My first post of the year…
…And it’s January 22. I fear this is a sign of how the semester will be. I have over-committed myself to various things at BRCC. Some of what I’m doing is important to me, but it contains elements that are not. Others are important and I enjoy. In either case, I’ve forgotten how to say no and I need to start prioritizing.
Classes are going well so far. This semester I am teaching Introduction to Humanities for the first time ever. I’m excited about it and frustrated because I can’t keep my mind out of the theory clouds and in the community college classroom. I think I’ve put together something accessible, but we can only see how it unfolds.
I’ve been very persuaded by the literature I’ve been reading about students today. Regardless of the problems with categorizing and labeling, I have found the insights that characterize students to be helpful in reaching them. So one of the things I’ve taken to heart is that they are “makers of things,” they are part of the DIY media culture. So I’ve hunted up all sorts of ways for them to make things in all my classes. I am experimenting with wikis and bboards this semester for HUMN. These are old news for some folks, but I’ve never wanted to explore dealing with rubrics and how to grade them. So I have to do that now. I’m incorporating Glogs as well — I just discovered glogster. I’ve always been condescending about people who use posters as projects in their college level classes. I’ve never found them convincing as college-level work. I’m comfortable with the assignment I’m using, but I still need to think through rubrics and the like.
Looking over all the “new stuff!!” I’m doing, I realize that once again I’m working harder than I need to and spending more time on classes than I need to.
So, for now, I’ll just practice:
“No….”
Related posts:Ten Tech Gratitudes for 2010
(In no particular order)
1. Droid
I bought my Droid in November 2009 and it has changed how I interact with people, sometime for the worse, but usually for the better. On the one hand, even though I’m a technophile, I really don’t like the 24/7 culture of new communication technology. When I first got a cell phone, I only used it to call out and only for emergencies. Now, the convenience and entertainment value of a smart phone make me wonder why I went so long without one. I still have a bad habit of leaving my ringer off, missing calls, and forgetting all about the phone’s existence. But there have been so many situations where the cell phone saved me many hassles (more…)
Related posts:New Year’s Resolution for 2011
New Year’s Resolutions: A year in review
I only remember one of my 2010 resolutions: Do a better job of staying in contact with friends. On a scale of 1 – 10, I think I managed about a 3, unless you count Facebook, which we really shouldn’t.
One resolution only. That’s pretty bad.
I checked my last year’s blog entry and here is my list and how I’ve judged my success:
1. Be a better friend by staying in touch. Results: 3.
I started out fairly strong but by the end of the year I was reduced to holiday (more…)
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Trains provide an excellent location to study a culture. They are at the nexus of so many life patterns, work, play, family time, doctor’s visits, shopping. In a city like Tokyo, people from all walks of life take trains, unlike in the US where there’s a distinct distaste for mass transportation in all but the largest cities. So you can learn a lot about people’s customs by observing the world of trains. In Tokyo, the train culture is fascinating, both in infrastructure and (more…)
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