So I consulted with my writing group peers. I felt there is just too much information than I can handle at this point. Even though I would love to interview some participants for a more direct and personal interaction about their experience, I just don't have the time and capacity to 1) conduct the interviews, 2) record in some fashion the content of the interviews, and 3) analyze the interviews. They all think it is fine that I don't do the interviews and I think so too. I will still see if I could talk to the instructor. I know he is very busy too but it would be meaningful to add his perspective of how class has been going.
Honestly speaking, the amount of content (class materials + online discussions) is as much as I can handle by myself. If I have a research assistant, maybe this is a different story. From the blogs I can tell that some people think the content could be beefed up, others think more interactions would make this a more meaningful experience. I agree with both yet I worry about how much I can take as a researcher.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
sick etc
So Bil is sick today. I wish him speedy recovery. No interview and/or discussion today. We rescheduled for next week.
This is the inevitable of doing any research.
I wonder how and when will he send out the post module survey.
For me, I am actually quite happy with the last assignment of module 1. Even though not everyone has participated and not everyone is clear on what they have leaned in each category (Buddhism, discussion, and technology), I think there are a lot of good stuff there already.
I think I might not need the post module interview this time. Will consult my writing group peers for thoughts.
For course load, I think this is about right. Without everyone participating in discussing as is, I feel it is already a lot to digest. Once people are getting used this mode of communication, I think there will be more conversions and more to keep track.
This is the inevitable of doing any research.
I wonder how and when will he send out the post module survey.
For me, I am actually quite happy with the last assignment of module 1. Even though not everyone has participated and not everyone is clear on what they have leaned in each category (Buddhism, discussion, and technology), I think there are a lot of good stuff there already.
I think I might not need the post module interview this time. Will consult my writing group peers for thoughts.
For course load, I think this is about right. Without everyone participating in discussing as is, I feel it is already a lot to digest. Once people are getting used this mode of communication, I think there will be more conversions and more to keep track.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Veteran day's reflection
http://www.uwestonline.com/laydharma//mod/forum/discuss.php?d=132
not sure what kind of response this will generate but I thought to bring "in" something "outside" of class discussion and give it a try
In light of Veteran day holiday today, I remember a news I read recently about that first Buddhist chaplain will soon be deployed to war zone
http://www.tricycle.com/blog/?p=1612
Aside from maybe the historical significance of having the first Buddhist chaplain in the military, many questioned if Buddhism is compatible with military service. You can see many comments on the page. There are more heated discussions on this issue through Tricucle’s Facebook page if you have a facebook account http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/tricyclemag?ref=nf
Thought to bring this up and see what you guys think
not sure what kind of response this will generate but I thought to bring "in" something "outside" of class discussion and give it a try
In light of Veteran day holiday today, I remember a news I read recently about that first Buddhist chaplain will soon be deployed to war zone
http://www.tricycle.com/blog/?p=1612
Aside from maybe the historical significance of having the first Buddhist chaplain in the military, many questioned if Buddhism is compatible with military service. You can see many comments on the page. There are more heated discussions on this issue through Tricucle’s Facebook page if you have a facebook account http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/tricyclemag?ref=nf
Thought to bring this up and see what you guys think
Sunday, November 8, 2009
technology the enabler or the disenabler?
interesting to see so far two very distinct perspectives
KH seems to prefer f2f human contacts
http://www.uwestonline.com/laydharma//blog/index.php?postid=47
PL seems to enjoy every much the online way of communicating
http://www.uwestonline.com/laydharma//mod/forum/discuss.php?d=62&parent=501
http://www.uwestonline.com/laydharma//mod/forum/discuss.php?d=99#p362
KH seems to prefer f2f human contacts
http://www.uwestonline.com/laydharma//blog/index.php?postid=47
PL seems to enjoy every much the online way of communicating
http://www.uwestonline.com/laydharma//mod/forum/discuss.php?d=62&parent=501
http://www.uwestonline.com/laydharma//mod/forum/discuss.php?d=99#p362
Saturday, November 7, 2009
what I learned - from Peers
http://www.uwestonline.com/laydharma//blog/index.php?postid=43
What is the most enjoyable for me is to read through all the insightful and some even funny (humor is always welcome) postings. I have to say that I think you all's level is way above me and I often felt I had nothing to add to what had already been said. What I learned the most were the questions you asked and the back and forth in exploring the answers. I appreciate the different view points and were sad when nobody responded to my post. It made me wondered why blush By reading the discussion postings, I felt I got to know some of you. I hope as the class progresses, more people gain confidence in online conversation and we will begin to see even more diverse exchange.
In conclusion, as a Buddhist, I enjoy this way of learning from peers. As a potential teacher, I see this as an effective way of learning! Technology again is the enabler to make this learning experience possible.
What is the most enjoyable for me is to read through all the insightful and some even funny (humor is always welcome) postings. I have to say that I think you all's level is way above me and I often felt I had nothing to add to what had already been said. What I learned the most were the questions you asked and the back and forth in exploring the answers. I appreciate the different view points and were sad when nobody responded to my post. It made me wondered why blush By reading the discussion postings, I felt I got to know some of you. I hope as the class progresses, more people gain confidence in online conversation and we will begin to see even more diverse exchange.
In conclusion, as a Buddhist, I enjoy this way of learning from peers. As a potential teacher, I see this as an effective way of learning! Technology again is the enabler to make this learning experience possible.
Friday, November 6, 2009
what I learned - Buddhism
http://www.uwestonline.com/laydharma//blog/index.php?postid=42
One of the motivations for me to join this class was to learn Buddhism in English. At the temple, (almost) everyone and (almost) everything is in Chinese. I find it extremely difficult to go back to the English world (which is where we live) to converse with others about Buddhism. I don't really have the local environment to systematically acquire Buddhism language in English until now. In addition, I was hoping to get a really good look at how westerners teach, discuss, question Buddhism. I am very happy to say that I certainly got what I wish for. For example, I find Dr. Long's lecture quite enjoyable, especially when he said things such as - how he relates King Asoka's pillars as modern day highway billboards. I have to admit that I did not read anything outside of the required videos and readings. But even with the videos, readings and ppt, I have acquired many English words and had a peek into how Buddhism is taught in the west. In conclusion, as a Buddhist, this has been a great refresher course. As a potential teacher, I say, forget it! I have a lot to learn still! Technology certainly is the enabler to make this learning experience possible.
One of the motivations for me to join this class was to learn Buddhism in English. At the temple, (almost) everyone and (almost) everything is in Chinese. I find it extremely difficult to go back to the English world (which is where we live) to converse with others about Buddhism. I don't really have the local environment to systematically acquire Buddhism language in English until now. In addition, I was hoping to get a really good look at how westerners teach, discuss, question Buddhism. I am very happy to say that I certainly got what I wish for. For example, I find Dr. Long's lecture quite enjoyable, especially when he said things such as - how he relates King Asoka's pillars as modern day highway billboards. I have to admit that I did not read anything outside of the required videos and readings. But even with the videos, readings and ppt, I have acquired many English words and had a peek into how Buddhism is taught in the west. In conclusion, as a Buddhist, this has been a great refresher course. As a potential teacher, I say, forget it! I have a lot to learn still! Technology certainly is the enabler to make this learning experience possible.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
What I learned - Technology
http://www.uwestonline.com/laydharma//blog/index.php?postid=41
I appreciate all the efforts that went into putting up a course like this. I like that all video lectures are broken down into smaller pieces and each piece is identified with its length. I also appreciate that ppt was made available. Something this small made a huge difference in my learning. I watched lecture 1 videos before the ppt was available and I felt the content just went by me like that. From lecture 2, with the ppt in front of me, I definitely can follow and actually enjoy the lectures much more.
This is the first time I have used Moodle and I have to say I am very surprised at what it cannot do. Here are some of my wish list.. cool
1. I wish either we can get an email notification when somebody posts something new or we can subscribe to an RSS feed for new updates. I find myself coming back to the forum only to find no new posting. This is not the most efficient way to check for new updates
2. I wish we can comment on each other's profile. There are no other opportunity for us to do so but I feel it could be a great way for us to get to know each other better and let us feel more comfortable at each other's online presence if we can interact "outside" of required discussion topic
3. I wish there is a way to see how many times a posting has been viewed. I often wondered if anybody read my posting when nobody has posted a reply. I wondered if people read it and they don't find it interesting (or may some other reasons) or people simpley did not read it at all
4. I wish we can actually comment on each other's blog posts. How can we interact with one another on the last assignment if we cannot comment on the post?
5. I wish there are places where we can socialize - chitchatting about things other than the required discussions. There are so many questions I like to ask and see how others have delt with it; there are so many current events that I believe are worth discussing, etc.....
In conclusion, I think I might use a different system if I were to setup an online group for studying Buddhism smile
I appreciate all the efforts that went into putting up a course like this. I like that all video lectures are broken down into smaller pieces and each piece is identified with its length. I also appreciate that ppt was made available. Something this small made a huge difference in my learning. I watched lecture 1 videos before the ppt was available and I felt the content just went by me like that. From lecture 2, with the ppt in front of me, I definitely can follow and actually enjoy the lectures much more.
This is the first time I have used Moodle and I have to say I am very surprised at what it cannot do. Here are some of my wish list.. cool
1. I wish either we can get an email notification when somebody posts something new or we can subscribe to an RSS feed for new updates. I find myself coming back to the forum only to find no new posting. This is not the most efficient way to check for new updates
2. I wish we can comment on each other's profile. There are no other opportunity for us to do so but I feel it could be a great way for us to get to know each other better and let us feel more comfortable at each other's online presence if we can interact "outside" of required discussion topic
3. I wish there is a way to see how many times a posting has been viewed. I often wondered if anybody read my posting when nobody has posted a reply. I wondered if people read it and they don't find it interesting (or may some other reasons) or people simpley did not read it at all
4. I wish we can actually comment on each other's blog posts. How can we interact with one another on the last assignment if we cannot comment on the post?
5. I wish there are places where we can socialize - chitchatting about things other than the required discussions. There are so many questions I like to ask and see how others have delt with it; there are so many current events that I believe are worth discussing, etc.....
In conclusion, I think I might use a different system if I were to setup an online group for studying Buddhism smile
no apology necessary
Out of blue, I received an email from LL today
I need to apologize to you, I remember you invited me to be in your group,I was so afraid of writing, I can even do the home work, but I do like to discuss Buddhism with you.
I emailed her back and said it is okay.
Maybe she will accept my interview. We can speak Chinese and maybe she can provide insights as to why she has been non active.
I need to apologize to you, I remember you invited me to be in your group,I was so afraid of writing, I can even do the home work, but I do like to discuss Buddhism with you.
I emailed her back and said it is okay.
Maybe she will accept my interview. We can speak Chinese and maybe she can provide insights as to why she has been non active.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
no meeting in Vancouver
Frank emailed me today to setup a meeting. I feel bad but I have already returned to Hawaii. I knew he has just moved so I really did not want to bother him too much. In addition, I fried my laptop so I was out of a computer to email. Maybe when I visit Vancouver next time, we can meet up. It is always to meet other Buddhists, especially now we have "met" online :-)
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