Category: Curious David

School Tools (Revisited): or Razing the Bars

DSCN8122I confess that I am addicted to buying office and school supplies and have been since I was a first-grader. With the beginning of classes imminent (and the deadline for Jane Hart’s top  tools for learning survey on the horizon), it’s time to go to revisit my school toolbox. See Profhacker (and do a search for “tools”) for the preferred tools of younger and more digitally oriented colleagues.

Here are my top 10 tools NONTECHNOLOGY learning tools for razing the bars  (homophone intended—in fact I toyed with the idea of writing this blog piece entirely in homophones AND publishing an audio version!)—i.e. for liberating the potential of students and of me from barriers that impede learning:

  1. An assortment of number two pencils, plenty of erasers and some G2 bold thickness pens. (Yes, I COULD use a stylus with my Ipads).
  2. An assortment of high lighters. Yes, I am aware of the research about the efficacy of highlighting for studying.
  3. Moleskin-like notebooks. (Yes, I am aware of the online capabilities.)
  4. Small legal pads at each of my desks at home and at school.
  5. My Ipod nano and my Loksak splashsak fanny pack (like to listen to NPR and podcasts)
  6. A Dymo label maker and an assortment of paper file folders.
  7. A rolodex for keeping track of my myriad different web page and email logins
  8. Printed copies of books. See my PsycCRITIQUES review “Lego ergo sum”.
  9. Time protected against distractions, interruptions, and distractions. I prefer to use self-discipline to using electronic defenses against distractions.
  10. My mind (whose thinking ability is always in need of sharpening). Fortunately I have frequent stimulating interactions with faculty colleagues, trustee friends, alumni, and students—and you, my non RSS reader.



Ten Resources for Contextualizing My Academic Institution's Well Being

CC

I am sitting in front of my Mac in the office listening to the hammering of destruction construction outside while I do the homework to ask intelligent, informed questions of President Hastad and our invited speaker. I am delighted to have just received a “check-in” from my research assistant Tia. Right now preparation for playing soccer (and staying healthy) should be her priority.

Just quickly reviewed this week’s Chronicle of Higher Education with particular focus on articles dealing with “discount rates” and enrollment trends. Usually the updated figures occur around October 1. Here are resources I draw upon to give me a context for trends in higher education. Several of them allow me to create my own comparison group data bases (e.g. for salaries and endowments).
Ten Resources for Putting Into Context My Academic Institution’s Well Being

  1. Oberlin Strategic Plan Reading List: Source: Web Page shared by David Simpson’s alma mater Oberlin College
  2. College and University Endowments: Source: Chronicle of Higher Education
  3. Tuition and Fees: Source: Chronicle of Higher Education
  4. AAUP Salary Data: Source: Chronicle of Higher Education
  5. Money Raised by Colleges, 2014 Fiscal Year: Source: Chronicle of Higher Education
  6. Almanac of Higher Education:  Source: Chronicle of Higher Education
  7. Student Data: Enrollment Trends: Source: Chronicle of Higher Education
  8. Executive Compensation at Private Colleges: Source: Chronicle of Higher Education
  9. IPEDS (individual institutions and comparisons)
  10. CUPA Surveys



Adieu Summer Reading Time

Tomorrow I’ll doff my invisibility cloak for a few hours while listening to President Hastad’s opening remarks. Then I’ll attend a talk about changes in the higher education market and trends in strategic enrollment management. It is always good to reconnect with colleagues and other members of the Carroll community after a rejuvenating summer.
I read a number of interesting books this summer (As always, I hope to give them away to those who love to read).

  1. Ann Morgan’s The World Between Two Covers: Reading the Globe could easily be a foundation for some of our global education courses. My bibliophile friends might enjoy her thoughtful reflections about books, reading, publishing, and the role of global/international literature. She writes well, thinks clearly, and raises important questions. (See also her marvelous blog documenting her ambitious project to read a book translated into English from each of 196+ countries in a year).
  2. Naomi S. Baron’s Words Onscreen: The Fate of Reading in a Digital World. I published a PsycCritiques review of this marvelous book this summer.
  3. Neal Stephenson’s seveneves.
  4. Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven.
  5. Anthony Doerr’s All the Light We Cannot See.
  6. Kazuo Ishhiguro’s The Buried Giant.
  7. Cixin Liu’s first two translated books The Three Body Problem and
  8. The Dark Forest of his three part science fiction trilogy.
  9. Sian Beilock’s How the Body Knows Its Mind: The Surprising Power of the Physical Environment to Influence How You Think and Feel. I have a review of this interesting book scheduled for publication in PsycCritiques later this year.

I’ve begun exploring the marvelous Words Without Borders resources as an attempt to expand my reading diet. What books do you recommend that I read?
 



Almost Time to Change Out of My Invisibility Cloak

I see that Carroll University’s theme this year is “Change.” Here are some possible avenues to explore:

  1. Petitioning Change
  2. Climate Change
  3. Social Change
  4. Language Change
  5. LGBTU Creating Change
  6. Change Through Charitable Contributions
  7. Champions of Change
  8. Playing for Change
  9. Quotations
  10. Behavior Change