A Month of College Teaching Tips - Tip #5 : Read Other Professors's Student Engagement Tips!

Readers,

I have never had the opportunity to attend the Teaching Professor Conference (some of my colleagues have), but it is super expensive. I like the fact that you can download materials from this conference FOR FREE! 

Here's a great resource...

Student Engagement Tips from Teaching Professor Conference Attendees

It seems that these tips emerged from an interactive conference session in which attendees contributed a wealth of ideas. Here are some of their ideas...

Emphasize life skills and life balance in the “start” class for all adult degree programs
a. Associates’ degree-study skills
b. Bachelors degree-org. behavior & work
c. Master’s degree-business, technology thinking skills

Community: I teach a module on using the library’s resources (primarily online resources) in two courses for English majors-one undergraduate, one graduate. I make assignments, and grade them, for 20-25% of the course grade. I have students choose a partner at the beginning of that module and work with the partner, in class, every time we do database research activities. Some of the students have hold of what they need outside of class to work together on their homework assignments for me-and then also on other assignments in other courses.

Sincerely,

J. Edwards

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

Become a fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook - http://goo.gl/gnN41

A Month of College Teaching Tips - Tip #4 : Using Hubii to Gain a Different Perspective on Current Events

Readers,

My daily newspaper routine usually includes reading the Fort Worth Star Telegram (paper format), listening to NPR, and occasionally listening to the BBC. Unfortunately, this is not a well-rounded approach to getting the news (to gain a world-wide perspective).

As a result, I might start using Hubii. This website enables users to discover newspaper articles by browsing an interactive map.

Pros: The stories are timely and the graphics are crisp!

Cons: The websites try to convince users to track their location. :(

Sincerely,

J. Edwards

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

Become a fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook - http://goo.gl/gnN41

A Month of College Teaching Tips - Tip #3 : Adopt a Speed Dating Approach to Public Speaking

Readers,

One of my good friends, Dr. Lora Helvie-Mason is very focused on engaging students in the public speaking classroom. Recently, Dr. Helvie-Mason was asked to author an article for Faculty Focus titled, "Helping Students Find Their Voices: Four Corners of the Classroom".

Read about the activity here - http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-teaching-strategies/helping-students-find-their-voices-four-corners-of-the-classroom/

Enjoy!

Sincerely,

J. Edwards

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

Become a fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook - http://goo.gl/gnN41

A Month of College Teaching Tips - Tip #2 : Dress Like a Professor...

Readers,

Dress the part! I usually wear a suit and heels everyday. It is amazing how a simple clothing switch can make a difference in the classroom environment. When I decide to wear slacks and a nice sweater, the students actually react to me slightly differently than they usually react in most situations.

Here are few Pinterest boards related to the topic...

Dream Closet: Professor Fashion

http://pinterest.com/vferrer/dream-closet-professor-fashion/

 

Teacher Fashion

http://pinterest.com/sohimagazine/teacher-fashion/

Sincerely,

J. Edwards

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

Become a fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook - http://goo.gl/gnN41

A Month of College Teaching Tips - Tip #1 : Attendance is A Beneficial Practice

Readers,

Next year will be my seventh year of teaching and I have always taken attendance in my classes. I realize that students might think that this practice is antiquated, but I strongly believe in a rigorous attendance policy because of the following...

1 - I believe that attendance is pivotal for student success.

Article - Link

2 - I care about my students when they are not present in the classroom.

3 - I want to make sure that my students obtain the total class experience (interaction with classmates, interaction with the professor, etc.)

4 - I enjoy interacting with the students and observing their reactions to the course content.

5 - If anything happens to a student, I am able to verify that the student attended class on a certain day (or days).

Sincerely,

J. Edwards

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

Become a fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook - http://goo.gl/gnN41

Save Your Data Week! - SanDisk Cruzer USB Drive

Readers,

Here is my favorite way to back up my data - SanDisk 64GB drive. I enjoy using this nifty drive to plug into my laptop computers.


I hang this drive on my Vera Bradley lanyard and my data is accessible on almost any computer.

I used this brand for the past 10 years and I LOVE it! SanDisk, if you ever want to host a giveaway on my blog, please let me know! ;)


Sincerely,


J. Edwards

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

Become a fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook - http://goo.gl/gnN41

Save Your Data Week! - Where Do You Keep Your Academic Portfolio?

Readers,

I know that this might sounds crazy, but one night I had a weird dream about something happening to my academic portfolio which I kept at my office. So, I decided to relocate my academic portfolio to my home in a Rubbermaid container (to protect it from water, etc.).

Do you scan the items in your academic portfolio?

Do you keep multiple copies of your CV?

Do you have the original copies of your diplomas (which you probably have hanging in your office)?

Sincerely,

J. Edwards

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

Become a fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook - http://goo.gl/gnN41