But in this new world of social distancing, we have an opportunity to give real, human-centered online learning a try. Of course, we are still in a traumatic and stressful time, so new online courses aren’t going to be perfectly designed. But we CAN implement a few simple practices to allow for community building in online classes during a time of chaos.
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Listening to Learn: Equity and Education
I’m blown away by the variety and depth of the podcasts available that examine critical issues related to equity and education. These podcasts address history, current events, policy, personal stories, and best practices. If you haven’t checked them out, give them a listen! Here is a curated playlist of individual episodes.
Let EDUCATORS Guide Education!
Aaliyah Samuel penned a piece on U.S. News and World Report today about how state governors are the right choice to guide education, and she offered a set of guidelines to do so: As we as a nation pursue effective education for all, it is paramount we commit to these three foundational principles: Equity. Ensure everyContinue reading “Let EDUCATORS Guide Education!”
Teaching About Charlottesville
If you are teaching your students about Charlottesville, and want to function as an anti-racist educator for your students, please see the following brilliant resource compiled by @JulieBoulton12. This document lists a variety of sources that may be of use. If you have additional sources, please comment. Please also share so that teachers have access toContinue reading “Teaching About Charlottesville”
Where do we go from here? A guide for teachers in the Trump administration
As someone who works with preservice teachers daily, I’ve gotten lots of questions from my current and former students about the future of public education. Some are worried about whether their jobs will exist, and others are worried about what those jobs will look like. Some worry about k-12 students being deported, or about studentsContinue reading “Where do we go from here? A guide for teachers in the Trump administration”
Betsy DeVos is Right about the Bears: One Educator’s Harrowing Experience
A few years ago, I was teaching a class, and my students were broken up into small groups. They were collaborating on a response to a case study, and I was virtually jumping from room to room to observe and provide feedback. Things were going relatively smoothly until I heard one student yell “A bear!” My ears perked up at this, of course, which is not something normally yelled during my class sessions.
Talking EdTech
Technology isn’t going to become any less omnipresent in our lives; with the rate at which technology advances, we actually have no idea what type of world our current students will enter when they are ready to pursue careers and make big decisions. So how on earth do we prepare them for that? How can we even begin to teach students about technology or prepare teachers to teach technology when we don’t know what technology will look like even a few years from now?
Pinterest for Educators
Published today on the Getting Smart! website, my new article: How To Effectively Integrate Pinterest Into Your Classroom Check it out for useful information on how to actively use educational technology in your classroom! In it, I give some tips for using Pinterest in your classroom, as well as a link to the USC Rossier SchoolContinue reading “Pinterest for Educators”
The Quandary of the Female Professor
It’s that time again for a new term to begin. I’m meeting all of my master’s and doctoral students in these first couple of weeks, and I’m faced with the same dilemma I’ve faced since I began as a professor 6.5 years ago. Do I change my teaching style to deal with the inherent sexism and internalized oppression of my students?
This might seem like a dramatic claim. Most of my students are women, after all, so how can sexism be impacting my teaching? Unfortunately, it’s the sad truth. I’m a teaching professor, so the vast majority of my performance evaluation is based on student course evaluations. Those little bubbles that students fill in at the end of the course are significant…
Coding Instead of Cursive
There’s a great deal of debate in the education world about the death of cursive writing instruction. Cursive lovers bemoan the excision of cursive from the curriculum, and are horrified at the thought that someday, these children will grow up and not be able to read their grandparents’ letters (nevermind that their grandparents are now Tweeting, Instagramming, and Snapchatting).
But what do they really need cursive for? Important documents are no longer written in cursive. When applying for most jobs, no one will ever see your handwriting until you’re hired, and even then they may never see it. Signatures are generally written in cursive, but it’s generally a stylized, bastardized version of cursive. So why are we clawing at cursive in a vain attempt to keep it in the curriculum?
edspiration.net 