| Summary, etc |
"This book had its roots from my involvement in an innovative global project called One Laptop per Child (OLPC) of the last decade. Some of the project's principles provided inspiration for the development of the books framework. Central to those principles are ownership of learning, acquiring life-long learning skills such as collaborating with others, learning-by-doing, and the feeling that learners are included and are important. These help build self-esteem, because the learning makes them part of making meaningful difference beyond themselves.<br/><br/>A casual reading of the title would lead the reader to conclude that this is an activity-based book. Indeed, this book draws from my practice as a trainer, educator, and social entrepreneur, and thus shows a bias for design-for-change principles. While my involvement in the framework for this book predated the K to 12 Law of 2012, the law itself provides an anchor, or more like a mandate, on pedagogy, i.e., rubrics on inquiry-based, reflective, constructive, collaborative, and integrative approaches. The students, teachers, parents, and partner communities benefiting from the action-oriented nature of the lessons, will thus gain practical knowledge that meets the prescriptions of the law.<br/><br/>In writing this book, I used the B.E.S.T. structure which stands for Build, Engage, Sustain, and Transform, to make learning about technologies (in this case, Information and Communications Technologies) what it promises to be: Empowering to the Self and to the Community. Overall, one could be assured that this book is a response to the confluence of global developments in education that lays emphasis on the key competencies of communication, critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration.<br/><br/>This book would not have been possible without the collective inspiration of the people very close to me. I already mentioned my core family. My father, my late mother, my brother and sisters, and the values they stood for, which shaped me and what this book represents.<br/><br/>The eKindling Team played a key role in this book's development. You know who you are.<br/><br/>Without my Creator, I cannot even begin to stare at the tools and technologies that I used to put this all together. Deo Gratias!This book had its roots from my involvement in an innovative global project called One Laptop per Child (OLPC) of the last decade. Some of the project's principles provided inspiration for the development of the books framework. Central to those principles are ownership of learning, acquiring life-long learning skills such as collaborating with others, learning-by-doing, and the feeling that learners are included and are important. These help build self-esteem, because the learning makes them part of making meaningful difference beyond themselves.<br/><br/>A casual reading of the title would lead the reader to conclude that this is an activity-based book. Indeed, this book draws from my practice as a trainer, educator, and social entrepreneur, and thus shows a bias for design-for-change principles. While my involvement in the framework for this book predated the K to 12 Law of 2012, the law itself provides an anchor, or more like a mandate, on pedagogy, i.e., rubrics on inquiry-based, reflective, constructive, collaborative, and integrative approaches. The students, teachers, parents, and partner communities benefiting from the action-oriented nature of the lessons, will thus gain practical knowledge that meets the prescriptions of the law.<br/><br/>In writing this book, I used the B.E.S.T. structure which stands for Build, Engage, Sustain, and Transform, to make learning about technologies (in this case, Information and Communications Technologies) what it promises to be: Empowering to the Self and to the Community. Overall, one could be assured that this book is a response to the confluence of global developments in education that lays emphasis on the key competencies of communication, critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration.<br/><br/>This book would not have been possible without the collective inspiration of the people very close to me. I already mentioned my core family. My father, my late mother, my brother and sisters, and the values they stood for, which shaped me and what this book represents.<br/><br/>The eKindling Team played a key role in this book's development. You know who you are.<br/><br/>Without my Creator, I cannot even begin to stare at the tools and technologies that I used to put this all together. Deo Gratias!" —Preface |
