Week 4 Thoughts

Summary of Week 4

While researching my topic for the mid-term as well as the group project on Asia and eLearning I ran across online proposals and data on how eLearning other peoples in Asia and the Pacific view eLearning.

Some of these proposals were very touching and you could just feel the urgency of the need, it was hard to ignore. A request for funds to develop and implement eLearning for:
1. Women caught in the sex trade business
2. The disabled and handicapped who have no skills
3. Literacy and health
4. Food, water, nutrition and agriculture education needs
What the Web has brought into my life is an awareness of need. The need for education as a means of improving all peoples lives, the funds required to take these ideas and put them into action, and qualified instructors willing and open to work with these peoples.

How does this change my future plans?
I would like to become a good online educator. In my retirement years, I would like to use my skills to help these types of organizations achieve their goal. These humanitarian proposals has shown me the potential power of online learning.

Also, I fount by using the terms "culturally responsive teaching" that I came up with many more applicable resources for this group project. I was also searching "eLearning Asia" which provided less information.
Clarice 1/3/08

There is one individual who is very good with techno-gadgets and I just enjoy reading his posts. Though he trully makes me feel my age, I have learned some new lingo, the latest in gaming and communication devices. His posts are serious and yet entertaining as the same time. I think this is why I would like to be in an online course with all kinds of people from all ages.
Clarice 1/3/08

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Datta Kaur and Members of my Team:

After two weeks of working with "Journal Home" I decided that I needed to experiment with another blog site. I spent a few minutes just looking at the Google home page written in "katakan", "hiragana" and "kanji" trying to figure out how to change the wording from Japanese to English. I was finally successful in switching the language :)

Herb, many thanks for explaining to me in English to look for some type of toggle switch. I kept pressing everywhere.



After two weeks of struggling with "Journal Home" I am looking forward to a less stressful experience in creating and working with a blog site.


What I like about Google is that it contains spell-check as well as a more complete list of help features. Somehow it just seems much easier to work with.


I apologize for the switch, but I just couldn't see myself struggling with a blog for another four weeks.


Clarice


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I joined a women's group in Tokyo. What I found interesting about the group was that every woman knew her place among the group. A few women graduated from an elite all women's college or university...they had a title or rank given to each of them, though they joked about it, I think they were quite serious. The "senpai" is the most senior member. This woman would not stand up to get her own drink or put away her dishes in the sink. The young women in her group would automatically offer to cater to her (that's how I see it).

Then you've got the Japanese women who are educated but not from the same group as above. All of them are very polite to each other but I notice that there is some very quiet "tension" which is not the right word to use...but I can't put my finger on it.

Of course, there are the foreigners like me. Well, the Japanese women do try to disperse us among themeselves when deciding our seating arrangement for coffee. That way, we get to converse with each other. Well being a foreigner, all I can say is that I've got a lot to learn about women and women's status within the "in" and "outside" groupings...I thought it was just about men here...but I was wrong.

What I find interesting as I attempt to learn Japanese are all the forms of politeness that you have to learn when speaking to someone "above", "below" or "same leve" as yourself. These honorific forms are just mind boggling to me at times. It seems that Japanese language is closely assoicated with a person's status and rank. I feel it is a direct reflection on their culture and how they also view education and instructors.

Clarice (1/31/08)

While doing research my the group paper, I was wondering if there are similarities of "best practices" or "lessons learned" in eLearning in Asian cultures when compared to at-risk-student population. Are the interventions the same? Where are they different? Will post my thoughts to the group DB for feedback or reaction.
Clarice (1/31/08)

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I enjoyed doing research work for my mid-term topic which I posted to the DB.

Title:
Learning to Bow on the Internet: A Foreigner’s Perspective on eLearning in Japan

Focus:
Japanese Etiquette and the Possible Implications for Online Course Design

Content:
Structure of Japanese Society
Harmony as the Philosophy
Language as Etiquette
Names and Titles
Personal Introductions
The Meishi
Offering of Criticism
The Role of Apology

Clarice 2/1/08
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I completed the class survey. I am not surprised about the questions concerning an unhappy student or team after receiving email from a male student looking for a new team just a few days ago. It makes me very sad to see this because I am enjoying my group very much and I am concerned that this may still happen in my group since we still have many weeks to go before this course ends.
Clarice 2/3/08 Tokyo
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