AF Online Training: Online Learning

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        I actually have had a bit of experience in the use of Blackboard when I taught f2f classes here in Post last year but it was minimal; I confess I only knew enough to put across my Course Info, give assignments and announcements and have a bit of an exchange with my students but that was all. I certainly need to know much more,  most specially of the technical know how (because I am so bad at these)  as I realize a lot of differences between the traditional way I was used to and online teaching.  I think the technological world is opening to me a vast universe of both exciting and kind of anxious-laden emotions and I am but to meet it head on. 

        Since I am aware of the time and space aspects that make online teaching distinct, I expect to get a hold  of the ways and means that it offers for the fulfillment of the goals of the individual needs. interests, and capacities of the students.  That way, I as an instructor, can appropriately base myself as an instrument in the development of their full academic experience.

AF Online Training: Community

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            In Toastmasters, the organization is structured such that one may be a member of the total international group and at the same time, also a member of one or more of the nuclear groups which would consist of a minimum of 20 members. 

I had  served as Area Governor overseeing the functioning of 5 geographically contiguous groups way back in the Philippines, but let me talk about my current membership as VP-Education with the Wooster Heights Toastmasters Club at nearby Danbury. The dream that draws the members together is that of being a better speaker and leader via Toastmasters.  And just as in other clubs, the group has governance and it has goals for which members work out a 2-pronged program for Communication and for Leadership.

       To achieve the first tract, they deliver speeches during meetings which are evaluated by their peers to advance through the norms Competent Toastmaster, Advanced Toastmaster, Distinguished Toastmaster.  For the second tract, members serve as club officers, as participants in the meetings like that of Toastmaster of the Day (the emcee), the General Evaluator, or they may conduct seminars, among others.  Needless to say, all these roles contribute to the club's own goals towards corresponding norms like being Distinguished in diverse levels as well.  The positive nature of the membership interaction is brought about in evaluating and mentoring of each other: camaraderie and a high level of goal setting. On the other hand, there would be the negative, competitive aspects of pride and jealousy which adversely affects the club's healthy existence.

        On the online learning scenario, I could pick up some ideas from Toastmasters.   Social presence is one aspect that permeates all human endeavor, thus, as in Toastmasters, I would also consider this with my students: have them in small groups, have groups interact with others, play up leadership and camaraderie in the community.  I would also think of generating from them their thoughts on how best they might perform in the light of community, and then, too, figure out how best to come about with eclectic ways to successful learning.

AF Online Training: On Plagiarism

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        Plagiarism, by definition, is taking others' work and presenting it as one's own. Well, this is definitely one that I often see happen in my field since I am an English teacher - often a Writing teacher - Creative, Expository. Technical.... and I would think being such is certainly enjoyable as it is challenging. Reading through my students written assignments bring me into diverse worlds of thought and experience and it either brings me back to similar times and places in my past, or brings open to me new things even at my age.

        On the other side of things, though, I find that sometimes, some assignments are not original. I've had read the books and magazines they had copied from and I'd have heard exactly what they're telling me from others before.  In fact, some wouldn't bother to go far from his classmate anymore - I'd be reading two assignments, one the exact copy of the other!   Oh yes, believe me, this has happened to me. And when confronted, the two simply vehemently pointed at each other!

        The important thing, however, is definitely what to do about plagiarism. It is true that we should know why this happens so that we know how to counter it. We have to ask ourselves, for instance,  if we are giving too many assignments while not considering the time we give them to work on them. We have to know our students, like are they lazy to work on their own and find it a way out to simply copy somebody else's work.

         As from our readings, it is also possible they do it for pleasure or as an answer to the challenge of plagiarizing just for the fun of it. But I'm thinking one of the best things we could do as instructors is to have our students know how not to plagiarize.. teach them how to footnote, how to paraphrase or  how to do in other ways give credit where credit is due whenever they have to or want to use for their own, the work of others.

AF Online Training: On Feedback

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        A personal experience that has remained in my memory through the years is a post-conference with my Department Head (APM?) during my earlier years of teaching. After a class of mine wherein she came and observed, she gave me her feedback.  She used the so-called Oreo approach: something positive, information, something positive. For a start, she told me it was an impressive performance I did and that my students must have learned a lot from me, and then ended with more encouraging praise words.  But significant for me was the information part because she thought I was too eager to put in too much in that one lesson like I was putting all I knew.  And I should not because it made my presentation confusing and perhaps even an overloading to the students. She went on to say I could have divided that one lesson in two or three to have it more interesting and easier for them to internalize. Somehow, all these, in essence,  stuck in my mind; - not only what she said but  more specially that what she said was learning to me.

        In like manner, I'd say feedback in our online courses spell not only for our students growth and direction and a confidence booster, but also for myself: - my own professional growth, my enhanced communicative skills, my sense of achievement at seeing progress.  My students would be priority, of course. I would not only give them information of their mistakes positively... I should also try to help them know how to improve on these mistakes if only to encourage their self-efficacy. As I had come across somewhere, "feedback would become the instruction that is missing in the course". But  I would remember as well  that if I established good interpersonal communication with my students, like show interest in their personal struggles, this could be a link to their satisfaction in the course and thus increase their motivation for successful learning.

        

AF Online Training: Instructor Motivation

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         Online education has definitely opened up to me exciting novelty and vast challenges to which I would see as the basic component for its success:  interactivity among instructor, student and content.

       The course has so far touched on diverse aspects such as introductions, community, feedback, among others, and now, my chance to express what strategies I might use as instructor to stay connected with my online students. Well, a lot has been mentioned about how to successfully engage our students in communication, not only with content and with their peers in community but most especially with us, the instructors. So I kind of turn the tables around to the question - how about me to stay engaged with them?  I guess I have mentioned these elsewhere - something that I have earlier come across on utube -  but they work well here too.  I'd hold on to these thoughts: first is the fact that I am putting across learning as my profession, so that if only for my own  professional growth, I have to make sure that that one factor to make that learning happen is there - and that would be my social presence throughout the course. Second, they say that a teacher doesn't have any business being a teacher if he stops learning; therefore, for me to go on learning, I will maintain that presence in order to enhance not only the students' but also my own communicative skills. And third, one reason for an instructor's social presence is to monitor how his students advance in their learning. If I maintain my social presence and thus see this scenario for a fact, I will have a sense of accomplishment in seeing progress, -and I will certainly love it!

Perry Como Yesterday I Heard The Rain

Perry Como - It Was Such A Good Day

Perry Como - The Hands Of Time (lyrics)

Infobahn Soul Mail

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Thanks, Frank!

Mailbox Fragmenting

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         I know I have a most notorious penmanship but see what you got me doing - enjoying letting my pen glide through nonetheless! Since I have not done cursive writing in a long time as you can see, - my pen goes aimlessly.  I need to do this more often.

        But you are right.  The onslaught of the internet has diminished the art of letter  writing.  Together with this will be the demise of the postal service.  I just saw in the news that several post offices may close because of the losses that continue to rise.  And it is all because of the internet.

        In high school, I dreaded writing down notes in a spring note book which would later be inspected by my teachers.  Actually it started in the grade school where our notebooks were graded for neatness and legibility.  So obviously I never fared well.  Sometimes I had a hard time reading my own notes.  With that said, I hope you don't think that I am doing this to torture you....  how are those eyes doing?

        You know who's got one of the best penmanship? Bernie!  His notes were always neat and legible  I remember though when we were in our sophomore year in high school, he dislocated, maybe even broke, his right wrist on a roller skating accident.  He had a cast on for about six weeks.  Since he could not write down his notes, he borrowed our notes and had his mom decipher our scribbles and transcribe them for him.  Yup, those were the most beautiful notes I've ever seen... even better than Bernie's.  They looked like calligraphy.  Since then,  I set it as my goal to write as aesthetically as that.  I almost reached that goal through several decades.  And when I thought I had, that was when this internet thing started to come in.  Needless to say, I am back to square one!

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          You speak of notoriety in your camp but you should delight at how my own writing competes with yours!  If you must know, my hand trembles as I do this. The feeling of not having done this in ages rubs in too even as you surely see through my ploy of using ruled paper to control my lines from going up or down.   I, too, need to do more of this!

        But for one in the medical world who normally is accused of scribbling his prescriptions like chicken scratches,  believe me, you certainly do a good job passing high where I fail.  Truth is, I even dread having to go back to blackboard writing again. Which reminds me of how we in the  Engineering faculty room, way back at the University,  used to watch how the penmanship of our students go from a 'nice!' to a 'wow!' in the five years' span of time they spent there. It was phenomenal how they developed in this particular area from their freshmen to their graduating years. Must have been the discipline they acquired from their Drawing classes, don't you think?

        Then you mention Bernie and his mom's handwriting.  It's interesting because I'd say the same of Rey!  Imagine him to be the ideal in my aspiration for a better penmanship myself.... but his was the best in the family!  North and South now here trading places. To compound it, - the onslaught of the internet!  Ah well, the internet is here to stay - that's for sure.  Let's just hope that the Post Office problem somehow comes to some minimizing, if not a total insignificance.  Still,  I guess we do have to do more of the old  traditional letter-writing.   Might not be exactly easy but we could  smile it off.  Would make people wonder what we're up to!

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Mailbox Fragment

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        The internet is here to stay, yes, we could say that .  And as a side result, the slow dying out of post office service is apparently on the horizon.  But I'm with you on the hope that things turn out for the better, whichever way it goes. Now, drawing classes?   I really don't know.  I personally attribute my old 'writing techniques' to those classes but strangely, some classmates negate this probability. May I ask you what you think?   Sorry for the turn about but I'd really want to know!

        Carrying this to another vein of thought, I am curiously looking hard at your handwriting and I am ushered to the area of interpretation.   You are, of course, familiar with what is known as handwriting analysis and the fact that those who specialize in it believe that " your penmanship harbors more than the power of self-expression; they believe it bears the unique imprint of your personality!  If I may go on with the quote: " Handwriting reveals hundreds of elements of one's personality and character which includes glimpses into the subconscious mind, intellect, energy, fears, motivations, imagination, integrity, aptitudes, among others."  Interesting, don't you think?

        Well, having invaded that realm of handwriting, may I as well go on sharing with you these aspects of it that I have come across. It is said that it was a French monk named Jean Hippolyte Michon who coined the phrase 'graphology' (the study of handwriting and handwriting analysis)  and who believed the brain, and not the hand, controlled handwriting. He broke handwriting down into a series of strokes, assigning a personality trait to each stroke.  So now let me pick up the rest of the information:

        "Graphologists examine strokes, pressure, slants, heights, loops, letter spacing, dotted "i's" and crossed "t's," etc.  (Were you interested in) analyzing writing style, (they would suggest that you) first look at the handwriting in general, much like you would a painting. Make mental notes of the most outstanding traits and try to get a general feeling of the writer. Then, determine the emotional energy of the writer. This is the most important factor of the personality of the writer. The emotional energy has a direct impact on every other trait displayed in the handwriting. 

        The stroke depicts life force, energy flow. The stroke's pressure  represents intellectual vitality, physiological energy, sexual passion, and emotional intensity. Pressure is defined by how much force one applies to the writing surface with the writing instrument and not the hand grip pressure. Pressure is how hard he presses down on the paper.  Pressure indicates the capacity for vigorous activities.

Writers with heavy pressure are usually highly successful. They have a lot of vitality and their emotional experiences last for a long time. Writers who write with average pressure are usually moderately successful and usually have enough energy to make it through the day. Those with light pressure try to avoid energy draining situations. 

        The slant is the second indicator to look for. The slant indicates the writer's emotional response to external forces. A right slant (////) signals one who responds strongly to emotional situations. He would be caring, warm and outgoing - his heart rules his  mind.   With the vertical slant (llll), the writer tries to keep his emotions in check - the mind rules his heart. A left slant writer (\\\\) will conceal his emotions and is observed as cold and indifferent. 

        The baseline is a real or imagined line where the small letters rest. It is best determined if the writing is on unlined paper to ensure that the writer does not follow the pre-printed lines. For best results, handwriting analysts always prefer samples written on unlined paper. The baseline can be straight, wavy, erratic or sloped. A normal baseline would  be slightly wavy. A person with a straight baseline is tense and over disciplined. A very wavy baseline signals a person who is on an emotional roller coaster. 

 

        An ascending baseline means optimism.  A descending baseline means pessimism, tiredness or depression.  A level baseline indicates a healthy balance between optimism and pessimism.   The size of the writing determines the writer's ability to concentrate, thus, small writing points to someone who has the ability to concentrate on minor details for long periods of time.  Most of us apparently fall under the average size category, indicating an average ability to concentrate. 

        Handwriting analysis neither foretells the future, nor reveals the past. However , it provides a map to your inner self, your level of satisfaction with your present situation, and your future level of achievement.  It can also help you to gain an understanding and insight into the personality of other people, especially those close to you."

       So there you are.  Now what do you think of my handwriting?  Should I fear your analysis will strangle me to death?

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Mailbox

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        You totally amuse me !  Should you really be serious asking me to analyze your handwriting, that would necessarily bring out an attractive profile of the person behind the pen.  And it would make your "fear for your life" simply unfounded.   My own fear is that should it trigger a turnabout - that you would  claim your turn to analyze my handwriting..... I am the one who dies!!!  But wait - I remember having come across a blog intimating that some people think doctors have bad handwriting... and that according to TIME, their handwriting actually kills 7,000 people annually!  Please take note that I'm not the one saying that, okay?   But then, the article adds this bit of comment - that handwriting with such significantly lower legibility is usually associated with being executive or being male!  What do you think of that!  Nice, huh?

        Really seriously,  though,  let me pick up on a strain we earlier shared,  namely;  'the demise of cursive writing'.  This is actually a commonplace topic at the moment, right?  Created polls ask if
there is value in possessing handwriting skills in a world of digital communication.

        A fact is that cursive writing is no longer mandatory in most public schools, did you know that?  No longer a part of the national education agenda.  But there are concerns and arguments forwarded both for and against it.  On one hand, it is said that cursive writing is outdated,  is time consuming and not as useful as keyboard skills which are the future.  It is not even on tests that rate schools.  On the other hand,  it is viewed that cursive is essential to education as it helps children develop fine motor skills.  It is maintained by neurological science that handwriting plays a large role in the visual recognition and learning of letters....that those who learn to write by hand learn  better.

       To strengthen the latter argument,  an experiment was further pointed out involving 2 groups that were taught a new foreign alphabet.  One group learned by  hand, the other to recognize them on a screen with a keyboard.  Apparently, as it turned out,  the former scored better on recognition tests.  Brain scans on the hands on group showed greater activity in the part of the brain that controls language comprehension, motor related processes and speech associated gestures.  That I find interesting! What do you think?

        Of course, I would also go with the comment of some that  'depth of thought is improved when pen is taken to paper as opposed to keyboarding'.  Now I wonder what might be on your mind too regarding all these......

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Mail

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        'The demise of cursive', right... you're right, we shared that.  Hope you don't miss out, though, on that little guy in the corner...'the demise of letter-writing' via the mailbox - where the cursive writing inside the envelope supplies the personal touch of its 'you've got mail' alert,  making it different with that of the internet! That was the start point, remember?

       You ask of my  views regarding this dying out of the cursive way of writing.  Well,  I certainly would go with the arguments for it's retention in school - what with my own school-day experiences in writing as I had earlier intimated to you.  Notwithstanding this, however, I guess the counter-arguments do have points.   Shall we leave it, thus, to the world seriously focused on this!!!

        Then there was that interesting take you had on handwriting analysis!  And, hey, such modesty you have that I read in between some lines! You're actually taking the death penalty away from me, thank you!  Let me just say frankly, however,  that despite all the claimed scientificity,  if I may call it that,  -of handwriting analysis,-  I'd rather get to know another human being personally to really know his real self . I must also add that I like this particular line from you:  "handwriting with such significantly lower legibility is associated with being executive or with being male'!  Laugh, but this is a total absolution for me!

      Now, this brings me full circle to the notion of handwritten letters. Somewhere back,  you wrote that you were using lined paper writing your letter to control the lines going up and down, didn't you?  That's funny because if  I  haven't mentioned it to you yet,  back in my school days, I used to place a lined page underneath papers I'd use to write my reports on! I'm sure you'd think of that as more uncalled for.  But that was because we were asked to submit these assignments specifically hand written!  And I wanted to make my work at least have the guise of some neatness!  Well, I admit this must be one reason my handwriting never improved.  So that as you see my lines now going all over my pages, it should explain to you that I don't have any lined paper within my reach at the moment.

      But you should ask me about my thoughts on such handwritten letters.  Because I do have some in mind, even as I picked some up from whatever manuscript I have come across that detail utmost pleasurable experiences of writing and receiving handwritten letters.  For instance,  it is said that 'some handwritten letters are so deeply a personal communication that they have the power to make us blush, or at the very least, to make us observe a tender moment in the lives of others'.  This source goes on to say that they 'provide us a glimpse into private affairs and minds celebrating romantic and familial love as well as friendship'! And I think that was just lovely!

        Ah yes, such phenomenal impact handwritten letters give - even in this e-mail age! I for one would think that nothing beats the thrill of opening the mailbox and finding a handwritten letter meant just for me! And that certainly turns the thing round about because I feel the same thrill as I put my pen to paper with a particular face in my mind to whom I am about to share my thoughts and feelings.  Notwithstanding the flavors and innovations of the digital communicative world, it is the handwritten letter I can really stay connected to one with whom I would find time and space in between.  It is elegant and gracious....something that comes with an emotional warmth even from imperfect handwriting.... something I can unfold, read, and fold back over and over and over again!

        I do love my technological gadgets but I relish an intoxicating sensation as I hold pen against stationery.  To me, the stationery is poetic, sensual,  an endpoint of sorts to which a part of me flows through the pen.  Conversely, I feel that I receive the same reality whenever I receive one from you. It always comes with the ring of your laughter as well as with the touch of your hand.  It is always one that brightens up my day  because it pushes the alert button from the mailbox for that animating message: 'you've got mail'!  That, in turn,  transports me then to looking forward to your next and therefore,   -adios! for now..... hasta luego!

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It's More Fun in "The Philippines" (Official Video)

Writing Rules

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 the only      
    

12 ½   writing rules

 

                you’ll ever need

               

1.   If you write everyday,       you get better

 

  at writing every day.        2.   If it’s boring 

 

 to you,  it’s boring to your reader.      3.Get a writing routine and stick with it.  4. Poetry 

 

does NOT have to rhyme.       Poetry does  NOT   have to rhyme.  5.  Resist stereotypes, 

 

in real life andin your writing. 6. Writers read.  Writers read a lot.  Writers read all the 

 

time  7.Make lists of your   favorite words   and books    and places  and things.  8.There 

 

doesn’t always have to ba moral to a story. 9. Always bring your note-book.  Always bring

 

a spare pen.    10.  Go for walks,   dance,   pull weeds.       Do the dishes.Write about it. 

 

    11.   Don’t settle on just one style.    Try something new.         12.  Learn totell both 

 

sides of the story.     12 ½. .      Stop looking at this poster.     Write something!

Thanks, Frank Cimatu