Apologies

Oops!!!  Looks like I'm not honoring my promise.   Sorrrry..... I've been e-x-t-r-m-e-l-y busy. Will write soon.

A method from hell??

I have been sharing this with my current online facilitator.  The recent Sabbath School congress introduced a new method of lesson review - more interactive, the teacher as co-learner with the students rather than a lecturer and sage; reading Bible texts; meditating on them, then sharing in two's (vertical and horizontal relationships) and finally application of the text in a personal way (transformation) - all in an effort to increase participation and hopefully attendance in the Sabbath School.  Sounds good to me!!! Sounds like a constructivist approach to learning in church!!!

So as the head superintendent I have to introduce this 'new' method in the Sabbath School. I'm game.  So last week instead of breaking up into smaller units I conducted the lesson review to the entire adult SS (about 200 persons) to show how it could be done.  I asked 2 elders to assist me to answer some of the expected Bible questions.  Went surprisingly well. Thank God.  Then later the same day I held a training seminar for the teachers so they can take over in their own classes. Not so good!!! "It can't work"; "It's changing up everything" "Is this a proven method" etc. etc. As one of the elders said - They're acting like you're trying to introduce a method from hell!!

Some teachers are willing to try, but not all. Tomorrow we'll see what happens.  Perhaps after that I will be railroaded out of the church - having the audacity to try to introduce new things!! And I'm not trying to change doctrine!! I'm only trying to implement a method of presenting the doctrine.  Lord help me!!

Recovering

A little better today. A good friend Skyped me to say that they were having a prayer and fasting day; was there anything I wanted them to add to the prayer list for me?  Yes!!!! Yes!!!! Yes please!!!!! There's so much I need prayers for. So much in which I long to see God's hands working.

This weekend we're involved in a Sabbath School congress. The aim - to restore the Sabbath School as the heart of the church - since the overwhelming observation is that SS attendance is down compared to the main preaching service. I noted that this was not true of my church, it is the opposite, so much so that the pastor has been launching a number of initiatives from the SS platform.  I was once asked whether a well-organized SS was responsible for unity of the church members.  My answer was that it contributed to the unity.  One of my daughters said that yes it was - since the SS was really the place where deep study of God's word occurred - not during the sermon time when perhaps only 1 or 2 Bible verses would be mentioned.  My other daughter thought that if the Superintendent's role was that important, then it should be a paid position, like the pastor!!! Not likely!!! (I received an award though for leadership in the Sabbath School. Muchas gracias).

The 2 days of the congress so far have been interesting and have provided some ideas that are worthy of being implemented (if I'm asked to serve in this dept. next year!!). We'll see!!!!

Hitting the wall

No new blog. Too discouraged :(  Losing all enthusiasm.  Activity in class s-o-o-o-o  s-s-l-l-o-o-w-w........ feels almost like being punished.  Plus a challenging year F2F.  Plus personal matters of concern.  Almost like carrying a too-heavy cross.

Mysterious ways

My job description says I'm a teacher of Biology/Marine Science, but I much prefer teaching Biology.  Last year my colleague and I worked out a cooperative plan - she prefers to teach Marine Science, and feels less comfortable teaching Biology. So she agreed to teach all the Marine Science in all 3 grade levels (10-12), and I would reciprocate by teaching the Biology curriculum to those same students. Perfect!! Now she's moved on to greener fields!! So I'm the only Marine Science teacher and must also teach Biology to one of the Marine Science classes + Biology to another non-Marine Science class.

Sucks!!!! Not really!!! Since the Marine Science is a Magnet Program, I'm based in the Marine Science lab all the time - even for the 2 Biology classes!!! Most teachers have to 'float' at some time!! Not only that but this magnet program can have a maximum of only 24 students - so my 3 classes have 18, 19, and 24 students respectively, and 32 for the two Biology classes. Compare this with most of the other Science classes which have 36-40 students!!! And this is for every Science class!!! This school has too many students!!! And they're so big!!! Bigger than the teachers!!! My colleagues are really stressed!!!

Today I walked upstairs to find an item in the Biology lab I had last year.  There was a group of noisy unruly students outside and a larger number of similar students inside!! Apparently the teacher was absent and a student prefect had been sent to supervise them!!! The poor girl could not manage!!! It felt like there were about 50 students (14 year olds) in the group!!! No exaggeration!!! She finally went to complain to the administrators who advised her to bring the entire group down to them. The only thing I could do was to help her to herd them there, before returning to my own small class downstairs!!!!

The Lord does work in mysterious ways!!! So I'm isolated downstairs in the Marine Science lab.  So I have to find the resources by myself to instruct these students - but there is so much on the Internet and so many innovative ways to present it!! The students are enjoying the subject!!! They even prefer to remain in the lab with me during lunch break, rather than going outside with the rest of the noisy student body!!! Thanks HFU!!! So we have to go out for field activities - we enjoy this!! Since the classes are small, and behavioral concerns are virtually non-existent, I can do HFU work while they are working quietly on their own assignments, or when I have a non-teaching period, but still based in the lab!!!! Thank you Lord!!! How did you know just what I would need!!! Doing a rigorous online program while trying to teach 6 large classes for 3 periods/week each would have been a killer!!! And my first impulse was to say no when I was asked to take the Marine Science classes this academic year!!!!!

Education for all ...or not?

Okay I accept the mandate that education should be for all students.  So I teach in a senior high school with a very large student population (approximately 1500 students in grades 10-12), and this year has been particularly challenging so far. The classes are very large since we are experiencing a shortage of teachers, and we are already really stressed. But nevertheless education is for all!! Remember this!!

So this year I notice we have a student in a wheelchair. Okay. So the entrance to the school does have a ramp - good. But the school is constructed on 2 levels, with no elevators - only stairs!  And of the classrooms and restrooms downstairs, only a few have ramps! So where do administrators base this child? You guessed it - in a classroom without a ramp!! And some subject areas are situated on the upper level - e.g. Science, Math, Business Studies, Art.  So how is this child supposed to do these subjects?  And the child needs to have bars in the bathroom to be able to swing herself into/out of her chair. There are no bars!

Additionally the child apparently cannot move her wheelchair on her own - she does not have the hand strength to do so.  So she has to rely on the good graces of other students to push her around and to lever her into and out of these classrooms without ramps!!!! Seems to me that this child needs to have a dedicated helper to be with her as she pursues her education????? What if the other students don't care enough to push her from class to class or to and from the bathroom????? But the mother only drives up to the entrance of the school, pushes her into the foyer and drives off!!!!! I've seen her do it!!!! What does she expect from the school?????? What kind of education can we really offer this student????

My Online Classes

I'm noticing something here. The breaks between my online courses are really necessary - I get a chance to relax my mind, get some sleep, read a book and eat a decent meal, rather than just eating the computer. My daughter says "Mom, there are no nutrients in that"!!! Hmmmm. But then I get s-o-o-o  b-o-r-e-d!! What does that suggest??? What am I going to do in a year when these classes are done???

Just writing

Another set of courses over and done with. Great! A little break to eat something other than the computer and to have a few more hours sleep before the next round begins!  The courses were great though, especially the one on Multimedia in Instructional Design.  The new software to be learnt was a bit daunting at first, but turned out to be real fun!! Learnt how to create Flash movies and online greeting cards, how to spotlight images, incorporate videos and sound, hyperlink videos and other multimedia into creating presentations with interactivity, and more!  The only problem is being able to use this new knowledge in my FTF Marine Science/Biology laboratory, since the Internet is about 90% unavailable!  Very frustrating. Hopefully the problem will be fixed soon.

The best feature of this course though was creating a website from scratch - for the very first time!  Despite the initial hesitancy I believe I created a n-i-c-e website of an unforgettable experience in my life - at least the professor thinks it's nice!!! (A tiny confession - whenever I feel a little depressed I visit this website to remind myself I'm blessed! I'm in the master's hand).  Feedback from anyone reading my blog is welcomed!!  See the website at:  http://www.cynthiaj.weebly.com/   Make sure to have your audio on!

An interesting thing in church.  An older lady in church - in her 80's, (one of about 4 older persons I have "adopted") gave me an invitation to the upcoming birthday bash of another lady in church.  So I'm like "how old will she be?" And she replies "99"!!!! And this is a lady who walks around on her own - no walker, stick or anything! And she knows everyone by name! Unbelievable.  I promised to be there!!!

Oh What a World!

A disturbing occurrence earlier this week. I was home alone - almost night; on the phone with my daughter.  Suddenly I’m hearing this big commotion on the outside, someone shouting, my dog barking his head off.  So I hang up the phone to check what’s happening and there’s a man at my door - no shirt, bloody or sweaty (not sure), and shouting for me to call the police as he needs help badly.  So I’m hesitating because I’m so shocked, and he keeps shouting, pleading with me now to open the door, so he can use the phone as he’s hurt so bad – he was beaten by some guys. Please, please ma’am. I’m still hesitating, and finally I tell him that I will call the police. So I turn away to do so, and I’m explaining to the police that there is a man outside my door who says he’s hurt, but that I’m hesitant to open the door. The police tell me not to open my door and they’ll be there shortly. So I turn back to let the man know the police are on the way, and he’s not there!  He’s gone! Apparently it was a scam!! And the police did come (within about 10 minutes) and could find him nowhere!

Now don’t give me credit for being smart!! What made me not open the door was that I am a rather finicky/fastidious person and the thought of how I was going to be able to clean the phone after the man was finished with it was what stopped me!!  And now today, I’m listening to the local news and the police are commenting about an increase in forced entries and advising the public, especially persons who are alone, not to open their doors to anyone they don’t know.

Oh what a world.  What was this man’s intention?  Surely it was not meant for good. Thank God whom the Lord keeps is well kept. 

Making sense

Sermons can be s-o-o long! Sometimes to keep myself awake I’ll read the “good book” (or some other good book)!! Jon Paulien in his book “Letters to the Thessalonians” (a companion guide to this quarter’s Sabbath lessons) outlines some steps to “get real” with God and other people.  These include the usual, such as spending time with God’s word, and practicing authentic prayer.  But what caught my attention was the suggestion to use some form of journaling.  According to the author, “when I journal, God uses the writing process to draw up the depths of my being in ways that nothing else can.  I can use journaling to pray, to record God’s answers to prayer, and to take note of the various ways in which God has been at work in my life.  In our search for authenticity it is particularly helpful to invite God to probe whatever areas of our lives He wishes to examine and to expose us to it in what we write.  Many of the greatest Christians of all time, including Ellen G. White, have practiced journaling as a tool of self-awareness”.  Hmmm!!

Another article from Priorities magazine (Year 8-September 2012) entitled “The Amazing Ant” stressed the necessity for teamwork and directs attention to the ability of ants to work together as a community in orderly collaboration and cooperation.  “Without this, you will lack the ability and skill to work in today’s globalized and integrated economy.  The lone ranger model seems to be a thing of the past, and now those who are able to listen and comprehend and communicate effectively with others in order to achieve common goals are in demand”.  Hmmm again!!

Now some things in my online classes are beginning to make sense!! The blog!! The team projects in each and every course!! Go HFU!!!

Keeping a Promise - Sharing a Testimony

Okay, so I live in the Bahamas but was not born here - I'm bicultural!  When I came to this country, I was 'adopted' by an older couple who just loved me and later my children.  When I was critically ill, they prayed and cried over me and fed me.  The husband has since passed away, but the wife continues to be my trusted advisor.  Now her daughter-in-law has just passed away from cancer - so sad!

So today (Sabbath) I stopped by to drop off some food for the family, as per the custom here. But I was also the Sabbath School Superintendent for todays program - a big day (Bahamas Independence Sabbath), so I'm hurrying! On leaving I pass a woman on the street, who is asking for a ride.  But I don't stop since that would make me late!  But as I'm driving I'm chiding myself for being unchristian.  So I stop, reverse (around a corner) to the woman and ask her where she's going.  In turn she asks me where I'm going - so I give her the general vicinity of where my church is.  So she says that will be fine, gets into my car (with difficulty - she has bad knees), buckles her seatbelt, and we start off.

Then she asks me if I'm going to the Seventh Day Adventist Church!  I say yes!  Then she says "You don't remember me do you Sister Johnson!"  O-o-o-h!  I felt so ashamed.  She knew me by name! I had to apologize!  She explained that she used to attend my church, but has since moved to another one.  That she was not going to church today, because she would be traveling later today to seek medical attention for her knees and was on her way to collect some money that had been promised her. And my focus had been just to hurry to church!

A facilitator in one of my online courses told me that the course would make me a better teacher.  Now I agree.  But it has also made me a better Sabbath School Superintendent and a better christian, because I went to church (on time) and presented probably one of the best Sabbath School programs I've ever done!  Lord help me to always be open to see the need in others, and to help wherever I can.

Keeping a Promise

Great - courses 2 & 3 are complete!  The new Instructional Media Tools was especially tough, but wonder of wonders everyone passed!  Thanks to the willingness of HFU and our facilitator to make adjustments to the course in response to all the complaints, otherwise the passing rate might have been dismal.  Another plus for online courses – their flexibility.  Y-E-S!!

So I’m talking to my son and I’m like, I passed! I got an A! And he’s like “well duh”!  I'm glad he has some faith in me :) but it certainly was not easy.  This course really necessitated us digging a whole lot deeper within ourselves.  Good luck to persons who take this course in the future – especially if it is combined with another course!

So far though I’m loving HFU and their course offerings!  Looking forward to what’s next.  Graduation 2013 or bust!

Punto finale!

End of courses.  Thank God!  The first course ended today - I submitted the cumulative project!  I hardly know what to do with myself now with all this extra time on my hands! (joke!) It's been such a constant going, going, going over the past weeks.  Perhaps I could get some needed sleep, or sit down to eat a decent meal!  Course #2 should end in 2 days, with the team project - unfortunately we are not quite ready!  It's going to be a big push for those 2 days.  Okay, so I understand the rationale behind team projects - building a learning community and a community of practice (interacting/sharing ideas/problem-solving/enhancing critical thinking skills, etc. etc. etc.), but honestly my feeling is still "Down with team projects"!  Apparently though no one in HFU shares this feeling!  But I find it is s-o difficult to correlate team projects and member roles in the online learning environment.  Someone has internet problems, or someone has another important meeting, or someone has to work on yet another submission for HFU, and no matter whether the allotted time is 6 weeks or a few days, the project always seems to get done in the last sleepless day or two before it is due!

Very interesting though to see the course reflections posted by fellow classmates for both courses.  Our facilitators must feel gratified, that despite all the noise and complaining, the students learnt so much, are appreciative and will use the new information and technologies learnt. (I'd like to continue to blog! I'll continue to refine my techniques for digital storyboarding, I'd like to continue to use mind maps!) Great job by our facilitators. They are the best! Yeah!  I'm looking forward to the next 2 courses, with God's help.

The Digital Story - another difficult thing to do in this intense, but interesting course.  Not difficult in terms of the technicalities, but in terms of moving me out of my comfort zone; something this online course seems to have been doing from the very beginning.  Perhaps this technology tool should be used simply to teach a lesson (as in a Science lesson), or a particular educational concept! Telling a real story about a real person (as myself) turned me inside out and drained me, making me question what I thought was me, as well as my reasons for choosing to do this online course.  Perhaps this is one more case of fools rushing in where angels fear to tread?

I had a bad weekend! I hate my job! I hate the students! I didn't want to talk to anyone!  I didn't want to blog!  I was wallowing so much in my pity party that I put my foot into the professor's little trap! Now he is gloating and I'm being punished with extra research on one of his pet topics! He's even willing to watch me struggle to find the resources on my own!  As if I didn't have enough work already! But fair is fair - if you do the crime, you do the time!

One of my favorite little stories that keep me inspired is called "The Cross Room".  In this story, a man carrying a cross approaches God and complains that the cross he's been given is too heavy, he can't carry it anymore.  So God tells him to take the cross to the cross room, place it in through the front door and choose another one from the back door.  So the man goes around to the back, looks in at all the large crosses in the room, returns to God and says "I'll take that little one there by the front".  And God replies "but that's the one you brought in"!

This is really what got me out of my pity party, along with talking with some good friends.  I'm reminded always that when I think I have so much to complain about, others have far more burdens to carry and they carry them without constantly questioning "why me".  I'm sorry.  Give me back that same little cross!

Today I was reflecting on the tongue-lashing we got from Dr. Jules.  610 words, not including the bibliography!! But really, I think we deserved it!!  There has been so much complaining and we have not been pulling together as "responsible pastors, elders and teachers", and we have not really been requesting his help when we encounter difficulties.  Seems like we have not even been talking to each other!  We have a long road ahead towards completion of this venture, hope we'll all improve.

Today I was asked to write a reference for a colleague who is about to pursue a Master's degree from another school.  She said that classes will be held on Saturday's from 8-4 and that the degree will be granted in 1 1/2 years. Hmmm!!  Sounds like one of those courses where when you pay, you pass!!

Oh my! This has been a really, really, interesting week at HFU!  It seems the complaining reached new heights, the class was in shambles, and more persons were at the brink of dropping out! Thankfully things look better now. Yeah!  Our professor has bent over backwards and adjusted the course - again!  Assignment 3:1 has been moved down and incorporated into Assignment 4:1.  Yes!  Giving us 2 weeks (unheard of!) to complete this assignment.   This should give all of us enough time, even for me, who must do this type of digital storytelling for the first time! Thanks. But then again, I'm sure I'm not the only one, and help is only an e-mail away. Although this is a weighty course, I must agree that there should be no reason for anyone to fail - given the professor's willingness to be flexible and to work with us!

I read a brochure at my workplace advertising online masters courses from a particular school.  The brochure said that courses would be taken on weekends and the degree could be earned in 2 years.  I thought immediately that this school must be offering pretty light stuff!  After all we seem to be constantly going! However I was not tempted to even consider this school.  What we're doing in our school might indeed be tough, especially with a full workload, but I would prefer to earn my degree and to know that it  is worth something and will equip me to make a valuable contribution someplace. Thanks HFU.

I've been thinking about this for a while, like about 3 weeks or so!  Concerning classes at HFU - I really like the schedule that has been posted - alternating 2 courses at once now, then another 2 courses next semester, followed by 1 course in the semester after that.  I can live with that, since it allows us to finish the course in a shorter time.  Yeah!  But what I've been mulling over is this - EDOL 620 has been a very intense course - manageable but rigorous.  The proof of this has been the number of casualties!  So I'm thinking that this particular course should have been a stand-alone course - offered by itself.  I think this would have been easier for all of us.  As it is, combined with another course where the course deadlines do not coincide, it feels like we are going full tilt all the time with no possible way to catch our breaths.

Note:  This is not a suggestion for HFU to timetable their courses as single offerings.  This would not suit me.  That would take too long to finish!  But a heavyweight course like this one, should be one that is offered by itself.  I really can't visualize any of the other single course offerings being weightier than this one!  But who knows, I just might be in for a rude awakening!

I'm a little calmer today.  Since the team project is what it is, we'll just have to see what we can do.  Needed first though is a topic!  Urgently!  We're using today to all think about one.

Just when I thought it was going to be clear coasting to the end of Module 3 of EDOL 620 in HFU, here comes another spanner thrown into the works!  The team project we thought was a fairly simple power point presentation has now morphed into designing a 5-module course, with lesson plans, assignments, and critical analysis! Brutal! And with only a few weeks to go too!  And the thing is I did not even know about this change until our team meeting - to discuss what turns out to be the old project!!!  I was completely unprepared for this - could not even think of an alternative topic to what I had already been mulling over for the past 2 weeks or more!  There ought to be a law (or something anyhow) about changing like this in the middle of a rigorous online course!!  What is this - a test to see who can remain standing?  Almost feels like I should give up too!!

Our team's decision was to do the best we can.  Thank God for pastors who have integrity.  I just needed to let off steam!!  Especially since my teammates think this kind of project should be so easy for me.  Really?

HFU courses continue.  Module 2 was pretty intense, but not as bad as it was touted to be!  The mind map was time-consuming but doable.  It reinforced the concept of "showing, not telling". This concept I would like to use more with my own students.  Some of them are far more artistic than I am!  I'm also questioning students more in order to increase their depth of knowledge, as well as sending them to do more research (and submit it to me), now that I'm aware of the breadth of information that can be accessed so easily.

Quite a few fellow students were brought to their knees by this module (coupled with additional work from another course).  Shocking to see who some of them were!  I survived somehow. Yeah!!  I think perhaps that even though both courses have their modules for a 2-week period, the deadlines are not the same, leading to a feeling of continually 'running'.  Coupled with work, home, church and personal responsibilities it's a little difficult trying to remember which deadline belongs to which course!   Something else to 'discuss' with HFU maybe!!  Module 3 looks easier (thank God) and more interesting - selecting software and tools for online learning.  HFU has notified us that they will continue to alternate 2 courses with one course offering to speed up the program. Yeah again!  The idea of finishing early appeals to me, so I'll embrace the challenge.

A really tough week this week!  General elections here, final exams for Grade 12, External exams for graduating students, HFU regular coursework + hammering out topics for team projects + topic selection for cumulative project, and on, and on, and on!  To quit or not to quit?  Why did we choose these courses again? Those are the questions!  But wait - I think I know! Dig a little deeper still :)

My reflections - week 2

There is an ad frequently aired on television here in my country.  (The ad tries to promote the importance of pap smears for women!)  Anyway it goes something like this - "I always thought women of a certain age ...................... Now I know"

I always thought the best education could be obtained in prestigious schools.  Now I know that an excellent education can be obtained even in a school that few people know about - like HFU!  A seasoned teacher am I, but I'm still learning new concepts to aid the delivery of information to my students.  An example - school was cancelled here on Monday due to inclement weather.  On Wednesday's I teach a class, including a boy who is 'challenged' in terms of behavior and focus.  This child gives me no problems because he sits next to my computer and is allowed to 'run' any presentations I am giving.  He wants to know how much more computer learning we can do!

The point of this story?  On Wednesday, the principal decided to run Monday's schedule to compensate for the lost time.  The young man met me in the hallway to tell me that he was angry at the principal because he was no longer able to see me on that day as he had anticipated!

Back to HFU.  The courses are becoming more challenging - as they should, but I just dig a little deeper within myself!  Facilitating in HFU's course has been good - new concepts/content  dangled before us (like carrots before a horse) - we choose to reach for them or not!  Background technical support is very good and very prompt - helping to reduce frustrations.

Learn on!

Thanks Professor Jules.  Although I'm just learning.  OTJ - on the job as they say!

CPD

Week 1 Reflections:

Community building in a 'virtual' classroom can be difficult.  Physical distance between members of
the class can make persons believe they are the only ones having difficulties, for instance.  The emphasis on writing (rather than face to face interaction) may be a challenge for some persons.

The integration of a small insular group into a larger group is good for intellectual growth, although there is still a tendency to reach out first to persons with whom the person is familiar.  "Breaking out" into the large group will not be immediate.

I'm gaining from this course new skills in instructional media that I can adopt and adapt to my traditional classroom - creating a more blended environment for more relevant instruction.

CUMULATIVE PROJECT

TOPIC:  RESPIRATION

Subtopics:

Definition of 'respiration'.  Its importance to living organisms

Types of Respiration.  Identifying the differences

The need for respiratory systems in higher animals.  Anatomy and Physiology of the Human Respiratory System

Factors that affect respiratory rates.  Measuring rates of respiration

What can go wrong - diseases of the respiratory system