While I was on the bus the

other day, I couldn’t help

but notice a persistent

grade-schooler sitting

across from me.

“Papa! Can I please have

the iPhone now?” he insist-

ed. Finally, his father final-

ly consented and handed

the smartphone over. For

the rest of the ride, the

child contented himself

with a variety of games on

the device. A comparison

presented itself. Decades

ago, the child was satisfied

with colorful views from

the window. Now, road

trips cannot commence

without the presence of a

handheld gaming device.

I couldn’t deny it. We

couldn’t deny it. Advances

in technology are taking

hold of the lives of today’s

youth. Words like

“Facebook” and “Candy

Crush” have become an

integral part of

contemporary vocabulary.

It is no wonder that

educators around the globe

have decided to harness

technological advances to

optimize learning.

Nowadays, the classroom is

no longer synonymous to

desks, chairs, and book-

shelves enclosed in four

walls. The modern class-

room includes computers in

various forms (e.g. tablets,

laptops, etc.), interactive

whiteboards, cameras, e-

books, eLearning software,

and cloud computing

among others.

Classes are no longer con-

fined inside buildings, but

can extend into online

forums and blogs.

(continued on page 2)

About the Editor

Julienne Tingzon is a twenty-

something student at the

University of the Philippines

Diliman. She graduated with a

degree in nursing, but has

decided to pursue education.

Her friends consider her

introverted, gentle, and

creative. She likes to read, write,

surf the net, play with her dog,

and play video games. Julie

wants to be remembered as a

dedicated follower of Jesus.

Someday, she wants to

become an effective educator.

♥

Volume 1, Issue 1

August 2013

The Modern Classroom Are Filipinos ready for it?

Inside this issue:

By Julienne Tingzon

The Lost

Art of True

Beauty 5

Book Review:

Captivating 5

Fashion Inspired

by Pride and

Prejudice

5

The Lost

Art of True

Beauty

5

The Lost

Art of True

Beauty

5

Integrating Media Technology The great thing about media

technology is that it can be

incorporated into all parts of the

learning process. For example,

in selecting subject matter,

teachers can go beyond the text-

book and seek different, more

interesting ways to present the

lesson. Preparatory activities

and evaluative activities (such

as testing) could be done

through the use of computers,

the internet, and other devices.

Teachers can use a computer to

project a game on the screen and

the class could play "Who Wants

to be a Millionaire?" together.

Students could be asked to take

an online test or design a blog

where they can post their assign-

ments. Applications like Rubistar

could be used to create rubrics.

There are many ways in which

one can integrate media technolo-

gy in the future classroom. With

the advancements in technology,

it is doubtless that in the future,

the options would increase ten-

fold. ♥

By Julienne Tingzon

(continued from page one)

Technology has allowed for the

continuous development of the

modern classroom. It is already being

done in countries all over the world.

However, it is still very unlikely that

the modern classroom would become a

norm in the Philippines. It is not that

I doubt the capability of the Filipinos

to face such changes. On the contrary,

I believe that Filipino educators and

students, if trained and guided

properly, are very much able to

handle 21st century technology.

Filipinos are fast learners and can

easily adapt. What we lack is a

cohesive and concrete plan, thorough

implementation, consistent evalua-

tion, resources, and dedication from

all stakeholders.

Leaders in the fields of education and

technology should materialize an

achievable, measurable, and appropri-

ate plan in integrating technology into

lessons. Teachers should be trained in

the proper use of these new approach-

es and methods. To prevent it from

becoming a temporary trend, there

should be constant monitoring and

assessment. Are the objectives being

achieved? Is educational technology

being used in such a way that it con-

tributes positively to learning? As a

result, improvements can be made

and weaknesses can be eliminated.

The government and other agencies

should provide sufficient funding and

support for this to take place. It is not

an easy task, but the results are more

than worth it.

Will educational technology in the

Philippines be maximized into its full

potential? When the government,

school administrators, educators, and

even the family decide to exert collab-

orative effort into bringing the best of

technology into the Filipino class-

room, this will be entirely possible. ♥

It had been easy enough to feel

like a princess when I was eight, watching Walt Disney princess movies

and then twirling around the backyard

in a frilly dress. But the older I became,

and the more of the real world I experi-

enced, the more I began to feel like an

ugly stepsister instead of Cinderella.

It didn’t matter that my parents had

repeatedly told me, “You are beautiful

just the way you are!” My youth leader’s

lesson on “accepting your own inner

beauty and getting comfortable in your

own skin” had not helped. And my school

counselor’s lectures on the importance of

self-esteem hadn’t made even the slight-

est difference in my life. The bottom line

was that I wanted to be beautiful – not

with some vague “inner beauty” that had

no value in the real world, but with the

The Modern Classroom (continued)

The Lost Art of True Beauty

Page 2

Filipino educators and

students, if trained and

guided properly, are very

much able to handle 21st

century technology

By Leslie Ludy

Leslie Ludy talks about the true meaning of beauty.

(continued on page 3)

Volume 1, Issue 1 Page 3

(continued from page 2)

kind of sexy, alluring, culture-

pleasing appeal that I saw on bill-

boards and TV.

Eventually, all of my efforts did

achieve a measure of outward beauty,

and I finally began to gain guys’ at-

tention. But the ironic thing was that

I still felt hopelessly ugly. For all the

time I spent chasing after the cul-

ture’s beauty standard, I never

seemed to actually “get there.”

It was right around that time that I

encountered a young woman in her

twenties. She was a missionary. She

was the most radiant girl I’d ever met.

Her face literally glowed. She was

beautiful – but it was not a contrived

beauty, propped up by outward things

like clothes and makeup. Rather, it

seemed to emanate from somewhere

within her. Her eyes sparkled with

passion. Her smile lit up an entire

room. She was entirely others-focused

and seemed to completely lose sight of

herself. Most men groomed by modern

culture wouldn’t have given her a se-

cond look. She didn’t carry herself

with the seductive, flirtatious air that

guys always seemed to respond to.

She didn’t dress to show off her figure.

In fact, she didn’t pursue guys at all.

She was far too busy living out a pas-

sionate romance with Jesus Christ to

be pining after an earthly prince.

She did not possess worldly allure, but

she had something far better – a radi-

ant loveliness that reminded me of the

princesses in my childhood fairy tales.

It was obvious that her beauty was

the real thing, and it far surpassed

the hollow counterfeit I’d been chasing

after for so many years. I was awed

and inspired by what I saw.

Though I had distanced myself from

God for two years, that night I felt His

presence like never before. I knew He

had heard my prayer. And I felt a gen-

tle assurance in my heart that He had

a tremendous plan for my life; some-

thing far more fulfilling than the path

I’d been pursuing. But first He needed

my life.

During the next season of my life, my

femininity was completely trans-

formed. My understanding of beauty

was radically altered. God didn’t

merely restore my childhood inno-

cence and return me to the days of

dressing up like a princess. Rather,

He gave me a breathtaking vision for

true feminine beauty – His vision.

He taught me the ultimate secret to

lasting, spectacular beauty. And it

was far beyond the most amazing

fairy tale I’d ever imagined, even as a

little girl twirling around my back-

yard. ♥

The Lost Art of True Beauty (continued)

For all the time I spent chasing

after the culture’s beauty

standard, I never seemed to

actually “get there.”

It was obvious that her

beauty was the real thing.

He gave me a breathtaking

vision for true feminine

beauty – His vision.

Fashion Inspired by Pride and Prejudice

Page 4