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.

Master of Puppets, some more that the guitars and drum kit

Hello again my reader. This time is special because I talk about one of my favourite songs in English (of course, I have a lot of "favourite songs" in this language), this song is very known for who know styles like "Metal", "Hard Rock" and similars; the song's name is "Master of Puppets" (1986) by Metallica, a thrash metal band, and I like it because this song transmits energy, strong and creativity (imagination). I use it to writting my action stories and to creating new episodes or drawing some part of my story.

The first time I heard this song is wasn't to long, in fact the first time was two years ago when in my house for summer holidays, my sister's friend heard it on Youtube. Then, I liked this song, I liked the sound of guitar, the combination with the drum kit and every sung part , especially the chorus. The song had that I imagine more interesting parts for my stories, thus I saved it in my pendrive.

The musical style of this song is "Thrash Metal", I know that some people don't like this style for different causes like that this is noisy, unpleasant, strident and that simply this style isn't music, but I respect their opinions though I think that they haven't tried to understand or listening with attention some song this style like Master of Puppets. Although some people think this way, I like this style and this song because this one helps me to believe in that all is possible (some similar to "The Impossible Dream") and that there isn't insuperable obstacle: ever there is any solution to everything, simply there is to think. I think that this is real, do you think the same? Do you feel some similar with your favourite song?

Here, I put the link to listen the song, I hope you enjoy it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KtF7ql3FJc

Pendrive, an extension of my mind

Hello again my reader, in this oportunity I talk about my favourite piece of technology: the pendrive. This object is very important from me because I save variate information and files (documents, music, video, games and other types) that I use daily.

I got my first pendrive five years ago but it broke three years ago, then I received a birth gift last year: a silver pendrive that saved my life. I've used my new pendrive for one year aproximately since I received it, but it has save me from more difficult situations like presentations, homeworks, monographs and essays. In hollydays, I used my pendrive to listen music only, but now that I'm studying, I use it everyday for save valuable information from my career and my life.

I like my pendrive so much because it's easily transported, easily to charge and it's in variate designs and capacities. I've cared it like a sacred thing because if I miss my pendrive, I'd miss very important and unrecoverable information. I could say that my pendrive is an extension of my mind.

I think that if it wouldn't be, we couldn't carry our information to anywhere without to have a computer for this purpose. Pendrive allows to perform with this purpose and move away us of boredom through the music or videos that we have saved in this artifact. We can walk or we can wait in a stop bus or we can learn and study while we listen music. Also, we can carry complete books and valuable (home)works. For all this, pendrive is an essential artefact in our modern society (and culture) Do you think the same? 

My career

Hello again curious reader

Today I talk about my career: Anthropology. This career has three mentions: Social Anthropology, Physical Anthropology and Archaeology. I entered to my career through Bachillerato because I didn't know to study and after researching different syllabus, I chose Anthropology, in special, the Physical Anthropology mention because it's the combination of Humanities and Biological sciences and it's more "concrete" than Social Anthropology. I think that Phisical Anthropology mention is more entertaining too.

Anthropologist contribute to society in different areas: from the social projects -like working in communities, researching the past cultures of the country, doing measuring patterns of the chilean population- to academic researchs that allow to check wrong concepts or wrong ideas. Then, an Anthropologist/Archaeologist needs, I think, statistics programs for to relate many variables from the researchs, a group of different specialists (variate viewpoints) and similar thing, I suppose.

In Anthropology, my favourite subject is "Physical Antropology Elements" because this subject is very interesting for me since  I should choose the mention this year, besides, the coordinator, teacher Rodrigo Retamal, is nice though he send weekly papers in English. Soon I want to be assistant professor in some subject of my interest like Statistic or Evolution.

Toltén, Araucanía’s Region

Hello my reader, in this opportunity I talk about of a beauty place called Toltén.

Toltén is a small town nearby the Pacific Ocean coast and nearby to Puerto Saavedra and Pitrufquén too. The town is very near to Toltén River, which is very beautiful and there is a bridge over the river. This bridge connects Toltén with the rest of the places.

The first time that I went was I had 15 years old, in 2005. I went with my father in the September holidays (Independence day) We walked across the town, my father told me about the history of this place because he was born nearly to Toltén and he grew up there. I clarify that my father is from Colimán, place situated very near to Toltén (1, 5 hour by bus or car) Apart from walking, we visited the typical fair and we bought some things. Though the town was very busy, normally is a quiet, peaceful and nice place, as well as the people is nice but a little shy. Since then, I’ve gone every year in summer holidays to visit the town and its marvelous river.  I like this town because is peaceful, the time would seem that don’t advance and life is relaxed, don’t exist hurry in contrast to busy life in Santiago. It’s one of my favorite travels. Here, I put a picture of Toltén's principal street

Presentation

Welcome my guest to my blog.

My full name is María Cecilia Espinoza, I'm 21 years old. My birthday is on June 15 and I'm from Santiago, Chile. I live in a beauty house with a large yard full of fruit trees, beauty flowers and flowering shrubs. I live with my parents and my two sisters, I'm the eldest sister. I have many pets: ten cats and two dogs, in winter I sleep with four of these cats and the rest of year I sleep with only one cat called Avelinda. Avelinda (or Avi) is a yellow cat (even its eyes are yellow) very friendly and smart with a unique preferences. In fact, Avi eats beets, tomatoes, corn, avocado, potatoes, bananas, chestnuts, carrots and similars, but Avi loves chocolate made by my mom. Whenever I whistle, Avi runs to me meowing as if would want to ask me.

I have many interests such as drawing, painting, do gimnastics, watching and reading anime, and writting tales. I like the actions movies, thriller movies, comedy movies, adventure movies and similars. Some of my favourite movies are: Star Wars (especially the first trilogy), The Lord of the Ring thrilogy, Indiana Jones trilogy, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Mummy, The Phantom of the Opera and Matrix trilogy.

I'm second-year student of Anthropology at Universidad de Chile on Campus Juan Gomez Millas, and the next year I'll study Physical Anthropology. This year I'm learning another language than English, this language is German because this idiom is important too. I go to Aikido class on Campus too because I think that the sport is good for health (it's part of a healthy lifestile) and this sport allow me to entertain and relax, also I forget of my academics duties while I do Aikido. Sincerely, the first year of Anthropology wasn't much entertaining because some courses were boring, in special the courses more theoretical like Methodology though this course is very important for the realization of projects. Evolution course was one of the most interesting for me beacuse this course was more practical and the subjects were most empirical (more easy to imagine)

I could continue writting about myself and my interests, but is better that you, my guest, stay with the doubt and you wait a new post from me. Is it more exciting? I think so.

Auf Wiedersehen mein Gast, See yo soon my guest.