I Do

This morning an article on taxation "Most have little to gain from income-splitting" in the Business section of the Vancouver Sun newspaper drew my attention.  Most mornings I scan the headlines just to get a general sense of what is happening in the world.  This time, however, I read the whole article, since it's a subject I've been interested in for the last 5 years, since my income bracket started to push toward "high earners" level.

In this article, a senior economist, David MacDonald, says "it wouldn't help the middle class either, since the top third of Canada's richest families would receive $3 of every $4 spent on income splitting".

First of all, I don't believe it's a good way to start a discussion or make someone think when an article starts with the opinion of a so-called authority such as "a think tank" or "scientists" because it supports an authority suppressing critical thinking.  I've lived long enough to see all kind of authoritative predictions or reports misfire, such as the likes of Al Gore predicting ice caps melting by 2013.  Second of all, it might do us all good just to present the facts and leave the opinions behind.

To me personally, this initiative of income splitting will benefit enormously.  I've been working 3 jobs so my wife could stay home and take care of the kids.  This is how I became a so-called "high earner" - my hard work is rewarded with a comfortable lifestyle.  My wife and I have been unofficially splitting my income since she helps me in my businesses, but it would make sense if this splitting was official.  This is a ruling I am hoping will happen.  Why should the hard working people like me be punished with paying high taxes?  Is it not the low taxes that create jobs?  Why would someone take the risk of opening up a business and as an "added benefit" face another risk of paying exorbitant tax if the business is successful.

My definite vote on this:  I do benefit from income splitting.

Teaching Naked

I find the "Teaching Naked"  textbook captivating.  Once I started this course, I thought that getting to know technology and using it in the classroom will take lots of my personal time, but it seems completely opposite to my early notion.  Time and time again the author emphasizes "technology in the form of well-designed assessments can increase opportunities for thinking, reflection, risk and reward and free up more class time for other things"

Announcements

Today was our first of this year Cross Fitness class at BCIT. This is usually a very popular class so much so that students and staff who don't sign up on time have to put their names down on the waiting list. This wasn't the case today, lots of people missing. As we are chatting before the class a question comes up: Why there  are so few people?  The answer I got from a student was very interesting. She thought that's because the class was not announced to those who signed up for it. Neither she or any other people who signed up for the class got notweet or email reminding the students about the starting time. That was an eerie feeling, someone was confirming to me what the author of our PIDP3240 text book wrote: as I was reading through this last night:

"announcing an extra class session verbally is not terribly reliable. Most of us want written confirmation of  meetings or movie times, so put everything in writing.  Students will soon learn to check email or the website instead of asking you" (Bowen J.A. p. 106). 

I am glad I started to tweet and use Facebook. What a great way to announce something to the whole class without too much effort :)

                       

                           

Burning up

It's been 2 weeks since my course started and I am already "burning up". Not in a sense that I am getting exhausted from studying but in a sense that I am spending lots of time in front of computer and my eyes are getting tires. Yesterday I made a posting on the Social Media Forum:

Safety First
Friday, 24 January 2014, 11:53 PM

I've been spending a lot of time recently in front of a computer screen, not sure why but could because of the course I am taking :) After a period of time I feel fatigued and to relieve the eye strain I walk away from the screen for a few minutes. After a short search regarding the effect of monitors on human eye I found this: "extensive testing in government and private laboratories has not produced scientific evidence that computer monitors will harm your eyes. Research has established that computer monitors emit little or no hazardous radiation, such as x-ray or non-ionizing radiation, such as ultraviolet rays" http://www.pasadenaeye.com/faq/faq08/faq08_text.html. This is a good news but anyone can still fill the effect of being in front of screen or prolonged periods of time with the following consequences:

• Eye discomfort
• Headaches
• Itchy eyes
• Dry or watering eyes
• Burning sensations
• Changes in color perception
• Difficulty focusing
• Blurred vision

I made a posting regarding my concern on the social media study forum and here is a reply I got from Brianna Peters:

http://www.news-medical.net/health/Does-looking-at-a-computer-damage-your-eyes.aspx

20-20-20 rule
e.g. http://www.labnol.org/software/computer-eye-exercise/14069

I have heard this rule a few times, but I think it's appropriate to your comment. The rules is that every 20 minutes, you look away from your computer screen to a point 20 feet away for a period of 20 seconds. Obviously it was designed by an American, as we Canadian don't deal in the imperial system anymore! You can set a timer on one of your electronic device to dingle every 20 minutes as a reminder. In addition you can get out of your chair and do some stretches or relaxation exercises.

Cheating

I enjoy a controversial discussion especially relating to something I am interested in and as in my case these days the subject is PIDP3240 course I am taking on-line.

This is a posting by Robert Lees I enjoyed reading this morning. I found it very relative especially since I was a cheater when taking entry exams to a college at the age of 15.

Re: Cheating in Online Courses

by Andrey Murphy - Saturday, 25 January 2014, 10:30 AM

Great post. Takes me back to when I was 15 taking entry exam into a college. I wasn't strong in one subject so I just asked my buddy to take the test for me. It actually worked and I got in. I found this very interesting: "Despite public suspicion about online deception, studies seem to show that there is not much difference in the amount of cheating that occurs in virtual and real classrooms"

I wonder if a better solution is not a high cost technology, but a low cost registered facility close or within a short travel distance for the students to the the final test at? Similar to having volunteers monitor the exam as suggested in the article.

I am going to make a separate tab on my blog for interesting resources posted in the Forum area of PIDP3240 course. This is also a requirement for Assignment 4 in Social Media Option and therefore I am "killing two birds with one stone". I think I am going to have lots of interesting resources at the end of this course therefore having a place to park them for future use would be handy.

War Room

Even with taking an online course, to fully understand how this works, I had to revert to the old "technology":

As I was posting this picture, I was thinking that it could be made more "dynamic' with arrows pointing to different areas with explanations, but since I am not taking Digital Media presentation, I'll omit it this time. Here is a picture of my low tech "War Room" and it's been of great assistance in understanding the flow of this course - what is it exactly I have to do, when and where.

Here is a reminder on my phone, so that every time I turn it on there is a list of things for me to do to keep up with assignments.  By the way, I also have these sticky notes at home and at work.  Low tech, but it works for me.

Pieces of the Puzzle

I think I am slowly understanding how this online course works, and piece by piece I am connecting the puzzle.  As I was reading the textbook, interestingly called, "Teaching Naked" by Bowen J.A., I was highlighting some interesting thoughts.  As I was doing so, I looked at the highlighter and thought:  what will the highlighter be in this digital age?  So I quickly looked up Highlighter and came to this http://vimeo.com/26091209 . This is a pretty nifty little tool that could be of great help to students as well as instructors in this digital age.

Facebook Set Up

Finally, I was forced to come out of my technology seclusion and join the Facebook world..  Today I signed up for an account and once I was through the initial set-up, a wave of information flooded the screen.  At first, it was hard to get oriented and after 5 minutes of poking around the home page I was ready to give up.  That was enough of an introduction for my first day but before calling it quit I made my first Like for the School of Instructor Education https://www.facebook.com/VCCSchoolOfInstructorEducation which has a link from http://instructordiploma.com/

Could not Predict it

I tried blogging once previously for the purpose of connecting with people who have similar interests in cycling.  Whether it turned out any good or not, you can be the judge:  http://cycloping.blogspot.ca/

Here I am, 3 years later, working on another blog for my Media Enhanced Learning Course 3240 with Vancouver Community College.  This time around, my blog has a different purpose:  this is my assignment. So far, the course has been a very interesting experience.  Yesterday, I signed up for a Twitter account, today, I revisited blogging, and next, I will be signing up with Facebook.  Since the Social Media revolution began, I've been avoiding it as much as possible.  I didn't see a need for Social Media in my personal or work life and didn't want to bother being connected to others constantly.  The time has come when I should start paying attention to it and having to take this course has given me a push in that direction.

Here are some interesting blogs from the participants in my Social Media Group:

http://youngparentseducationprogram.blogspot.ca/

http://essaydoctor001.blogspot.ca/

http://zodiacbeacon.com/about-me/

http://sabinareitzik.worpress.com/

http://rockstarsoccer.blogspot.ca/