2009 was really about the technology for me. Increased use in the classroom by me and or the students. I also used more Web 2.0 platforms for personal and professional uses.

Winners (IMHO): Twitter, Apple (anything apple, but my faves are the iTouch and iPhone)
Losers: MySpace

I am sure that there are others to add to the list. But, this is my blog, so there you go. Other useful applications or software...most apps that I bought or downloaded from the app store on my iPhone. I also was really pleased with the iMovies that WS 104s put together. There were definitely a few stand out videos in each class.

Another loser and this is not so much about technology, but rather about social graces. I am always connected to email and others (people and applications) that I am on my phone lots more than I thought I would. Winner in this capacity--students. They know that they will hear back from me very quickly.

What will 2010 hold? Let me check another blog to see. Oh, Don Tapscott, what do you think?

Check out the Way Back Machine: http://www.archive.org/index.php. This is a great way to find old archived websites. For instance, you could do a search for a candidate who ran during the previous election. Lots of great things have been archived. This is perfect for a student conducting research about politics.

I think a post should be dedicated to an instructor's advice for a student who wants to review her/his assignment. Notice how I didn't say: challenge the grade.

As a student, it's important for you to find out how you can do better next time. You might also want to clarify a comment that your instructor made or verify what a word says (my handwriting is not neat).

Before you make the appointment or schedule a meeting you should do a few things. First, wait 24 hours after getting your assignment returned. You might have had a bad day and the last thing you want to see is something that is not an A (even if you deserved the mark). Then, review your assignment and the course syllabus. If you didn't follow directions, you need to "own" this.

Then, do not come into the meeting angry or ready to cry. Be ready to state your case and then, listen. The instructor will review the assignment with you and give you her/his opinion on the matter. Note that every instructor varies, as some will ask for you to provide a typed explanation with your questions and concerns regarding your graded assignment.

Peace~

Poli 413: You might find this interesting. This is video from NWSA 2009. Angela Davis spoke. These two videos are for educational use.
http://www.nwsa.org/conference/video.php

Cheers-
Prof. A

Winter is upon us. The sun is out, but the temperature is hovering at 2 degrees, which is pretty damn cold. I've been busy marking exams and papers and I'm seeing some consistent issues.

Directions?! Why offer directions or instructions? I'm sitting here listening to AC/DC and marking and realizing that students who earn A's read the syllabus and or the assignment guidelines. I am going to review my syllabi for Spring and see if I need to make due dates more prominent and other instructions.

Back to grading...back in black...

Big news for the Obama administration--more troops are being sent to Afghanistan. Who is surprised? Not me. I don't agree with this policy, but it was inevitable. What we need first is the establishment of non-corrupt government on the ground in Afghanistan, then the US will not have to be there.

I am an Obama supporter--have sipped the Kool Aid, but I can still offer constructive criticism about the nascent administration.