Posts Tagged ‘creativity’
These are my notes from a Teaching and Learning Lunch I attended last October. I jotted these down in my journal, and I am putting them here so I have another place where I can find the notes.
- So, what is it? It turns lectures into homework. Do your lectures ahead of time, and students can watch them before they come into class. You can then spend the class time on interactive activities.
- The class dynamic goes from passive to active.
- This is based on “blended learning.” It is not just “online learning.” The technology supports the classroom.
- No “one size fits all” when it comes to using technology.
- You don’t have to be tech savvy, but you may become savvy as you use more things.
- Avoid being overwhelmed. Start with small steps. Pick and choose, see what works, adapt.
- To flip your classroom, you don’t have to create all videos or tutorials. You can often find good resources online, so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Explore various screencast options. Some are online and free.
- Check the site of the Flipped Learning Network: flippedclassroom.org . Check out their book Flip Your Classroom.
Remember, you transform your classroom as a teacher. No technology will do it for you. The technology supports the classroom culture.
This is basically a link dump post of items that I have found contain useful information related to work, career, and professional development. In essence, these are links to things I want to remember for future reference.
- This was written mostly for PhD students, but I think it is applicable for anyone who may have been in academia for a long time and now needs (or desires) to find a job outside of academia. It is a given you may have to reinvent yourself in such a situation. So, via Escape the Ivory Tower, remember that “they don’t know how awesome you are.”
- Barbara Pachter provides some pointers on how to stay in touch with former bosses or other professional colleagues. Networking is always important for your career growth, but you also need good manners.
- Via The Bamboo Project, here are “Six Positive Professional Development Strategies for the Toxic Workplace.” In my line of work, contrary to what a lot of celebrity blogging librarians would have you believe (at least non-pseudonymous ones), libraries are not little slices of heaven on Earth. Some are nice, and others not so much. If you happen to be stuck in one of the toxic ones, you need to take care of yourself. You still need to continue your professional development regardless of whether you choose to stand and flight or send out your resume to get out of town. This article offers some small places to start a more positive process for your professional development.
- Also via The Bamboo Project, “Tough Questions for Your Professional Development.” These can serve as a good reflective exercise.
- On a related theme, via Dumb Little Man, here is some stuff on “How to Deal With a Job You Hate.” Again, not everything is Eden on Earth. When it is not, you need to find constructive ways to deal with things and still keep on growing.
- And to pick something in librarianship, here is In the Library With a Lead Pipe. They have an article offering a Q&A on Professional Development. This is mostly geared to library school students, but there are still some useful things for those of us already fortunate enough to be out in the field.
- Via Hack Library School, a post on “The Skills You Don’t Learn in School.” That refers to library school. This is a topic a colleague and I often talk about, and I suppose it could be a topic for a longer post over at the professional blog. But for one, I don’t really feel the inclination nor the time to write that longer post up. But the post on skills does offer some food for thought.
- Idea Sandbox offers a nice diagram on the “Magic of Thinking Big.”
Turns out I do collect pens
Posted on: May 13, 2011
I do some pen collecting. I saw the question–do you collect pens, and how do you collect them–in a blog a while back. I gave it some thought, and I realized that I do collect pens. Now, I do not collect expensive or high end pens. Those are too expensive, and I do have to live on a librarian’s salary.
I like pens that work for me. As I think about it, I collect two kinds of pens. I have a few nice pens that I use as my personal pens, signature pens. Then I have pens I use on a daily basis as my work pens. I use my work pens for more extensive writing, such as writing on my personal journal. Now, I may use one of my nice pens to write in my journal, usually when I am not at home, but overall, I use my daily use pens as my basic writing tool.
I have gradually built a small collection of the personal/signature pens. I keep those in my jewelry box, and I try to rotate their use. Currently, I am favoring my Waterman Harley Davidsons: one is a fountain pen, and the other one is a roller ball with a nice wolves scene on the barrel. The fountain was a lost and found unclaimed item in one of the libraries I used to work at; it was going to be discarded. I claimed it. It is a bit worn, but with new ink cartridges, it has been working well for me. In fact, I’ve used it to write in my journal a few times. It has become a favorite pen. The roller ball was a present from my better half a while back. I do have some nice ballpoints as well, but I do not use them as much.
As for my casual/daily writing, I tend to prefer gel pens or roller balls. Pilot G2′s (like the ones in the photo), ones in different colors, are ones I do like. They have a nice point, thin, the ink is usually smooth, and the color variety is nice too.
So, that’s a bit about the pens I collect and use.
A hat tip to the Goldspot Pens blog, which gave me the inspiration to write this. It was a nice bit of serendipity that Plinky had a prompt asking about stuff I collect too.
Short addition: The link from Goldspot Pens on “How Do You Collect Pens?” Found via this carnival. Plinky is not very good about placing links in replies.
Here goes another link post of my semi-regular (as in when I get enough clips together to make a post) series of post collecting clips about blogging and writing. My small way of keeping track of things that inspire me or just give me ideas for things to try out in my blogging and writing.
Though I do not blog professionally, or at least with the intention of making money, I always find many of Darren Rowse’s posts to be useful and informative. I always find myself clipping them to look at later for ideas on how to improve my blogging. And who knows, maybe someday, I might make a penny or two from my blogging. In the meantime, hear are some items from ProBlogger blog,
- “How to Write in a More Personal and Engaging Tone.”
- Written by Kole McCrae as a guest post, the title itself is already provocative. This does give me some food for thought. The blog post title is “Why I Deleted All of My Blogs.” I do have to admit that the thought of deleting my main blogs has crossed my mind. McCrae does give some food for thought here on how to erase and start anew.
- Another guest post, this time on “15 Blogger Resources Not Previously Featured in Problogger.” Not so much about writing as more about things that can make the blogging experience easier.
- This is an exercise I definitely have to complete sometime soon. I think my blogging, at least my professional/librarianship-related blogging, is due for a bit of an assessment. The post that is inspiring me to some reflection is “What Do You Want Your Blog to be Known For?” That is a good question.
- I certainly liked this post, especially due to the idea it mentions of keeping a fresh list of blog prompt ideas. It is something I have tried to do my personal journal, and in some old notes, but I really need to do some cleaning so to speak so I can maintain a better list. It may help me streamline my blogging, plus if I apply it to the library blog at work, it may be helpful as well. The post in question is “How to Run Two Blogs in the Midst of a Busy Life.”
- In a guest post, Arsene Hodali tells us “7 Good Things that Blogging Brings.” I liked this post and found it inspirational in its simplicity. I am also thinking I could write a similar post later on some of the good things blogging has brought me, mostly as reflective exercise.
- “How Your About Page Can Make or Break Your Blog.”
- “Ten Questions Will Always Make You Better.”
- “You Have a Niche! You Just Don’t Know it Yet.“
Write to Done is another blog I find useful when it comes to writing advice. From Write to Done,
- Katie Tallo in a guest post on “How to Win Friends and Influence Readers.”
- Barrie Davenport in a guest post on “6 Key Steps to Finding Your Passion as a Writer.”
- “How to Slash Your Writing Time in Half.”
The folks at Dumb Little Man do more than just blog about writing and blogging. I always find something interesting there. From Dumb Little Man,
- “10 Hard Truths About Blogging.” A few important reminders that I think, as a blogger, I need to hear once in a while.
- “Five Reasons to Keep a Journal.” Even when I take long breaks from blogging (voluntary or otherwise), I always go back to my personal journal. And though I do not write in it as often as I would like, I do write in it, and I always know I have it there.
From On Techies,
CW, at Ruminations,
- Wondering how to increase her professional blogging. I know I am wondering that question right now, up to and even considering whether I want to increase it at all (or decrease it). Some food for thought and useful links.
- A short exercise I would like to try out sometime. I may even consider using the result for my About page in the blog, which I am considering how to redo. She writes “Life in 100 Words.” Writing it may not be as easy as it sounds.
This is just another link dump of items I have liked about inspiration or to help inspire you.I am just jotting them down for those moments when I may need a little kickstart.
Via Dumb Little Man:
- “61 Ways to Find Inspiration When You’re Stuck and Feeling Down.”
- “How to Discover Your Life’s Purpose: 7 Questions to Ask.” This one may well be an exercise for me to try out with my personal journal.
- “How to Find Meaning in Your Work.”
Via Writetodone:
Via The Heart of Innovation:
Via ProBlogger:
- One of those posts on what can be learned from some famous person. It seems a lot of the inspirational and blogging bloggers do those once in a while. Maybe I should apply that lesson to write some posts related to librarianship. Anyways, the post this time is “5 Ways to Blog Like Bruce Lee.” Yes we can learn about the art of blogging from the master of martial arts.
