ICT Seagulls Project will start soon!

Dear All,

I have had the great excitement of starting a new academic term again. Tomorrow, Bogaziçi University will start its new academiz year and my Ed 101 Course will start again with 60 students. This is one of the most important reasons of why I like the month September: It takes you to the hogs of your lovers_ who are the students for me. However, we must not forget the departing side of it. Most of our students leaft their families and came to the hostels of the schools. This must be somehow difficult for them. Young or old- I wish good luck to all of the students.
ICT Seagulls Project is going to start its 5th year. With a great joy, we feel proudful of having a greater family after each year's award ceremony. Almost every city of Turkey and in three big countries (India, USA, South Africa) we fly. As usual there are some main differences within the format of the Project. They are as follows:

- We have added three more main issues to the theme: Let's own our mother tongue, Ethics in media and Woman Rights.
- In the assessment process, 50% belongs to peers.
- Award ceremonies will be held at the schools at the beginning of the coming year. However, this year we have had a surprise for you: The successful teams will have the right of participating in the "11th International Convention on students' Quality Control Circles" which will be held in Turkey in 2008.
- All the circles from primary school to university will design web pages.
- Drama, Poster and Slogan Preparation, Collage issues will also be included in webs.

- The prerequisite of participating in the project is being a member of QOMER.
Registration will be realized between 1 October-1 November 2007.

My next blog will be about our Project 2010 Istanbul Europe Cultural Capital City: Bigg_İst. I hope you follow me. With peace and love...
Hayal KÖKSAL

Returning Home

Dear All,
After a short holiday at Olimpos/Antalya we returned home. I have lots of things to do: Seminars, book printings, conferences and a new course with 60 students at Bogazici University. Although resting is nice, it is more joyful to work hard to help humanity and also to learn new things. I believe all the students and teachers also share the same feelings just at the beginning of a new academic year.
I WISH A HAPPY, HEALTHY AND FRUITFUL ACADEMIC YEAR TO ALL STUDENTS, TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATORS.
Sincerely yours,

Hayal KÖKSAL

My Agenda?

Dear All,

Time is flowing just a water stream. In order to be a "Whole person" we should give time equally for Body, Mind and Spirit. In order to improve all these sides of an individual, one should;- read, study and investigate to feed his/her mind,- take exercise regularly, learn how to breathe and do meditation, and- have some hobbies like music, art and literature...

In Turkey we call the above mentioned aspects as 3 Ks:

1. K: Kafa (Mind)

2. K: Kol (Muscle i.e. body)

3. K: Kalp (Heart i.e. spirit)

Have you ever thought about all these three sides of the life? How many of you have taken into consideration all of them in order to feel better? I hope from then on, all of us focus on these and wear "personal quality glasses" for our benefits.

Days are getting busier for me. We attended to the Governor's EU Center Certificate Cocktail to celebrate the new trainees at the Istanbul Archaeology Museum last week. We felt the same excitement within us. We listened to the EU Chorus.

On Monday the members of the Istanbul Branch of the Association for New Generation Village Institutioners gathered in our Center under the leadership of Prof.Dr.Seckin Dindar and our newly arrived ex-General President Prof.Dr.Oğuz Makal. We welcome him. You can see the members on the above photo. We will start our traditional Monday meetings. Please participate in them.

On Tuesday we attended a commemoration day at Beykoz Red Waterside Residence. Most of the participants were NGO leaders. It was a great opportunity for us to make new friends.

For two days, we have been busy with the organization of the 2008 11.International Convention on Students' Quality Control Circles which will be held in ıstanbul. If you want to be one of the sponsors and take place in our poster, please call us. I also try to organize the participants of India 2007 event which will take place at City Montessori School, Lucknow on 28 Nov.-2 Dec.. 2008 QOMER International ICT Seagulls Project and 2010 Istanbul Europe Cultural Capital City Project are going to start. In order to be in those projects, the only prerequisite is to be our member and keep in touch regularly through e-mails. If you want to participate in them, please write to us and also visit the English version of http://www.kaliteokullari.com/ .

Among all these busy days, I am terribly in need of having a good rest for a few days. So, I am flying to Antalya-Olimpos tomorrow for 3 days. When I come back, I will share the photos of that lovely site with you.Life is short and you should add your inner value to it. Please do this. With love and peace.

Hayal KÖKSAL

One More Year in My Life...

Dear Colleagues,

Yesterday was my birthday. As you all know it is not easy for ladies to admit the age, especially after some certain ages like 50. However, it is not possible to run away from the reality of life. It is neither wise nor right to ignore the great value of the years which has been added to the lives of human beings. Yes, I have entered my 52nd age yesterday. We organized a very sincere and joyful party for our friends. Even though it was a small group, its impression on me and on the guests were very good. I believe I will have a fruitful and also cheerful year, along with my family members and my dosts.
This week is an important one for the Turkish schools. The buildings will re-gain a different meaning with the footprints and voices of the teachers and administrators. After the quiet days of the summer months, they must have missed those busy times. In three weeks' time, students will rush into the classrooms and the school buildings will taste again the joy of that known learning-teaching environment. My dear colleagues, never forget about the truth that you are going to touch and shape the future leaders of the world. These feelings should create a great amount of motivation in you to ornament yourselves with the recent and contemporary techniques. Instead of creating "fear" in your classrooms, you should seed "love, peace and respect"; you should create a deep understanding and communication among the teachers and parents; and also you should improve yourseld personally and professionally. I believe you will follow all the above features and you will ahve a very fruitful journey in life.

This Fall Term, I am going to instruct "Introduction to Education" Course with 60 freshmen students of Educational faculty of Boğaziçi University. Each new term brings some modifications to my courses. For instance; my methodology improves because of the changes in educational system and the needs of teacher trainees, the content of the course is updated according to the web page changes of the Ministry of National Education ( http://www.meb.gov.tr/ ) and some new games and projects are added to make the course interesting, challenging and fun for my students. This year, the same procedure will be followed. When my new students ask about my course to my ex-students, the answers will be different. We _ as educators- are the change managers. In order to adapt ourselves to the changes, we should follow the game which is called "Flexibility and Harmony" by Bonstingl (1998). Of course, without putting our principles aside...
My dear friends, we will be busy with the Turkish Innovative Teachers Program and its final event; Turkish Forum. the most innovative teachers will be determined according to their projects and then, they will represent Turkey at the Worldwide Innovative Teachers forum. After the September 29th Forum, "Peer-Coaching and Leadership" Seminars will go on with the collaboration of Microsoft Turkey and the Ministry of National Education.
Another project is related to "QOMER International ICT Seagulls Program". New participants and the previous years' circle leaders should keep in touch with us.
2010 İstanbul Europe Culturel Capital Project: Bigg-İSTANBUL is going to start. The school principals from Istanbul, Pecs (Hungary), Essen (Germany) and Selaniko (Greece) are expected to call me related to the project.
These three projects and one course will change my term into a very busy paradise. How lovely it is! To work and try to be helpful for my country and also for the whole world makes me very happy. I hope for long years, I have the needed health and power to be able to follow the same route. Your support and motivation is needful for this. I wish you haver a very good week. I am grateful to my dearest friends who celebrated my birthday through their e-cards and mails. I am thankful to God that you are with me and you are my Dosts...
Hayal KÖKSAL