So tired… yet so far away….

The Social media and Teacher Learning conference hosted jointly by the Ontario Teacher Federation and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology is happening this weekend. As the event is synchronously broadcasted over the internet to Virtual Participant over AdobeConnect, I have been putting extra effort in this event to ensure it runs smoothly. Today we trained some of the student volunteers who will be there helping out with the event on AdobeConnect. Forty workshops in total with presenters ranging from UOIT’s students to specialist in the field of Education around the globe. This event would be an interesting trigger point for me, to finally decide on whether I would like to apply for a Masters in Education with specialization in Technology and learning or not.

I look forward to participating in the event, hearing what some of the top minds have to say about Education and the field of Technology.

Tags: AdobeConnect, Federation, Masters in Education, Ontario Teacher Federation, Participant, Social, Social media, technology, University, University of Ontario institute of technology

Friday the thirteenth

Today is friday the thirteenth, a typical day associated with bad luck in the western world. The original friday the thirteenth marks one of the bigger crashes of the stock market. This day have than been slowly adapted to other sections of the western culture.

I must admit that I am now part of this culture, as I have face some personal misfortune today. Looking back at this incident really suggests that I should be thanking the father for protecting me, letting me walk away from this with no injuries at all.

This morning was the long awaited first day of snow for Toronto and area. The combination of snow and freezing rain have made the roads slightly hazardous to drive on. I have been trained to drive safely on snow or ice covered roads, something similar to the conditions I faced this morning.

Since I knew the traffic would be horrible between home and the College, I departed 40 minutes early. I took my usual route on the 401 towards Oshawa and attempted to exit at Thickson road. When I arrived, an accident have just occurred and the traffic was blocked completely. Since this exit was blocked off and the ambulance just arrived, I do not want to see smashed up body parts this early in the morning. Since the college is on Simcoe street, I’ve decided to continue and exit at Stevenson road instead.
This apparently is my mistake as Stevenson road’s expressway off ramp was not salted and covered with a white layer snow. I slowed down from the 50km/h that I was traveling at while on the 401 to approximately 25 km/h as I prepare myself to go onto the off ramp. The off ramp itself goes up from the expressway to allow trucks to pass under it, bends to the right at the highest point and comes back down while bending to the left and end at the set of lights of Stevenson road. I must have slowed down furthermore as I head up the ramp since I have stopped stepping on the gas pedal and started to gently apply the brakes. I was at the first bend when I noticed my tires seems to have lost its traction, so I followed my driving training and started stepping on and releasing the brake at intervals, simulating the ABS braking system. That did slow down the car a bit but not enough. The worst part is from this right bend to the left bend and Stevenson road itself is a down hill slope. My interval braking did not stop my car in time and I crashed into a van that was waiting for the lights to turn. I got out to start the information exchange process and noticed that the white layer I thought was snow is actually ice. It was an icy slide from the right bend all the way to Stevenson road. The entire ramp was not salted or shovel at all!

Luckily the accident seem to be contained at the bumper level, both car’s air bag did not go off and the other person’s van was simply scratched while bumper got slightly indented. We reported this incident to our respective insurance company and parted ways. This was my virgin car accident and I believe it is a good lesson learn. God will protect me from harm when I need it and not want it, also I don’t think I will ever drive on the express route during snow day ever again.

Tags: accident, car, Friday the thirteenth, morning, road, Stevenson road, thirteenth

Back to the Campus

Today is the second day of the new year and all staff must return to campus. Jan 1st happens to land on a Sunday this year and the holiday replacement day was taken by all staff on December 31st.
Durham College’s students would return on the 4th and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology students would return on the 9th. Due to the absence of the students, campus resembles a ghost town.

Crowded hallways and gathering areas are now nearly empty, it is not very comfortable to trot around campus without the usual noise levels. The campus is a really large and silent place, the silence level is slowly rising to the point of scary.

It looks like the maintenance crew have cleaned and polished the floors while we were on a break last week. Almost all the public floors are shiny and clean.

Some of the previously malfunctioning lights or doors seems to be fixed. It looks like the campus is ready for yet another semester.

On the outside, all the exposed grounds of the campus are now salted, considering it is currently -15 degrees Celsius, Oshawa and Toronto are expecting snow or black ice within the next few days. If the routes to the buildings are covered with snow or icy, it would present a disaster for the two institutions.

As I was walking around the empty campus, I wondered if anyone would stood up to the cold to puff down their cigarettes, so I headed towards the smoker designated area, it seems the windy design of the area have stopped smokers from swallowing and puffing here.

Tags: campus, University of Ontario Institute of Technology students

Last day of the year

Once again, it is December 31st. A day marked as the last day of a year. That is nothing but merely a definition of what this day means. Some may say that this day marks the end of a cycle the Earth orbits the sun. Some may call this the day that marks the end of a year and would start fresh again in the upcoming year.

To me, this day does not have such important meanings. It is just another happy day on this spinning rock in space, where I enjoy another day of life!

I have once read an analysis on human behavior in relations to science and technology. Humans as a race is very paranoid and requires the feeling of being in control for it to survive. Without control we would fear everything and things that are out of our control we label them as berserk, dangerous or other negative terms.

One of the natural ingredients of this universe we have absolutely no control over is time. Our ancestors attempts to control time by quantifying it. Once we have quantify something, we believe we are in control of it. That belief alone would be our biggest error! By quantifying time, we might have marked our own deaths, knowing that there are such things as average life span, age group limitations or other time related negative impacts to our psyche. Yet there is no way to pause this quantified object, nor is there a method to reverse it. We are less then an electron in the point of view of Time! Don’t misunderstand me, I am not saying that quantifying time is a bad thing at all, but setting your entire lifestyle completely on a man made quantity is not the ideal use for our mental abilities. A measurement of art can never be quantify, one can attempt that by pricing it but never can art be fully quantify it. If art is a quantifiable, we can all be artistic or creative by following scientific formulas. Steve Jobs would not have such an impact on the world and Donald Trump would not have so much difficult searching for someone who can be his equal in the business world.

So stop letting these man made barriers limits you from exploring the real world or mark your death bed for you. For all we know, the world can easily end within the time you have devoted on my article!

Tags: art, control, cycle, definition, Earth

Watch your head!

In the building where I am getting my AdobeConnect training, there seems to be some type of renovations happening.

The ceiling looks amazingly beautiful on the second floor and part of the main lobby, but part of the lobby ceiling was taken apart and lights are simply hung there.

It looks amazing when the ceiling is intact with the ambient lighting, but when the white ceiling is removed, it is simply bare and non-appealing.

However, I find it quite interesting as I rarely get to see the inside of a building. I am not a part of any construction crew or maintenance crew. In my profession, I wouldn’t even be ask to enter a building until it is mark safe or finished. It is very rare that a construction zone would happen within the areas that I trot.

I took this chance to observe how a commercial building’s electrical wiring differs from a normal house’s but was rushed out of tue lobby by dear old Time.

The actual plans for the future Lobby is actually beautiful and would modernize the building completely.

Tags: building, commercial building, crew, lobby, maintenance, The ceiling, type