Posts

Futureproofing Santa Cruz

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We need to make sure our students are ready to face the future. We have decided to set up an eLearning Centre with the latest technology at Santa Cruz High School. Our Mother PTA is taking the lead. Recently there was an article at Padippura on 4 September 2017 courtesy Malayala Manorama. Mother PTA, getting ready to run their Common Service Centre from Santa Cruz HSS have decided to go for Interactive Board Projector, the latest technological godsend for 21st Century Classroom. We should have the very best technogy and learning tools at our centre - says Sunitha. We should have the latest computers and fast internet for our use in the classroom - added Nisa. They are the first two mothers to join the Smart Classroom for Santa Cruz project.  Asha and Najmunisa joined only recently. Vimal Nithi is the fifth woman to join our training program. Nithi is not a member of the Mother PTA, technically. In spirit she is an awesome Woman of Wiki .  Gladwin and Mufsal, accompanied

Common Service Centre at SCHSS

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"Each school should have a CSC at the Computer Lab of the school, run by the PTA" is a vision of Sebastian, my friend. He sees PTAs regular visit to run the Common Service Centre, a great support to the school. Parents will see how the school is run, help in its day to day activities. Income generated at the Computer Lab by the services given there could be a shot in the arm for the school. Above is the same project run at St. Alberts High School. Sebastian initiated this project there. The Common Service Centre can easily get license and support of Government of India; our Federal Government is all out to Digitize India, to make e-Governance a reality in India. Subair, Arabic teacher at our school, asked for an Akshaya Centre at Fort Cochin. Now our Mother PTA is launching a Common Service Centre at our school! Mother PTA of SCHSS is gearing up to run a Common Service Centre at the school. According to them, running the service centre will give them experie

GeoGebra Institute of Santa Cruz HSS

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The other day, I walked into our Computer Lab and witnessed Gladwin, Fardeen and Mufsal working with GeoGebra. I am not a Mathematics fan. But, the ease with which these young champions were using GeoGebra to look at their mathematics lessons from GeoGebra was quite impressive. After their lesson, I had a discussion with Sebastian. He explained about GeoGebra , this awesome Free and Open Source Software helping Mathematics fun and frolic. As I listened, I understood "No school in Kerala has a GeoGebra Institute!" I went home, logged into my computer and registered GeoGebra Institute of Santa Cruz High School . this year, our students shall excel in Mathematics, courtesy GeoGebra. Any school interested in setting up a GeoGebra Institute of their own, or training on how to use GeoGebra in the Mathematics classroom, may contact me. GeoGebra has thousands of volunteers ready to facilitate people interested in GeoGebra. Hence, I do not have to teach GeoGebra to Mathemat

Mothers Matter, Teachers Matter

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#TeachersMatter is the hashtag of Global Teacher Prize . #MothersMatter is the hashtag of Santa Cruz HSS . Yes, our Mother PTA is true blue Indian motherhood. They have taken an oath to master Internet to protect their children as Santa Cruz School goes Smart! Our students search, research and learn online. Three of our students, we call them Awesome Threesome, have been invited to Malaysia for a Cultural Exchange, to showcase the ways in which they globalized themselves. Gladwin Xavier Muhammed Fardeen Muhammed Mufsal regularly write blog posts about their connected learning and vision. They show the blog posts to each other and their classmates, improves their article. They have ownership of their own learning. They continually improve their own articles, continually improving their writing skills! Writing a blog post describing what one learned each day is far better than asking students to write a language Composition which is read only by his teacher. Thank you Se

Blue Blooded Mother PTA of SCHS

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I feel proud of our MPTA, the mothers wing of Parent Teacher Association. They are learning safe use of Internet and social software to protect their sons and daughters who are to use Internet for search, research and online learning we have at our Computer Class. This year, they received MLA's Award for being the best MPTA! They are now working on setting up a Common Service Centre (that can also be a Common Learning Centre) at the school. They are lifelong learners, for their own children. They have learned how to protect their wards online, to guide their children as they venture on to Information Super Highway, from our Smart Classroom! These MPTA firebrands have teamed up with Clearn Fort Kochi Foundation to support their shared vision of Clean Kerala.

Wikipedia - Teachers' Treasure Trove

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Since the day I met Sebastian Panakal, an Alumnus of Santa Cruz School, I have fallen in love with Wikipedia. I am keen on developing a Wiki culture of sharing and caring. Sebastian is a Wiki Facilitator . He is now mentoring our school. Here is one of the reasons I love Wikipedia. Sebastian is also the Founder of Women of Wiki. He uses it as his women empowerment platform. CLASS: Connected Learning Activities through Social Service is an impressive global project Sebastian is currently working at; Santa Cruz School is collaborating with him at his Greening with Love  activity. Santa Cruz students shall present at The Global Student Conference this year. Santa Cruz students shall go on a cultural exchange this year. Santa Cruz shall set up the very first Global Teacher Garden. My Youtube Channel has a few videos of global educators who sent us best wishes as we invited them to collaborate with SCHSS on Friendship Day. We shall plant saplings named after them in ou

Global Teacher Garden-Preparations by Students

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Santa Cruz School is lucky to have Subair, our Arabic Teacher, a hard core agriculturalist. He is reputed for his hard work to make this world green. Learning from him, our students are ready to plunge into a brand new project: Global Teacher Garden. We inaugurate the project on 30 July 2017 and start planting from 31 July 2017 onwards. I sent the following message to my Personal Learning Network, Hello Little World Skypers . You will see Santa Cruz School listed under Asia. HLWS is a dedicated group of global educators! Students sent a Skype Message to Iro, a Skype in the Classroom Teacher at 11:28 a.m. Iro's reply message arrived before the students left the Computer Lab Learning followed!! Spontaneous learning occurred as the class discussed time differences between UK and India, postal services in both countries. Students discussed postal delivery on horse carriages, cycle, vans, trains and supersonic jets! Moderating the lesson, Sebastian made sure