Virtual-Doug

Web-Based Learning - Can I Really Learn on the Web?

Of course you can learn on the web - you are right now.  But you probably want to know if you can learn in the formal sense.  Can I get a worthwhile degree online?  Can I really "to to college" on the web?

You certainly can!  Many people do.  Many take courses from older brick and mortar "name" schools, such as those listed on the Electronic Campus site, or the Peterson's site, which lists both traditional and non-traditional schools.  Many states have built consortia to deliver degree programs - try the University of Texas TeleCampus or the Western Governor's University.  Of course there are the non-traditional (but still fully accredited schools, such as Phoenix, Walden, and Capella.

Why?  Most likely you are a working adult with a job, mortgage, and family - and you just don't have time to go to English 101 at 1:30 PM each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  Besides, you may want a Master's degree in Medieval French Literature, but your local university doesn't offer such a degree.

If you think it is some kind of electronic correspondence course, you're wrong.  A good online course will probably be more interactive than a traditional classroom.  You'll discuss a lot of topics with classmates and professor through discussion board and other tools.  You just won't see their faces.

I make my living working with web-based learning.  I have taught online (still do on occassion), and assist others in learning how to teach online.

I love it!

Mystery Guest Blogger: Christianity

On occassion, we'll enjoy a post written by someone other than The Virtual Doug. Enjoy.

At annual diocesan council last year, I attended a seminar entitled “Sharing Your Story,” how to do personal witnessing to the Good News of Jesus Christ. Having grown up in the Baptist Church, this is not a new concept to me. Indeed, a part, albeit a small part, of the joy of becoming Episcopalian was not having to witness (it just isn’t traditionally done in our circles!). But as I am drawn closer to God, I know it is something I must do for both of us, so I thought I would get a ‘high church’ spin on it.

Presentations were made by a young priest and an older lay person. The gist of the lay person's talk was to know your story, be clear on what it is, practice how to present it, hone it for God, and then tell it, tell it, tell it.

I don’t remember much of what the priest said because I got hung up on his first thought. He had been a committed Christian since very young. He said he was so relieved to now be ordained because it was much easier for him to proclaim the Gospel as clergy than as a lay person. He had always felt uncomfortable witnessing for Christ because in the world, people don’t take kindly to that behavior, and always look at you as if you have two heads.

Sure, it’s the reason none of us want to do it! But, folks with a collar on are expected to drone on and on about Jesus and the Bible, and it is a reflex to tune them out. But at least he could witness to Christ without appearing to be just another annoying or nerdy/churchy person – he could witness to them as a preacher, what he was expected to do, and they could smile and tune him out. Of course, he didn’t say that part. He was a young preacher so maybe he didn’t know it - yet.

I wonder if this is a diabolically clever system for taking care of the world’s most passionate of Christians. The ones with the burning desire for spreading the Word, are sent off to learn more intensely about all subjects Ecclesiastical, and then put in a position where they are indulged for their behavior.

To further complete the irony, they are installed into a machine that rolls them thin of passion and endurance, and turns them into cogs in the Church structure – the Holy grist mill. Spreading the Good News becomes a career choice with all the pitfalls of Wall Street.

Congregants expect everything – hospital and home visits, instantly retrievable by phone at any time, solving every problem, fixing every hurt. Then there is the really unattainable – grow the church to please the elders, but keep all the traditions and for goodness sake, don’t change anything. So the preacher is ineffective, or burns out, the laity maintain the expectations of the preacher eliminating the need for action on their part, and the evil one wins on every front. Diabolical!

Viet Nam Today - A Soldier's Return

I seem to get two reactions from Vietnam vets when they hear I have been in Viet Nam twice recently - and am soon to return for a third time. They either want to go back too - - - or they think I am out of my mind. (I've noticed the ones who want to go back tell me so surreptitiously.)

I've wanted to go back for years. As I am blessed with a poor memory, I have few of the haunting dreams others are plagued with. On my first visit in July of 2002, I went back with Vets With a Mission - an outstanding Christian organization the provides help to the Vietnamese, and a support mechanism for vets.

I have a theory as to why many vets don't want to go back.

Have you ever gone to a high school reunion? Or college reunion? Or a reunion of fellow vets? If your reaction to your first reunion was "Who in the hell invited all these old people?", then you know why vets are leary of returning to Viet Nam. Our memories of school chums are rooted in the "old days", but we have grown and moved on. Our memories of Viet Nam stay rooted in the past too. We vets are comfortably middle-aged now (or older), yet the Viet Nam in our minds is the Viet Nam of our youth. It remains a land of large convoys of deuce-and-a-half trucks, of helicopters, of a reeking smell of decay in the cities and the smell of burning shit on the fire bases. Our minds remember flares in the night sky, and Coke girls outside the villages.

But, just as we have moved on, Viet Nam has too. Reminders of the war are hard to find. We laboriously filled sand bags for bunkers that are long gone. Creaky old French buildings in Saigon have been replaced by concrete and glass skyscrapers. Most of the dirt-floored whattle huts in the villes have been replaced by small concrete block houses. Because 60% of the population has been born since the war ended in 1975, most people have no memory of the war. Vietnamese youth are like our youth - wars are for old men to tell stories about.

Today you see a bustling country. The people want "the good life" for their children as we do. Yes - the government is still Communist, and that is a hobble. But any veteran returning will be struck by the incredible beauty of the countryside, and the warmth of the people.

And you won't even see an AK-47.

The War in Viet Nam- Same River, Different Water

What was the war like? The unknowing often call it a "guerilla war", and forget the image of a Communist tank breaking through the gate of the Presidential Palace when Saigon fell. The unknowing always refer to the "jungles of Vietnam" without realizing much ground combat took place in villages and rice paddies. The unknowing think of drug problems, "fragging", and soldiers wearing peace symbols without understanding that some troops never heard of drug problems or saw a peace symbol.

The war changed as the war went on. Those soldiers who landed in 1965 in the first buildup thought the Communists would give up after having their butts kicked by the Americans in a few good firefights. But that obviously didn't happen, and by Presidential edict in November 1971, American troops no longer were allowed to engage in offensive operations. Bouyed by optimism, and coming into the military at a time when the drug culture was just getting started, the early guys had no drug problems. (Well, maybe the occassional marijuana cigarette!) By late 1971, fully 1/3 of all the beds at the 24th Evacuation Hospital were devoted to drug rehab.

The sergeants who came ashore in 1965 were the heart and soul of the Army. Many were combat veterans of World War II and Korea. By 1967, so many of them had been killed, wounded, or retired to escape the meat-grinder of the war, the Army began the Non-Commissioned Officer Candidate School. Selected young men who had just finished basic training took the 12 week program, and were rewarded with the stripes of a Sergeant - then sent off to Viet Nam to lead troops into combat. By 1970 and later, almost all NCOs were "Shake n' Bakes."

The first combat troops arrived in Viet Nam in March 1965, and the last left in March 1972. In those seven years, the war was still in Viet Nam, but the war itself had changed considerably.

Christianity - Medical Mission to Honduras (Epilogue)

Remember “The Kitten” – that poor creature with the bulging eye who so pricked my conscience?

The people of Honduras are “The Kitten” now. These kittens have rotten teeth, no clean water to drink, no medical care, a sense of machismo that abuses more than a few women, and (in many cases), no hope. The people of Honduras are truly “the least of these, my brethren.”

And, these kittens are real human beings.

Their kids play, yell, and scream like ours do. They have ambitions like we do. They certainly laugh and feel pain as we do.

I feel less pity for them than I have the feeling that I want to ask myself and the rest of the world “Why?” No, no – I do not advocate the kind of political liberalism that would smother Honduras in money and aid programs. Rather Christians need to help develop two main areas of secular Honduran life: clean water and education.

Public health experts tell us that about 70% to 80% of the health problems in third world countries stem from poor water.

Education could mean the creation of a populace worthy of multi-national companies coming in to develop industries that need an educated populace. Costa Rica found that out when Intel built one of its largest chip fabs there.

In all the parables Jesus told, He only named a character once. That was the poor beggar Lazarus who was bypassed by the rich man each day, but taken into Abraham’s bosom at his death. If Jesus felt it worthwhile to give a name to a poor man, He certainly meant for us rich people to reach out to Maria and José and Josefina.

Can American Christians look past their rose-colored stained-glass windows and help? Can we do more than merely write a check? Just as our “team” consisted of many people besides those who actually went to Honduras, Christians can put time, effort, and money into helping Hondurans find clean water and educate their kids.

Then Lazarus won’t be asked to drip cooling water on our tongues.

Christianity - Mission Trip to Honduras (Day Nine)

On the way home. After a pleasant breakfast, the group got together and drove to the airport. The usual airport hassles, but nothing out of the ordinary. We boarded on time, but for some meteorological reason had to take off with the wind, which meant we could not carry a full load of fuel. So – over the mountains, land at San Pedro Sula for fuel, then off for Houston. That guaranteed getting into Houston too late to get our scheduled flight home.

Even though we got in quite late, there was a good crowd of the “regulars” waiting for us.

Tired. Grumpy. Uplifted. Fulfilled. Helped the world a little bit.

Did unto the least of these, Jesus’ brethren.

Christianity - Mission Trip to Honduras (Day Eight)

Nice trip back to Tegucigalpa. It was obvious everyone was beat as many slept – even on the bumpy roads in an old school bus. It was a good time to reflect on the week.

Once in Tegucigalpa, we left our luggage at the Honduras Maya Hotel (nice place), then back on the bus for a trip to a mountain village called Valle de Angeles. Its rather like a budding Santa Fe. Lots of artisan shops and crafts. We shopped, ate lunch a little outdoor café, and I smoked a cigar while the wife shopped. The last store we visited had some excellent artwork (we bought some), and discovered the artist was French Canadian. He had come to Honduras after Hurricane Mitch to help rebuild. He fell in love with the country and the people and stayed. His thriving little shop is used to teach local men to do the work and how to run a business. This man is a true missionary – he is building long term community.

Dinner at 6:30, followed by the closing Eucharist. We had one last chance to talk about the events of the trip. I sat next to one of the physicians on the team. He told the story of his immigrant Irish parents who had taught Sunday School - until the church elders told them they could no longer teach because they didn’t pronounce the names of the Apostles correctly. Mike said that was his last taste of organized religion – until he was a member of this team and he saw how we were people of action with our religion. That was pretty powerful for me. He also said prior to this trip, he’d thought it was sufficient to be a moral person, but during this trip he had seen the actions of the group and realized there was a need to have God in his life. He and his wife are both very pleasant people, and they both want to give back. Maybe now they can find some faith too. I hope so – I’d like to get to know both of them better..

We are on the eighth floor, with large windows. Wonderful view of the mountains and city. Lots of TV stations – CNN International, CNN Headline – even a station out of Anchorage, Alaska.

Christianity - Mission Trip to Honduras (Day Seven)

Last day of work. And it was a very, very full day.

The last dental patient of the day brought me a lesson. She suffered from severe depression. One of the physicians diagnosed her as such, then went out and bought a years worth of medication. She was a single mom with five kids, no job, no skills, and no hope. Besides that, her front teeth were rotten and she was cognizant of her poor appearance. Dr. Joe was the dentist who worked on her. He single-mindedly stayed with her, even as the rest of us tore down the clinic. Finally, he finished. His assistant gave her one of those little dental mirrors. When she saw that her teeth were new and good looking, she gushed with joy.

Smiles. Laughter. Hugs. Tears.

Then my dental assistant friend took the cross from her own neck – the cross she had been given at church before going to Honduras – the cross that was to have been the penultimate souvenir of the trip – and tearfully put it on around the woman’s neck. I just happened to walk by and saw the exchange. Seeing that made working late worthwhile.

What was the lesson I learned? It was to quit being pissed and realize others are more attuned to God than me. Just prior to the lady coming into the clinic, the team leader and I had decided we would take one more patient. Then the team leader sent in three patients – and the depressed lady was the third.

So much for my judgment!

Late in day I grew tired, and I had trouble making a coherent prayer for each patient. But, I remembered Romans 8:26, “We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.” I decided to take God up on the offer. After I thanked God for the gift of prayer, and reminding Him that He promised the Holy Spirit would pray for me if I asked, – I prayed for each patient, dentist, and assistant knowing the Holy Spirit would know better than I what they all needed.

Then we packed up. While we packed the dentist’s equipment and tools to take back, we also left gobs of supplies to be used by the Hondurans. Exam gloves. Gauze. Antibiotics. Pain killers. Patient bibs. Meanwhile, the rest of the team packed up their gear, and the pharmacy team turned over a large quantity of drugs.

Next - a party – complete with marimbas and José playing guitar and harmonica. The music was excellent. I would love to record it with good equipment. The Hondurans served cake and refreshments while the Padre presented certificates of appreciation to the team and the members of the Parish who worked with us. It was a fun ending to the week’s work.

Some thoughts as I write this late at night. These trips not for everyone.

If you like your faith for Sundays only, don’t go on a mission trip.

If you want a “no stress” life, don’t go on a mission trip.

If you would rather learn about God than get to know Him, don’t go on a mission trip.

If writing out a check is your idea of hard work, don’t go on a mission trip.

If you want to belong to a church where the worship is the way it was when you were growing up, don’t belong to a church that has a lot of missionaries.

If you want to belong to a church that exists for the benefit of its members, don’t go on a mission trip because the other team members believe the church exists for the benefit of its non-members.

After dinner, Compline, and a cigar, it was time to pack for travel to Tegucigalpa tomorrow.

Christianity - Mission Trip to Honduras (Day Six)

It would be interesting to find out if it happens on every mission trip.

I blew up today. The team leader countermanded my organization and system for putting patients in the clinic one too many times, and I asked to be reassigned. Unfortunately, it was another friend who caught my outburst of venom. I was pissed.

Later, after moving over to the waiting area to take blood pressures, I tried to help out the top dental assistant, who was now stuck with running the dental clinic and assisting Dr. Joe. I thought I would take a count of extractions and restorations patients in the waiting area. I made a note on a scrap of paper and put them down at her work area. When I got back to the waiting area, the team leader had rearranged the seating, and wound up with fewer restorations than I had counted. When I asked her why the change in numbers, she said she asked the patients. I guess she was a better asker than the triage folks who asked the patients as they were checked in, eh? At any rate, I just gave her the slip of paper, and told her to count them, and walked out of the room to cool off. I mumbled something to Fr. John on the way out – something like “I don’t know why I’m here.”

I compare it with the difficulties the Vets With a Mission medical team had in Viet Nam in July, 2002. There was a lot of dissension, some folks stomped off, and the pharmacist was a fraud. Now – the question is this: Are such problems normal because of the intensity of short-term mission work? Is it Satan? Is it both?

For awhile, I was a very unhappy camper. However, I did remember why I was in Honduras, so I prayed for the patients, dentists, and assistants, but I struggled to do it. As the afternoon progressed, I found myself back in the dental clinic doing the same stuff, and that was good. I don’t think the team leader knows I was pissed, but certainly the top assistant and my wife know.

I am curious how this will all work out in the long run. There is the very real possibility (likelihood?) of me being in the wrong. But I also wonder if her management style of running everything herself may eventually cause her a lot of heartache. I suppose the professionals don’t feel as I do because I don’t think she bucks their decisions. But for us non-professionals, the micro-management, with resultant constant changes, is usually blown off with a patronizing “You gotta be flexible.” A system that depends so much on one person will eventually collapse when the central person is not there. Its the old “What happens if the boss is hit by a bus?” idea. Supposing she gets sick two days before a trip and can’t go? If the ministry is going to grow, she will need to learn to delegate - - and trust!

And this ministry is an important one. The people of Honduras are desperately poor. They need both the physical care and the spiritual care. Dr. Julian related something at Compline. He saw a 23 month old girl with two congenital defects. One problem is that her breathing and swallowing tubes are connected. While this problem has been surgically repaired, it is not a perfect solution, and she must travel to Tegucigalpa frequently for care. The family can’t afford to do this often, and she therefore has respiratory problems. The second problem has not been corrected – her anus and vagina are connected, and she defecates through her vagina. Eventually, bacteria will migrate into her kidneys, and she will die. Julian challenged the team to figure out how to get her to the US to have the problem repaired. He believes he can find a surgeon to donate his services. A team member who is on the Board of Directors of a local hospital later told me she thought she could get that hospital to donate its services. This is important stuff – the mission should not die (and I doubt it will) because of personality conflicts.

Anyone have a comment? Anyone else experienced conflict on Christian medical mission trips?

Christianity - Mission Trip to Honduras (Day Five)

This was a totally different experience! We worked in the clinic building and parish hall of St. Juan the Apostle. Clean. Large airy room. Plenty of clean water. Indoor area for waiting patients. And the population seemed different too. The teeth were nowhere near as bad. Adding in the complete set of gear Dr. Mario had, we now could do restorations (fillings and root canals) at a far better clip. We ran fairly efficiently.

Then it happened. The main assistant got sick – and very faint. I gloved up quickly, and sat down to assist Dr. Joe. Wow! What an experience. Half way through a restoration, and I am called to assist! Joe was extraordinarily patient with me, even though I didn’t know the names of the instruments, nor how to do anything. But it was fun to learn something new. It really was. When his regular assistant came back, I was mildly disappointed. I also found out assisting is hard on the back!

The other fun thing was having teenagers from a church group from the Houston area come in the help. Actually, they were there to help build a school house, but some came over to help us. I showed a few of tem how the “system” worked, and they ogled the dentists. I also told them their primary job was to pray for the patients – each individual patient –as well as the dentist and assistant. That (I think) may have been new to them. In one case, Cindy called me over to ask for special prayers for the patient at that time. I circled three of them with me, and we prayed out loud for the patient. I think that was a new experience. Later, when I was filing in as assistant, I called one over and told him to remember to pray for a new patient that had just come in. I saw him at the top of another dentist's area with his eyes closed.

The day was long, but we finally finished with the last patient at about 5:30 - - only to have the team leader come in and herd the entire team into the pharmacy area to repackage vitamins. Maybe it was mental because I (we?) were all ready to call it a day. We finally made it back to the hotel at 7:30 – exhausted.

After dinner, a shower, and Compline, an impromptu group gathered in the meeting area of the hotel. The conversation initially was about trying to provide better portable equipment for the dentists, but soon morphed into a deeper discussion about the level of care missionaries should provide. The question is: Do teams provide the best care possible under the circumstances (ala Albert Schweitzer) or set up systems designed to provide the absolute best care. I say the two are not incompatible.

During the conversation, the team leader said the difficulty is in deciding whether to commit to providing the very best health care, or doing the somewhat best to a larger number of people. However, she tried using an analogy that became a problem. She said that the dentists would have to quit worrying about that silly little tenth of a millimeter. Not good! The dentists focused on that comment from that point on, and probably heard little else as they defended the need to be as perfect as possible in their work. She even scoffed at their defense at one point, and made light of that silly tenth of a millimeter and the dentist should get over it. Ouch! However, I think all was forgotten the next day as we all recognized we were pretty tired.

These trips are tough on us introverts as there is precious little time to reflect. I probably stay up later than I should, and don’t get as much sleep as I should – but I just gotta digest some of this stuff. There are many thoughts that are forgotten when I finally get a chance to light a cigar and write this journal.

Oh yeah – it started raining late in the afternoon, and has rained most of the time since – and it is now 10:20.