#reflection 7

It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.

~Confucius

Evening of the 7th day, June 7, 2018.

This is a very fast paced trip. We are going from one location to another at breakneck speed (literally on the Shinkansen). We get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of things that happen, we disappoint ourselves when we can’t do it all. It’s a dangerous line between being fascinated by everything to becoming closed off and distant due to the stress on our bodies.

It has been 7 full days since we’ve been on this trip. It can feel redundant to see another shrine, more souvenirs exclusive to an area, and more train rides. But the Fushimi Inari shrine was one of my favorite locations so far. Many of us stopped at the crossroads that split the Inari gates. Some of us decided to return to the food stalls and shops. Some of us decided to continue moving forward.

Kelley and I moved forward. Slowly but surely reaching toward the top. We talked a lot about the trip and how one day we would return to Japan. We took our time for pictures and the scenic views and the sheer beauty of the shrines.

There is nothing like this. It was an experience that I will forever hold close. I’m so glad I decided to keep moving forward. We had multiple chances to stop and return, but we made the decision to continue. And it was all the better for it.

This trip will end, but I need to keep moving forward. I have many decisions to make in my life, including where I will work and moving forward in my studies. There’s also the NCLEX to worry about. Hopefully the post trip depression won’t hit me so hard that it stops me. I’ll think of this hike and remember to keep moving forward.

Islamization of Knowledge

We had a session on Islamization of Knowledge by Dr. Mahmudul Hasan on Friday 15th of December. The topic was introduced by him beforehand to make sure the term ‘Islamization’ is clear for the students.

Dr. Mahmud stated that Islamization of knowledge can be implemented at many levels and various communities. He provided the example of his neighbourhood to the students to give further insight into the topic. The masjid in his neighbourhood is committed to play Qur’anic verses between Maghrib and Fajr prayer and it shows the Islamization in local communities. In International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) however, he pointed out that the Islamization here should be higher than in the local.  This is because it is one of the intellectual communities and the expectation towards our community is obviously higher. 

Other than that, Dr. Mahmudul Hasan highlighted on the misuse of blessings that are given to us. He mentioned that blessings that are misused can be a curse to human beings. For example, cars or transportation is a blessing to us as it accommodates us in traveling or going from one place to another. A car, however, can be a curse to us if we drive recklessly and lead to accidents. This is very much the same with the issue of technology. Technology has now been used widely all around the world and it provides us with many benefits such as interacting with people on the other countries and also can offer us various information at our fingertips. Despite that, if we use technology in a wrong way it may cause destruction even though not physically but mentally and spiritually. Therefore, we should follow the ethics in using all the blessings in our life including technology itself. 

Furthermore, he stressed that there are three areas of knowledge formation which are knowledge production, knowledge management, and knowledge sharing. He explained on each area and how we should be producing knowledge for Islam’s sake. He clarified that among 8billions of Muslim around the world and there is no reliable material can be found on great scholars like Rumi. There is lack of Muslim writers to research and write on the great scholars of Islam, on the other hand, West scholars such as Kohlberg are conducting research on Rumi and misinterpret his works. Dr highly encouraged us on writing and be among the Muslim writers to write good Islamic-based materials on our great Muslim scholars.

Pronunciation

Antimoon has a lot of interesting articles, I read one about choosing between American and British Pronunciation. This article is very interesting for me because most of the time I speak with the General American but, some words are too difficult to me and pronounced with the British accent is easier for me.  Also, the majority of the people speak with GenAm (General American) because it's more global. We almost always hear movies with the GenAm accent, videos, and music among others. For this reason is normal that we speak with that accent.  In addition, only a 5% speak with British pronunciation, and this average compound by academics, actors, and politicians.

Obviously, we always have to be improving our pronunciation but, personally I have to improve my pronunciation of vowels.  Because most of the time I get confused with some of them.  Also, I need to modulate more, cause at the beginning of the year I don't modulate anything. Besides now I improve this aspect a little but I need more.

Have a good pronunciation it's necessary to get a pleasant conversation. When we talk to a person in real life, they probably will not notice our limited vocabulary or grammar mistakes but, they will notice our bad pronunciation. It doesn't matter if we have good grammar and vocabulary, this won't help us if we have a bad pronunciation, for that guy I will be the girl with poor pronunciation. In addition, we can live without an advanced vocabulary, we can explain everything with simple words and a good pronunciation to be understood.

For a classroom to be an effective learning environment, teachers and students must utilise all of the available resources to the best of their abilities. One of these resources is the computer. Computer technology has been used in the classroom for many years now. However, the optimum use of computers in schools is a topic of much debate, with no apparent consensus on the best approach. There are a number of differing theories on the most effective way to use this technology in the 21st century classroom.

One very common way is schools having designated classrooms with 20-30 computers in them, known as computer labs. The teachers will then book the class into the computer lab when they need to use them. This approach means that the schools do not have to outlay the significant cost of purchasing a computer (or device) for each student. Although this is of financial benefit to the school, a computer lab system has other issues that need to be considered. Double booking of rooms and teachers organising lessons around computer rooms that turn out to be unavailable can be a large inconvenience and interruption to schedules. There are also the added constraints of getting students to the computer lab, which can prove to be a time-killer, even if the students are scheduled to meet the teacher there at the beginning of the lesson.

One other solution, which seems to be gaining popularity, is a 1:1 ratio of computers to students. This usually involves students having a personal laptop (or sometimes a tablet device e.g. an iPad) that is loaned to them from the school. This way, students bring their device to every lesson and teachers can integrate them into lessons smoothly. Obviously, either the school or parents will have to wear the extra cost of such a system. The parents may cover the cost in some areas of higher socio-economic status but in other areas parents may not be able to afford such a luxury. In this case the school would have to cover the cost of the computers, either from their own pocket or through government funding. The main concern with this system is devices getting damaged through student mistreatment. Broken laptops will cost money to fix and will mean that students won’t have them in class to use anyway. Another concern is the students simply forgetting to bring them, which in this system means that they cannot be fully apart of the lessons involving this technology.

There are arguments for and against both systems that have merit. In response to such arguments, Alan Bain and Mark Weston bring up a very valid point to remember. They state that, ‘though we claim to focus on student achievement with our technology initiatives, that focus is more often on the “stuff” rather than on what we have students and teachers do or achieve with that “stuff.”’ Their point is that student to computer ratios are not the key issue regarding using technology in the classroom. If technology is used only to automate the teaching practices that already exist, then its potential is being wasted. They argue that the focus should be utilizing technology to revolutionize the way that teachers facilitate learning in the classroom.

  So whether it is 1:1 student to computer ratios or using computer labs, the focus should always be on pushing the boundaries into creative and engaging teaching. With this as the focus, the smaller aspects of how and why will reveal themselves in time.

References

http://the21stcenturyprincipal.blogspot.com.au/2013/05/computer-to-student-ratio-stats-are-not.html (quote from this source)

SOCI 2F60 Foundations of Community Engagement Reflection Our Community Food Store: Downtown Food Co-op Launch Event

  Description

 On Wednesday March 6th I took the 116 Bus to the downtown terminal. I walked down to St. Paul’s Street and took a right until I was at the Mahtay Café. We were to be there for 7 pm and I had just arrived a couple minutes before. When I first entered the café there were people who welcomed us and informed us that we were at the Food Co-op Launch Event. They then gave me a pamphlet and a pledge form to fill out that included what I would be looking forward to seeing when the launch was completed. I had bought a coffee and then walked to a table so I could sit and wait until it started. The place was very full and there was not much room, so I took the opportunity while I could. While I waited, there were two people at the front playing a banjo and a guitar. The presentation started and our first real speaker was a man named Ken Murphy from Start Me Up Niagara and he brought along a fellow employee named Suzanne. The two of them talked about how using the trickle down effect will help people in the community build better lives. The next speaker, Mike , came on and talked about the co-op and how they are beneficial to everyone. After they were done speaking we were able to meet the people who would be involved in getting the food to the co-op and were able to participate in the vision wall. The vision wall was were individuals were able to place stickers on what they felt was most important. Examples of this included organic and local food. After this, the café died down and I returned home.

  Examination

 The first thing the first speaker said was “People who work together work better then those working alone”. Being a person who would choose to work by myself, rather than others, this  sentence really stood out to me. This caused me to realize that working with others is beneficial. But when I read an article by Michael Maniates, called Individualism: Plant a Tree, Buy a Bike, Save the World? it was evident proven that this was a fact. The point of the launch was to support the co-op, which is a company that is owned and controlled by its members, and driven by social and economic concerns and guided by the principles that they lay out. This means that they do not work on one single person, but everyone in the community helps contribute to the success. The article states that “Education is a critical ingredient in this view – smart consumers will make choices, it is thought, with the larger public in mind”( Maniates 2002, p. 45).  The purpose of the launch event was to inform people about the food co-op that they would like to start purchasing. This educates people who do not know about this and makes them realize that the food co-op is beneficial for the community. The article talks about Dr. Seuss’s story The Lorax  and how he was the one who speaks for the trees and helps protect them. However, since he is the only one there he fails and each tree is cut down. The Lorax is the creature of the trees who has a human who is cutting them all down for his own profit. The Lorax no like this and continually tells him to stop, which he doesn’t, and in the end realizes all the trees are cut and his mistake.He states “At the end of the day the Lorax’s only satisfaction is the privilege of being able to say ‘I told you so,’ but this – and the Once-ler’s slide into poverty- has to be small consolation” (Maniates 2002, p. 44).  When Maniates talks about this story of The Lorax  he is proving that it is beneficial to have more than just one person working towards a common goal because it will create a chain effect in which people will see others doing good deeds and realize that they too should be involved.

  Articulation of Learning

 I have learned that opportunities are more likely to present themselves when you work with others.  The article talks about environmental problems and how they can be fixed when we work together; economic and social issues can be fixed  in this manner as well. Being able to have people all work for the same result is beneficial because, being able to have this ‘team’ work together will be able to have a “collective ability to imagine and pursue a variety of productive responses” (Maniates 2002, p. 46).

I learned this learning when I realized that I am a person who would rather work by myself rather then a group. When I saw everyone there willing to help and participate, however, it made me rethink my judgment. Like The Lorax I am sometimes not able to accomplish my tasks because of my stubbornness. Also when I was at the launch seeing everyone build off of each other, I realized that when people are together they can accomplish more.

This learning matters because if we all put in a little effort it can go a long way.  Being able to make that change with the community is also very powerful. “It calls too for individuals to understand themselves as citizens in a participatory democracy first, working together to change broader policy and larger social institutions, and as consumers second” (Maniates 2002, p. 47).  This clearly shows that being able to be part of a larger concept benefits more people.

In light of this learning I have signed up to help the co-op and will shop at their store to help them. The co-op also has seven principles that they went by and it all involved the community as a whole and not each person. I believe that helping out for the greater good is more important than just yourself.

This is a difficult reflection to compose. The past two weeks have been so entirely jam-packed that it’s challenging to make a coherent thought of it in any respect. One moment I was in London on the Tube and the next, I was in Krakow, and the next, Rome, and the next, Siena. Tomorrow I go to Brussels, Belgium, and then return for three days before heading to Kos, Greece. Then I have three days left in the Villa and in Florence before I make my way to Lourdes, France for two weeks and then home. Where did time go? Why does it feel like we just arrived here, but also that sitting in the Buonamici lounge in Rome, being advised not to take naps while we were adjusting to the time change, was a million years ago?

I am a person who worries about not cherishing things enough. (I think my very first reflection touched on this a bit. How long ago that was!) I will be pitched into a down-spiral of stress and guilt if I even consider running out of time in a place, leaving it without experiencing it to the fullest. This comes from a fear of my own laziness, a fear of my poor planning and lack of daily motivation. In the moment, it’s so easy to let time slide here. It’s so easy to say, oh I’ll go into Florence tomorrow. I’ll sit on my computer today, or I’ll go talk to my friends in the other wing of the Villa later. I’ll have more time then.

I know, both from friends who have made this journey in the past and from my knowledge of my own tendencies, that the second I leave it, I will wish with all my heart to come back to these moments. It’s a terrifying and exhausting way to live, always afraid that you aren’t living the moments you are given to the highest degree, and by its own nature it spoils the very moment in which you think it, furthering the cycle. There has to be some happy medium, some way to cherish the way that we are here and now without pre-emptive regret of its inevitable change. I am looking for this way.

I am also one who has the tendency toward nostalgia, and maybe in that rests my solution. Even now, before we have left this place, with its green shutters and white pillared classroom and that amazing view, I already miss it. My heart has begun to look at the Villa with the fondness of someone returning to a place they once knew, not a place they are leaving for the first time. I miss the staff already, and look at each interaction with them as an opportunity that will likely not arise in my life again. Why haven’t I been behaving this way the entire time? How have I taken a single moment of it for granted?

In four months, when I am packing to return to school, will I miss the simplicity of making due with these same six outfits and a packet of travel laundry detergent? In eight months, when I’m preparing to take fall semester finals and it’s slushy outside and I don’t want to walk to the cafe, will I miss standing in the snow in a Krakow midnight instead, the cold seeping through my ruined boots? In ten months when the Raven Walk has again become the enemy, and it’s raining, and all my classes are in the third floor of the FAC, will I miss trudging up that impossibly long hill to the Settignano bus stop (or sprinting down the back way to hopefully catch its second stop)? In a year, when I am preparing to leave Benedictine College for the last time as a student, preparing to make that walk across that gym, will I remember what I have learned in all the missed trains, forgotten umbrellas, hours of wandering lost, awkward language barriers, and misunderstood cultural cues?

I hope so. I hope I will remember all these things and more. And in our last two weeks here, I hope I can see my time here as a thing untouchable and unchangeable, perfect as it is and in what it was. I hope I will see it for its abundant blessings and lessons and joys, and not let myself fall into comparison, remorse, and disappointment. Regret is the enemy. Regret changes nothing.

And ultimately, there is nothing here to regret. There has been only grace, only gifts. Inconvenience is adventure regarded poorly. Failure is learning seen with pride. I hope I will remember this time, the people I’ve met, the things I have seen, the ways I have grown, with all the fondness and gratitude it deserves. I hope that I can cherish my time left here, but more importantly, cherish my memories of here, without it being stained by my greedy desire to grab onto more of it, keep more of it, than I am able to. All moments are passing, and no matter how tightly I hold onto them, they are sand, and they will slip through my fingers. The only thing I can do is to love it while it’s here, and refuse to spoil it with regret when it goes. The time will pass regardless of my attachment to it, and these people, this place, will have to pass from my life too.

A whole week taken away from my winter vacation. But a lot of knowledge and experience gained in a whole week. Although I spent my last week of break being at school from 9am-4:30pm, those 5 days were well spent with Bri, Paula, RJ, Jason, and Eugene(: 

Today, I realized how healthy we've become. We were never hungry in that class. From granola bars, to fruits (apples and oranges), to veggie pizza, to subway, to cheese sticks. We would eat every 30 minutes XD And as of today, we are CPR and First Aid certified. :D Another accomplishment. Yes. It was fun kissing those dummies ;P I learned that you don't put a spoon in someone if they're having a seizure. I also learned that an apple a day makes 7 apples a week ;P jk. but yeah. I learned that you always have to ask if you may help someone before giving them assistance- even if they're dying, you can't touch them if they said no. hehe, it feels great to know things that apply to everyday life. I can one day save lives (; haaay! LOL.