Blog Entry # 1: How will you cater the generation Z?

"It is not the strongest of species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change."

-Albert Einstein

       There was an adage that says the only law that does not change is the change itself. In today's generation, people nowadays were exposed to the new technologies which made them to embrace the disparity from the Veteran's to Generation Z. There are a lot of gaps that were rampantly happening around us; when it comes to the manner of dressing, styling, communicating or even in socializing. Hence, the most controversial issue for this contagious change is the way how the teacher teaches. In order to be prepared and be clarified for the greatest challenge in catering the needs of this what we so called Generation Z, one must know the characteristics of the learners.
 
         Way back from 90's stage, the traditional teachers used to spoon fed their students and they were more imposing the teacher-dominated policy rather than the student-centered way in teaching as what the Generation Z would like to be catered. It was plainly more on the traditional IM's such as chalk, manila paper or in vernacular we often called it "bitaymax" which is evidently fading nowadays. It's just like the greatest and a flash transition in MS Powerpoint, wherein the traditional IM's were now replaced with the newest trends in the market. The use of multimedia presentation through the aid of LCD projector are one of the IM's that can caught the learners's attention in Generation Z.

      Apprehending such rapid transition from veterans up to Generation Z is indeed a great challenge especially for the teachers. Now, the question is: How Will I Cater the Generation Z?  A question worth pondering for. How? Perhaps,in answering this question would require a deep thinking. Probably, I would go back to the aforementioned paragraph in this blog wherein I made mentioned that learning, and relearning the characteristics of these kind of learners would served as an avenue for me to answer the above question. What kind of learners are the Generation Z? They were the ones who embraced 90% of their lives surfing on the internet even at the age of 5, busy chit chatting on their IPODS and busy playing games on their android cellphones. With this kind of learners:

as evidently shown on the picture, it is very much essential to make a balance. I guess, in the near future,I would cater them through bridging the gap from Veterans generation to Generation Z.  There isnothing really wrong with these rampant gadgets, however it is also important that one must not forget the past generation. It doesn't necessarily mean that when we say "a change" it  would only mean a total change. I guess, it isn't. Why? Simply because, a change is just a piece of a new puzzle added from the past generation to complete a new masterpiece; and how to complete it? By making a bridge! Yet, we cannot really deny the fact that some people are so busy making their own walls instead of making bridges. As for my own perspective, let us try to imagine, if we would just plainly focused on the new technologies in the way we teach to these new learners. What if chalkboards would just rapidly vanished? What if books will not be included anymore in the curriculum, but rather the students would just simply download it from the internet? On the other way around, if there wouldn't be hightech gadgets, how can we make our whole discussion an engaging one with full of zeal and fun inside the classroom since the Generation Z are more exposed to gadgets? One more thing, I must be creative enough. Indeed, one must be creative and innovative in catering the Generation Z, in a way to teach them the combination of both: the traditional and the modern one which can also create an equal harmony.

Blog Entry # 2: How will you bridge the gap of the students Y and Z?

"Many were not united, because they build walls instead of bridges."

Becoming a teacher is not an easy task. Being a teacher, one must be eclectic enough to compete into the world of digitals. However, an effective teacher should not always rely on the ICT or Information and Communication Technology. I would like to believe that the integration of the traditional IM’s (Instructional Materials) should still be used. Meaning to say, the combination of both must go along together. But, the query there is; how will I bridge the gap of the students from generation Y and Z?

Accomplishing such dilemma encompasses these three big letters: the CIA which stands for being CREATIVE, IINOVATIVE AND ACCURATE. First of all, an eclectic teacher has this quality of being creative. Why am I saying this? You cannot make the whole class interesting if you; as a teacher isn’t that creative enough to present his/her lessons. Today, we are now in to the digital world which means that the Generation Z served as a great challenge for the teachers to cater their needs. Yet, that doesn’t mean that students from generation Y will now be deteriorated. Of course, that isn’t worth it. It doesn’t make sense if a teacher would just solely rely on a single teaching approach. For example, an eclectic teacher would incorporate the traditional instructional materials to the modern technologies. In simpler accounts, a teacher may use the chalk-talk method while integrating some multimedia presentations. An eclectic teacher should always bear in his/her mind that students nowadays would actively participate in class discussion if both approaches from traditional to the modern one will be fused together in order to manifest the so called creativity inside the classroom.

            Next to creativity, another way of bridging generation Y and Z is to meet Mr. Innovative. Yes, it may be a simple word, but with a meaningful meaning behind. An eclectic teacher should also engrave to his/her thoughts that education chooses no particular scenarios to teacher whether in rural or urban places. Now, the questions there, is: What if you will be assigned in remote areas? What particular activities you can incorporate to your class discussion? A teacher should be a creative inventor in presenting his/her lesson. Moreover, generation Y is quite near to generation Z; and the only difference between the two is students from generation Z were more equipped to gadgets. I remembered, last year during our research study entitled “Exploring Students’ Experience on How Their English Teachers Affect Their Interest in English Subjects” there was particular respondent who aired out his experience that during his high school days, his English teacher used to play DOTA inside their classroom. Upon hearing such, I was so shocked. I asked him what he meant by his statements and he gaily said that he used DOTA in incorporating the subject matter on subject verb agreement based from the menu on the so called game. The teacher is indeed innovative. However, an eclectic teacher should also consider the affective domain in presenting the lesson proper. Indeed, the more innovative the teacher is, the more the students from generation Y and Z will be even more united.

Creativity and being innovative must go along with accuracy. Now, what is it? Accuracy as defined in Merriam dictionary, accuracy would mean being right and is perfectly fitted to a certain thing. An eclectic teacher once again should also see to it that the approach that is being used in lesson presentation must be accurate for the learners. Meaning to say, in order to be accurate, creativity and being innovative precedes first. There must be an assessment for a particular approach before a teacher could say that it was accurate. It needs not to be too much and not that too little, but it must be just right. I guess, bridging the gap between generation Z and Y will be vanished only and if eclectic teachers would never build walls, but rather bridges.

Blog Entry # 3: Illustrate in the grid chart, differentiating the the past 30 years and the new digital generation.

Based from the above illustration, it was clearly illustrated that for the past 30 years the means of communication were quite slow, unlike today wherein just a second you can now download all the files you wanted by means of internet connection.

Blog Entry # 4: Perception on the old and new generation

“Today, 2 year olds can unlock an Iphone, open and close their favorite applications all by themselves. When I was that age, I was eating cotton candy.”

Imagine, how the world changes from traditional to the modern generation. Before I’ll go over with my discussion, I just want to show the picture below. It just sounds very similar to the above quotation which I surfed from the internet. I was born in 1992, therefore I belong to the generation Y. I could really say that today’s youngsters were indeed isolated in the world of modern technologies. I can really compare my childhood life to my nieces and nephews’ juvenile life. Way back from my early life when I was still four or five years old, I guess, I used to play jackstones, Chinese garter, bahay-bahayan, Hide and seek and Barbie dolls. Mentioning such childhood stuffs, I reminisced how happy I was in playing such games that would make my day complete. Yet, today I do not know if I would feel dismay or just be happy either for such sudden changes that a lot of people were now adopting. Whenever my nephews and niece would come into our house, they would always go to our room where our personal computer was located and there, they would abruptly play their favorite computer game entitled “San Andreas”. I personally do not like the way how the game is being played. I used to see my nephews trying to kill another character from the game and I despised them of playing such again. However, the antidote for being so addicted in computer game wasn’t discovered yet, that is why I have had hard times in disciplining them. It was also quite absurd when my nephews were more expert than me even if they were still six and seven years old when it comes to computer games. Worst is, the elder one knew already how to play the most addictive game-DOTA or the Defense of the Ancient. Oftentimes, I questioned my nephews’ ways on how they were enjoying their childhood days. Are they happy when they see people killing one another even if it was just a computer game? Yet, they can be happier if they would try our traditional games. Before, even a single rubber band could already mean everything to a simple child like me. Yet, now you have to walk an extra mile in order to meet the Generation Z’s hunger in technologies.

In wider perspective, when it comes to my perception in education in the old generation, I found it obsolete right now. Why am I saying this? I would not use my bias and that is my belongingness in generation Y. But, what am I trying to point out is to see which is which. In other words, which is effective? Spoon feeding the students wherein the teachers were the sole foundation of knowledge, or the one’s that let the students engaged into class discussion? In my own humble point of view, I would really say that the child-centered approach should be used. During our research study last year entitled, “Students’ Experience on how their English Teachers Affect their Interest in English Subjects” majority of our respondents answered that they tend to be bored if the teachers were just the only persons who kept on talking and talking throughout the period. Instead, they would be more interested in their English subjects if the teacher would incorporate a lot of activities which uses the constructivist approach. Unlike the old generation, the students were very much pressured. I remembered the movie entitled “Three Idiots” starring Aamir Khan, a hindi film which tells about the story of these three friends how they changed the point of view of their Professor that teaching would not mean you have to memorize everything what was written on the textbooks. However, there is more to learning than pressuring one’s students to memorize word for word. The K to 12 was the product of the new generation. I affirmed to this program, because it is more on the child-centered approach. Meaning to say, the old generation will now be replaced with new approaches. After all, having these two kinds of generation which is the old and new generation; I would greatly say that both generations have contributed a lot to one another. Without the old, the new generation will not attain its changes without the traditional ways. 

Blog Entry # 5: Illustrate through cycle then explain the six essential skills to equip students for success in the Millenial World.

These six essential skills used to equip students for success in the Millenial World do not replace the three R's namely: the 'rithmetic, 'riting and reading. They were used to assist the new digital learners on how to be equipped with such cycle. First, we have solution fluency wherein the capacity and creativity in problem solving is being measured. Next, we have information fluency wherein it has three subsets: the ability to access information, the ability to retrieve information and the ability to reflect, assess and rewrite for. Collaboration fluency means teamwork with virtual or verbal partners in the online environment. After that is the media fluency which refers to channels of mass communication such as radio, television, magazine and advertising. Next is the creative fluency which includes artistic proficiency adds meaning by the way of design including its art, Lastly, we have digital ethics  wherein digital citizen were guided by principles to the new digital world.

Blog Entry # 6: Prepare a lesson plan (4A'S) which includes the Integration of ICT

I-Objectives

At the end of the discussion, the learners are expected to:

·    

            Identify the 12 Olympians in Greek Mythology;

·         Appreciate the value of literature in everyday life; and

·         Record the role-play presentation through video recorder.

II-Subject Matter

Topic: The Twelve Olympians in Greek Mythology.

Reference: The Greek Mythology by Edith Hamilton. Pages 1-8.

Materials: Multimedia presentation, LCD  and video recorder.

Value Infused: Creativity

III- Procedure

A.      Preliminaries

Drill

·         The teacher will choose five students to pick one folded piece of paper to imitate into action the word being written on the paper. The words are sing, dance, run, walk and jump.

·         Afterwards, the teacher will now ask about the previous topic being discussed for the last meeting.

B.      Review

·         The teacher will ask the students what is verb and some of its examples.

·         The teacher will also ask the students to construct their own sentences using the different verbs.

C.      Motivation

·         The teacher will present to the whole class the huge book and will ask one student to read the story about the creation of world in Greek Mythology.

·         Right after reading the story, the students will now be asked what will be the topic to be discussed.

B. Presentation

1. Activity Proper

·         The students will be divided into three groups.

·         Each group will choose their most favorite scene based from the story told to them.

·         The students will only be given 2 minutes to prepare and 3 minutes to perform their presentations.

·         Each group must assign a person to record their presentations through video recorder.

       2.  Analysis

·         Based from the given activity, how were the students characterized their roles on their presentations?

·         What particular scene in which you were touched the most? Why?

·         How will you differentiate the power from the gods and goddesses of the 12 Olympians?

·         Why should we study Greek Literature? Was it important? Why or Why not?

     3.   Abstraction

·         How will you value the existence of Greek literature in the world?

·         Why do we consider literature as life?

     4.  Application

·         Based from the characters that you have portrayed, how can you relate to your role?

·         Did it ever happen into your life? How did you cope with it?

·         Cite some circumstantial events in your life which played a great impact into your life.

IV. Evaluation

·         The teacher will ask the students to get one half sheet of paper and will write something  some

about their favorite gods and goddesses in 12 Olympians. They will only have 3 minutes to answer the question.

IV. Assignment

·         The teacher will ask the students to draw the 12 Olympians. Each god/goddess should be fitted on a short bond paper. At the bottom, will be the name of the god/goddesses including its symbols.