A student publication of the University of Hawai‘i, Kaua‘i Community College Fall 2014 | Issue 2

Student survey brings welcome changes to cafeteria

Carol Bain / Ka Leo O KCC

Michael Buenconsejo /Contributing Writer

Ka Leo O KCCt h e v o i c e

73 64 52Phi Theta Kappa unites

Ke Kukui o KCC All Philosophical: Laptop or not?

"Graduated Suc-cess"

Gamifying Education

Student artwork from ART107D

The 50th Anniversary of UH Community CollegesAct 39: the birth of UH community colleges

There is something about round numbers, such as the adding up of five decades, to arouse feelings of nostalgia, thus causing cogitation, pondering and thoughtful appreciation for the existence of institutions of higher learning.

A celebration of the 50th anniversary is underway for all community colleges throughout the University of Hawai’i system. Kaua’i Community College is one of ten colleges participating.

In 1964 the state legislature passed into law the Community Colleges Act, known as Act 39, establishing a statewide community college system. That year, the institute became Kaua’i Community College under the UH administration.

The following year 174 students enrolled in credit courses for the first time. The College continued to offer off-campus courses as it had since its early days in the 1920’s as a technical school.

The first lower-division transfer courses were offered in 1967, and the first associate in arts and associate in science degrees were developed. More programs were added in following years including nursing, police and fire science, and trade technologies.

Fifty years after the Community Colleges Act, almost 1,500 students regularly enroll each semester in thirty academic programs at Kaua’i Community College.

Between 1964 and Fall 2013, more than 4,400 students have received a degree or certificate from KCC. In the current academic year, classes have been held in 22 distinct on-campus buildings.

Kaua’i Community College now offers distance education in

A student survey conducted recently produced several changes in the cafeteria this fall semester, including speedy access to food choices and credit or debit card purchases.

According to chef instructor Steve Nakata, "With the new patio area being built and a growing number of students looking for better on-campus food choices, discussions grew. From those conversations, a survey was put together to see what potential consumers were interested in seeing from the cafeteria."

In addition to daily hot meals provided by the culinary program, the cafeteria now offers a selection of new fare.

Credit and debit cards are now accepted, including Visa and Mastercard.

Survey input demonstrated

Kaua’i Community College, the island’s only institution of higher learn-ing, boasts approximately 45 buildings on 200 acres of what was once agricul-tural land. Its more than 1,400 enrolled students are used to its expansive lawns, sloping red roofs, and, of course, its chickens. But the story of how KCC came to Puhi, and the plantation camp that was here before then, is one very few know or remember.

The Plantation Camp Each of us growing up on Kaua’i

has at least some story of our family — some going back to pre-Cook times, others only going back to one or two generations in the islands. The majority of Kaua’i-born residents will say that their families came to Hawai’i in the

plantation era. This was the time when most of our grandparents or great grandparents came to build a new life on the pineapple, sugar, and other plantations.

Puhi Camp, one of the properties owned by Grove Farm Incorporated at that time, was one such refuge for immigrant workers. Situated on what is now Kaua’i Community College's farm area and the land that now serves as the college's western parking lot, Puhi Camp once housed more than 1,200 residents and 600 individual homes, according to a 2003 article by The Garden Island.

Workers from East Asia, Puerto Rico, and Portugal lived in the camp for three generations after its opening in 1920. Known as the most impressive

Shaina Nacion / Ka Leo O KCC

KCC historysee page 4

Cafeteria see page 2

Act 39see page 2

Kaua’iCC: the land and its history

Photo from:Bob Kraus, Grove Farm Plantation: The Biography of a Hawaiian Sugar

Plantation Grove Farm machinery used at Puhi, with old Puhi plantation camp in background.

2016

Save more. Earn more.Not graduating on time costs you more in tuition and fees, housing and living expenses.

In Hawai‘i, on average, residents with an associate’s degree earn $10k moreper year than those with only a high school diploma.Take 15 credits per semester and graduate on time.

Learn more. www.15ToFinish.com

Kenji Rutter / Ka Leo O KCC

2 Fall 2014 | Issue 2

Ka Leo O KCC Kaua‘i Community College

Board of Publications 3-1901 Kaumuali‘i Hwy.

Lihu‘e, HI 96766kaleookcc.org

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Staff:Editor: Shaina Nacion

Page Designer: Kenji RutterReporter: Bryan Gerald

Reporter: Michael BuenconsejoGraphic Designer: Catherine Antoine

Student/Faculty Contributors:Gary EllwoodSteve Watkins

Carol Bain Chris Tennberg

Marcus YamaguchiKeiaikekai Harris

The Board of Publications, a student organization chartered

by Kaua‘i Community College, publishes Ka Leo O KCC.

Email: kccbop@hawaii.edu

NEWS

"What's everybody all laughing for?" asked a student looking through the doorway to where the newly-formed Philosophy Club was gathered.

The stale image of philosophers as heavily-bearded and heavily-robed bald men discussing the finer points of existence was thrown for a loop today, with the first "inaugural meeting" of the Kaua'i Community College Philosophy Club. Designed as an informal forum for discussion and debate, the meeting was attended by more than eighteen students, both men and women.

This is the first time a philosophy club has existed at KCC, yet the number of attendees to the club's first meeting was surprisingly plentiful.

"I think it went pretty well," said Chris Tennberg, faculty advisor to the club and on-campus philosophy instructor. To encourage a casual atmosphere, food and drinks were provided, with music helping set the mood. Members were encouraged to speak up, discuss the issues and ask questions. "This isn't a classroom, where I can call on people to talk," Tennberg said, "but I want to make sure everyone has a voice."

The first meeting tackled the nature of morality and the rules which govern it. Tennberg stirred up discussion by introducing philosophical "thought experiments" used to examine moral choices on an intuitive level.

Despite the official meeting time of 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., most members stayed late to continue the discussion -- some even gathering outside the building once the meeting room had to be vacated. "It seems like people are interested in talking about difficult situations in a casual but thoughtful environment," Tennberg explained, "and that's all we're really hoping to achieve at Philosophy Club: [to] provide an open forum for thoughtful, reflective discussion and interaction."

For information on the club and its meeting schedule, contact Chris Tennberg at ctennber@hawaii.edu or visit the club website:http://online-philosophy.com/philclub.

Philosophy Club holds first meeting

The theme “Frontiers and the Spirit of Exploration” inspired the attendees of the Phi Theta Kappa Leadership Conference held September 26 and 27 at Hawai’i Community College to unite under scholastic aims.

Such conferences are an important opportunity for each chapter to network together. Due to the sustained high academic goals of this honor society, the conference also encourages students to sharpen up on “nerd” skills.

The team from Kaua’i chapter Alpha Pi Xi included President, Samantha-Hawkins Tabian; Vice President, Hope Tabian; Vice President of Leadership, Bryan Gerald; Social Media Officer , Eric Cano; new member, Dorien C; and Advisor Ann Kennedy.

This year’s host chapter at Hawai’i Community College, delivered a dynamic forum comprising of keynote speakers, workshops, and breakout sessions.

Keynote speaker, Taupouri Tangaro, Ph. D., a professor of Hawaiian Studies at Hawai’i Community College, shared his point of view on the theme of the conference:

“Each of you have an ancestor, a myth and a fate. These all need to be accounted for so that you can become complete,” said Tangaro. “The health of the mountains, ocean, stars reflects oneself.”

Tangaro categorized his lecture as “a talk story.” He reeled in his audience, asking each to state their

full name and place of living. The pride of who they are and where they come from resonated as each person shared.

On the second day of the conference, Glenn Mendoza, advisor from Heald College, got the students up and on their feet with breakout sessions. He guided them through impromptu skits, blind obstacle courses, and speeches. The exercises were intended to provoke an equal usage of body and mind engagement.

“Grades do not change the world; your actions do,” Mendoza said. This message is consistent with Phi Theta Kappa values.

Conference attendees came away with an understanding that if there is a problem in the human body there is a correlated problem in the surrounding world. We use this world around us to mirror our lives and to make changes accordingly.

“This was an awesome trip, and I would not have traded anything for it,” said attendee Eric Cano.

“The aloha spirit and fellowship was definitely in high abundance throughout the chapters,” said Hope Tabian.

Samantha Tabian shared the group cheer, “Phi Theta Kappa; Alpha Pi Xi; reach for the sky.”

Advisor, Ann Kennedy said, “Now, our KCC chapter has finally visited all of the sister islands that share in the Phi Theta

Kappa community.”

The Kaua’i chapter of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society

has seen a 100% increase in the number of member representation to Leadership and Regional off-island conferences within the last year.

To make these Phi Theta Kappa conferences a reality, members must pull from financial supporters in the community. Currently, the Kaua’i Chapter is working in partnership with Sudz Car Wash in Puhi as their primary fundraising outlet. Provided that the contract proves successful, the chapter will continue to use their services to build up their treasury for future events.

Phi Theta Kappa unites for leadership conference

K

Shaina Nacion / Ka Leo O KCC

Bryan Gerald / Ka Leo O KCC

“This was an awesome trip, and I would not have traded anything for it.” — Eric Cano

“Grades do not change the world, your actions do.”

— Glenn Mendoza

Above: Eric Cano / Contributed PhotoMembers of Phi Theta Kappa gather outside the

conference.

Below: Eric Cano / Contributed PhotoKaua'i Community College's Alpha Pi Xi Chapter

with keynote speaker Taupouri Tangaro.

Catherine Antoine /

Ka Leo O KCC

many formats and offers courses through the Internet that allow students to achieve advanced degrees in several fields.

We are all standing on the shoulders of those that passed and implemented Act 39, which emphasized the “open door” policy and the offering of strong trade-technical and liberal arts programs. Act 39 was thus the foundation for the College philosophy which has shaped curriculum, programs of instruction, faculty and staff hiring, and the physical plant.

Cont. Act 39see page 1

that students wanted quick access so they could get a meal or snack and go to their next class right away. New food choices include a number of “grab and go” items such as bentos, hot and cold sandwiches and salads. Students also wanted a wider assortment of canned and bottled drinks, including flavored coffee.

“The ‘grab and go’ items are for the busy student on the go who needs something to eat on the run between classes,” Nakata said. “Also, the option to use credit or debit cards is new to the cafeteria. For years the cafeteria only accepted cash, causing students and staff to waste time looking for an ATM machine across campus or going without a bite to eat.”

The two primary purposes of the cafeteria, as a source of nutrition for students and as an educational component of the culinary department, remain accommodated. The hot food choices are still available for those who have time to eat a full meal and the culinary arts students learn to prepare and cook many food selections.

Another exciting change will be coming soon to the bookstore. Some of those same “grab and go” items can be available for purchase after the cafeteria has closed for the day. The cafeteria is open 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., while the bookstore remains open until 3:30 p.m.

This will enable many students who attend classes later in the day to be able to grab a snack on campus rather than take the time to search for it on their way from work.

“We compiled the data from the survey and took some steps to improve on what we could,” said Nakata. “If and when the cafeteria can extend its hours of operation is still being considered by staff. In the meantime, this is a proactive move to make choices available later into the day.

“It’s a work in progress; rather than start from scratch, it was decided to build on what we have. If all goes well and the changes are embraced then more improvements can be justified.”

Cont. Cafeteriasee page 1

3 Fall 2014 | Issue 2

Ke KuKui o KCC

I kekahi hopena pule o Kekemapa, he heihei wa’a nui i ka moana ‘o Pailolo. E ho’omaka ma Flemmings Beach i ka moku ‘o Maui a ho’opau ma Kaunakakai Pier i ka moku ‘o Moloka’i. He kanawalukūmāwalu wa’a e heihei ana mai

kekahi moku a i kekahi moku. E mālama ana ‘o Hawaiian Canoe Club i kēia heihei wa’a.

He mea nui ka Makahiki no ka poʻe Hawaiʻi no ka mea hoʻomaka ʻia he makahiki hou ma Hawaiʻi nei. Ho‘ohanohano ka Makahiki iā Lono, ʻo ke akua o ka ʻoihana mahiʻai.

Ho‘omaka ‘ia ma ‘Okakopa a i Nowemapa a i ʻole ma Pepeluali a i

Malaki.Ua kapu ke kaua ma

i ka wā kahiko a ‘a‘ole i hana nā kānaka.

Ua hoʻomāhele ʻia ka Makahiki i ʻekolu wā. ʻO ka wā mua, ʻo ia ka wā no ka hāʻawi hoʻokupu. I ka wā ʻelua, hoʻolauleʻa ʻia ka hula a me nā mea pāʻani hoʻoikaika kino e

like me ka ʻulu maika, ka mokomoko, ka hōlua, ka heʻe nalu, a pēlā aku.

ʻO ka waʻa ʻauhau ʻo ia ka wā ʻekolu. He waʻa piha me nā hoʻokupu a lawe aku i kahakai, he makana ia no Lono. I ka haʻalele aku o ka waʻa, ua pau ka Makahiki.

WELCOME to Ke Kukui o KCC!

This column of the paper will focus on news and events involving or con-cerning Native Hawaiians, Kauaʻi’s host culture, some of which will be in the Hawaiian language.

Everything will also be posted on the web ver-sion of the newspaper, but exclusive to the web will be the English trans-lation of the Hawaiian text. So if you are not fluent in ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i, and youʼre curious about what is being said, we encourage you to go to the website of Ka Leo O KCC and check out the English translations of Hawaiian language articles:

kaleookcc.org or https://www.facebook.com/Kaleookcc

AND we encourage you to LEARN HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE! (After all, this IS HAWAI‘I, people. Right?)

This section of the news-paper is sponsored by the Hawaiian Studies Department, and the articles are submitted, for the most part, by students taking classes in that department. We would like to invite ANY students on this campus to submit articles, sto-ries, poems, or news that involves Native Hawaiian issues, history or cul-ture, especially if it is written in the Hawaiian language. Please make your submission to Kumu Pua, for editing, and then she will submit it to the newspaperʻs editor for publishing. Mahalo!

Submit to Kumu Puali’ili’imaikalani Rossi-Fukino at:puali@hawaii.edu

(Of course, it goes with-out saying, you can sub-mit articles directly to the newspaper’s contacts for all the non-Hawaiian topics you would like to write about!)

ʻO ke kuleana o mākou ʻo ka mālama i ka ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi. Ua hoʻopau ʻia ka ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi i ka makahiki ʻumikūmāwalu kanaiwakūmāono. Akā, ua hoʻōla ʻia ka ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi i ka makahiki ʻumikūmāiwa kanahikukūmāwalu e ka poʻe wiwo ʻole. Mahalo nui i ka poʻe no ka hana a lākou e hoʻōla ai i ka ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi. E hana ana kākou e mālama i ke ola o ka ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi.

Ka ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi

Ka Heihei Waʻa ma Pailolo

Ka Makahiki

Shaydon Moises / Ke Kukui o KCC

Bryan Gerald / Ka Leo O KCCJin Wah Lau, the manager of the KCC Farm inspects

a kalo patch.

Hoʻomaikaʻi e Kumu Pua a me Kumu Josh no ka hānau o ke keiki kāne a lāua, ʻo Kualauokekoa! Ua hānau ʻia ʻo ia ma ka lā ʻehiku o ʻOkakopa.

Contributed Photo

Contributed Photo

4 Fall 2014 | Issue 2

A computer is a necessary tool in order to be successful as a student. Aside from assignments that require the use of a computer, the college also strongly advises students to check their UH portal, e-mail, and Laulima accounts daily, because this is the primary means of communication between the college offices, faculty members, and students.

There are also certain advantages to owning a computer, as opposed to relying on the college computer resources. Access to laptops and PCs provided by the Learning Resource Center is limited to college hours,

so students who own their own computers have the advantage of being able to do homework outside of these restraints, primarily at night and during the weekend. These students can also receive updates from instructors and professors which are not always posted during college hours.

Since use of and proficiency with computers is beneficial to student success, and there are benefits to owning a computer rather than borrowing one, it may be a good idea to consider there be a requirement for students to own a laptop.

While it may be a bad idea to require something of students that would become a barrier in their pursuit of a higher education, requiring students to own a laptop may not even be a barrier at all.

Computers are commonplace in this generation, so it can be safely assumed that students who can afford a laptop already own one. Other students, who may not be able to afford a computer, are most likely on financial aid, and part of this financial aid could be used to purchase a computer.

CAMPUS LIFEThere’s been some talk

recently about requiring students to purchase a laptop when they register as students at KCC. Now although I’m a huge fan of technology and definitely think that every student should have access to a computer and also be able to demonstrate some basic computer proficiency, I don’t think it’s a good idea to require students to purchase a laptop.

For one thing, the assumption that a owning a laptop (or even a computer for that matter) is somehow necessary for achieving student learning and success is simply just false. If it were true, then to be consistent, it seems like we would have to say

that most students in the history of human existence have been disadvantaged and fallen short of their full learning potential.

Second, given that KCC is committed to being an “open access” institution, I think it’s generally a bad idea to require anything of students that might be regarded as a substantial barrier or burden to pursuing their educational interests.

All Philosophical

Should students be required to purchase a laptop?

Marcus Yamaguchi /Contributing Writer

Chris Tennberg / Contributing Writer,

philosophy instructor

camp on Grove Farm land (an expansive landholding itself), the workers' houses at Puhi were the first to feature indoor kitchens — a model which would become widely used in plantation camps, according to author Edward D. Beechert. The camp also included a community hall, gas station, slaughterhouse, Chinese laundry, and three shops.

Yet, upon offering the land to the University of Hawai’i in 1971, Grove Farm Company President, Samuel W. Wilcox stated that the camp was slowly being abandoned. In 1970, the United States census put the population of Puhi Camp at 778 people.

A year later, at coincidentally the same time the announcement was being made that KCC would likely be relocated to Puhi, The Garden Island newspaper shared a glimpse of life in the old Puhi Camp, unfortunately through the tragic death of two children. The two brothers drowned while playing at the reservoir a mile away from their home in the camp. "Wake services," read the article, "will be for the boys on Friday, January 21 in the home of their parents... in the Puhi Camp... There will be a Rosary for the boys in their home Friday night at 7:30... Burial will be in the Puhi Cemetery."

That same Puhi Cemetery still exists, surrounded by lands owned by KCC and leased to the Kawaikini New Century Public Charter School and Punana Leo o Kaua’i Preschool. Surveys estimate 97 listed burials, 20 Japanese graves, and 52 unknown graves in the cemetery.

Now, virtually no other evidence of the camp exists outside the memories of those families who lived there. The reservoirs and streams we see today near the KCC farm, as well as the large basin to the east of the campus, where water sometimes pools after heavy storms, were all used for swimming spots and irrigation until the 1970s when the land became the property of the University of Hawai’i.

The Much-kicked Football"It used to be a sugar field, and then there were a

bunch of people running around putting up buildings and planting trees and things," begins a 1977 article in The Honolulu Advertiser. "There, across Kaumualii Highway from the old Puhi Store and the old Grove Farm offices, is the Kaua’i Community College's new campus."

Prior to the Puhi dedication in January of 1977, a seven-year-long debate took place about where the college should be located. The University of Hawai’i Board of Regents had three sites deemed viable "using criteria of accessibility, environment, economy in development, and possibility for future expansion."

Pressure increased in late 1971 when the Accrediting Commission for Junior Colleges, Western Association of Schools and Colleges, informed Kaua’i Community College that it must select a site within the next two years. That was when Grove Farm increased their offer from 50 to 200 acres.

"Contingent upon that offer," read an article by The Garden Island in January of 1972, "the Regents, it was understood, would accept the Puhi site and move immediately to settle the long squabble during which the location of the college has been a much-kicked and frequently fumbled political football."

Eventually, the offer was accepted, and the campus moved from its location near Kaua’i High School to the 200 acres in the Haiku 8 field. (see map)

Kaua’i's Community CollegeA few years after the Puhi plantation camp first

opened at Grove Farm, a vocational school was created on the campus of Kalaheo Elementary. This school lasted nearly 20 years at Kalaheo, operated under Hawai’i's territorial Department of Instruction. Forty years later, it would become Kaua’i Community College after changing names and locations numerous times.

Then in 1964, the University of Hawai’i implemented Act 39, the Hawai’i Community Colleges Act. What had been Kauai Vocational School in Hanapepe and Kalaheo and Kauai Technical School in Lihue now became Kaua’i Community College. Maui, Kapi’olani, and Honolulu Community Colleges were also created out of local technical and vocational schools.

Enrollment steadily grew until the campus relocated to Puhi, and in 1995, Kaua’i CC received the final 40 acres from Grove Farm.

In 2013, Kaua’i CC published an environmental assessment to redesignate the majority of the 200 acres as urban, rather than agricultural, land for future development. "The [Long Range Development Plan]," the document read, "was published in August 1999 and provides guidelines for the development of the campus to accommodate a population of 3,000 full time equivalent (FTE) students. Currently, KCC has an enrollment of 700 FTE students. Hence, much of the planned campus development has yet to be

Cont. KCC historysee page 1

Top Left: KCC Learning

Resource Center

/ Contributed Photo

A map provided by Grove Farm

Company outlining the boundaries the

Haiku 8 field donat-ed to KCC.

Top Right: Shaina Nacion

/ Ka Leo O KCCComposite photo: the

Haiku 8 map over-layed with a satellite view of the property

in 2003.

Bottom: Google Earth / Contributed

PhotoSatellite view of KCC

property and Puhi.

Photo taken from:Bob Kraus, Grove Farm Plantation: The Biography of a

Hawaiian Sugar Plantation "Makai portion of Grove Farm fields, Haiku Division, from plan-tation headquarters and Puhi Village to Nawiliwili Harbor"

see page 5

5 Fall 2014 | Issue 2

CAMPUS LIFE

What high school did you graduate from?

I graduated from Kauai High School in 2003

How did you come to Kaua'i Community College and did you know what you wanted to study?

Coming out of high school I didn’t have a

plan. I thought I had to go to Manoa to get any kind of degree. I was interested in sports medicine. So I decided to take some classes at KCC then transfer to Manoa.

Did that choice change when you got to KCC?Yes. I took the placement test at KCC and as a

result I was offered a spot in “The Academy of Future Nurses”. The program included two years of general prerequisites and pre-nursing classes with a guarantee of entry into the nursing program for another two years, as long as I maintain a GPA greater than 2.75.

After graduating, did you land a job in your field of study?

Yes, I did. I graduated from the nursing program at KCC in 2007. I graduated with an associate degree in nursing. I started in home health care for a year. Then, I began working at Kaua’i Medical Clinic in 2008. I started out as a float nurse (a nurse that moves from department to department as needed). Then I worked

in family practice for four years before moving to my current position.

What do you do now? I’m a registered nurse. I currently work as an

out-patient clinic nurse in gastroenterology. I work Monday through Friday which allows me to spend evenings and weekends with my family.

Do you have any future career or education plans?The goal has always been to get my Bachelor of

Science in Nursing, when time permits. Right now my priority is my young family.

Could you share your thoughts on school or work?School in general is designed to test you, overwhelm

you, push you to your limits, but most importantly, teach you the value of working hard. If you can learn that in school, you’ll do well in your career.

What is one piece of advice that you would like to give to current students at KCC?

Surround yourself with a good support group; people to encourage you and re-focus your mind when you fall off track.

Ka Leo is seeking others stories of individuals that have graduated from a Kaua’i high school, is a current student, or has gone on to graduate from KCC and is working in his or her field of study. Please e-mail Michael Buenconsejo atmbuencon@hawaii.edu

This column is written to help and encourage students that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and no it’s not an on coming

train. Interviews in this column show a future for students that are dedicated but need a little encouragement to see it through.

On October 9, a visiting professor from California, Nathan Salmon, was invited to Kaua’i campus by Chris Tennberg, KCC philosophy professor along with Philosophy Club officer, Marcus Yamaguchi, to enjoy some food and ‘talk story’ at the cafeteria. The following dialog results:Tennberg: “So Nathan, for our island here what would you consider to be a question or issue of great philosophical importance? A lot of the people on the island which might be how it should be are gravitated to very local tangible issues of the every day. I would love to get people to think about something more on perennial issues as they are passionate for these smaller issues.”Yamaguchi: “People here generally only want to talk about what they say day-to-day; maybe it’s true everywhere.”Salmon: “I have taught in New York City, and yes it’s a very different environment, but people here and there have more of a practical focus. There is the great expense of living in New York or Hawai’i. So people have money issues.” Yamaguchi: “It really stems from an economical problem.’’Salmon: “Because Hawai’i, and Kaua’i in particular, have such a beautiful environment it ought to be conducive for someone that just wants to reflect on larger issues. But because of the economic of the situation, it gets in the way.’’ Tennberg: “This is good! This has some historical history of philosophical value here. Aristotle infamous or famous for, that the contemplative life is the best life, but you can't have that life unless you have luxuries to live, which is a shame.’’ Salmon: “It's also a supply and demand. There’s not too many places in the world as beautiful as this and are willing to pay.’’Yamaguchi: “So here’s the question: if you want to have more economic stability it requires that there be more industrial development. There is the potential for more industrial development but it would somewhat sacrifice from the natural beauty and the pristine [environment].”Tennberg: “Here’s the current situation [within the University of Hawai’i system]. It’s a great debacle in the UH system. There a number of math faculty that feel that the logic class is a loophole for students who would want to satisfy the math requirement without formal mathematics. The accreditors for the system are concerned that graduates receive a threshold of what they call a proficiency in quantitative reasoning. As its set up right now in the system there are a number of classes that fulfill the requirement. So what they are trying to do is either rework the criteria for the requirement to write out logic or make the class, the logic class, more ‘mathy’. While on the other hand, we want them to have some critical thinking and the logic course is a viable source.’’ Salmon: “First of all. a critical reasoning requirement is a good thing for an education, but I also think that the logic course can meet that condition. Though technically speaking that it’s not technically a mathematical course, it is an analytic reasoning [course]. It is analytic in the way that mathematics is analytic. It’s just not numerical.”Yamaguchi: “But you can't say that logic is mathematical.”Salmon: “There is a philosophical issue with what the distinction is between mathematics and logic. And it is true that logic started off as a philosophy discipline--- and it was taught in mathematics. But most of the mathematics are taught from logicians.”

Nathan Salmon visits KCC

Graduated Success

Bryan Gerald / Ka Leo O KCC

Michael Buenconsejo / Contributing Writer

implemented."Included in the list of

planned developments were additions to nearly every building of the college as well as locker facilities, a gymnasium, a canoe/woodwork shop, a Japanese tea house, a housing complex, an addition to the Performing Arts Center, and buildings for Operations and Maintenance.

As of today, only three buildings on the 1999 LRDP list have been completed: the construction of the Performing Arts Center, One-Stop Center and

the Office of Continuing Education and Training/Bookstore buildings. Despite the college's plans for further development, the lack of full time enrollment keeps the majority of KCC's 200 acres empty.

In the 50 years that Kaua’i CC has been in service, more than 4,500 students have received degrees or certificates. And with more instructional programs being implemented in the next few years, the future looks good for Kaua’i Community College and the island community as a whole.

Above: Photo from:Bob Kraus, Grove Farm Plantation: The Biography of a

Hawaiian Sugar Plantation "Mauka portion of Grove Farm fields, Haiku Division, from plan-tation headquarters and Puhi Village to Knudsen Gap."

Amber Santos Elkington

Cont. KCC history

Shaina Nacion / Ka Leo O KCCFrom left to right: Chris Tennberg, reporter Bryan

Gerald, Nathan Salmon, Marcus Yamaguchi

6 Fall 2014 | Issue 2

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Thus far, gamification has most frequently been used as a clever way to promote a business or product. For instance, players can earn badges, discounts, and other rewards for visiting real-world shops and “checking-in.” Games that are designed to promote positive lifestyle changes are starting to appear as well.

Gamers voluntarily invest countless hours in developing their problem-solving skills within the context of games (Gee, 2008). They recognize the value of extended practice and develop personal qualities such as persistence, creativity, and resilience through extended play (McGonigal, 2011).

Gamification attempts to harness the motivational power of games and apply it to real-world problems, such as, in our case, the motivational problems of schools. Motivation and engagement are major challenges for the American educational system (Bridgeland, Dilulio, & Morison, 2006). American schools also face a shockingly high dropout rate: approximately 1.2 million students fail to graduate from high school each year (All4Ed, 2010).

For many years, educators have been seeking a system of education that not only promotes learning and graduation rates, but also encourages social collaboration and a love of learning. Most kids somehow disengage from school, think of learning as something you have to “do” and wind up not wanting to learn if they don’t “have” to. Knowing the answer is more important in the end. Protecting their perfect grade and not regressing.

No longer motivated to learn, they seek social interaction with their peers but usually do not include academics; they have, for the majority,

compartmentalized school into the “boring” category. And I sadly cannot blame them.

The cycle goes a little something like this:

Someone of power says to learn something because it’s important. You take your time and energy to practice it over and over again, even if you do not know why it’s important, then you take a test to see if you retained the information. You get usually a single shot at it. You have your overall percentage points REDUCED unless you scored perfectly, then you continue this cycle.

Most would say, “Well, this is how people grew up and learned. Hard work — the sweat on their brow. You just have to sit through all the boring

stuff till you can get a degree, then you can start doing the good stuff.” And for our sakes, let’s say

that for the most part it’s pretty darn true. You have to make it on your own and not blame anyone! If you blamed others and don’t move forward, that looks like a lack of agency (and we all know how important that is!).

So why aren't people as motivated? Why do people eventually just drop the agency ball and say, “I got my passing grade, thanks” but are not truthfully enhanced in the end?

Some schools of thought now suggest that we “gamify” our education. After all, doesn't that cycle above strangely sound like some games people play? Lets take a look:

You take your time and energy to practice a skill over and over again. I’m sure if any of you that have seen me in the Student Lounge with my fighting stick, you’ve seen that I laboriously practice

movement, combinations and strategy for a LONG time. And that’s in training mode — I’m not even playing against a person or a computer! The World of Warcraft players, the Call of Duty players, and even the Tetris and chess players — they all practice if they are good at their game. You can clearly see the “A” players and the “C” players.

In school you take tests to see what you learned. Versus mode.

Clearing difficult battles in a single campaign. Solving a difficult puzzle.

Those are the tests and your competency is the reward.

The only difference is that you NEVER see a reduction in how others view you. Even if you lost a hundred games in a row, people would see your improvement, if you are actually improving, even if you don’t see it! And you sit through it, bored and frustrated for a while till you get it… then once you understand it, magically you return to step one of this cycle ON YOUR OWN.

A real quick run down of the benefits and changes of gamification are as follows:

Revamping our grading system:

Our current grading system works in a way that is demotivational and provides negative feedback: you start at 100% and can only go down. The only thing a student sees is regression, rather than progression, and progress encourages progress. The human

desire for efficiency is a bigger motivator than the fear of falling from one’s goals.

Instead, people should start at 0 and gain points as they go. As they reach certain milestones, they gain benefits. This makes tests rewarding rather than disheartening.

Gamifying EducationThe Future User Interface Of School

Opinion: Keiaikekai Harris / Contributing Writer

"Gamification attempts to harness

the motivational power of games

and apply it to real-world problems."

"'Gamification of Education' refers to the contextualizing of education and bringing students’ collective talents

together through the use of game mechanics, dynamics, and frameworks to promote desired behaviors. This has found its way into domains like marketing, politics, health and fitness,

with analysts predicting that gamification will become a multi-billion dollar industry by 2015 (MacMillan, 2011)."

"Our current grading system

works in a way that is demotivational and

provides negative feedback"

STUDENT Wendi Magaoay / Art 107D Student

Wendi Magaoay / Art 107D Student

Gamificationsee page 8

7 Fall 2014 | Issue 2

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ARTWORKRoxanne Yamase / Art 107D Student

Gerald Prickett / Art 107D Student

8 Fall 2014 | Issue 2

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Providing external motivators:

Students need to remain engaged outside of the class. Alternate reality games based in the class cause them to want to learn related things outside of class. This can be as simple as having one person call out a topic and another person call out another topic; then everyone gets into groups online to find the shortest

amount of links it takes to get from the first topic to the second topic. We would also have to make sure to spread multiple fields out so everyone in class can stand out and connect the information; enabling each person to give in their own unique way.Improving cognition:

Games provide complex systems of rules for players to explore through

active experimentation and discovery. For example, the apparently simple mobile game "Angry Birds" asks players to knock down towers by launching birds out of a slingshot. Players must experiment with the game to figure out the physical properties of different tower materials, the ballistics of the slingshot, and the structural weaknesses of each tower.

They launch birds, observe the results, plan their next moves, and execute those plans. In short, players’ desire to beat each level makes them small-scale experimental physicists.

Guiding students through the mastery process:

Games guide players through the mastery process and keep them engaged with potentially difficult tasks (Koster,

2004). One critical game design technique is to deliver concrete challenges that are perfectly tailored to the player's skill level, increasing the difficulty as the player's skill expands. Specific, moderately difficult, immediate goals are motivating for learners (Locke, 1991; Bandura, 1986), and these are precisely the sort of goals which games provide (Gee, 2008).

Social dynamics improvement:

Games allow players to try on new identities and roles, asking them to make in-game decisions from their new vantage points (Squire, 2006; Gee, 2008). Developing a strong school-based identity helps engage students with learning in the long run (Nasir & Saxe,2003). However, many students do not feel like they can “do school” (Pope, 2003). For these students, gamified environments can provide an opportunity to try on the unfamiliar identity of a scholar.

Gamification offers the promise of resilience in the face of failure by re-framing “failure” as a necessary part of

learning. Gamification can shorten feedback cycles, give learners low-stakes ways to assess their own capabilities, and create an environment in which effort, not mastery, is rewarded. Students, in turn, can learn to see failure as an opportunity, instead of becoming helpless, fearful or overwhelmed.

Bringing education and game elements together lead to results that are especially important for developing 21st Century skills. Gamification can motivate students to engage in the classroom, give teachers better tools to guide and reward students, and get students to bring their full efforts to the pursuit of learning. It can show them the ways that education can be a joyful experience.

However, by making play mandatory, gamification might create rule-based experiences that feel just like school, so we must be careful in our execution. As gamification spreads throughout the real world, there is little question it will also impact our schools. Gamification will be a part of students' lives for years to come. If we can harness the energy, motivation and sheer potential of their game-play and direct it toward learning, we can give students the tools to become high scorers and winners in real life.

Cont. Gamificationsee page 6

"Gamification offers the promise of resilience in the face of failure by

re-framing “failure” as a necessary part

of learning."