Señora Cummins' Reflections

 I'm about to launch my new SPAN 1411 Online course.  Hooray!  I went through and proofread all the details and I'm pleased with it. As I was setting due dates I listened to a podcast in which the host discussed the tension between frustration and boredom in learning.  Hmmm. I had never really thought about this. In my mind a "good teacher" supplies everything a student could possibly need to be successful in class.  This means lots of explanations, including videos so that the pinch points of the material can be avoided.   I had never considered that if a students doesn't feel the frustration of not knowing everything he/she won't really learn the material.  Hmmm. The argument presented was that if the instructor supplies everything students ever need in a class the instructor may actually short-changing the students' learning.  Learning happens right before the light bulb moment.  It's the brain's scurrying to build a new framework....

 I was wise;  instead of putting off lots of work until right before the class launched, I put in chunks of time here and there when I could.  Now, I have 2 weeks before launch and I can let it settle. I am at the place where I need to do a final proofread for details of the OER book (reading assignments).  I also need to set all the assignments in Canvas--unlimited for application assignments.  I'll do that as I do a final proofread of them.  I then need to copy the Master class over into the summer I section.  Then set the due dates. Detail work like this isn't enjoyable to me but it's part of the task.  I would much prefer to find the nit picky mistakes myself than hear about them from students. Fall forward.   The other day Valorie, a colleague who really understands what I'm doing with transitioning to OER materials, listened kindly as I told her my fears about the class not being perfect when it launches in summer 1.  Her advice wa...

 I don't know how everyone else feels, but after spring 2021 I feel like I've been kicked in the teeth.  At my core relationships are what makes me tick.  Teaching kids in masks just didn't feel right.  I couldn't see their expressions to check for understanding.  I used Zoom which was great for many things but just not the same as actual human interaction.  And lots of 0s.  More students just didn't turn stuff in than in previous semesters.  Yuck. Yesterday I was a part of graduation and I loved it.  It reminded me why I do this job. We have 30 countries represented at WC by students who are attending here from around the world.  Wow.  That's amazing.  Yesterday faculty carried flags from each of those countries.  It was my honor to carry Mexico's flag.  The irony is that even though I'm fluent in Spanish and I have such a heart for the Hispanic world, I have no biological ties to the Hispanic world.  (Actually,...