Great News for COSL

As some of you might know, I work as a Research Assistant for Center for Open and Sustainable Learning, with Dr. Dave Wiley. This link tells how we finally got the Utah Legislature to give us money to develop more classes (open courseware). This is an exciting event for all of us!!!!!!

http://opencontent.org/blog/archives/311

I have developed one of those courses that is online, that teaches you about Web2 things, such as podcasting, screencasting, mashups, folksonomies, social software, bla, bla, bla.

http://ocw.usu.edu/Instructional_Technology/new-media

Such a Long Time!!!

I am in my second semester of a PhD. It has been a very busy year. I am also serving as Vice President of the Instructional Technology Student Association, which has proven to be a very productive and active group. We are producing a Journal, sponsoring Professor Presentations (Professors from around the country in my field), Informal nights at Professors homes, Brown Bag presentations, search for a new Professor, and a search for a new Department Head. The most exciting thing for me is the direction my group, COSL,is going, thanks to our 'leader', Dr. Dave Wiley. We have taken on a project in the Himalaya's, (Kathmandu and four other villages) thanks to Tiffany Ivins (a member of my cohort and COSL). She and her new husband Mitchel set up some computer/technology training centers while there in December. In May, a team of us will be there for further research, and to help set up 4 more centers, as well as conduct instruction. The project is very unique. Our intention is to build it so it can be easily replicated in other third world countries. I hope to be able to take this to some of the countries where my heart still lingers to be, such as the Dominican Republic.

One never knows, this early in the PhD, but I will venture to say that my research is centered around elder populations (such as myself) and using computer games to enhance lives mentally, physically, and socially. I am in a games class now, learning to build games. I know this is a computer resistant population, but because there is tremendous benefit, I am looking for ways to convince baby boomers of the importance of computer games, and turn the producers of this culture toward the later-life learners, whose numbers exceed the youthful. I will be working on a few pilot projects before I jump in. If anyone has any useful suggestions - I am listening.

Idaho Falls

I have not left the country, as planned, but at least I had a chance to leave the state. Vistied my father's grave side then played golf in Idaho Falls in his honor. He played golf right up to the end. He tried to get me to tag along when I was younger, but I just didn't want to go. Now I find it a nice escape.

My First Audioblog

Well, my first audioblog ain't much, but it is something. I will have to try this out again - I shall call from the great outdoors and describe the beautiful outdoors of Utah. Hopefully (or not), there will be cell phone towers so that I can do it. Today promises to be a beautiful day and I look forward to the freezing cold in the mountains as well as a get away from studies. Can't get too far from studies, though, because many things are due next week.

I am finishing the OCW course for David Wiley - about Web2.0 things. I am taking PHP and MySQL and have a storefull of data due. And not least of all, I have to regurgitate, in writing, deep thoughts on what grant I want to write for.

Mapping

I have been looking at various mapping tools and decided to jump in with Wayfaring Wayfaring. It seemed pretty straightforward. But it does not recognize Logan, Utah as a place. And when I put markers on the map I later found that they actually do not correspond to actual spots on campus. Still, it was easier to use than Mapbuilder.

Graduation

Finally, the day has come and gone. As we marched through the streets of campus, people lined the corridor, clapping, honking horns, cheering, taking pictures, celebrating our achievments with us. But the part that brought tears to my eyes was when we entered a tunnel lined with university professors, dressed in their unique regalia, clapping and cheering us on. I let lose some tears. The talks were inspiring and became the line of demarcation between struggling to get my masters and realizing I had achieved it. Now on to the last phase of my goal - the Doctorate degree. Thank you to all who have supported me thus far......................

A Landmark Day

I received a letter in the mail today that had me crying so hard I almost turned around and went back into the house instead of to the grocery store. I could hardly control my emotions. The only way to explain it is through the experiences I have had as a mother.

I attended three years of college in Los Angeles which amounted to Junior College work, general education and floating around trying to find an interest. I went from Philosophy to Economics. Many years later, in 1998, I finally applied to a university for a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology. The day I got that letter of acceptance, I cried - it was a great landmark, comparable to the day you realize that you are pregnant (13 times for me).

And then in 2004 I received yet another letter saying I was accepted into the Masters Degree program in Instructional Technology. It was comparable in feelings to the first time you feel that baby kick inside of you. I wore a glow, daily, enjoying the pregnancy so very, very much, but finally ready to welcome my baby into my arms. I have similarly enjoyed the journey of getting a masters degree.

But today is the beginning of a whole new change in my life. It is here. I held the letter in my hand that said I was accepted into the PhD program for Instructional Technology at Utah State University. It was like holding your brand new baby in your arms, knowing that you will love and nourish this baby for its life and you will grow through all of the hardship, through all of the miracles.

From where I stand, this is one of those landmark days. I am the only one to get a bachelors degree amongst my siblings and my ancestors. I am the first (because my #3 son is in an MBA program) to get a Masters degree and now a Doctorate. Oh my gosh. You just can't imagine what this means for me - a very life long dream is about to be embarked upon.

I am humbled, I am ready and I am thankful.

Philadelphia Area Education Technology Conference

I have returned from Philadelphia. It was my first time visiting the East coast. I stayed at the beautiful Wyndham Hotel on the campus of Bryn Mawr. On February 22 I gave three lectures at Haverford College: Lessons Learned, Bliking in a Third World Country and one on building an educational game in Quake III. The last one was actually Marie Duncan's lecture and I just added my 2 cents worth. Laura Blankenship and Jean-Claude Bradley sponsored the conference. The following day I spent with Laura meeting faculty and students at Bryn Mawr and visiting her technology department. An added plus was meeting her husband, Doug Blank, and seeing his robots and talking about Emerging Pedagogy as well as a business model he wrote about opensource education. The intellectual atmosphere was energizing. We are of the same mind and community and yet we have never met before. Quite a testament to the world of technology today.

I do have some wonderful pictures of Bryn Mawr but I haven't downloaded them yet. And because I live in two worlds, far apart from each other, I am always leaving something at the wrong place at the wrong time. Jean-Claude and I produced another blog with some of the lectures from this conference. You can find it at http://phillyedcast.blogspot.com He did more work than me. I came home from Philly with bad bugs that invaded my body and sapped my strength.

Home from the Dominican Republic

I had a wonderful time in the DR. It was warm (no calor) and beautiful. Of all the latin countries I have spent time in, this one, by far, is the most friendly and gracious. They held a press conference with the Secretary of State in our honor. We were introduced to the country and made to feel very welcome. TV and newspapers covered the conference. We met with the Presidents of the Unversities and visted campuses in Santiago and Santo Domingo: UNAPEC, UASD and INFODUSO, and various BioTech labs throughout the country.

I was impressed with the interest this country has in technology and the efforts they have already made to bring the country into the world of computers. The UASD library was extremely impressive, as well as the technology in use at UNAPEC and INFODUSO. UASD, the largest university, with 150,000 students just finished computer labs that were impressive. The US research team consisted of Lex Shakespeare, myself and Deepak Subramony as the PI. The Biotech team consisted of Bart Weimer (PI), Kamal Rashid and Kathy McConkie. I left my pictures on my PC that is, at the moment, several hundred miles away.

I am enjoying Xmas in the country with my family. We will be presenting our research in Orlando, Florida in March. And I will be presenting an offshoot of that research in Philadelphia in February. More later..........

We are the team chosen to assess needs of Higher Education in the Dominican Republic. In two weeks we leave for the DR.
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The BioTech team from the Domincan Republic (plus Bart and Morris from USU)
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Tanya, Lex and Isabell. Tanya and Isabell teach Mathematics at UASD.
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Lex, Deepak and the team from the Domincan Republic (minus me, who is taking the picture). We will be in their country soon.
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Friends in the Canyon
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incognito
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JC in Hardware Ranch
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JC in the canyon
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Hardware Ranch
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Logan Canyon
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