My Thoughts on EDCI 6336.01

I truly enjoy the class with Dr. Cornell ,that being said I completely understand the professors frustration with blackboard. I have had the same experiences with blackboard and with technology in general. A few months ago I was presenting a resume  live classroom info sessions and in the middle of the presentation  the computer all of sudden starts to shutting down without reason or cause. After the computer malfunction the issue I had was not having a  hard copy of my presentation as a backup. I had to wing it and I quickly realize I was losing my audience. It did however taught me lesson on being prepared not matter what because the unthinkable can always appear without warning.

 I am currently not frustrated with the class nor with Dr. Cornell because I truly understand the circumstance professor C is in. Technology to me as I have had my issues with it has taught me to be patient. I have witness an array of people lose it at the University when technology goes wacko on them. Some of my patrons get so frustrated with their electronic devices that they forget to do the simple things like check if it is plugged in or  just restart the computer. Simply task that they forget to do because they have had a mental break down because of frustration with media. It has happen to me a few times in the past a colleague will call me to help them with a  media issue and cannot believe all you had to do is plug it in to the wall. As crazy as it sounds it has happen to me in the past several times. 

It is my opinion, people need to realize that Technology is a tool with moving parts that will help us live easier lives. Things will go wrong people. However,  do not treat it like a living organism because it can never replace a human being nor the complexity of human life.

 The information on China  has been an eye opener to say the least. The information is very good and I have to say it has change my perception of China and the people in China. As far as technology, I think China has a long way to go to catch up with the United States not to say they cannot but it is highly unlikely in the next ten years. The reason I believe this is because in America we have the freedom to express, explore and have the option to seek information without consequence. This why we are not as complex  as the Chinese. The Chinese need to use different ways to seek information. In other words, their creativity is not nourished or openly accepted in China.

 Taiwan has been the biggest surprise in Dr. Cornell  lectures to me. I did not expect  how advance the Taiwanese are in technology and the high percent of educated people in Taiwan. I am also surprise with the large trade agreements with China and the United States. I do foresee Taiwan as an economic power house in the near future based on the fact that China and the United States having a strong relationship with Taiwan. I also believe why the economy and the educational system  has flourished in Taiwan is the  freedom of the press and expression. When people fell free they tend to do better than those who are oppressed no matter how small the repression is.               

My Distance Education Track Record

My distance education can be traced back to school of rock programs on the three channels we had at home. I can still recall the pliers we used to change the TV channels and boy that was challenging to say the least. We had no remote control for the television until a few years later we purchase a VHS recorder and let me tell you another world open up to us as VHS tapes was the latest and greatest in technology.

 For those students who do not know what school of rock is let me explain,it was a television program every Saturday morning with catchy songs. I learned multiplication, sentence structure, the constitution and an array of other subjects.The characters in School of Rock where cartoonist in nature but never the less very effect learning tool for most of us in the early 1980's.

I can still recall some of the songs from time to time. Just last week, I was signing one of the songs at the airport trying to be discrete about it and a  stranger at the airport commented to me who much he like the  the song in the late 1980's.I have very good memories of the school of rock television program. I have provide a link below of school of rock video.

I currently do utilize YouTube more frequently than I like to admit but when I need to learn a new skill or program at a moment’s notice YouTube is what I use. Last semester, I learned in another M.Ed. class the massive open online courses (MOOC).I was perplexed on how students enrolled for these courses I can only assume but I think it was a few thousands within every course. The problem is the completion rate was much lower than the enrollment rate with every MOOC course.   

 School of rock link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDWewnfL7QU

What are the possible explanation/reasons for people dropping out of MOOCs’ courses ?

The main reason why I believe the majority of the MOOC participants funnel out of the course is based on the fact that people start with good intention on finishing the course but have not committed in finishing the course from the beginning. As participants start the course it becomes apparent to them that the workload is much more than they had first anticipated. Additionally, the support they have in traditional classroom setting is not existent within a MOOC course program. The other factor is the majority of the MOOC courses are free and without any consequences if the participants dropout. I have also read discussion board comments from MOOC participant’s complaining about the lack of support and course direction.This is probably a result of participant’s high expectations about MOOC courses support system.Additionally,in traditional classrooms they have more classroom direction and support so the level of expectation is very high with MOOC participants. I have read statistical data on MOOC course dropout rate at 90 percent. Although the dropout rate is very high, I think the focus should be on the number of MOOC participants’ completion rate rather than the drop rate.

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What advice would your give new college graduates?

Overwhelming, I would have to say be passionate about your future career.The main reason why you should be passionate about your job is because you are going to do this for a long time. Can you image doing a job for thirty years and you hate your job. I currently love my job but I realize there are people in this world that hate their job and are stuck because they have no other means of doing something else. While there are others who start a career for the wrong reasons specifically money and end up resenting their job because it does not fulfill their internal needs. In my opinion, when you love your job the money will come as an extra bonus. In my life time, I have encountered people who without asking I know love their job and it shows. Some of the side affects of loving your job, people are more productive, motivated and believe in the organizational mission statement. On the other hand, I have also encounter people who for a lack of a better word hate their job and it also shows.The sad reality is I have had a few bad experiences with these type of people that i rather forget about. I read an article a few years ago that indicated 60% of Americans hate their job. I cannot help but wonder if by some miracle, somehow convert at least half of these people into slightly liking their job how the economy could turn around for the better.