I remember when Facebook came about and only college students were a part of this social community. There were other options for those who were not in college or were older, such as MySpace. Now, Facebook has become a popular website for college students, high school students, parents, etc. Anyone can join Facebook, as long as they have an email address. In fact, most people have a Facebook account and are fairly active on the website. Lately, I've seen Facebook become more and more popular in the classroom, as instructors have noticed the popularity and thought bringing it into the classroom may be a good way to bring interest in the class to a level the students could appreciate. I'm undecided about using a network site like Facebook in my classroom and would be interested to see how faculty have made this work.
I'm thinking about potential issues with using this website in my classroom and how it may cause more problems than it is worth. For instance, some students may not have Facebook, particularly if there are older students in the class. Additionally, students may not wish to join a group that would make their profile visible to all individuals in the class, or have to deal with the settings in order to create a privacy level with which they are comfortable.
In this case, I think using a website like Google Groups would be better, because it would not infringe upon student's life, and the most they will have to do is create a Google account if they do not already have one. But, a Google account may be more limiting or less enticing for students and thus we may lose the effect altogether. I'm curious what others have done when they wanted to create a social community for their classroom. Did you simply set something up with ELC/Webct, or did you use Google Groups, make your own website, or try out Facebook?
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Simulation and Gaming Online
I really love using active learning activities, demonstrations, examples, or simulations in my classroom and find them to be highly embraced by even the most hard to please students. I have a few pet simulations I like to try and incorporate into any class I'm teaching. The biggest problem I have with these simulations though is the amount of time it takes to prepare them. Often the outcome is contrived, so it's important to make sure everything is set up in advance. I run a "Deviant Monopoly" game that takes some time to set up each time because of the money/property/rule distribution for each team. Making sure the class is divided the right way, placing people thoughtfully into groups if I want strong personalities to clash is important and somewhat time consuming as well. I have another simulation I use to demonstrate Job Networks: Each student gets an envelope with either 3 or 6 pieces of colored yarn. The color represents whether they can move around the room and the pieces represent how many networks they can create. The yarn is different lengths, based on color, and can either help or hinder the student. The point of this exercise is to show students how having social networks can influence your occupational outcomes. For instance, three short pieces of yarn that cannot move around the room is the likely scenario for a minority woman on the job market. Her networks are small, and contained to close friends/family. Contrary to popular belief, it is not these ties (close family/friends) that often land someone a job. It is the strength of your "weak" ties that find you good jobs: for instance, your high school ex boyfriend's, dad's old boss... clearly a "weak" tie. But possibly a good one.
Why do I lament these simulations, their importance, and the time they consume? Because I'm now wondering if there is a way to take them online. Can I make my set up time zero once I've programmed the game/simulation? I spent hours one weekend cutting and measuring 250 pieces of different colored yarn, so I could tie them together in a certain way and stuff them into envelopes with specific rules and directions for each student. Now I have the game ready to go if anyone needs it, but there are only so many times you can run this game with that yarn I cut last semester - because eventually the knots and ends will fray or break. I will come through the classroom with my scissors to demonstrate "cutting off a network" one too many times and perhaps the yarn cannot be re-used again. I don't regret the time spent getting this game ready. My students loved this demonstration, talked about it on evaluations, begged for more, and understood "network theory" quite well... maybe even better than any other theory we discussed. But, if there was a way to write a program and run this online with similar outcomes and results then I would be willing to try it out!
Maybe it wouldn't be as fun to do it on a computer though? Maybe students wouldn't be able to see the "network" as well without my friendly colored yarn of different lengths? Maybe standing in the room full of people as you try to determine if you are eligible for the CEO job I dangle in one corner of the room isn't as poignant if it's not in your face, and you're not holding the yarn that prevents you from getting the job. I don't know the answers to these questions, but I do now know how F2F interactions play out, and if the response wasn't the same then I could always revert back to my archaic method of chopping measured lengths of yarn.
***The Network Game is fun and I find it amusing to give conservative white males the short, fewer pieces of yarn and prevent them from moving around the room. It's hard to believe it - until you've experienced it. And once they do, they start to realize how important demographics like race, and gender, are in obtaining jobs, experiencing promotions, etc.
Why do I lament these simulations, their importance, and the time they consume? Because I'm now wondering if there is a way to take them online. Can I make my set up time zero once I've programmed the game/simulation? I spent hours one weekend cutting and measuring 250 pieces of different colored yarn, so I could tie them together in a certain way and stuff them into envelopes with specific rules and directions for each student. Now I have the game ready to go if anyone needs it, but there are only so many times you can run this game with that yarn I cut last semester - because eventually the knots and ends will fray or break. I will come through the classroom with my scissors to demonstrate "cutting off a network" one too many times and perhaps the yarn cannot be re-used again. I don't regret the time spent getting this game ready. My students loved this demonstration, talked about it on evaluations, begged for more, and understood "network theory" quite well... maybe even better than any other theory we discussed. But, if there was a way to write a program and run this online with similar outcomes and results then I would be willing to try it out!
Maybe it wouldn't be as fun to do it on a computer though? Maybe students wouldn't be able to see the "network" as well without my friendly colored yarn of different lengths? Maybe standing in the room full of people as you try to determine if you are eligible for the CEO job I dangle in one corner of the room isn't as poignant if it's not in your face, and you're not holding the yarn that prevents you from getting the job. I don't know the answers to these questions, but I do now know how F2F interactions play out, and if the response wasn't the same then I could always revert back to my archaic method of chopping measured lengths of yarn.
***The Network Game is fun and I find it amusing to give conservative white males the short, fewer pieces of yarn and prevent them from moving around the room. It's hard to believe it - until you've experienced it. And once they do, they start to realize how important demographics like race, and gender, are in obtaining jobs, experiencing promotions, etc.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Podcasts
Learning about the podcast technology and uses was interesting last class. This was not the first time I had seen podcasts, but it was the first time I had seen them used so well. I had found podcasts boring in my previous encounters, but they had been used only with sound and a picture as a background. I think these can be helpful tools in the classroom but not replacements for instruction. Podcasts favor auditory learners and most people are not auditory learners, they are some combination of visual and tactile. With that said, a podcast that walks individuals through a website would combine the visual and auditory components of learning. I would be hesitant to replace "lectures" with podcasts, but supplementary material could be quite good.
If people look outside of academia for industry jobs I think we will start to see podcasts being used more and more by companies interested in diseminating information. I've been on the Department of Education website and seen podcasts. So, this technology would be good to know even for those individuals not looking to go into academia. All in all I found this to be one of the more promising pieces of technology I have seen used, especially when it is used well.
If people look outside of academia for industry jobs I think we will start to see podcasts being used more and more by companies interested in diseminating information. I've been on the Department of Education website and seen podcasts. So, this technology would be good to know even for those individuals not looking to go into academia. All in all I found this to be one of the more promising pieces of technology I have seen used, especially when it is used well.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Relying Too Much on Technology
The power of technology knows no bounds... at least not yet. Teachers use technology in the classroom all the time, and I am recalling all the experiences I had as an undergrad with power points that put me to sleep, making me wish I had stayed in bed that extra hour rather than coming to class. Then there were the days we spent in the library learning how to navigate scholarly journals online. I always sat there thinking to myself, "how on earth are people confused? don't they ever come to the library?" The short answer: No. They don't come to the library. Unfortunately, I was left sitting there bored and irritated while the professor tried in vain to educate the scholarly journal slackers in the class. I'm not sure they ever really learned how to use the library's system. And I silently thought to myself, "This is an easy way out for a professor. S/he doesn't have to teach this week because we're sitting in the library's lab wasting our time." I don't honestly think the professor was intentionally wasting class time...anymore. But I did back then. And this spurs another thought I have now, as I look around at colleagues and classmates making instructional choices in their own classrooms.
I believe there are many different ways that students learn in a classroom. Tests tell us one thing, essays another, and presentations demonstrate still further skills and knowledge gained. I don't think giving quizzes or assigning class presentations is a way for professors to "get out of doing work." It can certainly look this way, and I present this disclaimer up front, because I want to be clear that I perceive many methods and choices in the classroom as valuable in their own right. With that out of the way, I'd like to discuss what I see as a lazy teaching styles... which is spurred on by the power of technology. First, making power points that regurgitate the text book are boring, they provide nothing new for the students and are often created poorly. This could be a selection effect: teachers who choose to create power points based on re-stating the text book are likely to be lazy and "bad power point makers," for lack of a better phrase. Yes, that's probably a blanket statement.
Second, and more important, are the teachers who use movies to teach their classes. Movies are one of the technologies that students usually enjoy and will not complain about their use in a classroom. Showing a movie once a week seems like a bad way to run a class to me, but maybe I'm being close minded? I'd happily entertain comments about this idea. I recall a conversation with another instructor who said to me (after I asked about the syllabus), "I like to use movies to teach because they do a better job than I can..." The conversation continued (on my part with stun and disbelief..and very few words) and I was left thinking later that this seemed like something we should think about in our teaching classes. Technology can go too far and professors can rely too much on technology when they always use the same boring power point formats or a different blockbuster every week to explain a point in class. How many movies is too many? I used two last semester in my Gender and Work class... one of them I showed in its entirety (for 2 days during the week I was taking comps) and another I only showed a part, in order to jam it into 50 minutes. Unless a class is "Analysis of Movies" it seems like a movie/week is a bad ratio to use in a class. Professors are unique in their teaching, as they are rarely evaluated (because they are professionals and because no one seems to care in large college/university settings) and when they are it is infrequent so it's hard to really gauge what is occurring in the classroom. So, maybe it doesn't matter - because no one will ever comment or complain about this teaching tactic. But, we are still responsible and accountable to ourselves. And I think it's important we make "good" decisions in our classrooms, particularly when it comes to [over]using technology.
This was much more of a rant than anything else. My apologies.
I believe there are many different ways that students learn in a classroom. Tests tell us one thing, essays another, and presentations demonstrate still further skills and knowledge gained. I don't think giving quizzes or assigning class presentations is a way for professors to "get out of doing work." It can certainly look this way, and I present this disclaimer up front, because I want to be clear that I perceive many methods and choices in the classroom as valuable in their own right. With that out of the way, I'd like to discuss what I see as a lazy teaching styles... which is spurred on by the power of technology. First, making power points that regurgitate the text book are boring, they provide nothing new for the students and are often created poorly. This could be a selection effect: teachers who choose to create power points based on re-stating the text book are likely to be lazy and "bad power point makers," for lack of a better phrase. Yes, that's probably a blanket statement.
Second, and more important, are the teachers who use movies to teach their classes. Movies are one of the technologies that students usually enjoy and will not complain about their use in a classroom. Showing a movie once a week seems like a bad way to run a class to me, but maybe I'm being close minded? I'd happily entertain comments about this idea. I recall a conversation with another instructor who said to me (after I asked about the syllabus), "I like to use movies to teach because they do a better job than I can..." The conversation continued (on my part with stun and disbelief..and very few words) and I was left thinking later that this seemed like something we should think about in our teaching classes. Technology can go too far and professors can rely too much on technology when they always use the same boring power point formats or a different blockbuster every week to explain a point in class. How many movies is too many? I used two last semester in my Gender and Work class... one of them I showed in its entirety (for 2 days during the week I was taking comps) and another I only showed a part, in order to jam it into 50 minutes. Unless a class is "Analysis of Movies" it seems like a movie/week is a bad ratio to use in a class. Professors are unique in their teaching, as they are rarely evaluated (because they are professionals and because no one seems to care in large college/university settings) and when they are it is infrequent so it's hard to really gauge what is occurring in the classroom. So, maybe it doesn't matter - because no one will ever comment or complain about this teaching tactic. But, we are still responsible and accountable to ourselves. And I think it's important we make "good" decisions in our classrooms, particularly when it comes to [over]using technology.
This was much more of a rant than anything else. My apologies.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Online Classes
An emerging phenomenon in the world of higher education is the explosion of online classes. I am constantly torn between applauding their accessibility and frowning their lack of interaction. I usually teach an online class during the summer for my undergraduate institution and I really love this experience and opportunity for a few reasons. First, I am able to teach a class in Syracuse, NY without leaving Athens, GA. It allows me to be a part of a campus and community I loved as a student and greatly respect as an instructor. The value that my undergraduate college placed on teaching far surpasses what I perceive on larger, more research oriented campuses. Second, teaching an online class and having this experience will be invaluable on the job market, now that online classes are becoming more widespread. And third, the class is demanding in time but great for flexibility. So, there are my pros for teaching the online class. I could list plenty more pros from an objective standpoint, but I won't bore my poor readers.
My real point in writing this blog, however, stems from a phone call I received the other day. My undergraduate advisor called and asked how busy I was this semester because he was dealing with a crisis, and needed some help. Apparently, an adjunct professor quit on him last week and her classes are left hanging, in need of someone to pick them up. After making a search for adjunct professors in the area, he found nothing and called me to ask if I could take over one of the classes online. First of all, I really could use the $2500... but second of all... how cool that a class can flip from being face-to-face to online in the course of a day... or... maybe not cool at all.
If I were a student in that class and it switched to an online class I think I might be a little angry. Afterall, if I wanted to take an online class then I would have signed up for one, right? Or, maybe to the student this appears to be a blessing because s/he thinks it will be less work? I don't know. Should this be allowed? Clearly, there are extenuating circumstances here: an adjunct professor walked out and the classes would have to be canceled otherwise. Maybe this is the best solution. It's two weeks into the semester so what would happen to all of those students? At this point, I am too overbooked to take over the classes but otherwise I would definitely take over the classes.
My real point in writing this blog, however, stems from a phone call I received the other day. My undergraduate advisor called and asked how busy I was this semester because he was dealing with a crisis, and needed some help. Apparently, an adjunct professor quit on him last week and her classes are left hanging, in need of someone to pick them up. After making a search for adjunct professors in the area, he found nothing and called me to ask if I could take over one of the classes online. First of all, I really could use the $2500... but second of all... how cool that a class can flip from being face-to-face to online in the course of a day... or... maybe not cool at all.
If I were a student in that class and it switched to an online class I think I might be a little angry. Afterall, if I wanted to take an online class then I would have signed up for one, right? Or, maybe to the student this appears to be a blessing because s/he thinks it will be less work? I don't know. Should this be allowed? Clearly, there are extenuating circumstances here: an adjunct professor walked out and the classes would have to be canceled otherwise. Maybe this is the best solution. It's two weeks into the semester so what would happen to all of those students? At this point, I am too overbooked to take over the classes but otherwise I would definitely take over the classes.
Monday, February 1, 2010
The Joys of Technology
I find myself drawn to some technologies and repelled by others. I prefer blackboard over webct, and endnote over refworks. I favor the PC over the Mac, and Stata over SPSS. Is it familiarity that makes us drawn to some and not others? Obviously, our experiences with specific technologies create these preferences. But, the choices of the people around us also contribute to the technologies and innovations we choose. I used to be an avid SPSS user, until I met my advisor, Linda. She prefers Stata and introduced me to the program. I was dragging my feet at first because it was so new, but she managed to woo me over rather quickly.
Of all the technologies I have mentioned, I have used and learned the basics of both, but still have firm preferences. I find myself trying to woo people over to my technology preferences as well. For instance, in class last week I started a sales pitch to poor Jacquelyn about the joys and ease of Endnote. I find this particular technology to be helpful, a time saver, and one of the easiest technologies to use... but I am a PC user... and apparently things change on a Mac and I don't speak Mac Talk. I told Jacquely, "Oh, you have to learn endnote before you take comps! It will save you hours of time!!" and I do believe that it will. But learning the program takes time too, and that is frustrating because if someone tells you "this will be a time saver" then you think to yourself, "Why am I losing so much time trying to figure this crazy thing out? My current system works" And dear Jacquelyn.. I think that's where she was....thinking to herself, "Crazy Maria thinks she's making my life easier... but I hate technology!" and I'm sorry for dragging her through that. I have hope though, because our other team member (Christen) walks the line between PC and Macs and can set the record straight as a Mac Endnote user.
This brings me to my actual thought worth any substance: at one point is it too much of a time waster to learn a new product that will "save" us in the future? Is it worth it for all students to learn Endnote? Is it worth it only for grad students? Only those in some fields? I guess my question is, since we can't all spend our time learning and explorting new technologies, how do we know where to devote our time and energy? I won't have Sherry Clouser telling me about the latest and greatest technologies once a week and keeping me up to date and aware of the important and relevant technologies for my life. What will I do then?!?!?!?
How will I make choices and decisions about selecting a technology to explore? Should we set up communities to divide and conquer? By doing this, we can share our knowledge and reduce the time we waste learning new technologies to make our lives easier. Such a paradox.
Of all the technologies I have mentioned, I have used and learned the basics of both, but still have firm preferences. I find myself trying to woo people over to my technology preferences as well. For instance, in class last week I started a sales pitch to poor Jacquelyn about the joys and ease of Endnote. I find this particular technology to be helpful, a time saver, and one of the easiest technologies to use... but I am a PC user... and apparently things change on a Mac and I don't speak Mac Talk. I told Jacquely, "Oh, you have to learn endnote before you take comps! It will save you hours of time!!" and I do believe that it will. But learning the program takes time too, and that is frustrating because if someone tells you "this will be a time saver" then you think to yourself, "Why am I losing so much time trying to figure this crazy thing out? My current system works" And dear Jacquelyn.. I think that's where she was....thinking to herself, "Crazy Maria thinks she's making my life easier... but I hate technology!" and I'm sorry for dragging her through that. I have hope though, because our other team member (Christen) walks the line between PC and Macs and can set the record straight as a Mac Endnote user.
This brings me to my actual thought worth any substance: at one point is it too much of a time waster to learn a new product that will "save" us in the future? Is it worth it for all students to learn Endnote? Is it worth it only for grad students? Only those in some fields? I guess my question is, since we can't all spend our time learning and explorting new technologies, how do we know where to devote our time and energy? I won't have Sherry Clouser telling me about the latest and greatest technologies once a week and keeping me up to date and aware of the important and relevant technologies for my life. What will I do then?!?!?!?
How will I make choices and decisions about selecting a technology to explore? Should we set up communities to divide and conquer? By doing this, we can share our knowledge and reduce the time we waste learning new technologies to make our lives easier. Such a paradox.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Helping or Hindering
Is it possible that technological advances are hindering our lives? When my mom calls and leaves long messages I sometimes respond with a quick text message... because it's easier. Rather than call people or meet up with people we "shoot them quick emails" or write on their facebook walls. Perhaps these advances are limiting our ability to form real relationships.
I can't help but wonder if technological advances detract from our teaching. If we spend our time coming up with lectures and classroom exercises that bring out all the bells and whistles of technology do we in some ways take away from the material? When teaching a class on gender and work do I really need to incorporate technology into my discussion and presentation of emotional labor? Maybe trying to bring technology into my classroom would actually be more confusing to the topic. It's hard enough to bring students around to the idea that gender roles are not innate... which is just the beginning for a discussion of emotional labor.
This leads me to my next pondering: is it only appropriate to use technology for some topics in the classroom? Are there some discussions that lend themselves to power points, clickers, online communities, etc. in ways that others do not? How do we know when would be the best time to use technology and when is the best time to sit in a circle with the class and chat?
I can't help but wonder if technological advances detract from our teaching. If we spend our time coming up with lectures and classroom exercises that bring out all the bells and whistles of technology do we in some ways take away from the material? When teaching a class on gender and work do I really need to incorporate technology into my discussion and presentation of emotional labor? Maybe trying to bring technology into my classroom would actually be more confusing to the topic. It's hard enough to bring students around to the idea that gender roles are not innate... which is just the beginning for a discussion of emotional labor.
This leads me to my next pondering: is it only appropriate to use technology for some topics in the classroom? Are there some discussions that lend themselves to power points, clickers, online communities, etc. in ways that others do not? How do we know when would be the best time to use technology and when is the best time to sit in a circle with the class and chat?
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