stimuli faculty september 2007 issue

8/14/2019 STIMULI Faculty September 2007 Issue

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Unleashing the finest teacher in you

Editor-in-Chief

Managing Editor

Associate Editors

Copywriter/Editors

Contributing Writers

Graphics & Layout

Ma. Donna DiamanteMa. Cristina Magsino

Roderick MonFerdie Ortega

Rocky Manianglung

The Faculty Stimuli is published every semester by the Faculty Ser vices Department, AcademicServices Group, STI Headquarters, 6/F PhilFirst

Building, 6764 Ayala Avenue, Makati City

For comments, suggestions and/or contributionsplease call (02) 887-8447 loc. 5860 or send

email at [email protected]. You may alsojoin the publications group at Multiply-ht tp://

facultystimuli.multiply.com

Ed i tors No te

D iner Dash is a game where a player mu

s t be able to sea t the d iners to

em p ty clean tables, take and ser ve the ir

orders, g i ve them the ir checks

and clean the ir tables as q u ick as poss

ible wh ile kee p ing them ha p py.

T he player s tar ts w i th bas ics and ad van

ces to the succeed ing le vels w i th

u pgrades whene ver the player

reaches the goal score. As the game progres

ses,

more perks are pro v ided f or the d iners. T he player mus t s tra te

g i ze to ge t

bonuses. T ac t ics are learned f rom wrong

mo ves. T o unlock more le vels,

the player mus t s im ply f ocus on the ob je

c t i ve o f the game wh ich is to kee p

the d iners ha p py.

T eachers play the same game e very school y

ear bu t in a d i f f eren t se tu p. We

a t tend con f erences, sem inars, sym pos ia

and tra in ings f or the warm-u p

rou t ine. We re v ie w da ily lessons and do

add i t ional read ings. We al ways

conduc t classes w i th a se t o f ob jec t i ves, o

n a g i ven schedule, f or a grou p

o f s tuden ts. We s tra teg i ze to make the

s tuden ts learn and recall. T he

b ig d i f f erence is we canno t go back to a

s pec i f ic day and class when i t is

o ver. T here are wrong mo ves tha t canno t b

e undone. All ac t ions, reac t ions,

words and e ven e x press ions mus t be well- th

ough t. T eachers ha ve grea t

in f luence o ver the ir s tuden ts and as second paren ts, we

should use th is

in f luence the way well do w i th our o wn

ch ildren.

By the way, when we use games as an a

nalogy to our lesson, make sure

to tell our s tuden ts tha t any th ing e xcess

i ve is no t good. And, they ha ve

to choose the games tha t would g i ve the

m added value because there are

games tha t would jus t was te the ir resou

rces. Any ways, we are no t here

jus t to trans f er kno wledge bu t also to gu i

de them ho w to l i ve a good l i f e.

Are you ready f or a le vel-u p?

T on i

Inside this issue:

A Teachers PortraitWhy Teaching?

PSITE Region IV

Congratulations, Youre a Teacher!

Smart up An Email Group Netiquette Guide

Event Scanner PCPS 3 Training Program

The Art of Giving

On the Cover Two of a Kind

STI Summer Faculty Training 2007

Teaching Tip

Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks

3

6

7

8

10

Tech Trend

MP3 or MP4?

Lets Get Literary

A Teachers lifeEvolve or DieLunar SpasmMiss Marples Magic & Myth

Film Recap

A Beautiful mind

Book Buzz

Changing Perspectives

Health Talk

Diabetes Mellitus

On the Road

Team STI Conquers

11

12

13

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f all the questions that my parents and colleagues askedme, the Why teaching?question lingers in my minduntil today. My persuasive

arguments did not succeed in gaining theirempathy. But I guess my being a teacher nowdoes otherwise. How I wish they can see thispaper.

As an Instructor of STI Iligan, Im motivatedby the desire to help my students find thesame thread of joy in discovering andunderstanding new techniques and ideas. Itis a worthwhile experience to work one-on-

one with my students as I witness the momentwhen they finally comprehend the essenceof what Ive taught them; the moment thatsurprises and delights my students, knowinghow difficult the subject is. It always boostsmy enthusiasm to provide motivation to my students.

Orientation Seminars (COS). Now, I learn tocherish both. I make sure that my lecturesare interesting, challenging, lively andinteractive with the hopes that my studentswill be motivated and will do their best. I alsohope to capture the interest of my studentsby showing that Im interested too. I have agreat deal of empathy towards their strugglesto learn. It is one of the reasons why teachingshould be complemented with research andpersonal touch, to keep the sense of humorand humility alive in the face of an everexpanding quest for knowledge.

Nevertheless, one of the challenges in my job is the use of technology in teaching. Ihave already experimented with varioustechnologies available. I have tried usingoverhead projectors, computers and at times,LCD projectors. It is easy to be hooked withthe promise of technology that learning willbe easier. On my end, the challenge is to useit appropriately and to make certain that it

Im motivated by the desire tohelp my students find the samethread of joy in discovering andunderstanding new techniquesand ideas.

will contribute to students positive learning.Some of my most successful classes haveused the traditional way rather than the useof modern technologies. In small classes, Ioften have goups of students working on theboard. Extra whiteboard markers and visualaids are tried-and-tested technologies; thesecan visually support a broader discussionthread for the class. This leads to a morecooperative setting rather than having justone student deliver a report to the entireclass. Team effort is important but individualeffort is equally important too. I also believethat most learning occurs through individualeffort. The moment of understanding can bean intensely intimate one. Because learninggreatly depends on individual effort, it israre to see that an entire class is ready for aunison quantum leap.

O

Edgar Eslit

I have a great deal of empathy towards their struggles to learn. Itis one of the reasons why teachingshould be complemented withresearch and personal touch,to keep the sense of humor andhumility alive in the face of an everexpanding quest for knowledge.

By Edgar Eslit

STI Iligan

Our contribution to our studentsis a reflection of what we believeabout human nature, and therelevance of the topic that we aresharing to them. It also reflectswho we are and what we think,which serves as the backbone of

our way of being a teacher.I joined STI Iligan in 2002 as a part-timeinstructor. In the subsequent years, I was alsoa Career Adviser. I taught the graduatingstudents the right way of writing their rsumsand application letters. It is also rewardingto see students who are just starting tolearn simple business correspondence tofinally understand a concept that seemedimpossible to comprehend at first but turnedout to be attainable and exciting.The students are required to learn the tenetsof composing effective application lettersand battle-ready rsums prior to their OJTproper. During lectures, I try to post a seriesof examples that will gradually develop

their understanding and teach them sometechniques. I ask them to stretch a bit to reachthe goals of the subject and to believe thatthe goals are within their reach that is why itis necessary to make a careful and gradualdevelopment on the exercises. Our OperationSpoken English Environment Program orOSEEP and Job Placement Training in Cebuproved to be useful to this end, thanks to Ms.Fe Aquino and Ms. Babes Bonoan.In the past, I simply want to enjoy the classhours, although I dont compromise the levelof teaching. I admit that I love the challengeof a more difficult task like conducting Career

In the process, I have observed that mutualrespect and support for the students play amajor role to ones success as a teacher. Thisis one of the areas in which I have seen agreat deal of development during the pastsemesters. I respect my s tudents as individualsand treat them fairly. It is important to havethis basis for learning since respect for othersseems to be taken for granted in our society today.The bottom line is, teaching requiresdedication. Its tough, right? Ourcontribution to our students is a reflection ofwhat we believe about human nature, andthe relevance of the topic that we are sharingto them. It also reflects who we are and whatwe think, which serves as the backbone ofour way of being a teacher.Guided by the same principles, I chooseteaching to be of service to others. Weall know that no rewards or sufficientcompensation can be found in this career butI will never regret my decision.So when somebody asks me, Why teaching?, my answer is: Its the joy of doingit that keeps me going, thats why!


4/16

The first Oxford English Dictionary was published in April1928, 50 years after it was started. It consisted of 400,000words and phrases in 10 volumes. The latest edition fills22,000 pages, includes 33,000 Shakespeare quotations,and is bound in 20 volumes. All of which is available ona single CD.

Before the year 1000, the word she did not exist in theEnglish language. The singular female reference wasthe word heo, which also was the plural of all genders.The word she appeared only in the 12th century, about400 years after English began to take form. She isprobably derived from the OldEnglish feminineseo, the

Viking wordfor femininereference.

academician. And the most important reasonis, it becomes one of the highlights in yourcurriculum vitae.Now, as the Vice-President of PSITE Region IV,I was able to initiate trainings with the help offellow officers for Information Technology (I.T.)educators in Region IV to give emphasis on I.T.research in support to the thrust of Commission

on Higher Education or CHEd. We were ableto promote camaraderie among I.T. studentsin Region IV by providing them a venue toshowcase their theoretical and programmingskills. It is just unfortunate though, we did notmake it when PSITE Region IV had its tour inHong Kong for an extensive I.T. school visit.Here in STI College - Calamba, there arealready five active members of the PSITEnamely Prof. Ryan E. Maneja, Prof. KhristianG. Kikuchi, Mr. Leo De Mesa, Mr. Romy Gangay, and Ms. Ella Fabros. And I really would like to thank them for making somepersonal financial sacrifices to join and bea part of PSITE Region IV. And to our newCEO, Ms. Mel C. Bravo for the support andencouragement she has extended to us and tothe roster of STI College - Calamba Faculty inthe pursuit of keeping them abreast of issuesand trends in I.T.To my fellow educators and academicians, letus bear in mind that we are here to professand not simply instruct nor teach.

By Eli dela NocheSTI College-Calamba

LBeing a member of a professionalorganization is already anadvantage because you areupdated of any related issuespertaining to your profession.

As an educator, we must perform the followinginnate duties: to educate, to research, and toinvolve ourselves in the community.How would you enrich your skills to efficientlcarry out those duties? Its simple. Pursuepost-graduate studies and join professional aswell as civic organizations. Through these, wecan proudly say that we are indeed educatorsproviding quality education.

As an educator, we must performthe following innate duties: toeducate, to research, and to involveourselves in the community.

PSITE in Iloilo

PSITE officers during a CHED visit

PSITE in Lyceum Batangas

ong before the revitalization ofPhilippine Society of InformationTechnology Educators or PSITERegion IV, the STI Deans in SouthernTagalog have been very supportiveand cooperative with the said

professional organization with a concertedaim to represent their schools and promoteSTIs Information and CommunicationsTechnology (ICT) Programs.It was during the Regional Convention heldat the Lyceum of the Philippines BatangasCampus where I was voted as the Regional

Vice-President which made me deeply involvedin PSITE activities and events including thevarious National Conventions of PSITE.One unforgettable experience I had waswhen I represented STI in the National

convention held at Cagayan De Oro City. Iwas on my own since my colleagues (Dean Vanie of STI College - Lucena, former DeanRolly of STI College - San Pablo, and Dean

Vic of STI College - Sta. Cruz) had very busy schedules. However, the most noteworthy experience I have encountered was during thePSITEs National Convention in Iloilo, whereI decided to run for a national position in theorganization. Perhaps, I did not sound soconvincing at that time and as a result, I didnot make it. Funny though, during the recently concluded PSITE National Convention held inBaguio, majority of the delegates asked meto run again for the next election but suchwas not realized. One of my colleagues inRegion IV requested me to give way for hiscandidacy.

The question now is, why should we joinprofessional organization? In the academe, itis a must for an educator to be a member of any existing legitimate professional organization.Being a member of a professional organizationis already an advantage because you areupdated of any related issues pertaining toyour profession. Your inter-personal skills willalso be enhanced, not to mention the contactsor circle of friends that you can establish andmaintain. You will also have the opportunity togo places and learn various cultures, makingyou a flexible and well-rounded educator.You will discover new pedagogical ways ofexecuting your profession as an educator or

D id y o u k n o w

t ha t ...

Source: www.didyouknow.co


5/16

Meeting the Challenge of Meetings

Many companies are seeing a need to keep business meetings short and even to do away with unnecessary meetings, reportsThe New York Times. So to curb waste of time at meetings, some executives have resorted to the use of such desperate measuressuch as stopwatches, whistles, and uncomfortable chairs, as well as having attendees stand rather than sit. Apparently, theexecutives are not alone in their view. In a survey of over 600 workers, meetings that last too long topped the list of timewasters. Patti Hathaway, author of a book that gives advice on handling situations at work, recommends that executivesfirst look at the agenda to decide whether a meeting is really necessary. If the purpose of a proposed meeting is simply todisseminate information, then consider whether the information can be sent by e-mail.

Workplace RudenessRudeness in the workplace can cost an organization time, effort and talent. says The Wall Street Journal. A survey ofnearly 3,000 people found that more than 90 percent experienced incivility at work. Half of these said they lost work timeworrying about the incident, 25 percent cut their efforts on the job, and 1 in 8 quit. According to the University of SouthernCalifornia, holding back on work efforts, absenteeism, and even stealing can all be signs of an organization that is strugglingwith rudeness.

Source: Awake Magazine 2007 Collection

By Prof. Sally Sestina, MA STI College-General Santos

ne afternoon, I was checkingthe papers of my students whenmy attention was caught withthe one million peso questionthrown by Kris Aquino at thecontestants in the game show

Game Ka Na Ba? The question goes, Whatis the name of the planet which is named aftera Filipino teacher?

I knew the answer because I have read an itemfeatured in the newspapers and have heardabout it in almost all television networks. It wasso disappointing because the contestant wasnot able to get the correct answer. (Sayang!)

The correct answer? Planet Biyo-- it is asmall planet located between Mars & Jupiter,rotating around the sun. It was named after aFilipino teacher Dr. Josette Talamera-Biyo.

Dr. Josette Talamera-Biyo is a science teacherfrom Philippine Science High School in Western

Visayas who bagged the INTEL Excellence inTeaching Science and Engineering Fair held inMay 2002 at Louisville, Kentucky, USA. She isthe first Asian teacher to win the award sinceits existence in 1997. INTEL received 4000applicants worldwide which was trimmeddown to 90 finalists. Would you believe,she bested 89 other finalists from all over theworld?

Because of this great achievement, theMassachusets Institute of Technology LincolnLaboratory in Boston named a planet inher honor. Dr. Biyo was quoted as saying, I dreamt of stars; I got a planet!

In one of her interviews, she was asked by the panel why she was teaching high schoolwhen she had a doctorate degree in biology,she answered Who else will teach thesechildren?. The panel got even shocked whenshe told them that shes getting a net pay of only $300 or roughly Php13,000.00 permonth.

Which brings me to one important point thatindeed there are two groups of teachers; thosewho TEACH TO LIVE (TL) and those who LIVETO TEACH (LT).

On one hand, teachers who TEACH TOLIVE regard teaching as an easy way to makea living. They believe that teaching is theeasiest job opportunity available.

On the other hand, teachers who LIVE TOTEACH are those who make teaching anintegral part of their lifestyle, which meansthey are passionately committed to teaching.They absolutely love what they do. They havehigh motivation to continue learning andensure their growth as individuals.

Dr. Biyo is one great example of teachers wholive to teach. She prefers to stay committedand dedicated to the teaching professiondespite the low pay. There are still teachers outthere, who work silently and give their hearts

out to teaching without thinking so much ofthe benefits and rewards. They are the unsungheroes of this country.

Dr. Biygreatly inspires m

to continue the dedication formy profession and further enhance

my knowledge by enrolling in the doctoralprogram. I want to make a difference in thelives of my studentsa difference that theywould not have experienced if not for me. Itwould be a privilege to feel that I can be partof their growth and maturity as I influencethem in some positive ways.

All students have had a good number ofteachers in their lifetime, but only a few areremembered as being exceptionally good. Itreally feels good when your previous studentsexpress their gratitude for all the things they have learned from you. We teachers are someof the most influential persons in a childslife. Inculcating such a worthwhile attitudeis the best investment that they will have intheir lifetime. If each one of us has 30 to 40students in each class, then, think of howmany lives we can affect.So, teachers, lets congratulate ourselves for

having the noblest profession. I hope therewill be more Dr. Biyos out there who LIVETO TEACH.

O

We teachers are some of the mostinfluential persons in a childslife. Inculcating such worthwhileattitude is the best investment thatthey will have in their lifetime.

I want to make a differencein the lives of my studentsadifference that they would nothave experienced if not for me. Itwould be a privilege to feel that Ican be part of their growth andmaturity as I influence them insome positive ways.


6/16

ne of the most popular and widely used resources in theInternet is the elec tronic-mail or email. It is one of the firstInternet applications developed. As most people wouldsay its a must-have to fully use the communicationsfeatures of the Internet.

Email enables a user of one computer to send message to anotheror multiple users of computers anywhere in the world within a fewminutes. If the recipient is not online, the mail is then stored in anelectronic equivalent of a mailbox and can be read any time.However, with the numerous activity involved through email, therisk of a virus attack is very high. At the same time, it may clog theavailable space on the users account. As an email user, one must takea precautionary measure in using it properly.

An article entitled An Email Group Netiquette Guide of Randy Ryanprovides a comprehensive guide and other pertinent topics aboutemail lists.Some mailing lists have low rates of traffic, others can flood yourmailbox with several hundred mail messages per day. Numerousincoming messages from various mailing lists by multiple users requireextensive system processing which can tie up valuable resources.

Subscription to Interest Groups or Discussion Lists should be kept toa minimum and should not exceed what your disk quota or you canhandle for that matter.The primary problem with excessive clutter is that it takes away timeand energy of the people reading the lists. This tends to cause peopleto drop out and create a lack of response to meaningful topics fromnumerous people due to the amount of time wading through theclutter.Randy Ryan suggests some tips on how to make the participation easierand more enjoyable without cluttering mailboxes and wasting precioustime of the participants of these lists.1. POSTING Keep your questions and comments relevant to the topic being

discussed. Do not send or forward personal emails to a list or another person

without permission. This is a copyright violation and a serious breachof privacy and you may be removed from a list for doing so. Capitalize words only to highlight an important point or to distinguish

a title or a heading. *Asterisks* surrounding a word can also be usedto make a stronger point. Capitalizing the whole word that is not atitle is generally termed as SHOUTING!

Be careful when using sarcasm and humor. Without face-to-facecommunications your joke may be viewed as criticism.

A one-line response can go in the subject. Enclose it in squarebrackets [like this] to denote that there is no text to follow. (This isuseful for answering requests for www addresses, 800 numbers,and the like.)

Acronyms can be used to abbreviate when possible, though over-using it can be confusing and annoying to the reader.

If your post is really only of value to one or two individuals on thenet, use private email and dont send it to the entire list.

2. SUBJECT LINE Be sure that the subject line reflects the topic. In other words, dont

auto-reply and start a new thread leaving the old subject line in theheader. Unless your software will allow you to change the subject.

Dont begin your message with a few words on the subject line andcontinue in the body of the message. This leads to discontinuity of themessage and defeats the purpose of the subject line.

3. TRIM DOWN YOUR QUOTES When quoting another person, edit whatever isnt directly applicable

to your reply. Dont let your mailing or Usenet soft ware automatically quote the entire body of messages that you are replying to unless it snecessary.

Take the time to edit any quotations down to the minimum necessary to provide context for your reply. Nobody likes reading a longmessage in quotes for the third or fourth time, only to be followedby a one-line response: Good Idea! This saves reading time, diskspace, network bandwidth, and makes things faster and easier foreverybody.

4. ME TOO and THANK YOU Dont send Me Too!, Thank You, and similar messages to the

group! Send those out to the individuals email address directly. A private Thank You is nicer too!

5. WELCOMES When people join an email group, it is great that members want to

welcome these people into the group. Doing this on low volume listshelps to stimulate conversation. On high volume lists though, it issuggested that these people be welcomed using their private emailaddress than to have several welcome messages cluttering up grouprelated discussions.

6. MANNERS Resist the temptation to flame others on the list. Remember that

these discussions are public and meant for constructive exchanges.Treat the others on the list as you would want them to treat you.People disagree, sometimes strongly. State your opinion, clearly andfreely in an objective manner and understand that others are alsofree to express their opinions.

7. SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION When signing up for a group, it is important to save your subscription

confirmation letter for reference. That way if you go on vacation youwill have the subscription address for suspending mail.

8. ATTACHING FILES DONT attach files. Instead, get it encoded and imbedded as part

of the email. You must convert your file to a standard ASCII text fileand include it in the mail that you are composing via copying andpasting, or using built-in file include commands.

9. COMMERCIALS/ADVERTISING

DONT! Sending out unsolicited commercial email or postinginappropriate commercials is called Spamming. Unsolicited meanssent to an email or Usenet group not designed specifically for thepurpose of advertising. Reprisals for doing so can range fromgetting a few nasty letters reminding you that spamming isnt nice,to several thousands of letters stating the same, crashing your site,the administrator being forced to remove your account and usually tacking on some administrative fees due to having to scramble tokeep deleting enough mail to keep their site from crashing.

10. VIRUS WARNINGS - CHAIN LETTERS DONT! Check with the administrator of any list first. Most likely it is a

hoax, particularly the warning Delete and Do Not Read! warningssince it is absolutely impossible to get a virus by reading email.Even if it is a legitimate program virus, it is up to individual users toknow how to scan for viruses before running any program. Thereare thousands of programs with hundreds of viruses. It is not the

function of an email list to serve as a clearing house of virus warninginformation (unless it is a virus warning list server) or to distributechain letters. The same applies for the twice a year Modem Taxwarnings.

11. MAILER CONFIGURATION Mail to an email list should only be sent in PLAIN ASCII text format.

Turn off HTML, MIME Encoding and quoted-printable formattingoptions. Do not attach or send business cards or signature data files.Used only on private, corresponding with people you know that havethe ability to decode these properly. They will not work in lists for ahuge number of users nor for the readers of a digested version of anemail list.

Source: www.our-kids.o

O


7/16

o revitalize the teaching and learning process in the Philippine public highschool system, the Personal Computer for Public Schools (PCPS) trainingprogram was held at STI College-Lucena last October 19-27, 2006.

Sponsored by the Government of Japan through the efforts of the Department of

Trade and Industry, the training was attended by public school teachers from thedifferent towns of Quezon Pagbilao, Atimonan,Mulanay, Lopez, Buenavista, Heneral Nakar,Infanta, Tiaong, Tagkawayan, Mauban, Lucena,and Marinduque.The participants were provided with a trainingmodule on Linux and its applications such as OpenOffice, Mozilla and Encyclopedia Britannica.

As part of the program, the participants weremotivated by orienting them with the Informationand Communications Technology (ICT) trainingsobjective that is to explore more of their potentialand innate skills when it comes to tapping var iousteaching resources such as computers and other technological devices.During the training, the participants were tasked to work on individual and collaborativepresentations to ensure that they do not only acquire the knowledge of the program,but also its application or technical know-how.The 64-hour training session was indeed a challenging task for us, says RonniePadolina, one of the training participants. For him, the activity helped him in improvinghis qualifications as a teacher. Others stressed that this training was successful inmaking them realize that the industry needs dynamic teachers who are capable ofbringing out the flexibility of the students by means of technology in order to cope inthis fast changing world.Every meeting becomes fruitful for everybody since the trainers evidently maximizetheir effort in equipping the trainees with the information and skills that they have toobtain. STI trainers are one-of-a-kind. Aside from being friendly and approachable,they also displayed competency and mastery of each lesson being delivered to us,says Jayson Devantes, one of the trainees.The training was facilitated by Prof. Alina Baldeo, assisted by Ms. Rhoda Rivares (bothIT faculty members) and Mr. Vic Diaz, the schools Laboratory Facilitator, while Mr.Giovanni Juntereal, Dean of Computer Studies, supervised the entire event.

By Hazel de GuzmanSTI College-Lucena

By Marcos OchoaSTI College-Southwoods

ERRATUM :

In the last issue of the Faculty Stimuli (November2006, Volume 10), a story entitled Computerizedvoting system of STI Munoz-Edsa was erroneously credited to STI Malolos. It should be STI Munoz-Edsainstead of STI Malolos.

t times people dont realize that genuinehappiness comes from the simplest gestures.Gestures like a simple hi and hello fromthe people you know, a sincere smile froma stranger or just three hours spent with thechildren who need our utmost attention.

The holiday season is fast approaching and so is the longawaited Christmas break. As a tradition, students are busy decorating the hallway for the season, planning for theirChristmas class get-together and even buying gif ts for theirkris kringle. These may be the typical holiday scenarios,but the College of Nursing of STI College-Southwoods hasthought of a different way to celebrate the holidays, withselfless giving and sharing of happiness.Last December 12, 2006, this has become a reality throughthe Maagang Paskong Handog held at the CarmonaElementary School Session Hall in Carmona, Laguna.Inspired by the spirit of giving, the students celebratedtheir Christmas party with the special children of Personswith Disability of Carmona Elem. School. The school wasa project of Mayor Dahlia Loyola and the Department ofSocial Welfare and Development (DSWD). This serves asthe childrens second home, where they are educated,loved and cared for.

A program was prepared by the nursing students showcasingtheir different talents. A song and dance Christmas numberwas presented to the children. In return, a representativefrom the children serenaded their Ates and Kuyas.Games were participated in and enjoyed by the childrendespite their disabilities. You can see in the eyes of thesechildren the joy and warmth they felt from our students.You could see the wide smiles and hear the resoundinglaughter of the children as our students participated in theactivities.The entire experience of our College of Nursing wasincomprehensible in words. These children opened up theeyes of our students on the realities of life and the genuinehappiness you could find from simple things. It may bejust a half-day event and yet the memories are infinitely embedded in their hearts.

A T


8/16

Two of a Kind

he thesis program is one of the mostchallenging pursuits an STI studentpartakes, and successfully passingthe program makes them walk dur-ing the graduation march with pride.STI commends the hard work, de-termination, creativity, and technical

know-how of all its students and recognizes theoutstanding output they have produced.

The Best Thesis Award is a national-level com-mendation for outstanding thesis projectsacross the network. This award is conferredupon thesis works that exhibit the highest stan-dard of scholarly accomplishment. Among thebest thesis works, the most exceptional will beawarded as the Most Outstanding Thesis andwill be provided scholastic incentives. Sinceschool year 2001-2002, the Most OutstandingThesis Award or MOTA comes with a cash prizeand a medal. The thesis adviser of the MOTA winner receives a plaque of recognition for his/her invaluable support to the group.

STI COLLEGE-BAGUIO

School year 2005-2006s winner of MOTA forthe Engineering track comes from STI College-Baguio, with their ingenious way of rational-izing water distribution to households through

a digitized water meter system. Recel Ambacan and Junio German are the

students who have undertaken thestudy, with Ms. Clarissa Mabitazansupervising their work and prog-

ress.

A centralized system

Ambacan and Germans projectis composed of two parts: thedigital water meter and the hostapplication. Both are designedto integrate the gatheringand processing of informa-tion which su pp li er s

can study togauge water

usage in acertain area.More than

that, the systemis capable of op-

erating as one unit:it can control waterflow and monitorthe status of metersthat comprise itsnetwork. The systemruns on electricity,

and they have figuredout a way to make

sure it contin-ues run-

ning evenw h e np o w e ri n t e r -rupt iono c c u r s

in the area it operates. In fact, the meters canstill capture raw data until everything is backin production.

Ambacan and Germans project could eventu-ally be a tool that will be useful in improvingthe technology currently in use. More impor-tantly, the accuracy it provides is indispensableto suppliers who aim to cut their losses due tosystem errors, while improving efficiency whenit comes to water delivery.

Beginning the greatest challenge

Ms. Clarissa Mabitazan, Ambacan and Ger-mans adviser has been with STI College-Ba-guio for almost ten years, but she has only

started being a thesis adviser three years ago.In that short span of time she has proven to bequite popular in the school she has guidedthree thesis groups that have been nominatedas representatives of STI College-Baguio to theMOTA. Graduating students have requestedher to be their adviser so often that she has tosay no sometimes to give herself an occasionalbreak and to be able to spend time with herfamily. In fact, this years winner started outwith no thesis adviser.

I initially refusedstill carrying out my plans torest for this school year as [the] thesis adviser.But the unexpected resignation of their adviseropened the door, But with only two weeks left,

Ambacan and German had to finish at leasteighty percent of their system implementationwhich is part of their preliminary defense- apart their adviser knows is the most crucialpart of the thesis process. She eventually had abrainstorm: she asked Ambacan and Germanto conduct and implement the system in thesubdivision where she lives. She then helpedthem conduct interviews with her neighbors inorder to gather raw data, and she has gonewith them to ask the subdivision administratorfor permission to carry out the system.

Going beyond teaching

Ambacan and German successfully defendedtheir thesis during the preliminaries, but therewas still work to be done. Producing a thesis isalready a daunting task, and with the sched-ules that the students and the teachers keep,it is quite difficult to establish a reliable rou-tine that enables the exchange of ideas andconstructive criticism between the adviser andher advisees. She has gotten around this ob-stacle by willingly housing the students at herhome and making sure that they all workedon the project. We felt that we still couldntrelaxeven over the semestral and Christmasbreak, we were working everyday except onSundays and holidays, Ms. Mabitazan says.Eventually, though, Ms. Mabitazan suggestedthat her students find a home near the schoolto better accommodate their schedules. Shevisits them from seven to nine in the evening,then she goes home to be with her husbandand children.

More than anything, Ms. Mabitazan is a sup-porter of her students. Aside from inviting stu-dents to her home, she would also visit her stu-dents parents; even if it required her to go to

far-flung provinces. She firmly believes that herstudents have sacrificed a lot to complete theirproject. My lectures do not end with theories.I converse with my students about the signifi-cance and value of what theyre doing , MMabitazan said. So to her students, shes morethan just a teachershe is a friend.

STI COLLEGE-STA. ROSA

The group of Marlito Dungog, Jeffrey Manza-no, May Ann Semana and Tristan Taytay fromSTI College-Sta. Rosa was nominated andbested other STI thesis students in winning thecoveted Most Outstanding Thesis Award forthe CS/IT last school year. Their thesis entitledBest Job Placement and Recuitment Agency is

an online system targeted for job applicants inthe CALABARZON area and provides a fasterand more efficient means of communicationbetween the employer and the prospectiveemployee.

A world of difference

Applying for jobs online is not a new phenom-enon. However, STI College-Sta. Rosas win-ning group has developed a system that willaid not only the job-seeker but the employeras well. Apart from it being locally-based, thesystem utilizes a scripting language called thePHP, or hypertext preprocessor, which can betailored to a users specific needs. It can pro-vide a more dynamic and user-friendly inter-face for both the applicant and the employer.

The road to victory

The students thesis adviser, Mr. Ramon Alma-zan, credits the success of these students notonly on their perseverance and dedication butalso on the combined efforts of the collegedean, the thesis coordinator and the faculty.The support and encouragement of the peoplebehind them has allowed the group to attainthe MOTA.

Mr. Almazan firmly believes that he didnt doanything astonishing or extraordinary, I juperformed the role of an ordinary thesis ad-viser, Mr. Almazan said, Im lucky that I wachosen as the adviser of these very dedicated and hardworking students.

Mr. Almazan further adds that every thesisadviser is challenged to bring out the best inevery student and reinforce the idea that they can pass the subject. Positivism, and a constantreminder to think of their respective strengths,will make each member see his or her im-portance to the group. However, the advisershould serve not only as the groups unofficialcheerleader but also as the critic against whomthe students can work out their ideas. This real-ization will help them focus on what each canachieve and, therefore, contribute to the work.

The winning groups and all students who havegone through the thesis program will not beable to survive the process without the guid-ance and care of their beloved parents/guard-ian, advisers, school administration, othermembers of the faculty, and the non-teachingpersonnel.

Two thesis advisers share the trials and the rewards of being named the best.

By Pacita Nicole Bontia with accounts from Clarissa Mabitasan and Ramon Almazan

(MOTA 2007 winning Advisers)

T

O n t h e

C o v e r


9/16

STISummer Faculty

Training 2007and also as form of quality assurance. However, providingcourseware materials should notmean that the faculty memberswould simply echo its contents. They need to understand and be able todeliver it effectively and efficiently tothe students, thus courseware-basedtrainings are conducted for courseswhich teachers may encounter somedifficulty in its delivery. This is based onthe surveys & informal inquiries amongschools and courseware developers.Faculty members, experienced ornewbies, are all encouraged to attendthese trainings. For new faculty members,its a totally fresh learning experience.For the experienced ones, its a means ofconfirming, sharing, and advancing theknowledge that they already possess.

STI believes that faculty membersshould not be left in the confines of theclassrooms. The institution recognizesthat faculty members may performdiverse functions in and outside theirrespective schools and they must beprepared for these possibilities. Asa focal representative of STI, faculty members must be attuned to newtechnologies and updates and this iswhat development trainings are all about development trainings are provided topromote faculty members professionaland career development goals andneeds. Admittedly, most faculty members raised their eyebrows whenasked to attend development trainings,who needs it anyway? Topics are noteven close to what they teachanyonewho have experienced being asked by students about the difference between acore duo and a dual core processoror a faculty member who was asked by a

student to debug his/her ruby programand was totally unknowledgeable ofthese concepts might appreciate beingpresent in one of these developmenttrainings. Ever experienced advising athesis group whose topic is totally out ofyour league?

STI also provides Faculty Accreditationof Skills on Teaching Technology (FASTT) trainings. Many view this set oftrainings merely as a component STIsFaculty Proficiency Certification, and are

forced to attend just to comply withe certification requirement. HoweveSTI has a different goal of providing thestrainings; FASTT trainings are offered build support structures that would allofaculty members to engage effectivewith instructional technologies and learbest practices in teaching and learning

with technology. STI acknowledges thfact that not all faculty members arborn teachers. Many have the technicaexpertise and competency but they are noteachers in its purest sense; they wertrained to be programmers, engineers,businessmen, etc. STI understandthe need to re-orient them and instilteaching competencies to make themmore effective and efficient educatorthus, the incorporation of FASTT traininin the long list of trainings lined-up foeach and every STI faculty member.

Admit it, it always feels good to share and

learn. One only needs an open mind, awilling soul and a humble heart to do itSo for all STI faculty members out thernext time you receive an invitation attend one of the trainings, be sure thatyou are counted. Your colleagues whare as knowledge-thirsty as you are wibe there and ready to listen to what youhave to say.

See you on the next series of facultrainings!

nother summer went by,school begins and the life ofevery student and teacher hasgone back to normal longhours in school, sleeplessnights and paper works

Life in school is somewhat stressful, mostof us would say

For students, spending summer vacationin the provinces, beach getaways withfriends and relatives seem enough tounwind, regain strength and again beprepared for another year of mind-and-body-crunching school works andactivities. But for the teachers, thesegetaways and other forms of relaxationarent enough. They dont just need tounwind and regain mental and physicalstrength to be considered prepared foranother year at school. As mentors,they must also be equipped with newknowledge, skills and fresh ideas onhow to make classroom teaching moreexciting for them and the students. Soit is not all fun for the teachers duringvacation after all.

In STI, we are all aware that faculty members undergo a series of trainingsevery summer and semestral break.This is the institutions way of ensuringthat faculty members are provided witha venue for learning new knowledge,acquiring skills and fresh ideas regardingthe content and the delivery of thecourses that they teach.

STI provides three types of training forits faculty members; courseware-basedtraining, development training andthe Faculty Accreditation of Skills onTeaching Technology (FASTT) training.Faculty members are encouraged toattend these types of training dependingon the particular area they aim to bedeveloped in.

Courseware-based trainings aid faculty members on how to deliver contents/topics of a specific course using thedeveloped courseware. Yes, STI faculty members are being provided withcourseware materials. Coursewarematerials are used to facilitate teaching

A


10/16

By Erwin EscubioSTI Headquarters

or the past ten years, Ive beeninvolved with faculty training andthe teaching profession. I graduatedwith an Engineering degree and ittook me almost eight years to finishit (its really a long story to tell). I

always tell my students, quality educationtakes time! followed by a simple advise --never forget to finish your studies, no matterwhat happens.

I can never imagine myself teaching newtricks to students older than me. Just the samethat I cant see myself teaching young kids ortoddlers the old tricks. But I always make it apoint to teach them in dif ferent ways and gobeyond what is conventional.

It was in the year 2001 when I got thechance to meet the public school teachers ina community project called Y2K or YamangKabataan at Komunidad (http://pnvsca.neda.gov.ph/Templates/Y2K.htm). During thattime, the revised basic education curriculumis the focal program of the Department ofEducation (DepEd). Public school teachers arebombarded with concepts on learning styles,multiple intelligence, and the integration ofsubjects. Most of them are saying, Nakudagdag trabaho na naman yan! Uunahinko pa ba yan eh 50 estudyante ko! Butnonetheless, they had no choice. DepEd islike a military institution with the principle,Obey first before you complain!

Im glad to say that we have the Y2K project andthat the Canadian government is generous tofund it. So there it goes, teaching new tricks toold dogs is a big challenge for us. It is really aparadigm shift to compel these teachers whohave been teaching for more than 20 years.The great Confucian quote is still effective in

a learning environment: I hear and I forget. Isee and I remember. I do and I understand. Itis really a painstaking process for us -- weekly discussions, curriculum workshops, trainingsand the actual teaching demonstrations. I amamazed that given the proper resources andmotivation, these teachers are more creativethan I expected. They can really find innovativemeans to better teach their students. Thoughin the end, the final output can only be seenin the eyes and works of the students. Thereis no more explanation and persuasion in theend. But the real challenge is sustaining theeffort and that is more of a political questionfor the public education system.

The next part of teaching old dogs newtricks is my experience in Bulacan. I wasasked by my fraternity brother to teach in theNight College of their Center for InnovativeEducation. It is not the same with the regularor full-time students who are supported by their parents. I learned that my students arealready working. Most of them stopped goingto school because they have to prioritize theneeds of their family.

Now in their late 30s and even 50s, a partof their salary will be deducted for theireducation. Their dream is to finish collegeand hopefully, get a career promotion aftergraduation.

It is very difficult to do both. After work at 6pm,they still have to attend my three-hour classin Mathematics of Investment and FinancialManagement, though I know most of themhate numbers. If you teach them the usualway, they will easily get bored consideringthat they will be sitting there for three longhours. They are a bunch of ates andkuyas for me as I try my best to give thema meaningful learning experience. I alwaystell them, Im not here to teach you but weare here to learn from each other. I did shortlectures and tried to change my methods by having them form teams, to work on problemexercises. And those problems are real-lifescenarios that put value to numbers as pointsof decision-making. They work in an open-book and free flow discussion environment.The reality at work is: successful peopledont have to know all the answers, like thegreat philanthropist Henry Ford. The key isto ask the right question and find the rightanswer from the right person or from theright resource. To ask questions is to learnfor free.

An inquiring mindis a learning mind.So I encouragestudents to work asteams in problem-solving, creatingan environmentfor flowingdiscussions andopen learning.Even duringexaminations,its open-book& open-notes.

They cant copy answers from each other sincethere are three sets of exams. At the end of theday, all of them have to explain their decisionsabout the problems they solved.

In one of my assessment tests, I didsomething unusual. Instead of simply givingthe questions, I included the solutions to theproblems. The challenge: there is only onesolution that is correct and the rest are wrong.They have to determine where it went wrongand how to solve it. Complicated enoughbut that is reality. Life isnt getting the rightanswer to the problems. There are 1001 waysto solve it. But to identify what went wrong toa situation and how to solve it efficiently isthe best learning experience I could give tothem. These things happen to us everyday.

After those grueling learning experiences, my students saw the value of the patience andthe endurance tests (since we didnt stop untilthey were able to explaintheir solution).

And now, I amproud to say, youcan teach an olddog new tricks!Just go beyond theconventional. Haveno fear to innovateand try new tricksfor yourself. Andalways get in touchwith reality.

F


11/16

F or those new to the digital music world, the MP3 and MP4 formats are compressed technologies for convertingstandard analog audio tracks (like those on a commercial music CD) to smaller digital computer les.The primary reason digital music formats have become so popular is that they deliver high quality sound atroughly one-tenth the size of the uncompressed original. As a point of reference, a standard Audio CD can holdroughly 20 songs while a CD encoded with MP3 les can hold as many as 200 songs.

Normally when sound is compressed, the quality is dramatically diminished, but many empires were launchedbecause of the MP3 format and its ability to deliver high compression rates with a minimum loss of soundquality.

The MP3 format became an ofcial standard in 1992 and began the chain of events that eventually created manypopular music encoding programs and playback devices.

Today, the sheer quantity of small handheld devices that can hold thousands of songs is mind-boggling, but theundisputed leader (by a wide margin) is Apples iPod, despite the fact that it was a latecomer to the MP3 playerparty.

A big reason for the huge success of Apples music device was the launch of the iTunes online music store. It wasthe rst commercially successful attempt at selling music at 99 cents per song but required an iPod if you wantedto take your purchased music mobile.

At the time, Apple was successful (when others werent) in convincing the music industry to allow it to sellcopyrighted music in a digital format because of something known as FairPlay digital r ights management (DRM).Remembering that this all came on the tails of the massive music piracy problem created by the original Napsterle sharing system (Napster is now a legitimate online music company), Apple had to demonstrate that it couldcontrol how these digital les were used.

This is where the AAC format (Advanced Audio Coding, commonly referred to as MP4) came into the picture.Because Apple used a proprietary le format, it was able to limit how each le purchased on its system was used,which meant a single user could not purchase a song and share it with others.

Along with this digital rights management system, Apple also made claims that the sound compression technologywas superior to the old MP3 format. While the technical data may support this claim, the reality is that mostlisteners dont have the playback equipment (speakers) or the ears to tell any difference.

What is relevant about music purchased on the iTunes system in AAC or MP4 format is that it can only be playedback in the iTunes software or on an iPod, while the MP3 format is supported by all music devices (including theiPod).

Your choice of playback system will be the primary driver of which format is best for you, so be sure to check yourplayers supported format before you begin buying or encoding your music.

Source: www.lockergnome.com


12/16


13/16

Puff...and presto! The grades are finished, the students passed (orfailed as the case maybe), the reports are submitted, and once morethe semester is over. Sigh! The role of the teacher varies to beingthe magician of grades, the conjurer of sweet or sour feelings, thesoothsayer of bright or dim future, and other arcane matter aboutschool life the saga of schoolmarm continues. The story below givesyou a glimpse on how she began her trade as the fairy godmother ofall the aspiring craftsmen assigned to her care.Once upon a time, in the days of yore, in a guild not far from thecastle of Governance, Miss Marple, on completing her apprenticeshipat the guild decided to try her luck as one of the craftsmen of minds.Thereupon, she started her trade armed with knowledge, skills and ofcourse the inseparable magic wand bequeathed to her by Lord Merlin,her grandfather, the Wizard of Wisdom in the Land of Learning.Things were well at first for Miss Marple. The students were imbuedwith curiosity, eagerness, and active minds. Soon enough, she foundherself receiving warm greetings, upturned faces, shy smiles, andraised hands. The novice teacher got deeply involved in pedagogy andmethodology. She noticed that only few students are completing theirassignments. However, the examinations were highly satisfactory untilthe mid-semester. Slowly her students interests had started to wane andled them to skip classes every now and then. She then found herselfin quandary. She tried her best to be the ideal craftsman of the trade.

Worried that the castle authorities might learn about the situation andthe guild itself would be in question, she talked to other craftsmen andsought their sage advice. She was advised to change her tactics tomaintain the interests of the students.The troubled schoolmarm pored over her manuals and tried to beupdated on the latest techniques. She then resolved to put her magicwand to work. Halfway through the semester, she put on her charm,changed her attitude and approach, and improved her delivery of antics. If she had to recite ballads like a palace minstrel for theexplanations, then recite she did. If she had to juggle crystal balls andswallow knives like a court jester or joked her way around the lessonsand activities so that she could get the undivided attention of every student, then juggle she did. If she had to sing and dance, bend andtwist or swing and tumble, then she did. Each time she enters the guildshe waves her magic wand and weaves a spell of enthusiasm andthe will to learn on all her aspirants. Glory and behold! By the end ofher first term, she had regained her students desire to learn the craft.Moreover, these students have discovered that learning could be funwith Miss Marple.Thus, she was known as the Sorceress of Students- an apt accoladeto the enchantress of the classroom. However not all was happy withthe achievement of Miss Marple. One of the younger teachers stealthily hid Miss Marples magic wand in the hope of discrediting her beforeher class. She tried to use it in her own classes. But to the teachers

dismay, she threw the magic wand away and it wasnt seen anymore. What do you think happened to Miss Marple? Did she rant andrave about the loss? Did she scream her heart out at the maliciousprovocateur of mischief? Did she lose the magic touch that turnedapprentices into masters of trade?The latter years would prove that contrary to common beliefs, MissMarple had even surpassed the enchantment she cast over herstudents. She became the teacher par excellence and was sought by apprentices all over the guild. Did she find the magic wand and justkept it to herself?No Sire. Madame. Thou art mistaken. Miss Marple had found her ownself. She had gained CONFIDENCE in her abilities and no magic wasin play!

By Ederlyn Dizon

STI College-Taft

Shown in 2001, A BeautifulMind, based on Sylvia Nasarsbiography of Nobel Prize winner John Nash, illustrates the power of one mans mind. Beyond being alove story, the film also points out to the

viewers the importance of reaching outin times of need and how you can besaved from it. This is the central themethat resonates throughout the filmgiving the viewers an insight into

thelifeof abrilliantman and theburden he carriesbecause of it.

John Nash, a math genius, isin a quest to find one originalidea that will change the world.In Princeton, he managed tocatch the attention of severalimportant people and was

recruited to be part of the goverment think-tank. He thenon becomes involved in a conspiracy which he believes ispart of the reality that lives in. Despite his brilliance, hefinds difficulty interacting with people. However, he meetsand marries Alicia, a student whom he meets in one of hisclasses. Afflicted with schizophrenia, he is confronted and

conflicted by the world that his troubled mind has createdand it is through Alicias help that he transformed and finally lives with it.

It would have been easy to have the film degenerate into amelodramatic movie. However, solid good ac tors and a well-

written screenplay gives the viewer a reason to empathize andbelieve in the characters. Russell Crowe, an actor who can

always be relied upon to portray his character effectively, showsJohn Nash unflinchingly it isdifficult to remain unmoved

when John tries to re-integratehimself back into society even

when his mind throws at himthe people that only he can see.

Alicia Nash is played by Jennifer Connelly, an underrated ac tress

who was vindicated when she won the Oscar Best Supporting Actress for this role, providingthe prop against whom Crowes

character can depend on. Add Paul Bettany and Ed Harristo the group, the people from Johns imaginary world, andyou come up with a powerful ensemble performance thatresonates after seeing the film.

Although the film is already six years old, its relevance cannotbe denied. Brilliance may give you honor and recognition butit is ultimately unreliable to see a person through life. It isthrough the simplest act of reaching out to a person that wecan actually define how life can become beautiful for us.

A BEAUTIFUL MIND

By Bang LawagSTI Headquarters


14/16

ave you ever wondered howPhilippine society can bestbe described beyond what isimmediately obvious? Do youoften find yourself contriving toexplain culture without resorting

to what can be immediately seen? Have youbeen nursing this belief that your personalhistory is somehow connected to the story that is Philippine culture?

Ian Craib, author of Classical Social Theory,might be able to help you out. On the outset,you might be intimidated by the mere fact thatwords, classical and theoretical are part of thebooks title, but you dont have to worry abouta thing. If you consider yourself a seriousstudent of the study of human interaction insociety, then this book is for you.

Sociology is broadly defined as the scientificstudy of how people interact with various socialinstitutions education and government,among others that make up society asa whole, and vice versa. There are threetheorists who are considered to be pioneersin Sociology: Emile Durkheim, a Frenchphilosopher; Karl Marx, an economist; andMax Weber, a man whose diverse disciplinesinclude everything from economics tojurisprudence. These three people formthe bulk of classical social theory and theirideas have influenced contemporary social

scientists when it comes to forming their owntheories about the world.

In his book, Ian Craib presupposes that thereader has had basic knowledge of sociology and of Durkheirm, Marx and Weber. However,and in order to make the text more accessibleto non-sociology students, Craib utilizes plainlanguage philosophy wherein he doesntconfuse the reader by making one long andtedious sentence into a five-line paragraph.Rather, he uses English in laymans terms sothat even a person who only has an inklingof sociology might be able to relate whathe or she has learned from the book. Craibalso includes George Simmel, a Germansociologist whose knowledge across a vastfield of interests brings an insight into thepoor which will sound very familiar to Filipinoreaders.

What is good about this book is the fact thatCraib presents abstract theory and lets thereader explore the implications of it in his orher society. For instance, Craib discusses howDurkheim sees society as an organism witheach social institution doing its part in orderfor the whole to function. In the Philippinecontext, this can be seen as governmentinteracting with the private sector in order tokeep the economy afloat, or in how schoolsact as conduits of learning from a familysgeneration to another.

On the other hand, Marx is moreconfrontational: he believes that society is

eternally defined by the people who ownmoney and by the people who have to workin order to earn money. A reader sees howMarxs foremost thesis is on labor and howit has been commodified in order to achieveprojected monetary goals at the expense oflosing ones creativ ity. This can be clearly seenin the assembly-line process of manufacturingproducts; everything is so mass-produced

By Mayette BontiaSTI Headquarters

that there is no way a laborer can express hisor her identity through a process that shouldbe seen as ultimately creative. Moreover, in Craibs book the reader will readone of the more famous quotes attributed toMarx: Religion is the opium of the masses,and Craib explains why Marx thinks so. Onthe contrary the third sociologist, Weber,believes that religion played an importantpart in the development of capitalism in the

West. He writes that because of the Protestantethic, many people in the West adapted anattitude toward work and profit that madeconditions very conducive toward buildinga capitalist economy. Meanwhile, Simmelargues that poverty is relative, and that thepoor, as a group, is a social construct. It willalways be defined in reference to anothereconomic group.

A student serious about learning his or hersociety by way of sociology shall enjoy thisbook immensely. There are good pointsraised by Craib when it comes to Durkheim,Mark, Weber and Simmel. More than that,the mere fact that Craib allows the reader hisor her own assumptions about society shouldbe impetus enough to at least peruse thisbook. Besides learning about society the way

Western social researchers have seen it, thebook also gives the reader a chance to apply what he or she has learned to Philippine

culture. This is especially tricky consideringthe fact that even the term Filipino and whatit constitutes is a hot topic among nationalistsand globalists.

Anyone who seriously thinks about studyingPhilippine culture beneath the surface ofimmediate social interaction should pick thisbook up and start brushing up on sociology and society.

Classical Social Theor yIa n Cra ib

Hc hangin

g


15/16

By Ma. Asuncion GonzagaSTI Headquarters

iabetes Mellitus (DM) according to the InternationalDiabetes Federation (IDF) affects an estimated 230million people worldwide. A figure estimated to blastto 250 million by 2025. Each year approximately 6million people across the globe develop the diseasewhile 3 million succumb to the complication making

diabetes the 4th leading cause of death globally.In the Philippines, the prevalence of DM has risen from 4% in1998 to 4.6 based in 2003 National Nutrition Health survey,which translate to increase diabetic related morbidity and mor-tality. It has also tremendous economics impact in terms of lostwork hours and productivity.

Diabetes has been known to man since 2000 300 B.C. TheGreeks and Romans gave its name diabetes from:

Diabetes = Siphon (frequent urination)Mellitus = Honey (Sugar in urine)

Diabetes is not a contagious diseas e. However, heredity and life-style plays a very important part. It is believed that diabetes ispassed through generations in your genes.Therefore, DiabetesMellitus is a metablolic disease, which our body breaks down thefood we eat to reduce the energy we need to function. In Diabe-tes, the human body does not properly convert GLOCUSE from a

simple sugar into energy.Types of DiabetesBecause of the different types, Diabetes has different causesand underlying problems. There are also different treatment ap-proach and different aspect of learning to live with the disease.

A) Insulin Dependent Diabetes or TYP E 1In this type the pancreas usually produce very little or no insulin.People with Type 1 diabetes therefore, DEPEND on daily injec-tion of insulin to maintain life. They are called INSULIN DEPEN-DENT. They must carefully balance their daily food and activities

with their insulin shots. The 3 part system which is diet activity and insulin complex. If the system goes out of balance diabeticemergency such as insulin shock or Ketoaci dosis may occur. Thisusually occurs as early as 3 months or any age, regardless of sex.Theres also a rapid loss of weight. It affects 15% to 20% of totaldiabetic population.

B) Non Insulin Dependent Diabetes (TYPE II)This is more common than Type 1 or IDDM. More than 90% of alldiabetic is Non Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus (NIDDM) Inthis kind, the pancreas produce some insulin, sometimes normalor even above normal amount. Often, the insulin is there but itdoesnt work right. It doesnt help the glucose to get into the body cell as efficiently as it should.NIDDM or Type 2 Diabetes is also called maturity onset. Womenand overweight people are most likely to have it. Diabetes has astrong heredity connection, however, it develops slowly. It oftenoccurs after 33 years old or earlier. Diabetes affects 8 0-85% oftotal diabetic population. One way to avoid complication is tohave a diet exercise education and when necessary include oralmedications and insulin.

Early warning signs

The 3 classic symptoms of diabetes are 3 Ps

1.) increased thirst (polydypsia )2.) increased hunger (polyphagi a)3.) increased urination (polyur ia)

Frequent urination and great thirst When the excess sugar in bloodstream overflows through thekidney much water is release then you have to urinate more oftenthus your body loses a lot of water, this makes you thirsty

Weight loss & Volume changes Weight loss can occur before the disease is diagnosed andbrought under control. There may be rapid weight loss due tobodys inability to properly mobilize sugar. When much sugaris lost through the urine, the body then gets its energy from its

fats and protein tissue & this causes weight loss and increasehunger.Other common symptoms are body weakness, where glucose isnot properly used as energy; skin problems like itchiness espe-cially on the genital areas, skin infections, blurred vision, oc-casionally stomach pain and vomiting, pain and numbness ortingling sensation in their toes and finger.More than anything else, prevention is still the bes t thing to avoidthe risk of diabetes. One better way to do it is to have a healthy lifest yle. Eat food with right nutrition and exercise regularly. Keepin mind that everything should be in moderation whether it s foodor exercise. Too much of anything is not good for your body.

D

It has been noted that the children of good readers follow their parents example, states neurolinguistics specialist BeatrizGonzalez Ortuno, as reported in the Mexican newspaper, Reforma. Since children have a great capacity to learning, it is goodto encourage their interest in reading even before they can identify vowels. Examples, stories can be read to them that will helpthem to develop their imagination. The study gives suggestions for introducing children to reading: Sit down together, allowthem to turn the pages, let them interrupt and ask question when they wish.. Ask them to talk about the objects and charactersthat appear in the story. Answer all their questions. Relate the book to the life of the children.

Introduce Your Children to Reading

Panic disorder can cause attacks at anytime, even waking victims at night with symptoms including chest pains, shortness ofbreath, intense fear, choking, sweating and an urge to flee, says the Vancouver Sun newspaper. A recent report compiled morewomen reported of having experienced panic attacks than men. Those who suffer from the disorder are almost twice as likely to use drinking as a coping mechanism and nearly three times as likely to smoke more than individuals without the condition,says the paper. On the positive side, nearly 70 percent of those diagnosed seek professional medical help. The report statesthat Dr. Jacques Bradjn, chairman of the University of Ottawa, believes that although genetic and biological factors may produce the disorder, attacks can be triggered by stressful life events.

Panic Disorder

Source: Awake Magazine 2007 Collection


16/16

o you have any idea on how to spend your much neededbreak? Try whitewater rafting, or better yet explore thecountrys highest mountain. And you might just have the timeof your life. As for me, I just did!

September 24, 2006 It was anordinary day for everyone, butfor me it was one of the mostexciting days of my life. I headedtowards the Davao Crocodile Parkthat morning to meet my collegecompanions, Jepot, Rafsan, Adrianand Elmer, students from STIKidapawan. Jepot, a wall climberand extreme sports enthusiast,invited us to experience whitewaterrafting - a relatively new extremesport in Davao. Moments later, we

were called to go at the office-shop of the Davao Wild Water Adventurefor a brief orientat ion - proper wearing of safety gear, proper paddling,staying afloat in case the raft will flip; is needed before going in thewater.

We traveled to Lower Tamugan, Calinan,Davao City to start the much-awaitedadventure. We used five rafts, three tri-yaks and one kayak as we coursed throughthe river. Each of us had our own paddleand safety gears. It has been raining forthe past few days, that made the waterbrown, we were virtually paddling alongthe murky water of the Davao River.The first phase of our trip was easy,practicing the basic stroke of paddling. No difficultrapids yet. But hey, do not think it was no fun. Just using your paddleis fun enough. Ely, our guide, would tell us to back paddle or paddleforward, and our paddles would hit each other like Jedi swords in Star

Wars. Sometimes, we would scream because our raf t would bump intothe rocks along the river.

It was already lunch time whenwe reached the river bank wherewe ate and took some pictures. After a short rest, we resumedour adventure. If the first phasewas a breeze, the next one wasa near disaster experience.

We would encounter a difficultrapid which they call theWashing Machine. Ourguide told us that it was in thisplace where many rafts would

overturn and rafters would end upswimming through the rapids. True enough, tri-yaks that drifted aheadof us overturned. And believe it or not, our own raft almost flipped.It did not really overturn but it just turned slightly to one side andwent back. All my companions were thrown out because of the strongrapids that hit our raft. I was fortunate that my right foot was strappedsecurely to it. But then I was envious of them because I was not able toexperience the plunge. It just happened so fast. One moment we weresinging Boom Tarat Tarat, seconds later it happened, and soon all ofus were back in the raft. Whhoooo! It was awesome!

Another rapid that we encountered was called the Drop and Suck.It was also a strong rapid, but unlike the previous one, we passedthrough it unscratched. We were then able to do the high five, wherewe raised our paddles to signify a successful pass through the obstacle.From start to finish, we coursed through 13 kilometers of the DavaoRiver, filled with rapids of excitement, screams and hard effort. And atthe end of the day, we went home with ached and tired bodies.

By Peter Paul TeroSTI Kidapawan

T e a m ST I C o n q u e r s ...

While we were having lunch during our rafting escapade, the thoughtof trekking Mt. Apo as our next adventure came to the picture. So weplanned and prepared for this much dif ficult endeavor. On October 25,during the semestral break, the same group from STI Kidapawan whodid the water rafting, started our journey to scale Mt. Apo, the countryshighest mountain and heres the daily account of our success.Day 1.Feeling excited about whats ahead of the climb, we startedhiking at around 9:30 am, via the Agko, Kidapawan City trail. Forhours, we crossed the Marble River several times, passed through thickforests, ascending through mountains and the so called 87-degreewall prior to Lake Venado. By 4 pm, we arrived at the lake, near ourcamping site where we can settle down for the night.During summer, Lake Venado was an ideal site for camping becauseof its wide dry land space for setting tents. However, it was a rainy season in October and the lake was overflowing. No dry land canbe seen even at the farthest side of the lake. Fortunately, there was anear alternative camp site - a bunkhouse set up by PNOC. But goingthrough thick and wet vegetations cost us another two hours to reachthe place. It was already dark when we arrived at the bunkhouse. Wequickly set up our camp, prepared our meals and slept through the colddark night. Can you imagine all five of us crowding in a tent intended

for three people?Day 2. After breakfast, allwas set to climb the peak.It was a cloudless sky andthe peak was beautiful fromwhere we stood. However,halfway to the peak, cloudsbegan to cover the mountainand soon the rain fell,drenching us. By noon, wearrived at the peak, set upthe tent and ate our lunch.

There were occasional rainshowers and theres not much todo but to stay in the tent.Day 3. We were standing at one of the peaks of Mt. Apo taking picturesof ourselves and the beautiful scener y of sunrise. Anywhere we looked,it was a sight to behold. We proudly raised the Team STI banner. Inthe afternoon we explored the other side of the mountain near thecrater, where we picked wild berries. We almost got lost though whenthe clouds started to cover the mountain, greatly reducing the visibility of theplace.Day 4. Its time for us todescend, so we packed ourthings. We walked down themountain and passed throughthe forest and the river again.In the afternoon, we arrived in

Agko, our starting point, and

stayed for the night in the Lake Agko resort, where we took arelaxing dip in its hot spa.Day 5. Its time to go home. After days of grueling adventure, we cannow relax, albeit shortly, since we cannot wait to tell our friends andloved ones what a wonderful experience we had.

Extreme adventures are a lot of fun. It will bring you closer to natureand will make you appreciate the wonders of the world. There is alsoa feeling of self-fulfillment when youve done something you neverthought you are capable of.vFor my part, it was such a memorable, thrilling, and humblingexperience. I was able to know myself bet ter and discovered a strengththat I didnt know existed within me. Like how the clichs goes, we only live once, so why not make the most out of it?

D

stimuli faculty september 2007 issue

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