Welcome back from spring "break"! Or, in reality, welcome back from your week of grading! Here are some helpful resources for the first two weeks of class:
Make the most of the first day of class and take the time to introduce yourself effectively.
Spend some time getting to know your students (without relying too heavily on the Beloit College Mindset List...).
Gauge your students' prior knowledge early in the quarter. One good way to do this is through the use of low-stakes assessment exercises.
Design effective assignments that in some way reflect the course goals and learning objectives that you articulated on the syllabus.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Notes from the EDUCAUSE Conference
Several Teaching Commons contributors recently attended the EDUCAUSE Midwest Regional Conference, which focuses on the use of technology in higher education. Here are just a few of the pedagogical and technological highlights from the conference:
Keynote speaker Michael Wesch shared his thoughts on the role of new media in contemporary teaching. As part of his presentation, Professor Wesch shared two YouTube videos that he and his students made together (which have been viewed a combined 15 million times!): "Web 2.0 ... The Machine is Us/ing Us" and "A Vision of Students Today."
An open-source photo and document organizer called Gallery is a potentially useful tool for those teaching classes that focus heavily on images.
There was quite a buzz in the air about the emerging open textbook trend, which is summarized in "7 Things You Should Know About Open Textbook Publishing."
The popular (and free!) screencasting program Jing allows teachers to record video of their computer screen as well as audio, which is useful for disseminating specific instructions, feedback, or short explanations to students.
Keynote speaker Michael Wesch shared his thoughts on the role of new media in contemporary teaching. As part of his presentation, Professor Wesch shared two YouTube videos that he and his students made together (which have been viewed a combined 15 million times!): "Web 2.0 ... The Machine is Us/ing Us" and "A Vision of Students Today."
An open-source photo and document organizer called Gallery is a potentially useful tool for those teaching classes that focus heavily on images.
There was quite a buzz in the air about the emerging open textbook trend, which is summarized in "7 Things You Should Know About Open Textbook Publishing."
The popular (and free!) screencasting program Jing allows teachers to record video of their computer screen as well as audio, which is useful for disseminating specific instructions, feedback, or short explanations to students.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Spotlight on Teaching and Learning: March 7th Edition
One ProfHacker blogger reflects on the pedagogical benefits of replacing his regularly scheduled "jeremiads" with more subtle and effective pedagogical approaches.
Lauri Dietz, Director of the University Center for Writing-based Learning, discusses the often misunderstood relationship between peer tutoring and assessment.
Faculty Focus raises the important issue of faculty expectations and also challenges instructors to help students take responsibility for their learning.
Cartoonist Matthew Henry Hall captures a student's perspective on note-taking in the digital age as part of his Teachable Moments series from Inside Higher Ed.
Lauri Dietz, Director of the University Center for Writing-based Learning, discusses the often misunderstood relationship between peer tutoring and assessment.
Faculty Focus raises the important issue of faculty expectations and also challenges instructors to help students take responsibility for their learning.
Cartoonist Matthew Henry Hall captures a student's perspective on note-taking in the digital age as part of his Teachable Moments series from Inside Higher Ed.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)