Time Flies - when you're having fun!

Where has this semester gone? I cannot believe I have survived and that it will all be over on Saturday. At the beginning of the semester, I was excited and nervous. By the middle of the semester, I was scared. Now I'm relieved and sad that it is coming to an end.

I had no idea what I was doing in this course and if I'd ever be able to complete a project. Sure, I was having fun waundering around AET Zone, but was I accomplishing anything? It certainly didn't seem like it. I read the chapters in the book. I read all the discussion submissions and when I thought I had a new idea or opinion, I responded. I scanned most of the blogs. Some of them were very interesting and others were way over my head. As the time passed, I felt that I came to know some of the class members, without ever meeting them. I couldn't put names with faces -- not even for the people meeting here in Hickory. I still had a sense of what they were feeling about the class and our projects.

Early in the semester, many of us felt lost. There was comfort in knowing I wasn't alone. In a "normal" class, I may not have been able to learn the thoughts of the others in the class. Blogging seemed natural for me. I've kept journals at various times in my life, so why not now. By having the blogs and discussion boards, I could "eavesdrop" on all of the other students. I could express my feeling about the class -- since I felt unable to understand all the jargon used by educators. After all, I am a counselor and feeling come more easily.

After one of my first blogs, I had a comment. The person who responded was not from our class. It felt strange to know that anyone in the world with a computer could read what I was writing. It inhibited me for a few days and then I just forgot about it. If anyone is that bored, let them read.

The learning sets were frustrating and supporting. Trying to communicate using the coffee house never seemed to work. Sitting on a sofa, in the same room worked much better. We tried to use the new technology. We gave up! I'm sure if the members of our group had been dispersed across the state, we would have tried harder. Since we live near by and work on the same campus, it was just easier and more productive to meet face-to-face. Eventually, we did go the AET Zone together, but we usually connected by phone as well. We used the technology available to us in a way that was comfortable to us (Since we are all Digital Immigrants!)

I am working on my assessment task. In many ways it is just another journal entry with a couple of references documented. As I re-read it and prepare to print out the final copy, I can see that this has been a wonderful learning experience for me. The relationships are invaluable. The new resources are still overwhelming, but now that the class is coming to an end, I can spend some time touring around and completing my next project. There are certainly many ways to use multimedia that I will not use. There are other ways that I will try to implement into my work (with the help of our tech staff). I have a better understanding of action learning and I appreciate the concept of social constructivism. I know it would not have worked for me at an earlier point in my life, but it was a great way to learn this semester.

Thanks to all who contributed to my experience. I know I won't put this portfolio on the shelf and forget it.

I'll see you in the Zone -- since we get to keep our access.

Alien vs. Immigrant

I really enjoyed reading the article about digital natives vs. immigrants. At best I am an immigrant and sometimes I feel like an alien. During class we talked about the way young people are being raised and how it impacts not only the way teachers try to reach and connect to them in class but also everything they experience in their lives. I realize that I have strong opinions about families and the way our society has changed over the years. As I child, I often dreaded being called to the dinner table and having to answer questions about my day at school. I remember that it was a rare occassion when we were allowed to take our plate and move to the room with the TV (Black and white with rabbit ears, no less). I remember that the telephone was left unanswered many times - knowing that if it was really important, they would call back. Family time was a priority and valued. My parents made the same commitment as the kids, dinner was "our time."

Now as an adult, I realize that we were the Cleaver family. We were the lucky ones. My mom was always home when we got there. She helped us with homework and prepared our dinner. Our extracurricular activities were limited to weekends and one night per week. Not everyone valued that time together, but my parents did.

Today families pass in the driveway while one child goes to practice and another returns from dance lessons. Parents are chauffers and kids are so busy they stay connected by using cell phones and pagers. Kids can't wait to get their own cars so they can move around without parents. Often parents are not home to help with homework. Rarely, is a child "un-connected" from others through some type of electronic device -- but they also don't seem to talk (face-to-face) with anyone.

How does all this impact the way we teach and the way we learn? Are their brains really wired differently? Do they learn while listening to music, talking on the phone and watching TV? If we use action learning with them, can they really do all those things and still learn from the process? I hope so! I'm counting on these kids to take care of me in the future. I want to know that the doctors and nurses can calculate the correct amount of medicine I need. I want to know that the mechanic knows how to fix my car with or without hooking it up to a diagnostic machine. I want the clerk at the store to know how to make change. Most of all, I want to be treated like a human being with feeling -- not an interruption to their busy life!

Rushing around, multi-tasking may be the norm for kids, but I 'm still working primarily with adults (other immigrants). Instructors who use all the technology in their teaching may contribute to the fear of adults returning to the classroom. Helping adults return -- encouraging them to spend time on a computer, searching the internet, writing blogs, participating in discussion boards -- is valuable. It will help them communicate better with younger co-workers, their children, each other. It may also scare them right out of the room. Maybe we need TSL (Technology as a Second Language) classes. Originally, I thought about doing a project where adults could practice on the computers and become familiar with the current technologies available to them. I can still use these ideas in my work -- using the kiosk in the lobby, they can practice getting on the internet. Now that I am more familiar with some of the tools available I will be more prepared to direct them. This may end up being my next project - after the class is completed.

For now, I'm still an immigrant. I'm waiting for my visa to allow me to stay --- knowing that I may be deported at any moment! My bags are packed, just in case.