COVID-19: Free e-books

COVID-19 pandemic has thrown us with challenges that we have to face with resilient.  Overcoming the challenges with limitations of resources is not easy but with assistance from others, things are bearable and manageable.  Printed and non printed books can be costly especially if it is textbooks.  No doubt about that.

But Alhamdulillah, Springer,  Elsevier, and other publishers have stepped up their effort to assist students to get access to materials needed for their learning.  Among the free books are like Educational Technology: A primer for the 21st century and such.

I hope that my students will use this opportunity to be more independent in searching resources.  Of course, there are others with limited dataplan and internet connectivity who might difficulty to search resources through the internet.  I pray hard that the situation that we are facing right now might not increase the social divide.

COVID-19: [Forum] Preparing for the Post Covid 19 Looming Crisis of Graduate Unemployment

The crisis of COVID-19 does not end with the medical domain.  It affects other social domains as well.   One of the concerns of recently graduated students is employment opportunity.   With many lost their job during the MCO, companies have to be closed down or reduced their services, new jobs creation is really scarce.

The issue is real.  But the panelists from the forum have presented and discussed the issue thoroughly.  It is indeed a new normal in the way we perceive about employment and employability.   For more details, HERE is the slide.

Why does my electricity bill so expensive during MCO?

When I got the bill, I could not believe it myself.  Normally, I would pay less than RM50 per month for my electricity but during the MCO, it was RM300+.  But then, I remember there were ten of us in the same household last March until early May.   With constant washing clothes, cooking (using air-fyer and whatsnot) and using other electrical appliances, it is a little surprise why my bill is like that.  Alhamdulillah, I don’t have air-conditioning at home.

I am not really know how to calculate that.  But I find a video about it.  This guy is able to explain in simple way that I can understand well.

COVID-19: Should the university fees be reduced?

With the new order from MOHE for universities to conduct classes through online, it means that there will be less physical face to face classes.  Due to this, students would not be using any physical facilities that available at their respective universities such as classroom and such.

But there are other facilities that are offered through online such as library (even though they cannot borrow physical printed books), eLearning and others.  In fact, online classes are conducted by the same instructors (who are paid) but it is just the classes are conducted through online medium.

Of course, there are some courses which need hands-on practices like science experiments which might require the need of laboratories or specialised equipment, workshops for courses involving tinkering, sewing, cooking – referring to technical and vocational courses  or design studios which equips with costly or bulky equipment such as 3D printers or cutters.   For such cases, students need to attend physical face to face classes.

But, with the  decreased limited usage of university’s facilities and services, should the university fees be reduced?   That’s a question that would be thought well and it is something that is being discussed at the moment (HERE is the recent article from a internet).

COVID-19: Online Learning Tools for Effective Training [Part 1] by Dr Roslinda Alias

We know each other since 1996 (IIUM Matriculation Centre) at Lembah Pantai.  Yup.  We have known each other more than 20 years.  How time flies!  Indeed.  Fast forward, we are in our 40s and we are in the same line of profession – teaching.

During this MCO, she and her team have made enormous efforts to teach and train people who are not so tech-savvy like me to use online tools.  In my case, I learn anything related to online tools at my own pace – one thing at a time.  So, that is why, I don’t have any video like this yet (what I have so far is audio version without me appearing in the video).

HERE is her session entitled “Online Learning Tools for Effective Training [Part 1]”

Losing my patience?

Students are different.  No doubt about that.  But what I cannot stand the most is the clingy-super-dependent type with a sense of entitlement (I pay the fees so you need to serve me).  With such attitude, anyone can lose their patience any time.

When I went to UK, the Malaysian government had to pay the fees more than what the local students aka Brits has to pay.   But, did I feel that I was more entitled to receive better services?  No.  I never felt that way.  In fact, I feel that I need to work harder because I need to learn as much as I could from among the best people in the field.  My supervisor went to Oxbridge.  Not having the opportunity to go there myself, I feel blessed to have someone who was trained by among the best intellectuals as my supervisor.  His word “I suggest…” is a command that I would oblige without any single question.  Some might say, it is just a suggestion and why do I have to go extra length to do it.  Well, I respect him as my teacher.  I don’t need to wait for him to say “I want you to do this” to take action.

But things are different.  Is it because of our cultural differences?  I don’t have any answer to that.  Yet, based on my observation having a student coming from similar culture like my supervisor does not guarantee that this student will be independent and less clingy.  So, apparently there are similarities of clingy students across cultures.

When I got an email from this student asking me to remind whatever deadlines that this student needs to comply, I was thinking back in my mind “Since when I have become this student’s PA?” Again, it might has something to do with the intention of learning on a first place or the question of “Why”.

When I was a student, I know clearly WHY I should learn.  So, I aligned my intention  on how can I learn the best I could from my teacher/ lecturer/ supervisor.  I would figure out the strategies that I could use to learn the best I could from them.   It is always about myself.  What should I do to learn?  This is the question that I ask myself numerous times.

I don’t expect my students to be self-directed learners.   After all they are not primary nor secondary school students.  I just wish that I could say what one of my mentors used to say to me “Kick your a** before somebody kick yours“.