Class on a Tuesday?

My class meets on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays this term. So, it seemed a bit weird heading to the BCIT campus bright and early this morning.

We had a special class today to do a bit of reading from the textbook and to allow for some computer time. At this particular level, we are not scheduled in a lab. Students complete most materials from their PCs at home. However, our oral presentations will be coming quickly and the use of MS PowerPoint is now mandatory.



Of course, all students have at least a basic familiarity with all Microsoft Office software, but their levels of proficiency differ. Being in the same lab allowed power users the chance to provide tips and useful techniques to classmates.

Listening / Speaking

I was in class today when I had an odd vision that the future was already here.

My students were doing a speaking assignment on giving directions. They were all speaking into their headsets at the same time in our computer lab. They then saved all the .wav files onto a BCIT mapped drive. I'll evaluate them by copying the files onto an SD card at home. I can pop it into my tablet. I will be able to listen with a set of headphones anywhere. It all felt so far removed from what was possible when I graduated with my BS in Education all those years ago.

Making Things Work

Yesterday, I was most concerned about turning in the final marks for the course which had finished on Friday. This meant that although I didn't have to teach, it didn't feel much like a day off. Now I feel as though I'm really on vacation. I love having the whole day to do whatever I please.

I plan on requesting less teaching time next year. I think that nine contact-hours per week will be sufficient. I have my fingers crossed I can be assigned classes on just three afternoons per week starting in January. I won't know for sure until a few days before classes begin.

So what did I do with my free time today? I went in for my N1H1 flu shot. I sort of missed the previous panic but my doctor thinks there may be an uptick of cases over the next few months. Governments here have paid for all that vaccine, and I figured I might as well take advantage of it. I also walked from the uptown clinic to my credit union. I seldom stop in as I do nearly all of my banking online. I asked for about 30 empty penny rolls. It is time to wrap 'em and spend the twenty bucks towards something in New York City. Cathay Pacific will fly us there on Thursday evening.

I also picked up a new wireless router at London Drugs. I wanted one that could use the N band for when I get an 'around-the-house' laptop in January. I really do find fighting with computer equipment enjoyable. I haven't unpacked the D-Link box yet, as I'm busy copying some Sinhalese-language DVD's to take to Jay's bother in New York. Earlier, I also loaded a plug-in for Windows Media Center 7. It allows an easy way to have podcasts show up inside its interface.

I am very excited about Windows 7 acting as my media hub. I am hoping that I will find accessible Over-The-Air HDTV channels from my location with the antenna I have on order. If I get reception, I'd love to get a new duel HDTV tuner to use for recording and watching. Finally two of my favourite things are going to be joined at the hip: computers and television. Combine OTA and blossoming Internet television, and I just might be able to dump my satellite receiver all together. Since the days of my Radio Shack TRS-80, I've found pleasure in making PC's do my beck and call. I am constantly busy as they seem to do more and more. I guess, people truly are not the same, are they?


My graphics card is connected directly to my HDTV.

My Little Power Trip

My blog posts are a hell of a lot more interesting when I'm not working. Teaching a course, as is now the case, is emotionally and financially satisfying but it surely does clutter my mind with some extemporaneous nonsense. I guess there are only so many avenues of output I'm capable of. When I spend lots of time with the give and take of the classroom, the content of entries may suffer. The facts during these times drift towards very concrete ideas and simple explanations of duties.

Fortunately, I have a chance to counter this trend a bit today. My class is busy writing a three-hour midterm examination. I'm in the front of the lab on the teachers' console. I have a 45-minute chunk of free time.

I may have chatted about this subject in the past, I'm not sure. I am trying to come to a possible definition of power. I don't mean in the physical sense; rather, I am thinking about social power.

In the past, I've tried to tie the idea of mind-space to possible reasons for salaries. For example, a sports figure deserves the big bucks as he or she is on the lips, or in the heads, of multitudes of people. Hollywood actors pull in gigantic sums as their performances occupy literally millions of hours of viewers' time.

Power is related but a tad different. I think I could easily define it as the ability to screw with others people's lives. It's not just measured in mind-space but also in the influence over the actions of others. Increasing power is the length of the effect times the number of people involved. I think the maximum number of people I can effect is about twenty-four. I can dictate the action of the students in this room until five o'clock today.

It's a Matter of Time

This is midterm Thursday and were it not for the fact I will soon have twenty-one tests to correct, I'd be very happy at this moment. Right now, we're having our class in the regularly-scheduled computer lab. My students are writing the three hour exam by hand but will have access to the computers during the final hour of class.

As usual, I have a few extra minutes after getting all stray papers corrected. So, at the moment, I'm typing on the teacher's console in the front of the room. Of course the LCD projector is switched off today. Even if it were on, the students are far too busy on the exam to notice I'm blogging now.

I wrote an email to the class a few minutes ago and needed to put in specific dates. I am very used to just clicking on the current time in the task-bar. This will open a calendar in Vista. Unfortunately, the lab computers do not allow that function. So, I typed calendar into a net search. I ended up at this Canadian calendar. Who ever looks ahead to see when holidays are going to fall during the year? I guess this can only happen when one's got a little extra time.

I discovered that Labour Day is on the first of September! That means schools will probably be getting right back in session near the beginning of the month. That's good news as I generally try to schedule my big autumn vacation at that time. The price of air tickets go down as soon as kids are back in school. Yet, the weather is still great in most places.

Where to this fall? We've been sort of discussing a possible month in Italy ...

What's a Cassette, Teacher?

Today, I had my COMM 0004 students work on a new task.

I have scheduled our entire four-hour class in our department's special computer lab on Thursdays. The flat-screen monitors fold out of the way and the students are able to work in groups during the majority of the afternoon. We work on the computers for the last hour or so.



Many of their special online assignments found on our course homepage can be completed from home. So, I decided to have the students make voice recordings. They hand them in, so to speak, by copying to an Institute share-in network drive. The first assignment was simply to speak for 90 seconds. They were to describe a particular holiday in their culture. Then, they were to share the special ways they celebrate it. I have copied the files to a different share-out drive, so they may listen to each other's recordings.

I have been teaching the same level for many years at BCIT. However, I amaze even myself by how different the class is each time. I vary the materials but even if I didn't, each group of students has a unique character. I am enjoying the present one a lot.

Being Paid to Spy

During the evening classes, my students are often involved in group study. As we meet in a very up-to-date computer lab, they also have many projects where they have to work with CALL (Computer Assisted Language Learning) software. Pronunciation Power is a useful program that really can provide results. Another program, Focus on Grammar is a great deal more interesting than it sounds because it has all the skill areas included in a simple interface. I like to use commercial programs for teaching but they often are not necessary in order to make use of the equipment.

I frequently use the Internet to have my students do more normal things but add an educational goal. For example right now, they have scoured the Internet for a picture they'd like to describe. Next, they are going to open Creative's WaveStudio and describe the photo for ninety seconds. Lastly, they'll save the photo and the audio file in a special class folder so others can listen and view the results.

All the while, I can comfortably sit at the instructor's computer in front of the room. This is rare as I'm usually all over a classroom when teaching. Presently, from the front desk, I can call up what is happening on every screen in the room. The program is called NetSupport School and I've found that spying is rather fun!

A Link's Enough to Fulfill the Obligation

I'm very afraid. Although the blog entries here stretch back to September of 2003, I know that I must never skip a single day. If that were to happen the whole project might fall like a house of cards!

Rather than face that possibility, I have promised myself never to miss one. It doesn't matter that I could be tired. Having nothing to say is no excuse either. Even on those rare days in my life when I'm too busy, I must still take the time to add something.

Even though all three maladies are currently affecting me, here's a link. As I'm typing this in the computer lab at BCIT, I thought I should allow a visitor to stop for a virtual visit too. Just click on the image to go to www.bcit.ca.

Started in Lab 201

I probably won't finish this entry until after I get home. However, as I have an extra minute or two here in the computer lab, I thought I could, at least, get a head start. Now comes the difficult part ... figuring out what to say!

These extra hours will seem nice when the paychecks roll in. It's actually a pleasure to work with these students while focusing on listening / speaking skills. The courses I usually teach are predominately aimed at improving writing stills. The added advantage of working with computers makes the class interesting too. They work with video and audio files and create voice clips during every class. The lab has flat screen monitors and is easily configured for group work too. It's clearly a unique and useful opportunity.

Unfortunately, I see the additional cash as found money as I wasn't counting on it. So, it seems as if I'm obligated to go out and blow it on something I might otherwise not. Should I buy a digital SLR camera?

Out of Class at 21:00

Today, I completed teaching my COMM 0004 class at 5:00. I am now on the other side of the campus in my office. In a few minutes, I will walk into NE1 for an evening COMM 0030/31 class. It takes place in a computer lab as we are able to use the equipment for listening and recording speech. There are several software programs specifically designed for pronunciation practice. In addition, we also save and store audio clips about the topics we are reviewing. There's net storage for every class at the Institute. It can be accessed with student ID and password directly from any computer lab or via a browser gateway from any Internet computer.

Yawn!

I really enjoy the additional, new course I teach on Monday and Wednesday evenings. Rather than focusing on writing skills, it emphasises listening and speaking. We get to interact via computers a lot. The time just flies by during the activities. The students seem to have a variety of backgrounds which can always make things interesting too.

If there is a problem, it'd have to be the fact it doesn't get over till 9 pm. Teaching the number of hours isn't hard; it's just diffucult for me to wind down for bedtime. I kept teaching in the dreams of my shallow sleep for most of last night.

When did I lose my take-it-easy, easy-going attitude towards life?

Changing with the Times

There was a moment during yesterday evening's course when I was struck by how much teaching had changed since I started doing it in the early 80's.

This realization came as students in a computer lab at BCIT were recording audio files. The students are members of a course called, Oral Fluency for Business and Technical Communication. All twenty-one students were speaking into their headsets. They were summarizing their English-learning experiences and stating what they hoped to get out of the 50-hour course.

At first watching them, apparently talking to themselves, seemed a little bizarre. Yet today, from any computer with Net access, we can access the files via a secure connection to the Institutes's network storage server. So, any analogy to old skool cassette tapes is entirely inappropriate.

The Present is Good

I'm in the computer lab with my class again. I would never give up this type of work for another. I'm having one of those days where my job seems like a piece of cake. Don't misunderstand me; it's not easy. Today, however, class has been well organized and my students responsive. I feel more like I'm sharing expertise than teaching content.

If you ask me, I'll generally say that whichever class I'm currently teaching is the best one I've ever taught. Realistically, classes differ wildly in motivation, cohesion, and aptitude. So, to always believe I'm working with my favourites sounds a bit whorish. This profession, perhaps the second oldest, does all really boil down to personal interaction though. As I'm intensively involved with students for sixteen hours a week, I think the world of them. Or rather, for the duration of the course, they become part of my world. This probably explains why I always favour my present group over past ones.

Don't the Brits Say Invigilate?

I'm getting a jump on tomorrow's entry by writing this on Tuesday evening. I'm at a front console in one of BCIT's many computer labs in good ol' NE1. There are two other computer labs being used by our department tonight.

This is a new experience for me. Although I have been involved in our program's placement exams for years, it has always been done on paper. Now, we are gathering information to see if www.accuplacer.com can give our department useful information on the proper classes in which to place students.

There was quite a bit of set up involved. First, we had to get here quite early to:

log on the BCIT network

open the browers and turn off the pop-up blocker

enter the Accuplacer site with ID and password

open to the correct test introduction, and finally,

plug in the headphones and adjust the volume level.

I must say the time is now going swimmingly. I'm able to check the screens when I walk to the back of the lab. It is easy to watch as the students complete each of these sections:

Reading Comprehension

Sentence Structures

One-hour multi-paragraph writing

Listening Comprehension Section.

I expect the computerized scoring of first two sections sections will tell us much more than the grammar part of our old paper exams. it may proved to be more accurate too. Trying to correct opscan sheets with a transparancy overlay can be a bit daunting after a really hard day. We will call up the writing and print to verify the actual content but even that will probably be easier than trying to figure out the handwriting.

Overall, doing the placement tests this way seems much more in tune with the goals of BCIT.

News from the Trenches

Hooray for Tuesday! The week has gotten off to a fine start. My new students are receptive and eager to study. I'd say this is generally the case. As these courses only last for five weeks, the positive momentum hardly has time to fade.

I decided to carry my notebook around with me at BCIT. Finally, wireless access has been improved over on this side of campus on Royal Oak. I put my computer on the front desk along with the piles of papers near my briefcase. It is handy. I carried the notebook down to the teachers' room and started this entry during break.

When coming back upstairs, I saw others running around with their computers. Several of my students even use them to take notes during class. I suddenly had the notion that my long-held dreams were coming true. Technology has come a long way but, honestly, educational adaptation takes too long. We can log on to a common course page wirelessly from any desk at BCIT. If we were to require notebook ownership, then I'd be able to put up most teaching materials in e-form rather than photocopying stacks of handouts. Except in COMM classes, I doubt there's a place where so many people write text with pencils or pens.

Well, in a way, this happens. We meet in NE1 Room 201 on Thursdays. It's the swanky new computer lab with flat-screen monitors that fold to provide group and individual workspace. Students log on at 1:00 and off at 5:00 although we also have regular instruction and testing. So, there's a little more 't' in my BCIT courses than there used to be.

Live from the Burnaby Campus!

If brain power created a smell, the odour in the room would be strong right now. My students are currently writing their midterm exams.



This class was scheduled in a new computer lab in NE 1. At first I was nervous that the configuration wouldn't work well. I teach Communications and one of the most important aspects of my classes is group work. For twenty-five years, I've been arranging my desks into groups of four. Nearly all my tasks involve reading and discussion. I initially thought the rigid arrangement of the lab tables would force me to alter my methodology.

Fortunately, this lab is part of BCIT's tek (technology-enabled knowledge) initiative. The flat screen monitors can be easily arranged to allow for different class configurations. A ceiling-mounted, LCD projector and standard wall screen are easily accessed from the main console. After just two weeks, I cannot imagine going back to a 'normal' classroom.

From my teacher's console, I can show my daily schedule and other documents directly in MS Word format. I no longer need to photocopy onto transparencies.

I use the whiteboard much less. For example, I can simply write homework assignments on our class page at the institute's web portal.

When a question comes up in class, we can search for the answers instantly. In yesterday's class, we verified that the global population is around 6.5 billion.

Also, I can even pop a DVD into the drive, so I don't have to push an awkward portable TV cart to each lesson. This will encourage me to use video clips in addition to written materials.

I used to dream of the day when students had their own computers in an ordinary classroom. The day has arrived although it sneaked up on me. Today, the students are writing out the midterm exams on paper. I can only wonder when I'll start accepting e-versions.

Instant Answers, Please

I'm not sure if information will ever be completely free, but it certainly has become more accessible nowadays. I've ranted and raved about my workplace's web portal many times in this blog. At BCIT, I use the automatically-generated course page extensively. I just revel in the fact I can pester students both day and night with messages, bulletins, and file attachments.

The portal also brings together information from different systems at the Institute. For example, last evening at nearly 9:00 pm, I was able to enter scheduling to see if my usual computer lab was available earlier in the afternoon today. I wanted to re-schedule as I'm giving the midterm exam! I could've checked any room on campus on any particular day in the future. This information used to be harder to obtain and would have required requests sent to special staff. I certainly wouldn't have been able to get hold of that data after work hours.

The value of knowing room timetabling hasn't diminished; however, access is certainly convenient and less expensive to provide at present. Technology is making things much easier and I have no respect for, nor patience with, technophobes.

Just the Facts, Ma'am

Yesterday's blog post mentioned a movie where the characters spent a substantial amount of time in the air between India, the UK, and the United States. Immigration is nothing new; in fact, in North America we often define ourselves as being nations of immigrants. Yet facts and perception are intertwined when it comes to forming one's personal beliefs. I find it a topic where it's fun to pursue facts as there are a great deal of statistics involved.

Click the screenshot to visit the Globe and Mail article. It was forwarded to me as email by a friend.

I found it so interesting that I included the link as part of an assignment. My international ESL students were in computer lab language yesterday. Presently, we are focusing on comparison and contrast; therefore, the language of the article fit right into our unit.

(To view a PDF version of selected pages from the original report, download from Statistics Canada.)

By DIANA PEREIRA
Tuesday, March 8, 2005 Updated at 10:57 AM EST
Globe and Mail Update

Immigrants who arrive in Canada are much more likely to become citizens than immigrants to any other country, according to a report released Tuesday by Statistics Canada.

According to the report, 84 per cent of eligible immigrants were Canadian citizens in 2001.

The study, "Becoming Canadian: Intent, process and outcome," compared Canadian statistics with those in other countries.

In the United States, only 40 per cent of foreign-born residents are citizens. In Britain, only 50 per cent of eligible immigrants are British citizens. In Australia, 75 per cent of eligible immigrants are citizens.

Younger Canadians are more likely to become citizens than their older counterparts. About 85 per cent of those immigrants aged less than 20 years at the time of their arrival to Canada have become naturalized, versus 72 per cent of those who arrived at age 70 years or over.

Also, the longer newcomer stay in Canada, the more likely they are to become citizens. In 2001, 57 per cent of immigrants who had been residents for four to five years had become citizens.

Even though immigrants are eligible to apply to become a citizen only after they have lived in Canada for three years out of the previous four, the decision to become one happens quickly after arrival. The majority of immigrants decide within the first six months of their of residence whether they intend to become citizens.

The study cites several factors that influence the decision: attachment to birth country and Canada, rules in their home country regarding dual citizenship, time, cost and knowledge of the citizenship process.

Census data show that recent immigrants are taking less time to become citizens than their previous counterparts.

The 1991 Census showed that 51 per cent of immigrants who had been residents for four to five years had become citizens. In 1981, it was only 42 per cent.

This trend may be a result of the countries of origin, the report suggests.

In the past decade, newcomers in Canada are more likely to have been born in Asian countries such as India, Philippines or China. Before the 1960s, most were from Europe.

Immigrants from Asia or Africa are more likely to become citizens than those from Europe or the United States.

Americans living in Canada are the least likely to seek citizenship. Even among those Americans who have been in Canada for more than 30 years, 32 per cent are not citizens.

The study also shows that refugees from developing countries are most likely to become Canadian citizens.

Teachers Talking Shop

A new blogging friend said,

" ... my last teaching session, my kids made a CD using PowerPoint. It showcased their accomplishments for the whole year. They even learned about copywrited music and wrote to the author for permission. It wasn't an easy task but it was fun. I got chewed out for attempting it. These kids were basically written off because they were special ed. I hate when people put people in a box. But I did enjoy rubbing administration nose in dirt ;-) sort-a-speak when I presented each one with a copy. They didn't give me time of day but you could see it their faces. I was so proud of my kids, when I get down I pull up the files and play them. I had a rough year there and didn't return. I was told I care too much. Hmmmm, what's this world coming to?"

---

I responded,

"Very few people in administration understand how computers in education SHOULD work. It's all delegated to the 'official computer' instructor rather than just being a part of the general curriculum. Some great classroom teachers are allergic to them and I cannot see why. It seems just as natural as life to use computer labs for any subject and implement tasks exploiting a computer's strengths. Lab empahsis should switch from drill and instruction to using the devices as a creative and research tool. I should think this would be especially obvious to English instructors, but alas, by what I've witnessed ...

I've no 'documented training' in computers but seem much more proficient in making use of them in a learning environment then some of those who boast an extensive list of qualifications ....

... oh Lordie, aren't I just the cat's meow, or what?"

---

Computers and Communications Courses

I have taken students into computer labs since the days when PC's had just 640K of RAM. I still schedule an hour of lab time every week. I tend to encourage students to use computers as more of a research and work tool than for computer-assisted instruction.

Doing useful things in the lab is easy because of the Internet and a tool offered at BCIT. I frequently make use of myBCIT, a web portal for the Institute. As soon as a student registers in class, he / she is provided with access to the portal and an accompanying email address. Most school paperwork and documentation can be provided though an electronic pipeline. When logging on, students are presented with their class lists and an accompanying work area for each class.

I have easy means to add links, supervise a class message board, initiate an online chat, add to our course calendar, or email the entire group in one step. That is a whole lot easier than when I needed to collect email addresses during the first scheduled class! Computers greatly impact our private lives, so it should not be considered unusual that they affect how we teach and learn.