Aftermath

I hope everyone is resting and enjoying this beautiful weather.   I have not had a chance to rest at all.  I have lots of tasks to complete before June 30th.  Fortunately, I am off to Belgium to present at a conference.  I just wish I had more students interested in the application of these new tools for exploring and learning via mobile technologies.

I am uploading the pictures I took of all of you during Finals week.   I hope you have learned something, though I know that some of you feel you have accomplished nothing.  That's too bad.  One learns even from one's mistakes and from those around us.  Even less than perfect role models can teach us something.  After all, one has to learn how to deal with difficult people in the work place.  Always keep an open mind and a sense of humor. 

Presentations

We are meeting for the last time today at 5:30 p.m. I am really looking forward to the students' presentations. Most are data driven, while others discuss theoretical issues about approaches to mobile learning and teaching. We have covered a variety of topics that are directly related to mobile communication. For example, we have discussed the extant literature on SMS texting, Skyping, and blogging. Some students examined the rates of satisfaction among our students with respect to hybrid and online teaching. Though many academics disapprove of online learning, some of my best students have been those enrolled in a graduate class taught primarily online. Online learning is not for everyone, especially for students who are not self-directed or for young freshmen or sophomores who prefer to interact face to face with an instructor. Hybrid courses bridge this gap from my perspective, but we will have to see how students feel about this. We need to carry out a longitudinal study comparing F2F with online learning or F2F with hybrid teaching/learning. Unless we have empirical evidence that some of these approaches work satisfactorily in specific contexts, we cannot really make generalizations about the value of these new means of course delivery. I look forward to continue to Skype and blog with former students. I will post pictures of the presentations tomorrow.

A Stressful Week

I have been multitasking like crazy this week.  I wonder what is happening to my poor brain as I read essays,  stop to do something else, go out for a fast walk, eat breakfast, read my email, pay bills, and go back to grading projects.  I can see how one is tempted to slow down as one ages, but I must fight that feeling.  I sincerely believe that slowing down can be detrimental to one's cognitive abilities.  In order to ward off old age, I feel it is very important to be surrounded by young, inquisitive minds.  They have a fresh outlook on the world that can help their seniors recapture lost insights and see what's hidden in plain sight.

I have just finished reading the section on technology in the Chronicle of Higher Education.  I will share this with my class on Monday.  Some of these professors are amazing!  Where do they get the energy to do 10 things at the same time?

Here is a wonderful video clip that helps us understand how social cues in the brain help us read others.  This is indeed our most precious possession: http://bcove.me/2bsy4blh

I am going to continue blogging about iPads throughout the summer because I plan to start another project in the fall.

I have just found a product that might help me learn how to play the piano. I might as well do that in my spare time because it is important to learn new things (creating new neural connections?). I have been reading that in order to keep one's brain healthy, one has to learn new things, especially challenging tasks. Playing the piano will be quite challenging for me as I have no aptitude for music. This is the product:

Stephanie's presentation was very successful. She introduced her color-coded model for teaching the five paragraph essay that is motivated by recent findings in cognitive linguistics and psychology. There were several questions immediately following the presentation, which indicates that the audience was interested in her topic. In addition, Stephanie showed everyone how to use the QR reader-scanner, which they could install on their iPads or iPhones. Great job!

Here is the first of three photographs I took with my iPad on April 16th. This was a wonderful session and I truly appreciate everyone's helpful suggestions for Stephanie. I know Stephanie is going to do a great job at the Research Forum this Sunday. I hope to see some of you there. Enjoy your weekend.

Folks, this is the App Stephanie mentioned last night during our BB Collaborate session. I believe you have to purchase it, but it appears to be very useful. Please remember to post to your blogs and describe what you have done so far with your iPads. Was it helpful to have an iPad for reading articles, communicating with others, or trying out new Apps? Give specific examples and let everyone know your own suggestions for using iPads in seminars or for specific courses. What works? What does not work? Your input is very important. QR app By Block5 Open iTunes to buy and download apps.