Masters in Adult Education

Advanced Certificate in Training of Trainers

Vol. 3, No. 3, December, 1999                               A Bi-Monthly Newsletter                                  Roger Hiemstra, Editor

On behalf of all Elmira College faculty and staff associated with Adult Education, I wish you a wonderful, safe, and sane holiday season. It will be filled with all those temptations of too much food and drink, but that usually is accompanied by opportunities to see family and friends. I know some of you will be traveling distances so take care of yourself as the traffic increases and the weather conditions worsen.

Janet and I (and son Dave) will fly to Ecuador to spend the holidays with our daughter, Nancy. Although it will be great to be with my family and I really look forward to seeing how these holidays are celebrated in another culture, I know I will miss the opportunity of a white Christmas, so enjoy it for me.

We also move into a new century in just a few days (for those who insist we are a full year away from that event, I say, "hooray," let’s celebrate it twice), so let’s all vow to do the very best we can to make this next one better than the one we are concluding. Adult educators unite everywhere to help make this world a better place for all people.                 Rog

New Terms, Many Course Choices

By now you should have received the Winter course schedule (call or email if you have not). You’ll find several course choices in both sites. Do register early so we can ensure we have enough texts and other materials. Also for advanced planning, here is a tentative Liverpool spring/summer schedule:

1. AED 5220 Computer Mediated Distance Education (3 cr.) Dr. Roger Hiemstra, May 12-13, June 23-24, plus computer mediated conversations in between the two weekends [Core C]

2. AED 5005 Administration in Adult Education Organizations (3 cr.) Dr. John Burns, June 5-7, 8:00-5:30 p.m.; June 8-9, 8:00-4:30 p.m. [Core C]

3. PSY 5112 Psychology of the Adult Learner (3 cr.) Dr. Jane LeClair, Th., 5:30-10:15 p.m., June 8, 15, 22, 29; July 13, 20, 27; August 10 [Core B]

Here is a tentative Elmira spring/summer schedule, including our 2nd summer institute (for courses 2-4 course numbers, titles, and core designations have not been finalized):

1. AED 5105 Contemporary Issues in Adult Education (3 cr.) Dr. Roger Hiemstra, (Fridays 5:00-10:00 p.m.; Saturdays 8:00-5:00 p.m.), April 28-29; May 5-6; May 19-20 [Core A]

2. Conference Planning and Management (3 cr.) Dr. Sue Slusarski, Visiting Professor, Kansas State University, 5 days, 8:00-5:00 p.m., July 10-12 and 17-18

3. Women, Learning, and Leading in Adult Education (3 cr.) Dr. Patricia Lawler, Visiting Professor, Widener University, Summer Institute course, 8:00-5:00 p.m., July 31-August 4

4. Facilitating Learning Organizations (3 cr.) Dr. Karen Watkins, Visiting Professor, University of Georgia, Summer Institute course, 8:00-5:00 p.m., July 31-August 4

An Index Is Finally Ready

Several people have asked if I’d develop an index for my nearly 6 mg web page. It is now here and I hope it helps you somewhat tame the monster. Go to either server as follows: home.twcny.rr.com/hiemstra/index1.html -or- /index1.html

It's always too early to quit       Norman Vincent Peale

"Well as a matter of fact, no, I would not care to leave Roger Hiemstra a voice mail."

[Used by permission and dedicated to all of us who hate the intrusion of cell phones into our daily lives no matter where we are.]

ABE and Literacy Information

The Institute for the Study of Adult Literacy (ISAL) at Penn State has made the November issue of MOSAIC available on the ISAL website. Check out this informative issue which highlights the impact of welfare reform on literacy. There also are lots of other topics covered, too, such as adult learning, distance education, etc. The site’s url is as follows: www.ed.psu.edu/isal/frm_pubs.html

2nd Annual T/T Dialogue

Put a check on your calendar to attend the 2nd Annual Dialogue related to Training of Trainers. Even if you have not taken t/t courses, you will find the luncheon and presentation very informative. It will be Saturday, April 15, from noon-1:30 p.m., Campus Center Lounge. AED Masters alumnus and T/T Certificate Holder Jim Henion, Director of Consulting Services, Genex/CRI Inc., Ithaca, NY, will keynote. Jim does some very creative work in helping people develop career skills for the 21st Century and will build his presentation around this topic. Bring a colleague, too. More information will follow in later newsletters.

2000 Summer Institute

Mark your calendars for July 31-August 4, 2000, for the 2nd annual Elmira College Summer Institute in Adult Education. Drs. Lawler and Watkins will offer two wonderful courses (see the first page of this newsletter). They both have become real experts on their topic and will be great additions to our summer faculty. Dr. Sue Slusarski will facilitate a concentrated workshop on conference planning and management just prior to the summer institute. It’ll be a great summer for learning.

Our Kudos, Congratulations, and Condolences!

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

New Search Tool

Check out the Web search engine, Ask Jeeves ( http://www.ask.com/). It does a fairly good job of handling natural language queries, too.

 

Here is a trio of good thoughts for you:

If you can imagine it, You can achieve it. If you can dream it, You can become it.    William Arthur Ward

You must do the things you think you cannot do.     Eleanor Roosevelt

Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars.     Les Brown

Book and Media Review

I read too many academic and professional books and once and awhile my inner self grabs me and says, "get a life." So I gave into popular pressure and read my first Harry Potter book (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, by J. K. Rowling, Arthur A. Levine Books, 1997). It was great to let myself get caught up in some fantasy and good writing. I highly recommend it for kids of all ages. The next Harry Potter book is already on my "to read" list.

Some of you may already read Al Fasoldt’s weekly reviews, tips, and information about the Web. I am a devoted fan and have learned much about how to maximize my use of the computer. See http://www.twcny.rr.com/ technofile/index.cfm to get hooked on Al’s work. This past Sunday he wrote about BlackICE, a new security program for Windows. BlackICE, more properly called BlackICE Defender, is an Internet firewall that won’t let anyone break into your computer via your connection to the Internet. This is especially important for those of us who use something like Road Runner where we leave our Internet connection on 24 hours a day. I purchased it ($39.95), installed it, and within the first hour I’d had my first invasion thwarted.

In essence there are all those bad people out there who have multiple computers constantly searching the Web to see if they can find an attached computer with some type of entrée into personal financial information or other information of a confidential nature. I do not want to scare you such that you never connect to the Internet as most of these attempts fail, but the software is fairly cheap insurance. The product can be ordered, downloaded, and installed all on-line. Check out Al’s review at http://www.twcny.rr.com/technofile/texts/bit120599.html or go right to the BlackICE site at http://www.networkice.com/          Rog

Research Conference

You have been urged in previous newsletters to attend the Eastern Regional Adult Education Research Conference at Penn State (March 16-18—see the "Calendar of Upcoming Events") because of its close proximity to our area this time. I am planning on attending and will be glad to provide a ride to others that would like to attend. The same offer stands for the January 14 ACHE seminar in Albany. Give me a call or send an email if you are interested.             Rog

"Oh, no, Murphy strikes again!"

Murphy’s Law and the Trainer

Have you ever been a victim of Murphy's Law? Right in the middle of your class or workshop the overhead projector bulb blows, the lights go out, or that cup of coffee tips over right on your set of handouts. Most of us have experienced Murphy, but what can you do? The first and perhaps most important is planning, planning, and more planning. If you analyze programs looking for reasons why any failures occur, inevitably the causes have to do with some breakdown in the planning process. In fact, as much as 90 percent of failures are the result of planning mistakes. The remaining 10 percent is attributable to an act of providence or Murphy's Law. In order to control for potential breakdowns, err on the side of over planning.

As a rule of thumb, build in redundancy measures--backup systems that will work if the primary system fails--and, if possible, over plan. By following this rule of thumb, you can diminish the probability of some breakdown in the instructional process and reduce the effects of Murphy's Law. However when some disaster or Murphy does strike, it is imperative you handle the situation gracefully and professionally. Generally, being open and honest is a good policy that learners appreciate and some immediate processing with learners of any particularly disruptive or odd situation often becomes very instructive for everyone. In addition, the ability to laugh at yourself and the situation is another way of defusing the situation. Humor tends to have a cleansing effect and helps demonstrate that as a teacher or trainer you are human after all.

Another way of countering Murphy's Law is to do a dress rehearsal, particularly if the learning experience is new for you. A good rule of thumb is try something three times before making any firm conclusions about whether or not you want to keep or change it. The old adage of practice makes perfect is a sure way of reducing the effects of Murphy's Law. Your confidence also becomes heightened such that any unplanned interruption is only a mild annoyance.

Perhaps the most important thing you can do is carry an "instructor’s first aid kit." Such a kit contains essential items that often mean the difference in dealing successfully with the effects of Murphy's Law. Recommended items include: a grounding adapter for electric cords and outlets, extension cords of various lengths, magic markers or white-board markers, poster paper or newsprint, masking tape, extra blank overhead transparencies, extra audio-visual equipment bulbs, pencils and pens, extra paper, spare food or snacks, note cards, rubber bands, paper clips, stapler, chalk, important telephone numbers, extra institutional forms, throat lozenges, aspirins, antihistamines, tissues, a Swiss army knife, magnets, thumb tacks, scissors, post-it stick-on papers, folders, envelopes, and the like. By assembling such a kit, you are lowering the chances of an unforeseen problem affecting the instructional situation, while at the same time increasing your odds for success.

[For more information like the above, go to Individualizing Instruction on the web: http://home.twcny.rr.com/hiemstra/iiindex.html -or- /iiindex.html]

Calendar of Upcoming Events

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

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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.

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