Week 6 Thoughts

I had dinner with an instructor who taught with me while I was in Hawaii. She is still not convinced about online learning for the rural community and for vocational certificate programs. She is my friend and I didn't want to bring up anything unpleasant over a wonderful dinner. I would like to develop a set of online modular courses and write a grant to pilot the 'open learning' concept. It might have some real potential for those women who are housed in shelters, etc.

Carice, Honolulu 2/13/08

I received my mid-term report and I got a good grade but, I didn't realise that I had missed two major areas that I needed to cover. I thought I read all of the requirements for this paper and now I'm a bit confused and will ask my instructor for clarification. I want to get it right because I love the topic I chose.

What I learned from this experience***
Despite my shortfall in meeting the paper requirements, my instructor recognized the effort I put into this short piece and I appreciate the grade I received from her. Even though I have to work on it to bring it up to an acceptable level, I am not discouraged. In fact I am encouraged. Though she is online and I can't see her face, she makes me want to improve and do better. I know that she's out there for me. It makes me feel like she cares. This is the kind of online instructor I want to be. I want to learn how to convey this to my own students. Maybe it all started with her wonderful and personal website or the short notes she writes about the allowance for extensions on her announcement board...

I have to run off to my Aunt's funeral and my son is nagging me that we're already going to be late and Grandma will gives us *?#!...but I just had to right this before leaving the house.
Clarice 2/15/08 Hawaii

* * * * * * * * * * Summary for Week 6

This has been a very tough week for my personally. My Dad is not well and it is so hard to be so far away from home. I just don't know how my grandparents (immigrants) managed to live in a new land without their family to support them. I have a computer, cell phone, iChat...but I already miss my morning coffee with Dad.

Question for the week -
What would I like my readers to get out of my mid-term report? I have an opportunity to refine my thinking regarding my initial topc as I plan to rewrite it. Focus of paper - I'd like my report to showcase the importance of understanding culture at it might impact online learning, specificially communicating online. I don't quite know how I'm going to write it just yet, but I believe this a much better start.


What I learned this week -
My first mid-term report focused on the cutural aspects of the Japanese and I didn't tie it in well with online learning. What I did learn is that you have to understand the cultural to some degree before you can understand how this might impact the online environment. I learned a lot about Japanese culture that I would not have otherwise.

Clarice 2/18/08 Tokyo