Considering grad school? Advice in a flat job market - USATODAY.com

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Considering grad school? Advice in a flat job market - USATODAY.com

Readers - As faculty, we have a responsibility to answer undergraduate students' questions about their future. This week, I met with an outstanding student in my department who did not have a resume for his job search. We met for an hour to prepare his resume and I left him with some "resume homework". He will send his resume back to me via e-mail and I will offer feedback. This will be an ongoing process.

Some undergraduate students are interested in attending graduate school and I remain objective. I present the positive and negative sides of this investment. Yes, it is an time and financial investment. It has been a great choice for me, but I do not try to infringe my beliefs on my students. 


For example, I incorporate undergraduate research in my courses and some people use this engagement tactic to recruit for their graduate programs, but I tell my students that they can incorporate these skills in their future career or their future endeavors (even if they plan to become a stay-at-home mom (or dad) - which a few students aspire to become). Anyone can incorporate scholarly research in their lives by gathering family perspectives on a subject while remaining objective or conducting research using scholarly databases. Many of my students are REALIZING this!

Grad school may not be for your students, but it is an option...and a job is an option as well! :)

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

My 10 Year High School Reunion - The Class of 2000

Readers,


I am finally realizing that I have been out of high school for 10 years! It is hard to believe, but our class reunion is coming up in a few days and it will be nice to see everyone.


So, in preparation for the Carthage HS Class of 2000 reunion, I give you our senior class "funny" picture:

I am the one in the middle of the picture by the principal (red shirt, khaki pants). 


Just think, 10 years ago, I was in my freshmen students' shoes. This reunion shall be interesting, more information to follow... 


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

Netflix in the Classroom?

Readers,


Personally, I LOVE Netflix! I watch Netflix while I research, grade papers, and while spending time with family. I think Netflix is a great resource for households who have diverse film interests and who value documentaries. Historical, education-related, adnd social documentaries are a favorite in our household. In addition to the documentaries, we love Bones, CSI, Law and Order, and I recently developed a love for The Commish.


This summer, I started a list of movies that I would like to incorporate in my classroom (ordering them from the university library). Netflix enables me to preview documentaries/movies for my classes and then I am able to order these films through our library.


I really wish Netflix would enable educational institutions to subscribe to Netflix. Our faculty would WELCOME the additional "educational" media tool (AND they would not have to drag videos from classroom to classroom).


Here is a snippet from the "Academic Libraries Add Netflix" article in the Chronicle of Higher Education:


Copyright lawyer and librarian Kevin Smith, a scholarly communications officer at Duke University, said academic libraries are taking a risk with these programs. Although copyright law allows faculty members to use the material in the classroom, he said, they may be opening themselves up to legal action from the company.


Read the rest of the article here - http://chronicle.com/blogPost/Academic-Libraries-Add-Netflix/27018/?sid=wc&utm_source=wc&utm_medium=en 


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

What's In YOUR Business Card Holder? - Simple Strategies to Differentiate Your Business Cards from the Rest!

Readers,


Here is another great article from the Chronicle of Higher Education titled, "Hacking Your Business Card". 


I used the university business cards for awhile, but I wanted to make myself stand apart from the rest of the faculty who attend research conferences. So, I logged on to Office Max and created some GREAT business cards with their online software. 


I chose purple and white (my university's colors) and I chose to include the logo. They were very professional and Office Max runs a LOT of sales on business cards!


In addition to regular information, I decided to include my Twitter and Yahoo IM information.

What's on YOUR business card?


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

Your Curriculum Vitae - Common Questions

Readers,


As faculty, (adjuncts, instructors, professors), etc., do you have a CV (curriculum vitae) to record your accomplishments, service, and teaching records? How often do you update your vitae?


One of the commonly asked questions in higher education is about the length of the vitae. According to an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education, "Creating and Maintaining Your CV", the average CV is three (postdoc) to 20+ pages (senior professor).


Currently, my CV is 13 pages and I have all of my presentations and publications listed. Is this too much? Should I include all of my presentations? Until told differently by one of my mentors, I will keep my CV in its current state.


According to the Chronicle of Higher Education article, people should include the following pieces of information.

• Contact Information (email, postal address, telephone)
• Education (list all of your degrees including undergraduate)
• Professional Employment (list all of your positions, with dates and ranks)
• Research Experience (might be subdivided into publications, presentations, grants, etc)
• Teaching Experience (might be subdivided into courses taught, theses supervised, curriculum development, etc)
• Honors and Awards
• Professional Service (might be subdivided into Department, College, University, Professional Organizations)

What items should you include and what items should you exclude?


Sincerely,


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

Cram101 - Barnes & Noble - A Review

Readers,

As a big fan of Cliff Notes for literature courses in college, I thought that these small yellow books were a great idea for "revisiting books" if a person does not have time to read the novel again.

However, college textbooks are a DIFFERENT animal. Most college textbooks are 300 - 400 pages long and most instructors only include a percentage of the chapters on their syllabus and in their classes. With the reduction in the number of chapters assigned in a class, why would a student need Cram 101 (Cram101 - Barnes and Noble)?

Textbook companies produce an array of resources for their consumers! MOST of these resources are FREE.

However, I know that some students will LOVE this product. In fact, as a college student (a few years ago), I probably would use this same product to check my knowledge of the book. In fact, I would probably have purchased several of these books with my friends and swapped these books back and forth.

What do you think? Would your students use this product?

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

OpenStudy - An Online Study Group for College Students

Readers,

I realize any of you teach courses online and these courses consist of students from around the world! It would be GREAT if they could all meet at one location and "study" together, wouldn't it?

Well, now they can! Here is a website that will enable students to "study" together online.

Check it out! Let me know what you think? Do you already use this in your classroom?

Millennial Professor/Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards