So I am half way through my first week at Bath Spa University. They have put together an excellent induction programme and I am in the process of meeting various people and finding more out about the University and various initiatives/projects. I can’t believe how stunning the campus is, it has to be one of the most beautiful in the country! Have unpacked half my stuff, will bring the rest next week. Lovely new Mac Book Pro up and running (although not yet connecting to the printer). So pretty organised already! I am in the process of moving some EU projects from Leicester and setting up various new projects, which have recently started. In addition to being chair of education in the School of Education, reporting to the dean Kate Keynolds, I have a cross-institutional remit in terms of e-learning which is great. The details of this role still need to be ironed out but will include involvement in the development of the University’s e-learning strategy, which is great. Bath Spa is quite a specialised university, particularly known for creative writing and the arts. There is a new technology-enabled building called the Commons, I haven’t had a chance to see it yet, it will be interested to see how it has been designed and in what ways it has been technology-enhanced. People have been very welcoming and there is a real sense of collegiality. I think I am going to like working here! Picture is of the main house, my office is on the top left, not bad

Prologue So, because I can’t sleep…I’m blogging. My middle kid…sigh…will be going to kindergarten tomorrow and I’m super happy about it even though it means I’m that much closer to death. Regular-logue My new peeps (that should be followed on twitter, bee-tee-dub), Tracie "Cyber-Sass" Cain (@TracieGCain), Linda "Mc-Dominate" McDonald (@LindaMac65), and Erin "Cheeky Monkey" Griffith (@MrsGriffith3), have shown me a billion new things in the tech world that have helped me organize everything from short presentations to my entire life. Recently, though, I saw something they used during a presentation that blew my mind more than normal. Twidla is an online resources that allows for collaborative online illustrations.  There is no logging in, no account sign up, and no-thing to slow you down on the highway to awesomeness. However, you CAN upload and mark up images, files, and play on a white board.  Every stray line and color is updated in real time which means classroom collaboration with students around the planet or universe…or…classroom is possible! To Begin On the home page, click the green button and start "Twidla"ing.  Share you link with those you love.  Then chat with them in the chat area on the right side of the screen. If you don’t like the three thousand digit code the site creates as your identification number, then just double click on it in the chat area and change your name!  Then chat again… with your name this time. It really is a super easy resource to use so watch my video and then jump in as hard as yuo can.  Then share how you think you can use it with your kids and parents so I can steal those ideas.  Filed under: In The Classroom, Technology Tagged: classroom, classroom technology, collaboration, collaborative illustrations, edtech, illustrations, online drawing, online resource, tech, technology, twidla

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  Commencement Is history. Academic life takes on a different rhythm. End of semester revisiting of goals. Planning for fall semester courses. Reflection, rejuvenation, redirection. One of the first academic professional development efforts I’ll engage in this summer is in reworking my Experimental Social Psychology course, PSY303. I need to somehow incorporate into it lessons learned from Diederik Stapel.   I also want to transform it into a major introduction to international/global applications. Any suggestions from readers of this blog would be most welcome. Filed under: Carroll Reflections, Commencement, Curious David, Ethics, Fraud, Graduation, Higher Education Tagged: Commencement, Diederik Stapel, Higher Education, Social Psychology

The New MediaConsortium Horizon report for HE 2015 is now out. As always it makes interesting reading. This post summarises the key issues that are likely to have an impact on Education in one, three and five years. In terms of trends in the short term, the focus is on increased use of blended learning and redesigning learning spaces. The latter reminds me of the SKG project, which lists seven ways to technology-enhance learning spaces. In the medium term it is about focusing on measurable learning, I think learning analytics might have an important role to play in this respect. And also the proliferation of Open Educational Resources (OER) and I would add Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and in particular the implications for formal educational offerings. Advanced cultures of change and innovation as cited as important in the longer term, along with increased cross-institutional collaboration. Bring your own devices and the flipped classroom are cited as important within one year, makerspaces and wearable technologies in three years, and adaptive learning technologies and the Internet of things in five years. A number of challenges are listed: blending formal and informal learning, improving digital literacy skills, personalised learning, teaching complex thinking, competing models of education, and rewards for teaching. 

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I consider myself a connected educator. However, I’m still blown away by what that means in today’s world. Earlier today, in Texas I GHO’ed with a cool lady in Tennessee and Voxered with a cool principal in Minnesota.  Then, I helped a student get their bearing via Twitter while I talked to my wife about my day. None of it was planned and it all happened with little effort! Miracle 1 I was in a meeting today when the topic of Google Hangouts came up. Some questions were bandied about and I thought about Googling them. But my leaders at work Linda ( @LindaMac65) and Tracie ( @TracieGCain) have been pushing me to model, model, model what I expect. So I put a call out on Twitter: and within minutes… Who comes to my rescue but the venerable (I’m not sure I know what that word means) and sassy Samantha Bates (@sjsbates) from Tennessee with… and she did and we chatted and she answer questions and it was cool! Miracle 2 A while later, I had a question about a Twitter chat format that might mix a GHO and Tweeting… so I Tweeted the venerable (still not sure what that means) and crazy energetic Brad Gustafson ( @GustafsonBrad) in Minnesota about his TouchCast based show.  So I used the Voxer app to send him a voice message that would hang in the ether until he was ready to hear it. Within two hours he sends back four crazed, but, as always, genius messages with details.  He then voxes me back and continues throwing out gamification this and edit video that… It was more than I asked for and I loved it! THEN… Miracle 3 I get home and one of my college government students needs help navigating our college’s new LMS.  So we tweet back and forth and… BAM!… she’s all hooked up and ready to roll.  Ten years ago, none of this could have happened or it could have happened with tremendous effort. I love being a connected educator and I hope to bring so many more over to the dark side in my new position as Digital Learning Consultant at ESC Region 11. Mwa-ha-ha-ha!!! (Cue Jackson’s Thriller Music)    Filed under: In The Classroom, Technology Tagged: classroom technology, connected educator, ed tech, edtech, education technology, technology, Twitter, twitter chat, twitter chats, voxer

Whispered Words of Wisdom from My Mom at Her Memorial Service Saturday, May 17, 2014 Sun City, Arizona Good Morning! I am David Simpson, Pat’s oldest (perhaps Prodigal ) son sometimes called  "David D." by her.  A Professor of Psychology for the past 35 years, I am wont to speak for 50 minutes or to twitter for 140 characters, but here, as she would wish, I shall be uncharacteristically brief. My mother was a life-long Teacher. She taught me how to read.  As soon as I learned how to read, I tried to teach Baby Bruce. Even today I love reading and teaching. Mom taught me about life and about death and how to pray the 18th century Children’s prayer (personalized version): Now I lay me down to sleep I pray the Lord my soul to keep If I should die before I wake I pray the Lord my soul to take God bless Mommie and Daddy and Grandpa and Grandma Connie Sue and David and Brucie and Queenie And EVERY BODY!!!!!  Amen My mother was both simple and complex. She was a lady —prim and proper. She was good-humored, reflective, energetic, slim and vivacious. She loved children and music and clowns and cows and rainbows and especially took pride in her own children— respecting, accepting, treasuring, and nourishing their differences. Mom was a worrier—especially about the well-being of her guests. I do not doubt that she is worried right now about this service and that the guests feel welcome. Mom leaves me with these whispered words of wisdom: Don’t worry about doing THE Right Thing, but do A right thing. Live, Love, Learn, and ——Give. Be Good (for Goodness’ Sake). Be Nice to your Brother and Sister. Be Patient. Be Kind Be Giving. Be Forgiving. Be of Good Cheer. Be You. Be—- and Let it Be. Obituary: Patricia Ann Stover (Simpson) Swinger (Thanks to Sister Connie Sue and Brother Bruce for writing this). February 2, 1924-April 18, 2014/ Sun City, AZ Born in Robinson, Illinois to Nelson T. and Beulah Copley Stover, she had two siblings: Robert Nelson Stover and James Copley Stover. Her summers were spent at Interlochen, a world-renown music school/camp where she studied a number of instruments, including flute, piano, and organ. Her life centered around her family, her faith, and her music—not necessarily in that order. After graduating from Robinson High School, she attended Oberlin College in Ohio where she met and later married Frank C. Simpson of Cleveland, OH. Frank was in the United States Navy, and soon after they were married June 30, 1945, she moved to FL to be close to him. Three children were born to them: Connie Sue (born in 1946), David Durell (born in 1949), and Bruce Copley (born in 1953).  Pat was a stay-at-home-mom until Bruce entered kindergarten; she then began a teaching career in Ohio, and completed her student teaching and her Bachelor’s Degree through Kent State University in Ohio before returning to the Buffalo area to teach at The Park School for a number of years. Frank’s job with General Electric and later with several steel companies in Niles, OH, and N. Tonawanda, NY, led to numerous family moves, and when Bruce was to enter the 9th grade, the Frank, Pat, and Bruce finally settled in Williamsville, NY near Buffalo, NY. Pat was involved in church music, church activities, teaching activities, and, of course, school activities of Bruce as he moved through high school. Frank died in New York in 2001. In the meantime, Pat had moved to Sun City, AZ where she renewed acquaintance with Paul Swinger whom she married in 1994. Ironically, they had attended all twelve years of school together in Robinson, IL. Small world….Paul’s family consisted of two daughters- Vicki (and Leon) Midgett and Paula (and Randy) Britt, and their daughters and grandchildren. Throughout her life, Pat maintained her interest in music, specifically the organ and the piano. She continued to take lessons throughout her life and was the organist and director of several choirs as well as mastering the hand bells of Paul’s church in Sun City. She traveled to various churches in Europe as a result of her membership in the American Guild of Organists, which regularly traveled overseas; she was able to play the European church organs of composers such as Bach, Handel, Beethoven, etc. She and Paul did extensive traveling after they married: Hawaii, Alaska, and Europe were some of their adventures. Pat continued with her music playing at Royal Oaks and elsewhere until macular degeneration curtailed that activity. After she moved to Royal Oaks in Sun City, she took up golf and made many friends through that activity. She continued to golf throughout her life-and was quite good at it, too, and modestly had trophies to prove it. Part of an octogenarian golf team, she will be missed by her golfing buddies. In February, Pat celebrated her 90th birthday with all three of her children and her friends in attendance. On April 18, 2014, she died peacefully at home in the company of family members. Services will be held in Bellevue Heights Baptist Church at 11:00 am the morning of May 17, 2014; and interment will be next to husband Paul Swinger (who died in 2008) in the columbarium of Bellevue Heights Baptist Church, a church where she was active in church activities from volunteering for the annual Rose Festival to serving on various church committees and participating in Bible studies and activities involving numerous churches in the Sun City area. In addition to her children Connie Sue (and Keith), David (and Debbie) and Bruce (Kai) and many special friends, Pat will be missed by her grandchildren Andrew (and Misty Bowman and their two boys Nicholas and Daniel) of Hinwil, Switzerland; Blaise Connor Simpson of Frederick, MD; and Lisa (and Christopher Miller and their son Bryan) of Bucyrus, OH.                        Filed under: Curious David, Mothers Tagged: Best Teachers

Change is going to happen. The sometimes slow but always certain current of change has momentum…tremendous momentum. But it is dumb and unrefined momentum…like an undeniable ocean current. Yes, ocean currents can pull you out to a formless sea, but they can also be used to navigate to incredible destinations. If we accept that change WILL happen (whether we like it or not), then the next question must be "How can I manage the change & make it work for me and my students?". The good news is that we do have a choice in HOW the change happens. We can hasten it or redirect its energy to some degree. We can’t stop it, but, in the same way that NASA uses the gravitational pull of planets to "slingshot" satellites to deep space, we can use the tug of inevitable change to move us in directions that are beneficial to one degree or another. The certainty hidden or embedded in uncertainty is your free will. The world is becoming more connect & it will require adult learners in the future to think quickly, access & mold (with purpose) information for a variety of student audiences. These adults are 5, 10, & 15 years old right now. These adults are sitting in your classroom waiting for you to choose to either make a conscious effort to use the momentum of change for their benefit or for yours or both. There are adults in the future who are, themselves, reacting to change & making important decisions based on what you are showing them today in your classroom. If they were to come back to you and ask for advise, of course you’d do your best to help. The trick in being a teacher is to see the questions their adult selves will ask & address them in the here and now. Change is happening and you can’t stop it…so use it to help you, your students, & our future: 1) Begin with relationships 2) Respect your students by challenging them 3) Assume the best 4) Use technology in meaningful ways (you may not live in a tech world…but they either are or will) 5)Take the ceiling off your thinking…don’t assume a final product for your students…assume & support quality work & thinking that will lead to a fabulous product 6) the person who does the work is doing the learningFiled under: In The Classroom Tagged: :), challenges, classroom, classroom management, classroom tech, classroom technology, cute kittens, inspiration, inspire, management, relationships, students, teacher, tech, technology, thrasymachus, thrasymakos, uncertainty

I am currently working on the Create C Chapter of my new book - Learning Design: a practical approach. One section describes ways in which learners can generate content. The table below lists the different approaches that can be adopted. Am I missing anything? Technique Description Annotation The learners annotate a resource and then summarise the key points Collective aggregation The learners work in teams to collectively aggregate a set of resources around a particular topic. They can aggregate these on a group blog, a wiki or a Google doc. They add the link along with a brief description of the resource and why it is useful/relevant. Crossword puzzle This consists of a series of clues around a set of concepts. The learners are asked to complete the crossword. For example, ‘a type of pedagogical approach’ with 14 letters is constructivism, or the Spanish word for apple with 7 letters is ‘manzana’. Mind mapping Learners use a mind map to visualise a particular topic and associated ideas, either individually or in groups. Posters Learners are asked to create a poster on a particular topic. Peers can then provide comments and feedback. Scavenger hunt Learners are divided into teams, they are given a list of resources to find (for example they might be asked to find a resource on ‘constructivist learning’, or a resource describing how a wiki can be used to promote collaborative learning or a resource on the implications for learning). The team that collates all the items on the list first wins. Snowball This enables learners to organise groups of ideas on a concept and assign them to themes. Patterns and relationships in the groups can also be observed. One slip of paper (or ‘post-its’) is used per idea generated or possible solution offered. A meeting is set up of up to 5 people. The slips of paper are viewed and then grouped ‘like with like’. Duplicates can be created if the idea/solution is relevant to more than one group. Patterns and relationships in the groups are observed.

Erin F. Christian G. Reyna G. Campbell M. Jadon M. Kaleb R.Jared J.Isaih S.Chase R.Hunter S. Laramie D. Xander D.Elizabeth P. Sydney M. Peris K. Tavian S. Emelia S Jacey K. Maddie J. Lexi H Carlie H.Josh S.Kuna M. Shalynn S. Anna B. Malik P.

When I initially arrived at Carroll with my "ABD" degree (All But Dissertation) in 1978 it made much sense to me and to my chair, Dr. Ralph Parsons, to teach what I had specialized in during graduate school at The Ohio State University. David, Ralph, and Virginia Briefly Reunited February 1, 2014 My introduction to the field of social psychology had come while I was an  undergraduate at Oberlin College, and I hoped to give back to my Carroll students the excitement that I felt at that time of actually being a social psychologist. At Oberlin  my academic adviser, Ralph Turner, was a self-described "arm-chair" social psychologist—i.e not at a researcher—interested in creating dithering devices to facilitate learning that would cascade within and outside the classroom. As an adviser and professor Ralph Turner was kind to and patient with me. He was a role model of a dynamic teacher and a voracious reader who regularly wrote book reviews and who played a leadership role in Division 2 (Teaching of Psychology). He encouraged my intellectual curiosity and accepted me as I was, unformed and uninformed but eager to learn. He introduced me to the idea that psychological principles of persuasion and attitude change could be used to make the world a better place—or a worse place if applications of these same social psychological principles and findings failed to be guided by ethics. These were my most (in)formative years especially, perhaps, because I was taking all my classes "credit/no entry" (that is, ungraded).  This freedom from being graded allowed me to read voraciously, to be exposed first hand to social justice and war/peace issues, and to read and reflect upon works such as Postman and Weingartner’s Teaching as a Subversive Activity. I was also at that time inspired by APA President George Miller’s 1969 address advocating that we should give psychology away. While a perennial graduate student at Ohio State I was surrounded by students who already were far better scientists than I was or would ever become and who subsequently have made major contributions to the field. Once again I was heavily influenced by personal relationships formed with a few key faculty—in particular by my academic adviser, mentor, and friend Tom Ostrom and more indirectly but in many positive ways, by the teachings by example of Tony Greenwald. Both of them, in their kind but brutally candid way convinced me that my calling most likely would be in teaching rather than in conducting creative, seminal, path-breaking research. And here I am thirty-some years later! It pleases me that a number of Carroll students have chosen to pursue advanced graduate degrees in social psychology (e.g. Mark Klinger, Pam Propsom, Deana Julka, Darcy Reich, Jenny Welbourne, Cathy Carnot-Bond ) or in related disciplines (e.g. Mike Schwerin). Some of them have developed enviable scholarly reputations. But my goal in my experimental social psychology class is not so much as to be a pipeline to graduate schools in social psychology as to attempt to provide a capstone-like experience in their developed abilities of thinking about research. I’m at a point of giving serious consideration to changing what I teach and how I teach my experimental social psychology course—if I continue to teach it. Two or my colleagues have a professional identity with my discipline, and I’m sure that they could step in. One possibility is to teach it entirely based upon readings (e.g. classic studies and recently published articles). Such a change in format might allow for more extensive, daily discussion and the potential development of student research ideas resulting from such discussion. This possibility would work best, however, if the class were small. There are years, though when I’ve had up to 35 students. A second possibility is to teach it from a much more global, international perspective. A third possibility is to dramatically introduce hands-on Internet-based resources and experiences—drawing upon my recent interest in developing Web 2.0 learning tool. A good start in identifying some such resources has already been made by Scott Plous in his development of the Social Psychology Network  and is reflected in the work of Jonathon Mueller in developing teaching resources for social psychology.  And, of course, I could draw more upon the expertise of former students who are active experimental social psychologists. (Are you interest in some good students directed to you? Let’s connect!) I welcome input from students and former students concerning which directions I should explore. How best should I proceed to give social psychology away?  Filed under: Carroll Reflections, Carroll University, Curious David, Oberlin, Psychology, social psychology Tagged: Social Psychology

Google doesn’t really care that they’re completely undermining Microsoft Suite by giving away cool resources like Word or Power Point "wanna-be’s". Yes, I just used a term from 1999. But that term was in quotes which means I was being ironic. Why? Google form is now anything other than a "wanna-be" program with the new update. Forms has been blown open by the demi-gods (or is it demagogues) at Google.  You can now personalize your forms, tests, quizzes, and surveys like never before!  It’s such a simple switch that will be making so many educators very, very happy. Here’s a goofy tutorial.  Filed under: In The Classroom, Technology Tagged: classroom tech, classroom technology, drive, forms update, google, google drive, google form update, google forms, google forms update, google quizzes, google test, google tests, google update, polls, survey, surveys, thrasymachus, thrasymakos

This thought piece  has been slightly revised from a blog piece I wrote a number of years ago for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel under the name "Curious David" when I was a community educational blogger for them. I’m nervous and excited. Time to take off my invisibility cloak. Tomorrow (Tuesday, September 2, 2008 at 8:00 a.m.) I meet in person for the first time with my 20 first-year students. What an immense responsibility to be their first professor! We’re going to explore "21rst century" learning tools such as blogs, wikis, podcasts, social networks, virtual worlds, and YouTube. The idea for this course emerged from my experiences writing this "Curious David" blog column. Last year’s opportunity to write for "JSonline" was transformative for me as I learned from elementary and secondary school teachers, high school students, virtual school advocates, retired faculty and readers about innovations, challenges and successes they faced promoting learning. In this first-year seminar we shall focus on some of the 25 free learning tools described by educator Jane Hart. [Here is an updated list I would draw upon were I to teach this course again.]  As we examine these learning tools we hope to answer questions such as these: To what degree can these web tools truly enhance student learning? To what degree are they just "cool" tools? Could they be used to develop critical thinking? Do they improve or degrade communication skills? Might they be applied to fostering cross-cultural or international understanding? Might they strengthen or weaken writing skills? What are their weaknesses or dangers? Should they complement or replace 20th century learning skills/tools? How can one evaluate their effectiveness? [It seems to me it should be possible to produce an evidence-based paper like this to address the questions above.]  My intent is to assist students in the transition from high school to college—and to investigate Web 2.0 learning tools which might be useful across classes and in the workplace. I want to involve them in educational experiences that will develop and enhance abilities in reading, writing, reflecting, presenting, thinking, and producing. Writing exercises will include short in-class and out-of-class reaction papers, journals, blogs/wikis, and exams. Presentations will be both formal and informal; individual and in small groups. Collaboration will be both with fellow students and with me. Still Curious, David Filed under: App Generation, Blogging, Curious David, Jane Hart's Top 100 Learning Tools Tagged: app generation, Global/International, Higher Education, Top 100 Learning Tools, Web 2.0 Learning Tools

Check out Edutopia’s collection of articles, videos, and other resources on internet safety, cyberbullying, digital responsibility, and media and digital literacy. Source: www.edutopia.org See on Scoop.it - FootprintDigital

I’m pretty sure that, like many of you, I was gamifying stuff before it was a "thing".  If I got bored teaching the same thing in the same way year after year, I couldn’t imagine what my poor students were going through.  So "tricking" things up was and is an innate tendency for me simply because I don’t want to spread the evils of boredom. Most concepts in government are fairly dry and, unfortunately, lend themselves to said boredom.  If I can pull in a controversial topic, example, or game to teach a lesson, I’ll do it in a heart beat. The Topic One of those "dry" topics is separation of powers and checks and balances.  I was taught these concepts through the awesome power of diagrams and scribbled arrows on a chalk board…or is it chalk bored? To teach separation of powers, I tried to think of a way to play a game that would stay true to the idea.  A government divided so that action would be difficult in the best of times.  A series of rules that would only allow for action if most Americans (or at least their representatives) were in agreement (for the most part).  A way to play a game so that if a tyrannical person or mob arose there would be several ways to "slow their roll" as my students used to say.  A game that had internal and external pressures… then it hit me one day as my wife (@HCooper815) and her friend were whooping me and my pal in Cranium. At School The next chance I got, I took the Cranium game to school.  I divided my 20+ students into three groups of 7, 8, or 9. In each group of , let’s say, I had them elect one chief executive.  With the other 8, 3 were to become judges and the other 5 were Congress (Bam! Three branches). Cranium cards are divided into four sets.  Creative Cat, Word Worm, Data Head, and Star Performer. I would then list Articles I, II, and III on the board with associated Federalist Papers that dealt with those particular branches. Article I (I write some quotes from Federalist 52 on the board) establishes Congress and outlines what they can do in section 8 and lots and lots of "no’s" in section 9.  The founders saw this branch as the most problematic which is probably why they mention it first and alot the most ink to it (and yes, it’s also the closest to that tumultuous sea of insanity know as "the people"). Since Congress is full of brains that are supposed to think clearly, the two categories in Cranium that deals with information and sifting of information, Data Head and Word Worm, were theirs.  So if the die came up those two colors the elected speaker of the house would debate the possible answers with his Congress and come up with an answer. The president, of course, could veto Congress’ answer and suggest his own.  Then Congress could override his vetoed answer with a 2/3 vote. Congress could also impeach the remove the president if he did not live up to his duties. Article II deals with the president.  Federalist 70 addresses the "energetic executive".  Since the president is so full of energy, why not make him address the other two categories: Star Performer and Creative Cat.  Any time the die landed on these two "active" categories the president had to perform for his or her nation.  Then Congress was tasked with the responsibility of guessing the silent clues, horribly drawn out illustrations, sculptures, songs, or hums. Let’s say the president isn’t good at singing, though.  The president can go to Congress and ask for a declaration of war on another group in the room (which keeps them on their toes).  If Congress agrees, then the president declares war, names the team, and the president of that "nation" has to address the Star Performer or Creative Cat activity.  If they get it wrong, the original team gets to move on the board.  If they get it right, they get to move. Article III addresses the Supreme Court.  I would write a quote or brief summary of Federalist 78 on the board.  Since I’ve printed out the rules, the Supreme Court has to make sure their nation follows the rules or face getting sanctioned by the State of Nature (me).  They also have a rubric in front of them and give grades to the participants.  As the State of Nature, I support no nation in particular.  So if one group moves a piece to their advantage and the judges in the other nations don’t notice…who am I to tell?  Judges have to be on their toes constantly watching their own group as well as the others.  If a president from the other team has to close their eyes and draw on the board then the judges of the other two teams are asked to make sure that chief executive doesn’t cheat by opening his eyes. Further, if a team is successful the "energetic" executive has to move his nation’s piece along the board.  It is the judge’s task to make sure that the piece is moved before the president sits down.  If he sits down, then their turn is over and they can no longer move that piece. Each round, it seemed, students were adding to the rules using their textbook to find passages from the U.S. Constitution to mess with the other teams.  It was leading horses to water and enticing them to drink at its finest! Fin I had a handout somewhere… but alas I cannot find it.  The second I do, I’ll post it as an attachment so you can see exactly what my students saw.  But you get the general idea of the scope of the game. This game was great fun and it ingrained in the students, via their role playing tasks, at least 1/3 of the checks and balances and separation of powers, but it was usually much more successful than that.  When students are calling each other out using phrases like "Nuh uh, Article I section 9 states…" or "Yeah, Federalists 70 said…" then you know something was done right… Coop out… (drops mic).Filed under: Government/Civics, In The Classroom Tagged: activities, checks and balances, civics, classroom activities, classroom games, cooper, cranium, games, gamification, government, humanities, lesson plans, separation of powers, social studies, thrasymachus, thrasymakos

Commencement 2014 was a month ago. I have already begun preparations for teaching in the Fall (how the years have flown by since February, 1978 when I taught my first class here). From time to time I disconnect and disengage from my seemingly always being online and from focusing on productivity. Try it —-you may discover that you are more addicted than you think. Can you enjoy the twittering of the birds without thinking about this wonderful Twitter guide?:) It is easier to so do during the summer, since I opt NOT to teach or to commit myself to grant work during that time. As author Naomi S. Baron acknowledges in her thoughtful book Always On: Language in an Online and Mobile World, one needs to be alert to the personal, cognitive, and social consequences of "24/7″ connectivity. Is Google making us "stoopid" (sic) or smarter? How can I ever find time to explore, evaluate, merge into my teaching the 2000 + learning tools which Jane Hart has alerted us to? I resolve these questions by stepping back, engaging in intense physical activity, reading widely, playing, and consulting the Newf!      Filed under: Carroll Reflections, Curious David, Jane Hart's Top 100 Learning Tools, technology tools Tagged: Reducing Internet Distractions, Self-Discipline, Technology Learning Tools, Turning Off the Internet, Unplugging from Internet

While a strong resume is still a huge asset, it’s not the only thing that employers are looking for. With social media in the mix, recruiters feel they can get to a know who a candidate is by look… Source: www.business2community.com See on Scoop.it - InformationCommunication (ICT) Reflection Questions: Post #7 post by Friday, November 21, 2014 @5pm. 1) What do you think about the infographic? Do agree or disagree? Whether you agree or disagree explain why. (Think about your own "Digital Footprint"). 2) Do you think Social Media currently is and will be in the future a method for employers to check incoming employees (i.e., resume)?  

  Christine Smallwood has a thoughtful review in the June 9 & 16 2014 New Yorker "Ghosts in the Stacks" of Phyllis Rose’s The Shelf: From LEQ to LES. Smallwood raises some issues about reading of considerable interest to me: how we choose books today has been dramatically changed by technology (our preferences and reading habits are monitored and curated what scholars read and how they read has changed (a distinction is made between close reading and surface reading) I was appropriately admonished by her last paragraph: And what about the books right in front of you that were published, even purchased, but, for all you know, might as well not have existed? My own bookshelves are filled with books I haven’t read, and books I read so long ago that they look at me like strangers. Can you have FOMO about your own life?…The alphabet is great, but there is nothing quite as arbitrary as one’s own past choices. Reading more books begins at home." Timeout on buying new books to read until I review what is filling my home office bookshelves. This is also a wonderful opportunity to use my LibrarianPro app. Hmm—32 books in shelf # 1 beginning with father-in-law’s 1927 copy of the Best Known Works of Edgar Allan Poe and ending with Philip Tetlock’s Expert Political Judgment. How delightful!        Filed under: Books, Reading Tagged: Reading

Conole career trajectory from Grainne Conole     On Monday I am giving a talk as part of International women’s day. The focus is on my career trajectory. It is interesting now and again to stop and reflect on your career, the key trigger points and the reasons for changing direction. Like many people I have had more than one career. I started life as an Inorganic Chemistry lecturer, having completed a PhD in X-Ray Crystallography.  I stumbled across Authorware Professional, a tool for creating multimedia resources and I was hooked! Then when the web emerged I created one of the first Chemistry websites for my students. In the mid-nineties I moved into a central role and set up the Learning and Teaching Innovation and Development unit, to help teachers make better use of technologies and be more innovative in their teaching. I broke from Chemistry finally in 99 when I went to Bristol to head up the Institute of Learning and Research Technology. Whilst I was there we grew from 30 to 80 people, through funding primarily from JISC. I took up a chair in Post Compulsory Education and Training at Southampton in 2002, moved to the OU in 2006, then Leicester in 2011. And now of course I have just started at Bath Spa.   I was awarded an HEA National Teaching Fellowship in 2012, the application required me to articulate the impact I have had on students, teachers and the international community. I structured my application around 4 phases of technology development: multimedia resources, the Internet, Learning Design, and social and participatory media. A copy of my applicant with more details on this is available here. I feel very privileged to be working in this area, and being part of a fantastic international community of peers.   Digital technologies have so much to offer to enhance the learning experiences, but there are still significant challenges; new approaches to design can help, as can effective use of Open Educational Resources and Massive Open Online Courses. We cannot even begin to envisage what the educational landscape will be like in the future, all we can be sure of is that it will continue to change and evolve and technologies will continue to have a significant impact on learning and teaching.

Robin the Newf knows about FLOW. In an interesting article entitled "The What, Why, When, and How of Teaching the Science of Subjective Well-Being" in the April 2014 issue of the journal Teaching of Psychology Ed Diener and Christi Napa Scollon point out that in the past few years there have been over 10,00 publications per year on the topic of happiness. Anyone interested in teaching a course about Subjective Well-Being (I myself developed and taught such a course once for Freshmen) might find this article especially useful. It includes sample discussion questions, sample syllabus topics, exercises for enhancing well-being, and scholarly references. Here are webpages describing related work of two scholars I admire Richard Davidson and Sonja Lyubormirsky. Some relatively recent "SWB" research is summarized in this  Happify link. Below are some germane videos I have come across that made me laugh, smile, or think and that I might use were I to teach such a course again. Enjoy.            Filed under: Happiness, Psychology Tagged: Happiness, Psychology, Research Seminar, Subjective Well-Being (SWB), TED

If you haven’t noticed, whilst I love technology and its propensity to enhance learning, for me it always has to be purposeful. I’ve written at some length about it previously but I thought a handy… Source: ictevangelist.com See on Scoop.it - Educational News and Web Tools

I talk to myself…a lot…in my car. I know it’s ok to admit this because I see others either doing the same or worse (ie. picking nose, reading papers, yelling on phone at someone). At least we car talkers have the potential to be constructive. :) In the spirit of car talkers I’ve decided to start a new strand of blog posts that are, quite literally, produced as I drive to work.  No, I’m not tapping on that tiny Iphone keyboard and putting untold thousands of lives at risk.  I’m listening to CD books on my way to work and then recording reflections when the spirit moves me in audio format. If for no other reason, at some point I’m sure someone I know will see me talking to myself and I can simply point to these traffic blog posts as evidence that I’m not completely insane. Vblog #1 In my new position as an Educational Consultant for Region 11, I have about an hour to kill in the morning and another in the afternoon as I drive to and from work.  Despite some gray naysayers saying that I would regret the drive, I’ve decided to buy tons of books on CD and work my brain while I drive to work. One of the books that piqued my curiosity recently is Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman.  It’s a little bit of an older book, but I’ve heard there is no expiration date on true knowledge and awesomeness. One of the habits I’ve gotten into for better or worse is the act of throwing my book down or turning off my book on CD when I come across something in Plato or Aristotle or in this book that really blows my mind.  I seriously have a physical reaction when awesomeness from a genius jumps the gap into my brain.  I literally have to put the book down or pause the CD and tell somebody about it or reflect on it. For those of you that know me, this is why you get messages every once in a while that seem to come out of nowhere.  I have to convey and walk through the idea so I can better digest knowledge. Today’s little gem: Institutions create formalize structures as a reaction to known tribulations from the past.  In other words, the formal bureaucratic structures or dogmatic efforts businesses, schools, and even people get into (that soon become ruts) were created as a reaction to a problem.  However,  Mr. Goleman goes on to say that the most successful institutions ALSO have a "soft" network of unofficial structures that act as a flexible net to deal with the unforeseen problems.  These organizations resist the temptation to formalize ALL associations because formalizing leads to calcification and calcification leads to rigidity. Successful institutions/businesses/teams have informal structures (that mostly develop on their own) to deal with unforseen problems.  Since these are informal in nature, they rely less on the hierarchical power structure of a corporation, let’s say, and more on the social bonds created by people to like or respect each other. The official skeleton of a highly successful organization is fleshed out by the unofficial social bonds. The need for this to be social in nature, and thus dependent on Emotional Intelligence, is that the unofficial structure is less reliant on power and more on faith and support.  It is a different kind of structure that exists in everyday life outside of the office…but it exists none the less. Since both structures are needed (one to deal with fires and escape routes and the other to deal with birthdays, deaths, and moral) the person "in charge" of both needs to live in each world as well. Emotional Intelligence looks at the top certain % of CEOs in a given industry.  They are all intelligent, driven, has amassed awards, and so on…   What separates the top 10% from the rest is that they know how to pivot and change.  They know how to socialize and make win/win deals.  They know how to care about the person before they care about the "deal". The top 10% (or whatever metric one uses) are there because they understand those "unofficial" structures that exist in every business or organization and they honor it.  They know in the dogmatic structure, they are kings and queens…but in the unofficial pods across their real they may not be at the top of the pyramid. In essence, they understand how the particular and the general fit together and flow together.  Genius!Filed under: In The Classroom, Political Philosophy Tagged: Daniel Goleman, Daniel Goreman, EI, emotional groups, emotional intellignece, EQ, moral, morale, self esteem, Social Structure

Filed under: Curious David Tagged: alumni, Carroll University, Jane Hart, Teaching Statistics, Top 100 Learning Tools