I move so move along with me :D

I just move here:

www.dinautami.com
www.dinautami.com
www.dinautami.com
www.dinautami.com

From now on, I am no longer write on this blog :)

CooL Things With Human Computer Interaction

CooL! now SADAKO can actually come out of your TV!

*in overly confidence tone

CooL! MINORITY REPORT's for ReaL!

*in overly confidence tone


So what do you think is next? Daffe, who'd just attended an international conference on tangible user interface said: "Long Distance Sex" :D /jk

Which came first?

I've been dealing with 'which came first' questions lately.

Several days ago I had a short of disagreement with my senior, who is also a rector of a private university in Yogya, about ICT investment in education. His university had just received a grant from the government for ICT facilities improvement. In my opinion, ICT investment in education is necessary and will give us many advantages. He thinks, if ICT wasn't used properly it wont give any advantages, or worse disadvantages. Both of us agree on that but which should came first? Investing on ICT first or preparing our students culture and habits first? There's the disagreement.

Another story.
A couple days ago, I had a chat with a friend. He was asked by his father,also a rector, "Which one is more important in your opinion, and you must choose one only, elementary education or higher education?" We both think elementary education is more important but his father think higher education is more important.

Why is it matter anyway? Why one should come first after another?
Why can't we just invest on IT and preparing our students readiness meanwhile?
Why can't both, elementary education and higher education be both equally important?

Well, to us, maybe, it doesn't really matter but to the top level person or decision makers it is important. They're the one who should set priority and like Stephen R. Covey said on his book: "First thing first".

Fortunately, I am just an ordinary person. Still on the same book Covey also said: "Proactive people focus their efforts in the Circle of Influence" so thats what I'm gonna do. Those decission maker however have larger circle of influence, hence, greater responsibility.

Poor them :(

May Allah give them strength and wisdom. Amin.

the way we learn

Alfon, my nephew, fell of again this morning. Head first, big bump. He's learning to walk. It seems like everyday that he physically hurt himself. In a cartoon he'd be like crayon sinchan :p. Amazingly, he's still trying. Of course he cried, of course he feels a little doubt each time he starts to try again, but he never stops. Thank god he's easily distracted. We gave him minyak tawon and bring him close to a fan, don't know why but he likes to watch a fan whirling so much, and he stopped crying.

Most of the time, he was warned by us not to do something we thought to be harmful but he wont listen. Curiosity? maybe. Like 3 days ago, my cousin told him not to play with a belt and tried to take it away from him but he insisted. The buckle hit his head hard and he cried. Another bump, Told you! Each time he becomes more careful and skillful. He learned not only to walk but also to listen to us.

I guess that's just the way we learn. To never give up no matter how much failure we experience and to listen to those who we trust, love us and always be there for us, no matter how stupid our choice was.

The Prologue from the book, The Alchemist -Paulo Coelho

The Alchemist picked up a book that someone in the caravan had brought. Leafing through the pages, he found a story about Narcissus.

The alchemist knew the legend of Narcissus, a youth who daily knelt beside a lake to contemplate his own beauty.

He was so fascinated by himself that, one morning, he fell into the lake and drowned. At the spot where he fell, a flower was born, which was called the narcissus.

But this was not how the author of the book ended the story.

He said that when Narcissus died, the Goddesses of the Forest appeared and found the lake, which had been fresh water, transformed into a lake of salty tears.

"Why do you weep?" the Goddesses asked.

"I weep for Narcissus," the lake replied.

"Ah, it is no surprise that you weep for Narcissus," they

said, "for though we always pursued him in the forest, you

alone could contemplate his beauty close at hand."

"But..... was Narcissus beautiful?" the lake asked.

"Who better than you to know that?" the Goddesses said

in wonder, "After all, it was by your banks that he knelt each

day to contemplate himself!!"

The lake was silent for some time.

Finally it said:

"I weep for Narcissus, but I never noticed that Narcissus

was beautiful. I weep because, each time he knelt beside my

banks, I could see, in the depths of his eyes, my own beauty

reflected."

"What a lovely story," the alchemist thought.

Are you a narcissist? Which one? The healthy one or the pathological one?

Andragogy-The Art of Adult Learning

Have you ever wonder why when you were a student you felt so reluctant to attend a lecture but now that you have graduated you, surprisingly, learn more passionately?

Well, I do. Now, I read more books and many references without even being told to do so. I know that some of my blogger friends read a lot and they learn how to write, voluntarily.

In a training I had to attend as a junior lecturer, I learned about Andragogy. Andragogy applies to any form of adult learning. The term was originally used by Alexander Kapp (a German educator) in 1833, was developed into a theory of adult education by the American educator, Malcolm Knowles.

Now, adults here means mature psychologically and sociologically. In Indonesia that means if you are 17 years old or older.

Basically, it has four principles:

(1) Adults need to know why they need to learn something. When I studied at electrical engineering department, I never know why I study transformation method, signal and system and stuff, because my teacher never told why. So, I and I believe most of my friends, studied because we need to have a good mark in order to have a good GPA.

(2) Adults need to learn experientially. For Instance, if you want your student to learn about bugs in programming, ask your students to do some programming. As a beginner, I believe there will be plenty of bugs.

(3) Adults approach learning as problem-solving. Give real cases to solve. I heard that Problem Based Learning works really well in the medical faculty, UGM.

(4) Adults learn best when the topic is of immediate value. Adults are most interested in learning subjects that have immediate relevance to their job or personal life. One of my friends was interested in studying logical fallacies because he was frustrated in dealing with what he refers to be a non-smart blogger. While, Logical fallacies can be a very serious&geeky topic to some people hihihiii...

In practical terms, Andragogy means that instruction for adults needs to focus more on the process and less on the content being taught. Strategies such as case studies, role playing, simulations, and self-evaluation are most useful. Instructors adopt a role of facilitator or resource rather than lecturer or grader.

Moreover, if you want to be treated like an adult, you should act like and take the responsibility of an adult.

The Dilemma of Muslims in America at MP Book Point

Friday,Febuary 8 2008, I attended a dialog. The title was "The Dilemma of Muslims in America". The speaker was Mr.Putut Widjanarko. He earned a PhD from Ohio University with his dissertation "A Study of Indonesian Transnational Muslims in New York City". He is also a director of Mizan Publisher.

He began his presentation by describing Muslims in America. Their number are not precisely known since census in US never ask about religion. According to Ba Yunus and Kone (2004), the largest ethnic group is Arabs, which are 32 percent of American Muslims, followed by the American Muslims (mostly African American) with 29 percent. The Muslims from South Asian countries (Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Ceylon, Afghanistan and Maldives) rank third with 28.9 percent. Then, they are followed by the Turks (5 percent), Iranians and Bosnians (each 2 percent). The rest are Malays, Indonesians, Kosovars and others[here].

This ethnic groups had their own mosque and they only go to their ethnic mosque. Originating from many different countries, cultures, and various schools of thought in Islam, a monolithic perspective and treatment towards Muslim communities in the US will not help us in understanding the aspirations and internal dynamics of each community.

The situation changes after 9/11 with the increased sentiment towards Muslims. Some Americans do committed violation towards Muslims. But, the others show great kindness. Real story, the moderator was there, when 9/11 tragedy happened,to study and his wife is wearing hijab. Her office friends,trying to protect her, asked her to stay in the office till the situation are better. Some American friends shops for their Muslims neighbor who were afraid to showed up in public. So, to see American from monolithic perspective is also wrong.

Lesson learned, hasty generalization are always wrong. Muslims are not only those in the middle east or a bunch of terrorist and Jihad is not terrorism. And America is not George W Bush foreign policies, which are criticized by nations all over the world and even American them self. Mr.Putut said that "the strongest critics towards American Government policies came from American". I agree and I believe those who've read the books of Noam Chomsky or watched the documentary movie of Michael Moore would agree.

Please stop spreading hatred around the world...