Three of ten weeks in Spring quarter are done. I am choosing engagement and humanity over coverage — so I’m a little behind. This Spring more than ever I dread the joyous announcements of folks finishing their Spring semester many weeks before our quarter ends. After a three hour reappointment zoom meeting, I am thinkingContinue reading “April 17 Day 40: COVID Disruption to Scholarship”
Category Archives: reflections
April 14 Day 37: Work-Life Balance?
There is no separation from work and the rest of life when work is happening at home. There are no physical or visual cues that says “you can turn off now.”
April 13 Day 36: Don’t Call it Online Teaching
I was struck by the words of a colleague today. He said “this isn’t online teaching, this is emergency teaching” and he is absolutely right. There was no plan, no training, no intentional curriculum development—there was only a global health crisis. We responded because we had no choice. Every day, faculty, students, and staff battleContinue reading “April 13 Day 36: Don’t Call it Online Teaching”
April 11 Day 34: A Duchenne Smile
Weekend Edition. This morning I made a foray to Trader Joe’s in my new Corona mask. They were letting about 30 people into the store at a time. I think more of us were waiting outside at socially respectable distances than were actually inside shopping. There we were, venturing out and craving human contact…but everyoneContinue reading “April 11 Day 34: A Duchenne Smile”
April 9 Day 32: Confession Edition
1) I like to wear my heated Narwhal slippers during class.2) I wear pants during Zoom meetings but often they are things I should have thrown out years ago–too short, too tight, too loose, or too many holes. Ditto for undergarments. What is worn under the desk, stays under the desk.3) We say we areContinue reading “April 9 Day 32: Confession Edition”
April 6 Day 29: Zoom Frustrations Again
How did the Zoom settings change again? Videos that were purposely public now require authentication of the user to watch. And I couldn’t share my iPad screen today (something I have been doing for over a year. It wouldn’t even occur to me to check something that is so second nature.) I figured it allContinue reading “April 6 Day 29: Zoom Frustrations Again”
April 4 Days 26-27: I Believe in Academic Freedom
I hear a lot of certainty about the “right way” to approach online teaching in this crisis. That makes me nervous. Opinions are being presented as fact. What if I chose to do something differently—either because it works well for my style or I see it fills a need for my students? Will I be judged poorly because I was not following recommended guidelines?
March 31 Day 23: Thinking Forward
What will teaching look like when our “splendid isolation” is complete? As professionals, we are learning to be more flexible, more forgiving, and more humane.
March 28 Day 20: Struggling to Focus
I am really struggling to focus on needed work. It’s the last Saturday of “Spring break” and I am trying to get enough posted to my course management system to publish the second course that I am teaching beginning Monday. Instead I want to talk with friends on the phone, zoom, nap, or watch “TigerContinue reading “March 28 Day 20: Struggling to Focus”
March 27 Day 19: Applying a Growth Mindset to Survive
What a week! Thank you to Duong Rita Than, Ruth Vanderpool, and Erik Tou for brainstorming, problem solving, and material sharing. I am closer to being prepared for the first day of spring quarter classes Monday but it will be a long weekend. Reflections on the transition: I have always loved gizmos, gadgets, and tech.Continue reading “March 27 Day 19: Applying a Growth Mindset to Survive”
Math Belongs to All of Us 