Martinique and Club Med 2, March 4, 2015

Posted: March 23, 2015 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , | Leave a comment
Club Me 2 docked at San Juan

Club Me 2 docked at San Juan

As a birthday celebration for Hallee, I thought it would be nice to get away and enjoy some peaceful time together. In San Juan harbor I had seen the Club Med 2 which I thought was a beautiful ship. It had masts and sails, so I thought it would be a cruise on a quiet boat under sail gliding peacefully through the Caribbean. Hallee liked the idea as it would be possible to visit some additional Caribbean island to the Lower Antilles that we had seen on the map but not visited. Being in Puerto Rico, Martinique was appealing as it was a French island and we could experience a different culture. We had enjoyed our previous trips to Paris and thought this would be similar. If you follow the rest of the blog, you will see what happened.

Our day started off with a trip to the San Juan Airport and a short 2 hour flight using Seaborne airlines to Martinique. We arrived at the airport 2 hours early and went to our gate to wait for the flight. Seaborne is a partner with American Airlines so they had the last gate at the end of their terminal. When it came time to board the flight down the steps we went and on to a beautiful looking Saab turboprop plane. Upon entering the flight attendant told us to sit anywhere in the back beyond row 10. There were only 5 passengers, including ourselves on this flight on a plane that held 40. It was a pleasant flight skipping along islands and landing easily in Martinique at Fort de France. The only observance was the air-conditioning becoming colder and colder. Because the plane did not have many passengers and there was no temperature control, it progressively became colder. We asked the flight attendant, but she apologized and said it was beyond her or the pilot’s control to regulate the temperature.

We disembarked the plane and were led to customs and passport control. There were no forms to fill out! It was really quick only asking where we were staying. On to pickup our luggage and meet our driver to take us to our hotel for the evening. We meet the driver who was on his phone and told us to wait. He led us out of the terminal with use pulling our own luggage to a Mercedes van that held 15 or so people. We were the only occupants. “You can put your luggage here.” He opened the back and motioned to the spot where I lifted up the luggage. This was going to be an interesting ride. Hallee asked how long it was to the hotel and he replied about 30 to 40 minutes. We were going to the south of the island to a lodge called Plein Soleil.

We traveled some beautiful highways winding past the coast and up into the mountains. This was really nice we thought. Then all of a sudden he turned into a dirt road, lined by a sugar cane field with lots of ruts and holes. He weaved here and there in this large van on this narrow road. Our only thought was, “are we going to be ok and not become a statistic in those tourist nightmares where two Americans are robbed.” About 10 minutes of this ride we arrived on the top of a mountain with a paved entrance and island architecture. Boy,  were we relieved. Upon looking at TripAdvisor ratings the one con about this Plein Soleil was the rough road to reach it. We check in and were assigned a lovely villa. The staff spoke English and were really kind and helpful. The room and site looked just as they were pictured on the Internet. This was a really nice place to spend a couple of nights exploring Martinique. We made arrangements to have dinner at the hotel as it was a top rated restaurant. Dinner did not disappoint, it was a fixed three course meal. We had cocktails in the lounge overlooking the water and were ushered in for dinner.

We stopped at the desk to make arrangements for taking a tour the next morning which was confirmed for 10. We headed off for a restful night.

Taking a trip on a spur of the moment

Posted: December 5, 2014 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Hallee and I had escaped Chicago’s cold winter the first day it reached into the 20’s in mid November. We are now in our Puerto Rico paradise. Two weeks ago while having breakfast at our favorite spot Kamoli, we sat next to two young girls. Hallee struck up a conversation and learned they were from Columbia. “Let’s go” my adventurous wife stated. We found a travel agent through friends and arranged a meeting. However, upon traveling to her office, she professed to know nothing about Columbia. I am going to a seminar next week and will know more then, but how about another location. We had always wanted to go to Machu Picchu so that became our destination. Keep in mind we are able to act quick. We decided to take the trip on a Thursday, met the travel agent on Monday and left the following Tuesday. Our trip was to take us from San Juan, PR to Panama City, Panama for a couple of days, then to Cusco, Peru, the sacred valley, Machu Picchu, and then to Lima. The following entries will relive our trip as we are now back in the Isle of Enchantment, our paradise of sun and ocean.

Learning network vs. classroom teaching

Posted: February 27, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: eLearning, Learning Environment, Learning Styles, Reflective analysis | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

In reading Tom Peters book, “The Tom Peters Seminar; Crazy Times Call for Crazy Organizations”, I found a reference to Oxford University professor, Sir Douglas Hague. This led to the reading of his “Beyond Universities: A New Republic of the Intellect.” Hague sees the world turned into a “giant learning network”. Being a part of the British educational system which stresses a teacher being a lecturer with their students as sponges soaking up material presented to them, his evaluation shows a lack of education. The student does not have the opportunity for discussion, they are being trained and not educated. At the upper degree levels, the students are awarded masters for formal class work. Students working for PhD’s in research also face challenges as to proper training where their supervisors only advise. Notice the use of the word; training. Hague sees students in the sciences and medicine receiving better training than those in the fields of arts and social sciences.

Peters also quotes Brookings Institute scholar and educator Diane Ravitch who states learning is; “anything at a time and place of one’s choosing.” Ravitch states that teachers become, “Coaches and guides who help students . . . through the new technology and teaching programs.” Learning becomes; personal, on-demand, just in time and wherever, whenever and however as the student requests.

Many scholars are now decreeing the lack of evolution in the educational system. Students are still being taught as their parents and grandparents before them. The classroom is described as a box that talks. The issue always becomes what should student’s education consist of. Should the Internet serve the function of providing resources as the traditional library has in the past. There will always be the question of authenticity, which also occurs with textbooks. How much English, literature, history, math, physical and social sciences units and what topics should be covered? How do we assess the progress of our students? Perhaps the student should choose the method of delivery and based on an established set of standards be evaluated. Should the student be tested using paper tests or would a audio test be acceptable?

Learning has become standardized, why does each university have to teach their own version of English 101. Why not use an open standard to create a course taught by an engaging teacher/lecturer and let the class watch the presentation. Then the instructor becomes an educational consultant in help guiding a student’s learning plan. This way a student is able to reference resources from many different places. It may in a classroom setting, the comfort of their dorm room, a student lounge, the library, almost anywhere a student is.

eLearning should be one of the alternatives in a students method of content delivery.

The Tipping Point

Posted: January 23, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: eLearning, How do people learn, Learning Environment, Learning Styles, Reflective analysis | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

I have just completed “The Tipping Point” by Malcolm Gladwell. It is a business book about how products, social issues and even teenage smoking become trends. He takes these trends and matches them to the phases of epidemics. Gladwell explains how a disease becomes an epidemic and then points out similarities when it comes to trends in marketing products, and interestingly includes some social issues, like crime in New York city.

In his book, he develops a vocabulary of patterns, factors and relates them to types of people. There are: “Connectors” who know lots of people and are able to bring them together, “Mavens” who have great knowledge and are willing to share it (a teacher), and finally the “Salesmen” who is a persuader.

Gladwell has three key factors: 1.) The Law of the Few, 2.) The Stickiness Factor, and 3.) The Power of Context. Using these factors are used to show how a trend develops.

How do I apply this to e-Learning? Many schools, colleges and universities have been impressed/frightened  by the University of Phoenix and its rise to prominence in the field of education. It has promoted a call to all higher education institutions to start developing on-line courses (e-learning). What most educators fail to understand is that the nature of the traditional classroom with a instructor giving a lecture, having required readings (sometimes from a textbook), giving and grading homework assignments and finally assessing students performance by a test is an outdated model. If the student is well adapted to classroom method of education, they do well. Do they really get an education? Other students do not take well to the classroom situation, but are able to learn on their own. These are the students that need a different form of delivery. What is the method of this learning. With the Internet, the range of options is unlimited.

What is the tie in with the tipping point? Educators need to look at students, evaluate each one individually and track how they learn. This is more than just defining educational learning styles academically. There is someone that will be innovative enough to define the real issue and problems. This person or group will be challenged by the existing establishment, but this will only help them refine their solutions. This person or group will start out small, but as others realize the benefits of their methods. Eventually, the idea will find the “Connector, Maven and Salesman”. The concept/program will then start growing exponentially.

Learner-centered education

Posted: January 11, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: eLearning, Learning Environment | Tags: , , | Leave a comment

The current education model which is a classroom where a teacher lectures, creates activities and assesses students is being challenged. It has been labeled as “Voodoo Education.” The content is derived from the experiences of administrators and instructors, where they dictate what should be taught and learned.

There is a lot research done about how people learn, but the theories do not necessarily translate and apply to today’s learners. I am going to point out that there is lifelong and lifewide learning. Lifelong learning takes places through the various stages of life. Lifewide learning refers to the range of learning environments; formal, non-formal and informal. I define a student as some one in a formal educational system. This formal education takes place in a classroom or is distributed from an elementary, middle, high school or higher education institution. Once a learner has completed their formal education, non formal and informal education changes a person into a lifelong and lifewide learner. Non-formal learning is organized education outside of the formal education system such as tutoring, continuing studies, in-service training, and professional and organizational education in the workplace. Informal learning takes place within society, family, community and in daily work.

Students must learn to speak the language of their school/institution/university. Students must accommodate and assimilate  into institutions, but not all students are successful at this. This does not mean that they cannot learn. The form of delivery is what is disruptive to their learning process. Students are traditionally measured on “outcomes” which is; what you know, what you can do, and through reflection how well you can guide your next steps. There is foundation knowledge, mission-specific knowledge, cultural knowledge and professional knowledge.”

I like the idea of Peter Smith: “America’s personal learners need an educational passport” that provides “a cumulative, continuing appraisal of life experiences and formal learning anytime and anyplace.” This passport would include the traditional transcripts of  formal learning institutions. Now the document could include those other non-formal and informal educational opportunities to help define the lifelong and lifewide learner.

Reflective Writing and ePortfolios

Posted: January 4, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: e-Portfolios, Reflective analysis | Tags: , | Leave a comment

Reflective writing is a form of learning. You have to get your ideas down and then think about them based on your past experiences. Reflection is a process that leads to articulation, self assessment of life beyond an educational setting, and using multiple sources of evidence make sense of events and situations.

Being trained as an architect and civil engineer reflective writing is new to me. My professional training in writing was pointed towards technical documents analyzing a design situation. The analysis led to a design solution whether it was a residence, church, commercial building or a water retention site plan (here the engineering kicks in). Then this design produced a series of specifications and plans that represented the finished structure.

I am working in conjunction with this blog to use an ePortfolio to design a strategy for delivery of training materials. I am modifying group trainings as I find personalization works best. You cannot just lecture to a group of people and expect them to learn, this is the traditional educational model that is followed in our schools. I add class exercises and allow students to follow along on their computers as I demonstrate.

How do you deliver a useful eLearning system? These are the questions, I will be reflecting on. I will use personal experience as well as research (both Internet and Academic journals). How are the materials going to be delivered and how do you address the option of using a smart-phone?

Stay tuned as the journey begins.

The problem with e-Learning is access

Posted: January 2, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: eLearning | Tags: , | Leave a comment

In doing research about learning styles, I have rediscovered Curtis Bonk who I saw give a presentation at DePaul University School of Education a couple of years ago. My web search found his book “The World is Open”. I used inter-library loan to get a copy. His premise is that the Internet is going to be the major delivery medium for learning. This also includes the education of high school and college students. I like his thesis and ideas. However, there exists one important issue: access. In his book, he has promised a free copy to those who cannot afford to buy one, but that is not yet complete. Right idea, just missing the implementation. What if you cannot afford Internet access?

In order to use the Internet, you need access. Right now any college student has the opportunity to use computer labs or access wireless points through out their campus. What if students cannot afford computers; colleges provide labs. These labs are only available during certain hours, not always the times that students are studying. Access needs to be 24/7. What happens when the student goes home?

Many students do not have access to computers at home due to economic reasons. The cost of the computer is dropping, but you need to buy access time. This is a similiar analogy to the cheap printers. It is not the cost of the printer, but the supplies to run it that mount up. It is a major investment to provide Internet access in your home. Internet could be provided by cities much as water and sewer services are. There are opportunities for partnerships to build the infrastructure. Internet access needs to be thought of as a “utility” and economies of scale need to be applied.

Many students are computer literate, but only if their high schools or parents have the economic means. Computer labs in high schools need to become a priority of school districts. I know that funding is always an issue, but we need to think about the future of our country. The money spent on libraries could be directed towards computer labs.

e-Learning

Posted: December 15, 2010 | Author: | Filed under: eLearning, How do people learn | Tags: | Leave a comment

My research in how people learn has led me to “e-Learning and the Science of Instruction” by Ruth Clark and Richard Mayer. eLearning is defined as computer driven instruction. You need to define learning objectives just as you do in any instructional model. Clark and Mayer define 5 types of content:

  1. Fact which is specific and unique data or instance.
  2. Concept which is a category that includes multiple examples.
  3. Process which is a flow of events or activities.
  4. Procedure which is a task performed with ste-by-step actions.
  5. Strategic Principles which is a task performed by adapting guidelines.

There are three eLearning architectures:

  1. Receptive which is “Information Acquisition’ and is used for providing training goals such as new hires.
  2. Directive which is “Response Strengthening” and is used for performing procedure training goals such as software skills.
  3. Guided Discovery which is “Knowledge Construction” used to perform strategic training goals such as problem solving.

Clark and Mayer have lots of research to back up their opinions. They point out that you need to provide words and graphics and not just text. You need to align the words and graphics and not have text on one page and graphics either proceeding or following the text. It is best to use audio narration rather than on- screen text. You can explain visuals with either audio or text words, not both. Lessons should be broken up into manageable parts. Tell stories and use examples to reinforce principles. The material needs to have a learner feedback feature, just not testing for knowledge of material content.

In their book, Clark and Mayer  layout guidelines for e-Lessons with the underlying principle for each. It is an interesting scholarly view with research to back up their principles.

However to me it seems that it can be much simpler just by defining styles of learning and then using the learner type to support delivery method.

Investigating Learning Styles

Posted: December 5, 2010 | Author: | Filed under: How do people learn, Learning Styles | Tags: , | Leave a comment

My first investigation focuses on Kolb’s Learning Cycle progressing to McCathy’s 4MAT system and the VARK model of Fleming and Mills.

Kolb’s learning theory sets out four distinct learning styles, which are based on a four-stage learning cycle. Kolb’s learning theory introduces us to four distinct learning styles (or preferences), which are based on a four-stage learning cycle – learning by feeling, watching, thinking and doing.

Kolb's Learning Styles Model

Kolb's Learning Styles Model

How do people learn? How do you deliver training processes?

Posted: November 8, 2010 | Author: | Filed under: How do people learn, Learning Environment | Tags: , | 1 Comment

This site is meant to gain knowledge in exploring how people learn. I have always noticed that many instructors are never given any formal training or guidance into preparing training material for classes and other electronic delivery. Online learning is the new buzz, but how is effective content prepared?

People learn in many different ways. They are affected by their environment and cultural factors. The traditional method of teaching has always been a lecture followed up with additional readings and homework. Is that an effective method for everyone? I believe not.

Students fall into learner centered, knowledge centered, or community centered environments all with some form of assessment to support and measure learning.

I propose to do research based on the different environments and try to find optimal solutions as to delivery of educational material to each group.