During the past year and half, many educators across the board have had to make a shift to teaching online due to the global pandemic. As a result, educators have been both challenged and inspired in the online classroom. As we learn to live with a new normal, many questions remain as we attempt to…
I currently serve as one of the e-editor’s for the Literacy Research Association (LRA). This is the second time I have served the organization in this capacity. A little over a decade ago I was the e-editor with several of my colleagues. We recognized that the website contained no value for members or individuals outside…
Broadly defined, the metaverse is the realm of computer-generated, networked extended-reality spaces (XR, which includes VR, AR and/or MR) in which interactions take place among humans and automated entities, some in gaming or fantasy worlds and some in “mirror worlds” that duplicate real-life environments. Extended-reality gaming and social spaces have been in existence for decades,…
This week I’m presenting a workshop focused on reading and supporting students as they interact in classes. Do you ever wonder how or if students read the 200-300 pages of materials assigned a week across all their classes? Why do students have difficulty answering questions about course reading, even if they’ve read the materials? This…
Several years ago, I was explaining to a colleague the challenges I was having in teaching my class on content area reading and writing. For those that are not literacy educators, this is a class that is taught to (primarily) middle grades and secondary teachers across different content areas (math, science, social studies). In this…
I’ve detailed my initial attempts at building an ungrading system in my classes on this blog. In this post, I’ll reflect on some of the results of my first semester and share some things I’ve already changed for the new semester. An Amuse-bouche In French cuisine, an amuse-bouche is a single appetizer that is a…
A course on #Gamergate, a controversy in gaming culture about the role of women in both the industry and fan culture, to emphasize issues around identity, race, equity, and inclusion.
Continue reading
This week I had the honor of presenting a workshop on ungrading and alternative grading strategies. This session was sponsored by my good friends at the University Writing Program and the Department of Literacy Studies, English Education, and History Education at ECU. This session is part of an upcoming book group focused on Susan Blum’s…
As I’ve recently shared, I’m investigating an ungrading policy in my classes. I shared a post with my original thinking and rationale for exploring this topic. In this post, I wanted to share some of the feedback and questions I’ve received on the topic. Please note, this feedback is not for the faint of heart.…
Over the remainder of the Fall semester, I will complete another networked learning project. In a networked learning project, I will use the Internet, the connected learning community, and my own personal learning networks to teach myself something new. I will collect, curate, and synthesize this information into a final “presentation” of what I have learned.…