Archive for March, 2009
A Revolving Door
In his list of life accomplishments Royston Tester is one of those rare individuals who can say that he is not only a Mohawk College Professor with 20+ years of teaching experience. He can say that he is not simply a published author of both novels and short fiction. He might also add that he is not just an internationally respected editor and visiting writer in residence. He can now include in this list of distinctions, albeit informally, the title of Mohawk College’s cultural ambassador to China.
By drawing connections between his creative work and his educational background, Roy has opened up a dialogue between Mohawk College and various Chinese educational institutions such as Siyuan University and China Youth University. As a reflection of this increased dialogue Roy has produced a website that serves as a cultural entry point to Mohawk faculty and students who are interested in working at or attending one of our Chinese campuses. But even more so, his website provides us all with detailed and creative insight into this otherwise mysterious culture.
His site is appropriately called a “cultural toolkit,” designed to provide international faculty with the tools they will need to navigate successfully, amongst other things, China’s intricate cultural attitudes and behaviors. With icons to click on such as “Living and Working in China,” “Cultural Differences,” and additional information on weighty subjects like Chinese education, culture and politics, Roy has painted a comprehensive vision of what it is like to both live and work in China. But even more than this, Roy’s website offers us all an intimate view into the kinds of struggles and cultural differences our Chinese students might currently be facing in Canadian classrooms. By engaging with his cultural toolkit we can all increase our cultural competence with students who are of Chinese background, and thus ensure that we will take advantage of the international opportunities that China can offer to Mohawk College both now and in the future.
March 30th, 2009
Learning yes, but i what?
If you trace the etymology of the term “i-Learning” the original meaning of i clearly stood for information. In fact, the full use of the term was originally IT-Learning, referring to the technological revolution that has unfolded over the last decade with the wide-spread use of the internet and its endless educational applications. But over the last decade, the use of the internet in the classroom has become commonplace and even assumed by our technologically savvy students So how are we to understand this term if we want to use it in reference to exciting curriculum development?
A more up-to-date use of the i in i-Learning, and a more common use of term these days is “Innovation Learning.” This term denotes an inventive and creative classroom that utilizes the current technologies of our time and engages students with targeted applications of these new technologies such as pod casting, twittering and wiccies.
Still, as teachers we have been riding this new-age wave of technological innovation for long enough that we know this drive toward “innovation” can actually interfere with effective teaching and learning, and it’s clear to many of us that a new understanding of the term is more useful.
If we understand i-learning to mean “integrated-learning” we can incorporate the best of both the old and the new in the classroom. We can combine tried and true teaching techniques with the brave new frontier of technology to develop classrooms where our students are engaged, interested, and above all, educated. If we can do this then we truly will have arrived at a definition of “i-Learning” that all educators can embrace.
March 3rd, 2009
Did you know?
Statistics are an interesting thing. When viewed singularly on their own they may seem quite meaningless, but when we look for patterns within statistical groups their ability to predict trends and patterns becomes very impressive. Such is the case when we view immigration statistics taken from the last census in 2006.
For example, did you know that currently 1 in 5 people in Canada were born in another country? Did you know that immigration accounts for 2/3 of Canada’s population growth? Did you know that by 2010, 100% of labor force growth will be due to immigration? These statistics help to paint a picture of the cultural mosaic that will blossom in Canada in the foreseeable future.
Our ability to reflect this great infusion of multi-cultural influence will determine the success or failure of our businesses and institutions in the future. As educators, this presents us with an amazing opportunity to create an institutional climate that reflects the needs and nurtures the potential of the next generation of Canadians. With growing awareness and professional education in cultural diversity we can make Mohawk College the educator of choice for this growing student base, and ensure the longevity of our institution for many years to come. The opportunities truly are infinite!
March 3rd, 2009