Flipping the classroom:

This concept is where students go over the lecture/material before class then spend the class period working on problems or doing activities with the guidance of the instructor.

I think that flipping the classroom is not a revolutionary idea, but rather labeling a technique that is commonly incorporated into many classrooms and making some optimization. I think that most undergraduate students wouldn't openly accept the concept that they are responsible for their own learning. Some of the most common questions that students ask are if they need to study from the book or from the lecture material. I think that if they had to do both before coming to class every meeting period the class would be met with animosity. Essentially I believe that it will enhance the experience of the students who don't need special attention while having a potential negative impact on the majority.

Facebook:

In class we discussed using Facebook as a classroom management system as opposed to software such as blackboard or ELC. There seem to be some obvious benefits to using a social media such as facebook. First, most students are already using facebook for personal reasons so presumably students would be more likely to receive class related messages. Second, it provides a more approachable atmosphere to facilitate classroom discussion. Traditional CMS platforms seem very rigid on this aspect.

The whole point of CMS software is to be like Walmart...a one stop shopping location for all classroom needs. Facebook's main downfall is the overwhelming amount of distraction clouding the few features that would be beneficial to teaching. Moreover, it is hard enough to communicate with students and faculty through the multitude of email addresses both parties have without throwing facebook into the mix. At least with e-mail and ELC you more often than not receive articulated thoughts.

Maybe I am a negative Nancy.

An out of date photo of my Fishtank: Deal with it!

Last week in EDHI 9040 we had an informative discussion about using clickers. I have never used them in my class because none of the classes I have taught are very large. I believe that while they could be used in smaller classes, there are more appropriate and successful engagement and assessment techniques that one can utilize in a small class. Next Fall I will have the chance to teach either undergraduate Cellular Biology or Biochemistry so I may try to integrate clickers there.

Unfortunately, next week we will not have a chance to see Dr. C., but our team has decided to meet anyways to work on our tech talk. Sometime following the tech talk workshop, a select group of FFP (sub-FFP) are going get together and mingle/spread the good word.

Jeremy and I met with the second faculty candidate for the Biological Sciences Educator Faculty position. This candidate was internal unlike the previous one and overall we enjoyed having the chance to speak with her. I am looking forward to the 3rd and 4th candidate in the upcoming weeks. Everyone seems to have their respective strengths so any decision at this point would be a good one.

I have also decided to give a weekly research update. An old friend Dave and I have been doing a behind the scenes collaboration using some of my Alzheimer's disease mice. Our endeavors have been very fruitful and have now created a new collaboration between my lab and his. We are scheduled to have our first group meeting with our bosses next week so Dave and I get to explain our respective data to everyone. I have some histology to finish over the next few days, which will greatly enhance the directionality in which our project moves. As it stands this new work is outside the scope of my thesis and was really something I was passionate about pursuing and which gave me a chance to be a completely independent scientist.