April 11, 2008

Let's Sit at a New Table

To facilitate people finding interesting reading, here is the del.icio.us link where I save things that I have found:

http://del.icio.us/robin.simmons

When the title isn't self-explanatory, I have provided a brief description of the piece.

March 24, 2008

At the Back of the Fridge

Professors Strike Back is an mtvU video blog that allows faculty to respond to comments left about them at RateMyProfessors.com. Here are some of my favorites:

November 09, 2007

Friday Loaded Baked Potato

You can eat even the salt-encrusted skin:

This week's YouTube fun is an inspiring story of what a student can accomplish despite adversity:

November 02, 2007

Friday Bag of Candy

Here are more goodies to unwrap:

  • Do you have leftover Halloween candy? You might want to save it for the day you do student evaluations. Researchers have discovered that professors get higher ratings if they offer students chocolate before distributing the forms. News of the research has caused all kinds of student and faculty reaction.
  • If you are exhausted and cranky, you might enjoy "The Day I Lost It in Front of My Students," an interesting narrative that takes place in a remedial-English class.
  • At Inside Higher Ed, Alison Wunderland, the pseudonym of a tenure-track professor, explains how her hard work and sacrifice might mean that she is now "too good" for tenure.
  • Lee Tobin McClain observes that faculty often act like grade-school children in department meetings. In "Surviving Faculty Meetings," she offers advice on how to appear adult even if you are behaving like a child.
  • As final papers/final exams approach, the topic turns to academic dishonesty. What are appropriate punishments? Who really gets hurt by the cheating? Here are three recent pieces that address those questions:
  • In "Degree Required," Evil HR Lady explains the importance of finishing a college education. Her department will reject any applicant who applies for a professional position but does not have a degree, an insight your students might like to know.
  • Do you want to help feed hungry people without leaving your computer? FreeRice is an addictive, challenging word game that donates 10 grains of rice for every right answer. Don't be fooled by the first couple of easy questions!

This week's YouTube video has made the "top watched" almost all week. The students in it say a lot even though they never open their mouths!

October 26, 2007

Friday Minestrone

Lots of flavors all in one post:

A couple of posts ago, I noted that Valencia ranks 23 on the list of top 30 community colleges. Paul Glastris, editor in chief of The Washington Monthly [the magazine responsible for the rankings], appeared on The Colbert Report to discuss what should matter at a school. Here is this week's video fun:

October 12, 2007

Friday Lasagna

Enjoy the delicious layers:

  • Should you have a Facebook page to communicate with students? Should you allow your students to carry AV equipment if your arms are already full? In "Don't Teach So Close to Me," Ms. Mentor grapples with the amount of professional distance professors should keep.
  • According to Thomas H. Benton, the average academic is 50ish, overweight, and boring--the epitome of uncool. So Mr. Benton is offering The James Bond Lifestyle Seminar for AcademicsĀ©. Read what he suggests so that you can upgrade your image--dress with class, drive the right car, and get seen with the right people!
  • If you have ever written a statement of teaching philosophy, you will enjoy Academic Cog's rant as she tries to decode what exactly hiring committees want to see in her own.
  • Are you a Team Player or a Slug? A member of the PC Police or a Cynic? Try this classification post, "Academics on My Nerves." The pronoun style gets a little tiresome, but you will probably recognize yourself and others in the descriptions!
  • Evil HR Lady provides another perspective in "Diversity--of Personality and Styles." From a manager's perspective, the type you are can cause real headaches!
  • As midterm approaches, you might enjoy these posts from Rate Your Students:

In honor of Ms. Mentor's advice above, enjoy "Don't Stand So Close to Me":

September 28, 2007

Friday Seven-Layer Dip

Grab a handful of chips and dig in:

  • After the recent department meeting, you might appreciate that one use of CCSSE data has been Washington Monthly's rankings of community colleges. Valencia scores 23 on the list of top 30 schools. You can read Dean Dad's take on this information here.
  • Months ago, Female Science Professor explained why she keeps her office door closed. After the massacre at Virginia Tech, you might find the behavior of campus police stranger than the "strange man" they finally arrested.
  • Troubled by a loud talker on your hallway who listens to messages on speaker phone AT THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE VOLUME? Evil HR Lady and Dean Dad take on noise problems with these two posts:
  • Frustrated with low participation during a lecture, Angry Professor at A Gentleman's C considers a solution if she ran the world.
  • If you have any interest in refreshing your knowledge of a second language or learning a new one--even Russian or Mandarin Chinese--you might want to visit Mango, an impressive, free internet program. After a very quick registration, you can start the first of 100 lessons in your chosen language, complete with native-speaker audio. Mango even offers English instruction geared to native Spanish and Polish speakers.
  • How well do you know your geography? This map quiz will test your knowledge!

Do you remember how limited your vocabulary was when you began a second language? The student in this charming YouTube video makes use of every phrase he can remember to capture the attention of a pretty woman in "The One Semester of Spanish Love Song":

September 21, 2007

Friday Pizza Supreme

Lots of tasty toppings on these slices of academic life:

The students in this Eric Prydz/Pink Floyd "mix" really don't "need no education" as they have plenty to teach the adults concerning global warming:

September 10, 2007

Savor the Poet's Work

In preparation for Nikki Giovanni's Visions and Voices appearance, you might enjoy the following links:

On YouTube, you can catch an appearance of Giovanni on Def Poetry [she is the third of three poets in the clip] as well as her rousing performance at the Virgina Tech convocation.

September 07, 2007

Friday Mixed Nuts

Salty selections for your enjoyment:

Comedian/cynic George Carlin--with some especially salty language--takes on education in this week's YouTube fun:

May 2008

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What Robin Is Reading