The Avant Gardist
May 26,2010

Bocar Wane, 7^th grade math, Geometry, is currently presenting at the e-Learning Conference: Africa in Zambia. His presentation is entitled Anywhere, Anytime – Lessons to Be Learned from an Online School in Hawaii. He will be sharing information about Myron B. Thompson Academy, and how we operate in a virtual setting. Bocar will also be researching some new trends in online learning.

May 24, 2010

Bocar Wane, Myron B. Thompson Academy, USA

Dateline: Lusaka, Zambia

Day 2: The day started very early for me. I got up at 5 30 am and I went for a 5 mile run in the streets over Lusaka, a city that I barely know. The morning was nice—some people were walking on the street, and some Zambians and foreign nationals were running in the early dawn. On my way back from running, mundane activities started to pick up and the sun was shining a little more. The morning was brisk. We had continental breakfast near the lodge’s swimming pool.

After breakfast, we went to Cairo Rd, the main business district. It looks like downtown Queens, for those of you have been to Queens in New York City. The streets were busy with people although today was a holiday in Zambia, Africa Freedom Day. Most of the shops were closed. The food businesses were however open. There were lots of unregistered taxi drivers and people with various merchandise standing on the sidewalk trying to get business out of you. We decided to eat at a Lebanese restaurant. We both had a shwarma sandwich, which was good.

We then went to Arcade, a shopping mall where lots of activities were happening in celebration of Africa Freedom Day. Local and traditional dance, bands, and flea market—were all entertaining many people in the shopping mall. We sat outside of a cyber coffee shop listening to the performers playing and dancing music while catching up with our emails. We then went to the Kabwata Cultural Village, a craft market about 3 to 4 miles from where we were. There we found beautiful local crafts in soapstone, wood, and fabrics. The market is constituted of several huts where the goods were displayed. We bought a few things that we really liked.

We went back to Arcade to witness the final hours of the holiday festivities. We then had diner at La Gondola, an Italian restaurant. The T-bone steak I had was so lean that you wonder if there was any meat in this cow let alone fat! We however enjoyed the atmosphere in the restaurant made up of locals and foreign nationals. The service was good. We went back to the lodge to gracefully call it a day.

The Avant Gardist
May 24,2010

Bocar Wane, 7^th grade math, Geometry, is currently presenting at the e-Learning Conference: Africa in Zambia. His presentation is entitled Anywhere, Anytime – Lessons to Be Learned from an Online School in Hawaii. He will be sharing information about Myron B. Thompson Academy, and how we operate in a virtual setting. Bocar will also be researching some new trends in online learning.

May 24, 2010

Bocar Wane, Myron B. Thompson Academy, USA

Dateline: Lusaka Zambia

Day 1:

My wife and I arrived in Lusaka, Zambia from London, England for the E-Learning Africa Conference on Monday, May 24, 2010 at 7am local time. The total trip time from Honolulu, Hawaii was 36 hours. My first impression of Lusaka, after driving from the airport to the hotel (about a 15-minute drive) was that Lusaka is no different that any other African city I have seen thus far. The streets are more or less clean, people jaywalk haphazardly, and to my big surprise, people drive on the left side. I guess the Zambians picked up that culture from the Brits.

I travelled with my wife, and this is the first time for both us to have ever set foot in Zambian land. Our hotel was modest but with character and charm, at least the outside of the hotel. Actually, the hotel is called a lodge; there are only 10 rooms total. It is more like a modified house. Our room appeared to be clean but it was very small and cluttered so we are going to change to a bigger room tomorrow and see how it goes. The staff at the hotel are very friendly. We ordered lunch at the hotel., and the waiter/cook recommended a local specialty, roasted quail, which was delicious. We also ordered grilled fish and Nshima, which is the local starch staple—a pounded porridge of maize flour—a Zambian type of poi!

After resting a bit, we walked around and went to the two major malls in Lusaka. The first mall we went to is called Manda Hill Mall. It is undergoing construction so the sound of construction resonated everywhere. We did, however, find a nice coffee shop called Kilimanjaro, decorated in Kenyan/East African style. We had coffee and homemade lemon iced tea and then walked to the other mall, Arcades. There we walked around and had dinner at Arabian Nights. The food was good; Ann ate Afghan steak, a seasoned steak, and I ate grilled lamb chops. Both meats were well seasoned. We also ate delicious naan bread and a great Pakistani chopped salad made of cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, parsley…and tons of chopped hot chili peppers. I had to stop eating it but Ann kept on going until her lips were swollen and red.

Internet connection at the hotel is beyond slow. I hope that tomorrow we’ll get to town to an internet café so that I can send this. After so much travelling, I am beat—today ended early, at 8:30pm. More to come tomorrow.

The Avant Gardist
May 11,2010

Nicholas Perih
Social Studies / Civics Teacher

Hi, my name is Nicholas Perih and I am new teacher at Myron B. Thompson Academy. When I was given the opportunity to teach online at MBTA, I jumped at the chance to reach and connect with students all over Hawaii. While I had teaching experience and even understood the benefits of using technology in the classroom, I had never actually taught in a virtual environment. Thus far, my experience has been exciting and positive!

As a traditional classroom teacher for the past few years. I was beginning to see the limits to a “bricks and mortar” school. For example, students in my first class of the day were often tired and sleepy. These students explained to me that if they had their own way, they would prefer to learn later in the day when they would be more perceptive. I don’t blame them! It can be very difficult to focus at seven o’clock in the morning.

Another issue was the pace of my class. Students have different learning styles, and some need more time than others to complete various tasks. What works for one student does not always work for another. The class structure at MBTA allows my students to work around their own schedules and at their own pace. A current student recently told me that this took a lot of pressure off him, and in turn has improved his overall focus and the quality of his work.

I have come to discover that teaching online is a highly interactive process where I have gotten to know most, if not all of my students on a personal level. I have been able to access my students and them me, at all hours of the day and night. This type of individualized attention is unparalleled in any other institution of learning of which I’ve been a part, and the benefits for students have been astounding.

In my opinion, Myron B. Thompson Academy is unique from other institutions of learning in that there is a profound focus on both student learning and teacher development. My students live in a world where technology is a large part of their daily lives, and I have been given the tools to create engaging learning opportunities using technology to meet the needs of these learners.