Education and Creativity

Hello to you. Today I'm going to review to Sir Ken Robinson's talk "Do Schools Kill Creativity". I must say that at the beginning, I thought that this interview was boring but I noticed that Sir Ken is right about education. In special, Robinson speaks about the relationship between education and creativity, in his words: "My contention is that creativity now is as important in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status." Clearly in Chile this isn't so, just look at the government's education program.

However, one of the most striking phrases that he said was "I don’t mean to say that being wrong is the same thing as being creative. What we do know is, if you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original. If you’re not prepared to be wrong. And by the time they get to be adults, most kids have lost that capacity. They have become frightened of being wrong. And we run our companies like this, by the way, we stigmatize mistakes. And we’re now running national education systems where mistakes are the worst thing you can make." Simply when we're wrong most people make fun of your mistake  and this becomes part of your life story (an example are nicknames) Phrases like "You don't know to writte/speak/add/subtract because you're dumb" or "This drawing is ugly, you don't have talent for this" do that the kid avoids mistakes because other kids make fun (sometimes ruthlessly) from his/her mistakes, so the error is associated with being silly. 

Other interesting thing is which the author mentions about scientific and humanistic subjects showing that the former are more important than the second: "But something strikes you when you move to America and when you travel around the world: every education system on earth has the same heirarchy of subjects. Every one, doesn’t matter where you go, you’d think it would be otherwise but it isn’t. At the top are mathematics and languages, then the humanities, and the bottom are the arts. Everywhere on earth." A good example is that in Chile people generally believe that the humanistic careers are easier than the scientific or the student of these carrers won't have a good future (in terms of employment and economic) Very well known is the classic prejudice that exists on whoever study arts: If you study arts (music, sculpture, painting, drawing, etc.), you're going to end up playing in the Paseo Ahumada."

As well as Robinson said: "Academic ability, which has really come to dominate our view of intelligence because the universities designed the system in their image. If you think of it, the whole system of public education around the world is a protracted process of university entrance. And the consequence is that many highly talented, brilliant, creative people think they’re not, because the thing they were good at at school wasn’t valued, or was actually stigmatized." Perhaps this is why talent search programs (Talento Chileno, Factor X, Mi nombre es, Yo soy, etc.) are successful not only in Chile but in the world, do you think the same?

Heute ist...mein Geburtstag (Today is...my birthday)

Achtung/Warning: Perhaps the following written isn't interesting for you because the topic could be uninportant if we consider other topics like education, health, goverment, politics, economy or similars. If you have decided to follow reading this written because you have curiosity or something like that, you'll be welcome to know something more about me, something very important. An any date for everyone, one day more in our lifes; however, for me this day is very special.

After this warning, I welcome you to an important event from me. You know that all days are special but this day (June 15) is more special that other because today...is my birthday! Yes, it's the truth and not a joke. You should be thinking that what I've said is totally irrelevant for other persons, likely the expression is "I don't care" but is important that somebody greets to this person. May seem uninportant but to this person the greeting can be the most important, something to warm the hearth, the soul (or the spirit), something that reminds you aren't alone in this world or in this life. I think that with a greeting is enough, the important is the love expressed in this action.  

Perhaps you think that I ever do parties with many guests and many gifts, but really my "celebrations" are ever in family (12 persons at most) with few gifts and so much love. I can seem anti-social or boring person but for me it's good because I prefer the meetings with few people and not scandalous (in the sense of music at high volume and many people doing many different things) In a nutshell: I prefer quality to quantity.

I have had all kind of birthdays: warm, cold, windy, cloudy, rainy and sunny days, I could say that all seasons have been present in my birthday. And not only the weather but various occasions that I've lived like tests, funerals, shopping, holidays and boring monday. Gifts almost always liked me because I often suggest it though also I like surprises. 

I've said: I prefer quality to quantity. In this day, a greeting with love (pure emotion not a moral duty) is enough for me, a simple "happy birthday" from who are worry for me. Don't worry if you don't greet me today, it's something that is born of the soul/hearth, it's spontaneous. 

Don't worry, be happy.

Avi and me in my birthday greet you for reading this writte.

Youtube: a universe of videos

Hello again! This week I'm very happy because rained in Santiago (the air was very dirty) and I could see the blue sky after a long time, but this isn't  the main topic, is only a short comment about Santiago and its air quality. The main topic is "Youtube". Yes! Everyone knows this online video page, which has videos about singers but it has videos about organizations, social complaints, TV programs, jokes and more. All of us have visited this page in some opportunity searching the video that anyone recommended us and said us "This video is important/shocking" or "This video is very funny/beautiful/touching" In the other hand, some of us have seen TV series on Youtube, series that aren't broadcasted for various reasons: copyright, old TV series, rating, contents, etc. 

When I was younger so much younger than today I never needed to watch videos on Internet (before 14 years), but when I was 14 years old my interests were music, painting and PC games (like Tomb Raider, Need For Speed, etc). At that time, I browsed searching videos about my favourite singers and bands (The Beatles, Metallica, Stratovarius, Iron Maiden, Rammstein, etc.) and the Google results showed me this page. I was very happy because I could see a great number of videos and I didn't need to wait the TV programs about music (which were and are few in Open TV, also they are broadcasted very late at night). I could watch videos anytime and the artist  or the TV series (cartoon, anime) that I wanted. It was a dream made truth! 

Since then, I visit Youtube almost every day (before in the Secondary School, I visited it everyday in the afternoon) to watch musical videos, "Piñericosas" and parodies like "Hitler learns", although currently I visit this page in the weekends, holidays and when I have free time because my career takes long time (5-7 hours in a day or even more time) However, though I have little time, even so I visit Youtube because isn't equal to hear the song or to watch the video. Also, many people use this page to express their opinion (parodies and similars) about politics, economy, art, family, society and much more topics that I invite you to discover. You know the URL direction: www.youtube.com 

A Special Cat called Avelinda

Hello my reader, today I invite you to read my blog because I'm going to write a special issue: A cat called "Avelinda". You can think that this issue is stupid or bored or not interesting for you, but if you read it you'll discover that this topic is very singular. I invite you once more time to read my blog, you won't regret, I promise. The cat in the picture is Avelinda.

Avelinda (it's called Avi too) is a three-years cat that arrived to my house in summer (january), 2008. It's yellow with orange lines across its body except its paws, which are white like if Avi wears white gloves, and its breast, which is white. Its nose is pink (pale pink), its big eyes are yellow like two amber stones and it has a long white whiskers. Avi is very friendly (even with strange people), nice, lovely, observer, careful, prudent, ticklish and smart with a unique preferences. Whenever I whistle, Avi runs to me meowing as if it would want to ask me "What's happen now?".

Avi sleeps with me all the year. When it's hot, Avi enters to my house at nights but if it's cold Avi is sleeping all the day inside my house in different parts like the sofa, armchairs, beds, chairs and in my sisters' legs (in my legs too) Avi has a favourite place: the kitchen. Every time that somebody is cooking something in the kitchen, Avi is sitting on the bench looking to the person for that this one gives something food to Avi, then Avi will answer with a noisy miaow or a loud purring.

However, the Avi's strange thing is its peculiar sense of taste because it doesn't eat only cat food, milk, flesh, meat or something, but it eats vegetables and sweet things! These things are bread, tomatoes, potatoes, bananas, pumpkin, chestnut, rice, pastas, corn, beets, avocado, carrots, cakes, pies, jams and similars, but Avi loves the chocolate made by my mom, specially if the chocolate is made when it's cold or when it's late (at night) Avi never gets tired of eating chocolate; while it eats more, more noisy is its miaow and its purring.

Avi is a very special cat and its special nature is what like to me. I love this cat.  

The sea and the sky, a reflex of my personality (Ich bin nicht verrückt)

Hello again, today I share with you an important thing: a very special photography.

This picture hasn't been easy to choose because there are many images that I love, but I chose this especially beacuse this photo shows the ocean and the sky in an apparent calm like if anything happen, but I know that it's not like that because in winter the sea is rough, unpredictable and uncotrollable. Sky changes every times too. It gets red, orange, black, blue, celestial, gray, etc. The little part of land it's a bay nearly to Mehuín Cove.

The image was taken by Victor, a cousin that live in Puerto Montt. Last summer my family and his family met in Araucanía's region (Tolten Town) and we went to the beach for one day. My cousin took this photo when we were arriving to Mehuin Cove. He said: "This landscape is very beautiful. I must photograph this." Then, my cousin took this photo and several more because he didn't want to lost any part of the landscape. I suppose that he took around ten or fifteen photos of this place. It could seem exaggerated but, in the chilean south the weather is very difficult to predict so to have a picture with a clear sky isn't easy, especially near to the sea, where the sky is usually cloudy. In synthesis, He was lucky because weather was sunny that day,  this is the reason he could get this image that I'm presenting to you.

The important in all that is the meaning that this image has for me. I like this picture because this remember me that day in wich my sisters, my cousin and me enjoyed all the day in the beach. However, this photo means something more for me: it represents part of my personality. Why I say this? Because all the landscape seems in calm but one don't know when it will change, it's unpredictable like part of my personality. You can see me very calm and quiet, but suddenly you'll see that I change and I turn hyperkinetic. Moreover, I have double personality -a part calm, quiet and patient and other part impatient, talkative and restless- like the union to the sky and the sea, where both are calm and restless and nobody can know.

Enjoy the image, is a chilean lanscape unique all over the world, don't you think?

Public and egalitarian education or only profit over all?

Hello again my reader, this time is a special time because today, Thursday 12th, is the National Strike and demosntration for the Recovery of Public Education. According to CONFECH, this strike presents the stances of the student movement respect to the Higher Education Reform. It has three points, which are briefly: 

1. The Access, which is to search quality and equity for all.
2. The Financing, which is to increase fiscal spending.
3. Democratization of Higher Education institutions. 

At the beginning, when I entered to Bachillerato in 2008, these topics and similars seemed a bit distant because in my school there wasn't discussion, but when I transfered to Anthropology I started to get information about these topics and I understood that these issues were and are very important for the students in general. 

I entered through PSU and I got the Bicentenario Scolarship, JUNAEB Scolarship and Equity Scolarship Universidad de Chile. All of these scolarships I got it because I had a good score PSU and I am among the first and the second socioeconomic quintile. Therefore, these topics affect me directly because one year ago I had some problem with the payment of my scolarship: every time that I called to Junaeb, they said me that "they were solving some problems", so part of my Scolarship was paid in November!  when it should be paid in Marz-April and then every month. 

Other thing is the topic related with the tariff, wich has increased every year like the enrollment. However, the scolarship money is the same every year while feeding and things related with photocopies, school pass (Bip card, wich increase $130 to $180 Chilean pesos) and more have increased. Also, application criteria have changed and several students have lost their scolarships, so they have had to borrow. 

In my case it hasn't happened (yet) but I think that Chilean State should have more participation in Education to avoid things like these. The State and the goverment should leave the profit and to worry about the quality and access to education. Actually, the goverment has had a passive attitude and it only has injured to the students with its "Public" Policies in favor of the profit.

Although I support the strike and its reasons, I won't go to the demonstration on Thursday partly because of laziness, partly because the march usually ends with unpleasant incidents, which are well known. However, I've read about these issues and I've been paying attention about what happens constantly. Also, I vote in the course assembly and I read the CECSO's communiqué (also CONFECH, FECH, etc) For now, I hope that these topics are considered by the goverment like an important and relevant thing and not like an insignificant and irrelevant thing or like that students only do the strike because they don't want to go to classes.  

Web Quest, something more that searching information, or not?

Today, I did my first Web Quest and this was a strange experience because at the beginning I didn't know how to find the required information, but then I filled the table with the first place I felt that this was easier. Personally I thought that this activity would be more difficult but I discovered that I must have patience and to be focused in my task. I sent the task nearly the end of the class hour with the complete items of the table, but I suposse that something is wrong (I hope that the errors are few).

In my opinion, Web Quest is important to learn to find information not only about travels but also about topics related with our career or everything.  I think that this activity is an interactive way to learn English though I felt that time was short (perhaps because it was my first Web Quest and I didn't focus in the specific information) and I confess that sometimes I was bored, especially when I had to search the number of Travel Zone in London through Tube Station, which were too many.

Web Quest wasn't problematic as I suposed but it wasn't something easy. I'd say that this activity was a "spending time" activity because to complete few items I spent a long time on this. However, I learned to be more patient and to be focused in my task.