Talk Doesn't Cook Rice...

...or so says Paige's uncle who shared this helpful Chinese proverb as a warning for our "day of the dumpling." But no worries, we managed to cook and write AND Paige shared Tweeting secrets with me! Perfect activities for a blustery day. Cheers!

www.paigeandpeggy.blogspot.com

Student Textbook Money-Saving Chart

Love this flow chart from The Chronicle of Higher Ed which shows how far students will go to save money on text books:

http://chronicle.texterity.com/chronicle/20130201a?sub_id=x6dM3NpHs5dd#pg21

AL Space Grant Teacher Ed Scholarship

Undergrad teacher ed scholarships available in $1,000 awards. These are non-renewable. See eligibility requirements below:

Applicants must be:

- U.S. citizen
- Enrolled full-time (minimum of 12 credit hours) at an ASGC member University and must be on track that qualifies them to teach in a precollege setting. Priority given to those majoring in the sciences and maths, especially earth, space and environmental science.
- In good academic standing w/a GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.

For more information: https://spacegrant.net/apps/?pk=als1

A Bill of Rights for Digital Learners

As Inside Higher Ed stated, it was bound to happen sooner or later. Check out "A Bill of Rights and Principles for Learning in the Digital Age."


https://github.com/audreywatters/learnersrights/blob/master/bill_of_rights.md

Some of the elements which resonated with me were:

"The right to quality and care
Students have the right to care, diligence, commitment, honesty and innovation. They are not being sold a product--nor are they the product being sold. They are not just consumers. Education is also about trust. Learning--not corporate profit--is the principal purpose of all education."

This speaks directly to the ongoing debate in higher education as to whether or not we are a business and whether or not students are consumers.

"The right to have great teachers
All students need thoughtful teachers, facilitators, mentors and partners in learning, and learning environments that are attentive to their specific learning goals and needs. While some of us favor peer learning communities, all of us recognize that, in formal educational settings, students should expect--indeed demand--that the people arranging, mentoring and facilitating their learning online be financially, intellectually and pedagogically valued and supported by institutions of higher learning and by society. Teachers’ know-how and working conditions are students’ learning conditions."

What can I add to this, other than "amen!"

"Civility
Courses should encourage interaction and collaboration between students wherever it enhances the learning experience. Such programs should encourage student contributions of content, perspectives, methods, reflecting their own cultural and individual perspectives. Online learning programs or initiatives have a responsibility to share those contributions in an atmosphere of integrity and respect. Students have the right and responsibility to promote and participate in generous, kind, constructive communication within their learning environment."

I preach civility in my courses until my students roll their eyes. As an example of what not to do in online discussions we examine articles in higher ed publications and the fiery, scathing, hypercritical and downright nasty comments they generate online. These comments are initially directed towards the article's author, then quickly move on to being lobbed at other commentors until it's just an ugly, silly digital melee. I tell my students that they are better than that and that I expect more from them. And I get it.

So while the Bill of Rights has already been criticized, largely for not including online learners in its creation, I think it's a really good start.

MLK Day of Service

USA students, faculty, staff and family (thanks Dave!) spent Jan. 21st engaged in service activities in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.. Shoring up a roof damaged by last years' tornadoes. Cleaning up limbs, raking yards. Channel 5's Lauren Vargas interviewing volunteers.

A big "thank you" to USA's Karen Peterson for organizing the day's events!

Unpleasant Surprises

Survey Results: What Surprised People When They First Started Working in Higher Ed 

This headline from Inside Higher Ed caught my attention, and of course, I had to know more. The survey of 459 people does not paint a pretty picture. The top five "surprises" were:

intense politics
slow pace
lack of collaboration/uncollegial actions/infighting
students (unpleasantly surprised)
bureaucracy

Wow. Talk about a downer. Forgive me for my apparent prejudices, but I immediately thought, these must be faculty that they've surveyed. But no, a little digging revealed tenure track faculty only accounted for 17% of respondents, while sadly, administrators accounted for 36%. So...we don't like our jobs? Our coworkers? Our students? Huh.

This got me thinking about another online article which created a tempest in a teapot recently. CareerCast ranked college professor as the least stressful job for 2013. Okay, even I had to snort in derision over this one. But if you want to witness some outrage over mischaracterization of a profession, read the comments the article garnered and search it on the internet to see how much controversy and blowback it created.

All of this to say...what? We, collectively, are not happy with our higher ed jobs? Change needs to come? Some of us are burnt out and perhaps need to move on to other careers, or retire? We are super sensitive about our jobs? We need to do some soul-searching about the value of what it is we do?

Maybe all of the above.


Read more: http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/stratedgy/survey-results-what-surprised-people-when-they-first-started-working-higher-ed#ixzz2HxeQXtY3
Inside Higher Ed

http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/stratedgy/survey-says-results-newbieveteran-surveys

http://www.careercast.com/jobs-rated/10-least-stressful-jobs-2013

MOOC's

If you've been keeping up with higher ed news, you know that MOOC's (massive open online courses) are all the rage. Last night PBS News Hour had a good segment on how MOOC's are changing the traditional liberal arts education.

"Online learning is nothing new. Colleges have been offering classes, usually for a fee, and for credit for years. More than six million Americans are taking some type of online courses.
But MOOC courses are different. They're much bigger. They use new technology. They often feature well-known professors, and they don't cost anything. Hundreds of these college-level courses are currently being offered over the Internet. More than two million students have enrolled in Coursera classes, though the completion rate is low."

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/education/jan-june13/online_01-08.html

If the future of higher education interests you, then check out Anna Kamenetz's "DIY U: Edupunks, Edupreneurs, and the Coming Transformation of Higher Education." It's a fantastic little book, very engaging, and I've used it before in my classes. It generates good conversation and gets students thinking about the meaning and value of a college education.

http://diyubook.com/read-the-book/

Here's to embracing change!

A New Year

Enough with the fiscal cliffery and sadness over innocent lives lost and controversy over gun control and mental health care, and frantic tornado-induced combined campus school plans. All of these issues and events are important, but I look forward to starting anew this year. New classes, new subjects, new students (and returning), new books give me fresh hope. Something to look foward to and focus on. I hope that as we settle into 2013, you too are filled with a sense of possibility and purpose.

Happy New Year