PSU TLT

Some of the key takeaways are: 38% of respondents agree or strongly agree that educators should use social media to reach students where they are, while 24% disagree or strongly disagree.  To me, the fact that 39% rated this item as "neutral" says that many faculty are still trying to figure this out.  58% agree or strongly agree that social media can be a valuable tool for collaborative learning, and 70% believe video, podcasts, blogs and wikis are valuable tools for teaching.80% of faculty reported that they were using social media in some aspect of a course that they are teaching.  A smaller number of respondents felt Facebook and Twitter had value in the classroom, though it was interesting to see that they rated Facebook as a tool that they use personally (57%) and professionally (45%) outside of class.  The statistic that really blew me away was the fact that 91% of faculty use social media either for professional purposes or in their classes, or both, and a similar study conducted by McKinsey of workplaces showed only 47% used it.  Are faculty in higher education more cutting edge than they are given credit for?  This statistic seems to indicate that. 

Google also tries to point out predictable traps in performance reviews, which are often done with input from a group. The company has compiled a list of “cognitive biases” for employees to keep handy during these discussions. For example, somebody may have just had a bad experience with the person being reviewed, and that one experience inevitably trumps recollections of all the good work that person has done in recent months. There’s also the “halo/horns” effect, in which a single personality trait skews someone’s perception of a colleague’s performance.

I thought my husband was a little crazy the day he bought bags and bags of emergency preparedness items for our home. We’re talking flashlights, a solar/battery/wind-up weather radio, bandages, blankets…you name it…all tucked into the closet under our stairs.

I tell that story because I think it’s applicable to new faculty. New faculty get thrown into the day-to-day course prep, research, advising, working with students, committee work, etc. and they don’t have time to prepare for the unexpected. Whether the unexpected is a minor flesh wound or a storm that damages nearby neighborhoods, new faculty may not be ready for those circumstances.

So there you have it. We’ll know for sure which course management system the University plans on using by the end of the year. Hopefully. Thank goodness, because we all know how much #ANGELsucks.

The presentation is divided into two parts. The first part focuses on the theoretical background that helps us put the transformation of literacy through which we are living into a wider context. In the second part, I focus on a few of the ways I have sought to integrate digital technologies into my scholarly practices. 

One founder of the site, David Adewumi, said the idea was spurred by the features Penn State’s current ANGEL course management system lacks. “Everyone knows ANGEL is terrible for students,” Adewumi (senior-Spanish) said. “It’s about managing courses for faculty and staff. We’re making a solution that is perfect for what students need to do group things.”