Title of Your Dissertation: Information Technology Usage in Metro Manila Public and Private SchoolsUniversity and Year: Nova Southeastern University, 2002
Email address: mrodrigo@ateneo.edu
Q: What's your research all about? How information technology can be used for education.
Q: How did you organise your research study? My dissertation was survey research. I fielded out a survey about IT uses in different public and private schools within my region in the Philippines.
Q: What's your usual schedule when you were studying? I had to block off large chunks of time---half a day to a day---to read literature, process data, and write. When I was finally writing, I was producing about 10 pages a day, which felt very slow to me, but people reassured me that it was a good pace.
Q: How easy/difficult was it studying for your PhD? I was in a distance education course, so I had to overcome a feeling of isolation and disconnectedness from the rest of my colleagues. Finding the right topic was also difficult. I think I submitted 10 proposals or revisions of proposals before my topic was finally approved. The research itself was also challenging because the respondents were all over the city, so I had to send out and pick up all the questionnaires. Finally, there was a lot of data to encode and crunch. I can't say there was a single easy stretch, but I will say that the challenge was not insurmountable. Everything could be worked out. I just had to stay focused.
Q: What are your thoughts on presenting your on-going research in conferences? I think it's very important to get feedback from your peers, so the dialogs during conferences are invaluable.
Q: Experience with your adviser. My adviser, Dr. Steven Zink, was truly supportive, He gave me detailed, substantial feedback each time I submitted to him. I could not have finished without him.
Q: How did you cope with graduate student life? Since I was in a distance ed course, life was pretty "normal"---home. family, some teaching on the side. Because the environment was so unstructured, there was a temptation to put things off. It's easy to get distracted. To make progress required self-motivation, discipline, and focus.
Q: What did you do after you graduated? I was teaching at a university before I began my studies. I returned to the same university after.
Q: What's your favourite book? The Sandman series of Neil Gaiman.
Q: Got a favourite sports team? The Ateneo Blue Eagles.
Q: Name three people, dead or alive, you'll like to have dinner with? Mother Teresa, St. Ignatius of Loyola, Neil Gaiman.
Q: What charity would you give money to? The Ateneo Center for Education and Development
Q: Are you a cat or dog person? Dog
Q: What are your thoughts on reality TV? Sorry, I don't watch reality TV.
Q: Do you have any hobbies? Yes. I write, I go to the gym.
Q: What do you have for breakfast? Usually rice plus some meat or vegetable dish.
Q: Something not many people know about you. I'm allergic to tomatoes.
Q: Do you have any phobias? Cockroaches
Q: If you could travel back in time, when and where would it be? I'd love to visit Europe during the Middle Ages.
Q: Best advice you ever got. Take the time to dream.
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