Freebie Friday! - Get PAID to Recycle! Earn Money to Purchase Items for Classroom Giveaways!

Readers,

Yes, this is another FREEBIE Friday! Today's freebie is actually more of a money maker for you. Every time I have empty ink cartridges at home, I carry them to the local office supply store for recycling. In return, I receive a gift card in the mail, which I use to purchase materials for my students and giveaways for conferences.

Here is a list of other programs through which you can get paid to recycle! Use the money for your classes! :) Thanks About.com: Frugal Living!

Office Depot

Take your empty ink and toner cartridges to Office Depot for recycling, and you'll earn $2 in Worklife Rewards for each one. Limit 20 cartridges per month.

Staples

Recycle your empty ink and toner cartridges at Staples, and you'll get $2 in Staples Rewards for each one. Limit 10 per month.

Target

Pull out those reusable bags before you head to Target. Each one you use (in place of a Target bag), will get you five cents off of your purchase.

Am I missing some recycling programs? Please let me know! :)

Sincerely, 

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

Survey Opportunity - Instructional Communication and How Instructors Use Facebook to Communicate With Their Students

Readers,

One of my dear friends, Dr. Lora Helvie-Mason, is conducting a great study focused on instructional communication and how instructors use Facebook to communicate with their students. If you have a spare moment, please help her by completing her survey. To participate in this study, participants must (a) have a Facebook account (b) be a college-level educator. Please participate by answering (10-15 minute) online survey questions about Facebook use. This study has been approved by the Southern University at New Orleans IRB. - Click here to take survey

Please forward this survey link (http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2CM2RBW) to others who fit the criteria above.

Thank you so much!

Dr. Lora Helvie-Mason
Assistant Professor of Communication Studies
Southern University at New Orleans

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

I am a Millennial Professor and I Embrace the 24 Hour Professor Syndrome

Readers,


Whenever I arrive back to the office from a long conference, I am always overwhelmed by the numerous items that I have to accomplish before leaving the office. I have to make online and offline lists (via Google Tasks) as I think about the items I learned from the conference and people I have to contact across campus. 


However, as I persist through the items on these lists, I experience a feeling of accomplishment. By the time I leave the office, usually after 5pm, I accomplish most of the items on the list. Then, I drive home only to answer students' e-mails and sift through my 300 daily e-mails on Gmail. 


This is the life of a millennial professor. I have to keep everything organized and I have to squeeze in time for my family as well. As I answer e-mail at home, I watch movies with my husband and I take my iPad with me as I garden and shop. Yes, I admit, I answer my students' e-mail messages as I eat lunch at La Madeleine on Saturday, browse books at Barnes and Noble, and pursue racks at Goodwill in search of great items for Environmental Communication Week. 


I embrace the fact that I am a 24 hour professor. A few years ago, I tried to avoid falling into the "24 hour professor" trap (i.e. - Does Graduate School Provide Millennial Professors for the Professional Environment), but now I am happy to embrace the fact that I am professionally connected to my students and my career. 


Sincerely,


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

SSCA Conference Reflection - The Last Day...

Readers,

Last week's conference went well. I enjoyed spending time with my students and answering their questions about the presentations. However, on the last day of the conference I experienced a splitting headache before my 11:00 a.m. paper session. This session was my one of my attempts to present quantitative research at a conference. My background is educational leadership (organizational communication) background and I was definitely out of my comfort zone. I learned from my respondent's comments and I will definitely use many of her suggestions in my next research paper. 


If you have a good respondent, you can gain a different insight into your research. If you have a bad respondent, this can make your 75 minute presentation one of the LONGEST periods of your life. The most important thing that I learned from this session is that the WAY people COMMUNICATE positive (or negative) information can GREATLY AFFECT how people receive and remember the information (and the person/people). The next time I function as a respondent for a paper session, I will definitely communicate my comments in a manner that is conducive to positive learning.

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