Tabula rasa - just like I feel right now!
The topic for this weeks assignment is perfect in so many ways! To have a clean slate to write whatever you want on is a good assignment. I connect it to the fact that I and Anna-Karin just have finnished our examwork (examensarbete), and at least I feel lika a clean slate right now. There is a new life waiting just around the corner, with new opportunities and problems. Am I going to get a job or be unemployed? What am I going to fill my days with now that I don't have t study anymore? It's scary yet exciting to face the "real" world after years of studying.
The financial situation in the nation and particularly in Motala is horrible for teachers right now. There are going to be over 90 teachers let off their jobs in the next 2-3 years!! This makes me think that I have to work somewhere else, which is okey, but I guess it's hard to get a job anywhere at this point. This is right now my biggest worry, that I won't get a job, doing what I love to do! But I will fight for the jobs that are out there and hopefully that will do the trick!
After 4,5 years of studying my brain has gotten used to the challenge of learning new things, and this worries me because I don't want my brain to deteriorate and get slower. I hope that I will manage to keep it alert and hungry for knowledge the rest of my life, since learning things is so rewarding I think. I can never learn too much!
My days will hopefully be filled with work, but IF I do get unemployed, I have a small back-up plan! I have also got an gold smith education in my back-pack, and if I won't get a job as a teacher, I will start making my own jewelery and sell over the Internet. Anyway, jewelery making is a good therapeutic way to stay sane and I will practice it alot (I allready do actually!).
To wrap things up I will miss studying, at the same time as I can't wait to get out in the "real" world! Watch out, here I come!
måndag 11 maj 2009
måndag 27 april 2009
Assignment #5, week 17
This week’s blog was the hardest one yet, and I hope that you readers realize that I was playing the devil’s lawyer in the text. I find this a hard issue to come to any conclusion about since there are so many parameters that one has to consider. So please, take my text for what it is, just a way to trigger thoughts in you, hopefully!
I value the democracy we have in Sweden, but I also understand, anyway partly, why there is a need for surveillance and some restrictions in our society. For the sake of catching terrorists and other criminals I don’t mind some types of surveillance in stores and out in public areas. My thoughts are that if I don’t intend to break the law, then what do I have to hide? I would gladly be monitored 24/7 if that would help “Big Brother” to catch awful criminals like murderers, rapists and terrorists.
The only negative side I can see in these restrictions and surveillances is that the methods can be used for bad things. Just like with every other thing that mankind has created to help ourselves, this can also be used by criminals to get away with crimes. As the different kinds of mini cameras came out on the market, new types of criminals also appeared in the open. For instance men who film under girls skirts with hidden cameras and then posts these films on the internet, or gangs filming a ATM just to get hold of peoples passwords so they can clean their accounts.
Sure, there are negative sides to surveillance and restrictions, but do they really weigh more than the positive aspects? If my fingerprint, or my blood would help the police rule me out and put the real criminal behind bars, isn’t it worth it then? I think so. The risk of this information to be misused is a risk I’m willing to take. I rather take that risk, opposed to the risk of letting criminals run loose.
I value the democracy we have in Sweden, but I also understand, anyway partly, why there is a need for surveillance and some restrictions in our society. For the sake of catching terrorists and other criminals I don’t mind some types of surveillance in stores and out in public areas. My thoughts are that if I don’t intend to break the law, then what do I have to hide? I would gladly be monitored 24/7 if that would help “Big Brother” to catch awful criminals like murderers, rapists and terrorists.
The only negative side I can see in these restrictions and surveillances is that the methods can be used for bad things. Just like with every other thing that mankind has created to help ourselves, this can also be used by criminals to get away with crimes. As the different kinds of mini cameras came out on the market, new types of criminals also appeared in the open. For instance men who film under girls skirts with hidden cameras and then posts these films on the internet, or gangs filming a ATM just to get hold of peoples passwords so they can clean their accounts.
Sure, there are negative sides to surveillance and restrictions, but do they really weigh more than the positive aspects? If my fingerprint, or my blood would help the police rule me out and put the real criminal behind bars, isn’t it worth it then? I think so. The risk of this information to be misused is a risk I’m willing to take. I rather take that risk, opposed to the risk of letting criminals run loose.
tisdag 14 april 2009
Assignment #4, week 15
Grades or tools for understanding?
My belief is that grading children in primary school leads to increased stress and anxiety for the children. Allowing children to be just that, children, is the greatest gift we can give them. They have all the time in the world to be adults when they become adult, but only one chance to be children. Let’s give them that chance.
In my opinion it’s enough to deal with just to go to school and learn things, grades take the edge off the important thing, learning, and puts the importance into grades, which are a subjective assessment on behalf of the teacher/s. Let the children assess their own development from their own perspective instead as this can lead to a greater understanding about their learning skills and HOW they learn. A grade gives no such indication. It’s only a number or letter on a paper that sais little, if anything about the child’s actual knowledge.
“But children of today need to learn how to cope in the world of today!” Sure, they need to learn that results are of huge value and the fact that high grades might give you a better job than low grades, but can this only be accomplished through early grades? I don’t think so. I am convinced that we can teach the children what they need to know in other ways than with grades. The world has a huge focus on results as it is, and the only way to change that is by starting with our children. We can teach them to value other aspects in life than just those of high grades. We can let children know how the world works by letting them experience the world, and that can be achieved without grades!
I think that it’s more important to give children the right tools on their way towards adulthood. Tools so that they can develop an understanding for how they learn things, which strategies that can help them and how to reflect on their own development. In other words I speak against grades, but for learning children metacognition, which is, how you talk about and reflect on your own development and learning strategies. I think that this is more rewarding in the long run, and I truly think that it gives more benefits than a simple grade.
My belief is that grading children in primary school leads to increased stress and anxiety for the children. Allowing children to be just that, children, is the greatest gift we can give them. They have all the time in the world to be adults when they become adult, but only one chance to be children. Let’s give them that chance.
In my opinion it’s enough to deal with just to go to school and learn things, grades take the edge off the important thing, learning, and puts the importance into grades, which are a subjective assessment on behalf of the teacher/s. Let the children assess their own development from their own perspective instead as this can lead to a greater understanding about their learning skills and HOW they learn. A grade gives no such indication. It’s only a number or letter on a paper that sais little, if anything about the child’s actual knowledge.
“But children of today need to learn how to cope in the world of today!” Sure, they need to learn that results are of huge value and the fact that high grades might give you a better job than low grades, but can this only be accomplished through early grades? I don’t think so. I am convinced that we can teach the children what they need to know in other ways than with grades. The world has a huge focus on results as it is, and the only way to change that is by starting with our children. We can teach them to value other aspects in life than just those of high grades. We can let children know how the world works by letting them experience the world, and that can be achieved without grades!
I think that it’s more important to give children the right tools on their way towards adulthood. Tools so that they can develop an understanding for how they learn things, which strategies that can help them and how to reflect on their own development. In other words I speak against grades, but for learning children metacognition, which is, how you talk about and reflect on your own development and learning strategies. I think that this is more rewarding in the long run, and I truly think that it gives more benefits than a simple grade.
måndag 16 mars 2009
Assignment #3, week 13
Why has our realisation about the climate changes been so slow?
First I like to make the bold statement that it hasn't just BEEN slow, it IS slow!! And I think it has to do with the fact that we are so eager to maintain and proceed with our current lifestyle, that we block out those things that would force us into leaving this lifestyle behind.
Another reason that can make our realisation slow, is that we know how far back our world's history goes, and how short a time WE are here. This fact might result in that we think that it doesn't matter what we do, "the harm is allready done" or "there's nothing to be done anymore", so why bother? These thoughts can be an indication that we don't have much belief in our selves or in our fellow human beings, we choose to not put as much blame on our selves as we probably should. Some researches show that cows' farting are a greater danger than our factories gas outlets, but cows' have allways farted, so that can't be right, or can it?
Which ever the reason might be for our slow intake on the magnitude of our lifestyles effect on this globe of ours, I must say that we all need to wake up!! It's so easy to start with little things like using ecological brands when we can, use a textile bag instead of those made of paper or plastic, or why not recycle, start a compost, switch the lights off when we're not in a room, shower instead of taking a bath and so on...There are so many simple things we can do to make our impact on the planet as small as possible. on top of this, we can make a huge impact, in a positive sense, by making demands to politicians and company owners!!
So, what are YOU willing to let go off for the sake of hanging on to a healthier planet Earth??
First I like to make the bold statement that it hasn't just BEEN slow, it IS slow!! And I think it has to do with the fact that we are so eager to maintain and proceed with our current lifestyle, that we block out those things that would force us into leaving this lifestyle behind.
Another reason that can make our realisation slow, is that we know how far back our world's history goes, and how short a time WE are here. This fact might result in that we think that it doesn't matter what we do, "the harm is allready done" or "there's nothing to be done anymore", so why bother? These thoughts can be an indication that we don't have much belief in our selves or in our fellow human beings, we choose to not put as much blame on our selves as we probably should. Some researches show that cows' farting are a greater danger than our factories gas outlets, but cows' have allways farted, so that can't be right, or can it?
Which ever the reason might be for our slow intake on the magnitude of our lifestyles effect on this globe of ours, I must say that we all need to wake up!! It's so easy to start with little things like using ecological brands when we can, use a textile bag instead of those made of paper or plastic, or why not recycle, start a compost, switch the lights off when we're not in a room, shower instead of taking a bath and so on...There are so many simple things we can do to make our impact on the planet as small as possible. on top of this, we can make a huge impact, in a positive sense, by making demands to politicians and company owners!!
So, what are YOU willing to let go off for the sake of hanging on to a healthier planet Earth??
onsdag 11 mars 2009
Assignment #2, week 11
This assignment made me realize that I'm not following as many series as I used to about a year ago. At that time I just HAD TO watch CSI (both the original series AND the spinoffs), I watched Desperate Housewives and Medium (and some other series that I don't remember the names of right now)...on top of this I was, and still am a sucker for America's next top model. Nowadays however, I watch CSI New York and I try to make time to watch the re-runs of ANTM (America's next top model). But I have to say that the TV is more off than on these days and I think it has to do with the fact that our family tries to do things together when we are at home, since we spend so much time away from each other.
So, why do I watch these series then? For CSI it's easy to say: I just love Grissom and his somewhat awkward way with people. I also find it fascinating to see how crime scene investigators work, and how they can solve crimes that seem impossible to even understand the course of events for. An other aspect I find intriguing is the psycological one, how the characters are influenced by the crimes they are investigating and how their relations to one another change throughout the series. The reason why I watch ANTM is somewhat the same as for CSI (psycological and social relations), but this time it's also my fascination for the real problems and how the girls in the house behave when they live so close together with people they don't know from the beginning. The interplay between the girls can be really interesting and I find it especially interesting to see that it's most often the worse sides of the girls behaviour that surface more and more, as the series proceeds.
My personal reflection about TV series in general and why we watch them, is simply that they let us escape from our real world for a moment. They let us see something different than what we see at home or at our jobs/schools every day. Furthermore I think that anyway some of us watch series that in some way connect to our beliefs in life or our view on things in this world (like, for instance, Medium in my case , I'm convinced that there is more to this world than meets the eye!). In other words, we watch series and programmes that make us tick! What makes you tick?
So, why do I watch these series then? For CSI it's easy to say: I just love Grissom and his somewhat awkward way with people. I also find it fascinating to see how crime scene investigators work, and how they can solve crimes that seem impossible to even understand the course of events for. An other aspect I find intriguing is the psycological one, how the characters are influenced by the crimes they are investigating and how their relations to one another change throughout the series. The reason why I watch ANTM is somewhat the same as for CSI (psycological and social relations), but this time it's also my fascination for the real problems and how the girls in the house behave when they live so close together with people they don't know from the beginning. The interplay between the girls can be really interesting and I find it especially interesting to see that it's most often the worse sides of the girls behaviour that surface more and more, as the series proceeds.
My personal reflection about TV series in general and why we watch them, is simply that they let us escape from our real world for a moment. They let us see something different than what we see at home or at our jobs/schools every day. Furthermore I think that anyway some of us watch series that in some way connect to our beliefs in life or our view on things in this world (like, for instance, Medium in my case , I'm convinced that there is more to this world than meets the eye!). In other words, we watch series and programmes that make us tick! What makes you tick?
onsdag 18 februari 2009
Assignment #1, Week 9
What experiences would I like children of the world to have as they grow up?
What is the most important thing for a child?
What are the responsibilities of the adult world?
Growing up today is quite different from when I grew up, the world seems to change faster now then it did in the 80's. This means that children of today need to have knowledge that doesn't loose its value as the world around changes, and maybe that's why schools today focus more and more on "lifelong learning". Children of today need to learn how to learn, and how to keep up with the changes in technology, media, all-day life and in their schoolsystem as well.
Our responsibilities as adults is to strengthen childrens selfesteem and to support their individual development, their path towards learning about "lifelong learning". In many ways I see my future job as a supporting job, where I must allow my pupils to take responsibility of their own work, at the same time as I teach them, or guide them so that they feel secure taking that responsibility.
Experiences I would like every child to have with them when they graduate from elementary school, is that of security, selfesteem and strategies for how they can learn things on their own, and together with others. Furthermore I hope that all children get to experience the feeling of beeing unique, safe and feeling the need, the urge to learn more, because as the world keeps changing, so does the need for knowledge!
What is the most important thing for a child?
What are the responsibilities of the adult world?
Growing up today is quite different from when I grew up, the world seems to change faster now then it did in the 80's. This means that children of today need to have knowledge that doesn't loose its value as the world around changes, and maybe that's why schools today focus more and more on "lifelong learning". Children of today need to learn how to learn, and how to keep up with the changes in technology, media, all-day life and in their schoolsystem as well.
Our responsibilities as adults is to strengthen childrens selfesteem and to support their individual development, their path towards learning about "lifelong learning". In many ways I see my future job as a supporting job, where I must allow my pupils to take responsibility of their own work, at the same time as I teach them, or guide them so that they feel secure taking that responsibility.
Experiences I would like every child to have with them when they graduate from elementary school, is that of security, selfesteem and strategies for how they can learn things on their own, and together with others. Furthermore I hope that all children get to experience the feeling of beeing unique, safe and feeling the need, the urge to learn more, because as the world keeps changing, so does the need for knowledge!
fredag 13 februari 2009
Welcome to my blog!!
Hi everbody!
Welcome to my blogspot here on the net. Hopefully I will have something interesting to share with the rest of you, but this'll do for now...
See ya!
Welcome to my blogspot here on the net. Hopefully I will have something interesting to share with the rest of you, but this'll do for now...
See ya!
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