May Update

Hello everyone!

I started my PhD program as a full-time student officially on May 3, 2010. I am taking one online course in foundations of curriculum with Dr. Heather Sykes and an in-class course with Dr. Stephanie Springgay on arts-based research. I am enjoying both tremendously.

With the online course, it is really interesting how you can respond to the discussion postings, as well as produce work that has links to videos, podcasts and include stories from blogs and photographs. I'm having a lot of fun with it. I have not received any marks back yet, however I hope the fact I am having a lot of fun with it is an indication that I am doing well.

The arts-based research class is a blast too. On the first day we all learned some fascinating things about the origin of arts-based research, as well as some of the schools of thought on the topic. On the second day, we went down to Trinity Square Video at 401 Richmond St. W. in Toronto and saw three documentaries and a piece of video art. It was a lot of fun. We all went to a café after and discussed what we saw. On the third day, we made felt in class and Dr. Springgay mentioned that unlike knitting, when you make felt it cannot be undone. It got me thinking that creating dreadlocks, or locks for hair, is like this too. Once you do them, they cannot be undone. Tonight I will be doing a presentation for that class. Soon I will also check Blackboard to see about my discussion posting for the new unit in the foundations class and then off I go to Centennial for the afternoon to present at a conference about a trip I took to Germany.

My teaching at Ryerson is thoroughly enjoyable. Last night we watched Night of the Living Dead, directed by George Romero. I really enjoyed seeing the film again, since it had been decades since I had seen it before. It's funny what you remember.

So these main three things are the bulk of my life over May and June. When July comes, I will be teaching media writing at Seneca College, plus taking two more courses at the University of Toronto. I will be taking Schooling in Hollywood Movies, as well as Education and Popular Culture. Both these courses are in different departments than the CTL (Curriculum, Teaching and Learning) one I am in. I am looking forward to them.

I hope everyone is enjoying May! The weather has been cool in Toronto, however I feel very optimistic that it will pick up.

More of an April Update

Things continue to go great through the blessings of God. I am really excited about starting my PhD coursework at OISE/University of Toronto. I start in May. I have now paid my fees and looking forward to getting my Robarts library card activated so I can make full use of their wonderful resource. OISE looks as though they have a good library too.

I found out some terrific news lately. I will be teaching a dramatic writing course at Ryerson University's Chang School. This is in continuing education. The contract should come in the mail by Thursday. I'm really looking forward to this. I have been sent the course outline and I now have the required text that looks really interesting to teach from as a base. I have seen the movies we will be screening and it's going to be a really exciting class over May and June.

For July and August I will be teaching the second half of media writing, taking over from the esteemed Roger McTair at Seneca College. I'm really looking forward to that too. I have an interview for another teaching job this Monday coming up, plus finally a face-to-face interview for some bilingual consulting work I have been working on in French and English. Things are looking good. I had another interview on Tuesday for some occasional work with a consulting firm working with the University of Toronto and I should know for sure about that by Friday.

I have completed my work at George Brown College. I learned a lot while I was there and the students were absolutely excellent. I'm just wrapping everything up with Centennial College and also wrapping things up for the winter semester with Seneca College. My latest book has been Teaching Curriculum Ideas. My book sales have not been too bad, however I am really looking forward to the booth I have rented at the Word on the Street Festival in September that takes place in Toronto.

My recent intern Chris Temelkos from Seneca College is working out really well. I found out that my hunch about Rachel Muenz's career was right. She is a former intern of mine on Donna, and now will be working for a newspaper in Saskatchewan, Canada. I'm so happy for her. She will do excellent work I know for sure. I know she will really enjoy her experience too. Another one of my more recent students, Jonathan McGill, who is actually related to one of the founders of McGill University, is an extremely talented singer. Please check out his MySpace page by following the link posted up on my magazine at: http://kakonged.wordpress.com.

I was recently a guest on a show with host Robin Marvel (her real name) on "Live out Loud." It was a lot of fun. On the show I discussed a lot of things, as well as a play I was going to be in at Artscape Wychwood Barns in my neighbourhood. It turns out I will no longer be in the play. The experience helped me to fully realize that I should stick with what I know - the nuts and bolts of what my business is about (freelance communication). Well, it was a great experience and I got a chance to work briefly with some really amazing people.

The wonderful thing about the play experience is that every black woman I met associated with it was wearing her natural black hair. It was a great experience and I am still pondering if this project could work into part of my research for my dissertation on hair and clothes politics, art and education. It sure was a refreshing experience considering that it is in the aesthetically dominated field of the creative arts. Something to think about.

I'm having a blast. It sure does help that my place is tidy. Thank you Crystal Clear Maids. I recommend them. I do not do it often, however, when I do - it really does help to clear my head. I also washed my hair and that helped too :-).

Until next time.

It's Been A Long Time

Hello everyone out there!

It's been a long time since I have posted to this blog site. I am fortunate that blogspot has forgiven me and not relinquished my membership. Things have been busy.

Last semester I had seven classes to teach. Three of them were at Seneca College's Markham campus and three of them were at Seneca College's York campus. I also taught a beat reporting class with the University of Toronto Scarborough campus (UTSC) and Centennial College's Journalism program. I co-taught that class with Ellin Bessner who is excellent to work with. I had a lot of fun and the semester was great. Of course there was some anxiety working on the front lines as a teacher with H1N1 being such a huge deal for many people. It was an interesting experience to navigate through the health issues of some of the students, plus dealing with my own bout of flu, that was not H1N1.

This semester has been extremely interesting. I am teaching two news announcing courses at Seneca College's York campus. Plus, I am teaching a magazine journalism course with UTSC-Centennial. This year, the magazine journalism students have a chance to get their stories published on my magazine Donna Magazine. As well, I started working at George Brown College teaching skills for college English. It is in the continuing education program and this is my first time teaching in the continuing education. I must say the students are great and I am truly enjoying the experience. Many years ago, I used to be a student taking an acting course at George Brown College. I have also taken French courses in continuing education at Concordia University - so I am not a stranger to continuing education.

There are many exciting things I have been up to. I have now written 35 books. My latest one is called Smoking. Even though I have not stopped smoking, I wanted to write something that would still help those people see how they could quit by including stories from people who have successfully quit. In my mind - I have set my quit date - and it will happen. I will write it down when I have a calendar that goes that far to make sure it is the exact date I would want.

I have also started a new online portal called Donna Magazine's Salon Utopia. It's a place for me to showcase some of the files I was able to salvage from the master's research I did at Concordia University that ended in part with my graduation in 1999. It's been fun to set up that site and I did it all myself. I did receive some excellent technical guidance from Register.com, HostPapa, my hosting company, and motivation from Kent James who I also did a story on for Suite101.com.

I have some writing work I am doing for an NGO, plus some other plans in the works. I am working on publishing another book soon and have been busy promoting my efforts. Having your own business is a lot of work - however, I would not call what I do completely a one-woman show. Many people do help in their own way.

Well...there's the update from me on how things have been going. Thanks to my student Jennifer Winters at George Brown College who helped to inspire me to update this blog. I will certainly make more of an effort to do so. For daily content, please do check out Donna Magazine.

School Year Starting

I'm still really excited about the new semester starting. I feel as though I have had enough time off, even though I know I could always use more rest.

One of the interesting things I have set up for all of my courses are the assignments already listed in Gradebook. Gradebook is a tool that is part of Blackboard that has become the electronic way to do everything from having a virtual classroom, sending out email to the class, sometimes even taking glances of students' pictures before the class starts. It is wonderful to have this technology as part of teaching these days. They did not have anything such as this while I was in school.

Another thing I have set up is that all of my lesson plans for the semester are prepared. When I was a waitress, as well as art model at the Arts and Letters Club in Toronto, there was this great woman I met there who used to teach at Seneca College. She still teaches art at the Arts and Letters Club I believe. She gave me a hint about being organized that has truly helped me out and made it possible for me to teach so many courses such as I do.

She said she would prepare all of her lesson plans before the semester starts. I thought at the time and still do think this is brilliant. The reason why is because before I knew about this, my weekends would be devoted to preparing lesson plans for the upcoming week, as well as marking. This meant I would have no social life at all. With this woman's excellent tip - I have still found it possible to do some social things, as well as write on the weekends and the early mornings, plus the occasional evening.

If you find this information helpful which I hope you do - please feel free to take full advantage of it. You can also find more information about teaching in my book The Education Generation which can be purchased along with other books at: http://stores.lulu.com/kakonged. Enter "LULUBOOK" on checkout and you will receive 10 per cent off for this month.

The New Semester

I'm gearing up for an exciting new semester. I will be teaching six courses at Seneca College, two courses at Centennial College and two courses at Trebas Institute.

Since Trebas starts near the end of September, I will not be in the full swing of 10 courses for the fall until that time. It will be exciting and I am looking forward to it. Last semester, a year from now, I taught nine courses and that went well. I am looking forward to this extra work and the challenge of it.

The courses I will be teaching are two sections of news announcing I, one section of news announcing II, two sections of reading and writing skills, one section of English for academic purposes, global citizenship, beat reporting (where the students will be putting together an online magazine), plus the broadcasting industry and communications I. I'm really looking forward to teaching all of these courses.

Most Interesting Campuses in Ontario

Ontario has some of the most beautiful campuses in the country of Canada. Here is a quick description of some of them:

Queen's University located in Kingston is a picturesque town with a campus that is charming. You can actually see the ivy growing on the university and it is relatively easy to maneuver your way around the campus.

The University of Toronto undoubtedly has one of the most beautiful campuses in Canada, and yes in Ontario too. Located in the centre of downtown Toronto, the Bata Shoe Museum is close by, plus the Royal Ontario Museum and the Textile Museum. There are great places to eat that surround the entire campus and some parts of it even have cobblestone.

York University's campus is also beautiful and changing all the time. With its large quadrant that has a grassy knoll, plus a waterfall, it is huge space that has some elements of the old and the new. Just over to the south of the campus is Seneca College that also has many elements of a new design and is a building that displays its strength in understanding technology.

One of the lesser known universities in Toronto, however ones that are extremely interesting include Humber College and Guelph-Humber University. These institutions which are joined actually resemble the Pearson airport that is not too far away. At Guelph-Humber they have a wall that is filled with leaves and foliage right in the atrium. It is absolutely gorgeous for anyone who has the opportunity to see it.

Ryerson University on the other hand is like a modern village in the heart of downtown Toronto. With so much going on around it, it is amazing to think the students there actually get an opportunity to get any studying done. With its proximity to the Eaton Centre, as well as great restaurants, jewelry stores and a newly formed square close to the Hard Rock Café, there is so much going on there that it would be hard for a student looking to take a break to be bored.

Another interesting campus is Centennial College at Pape and Mortimer in Toronto that used to be the old teacher's college. That school also used to be the location where the world famous “Degrassi Juniour High” series was filmed. If you look at the show, as well as look at aspects of the school – you can easily identify some of the classrooms and location scenes from the show.

10 Most Popular Media & Recording Arts Programs

There are so many terrific media and recording arts programs in Canada and the United States that are popular – it is hard to know where to start. There is a list below though.

Carleton University has one of the oldest and most respected media programs in Canada. This program has produced graduates that are in areas of media all around the globe. Some its notable graduates include the late Peter Jennings.

Concordia University in Montreal also has a strong media program that has such notable graduates as Jeannie Lee with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and Scott Laurie with CTV Newsnet.

McGill University in Montreal also has a great reputation with many of its graduates working all over the world. Their strength lies in the communication programs at the graduate level.

Ryerson University has an excellent media program and in most places in Toronto, where Ryerson is located, you will find a graduate from Ryerson.

Centennial College in Toronto also has a really strong media program. They have developed some excellent journalists that are working in all parts of media and PR practitioners that are working all over the world. They are also about to start a sports journalism program beginning in January of 2009.

Humber College has a really popular media program. Their graduates go on to terrific success all over the world.

Guelph-Humber University is still a relatively new school, however has an excellent media program that has everything from public relations, image arts and journalism. Their graduates are starting to make a foothold in the field of media that proves that the school is here to stay.
mailto:Seneca@York
Seneca College at York University and in the School of Communication Arts has an excellent program that focuses on broadcast journalism. They also have a summer institute that has a strong reputation. One of the more notable graduates of their program is Melissa Grelo on CP24 with Rogers. They also have a strong independent music production program, as well as a fairly new independent digital photography program.

Sheridan College also has an excellent media program that tends to produce animators that work in such places such as the United States for Disney.

Simon Fraser University is a more academic type of school when it comes to media. Many of its graduates become well-respected scholars in the area of media and communications.

The University of Regina also has a great reputation when it comes to media education. Some its notable graduates include the award-winning journalist Rita Shelton Deverell of Vision-TV.

King's College at Dalhousie University has a fantastic reputation and many of the journalists working throughout Canada, as well as in the Maritimes are graduates of that school.

Ottawa University also has a strong media program. Algonquin College also located in Ottawa has a media summer institute that has a terrific reputation.

For French-speaking schools l'Université du Québec à Montreal has an excellent reputation for producing journalists that work in French.

Plus, back in Ontario, Durham College in Ajax has a strong media program.

Some of the more notable American schools include:

● Columbia University
● Northwestern University
● University of Missouri

10 MOST POPULAR DESIGN PROGRAMS

DESIGN IS SUCH A FASCINATING FIELD OF STUDY AND IT CAN BE HARD TO FIND THE BEST SCHOOL TO STUDY AT. HERE IS A LIST OF THE 10 MOST POPULAR DESIGN PROGRAMS IN CANADA. THERE ARE ACTUALLY A FEW MORE THAN 10 BECAUSE IT WAS SO DIFFICULT TO NARROW THE LIST DOWN TO JUST 10.

THE ONTARIO COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN (OCAD) FOCUSES EXCLUSIVELY ON EVERYTHING HAVING TO DO WITH ART AND DESIGN, AS THE NAME STATES. OCAD FOR SHORT HAS ONE OF THE BEST REPUTATIONS IN THE PROVINCE OF ONTARIO, CANADA AND HAS PRODUCED GRADUATES THAT YOU CAN FIND IN EVERY FIELD OF ART AND DESIGN. FROM PAINTERS, TO SCULPTORS, TO GRAPHIC DESIGNERS TO INTERIOR DESIGNERS, OCAD PRODUCES SOME TOP QUALITY PEOPLE AND HAS SOME EXTREMELY FAMOUS FACULTY MEMBERS, WELL-KNOWN IN THEIR FIELD. THE SCHOOL IS DEVELOPING SO MUCH, THEY ALSO HAVE ADVERTISING PROGRAMS AND MASTER'S DEGREES. THERE HAS BEEN SOME DISCUSSION ABOUT THE SCHOOL ALSO OFFERING A DOCTORATE DEGREE IN A NUMBER OF YEARS.

YORK UNIVERSITY'S FINE ARTS PROGRAM HAS A REPUTATION THAT IS INTERNATIONAL. THIS SCHOOL OFFERS TERRIFIC PROGRAMS IN DESIGN AND EXTREMELY STRONG DESIGNERS HAVE GRADUATED FROM THE SCHOOL THAT CAN BE FOUND ALL OVER THE WORLD.

RYERSON UNIVERSITY SITUATED IN THE HEART OF DOWNTOWN TORONTO ALSO HAS A STRONG DESIGN PROGRAM. MOVING OVER TO THE WEST PART OF CANADA, THE EMILY CARR INSTITUTE OF ART AND DESIGN IN BRITISH COLUMBIA HAS A GREAT REPUTATION THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY AND HAS PRODUCED SOME EXCELLENT DESIGNERS.

KEEPING TO THE WEST PART OF CANADA, THE BANFF SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS HAVE SOME SUPERIOR DESIGN PROGRAMS THAT ARE HIGHLY RESPECTED IN THE INDUSTRY. THE BANFF SCHOOL ALSO OFFERS SPECIAL SUMMER PROGRAMS THAT HAVE JUST AS STRONG A REPUTATION AS THEIR LONGER TERM PROGRAMS.

THE BRITISH COLUMBIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY IS ANOTHER PLACE THAT HAS A POPULAR DESIGN PROGRAM. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO STUDY A DESIGN VIBRANT CITY SUCH AS MONTREAL, YOU MAY WANT TO CHOOSE ACADÉMIE INTERNATIONALE DU DESIGN INC. OR DAWSON COLLEGE. NOT FAR FROM MONTREAL IN OTTAWA IS A DESIGN PROGRAM AT ALGONQUIN COLLEGE.

HEADING OUT EAST, THERE IS A DESIGN PROGRAM IN HALIFAX AT THE NOVA SCOTIA COLLEGE OF ART AND DESIGN.

TORONTO HAS MANY EXCELLENT DESIGN PROGRAMS AT CENTENNIAL COLLEGE, DURHAM COLLEGE IN AJAX (NOT FAR FROM TORONTO), GEORGE BROWN COLLEGE, HUMBER COLLEGE AND SENECA COLLEGE ON YORK UNIVERSITY'S CAMPUS, ALSO KNOWN AS Seneca@York IN THE SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION ARTS.

10 Most Popular Media & Recording Arts Programs

There are so many terrific media and recording arts programs in Canada and the United States that are popular – it is hard to know where to start. There is a list below though.

Carleton University has one of the oldest and most respected media programs in Canada. This program has produced graduates that are in areas of media all around the globe. Some its notable graduates include the late Peter Jennings.

Concordia University in Montreal also has a strong media program that has such notable graduates as Jeannie Lee with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) and Scott Laurie with CTV Newsnet.

McGill University in Montreal also has a great reputation with many of its graduates working all over the world. Their strength lies in the communication programs at the graduate level.

Ryerson University has an excellent media program and in most places in Toronto, where Ryerson is located, you will find a graduate from Ryerson.

Centennial College in Toronto also has a really strong media program. They have developed some excellent journalists that are working in all parts of media and PR practitioners that are working all over the world. They are also about to start a sports journalism program beginning in January of 2009.

Humber College has a really popular media program. Their graduates go on to terrific success all over the world.

Guelph-Humber University is still a relatively new school, however has an excellent media program that has everything from public relations, image arts and journalism. Their graduates are starting to make a foothold in the field of media that proves that the school is here to stay.
mailto:Seneca@York
Seneca College at York University and in the School of Communication Arts has an excellent program that focuses on broadcast journalism. They also have a summer institute that has a strong reputation. One of the more notable graduates of their program is Melissa Grelo on CP24 with Rogers. They also have a strong independent music production program, as well as a fairly new independent digital photography program.

Sheridan College also has an excellent media program that tends to produce animators that work in such places such as the United States for Disney.

Simon Fraser University is a more academic type of school when it comes to media. Many of its graduates become well-respected scholars in the area of media and communications.

The University of Regina also has a great reputation when it comes to media education. Some its notable graduates include the award-winning journalist Rita Shelton Deverell of Vision-TV.

King's College at Dalhousie University has a fantastic reputation and many of the journalists working throughout Canada, as well as in the Maritimes are graduates of that school.

Ottawa University also has a strong media program. Algonquin College also located in Ottawa has a media summer institute that has a terrific reputation.

For French-speaking schools l'Université du Québec à Montreal has an excellent reputation for producing journalists that work in French.

Plus, back in Ontario, Durham College in Ajax has a strong media program.

Some of the more notable American schools include:

● Columbia University
● Northwestern University
● University of Missouri

How to Start Studying Abroad

Studying abroad is an excellent experience – if you get the opportunity it is worth it in so many ways. Here are some tips on how you can start to plan for studying abroad.

Many schools have an international centre where you can inquire about studying abroad. Most schools also have links with certain universities around the world where you are able to study there. For example, the University of Toronto has a link with a school in Florence, Italy where you can study architecture and design. What a terrific experience this would be for anyone.

As well, there are certain campus based travel agencies that will give you the opportunity to study abroad.

Going on a student exchange is another option for studying abroad. You can organize this through your school and check your school's course calendar for more information.

As well, there are schools such as Seneca College that bring international schools on campus so students can find out about their options to continue their studying through travel and learning. Make use of these information sessions and when school representatives are on campus, ask as many questions as you can and find out all the information you need.

Once you have made the decision to study abroad, you will need to make sure you have the necessary health shots that may be needed depending on what area of the world you will be studying in. You will need to arrange accommodation – it is always recommended to live on campus until you get to know the city. As well, make sure you have your passport and other information in order.

Running a Business During the Recession

There can be disadvantages and advantages to running a business during a recession. I have found some promising things happening, as well as some not so promising things as well.

Due to the fact the recession does exist, I am finding it hard for my writers to actually get paid for their work. I feel bad about this because I was really hoping with my advertorial business model that all of my writers would receive an income. So far, although it has been about a month, this is not the case.

The promising news is that there are writers out there who are willing to work on a volunteer basis and this still creates fresh content for my online multimedia magazine Donna. I also plan to dip into my own funds and to transfer some of my VHS content into digital format so I can upload it onto the magazine. This way I can take advantage of the fact that I have been given the opportunity to include video material and to also have a more updated version of my documentaries and video stories.

So far, it also looks as though I will not be getting more work with Humber College and the University of Guelph-Humber for the time being. This is unfortunate because I had really depended on that income, however it is a good thing that I diversify my work. I still do have work with Seneca College, Centennial College and Trebas Institute - so I do not have to feel economically stranded.

My books are doing well. I managed to sell some during the month of May. I am hoping that sales will pick up even more this month. My Roxanne seems to be selling especially well. I also plan to start working on a new book this summer. I was going to work on a book called Story Ideas, however I found that I was not satisfied with what I had and would like to polish it some more. I may change the content of that book and actually turn it into a book of short stories which is something I am interested in writing again.

So...that is my latest update of my business efforts. I am managing to survive during this recession, however I will be very thankful when it is over. I am sure I am not alone in those thoughts.

Interview Today

Today I have an interview with a learning centre in downtown Toronto about doing a story, as well as getting a job. I find when I have interviews I really need to focus and to make sure it is one of the only things I do on that day.

I am really hoping it goes well because like most people, I could use the extra money. It looks as though things are shaping up well for my fall semester of teaching. I am looking forward to starting that, however the summer is proving to be exciting too. I start the summer semester at Trebas Institute on Wednesday. I will be teaching online marketing and it should be a lot of fun. I already know the students because I had them in the winter semester and they are a great group.

On Thursday I am back at Seneca. I am looking forward to that too. We started off learning about blogging and online journalism. There will be a lot of that implemented into the curriculum over the semester.

At the same time, when it comes to Donna Magazine, I am still looking for volunteer submissions. My advertorial model may work for some and encourage any one who thinks it could work for them to make some money from my site.

Wish me luck for my interview today.

Update

So I got my book School Works - Other Essays published through Lulu.com. It can bought at: http://stores.lulu.com/kakonged. I plan to do a podcast about it too to put up on that site which is: http://kakonged.podomatic.com. Yesterday I was teaching my students all about blogs and making money from blogs, so I might as well get right into it myself. Plus, it's a lot of fun.

Still have the marking to do and the email to send out. I will do that right after this. I'm also doing some editing on a former student's script that looks amazing so far. I will be doing training with my web designer later in the day so I can do the updates myself with my official website: www.donnakakonge.com. I need to update my resume on there, as well as feature the new books I have done.

School Works - Other Essays

Yesterday I had two classes to teach at Seneca College. They went well. I did more talking in these classes than in the first classes because I had to lay down the groundwork of the some fundamental knowledge, however the class still did go well.

Today I hope to publish my book School Works - Other Essays. I have some editing to do with that book, plus a whole lot of marking to do for assignments at Seneca College. I am hoping that the students understand that if I give them a week to hand in an assignment, they should at least give me a week to mark it. I hope they understand that is fair. I will send out an email about that just to clarify, in case anyone is expecting to get it right away.

Other than that, things are going well. I have a lot of work to do today and have organized many of my stories to put together for my new website (or really revamped from an old one) Donna's Salon Utopia. I have also assembled some stories for my main magazine Donna that I plan to start rolling out closer to June. I would like to work more on podcasts, as well as video work, which I definitely will do. Things are going well. I cannot complain.

Seneca College and Trent University

Now Seneca College students have a chance to do a liberal arts diploma and a degree at Trent University in four years.

This move goes along with the trend many universities are taking so students can receive a college diploma and a university degree at the same time. Seneca College has also partnered with York University for a journalism diploma at Seneca@York, as well, Centennial College has partnered with the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC) campus for a journalism diploma at Centennial. Students can receive an arts degree at UTSC.

For private education that is top-quality, there are schools such as Trebas Institute that offer one-year programs in such areas as entertainment management and film and audio production.

Seneca College

Yesterday I had my first day back at Seneca@York for the summer semester. What a bright new crop of students I seem to have for this new semester. We discussed everything from conspiracy theories, to the Tamil protest to racism to beautiful Canadian islands. Two students introduced me to a great new singer named Jason Maraz. It was so inspiring to have such lively discussions with some young people who seemed to show themselves from the first day as having such bright minds.

The key and challenge now will be to sustain this momentum. This is always the challenge with teaching. You want to make sure if you have a great first day that you can sustain that momentum throughout the 14 or 15 weeks of the course. I will do my part, I can just hope that they will do theirs.

The first assignment I have my media writing students doing is an online piece where they actually have to get at least one original source. They had some grumbles about that, however I am sure they will find this to be a rewarding experience.

Well...until next time.