Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Education : Best of 2023 : Semester #1

 




credits: unknown
via Google Images Archive

"The robots are coming. The second decade of the 21st century will see the rise of a mechanised army that will revolutionise private and public life just as radically as the internet and social media have shaken up the past 10 years."


Marina Gorbis, futurologist and head of Californian thinktank The Institute for the Future.


The world is changing, and that can be very scary thing. Technology thinking for itself is something people thought we made up for movies and sci-fi novels





credit: iStock/Getty

And 2024 in particular, the rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI) systems such as ChatGPT is a dominant topic, not just in industry circles, but it frequently appeared in education headlines. Students and teachers are using them it a different way.

The innovation is in our life more than ever! Innovation and creativity are in education, music too! Perhaps the most innovative art crossing the centuries. From classical, to pop-rock, jazz, alternative or electronic. There are wonderful composers, musicians, innovative projects. 

Now we have music using the latest technologies! The first music groups were Arcade Fire and Google maps, Gorillaz composing on iPad. So, we can say, dawn of the age of the Tech music! 


However, "exposure to new technologies including trackers, robots and AI-based software at work is bad for people’s quality of life", according to a groundbreaking study from the Institute for the Future of Work.




credit : unknown
via Google Images Archive


Looking back 2023 I've come up with a roundup of what's been the best posts of my blog The Digital Teacher G-Souto

Below you’ll find the top posts of 1st semester 2023 containing different themes: science, art, French literature, music, children's literature, languages, women in science, environment, animation fims, traditions and other themes.

As my usual readers know my posts can be written in English, French and Portuguese (my mother language).


The selection is based on page views but also based on pedagogical relevance of the most-read posts.

I kept the order of the most viewed, and eliminated the posts that seemed less relevant. The main reason? Sometimes some posts acquire too much visibility, not for their value but for the keywords that the search engines "like" indexing.


Here are the most popular posts 1st semester 2023:













On a fêté partout dan le monde le 80e Anniversaire Le Petit Prince ! Personnage iconique aux cheveux d’or mais aussi un phénomène de l’édition mondiale, Le Petit Prince est le livre le plus traduit au monde avec plus de 500 traductions officielles. 

Écrit et illustré par Antoine de Saint ExupéryLe Petit Prince est publié pour la première fois en 1943 à New York, en anglais et en français, avant de sortir en 1946 en France, aux éditions Gallimard où il deviendra un best-seller vendu à plus de 14 millions d’exemplaires. 



Le Petit Prince nous charme pourtant depuis trois quarts de siècle mais son actualité est plus brûlante que jamais. 

Humanisme, écologie, souci d’autrui : autant de thèmes qui parcourent Le Petit Prince mais aussi toute l’œuvre et la vie d’un grand écrivain à (re)découvrir.

Le Petit Prince propose aux petits et aux grands une vraie leçon de vie: celle de la spontanéité des sentiments




The Little Prince
celebrating 80 years
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
HarperCollinsPublishers

A wise and enchanting book that, in teaching the secret of what is really important in life, has changed the world forever for its readers.

Le Petit Prince tâche d’enseigner une vision de la vie avec le cœur et non avec la tête. Les fleurs sont objectivement roses mais la vie peut l’être aussi du moment qu’on l’observe avec amour. 

Et des valeurs: L'importance de l'amitié, de l’amour, des liens, de la tolérance, de la lutte contre l'individualisme et contre la peur de l'autre, ou encore l'importance de vivre et de consommer de manière raisonnée.

Hoping to have inspire you. as my readers and teachers in your lessons all over the last year.

May 2024 be year of hope for all of us, praying for the end of war in world, and all the tragedy and dead due these terrible wars.

May the humanity search for Peace.

Teachers and students fight for peace, development, and climate change. Earth is our home.

Teachers continue to teach with passion, inspiring your students to be better citizens in the future searching to live in peace and to be environmental defenders, preparing them to the new world and a new the future. Give them hope, joy, serenity. 

Your mission from the heart!


G-Souto

13.03.2024
Copyright © 2024G-Souto'sBlog, gsouto-digitalteacher.blogspot.com®





Education : Best of 2024 : Semester #1 bG-Souto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Schools . International Mother Language Day : “Multilingual education is a pillar of intergenerational learning"

 




International Mother Language Day

https://www.unesco.org/


Multilingual and multicultural societies thrive through the preservation of their languages, which serve as conduits for traditional knowledge and cultural heritage. 

However, linguistic diversity faces increasing threats as more languages vanish. Currently, 40% of the global population lacks access to education in their native language, a figure that exceeds 90% in certain regions. 

Research underscores the benefits of using learners' native languages in education, fostering better learning outcomes, self-esteem, and critical thinking skills. This approach also supports intergenerational learning and cultural preservation.


  • Theme 2024:

Multilingual education – a pillar of learning and intergenerational learning”.


Today, 250 million children and young people still do not attend school and 763 million adults do not master basic literacy skills. Mother tongue education supports learning, literacy and the acquisition of additional languages.


Multilingual education – a pillar of learning and intergenerational learning”, are crucial for inclusive education and the preservation of indigenous languages. 

By starting education in the learner's mother tongue and gradually introducing other languages, barriers between home and school are bridged, facilitating effective learning.






Technology has the potential to address some of the greatest challenges in education today. It can accelerate efforts towards ensuring equitable and inclusive lifelong learning opportunities for all if it is guided by the core principles of inclusion and equity.

Multilingual education based on mother tongue is a key component of inclusion in education.


  • What is Intergenerational learning ?


Intergenerational learning is defined as learning that happens across different age groups and generations. Integral to concept is the multi-directionality of learning: children can learn from adults, adults from children, younger children from older siblings, and from other relatives. It is a collective learning process in which the whole family learns together.






What makes us human
Victor D.O. Santos
credit: cover photo  Eerdmans/UNESCO, USA. 
Release data March 4, 2024



  • Book

A book that, before its first release in Brazil, was selected in 2022 by the specialized jury of The Unpublished Picture Book Showcase by dPICTUS for the dazzling illustrations by Italian artist Anna Forlati and the powerful text by Brazilian author and linguist Victor D.O. Santos

The book was furthermore selected for the 2023 Bologna Children’s Book Fair exhibition "Beauty and the World: The New Nonfiction Picture Book".


What Makes Us Human has also been included in The White Ravens 2023 selection as one of the 200 best publications for children released worldwide this year.






Illustration for “What Makes Us Human”. 
© Anna Forlati


The book is published in several languages. For the moment 12 languages. Look here the countries where What makes us human is translated in mother languages.


  • The role of teachers:

The overall aim of IMLD 2024 is to contribute to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 4 by recognizing the role of teachers in promoting multilingual teaching and learning through reading and technology. in different languages


Students : Share key messages via this social media pack.



"The scientific studies are clear: learning in one’s mother tongue is essential to success at school. (...) "Advocating multilingualism in schools also means preserving and promoting linguistic plurality, especially with regard to languages which have only a few remaining speakers."

Ms. Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, message 2024


G-Souto

21.02.2024

copyright © 2024G-Souto'sBlog, gsouto-digitalteacher.blogspot.com®





Schools ! International Mother Language Day : “Multilingual education is a pillar of intergenerational learning" by GinaSouto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.



Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Schools : And here came the Lunar Year 2024 : Year of the Dragon ! Traditions & Interculturality

 






Year of the Dragon
credit:Pan Hong Getty Image


And 2024 belongs to the Year of the Dragon which is believed to embody power, strength, luck, and wisdom. Many traditions are tied to the festival as some South-East Asian and East Asian countries and their diaspora communities observe this auspicious time — in ways that are unique to each culture.


The Year of the Rabbit ended February 9, 2024. And then the Year of the Dragon started February 10, 2024. Next comes the year of the Green Wood Snake, starting on January 29, 2025.





Year of the Dragon
credit: exxorian / Getty Image


As you already know, In China, and other Asian countries, the familiar Gregorian calendar is used for day-to-day life. But Chinese calendar dates continue to be used to mark traditional holidays such as the new year and the fall moon festival. And then Chinese astrology uses the lunar calendar to determine favorable dates for weddings and other special events.

In other words, the Chinese calendar is a lunisolar calendar, a combination of solar and lunar calendars. Plus, it has a long history spanning several Chinese dynastic periods from as far back as the Shang Dynasty around the 14th century BCE. Also, there are several different symbolic cycles within the calendar, used in Chinese astrology.

So the Chinese calendar is an intricate and complex measure of time.






One of 12 animal symbols of the Chinese zodiac (Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep/Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Boar/Pig) represent each year of the Chinese lunar calendar. For 2024, it’s the Year of the Dragon. TravelChinaGuide.com says:


  • Year of the Dragon


Chinese Dragon is de facto an imaginary animal, also the only fictitious creature in the 12 zodiac animals, which is composed of 9 animals, including the body of a snake, the horns of a deer, the head of an ox, the mouth of a crocodile, the claws of an eagle, and the scales of a fish. The Dragon enjoys a very high reputation in Chinese culture and it represents auspiciousness and imperial power since ancient times.


Chinese people regard themselves as descendants of the Chinese dragon and emperors entitled themselves exclusively as the ‘dragon’. It is the token of authority, dignity, honor, success, luck, and capacity







  • How is it celebrated?


From the first day of the Lunar New Year (the day of the new moon) to the 15th day (next full moon), Lunar New Year celebrations abound. What’s more, each day holds a special significance that varies according to local traditions. But first, before the arrival of the new year, homes are thoroughly cleaned to sweep away ill fortune and to welcome good luck. Then on New Year’s Eve, families traditionally gather to celebrate and enjoy sumptuous traditional feasts. Finally, at midnight, they greet the new year with fireworks.

In the days that follow, celebrations include a variety of festivities. For example, there are dance parades featuring colorful dragons or lions. Or there are ceremonies to pay homage to deities and ancestors. Plus, children receive money in red envelopes and gifts are exchanged. Extended family members travel long distances to visit each other.

The Lunar New Year celebration traditionally culminates on the 15th day with the Lantern Festival. On this night of the full moon, families mingle in the streets carrying lighted lanterns, often creating a beautiful light display.







  • Mythology & Lunar Year :


There are several variations on the mythology behind Lunar New Year celebrations. Most concern the story of an ugly, bloodthirsty monster named Nian. The monster would emerge on the last night of each year to destroy villages and eat people. A wise elder advised villagers to scare the monster away with loud noises. That night, they set fire to bamboo, lit fireworks, and banged their drums. So the monster, afraid of the loud noises and lights, ran away to hide in its cave.

In another version of the myth, an old man persuaded Nian to turn its wrath on other monsters, not the villagers. Before he was seen riding away on Nian, the old man, actually a god, advised the people to hang red paper decorations in their homes and set off firecrackers on the last night of the year to keep Nian away.

Then on the first day of the new year, the villagers celebrated, greeting each other with the words Guo Nian, which mean “survive the Nian.” That tradition has continued to this day, with Guo Nian now meaning “celebrate the new year.”



                                            
                                             credit: Matthew Chin

via EarthSky 

Education :

 “The 2 Chinese characters are the same. It means blessing, a hope that other people will get good luck. Blessings like these are commonly used during Lunar New Year. The red background is also a kind of good as Chinese people use red to represent good luck."

graphic meaning

As you see interculturality is so important. Three-quarters of the world’s major conflicts have a cultural dimension.

Bridging the gap between cultures is urgent and necessary for peace, stability and development.

A good moment to talk about Lunar New Year - Year of the Dragon with students. Invite them to a concrete action to support diversity aims:
  • To raise awareness worldwide about the importance of intercultural dialogue, diversity and inclusion.
  • To build a world community of individuals committed to support diversity with real and every day-life gestures.
  • Perhaps you have Asian students in your classroom. Invite them to share their own family traditions to celebrate the New Lunar Year.


Cultural and linguistic diversity, local traditions are interesting subjects to include and discuss into school curricula by using science to explain why Asian people call their new year, Lunar Year, inviting students to deepen their knowledge using social media in the classroom.

Learners are curious about other cultures and traditions. Let students participate in different activities by doing ONE thing for diversity.

  • Values: family, friends, honoring old people. And of course, sensitivity, prosperity and peace.


G-Souto

14.02.2024

copyright © 2024G-Souto'sBlog, gsouto-digitalteacher.blogspot.com



Schools : And here came the Lunar Year 2024, Year of the Dragon, traditions & interculturality ! by GinaSouto is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.


sources: EarthSky/ BBC