82(R) HB 750 - Introduced version - Bill Text

Readers,

Here is the introduced version of the senate bill focused on higher education institutions in Texas and handguns.

82(R) HB 750 - Introduced version - Bill Text

Author: Driver

Caption: Relating to the carrying of concealed handguns on certain premises of or locations associated with schools or institutions of higher education.

Excerpt: CARRYING OF HANDGUNS BY CERTAIN LICENSE HOLDERS ON CAMPUSES. (a) For purposes of this section: (1) "Institution of higher education" and "private or independent institution of higher education" have the meanings assigned by Section 61.003, Education Code. (c) In this section: (1) "Institution of higher education" and "private or independent institution of higher education" have the meanings assigned by Section 61.003, Education Code.

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

Oh Happy Friday! - My Students Were Accepted to Present at a Regional Conference!!!

Readers,

I am too excited to announce that SEVEN of our Communication Studies majors were selected to present their papers at the Southern States Communication Association Conference in Little Rock, AR. The students worked VERY hard on their papers and they are going to have the experience of a lifetime by presenting their research at the conference!

Now, this wonderful circumstance has caused me to operate in fundraising mode for the past two weeks. I contacted two associations in which I am a member to see if any funding exists for undergraduate student travel. I was so excited, because undergraduate research travel is something that the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR) actually sponsors! We are waiting to hear back from this organization.

In addition, my department head and I plan to meet with the undergraduate students several times before the conference to tell the students what to expect, proper conference attire, professional behavior during the conference, and our expectations.

Their papers will focused on undergraduate students' perceptions: of interracial relationships, other students with sexually transmitted diseases, and body type and interpersonal relationships.

Wish us luck! We are excited!

Sincerely,

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

Rent Textbooks, College Textbook Rentals | Rent-A-Text

I wish they had this textbook rental service when I was in college!

Are any of your students taking advantage of this?

Rent Textbooks, College Textbook Rentals | Rent-A-Text

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

Educause Seminar (Recorded) - "Overview of Next Gen Learning Challenges"

A few days ago, I attended a unique webinar titled, "Overview of Next Gen Learning Challenges". Here's the interesting aspect, I downloaded the Adobe Connect app and I experienced the same webinar on my iPad. It was great! I could hear everything and I saw all of the chats in real-time. 


I cannot wait to attend next year's EDUCAUSE conference and implement some of the ideas in my courses.


If you are interested in this EDUCAUSE presentation, please click the following link - https://admin.adobeconnect.com/_a729300474/p96644371/?launcher=false&fcsContent=true&pbMode=normal.

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

How to Cheat on Blackboard Phase II...

Sorry readers, I had to bring this back ONE MORE TIME! This is a post from Oct. 2008 (546 views from 7,497 visitors) and and it has been my second highest most read most ever!

This section is called, "How to Cheat on Blackboard", but it should be titled "How to Minimize Cheating on Blackboard".

This summer, I started giving face-to-face tests on Blackboard.com (our university's content management system) using the assessment tool. This new tool has proven itself to be very effective in my classroom. This is the first time that many of my students have taken a blackboard test in one of their classes.

1- Walk around the classroom while students are taking the test.

2 - Show the students' answers and the correct answers at the end of the test. This helps the students learn which test questions they answered correctly and which questions they answered incorrectly. My students enjoy this feature.

3 - Provide the students with a test time frame. This prevents the students from accessing the questions and answers later.

4 - Provide a test question database for each course test (i.e. - 50 questions). Then make blackboard randomly select questions (i.e. - 25 questions) from your test question database (i.e. - 50 questions). This feature serves as another anti-cheating mechanism.
I hope this helps!

-Millennial Professor

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

Forming Teams and Breaking Ice: Ways to Increase Student Interaction and Engagement in the College Classroom

Faculty/Trainers,


Are you looking for some GREAT team building activities for the beginning of the semester? Try this link - http://adulted.about.com/od/icebreakers/tp/topten2009.htm.

This website features MANY activities and ideas including the following team builders:

1. Human Bingo (College students LOVE this one!)

2. Marooned (I've never tried this one.)

3. 2 Minute Mixer (i.e. - SPEED DATING in CLASS...)

4. The Power of Story

5. Table Topics (i.e. - Informative Speeches OR Conversation Starters)

6. Would You Rather...

7. If You Had a Magic Wand (I cannot WAIT to try this one!)

8. Where in the World?

9. Photo Scavenger Hunt

10. The Name Game

Let me know what you think? Please post some other great team builders by replying to this message. :)

Thanks!

Millennial Professor 


Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

GenYES - A Technology Course in San Juan School District

Gen Yes from Jeff Darrow on Vimeo.

This is a very interesting video from the GenYES class in San Juan School District in California. What do you think? 

Millennial Professor
Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

APA 6th Edition Video - A Great Resource for Students, Faculty, and Staff

This semester, I incorporated the new edition (6th) of the American Psychological Association (APA) manual in my upper-level courses and it has been an interesting process. I learned a lot and the students have learned a lot about the manual as well.

However, I would like to incorporate the APA manual in my online classes as well. It is easier for me to teach the APA citation style in a face-to-face format, but I am seeking engaging resources to make this process easier for the online students.

Here is a great video for professors who are teaching an online class that might require supplemental materials for a lesson on APA citations - https://www.sworps.utk.edu/training/APA_6_0/player.html.

Enjoy!

Millennial Professor
Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

Digital_Nation: Life on the Digital Frontier" - Millennials and the Digital Environment

Recently, PBS provided one of their documentaries, Digital_Nation: Life on the Digital Frontier, to visitors on their website. This is a very interesting documentary that enables viewers to become exposures to the lives of digital natives (today's high school and college students AND some entry-level employees).

This documentary websites features a quiz titled, "What's Your Digital Parenting Style" and lesson plans for parents and teachers.

Millennial Professor
Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

The Flat World Knowledge Textbooks - Free E-Textbooks for College Students

I know the economy is not the best and I strongly believe professors should provide students with affordable textbook options. I am strongly considering the e-textbooks from this website (http://www.flatworldknowledge.com/) for some classes that I will teach in the fall semester. Personally, I think this option might be appropriate for a few of the courses I teach (Business and Professional Speaking and Organizational Communication) - http://www.flatworldknowledge.com/pub/1.0/organizational-behavior/28781. I am interested to see what the students think about the e-book option, because some of my students do not have a laptop computer and/or do not embrace new technological developments.

I know that I will supplement these e-textbooks with scholarly articles and engaging activities, but overall I think it is a good option. In addition, I think that this website may be a good outlet for some supplemental books that I plan to write in the near future.




Millennial Professor
Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

YouTube EDU: Videos for Higher Education Professionals (Lectures and Activities)

YouTube EDU provides users with videos that are specific for higher education audiences. This is a refreshing website for me, because I use youtube in my classes on a daily basis. When performing searches for videos, I have to sift through various videos that do not have anything to do with the higher education environment. From this point forward, I will start using this website to find content-specific materials.

In addition, I plan to recommend this website to my husband, a high school science teacher who teachers dual credit classes for a local community college.

Please let me know what you think about the website!

Millennial Professor
Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

E-Textbooks in College Courses: Good Idea or Bad Idea?

Article from the Chronicle of Higher Education's Wired Campus: Leading E-Textbook Seller Reports 400 Percent Sales Increase in 2009 - http://chronicle.com/blogPost/Leading-E-Textbook-Seller/20566/

I really like the e-textbook concept in undergraduate courses. This technology was not present when I was an undergraduate, but I think that today's undergraduate student would really benefit from the technology. I promote the e-textbooks because they would save the students money (compared to an actual tangible textbook) and the students would not have to carry all of their textbooks across campus. E-textbooks also provide the students with interactive features that may help their learning process. I teach at a rural, 4-year, public university and my students seem to be resistant to e-textbooks, because many of them do not have a laptop computer to view the e-textbook. In addition, most undergraduate students look forward to selling their books back to the bookstores at the end of the semester and e-textbooks do not give them this option.

What is your opinion of e-textbooks? 

Millennial Professor/Jennifer T. Edwards

This Blog's New Focus: COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Hello readers! 

Great news! From this point forward, this blog will focus on service, teaching, and research on COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY IN HIGHER EDUCATION from a millennial professor's perspective. This topic will be addressed by focuses on the following: social networking (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) and human interaction, privacy and online communication, instructional communication, distance education, diversity, leadership, service learning, volunteerism, educational technology, and SOTL.


Give me some feedback on the change! There will be frequent posts!


Remember to subscribe to the blog!

Sincerely,


Millennial Professor

Tangential vs. Non-Tangential Teaching Styles

Today, I discovered an article focused on tangential, but relevant comments from professors during their lectures. This article, "Classroom Teaching Methods: Are Your Lectures Sidetracking Student Learning?", made me think about my teaching style.

I thought this article was interesting, because I have never had a professor who excluded tangential comments from their lecture. The researchers utilized an experimental research design to discover if tangential comments enhance or slightly diminish a student's ability to retain important details from a sample lecture.

Their research study yielded results that affirm null hypothesis that many professors believe - tangential, but relevant comments enhance the lecture and the students' ability to retain vital information from the lecture. I will have to try tangential vs. non-tangential lecture styles during my two interpersonal communication classes next fall and I will employ the note card technique to test the results.

For those of you who deliver workshops or teach college/high school courses. What do you think of these results?

Millennial Professor

What? I Have to Be ACCOUNTABLE for My Words?: Professors and Online Content

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tamaleaver/

Some colleges and universities are encouraging their faculty to record their lectures and to post them online (either a university-based website or a site like youtube). However, professors are on both sides of the fencepost on this issue. Some professors are excited about the possibility of uploading their lectures online and others are afraid of the potential consequences.

Recently, the Chronicle of Higher Education featured an article titled, "Caught (Unfortunately) on Tape: More College are Recording Lectures, so More Professors are Learning to Watch Their Words". In the article, one of the professors stated, "[W]hen it [the lecture] is recorded, "and you say something you shouldn't-you make a joke about a fellow scholar-then what if it gets out and suddenly you're sued for slander?""

http://www.flickr.com/photos/courosa/

Slander is one of the many issues that professors encounter in their journey towards tenure/ promotion in the digital age. Despite all of the video cameras and recording devices that currently exist or that may appear in classrooms in the future, I believe professors should maintain a sense of self in the classroom. I worry that professors will not be comfortable in their own skin if they fear the potential repercussions of their statements.

"Most classrooms are still free of microphones and cameras (the latest Campus Computing Survey, which tracks information-technology trends, showed that only about 3 percent of courses are recorded)" (Young, 2009, p. A17). However, the last sentence of the article states, "Some professors suggest that the best approach is to go into every class session assuming that their words could be broadcast to the world" (p. A17).

I believe professors should take this information into consideration. It seems more universities are offering online courses to cope with the recession (Pawlowski, 2009). Therefore, more professors may be asked to upload their lectures to compliment their PowerPoint presentations. Who knows what the future may bring to the higher education environment? It is always advantageous to be prepared!

Millennial Professor

References

Pawlowski, A. (2009, March 18). Ride out the recession in a virtual classroom. CNN.com. Retrieved April 9, 2009, from http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/03/18/economy.online.degrees/

Young, J. (2009, March 20). Caught (Unfortunately) on Tape: More College are Recording Lectures, so More Professors are Learning to Watch Their Words. Chronicle of Higher Education, 55(28), A17.

Class Ideas - Mini Quizzes for Millennials

Another week, more amazing students. Last week, I tried a new teaching strategy. Mini-Quizzes! This idea was inspired by the BK Burger Shots... the new mini burger. This idea was wonderful! I was able to detect how much the students were learning from the in class lectures and whether or not the students were able to apply the in-class concepts to hypothetical situations.

Step One - Each student receives either a colored or white note card.to every other student in the class.


Step Two - I gave the following instructions via Powerpoint:
Step Three - The students with white note cards were instructed to complete the white side of the "test your knowledge" and students with colored note cards were instructed to complete the colored side of the "test your knowledge" section. Students were given five minutes to complete their note card. Each section of my classes received a different set of "test your knowledge" questions.


My Analysis - I try to keep my classes organized and color coded. This activity enabled me to keep each of the classes in a binder clip and each of the binder clips in ONE PLASTIC BAG. This assignment was heaven! Despite the organizational nature of this assignment, I was able to gauge whether or not the students were learning the material.


Most of the students remembered at least one aspect of the chapter material that pertained to the "test your knowledge" section. This impressed me and I will definitely use this assignment for another chapter.


Student Motivation - Some students made 100% or more (bonus points) on this 5 pt. assignment. I like to reward students who do exceptionally well on assignment by giving them a special message. This time, I attached Knock Knock Stickies (Office Supplies) to the note cards that read:

You're Cool Because: (check one please) ( ) You work hard. ( ) You try hard. ( ) You listen. ( ) You're hilarious. ( ) You help out. ( ) Just because. *Then the sticky provides a space for comments.

What do you think about this assignment? The millennials seem to like it.


Millennial Professor

If Students Meet the Requirements, Should They Receive As for their Effort?

According to Student Expectations Seen as Causing Grade Disputes, an article in the New York Times, most millennial undergraduate students feel they should receive As for meeting the minimum requirements for their classes.

Since the beginning of my teaching career, I have held steadfast to an "above and beyond" principle on assignments and tests. On the first day of classes, I tell the students about this principle.

The Above and Beyond Principle
If you do what is required, you will receive a "B". If you go "above and beyond" the requirements, you receive an "A". For example, if a test question asks "Please list and explain at least two of the four windows in the Johari window", I am really looking for three or all four windows in the Johari window. In addition, before the test, the students receive a grading rubric for the qualitative questions.

Post-Graduation Boot Camp for Millennial Students
I make sure the students understand that I am preparing them for the post-graduation world. A majority of the entry-level jobs that are available to students after graduation will require them to have an annual evaluation with their supervisor. One of the categories on this annual evaluation will be "exceeds expectations". I try to prepare the students for this category by implementing the "above and beyond" principle. Most of the students understand and adhere to this principle, but others choose to merely meet the requirements.

Millennial Student Meeting the Minimum Requirements
What will happen to these students who choose to meet the requirements when they enter the workplace? Many employers are laying off employees and it seems much easier to release employees who merely meet the requirements.

Processing Questions
Will these students (future graduates) continue to choose the easier way out? If so, what are the implications for the future employers of our millennial graduates?

Why I Became a Professor...From a Former Student Affairs Practioner's Perspective

Why did I become a professor? Well, it has been a long (from a millennial's point of view) journey that just became longer (with the tenure track). 

Timeline

• May 2003 - Graduated with a Master of Arts Degree. Served as a graduate assistant in the Office of Student Affairs.
• May 2003 -  Started my first full-time job as a Coordinator of Multicultural and International Student Services.
• May 2004 - Gained admission to a higher education doctoral program (cohort-based).
• August 2006 - Started serving as a full-time adjunct teaching six undergraduate-based classes at a community college and four-year institution in Texas. Began working on my dissertation.
  
• January 2007 - Gained a fellowship in my doctoral program, taught as an adjunct for two community colleges, and continued working on my dissertation.
• July 2007 - Defended the dissertation.
  
• September 2007 - Started the tenure track and a four:four teaching load.
• December 2007 -  Graduated with my doctorate degree.
  
• January 2009 - Projects galore! Can I really survive on eight committees?

I made the switch, because I have some wonderful mentors in student affairs and academia that always push me to my limit. Since I was an undergraduate, I have wanted to become a chief university officer. This dream was derailed when some of my close mentors told me that I could not achieve my dream unless I became a professor. 

So, academia became my new dream and mindset. Instead of fund raising for student affairs programs and planning events, I have to search for grants, publish scholarly papers, present at conferences, serve on committees, and (of course) teach wonderful undergraduates. I love my job. I would not change what I have been blessed to do for ANYTHING.I love it when the undergraduates experience that "a ha" moment when they truly get a concept. I adore the exhilaration that I feel when I receive letter of acceptance for a faculty institute or grant. Most of all, I enjoy the feeling of humility when I receive a rejection letter for a journal or a "revise and resubmit" offer from another journal. This job is challenging, but I would not trade it for the world.

How to Cheat on Blackboard!

This section is called, "How to Cheat on Blackboard", but it should be titled "How to Minimize Cheating on Blackboard". 

This summer, I started giving face-to-face tests on Blackboard.com (our university's content management system) using the assessment tool. This new tool has proven itself to be very effective in my classroom. This is the first time that many of my students have taken a blackboard test in one of their classes.

1. Walk around the classroom while students are taking the test.
2. Show the students' answers and the correct answers at the end of the test. This helps the students learn which test questions they answered correctly and which questions they answered incorrectly. My students enjoy this feature. 
3. Provide the students with a test time frame. This prevents the students from accessing the questions and answers later. 
4. Provide a test question database for each course test (i.e. - 50 questions). Then make blackboard randomly select questions (i.e. - 25 questions) from your test question database (i.e. - 50 questions). This feature serves as another anti-cheating mechanism.
   

I hope this helps!

-Millennial Professor

The Dreaded 24-Hour Professor Phenomenon

Recently, I realized that I have become a 24 hour professor. I tried to avoid this phenomenon, but I think that it is inevitable at this point. On Friday, I finished grading my students' speeches on blackboard at 11:30 p.m., but I did not get finished with class-related items until 3:00 a.m. The next morning, I woke up at 6:00 a.m. to post the midterm review.

Despite my weekly scholarly research, I teach four classes a semester. In addition, I have a thirty minute commute to campus. I LOVE my job and I keep a very organized schedule, but there are not enough hours in the day to finish everything that I need to finish.

Most nights, I respond to e-mails and instant messages (related to course material) from students until 11:30 p.m. The negative aspect of the phenomenon is that I should know better. I conduct research on computer mediated communication and the impact that this type of communication has on the educational environment.

According to Jeffrey Young (2002), a writer for the Chronicle of Higher Education, "The growth of e-mail, course Web sites, instant-messaging software, and online courses has forced many professors to rearrange their daily routines and has made them more accessible to students than ever before". I complete agree with this statement. My Sunday evenings (before speech days) used to consist of Desparate Housewives (DHs) and spending time with my family, but now the first day of the week includes DHs, spending time with family and blackboard/instant messenger.

 

I am definitely going to have to minimize my computer mediated communication (CMC), because next semester I will teach my second online-only class. This will be interesting and I hope to have a life as well. As a result of my hope for less CMC, I decided NOT to add a wireless PC card/service to my computer. If I added this feature to my computer/wireless account, I would NEVER be able to take a vacation again. I experience a sigh of relief when I carry my computer to a hotel that charges for internet services. If I have to pay for the internet, I buy one 24 hour session and finish all of my work during that period.

This week, I plan to minimize my 24-hour professor tendencies. We shall see how the fruits of my labor (or lack thereof) will impact my 24-hour professor phenomenon.

Millennial Professor


References:
Young, J. R. (2002, May 31). The 24-hour professor. The Chronicle of Higher Education website. Retrieved October 8, 2008, from http://chronicle.com/free/v48/i38/38a03101.htm