11 Answers – Part 2

As mentioned in my last post, I am overdue in completing DJ’s challenge, so here I go again. Are you sick of me yet?! HERE’S HOW IT WORKS:

• Acknowledge the nominating blogger.
• Share 11 random facts about yourself.
• Answer the 11 questions the nominating blogger has created for you.
• List 11 bloggers.

As I have already tagged my bloggers, this will merely be a sharing session, where I answer DJ’s questions.

11 Random Facts About Myself

1. I am an amputee – I jammed my pinky finger in the door when I was six and it had to be removed.

2. Some people eat to live, but I live to eat. I love food and have a voracious appetite, despite my slender frame. I remember places by what I ate when I visited them.

3. I am born on my mother’s birthday, which I think is pretty special.

4. I love my adopted city of Singapore. I am definitely a city-girl at heart.

5. I hate sand. I hate that it gets everywhere, sticks to sunscreen and appears to be magnetically attracted to my children. Mercifully, my family don’t share this peculiarity, so they enjoy getting in and amongst it as much as the next person.

6. I devour books. I especially like young adult novels, but any fiction interests me.

7. Since being the unfortunate recipient of some heavy breathing-type phone pranks as a child, I don’t really like talking on the phone.

8. I am a very positive person, and find being around negativity very draining.

9. I love to travel and see new places. I am always thinking about where to go next.

10. My phone is my most important piece of equipment, and the thought of losing it fills me with dread! Being without wifi is also very hard for me. #firstworldproblems

11. My two kids bring me the most incredible joy (and definitely the most wrinkles).

Questions from DJ:

1. What is the best beach you have ever visited?

Tricky to answer (see number 5 above!). I have always dreamed of those crystal clear, blue waters you see in pictures online, however places like Bali were a huge disappointment, with plastic bags wrapping around my legs etc. I do hope to do some more travel and experience some more of the beauty of the ocean. I liked Lombok & the Gili Islands – I love snorkelling. I think my favourite beaches are the ones in NZ (most of them are pretty wild & fantastic), such as Athenree, where my parents have a bach. I also love beaches where you can dig for cockles or pipi or gather mussels (refer to number 2, above).

Waihi Beach, New Zealand

2. If you were stranded on a desert island and only had one music album what would it be?

Probably the Beatles Complete. Partly so I could sing along, partly because they spanned so many decades there are lots of different styles, but mostly because it reminds me of my family and growing up. My first ever ‘project’ as a very young child was on the Beatles.

3. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you “grew up”? What are you now?

I wanted to be a teacher from when I was about 12 years old. I studied Psychology at University, but mainly because I thought it sounded cool. I didn’t really know that much about it to be honest. However, I found it a little depressing (see number 8 above!), and the only thing I ever wanted to do was teach. So I did a post-graduate diploma of teaching, and never looked back.

Now I am a Digital Literacy Coach, which I think is simply the best job ever, because I get to work with teachers and students to help them use technology for learning. I have wonderful colleagues, both in person and those of you I have met online. How lucky am I?

4. What is your favourite app?

That’s a little like asking a parent to choose a favourite child, is it not? I will squeeze a few into this answer if I can.

Most used apps: Probably Facebook, Tweetbot & Instagram for keeping in touch with friends and family around the world.

Best food/travel app: FourSquare to find recommendations for great places to eat.

Best app for young kids: I think Minecraft is a wonderful creative and collaborative platform.

Most versatile educational app: HaikuDeck, which I have seen used by Grade 1 students, all the way up to presenters at conferences.

5. Beer, wine or other?

Champagne, Prosecco or anything bubbly. Bubbles make me happy! I do have a fondness for Jameson’s whiskey, I love a Port with my Dad, and a Gin & Tonic with my Mum. I like both red and white wine, and a cool lager on a hot day. In short, I am not fussy!

6. What is your “last supper”?

This is probably the hardest question for me to answer! There are just so many things I love to eat. My last supper would have to be taken in long Italian lunch style, so I could get through the following:

• A charcuterie platter with all manner of delicious deli meats, including proscuitto & jamon iberico, washed down with a cool glass of Prosecco.
• Burrata deliciousness.
• Scallops (just like the ones at Open Door Policy in Singapore), Bluff oysters, lobster and crayfish, with some NZ Pinot Gris or Sav Blanc
• Melt-in-the-mouth foie gras.
• Chilli crab and black pepper crab, 2 of my favourite Singaporean specialties, with Tiger Beer.
• NZ lamb with mint sauce, roast vegetables (kumara & parsnip essential), peas and gravy, with a NZ Pinot Noir
• A perfectly cooked steak, with an Aussie Shiraz.
• If I had any room left, I’d go for a raspberry and white chocolate creme brulee, some mango sticky rice and some fresh berries with cream.

What really “sucks” about education today?

The pace of change. The need for so much testing.

What is really awesome about education today?

Working with kids everyday. Exciting things ahead in terms of technology. Global collaboration possibilities. Incredible colleagues.

If you found $1000 tomorrow, what would you do/ buy right now?

If it was something for someone else, I would like to donate it to one of the service organisations that our school supports. If it were for me, I would like to buy a new phone, as the battery on my current one is d-y-i-n-g.

Where in the world would you like to travel?

Anywhere I haven’t already been! Next on my list is Canada, which we are planning on visiting in June/July this year. We have a number of Canadian friends who have been waxing lyrical about their beautiful country for YEARS, so we have to do it, if only to shut them up! Traveling is one of my favourite things to do, so I hope to get to some more places soon.

What is your favourite way to relax?

Either read a book or watch a movie, preferably with good food and good friends.

11 Answers – Part 1

Recently, I was kindly tagged in this ’11 Questions’ meme by Ian Guest. Once tagged, you are encouraged to answer 11 questions, then pose 11 further questions of 11  unsuspecting victims worthy recipients. As I have been somewhat AWOL on the blogosphere lately, I also owe DJ Thompson answers to his 11 Questions, so I will get to those in my next post! Best you get a cup of tea and make yourself comfortable…

The following are Ian’s questions. Read his full blog post here.

1. What teacher had the most influence on you and why?

Both of my parents are teachers, so I think I would have to name them as having the most influence on my life! My father is/was a Music teacher (can you ever really STOP being a teacher?), and my mother is currently a teacher of the deaf. While I could list endless things I learned from both Mum and Dad, in the interest of brevity, I will cut it down to one main thing: my parents are both learners and value learning.

I am the eldest of 3 girls, and there was a point when I was the least educated member of my family – Mum had M. Special Ed, Dad had a Doctorate, my middle sister was (is!) a Doctor and my youngest sister had an M. Business & Finance! I HAD to get an M. Ed just to keep up! They don’t just care about academic learning though, they are always learning new things, which is a fabulous model, especially for my children. I love the way my Dad teaches my kids the ukulele when we visit them at Christmas, and my Mum teaches them outdoorsy things like how to dig up potatoes. In turn, they are incredibly responsive when my two want to show them the hotel they built in Minecraft…

My lovely family at Christmas 2013

2. During your career, which student (without naming them!) most sticks in your mind and for what reason?

Upon reading this question, a number of faces flashed up in my mind. Some students really stick with you over the years, don’t they? Breaking the rules, I can’t choose just one. Here are some vignettes:

An 11 year old boy came to mind immediately. For some reason, we both kind of clicked. I got him, and he got me. He was a gentle soul, very bright, thoughtful, funny and kind. I used to have a post box in my class, and would encourage the class to write ‘letters’ to each other, and each Friday we’d deliver the mail. I know that I wrote to all my students, and I’m fairly certain they all wrote to me, however it is his letters that I remember the most. They made me feel like I was making a difference. I left for England midway through that year, and it was quite heartbreaking leaving that class and him in particular. He was the first to teach me about MSN Messenger, and I was fairly enthralled with technology from then on.

A 12 year old girl is another student I will always remember. She was mercilessly teased throughout her primary years for being quite different. She had closely cropped hair, a very deep voice, and had come out as gay early on. By the time she arrived at our middle school, teasing her was almost an expected norm. Although fiercely intelligent and an incredible writer, she didn’t understand the social mores of middle school. I would like to say I stamped out all the bullying – I certainly tried – though I suspect it never went away for long. I did my best to make her feel like she was not alone and that she had someone to talk to.

A 12 year old boy from South Africa was in that same class, and he had the highest emotional intelligence of any kid that age I have ever met. He was incredibly polite, having just arrived from a country where “Yes ma’am,” or “No sir,” was the norm. Very unlike most NZ students! I asked him once, why he never joined in with some others in teasing the girl above. He said, “I just don’t see the point in making her life any worse.” I wish more students felt the same way.

The best part for me, is being able to see these wonderful students grow up to be impressive young people. I am connected to each of these 3 via Facebook, and I am grateful I am able to still be a part of their lives, all these years hence.

3. What was your most abiding memory of school dinners?

This question made me laugh. We never had any! Not growing up! That’s not how NZ schools work. You bring a packed lunch every day, or buy something at the school canteen (IF your school had one).

However, when we worked at a boarding school in England, we had school dinners. Generally we thought they were pretty fantastic (they sure beat sandwiches), especially roast beef, Yorkshire pudding and all the trimmings. Worst thing: turkey twizzlers. Jamie Oliver would have kittens!

4. Two Harry Potter inspired questions now. If you had Harry’s cloak of invisibility, what educational event would you like to unobtrusively observe and why?

I think ISTE. It’s huge, which I find a bit intimidating, and I don’t know very much about it. All the more reason to go!

5. What aspect of education or the classroom would you most like to wave your wand over and why? Educatio revisiorum!

Urk. What to choose? Probably standardised testing, especially when having to handwrite exams. I see the insistence on handwritten tests/exams to be outdated and unfair. Students should have a choice.

6. For any historical figure of your choice, what might they have tweeted at a significant moment for them?

Kate Sheppard – Check her out!

7. What’s your favourite online video (for any reason) and why? (A link would be good)

So very many to choose from, but Miss Representation needs (and deserves!) a wider audience.

8. In Horizon report style, which technology-enabled educational activity is likely to be becoming more mainstream in 3-ish years?

Gaming. Hopefully games for change. I’d encourage all teachers to try out gaming (here’s a good place to start looking if you want to use games at school). It’s a lot of fun, and you can even learn a thing or two!

9. Which fictional character would you most like as a work colleague and why?

My work colleagues are pretty amazing, I have to say! Perhaps Hermione Granger, on account of her vast knowledge, and, let’s be honest – it’d be cool to have a wizard on your team.

10. What educational movement or initiative, currently in its infancy, will endure and why?

I hope the equivalent of Google’s 20% time: Passion Projects. I hope that students will be encouraged to delve deeply into their passion, and that it will be seen to be of value both for the students themselves, and the people with whom they share their passion.

11. Which educator (dead or alive, real or fictional, famous or not) would you most like to interview or enjoy the drink of your choice with and what would you be chatting about?

cc licensed ( BY SA ) flickr photo by jdxyw: http://flickr.com/photos/jdxyw/4887363555/

John Keating, the amazing teacher in Dead Poet’s Society, played by Robin Williams. It’s one of my favourite movies ever. I loved the way John Keating diverged from the text book and made poetry and other literature come alive for those boys. When they all stand on the desks and say, “Oh captain, my captain,” it gives me shivers every time! I’ve watched it countless times.

The bonus is, I wouldn’t say no to chatting with Robin Williams either, so this is kind of a 2 for 1 deal for me.

What would we be chatting about? If it were John Keating, poetry, books, pushing boundaries, connecting with students, fabulous plays… If it were Robin Williams, well, anything he wanted to! He’d have me laughing regardless, I’m sure.

Are you still with me?

If so, here are my 11 Questions:

1. Who was your most memorable teacher, and why?
2. Who is one of your educational mentors, and what makes them so special?
3. Which song describes how you are feeling today? Add the youtube clip if possible 🙂
4. What is your favourite restaurant/place to eat in the city in which you live, and why?
5. Which video is *cracking you up right now? (*making you laugh) Give us the link!
6. What is one thing you learned recently, that wouldn’t have been possible without technology? How did you learn it?
7. Can you please snap a picture of one of your everyday views, and share the photo here?
8. What is the next place you want to visit and why?
9. Complete this sentence: Teaching is a wonderful profession because…
10. Can you please list 5 of your favourite movies? Feel free to elaborate on why you like them. Or not!
11. How do you unwind on a Friday after school?

Ok peeps, I’d love to hear from the people below (and anyone else who is brave enough). Please know I understand how busy you are, and that this may be too much right now. I hope it’s a bit of fun we can share. No. Pressure! Post a link to your post in the comments so we can track them easily.

1. Nicki Hambleton @itsallaboutart
2. Holly Fairbrother @MrsHollyEnglish
3. Stephanie @traintheteacher
4. Shruti Tewari @sbtewari
5. Erin O’Rourke @eorourkeca
6. Joe Sergi @pep073
7. Louise Phinney @louisephinney
8. Dave Caleb @davecaleb
9. Uzay Ashton @uzayashton
10. Mel Shurtz @melshurtz
11. Megan Graff @megangraff

My Journey to Work

I was kindly tagged by Kim Cofino in this blog meme of sorts, (via Jess McCulloch) which involves documenting how you get to work. It’s an interesting one, because I love seeing the diverse lifestyles of my friends around the world – check out the journeys of Kim, Jess & Clint, by way of example.

The journey starts at the elevator, where my son Griffin (more often than not wearing only PJ top & underpants) waves us all goodbye. Scarlett, Miles & I love this part, because he makes us smile as we leave.

Then it’s into the car with Maggie (the Music teacher, who gets a ride with us).

Scarlett usually dictates the compulsory musical sing-along numbers each day. Today we started with Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream as sung by the Glee cast, so we pump up the volume and sing at the top of our lungs as we head onto the motorway. Maggie has come to learn that songs will usually be replayed ad nauseum. I’m just glad we’ve moved on from the Shrek album…

To our right as we drive is East Coast Park – the closest ‘beach’ (and I use the term loosely), and home of the East Coast Seafood Centre, where I have Chilli Crab (my personal favourite). I love the Brazilian Rain Trees that line the motorway – they are beautifully gnarled.

We pass a golf course or two on our commute.

This morning, we turned towards Tampines and all of a sudden the sky went dark – perhaps related to the Typhoon that went through Hong Kong yesterday?

It went from daylight to darkness very quickly. And then the rain came.

Finally we arrive at school.

We drive up through the main entrance and into the car park.

Scarlett & I walk up to the plaza, then turn left towards the Primary Library.

Books and friends await in the Primary Library.

Louise loves having her photo taken… She is sitting at the desks we share.

Finally! Time for a cup of tea and a tweet or two before school starts.

So that’s my journey – I hope to see journeys from Joel, Michael, Thomas, Jess, Louise, Megan, Tim, Colin, Ann, Melissa & anyone else who would care to share!

 

My Journey to Work

I was kindly tagged by Kim Cofino in this blog meme of sorts, (via Jess McCulloch) which involves documenting how you get to work. It’s an interesting one, because I love seeing the diverse lifestyles of my friends around the world – check out the journeys of Kim, Jess & Clint, by way of example.

The journey starts at the elevator, where my son Griffin (more often than not wearing only PJ top & underpants) waves us all goodbye. Scarlett, Miles & I love this part, because he makes us smile as we leave.

Then it’s into the car with Maggie (the Music teacher, who gets a ride with us).

Scarlett usually dictates the compulsory musical sing-along numbers each day. Today we started with Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream as sung by the Glee cast, so we pump up the volume and sing at the top of our lungs as we head onto the motorway. Maggie has come to learn that songs will usually be replayed ad nauseum. I’m just glad we’ve moved on from the Shrek album…

To our right as we drive is East Coast Park – the closest ‘beach’ (and I use the term loosely), and home of the East Coast Seafood Centre, where I have Chilli Crab (my personal favourite). I love the Brazilian Rain Trees that line the motorway – they are beautifully gnarled.

We pass a golf course or two on our commute.

This morning, we turned towards Tampines and all of a sudden the sky went dark – perhaps related to the Typhoon that went through Hong Kong yesterday?

It went from daylight to darkness very quickly. And then the rain came.

Finally we arrive at school.

We drive up through the main entrance and into the car park.

Scarlett & I walk up to the plaza, then turn left towards the Primary Library.

Books and friends await in the Primary Library.

Louise loves having her photo taken… She is sitting at the desks we share.

Finally! Time for a cup of tea and a tweet or two before school starts.

So that’s my journey – I hope to see journeys from Joel, Michael, Thomas, Jess, Louise, Megan, Tim, Colin, Ann, Melissa & anyone else who would care to share!