tinaeducation

Reading the UNESCO papers on Inclusivity it is overwhelming to realize the sheer magnitude of the problem on a global basis.  Handicaps are many and varied.  We in the developed countries sometimes, when dealing with disabilities forget how far we have come.  

This past year while teaching at a university in Japan, I had two handicapped students.  Both were in wheelchairs.  One, while in a wheel chair was able in other respects.  She spoke of problems with access and difficulties of being in a wheel chair.  But she has a remarkable spirit and shared her happiest memory which related to travel to New Zealand where she ‘danced’ with her chair and the other students.  Her dream is to facilitate  travel for others with handicaps.  

The other student was in a  wheelchair also but additionally was blind and had additional physical disabilities.  His mother or two caregivers had to attend classes with him.  He was positive and worked hard.  With special programs, he could scan the material into his computer and ‘read’ the documents.  His typing skills were slow but he had some voice activated programs.  His speech while impaired was known to the program.  His english is excellent and he hopes to be a business man.

For the teacher, there were several difficulties in that we had to ensure we were ready ahead of time with material and had to ensure classes were geared to these students as well as regular students.  At one point, I had to apologize as we were doing gestures in speech and business specifically.  Of course it was difficult to do with a blind student but we went slowly and I tried to explain for all the students.  When we tried to mimic the movements, his mother tried to help him make the movements.  He was a sport and as I had explained in the class before that we would be doing this and I knew he would face some restrictions, we managed to learn together.  It was a point that needed to be covered for the rest of the students.  Amazingly when the final presentations occurred he was an excellent example of looking at the audience when speaking, of using his hands to express a point such as one, two three, (with fingers).  So while he could not see people, or move easily, he tried to incorporate these techniques into his speech to ensure his future business success. 

For me teaching both students was an awakening to the positive nature of mankind.  They were the hardest workers, always meeting deadlines with excellent work.  They tried even in the face of adversity.  When I feel inclined to complain I think of them and keep quiet.  

Saying that, our school faced a false fire alarm.  I was distressed but kept it to myself staying with the students, waiting for assistance which never came.  The other students were gone but had they stayed, there were not physically strong enough to carry these students out.  We as an institution had to realize we needed to address this situation.  The elevators of course ceased operations and they were stranded three floors up.  This coming semester, their classes will be situated on a floor where egress is possible.  

The other students had to be patient and work to acknowledge the handicaps in their midst.  It was heart warming to see them struggle and try to master the skills necessary to engage and assist the handicapped students, to ensure they were part of the class.

It was a true learning experience for all and one I am happy to have had.  

Well its been an exhausting few days but the first Assignment for this course has been submitted.  Last evening Turnitin would not accept request to open.  Ease was so slow it took repeated attempts before finally opening.  Not sure why.  Technology.  Frustrating for me and also for others who are not experts just users, which I assume most people are.

Still dealing with the feeling of isolation associated with this course.  I feel as if I am missing something.  I look for new forums for the class but don’t see them.  Questions about how a course on technological interaction can be so silent and so isolated reoccur.  As the student I have limited control aside from commenting but otherwise I can only manage to get along is a foreign (to my way of thinking environment).  Highlights to me that when a student comments, as a teacher we must look deeply to understand the motivation for the comment.

These feelings can be instrumental in planning my next assignment and the course I am planning to highlight.

Tomorrow is the first day back at one uni.  Will be interesting to see the students and hear about their summers.  Have a class planned to do that over two sessions tied to group interaction about their activities over the summer with a presentation the second class highlighting one point from each member of the class.  Past tense and descriptive words will be the focus of the sessions.

Trevor wrote of flipped classrooms.  I have heard it referred to as reversed classrooms.  I tried this out last semester with reasonable success in the Business Manners course.  The students found the concept new and did not understand it at the beginning of the course.  As the weeks passed they became accustomed to the concept and used the class time to do the work they had reviewed for homework.  It was interesting to see the acceptance grow when they realized I was not going to explain what was in the homework.  Suggestions that they were letting their team mates down by not being prepared easily pushed them to do the work in subsequent classes.  That and the fact we have a homework policy which required them to show their homework and if it is not done, I dismiss them from class and they have to go to an assigned area to complete the work.  We also have an absence policy and several dismisses equal and absence so there is a great deal of pressure for the students to adhere to the policy and do the homework.  

I tried the same idea in an Academic Reading class but with less success.  I have been trying to understand how to better apply the concept to this class.  I did not think of an imaginative and compelling use of the concept in this class.  Still thinking.  Maybe I should team up with Trevor and pursue this dilemma.  

Another dilemma is how to best use Drop Box in the class room.  It is an excellent tool for dropping the homework into for a flipped lesson and also for the work to be submitted.  

The use of Facebook and Twitter could also be incorporated into lessons.  The question is how to do it effectively to enhance learning and to promote student centred classes.  

It is becoming increasingly evident as I reread many article in a slower manner that,  a CoP need not be geographically near for it to exist.  My suggestion that there should be a CoP at the universities at which I teach need not exist.  I can find this support system on the web and the members with whom interaction exists can live in many diverse locations.  A common interest in a subject matter is all that is necessary as well as an intent and interest to interact. (Sue Kilpatrick, Margaret Barrett and Tammy Jones).    Perhaps while this is a dilemma,it is not really one which I can control and it can be solved in another fashion more readily.  Baker man has the idea to look for peers on the web.   (Must thank Peter for facilitating this insight).

The implementation of technology into the classroom in the university where students bring laptops to class and expect to utilize them should be a better focus for this assignment.  Perhaps the dilemma of how to set up one of two new class syllabi or how to improve one of the existing syllabi to more effectively use the computers replacing busy work with productive work.  Will think on this more.  Effecting this dilemma and utilizing inquiry based research methods.

Feel the initial thoughts might have been too broad and general for a thorough investigation.  Time to reflect upon this post.

Recently there have been many changes, challenges and opportunities to grow.  Change = growth.  It is a cycle which cannot be ignored and repeats itself often as we live our lives.

With growth comes a pattern.  First a reluctance to change then an acceptance to change then a movement to change and finally action to change with the ensuing change being incorporated to some degree into our personna.

See myself going through these stages, with the fear then the acceptance then the action.  Feel this awareness can be taken into the classroom to better understand the students actions.  Something to keep in mind as I prepare the new syllabi soon.

Perhaps I’m missing something.  Admittedly there have been computer problems and now at long last there is a new computer, albeit a different platform so there is a learning curve.  All in all it is good.  An Apple Air 13 inches so bigger than my last net book but its thinner and the screen is gloriously bigger so easier to read.  Aging eyes are welcoming me.

Anyways, on to this course.  Its a course in Network and Global Learning but I feel I’m working in a vacuum.  I go back to the postings we have had to do and nothing more has been posted to most.  The occasional post but mostly silence.  I am just getting to the blogging.

Diigo won’t upload to Mac.  Have a Windows application so have to figure out to load that next.  Mendeley is loaded but it won’t give me the toolbar icon. ???? Have an appointment with Apple next week so hopefully I can organize all these bit and pieces then.  In the mean time its stone ages around here with a new toy which has great potential but is only just being tapped.  Frustrating.

Where is everyone. Surely there is more interaction.  Guess I will write David and ask him.

Working on the first assignment but wish for some interaction.  Do I work alone on Assignment 2 or with someone and if someone who and how does one connect with others in the class with the limited interaction to date?   Have gone back to read  the Intro and Theme 1 to see if I missed anything.  It was fruitful as many points seem to fit better now and I have made better notes but so much of this could be done on the computer if I could get Diigo to work.  One puzzling point is Trevor said he would update Diigo with some files I added i.e. Sutra you tube but I don’t see it.  For that matter all I see are David’s posts many of which seem interesting and I will have to seriously look at them sooner than soon.  Behind there.

Try to be positive but this is puzzling to be sure.  HELLO OUT THERE!!!! I’M LOST AND CAN’T FIND YOU EDU 8117.  HELP PLEASE!!!!!!

Looked at Google Docs as it has been mentioned and I’m unfamiliar with it.  More research tomorrow.  Looked at several posts and blogs on using social media such as Facebook and Twitter in classes but there seems to be inherent problems of potentially becoming too friendly and having problems.  Some posts referred to several cases where teachers overstepped the boundaries which I would not do but perhaps an innocent comment could be misconstrued.   How to keep all correspondence open (what’s that tech term) maybe visible to all, or seamless; so there is no potential for misconstruction of posts.

Anyways tomorrow is another day and Theme 2 will be reviewed, some more added to Assignment 1 and perhaps some research into adding Diigo to Mac.  There show an update 5.1 but the computer said no.  Maybe you tube has a video to help.

Guess I should get brave and open the Windows Box.  Maybe it will help.  ???????

Success that this word press blog is on the new computer.  Progress, one step a day.

Hello world seems just about right.  This potentially can go out to the whole world.  Daunting thought.

This is my first post on my first ever blog.

A course I am presently enrolled in requires a reflective journal to be kept and as I have never blogged I guess this is as good a format as any.  It has the added benefit that an educational experience linked to the world of blogging will occur at the same time.

So let the journey begin.  I have been attempting to do two courses this semester but am beginning to think that decision should be my first topic of reflection.  This course EDU 8114 is interesting and involves a great deal of research on the web which can lead to extended time. That extended time is necissitated by my lack of experience in the use of the web.  I have been away from the web for some years and when I returned, the changes frightened me and I mistakenly thought I had to learn my missing years.  Seven years of technological changes was an overwhelming challenge and I did the ostrich thing.  I used the programs I knew and didn’t grow.

With the last semester course, a realization happened; one merely had to jump in now and swim now.  The past we gone and many of the program during my seven “wander” years had appeared and disappeared or if they still existed had changed so much.  There was no merit in going back.  What a relief to think of only going forward.

While I am very conscious of the time allotted to study and the fact I have two courses, I feel I am away from one or the other too long.  Perhaps some serious reflection is required and some serious review of the time I have available need to be done to see if there is time in fact to do both well.  One more semester may not be so bad if it means two courses completed in a more comprehensive fashion.  Both are important to my growth as an educator.

The wealth of data available on the web is unimaginable for me.  I google but it seems there are other sites which this course is highlighting that I did not know existed.  I am overwhelmed by all the sites which exist.  I read some of my fellow student notes and see some of them are equally overwhelmed.

So I have put the thought out there and now will reflect upon it.

Additionally, I am starting a new school with 8 koma in the business area, an old home for me but still, I have to write syllabus and think of the classes and be open to changes once the semester begins and, and, and………

REFLECTION TIME