Ask-Dr-Kirk

10 Ways Students Can Use Twitter For Paper Assignments

 One of the things I like most about Twitter is the ability to connect with others to share links and information. Leslie Anglesey (University of Southern California) shares her tips on how students can use Twitter for paper assignments such as reaching out to experts to ask questions and participating in discussions on paper topics.

Teaching Students To Be Creative In Their Problem Solving

Check out this approach to teaching problem solving and innovation used by Ellen Weber and Robyn McMaster.   

Free College Courses!

Check out all these free interactive college courses in math, physics, and computer science at Udacity. 

Quote Of The Day

Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school...Albert Einstein

Dancing Makes You Smarter!

As Jim and I have recently began taking ballroom dancing lessons, I found this research study interesting. "It's been scientifically proven that the only physical activity to offer protection against dementia is frequent dancing."

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

How To Make A Powerful Presentation

Here are some tips by Jordan Driediger (CEO, DM2 Studios) on how to make an interesting presentation that I'll be sharing with my undergraduate students.

Also, Professor Barbara Nixon (Georgia Southern University) shares her notes on making a great powerpoint presentation.

If you want to get your students away from using powerpoint, I would recommend Prezi as a great visual aid.

Getting The Most Out Of Twitter

I recently showed my MBA class how to use Twitter. On the whole, they were like many people who haven't experienced Twitter in that they were resistant and weren't really sure that it would be useful to them. However, they are now enjoying the platform and using it to communicate with each other on projects and also with the authors of their books. I think Twitter is a great way for students to connect with others and build their own personal learning network.

Here's an useful article to those new to Twitter:  25 Ways To Get the Most out of Twitter.

 

Are Online Classes As Effective As Those Done In the Classroom?

As we all know, the interest in online courses is growing. I've been experimenting with doing hybrid classes recently with some of the classwork and even a couple class periods being conducted online. Thus, I found this article by Mark Edmundson interesting: The Trouble with Online Education.    

"I think that the best [teachers] are highly adept at reading their audiences. They use practical means to do this — tests and quizzes, papers and evaluations. But they also deploy something tantamount to artistry. They are superb at sensing the mood of a room. They have a sort of pedagogical sixth sense. They feel it when the class is engaged and when it slips off. And they do something about it."

This has been my resistance to online classes. If you do not have face-to-face interaction with your students, I'm not sure you can tell when the students are engaged or not and thus aren't able to make the kind of adjustments in the course at the time they are needed. Your thoughts?