Central Question:
What impact do OC4D tools have on access to critical content
targeted at lower-literates in Himalayan villages?
Eliminating various forms of poverty in the developing world (economic, social, physical, spiritual) is directly linked to improving opportunities for education (UNESCO, 2009). However, effectively disseminating information in developing countries requires a continuous focus at removing obstacles that stand in the way of the right to education (Tomsasevski, 2006).
This is most likely to be achieved through a holistic approach with concerted focus on sustainable and context-sensitive literacy programming conducted by locals for locals with particular regard to tailored content collection and dissemination (REFLECT, 2007).
Research reveals that local literacy facilitators and change agents desire to develop skills that allow them to advance knowledge, creativity and freedom (Chambers, 2000; Curtis, 2990; Freire, 1977). Furthermore, inadequate attention has been given to these questions: “How do we sustain momentum after funding dies? How do we cultivate environments that can ensure lifelong literacy progress?” (World Education, 2006)
ProLiteracy Worldwide (PLW), an international NGO based in New York, supports a global network of over 130 NGO partners in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. These partners are connected through the use of ProLiteracy’s FAMA pedagogy anchored in participatory dialogue.
Although these partners share the same theoretical approach of “literacy for social change” (Curtis, 1990), they have not been connected to one another except through ProLiteracy Headquarters in New York (Anderson, 2009).
PLW has facilitated the aggregating of critical content tools from several sites that face similar dilemmas (e.g. AIDS prevention, infectious disease, environmental conservation, health/hygiene, micro-enterprise, and conflict resolution).
PLW has sometimes facilitated the sharing of content between partners and has often funded the localization of critical content developed in one region in order to increase utility and effectiveness in other regions.
PLW has also occasionally assisted in the dissemination of critical content through local partners according to specific donor objectives (e.g. AIDS awareness and family planning).
However, the majority of accessing, localizing and sharing of critical content between ProLiteracy Partners around the world has depended on funding from external donor organizations.
Sustainability of literacy programming at the macro and micro levels depends upon availability, affordability, and accessibility of appropriate content tailored (linguistically and culturally) for lower-literates and tethered to real-world issues.
The Open Content for Development (OC4D) initiative builds upon the Open Educational Resources (OER) movement (Hewlett, 2007) that aims to expand and realize the right to education for all learners. Although there is discussion about ways that OER players may build capacity in developing countries for effective use of OER, extension of these tools to lower-literate groups is nascent at best and nonexistent at worst.
Building from ProLiteracy’s partner base is an effective way to work within an existing structure to bolster the expansion of educational opportunity through access to open content tailored for the neediest learners.
Although many predict that OER is a panacea that will afford great educational benefit in areas where resources are scarce, limited research has been done in lower-literate rural environments. If these tools have the potential to revolutionize access to the right to education in developing countries, then it is imperative to find out what impact OER has in such environments and why.
Answering these questions will expand the focus of the OER movement toward the billion people across the world who are currently deprived the right to education. Are OC4D tools an effective means for sustaining access to quality learning materials for neo-literates in developing country contexts, particularly in the hard-to-reach rural villages of Nepal?
TIMELINE OF ACTIVITIES
I. Design Class (Fall 2009)
(a) Design OC4D portal
• All ProLiteracy manuals (start with English, Nepali, Spanish etc.)
• Accessed by 130+ partner NGOs in developing world
• Asia, Africa, Latin America, Carribbean, Middle East
(b) Design toolkit for OC4D
• Hand-holding tips on accessing, localizing, disseminating content
• Literacy facilitators & YMRC Managers
• Change agents (health workers, ag extension agents, loan officers)
II. Evaluation Project (December 12-22, 2009)
(a) Conduct a pilot study in Sankhu Village to find out viability of OC4D
• evaluation: determine the merit or worth of the design for OC4D tools
• viability: is there a demand (YMRC stakeholders)? Is it user-friendly?
• lower-literates: people without formal education or limited education
• Himalayan villages: limited access to reading material / ed opportunity
(b) Instruments for Evaluation
• Survey, interviews, focus group discussion
• What seems to work? What doesn’t seem to work?
III. Dissertation (April 15 – June 30, 2010)
a. Conduct a larger study in 10 YMRC sites to find out viability of OC4D design
• All YMRC sites that are partnered with CDN
• Youth Summit training in Kathmandu (training, exposure)
• Visits to field sites and exploration of how / if / why OC4D is used.
b. Is OER useful? Does this increase capacity of the facilitators?
c. Formative evaluation: Are these tools desired? Are they useful?
IV. 3IE Funding Proposal (International Initiative Impact Evaluation) Nov 27,09
(a) What is the impact of OER for increasing access to critical content in rural Himalayan telecenters?
• Content is key! Why get connected if there’s nothing useful there?
• Manohar, Mahabir, Karma, TMUC
(b) Conversations with 3IE
• Approved in April 2009 for PPG (could go for open or thematic window)
• Met with Director and others in Jun 2009 in Delhi (post-Nepal trip)
• Funded by Hewlett Fdn, Gates Fdn, DFID
• Conversation with Ron (Program Officer): working with Manohar (HLCIT) – approach is better if nationwide study, longer-term study, could be university
• “Long studies with an ex ante evaluation design, starting with the collection of baseline data and eventual collection of endline data to conduct impact analysis of interventions of relevance to the theme and associated enduring questions. Such studies will usually take place over 3-5 years. The costs of these studies will depend on the extent of the data collection requirements, but are expected to be in the range US$ 0.5 – US$ 1.0 million.”
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
29 Sept 2009: Writing the Introduction
DC 123: 16-17
- A very large ship is benefited very much by a very small helm in the time of a storm
- Cheerfully do all that lie in our power
- Take the path of least resistance in order to survive the storm
Introduction is the small helm; this sets the scene
Question drives the introduction
If you get the right question, everything will flow
Patterning and foreshadowing = flow, support (evidence), confidence
The research question is the last note of your introduction
It should build, it should work & clearly conclude with the question that you're asking
What makes bad movies bad?
- too predictable
- too trite
- didn't end "right"
- no climax
- no novelty
- too repetitive
- unmet expectations
What makes good movies good?
- well-written
- dialogue
- delivery (acting)
- timing / pacing
- classic
- timelessness
- danger / tension
- resolution
- passion
How does this relate to writing a grant or dissertation?
- believable
- pertinent, important, relevant
- timing and pacing
- urgency
- placement of tension (people are dying)
- passion (metered? bridled?)
Funnel Technique
- open up by "hanging on the cliff" - set the hook and keep the tension
- start general and taper down - direction downward - to the central question
- discussion of global issues down toward the local issue
- what about leading out with the chorus?
- keep people turning pages with the momentum
- too much tension without some pause/resolve doesn't keep people either
"The most needy kids don't learn to read."
Why don't they read? I want to know!
- A very large ship is benefited very much by a very small helm in the time of a storm
- Cheerfully do all that lie in our power
- Take the path of least resistance in order to survive the storm
Introduction is the small helm; this sets the scene
Question drives the introduction
If you get the right question, everything will flow
Patterning and foreshadowing = flow, support (evidence), confidence
The research question is the last note of your introduction
It should build, it should work & clearly conclude with the question that you're asking
What makes bad movies bad?
- too predictable
- too trite
- didn't end "right"
- no climax
- no novelty
- too repetitive
- unmet expectations
What makes good movies good?
- well-written
- dialogue
- delivery (acting)
- timing / pacing
- classic
- timelessness
- danger / tension
- resolution
- passion
How does this relate to writing a grant or dissertation?
- believable
- pertinent, important, relevant
- timing and pacing
- urgency
- placement of tension (people are dying)
- passion (metered? bridled?)
Funnel Technique
- open up by "hanging on the cliff" - set the hook and keep the tension
- start general and taper down - direction downward - to the central question
- discussion of global issues down toward the local issue
- what about leading out with the chorus?
- keep people turning pages with the momentum
- too much tension without some pause/resolve doesn't keep people either
"The most needy kids don't learn to read."
Why don't they read? I want to know!
Thursday, September 24, 2009
24 Sept 2009: Guidelines for a Prospectus
- We need to avoid isolationism and focus on collaboration - build on what has gone before.
- Einstein needed Newton before him & had to build from there.
- As we pray for the spirit, we'll get direction for line by line support.
- Literature review is critical - will help us to figure out our unique niche & build from best books.
- How does what I do build and go further - "unto him that receiveth, I will give more"
Example: ice-delivery vs. refrigeration unit in each home (ice-box) - although they were best suited to help the public achieve this goal, they were limited in their vision, so other people did it.
Disrupting Class
Horner Christensen
Lit Review
- Einstein needed Newton before him & had to build from there.
- As we pray for the spirit, we'll get direction for line by line support.
- Literature review is critical - will help us to figure out our unique niche & build from best books.
- How does what I do build and go further - "unto him that receiveth, I will give more"
Example: ice-delivery vs. refrigeration unit in each home (ice-box) - although they were best suited to help the public achieve this goal, they were limited in their vision, so other people did it.
Disrupting Class
Horner Christensen
Lit Review
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
22 Sept 2009: Exploring the RFP
2 Nephi 28
We learn line upon line, precept upon precept.
Knowledge is accelerated and exponential.
As we learn, it becomes easier to do something "not that the nature of the thing has changed, but our capacity to do has increased." (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
In tandem with funding, as we learn principles and are grounded in goodness, we will increase our ability to achieve.
We learn line upon line, precept upon precept.
Knowledge is accelerated and exponential.
As we learn, it becomes easier to do something "not that the nature of the thing has changed, but our capacity to do has increased." (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
In tandem with funding, as we learn principles and are grounded in goodness, we will increase our ability to achieve.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
17 Sept 2009: Finding My Partner
Don't sell your soul for funding
Especially if strings are attached that betray your own integrity
FUNDER: donor who has goals that they want met and think you'll help them achieve that
PARTNER: how do we define this and what roles/responsibilities does this convey
STAKEHOLDERS: those that give supplies (funds), those that receive supplies (funds)
Guy Kawasaki: The Shopping Mall Test
The Art of the Start
- Choose carefully those with whom you want to work
- Choose people who work well with each other
- Could be potentially good to get people with different views
CONTRACT: we'll give this money for these deliverables and if you don't deliver we won't pay
GRANT: based on trust, we'll give you this to do what you say you'll do or something like that
NSF: High-Risk and High-Reward topics
- Consider F&A (Facilities & Administration)
- Consider intellectual property of the work you do
- Prepare the grant and send it to ORCA (Office of Research and Creative Arts)
- Check out the IRB requirements
- There is no F&A on a gift
- All grants and contracts have 45% lopped off the top
- Spencer Dissertation Fellowship comes directly to you
Clarify my question
Check out class notes on IPT-like Projects
University has someone looking for grants (Aaron McKay School Rep for RFPs)
The best way to get access is through networking
Search: private foundations, grants, gifts, endowments
don't search RFP term (mostly government contracts)
Department of Education
Kellogg
Sloan
MacArthur
Hewlett
Especially if strings are attached that betray your own integrity
FUNDER: donor who has goals that they want met and think you'll help them achieve that
PARTNER: how do we define this and what roles/responsibilities does this convey
STAKEHOLDERS: those that give supplies (funds), those that receive supplies (funds)
Guy Kawasaki: The Shopping Mall Test
The Art of the Start
- Choose carefully those with whom you want to work
- Choose people who work well with each other
- Could be potentially good to get people with different views
CONTRACT: we'll give this money for these deliverables and if you don't deliver we won't pay
GRANT: based on trust, we'll give you this to do what you say you'll do or something like that
NSF: High-Risk and High-Reward topics
- Consider F&A (Facilities & Administration)
- Consider intellectual property of the work you do
- Prepare the grant and send it to ORCA (Office of Research and Creative Arts)
- Check out the IRB requirements
- There is no F&A on a gift
- All grants and contracts have 45% lopped off the top
- Spencer Dissertation Fellowship comes directly to you
Clarify my question
Check out class notes on IPT-like Projects
University has someone looking for grants (Aaron McKay School Rep for RFPs)
The best way to get access is through networking
Search: private foundations, grants, gifts, endowments
don't search RFP term (mostly government contracts)
Department of Education
Kellogg
Sloan
MacArthur
Hewlett
How can I find a mentor?
Many students are surprised at how eager professors can be to work on projects with them. Knock on some office doors and find out if you can help on research that your professor is already doing, or find a professor who is interested in your project and work out a plan to accomplish something together.
Talk to your department about which professors are interested in mentoring. Look for professors who share academic interests -- you may have taken a class or two from them – and approach them about mentoring an ORCA project.
How can I increase my chances of receiving a grant?
- Find the right mentor: Look for a mentor now. Talk to professors about their research and seek those who share your academic interests. Look for someone who is interested in your ideas. Don’t try to find a mentor at the last minute.
- Start your proposal early: Write and edit several drafts of your proposal. Don’t throw your proposal together the night before it’s due.
- Build a professional relationship with your mentor: meet with your mentor frequently to discuss your project before you submit your application, but don’t expect them to do everything for you.
How can I make my proposal better?
Start your proposal early and seek your mentor’s advice, criticism and guidance.
ORCA offers free proposal writing workshops to students interested in applying for a grant.
Click here to signup for a writing workshop.
Click here to download a PowerPoint presentation from the workshop.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
15 Sept 2009: Exploring my Question (My Weakness?)
Ether 12:27
- My weakness may become strong
- My question may become strong?
- My passion may help weak things become strong
- If I become humble, I can become stronger at fulfilling my passion & making others strong
- My passion is my weakness and my strength; find harmony with my passion
- Brigham Young said that our challenge is to stand on the line (not fall short of it or go over it)
Hubble Ultra Deep Field
11 day exposure of black space (size of
11,000 galaxies in this photo
YouTube
Goals
* Find/Create Significant impact
* Make recommendations for moving forward
* Validity of the study (Avoid contamination of data)
* design is purposive constraint
Refining the Question
What (possibilities) are afforded by (localized open content, digitized and freely available) educational (tools, training (toolkits)) for (sustaining) (literacy) in (developing) (countries)?
What (possibilities) are afforded by (localized open content, digitized and freely available) educational (tools, training (toolkits)) for (sustaining) (literacy) in (developing) (countries)?
What is the impact (are the outcomes) of open educational resources for sustaining literacy in developing countries?
What are the (outcomes) of (open educational resources) for (sustaining) (literacy) in (rural) (areas)?
What is the impact of OER for increasing (access) to (quality) (localized) (content) in (rural) (Himalayan villages)?
Does access always lead to change?
- collect baseline of all involved centers - see what they are using for content now
- collect data after intervention (1 year or 5 years?) to see how their access changes
- control group
- intervention group
- how long of a period of affection by the intervention?
- what's my key variable for checking out
- What are my assumptions?
"resilient in the face of data" (proving what you want regardless of your findings)
Research says: "Properly designed" learning environments help people learn better.
* "properly designed" - leveraging the affordances of the environment appropriately
* Categorize the affordances of one approach.
* Which affordances are different with different variables?
* How can those differences be used to the learner's advantage?
What (impact) do (OER) have on (accessing), (localizing), and (sharing) (educational materials) in (rural) (developing) (areas)?
How does (OC4D) (improve) (access) to (localized) (educational) (content) in (developing) (countries)?
Q: Am I assuming that OC4D will be used??
Q: How long will I have to wait for OC4D to be deployed?
Q: Even after OC4D is deployed, how long will I have to wait to see impact?
Q: What is a user-friendly design of OC4D for increasing access to localized educational materials in developing countries?
Q: Impact of YMRC instead of OER?
MetaAnalysis:
US Dept of Ed (online ed is more effective than face-to-face) - key variable = time on task
* Beloit College: Mindset Test
- My weakness may become strong
- My question may become strong?
- My passion may help weak things become strong
- If I become humble, I can become stronger at fulfilling my passion & making others strong
- My passion is my weakness and my strength; find harmony with my passion
- Brigham Young said that our challenge is to stand on the line (not fall short of it or go over it)
Hubble Ultra Deep Field
11 day exposure of black space (size of
11,000 galaxies in this photo
YouTube
Goals
* Find/Create Significant impact
* Make recommendations for moving forward
* Validity of the study (Avoid contamination of data)
* design is purposive constraint
Refining the Question
What (possibilities) are afforded by (localized open content, digitized and freely available) educational (tools, training (toolkits)) for (sustaining) (literacy) in (developing) (countries)?
What (possibilities) are afforded by (localized open content, digitized and freely available) educational (tools, training (toolkits)) for (sustaining) (literacy) in (developing) (countries)?
What is the impact (are the outcomes) of open educational resources for sustaining literacy in developing countries?
What are the (outcomes) of (open educational resources) for (sustaining) (literacy) in (rural) (areas)?
What is the impact of OER for increasing (access) to (quality) (localized) (content) in (rural) (Himalayan villages)?
Does access always lead to change?
- collect baseline of all involved centers - see what they are using for content now
- collect data after intervention (1 year or 5 years?) to see how their access changes
- control group
- intervention group
- how long of a period of affection by the intervention?
- what's my key variable for checking out
- What are my assumptions?
"resilient in the face of data" (proving what you want regardless of your findings)
Research says: "Properly designed" learning environments help people learn better.
* "properly designed" - leveraging the affordances of the environment appropriately
* Categorize the affordances of one approach.
* Which affordances are different with different variables?
* How can those differences be used to the learner's advantage?
What (impact) do (OER) have on (accessing), (localizing), and (sharing) (educational materials) in (rural) (developing) (areas)?
How does (OC4D) (improve) (access) to (localized) (educational) (content) in (developing) (countries)?
Q: Am I assuming that OC4D will be used??
Q: How long will I have to wait for OC4D to be deployed?
Q: Even after OC4D is deployed, how long will I have to wait to see impact?
Q: What is a user-friendly design of OC4D for increasing access to localized educational materials in developing countries?
Q: Impact of YMRC instead of OER?
MetaAnalysis:
US Dept of Ed (online ed is more effective than face-to-face) - key variable = time on task
* Beloit College: Mindset Test
Thursday, September 10, 2009
10 Sept 2009: My Passion is "The Question"
Spring-Boarding from My Passion to My Question:
Read the Tootle Train book
TOPIC
How do we sustain the light of literacy? How do we help newly-literate learners continue to self-learn? What scaffolding is needed? How do we continue progressing once funding is finished (in a low-cost, low-maintenance manner)?
What possibilities are afforded by open content, digitized and freely available educational tools, training (toolkits) for localization for sustaining literacy in developing countries?
COMMUNITIES I WANT TO SERVE
- youth-managed resource centers
- community multimedia centers
- literacy buddy program
- family reading program
- reading corners in personal homes
- mobile mentors on bicycles
- women's literacy groups
- microcredit borrowers groups
- female community health volunters
- rural health clinics
- agricultural cooperatives
REALITIES RIGHT NOW
- there is a severe need for content
- we have groups who are ready to use the tools
- tech is there but limited (issues with bandwidth/electricity/training/experts)
- it would take a lot of time if I try to evaluate the impact of open content
- Manohar: inventory of what is the current context for accessing/sharing/localizing content
- 3IE: baseline of current context regarding content & 5-year impact of OC4D in rural areas?
(baseline, intervention, control group)
WHAT IS RESEARCHABLE RIGHT NOW?
- what is a useful interface [design] for disseminating OC4D - especially focus on ProLiteracy?
- what necessary tools (toolkit) build capacity for change agents to access/share/localize OC4D
- what benefits/obstacles are faced when incorporating OC4D into rural tech centers?
WHAT IS MY FOCUS?
- OC4D interface (portal) design
- OC4D toolkit to help change agents use tools
- OC4D tools themselves?
- accessing, localizing, sharing content
- only accessing content?
- only localizing content?
- only sharing content?
PROCESS
- substitute variables
- look at synonyms
- phrases / terms that have baggage (be careful and conscious about politics of word choices)
- look at subtleties / nuances of language and concepts (esp. history / professional debate)
- zoom in and zoom out on the issue
- clarify what you are asking
- clarify what you are not looking for
- clarify what methods
- clarify what units of measure
QUESTIONS
- How do (open content) (literacy) (tools) increase (sustainability) of (literacy) (programs)?
- How does (OC4D) increase (access) to (knowledge) in (rural) (communities)?
KARL FISCH: The Fisch Bowl (What if?)
Read the Tootle Train book
TOPIC
How do we sustain the light of literacy? How do we help newly-literate learners continue to self-learn? What scaffolding is needed? How do we continue progressing once funding is finished (in a low-cost, low-maintenance manner)?
What possibilities are afforded by open content, digitized and freely available educational tools, training (toolkits) for localization for sustaining literacy in developing countries?
COMMUNITIES I WANT TO SERVE
- youth-managed resource centers
- community multimedia centers
- literacy buddy program
- family reading program
- reading corners in personal homes
- mobile mentors on bicycles
- women's literacy groups
- microcredit borrowers groups
- female community health volunters
- rural health clinics
- agricultural cooperatives
REALITIES RIGHT NOW
- there is a severe need for content
- we have groups who are ready to use the tools
- tech is there but limited (issues with bandwidth/electricity/training/experts)
- it would take a lot of time if I try to evaluate the impact of open content
- Manohar: inventory of what is the current context for accessing/sharing/localizing content
- 3IE: baseline of current context regarding content & 5-year impact of OC4D in rural areas?
(baseline, intervention, control group)
WHAT IS RESEARCHABLE RIGHT NOW?
- what is a useful interface [design] for disseminating OC4D - especially focus on ProLiteracy?
- what necessary tools (toolkit) build capacity for change agents to access/share/localize OC4D
- what benefits/obstacles are faced when incorporating OC4D into rural tech centers?
WHAT IS MY FOCUS?
- OC4D interface (portal) design
- OC4D toolkit to help change agents use tools
- OC4D tools themselves?
- accessing, localizing, sharing content
- only accessing content?
- only localizing content?
- only sharing content?
PROCESS
- substitute variables
- look at synonyms
- phrases / terms that have baggage (be careful and conscious about politics of word choices)
- look at subtleties / nuances of language and concepts (esp. history / professional debate)
- zoom in and zoom out on the issue
- clarify what you are asking
- clarify what you are not looking for
- clarify what methods
- clarify what units of measure
QUESTIONS
- How do (open content) (literacy) (tools) increase (sustainability) of (literacy) (programs)?
- How does (OC4D) increase (access) to (knowledge) in (rural) (communities)?
KARL FISCH: The Fisch Bowl (What if?)
9 Sept 2009: Knowledge is Radiance
KNOWLEDGE IS RADIANCE
Light is “something that makes things visible or affords illumination. It is radiant energy, a spark, a flame. Beyond its literal meaning, it refers to spiritual illumination or awareness, or enLIGHTenment. Three primary properties of light are intensity (or brightness), frequency (or wavelength), and polarization (or direction). Light exhibits properties of both waves and particles. The study of light, known as optics, is an important research area in modern physics. Light is associated with heat, with speed, and communications.
I like the idea of light. It is powerful. My friend, Ryan, does doctoral research with sunlight in Cambodia. Everywhere in the world, thousands die daily from water-borne diseases. They are struggling to get clean water to people to prevent the spread of cholera and other deadly disease. Ryan is working with a team of Swiss scientists to find alternative methods to purify water for people to drink.
Water purifiers are expensive; chemicals can be dangerous. They are now finding that if you paint a black strip on a cheap plastic water bottle, then you can ATTRACT sunlight. After water sits in the sunlight for several hours, it becomes totally purified – better than any man-made chemical combination, or man-made instrument to purify water. Sunlight is no discriminator of persons. It’s free to all of His children – to benefit (or burn) us.
The Light of Christ is like sunlight. Just as sunlight is a natural disinfectant, the Spirit of Christ can cleanse our spirits. There is no darkness in sunlight. Darkness is subject unto it. The sun can be hidden by clouds or by the rotation of the earth, but the clouds will disappear, and the earth will complete its turning. This Light of Christ, which gives life, is within you. The evil one – Satan – will try to obscure it. It can be so clouded with confusion so far as to convince you that it does not exist.
Elder James E. Talmage (1862–1933) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught that Light is the Spirit of Christ and the “divine essence” by which the Godhead operates upon people and in nature. (See Articles of Faith, 12th edition (1924), 488, note 3.)
Joseph Smith taught that light is something we seek and we acquire according to obedience: “He that keepeth his commandments receiveth truth and light, until he is glorified in truth and knoweth all things. Light is glory, intelligence, knowledge and truth. (D&C 93:28, 36).
The scriptures teach us that the Light of Christ is the divine energy, power, or influence that proceeds from God through Christ and gives life and light to all things. The Light of Christ "proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space." Light is in all things, giveth life to all things, and is the law by which all things are governed."
Joseph Smith went to great lengths to try to describe the light the Living Christ:
“His eyes were as a flame of fire; the hair of his head was white like the pure snow; his countenance shone above the brightness of the sun.” Christ is the light, the life, and the hope of the world.
A powerful metaphor of this is the light of sun above – which creates photosynthesis. EVERYTHING grows because of sunlight. We live because of light – literally.
HOW DOES LIGHT HELP ME PURSUE MY PASSION?
Alma wrote of hearts being changed and souls being “illuminated by the light of the everlasting word” (Alma 5:7). He also described the “discernible” nature of light in the following passage: “O then, is not this real? I say unto you, Yea, because it is light; and whatsoever is light, is good, because it is discernible, therefore ye must know that it is good” (Alma 32:35).
Many of the world’s great leaders, scientists, artists, and philosophers have been blessed by the influence of the Light of Christ. In 1978 the First Presidency stated that great religious leaders “such as Mohammed, Confucius, and the Reformers, as well as the philosophers including Socrates, Plato, and others, received a portion of God’s light … to enlighten whole nations.” 4 (. Statement of the First Presidency, 15 February 1978.)
President Joseph Fielding Smith (1876–1970) wrote: “Those who make these discoveries are inspired of God or they would never make them. The Lord gave inspiration to Edison, to Franklin, to Morse, to Whitney and to all of the inventors and discoverers, and through their inspiration they obtained the necessary knowledge and were able to manufacture and invent as they have done for the benefit of the world. Without the help of the Lord they would have been just as helpless as the people were in other ages.” 5 (Doctrines of Salvation, compiled by Bruce R. McConkie, 3 volumes (1954–56), 1:147.)
========
WE ARE LIGHTED & DESIGNED TO SHINE
This thirstiness for light, this craving for brightness, is not random. It is “IN” us. God made man in his own image to be stewards over His other creations (Genesis 1:26 -27; Gospel Principles, p.9). We come from the light. We are commanded to kindle our light – to not put it “under a bushel.”
Because we are made in His image (Moses 6:9), we know that God has a body that looks like ours. We have God’s DNA. And, similar to knowing who are parents and ancestors are, people want to know where we came from.
Before I left Boston, the Museum of Fine Arts held a rendezvous of Gaugain’s famous paintings from Tahiti. This French artist’s masterpiece asks the pivotal questions of humanity: D'où venons-nous ? Qui sommes-nous ? Où allons-nous ? “Where did we come from? Who are we? Where are we going?”
As basic as these questions are, they have baffled the world’s philosophers for millennia. For me, knowing that “God is Light” gives me an anchor. Being a child of God gives me an identity as a child of light. Witnessing His light helps me start to grasp my own light. I am more confident in my ability to do good, to become intelligent, and to be happy, because, as my Father, God is more good, more intelligent and more happy than I am. I believe that He cares about my life and He wants me to gain knowledge and make choices that prepare me to return and live with Him.
Being a child of God is no small thing. There is a spark in us. We are sons and daughters of light. (Nibley, 272). James E Faust spoke about this godliness in us as believing blood. He said: “Believing Blood flows from the heart and into the blood vessels... It’s in you.”
As we cultivate our relationship with God, we sense his closeness to us. In Rwanda, the people have a phrase, “Imana irigwa ahandi igatah iRwanda.” It means, “God spends the day all over the world making miracles, but He comes to sleep with us here in Rwanda.” As we try to get closer to Christ, He also gets closer to us. We feel Him all around us. His light contributes to our light and vice-versa. This is glory. It is glorious.
Light is “something that makes things visible or affords illumination. It is radiant energy, a spark, a flame. Beyond its literal meaning, it refers to spiritual illumination or awareness, or enLIGHTenment. Three primary properties of light are intensity (or brightness), frequency (or wavelength), and polarization (or direction). Light exhibits properties of both waves and particles. The study of light, known as optics, is an important research area in modern physics. Light is associated with heat, with speed, and communications.
I like the idea of light. It is powerful. My friend, Ryan, does doctoral research with sunlight in Cambodia. Everywhere in the world, thousands die daily from water-borne diseases. They are struggling to get clean water to people to prevent the spread of cholera and other deadly disease. Ryan is working with a team of Swiss scientists to find alternative methods to purify water for people to drink.
Water purifiers are expensive; chemicals can be dangerous. They are now finding that if you paint a black strip on a cheap plastic water bottle, then you can ATTRACT sunlight. After water sits in the sunlight for several hours, it becomes totally purified – better than any man-made chemical combination, or man-made instrument to purify water. Sunlight is no discriminator of persons. It’s free to all of His children – to benefit (or burn) us.
The Light of Christ is like sunlight. Just as sunlight is a natural disinfectant, the Spirit of Christ can cleanse our spirits. There is no darkness in sunlight. Darkness is subject unto it. The sun can be hidden by clouds or by the rotation of the earth, but the clouds will disappear, and the earth will complete its turning. This Light of Christ, which gives life, is within you. The evil one – Satan – will try to obscure it. It can be so clouded with confusion so far as to convince you that it does not exist.
Elder James E. Talmage (1862–1933) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught that Light is the Spirit of Christ and the “divine essence” by which the Godhead operates upon people and in nature. (See Articles of Faith, 12th edition (1924), 488, note 3.)
Joseph Smith taught that light is something we seek and we acquire according to obedience: “He that keepeth his commandments receiveth truth and light, until he is glorified in truth and knoweth all things. Light is glory, intelligence, knowledge and truth. (D&C 93:28, 36).
The scriptures teach us that the Light of Christ is the divine energy, power, or influence that proceeds from God through Christ and gives life and light to all things. The Light of Christ "proceedeth forth from the presence of God to fill the immensity of space." Light is in all things, giveth life to all things, and is the law by which all things are governed."
Joseph Smith went to great lengths to try to describe the light the Living Christ:
“His eyes were as a flame of fire; the hair of his head was white like the pure snow; his countenance shone above the brightness of the sun.” Christ is the light, the life, and the hope of the world.
A powerful metaphor of this is the light of sun above – which creates photosynthesis. EVERYTHING grows because of sunlight. We live because of light – literally.
HOW DOES LIGHT HELP ME PURSUE MY PASSION?
Alma wrote of hearts being changed and souls being “illuminated by the light of the everlasting word” (Alma 5:7). He also described the “discernible” nature of light in the following passage: “O then, is not this real? I say unto you, Yea, because it is light; and whatsoever is light, is good, because it is discernible, therefore ye must know that it is good” (Alma 32:35).
Many of the world’s great leaders, scientists, artists, and philosophers have been blessed by the influence of the Light of Christ. In 1978 the First Presidency stated that great religious leaders “such as Mohammed, Confucius, and the Reformers, as well as the philosophers including Socrates, Plato, and others, received a portion of God’s light … to enlighten whole nations.” 4 (. Statement of the First Presidency, 15 February 1978.)
President Joseph Fielding Smith (1876–1970) wrote: “Those who make these discoveries are inspired of God or they would never make them. The Lord gave inspiration to Edison, to Franklin, to Morse, to Whitney and to all of the inventors and discoverers, and through their inspiration they obtained the necessary knowledge and were able to manufacture and invent as they have done for the benefit of the world. Without the help of the Lord they would have been just as helpless as the people were in other ages.” 5 (Doctrines of Salvation, compiled by Bruce R. McConkie, 3 volumes (1954–56), 1:147.)
========
WE ARE LIGHTED & DESIGNED TO SHINE
This thirstiness for light, this craving for brightness, is not random. It is “IN” us. God made man in his own image to be stewards over His other creations (Genesis 1:26 -27; Gospel Principles, p.9). We come from the light. We are commanded to kindle our light – to not put it “under a bushel.”
Because we are made in His image (Moses 6:9), we know that God has a body that looks like ours. We have God’s DNA. And, similar to knowing who are parents and ancestors are, people want to know where we came from.
Before I left Boston, the Museum of Fine Arts held a rendezvous of Gaugain’s famous paintings from Tahiti. This French artist’s masterpiece asks the pivotal questions of humanity: D'où venons-nous ? Qui sommes-nous ? Où allons-nous ? “Where did we come from? Who are we? Where are we going?”
As basic as these questions are, they have baffled the world’s philosophers for millennia. For me, knowing that “God is Light” gives me an anchor. Being a child of God gives me an identity as a child of light. Witnessing His light helps me start to grasp my own light. I am more confident in my ability to do good, to become intelligent, and to be happy, because, as my Father, God is more good, more intelligent and more happy than I am. I believe that He cares about my life and He wants me to gain knowledge and make choices that prepare me to return and live with Him.
Being a child of God is no small thing. There is a spark in us. We are sons and daughters of light. (Nibley, 272). James E Faust spoke about this godliness in us as believing blood. He said: “Believing Blood flows from the heart and into the blood vessels... It’s in you.”
As we cultivate our relationship with God, we sense his closeness to us. In Rwanda, the people have a phrase, “Imana irigwa ahandi igatah iRwanda.” It means, “God spends the day all over the world making miracles, but He comes to sleep with us here in Rwanda.” As we try to get closer to Christ, He also gets closer to us. We feel Him all around us. His light contributes to our light and vice-versa. This is glory. It is glorious.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
10 Sept 2009: Kindling my passion for LIGHT
How can I cultivate my passion for LIGHT?
James Marrie said, “Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others, cannot keep it from themselves.”
David O. Mckay echoed this concept: “Every man has an atmosphere which is affecting every other man. He cannot escape for one moment from this radiation of his character, this constant weakening or strengthening of others. Man cannot evade the responsibility by merely saying that it is an unconscious influence.
This radiation …comes from what a person really is, not from what he pretends to be. … Life is a state of radiation and absorption. To exist is to radiate. To exist is to be the recipient of radiation.” (16 May 1948)
At Women’s Conference, Elder Uchtdorf identified another way that we can cultivate our personal light. He encouraged all of us to be CREATORS. With the light that is IN us, we are prepared with powerful potential to emulate our Heavenly Parents - the most creative people of the entire universe!
========
Our Heavenly Father wants us to know him. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ in order to open the way for us to progress. He has prepared a way to share light and knowledge by prophets so that we can all personally learn truth and develop a relationship with Him through SCRIPTURES.
It is a blessing to have the words of God available for us to read – to own personal copies of the scriptures, to read in our own homes, in our own language. God has allowed intense illumination at this time. My dad has gotten my whole family to read “Fire in the Bones,” a book about William Tyndale.
As a child in England during 1580, Tyndale only heard the words of God through a Catholic priest reading in Latin. Tyndale went to Oxford to learn English and Greek and Hebrew so that he could translate the Bible into the English tongue.
He believed that truth – and LIGHT - should not be kept in the hands of a few, but that a common ploughboy may have as deep a knowledge and relationship with God as the clergy man. People who read the first copies of the Bible in English were killed. It was treason to read the Bible in anything but Latin.
It was still the DARK ages – and, besides, Catholic priests and indulgences were no longer necessary if people started connecting with God directly. Tyndale himself was caught and burned at the stake for translating the Bible.
Today we have free access to this light. We can freely own and read a Bible. Do I honor this light and knowledge?
Another powerful way that I cultivate my personal light is through PRAYER. Prayer is a principle of power, but it sometimes takes courage to pray.
As I’ve grown older, I’ve seen several of my friends leave the church. One friend, a returned missionary, said he doesn’t believe God will really answer his prayers. He wonders if God even cares. He finally agreed that, at the very least, prayer is an outward expression of humility. It’s a real form of submission. Hymn 172 expresses the hopes of the prayerful soul: “Let [my] prayers find access to thee, In thy Holy Courts above.”
But, I KNOW that, when I pray on my knees and out loud, I feel the world around me pause. I feel an alignment with the universe. I feel God listening to me. Sometimes, in the thick of a hard time in life, I offer a simple prayer, “Heavenly Father, do you know who I am? Heavenly Father, do you care about me?” I ask Him, and then I wait for an answer.
I have felt His response as a rush of LIGHT. That light communicates with my soul and spreads feelings of love, of warmth, of energy. I know my Heavenly Father knows me because of a lightness in my soul – the heaviness disappears when there is light; the cloudiness disappears when there is light.
========
I believe we can also cultivate our light through BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH PEOPLE. I have never much liked the popular church art or pop music. I learn more about God when I look into the eyes of other people. One late night I was walking through the underground tunnel of Downtown Crossing all alone. It had been a hard day and I was hating my job and hating Boston.
An echo down the corridor grew louder as I walked, “Jesus on the mainline. Pick it up and tell Him what you want.” A toothless musician was smiling at me and playing the guitar: “Jesus on the mainline. Go on and tell Him what you want.” I burst into tears, sat down by him, and we sang together. I felt closer to God because I felt love for this Alabama homeless man. He recognized and testified of Jesus Christ’s role in helping us connect to our Heavenly Father.
God communicates with us through light – which is manifested through His Holy Spirit. When light enters us, we experience feelings of joy, peace, clarity, calmness, security, direction, confidence, and love. The spirit in us resonates with the spirit of God through raw connections with God’s creations – people, plants, even places.
God is in the sunrise over the Atlantic. In South Africa, Desmond Tutu calls this the “spirit of Ubuntu.” My humanity is tied together in your humanity. Together we strengthen and lift each other to God.
Not long before he passed away, I heard President Faust speak in a Stake Conference for the east coast region. He taught about “believing blood.” Because we emanate from light, we are wired to be attracted to it. The blood which pumps through our veins is believing blood filled with Godly energy.
We are all deserving of God’s love. We are all worthy to inherit the blessings He has for us.
Talmage notes, “We will inherit according to our willingness to receive, enjoy and utilize.” Because God respects our agency, He lets us choose to come unto Him. If we desire to be close to God, He will be there. We can choose light or darkness.
We are commanded to kindle and to share our light. Ancient scriptures teach of an eternal principle called “the spark.” Once we have light (or knowledge), we are commanded to share it.
Adam and Eve were commanded to teach all their posterity about the Kingdom of Light and the Worlds of Light – also referred to as “the land of brightness.”
=======
I know the power of the light. Becoming a mother is a daunting task. I pray daily for guidance – for illumination – of how to act, particularly of how to balance my time. I am strengthened by the innate goodness and brightness of this innocent soul.
Our son, Timshel, is drawn to light. He can find it, wherever he is. Whenever he awakes, his first instinct is to look to the light. Timshel is truly an ambassador of light, “trailing clouds of glory.” He radiates light, he illuminates our world, he kindles kindness and love.
Whatsoever thing is light is of God. Where there is sunshine, where there is brightness, where there is warmth, where there is illumination. (Moroni 7:12) Whatsoever is light is good. (Alma 32.35) This is universal knowledge. In his inauguration speech, Mandela said: “It is not our darkness, but our light that frightens us.”
Father in Heaven has promised, “That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day” (D&C 50:24). It is my prayer that each of us will heed Mormon’s invitation to understand and obey that light within, to “search diligently in the light of Christ … and lay hold upon every good thing” (Moro. 7:19).
“Namaste,” they say in India. “Namaste,” they say in Nepal. “Namaste,” literally means, “I salute the light in you that is also in me.” A billion people daily acknowledge the light in all of us that connects us to our Creator. “Namaste” I say to you today.
Let us celebrate the Son of God and his light. Let His light and knowledge that He lives kindle a brighter light in each of us. Let us recognize our potential as children of God and beings of light. Let us radiate our corner of the world. Let us kindle lightning as we build the Kingdom of God with our own passions and creativity.
James Marrie said, “Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others, cannot keep it from themselves.”
David O. Mckay echoed this concept: “Every man has an atmosphere which is affecting every other man. He cannot escape for one moment from this radiation of his character, this constant weakening or strengthening of others. Man cannot evade the responsibility by merely saying that it is an unconscious influence.
This radiation …comes from what a person really is, not from what he pretends to be. … Life is a state of radiation and absorption. To exist is to radiate. To exist is to be the recipient of radiation.” (16 May 1948)
At Women’s Conference, Elder Uchtdorf identified another way that we can cultivate our personal light. He encouraged all of us to be CREATORS. With the light that is IN us, we are prepared with powerful potential to emulate our Heavenly Parents - the most creative people of the entire universe!
========
Our Heavenly Father wants us to know him. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ in order to open the way for us to progress. He has prepared a way to share light and knowledge by prophets so that we can all personally learn truth and develop a relationship with Him through SCRIPTURES.
It is a blessing to have the words of God available for us to read – to own personal copies of the scriptures, to read in our own homes, in our own language. God has allowed intense illumination at this time. My dad has gotten my whole family to read “Fire in the Bones,” a book about William Tyndale.
As a child in England during 1580, Tyndale only heard the words of God through a Catholic priest reading in Latin. Tyndale went to Oxford to learn English and Greek and Hebrew so that he could translate the Bible into the English tongue.
He believed that truth – and LIGHT - should not be kept in the hands of a few, but that a common ploughboy may have as deep a knowledge and relationship with God as the clergy man. People who read the first copies of the Bible in English were killed. It was treason to read the Bible in anything but Latin.
It was still the DARK ages – and, besides, Catholic priests and indulgences were no longer necessary if people started connecting with God directly. Tyndale himself was caught and burned at the stake for translating the Bible.
Today we have free access to this light. We can freely own and read a Bible. Do I honor this light and knowledge?
Another powerful way that I cultivate my personal light is through PRAYER. Prayer is a principle of power, but it sometimes takes courage to pray.
As I’ve grown older, I’ve seen several of my friends leave the church. One friend, a returned missionary, said he doesn’t believe God will really answer his prayers. He wonders if God even cares. He finally agreed that, at the very least, prayer is an outward expression of humility. It’s a real form of submission. Hymn 172 expresses the hopes of the prayerful soul: “Let [my] prayers find access to thee, In thy Holy Courts above.”
But, I KNOW that, when I pray on my knees and out loud, I feel the world around me pause. I feel an alignment with the universe. I feel God listening to me. Sometimes, in the thick of a hard time in life, I offer a simple prayer, “Heavenly Father, do you know who I am? Heavenly Father, do you care about me?” I ask Him, and then I wait for an answer.
I have felt His response as a rush of LIGHT. That light communicates with my soul and spreads feelings of love, of warmth, of energy. I know my Heavenly Father knows me because of a lightness in my soul – the heaviness disappears when there is light; the cloudiness disappears when there is light.
========
I believe we can also cultivate our light through BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH PEOPLE. I have never much liked the popular church art or pop music. I learn more about God when I look into the eyes of other people. One late night I was walking through the underground tunnel of Downtown Crossing all alone. It had been a hard day and I was hating my job and hating Boston.
An echo down the corridor grew louder as I walked, “Jesus on the mainline. Pick it up and tell Him what you want.” A toothless musician was smiling at me and playing the guitar: “Jesus on the mainline. Go on and tell Him what you want.” I burst into tears, sat down by him, and we sang together. I felt closer to God because I felt love for this Alabama homeless man. He recognized and testified of Jesus Christ’s role in helping us connect to our Heavenly Father.
God communicates with us through light – which is manifested through His Holy Spirit. When light enters us, we experience feelings of joy, peace, clarity, calmness, security, direction, confidence, and love. The spirit in us resonates with the spirit of God through raw connections with God’s creations – people, plants, even places.
God is in the sunrise over the Atlantic. In South Africa, Desmond Tutu calls this the “spirit of Ubuntu.” My humanity is tied together in your humanity. Together we strengthen and lift each other to God.
Not long before he passed away, I heard President Faust speak in a Stake Conference for the east coast region. He taught about “believing blood.” Because we emanate from light, we are wired to be attracted to it. The blood which pumps through our veins is believing blood filled with Godly energy.
We are all deserving of God’s love. We are all worthy to inherit the blessings He has for us.
Talmage notes, “We will inherit according to our willingness to receive, enjoy and utilize.” Because God respects our agency, He lets us choose to come unto Him. If we desire to be close to God, He will be there. We can choose light or darkness.
We are commanded to kindle and to share our light. Ancient scriptures teach of an eternal principle called “the spark.” Once we have light (or knowledge), we are commanded to share it.
Adam and Eve were commanded to teach all their posterity about the Kingdom of Light and the Worlds of Light – also referred to as “the land of brightness.”
=======
I know the power of the light. Becoming a mother is a daunting task. I pray daily for guidance – for illumination – of how to act, particularly of how to balance my time. I am strengthened by the innate goodness and brightness of this innocent soul.
Our son, Timshel, is drawn to light. He can find it, wherever he is. Whenever he awakes, his first instinct is to look to the light. Timshel is truly an ambassador of light, “trailing clouds of glory.” He radiates light, he illuminates our world, he kindles kindness and love.
Whatsoever thing is light is of God. Where there is sunshine, where there is brightness, where there is warmth, where there is illumination. (Moroni 7:12) Whatsoever is light is good. (Alma 32.35) This is universal knowledge. In his inauguration speech, Mandela said: “It is not our darkness, but our light that frightens us.”
Father in Heaven has promised, “That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day” (D&C 50:24). It is my prayer that each of us will heed Mormon’s invitation to understand and obey that light within, to “search diligently in the light of Christ … and lay hold upon every good thing” (Moro. 7:19).
“Namaste,” they say in India. “Namaste,” they say in Nepal. “Namaste,” literally means, “I salute the light in you that is also in me.” A billion people daily acknowledge the light in all of us that connects us to our Creator. “Namaste” I say to you today.
Let us celebrate the Son of God and his light. Let His light and knowledge that He lives kindle a brighter light in each of us. Let us recognize our potential as children of God and beings of light. Let us radiate our corner of the world. Let us kindle lightning as we build the Kingdom of God with our own passions and creativity.
10 Sep 2009: Shower Test = Light of Literacy
"Be passionate, Tiffany. But, be patient." My dad's words pierced my 20 year-old soul. I eagerly stood on the threshold of embracing the wide world around me. I was heading to Uganda for a year to teach in a rural village. Dad saw my enthusiasm, but knew keenly of a personal pinch I felt wrestling with the choice to put in mission papers before pursuing my passion in Kampala.
I received my mission call to the Philippines shortly after postponing my Sub-Saharan adventure. I thought for sure I'd be speaking French in Cote d'Ivoire since I'd offered Africa on the altar. Turns out, the Lord found Filipinos to be the best fit for my personal mentors as I encountered rural poverty, rife illiteracy, and rampant socio-economic degradation.
I opened my eyes wide and inhaled all that life afforded me in those humid tropical islands. I loved the intimate conversations shared in tiny hovels. I loved the wrinkles and calluses of salt-of-the-earth rice farmers. I loved the smiles that peeled across cautious faces when they heard me speak Tagalog and found out that I was sleeping in their neighborhood.
With all the beauty that came in this resource-rich environment, I was stung with a soulful pain when I confronted the inequalities of my reality and others I met. This period was a personal crucible that burned a chasm of consciousness within me as I also questioned "Why?"
The most gripping issue that affected me and still preoccupies my shower thoughts is Lita - the vibrant, hard-working mother of four who tirelessly trekked into Dagupan for LDS church services, but could never read the scriptures that we shared or that were taught by others. I saw the transformation that came when she felt fear for reading. I saw the slavery she experiences by relying on others to interpret what is read. I saw the damnation that comes when educational limitations prevent her from participating in the community, in her kids' school, in her world.
During that period of life, I was pierced by scriptural endorsement of literacy: the contrast of the warlike people of Omni who had not brought records with them and their language was corrupted in contrast to the peaceful people of Mosiah who were taught to read and write in the language of their father in fulfillment of commandment (Mosiah 1:1-4).
I take courage and counsel - indeed, I am passionate - about the scripture, "In the beginning was the Word." (John 1:1)
Perhaps the biggest personal discovery I've had is this:
- God gave me passion and talents
- I get to explore these opportunities
- I am here to build the kingdom: D&C 88: 78, 79, 80
- By pursuing my mission and my talents, I am building the Kingdom of God
- I must choose how to proportion my time as a wife, a mother, a student, a neighbor, a teacher
- I will consecrate all that I create and all that I gain (intellectually, economically, socially etc.)
Communities where I see this need for access to learning tools:
- youth-managed resource centers
- community multimedia centers
- literacy buddy program
- family reading program
- reading corners in personal homes
- mobile mentors on bicycles
- women's literacy groups
- microcredit borrowers groups
- female community health volunters
- rural health clinics
=====
Himalayan Wisdom:
After 5 plane rides, a 12-hour truck-ride, a nighttime canoe-ride, and a long trek uphill, I arrived to a remote Himalayan village. It was pitch black outside, but inside a small community center I saw 40 women huddled around 4 dim kerosene lanterns trying to read. A facilitator stood nearby holding her lantern up to a piece of broken slate. Her brilliant white chalk cut the darkness with words.
I learned that women studied at nighttime because their husbands only allowed them to study after first caring for the housework, cattle, farm, and children. The next day we worked with villagers to install solar panels on the top of their community center.
We worked with a small committee but had 40 supervisors. By evening, we had over 100 people watching the solar installation. By sundown, the entire village gathered to watch the first electrification of this rural village.
On the count of three, the sun’s energy filtered through the solar panels to the battery, through simple wire, to 4 basic fluorescent bulbs. Out of the pitch black, 4 different hands turned on 4 different switches and eradicated all darkness from the literacy center.
The villagers cheered, clapped, and many cried. Dances of celebration commenced after speeches from village elders and community dignitaries.
Finally, a woman from the literacy class spoke: “This light is powerful,” she said. “But, the light of literacy is the true light of this group!”
========
LITERACY IS ILLUMINATION
I know that literacy is empowerment. It is the greatest tool to keep alive the spark of testimony and to eliminate inactivity. I know that knowledge illuminates minds to see possibilities.
Literacy kindles a light that empowers children of God with access to human rights, healthcare, and income-generation.
For the last 12 years, I have worked on literacy programs in rural poor countries. I have seen light ignited in illiterate souls as they learn to read written text. As they kindle knowledge, I have seen minds and souls illuminated with understanding.
But, how do we sustain the light of literacy? How do we continue progressing once funding is finished? These questions haunt me. I would like to explore answers to these questions through possibilities of open content, digitized and freely available tools, training for localization. I'm not sure of particulars, but I know these general ideas trigger my passion to rise.
========
I received my mission call to the Philippines shortly after postponing my Sub-Saharan adventure. I thought for sure I'd be speaking French in Cote d'Ivoire since I'd offered Africa on the altar. Turns out, the Lord found Filipinos to be the best fit for my personal mentors as I encountered rural poverty, rife illiteracy, and rampant socio-economic degradation.
I opened my eyes wide and inhaled all that life afforded me in those humid tropical islands. I loved the intimate conversations shared in tiny hovels. I loved the wrinkles and calluses of salt-of-the-earth rice farmers. I loved the smiles that peeled across cautious faces when they heard me speak Tagalog and found out that I was sleeping in their neighborhood.
With all the beauty that came in this resource-rich environment, I was stung with a soulful pain when I confronted the inequalities of my reality and others I met. This period was a personal crucible that burned a chasm of consciousness within me as I also questioned "Why?"
The most gripping issue that affected me and still preoccupies my shower thoughts is Lita - the vibrant, hard-working mother of four who tirelessly trekked into Dagupan for LDS church services, but could never read the scriptures that we shared or that were taught by others. I saw the transformation that came when she felt fear for reading. I saw the slavery she experiences by relying on others to interpret what is read. I saw the damnation that comes when educational limitations prevent her from participating in the community, in her kids' school, in her world.
During that period of life, I was pierced by scriptural endorsement of literacy: the contrast of the warlike people of Omni who had not brought records with them and their language was corrupted in contrast to the peaceful people of Mosiah who were taught to read and write in the language of their father in fulfillment of commandment (Mosiah 1:1-4).
I take courage and counsel - indeed, I am passionate - about the scripture, "In the beginning was the Word." (John 1:1)
Perhaps the biggest personal discovery I've had is this:
- God gave me passion and talents
- I get to explore these opportunities
- I am here to build the kingdom: D&C 88: 78, 79, 80
- By pursuing my mission and my talents, I am building the Kingdom of God
- I must choose how to proportion my time as a wife, a mother, a student, a neighbor, a teacher
- I will consecrate all that I create and all that I gain (intellectually, economically, socially etc.)
Communities where I see this need for access to learning tools:
- youth-managed resource centers
- community multimedia centers
- literacy buddy program
- family reading program
- reading corners in personal homes
- mobile mentors on bicycles
- women's literacy groups
- microcredit borrowers groups
- female community health volunters
- rural health clinics
=====
Himalayan Wisdom:
After 5 plane rides, a 12-hour truck-ride, a nighttime canoe-ride, and a long trek uphill, I arrived to a remote Himalayan village. It was pitch black outside, but inside a small community center I saw 40 women huddled around 4 dim kerosene lanterns trying to read. A facilitator stood nearby holding her lantern up to a piece of broken slate. Her brilliant white chalk cut the darkness with words.
I learned that women studied at nighttime because their husbands only allowed them to study after first caring for the housework, cattle, farm, and children. The next day we worked with villagers to install solar panels on the top of their community center.
We worked with a small committee but had 40 supervisors. By evening, we had over 100 people watching the solar installation. By sundown, the entire village gathered to watch the first electrification of this rural village.
On the count of three, the sun’s energy filtered through the solar panels to the battery, through simple wire, to 4 basic fluorescent bulbs. Out of the pitch black, 4 different hands turned on 4 different switches and eradicated all darkness from the literacy center.
The villagers cheered, clapped, and many cried. Dances of celebration commenced after speeches from village elders and community dignitaries.
Finally, a woman from the literacy class spoke: “This light is powerful,” she said. “But, the light of literacy is the true light of this group!”
========
LITERACY IS ILLUMINATION
I know that literacy is empowerment. It is the greatest tool to keep alive the spark of testimony and to eliminate inactivity. I know that knowledge illuminates minds to see possibilities.
Literacy kindles a light that empowers children of God with access to human rights, healthcare, and income-generation.
For the last 12 years, I have worked on literacy programs in rural poor countries. I have seen light ignited in illiterate souls as they learn to read written text. As they kindle knowledge, I have seen minds and souls illuminated with understanding.
But, how do we sustain the light of literacy? How do we continue progressing once funding is finished? These questions haunt me. I would like to explore answers to these questions through possibilities of open content, digitized and freely available tools, training for localization. I'm not sure of particulars, but I know these general ideas trigger my passion to rise.
========
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
7 Sep 2009 Finding My Passion & Finding Balance
FINDING MY PASSION (D&C 123:12-15)
- waste and wear out our lives in bringing to light all the hidden things of darkness ...
- with great earnestness (zeal) ... let no man count them as small things...
- there is much which lieth in futurity ...
- let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power...
- a very large ship is benefited very much by a very small helm in the time of a storm
My take-away:
- Balancing is enigmatic; I think it is more about proportioning
- Context and timing influence what is my right proportioning
- I am committed to consecrating the works fostered by my passion.
- Considering the opportunity cost I embrace for this program, I am compelled to learn and share more (to bring to pass light)
- In an era where so much information is available, how do we identify quality? (those things pertaining to futurity)
- finding peace with the competition with "bachelor status"
- what about bridling my passion? (finding peace with the passion and with other things)
Chronicle of Higher Ed: "Teach Naked"
The Way of a Disciple
Elder Uchtdorf
"People run from one new idea to the next, hoping to find something that will answer the burning questions of their souls. They get caught up in the excitement of looking for something new. But inevitably, the flame of each new theory fades, only to be replaced by another “new and improved” solution that promises to do what the others before could not.
=======
* Processing power doubles each month and pricing halves each month (computational power and intelligence are different) (by 2020, there will be a machine with capacity as human brain)
* Until we know that a patient has malaria, we treat the symptoms (fever, diarrhea)
* Be a disciple scholar: "Knowledge without integrity is dangerous and deadly; integrity and knowledge is weak and useless." - Samuel Johnson
Dr. Inouye: "You have the Holy Ghost ... you've got to be big!"
Kamidana: curio (Japanese) where you leave offerings, burn incense, pictures of ancestors - LDS people still keep their ancestors and offer incense but not to their Gods. The irony of blending our spirituality with our paganistic cultural traits.
Homework for next time:
What is the balance (proper healthy relationship) between a professional passion and a personal passion (e.g. how do we proportion our work/family/church/life?)
The Shower Test:
When your hands are busy and your brain is not, where do your thoughts go? When nobody is requiring you to think about this field, what do you think about? (Nani cutting rice in Pakistan; how am I also illiterate?)
* Nani (Pakistan) - 7 grand-daughters
* Nanila (Pakistan) - "only Allah"
* Lita (Philippines) - "let the children read"
* Granny (Zimbabwe) - "this child is suffering from AIDS"
* Sylvia (South Africa) - amandla o mama!
* Sabira (Pakistan) - "now I will never marry; I have slandered my name"
* Tanzeela (Pakistan) - "because she taught my wife and she taught me ... taxi"
* Luchno (Thailand) - "we suffer thrice: once when we find out about AIDS, second when we care for our dying husbands, third, when we care for our dying selves."
- waste and wear out our lives in bringing to light all the hidden things of darkness ...
- with great earnestness (zeal) ... let no man count them as small things...
- there is much which lieth in futurity ...
- let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power...
- a very large ship is benefited very much by a very small helm in the time of a storm
My take-away:
- Balancing is enigmatic; I think it is more about proportioning
- Context and timing influence what is my right proportioning
- I am committed to consecrating the works fostered by my passion.
- Considering the opportunity cost I embrace for this program, I am compelled to learn and share more (to bring to pass light)
- In an era where so much information is available, how do we identify quality? (those things pertaining to futurity)
- finding peace with the competition with "bachelor status"
- what about bridling my passion? (finding peace with the passion and with other things)
Chronicle of Higher Ed: "Teach Naked"
The Way of a Disciple
Elder Uchtdorf
"People run from one new idea to the next, hoping to find something that will answer the burning questions of their souls. They get caught up in the excitement of looking for something new. But inevitably, the flame of each new theory fades, only to be replaced by another “new and improved” solution that promises to do what the others before could not.
It’s not that these worldly options don’t contain elements of truth—many of them do. Nevertheless, they all fall short of the lasting change we seek in our lives. After the excitement wears off, the hollowness remains as we look for the next new idea to unlock the secrets of happiness.
In contrast, the gospel of Jesus Christ has the answers to all of our problems. The gospel is not a secret. It is not complicated or hidden. It can unlock the door to true happiness. It is not someone’s theory or proposition. It does not come from man at all. It springs from the pure and everlasting waters of the Creator of the universe, who knows truths we cannot even begin to comprehend. And with that knowledge, He has given us the gospel—a divine gift, the ultimate formula for happiness and success."
The more we fill our hearts and minds with the message of the risen Christ, the greater our desire is to follow Him and live His teachings. This, in turn, causes our faith to grow and allows the light of Christ to illuminate our hearts. As it does, we recognize the imperfections in our lives, and we desire to be cleansed of the depressing burdens of sin. We yearn for freedom from guilt, and this inspires us to repent.
Discipleship is a journey. We need the refining lessons of the journey to craft our character and purify our hearts. By patiently walking in the path of discipleship, we demonstrate to ourselves the measure of our faith and our willingness to accept God’s will rather than ours.
It is not enough merely to speak of Jesus Christ or proclaim that we are His disciples. It is not enough to surround ourselves with symbols of our religion. Discipleship is not a spectator sport. We cannot expect to experience the blessings of faith by standing inactive on the sidelines...=======
* Processing power doubles each month and pricing halves each month (computational power and intelligence are different) (by 2020, there will be a machine with capacity as human brain)
* Until we know that a patient has malaria, we treat the symptoms (fever, diarrhea)
* Be a disciple scholar: "Knowledge without integrity is dangerous and deadly; integrity and knowledge is weak and useless." - Samuel Johnson
Dr. Inouye: "You have the Holy Ghost ... you've got to be big!"
Kamidana: curio (Japanese) where you leave offerings, burn incense, pictures of ancestors - LDS people still keep their ancestors and offer incense but not to their Gods. The irony of blending our spirituality with our paganistic cultural traits.
Homework for next time:
What is the balance (proper healthy relationship) between a professional passion and a personal passion (e.g. how do we proportion our work/family/church/life?)
The Shower Test:
When your hands are busy and your brain is not, where do your thoughts go? When nobody is requiring you to think about this field, what do you think about? (Nani cutting rice in Pakistan; how am I also illiterate?)
* Nani (Pakistan) - 7 grand-daughters
* Nanila (Pakistan) - "only Allah"
* Lita (Philippines) - "let the children read"
* Granny (Zimbabwe) - "this child is suffering from AIDS"
* Sylvia (South Africa) - amandla o mama!
* Sabira (Pakistan) - "now I will never marry; I have slandered my name"
* Tanzeela (Pakistan) - "because she taught my wife and she taught me ... taxi"
* Luchno (Thailand) - "we suffer thrice: once when we find out about AIDS, second when we care for our dying husbands, third, when we care for our dying selves."
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
2 Sep 2009: Week 1 Thoughts
Paul Graham
Fundraising Survival Guide
* Fundraising is brutal. It's the most difficult thing after finding a good idea.
* Investors evaluate startups the way customers evaluate products, not like bosses do employees.
* Raising money from investors is harder than selling to customers, because so few investors
* Investors are very random. By ordinary standards, they're incompetent.
* Investment decisions are always big decisions (no matter how big or small monetarily).
* Investors make decisions based on other investors (not always on you).
* Don't let fundraising get you down. Startups live or die on morale.
* Bootstrapped companies that were actually funded by their founders through savings or a day job either (a) got really lucky, which is hard to do on demand, or (b) began life as consulting companies and gradually transformed themselves into product companies. (e.g. Like CDN consulting ProLiteracy or like Mitch consulting the Overtons, the Iversens, the Otts, Emily Bates etc.?)
* Importance to provide a service in the interim until the funding gets to where we are (somehow we need to kick it off the ground before a funder will join on board).
* I don't think we'll ever reach the point where most startups can do without outside funding. Technology tends to get dramatically cheaper, but living expenses don't.
1) Have low expectations. Avoid disappointment. Deals fall through (often at the last moment). When it comes to deals, you have to consiously turn them off and become pathologically cynical.
2) Keep working on your startup. Raising money mysteriously sucks up all your attention. More often than not, the company comes to a standstill while raising money. Meet with investors in your spare time, rather than doing development in the spare moments between meetings with investors. One of the main ways investors judge you is by your morale.
3) Be conservative. When things go bad, you want to play it safe. Approach fundraising as if it were always going badly. (Does this dovetail with the morale thing?) Things could always turn out much worse than they seem.
4) Be flexible. Don't answer "Who else are you talking to?" and "How much are you trying to raise?" The fact should be: "we're going to succeed no matter what. Raising more money just lets us do it faster."
5) Be independent. Be "ramen profitable" - making just enough to pay your [minimal] living expenses. You still need investment to make it big, but you don't need it this month. Investors like it when you're ramen profitable. It shows you've thought about making money, instead of just working on amusing technical problems; it shows you have the discipline to keep your expenses low; but above all, it means you don't need them. There is nothing investors like more than a startup that seems like it's going to succeed even without them. They like to help a startup but don't like knowing it would die without that help.
Best compliment: "Those guys can take care of themselves. They'll be fine" (vs. smart, good idea)
Qualities needed to win: toughness, adaptability, determination.
Fundraising Survival Guide
* Fundraising is brutal. It's the most difficult thing after finding a good idea.
* Investors evaluate startups the way customers evaluate products, not like bosses do employees.
* Raising money from investors is harder than selling to customers, because so few investors
* Investors are very random. By ordinary standards, they're incompetent.
* Investment decisions are always big decisions (no matter how big or small monetarily).
* Investors make decisions based on other investors (not always on you).
* Don't let fundraising get you down. Startups live or die on morale.
* Bootstrapped companies that were actually funded by their founders through savings or a day job either (a) got really lucky, which is hard to do on demand, or (b) began life as consulting companies and gradually transformed themselves into product companies. (e.g. Like CDN consulting ProLiteracy or like Mitch consulting the Overtons, the Iversens, the Otts, Emily Bates etc.?)
* Importance to provide a service in the interim until the funding gets to where we are (somehow we need to kick it off the ground before a funder will join on board).
* I don't think we'll ever reach the point where most startups can do without outside funding. Technology tends to get dramatically cheaper, but living expenses don't.
1) Have low expectations. Avoid disappointment. Deals fall through (often at the last moment). When it comes to deals, you have to consiously turn them off and become pathologically cynical.
2) Keep working on your startup. Raising money mysteriously sucks up all your attention. More often than not, the company comes to a standstill while raising money. Meet with investors in your spare time, rather than doing development in the spare moments between meetings with investors. One of the main ways investors judge you is by your morale.
3) Be conservative. When things go bad, you want to play it safe. Approach fundraising as if it were always going badly. (Does this dovetail with the morale thing?) Things could always turn out much worse than they seem.
4) Be flexible. Don't answer "Who else are you talking to?" and "How much are you trying to raise?" The fact should be: "we're going to succeed no matter what. Raising more money just lets us do it faster."
5) Be independent. Be "ramen profitable" - making just enough to pay your [minimal] living expenses. You still need investment to make it big, but you don't need it this month. Investors like it when you're ramen profitable. It shows you've thought about making money, instead of just working on amusing technical problems; it shows you have the discipline to keep your expenses low; but above all, it means you don't need them. There is nothing investors like more than a startup that seems like it's going to succeed even without them. They like to help a startup but don't like knowing it would die without that help.
Best compliment: "Those guys can take care of themselves. They'll be fine" (vs. smart, good idea)
Qualities needed to win: toughness, adaptability, determination.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
1 Sep 2009: Intro to Grant Writing & Prgm Mgmt
CLASS:
JENNA CHAPMAN (MSC) - pink toothbrush
TIFFANY IVINS (PHD) - oatmeal
ISAKU (PHD) - also oatmeal
STEVE ANDERSON (EIME) - oatmeal too
NARI CARTER (EIME) - tv on Fridays
TIM WALKER (EIME) - Jr. High for 11 years
ABBY HAWKINS (PHD) - Cobert Report
ANN MACHEN (PHD) - "Intervention" TV
LINDA BRADFORD (PHD) - Disney Channel magic
JARED STEIN (PHD) - keeps many things in pocket
open.byu.edu
ipt
syllabus
Hitchhikers Guide to Making a Difference (Wiley)
JENNA CHAPMAN (MSC) - pink toothbrush
TIFFANY IVINS (PHD) - oatmeal
ISAKU (PHD) - also oatmeal
STEVE ANDERSON (EIME) - oatmeal too
NARI CARTER (EIME) - tv on Fridays
TIM WALKER (EIME) - Jr. High for 11 years
ABBY HAWKINS (PHD) - Cobert Report
ANN MACHEN (PHD) - "Intervention" TV
LINDA BRADFORD (PHD) - Disney Channel magic
JARED STEIN (PHD) - keeps many things in pocket
open.byu.edu
ipt
syllabus
Hitchhikers Guide to Making a Difference (Wiley)
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