A Video about 21st Century Education

I found this video while searching my subject and liked it very much. As it is relevant to my topic, I would like to share it on my blog.

Reflections on Exam Paper and Studying Period :)

     I am writing this post with the pride that comes after managing a challenging and exhausting work. Even though having a terrible ache in my waist caused by studying for hours on computer, I feel relaxed and happy because I comleted my paper.

     Firstly, I want to say that I regretted choosing a really wide topic for my exam paper. I am very much into educational studies and European perspectives about that subject, but I shouldnt have choosen to search “ Education in 21st Century” for the exam paper. It covers a lot of subjects that searching the role of education or its dimensions in contemporary society was like getting into a cave full of spider nets. How was the process for me ? I really enjoyed discovering the things. Information was there but I didnt know it so I think it can be counted as discovery.

      Before starting to study, Hatice and I went to shopping. We filled our shopping bag with various kinds of chocolates, cookies, cakes, chips, juice, milk, cacoa milk, coffee and other snacks. During the study we were like crazy consumers :) . I have never seen us eating and drinking that much. In two weeks, the only reason for us to go out was shopping because we bought many things but in few days they were gone:) so we had to go out to get something to eat. Last days, we didnt go out for about three days which is really unbelievable and unbearable for Turkish people and especially for one like me . One night, we were so bored as we were stuck at home and I was  looking out of the window.The last thing I said was “Hatice did you see the snow in front of our room? It looks gorgeous”  then we suddenly looked at each other and began to put on our cloths, jackets and boots. We rushed out and ran into the football field that is full of snow.We were filled with energy that was not spended and it exploded there. We ran nonstop for about fifteen minutes and left ourselves onto the snow, made an angel shape and rolled  around :) Luckily no one saw us :) The field was very smooth before us, when we left nearly half of the football field was full of small holes of our foot steps :) . It was very funny.

     In these two weeks, I was a bit stressed because it was not something that I can dare to stay at home and do nothing but search and collect information. Especially for a person like me it is torture to be at home all the time. As the date that have to hand in my paper got closer I felt worse as I was not sleeping at all. My whole day was to study from morning to around eight in the evening and then sleep for one and half hour and wake up and go on studying till six a.m. in the morning and sleep two hours and wake up and study again. It was terrible and during this exhausting and stressfull period, my room mate and dear friend Hatice took care of me. She took over the responbility of cooking , washing the dishes and the other things and also motivating me. I almost did nothing but study and I appreciate her for all the things she did :)

     What have I learned from studying on my paper? The answer is various but the most important one is that I found myself in the student role I suggested on my paper. For example, I saw the importance of rationality, critical thinking, in some cases problem solving, technology literacy (also information and media), productivity, curiosity and self management. I experinced , and understood the significiance of all of them while preparing that paper because learned something new and did it by myself which is a part of self management, I used rationality, critical thinking, and problem solving and also I produced somehing. While studying I saw the effects of agility and curiosity because my topic was really wide and if I was not interested in I could not complete it but I wanted to learn everything about that subject and that is actually the reason why it took so long to finish. Whenever I saw something that I dont know I wanted to keep on reading and most of the time I did so and while learning new things I wandered away from my main subject. I also saw the effects of technology or more specifically internet on social life. For example, during this process, I was absorbed into the screen in spite of the pain in my waist because I was enjoying it and I didnt feel a need to see my friends. I didnt see my friends and didnt even notice that. It was very interesting to see the reflection of my paper on my own experience :)

     All in all, it was hard (in terms of trying to learn everything in a short time and when I have to hand in an important paper, to stay at home and sit in front of the computer among a lot of books) but it was also enjoyful to be by myself for some time except for the pain I have . From now on I am sure that I shouldnt choose a wide topic for an exam paper, instead I should focus on a very specific topic because other one takes too much time. I can learn what I want to later in my spare time and I think it is better. Now I need to relax and enjoy my free time :)