parents/guardians

For students entering their first year at a college or a university: “24 Tips for Dorm Living” [custom-writing.org]

On 08/10/2022, in colleges, community colleges, higher education, ideas, parents/guardians, productivity / tips and tricks, student-related, surviving, universities, by Daniel Christian

24 Tips for Dorm Living — from custom-writing.org; with thanks to Julia Reed for this resource

Excerpt:

Dorms become like a second home to many students during their university experience. And while dorm life can mean making new friends and having exciting adventures, adjusting to new routines is not always easy. Since most students who come to the dorms have no prior experience living outside their parents’ homes, the reality of taking care of themselves and sharing space with strangers can be overwhelming.

Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean that dorm life has to be a total culture shock. This list of excellent tips compiled by Custom-Writing.org will help you settle in and make the most out of your student life.

Addendum on 8/13/22:

Lisa L. Lewis on the Sleep-Deprived Teen — from gettingsmart.com

Key Points

Middle and high school should start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. This is just one factor in the life of the sleep deprived teen, but it is a policy issue.
California will become the first state with a start school later policy.

If you’re looking to recharge, consider this resource: “25 Best Parks In The United States” [Smith]

On 07/30/2022, in Emotion, face-to-face, geography / geology, health, ideas, learning spaces, parents/guardians, productivity / tips and tricks, society, United States, vision/possibilities, by Daniel Christian

25 Best Parks In The United States — from htownbest.com by Anna Smith; with thanks to Apple Smith for this resource

Excerpt:

There’s something about national parks that make you feel so in touch with nature. It’s also a fantastic place to bond and spend time with friends and family over fun activities like hiking, swimming, fishing, and biking.

In this article, we listed down the best parks you can find in the country along with helpful descriptions to help you find the best ones for your needs and preferences.

This guide is for couples looking for a grand adventure, families that are looking for a fun vacation, hikers in search of their next trail, and just anyone who’s curious and wants to know more about the top national parks you can find here in the United States.

Bryce Canyon National Park; Image from: Utah National Park Trips Image from: Utah National Park Trips

For Native Americans, Unequal Child Care Funding Leaves Tribes in Need [Tamez-Robledo]

On 07/29/2022, in career development, education, education reform, funding / grants, parents/guardians, participation, society, sociology, United States, by Daniel Christian

For Native Americans, Unequal Child Care Funding Leaves Tribes in Need — from edsurge.com by Nadia Tamez-Robledo

Excerpt:

Native communities are in desperate need of quality child care. And yet, they are the least likely demographic to get it.

Tribal leaders have long known that access to child care is essential to making sure their members can work. That was true four decades ago, when researcher Linda Smith—now director of the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Early Childhood Initiative—was starting her career in early childhood education by establishing a child care center on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation in Montana.

Over the years, she says little has changed in the way of getting tribes more support to meet the child care needs of their members.

Providing foster children with better educational outcomes [Lynch]

On 07/26/2022, in Alternatives, Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), education, education reform, K-12 related, legislatures / government / legal, neurodivergent/special needs, parents/guardians, society, student-related, United States, youth, by Daniel Christian

Providing foster children with better educational outcomes — from thetechedvocate.org by Matthew Lynch

Excerpt:

Foster children have a difficult life ahead of them. They have a higher chance of having a bad life than the rest of the population. Adults who were in foster care as children are more likely to be homeless, jobless, and on welfare than the general population. They also have higher chances of being jailed, consuming drugs and alcohol, and having physical or psychological problems.

We owe it to them to help children grow up to be productive, well-adjusted people, and none of this is their mistake. Lawmakers and educational activists should work diligently to improve foster care children’s educational possibilities by broadening their alternatives. Foster children in the United States will benefit from higher educational attainment that will prepare them for a healthy transition to adulthood.

Accommodations for students with ADHD — from thetechedvocate.org by Matthew Lynch

Accommodations for students with Dyspraxia — from thetechedvocate.org by Matthew

Excerpt:

Dyspraxia, also known as Apraxia, is a learning disability that is noticeable by difficulty in carrying out routines that need balance, fine motor skills, and coordination. Often, we think of these kids as being ordinarily “clumsy” or “awkward.” Kids with Dyspraxia need to be that an occupational therapist treats them to help boost their fine gross motor skills. Verbal Dyspraxia describes a reduction in the capacity to use speech sounds, which is commonly the sign of a developmental delay. Verbal Dyspraxia can either be separate or accompany Dyspraxia. Children with Dyspraxia may also suffer from a bit of impediment in speech and short-term memory loss.

From DSC:
If you don’t think teaching is incredibly tough, check out these lists of potential accommodations for just a few of the potential students in a classroom.

20 ideas for using video meetings with students — infographic [elearninginfographics.com]

On 07/18/2022, in collaboration, communications, digital audio, digital learning, digital storytelling, digital video, education technology, engagement / engaging students, human-computer interaction (HCI), ideas, innovation, instructional design, K-12 related, learning, Learning Experience Design, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, online learning, online media, online tutoring, parents/guardians, participation, pedagogy, productivity / tips and tricks, professional development, reading, student teaching/teacher education, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning, vendors, videoconferencing, virtual field trips, virtual K-12 schools, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, virtual tutoring, vision/possibilities, by Daniel Christian

20 Ideas You're Using Video Meetings With Students —Infographic

? https://t.co/jQBkibc1Qq #videomeeting #studentengagement pic.twitter.com/U7wNrnUpj0

— eLearning Industry (@elearnindustry) July 13, 2022

Encourage Learning Over the Summer with Buncee & PebbleGo Create [Dene Poth]

On 07/18/2022, in homeschooling/homeschoolers, instructional design, K-12 related, learning, Learning Experience Design, more voice more choice more control, motivation, parents/guardians, pedagogy, real-world assignments, teachers, teaching & learning, vendors, youth, by Daniel Christian

Encourage Learning Over the Summer with Buncee & PebbleGo Create — from rdene915.com by Rachelle Dene Poth

Excerpts:

In each of these, there are opportunities for students to take a close look at the world around them and become curious about learning. Students can connect with things that are happening in the real world.

Another item from Rachelle:

Enhanced Learning with IPEVO!

From DSC:
In my last position, we used IPEVO devices as well. I purchased one for my sister last year as well. They do the job quite well — at a very decent price.

7 Surprising Ways ADHD Shows Up in the Classroom [Bertin, Holden Johns, Kuhl]

On 07/18/2022, in accessibility / UDL, attention, Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), K-12 related, neurodivergent/special needs, parents/guardians, pedagogy, productivity / tips and tricks, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning, by Daniel Christian

7 Surprising Ways ADHD Shows Up in the Classroom — from additudemag.com by Mark Bertin, M.D., Beverley Holden Johns, Kathy Kuhl
ADHD in the classroom is easy to mistake for carelessness, defiance, laziness, or a learning difference. Here are the 7 ADD symptoms that educators seldom recognize at school — and solutions for each.

Excerpt:

ADHD sometimes manifests in obvious ways — like when a second grader blurts out an answer (again) or when a high school student forgets her completed assignment at home (again). Just as often, though, signs of ADHD in the classroom are more subtle and easily overlooked because they don’t align with stereotypes. Here are seven less-recognized ways ADHD symptoms show up at school, and productive ways to address each one.

Also relevant/see:

Elli: A Day in the Life of a Kid with ADHD — from publishing.cast.org

Several things that we can do to improve our learning ecosystems [Christian]

On 07/14/2022, in adjunct faculty, adult learning, collaboration, colleges, communications, communities of practice, community colleges, corporate universities / corporate training, culture, Daniel S. Christian, education, education reform, face-to-face, faculty/staff, higher education, ideas, instructional design, K-12 related, learner profiles, learning, learning agents, learning ecosystem, Learning Experience Design, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning preferences, learning spaces, learning theories, library / librarians, lifelong learning, love of learning, metacognition / metacognitive skills, more voice more choice more control, motivation, online learning, parents/guardians, pedagogy, research, social media, society, strategy, student teaching/teacher education, student-related, teachers, teaching & learning, teaching online, traditional / tradition, training / L&D, United States, universities, using teams, vision/possibilities, youth, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:
Below are several observations re: our learning ecosystems — and some ideas on how we can continue to improve them.

It takes years to build up the knowledge and skills in order to be a solid teacher, faculty member, instructional designer, and/or trainer. It takes a lot of studying to effectively research how the brain works and how we learn. Then we retire…and the knowledge is often lost or not passed along. And the wheel gets reinvented all over again. And again. And again.

Along these lines — and though we’re making progress in this area — too often we separate the research from the practical application of that research. So we have folks working primarily in learning science, neuroscience, cognitive psychology, and related fields. But their research doesn’t always get practically applied within our learning spaces. We have researchers…and then we have practitioners. So I greatly appreciate the likes of Pooja Agarwal and Patrice Bain out at RetrievalPractice.org, Daniel Willingham, Eva Keiffenheim, The Learning Scientists, James Lang, and several others who bridge this gap.

Perhaps more researchers, faculty members, teachers, trainers, instructional designers, principals, provosts, etc. could blog or be active out on social media.

***

Along these lines, we need to spend more time helping people know how best to study and to learn.
If that type of thing is ever to be learned, it seems like it’s often learned or discussed in the mid- to later years of one’s life…often after one’s primary and secondary days are long gone.

Instead, we should consider putting these easy-to-understand posters from the Learning Scientists in every K-12 school, college, and university in the nation — or something like them.

***

To provide the most effective engaging learning experiences, we should consider using more team-based approaches. As appropriate, that could include the students themselves.

***

We put way too much emphasis on grades — which produces gameplayers who seek only to do the minimum amount of work necessary to get the A’s. Doing so creates systems whereby learning is not the goal — getting a 4.0+ is.

***
As we are now required to be lifelong learners, our quality of life as a whole goes waaaay up if we actually enjoy learning. Many people discover later in life that they like to learn…they just didn’t like school. Perhaps we could place greater emphasis within K-16 on whether students enjoyed their learning experiences or not. And if not, what might have made that topic more enjoyable to them? Or what other topics would they like to dive into (that weren’t’ on the original learning menu)?

This could also apply in the corporate training/L&D space as well. Such efforts could go a long way in helping establish stronger learning cultures.

***

We don’t provide enough choice to our students. We need to do a better job of turning over more control to them in their learning journey. We turn students off to learning because we try to cram information that they don’t care about down their throats. So then we have to use the currency of grades to force them into doing the work that they could care less about doing. Their experience with learning/school can easily get soured.

We need to be more responsive with our curricula. And we need to explain how the information we’re trying to relay is relevant in the real world and will be relevant in their futures.

***

So those are some ideas that I wanted to relay. Thanks for your time and for your shared interests here!

‘Accessibility is a journey’: A DEI expert on disability rights [Colvin]

On 07/09/2022, in accessibility / UDL, Bias | Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I), digital learning, education, education technology, faculty/staff, higher education, human-computer interaction (HCI), instructional design, IT in HE, K-12 related, law schools, Learning Experience Design, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning spaces, legislatures / government / legal, neurodivergent/special needs, online learning, parents/guardians, productivity / tips and tricks, professional development, smart classrooms, teaching & learning, teaching online, training / L&D, United States, universities, user experience (UX), user interface design, vendors, by Daniel Christian

‘Accessibility is a journey’: A DEI expert on disability rights — from hrdive.com by Caroline Colvin
Employers can wait for a worker to request reasonable accommodation under the ADA, but Kelly Hermann asks: Why not be accommodating from the start?

Excerpt:

Often, employers jump to the obstacles that exist in physical spaces: nonexistent ramps for wheelchairs, manual doors that lack motion sensors, and the like. But the digital world presents challenges as well. Hermann and the U Phoenix accessibility team likes to “demystify” disability for campus members seeking their counsel, she said.

“Are you making those links descriptive and are you using keywords? Or are you just saying ‘click here’ and that’s your link?” Hermann asked. Like a sighted person, an individual with a disability can also scan a webpage for links with assistive technology, but this happens audibly, Hermann said, “They tell that tool to skip by link and this is what they hear: ‘Click here.’ ‘Click here.’ ‘Click here.’ ‘Click here.’ With four links on the page all hyperlinked with ‘click here,’ [they] don’t know where [they’re] going.”

New Pathways: Experiencing Success In What’s Next — from Getting Smart

Excerpt:

Some of you were able to attend our official kick-off event yesterday (on 6/21/22), but for those who weren’t able to make it we wanted to let you know that our new campaign, New Pathways, has officially begun!. Over the next few years, and in partnership with ASA, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Stand Together and the Walton Foundation, we will be dedicated to tracking innovations in the following six pillars:

We believe that when combined, these pillars enable learners to find success in what’s next in their professional lives, their personal lives and in their communities.

How parents can set up a productive home learning space for students [Fletcher]

On 06/21/2022, in blended learning, homeschooling/homeschoolers, hybrid learning, Hyflex learning, ideas, learning hubs & pods & microschooling, learning spaces, parents/guardians, student-related, teaching & learning, technologies for your home, tools, United States, by Daniel Christian

How parents can set up a productive home learning space for students — from blog.neolms.com by Charlie Fletcher

Excerpt:

Most schools have now reopened, and students across the nation and the world are back to learning in person. But, that doesn’t mean that remote learning is over. Plenty of schools still follow a hybrid model, and some students who fared better in remote learning conditions have stuck with virtual classrooms. This means that parents must know how to set up a productive learning space, both for remote learning and as a great study area.

Fortunately, there are plenty of resources to help parents and guardians who want to create a home learning space. This means that whatever your budget, every student can have their own space to study for exams and complete homework.

From DSC:
This looks like an interesting set of educational resources!

Twinkl Education Blog

From DSC:
One of our daughters — the one who is going to be teaching third graders next year — said that the above siteand resources reminded her of Teachers Pay Teachers. So I thought I’d include that here as well.

From DSC:
The following items made me reflect upon the place of COVID-19 in causing the current ills within higher education — but also thinking about the ills that were present long before Covid hit us.

Key point:
We should be careful not to conveniently use COVID-19 as the scapegoat for all that’s wrong within higher education.

On the faculty/staff side of the house

The Season of Our Professorial Discontent — from chronicle.com by Paul Musgrave
The pandemic irrevocably changed the student-teacher relationship — and not for the better.

Excerpts:

As pandemic slides into endemic, it’s worth asking: Did the pandemic break something fundamental about academe? Was the spring of 2022 the end of pandemic disruptions, or the start of a new normal?
…
This time, as I delivered the lines to an audience of 30 in a course with 200 students enrolled, I was wondering whether I wanted to give a lecture ever again.

From DSC:
Regarding the first quote…several things were broken within academe long before COID-19. Re: the second quote, what should that tell us if only 30 students showed up in a class with 200 students in it?

Faculty autonomy and faculty satisfaction are being whittled away.

From DSC:
From what I can tell, that’s been happening for years within the K-12 learning ecosystem. It seems like this trend is now occurring within the higher ed learning ecosystem. (I could go off on a tangent about why we didn’t help our fellow educators within K-12 — whose “product” directly impacts those working within higher ed — but I better not. This posting is already packed with reflections.)

Below are some relevant quotes from Kevin McClure’s 5/27/22 article out at The Chronicle of Higher Education (emphasis DSC). I agree with much of what Kevin is saying here.

Don’t Blame the Pandemic for Worker Discontent
It hasn’t just been a tough two years. It’s been a tough two decades.

Excerpt:

The pandemic alone didn’t cause the low morale and turnover you might be seeing among your faculty and staff members just as the lack of personal protective equipment didn’t solely give rise to the Amazon Labor Union. Yes, today’s workers are re-evaluating their workplaces, seeking reassignment within their institutions, and in some cases resigning from jobs altogether. But they are doing so for many of the same reasons they did 20 years ago — poor working conditions.
…
So burnout isn’t just about people struggling to cope with stress; it’s about people struggling in workplaces where stress never subsides.
…
In my own interviews on morale, higher-education workers have talked about leaders who aren’t listening, low compensation, and understaffing.
…
We see our workplaces differently, and our tolerance of poor working conditions has evaporated.

On the student side of the house

“It hasn’t just been a tough two years. It’s been a tough two decades.” The same — and likely more — could be said for the student side of the house, especially in regards to the price of education and how relevant/up-to-date the content has been. As the prices of obtaining a degree have skyrocketed over the last several decades, students and parents now HAVE to ask, “What’s the Return On Investment (ROI) here? Am I gaining the skills in college that will get me hired after college?”

Again, the point I’m trying to make here is that we should be careful not to conveniently use COVID-19 as the scapegoat for all that’s wrong within higher education.

Along these lines, the following two quotes seem relevant to me from Beth McMurtrie’s (6/2/22) Teaching e-newsletter (also from The Chronicle):

I asked Walton to tell me more about the setup at his university. He said classes were fully in person but instructors were encouraged to record lectures and be highly flexible with due dates. The result: Most days he had less than 50-percent attendance, and he received a lot of last-minute emails from students who said they woke up that morning with a headache or otherwise not feeling well. A few filed documented absence requests, but not many, suggesting that these were not serious illnesses, like Covid.
…
I’ve never had more incompletes for courses than in the last two years, so signaling to students that their distribution courses are flexible and accommodating has only let them de-emphasize them even more.

There’s likely a variety of causes/possibilities here — and I’m sure that Covid-related reasons are among them. But it makes me really wonder if students don’t think that the content is all that valuable or relevant to begin with these days. Is college even worth it anymore? Why am I here in the first place? Where is the motivation coming from? Is it extrinsic or intrinsic motivation?

Perhaps it’s time to change the curriculum/content as well as the price.

Daniel S. Christian: My concerns with just maintaining the status quo (from 2009).

A graphic I created back in 2009, with Yohan Na’s assistance.

Learning Ecosystems

If you’re looking to recharge, consider this resource: “25 Best Parks In The United States” [Smith]

For Native Americans, Unequal Child Care Funding Leaves Tribes in Need [Tamez-Robledo]

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