Pathways DTM Chew Ban Seng: Pathway's Obstacles and Joys

"It is the flexibility and freedom from Pathways that give me the flight of joy and pleasure."

Chew Ban Seng DTM

Past District Governor

Several Toastmasters submitted applications for their Pathways DTMs in the month of March. They are fortunate to have unutilised credits from earlier years to fulfill the new requirements. Chew Ban Seng is one of the first one's. He also writes a blogspot blog. 

Chew Ban Seng wrote in his blog when he got his Pathways DTM:

"Now that I have completed my Pathways DTM journey, I have been asked to share. I am doing this at District 51 Annual Conference 2018 which is held at the Royale Chulan Damansara, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia. 

On Friday afternoon 20 April 2018, 12 "Experts" will share their Toastmasters experiences based on 4 'cluster' themes. Each cluster consists of 3 Toastmasters. Each speaker will speak for 15 minutes with the balance 15 minutes for panel discussion. I am the final speaker in "Cluster 1: Toastmasters in the Digital Age". "

A familiar face in the middle! Lorraine Taylor speaking about Online Toastmasters Clubs!

The title of the presentation is "Pathways: 2 Biggest Obstacles and 1 Biggest Weakness"

"Basically the challenges I faced will be similar to what most of you will be facing when you embark on Pathways.

The first major obstacle is mindset. Getting people to change from the traditional education path is the most difficult. Switching from what we normally do to something new - blended learning - is never easy. For many, the transformation is huge... but we know that it must be done for the future of Toastmasters.

The second major hurdle (or obstacle) is the lack of computer literacy skills. Even though I use the computer on a daily basis I still had challenges. I really appreciate my Vice President Education (who is a Pathways Guide) for the patience to hold my hands with hiccups after hiccups. In the process, I now fully understand the whole Pathways system including the workings within Base Camp.

I believe that Toastmasters International should invest in a dropdown menu with auto-translation into the key languages used. In District 80, many Mandarin-speaking Toastmasters felt lost navigating unchartered territories.

Surprisingly, this in my opinion is still not the biggest weakness...

Even though we paid for our Pathways path, the present system does not allow us to look further ahead. What is the reason to restrict our access to projects of higher levels? Why is this necessary?

Without doubt this is the biggest weakness in the new educational system. For someone who likes to work "with the end in mind", I felt very frustrated and unfulfilled. It was only after I had completed  one Pathways path, that I could see the "big picture" for the second using the first as guide since many of the elective projects are similar.

I sincerely hope that Toastmasters International will lift this unnecessary restriction once the new Pathways is fully rolled out in all Districts by 30 June 2018. "   

In our messaging, I asked Chew "and your Greatest Joys"? He answered me in his blog:

"My major joys??? It is the flexibility and freedom from Pathways that give me the flight of joy and pleasure" and he gave me permission to publish from his post here.

"The most enjoyable thing about Pathways is the opportunity to try new things otherwise not possible. If you had followed my blog, I did a lot of Rotary activities and tied that with Pathways. I am doing good serving humanity and doing my Pathways at the same time.  Certainly a "win-win" approach which I believe is the essence of Pathways. 😍" 

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As for me, after I read about the new Educational Learning Systems and Blended Learning, I did better understand why we can not see the whole picture in our first path. About that another time. But in the beginning, I was also frustrated not being able to see to the end as I am not part of those who grew up on video games, also based on Levels where you can not see farther till got through one of them.

April begins with it's tasks

The month of April, 2018 begins. I hope the path toward the end will not look like this.

I should have copied it with it's title, to tell who took the photography: it was not me. Even if I did find a few years back a similar corridor in Goldsmith university.

This one is in a school, intended to slow down the usually running kids.

It is only illusion, in fact it is all smooth, no real hole or inclination on it.

Perhaps, it is the same with my duties as Pathways Guide, only I see it full of problems to solve, full of dangers to overcome. But what best learning then overcoming obstacles? Some obstacles are real, other obstacles are only in our heads.

I have been Pathways Ambassador in my District for longer then I discovered Pathways, and my ten presentations went all well. Did Panels and Questions & Answer. I know my subject well. No problem there. 

Contact? I will find a way to contact those who did not yet answer yet, and in two clubs the first contact, and in one even the date is solved. Usually, I am not bad interacting. Love even interacting with new people I did not know before! Prove my pictures of street portraiture. Let me show you only a few of them. 

Here, from London, after I arrived here, 10 years ago I begun to walk the streets with camera in hand.

He was working repairing the street with his colleagues. They stopped to eat. I asked him if I could take his portrait.

"Me? I am old! What is interesting."

"Well, I am also old, so?" 

That smile towards me shows all. He was delighted that I choose him, and loved to be photographed and we had farther discussions before I went farther.

Divali in the square, Trafalgar square in London. I took a lot of photos, and spoke with many different people, most of them from Pakistan. Once we begun interacting, all were friendly towards me. I did not feel any more "afraid or anxious" to walk between all the "strangers" I did not know about. 

Going back to the station, a group of young, and this boy with a strange hair I found interesting. Special. 

"May I take your photo? Love how you look!"

"Me? yes! Do take it. Thank you"

As you can see from his smile, he was also happy to be chosen between his pals. Seen. Seeing each other remarking each other is so important!

I also went out the the Chinese new year, and found another photographer, taking pictures. We begun to talk. She was the one who asked me first, it turned out, she knew me from Flickr, the photographers web site, where we both put our pictures. 

While chatting, we took pictures of each other and published it in the "photos of those 50+" : she was over 50 and I was over 70 but we both belonged to the same group, between other groups.

Over 70 is still over 50, init?

This picture got many "favorites" and we continued to mail each other for a while. Flickr is a place where I can speak with my images: 13 million hits since I joined. Way back, in its beta days.

As I was Ambassador but I am new as Pathways Guide, I studied in Base Camp all the material given to a Guide. Lots of it, happy most of it I already knew.

and also

As you can see, I finished most of it. Recently I begun to read the "Master Q & A Log" hundred of pages, but a lot of interesting information in it. Some, new even to me. As it is so full of information, I read it slowly and have a special page where I copy the information I want to retain and spread. From it, I learned that I do not have to logout as Base Camp Manager from the Base camp, but can signal differently that I am done and come back as a Member to see my own projects.

I have yesterday, finished with the three remote access clubs, and remained with "only" four toastmaster clubs, three online and one near me. Currently, preparing a Grab a Role meeting for Wednesday, in my "base" club I am also Secretary. This role not only helps me to know, what a Base camp manager can see and do, but lets me help the other two BCM from my club. 

This is my Educational Transcript with my three Active Paths: MS and LS(in French) I just got the Icebreaker done so far. In Dynamic Leadership I am on Level 4 and soon will "do" the very interesting project "Managing Change"

The last one looks like a Path, but in fact is the Pathways Guide Tasks I described above.
So much to do! What a joy! What would I do if I had not all that to do? 

What is then my fear? What is the huge unknown for me? How will the clubs I visit find Web contact and project my presentation. We have special "technical advisor" for it! Again, probably the projected huge problem will become no problem at all. At least, not for me. And if it will come, I have to whom ask help and I'll learn something more. 

Live on Facebook, together?

Testing, testing, testing.

Live, side-by-side

Misako Yoke, President of Buddies, honored me asking to help her testing a software that will take us "live" and does not cost a lot of money!

One of us did not hear the other. Resolved. One of us does not see we are side by side. But "live" we were side by side. I have seen myself like this, and only the lighter green part got into "live". 

Testing takes time, we always learn something! Used later or not. 

I used the time she was preparing to record this short video. Sorry for the beginning, the rest is clear. And I am not able to transform this to QT and cut the beginning.

While waiting for Misako to come back, I recorded, for myself with Replay Video Recording. My intentions for the next path and speaking of my photos and how I got into photography. A bad experience turned very well, transformed in a new passion.

Then I stopped, as she arrived back.The 3 minute chat side-by-side with Misako is shared on her and my Facebook page: remember, we were together but still testing. It is always better with someone. Strange, that I did not have problem of recording my voice, and I do miss "someone" to tell my stories to. 

So go "slow" or go fast? I decided to try out EVERY one of the projects proposed on my MS path, it is "slow". But I intend to find many occasions to tell. A year ago, Eastern Sunday, I told a tale about my youth, when I was 25 - telling it again and again, I discovered many different meanings to it. I was at my first project's first story after the Icebreaker. I learned so much since!