most (apparently English teachers are in demand in Philadelphia--what does that mean? That there's a crazy turnover rate for English teachers? That I'm screwed? Probably all of the above...) and I was going to be interviewing with not only three public schools, but also two charter schools (which are also public schools).

And one school that I interviewed with in particular I was given a huge pep talk about from everyone and their mom about how amazing it was and how I had to try really hard to do well in that interview because it's basically heaven on earth...under the TFA definition at least. It wasn't like they were putting any pressure on me or anything, they were just saying...

So I got really excited because one of the aspects of the pedagogy of Latin for the students, which aids in the students' SAT verbal scores amongst other things. And, more than the school being a charter, or the structure, or the leadership within it, that was what I was excited about. Even though I would be teaching English, teaching in a world where all of my students would probably understand the context of saying alea jacta est just blew my mind. And made me want to teach there more than ever.

So then comes interview day. And I go through my several more than what most people got interviews which were killer. Going through an all day interview I find was much easier than this. With this process I had to constantly redefine myself for the goals of the school, and spit back out the same (relatively good) answers I had just given twenty minutes ago for the third time.

The closest thing I can compare it to was working the hurricane Preview day. For those of you who don't know, when I was working as an Orientation Leader one of the sessions was canceled because the entire university shut down under threat of a hurricane. I volunteered to work in the morning (donning my bright orange polo and everything) to tell all the annoyed Hispanic families that had left Miami at 3 AM to make it there on time that they would have to drive right back because the session had been canceled due to weather threats. The major irony was that it was a beautiful sunshiny day. The worst were the families from New York and Texas. And, going through the motions, I was just putting on my fake smile and letting them deal with the distressing news, and passing off all the worst cases onto my boss without a second thought.

It was kind of like that. A ridiculously big smile for people who didn't necessarily care to see it. Me being the completely inexperienced, looks like a 12 year old, kid from Florida with no "real" grasp of what the situation would be like. That's what every interview was like, except with the really awesome charter school.

And, of course, the good news is I was just informed that I will tentatively be working at that school teaching 9th/10th grade English.

It was the most exciting news I've ever received. I literally gasped out loud as I stared at the email.

Then I wrote a really inappropriate "me" email right back thanking them in more words than necessary for the great news. This has really been the first time I've thought that this adventure could be a manageable prospect. And I couldn't be happier.

Tracklist
01. 05:59 am (Intro)
02. Antaitled
03. Surgiré en tu recuerdo
04. Check In
05. Camino a casa
06. Cetial
07. Aboreas
08. Laitec
09. Jabberwakki
10. Duerme (Outro)
11. Velcro (Bonus Track)
Dostepne tu:Aboreas

She's an April Fool baby! But her friends from secondary school planned a party for her over the weekend cos it so happens, we're all either working or studying on weekdays. And did I tell you guys that the party was at MacDonald's at King Albert Park?!

Gosh! When was the last time I had a party there, or even had a meal at MacDonald's man. I've really got to give it to her friends for having the party there! A trip down memory lane, back to where it was the "in" thing as kids to have our birthday parties there!

The party was quite fun despite us having to cram into those little chairs! We were late because Jen ended work late (thanks to her superior...) and anyway, our appearance was meant to be a surprise, which we clearly did! Any lies that involve us, you can be sure would turn into one hell of a story.

We were telling Jac how we crave for MacDonald's and that because the outlet at King Albert Park is the HQ, so that's why we went there and just so happens saw her celebrating her birthday! And since we picked up the present from the bin outside, we could give that to her! Ha!

The birthday girl!

We even had games and door gifts (which really were Happy Meal toys) and balloons!

We strongly advocate the message of stopping cruelty to life by just being happy!

That's the only 21st birthday for April! The next one would be in May. In fact, May would be the month where I might possibly turn bankrupt.

El mainframe más que dinosaurio es un elefante, que antes fue un mamut. Su capacidad de adaptación y de evolución supera con mucho la de los reptiles del Jurásico. El problema cultural que tiene la gente de mi generación con respecto al mainframe es que lo asociamos con épocas oscuras de nuestro país. Uno de los hechos más emblemáticos para los estudiantes de Computación de la década del 80 cuando terminó la intervención fue que "abrieron la reja del mainframe" que era una reja estilo cárcel que separaba a los operadores del añejo sistema 370 del resto de los mortales. Increíblemente ahora los sistema Z son capaces de dedicar parte de su poder de procesamiento a la instalación de Linux, o sea qe los sistemas Z saben lo que es rock and roll.

En mi experiencia laboral con el tiempo me fui despojando del prejuicio generalizado que los equipos grandes están asociados a un autoritarismo rígido y me di cuenta de que  todos los técnicos, operadores y programadores de equipos grandes tenían un nivel de profesionalismo del que desgraciadamente los anárquicos usuarios de plataforma PC carecemos a veces por completo.

>>> SCL Ohrhörer im Shop

So we met up after like what... a few months?! Busy careerwomen we are.

It was nice... Just chatting, drinking, relaxing and spying on Filipinos trying to get Caucasian guys for the night. *Ahem* For a price of course. We talked loads! About work, life, love, the future, gossip, friendship and travelling. I really hope we can travel together again someday and relive those days we spent in Hainan Island!

Jen hasn't sent us the pic we took with her mobile yet. But here's one from September last year, no, that wasn't the last time we met. Not so long ago anyway!

Soon.

There was a question posed on this week's demonstration topic, Youtube ripping: how do we use ripped YouTube videos in Student-Centered Learning? Two scenarios were posed: (a) students know about the topic already (b) students don't know about the topic presented.

I think that in the case of (a), YouTube can be used particularly in some student-centered learning approaches, particularly Problem-Based Learning, Resource-Based Learning, Case-Based Learning. The issue that students are to tackle collaboratively can be presented to them in multiple modalities, one of which is a video. YouTube just makes it easier for teachers to locate a suitable video which can be ripped for use in class as a lesson stimulant.

In the case of (b), to tie up with SCLAs, students using the Project-Based Approach can use YouTube as a depository of their final deliverables (if it is a video), so that records can be maintained and peers can conveniently critique their work. (does not answer the use of ripped YouTube videos though) Alternatively, existing YouTube videos can be used by students in their final project presentations to make a point.

Hopefully the above suggestions answer the question.

E-Learning

Prof Tan and the class felt that E-Learning has the qualities of encouraging independent and reflective self-learning. In the case of a pandemic or school-wide emergency, E-Learning can also be implemented immediately to prevent further disruptions to class. I would like to add however that the pretext is that e-learning packages are ready to begin with, for much of the syllabus. Otherwise, teachers will still need time to prepare - which then defeats the purpose of using e-learning week to tackle an emergency.

Another point to note was brought up in class though. If many departments are implementing e-learning at same time, there is a need to synchronise their plans so that the total workload for students is reasonable and conducive to learning.

Safe Assignment (SA)

Prof Tan took the chance to clarify that matching percentage does not equate to amount plagiarized. It means that I have been inaccurate and hasty in calling everything picked up "suspected plagiarism" previously. He stressed that it is important to use technology and human ability (such as critical thinking and judgment) to their respective strengths. Which really echoes what I read about James Martin's book in LHZB the other day!

There is bound to be waiting time for any online submission system: though some waited for up to 48 hours! The time allows detailed comparision against the service provider's database. (Of course, I believe that there are limits to what constitutes a reasonable wait. Even our NIE profs called up SA to ask why there was such a long wait for reports. SA might have over-exaggerated and euphemised some of its features.) Students should do forward planning :) - a very useful skill for any profession

As mentioned in class, implementing SA is probably more for tertiary (e.g. jc) students since they write more papers. However, SA is just one technological response to plagiarism, NOT the first resort. plagiarism is social-cultural, like piracy and cutting and pasting from the web. Teachers should model good practices for students by acknowledging others' work.

Monitoring blogs by RSS

Prof Tan sees this as a good practice to continue, since it encourages empathy between students, and teachers can pick up concerns. There is a difference between educational blogging and mainstream blogging though. Monitoring one another's blog and commenting for the purpose of this course is ARTIFICIAL, and extrinsically motivated, unlike intrinsic motivation in the real bloggers' field, where there is the social element of debating and encouraging peers.

Educational blogs should be used with care as there are some concerns (of privacy, perhaps?). teachers blog so that they can tap into the students' blogging culture.

Lesson planning in groups

In real school situations, most teachers plan alone for practical reasons - they know their topic and class best (unless they are building on a senior teacher's plan, or required to group plan for a larger cohort etc). However, group planning allows more input, exchange, critique, and different perspectives, even though it's slower. Practicum teachers can collaborate, and take turns to plan. In the long run it may actually lessen our load.

But do real teachers really lesson plan? While they may not come up with a tangible plan to refer to, we as new teachers still need to practice since we lack experience, as Hui Hui suggested. Lesson planning helps us reflect from both the teacher and student's perspective, and lets others critique our work, as Kaili mentioned. It gives us a frame of reference, and helps us internalize processes, especially when the best teaching practices are not always intuitive (cf. Man vs Wild tv show)- so plan!!!

Junglebyte

This was the classroom computer management system used during our class on Friday. It has functions such as broadcast, student monitoring, lock screen and so on. In a computer lab where it may not be practical for the teacher to keep circulating or call on students, classroom management tools like this can be a blessing.

A year ago, in their final South Coast League match against Aliso Niguel, the favored and ranked Tritons, playing at home, gave away a share of the league championship by conceding a goal with less than a minute left before full time.

Fast Forward to Tuesday, with the Aliso Niguel Wolverines once again visiting San Clemente's own Thalassa Stadium. The difference is that this time, the Wolverines came in as the No. 5 team in Orange County. The other difference is that, unlike last season, the Tritons successfully fended off the Wolverines' rabid second-half attack to claim their second straight shut out, 1-0,  and pull even with Aliso Niguel atop the SCL table.

The win, which gives both sides of this quick-developing SCL rivalry identical league records at 6-2-1, came courtesy of the game's only goal by senior Andy Martinez -- undeniably one of So Cal's deadliest strikers --  and a stout Triton defense anchored by 6-foot-3 keeper Andrew Cuchessi. 

Cuchessi, the pride of the Trestles 'hood, is quoted in the Orange County Register's coverage.  Here's an excerpt describing the crucial closing minutes:

Both teams have one remaining league game to either claim the league outright, share it, or give it away. Then it's off to CIF.