Teaching in Higher Ed

pkm

Practicing curation

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CURATION

I shared with my doctoral students this past weekend about the power of personal knowledge management (PKM). Specifically, I attempted to address the benefits of having a trusted curation process that is built for the present and the future.

The value of having information available to you when you need it is difficult to articulate until people get to experience it for themselves. Part of being overwhelmed by things flying at us seems to be the shutting down anything that isn't immediately demonstrating a pressing need.

I came across two articles this week that were of immediate value to me:

1) An Apple Pencil-drawn review of the Apple Pencil

I've had an Apple Pencil for a little over a month now and really enjoyed seeing the device through Serenity Caldwell‘s eyes.

2) What's really to blame for the failures of our learning management systems?

Our institution is currently evaluating a potential change in our learning management system, or at least a substantial upgrade to our existing one. The article cracked me up, since some of the events described in the piece are happening to us as I write this.

At least you've got to be able to laugh at yourself in this life…

The couple other articles I discovered this week aren't ones I am instantly going to do something with, but will no doubt be of value down the road:

1) Small changes in teaching: The last five minutes of class

James Lang is such a wonderful author and gives fabulous advice in this piece. However, this week is primarily made up of exams in my classes and next week is our Spring break. I have captured his ideas in my bookmarking system (Pinboard.in) and will follow up at such a time as when I have an opportunity to try some new approaches in my teaching.

I will get more out of his article if I review it, again, when I am able to start experimenting with his suggestions. In the meantime, it has been saved under my teaching bookmarks.

2) This website simulates what dyslexia is really like

I saw this tool on Twitter and was instantly captivated by the idea that we might be able to have more empathy for those with dyslexia by seeing through their eyes…

The article has been saved under my disability bookmarks and no doubt will prove to be useful when I am working with faculty to have a better sense of why certain accommodations are made for our students.

[reminder] What have you come across this week that either had immediate or future benefit to you? [/reminder]

 

15 lessons from 2015’s podcasts (part 3)

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This is a multi-part post in which I practice my curation skills and share what I'll be taking in to 2016 from the past year's podcasting efforts.

You may want to start with part 1 and part 2, if you want to get all 15 lessons.

Lesson #11

Create regular opportunities for retrieval.

Robert Bjork described the strength of attempting to retrieve information out of our brains as we are learning. Even if my students wind up not being able to come up with an answer, their brains will still be making new connections when they are reminded of the missing data.

That's why Bjork says that “forgetting is a friend of learning.”

bjork-tihe-quote1

https://teachinginhighered.com/72

Lesson #12

We like to pick people who are like us and that's not a good thing when choosing groups for projects.

Jim Sibley has been in my head since the episode he was a guest on, as I contemplate whether I should change the way groups are formed for projects in my various classes. This is still something I am reflecting on and I haven't made any firm changes as I write this. However, it still seems like  “lesson” from 2015 since it is still challenging my thinking in this way.

https://teachinginhighered.com/73

Lesson #13

Something amazing happens when we go public in our scholarship.

Kris Shafer inspired me greatly on episode 74, as he spoke about his public scholarship efforts. As he has introduced this idea to his students, he helps them navigate the online world in all of its complexity and discover news ways to influence.

https://teachinginhighered.com/74

Lesson #14

Keep getting better by “teaching out loud.”

Doug McKee has been on the show now a couple of times (and I hope we're just getting started!). He also is a co-host of the Teach Better podcast and regularly blogs about his quest for continually improving his teaching skills. He inspires me to never let up in my pursuit of excellence in facilitating learning.

https://teachinginhighered.com/76

Lesson #15

There are many advantages to teaching what you don't know.

This seems like the secret no one wants to talk about. We sometimes are scheduled to teach classes outside of our content expertise.

Therese Huston helped me see that I'm not alone in this reality – – and that there are a number of strategies I can take in order to provide higher quality learning experiences for my students when I wind up teaching what I don't know…

theresehuston

https://teachinginhighered.com/77

[reminder]What is a lesson you're taking from the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast into 2016? [/reminder]

15 lessons from 2015's podcasts (part 3)

By | | | XFacebookLinkedInEmail

This is a multi-part post in which I practice my curation skills and share what I'll be taking in to 2016 from the past year's podcasting efforts.

You may want to start with part 1 and part 2, if you want to get all 15 lessons.

Lesson #11

Create regular opportunities for retrieval.

Robert Bjork described the strength of attempting to retrieve information out of our brains as we are learning. Even if my students wind up not being able to come up with an answer, their brains will still be making new connections when they are reminded of the missing data.

That's why Bjork says that “forgetting is a friend of learning.”

bjork-tihe-quote1

https://teachinginhighered.com/72

Lesson #12

We like to pick people who are like us and that's not a good thing when choosing groups for projects.

Jim Sibley has been in my head since the episode he was a guest on, as I contemplate whether I should change the way groups are formed for projects in my various classes. This is still something I am reflecting on and I haven't made any firm changes as I write this. However, it still seems like  “lesson” from 2015 since it is still challenging my thinking in this way.

https://teachinginhighered.com/73

Lesson #13

Something amazing happens when we go public in our scholarship.

Kris Shafer inspired me greatly on episode 74, as he spoke about his public scholarship efforts. As he has introduced this idea to his students, he helps them navigate the online world in all of its complexity and discover news ways to influence.

https://teachinginhighered.com/74

Lesson #14

Keep getting better by “teaching out loud.”

Doug McKee has been on the show now a couple of times (and I hope we're just getting started!). He also is a co-host of the Teach Better podcast and regularly blogs about his quest for continually improving his teaching skills. He inspires me to never let up in my pursuit of excellence in facilitating learning.

https://teachinginhighered.com/76

Lesson #15

There are many advantages to teaching what you don't know.

This seems like the secret no one wants to talk about. We sometimes are scheduled to teach classes outside of our content expertise.

Therese Huston helped me see that I'm not alone in this reality – – and that there are a number of strategies I can take in order to provide higher quality learning experiences for my students when I wind up teaching what I don't know…

theresehuston

https://teachinginhighered.com/77

[reminder]What is a lesson you're taking from the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast into 2016? [/reminder]

15 lessons from 2015’s podcasts (part 1)

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In the interest of practicing the curation piece of my PKM system, I'm investing some time in reflecting back on a year of podcasting in 2015.

I'm grateful to each guest who accepted the invitation to be on the show.

As I consider what I want to take with me into 2016, I'm focusing on key lessons for me from 2015's Teaching in Higher Ed podcasts.

This is part one of a three-part series on lessons from the podcast. I'll share five lessons in each post, for a total of 15.

Lesson #1

Things are going to be messy and that's ok.

I shared with Jose Bowen about one of my bigger teaching failures. Instead of shaming me, he celebrated it and told me to keep it up.

I believe in noisy and messy classrooms. – Jose Bowen

josebowen-quote

https://teachinginhighered.com/30

Lesson #2

There's a lot one can do with a timer.

Natalie Houston introduced me to the idea of using timers more in my teaching and productivity. When I'm meeting with students, I'll now set a timer on my Apple Watch. When it goes off, the student doesn't realize it, but I know to start to wrap things up to move on to my next commitment.

I am able to be more present for others in my life using timers. Plus, I can make sure I don't get too caught up in something solitary and miss out on other priorities.

nataliehoustonquote

https://teachinginhighered.com/34

Lesson #3

If you're I'm not having my students solve problems or the problems I'm having them solve lack interest to them, I'm missing the boat in my teaching.

2015 meant that I had the opportunity to speak with someone who I have admired from afar since I started teaching in higher ed more than a decade ago.

Ken Bain's voice has been in my head, ever since, encouraging me to create opportunities for students to solve problems that they find interesting or beautiful.

[Good teaching] is about having students answer questions or solving problems that they find intriguing, interesting, or beautiful. -Ken Bain

kenbainquote

https://teachinginhighered.com/36

Lesson #4

Digital literacy is less about generations and more about context.

Steve Wheeler challenged the notion of digital natives on episode #38 and has had me thinking so much more about context ever since.

It’s not about age; it’s about context. -Steve Wheeler

contextquote

https://teachinginhighered.com/38

Lesson #5

Keep content independent from an LMS and therefore more portable into whatever system comes my way.

Scott Self helped me see a whole new potential for using Evernote (or any cloud-based notebook system) in my teaching. He stressed keeping content out of LMSs, for the most part, since at any point, a university could decide to make a change to the system that they use, leaving all our course shell creations useless.

https://teachinginhighered.com/48

Part 2 – coming soon

Stay tuned for next week's post with part 2 of lessons learned from podcasting in 2015.

[reminder]What is a lesson you're taking from the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast into 2016? [/reminder]

15 lessons from 2015's podcasts (part 1)

By | | | XFacebookLinkedInEmail

In the interest of practicing the curation piece of my PKM system, I'm investing some time in reflecting back on a year of podcasting in 2015.

I'm grateful to each guest who accepted the invitation to be on the show.

As I consider what I want to take with me into 2016, I'm focusing on key lessons for me from 2015's Teaching in Higher Ed podcasts.

This is part one of a three-part series on lessons from the podcast. I'll share five lessons in each post, for a total of 15.

Lesson #1

Things are going to be messy and that's ok.

I shared with Jose Bowen about one of my bigger teaching failures. Instead of shaming me, he celebrated it and told me to keep it up.

I believe in noisy and messy classrooms. – Jose Bowen

josebowen-quote

https://teachinginhighered.com/30

Lesson #2

There's a lot one can do with a timer.

Natalie Houston introduced me to the idea of using timers more in my teaching and productivity. When I'm meeting with students, I'll now set a timer on my Apple Watch. When it goes off, the student doesn't realize it, but I know to start to wrap things up to move on to my next commitment.

I am able to be more present for others in my life using timers. Plus, I can make sure I don't get too caught up in something solitary and miss out on other priorities.

nataliehoustonquote

https://teachinginhighered.com/34

Lesson #3

If you're I'm not having my students solve problems or the problems I'm having them solve lack interest to them, I'm missing the boat in my teaching.

2015 meant that I had the opportunity to speak with someone who I have admired from afar since I started teaching in higher ed more than a decade ago.

Ken Bain's voice has been in my head, ever since, encouraging me to create opportunities for students to solve problems that they find interesting or beautiful.

[Good teaching] is about having students answer questions or solving problems that they find intriguing, interesting, or beautiful. -Ken Bain

kenbainquote

https://teachinginhighered.com/36

Lesson #4

Digital literacy is less about generations and more about context.

Steve Wheeler challenged the notion of digital natives on episode #38 and has had me thinking so much more about context ever since.

It’s not about age; it’s about context. -Steve Wheeler

contextquote

https://teachinginhighered.com/38

Lesson #5

Keep content independent from an LMS and therefore more portable into whatever system comes my way.

Scott Self helped me see a whole new potential for using Evernote (or any cloud-based notebook system) in my teaching. He stressed keeping content out of LMSs, for the most part, since at any point, a university could decide to make a change to the system that they use, leaving all our course shell creations useless.

https://teachinginhighered.com/48

Part 2 – coming soon

Stay tuned for next week's post with part 2 of lessons learned from podcasting in 2015.

[reminder]What is a lesson you're taking from the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast into 2016? [/reminder]