Planning for reality doesn't diminish joy should better times come, but it does make living in this moment easier.
9 Practices for Protecting and Rebuilding Your Energy
We’re not made for constant crisis–and neither are our students
Today's post is drawn from a lecture I share with my Sociology of Disaster students. I'm grateful for how they've contributed to my critical view of resilience over the years. Humans are amazingly resilient. We can face hard, acute crises and find solutions quickly. We are great at bouncing back and even pretty good at... Continue Reading →
What do students need on a learn-from-home day? Extreme Cold Edition
If your campus is online tomorrow, remember that students learning from home due to extreme cold or snow are doing it under conditions that might be very different than when they are learning from home due to quarantine or isolation. Their kids are also at home—possibly also learning from home. Their kids may be required... Continue Reading →
Innovation in Remote Teaching: FotoFika All Stars
Regular readers of this blog know that I'm a fan of the possibilities for online teaching and learning--but I also recognize that different disciplines face very different barriers in creating successful online courses. In particular, science labs, theater classes, studio arts, and other classes that require physical engagement with tools can be a challenge.Today I... Continue Reading →
Be Kinder than You Think Your Students Need
"Be kind to your sibling." "I AM being kind--they're the one being a jerk!" "Be kinder. Be kinder. Be kinder than you think you need to be. Be kinder than you think they deserve." It's a regular interaction in my household. Someone--possible more than one someone--has been a jerk, a meanie, an obnoxious brat. Probably... Continue Reading →
Gender Bias will Still Happen in Remote Teaching
Remember BBC Dad? https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=32&v=Mh4f9AYRCZY&feature=emb_logo In 2017, Professor Robert E. Kelley was doing an interview with the BBC when his 4-year-old daughter popped into his office for a visit. Seconds later, a little sibling comes zooms in on a walker, and then Mom scrambles into retrieve the kiddos. Kelley doesn't stand up, prompting the world to... Continue Reading →
Policies for an Online-by-Design Course: University Requirements
This blog post is part of a series to help you build an online course quickly. It is for people who are preparing to launch their third trimester in course that they thought would be F2F but will begin instead as an online course, those looking ahead to intensive May terms, and those who had... Continue Reading →
Remote Instruction Contributes to Inequity for K-12 Students
A number of you have reached out to say thank you for the reassurance that you don't have to become great online teachers instantly. But many of you want to be able to do that over the long term, and many public K-12 teachers, in particular, are worried about this. Kansas was the first state... Continue Reading →
Choosing Materials for Your Online Class
This post is part of a series on designing an online class in a hurry and without a lot of training, resources, or support. For educators who are looking ahead to the summer and fall and think they may be asked to teach online rather than in a traditional classroom, this series can help you... Continue Reading →
Please Don’t Require Synchronous Work in Your Remote Classes
Asynchronous work is the standard in undergraduate courses that are designed as fully online courses. In a high-stress situation in which faculty who typically teach F2F classes now have to teach remotely, they are necessary. It's tempting to think that our students ought to be able to synch up to our classes remotely just as... Continue Reading →
Rebecca Barrett-Fox 