I absolutely loved this video the first time I saw it and as I was doing a random search on youtube, I found it again. I think it’s an important one to share, especially with University students and future teachers. So if you haven’t seen it before, I highly suggest it as a must-watch.
I was searching through the videos Alec has on his weblog about Media Literacy and while going through different links, I found a video on Youtube that I thought was quite interesting.
To give you a short summary (because I think you should watch it)… while talking on The View one day, Rosie O’Donnell decided to talk in “Chinese” and repeatedly said ching chong chong, as if that is what it sounds like. Now, I realize it is *funny* to some people to make a joke about how other languages sound, but do we actually realize how ignorant it is?
I am not going to lie, pretend I am perfect and say that I have never laughed at a prejudice joke. It makes me sick to my stomach with guilt, but I probably have.. and it really makes me wonder why this kind of behavior is still somewhat acceptable.
I work with a girl named *A* from Ghana and when she showed up late for work yesterday I asked her why. She said that she got suspended. Being a teacher, it upset me a little so I asked her why; she replied with something I never expected. In history class, her teacher was talking about Martin Luther King Jr. and mentioned something about his life. *A* had a question so she lifted up her hand and proceeded to ask a question. Apparently, her teacher looked at her and said “Shouldn’t you of all people know this?” *A* was so shocked and upset that she just got up and left class….. and got suspended.
I was soooo incredibly shocked when she was telling me this story. I wanted to go to the school and have a few words with this teacher. It’s 2008 people… don’t we realize things have changed!? Or have they? I sometimes wonder if things have even gotten better…
This video is a “response” to Rosie’s comments on The View from a guy who is being honest and real about the situation and the way he does it is really appealing to watch. He’s calm, collective and just trying to get his point across. I think he did a darn good job.
Last week I had a chance to go sit in on my aunt’s grade 6 classroom at Sacred Heart school in Moose Jaw. To my surprise (and her enjoyment) when the students came in the room she announced that I would teach them for the afternoon. She laughed and said “Kari lived in China for two years, why don’t you ask her some questions” To my surprise they all put up their hands in excitement! They were really interested in my experience and had so many questions to ask. After awhile she had me teach them some Chinese characters and they loved it. I was really impressed by her students. They seemed so well behaved, and although they became quite energetic and chatty at times, they knew when to behave. It was neat to see my aunty “in action”, teaching, and I think it was cool for her too. We are the only teachers in our big family so it’s nice to have someone to talk to that understands my passion for teaching. When I got home that night, my roommate said she hadn’t seen me that happy in a long time…….. woop woop
I have never done a power point/slideshare presentation before, so as I searched for one to critique I took a minute to think of what I wanted to search for. I realized that everything I had been looking at on the internet lately had been really negative stuff that was either causing me to become emotional, or upset in some ways, such as videos of children who were cyberbullied and ended their lives, or ignorant videos of people being racist. So in the moment, I searched “rainbows and sunshine” because that was the most beautiful thing I could think of lol. I came across a few so-so slideshares and then I searched “beautiful life”. I then came across this slideshare that I decided to critique called “We are the world”. At that moment I realized that even while trying to search for something silly I came across an important issue that needs to be realized.
The “We are the world” slideshare is filled with beautiful photographs of children and each photograph has a line or two from the song that was written by USA for Africa and performed by many popular singers such as Lionel Ritchie and Bruce Springsteen. To critique the slideshare itself, I thought it was fabulously done but the only thing that I found a little off is that the writing is very small and even if it was put in “bold” it might look a little better. Other than that, I think it was done very well with the different photographs. One of the nicest things is that the children are all smiling. It’s beautiful that through everything they still smile… I think they could teach us a few things!
Just thought I’d share this video with you all. It’s from my first year in China and it always brings a smile to my face. It took a couple weeks to learn this song but they said it was well worth it
I have been interested in different countries and different cultures since I can remember. I always say that you will learn more from visiting a foreign country, than any university class. It’s not to say that I am not proud to be Canadian, I just feel like there is so much more out there for me. One of my dreams since I was about 12 years old, has been to go to Africa. The great thing about being a teacher, is that we are needed everywhere. When I graduate in 3 years, I hope to save some money so that I can go to Africa and volunteer myself. Whether I teach, or just simply help out somebody in need… it is my dream. I love Canada, and I love my friends and family, but I really feel like I need to see the world. As hard as it is to leave, the experience of traveling is well worth it, and as people usually say “once you have the travel bug, you can’t get rid of it”
Monday’s class was filled with many useful resources and websites, but the most enjoyable part of the class was when he showed us the inspirational videos. Although politics is not my favorite topic to discuss, I was really touched by Will.I.Am’s video “Yes, we can” that promotes Barack Obama for president of the United States of America. Among Barack Obama’s admirable qualities, his views on education and teaching are incredible. He realizes that there needs to be an urgent change in education and that our students are the future. If you’d like to read more about his views and opinions on education go to this site.
Although we don’t live in the United States, and don’t have the power to vote in the election, I believe it is still our right to speak our minds about who we think should run the most powerful country in the world. Any thoughts???
Here’s the video by Will.I.Am. Stop and take a moment to watch it…
This commercial that I made for Tech Task #3 may seem strange to some, but I am guessing that if anybody has been overseas and missed Canadian food, they will understand. While living in China, I absolutely loved Chinese food, but after a year of it, I really started to miss food from home. During a trip to Beijing, my friends and I found a Pizza Hut and I can’t tell you how excited we were! So, this commercial may seem silly but it really was one of those priceless situations Enjoy…
When I think back to my high school years, I remember using computers in one class, and one class only: my grade nine computer class. When I did my work experience at St. Gabriel school this past semester, I was really surprised to see the students working on their book reports, which were all power point presentations. I, myself, have to admit that I have never used power point. Although I am sure that it is easy and I could catch on quickly, it forces me to reflect on the education I received.
At first, I thought that maybe it was just because I was older, that it wasn’t as easy or common for teachers to integrate computers into the classroom when I was in school. But then I started talking to a number of different people my age, from Regina, that have been doing power points at school since they can remember. It makes me wonder why I got the “short end” of the deal. Was it because my teachers were not well educated when it came to computers? Were they too “old fashioned” and did not want to try something new? Whatever the case, I hope that my high school in Saskatoon has changed. It’s been five years now since I graduated and I am curious to go back and check it out…
