text:
Highlight: Show & Jam
Past Creations
Dreamers' Lab: CATERPILLAR
Dreamers' Lab: YIN YANG
Dreamers' Lab: REBIRTH
SOULstice
Embracing the Shadow
Artist Living Room
Metamorfosize, May 2020
Past Events Library
Copy of ALCHEMY Replays
SOULstice was a 52-hour virtual festival with art, workshops, performances, conversations, healing, parties, and more!
You can check out the various events that took place during SOULstice in our Past Events Library, or check out the spreadsheet linked below.
SOULstice Schedule
SOULstice marked our very first virtual "festival", and certainly the first time we did an event that ran for 52 hours consecutively. The event format we used for SOULstice turned out to work amazingly well, and is now adopted as the framework for our monthly offering, Dreamers' Lab.
SOULstice was also the first time we partnered with external communities who merged their events with ours! This "networking of networks" went beautifully, and we look forward to more collaborations with these communities and others in the future.
We partnered with these two wonderful Burning Man-adjacent communities for SOULstice, both of whom brought plenty of amazing people and offerings into the experience:
Urban Playa
Founded by Jamie Edelis
Hug Nation
Founded by John Styn (Halcyon)
Both of these communities are partnering with us again for our upcoming Dreamers' Lab event in January 2021, and we look forward to continue nurturing these relationships so that our communities may continue co-creating, collaborating, and cross-pollinating.
Click on the images above to learn more about these communities :)
These are the amazing artists and facilitators who made SOULstice possible. Click on any of their photos to learn more about them :)
Adrienn Juhasz
[ Hungary ]
Adrienn Juhasz is a Hungarian visual artist and the creatrix of the Inner Goddess paintings. Her mission in life to help women to feel more empowered in their body and to connect with their Inner Goddess.
IG: @thefullmoonchild
Allegra Ceccarelli
Balinese Dancer, Actress
[ Brazil / Indonesia ]
Allegra Ceccarelli is an Italian Brazilian performer, actor, singer, dancer and researcher who has an MFA in acting from East 15 Acting School in London (University of Essex). In 2015, she got a scholarship to train traditional Balinese dance-theater at ISI Denpasar University in Bali and also with the Gurus Ibu Partini, Ketut Wirtawan and Made Cat, with whom she continues to develop her research. In 2018, she came back to Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, and founded Baubo Cia Performática, where she creates feminist ritualistic art. Allegra is a nomad, traveling wherever her artistic work brings her.
Ariyana Jill
[ USA ]
Ariyana Jill, has focused over 40 years of her life, work and study in the field of natural health, healing, personal transformation, energy mastery and soul development both for her own journey and to teach and serve others. She currently lives in Sarasota, FL USA, distributes a quantum energy stem cell technology (stemcell-activate.com), practices Himalayan Kriya Yoga and leads Soul Focused Healing Meditations. Her passions include connecting people all over the world with amazing products, healers and healing technologies and assisting others in optimizing their energy and remembering their pure essence! You can connect with her at AriyanaJill@protonmail.com
Burner, Event Facilitator
[ Germany ]
Workshops held:
Desert Dome Building (Mini) 2016
Crossing Borders 2017
Learn German to Impress People 2018
East Frisian Tea Cerrmony 2018
"Alle mal Malen" Workshop 2018
WhatsAss, ThremAss, InstaASS... 2019/2020
Roles on Festivals:
Playparty Organiser 2018
FTE Organisier 2019/2020
Sani Fairy / Covid Cobold 2020
spontaneous Freecamp Facilitator Borderland 2019
Bart Smyth
Shaman, Healer
[ USA / Sweden ]
I have spent the last 30+ years working as an international quantum energy practitioner of healing arts, bodywork and life coaching while healing my own body and life from many injuries and traumas. My previous career was owning an architectural/contracting firm. Life circumstances led me to my own awakening and path as a healer. My courses and coaching are designed for one to reveal, to and for yourself, your knowing, to clarify and move toward all that naturally lights you up, and to have the tools and support you need to to create measurable, sustainable improvements in business, relationships, creative endeavors and moving with a sense of purpose!
My life studies have included music and martial arts and I have been focusing on Tai Chi during the last few decades. I am currently learning Karate with my 11 year old son!I have also facilitated and trained in body centered psychotherapy, physical and energetic modalities and Shipibo Shamanic healing technologies.
I am from the USA, now living in Sweden with my 3 children. You can contact me at bsmyth928@gmail.com / www.amoderndayshaman.net
Bonnie Kilroe
A professional and award- winning* entertainer for more than 20 years, with her one-woman act— DIVAS-Vegas meets Vaudeville Bonnie combines fabulous medleys of music, video and physical comedy, to produce a multimedia entertainment experience with , combined with surprising twists, which brings much laughter and delight, to her ever-growing legion of fans. Her knack for impersonating some of the biggest stars along with amazing costumes and versatile vocals all help to create a mesmerizing feast for your entertainment senses!
Bonnie is ready to deliver her unique talent to any stage!
Charu Eliza H.
"Born and raised in Berlin, I have travelled much and experienced many different cultures and ways and forms of living together. I have been inspired to co-found and run a center for Conscious Living on Mallorca (DIMA Mallorca) in which offering the experience of living together in Community was a focus. During this time I learnt and observed our human behaviour and communication and experienced a common fear of conflicts and a lack of ability for dealing with them.
In 2016 I began my training and have been working as a mediator since. The mediative approach has brought and continues to bring a clarity and freshness to my relations and communications which enriches my life.
Apart from offering mediation I feel that the essence of the approach can be learnt and practiced, which is why in addition to mediating, I began working as a trainer offering seminars and workshops in Berlin.
The tools are simple and it is my passion to bring them into the world through trainings in which communication is experienced."
Daniel Berkman
Multi-instrumentalist, Composer
Daniel Berkman is a San Francisco-based composer, multi-instrumentalist, electronic musician, live looper, producer, singer-songwriter, film and dance score composer and innovator of electro-acoustic music, specializing in the Gravikord and Kora (a 21-stringed West African harp). Daniel has several acclaimed albums to his credit ranging from modern Kora music, planetarium soundtracks, dance & film scores and IDM electronic music.
In addition to Kora, Daniel specializes in other instruments of a peculiar nature, ranging from ancient to post modern such as the 18th Century Viola da Gamba, the Roland Handsonic electronic drum and Marxophone & Ukelin among many others. Daniel's first musical composition, "Immergence" using LyraVR was debuted at the Institute For The Future (IFTF) in 2016 and is a continuation of his innovative approach to music, emerging technologies and philosophy.
IG: @danielberkman
danielberkman.bandcamp.com
colfax.bandcamp.com
Ejuku Mark
Percussionist, Composer, Poet
[ Uganda / Brazil ]
"My birth-given name is EJUKU which, coincidentally, also means "to push" in Ateso my native language. I personally chose to be a citizen of the world, lover of love, lover of behavior studies, dance and music (my second voice). The uncontrollable and disorganized sounds in my head have always given me itchy fingers, one of those that will only seize when I Beeeeattttt my drum and making beats is definitely something that has elevated me to understand the impact ART can have on one's mental health, environment and cultural heritage."
www.ejukumusic.com
Esmeralda "Esme"
Belly Dancer, Fire Dancer
[ Puerto Rico / USA ]
Esmeralda, from the enchanted island of Puerto Rico, started dancing from the underground inspired Shakira music videos when she was 7 years old, but it wasn't until she moved to San Juan in 2008-2009 that she was first introduced to belly dance by Bhadra, Rania and Ishtar, who used to teach in San Juan Dance Studio. Since 2016, she has performed as featured soloist, with Sisters Of The Blooming Sun and Thalia's Baladi dance companies and caravan in different dance festival, restaurant and private events around Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey.
IG: @she_wolf_esme
George Palilis
DJ, Music Producer
[ Greece / Austria ]
DJ and Producer From Greece Living since 16Y in Vienn Austria. am into > Classical, Electronic Music, Dubtechno, Lounge House, Meditation and sound healing. in Love with great healthy Food, Music, Music-Technology, Nature, and spirituality. An Original Aquarius. Peace and Love
georgepalilis.com
Grant Bosnick
Producer, Director, Composer, Percussionist
[ Canada / Singapore ]
Grant Bosnick is a producer, director, composer, drummer and percussionist. Orginally hailing from Toronto, Canada, Grant has now been living in Asia for 22 years, basing himself out of Tokyo for 17 years and 5 years in Singapore. Having played drums and percussion for over 35 years, he has toured North America, recorded 13 albums and produced two compilations. He founded Atitlan Industries, a production company for releasing recorded music and producing live multicultural interdisciplinary shows, including for the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo and for Apple.
He has worked on several collaborative projects: telling the story of 2 drums – Low Tom and High Tom – as they travel the world collaborating with other drums; combining syncopated polyrhythms, tribal beats, funky grooves and The Art of Drum Zen with psychedelic ambient soundscapes and oriental melodies in Planetary Brothers; and exploring the neuroscience of drumming and the powerful effects it has on the brain.
https://voices8.bandcamp.com/releases
https://planetarybrothers.bandcamp.com/releases
https://youtu.be/LwsO9kOvBg8
Grant Hohepa
Maori Cultural Educator
[ New Zealand ]
Tangata Whenua o te rohe o Ngāti Tahu-Ngāti Whāoa o Āotearoa nõ Reporoa.
I am a person of Reporoa the tribal lands of Tahu-Whāoa from the Land of the long white cloud.
15years of teaching cultural practices and protocol in around Taupõ and Rotorua schools and early childhood centres.
30years of musical experiences and itinerant music tuitions.
10years living off the grid and self sustainable living.
Gwendolyn Atwood
Energy Psychologist
Originally trained at Harvard as a clinical psychologist, in recent years I've been recreating myself as an energy psychologist blending a variety of modalities for healing. Offering energy psychology sessions online, currently I'm living in Winchester, NH in the USA, where I recently moved after raising three kids in the Boston area. I look forward to meeting you!
Ignacio Dattilo
[ Spain ]
Ignacio Dattilo was born in Buenos Aires in 1976, and since 2008 he has begun to investigate the sacredness in music and how sounds are used by different cultures to access different states of consciousness.
In 2012 he began a trip around the world, and it is in the Buddhist temples of Sikkim, where, for the first time, he came into contact with Tibetan bowls, mantras, and meditation, discovering a new dimension of sound.
In 2015, he traveled to Buenos Aires and deepened his knowledge in vibro-acoustic massage with Tibetan bowls, and already back to Barcelona, he studied Vedic Singing and created Sonidos Aethernos, where he offered in addition to the individual sessions of Vibroacoustic Massage, group sessions of Sound baths with Gong, Tibetan bowls, Quartz bowls, Yidaki (Didgeridoo), Overtone singing and other shamanic instruments.
Iness Nemirovsky
Dancer, Choreographer
[ Japan / Russia ]
I am a certified yoga and dance teacher, presently based in Tokyo, Japan. I have been exploring flow arts, body practices, dance movements and meditations since 2012, and have also received 3 years of education in Dance and Acting College in Tokyo. For the past 2 years, I have been working in burlesque shows, collaborating with musicians for live performances, acted in music videos, and performed in a lot of music festivals as a dancer and fire performer. I mostly do improvisational and flow-type dance performances, and my biggest inspiration is Mother Nature.
IG: @iness.ne
Isabelle Naud
Coach, Health Practitioner
I'm Isabelle, French-Chinese woman living in sunny Barcelona ☀
Like the Tao and Tai Ji symbol ☯, I have two sides that I have decided to fully live.
My YIN side:
manual therapies 🤗, health, wellness, tai ji quan and qi gong ☯
My YANG side:
Over 20 years of kung fu practice 💪 and a strong background in and over 25 years passion for electronic music 🎧
I finished training as a fitness coach.
I am currently starting my business as a Well-being coach.
https://www.facebook.com/asiantherapiesbarcelona
Jacqueline Kassick
Holistic Healer, EFT Practitioner
[ Brazil ]
Jacqueline Lima Kassick is a holistic healer, Energy Psychology and EFT Practitioner born and based in Brazil. Her purpose is to assist people tuning into their own Divine Essence, anchoring everything they need to increasingly become the highest expression of their true selves.
Jaime Edelis
Focus Coach, Founder of Urban Playa
Jaime (Barcelonina) was born and raised all over California, and has been a passionate resident of Barcelona, Catalunya since 2000. She is a long time Vipassana student and has been focusing on personal development since she was a very young lady. She is a "Focus Coach" and has been studying Law of Attraction for at least a decade now.
She is very involved in the Burning Man community and is totally dedicated to spreading the example of living the principles, as well as tools for the evolution of consciousness, and growing communities that share the common interest of developing integrity and reverence for life. She founded the Burning Man community, Urban Playa.
She is also highly dedicated to the daily practice of gratitude in community with Hug Nation. Her biggest "talent" in life is probably connecting people with like minds and vibration, and keeping in touch with her loved ones.
She created a card game called Be NInja with Carlos (Calma), and is a teacher to all ages of English with Values as a foreign language and spiritual journey through language in "Conscious English".
She is a lifelong student of The Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukav
Her greatest mentors have been her parents, Mr. Rogers and Oprah Winfrey.
www.simplementeslibres.com
IG: @simplementeslibres
Jeremy Cline
Dancer, Circus Artist
Jeremy Cline's work explores existential spiritual issues, the subversion of gravity, and interdisciplinary choreography. He has danced with the Los Angeles Opera, the Lincoln Center, Spectrum Dance Theater, Brian Sanders' JUNK, Khambatta Dance Company, The 5th Ave Musical Theater, and International Ballet Theater, as well as in many underground bboy battles, capoeira rodas, and variety shows. International performances include tours to the Czech Republic, the Dominican Republic, India, and Singapore. His choreography has been shown at the Seattle International Dance Festival, Full Tilt Dance Festival, Middlebury College, and the University of Iowa, where he is pursuing his MFA in choreography.
IG: @jcline.creative
John "Halcyon" Styn
Storyteller, Youtuber, Apostle of Pink
John Halcyon Styn is a social media pioneer who has been storytelling online for over 20 years through his "Hug Nation" YouTube channel and Facebook Live broadcasts. He is the author of "Love More. Fear less. Float more. Steer less" whose stories have been viewed online over 40 million times. He is the co-founder of the Pink Heart Burning Man camp and the homeless outreach organization "1st Saturdays." His current passion is daily free online Gratitude Circles at http://zoom.hugnation.com
Kambur Burke
Storyteller, Artist
[ Ireland ]
Exploring issues of storytelling without words, neurodevelopment and wellbeing Kathy will facilitate a workshop on the art therapy technique of body mapping to describe in pictures how we have felt during the pandemic and lockdown.
Kerensa Dewantoro
Theatre Artist
[ Australia / Indonesia ]
Kerensa Dewantoro is an Australian performer based in Indonesia for over twenty years who has dedicated herself to develop her various art forms and writing and performing with Indonesian audiences in mind.
IG: @darahrouge
Kristina Jackson
Musician, Yoga Teacher
Kristina is a Yoga Teacher and Grammy-nominated cellist, better known for the eclectic DJ performances she brought to the pre-pandemic festival scene. She spent the earlier months of quarantine wandering the alleyways of Chicago, creating repurposed art from broken mirrors and shattered dreams.
Kristina currently roams the southern United States in a mobile music studio, writing and producing Electronic Vocal Pop as Hexadevi. Her upcoming EP "Road Warrior II" is set for release at the turn of the new year.
IG: @hexadevi
www.soundcloud.com/hexadevi
www.etsy.com/kristinajacksonart
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/kristinajackson
www.patreon.com/kristinajackson
Lora Ute
Singer, Musician, Dancer
[ Kazakhstan / Germany ]
Lora Ute is a musician, singer with Gregorian motifs in singing, a mixture of musical folk cultures as Central Asian and Celtic tribes, behind which there were many victories in the musical career as a pianist. Participant of various projects, including international instrumental teams, electronic teams. Improvising on stage adding the dance movements of streets style dances.
IG: @loraute
For the first time ever, we created special SOULstice-themed merch that people could purchase for a limited time. It is now already past the time, but you can have a look at some of those merch in the slideshow below :)
Although those items are now no longer available, you can still visit our Merch store to see what we have at the moment! :) We will have limited edition Dreamers' Lab merch every month based on the artwork for that particular month's theme.
For questions and enquiries, contact us.
metamorfosize@gmail.com
© 2021 Designed by Valencia Selestina


Frequency 55 Aspheric are monthly contact lenses produced by CooperVision. They are designed for people who suffer from low levels of astigmatism. Each package contains six lenses.
TopVue Monthly Plus are contact lenses with a monthly replacement schedule. They are made from hydrogel material and feature a high water content and UV filters. They are lightly tinted for easier manipulation and provide all-day comfort.
Frequency 55 Aspheric contact lenses are monthly contact lenses manufactured by CooperVision for users with low levels of astigmatism. Unlike common spheric contact lenses, Frequency 55 Aspheric lenses improve the quality of vision, even in low-light conditions, for example, while driving a car.
Frequency 55 Aspheric contact lenses help users with low levels of astigmatism achieve clear, comfortable vision all day long. Frequency 55 are even effective in preventing symptoms associated with dry eye syndrome due to excessive computer work. They are also ideal for sports people and anyone with an active lifestyle. The lenses are lightly tinted for easier visibility and handling. They contain 45% Methafilcon polymer and 55% water.
This package contains six lenses.


Sunset was around 6.30pm here today. Our clocks go forward tonight, so the sun will be setting after 7.30pm... Yippee!
Tired me... It's been a long week!
Our unplugged day tomorrow - I'm hoping to get some crocheting done, we also want to go nettle gathering... Though we still have guests to look after, so we shall see!
We fell in love with this song, which is the theme tune from the French film, Paris - Seize The Day by Wax Tailor. It feels spring like... Hope you like it!
Linking up with Jane again... Here's today's view(s).
We now have forks for door handles. I came up with the idea of making the screws look more colourful!
This is our dining table light. Sime's named it too... Clarity!
Flea, this morning in his usual bed... Looks like he has a piece of bamboo coming out of him!
Lupin tonight... Chilling in front of the computer.
Yesterday, we had the pleasure of meeting Mr & Mrs Sft... Which was wonderful! Our first blog friends to have visited Meadowcroft. We had a great pep talk about Saving For Travel & enjoyed sharing travel stories... Surprise, surprise!
In the last two weeks, we've received several calls regarding Bebe. Firstly, she'd phoned 999 to complain that her electric heater was too hot... So it was suggested that she really needs to be assessed & a week's respite was on the cards... She refused to leave the house, so the carers are providing more support to keep an eye on her. Then we heard she smashed the socket that her heater plugs into & that she keeps turning her central heating off, so Sime asked the social worker to stick a label on the heating & we searched for an electrician. A couple of days later, it's all sorted... Then we get another call, Bebe's kettle has broken... So we've had one delivered today... Just hope everything will be ok now for a bit, although she does have cellulitis in one of her legs & we're struggling to track down the community nurses to find out more!
Transition St Goran has been supporting Earth Hour since 2010... Tonight will be our 4th Earth Hour feast & if it remains dry - we shall be enjoying a Cotna bonfire, which is always wonderful!
We all take along food & drink to share & surround ourselves with lanterns.
Really looking forward to seeing everyone - such a lovely way to end a busy day.
Tomorrow, we're going to be helping Sal & Ryan (our eldest & boyfriend) move from Falmouth to Bristol. So exciting for them both & something they've been wanting for a while... We shall miss them though!
Don't forget to switch off between 8.30 & 9.30pm for Earth Hour & we'd love to hear what others are doing.
Just a quickie to say hello - we're still here!
We've had several weeks of guests staying which has been wonderful & this week, we have lots of work preparing for the imminent holiday season, as well as lots of get-togethers with family & friends. So we are very busy & feel like we haven't had a normal evening at home for a long time... Today we have a huge clean to do, a beautiful large house on the cliff edge & we did say we'd be there for 9am... But we're struggling to get our act together!
Anyway, here's our views from 2 weeks ago & today - linking up with Jane's Thursday View.


More Information: Excludes Bank Holidays. Only applies to dinner. Valid for maximum 6 people.
Book now to experience the recently refurbished Linthwaite House; a contemporary country house hotel in the heart of the Lakes. Meander through 14 acres of manicured grounds or relax in the Bar & Conservatory, which has breath-taking views over Windermere and offers all day dining and a unique cocktail menu. Spend the evening drinking fine wines and sampling the best of Cumbrian ingredients produced with Italian flair, in our restaurant, Stella.


text:
Donations pour in after José Peralta's sudden death
By Carl Campanile and Tamar Lapin
Jose Peralta AP
New York State Senator Jose Peralta's cause of death revealed
Queens state Sen. Jose Peralta suffered sudden septic shock, his...
Donations are pouring in to help support the family of late Queens state Sen. José Peralta.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo chipped in $10,000 Sunday to a GoFundMe account set up to help pay for Peralta's funeral and visitation services.
The 47-year-old lawmaker suffered septic shock and tragically died on Thanksgiving eve, his widow Evelyn Peralta told The Post Friday.
His wake will be held Monday between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m at the Joseph Farenga & Sons Funeral Home in Astoria.
The funeral will be Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. at the St. Joan of Arc Roman Catholic Church in Jackson Heights. Peralta, the first Dominican-American elected to the State Senate, will be laid to rest at St. Michael's Cemetery in East Elmhurst following the service.
The fundraiser, which as of Sunday had raised $12,500 of its $25,000 goal, was set up by Peralta's staffers.
Assemblyman Danny O'Donnell appeared to have donated $1,000 as did the Local 388 union.
"Senator Peralta dedicated his life to serving New Yorkers, and the family of New York will come together to ensure he receives a fitting memorial. As we continue to mourn his sudden passing, Senator Peralta's family and loved ones remain in our thoughts and prayers," Cuomo said of the GoFundMe effort.
Tributes to the late lawmaker also filled the funeral home's website.
"I remember how you were always approachable… you always made me feel like what I had to say mattered," wrote Camellia Graham.
"We were all blessed to have Jose Peralta represent us," wrote Shelley Brevda. "I remember years back when he worked with a youth group that my son was involved with. He was a real person – caring, interested and willing to respond to the requests of the students."
Added Romulo Guerrero: "You set the bar very high when it came to conduct & professionalism by elected officials. Thank you for sharing your life with us."
The Democrat served eight years in the state Assembly, then took his seat in the Senate in 2010.
The Peraltas have a 13-year-old son, Myles; he also had a son Matthew, 21.
Filed under gofundme , Jose Peralta , new york state senate
Mom murdered by shooter through peephole may be victim of ...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Backpackers and tourists have long been drawn to the Pacific beach town of Montezuma for its spectacular sandy shores, waterfalls and laid-back culture. Since 2007, Proyecto Montezuma, a joint effort by a Tico-U.S. couple, has been changing the way people travel on the southern NicoyaPeninsula. By promoting sustainable tourism to fund free English and environmental education for locals, they are helping the community turn the tide toward a better quality of life.
Tourists passing through may find the town a perfect getaway, but for many locals trying to support their families, life is anything but a vacation. More than half of working-age residents are chronically unemployed, estimates Proyecto Montezuma Codirector Kerri Bowers. She thinks English classes are the locals' best shot at preparing themselves for a well-paying job in Montezuma's tourism industry.
Fees from eco-tours, Spanish classes and volunteer programs fund Bowers' and Benavides' work running the English school and sponsoring locals to participate in reforestation projects.
Amid the beach and party scene, it is easy to forget that Montezuma is the birthplace of Costa Rica's conservation movement. Just a few kilometers west of downtown Montezuma on the beach, a plaque commemorates the former homesite of Nicolas Wessberg, the Swedish conservationist who was instrumental in establishing Costa Rica's first protected area, the Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve, in 1963. Wessberg and his wife, Karen Mogensen, helped the government found the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC) and sparked an international outcry for the protection of tropical forests.
A native of the U.S. state of Maryland, Bowers, 31, used to teach at an inner-city high school in Washington, D.C. In July 2007, a summer vacation trip brought her to Montezuma, where she went on a hiking tour with Benavides, founder of Montezuma's Underground Sustainable Tours.
Bowers fell in love with both the charming beach town and equally charming guide. In October, she and Benavides co-founded Proyecto Montezuma.
With a master's degree in international training and education from AmericanUniversity, Bowers employs her knowledge of curriculum design and organization as director of Proyecto Montezuma's English school and volunteer program. Benavides, 29, a native of Alajuela in the Central Valley who studied ecotourism at the Universidad Técnica Nacional, directs Proyecto Montezuma's sustainable tours and teaches the Spanish-immersion courses. The two are engaged to be married.
Bowers and Benavides can be found Monday to Saturday in Proyecto Montezuma's small but colorful street-level office on the town's main strip, which functions as their tour office, classroom and de facto afterschool program and community center.
This is where the international volunteers come in. Hailing from all corners of the world, many of them are teachers. They help Bowers give English classes, take part in environmental restoration projects and facilitate extracurricular classes, such as yoga, gardening and art. One Argentine volunteer created a music class using reused and recycled materials found in nature, such as maracas made with stones and plastic bottles. Bowers says these activities create a space for authentic cultural exchange between the international volunteers and the local residents.
Every Sunday, Proyecto Montezuma conducts a beach cleanup with volunteers, tourists and locals to rid the beach of the constant wash of plastic garbage. It is an endless and thankless job. After a heavy rain, the amount of trash that clogs the shore is astounding. Most visitors are unaware that were it not for these organized cleanups, the beach would resemble a garbage dump.
In addition to removing trash, Proyecto Montezuma is helping to plant new trees to lessen the impact of deforestation in the area. Partnering with the United Nations' worldwide Billion Tree Campaign, the project started its efforts with the town's public elementary school, Escuela Montezuma.
The schoolchildren were so excited by the responsibility of planting, watering and caring for their trees that they even named their arboreal charges. To date, the organization has planted 200 trees of its goal of 500.
Offering free English classes to locals of all ages through its English school, Proyecto Montezuma serves 30 students, roughly 50 percent of the town's elementary-age children. Bowers also runs classes for more than 16 adults and a group of aspiring young surf instructors. She originally developed her English-as-a-second-language (ESL) environmental curriculum for airline Nature Air's Nature Kids program, currently being taught at two partner schools in Costa Rica. The concept is to use local terms, the environment and nature as subject matter for language classes.
The program acts as a support to Montezuma's public elementary school, which is stretched beyond its limits, Bowers says. Two schoolteachers instruct more than 60 students from preschool to sixth grade. The nearest high school is in Cóbano, a town nearly 30 minutes away by bus – part of the reason many local students don't continue past sixth grade. Proyecto Montezuma's after-school classes offer literacy reinforcement that the public school's overworked teachers aren't always able to provide.
Beyond English, the youth and adult classes provide specialized job skills training. Bowers offers a specific class just for street vendors – the free-spirited artisans whose tables of handmade jewelry line Montezuma's main street.
"Their livelihood is based on communicating," Bowers says. Through the program, they are able practice their sales pitch and language skills with international volunteers.
In addition to ESL classes for locals, Proyecto Montezuma offers Spanish immersion for foreigners. Benavides teaches a group Spanish course every Monday to Friday from 10 to 11 a.m. Travelers can sign up for weekly or monthly sessions, or take private classes. Drop-ins are also welcome.
For years, Montezuma tour operators have offered the same services: boat tours to snorkel at Isla Tortuga, scuba certification, horseback riding, zipline canopy tours, ATV rentals and boat transfers across the Gulf of Nicoya to Jacó, on the central Pacific coast. In addition to these staples, Proyecto Montezuma offers a variety of new ecotours.
The more sustainable alternatives include guided hikes to learn about local ecosystems, ocean kayak and snorkel tours to often-missed islands, mountain biking adventures, turtle-watching night tours and surf lessons with locals.
Led by bilingual naturalist guide Benavides, hikes include long and short treks to area reserves and parks, such as the Cabo Blanco reserve, Piedra Colorada reserve, Curú Wildlife Refuge and the Montezuma waterfalls.
For mountain bikers, a handful of options for different experience levels are offered. For a smooth one-hour bike tour combined with four hours of hiking, Benavides recommends the Cabo Blanco and Cabuya tour to the country's oldest protected area, on the southern tip of the NicoyaPeninsula.
For a more challenging ride, the La Florida Waterfall tour takes eco-tourists northward through farmland toward Cóbano for a refreshing swim in a series of five waterfalls, each bigger than the last.
Three ocean kayak options are offered: morning, sunset and Isla Cabuya tours. The guided tours take visitors to observe Isla Cabuya's traditional indigenous cemetery and snorkel at the fish-filled tropical reef.
In addition, this year Proyecto Montezuma partnered with the Association of Volunteers for Service in Protected Areas (ASVO) to create turtle-watching night tours. From August to October, olive ridley and black turtles nest on Montezuma's beaches. After dark, ASVO volunteers lead tourists on night patrol in the Romelia Wildlife Refuge to view female turtles digging nests and laying eggs, and then guard the nesting sites from poachers and predators. Starting in December, Proyecto Montezuma will offer tours for visitors to witness and protect baby turtles as they exit their nests in the sand and scurry toward the ocean to start their lives in the open waters.
Another of Bowers' and Benavides' goals is to launch Montezuma's first surf school, creating an opportunity for the youths studying English with them to become professional surf instructors.
"Our intention is not only that they enjoy surfing, but that they are able to make a living out of it as well," Bowers says.
Proyecto Montezuma is currently the only outfit in town that rents surfboards. I grab a beginner longboard and head to Playa Grande for a surf lesson with one of the English school's star students.
Manuel Céspedes, 21, is waiting for me on the beach. He explains that though the waves are rough today, we can give it a try. Even as a beginner surfer, I can tell the conditions are less than ideal. However, with Céspedes' instruction and encouragement, I get a taste of the thrill of the waves, getting up every time but once.
Bowers says people still don't know the surfing is great in Montezuma. Though the beaches aren't sure-fire every day, good surf can be found by going to the right beach at the right time. Attesting to Montezuma's potential as an up-and-coming surf spot is the growing number of locals and tourists hitting the waves at Playa Grande, Playa Cedros and Playa Reyes.
Proyecto Montezuma is open Monday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m. Day tours cost $35 to $40. Spanish classes are $10 for a daily drop-in, $80 for two weeks and $180 for a month.
A two-week volunteer program including teaching and tours costs $200, or $300 including Spanish immersion classes. Longer programs are also available.
For information, call 8312-0815, e-mail proyectomontezuma@gmail.com or visit www.proyectomontezuma.com.


text:
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Contact Info: 9/10 Moo 5, Baan Plai Laem, Bophut, Koh Samui, Surathani 84320 Thailand
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Pool: There is a large infinity pool for all guests to use and most of the villas have their own private infinity pools.
Other Features: The resort offers butler service, spa, gym, herb garden and gift shop.
2. Reethi Rah
Contact Info: North Male' Atoll, Maldives
Rooms: 130 villas: beach-views, water (perched over the lagoon), duplex and grand models of villas are all available
Restaurants: Along with an in-villa dining option, guests can choose from 5 restaurants. The Reethi restaurant offers a menu of Asia Pacific and Mediterranean cuisine along with a wine room. The Rah Bar serves lunch options such as salads, wraps and smoothies, and becomes a cocktail bar in the evening. Tapasake is the place for Japanese cuisine along with seafood and tapas. Fanditha is a beachside lounge that offers Mediterranean cuisine. Lastly, the Chef's Garden offers meals using only organic foods.
Pool: Guest can enjoy the main infinity pool, a lap pool, spa pool and kids pool.
Other Features: The resort also features a spa, villa hosts, water and land sports, tennis courts, fitness center, culinary classes and kids and teens programs.
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Contact Info: Anse Kerlan, Praslin, Seychelles - Indian Ocean
Rooms: Jr Suites, Senior Suites, Villas, Presidential Villas
Restaurants: There are 3 restaurants at the resort. The Legend offers breakfast and dinner buffets, as well as light lunches with sandwiches, pastas and burgers. The Seahorse has a French and Seychelles cuisine menu, while The Beach and Bar Grill serves seafood with a Creole spin.
Pool: Guest can enjoy a plunge pool.
Other Features: The resort also features a spa, gym, tennis courts, library, boutique, pro-shop, golf course, salon, VIP lounge and children's club.
4. The Price Maurice
Contact Info: Choisy Road, Poste de Flacq, Mauritius - Indian Ocean
Rooms: Rooms, Jr Suites, Villas and a Princely Suite
Restaurants: There are 3 restaurants at the resort. The L'Archipel is located in the main building and offers light Mauritian gourmet food and themed buffet dinners. The Asian-themed evening offers a selection of Japanese, Thai, Chinese, Indonesian and Indian cuisine. Le Barachois is a floating restaurant that serves seafood and Mauritian specialties. Le Beach Deck is located on the beach and offers a light lunch menu and snacks.
Pool: Guest can enjoy the thermal swimming pool.
Other Features: The resort also features a spa, gym, tennis courts, library, putting green, boat house, duty-free shopping and a children's club.
5. Soneva Gili
The Soneva Gili in Maldives was recently sold to new owners. You can learn more about the transaction at http://www.sonevaresorts.com/gili/.
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text:
Q: Consuming WCF Rest 4 From ASP . NET I am a complete ASP .NET newbie. I've written a set of web services using the WCF 4 Rest Starter Kit. I call everything from within a Flash application but I want to write a quick and dirty admin panel for myself to use which has no need to be written in Flash.
I figure it will be faster to get this up and running in ASP. So the question is consider a WCF function like this:
[WebInvoke(UriTemplate = "/Login/", Method = "POST")]
        public User Login(User user)
        {
             // Code here
             // Either throw a WebFaultException or return the logged in user with a session id

How would I consume this from an ASP .Net page with a username, password, submit box and it either displays errors 401's etc or success (returneduser.sessionid).
Thanks!
Note:
I am aware of how to call a Rest service over Http in C#. It's really a question of is there a "nice way" to due this in ASP or is it just make a form like:
<asp:Content ID="Content2" ContentPlaceHolderID="MainContent" runat="server">
<form action="WebForm2.aspx.cs" >
    <asp:textbox id="Email" runat="server"/>
    <asp:textbox id="Password" runat="server"/>
    <asp:Button id="Button1" OnClick="OnButtonClick" runat="server" Text="Login"/>
  </form>
  <asp:Label ID="labelResult" runat="server" />
</asp:Content>

Then on click in the code behind do something like this:
 protected  void OnButtonClick(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            HttpWebRequest req = WebRequest.Create("http://localhost:35810/Users/Login/") as HttpWebRequest;

            String userString = UsefulStuff.Serialization.SerializationUtil.
                SerializeDataContractToString(typeof(User), new User() { Email =  new Email(textboxUsername.text),
                                                                         Password = new Password(textboxPassword.text) });

            String strResponse = GetHttpPostResponse(req, userString);

            User recievedUser = UsefulStuff.Serialization.SerializationUtil.DeserializeDataContractString(
                typeof(User), strResponse) as User;

            labelResult.Text = recievedUser.SessionId;
        }

        public static String GetHttpPostResponse(HttpWebRequest httpWebRequest, String serializedPayload)
        {
            httpWebRequest.Method = "POST";
            httpWebRequest.ContentType = "text/xml";
            httpWebRequest.ContentLength = serializedPayload.Length;

            StreamWriter streamOut = new StreamWriter(httpWebRequest.GetRequestStream(), Encoding.ASCII);
            streamOut.Write(serializedPayload);
            streamOut.Close();

            StreamReader streamIn = new StreamReader(httpWebRequest.GetResponse().GetResponseStream());

            string strResponse = streamIn.ReadToEnd();
            streamIn.Close();

            return strResponse;
        }

A: Basic approach to call REST service is by HttpWebRequest
// User object serialized to XML
XElement data = new XElement("User",
  new XElement("UserName", UserName),
  new XElement("Password", Password)
);

MemoryStream dataSream = new MemoryStream();
data.Save(dataStream);

HttpWebRequest request = (HttpWebRequest)WebRequest.Create(YourServiceUrl);
request.Method = "POST";
request.ContentType = "application/xml";
// You need to know length and it has to be set before you access request stream
request.ContentLength = dataStream.Length;

using (Stream requestStream = request.GetRequestStream())
{
  dataStream.CopyTo(requestStream);
  requestStream.Close();
}

HttpWebResponse response = request.GetResponse();
if (response.Status == HttpStatusCode.Unauthorized)
{
  ...
}
else
{
  ...
}
response.Close();

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Given the limited number of currently available resources in Jordan, the ministry of Education is implementing a newly developed online physics curriculum; this is being trialed in a number of experimental public schools. This investment is still regarded with some skepticism among both students and teachers.
This research seeks to redress the skepticism by examining the instructions of online physics curriculum in one of the experimental public schools. Eleventh grade students in their classroom were observed and surveyed. Participants were also interviewed to establish the current use of online curricula in schools in Jordan. The research outlines student's responses to questions about their own learning and their assessment of the value of online curricula in helping them to manage their studies. The findings of this study revealed that student collaboration, reflective thinking, class management, active learning, and technology competence were student's negative online learning experiences. The students' negative experiences were caused by lack of cognitive, social and teaching activities. The findings can lead to further insights about how Jordanian teachers can link their efforts to student perceptions of the many initiatives they undertake, especially in using online technology for teaching and learning.
The use of online Instruction, commonly understood as learning facilitated online through network technologies (Garrison & Anderson, 2003), has triggered a great deal of interest in developing countries. In Jordan, the Ministry of Education (MoE) is the governing body for the public education sector. In the past few years, it has being coping with changing approaches to knowledge acquisition through the use of information communication technologies (ICT) such as computers, Internet and ICT; an increase in the availability of computer hardware and software and internet in all schools in all levels in Jordan has undoubtedly been evident.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Education (MoE) in Jordan had preoccupied with major reforms in the educational system. Such reforms centered on structuring the educational system to provide quality online learning (MoE, 2005); computers in sizable numbers are introduced, more and more schools are getting wired and in-service teachers' training programs (i.e., ICDL, Intel, Word links, Eduwave Module, ICT) are established for the purposes of assisting students to learn efficiently and effectively, increasing learning opportunities, and coming to terms with online education (Ajlouni, 2005; MoE, 2003).
New curricula for many subject areas for different grade levels are being redeveloped. Experimental schools (Reiadih) for some online courses had been established. These schools are being culminated its' e-learning projects with the curriculum reform movement such activity is aimed towards the integration of online technology in education. Very few teachers or students at schools will argue over the desirability for improving their online instructional practices. Teacher's and student's viewpoints, perceptions and experience in the transformation process due to the recent integration of ICT in schools are usually underestimated or less recognized. This lack of recognition is based on the assumption that teachers and students have no major input in this concern, and are expected to handle online instruction successfully. However, there are two major aspects to the developments in the use of online curricula at schools in Jordan. One is concerned with the enhancement of the quality of teaching/learning such as basic communication and the provision of information to students, the processing of assessed work, conduct of short answer tests (MoE, 2004). The other aspect, the case for using online to deliver or part deliver the academic components of a course are harder to justify.
Successful utilization of online course demands that individual students take the responsibility to be self-motivated and self-regulated. Teachers and curriculum planers' clear understanding the criteria of the good quality online course (i.e., content, pedagogy, motivation, feedback, coordination/organization, usability, assistant and flexibility) may place online learning projects in the right direction (Kearsy, 2000). Despite the exhortations of the ministry of Education about the importance of online learning or the need to respond to knowledge economy by providing online education, the questions of exactly how Jordanian students utilizing online physics curriculum and what is their attitudes towards online learning are sometimes hard to answer.
Indeed, it is clearly evident that large expenditures and great efforts are being made by the Ministry of Education in Jordan to transform investments in information communication technology into a successfully productive experience in education. A great deal of the Ministry of Education theoretical reports portrays such experience as a rewarding one. Theoretical reports as reviewed by the researcher are by no means a conclusive proof of successfully fruitful investment of school e-learning projects. As University professor of "Educational Technology" teaching computer education courses, the researcher had frustrating experiences with large number of students enrolled in such courses. Though repeated observations of those freshman students in computer labs, the researcher noted that in many cases students lacked the basic computer literacy skills and competences. Online learning implementation in Jordanian schools may not be as portrayed.
Certainly, incomplete or unrewarding investment in schools' e-learning projects does not come from itself; there may be some inhibiting factors accompanying the process of school online curricula that hinder or limit the success of online education in Jordanian schools. To put things in perspective, the researcher feels that Jordanian schools have not risen fully to e-learning in education challenge. Great efforts are still needed to manage issues influencing the online curricula in Jordanian schools. We now have a shift in learning, unlike traditional face to face instruction and learning, attention needs to be paid to online teaching and learning. Believing that schools' reform should start from inside, the researcher herald that exploring the learning experiences of Jordanian students in online physics course and their attitudes towards learning helps pinpoint such issues associated with barrier to effective online curricula in Jordanian schools.
The new curriculum (Physics for eleventh grade) was put into actual use in public schools in Jordan. It addresses Jordanian pupils at approximately 17 years old, who will be exposed to the experimental online physics curriculum, while they are still sensitive to the expectation of their traditional face to face curriculum using chalk and blackboard. It has been cleared out that the traditional face to face instruction is an avoidable factor in online learning experiences (Howland &Moore, 2002), and the online learners' perception as well as their roles as traditional learners should be reflected at the same time for the upper mentioned purpose.
What are Jordanian eleventh grade students' attitudes towards using online instruction in their classroom?
To what extent do these students utilize online instruction in learning physics?
Is there a linear relationship between these students' attitudes and their use of online instruction in their classroom?
There are several limitations that must be addressed with respect to this study. The sample was limited to students in experimental schools (Reiadiah) in Jordan. Caution should be used when attempting to interpret and generalize the findings. Another limitation is that the number of schools that were included in the study. This study focused on one of the experimental public schools. Caution should be used when attempting to generalize the finding to other schools. The instruments may not be generalizable to all contexts. Rather, they are intended as adaptable guidelines for foreign online learners in all their online experiences to be used selectively and creatively for various online instructions scenarios. There was one type of format utilized to present the online physics course. Caution should be used when attempting to generalize to other online course format.
The role of online curricula in Jordanian classrooms has not been studied; thus a comprehensive body of research has not been established. An International literature review reveal the integration of online learning into a face-to-face courses can have positive effects on learning outcomes (Cf., examples: Housego & Freeman, 2000; Phillips, 2000; Heines, 2000; Aberson et al., 2000; Diochon & Cameron, 2001; Saunders & Klemmif, 2003). These studies mostly have been focused primarily on learning outcomes. In contrast, there have been few investigations that have set out to find out how students feel that online is utilized to support their learning. Literature review has provided two kinds of researchers: those who vouch for the effectiveness of online education, and those who do not advocate using online education. The former (first) group claims that online education can promote students' critical thinking skills, deep learning, collaborative learning, and problem-solving skills (Ascough, 2002; Rosie, 2000; Ronteltap & Eurelings, 2002; Donlevy, 2003; kearsly, 2000). Proponents also argue that online education can encourage nondiscriminatory teaching and learning practices since the teachers and students, as well as students and their classmates typically do not meet face-to-face. Palloff & Pratt (1999) assert that online education presents a bias-free teaching and learning environment for instructors and students.
Several researchers have shown that the instructions that use online curricula are not just time-filling activities but ones with great pedagogical values that can provide lecturers with superior teaching tools. Volery (2000) for example, argues that online methods facilitate more effective education and offer significant advantages over traditional teaching methods. McClelland (2001) contends that in online Learning environments lecturers can offer constant educational support, as students are able to communicate with classmates and lecturers, visit web sites and view course material regardless of their time and location. Petrides (2002) investigated the effects of using web-based technology as a supplement instruction on the learning of college students enrolled in online class. He reported that despite the finding that learners revealed it was easier to work in collaborative groups in an online course, using web-based technology, they failed to produce successful feed back in the online context as compared to what could typically occur in a structured face-to-face class discussion..
An earlier study conducted by Chizmar and Walber's (1999) on web-based learning environments, reported that students' abilities to freely pick and choose from the menu of diverse learning experiences enabled them to find the approaches that best fit the way they learn when students have to wait for others to read and respond back to their postings or e-mail messages. Thurmond et al. (2002) evaluated students' satisfactions in a web-based learning environment. Their findings revealed that the virtual learning environment including e-mails, computer conferences, chat groups, and online discussions has a greater impact on the students' satisfaction than it has on student's characteristics. Dwyer's (2003) examined the effectiveness of text based internet learning environment. He concluded that the inclusion of visual images in the learning environment can be extremely effective but the inclusion of visual images should be based on specific educational objectives.
Poole (2000) conducted a study to investigate students' participation in a discussion-oriented online course. He found that students experienced convenience because the discussion was conducted on a preferred place and times according them. Previous study showed similar results when Murphy & Collins (1997) found that online learners read and respond to instructor's comments in online discussions at times convenient to them e.g. early morning, late evening discussions.
Song, et al. (2004) investigated the effects of using online course, on 76 graduate students. Their findings revealed that the lack of community' difficult understanding instructional goals, and technical problems were challenges in their online learning experiences. They also found that the design of the online course is one of the helpful components in their online learning. Other helpful components included comfort with online technologies, time management and motivation of the learner.
Wu and Hiltz (2004) investigated the attitudes of 116 students enrolled in two undergraduate courses and one graduate course at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. The three courses were "mixed mode" courses; students had face-to-face class meetings three hours a week, and weekly asynchronous online discussions. The findings revealed that variations among instructors or courses are associated with differences in perceptions of student motivation, enjoyment and learning. They also found that in traditional professor-centered education, the roles of professor and student are regimented; the professor disseminates knowledge, and the student reflects that information.
Some opponents also question the quality of online education since the quality of instructors who teach online courses cannot be guaranteed (Weiger, 1998). They question whether or not online learning can provide the same interaction between instructor-students and students-students as traditional classrooms offered (Roblyer & Ekhaml, 2000).
Utilization, as used in this study, is the extent to which Jordanian students use online education in their classroom.The literature reviewed reveals a dearth of local studies on the use of online curricular. To the best of the present researcher knowledge, the present study is the first inside and outside Jordan to investigate the relationship between students' attitudes toward online curricula and their actual use of online curricula in classroom. An extensive review of previous research failed to reveal any studies which had embarked on a similar investigation. Although the findings of the reviewed foreign research particularly applicable to the Jordanian context, they were instrumental for the researcher's construction of the data collection instruments. A good number of the items of the questionnaire and the other instruments were drawn out from or built according to the previous research reviewed in this section. Thus, this investigation is carried out in understanding Jordanians students' learning process utilizing online physics curriculum in their face to face classroom instruction.
The design selected for this research study wasquantitative and qualitative in nature using questionnaire, interviews and observation checklist. The researcher uses Reeves & Hedberg's (2003) evaluation criteria to evaluate the online physics course: functionality, usability, appeal, and effectiveness. The researcher also uses Chang & Fisher (2001) evaluation criteria to evaluate the interactions that occur in the online physics learning environment: student collaboration, active learning, reflective thinking, class management, content, and teacher support. This type of multi-dimensional study requires the use of mixed-methods approach to data collection and analysis. According to Paton (1990), "Studies that use only one method are more vulnerable to errors linked to that particular method than studies that use multiple methods in which different types of data provide cross-data validity checks" (p. 18). Therefore, the data from the checklist and the interviews was used to reinforce the validity of the students' responses to the attitudinal questionnaire. The purpose of the checklist and the interview was to obtain the students' point view about their actual use of online learning which could not be elicited by the questionnaire. Thus, the observation checklist and the interview were derived from the content of the questionnaire itself.
Two types of research instrument have been used in this study (viz., an attitudinal questionnaire, classroom observations and interviews). The quantitative data were colleted by means of a 59-item questionnaire intended to elicit Jordanian tenth grade students' perceptions, beliefs and views regarding the utilization of online curricula. The attitudinal instrument was prepared based on previous literature (cf., for example, Lee, 1987; Kim, 1995; Fraser, Fisher & McRobbie, 1996; Tobin, 1998; Lewis, 1999) and the present researcher collective experiences. The students were asked to provide their own judgments on the actual use or lack thereof online learning in their classrooms on a nominal scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (agree strongly). The study also incorporated qualitative data through an observation checklist and interviews.
Based on previous research (Chang & Fisher, 2001; Newhouse, 2001), a panel of six experts from the department of education at Yarmouk University reviewed the initial attitudinal questionnaire and offered suggestions that were used to modify the questionnaire by omitting, adding, or rephrasing items' bringing the number of items from 78 to 52 items, while the 8 categories (Technology competence, Collaboration, Active learning, Course content, Learning environment, Reflection, Teacher support, Class management) remained the same. No validation was done on the interview and the checklist because; they were driven from the content of the previously validated attitudinal questionnaire. Furthermore, a reliability coefficient was computed using Cronbach Alpha for the questionnaire (Sub-Scale) and the observation checklist (Chang & Fisher, 2001) amounted to 0.814 and 91.312 respectively, which indicates that they are appropriate for the purpose of this study.
The population of this study consisted of all the experimental schools (Reiadeih) in Jordan in the academic year 2005/2006. According to the ministry of Education in Jordan the number of the online experimental schools is 100. Of these schools, one school was randomly selected for this study (all students were males). The school consisted of 118 eleventh grade physics students enrolled in three sessions (considered the sample for this study) responded to the attitudinal questionnaire. Of the respondents 33 (28.4% of the sample) were selected to be observed in their classroom and interviewed three weeks later. The questionnaire was administered by a research assistant after he was trained by the researcher for this purpose. Both observation and interview were conducted by the researcher.
Data analysis is a key component of mixed-methods research. Data on the attitudinal questionnaire was collected, sorted and analyzed using Spss packages. Data on the tape-recorded interviews were transcribed for analysis then; the researcher gave back the transcripts to the interviews for reliability purpose. The feedback from the interviewees indicated that they were satisfied with what he/she had said and the transcripts consistent with their views, concerns or understandings. Transcripts were coded in a systematic manner using open-coding procedures (Miles & Huberman, 1994). A deep analysis of the interviewees' responses and the observation checklist was used for the interpretation of issues perceived by the participants on the attitudinal questionnaire. Data were organized around each research questions, which related to online learning experiences of Jordanian students. The researcher examined the data on the interviews, observation checklist and the questionnaire for similarities and differences.
Means and standard deviations for each of the attitudinal questionnaire items and the classroom observation checklist were computed, and then Pearson's correlation coefficient was also computed between the students' attitudes and their real classroom practices. T-test was used to test the differences between the mean for the students' attitudes and the mean for their actual practice. The data for the interviews were analyzed qualitatively.
Thirty three percent of students had access to a personal computer (PC) at their homes. Of the 33% with a PC, forty-one per cent had access to Internet. Of the 41% with Internet access, thirty-seven percent had described themselves as regular email users. None of them stated that their use of email was to maintain contact with teachers or for some other purpose related to their learning.
All respondents had experience with computers. Around three-quarters of respondents had never used the Internet previously to support their studies whilst at school. None of them stated that they searched the Internet for information related to their studies at school after class period.
The results of the analysis of the Jordanian students' responses to the attitudinal questionnaire were used to measure the students' attitudes towards online learning. Table 1 shows the means and standard deviations for each item on the questionnaire.
Online Curricula show the learners' readiness and ability to make decision.
Online Curricula Create a respect of rules in learners.
Online Curricula are viewed negatively not only by learners but also by teachers and parents.
Online Physics' Curriculum involves the use of social skills which are directly relevant to the world outside the classroom.
Students often perceive Online Curricula as mere time fillers.
Online curricula increase use of outside resources.
Online Curricula increase learners' anxiety and fear of learning.
Online Curricula enable learners to acquire new experiences, which is not always possible during a traditional curriculum.
Online curricula make students able to handle more complex assignments.
Online Curricula do not work well with sensitive students.
Online curricula need considerable effort by the learner.
Online Curricula cause chaos and disorganization.
Online Curricula enhance of student self esteem.
Online Curricula direct learner energy toward learning.
Online Curricula create a relaxed atmosphere that breaks the ice and introduce new ideas.
Through Online Curricula, learners develop their fluency in the target subject.
Online Physics Curriculum provides satisfaction with the immediate feedback.
Online curricula give students choices about how best to convey a given idea.
Online Curricula help learner recall materials in a pleasant, enthusiastic manner.
Online Curricula represent an approach to the understanding situation.
Online Curricula encourage co-operative interaction among the learners.
Online Curricula weaken the students' personality.
Online curricula create facilitating atmosphere.
Online Curricula bring teachers and learners into a more agreeable and intimate relationship.
Online curricula support a greater awareness of audience needs and perspectives.
Online Curricula help provide feedback on learners' correct and erroneous physics use.
Online Curricula give learners the freedom to search, discover and learn.
Online Curricula is more effective than other learning technique.
Students are never enthusiastic about using Online Physics Curriculum as teaching tool.
Online Curricula increase the learners' willing to learn.
Online Physics Curriculum engages learners emotionally, physically and mentally in the physics concepts and skills.
Online curricula develop Students' ability to collaborate on substantive content can be further enhanced.
Online Curricula encourage the learner to be reflective upon his/her progress.
Flexibility is the strength of Online curricula.
Online Curricula allows students to share their experiences and learn from each other.
Online Curricula offer act-and react-activities which demand creativity and active participation.
Online Curricula present concrete problems in a simplified and amusing way.
Online curricula promote collaboration and cooperation among students.
Online curricula led Students to work cooperatively and to provide peer tutoring.
Online Curricula are useless and time demanding.
Online Curricula are valuable in revealing learners' difficulties in learning.
Online Curricula promote positive social attitudes among students.
Lack of immediate feedback was a challenge to really self-motivation.
Students gain a sense of empowerment from learning.
Through Online Curricula, learners experiment, discover and interact with their environment.
Online Curricula encourage learners to interact and communicate and, thus, serve as orientation for future integration.
Online Curricula changes students' role from passive to active recipient of information.
Online Curricula help the students create contexts in which the target concept is useful and meaningful.
Online curricula make learners feel confidence about being able to learn.
Online curricula increasing convenience, and expanding educational opportunities.
Online Curriculum is fun, and learners like to use it.
Online Curricula are valued within our culture.
Online Curricula involve the whole class no matter how large it is.
Online Curricula stabilize instruction and present concepts faster to the learners.
Online Physics Curriculum helps learners see the beauty of physics.
Online Curricula allow shy students to express their opinions and feelings.
Table 1 shows that 33% of the items of the questionnaire ranking between 1 and 16 have gained means ranging between 3.83 and 4.89, all falling within the 'strongly agreed' category. Items ranking between 16 and 26 have gained means ranging between 2.53 and 3.83, all falling within 'moderate agreed' category. Items ranking between 26 and 40 have gained means ranging between 1.25 and 2.53, all falling within 'disagree' category.
The results presented in Table 1 above indicate that Jordanian students have an overall unfavorable attitude towards utilizing online physics curriculum in their classrooms (M=2.63; SD= 1.11). Students tend to agree that online physics curriculum does not motivate and that it is unenjoyable, useless and time demanding, does not facilitate the learning/teaching process, and that learners do not like to use it. This may be attributed to the fact that Jordanian students accept only low responsibility of involvement in the learning process, where as high responsible learners are usually accepted in online learning. These findings imply that students had the same expectation for their roles as they experienced it in their traditional class format. This would imply that online learning experience is viewed by Jordanian students as more culturally oriented, and online learning would be perceived as requiring strong culture. Jordanian students had a culture of values and beliefs that affects the stability of their online learning. This would have implications for the quality of online learning (Culture approaches). Online learning may be perceived as congruent with culture approaches to learning and higher quality learning outcomes. If this were the case, managing culture would be a significant challenge for students engaged in online learning.
The results of this study also show that, generally speaking Jordanian students suffer from serious problems with curriculum activities. This may be attributed to the fact that Jordanian students' lose part of the session time preparing for the instruction which in turn makes students feel that online learning is inconvenient to them. Another explanation is that the cases in which most of the students do not have access to computers and Internet at their homes, which suppose to be the place most convenient to them. Such autonomy prohibited students from exercising efficient learning act ivies. Of course, the present researcher as well as the study participating students realizes the financial resources of the Jordanian families to provide their kids with computer and access to the internet at home.
With regard to the cognitive experiences investigated in this study, the findings revealed that cognitive domain was perceived as the highest experience practiced by students. This result was consistent with the educational literature, in that, online learning should be viewed as more cognitive and internally oriented (Garrison, Cleveland-Inn, and Fung, 2004). These findings would imply that students do see a difference in the learning process and need their role adjustment. Moreover, it would imply that Jordanian students view online physics learning as more internally oriented and requires a greater individual responsibility. These implications would have suggestion for future research. That is, role adjustment may be seen largely a significant challenge for students engaged in online learning. In short, implementing a successful online course requires learners to take more responsibility, adjust to new climate, adjust to new context, and learn how to participate, apply ideas or concepts, and stimulate their own curiosity (Garrison, 2004).
More significantly, the importance of personal contact with the educational process was strongly highlighted. Jordanian students felt that online curriculum does not facilitate effective discussion including interaction with each other and with their teacher. These findings imply that the online physics curriculum leads to a loss of study routine and continuity and those learners would accordingly do less work in the online curriculum. The most common explanation for these findings is supported by Holley (2002) who concluded that students will experience negative learning experiences if guided by a lecturer who retains a negative attitudes towards traditional learning whilst promoting e-learning methods. Teachers in this case may have negative attitudes that can affect their students. Shank (2000) suggested that, to improve teaching practices through e-learning, teachers must be committed themselves to constant and changing learning curve. If this was the case, the challenge for future research would be to understand how teachers manage culture in a society that has newly developed online learning community.
To determine the truth of the findings presented in table 1, the observation checklist was used to investigate learners' actual use of online physics curriculum in their classrooms. Table 2 shows the means and standard deviations for individual items as well as the whole classroom observation checklist.
The students seem to believe that online learning process is another face of the traditional face to face instruction.
The students seem to be involved in a thoughtful, active discussion involving their personal communication.
Table 2 shows a clear trend between the observation and students' attitudes towards the utilization of the physics online curriculum in Jordan (see Table 1 and 2). The content of online curriculum is impractical and frustrating (4.21). This is what most respondents indicated. All items of the observation checklist indicate that Jordanian students were not able to involve in the learning process (means ranging between 1.74 and 4.23). The classroom was seen as the place to cause chaos and disorganization (3.98). Students were not relaxed, and having felt of anxiety and fear of learning. This may be because respondents were grouped of (3-4) students using one PC (Only nine PCs were available in the computer lab where the class was conducted).They mainly felt pressures learning through the Internet and were not confidante in being able to learn. These findings imply that students held unpleasant experiences from their online learning experiences. Moreover, it would have implication for the quality of online course (i.e., quality benchmarks criteria). Online learning may be perceived as congruent with quality benchmarks criteria for good-quality online course. If this was the case, an interesting question is what caused their negative experiences. That is, online physics course may be seen supported by poorly designed learning environment. Song et al.'s (2004) asserted that the design of the course is one of the helpful components in online learning. Clark (2002) suggested that the content of e-learning should be more "meaningful, distinct, vivid, organized and personal" (p.601).
The findings further show that the majority of the participants was none active learners, their teacher still controls the instruction as a center of learning. In this environment, the teacher seems to control all aspect of the lesson. There was no group discussion performed and no idea was explored, which would involve students successfully in the learning, though frequency of students were more often look over each others' shoulders, trying to get assistance from each other. Those who did were not able to involve adequately in the process of learning, they may be still assuming the role of the traditional teacher in their classroom, which is based on the premise that the teacher is the one who imparts knowledge to a class full of students. These findings imply that Jordanian students fail to view the online learning experiences as internally oriented instead, it was viewed as more externally oriented. An interesting question would be is whether cognitive presence is perceived by Jordanian teachers and students as less of concern in online learning experiences compared to traditional face to face learning experiences.
The findings of this study revealed that when students were working on a problem-based practical learning, most students were observed with hardly any interaction of them is caused. Those who actively looking over each others shoulder in the classroom were not able to be involved in the process of learning. Few of the students were noticed chatting with somebody else, while others setting lost on their seats.
When students are using technology as a tool or a support for communicating with others, they experienced a lack of connection with their teacher, especially "one-to-one" relationship with the teacher. They expressed the need for more feedback from their teacher. These findings imply that thephysics online curriculum fails to allow students to be actively thinking about how to generate, obtain, manipulate, or display information. However, this result was consistent with the educational literature, in that, learners in Internet-based courses with more negative perceptions expressed the need for more feedback from the instructor as well as more structure (Howland & Moore, 2002).
In this study the most positive students were the assigned leaders of the groups, though the students were depending on their teachers to state the objectives to be accomplished and to control the learning process. It was observed that respondents believed that online learning process is another face of the traditional face to face instruction with the use of computer and the internet as a technological tools serve as a course materials to enhance some aspect of the subject in process. These imply that Jordanian students are teacher dependent, inactive in the process and irresponsible for their learning.
The findings of the t-test further revealed that the correlation between the items of the questionnaire and the observation checklist is 0.61, which means that a statistically significant leaner relationship exists at (α = 0.05) between students' attitudes towards using online physics instruction and their actual classroom use of these instruction.
The qualitative analysis of 33 interviews has revealed practically the same findings, which lends considerable support to the findings revealed by the attitudinal questionnaire and the observation checklist, is instrumental for the validity of the conclusion drawn from this study (Researcher' believe).
When interviewed, the respondents who were observed having difficulty learning, reported technical problems in their online learning experiences. There was significant study mode bias amongst the interviewees. However, students were more inclined to go back to their original classroom environment textbook. Some were encouraged to study at home using the course content already placed on CDs. Some could see the classroom session serving as a wasting time. A number of students indicating a preference for traditional curriculum more commonly felt that having more time to research for coursework/projects and to reflect would be a waste of time to them.
The majority of participants indicated that they would prefer to have the old traditional curriculum back on. A number of explanations were given for this but the most common theme among respondents was once again a strongly felt requirement for personal contact with text books and the original classroom environment and the learning benefits derived from that contact. A second often cited theme was simply that respondents felt that Online Physics Curriculum was tedious and time consuming (e.g. when online session began, teachers have to take all students to the computer lab; due to the limited PCs they had to be arranged in groups then have to wait for the principal to give the data show to the lab personal advisor ( problems with finding the principal, lab personal and delay in getting the network connected were specifically mentioned), by the time getting the class started, there was only few minutes left for learning. A large number of the participants have been found to think that the lack of session time and classroom resources such as PCs, fast network, and necessary resource materials all hamper their online learning. Students need to be flexible and able to manage with the available resources, since the problem of online learning is faced by virtually all Jordanian public schools.
Besides, the use of online physics learning may be unfamiliar not only to students but also to the teachers and parents. The respondents revealed through the interviews that the initial use of online learning may pose problems of operation and general acceptance especially from parents. At first sight, and unless forewarned, some parents may find it difficult to accept the relevance of or attention to using online learning. A student reported being reprimanded by a parent for using the internet. Schools may need to make parents aware of the need for online learning through meetings or pre-arranged classroom visits.
At Jordan, a tremendous growth has been made in the field of online education. ICT is increasingly becoming an important constituent of today's Jordanian educational institutions. The current researcher recognize that using online in teaching /learning does not hold great promise for becoming a powerful instructional tool that would increase students' engagement in learning, or enhances their collaboration, and improves their motivations. However, a close look at the current utilization of online physics curriculum in Jordanian schools shows that the full potential of their uses is yet to be realized. Within the context of the present findings of the study which displayed a host of major learning experiences in the effectiveness of online learning, the actual success of online curriculum project will not happen as long as these learning experiences are not managed.
The appeal of the online curriculum can be traced in part to its inherent pedagogical strengths. In general, participants in this study expressed enhancement of their ability to make decision. It can be seen from the data obtained that a high proportion of the students surveyed believe that online curriculum enables learners to acquire new experiences, which is not always possible during a traditional curriculum. Their use of the Internet to underpin the assignment process is significant as is the fact that many students reported that it was difficult to get clarification on assignments, etc. due to lack of communication between student and instructor. What is also clear from the findings is that students are very clear about the advantages of using the Internet but not use of the online learning environment.
The students surveyed firmly believe themselves that online teaching and learning environment they experienced has a significant role to play in the negative attitudes they have towards their physics' learning experiences. Their comments suggest that they see the use of online resources as potentially going well beyond the use of the online curricula. This is evident by the overwhelming majority responding no to the question 'Do you think that combining face-to-face classes with online activities (discussion boards, short answer tests) is potentially useful'? In addition to this a significant number of respondents clearly felt that the online learning process they had is another face of the traditional face to face instruction.
Technical support; the ministry of education as the govern body for educational reform in Jordan should provide technical support for teachers and students.
In conclusion, the available evidence obtained from this study provides support for our speculation that the use of online curricula in Jordan's schools is uncertain. Indeed, moving from traditional methods of teaching to online methods of instruction often create dramatic shifts in the perspectives of teachers and their students (Terrell, Dringus, 2000).
To provide better utilization of online curriculum, the Jordanian Ministry of Education should take into consideration the following: Firstly, sufficient attention has to be given to change and how teachers and students can adapt to this change. Due to the shift from traditional curriculum to online curriculum, the teacher's role has become more of a facilitator than a traditional lecturer. Therefore, the traditional teacher-centered educational environment and student-centered online educational environment will have many differences. Besides their role shifting, the role of the virtual teacher is to "select and filter information for student consideration, to provide thought-provoking questions, and to facilitate well-considered discussion" (Kettner-Polley, 1999). Students must also move from being a more traditional passive classroom learner into a more active online inquirer, it is important for the Jordanian teachers to motivate their students to adjust their roles when becoming online learners. Secondly, using technology, as the inter-medium for teachers to deliver online courses tends to be another challenge for online teachers. Muirhead (2000) reported teachers' frustration with the reliability of computer technology, providing technology support to students, and the absence of mature integrated content development tools. Palloff and Pratt (2001) also noted that teachers must be trained "not only to use technology, but also to shift the way in which they organize and deliver material" (p. 3). Thirdly, changes needed in the interpersonal relations between the teachers and their students. Interaction with students is very important for online teachers for encouraging students self-directed, disciplined and self-motivated. Because Jordanian teachers have experienced traditional method of teaching, now they have to face the challenge of lack of some direct interpersonal contact with students, and they have little contact or feedback to gauge the clarity of their communications. Fourthly, teachers need to upgrade their technical skills in order to keep abreast of technological developments, knowing how to design interactive activities and course syllabi, how to operate the learning platform, and troubleshoot with problems online learners may encounter (Cuellar, 2002). Deubel (2003) suggested that teachers could read literature about online learning environments first, and then get trained to use required technology, and finally seek assistance from experienced instructors when needed. Fifthly, the finding of this study suggests calling on the Ministry of Education (MoE) in Jordan to capitalize on the findings of this study in future national plan.
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Coming out and respecting others during this holiday season
Dec 19, 2019 | Life | 0 comments
Commentary by Julia Freeman
Whether or not to jump into error correction is a decision that people make on a daily basis, whether it be fixing a stray hair or something more complicated as being misgendered, it can be tricky. There is a fine line when it comes to fighting the urge to calm down and not exaggerate unintentional mistakes as humans are inherently flawed over taking the time, effort, energy, and awareness to hold a teaching moment in the middle of what can be awkward circumstances. Such is often the case with individuals in the transgender and nonbinary community. With the holiday season just around the corner, though, there comes the additional layer of complexity when family member(s), whom have known a transperson as their old identity pre-coming out mistakenly refer to the person as by their former pronouns and name.
This is sometimes an intentional act as people believe that if they continue ignoring the person's identity preferences that they will 'change their mind' and accept their old identity as their true one. Other times it is a blatant ignoring of the person's preferences despite being reminded on multiple occasions because they are convinced or hopeful that 'it's just a phase' for the marginalized person. These are especially prevalent in the beginning and initial stages of the coming out process for people and it is a difficult decision to come out as any LGBTQ identity to extended family that many see only during the holidays.
Much of the time, often attributed with the longevity of an individual knowing (albeit not necessarily believing) a person's preferred pronouns and/or name, the relationship to that person plays into the equation of whether to correct people. Gently correcting family while remaining accommodating to confusion that they may face is uncomfortable for all parties, however, in those learning moments is where true growth and potential for empathy occur. Staying painfully quiet and not taking action consistently though takes a toll on all parties. Often times it is useful to enlist the help or subtle assistance of approving members to refer to a transperson by their preferred name and pronouns in everyday conversation. Many can pick up and replicate that speech pattern and hint, while others need more explicit instruction and error correction.
Also noting that not every apology for incorrectly assuming or using a gendered pronoun has to be accepted by that person is powerful, regardless of the intent. Sure, sometimes people's apologies are genuine and authentic, however, when a person repeatedly uses the old identity it can be as shattering to the transperson's psyche as a weapon equal to that of misgendering a cisgender person. Health, wellbeing, respect, and integrity is on the line. All people have equal right and permission to be offended and exceptions need not apply across all circumstances and scenarios. Even if that is the holiday table, tree, Yamaka, dreidel, Brigid, or other symbol of unity, celebration, and solidarity that families (be it of choice or of origin) use. GG


Stephanie Padilla, left, performs with fellow Columbus High School students Maria Espino, Britney De Leon and Samantha Martinez in a Spanish-spoken play on Wednesday during CHS's first-ever Language Fair.
Helena Martinez, left, performs a play with fellow Columbus High School students Mariam Garcia, Daisy Rojo and Edith Mendoza during Wednesday's Language Fair held at CHS. The event was the first of it's kind for Columbus with all competitions conducted in Spanish.
Liliana Velasco was surprised when the annual Language Fair at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln was canceled this year.
For 14 years, the Columbus High School Spanish teacher has taken students to participate in the fair's non-English performance competitions. These judged events in drama, music, folk dance, poetry and poster design allowed students a chance to work on their foreign language skills and learn about other cultures.
So, Velasco decided to organize one of her own. But, this rendition held on Wednesday at CHS would solely be performances in Spanish. More than 200 junior and seniors students came out for the competition from area high schools, including Syracuse, Platteview, Louisville, Columbus, Wilber-Clatonia, York, David City and Cornerstone Christian School in Bellevue.
CHS junior Lexi Jeffryes performed in the poetry and folk dancing events. Before the competition, she explained her poem was based off of the tale of "Red Riding Hood" and that she planned on wearing a red cape and a basket to enhance the performance. For dancing, she was set to perform a Spanish dance called the flamenco.
"I'm a little nervous," Jeffryes said about the competition. "I'm in a group with three other girls and our (dance) is a lot of stomping and a lot of clapping. It's a lot of high energy, go go go all the time. It's a lot of fun.
CHS senior Emma Benck also was set to perform in the dance event. Her group was prepared to do the merengue, a dance originating from the Dominican Republic.
Events were divided into two categories, one for Spanish learners and the other for heritage speakers. After competing, judges awarded competitors a white ribbon meaning very good, a grey ribbon meaning excellent or a maroon ribbon for superior, with only the top-three per room receiving this kind of ranking.