In The Classroom With Stan Skrabut

Learning is about dialogue. When we have conversations, we must adhere to established protocols, even when only having discussions with friends. During daily conversations with others, in the classroom, and through academic research, there are protocols that we must follow in order to be successful. However, in each situation, there are some basics: One must have some knowledge of the topic. You should acknowledge your sources. You need to understand that the conversation has a past and will have a future. This week we are going to take a closer look at teaching research as an ongoing conversation. I also share a simple exercise showing the conversation through journal articles as well as provide tips for helping students see their part in the conversation. Come learn more. Join me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InTheClassroomPodcast/  Other podcast episodes: https://tubarksblog.com/intheclassroom  Show notes: https://tubarksblog.com/itc128  Music credit: https://www.purple-planet.com/  Sponsor:

Over a couple of decades working as an instructional technologist, I have developed my ideas on what a good assignment should cover. In preparation for this episode, I rediscovered the principles outlined by TILT - Transparency in Learning and Teaching. Since they mirror my principles and that are already documented, I am going to focus on transparent assignment design. The goal of this episode is to help you develop assignments that help students achieve your learning objectives. This week we are going to take a closer look at the three elements of Transparent Assignment Design. These elements are supported by Universal Design for Learning. Come learn more. Join me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InTheClassroomPodcast/  Other podcast episodes: https://tubarksblog.com/intheclassroom  Show notes: https://tubarksblog.com/itc127  Music credit: https://www.purple-planet.com/  Sponsor: https://tubarksblog.com/textexpander  Sponsor: https://tubarksblog.com/read-to-succeed/ 

I used after-action reviews for the last 40 years. I was first exposed to them in the Air Force as a strategy for continuous improvement. AARs have served me well. I continue to use them today. I also use them in the classroom and you can as well. AARs are easy to conduct and yield a lot of valuable information about your course and its activities. The key is to do something with what you learn. This week we are going to take a closer look at after-action reviews and how you can improve your courses. Come learn more. Join me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InTheClassroomPodcast/  Other podcast episodes: https://tubarksblog.com/intheclassroom  Show notes: https://tubarksblog.com/itc126  Music credit: https://www.purple-planet.com/  Sponsor: https://tubarksblog.com/textexpander  Sponsor: https://tubarksblog.com/read-to-succeed/ 

I use peer review in an online graduate-level course I teach. During the course, students are developing program proposals. They submit the proposal in three phases: two drafts and a final submission. Ideally, each phase leads to an improved product. During each of the drafts, students will also submit a peer review on two different proposals. Students can provide feedback directly on the proposal. Additionally, they must complete a worksheet. The worksheet has reviewers analyze the program plan in terms of composition, program elements, support, citations, and overall writing. Each set of peer reviews is worth 10% over the overall grade. Ensuring that it is worth a letter grade helps to get back the quality that I am looking for. Over the course of the term, I have witnessed substantial growth in terms of the subject matter and their writing capability. I will continue to use peer reviews and modify them as I learn more. This week, we are going to take a closer look at using peer review in the classroom to i

Throughout the year I do a lot of reading, however, this past year has been rather tough on my reading goals. But things are settling down and I have managed to carve out time for more books. Today, I would like to share what I am reading as well as provide you with ideas for your summer reading list. My personal reading tends to revolve around instructional technology and productivity. What I have learned over the years has helped me become more efficient and effective. This has in turn allowed me to pursue other activities. My summer reading list is primarily focused on productivity with a hint of instructional technology. While I have lots of recommendations, I have narrowed my list for you to eight books. I have read each of these books and I think you will find them inspirational and useful. I hope you enjoy them Join me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InTheClassroomPodcast/  Other podcast episodes: https://tubarksblog.com/intheclassroom  Show notes: https://tubarksblog.com/itc124  Music credit:

I am on the fence with this one. Primarily, I teach online classes so participation and attendance are slightly different. I also believe that the more one is involved in a course, the better they will do. But I also believe in treating adults like adults. That means, they get to make their own decisions and must accept responsibility for the decisions they make. All I can do is create the conditions that they will want to participate and succeed. The reason I am approaching this topic right now is that I have been helping faculty work on their courses and participation and attendance have been elements we have had to work out. Additionally, I had just read a couple of articles by James Lang in the Chronicle of Higher Education on the topic. I thought the articles made a lot of sense. The reason why we grade participation is that we recognize that engagement in the classroom leads to greater success. Students also understand this basic fact. Learning is about dialogue. The grade should not be the reason to pa

Choice sits at the heart of Universal Design for Learning. Ideally, you would want to provide a lot of choices for your assignments to include a choice of content and format. You would also want to have different choices for each learning objective. Converting your entire course at one time can be exhausting. I recommend that you implement assignment choice one objective at a time. In some cases, you just need to tweak your rubric and the wording of the assignment itself. In this episode, we will look at a list of things you should consider when creating assignment choice. We will also discuss a strategy for implementing assignment choice in your classroom. Come learn more. Join me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InTheClassroomPodcast/  Other podcast episodes: https://tubarksblog.com/intheclassroom  Show notes: https://tubarksblog.com/itc122  Music credit: https://www.purple-planet.com/  Sponsor: https://tubarksblog.com/textexpander  Sponsor: https://tubarksblog.com/read-to-succeed/ 

I just integrated Hypothes.is with Readwise and now I can send all the notes I take to Evernote. This makes it tremendously easy to do research. My research system now uses five programs: Feedly Hypothes.is Readwise Evernote Zotero With these five tools, I can locate new material, take notes, curate those notes, and turn them into something useful. In this episode, I will explain my system and share how each tool serves a purpose. If you would like to check out Readwise, use this link for a free month (I will also get a free month). Come learn more. Join me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InTheClassroomPodcast/  Other podcast episodes: https://tubarksblog.com/intheclassroom  Show notes: https://tubarksblog.com/itc121  Music credit: https://www.purple-planet.com/  Sponsor: https://tubarksblog.com/textexpander  Sponsor: https://tubarksblog.com/read-to-succeed/ 

Why would you want to give students extra assignments when they cannot complete the regular assignments? I am of the opinion that you can create your course in a manner in which students will not need extra credit. I am not alone in this opinion. Rather than have students do additional assignments, have them improve upon the assignments they have already completed. This episode will take a closer look at the pros and cons of extra credit as well as strategies for avoiding it altogether. Come learn more. Join me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InTheClassroomPodcast/  Other podcast episodes: https://tubarksblog.com/intheclassroom  Show notes: https://tubarksblog.com/itc120  Music credit: https://www.purple-planet.com/  Sponsor: https://tubarksblog.com/textexpander  Sponsor: https://tubarksblog.com/read-to-succeed/ 

To keep a semester moving forward successfully, there are many opportunities for communicating important information. This is to alert faculty to key events taking place such as preparing courses, semester start-up, archiving old courses, and much more. Instructional technologists, program coordinators, and department chairs all have key messages they need to get out term after term. They can provide better service in the long run by automating as much routine messaging as possible. They can then divert cognitive energy to tasks on their plate. This episode will take a closer look at creating an editorial calendar and scheduling key messages. Come learn more. Join me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InTheClassroomPodcast/  Other podcast episodes: https://tubarksblog.com/intheclassroom  Show notes: https://tubarksblog.com/itc119  Music credit: https://www.purple-planet.com/  Sponsor: https://tubarksblog.com/textexpander  Sponsor: https://tubarksblog.com/read-to-succeed/ 

Seeking is about pulling in information that is new. It is basically keeping my eyes and ears open to what is happening in the world. I tend to find information around areas of interest or problems that I am trying to solve. They may be my problems or problems for others. Keeping an eye out for new information is a fairly rapid process. Primarily, I scan titles to articles until one looks interesting. I will then open it, read it, and decide if it is worth keeping or not. The process of sense-making is necessary before I share information with others. In my various roles, I believe it is my responsibility to help find and distribute new content in order to help others excel. Sense-making is a key component of this process because I have to first understand it and know how the new knowledge will benefit others before I can share it. While each element is critical to this framework, I am especially a fan of the Share element. Sharing is an opportunity to add to the world knowledge base with your interpretation

Since my days in the Air Force, I always carried a small notebook with me - a Moleskine notebook. I would write notes as they occur to me. These notes would be from meetings, podcasts, books, or just random ideas I wanted to capture. My notebook was a mess. I then tripped upon a method to help me stay on track better due to better note-taking. I have been using this method ever since. This method is called bullet journaling, a creation of Ryder Carroll. Each individual can personalize their method to what works best for them. Even though I am now using the bullet journaling method, I have adapted it to my own way of working. The most important thing I have found in using bullet journals is that I am more relaxed because I offloaded content from my brain to a more reliable memory device. This episode will take a closer look at bullet journaling and how you can use it to support your profession. We will look at key features of bullet journaling as well as provide examples of how to use it. Come learn more. Join

Approximately two weeks ago, Thomas Frank introduced me to a new tool through one of his YouTube videos. Once I understood what it could do, I knew that I needed to add it to my mix of tools. While I am just getting familiar with it, I knew I had to introduce you to it. The tool is called Readwise. With Readwise, I was able to connect to my Kindle account and export the highlights of 116 books to Evernote. Kindle is not the only application to which you can connect. Readwise will let you automatically sync with twelve different applications such as Twitter, Hypothesis, Goodreads, Feedly, Instapaper, Pocket, and many more. Readwise also reminds me of the wisdom I have gleaned while reading with daily emails containing random highlights. I can also share these highlights with others. Finally, Readwise allows you to create a study system to improve your information recall similar to flashcards. This program has become an integral part of my learning system. It will also get me using Hypothes.is and Kindle much m

Podcasting in your classroom can be a great way to develop lifelong learning habits in your students. Podcast episodes can be consumed anytime and anywhere. They provide an effective way to share content with your students and can be used for many different purposes. Students can also create podcast episodes as a way to demonstrate what they have learned. This episode will take a closer look at why you would want to use podcasts in your classroom, what you need to get started, and ideas for use. Come learn more. Join me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InTheClassroomPodcast/  Other podcast episodes: https://tubarksblog.com/intheclassroom  Show notes: https://tubarksblog.com/itc115  Music credit: https://www.purple-planet.com/  Sponsor: https://tubarksblog.com/textexpander  Sponsor: https://tubarksblog.com/read-to-succeed/ 

By controlling the 168 hours we are given each week, we can move our programs and visions forward. Using strategies I learned from Tim Ferriss and Michael Hyatt, I have been able to carve out time. These fours strategies will help you increase classroom efficiency and get more time in your life include: Eliminate Simplify Automate Delegate This episode will take a closer look at these strategies and provide ideas for incorporating them into your classroom. Come learn more. Join me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InTheClassroomPodcast/  Other podcast episodes: https://tubarksblog.com/intheclassroom  Show notes: https://tubarksblog.com/itc114  Music credit: https://www.purple-planet.com/  Sponsor: https://tubarksblog.com/textexpander  Sponsor: https://tubarksblog.com/read-to-succeed/ 

Providing accommodations for students with needs is a time suck for a lot of people. They cut into your time as the instructor. Students divert time and energy from their studies to request accommodation. Disability services also have to spend time and energy to put the accommodation in place. In most cases, the accommodation request would not have gone in if the course was created correctly. Accessible and inclusive courses reduce accommodations. No one really wants to request accommodation due to the stigma. They request one as a last result. If you want to create courses that Improve learning Reduce accommodations Increase engagement Increase retention Expands the capabilities of your course Then build your course with sound principles such as Universal Design for Learning, accessibility, and backward design. This episode will take a closer look at strategies you can use to reduce accommodations to deliver instruction to all your students. Come learn more. Join me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/In

What I going to share with you comes from Raymond Wlodkowski’s book, Enhancing Adult Motivation to Learn. As Wlodkowski pointed out there is a strong positive correlation between motivation and learning. As instructors, we can create the right conditions and environment to help them learn. Wlodkowski and Ginsberg developed the Motivational Framework for Culturally Responsive Teaching. Within this framework, Wlodkowski and Ginsberg incorporate four essential elements that will attend to the learning activities that meet four conditions: success, volition, value, and enjoyment. These elements include: Establishing inclusion Developing attitude Enhancing meaning Engendering competence By attending to these four elements, you keep focused on learner motivation. This episode will take a closer look at factors that affect motivation, characteristics and skills needed as a motivating instructor, and strategies for increasing motivation in the classroom. Come learn more. Join me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.co

Dialog is foundational to meaningful learning. In a well-developed course, students need to have dialog with the teacher, fellow students, and the content. The Community of Inquiry Framework facilitates this dialog. We want students to ask questions that interest them about a topic and feel comfortable adding to the conversation. We want students to pull apart topics through personal review and reflection. Most importantly, learning is about dialogue. The Community of Inquiry Framework achieves its effect through three presences: Teaching Presence Social Presence Cognitive Presence These interconnected elements result in a heightened learner experience. The course will lack engagement and be lackluster if one element is missing. This episode will take a closer look at the Community of Inquiry Framework. Specifically, I will break down the three main elements and highlight strategies for weaving the elements into your course. Come learn more. Join me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InTheClassroomPodcas

A lesson plan is a road map of all the key points your want to visit in your travels. It will help ensure that you get to each one in the right order. They are a way to organize your content and ensure that you have time to cover the essentials. A lesson plan is a continuation of backward design. Your lesson plan will help you present the interconnected elements in a logical flow. By having a written lesson plan, you can ensure that you are baking key teaching and learning strategies into your lesson. This episode will take a closer look at lesson plans. Specifically, I will address ways that you can create them, what to include, and other considerations. Come learn more. Join me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InTheClassroomPodcast/  Other podcast episodes: https://tubarksblog.com/intheclassroom  Show notes: https://tubarksblog.com/itc110  Music credit: https://www.purple-planet.com/  Sponsor: https://tubarksblog.com/textexpander  Sponsor: https://tubarksblog.com/read-to-succeed/ 

While attending college classes, I have had to journal twice. Once when I was at the United States Air Force Academy Prep School for an English class. The other time was during a graduate-level course. But I turned that journaling experience into blogging, which I continue to do. In both cases, I was frustrated because I really did not grasp the exercise. Journaling was certainly something that I did not continue past the class. At least, not until recently.  Listening to many different entrepreneurs on podcasts, I have come to appreciate the importance of journaling. I do believe it is a valuable activity and one that should be taught to students. This episode will take a closer look at the benefits of journaling, types of learning prompts to write about, and tips for successfully implementing journaling in your class. Come learn more. Join me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InTheClassroomPodcast/  Other podcast episodes: https://tubarksblog.com/intheclassroom  Show notes: https://tubarksblog.com/itc