Category Archives: school

reading and writing.

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On April 17th, I mentioned that some of my priorities into my “to do”  list are reading and improved my writing skills. However after exactly 2 months from that post I came to be aware of some obvious things, which actually I should have learned since elementary school:
– create a senseful strategy for reading, (into wide and deepness)
– understand what the author wants to say
– think and digest this information / knowledge,
– think again before writing,
– write thoughtful (and remember simple + short, it is beautiful!!!).

In addition, to develop our own thinking is challenging. As any other Art, I would attempt to say, because it requires discipline and to be constant in its practice. All these is harder than what I thought! Or it seems in the hurry to discover the world and its possibilities, or to survive in it, I had really forgotten some of the valuable basics.

On the other hand, I am quiet surprised to realized this too. Because being someone that had spent so many years in a diversity of educational systems, and that enjoys to learn, it has taking me over two decades to get at this point, which might only mean I am a good survivor into school systems (no sure if my ex-teachers would like to hear this). Or as any human being, we have different stages, plus there are so many things to learn and digest in our life, besides school, that we are only able to really understand any subject when we are ready for that (as in a ZPD ). In the mid time keep on being open and practice your skills. As in any game, be ready for your next turn.

Eastern good wishes – reading and writing.

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The last time has been a bit chaotic for myself. However, on the last days I was lucky because calm knock at my door. Its visit had helped me to start to digest better (hope so) what it is happening around (research, classes, dreams, life, etc. ). Sometimes things just go so fast! or I need my time to digest things.

And from my priorities into my “to do” list are: read, read, read…. and learn to improved my writing skills (if existent) on academic English. Oh my! That will imply effort and discipline, but one step at the time (and some of my EdTech pals will agree with me, that I have to work a lot into this subject).

On the other hand, today while having a great walk next to the lake, I remembered a phrase from Sor Juana: ‘Si estudio, no es para saber mas, sino por ignorar menos’ (If I study, is not for knowing more, instead is for unknowing less) , then it turns to be more appealing and interesting this process as well, isn’t it?

To have your goal on clear, and keep the discipline in order to reach that goal are kind of the key issues into this recipe. Actually the real hard part is: to know what you want to do, once you know that part, the next challenge is: to know what is needed to do to reach that goal?. And finally to decided yourself to do it. But on respect to this topic, today I decided myself to go for it!

Oh my!

week 10

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This week was quite nice and productive, but I finish as a dead body.

I don’t even remember all what it happen, but it will be good to try to remember the mile stones, to relate this to what I have to do next.

Monday the Festival of the lecture of EdTech, which I found it really interesting. I was in the LEGO ROBOT

Tuesday, finish the paper work for a Mexican grant which has to be in Mexico on the 15th of March. Well in fact since days before I was fighting with that, as you have no idea. It should be used a software that run only on windows and need disk 3 1/4 to be saved…. well using a mac, and being in computer science in Finland implies that diskettes of 3 1/4 are part of collections in museum. When in other countries still are in use. Some things to think about when we talk of globalization and contextualized. Yes, it was a battle, in several issues to fulfill the requirements of this grant, but finally it was managed. Now, I hope the post manage to be there on time.

Then I was in Helsinki for the IGDA meeting. This time the topic was education and game design. Helsinki University gave a talked, and also aRTO which I discovered there. On the other hand, I had a change to talk with two entrepreneurs into the mobil game industry one finnish and other swedish. Interesting for sure. The person for Sweden has contacts with Malmö University, from where I had read papers on “moral games ” , which is similar of what I persuading to do. Interesting fact.

It was the first evening I am there, but it was good. I finish quite late that evening, but worth it. Now I am really looking forward for next month, besides to have the second part of the workshop (games and story telling) the “idea” of my PhD game, which starts to born will be commented with some of these hard core gamers, and I am looking forward for their inputs. But I need to work on this and finish first with some concepts of my research questions, ASAP!

With all these, well, I support what Matti mentioned once (04.02.06) in his blog:
“1. Good things do not usually come to those who wait. Act.
2. Grades do not matter, connections do. Socialize.
3. Diligence doesn´t pay, opportunism does. Push in. ”

In any case, I would add that we have to integrate, in other words, learn to act but also learn to wait. Socialized, but be able to think by yourself too, push in but with worth things otherwise you only burn yourself. I don´t know any precise rule, but I know it is a combination of all of it. Be sensitive to use what it has to be use in the correct moment. Now it is my time to think and digest all what has been done, and prepare for the next round.

Then from Wednesday to “Friday” Christian was in Finland. We met in Helsinki, we came later to Joensuu. It was just great, not only because we are colleges with similar interests, and we are friends, also in the sense that we worked a lot (no much sleep). We are preparing several things for further work between Mexico and Finland, with the focus of win-win perspectives, respecting the context of each place and the needs of each place, but helping each other. One really important thing of his trip was that both parties (he and EdTech) got to know each other. Well, all are really worth persons and we are going forward, the sky is the limit as someone mention once. This is just the first step, there are tons of things to do.

Another important event of the week was that on Friday I got surprise to see Andrés again 🙂 that is so nice 🙂 Bienvenido!!!!

And mainly that was it, in between I had lectures, homework and daily life things to do, you know those issues. But yesterday after get something to eat for the weekend, I just crash in bed, I was a body, even though I didnt sleep as a real baby. No good!. Anyway, now it is time to use my encephalic mass, but I am not sure where to start to dig in.