Acknowledgements v.2.0

I'm getting grumpy and hangrrry. I want to sleep on my King sized bed with Vic and Java beside me. I want rice and chicken inasal.
NOT possible at this time!!!

So, let's do this na = a small but important portion of my dissertation
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This research project is my renewal of vows to the Philippines.
At the most testing time when almost everyone in my FB are either hurting, hopeless or angry, I dug deep to find the reasons for getting into Education in the first place. I believed in it then during Ninoy Aquino's assassination, and I still believe in it now.  Education is still a great weapon against underdevelopment, indifference and hopelessness. 

This journey to educate myself further has  brought me humility, gratitude and rekindled faith in the goodness of people and the love of God. I truly appreciate the greater minds out there who have widened my perspectives, mentored me through qualitative research, listened and challenged me through my academic writing. Through your time and efforts, I have regained trust in myself in order to tread on the last leg of my career as educator-researcher, daydreamer-magic bean-buyer. I'm in this for the long haul.

This research was made possible through the support, resources, inspiration and unselfish knowledge of the following: 

Doctors, amazing and gifted: Dr Arnon Rivera, Dr Teret de Villa, Dr Nemah Hermosa, Dr Lex Librero, Dr Virgilio Manzano, Dr Angelito Manalili, Dr Pat Arinto, Dr Primo Garcia, Dr David Jones, Dr Patrick Danaher, Dr Rachel King, Dr Sophia Imran, Dr Barbara Harmes, Dr Douglas Eacersall, Dr Linda Galligan,  Dr Petrea Redmond and the PGECR group of Doctors and Doctors-to-be - your time and talents are truly appreciated;

Universities and their people: the Research Support Team of USQ,  the University of the Philippines-System, particularly the Office of the Vice President of Academic Affairs and the University of the Philippines Open University - your time and efforts are greatly appreciated.  I shall pay it forward to our studentry.

Teachers, parents, students, school leaders and staff of the Marikina City schools and The  Builders’ School: you have held on through thick and thin for the sake of innovative and progressive education in the Philippines. Press on!

Earl and Nicky and the rest of the Pantillano family: you are my home away from home. There is nothing like our sisterly-brotherly bond in the name of Sigma Delta Phi and Upsilon Sigma Phi.

Rivera, Lazo and Villanueva Clan: my utmost thanks for keeping the love alive over our FB Bonfire and Viber.

Truest friends who go by the name of Rachel, Atel, Queenie, Sol, Nefer, Kat, Diego, and Al-Francis: you have kept in touch with my hyper thoughts and feelings. Please hang in there to keep my heart and mind in place.

Espada and Inocentes family, Anna and Alex: you have kept me warm, well-fed and safe at Queensland. Health and happiness to all of you.

To the couple Julieta '57 and Manuel '57: you still are the sweet and spice of my life. Your love has conquered all. 

U.P. Oblation by Guillermo Tolentino: you have been a silent witness to all my running rage and moments of peace. I lay at your feet compassion and academic excellence. 

Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa, Lorde,  Ennio Maricone, Sting, The Cure,  CMBYN soundtrack, Oasis, Batman, Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, Villette, East of Eden, The Literary Apprentice, L422 and G422.10: such great company you are all throughout my writing.

And most of all, to the worshipable Teacher Vic, Miranda and Mauro,  you truly are God's likeness here on Earth. Your love is the greatest of all.

ICON 79724 to Student ID 61094432

Woops, where did this come from. Pulled it out of my USQ app folder.
There you go aLeTa.
A reminder for your Implications and Significance portion -

SUMMARY OF RESEARCH INTERESTS and EXPERIENCES
My initial research interests are in the areas of inquiry learning , integrated curriculum and progressive education. These are borne out my rich classroom-based experiences at the K12 levels and being a co-founder of a small, multi grade progressive school (builderschool.org) The small school serves as venue for my classroom practice and have naturally become a source of research ideas to capture program models and pedagogies through case studies in the context of curriculum as lived experience. Graduate level coursework provided me with the tools to critically examine and analyze school practices in curriculum development and supervision. Four (4) published works and a few conference paper presentations are evidences of these sustained research pursuits throughout the years.

With my movement towards teacher education through open university work, I have found new meaning, but still through qualitative research in these areas: virtual communities, platforms and frameworks for blended and online learning, virtual schooling at the K12, and more recently, the communities of inquiry , particularly teaching presence and learning presence. The frames of analysis have widened a bit, but with more focus as seen through three (3) published works and a series of conference presentations, all of which have been made possible through one faculty research grant and research dissemination grant.

My proposed research is about the elements of the Communities of Inquiry Framework, namely teaching and learning presence in the Philippine Open High School programs. My current experiences as a teacher of teachers in an open university has provided me with the theoretical lens to examine blended and online teaching and learning. I foresee fruitful application of this study in the areas of teacher training and professional development related to blended and online course design/delivery among K12/ high school learners, postsecondary learners in alternative and open learning systems. This thesis shall provide the space for prospective linkages towards the development of continuing education short courses for K12 blended and online instructors, quality blended programs at the basic education level and possible Yr 11-12 partner institutional offerings .

Therefore this research shall continue to fuel my humble contribution to the Philippine educational system in the area of educational innovations, improvements and reform which will benefit a select but marginalized group of teachers and learners who have made their choice to get into flexible modes, open schooling or alternative learning systems.

Green Button: Yoohoo, your male brain please

This is like Bilbo Baggins' There and Back again.
Our version isn't so terrible at least.
I can see myself as any of the hobbits while he, a Gandalf.
Must be his hair and height.

Back in Year 2009, we were both junior facs at UPOU. I think he was a year ahead me working on a research project with a senior faculty. Glad that we ended up doing our first stint into co-writing. This is all because of our shared experience of the ONE and ONLY UPOU Community Site, YEAH!!!

Thanks to green chat buttons, email exchanges and shared google sheets. We didn't even have to be together all the time to keep our brains working. Such is the salience > immediacy > social presence - cognitive presence > connectedness afforded by technology. Like a recent finding in my thesis.

After 2-4 years of business as usual with our careers, families, with brief Xmas and birthday greets or FB posts in between, I've come to know that  green button is on full study leave, just like me. Though really, he deserves it more than I do having toiled the toil while about 3 of us went on temporary leave and 1 out of UPOU, now @ANU, Canberra.

AFDL has coursework on auto-ethnography at University of Lancaster while I don't have any while at USQ.  So I'm a bit envious.  I dabbled with auto-ethno back then as AA Program Chair working on "Making Sense of Student Support at a Distance"...eklavoos.  I pulled a paper presentation all the way at Pune. Thanks to JZarate, Hum Prof of my AA's, who gave me great feedback. 

Now, I'm self-studying how to go about this paper for the foreseen PGECR sympo.  It helped that Green Button=AFDL is ON. Need some feedback from him. Here goes:

JRV 
to AFDL

Hi.

I'm submitting this for presentation here at USQ.

Can you pls review-- since you really have clearer, male kind of brain:

PhD Journey:  A Tale from the Backend of v.1.0 – v.2.0

Super salamat!

:)

--> Aleta

AFDL

to JRV

Hmmm.. refer to yourself in the first person instead?

Not sure what to look for, exactly. But that might be a potential issue. Hard to pinpoint the outcomes you were after. Or is the ambiguity deliberate?

JRV 
to AFDL

Good point.

Though I'm trying to avoid referring to I kase baka umiyak ako sa audience. Or sige, let's see ha.

Outcomes - can it be just contribution to ongoing practice? I haven't read so much pa on auto-ethno -- maybe I can find it there.

You have any reading or handout on auto-ethno? Baka dun ko mahanap yung ano ba contribution. Something on how to avoid self serving interests.

Salamat ha.

AFDL to JRV

Autoethnography e. This is about you... only pro wrestlers and egomaniacs refer to themselves in the third person. Hehe. Pinili mo yan kaya kasalanan mo kung iiyak ka in front of an audience. Hahaha.

It still has to be treated like any quali research. I called autoethnography that line between a well-written blog and scientific research, which some of my classmates liked. 

Autoethnography as Method by Chang was really helpful to me a few months ago. Malamang meron niyan sa library niyo, online or otherwise.

JRV 
to AFDL

Humahalakhak ako todo! See, that is why I need your male brains.

Thanks for tolerating the crazy in me.

I just don't know with the person who will  end up reviewing my submission.

I'll edit then resubmit, haha.

AFDL is in my circle of fave colleagues at UPOU. Ever reliable.

He is very intuitive in a different way and yet still scientific.

Must be his music-art brain mixing with knowledge on information systems and environmental science background = gifted child.

Looking forward to an honest to goodness collab work and again, with OUR students/ future mentees, post-PhD...which btw starts here:  ColLaboratoire 2020