Señora Cummins' Reflections

 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,...

A few years ago a friend introduced me to the Ennegram numbers.  It's basically figuring out your personality type.  I really gravitate towards these things because I enjoy learning about how to be my best.  I think our culture tries to mold everyone into 1 type and I like celebrating my own unique self and becoming the best version of it. Anyway, I found that I'm a 2 with a leaning towards 3.  This means that I'm a Helper with a leaning towards Hostess.  This is very well-suited to being the Hispanos Unidos (Spanish Club) co-sponsor.  I love developing relationships within our club and "hostessing" to make our meetings be a place of belonging. Later today I'm taking a group from our club to the Dallas Museum of Art to see a collection of Frida Kahlo's artwork.  This is the good stuff--spending time together and sharing experiences. However, building an online class isn't this.  My husband is a 5 on the Ennegram system.  He loves researching,...

Learning.  How do we ensure our students are really learning what we teach?  How do I design a class so that there is enough focus on learning?  How do I motivate students to invest the time and energy it takes to learn?  How do I guide my students to truly learn as opposed to just capture enough to pass the class? The other day in church I asked a couple in my Sunday School class how online classes are going for their daughter.  The dad said she's doing well but he's concerned she's not really learning very much.  Ouch.  That struck a nerve because I have a sense that this is a common issue with online learning.  We expose students to information and then expect them to magically know everything and produce it on assignments, projects, quizzes and tests.   Students this semester in my online 1412 and my 2312 as well as my hybrid 1412 have communicated that they do the work assigned but they don't feel like they really get it.  One ...

 I've been working on my editable textbook.  It was a big week: *Chelsea, my graphic design helper through my college, sent me a graphic for the front cover of my textbook.  It's fantastic. When I began this process I realized the the cover and title of the textbook didn't suit my class.  I emailed our graphics dept and asked for help.  Help I'm getting :)  I love that there is an expert artist along for the ride with me as we create something really amazing for students.  She asked for specifics and I told her she has free reign.  I want graphics that will appeal to students and not feel "high-schoolish".  Graphics are not my area but I know visual appeal is important. *Viva Español is the title of my book.  I really like it. *I've settled into a scope and sequence that fits my students and it dovetails with where my second semester class begins. *I met with our technology trainer, Julie, and talked through the logistics of getting what...

 Yesterday I previewed 2 OER textbooks for Spanish.  Both could work well for my 1411 and 1412 sections.  One I really liked--it was written for the flipped classroom model and I could see it working very well for a hybrid class.  It could also work for an online class, but the students would have to do weekly online chats.  Possible and probably an excellent idea from a pedagogical standpoint. This is all very different than what I currently have.  Currently, they pay $139 and with it they get a phenomenal curriculum with tons of bells and whistles.  The assignments are all online and 98% auto-graded by the Connect robot. If I go to the OER text that I like I will have to rethink how they practice the material.  I'm wondering how much practice is enough?  Could I make Quizlet graded? I love the thought of making the class look like this: 1-learn it.  (Read, take notes, memorize--marinate in the information--to get a really good understa...

 When I tell non-teaching friends that there is this concept of OER out there in which students can use a textbook for free the reaction is logical:  why don't you do this? Well, it's a lot of work.  My husband is not on board with OER because his concern is that when something doesn't work who is the tech support?  Currently, when something at McGraw-Hill doesn't work there is a whole team that I can contact.  They are very good at fixing what isn't working. I've begun searching for Spanish material to use and I'm overwhelmed.  There's a lot out there and how will I really know it's good until I jump completely in? This semester I'm noticing that the worst "pinch points" in my classes (especially in my online sections) are tech issues due to the complexity of using my online curriculum.  I can't help but think if I could just simplify the tech of my they have to do life would be better. It would be less stressful.  They have to do ...

This morning I began learning more about Open.  (If you're unfamiliar with this term, it's the idea that there are resources that can be used that are open instead of restricted access).  I like the podcast Teaching in Higher Ed and when I saw that Tannis Morgan spoke about open resources I decided to listen.  It was a great podcast.  It was a few years old so I don't think the information was as current as I can find elsewhere, but it was a great place for me to start. Tannis Morgan posed the question:  What is your purpose to migrate towards open?  That gave me pause.  I teach Spanish 1411, 1412, 2311, 2312 and am currently teaching a brand new class that is an elective for our Upward Bound summer academy:  Enhancing Leadership through Technology.  In the near future I hope to build a SPAN 1300 which is conversational Spanish. Up to now, my Spanish classes have used Cengage's Plazas curriculum because it was what was chosen by the Spanish p...

I hadn't heard of OER (Open Educational Resources) until I received an email from someone recommending I attend a webinar about using OER for Spanish classes.  I attended the webinar but felt like this concept of sharing resources was too out there for me.   If you aren't familiar with this concept, the idea is that resources are shared.  Instead of requiring students to purchase a textbook (or digital curriculum access) I link resources from my Canvas class.  They can access these materials for free.  Instead of requiring them to "pay to do their homework" (quotation from a student who wasn't a fan of purchasing access to digital curriculum) they can access the materials on my Canvas page for free. I tend to be cautious when I hear about new things.  I had the following concerns:  who ensures the validity of these resources?  What if I link to a resource and it's taken down the next day?  What would the students use to learn the concept...