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\nPhoto<\/a> by Dr Craig
\nAttribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License<\/div>\n
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- Wrong.<\/li>\n
- Back-to-school in mid-August.\u00a0 Mayhem ensued.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
You’ve probably already guessed that the MYP workshop prep took priority over my GRE study.\u00a0 When I look back at the past two months, I still can’t quite believe I did all of this AND taught 4 different grade levels full time, coherently (OK, OK, semi-coherently).\u00a0 So, you might say I’ve been insanely busy.<\/p>\n
How it went<\/h2>\n
MYP workshop in Hong Kong:<\/strong> Wonderfully!\u00a0 Far better than I had expected, and with plenty of positive feedback to boot.\u00a0 It was well worth the two weeks of Hardly Any Sleep (yes, that deserves capital letters), and 3 nights of mediocre room service meals in my hotel room.<\/p>\n
GRE:<\/strong> In a word — notsogood.<\/em> Without going into too much detail, it sucked.\u00a0 I hate standardized tests. Hate them.\u00a0 Really, really hate them.\u00a0 They have so very little educational value, and the very core of my Teacher Being wants to rebel and take a stand!\u00a0 But dangit – some of the best technology \/ literacy \/ education programs in the USA require me to take them just to get my foot in the door.\u00a0 So I have relented, and scheduled another exam at the end of November.\u00a0 I promise this time I’ll study for the math section<\/a>, though I might need some help<\/a>.\u00a0 Hey, if nothing else, it’s an excuse to go to Bangkok for another weekend, just in time to do some Christmas shopping.<\/p>\n
What’s next: Affirmations<\/h2>\n
I’ve spent the past three weeks simply trying to catch up and get into a routine.\u00a0 And now, suddenly, it’s Autumn Break!\u00a0 What a great time for pause and reflection.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/static.flickr.com\/3003\/2664817195_b6052f1c36_m.jpg\")
\nPhoto<\/a> by h.koppdelaney
\nAttribution-NoDerivs License<\/div>\nMy goals this year (even though we’re a quarter through already) involve even more focus on the integration of technology into my English classes to best reflect MYP philosophy.<\/p>\n
I admit it: I am MYP FanGirl #1.\u00a0 That doesn’t mean I don’t think the programme has its drawbacks and weaknesses — it most certainly does.\u00a0 But I believe so strongly in it because it reflects much of what I know to be true as a teacher and learner that I unabashedly put my support behind it.\u00a0 I definitely see myself growing even more within this educational framework, and I’ve been with it already for 7+ years.\u00a0 I do not see my MYPness (yes, I said it \ud83d\ude09 ) waning any time soon.<\/p>\n
I also will admit that technology has its drawbacks and weaknesses.\u00a0 But it, too, is something that I believe strongly in because I recognize that our world is changing before us, and our students need to think differently than we did.\u00a0 Like Einstein said, “We cannot solve problems using the same thinking we used when we created them.”\u00a0 And so, at the heart of it all, I still believe that it’s not about the technology<\/a>.\u00a0 It’s about thinking and learning in different ways to make sense of the ever-changing world, and technology is a big part of the thinking, the learning, and certainly the change.<\/p>\n
Where I’m going: Aspirations<\/h2>\n
So what’s down the road?<\/p>\n
The more often I speak to other like-minded educators, the more often I am struck with this realization: the “making sense” part of our job is the same in every “schooly” subject area, and it almost always comes down to communication.<\/p>\n
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