Masters in Adult Education

Advanced Certificate in Training of Trainers

Vol. 3, No. 4, February, 2000                                  A Bi-Monthly Newsletter                                    Roger Hiemstra, Editor

Happy Heart Time of the Year

It's that time of the year when we think anew about the loves of our life. Nothing wrong with that, but why can't we think more about what brings joy to our own hearts the whole year through. I'm not meaning to be maudlin but life has become so intense, crazy, and busy that, unfortunately, we need a special day to remind us to pay attention to our spouses, partners, friends, and relatives. The older I get the more I realize that giving love to others is more important that seeking it out for yourself. So, whether it is on a special day or on many more days, give someone a hug, smell those roses, tell others you love them, and don't let our ever accelerating way of life get to you. Love you, Rog

Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead. The consciousness of loving and being loved brings a warmth and richness to life that nothing else can bring. Oscar Wilde

A Research Conference for You!

The Second Eastern Regional Adult Education Research Conference is an opportunity I strongly recommend you consider. Seldom do we have such a possibility so close by. It will be March 16-18, 2000, at the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, State College, PA. Here you will find a forum for researchers, practitioners, policy makers, and students to share the best of theory and practice in adult education. Attendees and presenters will have many opportunities to network, including a conference lunch, a reception, and music. There also will be key-note presentations by Victoria Purcell-Gates and Edward Taylor. See www.outreach.psu.edu/C&I/EasternAdultEducation/ for more information. They also have a printable registration form. If you can't find their site, send me a message (rhiemstra@elmira.edu) and I can email a copy of the form to you.

A limited number of rooms have been set aside at The Penn Stater. If you want a room there call 1-800-233-7505 and identify yourself as an Eastern Regional Adult Education Research Conference participant. See www.visitpennstate.org/ for information on other accommodations.

The fee for graduate students is $65 if you meet the early-bird registration date of February 18. The regular early-bird fee is $145. I can take three more people in my vehicle, so let me know if you would like a ride. I also will coordinate car-pooling, so let me know, too, if you can drive and take others or if you need a ride. Rog

Another Conference Suggestion

Nancy Gadbow and Dave DuBois (two of our 1999 Summer Institute faculty) are coordinating DEED2000 (Disabled, Enabled, Empowered, and Determined), the fifth biennial, international, multi-disciplinary conference on all aspects of disability. It will be April 28-May 1, 2000, at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center and the Sheraton Four Points Hotel. A special preconference workshop focuses on adult education and distance learning for people with disabilities. John Hockenberry, Dateline Correspondent, and Ted Kennedy, Jr., Disability Rights Advocate, are two of the keynoters. See www. DEED2000.org/deed for more information.

"Its too bad Roger couldn't join us."

[Used by permission. Yes, I know it is a little late to wish everyone a Happy New Year, virtually or otherwise, but it does transition well to the next piece.]

Distance Education Everywhere!!

Yes, it is almost impossible to pick up a magazine, newspaper, conference flyer, etc. without seeing at least one item related to distance education. The inevitability of this delivery form means all adult educators must become knowledgeable about, if not expert in, various forms of meeting learners' needs outside traditional classrooms or training sessions.

You can see the web page (www-distance.syr. edu/distance.html) for some information on the topic. In addition, within the Adult Education Program we are doing several things to help interested people become more informed. For example, I will teach AED 5220 Computer Mediated Distance Education during Term III (see www-distance.syr.edu/ AED5220.html to examine the course syllabus). Here is a chance to not only study the topic, but also practice it through our CMC conversations. We will meet f-2-f two weekends (May 12-13/June 23-24) and have our computer mediated discussions in between those dates.

In addition, I will deliver two courses completely on the web in the next academic year:

1. AED 5250 Self-Directed and Individualized Adult Learning, Fall, 2000, Core B

2. AED 5230 Ethics and the Adult and Continuing Educator, Winter, 2001, Core A

Finally, Dean Sundberg and I are coordinating a distance education committee for Elmira College. We are exploring various ways this delivery form can be used in the future. If you have any ideas or suggestions, we will welcome them. Rog

Reinvent Yourself!

Yes, fly like the Elmira College soaring eagle and find various ways of reinventing yourself in this new Century. In the January-February, 2000, issue of Modern Maturity, 25 ways are described for doing this. My version of what they suggest follows:

  1. Make the ultimate "to do" list that will help you change directions in your life.
  2. Know your character, temperament, or personality and go with the "correct flow" (see www.keirsey.com for on-line quizzes).
  3. Jot down your life's purpose in 25 words or less through a personal mission statement.
  4. Start a personal journal and discover more about who you really are (see www.nzdances.co.nz/journal/ for a good related web site).
  5. Write your eulogy to determine what you would like people to say about you after you're gone--what is your legacy?
  6. Find the courage to change.
  7. Turn to a pro for help, such as a professional career counselor.
  8. Take time to talk to someone you feel comfortable with about your deepest feelings or values.
  9. Create an informal board of advisors made up of friends whom you respect and admire, whose opinions you value, and who would offer good counsel as you need it.
  10. Find a personal coach who will help push you toward your goals (see www.Coachu.com or www.claritycoach.com/).
  11. March to the beat of a different drum--don't be afraid to nonconform at times.
  12. Concentrate on your strengths, preferences, and vision for your life (this site has some useful advice: www.marylhurst.edu/student/lifeplanning-content.html).
  13. Be a lifelong learning ('nuff said').
  14. Teach others ('nuff said').
  15. Aspire to do something new, even crazy.
  16. Think about relocating for a new job or life, but be sure to check out any future sites.
  17. Consider meditating or taking reflection time in a retreat setting.
  18. Give yourself a sabbatical, even if you must take time away without pay. Getting away from the "rat race" even for a short time can renew you in many ways.
  19. Travel in creative ways (on a bike, hike the Appalachian Trail-- see www.fred.net/kathy/at.html for a neat site, canoe the Adirondack lakes, etc.).
  20. Unleash your inner artist--each of us has many untapped creative talents, whether it involves music, art, dance, crafts, etc.
  21. Consider the challenge of an Outward Bound course (my wife and both kids did and it changed their lives in many positive ways-see www.vobs.com/).
  22. Consider job shadowing someone just to find out what people in other jobs do.
  23. Study with a master, find a mentor, or take that course you've always wanted to take.
  24. Consider volunteering in various ways either locally or elsewhere.
  25. Go the distance--if you're up for more than a brief volunteer experience, consider something like the Peace Corps.

Remember, you can do anything you set your mind to do!

Our Condolences!

Let us know your achievements, family news, etc. so we can share in your life happenings.

New Search Tool

Here is another neat Web search engine shared by Dean Sundberg: www.google.com/. It does a good job with natural language queries, too.

Book Review

My holiday reading was frenetic as I tried to capture all my down time on an airplane or in a terminal with novels. I discovered the work of Carl Hiaasen, called by some the "Mark Twain" of current times. He writes wicked satires about life in Florida but they are so… good. Read two and I'm ready to start another one as soon as I find some more down time (check out this site: www.randomhouse.com/features/hiaasen/).

Kane, J. (1995). Savages. New York: Knopf. I am not suggesting that I am now an expert on Ecuador having only spent 10 days there, but you can't travel far in the country without seeing the big oil pipe that parallels many of the roads. A friend in Ecuador showed me the Kane book and I was hooked after reading the preface. In essence this book describes how primarily U.S. oil interests have robbed Ecuador of much of its oil with little monies going back into the country other than in the pockets of a few top politicians. We found the country to be wonderful, with such great people, but so poor. My politics are showing, I guess, but at times I was ashamed of my citizenship when you think of how that money should have helped Ecuador; instead, it has steadily worsened their national debt and led to the recent coup and governmental change. This review from Amazon.com tells it better than I could: "Joe Kane tells the story of the Huaorani, a tribe living in the deepest part of the Amazonian rain forest in Ecuador. The Huaorani have only in the last generation been exposed to such items as the wristwatch. But the modern world is reaching them quickly; for better or worse--usually worse--they live astride some of Ecuador's richest oilfields. Oil production in the Amazon has opened the forest to colonization and industrialization, often with alarming results: about 17 million gallons, of raw crude, more than in the Valdez spill in Alaska, were spilled from a Amazon pipeline between 1972 and 1989. Kane, who lived with the Huaorani for months, immaculately reports on the tribes' connections with the old world and its battles with the new one."

[Note: Send Roger professional conference or other meeting notices that you receive so they can be included the next time.]

[Note: Send Roger professional conference or other meeting notices that you receive so they can be included the next time.]

 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

AED REPORT is a newsletter for students and faculty involved in the Elmira College Graduate Program of Adult Education. The Editor is Roger Hiemstra. Please send any correspondence to him at 318 Southfield Dr., Fayetteville, NY 13066. His phone is (315) 637-0029; fax is (315) 637-0029. Email is rhiemstra@elmira.edu. The Web Page is http://home.twcny.rr.com/hiemstra or the back-up site is /. Your Elmira College contacts are Dr. Ronald Sundberg, Dean, Assistant Dean Dr. Gina Bisagni, and Graduate Advisor Joan Swanson. Their phone is (607) 735-1825; fax (607) 735-1150; email graduate@elmira.edu; address is Office of Continuing Education, Elmira College, One Park Place, Elmira, NY 14901. This newsletter is YOUR vehicle for networking, news, tips, and information. Its value is enhanced by your active support and involvement in reading it, contributing to it, and critiquing it.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Return to the Elmira College Masters degree description page.

Return to the home page.