I miss my students and yet a break from teaching is exactly what I needed. I have had several experiences with former students this semester that have caused me to reflect on my teaching style. If truth be told I am too laid back. I routinely say to my students "just because I am nice does not mean that I am stupid." After some reflection I have changed my mind. I am stupid. By effecting a laid back persona in the classroom I have led students to belief that I am a push over and that they can skate through my classes without much effort.
I want to commit to more rigorous student standards when I return to teaching next semester. I know that motivated students will always learn a lot in my classes but I want to challenge those who are less motivated to up their game.
Monday, October 13, 2014
Friday, January 3, 2014
New Year's Resolutions
I took a break from blogging over the holidays, but I am back now and ready for a new semester (well, ready to blog about a new semester, but NOT actually ready for a new semester).
Right now I am teaching during my university's January term. I was advised against doing such a thing before I was tenured, but I was never in the financial position to pass up the opportunity to teach in January and in the summer. Even though I am tenured now (and promoted with the attached raise in salary) I still find that I can't pass up the extra income.
I am experimenting with yet another organizational strategy to help me be a better teacher. I am creating a gmail address for each of my classes and then using it to conduct all of my correspondence with the students in that class. I am hoping that it will help me keep things organized AND provide my students with electronic access to the syllabus and other course related documents. There is a course-related software called Blackboard that my university uses, but I don't particularly like it. I will see how it goes.
My initial experience is that I am having difficulty managing the several gmail accounts that I now have. I am working my my new Chromebook and it requires me to sign out of all my gmail accounts before I can access the google drive for the gmail address for the course.
I am curious about what experience readers have with course software (both as professors and as students). Do you see any problems with my plan for using separate gmail addresses for each course?
Right now I am teaching during my university's January term. I was advised against doing such a thing before I was tenured, but I was never in the financial position to pass up the opportunity to teach in January and in the summer. Even though I am tenured now (and promoted with the attached raise in salary) I still find that I can't pass up the extra income.
I am experimenting with yet another organizational strategy to help me be a better teacher. I am creating a gmail address for each of my classes and then using it to conduct all of my correspondence with the students in that class. I am hoping that it will help me keep things organized AND provide my students with electronic access to the syllabus and other course related documents. There is a course-related software called Blackboard that my university uses, but I don't particularly like it. I will see how it goes.
My initial experience is that I am having difficulty managing the several gmail accounts that I now have. I am working my my new Chromebook and it requires me to sign out of all my gmail accounts before I can access the google drive for the gmail address for the course.
I am curious about what experience readers have with course software (both as professors and as students). Do you see any problems with my plan for using separate gmail addresses for each course?
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