Thanks for the Kind Words

I love the Internet for many reasons. My appreciation is for much more than the things I do on a daily basis with it. The more amazing thing is the potential. Any of us could start to learn a new language, or begin learning an entirely new field of study. Certain careers were not even dreamt of when some of us went to college. The Internet has changed how we handle money, conduct business, and entertain ourselves. Yet today, it is ability to reach out and find someone that I'd like to celebrate.


I had an email out of the blue from one of the students pictured above. That is a scan from over twenty six years ago in the country of Bahrain. I was involved in teaching at the Bahrain Defense Force at the Muharraq Airbase. I remember these guys very fondly.

One particularly memorable guy, Isa, emailed me this week. He is holding the hair pick in the original picture. He said he was happy to find my email address. He's now married and living in Qatar.

It is gratifying hearing from this student who appreciated a student/teacher relationship forged so many years ago.

My Final Group

This week, the images part of my eJournal and images seems to be taking the front seat. Today is no exception. I have been adding photos of my classes for years and years. It is nice to be able to go back and remember specific individuals and groups.

Today's inclusion seems even more precious as it is my last one as a permanent BCIT instructor. We were on the library steps as we had a special interviewing activity. I have done this since teaching the COMM 0005 level and it is a little sad thinking that I won't be doing another in the foreseeable future.

I Have the Greatest Job!

As a student, I never had to go to school on my birthday. Similarly, during the majority of my teaching years I have been off on July 23rd. Yet, during the past few years, I have been teaching summer courses at BCIT. This means the date can very well fall on a class day.

It did today.

I generally get to the class at around 8:15 for my 8:30 class. With the present group I'm teaching, I have never gone into an empty room. Strangely, the lights in NE 1 Room 403 were still off when I got there. I figured this might have to do with the day itself. The session following our midterm examination can be a little lower-key than usual. It's not an exciting point in the term. Still, no one had arrived as 8:30 approached. Strange!



I walked to the elevator to head downstairs. I heard quite a ruckus from the shaft. The doors opened and my entire group exited, carrying a cake, and singing, Happy Birthday! I cut the cake which we ate during breaktime. How thoughtful! I really am blessed with the greatest groups at BCIT. Oh, and the chocolate cake was great too.

On the Steps to the Library

It looks like a small class as some were missing when we took this picture. What a great day for our library project though! Just walking across campus felt great because of the weather. Generally, I do not post photos of the students I'm currently teaching. However, as this group will write their final examination on Wednesday, it seems close enough to the end.

I often say it, but this is one class I really will miss.

My Best-Looking Class of the Year!

I emailed this picture to the class members with a short message. It said that they were the best-looking class that I had taught this year! Of course, then I had to add that they're the ONLY class I've taught so far in 2014.

Today was an excellent day to see some of the campus. We went to the library where small groups of students had to find someone to interview. Primarily I wanted them to make use of the library resources. It was a great chance for them to talk with a full-time student or staff member. One of their last online assignments is now to write up an incident report. They need to decide on headings and think of lots of details about the process of finding and interviewing someone. I am looking forward to seeing what they come up with.

So Many Assignments!

Was today already the beginning of the second week of classes? Boy, how time flies when you're having fun!

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.

The Routine Continues

On the final 'work day' before final exams, I have my students do a project in the library. The class has to go in groups of two or three to find a student for a brief interview. The intent is for them to discover things about the library and what it's like to be a full-time student at the Institute. After they've chatted, they must choose useful facts for an incident report detailing their process and interactions. Then, we all walk to the Great Hall in SE 2 for group work on deciding the headings and content for the individual reports. Finally, each student must use our course's 'Internet portal' called myBCIT to save their writing as the final of twelve message-board topics after they go home for the day.

In SE 2, I always attempt to get a class photo. Can you imagine the trouble elementary teachers have when trying to keep students together on an outside adventure? Well, my problem is basically the same when herding adult learners. I am missing four students in the photograph!

Liking What One's Paid to Do

I awoke a little before my alarm clock this morning. Actually, I bet the coffee maker's gurgling in the kitchen really woke me up. Still, that occurs at 6:10 am and although I'd had plenty sleep, I couldn't help but think that any type of schedule can be trying.

However, by the time I got to class at 8:30 at the Burnaby campus, I no longer harboured such thoughts. In fact, this was the third day of class with a new group. As I taught this summer, today was not unlike many Mondays since the spring. My former, recent classes were remarkable in their unity. It's fun to interact with cooperative sets of individuals. Today, I discovered my newest group is this way too. I feel very lucky to have a job such as I do. What a bore life might be without the constant change I get a chance to have!

I seldom add photos of students which I'm presently teaching in my eJournal and images. Rather, I'll add a photo containing students from a previous class. My course work always involves having the participants in groups.. Here are four individuals from May of this year. Seeing each makes me recall certain specific attributes about their skills and personalities. I always hope the best for them.

Two Pieces of Cake for Me

This was the last full day of teaching / learning. My summer class has been very enjoyable. Some groups just click and their team spirit makes each day useful and interesting. This group of 19 most definitely had that.



After today's final writing assignment and before an on-campus interview project, my class surprised me. In the adjoining room, they had set up cake and tea. I knew nothing of their plans. During this time, I got a nice greeting card signed by all. It's nice when a group decides to make the final days special. On Friday, we'll have an half hour of remaining work, 20 minutes for the course evaluations, and three hours of final exam.

It will seem odd not to see these people next week.

School Daze

I'm not sure why but I didn't sleep well last night. I'd had enough exercise during the day, I hadn't been feeling any type of stress, and I'd not eaten anything which could have been considered a stimulant. Yet, my eyes just wouldn't close. From 2:00 through 6:15 am, I don't think I slept a grand total of a half hour.



I drove to class this morning half dead. My current group is either so hard-working or polite that they didn't seem to bring it to my attention. When they were working, I thought how nice it would have been to rest my eyelids just a little bit. At the end of class, I suggested to them that I could either go home and correct their assignments right away or take a nap. They were keen to find out in which scenario they'd get better marks. After hearing my answer, they decided I should probably sleep the entire weekend before correcting their assignments.

So far I've followed their suggestion by not dusting off my red marker. Jay and I, however, went to do the weekly grocery shopping rather letting me catch a nap.

The End is Nigh.

I cannot help but have mixed emotions at the end of a course. Today, we completed our last full class. Tomorrow, we shall meet for just two hours for the final examination. It feels great being at the end of a course schedule, but a little hard knowing a particular group of people will never be in the same room together again.

The Master's Voice Today

On one of my walks today, I wore my ugly, square, bright-orange headphones. I looked a little dorky but I've hardly ever been considered a fashion plate as it stands.

I put a different podcast app on my phone after lunch and wanted to try it out while walking to Pier Park. The sun had been out when I walked uptown this morning, but by mid-afternoon it had become grey and rather nippy. Listening to the news, I happened upon a BBC Global News segment on Bitcoin. It occurred at 17 minutes and 30 seconds.

I was thinking about how audio was now the stuff of computers. My tiny reel-to-reel tape recorder which I received for my tenth birthday, just wouldn't have been able to keep up with the way we can throw around mp3 files today. I guess it's not too surprising, actually, that there have been technological advancements made in the intervening 43 years!

I went on to work with additional computer audio files this afternoon while correcting student assignments. The same orange-headset was on when I went through all 16 of the most recently completed tasks saved on an SD card. My COMM 030 students had created them during class in our BCIT computer lab and copied the files to server which can be accessed through the Internet. I downloaded them right from the comfort of my home. Life changes, so schools must too.

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.

They Did It!

These are a few of the students who made me too tired to create a proper entry today. It always takes several classes to get into the groove with a new group. That happened today.

Personal Quote #36

"I think a good education today implies having broad, background knowledge beyond a few bare facts which could be Googled instantly."

Dennis Sylvester Hurd (1959- )

A few members of former class from 5 years ago.

A Very Fun Group

My students had been working in pairs on an assignment where they needed to find a person to interview. Some spoke to individuals in the building, but others had to go outside and hit the street to find someone. Two students even ended up interviewing a street person who always sits by a lamppost on Dunsmuir. Later, they'll take their notes and create a modified "incident report" to post on the message board area of our myBCIT course page.



When it was time to return to the classroom, we met at the stairs. We imposed on a student from another class, who happened to be walking by. He took a quick class photo. I had only my phone with me, but at least I can email everyone in the photo a little memento of the many hours we've spent during the last five weekends.

Tomorrow, after working on some materials in the morning, the students will write their final examination. Although it will be nice to be able to enjoy the remaining weekends of the summer, knowing the group will never meet again will be a little sad.

Testing Students; Not Patience

I've been giving tests and exams for years, or more accurately, for decades. My classes are usually noisy and busy with activity. Perhaps this is the reason that I'm always a little out of sorts when my class is writing a paper examination.

Even though I should be a pro at this, I never seem to leave myself with items to correct during the down time. I end up tidying up my briefcase and sorting through any paperwork. Occasionally during a final, I sort through the dozens of markers I carry about. I test and throw out all those which are dried out.

Weekend classes are a little different as an exam can only take up a portion of a 7-hour day. I arranged this midterm for the end of the morning session. That makes it easier for student who finish early to get a longer break. It also means though, that they'll be pretty tired and less likely to embrace new material in the afternoon.

Life is Bigger Than Only Work

I feel lucky to do what I do.

I thrive on the variety and I get lots of it.

No two of my classes are ever the same: not the level, not the place, not even the days of the week.

My schedule can be frighteningly different from term to term.

I feel a little like I've had hundreds of mini-jobs, yet all under the umbrella of one organization.

This work is not for everybody, but ...

I feel lucky to do what I do.


This is one of last year's groups. I will finish
up with my current class this weekend.

Assignment #3

I always joke that whichever class I'm currently teaching is always my most favourite ever. I must admit that although I find the weekend class schedule difficult, the people I have now do keep things interesting. I really couldn't ask for harder working students.



Here, we'd just changed the tables back into rows and they were writing an assignment.