Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Blog #5 Creating a MOOC?

I have heard of MOOCs before,. A couple of previous classes that I participated in included them as resources for the classes i.e. students were given links to the MOOCs to look up as assignments while preparing for the next class. it would never have crossed my mind to create one.

However, I would not mind knowing how a MOOC is created so long as the colleagues who know what to do are willing to teach people like me who have no idea what to do. Remember my on going battle with "twitter.com" and blogging? I just finished stressing over logging onto my blogging account!! Andre, hope you are reading this.

I am willing to go along with a MOOC, I just need coaching. Sure it sounds like a challenge but it will be nice to share what we are learning with other people beyond our class.

I do not consider myself an authority on race and ethnic identity issues but I have learned some things along the way particularly an educator of English Language Learners. I am willing to share what I have learned and learn from other people as well. If conversations about race and ethnicity are difficult one can only imagine just how much more challenging the situation is when the person experiencing the difficulty also has a language barrier. If our efforts sensitizes only one person then we have made some progress but I am sure more than one person will benefit.

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Blog #4 - Conversations About Race


Why do we need to have these conversations about race?  What can we do to shift the tides towards justice and change?  How can we connect to make our projects matter in the world outside our classroom?
Conversations about race are important because it is when we have real conversations  - listen to other people's views and experiences and I return share our own experiences that we can learn from each other.

I have learned from this class. The conversations we've n\been having have involved vulnerability, letting other people into your emotional space even if for a few minutes. It takes courage to have meaningful conversations about race and sometimes emotional restraint to get the message across  in a way that the other person(s) would want to receive it. That is where I sometimes lose it because of my passionate and intense nature. The challenge for me is how not to come across as combative and aggressive when I am really riled by racist comments and acts whether they are overt or subtle.

These conversations are important because they can cause us to pause and look at the other persons shared experience; they help us become more sensitive. The whole world would most likely not change at once nor immediately, but, if we can cause even one person to pause and reconsider then we have made progress. That one person can affect yet another person or more and the chain continues.

To shift the tide towards justice and change involves a willingness to put oneself out.
It involves moving out of one's comfort zone to be an activist of some sort - it could be verbal (being willing to speak out at events, TV shows etc.),writing articles in newspapers, blogs or tweets or just a simple well phrased contribution to a conversation in response to negative comment. The kind of contribution that causes others to pause and think.

The internet seems to be the best option in connecting our projects to the world outside. We could actively invite people to visit the digital omnibus, follow our tweets, read our blogs etc.

Dr. Z, I kind of sense that this part of the question may require more than the above. I am still thinking it over.

Sunday, March 1, 2015

Technology and Me. Standard English

Okay. Let's face it. I am a newbie to blogging and tweeting. I just spent hours trying to figure out how to send my tweets  in response to tweets from colleagues.

Eloy, do I remember you telling me I could do it? The friend I thought I had lined up to guide me seems to have gone into hiding. lol. I am now looking at alternative technical tutoring. I have read a few articles but am yet to figure out how to embed them in my blogs or tweets. 

Jonathan and Andre, the NPR article on sounding white/code switching is interesting. I personally practice code switching. I have found it necessary. If I did not try to speak in standard American English as much as possible, very few people would understand what I have to say. I naturally speak fast, add that to my West African (in this case Nigerian-Yoruba accent), also, I grew up with British English it will be interesting to see how you will understand most of what I am saying. What with American English using words like "trunk', "hood", "blinker" etc. in place of British words - "booth", "bonnet", "trafficator" for parts of the automobile. (That is just the simplest part of the confusion) I know that I cannot erase my accent. I do not wish to. That is what make me who I am. It identifies my ethnicity but I also want to communicate with people so I need to make myself understood. When I am amongst people who understand my other "codes" I speak those dialects or languages.

The way I see it, learning to code switch is a skill and the better you are at it the better for communication. I have stated several times that I feel that I am still learning about the American culture and society. I am speaking from my experience. The radio broadcast from NPR or even BBC are listened to by people from other nations. How are those people to understand what is being broadcast if every broadcaster were to talk his dialect or language register. The standard English is difficult enough. Remember that we are trying to build a global community 

I speak, read and write in four languages. I can only communicate with most English speaking people in one i.e. English language. The other three I can only use in the fora where they will be understood. Two of those languages can only be understood mainly in the West African region and only by restricted groups (Yoruba and Pidgin English).
Yoruba - by fifty to fifty millions of ethnic Yorubas in Nigeria and some more in other countries both English and French Speaking West African Nations up to Cote D'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) on the West African Coast. Pidgin English (or creole) is spoken mainly in English Speaking West Africa. Both these languages have some dialectical differences depending on their locality. The fourth language is French. I can only communicate in standard French. I would have serious challenges trying to completely understand the regional dialects of French.

In my part of the globe if there was no common or standard language believe me we would be in serious trouble. There is a standard Yoruba language which I speak as well as my dialect (Ijebu). When I speak my dialect my husband who is also Yoruba has no clue what I am talking about. So, we communicate in standard Yoruba and English. The same applies to other people from my country. We have over two hundred languages(200) not dialects let's not discuss that at this time! So  English is the official language of communication in the country. Yes, when one travels to the states and rural towns more of the local languages are spoken but with English and Pidgin English you can communicate or are able to get an interpreter.

In my country, the ability to code switch can open doors for you. If I want to see  an important official. I could be speaking standard English even as I am approaching the security desk. If I switch to Pidgin English or Yoruba (if I discern that the person speaks the language), I would most likely get a warmer reception at the security desk as I would be seen as not trying to be too big for my shoes. However, there are also instances when switching to very frosty tones in standard English has got me out of trouble if the person I am talking to is being very difficult and I find it necessary to change tactics.

I believe the same principle can apply in American society. There is room for standard English and there is room for code switching. How would there be communication between various groups if there was no standard English? Some of us would love to understand more of the different dialects or codes but until we can learn we can only communicate in standard English.