We’ve all had it happen – a class discussion gets thrown way off schedule by a “rabbit trail” – an unexpected path for a conversation that leads somewhere other than we wanted (or even needed) the conversation to go. This is obviously a problem in live, in-person courses. However, I don’t think it is necessarily…
Category: ISTE Standards
Leveraging Canvas’ New Analytics Tools for Professors
I’ve been professoring online since 2018, primarily on Canvas LMS. However, I have to admit that I’ve ignored many of Canvas’ built-in tools. Three years in, it’s probably time to start leveraging Canvas’ LMS New Analytics tools to better serve my students. ISTE Standard for Educators 7: Analyst ISTE Standard for Educators #7 advocates for…
How a Grumpy Professor Developed a PLN
Question of the Week ISTE Standard for Educators 1B challenges professors to “Pursue professional interests by creating and actively participating in local and global learning networks.” But what if networking is not our forte, offline or online? What if we don’t quite understand how to get engaged on social media? Is that a requirement for…
Displaying Cultural Literacies in Canvas LMS
The Problem – My Assignment Fell Flat! All of us professors have had it happen. We work hours and hours to create The Perfect Assignment™. We pour in our anxious hearts and troubled souls, doing our best to enrich students’ lives. Instead of enraptured students’ insights, we hear crickets. What went wrong? What happens sometimes…
Making Meaningful and Engaging Online Discussion Questions
While the online classroom may be a new learning environment for many students and professors, certain truths remain the same no matter the medium. Perhaps the most important thing to remember is that relationships are key to learning. Student – professor communication is important, but so too is student-student communication. One of the best ways…
On Promoting Successful Navigation of Choice and Ambiguity While Acknowledging the Paradox of Choice
ISTE Standard for Students 4D recommends that “Students exhibit a tolerance for ambiguity, perseverance and the capacity to work with open-ended problems.” This week I am interested in how to promote those characteristics in an online higher ed learning environment. From my experience, it’s a fine line between giving students freedom one hand, and causing…
Navigating Daily Tasks and the Information Stream
Captains of our Mental Ships I’m rounding the corner on my third year of full-time teaching, as well as my third quarter of doctoral studies. One of the most surprising things to me about both pursuits is the copious amount of information I’m consistently exposed to. There’s a constant stream of information about advances in…
Equipping Adult Online Learners to Creatively Demonstrate Mastery
We’re only a few weeks into 2021, but it’s already been a year of academic growth and exploration. With exploration often comes a sense of being lost, and that’s where I am right now, ha ha! Hence, the map image below: Maybe y’all can help me out. As a graduate professor and simultaneously as a…
The Glue Guy, or, Making the Most of Not Being the Best at Anything
When I was a child, I played at least one sport every year. From kindergarten through the end of high school, I participated in some mix of gymnastics, baseball, basketball, flag football, lacrosse, and mountain biking. Unfortunately, despite years of athletic training and experience, I never developed the competitive spirit needed to become great. I…
Sleep and Let Grow: Rhythms and Seasons in Online Higher Education
In The Enneagram: A Christian Perspective, author and Franciscan friar Richard Rohr advises that those of us focused on achievement should contemplate the agricultural parables of Christ. In them, we learn are reminded that growth comes not from sheer will and brute force, but from patient nourishing and care over time. We cannot force a…
