Education Archive
Sorry I haven’t been very active blogging as of late, it’s the end of summer, and working in higher ed, that means crazy busy.
Between all the printer woes and other side projects, I’ve been working heavily on the first major overhaul of the UM Admissions website since I started my position on their team. Today I finished the core of the work and sent it around the office for feedback. I hope we get all the little bugs out by the Tuesday launch.
Perhaps this weekend I’ll work on a writeup of what all went on for this project. In the meantime, why don’t you check out our universities dabbling in the YouTube craze with two characters named Josh and Noah.
08.29.07 | # | 1 Comment
In large institutions, the varying audiences of the website can cause it to pull and stretch in ways that can make the web staff cringe. Site navigation suffers most in this continuous battle to please the on-campus constituents at the risk of alienating your external audiences. Most colleges and universities have moved over to a faceted navigation, allowing prospective students easy access to admissions and residential life while still providing effective information to the news media, donors, alumni and current students. But all is not well with the staff and faculty jump-pages in most instances.
Staff and faculty usually have very strict data silos, and are often quite demanding of having information at their fingertips matching their department’s organization. These users won’t touch your jump pages because they are too generic and don’t meet their needs. Perhaps a universal portal system could take care of this, personalizing the content for the individual; however, these systems are costly and time consuming to build and tailor to faculty and staff needs in a day where student services are the only items on the budgetary menu. The answer is simple: create static department portal page (aka a Poor Man’s Portal).
What do I mean when I say static department portal page? It’s simple, create a basic HTML document that can be housed on a web sever or file share that points to exactly what members in a data silo need. Have them set it as their homepage, so any time they need answers they just pull up a web browser.
The information desk, or admissions office is an ideal candidate for such a simple solution. Every day the staff and student workers answer phone calls with highly creative questions about diverse facets of the institutions policies, people, and programs. One of these static departmental portal homepages in an admissions office could offer a quick redirect to Residential Life room rates, the Registrars Office policy on in-state residency, and scholarships for minorities.
With a couple questions to the staff, and 10 minutes of a web developer’s time, an entire department can have in place a portal that is just as functional as one that would cost many thousands of dollars to implement, and you could even include an email/Citrix/SharePoint login form too. For a 10 minute job, this will save tons of time for those on the front line while providing faster and better support to your students-talk about a return on investment.
If it meets the needs of a large portion of your staff, it could serve as a messaging platform (perhaps most useful with work-study students, who aren’t on the office distribution list.)
I’ll be implementing this type of a project for my admissions office some time soon. I’ll post a follow-up after I see how well it actually works.
05.14.07 | # | Start the conversation
This morning two shootings occurred on the Virginia Tech campus. I will not dilute this event with a personal commentary.
Since the VT server is going down due to high traffic, here is a copy of the President’s statement (taken as of 11:21 MST 4/16/07):
Shooting at Virginia Tech / Statement by President Charles W. Steger
By Larry Hincker
BLACKSBURG, Va., April 16, 2007
The university was struck today with a tragedy of monumental proportions. There were two shootings on campus. In each case, there were fatalities. The university is shocked and horrified that this would befall our campus. I want to extend my deepest, sincerest and most profound sympathies to the families of these victims which include students There are 22 confirmed deaths.
We currently are in the process of notifying families of victims. The Virginia Tech Police are being assisted by numerous other jurisdictions. Crime scenes are being investigated by the FBI, University Police, and State Police. We continue to work to identify the victims impacted by this tragedy. I cannot begin to covey my own personal sense of loss over this senselessness of such an incomprehensible and heinous act The university will immediately set up counseling centers. So far centers have been identified in Ambler Johnston and the Cook Counseling Center to work with our campus community and families.
Here are some of the facts we know:
At about 7:15 a.m. this morning a 911 call came to the University Police Department concerning an event in West Ambler Johnston Hall. There were multiple shooting victims. While in the process of investigating, about two hours later the university received reports of a shooting in Norris Hall. The police immediately responded. Victims have been transported to various hospitals in the immediate area in the region to receive emergency treatment.
We will proceed to contact the families of victims as identities are available.
All classes are cancelled [sic] and the university is closed for the remainder of today. The university will open Tuesday at 8 a.m. but classes are cancelled. [sic] The police are currently staging the release of people from campus buildings.
Families wishing to reunite with the students are suggested to meet at the Inn at Virginia Tech. We are making plans for a convocation tomorrow (Tuesday) at noon at Cassell Coliseum for the university community to come together to begin to deal with the tragedy.
Counseling is available in the Bowman Room in the Merriman Center (part of the athletic complex) for employees who seek assistance following today’s events.
Faculty and staff on the Burruss side of the Drillfield are being released and asked to go home effective immediately. Faculty and staff on the War Memorial side are asked to leave at 12:30 p.m.
Virginia Tech has closed today Monday, April 16, 2007. On Tuesday, April 17, classes will be canceled. The university will remain open for administrative operations.
There will be an additional university statement presented today at noon.
All students, faculty, and staff are required to stay where they are until police execute a planned evacuation. A phased closing will be in effect today; further information will be forthcoming as soon as police secure the campus.
Tomorrow, there will be a university convocation/ceremony at noon at Cassell Coliseum. The Inn at Virginia Tech has been designated as the site for parents to gather and obtain information.
In addition to an earlier shooting today in West Ambler Johnston, there has been a multiple shooting with multiple victims in Norris Hall.
Police and EMS are on the scene.
Police have one shooter in custody and as part of routine police procedure, they continue to search for a second shooter.
All people in university buildings are required to stay inside until further notice.
All entrances to campus are closed.
04.16.07 | # | 2 Comments
I came across an utterly inspiring article about what skills make up a good teacher. Dan takes the methods of calculus to break apart essential skills, helping us to learn about what aspects affect our teaching, and that we can systematically improve them to create a greater whole.
03.19.07 | # | Start the conversation
I was browsing through YouTube today and ran into this powerful poem about what teachers make. It is an old story with a new twist.
03.13.07 | # | Start the conversation
Well, time is running short, with a month left of classes I have no clue how we are going to get through the rest of the chapters that are needed. I am covering all of the Phylum Arthropoda (which includes insects and other creatures with exoskeletons) in a single block class period… needless to say that is not nearly enough time. The upshot is that we (more…)
05.04.06 | # | Start the conversation
Student teaching would be the best thing in the world, if it paid money rather than costing money. This morning I sat down, papers in hand to grade, and thought to myself, “In a few hours, I am going to be teaching science to high school students, this must be my lucky day.” Thoughts like that can really help you appretiate a career choice.
Last week I worked with students to build presentations on genetic diseases as well as assessing them on their projects. It is a great feeling to help developing teens understand what life is like in someone elses shoes, especially people that aren’t as lucky as them. Today, I have the opportunity to teach regular lessons to all the classes (with my cooperating teacher out for the day and with a sub, this is probably going to be one of the harder days of the year, considering the dynamics of everything.) If I can succeed today, I know the rest of the year will be great.
I do worry a bit though, as today is by far not the most entertaining of all the lessons I am capable of teaching. It is the introductory day to classification and taxonomy, and these are subjects that are very abstract and seemingly devoid of purpose at the high school level to many students, though the two subjects are intamently tied with the diversity of life and the study of biology in general. I am hoping that my story telling abilities will help me to make this interesting–I am going to try to build in the unique history of the systems we use today along with how and why we use them.
Well, off to grading.
04.24.06 | # | 2 Comments
Well, I am 2 days into my student teaching at the high school. It is a real shock to me. My cooperating teacher is great, but at the same time very different than what I am used to. (more…)
04.04.06 | # | Start the conversation
I am now eight weeks into my student teaching experience. I really have learned a lot, though it is very difficult to put it into words. I have found that every aspect of this experience seems to have a duality to it. Some students really like me, and others don’t. Many students are learning a lot from me, and I am unable to reach others. Every teacher has their difficulties, but I think that student teaching comes with a bit of an unfair disadvantage.
Why a disadvantage? Well, there is so much that as a student teacher, I really don’t have going for me. Such as the fact that I am temporary, and the kids know it. I haven’t had the time to build up a solid foundation with them, and because of that many students don’t feel they have to respect me. These students have forced me to give out a lot of detentions, an act that I honestly thought I could avoid. It shows I am pretty green I guess. I can only hope that those students learn something from our little lunch time discussions.
After next week, I move over to the High School for a couple months. I can hardly wait. Perhaps the lessons I have already taken up will allow it to be a more successful time. Again, I will be teaching out of my subject area, but environmental science is much closer to biology than electronics is (though I am teaching chemistry at the middle school this week and next.)
I am going to miss the students. I like every one of them, and hope I can remember them for the years to come. They are all great kids, even the ones that have some issues to work on before they can succeed in life.
03.25.06 | # | Start the conversation
Student teachign is an interesting experience, and there is very little that you can do to prepare for it. That being said, I have decided to come up with a list of things that, in retrospect, I would have liked to have picked up (more) while I was in the safety of a college class. (more…)
03.14.06 | # | 2 Comments
Well, after a four-and-a-half day weekend, I was expecting a fairly easy start to this week, and boy was I wrong. The day started out with a blown transformer (one of three for the building) taking out the heat for the entire building, and most of its’ lights (including all of the lights in my classroom.) (more…)
02.25.06 | # | 3 Comments
This week I was introduced to a great new (to me) idea; the homework quiz. This may be one of the simplest, fastest, most effective methods for ensuring completed homework. (more…)
02.15.06 | # | 3 Comments
Today was the 6th Grade Ski Trip, and I have to admit that I was just about as stoked for it as the kids were. The morning went well, and the kids were excited as I was told to bring them to the first bus in line, which I later found out was not really the first bus, as it had pulled up in front of our bus group. After moving my class to the correct bus, and a bit of embarrassment, the trip was underway, and it really was a great day on the slopes. (more…)
02.09.06 | # | 7 Comments
Today, I gave the “checkup” test on circuits. I have graded about a third of them already, and the students really struggled. My first inclination was that I wrote a hard test, but I know that they can perform the the level that I ask them too. I only hope that next time around they realize how much I expect out of them. Several students did really well, which rests any fear that I am testing above their level. (more…)
02.08.06 | # | 1 Comment
Well, my second week is now behind me, and the classroom has a really different feel. I am currently teaching three periods of science, but none of the two math periods. I know the names of 2/3 of my students now (I know everyone in 1st block, nearly the entire class in 2nd, and almost none in the 5th hour. (more…)
02.04.06 | # | Start the conversation
Well, I taught my first lesson today. In fact, I taught all the classes, all day because my science lesson on circuits ran into the math time. Circuits… they certainly are an interesting concept to middle-schoolers (they loved the lab, some students even didn’t finish it just so they could come back during resource hour to work on it again.) (more…)
01.31.06 | # | 3 Comments
Well, as the week draws to an end, I am left reflecting on my experiences durring my first week of student teaching in a middle school (or any school for that matter). I plan on writing a post every few days, or at least every week to help me think about what I have seen and done, as well as to archive this experience for myself, and others going through the same situation.
It was as if I had come to a zoo, and was about to stick my head in the lions mouth. I had no idea what to expect, but I know I didn’t expect that kind of chaos. (more…)
01.28.06 | # | 6 Comments