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Microsoft Regional Innovative Students' Forum 2009
About this event: Microsoft Regional Innovative Teachers' Forum
Related to country: Malaysia

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

It's over, it's over. :( Luckily, I still have my reflections before I pop this bubble and breathe reality's air again.

Disclaimer: ~ 5 hrs sleep for ~ 7 consecutive nights didn't lend to real-time blogging, as I intended. But you know I'm more of a retro-blogger... Anyway, you have been warned: (1) This is long; (2) I am crazy; (3) Pick and mix - the bits you skip won't cry - I promise; (4) the Boxes are tangents. Hell, I feel like a tangent at times. :P

BACKGROUND

This was the 5th Asia-Pacific Microsoft Regional Innovative Teachers’ Conference, with participants from New Zealand, Philippines, Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia, to name a few. It was sponsored by Microsoft Corporation, with support from the Ministry of Education Malaysia, UNESCO and TakingITGlobal.org (TIG), to bring together teachers from Asia-Pacific to showcase innovative approaches to teaching that involve technology. The teacher attendees were chosen within their own countries as the best (don't ask me about this process, I don't know) and presented posters throughout the short Teachers' Forum (2 days) to each other and to a panel of judges who graded using the following criteria: level of innovation, effect on student participation and involvement, extent of student autonomy, relevant use of technology, in the context of available resources (e.g. funds, equipment, skill and connectivity). One winner from each country will have the privilege of competing at the global Teachers’ Forum in Brazil in November.

This year is the first time that Student Voices have been present at this region’s forum. Though it may seem like an obvious idea, its acceptance requires a leap from many educators, particularly in areas where education is still highly disciplinary and learning is assumed with teaching. TIG played a key role in finding and engaging students who would best represent the student body of the Asia-Pacific region. Students were invited to participate in online discussions over a period of ~ 3 weeks to discuss the state of education in their countries, as well as ideas about what the ideal or the future of education may look like (cf. Student Voices 20051). 15 students were chosen to attend a ‘Student Forum’ (ISF09) that occurred alongside and at the same venue (Le Meridien) as the Teachers' Forum, immersing the students in ~ 4 days of intense development and voice.

THE ISF09 PROGRAMME included:

  • discussion with local students about education: 57 students from a local KL school (who had to write an exam immediately following the meeting!) met with the student delegates and answered questions about education in groups for about 2 hours - I thought this was a good idea, at least to get more students thinking about their education and for them to know that this sort of work goes on "behind the scenes"
  • brainstorming workshop by Bernise Ang and Shaun Koh of Syinc.org: a session to help the students think more deeply about issues surrounding education and what they can do to help inspire change - I thought this was timely, especially since all of the student delegates had already talked a lot about their ideas online and it was a great time to explore them a bit more deeply and to think about their ideas in more realistic terms
  • presentation by Joel Neoh on entrepreneurship: he shares his experiences and thoughts after winning Malaysia's version of The Apprentice, 'The Firm', modelling and co-founding YouthSays.com, Malaysia's largest for-profit network of youth opinion - sort of like what 18tracker was, bu obviously better model since they have a larger contact base and also hold real events to retain and attract new members) - I think his "for-profit" model turned a lot of the students off, but nevertheless I thought it was very clever of him to harness the power of a contact list - he is obviously a very resourceful person and pragmatic about what he wants.
  • presentation and personal help by Brian Lariche on project management: Brian shares his experiences as a teacher/tutor, working with NGOs and life in general! He generously gave up his time to come back and give priceless one-on-one advice and support to the students' projects - Brian is a very interesting person, who is generous with his time and opinions - I would have liked to battle some of the topics that were raisedt if I had not felt that I might have overshadowed the students' opportunity.
  • student projects: students were given time and mentorship to brainstorm and present their ideas for improving an aspect of education through use of technology. The aim was to submit these projects for a chance to receive funding from a pool of USD5000, provided by Microsoft. These 'Micro-Grants' are intended to give the students a taste of what it takes to develop, plan and execute projects on a small scale and more importantly, provides an opportunity for their models to be tested before application for further funding and expansion. On top of this prize pool, there was also the opportunity to win free enrolment into TIG's e-course 'Sprout' for youth professional development - I think these projects were the most enjoyable part of the forum for the students - they felt like they were contributing something. However, with perspective, these will just be small stepping stones and I hope the students will remember lessons from side-conversations in years to come, as I will, no doubt.
  • student-teacher interaction: a formal session for students to address teachers was provided, as well as informal gatherings during poster presentations and breaks - to be frank, I don't think there was enough opportunity for the students and teachers to talk. Even at the Gala Dinner, I felt that the student presence was being side-lined. However, I realise that this is the first time students has been at this forum and I think it was a good first effort. Hopefully, it will continue to grow in creative ways in the future.
  • mentors and TIG staff: to help enable Student Voices on the ground, Michael Furdyk (co-founder and Director of Technology of TIG), Kat Walraven (Education Program Manager, TIG), along with 3 mentors, Bernise Ang, Shaun Koh and I basically tailed the students at every waking hour. :P Although the 3 mentors were initially designated 3 groups of students, I found that we all got along so well, it was basically one big happy group - I very much enjoyed observing and learning from this interesting group of people, with amazing skills and ideas. I only wish that I had more time with each of them to talk about our thoughts and experiences!!! I think at this age, it is difficult to find people who you connect with because everyone is moving in their own directions so rapidly. I thought we all got along extremely well.

PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS

Projects and Hope

In my opinion, the one theme that resonates with all of the student project ideas is equality. The students wanted others to receive the same opportunities they had/have, regardless of their socio-economic status, locality, teacher/school system or temporal-residency. I made this last term up to describe some students’ focus on sustainable development and ecological preservation, which in essence ensures that future generations have the same opportunities as we do.

Observing young people of diverse background/opportunity share a unified desire for equality makes me think about all of the families, teachers and communities that are successfully teaching (instructing and demonstrating) compassion. I think that the ability to place ourselves in others' shoes is a fundamental ingredient in achieving sustainability. However, teaching compassion is not easy, particularly when basic selfishness is confused with greed, and when young people are difficult to reach. I imagine thin golden threads wavering from a small child’s inner eye, attracted to and caught by larger threads that are coloured and tarnished from experience. Each cable can spark a connection that transfers love, understanding and knowledge. Together, all of the cables caress and shape this child's potential. However, the ability to spark is contextual and each community needs to establish and understand its own values and find its own way in engaging its youth and citizens. Without this, no community or society has a positive future (Box 1).


Box 1:

Building Communities

Of course, not only are cultural behaviours important, societies must also reconsider its behaviours that are biologically suicidal. For example, if we continue to pummel through our limited resources, then we are essentially killing our chances of survival. I don't really want to go into all of the arguments about 'climate change', but I think the basic idea of sustainable development makes sense. See, perhaps, Jared Diamond's Collapse: How Societies Choose To Fail Or Succeed. I have yet to read this, but have heard Diamond talk about it when he visited the University of Auckland a few years ago.

Society is More than The Sum of the Individuals

I was staring at the night-scape of Kuala Lumpur, marvelling at the lights when I suddenly saw that we can solve everything by understanding each other, so that we are able to unite our individual efforts. The problem is engagement and one can only spark passion in others by first understanding the way they view the world. For example, it would be ideal to reduce the number of city lights turned on at night to reduce power consumption. However, lighting is considered important for safety (though the validity of this is disputed in some places), so basically, we need to reduce crime. To stop raising criminals, we need equal distribution of resources and responsible communities that work to raise children together. We need more holistic/inclusive thinking/planning, for example, using ramps instead of short escalators, adjustable thermostats, smarter water cycling. The narrow thinking evident in various facets of society may be a result of an education system where the world is arbitrarily segregated and consumed in a well-pre-processed manner. Where are our integrators? Where are our high NA lenses with large fields of view?


Youth

I have learned a lot from each individual of our 20-strong crew. Every person was interesting, with their own talents, idiosyncracies, ways of thinking, stories and passions. I think one characteristic that defines youthfulness is agility. They are open-minded and open-hearted. They are eager to learn and unafraid to be optimistic.

I enjoyed observing: their faces light up at the chance to talk about their passions, at the making of new friends, at the seeding and germination of new ideas; their features break into smiles and laughter at wit, irony and fun; their eyebrows furrow at difficult concepts, tight deadlines and lack of sleep. I watched the TIG team work: listening to the students and offering insightful/motivating suggestions and stories when necessary, while I tried to do the same. I was inspired by everyone’s dedication and rapid connection with each other - TIG continues to catalyse precipitation of like-minded youths. =P

My favourite moments were the one-on-one conversations. I hope I imparted some useful "wisdom", but at the same time clear that I am learning, too - I don't claim to know everything, if anything! If only I had more time to get to know everyone and learn about their stories and ideas, not just about education.

"Night, Field of stars above us. You pick one, we frame it with our fingers intertwined. Seeds, of every generation, between our hands and I promise to teach you the little I have learned, So far..." Seeds, Brooke Fraser

I am so excited about what these young people may experience. Many of them are moving through school and entering college and indeed, the world, with a lot of hope. They will face challenges and disappointments and I would like to be a source of support and friendship, if they will let me. But already, I feel that this experience has been a privilege, for I am young, too. I am excited about my future, too.


Box 2:

West Vs. East

There may be an interesting and not necessarily sharp contrast between students schooled in Eastern and Western countries. Of course, this is not surprising if you listen to stereotypes, but it should surprising if you consider that most, if not all, of the education systems and curricula in South-East Asia are based on Western (e.g. Cambridge) systems. This leads me to yet another rant about community values (Box 1), where the culture of school and wider communities (including upbringing), more than the school system itself, shapes a child's attitudes towards formal education. No doubt, the lack of formal credit towards non-academic endeavours will also play a role in student motivation, but this are also reflect community values. I am always ranting about values, simply because I don't think many people know what their own are and why.

As a group, I was impressed with their diligence, aptitude and dedication in listening and completing tasks to a high standard. But they also giggled and whispered during boring presentations and you knew when they lost respect for someone. I would really like to dispel the myth that all Asian students possess an academic advantage. In all of the students that perform well, I think the common theme is that education is held in high esteem. They have been taught that only a sound education will allow them to get ahead, get out of poverty, realise their dreams, in life. Not just a pass or a piece of paper, but a good education. It is not just the family unit either, it is the entire nation - yes, I am actually saying that NZ does not value intellect as a nation. It doesn't. It seems like even intellectual people put themselves down or try to prove themselves by excelling in a lot of other areas. Do the same pressures fall on sports people? I think the tell-tale sign is to ask children what they think are cool or worthwhile - they are the values of that society, hmm?

Honesty

Most of the teachers and students at these conferences have English as their second language. Though it is a barrier for participation, I think it enables honesty. I guess it is a balance between being able to express yourself and being able to spin your expression. I am profoundly attracted to honesty.


Teachers and Students Students wanted their teachers to listen to them and respect their questions and suggestions. Students wanted mentors, not instructors - guided autonomy? Students liked teachers who are able to admit their mistakes/weakneses and try to improve them. Most students already have information at their fingertips - they need help digesting it. Students have lots of ideas - they need help formulating it against existing knowledge and presenting it in a logical manner.

OTHER 'FIRSTS' AND NOTES

La Malaysians and Singaporeans end their sentences with 'la', a lot. It is interesting as a rapport-creating rhetorical device, blah blah blah - but you know what is MORE interesting about it? It is the perfect platform to launch into song, e.g. "Don't worry, la... la la la la la la....l-l-l-l-la x 2.... LA..LA..LA...heee taught me hooooow toooo waaash...." (Oh Happy Day, Sister Act) Icecream Teppanyaki Icecream + toppings + chopping = good, nutritious meal. Video here (2x speed). Fish on Feet

Dr. Fish were in the house (Central Markets) and for NZD2.5, they entertained me for 10 mins. I think they enjoyed it, too (see image - that is one content fish). YouTube video (warning: squealing).

Serama - Smallest Chickens in the World

A tiny chicken, it's true! OK, at first I was sad (because they had strange posture and vocals, see video), but they are a naturally-occurring species, which means they are less likely to have problems associated with breeding (e.g. pure-bred dogs).

Batik Painting

(1) Pencil; (2) wax; (3) water-colour; (4) remove wax. Stoked I got to try it. Trying is always a win. Movies On Planes

  • Last Chance Harvey: bad script + good actors = still bad movie.
  • The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: interesting idea - creativity = moving Brad Pitt gallery = still boring.
  • I Am Sam: interesting story + great acting (except Michelle Pfeiffer's dramatic scene) = balling eyes out on the plane = good. Being moved is always a win.

Flying Saw another plane flying by while in our Boeing... first time EVER!!! Wow, it was so fast - I knew but never grasped visually how fast it was until now. And for the first time, I noticed our plane's shadow and enjoyed watching us meeting it on the ground and seeing how fast our land speed was (ignoring the movement of the sun and our approach to the ground, etc.). Image shows tail of the other plane (bright streak) - I was too slow to capture the plane itself - and video shows the shadow. Things in a Box/Game of Things

Great game that we played after a night at the pool. Great introduction by Kat! Will remember for the future. Also thought of a PostSecret game we could have played. Oh well, next time.

The Circle So at the beginning of this trip, I was pondering about the self. I think Brian Lariche sums it up very well:
If you will think about what you ought to do for other people, your character will take care of itself. Character is a by-product, and any man who devotes himself to its cultivation in his own case will become a selfish person.
I suppose things like this are supposed to be transient. The precipitate is created and then shaken into solution again to maximise the surface area for reaction.

June 1, 2009 | 8:06 AM Comments  0 comments

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Every step we take is a footprint on Mother Earth
About this event: Digital Earth Summit on Sustainability- Youth Voice


Hey - sorry for the lack of updates lately - been really busy and have started about 10 posts, but haven't managed to finish them. They will require a bit more thinking. However, my brain is still capable to regurgitating some events, so I'll do that.

Digital Earth Youth Voice Pre-summit (26, 27 August '06)
Digital Earth Summit on Sustainability (28 - 30 August '06) [www.digitalearth.org.nz]


Basically, this was about: meeting people who care about the environment and the sustainability of New Zealand (and the world), finding out about the problem, what we can do to help (as individuals, as communities, as Auckland city, as New Zealand), what other cities have done and how technology is/can aid/hinder sustainability.
My thoughts and reactions on sustainability:
  • further in the camp of personal responsibility
  • big walloping guilt about everything I do
  • must therefore do more
  • confusion why so many people I have spoken to afterward have thought I was just being paranoid
  • we need to stop taking everything for granted
  • am asking why we do anything we do
My thoughts and reactions on meeting new people:
  • feel removed/distant/disconnected
  • feel like a repellent
  • feel misunderstood, but most importantly, feel unable to understand others at a basic level
  • feel tired


August 31, 2006 | 6:58 PM Comments  0 comments

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Tech Hui Revisited
About this event: Wellington College Tech Hui


Connected to previous post: Wellington College Tech Hui

The context: Well I can say that the Tech Hui was what I needed. I guess this may not be well known, but what I needed prior to the Tech Hui (and when I say prior, it may be weeks or months, I really don't remember... perhaps months) was an emotional opportunity. What I mean is, in terms of my career and all that jumbo - I'm O.K. I've got things set up for the coming months and interesting things for the summer and also interesting things for next year. I'm not saying that I have 'enough' opportunities, I'm just saying that life in that aspect is O.K. Physically I'm a bit tired, but nothing major. Psychologically I was very drained and it was affecting my mood, behaviour and mental processes. I was confused and overwhelmed (with what? I don't know) - of course, I recognised this from before...

What I'm annoyed with (in hindsight) is how I had recognised this trend and warning bells went off in my head to go talk to someone about it, but I just thought 'nah, everyone's busy and it's nothing'. So the decay 'half-life' was much much longer than any previous experience. By the time the holidays came and I went down to Wellington, I was tired - but ignored it to catch up with friends everyday - I don't regret that. Then that last night in Wellington I didn't sleep to finish writing the Digital Earth essay. Then came RYLA, which just absolutely drained the last of what I had - mentally first and then physically...well, not so much, but because I wasn't quite 'with it' in mind anymore, my body wasn't as courageous as it could be. I suppose I wasn't in a healthy-enough state of mind to be rediscovering myself in any sense. I kept looking and there was nothing. I kept looking and it seemed to just mess everything up and throw things out the window. I tried to reflect on it, to piece things together - I'll post it up soon, but I'm pretty sure it will sound like a mess.

The week following that I went back into the lab instead of resting. I shouldn't have done that. But there were some interesting results, so I guess it was sort of worth it. Mark made some interesting (true), yet slightly shocking comments. Then Uni started again. For two weeks I worked on the Hui speech and presentation. Cherrie Kong - international speaker, "Taking IT Global". What does that mean? I don't know. Audience - 100 Year 13 students? O.K. Had I ever presented to my peers before (in such number)? No. Had I always doubted my 'representation' of youth and this 'Net' generation? Yes. Inspire them? I'll try. Do I know anything? No - so make yourself the subject matter...O.K. But I don't want it to be about me... O.K. So I talked to heaps of friends about what they would like to see and talked to my sister as well, because apparently Uni students are a different breed altogether and apparently I use difficult words like 'congruence'. I should've spent less time on the presentation, but I couldn't stop thinking about it because I saw it as a HUGE thing - this is affecting the future generations directly - 100 youth all at once. Yet I'm all about personalisation - everyone needs a different message. How many can I fit in? All my previous 'speaking engagements' have been towards decision-makers...I didn't care about the Prime Minister of whatever country as much as I cared about getting the right message across for this. Why? I'm not sure - probably because I saw these 'kids' as being smarter... haha. Smarter, but definitely more malleable and open. So I had to very careful with what I say. I know, because I'm still child-like in that sense. I too am very easily affected by what people say, even when I know they're saying something stupid.

Anyhow, on coming to Wellington I suddenly found out that the speech I had been writing FOR STUDENTS, had to changed somewhat because there were other people going to be there. What? Other people? *sigh* -- did they want to hear the same old stuff again? I'm a constantly changing person, I really don't like saying the same old stuff again, whether or not I still believe it. Although I will - for the win-win ;). On coming to Wellington I was really tired. On coming to Wellington, I had way too many things on my mind.

The event: Well, I had no idea what to expect - the gear was definitely way flasher than I expected. It was colder than I expected. I expected it to be more cosy. The bright lights glaring at the 'stage' really set the audience apart from the speaker. It also meant that I couldn't see a bloody thing from where I was standing - I sort of hate that because then I can't see anyone's facial expression (except for the very front row). But I guess that could also be a good thing?!

I had rewritten chunks of my speech that Wednesday morning. (Why not Tuesday I hear you say? I couldn't handle the jandal, frankly). Fresh off the press (HP 1200), I rushed off the Wellington College and got there at about 11:30am. I'd grabbed Tiff's ASUS with all my stuff, which was super handy. Had added the extra code to Firefox to force tab opening. Sweet. The tech people were great and got my gear sorted. The Tech Crew boys were also super nice (so what, that abolishes the 'Coll boy' reputation? Haha) and pretty easy to get along with. Mind you, I sent some of them an email the other day and have yet to receive a reply. ACTUALLY, I sent off heaps of emails on Thursday night and have yet to receive any replies (except for David Murray, THANK YOU.) Mr. Pallin (Pallinator 2) was also there and he was lovely as per usual. I can't remember now, why I was so afraid of him before. He is so nice. Meh - I'm scared of everyone. Anyway, so the people there at this time were: Tech Crew, John, Raewyn, Olivia, Mike, Neil, Simon (from Contact). It was pretty cool - everyone got along really well (so I thought, anyway). The atmosphere was buzzing and it was great. People started arriving at 12:30pm ish I guess and that was also cool - Tech Angels in force in their "I (HEART) IT" tshirts (seriously guys, why don't I have one...), Ratty (it's our endearment, for those who aren't in the loop) was there too and that SOO excellent - she is just so lovely and I asked her about the Tech Angels and she seemed to have answers that I found more than adequate which was GREAT...i.e. she didn't avoid the question and give me some bull answer, not that I expected it, but sometimes people do that. I (re)met Airini, Raewyn's friend, who was ALSO super nice - unfortunate that we work at opposite ends of the Uni campus... well, different campuses really... I think we talked about my 'future career' plans and she said something interesting about how it was good my decision-making was a balance between intuition and information... which was a shocker to me because I hadn't realised that. I sort of thought I fell in the information box (although I have been trying to listen to my instincts more for a few years now...). Anyway, I wanted to ask about what she was doing, but 1) I never know when I'm intruding, 2) David came in a that point and distracted me I think....well, I wanted to see what he was talking about to make sure we didn't clash (David and I are tight, yo). There were other people who I'm sure I'd met before somewhere, but can't quite recall at this moment. I met Mrs Herrick, who I am SURE I've met somewhere before. Maybe Prizegiving or something? Anyway, everyone was just so blimmin' awesome and lovely, it was pretty cool. Oh, Rachel from NZCER was there (worrrd) and also David and Jill from CWA. Didn't talk to Jill (although she seems to type really fast and I'm wondering if the typing noises are on the videos...hahah), but David's always super cool as per usual.

The event started at 12:45pm. Matt Heard was the MC. I wonder if he's a debater or not, because he seems to have the Coll Boy debator 'air', which is a confidence in public-speaking 'air' and us Welly Girls don't seem to have mastered. *shudder at the last debate we had against Coll...* David and Simon went first (and I'm really sorry to David and Simon - I can't remember a lot of your speech because I had JUST discovered I'd lost a page of my speech and was busy trying to remember it all and then finally giving that up and borrowing Neil's laptop to grab it from Gmail...), but yay for 'be crappy'... hahah. Then it was mine and then it was Neil's. While I was up there, I forgot the time completely and couldn't work out if I was overtime or not. And I'm also a bit miffed at the fact that I was showing people all that groovy internet stuff at the end and then found out later that people were really interested in what Neil had to say about RSS, meaning they had no idea what I was talking about when I was talking about those technologies. Hmm. I just assumed they knew. Argh, what an ass, Cherrie! Then it was a break I think, where everyone got lunch boxes, which was SUPER cool because I hadn't had a lunchbox in like, 4 years. Oh yeah, after my speech I ran to the bathroom and I'd left the microphone on!!! What an ass!!! Sorry techy guy. I hope you don't have nightmares. Anyway, I didn't get a chance to see the student's presentations, which I'm a bit miffed about because I really wanted to see them and get a chance to chat with them. But Neil and I had to 'plan' the forum... I personally thought it was going to be a relaxed thing (coz I'm pretty quick with coming up with questions on the spot), but I'm glad Neil wanted a more structured and planned thing because by the time the actual forum came I was really tired and hadn't had lunch and I was just really happy he was doing the whole thing. But during the forum, there was a sort of bidding war for me and Neil and it was totally weird - I thought it was a weird way to stall for time, but nonetheless at least it's over now. I should probably say that none of the bids were real because I have yet to hear from anyone. Oh. What. A. Surprise. (yes, I'm still bitter at ALL THOSE PEOPLE who I have met in the past who have mentioned things that to them were 'in passing', but to me was the real deal - so stop your manipulatin'!) Then later, Natcoll had a presentation thing and then David did an intro for Murray Brown, which was pretty cool. I particularly enjoyed the phrase "Flickr - will it stay or will it flick out?" He is ALSO super nice, but he's still in the 'I'm scared of you' box. After the whole shadding thing (oh, also gave out those mouse pads and bookmarks some time...) there was more food, which unfortunately I didn't get a lot of (it's weird - no food in flat, go home where there's heaps of food, then be given free food at events in Wellington... ). BUT I did get some free lightbulbs!!! WOOHOO! Seriously. I want more. No I am SERIOUS. They're like $5.99 each from Foodtown. I am so serious... and they are more efficient than that other crappy brand that exists. Oh, also thank you everyone for the other gifts. Most unnecessary, but thank you very much nonetheless and I am very grateful for your thoughts.

Oh, Pallinator 1 was also there, so that was so great - hadn't seen her in ages! Apparently she's related to Howard G. Seriously, is your name Howard G or am I gettiing mixed up with the Backstreet Boys?

John drove Tiff and I home, which was great - thank you for that also and for every calm moment you bring in my life.

The aftermath: So it was a great day with many laughs. That's been said. It was also great for me to see the response of the students - the people I am supposed to have represented for years. I am glad to have been able to give something back to them - a little inspiration, a little support. I hope that it was worthwhile. The last thing I would want to do is to talk about me and not have it relate to them. The second to last thing I would want to do is to overwhelm them. But getting that little bit of feedback was great and it reminds me of why I do what I do - we have to educate the children and also rid them of sickness. Children and families and communities. Anyway, so that was effect one. Glad it was an inspirational thing both ways. But I also want to make sure that apart from being inspirational, I hope I emphasised the importance on reflecting on who you are and the reasons why you are doing the things you do.

The second outcome had a more pronounced remedial effect on my previous predicaments. Writing the speech was definitely a great reflection, a great search, a great feat to do on my own beyond many many standards. It put me in a rut because I was so confused. But having written my speech and having admitted to the rut, I was sort of primed for recovery. I was just looking for the right time to absorb. Now, this Tech Hui scenario - it is unique. There were people here who I've known really well for almost a lifetime to since 2003 to recently. But the bulk of whom I met during my Tech Angel year and whom I've become friends with (so I like to think...remember I'm an all-or-nothing type of gal, I don't know what acquaintance means). So these are the people who have been a part of my 'radical' change, who have been there to help me in one way or another - whether it be emotional support or advice for various situations or someone who'd listen or someone with whom to have cool discussions with. It was a 'radical' change in that I began to express my opinion. These people will no doubt sense this change and the changes in opinion over the years. Seeing all these friends, these smiling faces all at once immediately brought back so much meaning, relevance and a feeling of groundedness. I am so grateful for these people. It made me incredibly happy and humbled to know these people and to get time with them. These are awesome people. Awesome. Awesome. Awesome.

Once again, I know I am always really hard on myself, which is why I get into strife. But it's also why I continue to push on and improve (hopefully). So I also have to be grateful for the fact that I can take (often unexpected events) such joy and such great lessons from life. So much about being a human being is to do with feeling uncertain about yourself and the rest of the world and how these two things are connected. It's almost unavoidable to feel disconnected sometimes when you're confused, weary and low in confidence. So many things you try will fail. You'll meet so many people. Cherrie, learn to embrace these people - you won't regret it.


July 29, 2006 | 10:35 PM Comments  1 comments

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Wellington College Tech Hui
About this event: Wellington College Tech Hui


Hey fellas - Tech Hui pretty awesome today, but pretty knackered right now - just got home - the shuttle cost $28 *!!! Can you believe it? It's like highway robbery out here... and the driver was all "well, the taxi will be over $50" and I'm like dude, you're either understanding and you gimme a discount or you act the hard bastard and take the 28 - don't waffle in between and try to be nice but take the money! Gees!!! What do you take me for?! But I actually quite enjoyed the ride through the suburbs and by the time we got to the city I was quite the happy camper and I told the man to have a nice night and to keep warm. Haha. I'm insane.

Recap Tech Hui later to talk about: 1) learnt stuff 2) ideas/projects stuff 3) people-met stuff

Oh, also must think about the proceedings of Tuesday 25. Most interesting. But don't know if I should make thoughts public - might shove too many feet in mouth. Not that I really care, but you know, you gotta think about other people sometimes. Insane.

*the last Air Bus had gone... what a stupid schedule - doesn't even deserve a rant

Filed Under : Education, Life, Technology, Presentations, Volunteering

July 26, 2006 | 7:53 PM Comments  0 comments

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WCIT2006 again...
About this event: World Congress on Information Technology


So I finally got around to forcing myself watch the DVD and grab some screen captures for your enjoyment. No closeups sorry, for respect of the others. :)
Goal: to mumble less and to speak with more articulation in general (i.e. normal conversation) and to speak without sounding so condescending (remember that not everyone has the same sense of humour!!)
Urgh, power surge means I can't remember the rest of the post that I was writing.
I searched WCIT on Flickr and found whurleyvision, who has taken quite a few good pictures of the conference.



Filed Under : Education, Technology, Presentations

May 19, 2006 | 6:00 AM Comments  0 comments

Tags:


Medsci 308, octipi and diabetes
About this event: World Congress on Information Technology
Related to country: United States


APPARENTLY, the tutors' office got broken into and my lab report got STOLEN! I know!!! Well, it doesn't really matter in that I'll just email the tutor a PDF, but I mean, some moron out there thinks they can go through life stealing from other people. *sigh*

In other notes, I just remembered that at WCIT, the Octupus Card won the most innovative use of technology (or something, who really was listening)... but the point is... YAY Octupus Cards!! They are pretty schnazzy. Too bad I had to give up my lovely purple student one for the rainbow coloured adult one. Grr for oldness.

OMG and during the presentation, some delegate had a diabetic seizure. It was very scary, but the paramedics took a while to take care of him - I suppose to try and keep people from freaking out. But I had never seen anyone have a seizure before and it was quite interesting in that it IS quite difficult to tell unless you are experienced with it. I was wondering why they couldn't inject glucose into his systemic circuit to improve his status, but then I guess that sudden increase in glucose would cause damage to his cells no less. So I guess they took him away and infused him with sugar water for about an hour and he was fine again. So I'm guessing he has Type 1 diabetes (Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus or IDDM, as opposed to Type 2, Non-IDDM - linked to obesity). Apparently (I just read this online) diabetic seizures occur when blood sugar goes way too low and I suppose this lack of "food supply" to the brain causes erratic firing and hence seizures. But I was wondering why this important guy would put himself in such danger? I think it may be that he was doing what a lot of diabetics have to do - lower their glucose levels substantially before a meal to ensure that it doesn't go too high (glucosuria, toxicity, etc) - little did he know that the speeches would be incredibly long and his blood glucose fell too low. I bet he was taking a slow-release formulation as many people do, or maybe he took some extra faster-onset tablets as well *just in case* and ended up making it worse. I wonder if you can feel nausea before an attack so you can increase your glucose intake?

Filed Under :
Health, Life, Technology

May 7, 2006 | 5:22 PM Comments  0 comments

Tags:


World Congress in Information Technology 2006
About this event: World Congress on Information Technology
Related to country: United States


Disclaimer:

Sometimes I think I'll get into deep trouble for so bluntly expressing my thoughts in this. Just remember (as I make my disclaimer once again) - I often change my mind and I am usually typing these things straight from my head so sentence formation may not be SUPERB, thus leading to incorrect interpretations. You got a gripe, just let me know. Seriously, I would much rather explain myself 100 times than be misunderstood.


World Congress in Information Technology 2006
www.wcit2006.org

Introduction

So I'm sitting at the airport... about to embark on one of my infamous "reflections". As per usual, I will change my mind, not make sense and play on rhetoric and irony. So is the dialogue of Cherrie... by infamous, I totally mean not-that-famous and those who know of it, don't like it.

I've been listening a lot these past few days : absorbing, immersing, learning, being
  • intimidated
  • quiet
  • passive
As you may know, I ABHOR those last three things put together. I will now dub them the abhorrent trifle. OMG - that is SUCH a pun (like, three or four). I shall not explain it, figure it out yourself. I always suggest (to myself) that the abhorrent trifle should be avoided under most circumstances. I shall now attempt to dissect each of these layers, for sole purpose of seeking a solution to the problem (well, why else would you dissect something, gees)...

Disclaimer: no scientific evidence for the following, only a thought experiment ("because they are cheap and the University is cheap" - Physiology lecturer, University of Auckland)

Cause and Mechanism(s) of Effect:
1)
Intimidation is caused by everyone is so amazing, articulate, opinionated and informed, resurfacing feelings of inadequacy: I do not feel the right or need to interject - What credentials do I have? What will I bring? This leads to my silence and passive participation.

2) Intimidation is the perceived feeling, but in actual fact, the true feeling is that of internal contradiction and confusion whereby the topic being discussed in the open conversation is being so hotly debated within my mind (with addition of points from the real conversation) that the real conversation has moves on. This manifests as silence and passive participation.

3) Being silent and passive is part of my upbringing, whereby modesty is greatly upheld by Chinese tradition and the 'tall poppy syndrome' comes from New Zealand society. The reasoning is that these habits are so deeply ingrained that under times of nervousness or intimidation, those traits reveal themselves more readily.

Relevance of Effect:
  • Internal anger and annoyance because I hate 'conversation riding'.
  • Resentment and lack of respect from other members (y'all know this is my main concern)
  • Reflection of incompetence (also main concern)
  • Does it make it worse that I recognise these faults and have not been able to eradicate the abhorrent trifle?
  • Is it crazy or selfish that I get consumed by my internal dialogue, so much so that a lot of the time I shut out from the world unknowingly?
  • Has blogging about it allowed me to prevent another 'episode' as occurred in 2003 and allowed me to express myself in a way that I feel comfortable?
  • Internal dialogue is sometimes "philosophical rugby" - tackling yourself consistently, can you imagine a scrum with 10 of yousrelf against each other? Because you will all have the same capacity and skill, the probability of taking the ball (hey I don't really watch rugby) is stochastic and the long term chance of winning is 50%... or actually less because it is only 50% given that the game has ended. The chance of completing a game is low, I would have thought.
  • Didn't ask all of my questions!!! GRR!
  • Spend too much time thnking about own relevance instead of important issues


Grateful


I am so grateful for this trip, so it is even harder to watch myself be such a freak. These people have been so nice, generous and interesting - yet, they don't know that. I have not been able to express that. Or even contribute to their good experience. Unless I am actually very transparent. In which case, someone should let me know so I can stop worrying about it.

I need to interact with more articulate people. These people I have spent 3 days with are SO amazing. Balanced and fascinating. I don't even care about the things they have done, but just the ideas they have to share and the perspective they bring to conversation.

But, on this trip, I met another of those people.

I also admire the panel's openness with what they wanted, as in gadgets, etc. I think that is cool.

The actual panel and Beating myself

Oh dear, I can remember so many things I did badly on the panel...
  • I forgot to talk about handwriting on MSN and how that helps me learn chinese
  • I forgot to look at Don most of the time
  • I said that pedagogy and the classroom model had been the same for thousands of years?! YOU FOOL, even Socrates and Plato were talking about dialogue and interaction. Duh. Duh. Duh.
  • I said I kicked out my principal because she was being noisy, but I think it was actually someone else during a seminar or small group session. I can't remember.
  • I probably should have mentioned how we judge a company by its website- look, content and smartness of sitemap..."nanna professional"?
  • I used the students as the consumer analogy? LAME! Go shut yourself in the lame-box, Lame-O McLamey!
  • I probably should have said something about how technology enables education to be personalised for each learner, for extended depth and pace - how this will create a sense of ownership which = better learning. This is slightly more interesting (to me) that shifting the teacher-student axis.
People at this conference used much more business terminology as opposed to technical terminology. I was not expecting that. I keep trying to run from business and entrepreneurship, as if profitability was the devil (not that I'm religious). But is it really avoidable? And do I really want to avoid it now that doing business is different to the one-track-money-making corporations in my mind? So what if short term generosity equals long term commercial advantage? As long as there still is generosity and goodness right? I mean, since the long term advantage is not necessarily guaranteed, is the initial act considered altrusitic?

Anyway, so the panel got a standing ovation (the only other person who did was Colin Powell). Watched him speak, Michael Dell and various other famous people I can't remember. I suppose it's a good thing I don't get fanatic.

Future conferences/panels

We talked about the possibility of doing future panels during breakfast at IHOP. By we, I totally mean not me, as I was quiet most of the time, remember. Anyway, we discussed how much it would cost and my reaction was that I'd totally do it for free. I didn't say that at the time because a) it might offend the people who were making reasonable and realistic suggestions b) it may be financially and reputationally stupid. But to be frank, the cause is good, so I'd do it for free provided the flights and accommodation is paid for. They could donate some money to TIG as well, just like Mike was saying. People should seriously take advantage of this free-ness before I wisen up. =P

Rides

Just have to mention that the service on Qantas on the way to LA was the BEST I'd ever had from any airline. Crap on the way back. So cancels I suppose. Met some random lady (Amy) at Austin and shared a taxi with her to the Radisson- I learnt about her background and family - we had a really interesting conversation and she kindly offered me a See's candy (SEE how open and friendly I was before the abhorrent trifle took over, gees). In hindsight, it was probably a bit tactless. Oh well. Well I paid USD$25 (that's like, $6 tip) and we split it. I know. $6. I freaked out. It's America. I freaked. So began the abhorrent trifle. I really shouldn't have given it a name, as if to validate it. But it all begins with acknowledgement, right? "Hi, my name is Cherrie and I'm an abhorrent trifle addict".

I'll consider Radisson also my ride. It was aiight. Compared to the Four Seasons next door? Um.

OMG, we (Rahaf and I) rode in a limo with Don to the airport. Bling.

News and media

I made a point to watch the news in Austin (stayed up to 1-2am) to see if there was any difference . I concluded that depending on channel, the news was only slightly biased, but the biggest difference was the amount of dramatisation - WAY more in the US - no wonder people freak out. I thought the weather report was more informative (though overly dramatic) and drug ads were more informative, including some adverse drug reactions, interactions and recommendation by doctors.

Information Technology

(these are random observations during the writing of this blog entry)
  • I just realised that I don't 'surf' the net anymore. I have the regular sources and visit new sites only when recommended by friends or the original sites. Sometimes from the side of a bus. This excludes searching of course, but i have preferred search engines.
  • A lot of my friends don't use tools like Flickr - because in New Zealand, the use of these tools is more spread out (I think) - for example, where the US has Facebook, we have heaps of these different sites in use, with no centralisation.
  • Why is making friends online so FAST? (speculations)
    • greater tolerance, thus acceptance
    • leap of faith (trust) taken and acknowledged by all parties involved
    • a quantifiable amount of effort spent in relationship
    • easy ways to manage information you've shared
    • can be asynchronous
  • Lying on the net - I don't think its as prevalent as people think, because
    • it is a huge risk on your reputation (takes time to build on some sites, directly related to functionality and relationships formed)
    • it is a huge effort to remember your lies
    • most new friends are friends of friends, so lies are easily exposed
  • I think I need to be more internet efficient.
  • The internet - a place to exclude adults?
    • personally, no. I think it gives me a portal through which to communicate with adults in a way that suits both of us. Without the digital environment, I would (hardly) ever be brave enough to communicate with them. Of course now, it's not so much of an issue, but the internet has really helped me get here.
  • Replacing face to face interaction? No way!

Growing Up Digital(Amazon.com)
Don Tapscott

So he gave me a copy of this book - I am SO grateful. I mean, that's like giving away your painting or poem or something. Well, to me it is anyway, I'm not sure it feels the same when you've sold millions of copies, but if you give it to someone in person, it's more special anyway. And the action of giving a book still resonates with me as the honour of passing on knowledge and learning and saying, "hey, you are worthy of this knowledge". So anyway, it was really cool for him to give me a copy, so I'll add it to the shelf of books I treasure. Note to all : don't start buying me books just 'coz I said that - they have to have special meaning. Anyway, so I started reading it as soon as I checked in (I'm about half way through now) and I must say its a bit of a relief to finally read a lot of my habits are not unusual. By that I mean that I recognise parts of myself (in the past, mostly) that are similar to some of these conclusions (now, my habits are a bit different). But I'm surprised at the suggestion that much of the "skill" people "know" me for is attributed to technology and exposure to information. I thought it was innate or natural - that everyone was the same. Naive. No wonder I find it so hard to understand people who "don't care". Strange.
So I DO represent my generation...
According to this book.
Hmm... keep reading.

It's so funny. I purposely didn't read this before the panel so I wouldn't be influenced. Yet I ended up saying a lot of the things that are in here anyway. So I guess credibility gets a tick. But it's still shocking. I didn't think I was normal.

Random thoughts (in order of appearance during blog-writing)
  • Sandboxes
  • Email lab report
  • I should dance more
  • Cancer
  • I want to write a book...but online...like a blog...but one that people actually comment on
  • I can't believe I got a doggy bag from Four-Seasons. What a gimp. I don't even like fries and fried chicken. Or anything fried for that matter. Not even waffles. But who cares, it's the company that matters.
  • Feel like throwing up
  • Anat tests back - Crappy McCrappadoo. Seriously. I'm not even sure anymore that this ladder is worth climbing if it gives me so much grief. Do I really need to maintain my GPA? Roger Booth did say it was basically impossible. So perhaps I should focus more on publishing a paper in AMJ (American Journal in Physiology) or something like that...oh yeah baby, that's sweeet.
  • My goodness, heavy machinery is fascinating.
  • I just want to be mentored in mingling and socialising.
  • I like directness with large helpings of detail and subtleness. Not just detail and subtleness.
  • Who do you go to for advice?
  • What is the longest half-life of the best digital storage device?
  • Do I MUMBLE?
  • Whoa, so tired - seriously should get more than 2hrs/night

May 6, 2006 | 11:27 PM Comments  1 comments



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