Newsletter - Nov 22

VOLUME 1 ISSUE 3

I C T

CA M P

B U L L E T I N

CLSU

23 NOVEMBER 2008

AND SO IT BEGINS INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

AND SO IT BEGINS

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SOCIALS!

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IN OUR OWN WORDS

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Only 2 more days until you present your projects! Are you ready?

participants were able to gather materials for their projects. At this early stage in their working relationships, many participants relished the chance to explore the campus alongside their groupmates. “For us in the Web design group with friends web publishing group, it’s Three jeeps. Forty excited parnot just about work, work, work, ticipants. One remarkable tour. it’s a chance to make connecOn the afternoon of November tions,” says Ivy Gamatero of 21, the participants of the ICT DepED BALS, who toured the Camp finally got the chance to fishponds alongside particibegin their journey into the pants in the Web Publishing creation of User-Generated track. “Right now, we’re conContent with their tour of host ceptualizing how we can transcampus CLSU. late the concept of ecosystems With stops at the vast campus’ and thinking globally and acting institute for aquaculture and locally, and we’re surveying the fisheries, mushroom farm, and information available to us.” the Philippine Carabao Center,

Learning center manager QC Angelyn Malabanan confessed to some confusion about their assigned track, Community Mapping. “We’ve asked around already because we’re still not sure how to proceed,” she noted. “Right now, we’re looking at just gathering material, and we’re concentrating on being flexible and receptive about ideas, and truly making a group effort out of this. “ The Audio Production track was also trying to make the most of the trip. “We’ve just recorded sounds of water, motors, vehicles, and similar industrial and natural sounds,” says Rebecca Ouano, learning center manager of eSkwela Cebu. “We don’t really have a concept yet, but I’m confident we'll find inspiration yet. We have a very good group of people in this track.”

SOCIALS!

Your host, eSkwela’s Ave Mejia.

We laughed. We danced. We sang. We dressed boys in pink sheets. Friday night was the night for socials, and while the food and drink were copious, it was the entertainment brought down the house on November 21. Remarkable, really, considering the groups hardly had any time to practice. Here are our favorite pictures.

SJDM’s boys feel pretty.

A special song number from the CDO center. Cebu’s learners wear their sunglasses at night for a dance number.

VOLUME 1 ISSUE 3

Page 2

IN OUR OWN WORDS Now that the participants’ journey towards becoming content creators in their own right has officially started, some have allowed us to share their stories in this ongoing series, “In Our Own Words.”

FIRST CAMP, FIRST ICT CAMP BY JAN REI RODRIGUEZ Jan Rei Rodriguez

This is my first time to join a camp and to leave my crowd for a week. Being away from my comfort zone is very challenging to me, because I have to work with different people and make new friends. I have chosen to be part of Web Design, and it’s turned out to be very challenging,

because we need to exercise different muscles by working and planning together. We had a tour on our first day, and that experience gave me an opportunity to have fun with people who, despite my having met many of them for the first time a mere two days before, turned out to be very approachable and profes-

sional. We took pictures and gathered material, thought together and brainstormed with an ease that was surprising and welcome. I will treasure this ICT Camp experience because it gave me a lot of ideas and inspiration that I will take back home, to my fellow learners and my family. I hope I can

use the things I learned here as I progress towards educating myself towards wherever life will take me. I expect that by the end of this week, we’ll have achieved something that will make us all proud. I hope that I can get a lot of projects like this in the future.

A MOST UNUSUAL ART CLASS BY FORT NICOLAS There was a time when one learns how to draw or paint using pencils, brushes, and paints. That was how Galileo, Botticelli, Luna, Amorsolo and other great masters did it. Nowadays, one uses computer applications called GIMP and Scribus (if he or she is an Open Source user) to make art. In the same vein, it’s a common sight to see a forty-plus teacher teaching teeners. Today, I was taught by teeners how to use GIMP and Scribus. During my student days, never was I referred to as “slow” (not that I was a genius), but today I am willing to eat the humble pie and admit that my rather lethargic gray area could not get the momentum, especially since Greek was the preferred medium of instruction of our

young teachers. Yes, indeed, today is the day when the world went upside down and inside out. Or was it just my brain? Don’t get me wrong. I have nothing but praises for our maes tro, Raf ael, and maestras, Sheila and Rose Ann, for their extra-ordinary patience in explaining and demonstrating how GIMP and Scribus work. This allowed me to slowly climb out of the abyss of ignorance I fell into right at the first minute of the class. I must admit the technology applications that were introduced to were fascinating. Surely, there’s no chance in the world we could execute the “brochure masterpieces” that everyone is eagerly waiting for without these applica-

tions without these technological wonders. Picture this: Three brochures. Different designs. Alive and in full colors. Imaginative graphics. Excellent presentation. With awesome editorial contents. I am so excited that I’m almost tempted to say that today’s art sessions have revived my interest in art creation, which was my passion when I was a little child. Modesty aside, my drawing skills when I was about six or seven years old were far advance that those of my playmates and classmates. While they only succeeded in making people look like matchsticks, I drew them almost life-like. Well, maybe not, but at least they had curved noses, with full hairs, lower and upper lips and limbs that had muscles.

Fort Nicolas

But my momentum went to a sudden halt when I overheard my father telling my mother that he was afraid that their only son would someday be a “pintor kulapol.” I didn’t know what that really meant, but it didn’t sound good. So I stopped drawing and turned to other interests. No, I’m not blaming my father for my redirected life. He had a point, I know, because I am happy with my life as it is. But a revived interest in art and creation of something aesthetic wouldn’t hurt, would it? I know that the artist in me is still buried deep in my soul. The only thing to do now is to dig and resurrect it. But that is a rather tricky endeavor. I can easily find a shovel, but I have no idea where to start looking for my soul. It must be here somewhere.