Esther Wojcicki Talks About Outdated Education Methods

Who is Esther Wojcicki?

Esther Wojcicki is a professional journalist, an educator, a keynote speaker, and author. Esther is renown for her best selling book How To Raise Successful People which was published on 2nd May 2019. The book has been rated among the best selling books because many people find it useful. She taught at Palo Alto High School from 1980 to 2020 (40 years).  She then took over a very small journalism program which grew under her leadership from 19 students in 1984 to over 700 in 2022. There are now 5 additional journalism teachers and 12 publications. Among the publications include a news magazine, sports magazine, arts and entertainment magazine, photography magazine, and a foreign affairs magazine.

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Magazines and Publications Created Through Esther Wojcicki’s Mentorship

• Anthro – news and feature magazine focused on activism and social justice.
• C Mag – An arts and culture magazine centered around the community of Palo Alto High School.
• Campanile – The campus newspaper. News stories and current events.
• InFocus – Paly’s broadcast journalism program.
• Ink – literary magazine
• KPLY – Paly student radio broadcast.
• Madrono – Paly’s yearbook
• [proof] – [proof] is the Paly arts magazine that includes contributions from all of the Arts programs, as well as various aspects of arts for learning in the classroom for creative thinking. Issues include regional, national, and international arts exhibitions, events, and topics. Submissions of writing and artwork may be submitted to proof.paly@gmail.com. Please include your full name, contact cellphone, and a short description about yourself and your artworks. Issues are published twice a year for each semester in January and May.
• Verde – The campus news and features magazine. Covers issues pertinent to the community.
• Video Production – Filmmaking here is a fine art that explores adaptations, narratives, genres, auteurs and movements (i.e. postmodern, avant garde, dogme 95). Students tell their own stories and films from concept to final cut.
• Viking – Paly’s sports magazine
• Voice (Online Features) – Paly’s online news service; also carries media from the Campanile, Verde, and In Focus.

Background, Age, Colleagues, Companies and Personality

Esther Wojcicki possesses a B.A. degree from UC Berkeley, a Master’s in Journalism from UC Berkeley, and a Teaching Credential from UC Berkeley.  She also attended the University of Geneva, in Geneva, Switzerland, and the Sorbonne in Paris where earned herself a degree in French History and Civilization. 

Esther also has a degree from San Jose State University in Educational Technology. 

When asked about her colleagues, Wojcicki immediately reminisced the name Paul Kandell. “My longtime colleague is Paul Kandell,” Esther revealed, “who is a journalism teacher at Palo Alto High School and Ari Mema as well as the co-founder with me of Tract.app.” She also stands in a leadership position at www.gosesh.com, and at www.joinpresto.com, www.zurii.io, and https://journalisticlearning.org.

How Old Is Esther Wojcicki And What Does It Feel Like Where She Is?

“I am 82 years old, but fortunately feel like I am 40 years old and look like I am 60 or even younger.” says Esther.  “Honestly, I credit that with being a vegetarian for most of my life and also with loving sports and exercise. I also spend a huge part of my life with teenagers as a teacher.  I have 3 children and 10 grandchildren.” she adds.

Wojcicki As An Author And How She Became

We had to ask Ms Wojcicki about her life as an author and what it takes again her experience. Here is what she revaled. “As an author, I am now traveling the world giving keynotes everywhere from Europe to Asia to the Middle East.  The education system worldwide is stuck in the methods of the last century. We are teaching for the wrong century—the one that required people to follow instructions as factory workers in the 20th century.   I am encouraging more TRICK, my acronym for what is important in the classroom and all relationships in life. What is TRICK, you ask?  TRICK stands for Trust, Respect, Independence, Collaboration and Kindness. It leads to classrooms that develop the 4 Cs:  Critical thinking, Creativity, Collaboration skills and Communication skills.   We need people who think outside the traditional ways.  We cannot apply old solutions to the problems facing our planet today!”

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Why Outdated Methods Of Education Don’t Work Anymore

According to Esther Wojcicki, the children of today are our future.  We need to give them skills to cope with the challenges ahead, not force them to memorize information that is no longer relevant. For this reason, she supposed that outdated methods don’t work anymore and teachers should adapt to the fast rate of development.

What is Tract App and how it works?

Tract.app is a peer to peer learning program for kids ages 8 to 13 created by kids ages 14 to 20.  It is temporarily taking a break so the developers can create a better market fit.  It is gamified and offers kids points which they can use to donate to the UN Sustainable goals or to buy merchandise. According to Esther Wojcicki, Tract.app will re launch sometime this spring.

Which Brands Is She Affiliated With?

Esther is mostly closely affiliated with Tract.app, GoSesh.com, www.joinpresto.com, CreativeCommons.org and www.zurii.io.

Below is a list of other brands she associates with.

GoSesh.com

GoSesh.com is an AI parenting app to help parents be better parents. Starts at the birth of the child and continues until the age of 6.  The most impactful years of a child’s life are the early years between birth and 6 years. 

Joinpressto.com

Joinpressto.com is a company aiming at teaching kids journalistic skills in elementary schools to help them learn Critical Thinking skills and Creativity Skills.  It also teaches Collaborative Skills. 

Creative Commons

Creative Commons.org is an international nonprofit organization that empowers people to grow and sustain the thriving commons of shared knowledge and culture. This is meant to address the world’s most pressing challenges and create a brighter future for all. They advocate for better sharing: sharing that is contextual, inclusive, just, equitable, reciprocal, and sustainable. It is a worldwide organization and is now in over 100 countries. 

Zurii

Www.zurii.io is a startup company which focuses on preventing employee burnout and helping employees live better lives.  It is based in Monterrey, Mexico and is now focused on Latin American companies. The leaders are young men who are passionate about making the world a more equitable place. 

Has Wojcicki Been To Africa Before?

“I have been to Africa many times: South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, and Mozambique.” says Esther, “My daughter Janet taught at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.  I love Africa and hope to be back again soon.”

What Does Esther Wojcicki Do At Google?

Esther Wojcicki is one of the leaders of the founding team that created Google EDU. She also led the founding of other Google products like the Google Teacher Academy, and Google Tools like Docs, Sheets and Presentations as well as Google Classroom.

Everything You Need To Know About Google Classroom According To Esther Wojcicki

Google Classroom today is a suite of online tools that allows teachers to set assignments, have work submitted by students, to mark and return graded papers, and more. Teachers can sign up online to become a Google Certified Educator. It is available worldwide.  A Google Certified Educator is someone who has demonstrated that they have a level of mastery using a wide variety of Google edtech tools in teaching and learning environments.   It helps them be more effective and today there are over 70 million teachers using Google Classroom tools. Google Certified Educators can leverage a multitude of Google edtech applications including Google Classroom, Docs, Forms, Meet, Sheets, Sites, and Slides to enhance teaching and learning. 

Here is a video about it

There are many videos on YouTube that help the teacher. Esther is a passionate writer who specifically enjoys sharing knowledge and information. It’s evident that her love for quality output is what makes her books sell.