My New Status

As of May 31, I am officially retired from my position as the Director at the National Institute for Staff & Organizational Development at the University of Texas in Austin. I really appreciate the opportunity to work with the great NISOD Team. Thanks also to Dr. Juan Gonzalez, Professor Norma Cantu and Dean Manuel Justiz, as well as the faculty at the College of Education..

The next chapter of my life will be less complex, but I still will be active with teaching, consulting, writing and more.

I am very happy to be back with the family in Chattanooga. 

Completion begins and ends in the classroom by Terry O’Banion

A great column - Excerpts from Academic Advising: The Key to Student Success, edited by Terry O’Banion.  Supporting data from the Center for Community College Student Engagement (CCCSE) shows that the keys to successful completion use these principles of good practice:

1. Encourage student-faculty contact.
2. Encourage cooperation among students.
3. Encourage active learning.
4. Give prompt feedback.
5. Emphasize time on task.
6. Communicate high expectations.
7. Respect diverse talents and ways of learning.

Completion begins and ends in the classroom

NISOD Conference Honors Bumphus, Looks at Issues at Community Colleges - Higher Education

This story is from Diverse Issues in Higher Education and describes some of the NISOD International Conference on Teaching & Leadership Excellence (held May 26-29 in Austin TX).  Walter Bumphus, President and CEO of the American Association of Community Colleges, was honored with the Diverse Champions Award.

NISOD Conference Honors Bumphus; Looks at Issues at Community Colleges - Higher Education

Mapping with Google = A Free Online Course

I just signed up for a free online course from Google on both Google Maps and Google Earth.

The course will be available June 10.  The self-paced course features video and text tutorials and the curriculum includes: 

• Unit 1 - Course Overview 
• Unit 2 - Google Maps 
• Unit 3 - Google Maps Engine Lite 
• Project Google Maps
• Unit 4 - Google Earth Basics 
• Project Google Earth
• Unit 5 - Google Earth Extras 
  
  
  
   

Mapping with Google - Course

ASCD Express 8.17 - Games: A Model of Effective Assessment

Gamificatuion - it is time to take games seriously.  Here is a brief reflection upon the value of learning from games.  They conclude that "we can borrow from game design to improve classroom assessment practices."  That and much more.

From the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, or ASCD 

 


ASCD Express 8.17 - Games: A Model of Effective Assessment

Chattanooga, Tennessee - Best Place to Live in America?

I am proud to make Chattanooga my home.  What a dramatic shift over the past twenty years.  When I first visited Chattanooga in early 1991 on a scouting trip, my first though was, "what will I tell my family?"  Downtown was bleak, even a little scary.  Restaurants were few and of little variety. And, the scenic beauty was marred by inattention to access and relic foundries and scrapyards.

So what happened?  I have to give a lot of credit to local leadership - including some old money families who were willing to invest in their city's future. 

Chattanooga is not perfect - we need to do a great deal with public schools, jobs, and public transportation.  But, to even be considered as a great city is indicative of progress in the right direction.

Chattanooga, Tennessee - Best Place to Live in America

Chart Gizmo – Online Chart Builder | Teach Amazing!

This came from Mark Brumley's Teach Amazing! Website - a wonderful source for good ideas about many things related to educational technology and learning.  

Chart Gizmo – Online Chart Builder | Teach Amazing!

5 Great Mapping Tools to Use in the Classroom

As one who teaches Geography, I found this to be useful.  Of course we have Google Earth, but here are some other great interactive tools for students to get involved in learning through maps.  

From 

5 Great Mapping Tools to Use in the Classroom

A Nice Story Featuring John Wood Community College

Read full story here

More students finding higher education career can start at commu - Quincy Herald-Whig | Illinois & Missouri News, Sports