Classroom Science Initiatives

No post last Saturday because even though I was able to make it to Justin and Chat’s place with only minimal inconvenience (one of the perks of the light rain transit) there was no Globe broadband when I got there, and I didn’t have enough credits in my Smart Bro pre-paid to connect. Besides, WII Rock Band was a bigger distraction, but could be paused when calls would come in from family and friends.

That, I guess, is the gift and curse of this instantaneous technology. People can contact radio and TV stations and the central office of the national disaster coordinating council about their plight, but in the end, it’s still the local government and their neighbors (if they are not in the same boat – bad analogy, I mean predicament) that can respond, come to the rescue and assist, speedboats aside.

So in the end, all this being able to tweet or text and call isn’t effective if everyone does it to ask for the same help.

@@ Personally, it wasn’t as bad as three years ago. The water at our place wasn’t as high, and therefore did less damage, although I’d like to think it was partially also from forethought and preparation, so there was less effort put into saving the material things.

@@ Of course there will always be opportunists. I’m not just talking about the looters as soon as the water receded, but also those who will say this causes them to have to postpone their plans by a few days, leading again to more last minute form filling.

@@ Besides that there will be those who will always fall back to “this is how we’ve done it before” even if there was no formal documentation and evaluation if what was done before really was effective and worth repeating instead of being improved upon. Those who do not know how to look back on the past are doomed to repeat it and all that.

@@ Daily Leadership Lesson September 26 - As we advance in life it becomes more and more difficult, but in fighting the difficulties the inmost strength of the heart is developed. - Vincent Van Gogh

@@ September 27 - Sometimes adversity is what you need to face in order to become successful. - Zig Ziglar

My take on this: these two are just a more straightforward way of rephrasing the proverb about “pottery and swords being tempered in the fire before it becomes useful”.

@@ September 29 - Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. - Daniel 12:3 NIV

My take on this: again, it’s like the beatitudes, where other-worldly rewards are promised to those who persevere with no thoughts about earthly compensation or honors.

It’s amazing how that doctrine has survived for two thousand years and made people allow themselves to be stepped on and suffer without standing up for themselves and their rights.

The interesting thing about this year’s book fair in the central lobby is that there are now several vendors instead of just one like the previous years. Too bad it’s only four days.

What was only announced today, at least for the college, is that it’s possible to buy books on salary deduction.

@@ It seems that the privilege speech of the one senator about how his driver’s disappearing phone credits, if I remember correctly, has borne fruit. Fifteen pesos load not is viable for 3 weeks instead of 1 week. And I’m sure other networks will follow suit on that immortal text.

@@ And speaking of communication services, I can’t believe that up to now I’m still receiving calls on my mobile phone from credit card companies, despite having called them up repeatedly asking to be taken out of their call list; so much for consumer privacy.

@@ The annoying thing about having a mobile phone number that is supposed to be for business is that sometimes you have to deal with inquiries where the other party demands much but does not return the courtesy with even rudimentary information like their name.

They have all these questions, and sometimes it doesn’t pay to give them all the information in one text message because they skim over that part and they will ask you again.

@@ We finished the orientation for new students today, and for those students who enrolled too late to attend the orientation for freshmen last May. It was held in the multipurpose hall.

This is because the media lab was already reserved for the Chinese exchange students.

Besides, according to the list, we have 40 participants, which is not really conducive for the media lab.

Main difference is that Ms. K wasn’t there to give the academic policies, it was Ms. Patt. And I had to step in for the student welfare officer, who was also not present, but not due to a maternity leave. Observation: a lot of presenters were unprepared not having slide presentations.

@@ Daily Leadership Lesson: September 23 - Success don’t come to you… you go to it. - Marva Collin

My take on this: pretty obvious. Success never fell into the lap of someone who just sat there, unless, of course, it’s an accident of birth on someone else’s misfortune of loss.

@@ September 25 - Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies. - Mother Teresa

My take on this: I guess being faithful in the small things means that it’s the daily habits that we have that establish our overall capabilities, and that if we are not disciplined in mundane routine, then we cannot be expected to hold together for bigger responsibilities.

I watched two movies in the past week: “Good Luck, Chuck” and “Duplicity”. Thankfully, the book fair, admitting their lack of continued survival in the face of more technological means of information storage and dissemination, also have movies on CD on sale.

Not that I’ve gone to the book fair; I personally believe my library is too big and ignored as it is already.

But I do know people who don’t miss it, especially the first day and the last day, and I’m thankful to them.

The one-word title film, which I watched first, had the misfortune of being tagged in my mind by a glanced short review read on the internet as being “too smart for its own good” – unfairly, I believe.

It’s by the creator of the award winning “Michael Clayton”. Too bad Tilda Swinton wasn’t in the cast, but I liked them as it was.

This set of characters could survive in a TV series. I’m sure there would be more to their banter about trust and suspicion.

In fact, each season of the show could be about one long con, their planning, set up and execution.

I could say the same about the second premise, about a guy that was cursed so that all the girls he hooks up with get married to the guy they date next. They know about this, and basically want to take advantage of him the way that they will think he’s taking advantage of them (and as Stuart does).

The suspension of disbelief comes in knowing that the curse or hex is real, and all the methods of going around the technicalities of it could be explored, as well as the slow build up of reputation he has.

As it was I couldn’t help but feel that I arrived in the middle of the story with all these girls already lining up in his office.

I don’t know why now (I also got to watch the first two seasons of “Dirty Sexy Money” and the first season and a half of “Avatar” as well as the first half season of the next series starring the guy from “X-Files” – okay maybe I DO know why) I’m more appreciative of series than movies.

And with the afore-mentioned “Avatar” and “X-Files” plus “Sex and the City” I guess it is proving just as lucrative for Hollywood to exploit the success of former TV shows in movies – starring the same actors, as it is the other way around (ex. “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”, “The Dead Zone”, the upcoming “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”), and not just from remaking TV shows from the 80’s at that (like “Charlie’s Angels”, “Land of the Lost” and “Bewitched”).

@@ Daily Leadership Lesson September 24 - Our motto must continue to be perseverance. And ultimately I trust the Almighty will crown our efforts with success. - William Wilberforce 1807 – 1892

My take on this: that kind of faith is nice, but can ultimately be self-defeating. What ever happened to “When God closes a door he opens a window.” I like that one better because it asks the person to be vigilant to the opportunities abounding in the room around him besides just the obvious big opening.

Again blind faith in this situation is pointless, going back to my favorite fly-hitting-the-window analogy.

And it’s raining again. Seems like these days if it doesn’t rain in the morning it’s in the afternoon, making sure that at least ONE commute for the day, if not both, is drenched.

And that’s the pessimist talking. The optimist is just thankful for a waterproof bag and preparedness of bringing an umbrella everyday, as well as an extra shirt, which used to be for being drenched in sweat.

@@ It was the second meeting for my Wednesday laboratory class earlier. Last week we were not able to meet because of that quality management seminar that I had. Besides that, I also have not had a lab class so far this term where all of the students are present.

This is because of the scheduling of their recollection, being second year students, on Wednesdays.

Now I’m glad that I took up the first two-thirds of my first meeting in a lecture, instead of dismissing them early.

@@ Speaking of early dismissals, Dr. Marie was able to explain to the dean’s office and the registrar’s office why it would not be fair to label the lab classes as having early dismissal.

Well, maybe not after the first hour of the class. If the lab was dismissed after the first hour, then that means that the distribution of experiments was not fully considered and that it may have been possible to schedule two short experiments in one three-hour meeting.

But after the first hour, where it is possible that the students have sufficiently fulfilled the requirements of the day, then they could go home already. Of course part of the incentive for this is that students are supposed to read up on the experiment before the class.

That is what would ensure them that they would be able to perform the experiment efficiently.

It’s funny how at least in my class, the students know that they are supposed to have a quiz during the first 10 minutes of the period about the experiment to be done for that day, and after the quiz, there are still students who blatantly consult the teacher about the procedure that they only read right there and then. Because of this I give each group performance points that are deducted if they ask me, if I see them asking their classmates, or if they take an inordinately long time to finish the experiment relative to the others.

Bottom line: lecture classes are supposed to consume the entire period. Otherwise, the teacher is required to make up.

This would be a good thing for the students to know and be vigilant against teachers who don’t spend class time wisely.

At the very least I hope that there are still students out there who do not think that having a teacher who dismisses early is a blessing, because they paid for that tuition. Bad enough if the teacher fails them or gives them a low grade, but if they get a high grade, was it worth it?

Don’t they see that if it turns out to be a major subject and is what leads them to get a job, that the boss will be expecting them to know the subject by heart because of the high grade, and will be disappointed?

Okay, long weekend is done. At least I’m content that there were only two days of no posts.

Sunday was spent in the Green Belt area with Justin and Chat as he looked for his books for his MBA. We went to several bookstores, but even though there was a cut price book sale, I didn’t buy any.

I also saw that what used to be Goodwill Bookstore in G4 is now Bridges, and has a small store front but opens wide in the back. This is a big contrast to their three floor shop window area just a few years ago.

If there’s a poster mall for continuous improvement, it would be this place. They even closed off for renovation half of the center area even though not that whole side was affected by the blast a few years ago.

@@ The “Driving Skills for Life” talk just finished, what used to be the Road Safety seminar renamed to be more in line with the efforts of the sponsoring car companies in the rest of the world.

As usual there were not enough college students to fill up the hall, so we had to pad the seats (not mincing words here) with the grade 10 Integrated School students, since the grade 11 students were busy with something for their alternative education week. Thankfully, there was also a relation to environment month.

@@ Last night (okay early this morning) I finished the game “Professor Layton and the Curious Village” to clear the way for another game that I got, for the Nintendo DS thanks to Chat, Squigglenauts.

The puzzles were okay, the solution to the main mystery, as Chat had said, was disappointing, as in coming from the far left field. It’s a good thing they didn’t expect the players to solve it.

@@ Daily Leadership Lesson September 20 - Six essential qualities are the key to success: sincerity, personal integrity, humility, courtesy, wisdom, charity. - Dr. William Menninger

My take on this: too long to react to each one. Most of them have to do with dealing with other people.

Personal integrity and wisdom though, in my opinion are best kept to one’s self and not advertised.

@@ September 21 - The ability to form friendships, to make people believe in you and trust you, is one of the few absolutely fundamental qualities of success. - John J. McGuirk

My take on this: as I was saying upstairs, getting ahead in life is mostly measured by interactions with others.

@@ September 22 - Success isn’t measured by money or power or social rank. Success is measured by your discipline and inner peace. - Mike Ditka

My take on this: how can this be reconciled with the two above? First, social rank is not the same as being well liked.

Discipline can be likened to personal integrity. Inner peace on the other hand, seems to be a consequence rather than something that is a requirement to be successful. If you already have inner peace, would you strive so hard to be successful? Or would you already consider yourself successful?

Again it’s about being happy with what you have instead of wanting to have things in order to be happy.

Yes, I’m finally able to post on a Saturday again. I’m not in campus though (they’re having ultimate Frisbee there).

I’m at an internet shop, one of dozens if not hundreds that have sprouted all over the landscape, even as obscure as inside a subdivision and not just along main thoroughfares anymore.

In fact, this one that I’m at makes full use of its space that there aren’t just terminals lining the walls, but there are also three central tables where there are also five terminals, with flat screens to save space, of course.

Another one that I recently visited had a common area that was humid even when ventilated, but also had a VIP area that not only had partitions between units, but was also air-conditioned.

What was the additional damage for such a privilege? It was just a measly five pesos an hour on top of the regular rate.

@@ On to another minor rant (I mean, not that the above was a rant of any sort, just an observation) what is it with these browsers that as if you want to remember the password and have three buttons: “yes”, “not now” and “never for this site”? It’s annoying that I always click the third one when on public computers, and all the time, if I happen to need to log in again during the same session, the same question pops up again to be asked! And this occurs in at least two browsers, so I’m not discriminating against those in Redmond or the open source guys.

While I’m on the subject, why is password remembrance even turned on in public computers? Is it the shop owners taking advantage of the ignorance of the run-of-the-mill user, or some would-be hacker changing the settings?

@@ Now that’s strange. I had a whole new paragraph here written which is a rant about a certain word processor that I was in the middle of using. I was in the middle of typing when the cursor and mouse disappeared, and, attempting to use it again, the mouse became an hourglass and the top part said (not responding). The other applications I had, particularly the browser, still worked though.

I opened another instance of the same application, and it was able to give me an auto-saved version of my file earlier, without the apparently offending paragraph. I was tempted to write the paragraph again, but why tempt fate twice?

I’ll save that complaint for another time when I’m using open office or the Mac equivalent, on another computer.

@@ Yesterday the weather was fine. The same is true with this morning. But from mid-afternoon onwards, the sky has been gloomy. I’m not talking about just cloudy, which would be fine, but gray like the anatomy.

Ooh, an attempt at humor, a bad one at that. But if there’s something to be said about this blog, besides the retraction described above, most of this is just stream of consciousness and not planned out.

@@ When you think there wasn’t any more hope, just one little act seen raises your spirits.

@@ Daily Leadership Lesson September 19 - If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. - 1 Peter 4:11 NIV

My take on this: I guess it’s of the same vein as that WWJD bracelet, about only emulating what the Savior did.

If someone cuts corners on the small things, most likely they will also cut corners on the big things; ditto with being obedient. And I’m echoing what I place in social networks.

@@ It’s the birthday of Office of Student Affairs secretary Ms. M today. She’s not in my social networks, but it’s been heard all over the student center since I got there.

@@ Speaking of social networks, it was pretty fast that everyone talked about the earthquake a few minutes ago.

[http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/us20 09lsap.php] gives the details. Now that’s instantaneous useful information for you! May their tribe increase!

@@ Trust the little elves of irony and f-my-life that someone would be searching for me the one time that I inform the office that I will be going to school late. Just a footnote to the day though. Or is it an appendix, since it’s between the head and the foot.

@@ Student lounge renovation is at 100%. We just need to schedule the official re-opening.

@@ [http://wondermark.com/553/] in another link like for today, says that cucumbers, not ramen noodles, is the only thing in the single food category that will not result in any RDA deficiency. Not that I’m going to try it; after all, it’s a tag in a comic strip.

But speaking of which, it’s common that default page indices for a site will point to the latest page.

But what if you want to link to that page, which you know will not be latest page even just a day after?

Solution: look at the most previous page, the one before that and see the indicator: if it is numbers increasing, you’re out of luck in linking, but if the numbers are decreasing, then just add one (or whatever the decrement factor is) to the most recent page.

@@ Another post of mine to the micro-blogging networks (believing I’m on a roll today): how can a big group whose founder taught supreme forgiveness be so intolerant?

Speaking of which, I might need a new account in Twitter just to follow all the ones that Chat is responding to and having long conversations with. It might just heat up more as the election fever rises, and it would be interesting to read that spectrum of short opinions. Long winded commentary turns me off. Just because the net allows it doesn’t mean they should not get to the point.

@@ Daily Leadership Lesson: September 18 - Our limitations and success will be based, most often, on your own expectations for ourselves. What the mind dwells upon, the body acts upon. - Denis Waitley

My Take on this: if you can say you can’t do it, you can’t. No one else can convince you otherwise.

Am manning the student center by myself today because the secretary went to the quote: showcase of Philippine’s best products from art, antiques, furniture, handicrafts to native food, fashion, pets, plants and novelty items (end quote) to get more furniture for the student lounge that the brother president reserved over the weekend.

It is hoped that by the start of next week, the student lounge will be completely refurbished.

@@ Things happening around the campus: there will be a book fair at the central lobby next week. This is part of the first alternative education week of the Integrated School. How many do they have?

Besides that, the higher years are busy practicing for a group oration contest which may also be next week.

@@ I have found out from Wikipedia that the school’s IP address has been given several warnings for anonymously revising several entries there, like for the hero whose face is on the 500 peso bill.

I discovered this page searching for something that produced absolutely no results. I clicked on a link instead that said there was one new message. This fact, and the warning against writing entries considered unconstructive (or worse, vandalism) on Basic programming and, or all things, the Virginia Tech Massacre, HTML, basketball and biometrics.

At least the warning page acknowledges that it’s possible that several people sharing the IP address have been doing the edits, which it why it recommends registering.

In the end, a 24-hour suspension or block was announced. I hope that whoever made those edits learn their lessons.

I also wonder if all the suggested changes made from school were bad or if the warning page did not mention the commendable edits made, although that seems unlikely.

@@ Happy birthday to senior Happy L. former student Romeo Franco and math teacher Ms. Y today, and former Election Commission head Patrick H. a few days ago!

The social networks make reminders of such celebrations easier, but sadly, less sincere and overwhelming.

Apologies to the previous celebrants whose special days I have neglected to write about here.

So what do you know, it’s not true that there is no excuse for not greeting these people now.

@@ Daily Leadership Lesson September 17 - If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with success unexpected in common hours. - Henry David Thoreau

My take on this: a bit too generic. Doesn’t take intention into consideration.

 So there was a seminar today about quality management. I learned a lot. The speaker, Sir Edwin from the Registrar’s Office of the main campus could fill a book – maybe even more – on just his anecdotes about inefficient service provision and his attempts at improving his own office.

First point that stuck to mind is the double standard of people when on different sides of the service “counter”.

We sometimes have unrealistically high expectations when we are paying for service, but we are full of excuses for the even relatively low quality of service when we are on the delivering end.

What I can see here is a parallel to the students and the give and take relationship we have here in school.

Students are quick to complain about something wrong with the school, but when those same exacting standards are applied to the work demanded of them, it’s still all whining about how difficult it is.

Sir Edwin also gave a checklist for troubleshooting: correct the problem first, then find the source if it wasn’t discovered in the first step, then make sure that it doesn’t happen again. He said that a lot of offices interchange the first and second steps, playing the blame game, which doesn’t solve the problem quickly.

There’s also something to be said about going the extra mile in your work, as it impresses the client, or in the case of the work of the student, it impresses the teacher, which may give them pause from failing a student who suddenly falters towards the end of the term. Please take note that this does not work if it’s bad performance first then a sudden burst of desperate work after course card distribution.

As for excuses, just like a customer will not go back to a store which gives shoddy service, maybe even if they improve, the same is true with a teacher who experiences lackluster submissions from a student as a first impression.

The student will have to work that much harder to erase that bad impression (sometimes subconsciously) of the teacher to get a fair grade. Again, as I said, this may not be intentional on the part of some teachers.

It’s really amazing how most if not all of the things he said that is supposedly geared towards how to run the school actually works for inside the classroom. But then, isn’t what the teacher simulates in the classroom supposed to be a reflection of how a student is supposed to approach his life after graduation?

I will be trying to revise the slides we were given for consumption of the student leaders and maybe the general population as well.

@@ Daily Leadership Lesson September 16 - You’ve removed most of the roadblocks to success when you’ve learned the difference between motion and direction. - Bill Copeland

My take on this: there is a similar saying that goes “just because you’re moving doesn’t mean you’re going somewhere.”

Sometimes it matters more where you are headed than how fast you actually go. It’s not about the journey, it’s the destination.

Okay, that last one has been repeated as being the other way around, but as far as I’m concerned it works both ways depending on who you ask. Anyway, bottom like seems to be the capability of going somewhere isn’t worth much unless you have a clear idea of your end goal.

As promised yesterday, here is the name of that new discovery book I got: “Science Wizardry for Kids”. It’s about an inch thick with several categories, so it will be long time fun.

@@ There are several campaigns that are going to be rolled out for the celebration of environmental month.

First is “no Styrofoam” to be requested of the cafeterias and concessionaires in the campus.

I hope that besides that this will also be implemented in the project specifications of students and stage designs.

Second is the reusable cup proposal. When buying drinks that are dispensed, we will be asking that the sellers will allow that the customers can use their own tumblers for it, instead of adding to the waste footprint of the school in plastic cups.

The same is true with using brown bags for the take out orders instead of plastic bags.

Next is the more extensive garbage segregation. Besides biodegradable and non-biodegradable, paper and cartons should have its own bin, as well as plastic bottles and castoffs.

@@ Something is not working when the Student Council has a show during this university break, but the student center is still full of students just hanging around playing on their laptops, playing chess or just shooting the breeze. Their air would definitely be different if they were rushing to finish an assignment for their 2:40 pm class.

@@ On the bright side, it seems that there will not just be one collaborative effort this year between the integrated school student government and the college student leaders.

I guess for this I can thank the fact that the academic council (of which I am a member, as well as the dean and the principal) was created just below the operations council of the administration.

@@ Let’s face it: an awards show is just one big reality show. The winners, the losers and their supporters are expected to be showing their emotions for all to gawk at.

That’s why they are not getting dragged of the stage for their outbursts. It’s all part of so called “good” television.

@@ Somehow, it seems people have forgotten about the seven deadly sins. Isn’t “dignity” a better word to use?

@@ Daily Leadership Lesson September 15 - Success requires that you push yourself beyond [your] comfort zone.

My take on this: it is rare that someone can win by just sitting on the couch all day watching TV, if not at all. And by that I’m not just talking about a video game; wow, great accomplishment.