Creating a Personal Learning Network (PLN)

Before anything else, you might be asking yourself... What exactly is a PLN? And what is the connection as well as purpose of the poem above? Well, let's begin taking a first step.... 

A PLN is "a great way for educator to get connected with learning opportunities, access professional development resources, and to build camaraderie with other education professionals"; or in other words, it is an organized way of classifying hobbies and activities one loves and make those academic. This "page" of one's development to success, helps people, who are still not sure of what wanting in college, have an idea of what makes them happy and keep moving in life - what incentivize them. Even though the choosing part is a section quite hard, when chosen one gets inspired and create a presentation for that subject or activity that one loves, just like in the picture above.

For example, I choose four activities and subjects that I really have passion for: 

1. Soccer
2. Psychology
3. Music
4. Photography

In each of them, I created an online page within my ePortfolio and presented personal and well as exterior perspectives and experiences of that such event; although for each one of them, I used different tools, since each of the areas inspired me differently. In addition, I made those that apparently don't seem academic, as one.

The greatest feeling in the world is when your on that soccer field, and you know that your team is going to succeed because you look around and see your 10 best friends playing beside you. 

I used this quote to express the emotions felt in a soccer field, showing how soccer is my passion. This page (Soccer) in specific was one of the most value for me, since it inspired me, after looking at the diverge experiences I went through. It was that something that marked your life. In order to express that emotions, I used many tools such as, videos, and pictures, as well as the creation of a stop motion.

The other sections were super well- constructed as well, since they were topics, agains, that I had passion for... This directly relates to the Psychology page, since my teacher and I have been discussing for days the following specific topic: Do citizens have free will? I then, site analogies made by Sam Harris, a well known atheist, and Jawaharlal Nehru.

Some other passions, include playing the piano (Music page) and taking pictures (Photography page) and they each were shown differently through the ePortfolio.

Using tools, activities people have an approach on, and one's environment, will make one's pathway clearer and engage learning, even though those activities do not seem academic at first glance.

IT WILL MAKE YOU GROW!...

Check this YouTube video for some tips, when starting to brainstorm a PLN:

Creating Own Future

As Abraham Lincoln once said, "The best way to predict the future is to create it".

Analyzing one's inspirations as well as career pathways is a challenge. This might related to the number of options and areas one can possibly choose. Choosing. Were the challenge begins. Although being aware that one's Major subject in college does not necessary relate to one's job that same person might succeed in, just the talk and the mentioning of the words "college" and "IB" gives me chills and goosebumps. But now is the time. The time to begin creating that road ahead of me. But then, the doubts:

Will I be successful? Will I be able to choose that respective area that I am most interested? Will I be happy with my chosen IB Courses?

But then again, the hard work:

Success will only be reached through hard work.

Facing the actions and coming out of the "rough street" through the creation of objectives, will be the key to one's success. That is why the Academic Leadership course has offered a 10- day Career Orientation Class, conducted by Vanessa Benaci. This class will supervise and guide my decision in an organized manner; or in other words, guide my through the process of creation.

Vanessa Benaci, with that objective in mind (orientation), has been providing the 10th Grade class some guidance and tips. Because I am interested in choosing my IB Courses although still confused, attention was given to the maximum; intrigued from the start. While she talked about one's education and career, referring to the graduating seniors, I pictured myself graduating from ISC. I pictured myself walking around in a college campus, while carrying my books and computer going to class. I could see all of that. I could picture the situation. Everything. As if it were happening in that moment. "Oh... (long and deep sight)"; that utopian dream- like vision. Could and would it be eventually real?

As Mrs. Benaci continued with her lectures, she handed out the first activity, which related to the following:

If you could live 5 lives at the same moment, what would they be?

And no, they were not directly related to one another. It was a process composed of writing down the emotions I felt that exact moment.

As days passed by, other tests were accomplished, so that student's had a broad idea of what area they liked the most. Like is not the most appropriate diction, but it is one that perfectly describes my situation:  due to my liking of all subjects, confusion begins to arise, in relations to my career goals. My History teacher would always say that I was going to accomplish something related to the Humanities or the Educational Area - i.e. college professor. However, I always denied it. I denied it, because my parents had always been influencing me to become an engineer, since I worked well with numbers and Math; but was I really going to work with numbers my entire life? 

In order to clean most of the confusion in my mind, Mrs. Benaci gave us approximately three to four tests that would reflect what areas and careers interested each individual. The tests were based on two theories: My Holland Code and Myers-Briggs Typology theories. Both reflected one’s personality, values and skills. What I really enjoyed about these tests was that they were not bias, since I did not really understand the meaning of the results – the letters.

These were my results:

Both test gave me the same results... Could that be destiny?

Test 1 Results– My Holland Code

Test 2 Results – Myers- Briggs

Test 3 Results– Combination of My Holland Code and Myers- Briggs

What had freaked my out the most was that my History teacher was correct... How could that be possible?

Here are some careers that valued my skills and personality:

1. Teacher 
2. Social worker 
3. Politician/ Diplomat 
4. Psychologist

I was happy; now I had a common sense and idea of what I was really dealing with and the possible career pathways based on my values, skills and personality. 

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About.me Profile

Response to Seattle Boycott

Tests are important and play a huge role in ones pathway to success; however, its excess and not appropriate use, as, for instance, the implementation of the MAP Test- an exam that does not have a formal "grading structure" and only serve as a base for teachers to evaluate students upon ones' learning in many International schools as well as Americans- can be of no use and a sharp rock on ones' pavement.

As students rush through the test and compete with one another to try to finish the computer-based exam first, insipid and not expected grades reach teachers and give out some frustration. Why are schools implementing a test that is not valuing a student's learning profile? What is exactly the point of maintaining an exam like that? I look out for teachers in schools, such as the three in Seattle, who have drawn a line and refused to give out their students this test in particular; schools that do not stay quiet and raise their voices to discuss and to try to abolish this flawed test. Flawed not only due to the fact that these tests overhaul the financial section behind the computer screen, but also due to how this test does not reflect a student's learning profile and, instead, a teacher's success. In addition, the financial support the district is receiving by each school's participation is an absurd. The real factor taken in consideration is the deliverance of these tests and obviously, the final reward: money; but were do the students come in?

As the Seattle teachers exclaimed. "Our kids will need both traditional academic abilities and innovative critical-thinking skills to solve these real problems. If we inundate our students with standardized testing year-round, these larger lessons are lost."

Here is a video showing the Seattle teachers' refusal to administer the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP)  on a rally Wednesday, January 23rd, 2013:

"More importantly, however, students are not benefiting from these tests. In fact, they [tests] are hurting many of our students, and our most fragile populations; as well as those students who nee more class time and not less class time."

"Our destination is a destination of creativity; our destination is a destination of critical thinking."

Why not create and Academic Portfolio which shows all the achievements made by each individual? The majority of the teachers tend to use tests as a form of evaluation - assessing student's knowledge. However, the inputs of unnecessary and "inappropriate" tests are only for worse, since no attention is given for its completion at all - students rush and do not even read the question, as related before. Because undergraduates and learners are loaded with tests, I believe the best way to "prevent these situations" [the implementation of unnecessary exams] is by offering a new source of assessing one's growth: the creation of Academic Portfolios. Students will then be part of the deal.

"Our students are aware of what is best for them- and they are willing to buy in to our demands of them when they know their efforts and activities are in sync with preparing them for a future that will have very very little to do with the bulk of the testing to which they are subjected." (TOLLEY, William)

"It is important to use test results, but it's also important that they not become your oxygen." (HUNTER, Pat)

Its time...

Future Me

My future. How do I see myself in three years? What college will I attend? What will I be doing in this exact moment? These are just some of many questions that make up my mind, regarding hard decisions I am still not ready to pick and choose. Do I just let life pick it for me, while I rest – no action is taken? Or do I prepare myself and work hard to find the ideal college and ideal courses, which reflect my personality and my interests? I’ll go with the second option, especially because I disguise, during some occasions, the fact of “letting life be” and not “distorting” was is necessary. Imagine if you just sat there and, when you realize, it’s already time to decide your pathway. The problem, then, will arise; and, due to the not enough time spent in research, there is a higher chance of your chose to be an indiscriminate one, based on pressure. What will you do if you were to be put in that situation? I would just crash and not know what to do; that’s why early preparation and research need to be done. One that will be provided by the Academic Leadership course, for example, is the vocational test: a test that helps those who quite don’t know what profession they want to exceed in. This is one of my biggest fears. Because I love many of my academic subjects and succeed in them, I don’t know which ones I want to focus. Although in American colleges alumnus’ can change their major courses if wished or disliked, they still need to have some kind of idea in mind of what one’s role might be. I fear that my choice will be an incorrect one, especially because I tend to change my mind and to get convinced quickly. 

I sometimes daydream and visualize the Future Me. This image includes the following: me walking out off a classroom, in an American college, crossing a hallway, in order to reach the known “dorm”. I, then, get my bicycle and pedal until a coffee shop, before reaching my homelike space, which is shared by one roommate. As I carry 2 heavy books, wear my nerdy glasses and look like a professional, I encounter my roommate and begin to socialize. Although this is a very rapid video-like presentation, it means so much to me. Knowing what I will be and what is my spot in this world is something I desire to know. I wanted to travel on time just to see me in exactly three years and then come back; that would alleviate the weights off my back. The knowing of this professional and successful me would make all the difference. However, that would take away the taste and bitterness of my last years in school, since it would exploit the desire of wanting to succeed.

The Academic Leadership course will aid and conduct us; however, all the hard work will need to be pursuit by us, students. Suffering is part of it, but that will be over when the emails of college acceptances pop out in ones Gmail. So, don’t need to stress, I believe. If I were in another school, I would, in the other hand, exclaim, “Worry about one’s decision, because time is ticking”. However, this school, International School of Curitiba, prepares us, students, for college; they all want us to succeed. That’s the main reason of why courses, such as the one cited above, are added to student’s curriculum.