Friday 9 November 2007


23 comments:

Duncan said...

Mentioned in Dispatches

Dave049 said...

T

claire385 said...

DIE

Duncan said...

scrabble?

claire385 said...

no

Duncan said...

voodoo?

I've been wearing a silver charm for years, so the curses just wash off me.

claire385 said...

voodoo doesn't really work that way voodoo is where another person must have some thing that belongs to you attached to a puppet either made out of wool or wax or wood etc

Duncan said...

And it isn’t Caribbean, AFAIR, that stuff is “empathic magics”, and is more of a European parlour trick.

But silver is a good charm against a pile of bad vibes from folks.

Duncan

claire385 said...

that is uless you are giving out that bad vibes which canell it out untill you are giving them

Duncan said...

It comes down to what you believe in. I do not physical or mental harm to people. My intentions (according to the Vacanna), are good. I refuse to accept the anger of others as my own anger. I refuse to accept the weakness of others as my own weaknesses. I recognise my own weaknesses and strive to eliminate them. I do all that I can to make sure that I am not misunderstood, I do all I can to make sure I am in class on time and am ready to work. I show willing and don't just work during 'office' hours.

Why should these attitudes be seen as a weakness by others? Why is expecting others to have a similar attitude to their careers seen as wrong?

We are training students for the workplace - make your mistakes here, learn from them, and do better next time.

Duncan said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
claire385 said...

needless to say i beleive in karma duncan and acting in outburst give out mental harm closing doors on people who made a genuine mistake also counts so if you want to work out of office hours do that just don't expect the door to be allways open and you have had your apologies so please would you want to be treated like that

claire385 said...

and also i may be class rep but if you have a complaint the class rep blog would of been better or to have just talked to me in person

Duncan said...

Your class rep blog is your private forum. I make a point of not looking over people's shoulders.

If you wish to take it up with the management about how approximately 8 HNC level students all made the same mistake, then perhaps to lesson isn't just in timekeeping, but also in making assumptions.

So, what lesson is learnt? Me, I'd have sent one person up to the room to see if the class had started. And then nipped back to Dino's or wherever, to collect the rest of the class.

It just shows a lack of animal cunning - something that the big wide world teaches folk.

What apologies are needed? None from the class - people made a mistake, others slipped up by not double-checking. College isn't just about learning the 'hard skills', but the 'soft skills' too.

The Principal had a similar experience in his teaching career. Next time, people don't make the same mistake. One quick question from the lads that were present when I left the classroom at 10am would have been enough. Out in the real world, contracts can be lost when assumptions are incorrectly made. Failure to double-check information lead to one chap I know organising an exhibitor for the week after the exhibition. When I sent an email out 3 weeks ago to remind people of the event dates, he noticed his mistake. I send out confirmatory emails to people so everyone has the correct information.

As I said earlier, in a group of 7-8 HNC students, one could have sought confirmation. It is no dig at you being class rep, Claire. I have no problems or concerns about your abilities in that role. Any student could have fond out what time the class actually did start at, that isn't a job for the class rep, but the person who can run up the stairs the fastest ;-)

As to your insinuation that I was "acting in outburst", well, that is similar to other insinuations that you have posted elsewhere. And again, are incorrect.

One person may be late, another may make a mistake, but 2/3rds of the class role?

As to your comment about working outwith class time - I sincerely hope that everyone in the class is following their career goals outwith class time. I certainly am.

When a mistake is made, learn from it by reflecting on what you can do better or differently next time. Some mistakes can be avoided by thinking/visualising the event before it happens. Look up the term "reflective practitioner".

I expect nothing from my students. My students should be working towards their chosen career goals. I hope that they get a job in their chosen career. I hope that they learn from their College mistakes before they make the same mistakes in the real world. I hope that they discover new talents, and push the comfort zones of their existing skills. I expect a lot from myself, but expect nothing from anyone else.

Which is why I'm online after being up since 0630am working at an exhibition, and then researching for Monday's meeting about the future of your blogs. I think having these blogs is good for your development as an active citizen, as well as showing off your technical skills.

Oops, print run is finished for tomorrow's exhibition, so I'd best get on with my other jobs. At least the exhibitor turned up today, and not 7 days late.

claire385 said...

believe or not duncan people can make the same mistake wheather or not in the same place and if you honestly belive that you want nothing from us then do not close a door and it would of been a more usefull way because "assuming" that you have heard about people not being able to get on to the student black bord aswell as the student portal you would of at least put a sign on the door two weeks ago for those who simply did not know and hense this turns into one previous inccedent with maswera about routine and COMUNICATION . also do you not think that by at least going to class when we thought it was going to start that we would at least of double our speed to catch up even stay during our break which i was planning to do considering that i was not there on tuesday.

Duncan said...

I'm at a loss as to why I need to communicate with a class of HNC students that their class is to start at the timetabled time.

If you wish, here are the times of your classes:
Celcat

AFAIR, the classes have been:
1. moved forward by 15 minutes in week 5, and
2. for one day only started at 11am because of the HMI feedback session.

Other than once on the 9th Nov, the class started at the designated time. Do I need to inform a class of HNC students that a class is starting at the designated time? If any of the students had any questions about the starting time of the class, then everyone has my email address, or can phone the college, or, as I said earlier, could have simply come to the door and seen that the class had started.

Perhaps, instead of being introspective and bilious, you should be looking at the standards and enthusiasm shown by some of the other HNC Computing students' work (YouTube link). Their work is for fake clients, your work is for real clients, therefore you should end up with a better cv.

claire385 said...

what goes in my cv is non of your concern and as for comunication or lack there of try finding more ways and the obvious soulutions aren't that obvious in the first place

Duncan said...

LOL - well that's the funniest comment you've posted here, Claire.

Certainly cheered me up from my sickbed. LOL.

Dave049 said...

wow this turned ugly. the problem in every1 assuming was that a lot of us still cant access blackboard or s-portal, not duncan or claires fault that some1 who can access both tells us that were not in till 11. just to clear the air...

Dave049 said...

and for every1 to know it was worse for me, getting up at 6:30, getting a long bus journey then beeing told im not in till 11? then finding out i was meant to be in at half 10, also from the way we were told it seemed it had been checked up on.

Duncan said...

Hi Dave,

1a. "Ugly" - nah, Claire's doing a grand job arguing the student perspective, and I applaud her for that.

1b. "Ugly" - I never get ugly in class. No-one in Aberdeen College has ever seen me get ugly. One of the few times that I got ugly was on an MoD training exercise, and ... well, that's another story. In here, you get the calculating, reflective practicioner.

2. To make you aware of the timeline, the email for the HMIE feedback session came out on Wednesday afternoon of the 7th, and an announcement and email was posted that afternoon about the classes being cancelled. AFAIK, we don't have the facility to mass-text folk regarding cancellations. It would be nice if we did. Perhaps having mobile phone access to Abmail is something to be raised? I'll mention it at our staff meeting too.

Duncan said...

As a result of the posts above, Guidance tested a message to the class via mobile phones today. It may have solved David's problem of getting in on the 9th to find class start postponed.

Scott216 said...

hmm queer comments however i did get the "txt" i know others didnt though... Dave 6.30 start i know the feeling and ouch :|