Overheard in lecture...

When I'm setting up for lecture, I generally tune out the pre-bell banter.  This week, I picked the following gem out of the overall buzz:


"Hey, Student!  Why aren't you my facebook friend anymore?"

"Oh, I didn't unfriend you."

"What happened then?"

"I deactivated my Facebook account until after Dr. Reaction's test."



Such dedication to my class!

Touch screens completely ick me out

I don't care how cool iPhones look.  Touch screens are gross.  They show all my grimy fingerprints, and they make me feel like I have giant, stubby fingers.


(It's been one of those kind of days.)

Stop telephonin' me!

I recently went to lunch with a friend of mine, Mark, who is a high school teacher.  Our conversation eventually led to a discussion of students and cell phones.

"I used to give my cell number to my students," Mark said.  "But now kids have no sense of boundaries.  They call late at night, or they text early on weekends."

Does he have a point?  When we only had land lines, I would never have dared call someone at home earlier than 9 am or later than 10 pm.  With cell phones, is it safe to assume that everyone puts their phones on silent at night?  Is it okay to call at any hour of the day without fear of bothering the call recipient?

Does telephone etiquette exist anymore?

Teaching via Twitter?

Today I came across an article at Chronicle about using twitter in (and out) of the classroom. There are a lot of links to previous and related posts on the subject (like this example assignment), and the commenters also contribute some useful (and self-promoting...my favorite!).

My first instinct was to dismiss the use of Twitter in the class as just another attempt to district our little snowflakes with another shiny tech tool.

But....as I eye my growing mound of lecture notes and ponder my insane schedule for the fall, I had to wonder: what if, one day, we actually teach a whole class via twitter? 140 characters sure don't take up a lot of space in a lecture notes binder! Think of how fast prep would go!

Twitter: tempting or turn-off?

I'm still not sure I understand twitter. Recently, however, I've started reading "tweets" from various twitter accounts. I have to admit, I am intrigued.

Then I came upon this post by Cath over at VWXYNot? I can has superpowers? From twittering? Sweeeeeet.

I don't know what to do. If I start twittering, will I acquire superpowers, too? Will I get to pick if I want to use them for good or for evil? And if so, which should I pick?

You some fine lookin data

...now back that...stuff?... up!

A colleague at a semi-nearby university now faces my worst nightmare. His computer died, and he hasn't backed up his files-- teaching powerpoints, exams, or even research data-- since last summer. Fall, spring, and a summer all lost.

I am sure many of you are rolling your eyes at his carelessness, wondering how a person could let something as important as their teaching documents and research data go unprotected.

But I'll bet that a few of you are like me: well-intentioned but have no real process to backing up your stuff.

Prior to this week, some of my stuff was saved on a flash drive and some on my personal computer. Now I have the secretary ordering me an external flashdrive. (hooray! I found something for her to do!) Time to back dat data up.

Note: Don't youtube "back dat azz up." Don't. Stop. Unless you need some kitchen stripper pole action. In that case, knock yourself out. After all, it sounds like some of you need to take the edge off (due to the start of the semester).

The happiest I've been all summer

I think it says a lot about my current state of life that the following (all of which have happened in the last two months) did NOT make me the happiest I've been all summer:

• Getting a co-authored paper of previous work submitted
• Having Undergrad get through summer research with only three (very mild!) burns
• Making it through a (short) semester with no criers
• Receiving my first (teeny-tiny) grant
• Watching a movie with N.A. cell phone free

Want to know what really made this shallow assistant prof happy?

It's time to make it work! Tim Gunn is back on tonight! Love him. Want him. Must have him come live in my closet.

What the Hel....vetica??!!!

Yeah, so my PC doesn't have the font Helvetica.

Is it all PCs? Or does Bill Gates just have it out for me?

And perhaps the better question is the following:

how the heck did it take me a year to notice this?

Mid-lecture assessment?

Anyone do assessment DURING lecture?

I'm batting around ideas to help keep my students engaged throughout lecture. Although I already do a lot of requesting of answers from the entire class, it is usually challenging to pick out which students participate. While I get a sense of majority vs. minority participation, I can't usually pick out individuals.

As a result, I've toyed with the idea of using clickers at key points in lecture....yes, even though most of you hate clickers. Would it work to ask students questions about topics I've just lectured on? Do I need to make it worth part of their grade to ensure a serious approach? Or will it just freak them out?