Service loads: a detour to tenure?

You are bounding along the tenure-track, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed (as I was described my first few years along this journey). You review your requirements, explore your calendar, and set out for success. You begin realizing, however, that you are not moving as quickly (nor bounding so boldly) as you once were. Why is it that you can't seem to grade those papers throughout the week? Why is it you are writing that research article on a Sunday morning? Why are you up late designing class activities?

My first few semesters on the tenure track had me often confused -- I was once the girl who met every deadline early, never forgot an appointment, and flew through course preparation with an exciting energy that made work fun. Then, slowly, I saw my workload shifting. I found myself pulled in a lot of directions and much of the work being incorporated into hours outside of the office. Had I lost my touch? The uber-organized pride themselves on deadlines and charts -- yet I could not make my time lines and to-do lists match up with my actual output.

I was exploring this the other day after talking with a few new (bright-eyed and bushy-tailed) junior faculty members. In the light of their radiant new energy, I felt rather dingy and lackluster as I worked to avoid dulling their shiny energy with my weariness. How could it be that each semester got more challenging?

My scapegoat: SERVICE.

Yes, Service gets all of the blame this time around!

Service requirements can eat tons of time throughout a week. This semester, I'm on several committees and on two searches. Last week I was in meetings for HOURS each day! Then, you add an overload of classes to teach, office hours (where I am very blessed that my students DO come by so that time is dedicated to them first), and the struggle to squeeze in time to research and write grants. At the end of the day, it seems the interminable meetings might be the giant ogre in the path on our journey toward tenure.

To keep service components in place and polish up my brightness level so I can be eager, shiny, and beaming in my energy again, I decided to more carefully monitor my service hours per day.

• If I am already attending a meeting on an especially convoluted teaching/office hours day then I am declining (or noting my lack of availability) for any meeting requests for that day, regardless of their times.  I am going to instill a one meeting maximum on heavy teaching days!
• I will prioritize committees where I bear a burden for work (like our QEP or a search committee) while de-prioritizing meetings where we don't produce a required document or event (like CETL)
• I am not open to any new committees, so my apologies to all but this girl must draw the line and a few university and department committees should be it, even at a small institution where the smaller number of faculty usually means higher service loads. 
• I will spread the wealth! I think my committees have given me a lot of benefits (see previous blog entries, "Service: Who participates?" - March 2010 and "Service, stress, and pre-tenure paranoia" - April 2011 ) and other (newer) faculty should have the chance to experience such benefits. I will decline while recommending someone who may be especially poignant for a certain committee. 
• I will try to let go of my controlling ways and encourage others to steer the boat. 
• I will remember the words from my March 7, 2012 post "Muscle through Midterms" where I reminded myself of the joys of service, where I noted "even the (often laborious, somewhat thankless) Service is on my "pro" list of university  life. Knowing that your voice has a place in shaping the university through committee contributions can be incredibly rewarding."
• I will continue to learn, grow, and explore within the academy by pursuing my goals with clear communication highlighting why I am or am not able to work with certain committees. I will foster and retain solid relationships so everyone can see the benefit of a well-run committee without being placed on too many to be effective. Let's hear it for strategic workplace communication!

Consider sharing your tips for effectively navigating the tenure track and hopefully you'll let some of your bright-eyed, bushy-tailed energy rub off on the rest of us...I can already feel mine replenishing! 

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Teaching Presentational Aids with Prezi and the iPad

Today, I walked calmly to class with my iPad under my arm and a cup of coffee in my hand.  This may not seem empowering, but considering my normal toil to and from the classroom it was definitely an empowering start to the day. While I may be easily appeased, WALKING itself does not normally create such a feeling of peace and empowerment. But, considering that this time every semester, my introductory public speaking course covers how to deliver a speech using presentational aids to reinforce and enhance their message-- which means for the past few years, I lug around a stack of poster boards, an easel, a projector, laptop, models, objects, handouts, and other samples. And it never fails. Every semester the day I have to carry all of this it will rain with torrential wind. I had enough. I incorporated all of those (years of) saved poster boards detailing what worked and what didn't and took pictures with my iPad and put them right into a Prezi.

I've been moving along my Prezi journey the past year or so and have enjoyed incorporating it into my classes as it is easy and intuitive. This morning I smiled at the forecast for rain and heavy winds, charged up the iPad and got to work. I created the following Prezi and used it in class finding the students could see Prezi use (one type of presentational aid) and I could save myself the headache of carting around all of those sample presentational aids. I put a few objects/models and handouts in my bag (which miraculously zipped shut--a never-before-seen feat on Presentational Aid day!), and strolled to class.

The Prezi worked well and I wanted to share it (and the idea of moving all of your old, cumbersome teaching props toward an e-medium). We used the various prompts as discussion points to highlight effective and ineffective examples of aids and to brainstorm possibilities for students. The students were able to see multiple types of presentational aids and the discussion was really strong with everyone engaged.

Why didn't I think of this sooner?! So, I'm passing it on in the hopes that a simple digital migration might just make your entire morning. It certainly made mine!

PREZI: "Presentational Aids: Chapter 10" -- http://prezi.com/4waavpujtzvp/presentational-aids/
And embedded below:

Presentational Aids on Prezi

[Additional posts about Prezi--this educator's journey along the Prezi path...
First Prezi Post: "Prezi: The PowerPoint alternative?"  
Second Prezi Post: "So you want to learn Prezi?" 
Third Prezi Post: "Prezi returns" 
Fourth Prezi Post: "Prezi's 'Zoom Back To School' contest" 
Fifth Prezi Post: "PreziU - Sharing resources for Prezi use"]

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ADOBE mini-contest winner!

Congratulations to "SUBMISSION C - Mobile Game Design Using Flash and Photoshop" for the prize-winning submission to the Adobe in Higher Education contest co-sponsored by Communication & Higher Education blog and A Millennial Professor's View of Higher Education blog. We hope you enjoy CS5.5! 


Thank you to everyone who submitted their use of Adobe in higher education and thanks to everyone who took the time out to vote for your favorite submission. 

To see the ideas submitted for the mini-contest, check out the ADOBE MINI-CONTEST post.

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Muscle through midterms: faculty survival tips

There are many things that I love about university life. I appreciate the ability to have a new, fresh group of students every semester. I love the interaction we can share in the classroom and the growth I see at the end of a term. Researching various areas of interest and sharing new ideas can be the best part of a busy day. Yes, even the (often laborious, somewhat thankless) service is on my "pro" list of university  life. Knowing that your voice has a place in shaping the university through committee contributions can be incredibly rewarding. There are many joys in this career. Midterms, however, are not one of them.

Image created using Picnik.com

Let's face it. As midterm week approaches everyone on campus has lost their shiny outlook on the new semester. We are all holding on, tenaciously, to stay on task. Most of us start to feel overwhelmed and productivity can stall. Our students, staff, faculty, and administrators can fall victim to the midterm slump. The students start getting sick, they start missing classes, they start sending you a million emails such as the one I got this week:  "wat did we do 2day? i was sick." You may start to wish you could copy and paste "It is on the syllabus" into every correspondence you have. As the midterm week gets nearer, students' tones start to become more frantic. Students you haven't seen for weeks start to show back up in class. Your committee load gets heavier. And, it never fails, something happens to derail your productivity such as the news that you will be moving offices or the appointment to a search committee (or two!).  Despite life's attempts to pull you away from your productivity, you can muscle through midterms. Here are some tips:

1. Plan early for midterms. Now, unless you have a time machine (if you do, PLEASE let me share that resource!), this may not be applicable to you at THIS point in the semester, but you can work it in your course preps for next term. To plan effectively, try to stagger the timing or your assignments in your courses (or the types of assignments (essays, multiple-choice exams, projects, presentations) so you don't experience a flood of grading 200 essays in less than a week.
2. Approach midterm week with a plan. I schedule the most time-consuming or mentally draining grading first thing each morning of midterm week. Then, my tasks get easier as the day goes on AND I can move more efficiently first thing in the morning, so I am actually working faster with a higher quality response process. 
3. Beware the time eaters! Emails, tweets, IMs, phone calls and drop-ins can all whittle away at the entire week! If you are not in office hours, don't have your email open or your hand hovering near your phone. Schedule appropriate DAILY time to manage the increased communication from your students. Doing this will allow you to keep on task and not find yourself drawn away on a 20-minute time suck answering a student email. You will answer it effectively and within 24-hours, but it won't derail your grading/writing/research if you schedule it in. 
4. Of course, this does not mean you become unavailable. You are prioritizing and protecting your time, so stay focused and keep that office door wide open during office hours. Stay on IM during office hours. Have your email in-box ready during office hours. But don't spend an entire day on the small tasks while falling even further behind on the big tasks.
5. Bribe yourself! "When I finish my midterm grading, I will _____ (sleep for the entire weekend, wear pajamas and watch my favorite movie, get a nice dinner out with friends, get a weekend in the garden, explore a local museum display, etc.)" I find a little carrot dangling in front of me can often be JUST enough to power through a few more essays or emails and stay on target for the week.

You can muscle through the midterm slump! Stay focused, work diligently, and the balance to this sometimes hectic week WILL come. 

See also Tools to Avoid the Midterm Slump from last fall's midterm season.

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Clean it up!

Despite being somewhat over-extended this semester, I had a goal to re-examine my assignments. My idealistic intent was to streamline my grading (avoid writing the same comment 125 times), re-focus my teaching in order to yield better work from the students on several projects. The idea was simply driven from an increasingly challenging schedule. As I get busier and have more new course preps, it is essential to manage my time more effectively.

I did a quick review of my instructional materials, lessons plans, rubrics/evaluations, and made a few notes about student issues/problems on assignments throughout the previous semesters. I realized quickly that a few assignments needed help.

The descriptions sounded fine (to me) when re-reading the syllabus, but the work I was getting wasn't what I anticipated or was lacking key elements. This issue was the driving force behind a complete re-examination of my assignments and I found out I didn't really know what I wanted on one particular assignment that students have struggled with. 

If you don't know what YOU want (as an outcome) from the assignment, the assignment descriptions, rubrics, and even lesson plans could feel murky to students.

Image from http://www.threeneatmaids.com/

A quick fix is to explore the primary outcomes of each assignment. Identify the skills/concepts you want the students to have and work backward to craft a rubric and your "teachables" leading up to the assignment. You can still leave a lot open to interpretation, to allow for student-driven direction, creativity, and variety, but you will find your descriptions are cleaner, more focused. Your evaluations/rubrics measure what you teach, and the assignment reinforces/tests the concepts and skills you taught. It cleans everything up nicely so the students can see a direct line from what is discussed in class to the actual assignment. Slowly work your way through your assignments and their ancillary materials to center them around the core skills/goals and make sure your grading matches your teaching.

This doesn't take much time and can end up SAVING you time when it comes to grading, teaching, and office hours/student emails.

Vote now for the Adobe in Higher Education idea YOU most enjoy!

Readers,

Greetings everyone!

Here are the entries for the "Great Ideas for Teaching With Adobe Products" Contest! Vote for the BEST IDEA via the Google Form listed at the end of this blog post.

Thanks for your support! :)


The contest ends on March 4, 2012! Please type any questions in the comment section below.


Drs. Edwards and Helvie-Mason

SUBMISSION A - Surreal Animation

Idea Category: Classroom Ideas (Face-to-Face or Hybrid)

Adobe Product: Photoshop

How the Adobe Product Was Used: Students create the animation in Photoshop and then export the video to be edited in either MovieMaker or Premiere Elements.

Idea Description: Students collaborate in pairs to create an animated dream-like surreal animated collage using Adobe Photoshop and Microsoft MovieMaker or Adobe Premiere Elements. Students will compare and contrast the concepts of dream-time or the subconscious in work created by Aboriginals and the 

Surrealist movement with an emphasis on Salvador Dali and Frida Khalo. 

View examples here: http://vimeo.com/17954450

SUBMISSION B - Smart Boards And Adobe Connect

Idea Category: Online Instruction/E-Training

Adobe Product: Adobe Connect

How the Adobe Product Was Used: We use adobe connect for education,  for IT remote help, and inter-departmental online meetings

Idea Description: Adobe Connect is a powerfull virtual classroom application which is very suitable for distance learning university programmes. But  in math involved lectures it should be improved that the whiteboard pod can  recognize the math writings turns them into regular math equations and formulas which is input via a smart board. Also the chatpod should be improved for written math conversation between students and the lecturer. For example when i write a latex code between a tag it should render the formula and shows the actual equation.  This should be improved because smart boards are not so smart to recognize the handwritten formulas.

SUBMISSION C - Mobile Game Design Using Flash and Photoshop

Idea Category: Classroom Ideas (Face-to-Face or Hybrid)

Adobe Product: Photoshop, Flash

How the Adobe Product Was Used: 

We use Photoshop to create the graphics that we use inside Flash.  We especially use it for creating seamlessly tiling textures for use in a blitting tile based game engine.  We create sprite graphics that we can use for our character and projectile animation needs.  We use the tools in Photoshop to understand how both additive and subtractive color theory works and pixel density affects the clarity  and sharpness of images and graphics used for projected display and print media.

We use Flash to understand animation, from keyframes to tweening, timing and secondary motion.  We come to grips with the advantages of vector graphics and the drawbacks in terms of performance.  We explore the use of Action Script 3 extensively for use in animation, interaction and game design.  We finish by publishing our files for use on the web, stand alone PC through AIR and for mobile devices through Android and iOS releases.

Idea Description: I currently teach a class in Game Design.  I use Photoshop and Flash almost exclusively to bring the concepts taught in the class to life.

We first take a crash course in Photoshop, learning how the program's tools and functionality work to understand color theory, image resolution and raster graphics.  We create projects that are directly applicable to our game development by learning how to make seemlessly tiling textures, using layers to seperate out parts of a character for use in animation and building graphical user interfaces and heads up displays from scratch.

Afterwards we delve into the world of Flash where we explore all the options and tools that it presents to understand how framerate can affect animation.  We discuss using keyframes to build animations and using tweens to move from keyframe to keyframe.  We explore the differences between vector and raster(bitmap) graphics, the advantages and disadvantages of each as it pertains to game development(especially for mobile devices).  We discover the display list and how we can use it for different effects. We import graphics from Photoshop and become aware how easily we can update our movie clips, character animations and textures while moving from one program to the other.

Once we have become familiar with the graphic and animation capabilities of Flash we then dive into Action Script 3.  We use this as a base to begin learning object oriented programming.  We begin by studying the fundamentals of variables and functions and continue on towards building custom classes and interfaces that allow us an amazing level of interaction and complexity between our existing graphics and user input, be it through keyboard, mouse or touchscreen.  Flash using Action Script enables us to consider new ways to bring ideas to life, where Adobe has opened every creative avenue and inroad is an opportunity for a budding game designer to express themselves in an ever expanding marketplace of potential.  

Our final project is to take the Flash projects we have worked on and publish them for use on both Android and iOS devices.  The ease with which we are able to do this through Flash has really motivated my students' desire to learn how to develop games using the Adobe products.  The time is ripe to take advantage of such a rich feature set to not just build our dreams into reality, but to carve out careers and a deeper appreciation for the world we live in.

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

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ADOBE in higher education contest: UPDATE

Expect to see the voting form soon for the ADOBE in Higher Education contest! We will extend the voting period and share the submissions for everyone to explore shortly. Thank you for your interst and check back for the ballot!

Mardi GRAS and the tenure track: revisited

Wishing everyone a safe and happy Mardi Gras! Consider exploring "Mardi GRAS: Reflections on the tenure track" as you enjoy the holiday!

Academic adolescence: Communicating on the tenure track

The teen years of tenure.

Think back to your teenage years (and try to avoid shuddering over that hair style or those clothes or that fight you had with your parents). Remember the emotional place where you felt like an adult but were still treated like a child? It could be empowering to discover who you are and what you stood for, but it could also be frustrating. 

Along the tenure track there are those middle, awkward years similar to our adolescence where we THINK we know as much or more as everyone else, but where we don't have much POWER to act independently. TenureTrackTeen is so close, but still so far away, from adulthood. The academic adolescent is someone who has been at the institution for several years, finally knows the ropes, and feels like he is a pro. TenureTrackTeen forgets, however, that he is still a teen. He isn't fully grown (full professor or tenured), he still has a LOT to learn about the institution and academia in general, and he can sometimes sabotage his chances to be taken seriously.

How do you handle the (sometimes) awkward, (often) emotional, years in between "new" professor and "tenured" professor?

Do you find yourself moaning around about how no one listens to your ideas? How no one takes you seriously? Or how it isn't fair that you have to do XYZ before anyone will listen? Or how nothing has changed (in your 3, 4, or 5 years of time at InstitutionXYZ.).

Easy there. You are still a probationary employee and your teenage temperament could lead others to question your collegiality.

Be careful. TenureTrackTeen can easily start to wear on the nerves of the most patient FullGrownProf out there. TenureTrackTeen does have just as many good ideas as FullGrownProf, but his annoying whining and demands can lead to a few eye rolls and "Because I said so's" from FullGrownProf, who notes what a "short time" TenureTrackTeen has been at the institution, expands on her "lengthy years" of service, and implores the TenureTrackTeen to "not be in such a rush" "wait a while" and "be patient." This advice isn't always welcome.

If you find yourself in a similar situation as TenureTrackTeen, keep yourself in check. If you've been around a typical teenager (or if you can focus back on your own years without too much cringing), then you know the goal is to have others listen and take you seriously.

This TenureTrackTeen has learned a few things over her journey that may prove helpful to you. You have to balance doing what is required while carving your own place in your institution (there's that teenage conflict between authority and autonomy, again). Here are a few COMMUNICATION strategies for any academic adolescents who have to tame their inner turmoil as they rush along the emotional river of the tenure track:

1. Prioritize your ideas. In this tip,  you want to be aware of what you express and why. Is it worth complaining repeatedly about the tiny issue with mail delivery? Instead, use your time and energy to express your thoughts about a curriculum change. Craft the image of the responsible  FullGrownProf that you will soon be!
2. Vent, if you need to. Every teen needs an emotional place to reflect and release...but vent OUTSIDE of your institution (and only to those you truly trust). Do not try to unload all of your angst on a colleague or other "teens" -- keep it professional and check those emotions before you regret what you say. 
3. Avoid making demands. While you are an important part of the department, you ARE still on the tenure-track. You may get stuck with a teaching schedule you don't love or a service requirement that eats up your time. Unfortunately, that may just be part of your growing pains (this depends on the institution, of course). Demanding a stellar schedule (or office space, or pay raise) your third year may seem like something you deserve (of course you do!), but there may be others who outrank you, who have grants/funding that requires certain schedules/spaces, or who get priority in the class choices. Inquire. Explore. Request. But don't demand.
4. Use your voice to advocate for what you need. Express concerns and ideas, certainly, but avoid threats, demands, and complaints that only serve as an emotional outlet. Your idea (while brilliant, of course!) may have been heard or tried in the past. Be aware that others may NOT be shutting you down, perhaps they have just "been there, seen that" -- so ask questions, learn about the history of your program, and provide data for your point of view.
5. Have a goal in mind. Communicate with intent. What is it you want from the meeting with your mentor, Chair, Dean? If you don't know, be careful about speaking up. (Test the political climate of your department/program.)

Be aware of the emotions that may come along with your academic adolescence.  Be aware of these emotions in others. Your feelings are valid and you should feel free to express your thoughts and ideas, just do so with intent and a professional demeanor. Too often, those teenage emotions can lead to poor communication choices with a long-lasting impact.

Adobe in Higher Education mini-contest

Have you entered? The Millennial Professor blog and Communication & Higher Education blog have partnered to bring the Adobe mini-contest to you! Please explore the contest and consider entry by February 15th and you could win Adobe CS5.5! Explore more information about entering the mini-contest here!

Good luck!

PreziU: Sharing resources for Prezi use in higher education

If you are a long-time reader, you've seen the Prezi journey of this educator. From learning the ropes with my first struggling Prezis to becoming more adept at navigating and creating a polished Prezi to reinforce my teaching and presentations, I have slowly grown as a Prezi user. I have learned more and more about Prezi throughout the past few months and continue to like the flexibility it offers in providing presentational aids. Don't get me wrong, the MESSAGE is the most important part of the speech, but solid presentational aids can reinforce the message and enhance the credibility of the speaker. Whatever you use should be used with intent and consideration of your overall message and your audience. Prezi is one option I enjoy. I now teach with it on occasion, using the free iPad Prezi App.

Being a communication professor often means I must demonstrate what I teach on a daily basis. Our university iPad initiative left me with a tool to easily use each day. With simply a projector cord, my iPad can display my Prezi easily for the class. I do wish there was the option to "click" or "tap" while not at the ipad (which is currently required to be hard-wired to our projector unit), but soon I do envision walking with the iPad as it is projected--I'm just not quite sure how to get there!

As someone who is not very spatial or visual in my learning style, I am continually surprised that I like Prezi, but I do. And I wanted to share the resource Prezi U. Prezi notes on their website that "Prezi U is a community for teachers and academics who use Prezi as an educational tool." This site has articles, forums, a library, the ability to share files, and a lot of linked resources from users about using Prezi in education settings.

I am finding Prezi U very helpful as I both USE and TEACH Prezi. The site is great for educators. Explore issues such as how to grade a student's Prezi, how to incorporate Prezis into your teaching or class (or into your professional presentations), and use the awesome resources like this user-made tutorial by Billy Meinke on editing with Prezi. Additionally, you can connect with those in your discipline to see how they are using Prezi. It isn't just for the classroom, universities are using Prezis to reach students and as marketing aids. There are a lot of possibilities for Prezi.

Consider exploring Prezi U as you continue to grow your teaching and presenting. Explore the many free resources and peer-to-peer advice you can find at Prezi U. 

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*Images from www.prezi.com

Enter our mini contest: Great ideas for Adobe Products in Higher Ed

That great teaching technique or student project is just sitting there... 

Why not share your great ideas and classroom success with others AND get a chance to win Adobe Creative Suite 5.5? 

Enter the "Great Ideas for Teaching with Adobe Products" Mini-Contest here at Communication and Higher Education blog as part of an exciting collaborative partnership with the blog, "A Millennial Professor's View of Higher Education" (http://www.millennialprofessor.com/) to share how we use Adobe products in our higher education lives. The roles of faculty members are multifaceted and Adobe tools help us meet those roles successfully, so share how you use the products!
 

"Great Ideas for Integrating Adobe Products in Higher Education" Mini-Contest

Final submissions due by midnight on February 15, 2012.

Participants:
Faculty, Staff, and Students are encouraged to submit an idea! We encourage ideas focused on (but not limited to) the following:
- Classroom Ideas (Face-to-Face or Hybrid)
- Student Activities/Student Affairs
- Student Organizations
- Admissions and Recruitment
- Campus-Wide Events
- Supplemental Instruction
- Learning Communities
- Online Instruction/E-Training

Voting Period
The readers will vote on the best entries from Monday, February 20th to Friday, February 24, 2012. The WINNER of the contest will receive a copy of the CS5.5 Master Collection!

Good luck everyone and HAPPY CREATING!

See the submission form below!

 
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Call for Papers: International Society for Educational Biography

The International Society for Educational Biography (I.S.E.B.) invites academics, teachers, graduate students, researchers and anyone who engages aspects of biography in their writing, teaching, research, or other professional endeavors to submit proposals for our annual conference. Previous papers have come from a variety of disciplines including history, education, English, religion, and many more. We encourage submissions from graduate students.

Possible topics include but are not limited to the following: Collective biographies, Role of biography in the history of education, biography and fiction, general biography, plot structures of biographies, biographic criticism, publishing biographies, feminist approaches to life writing, oral history, experimental approaches, ethical issues, methodology, and the use of biography in classroom instruction.

Proposal Information: The refereed conference invites individual papers and panel discussions; other presentation formats are welcome. Generally, the conference schedule allows 30 minutes for individual papers (includes discussion time), and 60-75 minutes for panel discussions and other kinds of presentations.

Submission deadline is March 2, 2012

Proposals should be sent as attachments and include:

1. A title page which includes title, name of author(s), address, telephone #, fax #, and e-mail.
2. A 250-350 word abstract describing the importance of the topic, the approach taken & the need for any technology.
3. Please state any time and day that you cannot present.

Send proposals by surface mail, or e-mail attachment to:
Dr. Virginia Altrogge, School of Education, Webster University, 470 E. Lockwood Avenue,
St. Louis, MO 63119; Phone: (314)246-8725; E-Mail: valtrogge75@webster.edu

Conference information: April 26-28, 2012 in St. Louis, MO at the Chase Park Plaza Hotel, 212 North Kings Highway Blvd., St. Louis, Missouri. Toll Free – 1-877-587-2427 – request reservations Local – 314-633-3000 – request reservations. The rate is $159 US single or double.

Membership: Find more information about ISEB membership and conference registration at http://www.isebio.org/?page_id=282. 

Find ISEB on Facebook by searching for "International Society for Educational Biography."

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Instructors STILL Talking About Technology

We are still conducting a study looking at how instructors talk about technology and its use in their classroom syllabus. If you are currently teaching a class that talks about technology in your syllabus (i.e., you have a laptop and/or cell phone policy, discuss how blogs or wikis will be utilized in the classroom), and would be willing to share your syllabus with us, and fill out a quick survey (under 10 minutes) about your teaching experiences, your participation would be greatly appreciated. The results of this study may help researchers and instructors better understand technology policies. We will accept syllabus submissions through February 29, 2011.

If you choose to participate, you will first submit a copy of your syllabus to CommInstructionalDesign@gmail.com . You will next be provided with a response email including access to a survey website that will have the consent information provided. If you agree to participate in the study, you will move forward and respond to demographic questions about your past teaching (i.e., number of years). You will also respond to questions about your views of technology and technology use. Any demographic data collected from this study will only be used to describe the participants as a whole in the study write up, but individual information will be destroyed after the summary is constructed.All personal identifying information will be removed from all aspects of the data before analysis.

There is minimal risk involved with the study, as you might feel uncomfortable thinking about your classroom technology policies. However, you may skip any questions that you are uncomfortable with. There is no more risk than you would experience in your daily interactions.

Your identity will not be revealed in either written documents, or verbal presentations of the data. The following steps will be taken to protect your identity and confidentiality.

1. Consent forms will be separated from the data.
2. Personal identifying information will be eliminated from the data and any reporting of the data.
3. You can refuse to answer any question asked.
4. Files will be kept on a password protected computer and/or a locked cabinet.

If you have questions about the study or research related injuries, feel free to contact the primary investigator, Katherine Denker, (765) 285-1965 or kjdenker@bsu.edu. Lora Helvie-Mason can be contacted at (504)286-5013 or helviemason@gmail.com or lmason@suno.edu. If you have questions about your rights as a research subject, please contact: Research Compliance, Sponsored Programs Office, Ball State University,Muncie, IN 47306, (765) 285-5070, irb@bsu.edu

Your participation is voluntary. You may quit at any time and you may refuse to answer any question. Finally, by submitting a syllabus and completing the survey you are giving consent to participating in the study.

Thank you for your participation!
Dr. Katherine Denker
Dr. Lora Helvie-Mason

iPad and Higher Ed: Making the transition

After six months of using the iPad as part of our iPad initiative, I have found benefits for not only class, but also for general productivity. While there are some bumps in the road to tablet use in the classroom, overall the students and I have had a solid educational journey. Here are a few processes that have helped me as I've converted to a tablet:

1. Investigate.  Let's face it, there are a lot of things about teaching we had to figure out as we went. What styles or approaches worked for us? Why did they work for us? What fits with our teaching styles? Our philosophies? The iPad (or other electronic device) use isn't much different. You may have to explore and read and then make adjustments.

• Check Twitter. There are great updates and feeds about the #iPad, #apps, and #highered or #edtech. Stay on trend and find new tips/tools.
• Check the Chronicle. Today's Chronicle article by Jason Jones: "Getting Unstuck with Your iPad" article explores the Unstuck App. The iPad is creeping up more and more often in the Chronicle especially in the ProfHacker and WiredCampus areas. See also "5 iPad Applications I Can't Live Without (and Why)" by Ethan Watrall and "iPads: Bane or Boon to College Teaching" by Josh Fischman.
• Check the wikis. Teach With Your iPad on wikispaces has apps and links that can be helpful, particularly for those who are first timers with tablets, for example. There are great resources that other educators have already put together. Why not use them? 

2. Use with intent. Don't just try an app to try it. Consider what it might do for you in the classroom. Why are you including it. Will it save you time on record keeping (such as the Attendance App featured in an entry last week)? Will it make learning easier? There are great science apps that demonstrate a variety of topics such as frog dissection and photosynthesis, for example.

• Try the app (or activity) with a smaller class or with a class where you have a TA. Explain that you are trying something new. 
• Get their feedback (students, TA, colleagues). Did it work as you hoped? Did it help explain, demonstrate a concept? 
• Did it cause any problems? Would another device or a class activity (without device) work better?
• Modify the use and try again or simply move on if it wasn't what you needed for that lesson. 

3.  Learn from the students. I admit it, if the students are using it I feel like I want to at least know what it is. I will ask and seek demonstrations where necessary. Students first told me about mobile Blackboard, Evernote, and ooVoo -- I consider them an excellent starting place to explore new features or apps.

4. Invest (money). Be prepared to put your money (or your institution's money) on the line to explore new opportunities with your tablet.

• Ask what the policy is for institutional equipment, accounts, and personally purchasing items.
• Explore what equipment you might need (adapters, chargers, cases) to be successful in the classroom.
• Apps aren't always free. There are some that are quite costly, others at $1.99 or $2.99 will soon add up. Be prepared and consider setting a personal budget for apps if your institution does not cover this cost.

5. Invest (time). I'm not a part of the touch-screen generation. Yes, I love technology. Yes, I know general techniques to be successful. But I kept my trusty Blackberry out of love of the keyboard. I did not feel any interest to move toward a touch screen. I had to learn. I had to actually force myself, in the case of my calendar, to shift from paper to tablet.

• Take the time to become familiar with your device. 
• If it has become a glorified paper weight (I just heard a professor say this last semester!), then consider switching to exclusively using it (to give it a fair chance...if you don't like it, of course, don't use it.) I had to do an exclusive switch to help get used to all of the tablet features. I found myself putting an actual sticky note on my iPad case about a week after getting it. I laughed out loud and realized sometimes the brain takes a bit longer to acclimate than we might like to admit to. I then instituted an "all iPad" philosophy where I *had* to use it to take notes, to type, to answer emails. Soon, I realized the potential of the device and avoided an expensive paperweight.

Take some time to explore your needs, the abilities of your device, your personal abilities, and see where you end up. Truly, there isn't much these new devices CAN'T do. It is a matter of exploring your needs and working with pedagogical intent to make the most of the device in the classroom (and as you manage your research, grants, and service).

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