Monday, August 22, 2005
Top Ten list of things to do to get ready for school
There's many more--and of course, this is strictly from my perspective, feel free to add more in the comments:
10. Write those syllabi and put them online. You can put them in Blackboard or on a course web site. Students love being able to access them 24/7. Papers easily get lost.
9. Organize your Blackboard site or course web site. How you do this is up to you, of course. One thing we hear from students time and time again is that information is hard to find. Put your documents into weekly folders or by topic. Change the colors of the site; put your own personal stamp on it.
8. Try something new. We have a lot of ways to incorporate new technology into your classroom. Have your students keep a blog (in Blackboard, or on the new blog site). Have them create a multimedia presentation with the help of the New Media Lab equipment.
7. Learn something new yourself. Ask for a workshop. Or stop by the ETC to chat about something new you'd like to try.
6. Investigate your multimedia options in the LLC.
5. Find out what's new in the library and consider taking time out of one of your classes for a lesson with one of the librarians on searching the library resources.
4. Think about what your incoming students are like. They were born in 1987. They have always know computers, cellphones, online gaming, email and the internet. It's likely they had good access to computers throughout high school and possibly as far back as elementary school. Consider spending some time in the first weeks of class talking about what this means in terms of the class you're teaching.
3. Make sure your own computer is ready. Do you have all the software you need? Is it virus and spyware free? Maybe you need to organize your computer files (I know I do.). If you need help, contact the help desk (7440).
2. Passwords. Do you have them all? Do you need to change them? Again, the help desk is at your service. Or check the computing and ETC sites for information.
1. Try to relax!! Yeah, I know, it's hard, but things somehow always work out in the end.
Remember, we're always here to help, so call or email!
10. Write those syllabi and put them online. You can put them in Blackboard or on a course web site. Students love being able to access them 24/7. Papers easily get lost.
9. Organize your Blackboard site or course web site. How you do this is up to you, of course. One thing we hear from students time and time again is that information is hard to find. Put your documents into weekly folders or by topic. Change the colors of the site; put your own personal stamp on it.
8. Try something new. We have a lot of ways to incorporate new technology into your classroom. Have your students keep a blog (in Blackboard, or on the new blog site). Have them create a multimedia presentation with the help of the New Media Lab equipment.
7. Learn something new yourself. Ask for a workshop. Or stop by the ETC to chat about something new you'd like to try.
6. Investigate your multimedia options in the LLC.
5. Find out what's new in the library and consider taking time out of one of your classes for a lesson with one of the librarians on searching the library resources.
4. Think about what your incoming students are like. They were born in 1987. They have always know computers, cellphones, online gaming, email and the internet. It's likely they had good access to computers throughout high school and possibly as far back as elementary school. Consider spending some time in the first weeks of class talking about what this means in terms of the class you're teaching.
3. Make sure your own computer is ready. Do you have all the software you need? Is it virus and spyware free? Maybe you need to organize your computer files (I know I do.). If you need help, contact the help desk (7440).
2. Passwords. Do you have them all? Do you need to change them? Again, the help desk is at your service. Or check the computing and ETC sites for information.
1. Try to relax!! Yeah, I know, it's hard, but things somehow always work out in the end.
Remember, we're always here to help, so call or email!
