Teaching Classes Leads to Mentoring Research Apprentices...

Well, we've made it through the first full week of classes here at Ohio State! Feels good to be moving forward with a new term! My classes (all THREE of them) seem like great groups of students. I'm excited to be able to work with them this term. I'm teaching a course in research methods, one called teaching as a profession, and one in adolescent development--the same courses I taught last Autumn quarter. I'm particularly excited to be able to share lessons from my most recent research projects with my research methods students. I've found that the students at OSU are eager to be involved in the many research opportunities that present themselves. Two of my former research/stats students have joined my research projects and I've been able to teach research in a new and exciting way...

These two former students are serving as research apprentices on our middle school transitions project research team. These students are taking 3 hours of research apprenticeship credit with me and I am mentoring them. I've found that, in some ways, I enjoy this process as much and, at times, even more than classroom teaching. As their research mentor, I get to work with students on research problems in an in-depth and truly meaningful way. For example, we've collected the first round of data for the middle school transitions project and now it's time for my sub-team--the quantitative group--to start entering and analyzing survey data and examining school records data. Exciting stuff!

When I first realized I would be leading a team of students, I decided that I wanted to involve them in the decision-making process as much as possible. I don't believe that being Dr. Momma Researcher and making all the decisions is the best way to help my students learn. It's the thinking process involved in research that matters most--thinking through the problems and challenges is what truly makes one a better researcher. I've learned tons just from the new projects I've been working on over the six months--both of them have had lots of problems to solve and challenges to work through! It reminds me of how one becomes a savvy computer user: the more technical issues you encounter and solve, the better you are at solving the new ones you encounter. That said, I'm looking forward to learning even more as these projects continue!

Cool stuff, people! Cool stuff!

Gearing Up for Autumn 2011 and Recap of My 1st Year at OSU

Well, I have completed my first full year at The Ohio State University in Columbus, OH. Whooo! I have sure learned a lot, worked hard, and had loads of fun!! Before I get you all excited about the preparations for the new school year, I think a recap is in order...

Since arriving on August 13, 2010, here is what I've done:
I individually wrote an OSU Impact grant (a teaching grant to internationalize my adolescent dev course), but didn't get it. I also applied for a Fulbright grant last year--didn't get that either, but now, now...let's move on to what I DID get...

I co-wrote a Teacher Planning Grant to develop an online community of practice for in-service and pre-service teachers. I also co-wrote an IES grant on an innovative instructional method to integrate science and literacy in the early grades. It was amazing to work with teams of such seasoned grant writers. I learned a lot--just the process of grant writing is a huge learning experience. Way cool!

We won the Teacher Planning grant--and I am working on it now. I am leading the development of the data collection instruments--surveys and assessments. We are still waiting to hear back about the big IES grant--hundreds of thousands of dollars over several years--exciting!

I joined a research team as the "Quantitative Goddess" for a funded, mixed-methods research study on transition to middle school. I am responsible for the quantitative component of the project and as such, I am supervising a sub-team of several graduate student research apprentices--some of which are working directly with me as apprentices.

I taught 5 new classes (Adolescent Psych, Research Methods, Technology in the Classroom, Introductory Statistics, and Teaching as Profession). Three of these I have taught a minimum of three times already. I've taught the research methods course four times! Those doggone quarters keep me moving! This fall, I just have three: Adolescent Psych, Research Methods, & Research Methods--no new preps. Thank goodness...

I prepared two manuscripts for publication--no new pubs yet, though--got more work to do on those still.

I have served as a guest speaker in one of the Columbus Freedom Schools, spoke at the post-play talkbacks for a play on adolescent sexuality (OSU Dept. of Theatre production "Spring Awakening"), served on the PTA at my son's school (I'm one of the VPs this year--he is so proud), written countless letters of support for promising students, and reviewed manuscripts for presentation and publication across several different organizations and journals.

As far as my professional development and engagement, I attended workshops at the Digital Union--OSU's one-stop-shop for all things related to learning technology. I also attended several lectures over the past year--both invited speakers and the best and brightest of OSU's own scholars. We have some bright minds here at OSU! I attended the 16th Annual EHE Diversity Forum held right in my building--Ramseyer Hall and several events hosted at the Hale Black Cultural Center. These types of events keep me energized and motivated to keep working to support all learners in my realm--and everyone is a learner in my mind.

On a personal note, Robbie and I have done all types of cool things in Columbus--you're not going to believe how much we did! We started roller skating regularly at Skate Zone 71, hung out in some of the cool places (such as the Columbus Public Library Downtown, the North Market, the Short North District, the OSU Wex Center for the Arts, the OSU Thompson Library--one of Robbie's favorites, the OSU Urban Arts Space), and rode the bus all over the city. We have hung out on campus on Game Days (GO BUCKS!)--just being in the mix is truly something to see, especially if you hang out at the Ohio Union to experience the pre-game festivities. On top of all of that, we attended a PechaKucha event (believe it or not, Robbie really enjoyed it--he is so grown up!), saw Dr. Cornell West speak at a MLK Celebration event on campus (yes, Robbie sat for this,too!), attended Obama's Presidential rally last fall, hung out at the Arnold Sports Festival at the Columbus Convention Center and went on school field trips.

We've also experienced some of life's simple pleasures--walks in the Park of Roses, buying fresh fruit from a farmer's stand on the corner, and endless mornings at Panera enjoying yummy goodies. More recently we've visited some of the city's newly created public recreation spaces--Columbus Commons and the Scioto Mile. In addition, I have fortified my most precious relationships and forged some new ones, while also engaging in some intense personal development work. I am re-learning how to love--myself, others, and the world around me. I am re-learning how to enjoy life!

Believe it or not, there are some places Robbie and I haven't visited together--the great Columbus Zoo that we've heard so much about and COSI (Center of Science and Industry). We also missed a few big festivals (like Red, White, and BOOM!). Guess we just didn't have the time--imagine that.

Overall, I have experienced some incredible times here in C-bus. Who says a person can't be incredibly busy and still have a helluva time?? I am living proof that it can happen. The year has had its challenges, but the growth that has come from them is simply invaluable. I can honestly say I made the very best of this year. One thing that I haven't adjusted to, however, is missing my family. My oldest son, Antwan, is working hard at NIU (the family alma mater--we're a fam of NIU alumni) and as time flies, my nieces, nephews, and cousins are growing up and their parents (my sisters and cousins) are moving on with their lives. I miss my family so much. I can't help but feel a loss even now.

And now it's time to gear up for my second year and I can't wait to see what the next 12 months will bring. I have lots of great plans... Whew... recapping all of that made me exhausted. I think I'll talk about gearing up for the new school year in my next post!

Field Research in Education is MESSY...

Wow... I am a part of an awesome research team that is involved in an awesome multi-site, mixed methods research study and, wow, it is awesomely plagued with so many snafus!!! It really doesn't surprise me because as I have found many times before: RESEARCH IS MESSY!

Goodness Lawdy! From resistant school officials to weirdness on parental consent forms to overly helpful district folk to a truncated timeline that has the team scrambling to and fro---we have run across so many issues, it's unbelievable!! However...

We are NOT licked yet. We are nearly halfway through with our first phase of data collection and I am here to tell you that there are three major ingredients to a successful research study:

1) Patience, patience and more patience

2) Determination--can't let those challenges stop you from moving forward, and

3) Totally cool research teammates--smart and committed student apprentices (did I mention that we have an awesome team??) and terrific co-PIs, such as Dr. Antoinette Errante, who keeps on keeping on in the face of all the research adversity, and Dr. Lynley Anderman, who helps keep us grounded when we're about to start worrying. Did I mention that we have an awesome team?? :)

OK. Wait. Make that FOUR ingredients...

4) A super duper SENSE OF HUMOR--you gotta be able to laugh your way through!

I am also learning something about myself along the way... mentoring students who are new to the real-world research process is, in some ways, even MORE rewarding than classroom teaching. I feel a special warmth toward my student research teammates. It's exciting to watch them learn and see how much they already know, while gently pushing them to venture out into their own uncharted research waters and stretch their research muscle!!

I've posted this statement on Facebook many times and I'm gonna say it here: I LOVE MY WORK!! OH-IO!! Go Bucks! :)

Neglected...

It has been over 8 months since I last updated this blog!! I have neglected it terribly in all my busy-ness.

Wow... it seems that as I age, time passes increasingly quickly and sooooo much has happened since January of this year and now the year is more than half over. I can't believe how much has changed and how much I've learned.

I completed my first year at Ohio State--it ended with a lesson learned: Don't lapse back into workaholism!! I took on way too much this summer. FOUR CLASSES with two new preps as well as research duties that became increasingly time consuming as the summer progressed.


I spent a whole lot of time at the OSU Thompson Library--doing research has allowed me to learn more about the vast resources available at this great institution.

Well, I can honestly say that I have learned a whole lot about myself and about my new institution, but I still have a lot to learn. I'm getting better at managing my time--I've picked up a lot of great tips from my colleagues here in the School of Educational Policy & Leadership and my own reflections on how things are going. It's truly been a great year--not without its challenges, but definitely a great year.

So, I am going to try to update my blog more often. It's shameful to let 8 months go by without an update!! Ugh! Well, for now, it's back to the grading stratosphere...

*Image source: http://www.osu.edu/imageoftheday/

Happy New Year!! Welcome 2011!

The new year is off to a great start. We are two weeks into the Winter quarter at Ohio State. I am teaching one course in Research Methods (graduate level) and another in Adolescent Development. The adolescence course is the largest I've ever taught--55 students enrolled. It's a new experience that is truly stretching me out of my teaching comfort zone. I have never been a big fan of lecture as a student and my expertise in learning and instruction tells me that it is not truly the best way to learn. When I began teaching in 1999, I realized that I didn't like lecture as a teacher either. Soooooooo, how do you avoid using a lot of lecture with such a large class?

Well, I've been using smaller groups a lot and giving the students lots of opportunities to take on leadership roles in class. That really helps a lot--puts learning in the students' hands. I still use discussion a lot--I just have to work it a little differently to keep it manageable. I use an Internet-based audience polling program called PollEverywhere (http://www.polleverywhere.com/) to promote interaction in the class. I have invited guest speakers and I'm exploring different enrichment activities to add variety. It' going very well indeed and I am enjoying it. As I said, the year is off to a great start!

QR codes...

One of my friendly ed-tech gurus taught me about something today: QR Codes and barcode scanner apps that exist on Android cell phones.

My buddy John Neff, Staff Development Specialist over at the Center for Teaching & Learning at Moraine Valley Community College (my former workplace), was kind enough to demonstrate how QR codes work when I visited the college today. I was amazed to see the kinds of data that could be stored in a QR code and how the barcode scanner on his Android phone easily handled these codes.

Here is one you can scan to capture my contact information:


I created this one using a web-based QR code generator at http://qrcode.kaywa.com/. Now, if you scan this code, you can save my contact information right into your cell phone. Pretty neat, eh? Want more ideas? Do a quick Google search with the keywords "using qr codes" and you'll get a nice long list of websites with ideas on how you can use these nifty little codes for marketing your business and sharing information.

Thanks, John, for sharing this cool tech tidbit. You learn something new everyday!

So much change...

...in such a short time! That's why I have neglected this blog so much...

Since the last time I've posted, so much has changed. I sent my first-born off to college at Northern IL University. I left my position as Director, Nontraditional Learning at Moraine Valley Community College and took a position as Senior Lecturer at The Ohio State University, so I moved to Columbus, Ohio. I no longer own a car (it died two weeks before I left Illinois and I decided to try to live without one for a while instead of saddling myself with a car payment.) As a result of all the walking and bus-hopping, I lost over 25 pounds (I'm still amazed!). I am doing a temporary "single parent" gig (yes, I brought our younger son with me and my hubby is still in Illinois). I prepped for and taught three courses (nearly 70 students)--I've just finished my first quarter at The Ohio State University. Now all of this is pretty cool, but one of the most neat things is this:

I have learned to LOVE living a much more simpler life.

I don't have TV or video games in our home. I cut my monthly bills waaaay down. We walk everywhere so I never think about where to park on campus. I am doing my part to reduce harmful emissions in the environment. We shop only when I need something. It's crazy--I don't miss all the hoopla of my former life. I have time to study and think and write. I LOVE IT!!! I'm still a technophile, but I'm living without very much technology and it's OK. I use the Internet on my laptop and I have a phone that does only phone calls and text messaging--none of the newer fancy stuff. I'm learning about myself through this experience and it's wonderful. Columbus is a great city. My younger son is happy and healthy. I can't wait to see what else is on the horizon.

I'm am working on some articles and grant proposals in between prepping for next quarter classes, so I'll have lots to write about in the very near future. Right now, I'm planning to internationalize my adolescent development course--I am partnering with a professor at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez to have my class collaborate with hers. We are starting slowly with just a project and a couple synchronous meetings. I am very excited! I will be posting more about this project very soon. Stay tuned!

DTLC 2010 - Madison, WI

Just returned yesterday from the 26th Annual Distance Teaching & Learning Conference hosted in Madison, Wisconsin at the lovely Monona Terrace Conference and Convention center. As always, it was a great conference. I met a lot of interesting people, had some great dialogue, and enjoyed learning about what other institutions are doing with distance learning. I also presented a demonstration on behalf of a Moraine colleague and held a roundtable discussion. Overall, it was a great time.

I enjoyed the conference, but I am looking forward to being able to focus more on research and theory. Though I have relied on the research literature to inform my work and practice over the past 2+ years, I feel like I've been away from it in terms of being able to think carefully about theories and ideas and formulate new ideas. I miss that type of intellectual work and I am thrilled to be able to get back to it (and to the classroom) when I start my teaching position at The Ohio State University this fall!

This was my last conference as a member of the Moraine Valley family, so it was very meaningful to have a great colleague, Martha Mazeika, along with me during the conference. Though I was quite tired from all my job-change preparations over the last few months, her energy and enthusiasm were infectious and she made a terrific conference buddy. I plan to return to this conference next year and I'm hoping to reunite with my Moraine colleagues at that time. To learn more about the conference, please visit the conference research library at: http://www.uwex.edu/disted/conference/Resource_library/ - you can search for presentation materials and other resources. Enjoy!

I like this...

I love Twitter--for one reason: It connects me to a lot of very neat-thinking people. For example, I like this blog entry (which I found by visiting fellow Tweeter, @krea_frobro747): http://thinkingwithahead.wordpress.com/2010/02/18/technology-listening/

Here is a little piece of it to wet your whistle...

Six Negative Listening Habits:

1. Rebuttal Maker – Listening long enough to formulate a rebuttal
2. Advice Giver – Jumping too quickly to give unsolicited advice
3. Interrupter – More anxious to speak his words than to listen
4. Logical Listener – Rarely asking about feelings/emotions
5. Happy Hooker – Using speaker’s words to shift to own message
6. Faker – Pretends to listen

Cool, huh? I wonder how many of us are not good listeners in our classrooms? I also wonder how well we address these types of behaviors when we see them in our students during class? Do we even know how to address them? Hmmmm.. Check out the blog!
Tracey

Learning College Summit, Phoenix, AZ ~ 6/7 - 6/9/2010

A few days ago, I attended the 2010 Learning College Summit hosted by the League for Innovation in the Community College at the lovely Arizona Biltmore Hotel. It was a great conference--primarily because I was able to spend time with my team from Moraine Valley. It feels great to be part of such as great group of professionals. My three teammates presented on Monday morning and another MV colleague and I presented on Tuesday afternoon.

Engaging Adjuncts as a Strategy for Student Engagement

View more presentations from Tracey Stuckey-Mickell.

In highly collaborative organization, such as Moraine Valley, it is important for teammates to be able to have time sit down and experience the synergy of group discussion during conferences and other types of professional gatherings. The conversations we had were the best part of the conference--it is great to be abel to sit down, discuss thoughts and ideas, and bond with your teammates. When I move to my new position at Ohio State, I am going to miss these times with my team most of all.

A Great Ending...

...to a wonderful journey!!

A few hours before the NIU Graduate Commencement on May 7, Mark McGowan of the NIU faculty/staff newsletter, Northern Today, interviewed my mom and me about the completion of our doctoral degrees. It was a great day and I feel very fortunate to have shared such a great experience with my mother.

I'm looking forward to really great things from her and I anxiously await the next journey!

To read the article: http://www.niu.edu/northerntoday/2010/may17/stuckeys.shtml

African American Latino/a American Adult Education Research Symposium - 4/24/2010

Saturday, April 24, 2010 was a really great day! My hubby presented a poster at the African American Latino/a American Adult Education Research Symposium at Northern IL University. It was a great conference. I was able to reconnect with some old friends, enjoy some enlightening and thought-provoking presentations, and support my husband. My mom and I had a great time and the presentations were terrific.


NIU Black Graduate Student Association & Conference Planning Committee


My Husband & Friend, Jarvis

The End of a Journey...Congrats, Dr. Angeline Stuckey!

On Monday, April 19, my mom successfully defended her dissertation. It was my great pleasure to support her through the event and celebrate with her afterward. She is now Dr. Angeline Stuckey! It has been a great journey over the past several years as we supported each other through the research and writing process. We took "writing weekends" together, shared resources, advised each other, laughed together and lamented together. It takes a village to raise a scholar and we have shared a dynamic network of professors, family, friends and colleagues.

How blessed I am to have such a wonderful friend and colleague in my mom. She is, and has always been, truly an inspiration to me! Congrats, Dr. Stuckey! It's time to write an article together...I have lots of ideas that are just waiting to be harvested!

2010 Conferences

I am planning to attend quite a few professional conferences this year--and I may be presenting at some of these. Here's where I'm going so far...

AERA - Denver, CO
*Learning College Summit - Phoenix, AZ
*Distance Teaching & Learning - Madison, WI
IAECT - Malta, IL
MWERA - Columbus, OH
*AECT - Anaheim, CA

I'm looking forward to a spectacular year!!

*My presentation has been accepted!

Mission Complete: Dissertation Defended!!

It's been quite a few months since I've posted. I have been writing like crazy to finished my dissertation in time for May graduation. Mission complete!! I successfully defended on March 31, 2010. A host of family, friends, and colleagues attended my defense and waited around in the hallway to hear the news from my chair. And when she emerged with the word "Congratulations!!" the crowd erupted in cheers, provoking people to come from their offices on the second floor of Gabel Hall and walk out into the halls to find the source of all the ruckus.

Overall, it was a terrific and exhilarating day! I felt so much positivity and love flowing from my committee and everyone that came out to support me. I hugged so many people over the past couple of days. I am truly blessed! I feel incredibly encouraged as I start out on this new journey and I am so grateful to have such a supportive network of family, mentors, colleagues, and friends. It truly takes a village and I would not have made it thus far without the wonderful people who have encouraged me, guided me, listened to me fuss, and pushed me to keep going!

Whoo-hoo! I'm done!! :)

MWERA Conference - October 14-17, 2009

I'm a little behind with my blog posts!! October is always a bit busy for me--my two favorite professional conferences are usually held in October, so I'm still catching up from my exciting travels

This year was my 10th year attending the Mid-western Educational Research Association annual meeting and I enjoyed it, just as I always do. This year's meeting was in St. Louis, MO. I wasn't as active this year--I served as moderator for a few sessions and did not present, but I did get a chance to chat with trusted colleagues, hear some thought-provoking presentations, and enjoy great conversation!

Thanks to all who encouraged me to finish up my dissertation--that was just what I needed. I am moving full-speed ahead and I am confident that I will graduate in May of 2010. Special thanks to Dr. Dimiter Dimitrov for sharing (over a glass of my favorite wine) his expertise on statistical procedures that my be useful for my work. Also, his keynote the day after our chat was very helpful.

I was also particularly enthralled by our Friday Lunch Keynote, Dr. Ronald Rochon. Through his provocative use of images and moving speech, he urged us to consider the messages we are sending our pre-service teachers and to take action with regard to how underserved populations are viewed and treated in the schools. Being able to meeting and chat with him after his talk was really a treat. I found that out that he, like myself, is a former DFI Fellow (Diversifying Faculty in Illinois) and also like me, he is eager to give back.

Overall, I had a terrific time this year (as always) and I am looking forward to next year--we will be in Columbus and one of my most cherished mentors, Dr. Cynthia Campbell, is the Program Chair! Can't wait!! If you're interested in joining us next year, please contact me or check out the website: www.mwera.org - you'll be happy that you did!

Reflections on the 25th Annual Conference on Distance Teaching & Learning - Aug. 4-7, 2009

Well, it's been nearly two months since my last post! Let's just say I've been busy...

I returned to work this week after experiencing an enlightening time at the 25th Annual DTL Conference at the beautiful Monona Terrace Conference Center in Madison, WI.

I attended the conference with my Moraine Valley teammate (and learning/instruction buddy), LaWanda Burrell-Love and had a terrific time. It was a time to think and reflect on what we’ve been doing and experiencing at Moraine while learning with and from the scholars and practitioners we interacted with at the conference. I met and talked with some fantastic people (Shouts out to: Tiffany, LaTasha, Randy, Gary, Brandon, Carolyn, and Curt!!!) and learned so much from my conversations with them.

I learned a lot of strategies and ideas, but what I needed most from this experience was a different way of conceptualizing what my teammates and I are experiencing as we try to accomplish our college’s goals. So, here are some of the more philosophical “take-aways” from the conference (some of which I kinda already knew, but I just needed a lil’ corroboration)…

1. A lot of people who work in Distance Education experience the same struggles with facilitating change and promoting best practices in teaching online. We all struggle with issues related to faculty development, compensation for online course development, appropriate policy and procedure for distance education, ownership of the online course, diffusion of innovations, and best practices for student support and online instruction. To my team and all of my brothers and sisters in the struggle…we are definitely not alone.

2. There is no “one-size-fits-all” solution for any of these problems—it’s really about “best fit” solutions that mesh with the culture and structure of the institution. It’s in our best interest to understand the culture and structures within which we work and the constraints created by the culture and structures. So, a solution that works for my institution may not work at all for yours.

3. Distance Education leaders must be creative and well-versed in their knowledge of instruction and technology skills, but also in their interpersonal and politickin’ skills. I am finding that my interpersonal skills are becoming much more useful to getting things done than the deep knowledge of learning, instruction, and technology integration that I have worked my hind parts off to develop over the past 10 years. In my life as a college educator and scholar, I used really different skills on a regular basis. This new gig is pretty challenging for me (and yes, I know I am not alone). Distance Education leaders are change agents—and that is a political position in and of itself.

4. As my son would say, “Don’t hate the players, hate the game!” which means: It’s not really about how the people (the players) react to the change you are trying to push; it’s about the system (the game) and how to work within it to achieve your institution’s goals. Again, quoting my son, “It’s gonna be all good, ma!!”

So, to sum it up, I left my college on the afternoon of August 3rd feeling a bit downtrodden and, quite honestly, dog-tired of the struggle that I’ve only experienced for just over a year. I came back with a renewed energy and a fresh outlook. Thank you Distance Teaching & Learning Conference for providing us with a forum we can use to re-energize our minds, reconnect with our colleagues, and revitalize our work!! Also, thanks for the wonderful resources that you post on your conference website (NOTE: Check the Resource Library for presentation notes, slides and other materials). I will see you all again next year (or on Facebook, or Twitter, or LinkedIn, or ...)!!

Learning College Summit

I'm back from the Learning College Summit (a conference of the League for Innovation in the Community College) held at the luxurious Arizona Biltmore Resort in Phoeniz, AZ. It was a great experience--and not just because of the accommodations!! My entire NTL team, my Dean, and our colleague from Academic Assessment all attended and we had a real opportunity to bond as colleagues. While learning about the "Learning College" concept, we also learned about each other and more about the context within which we all work. This type of learning is truly important for us as a "new" team of professionals who have been charged with leading change at our institution in the areas of learning and teaching effectiveness, technology integration, and assessment.

We presented during the conference and our team did a superb job with our presentations. Once again, I am proud to be affiliated with such excellence. Our Dean was the consummate professional (as usual) as she led the panel discussion on Wednesday morning. Her open, friendly, and thoughtful communication style served as a great model to us. I am forever learning from her and she is one of the few people that I truly admire and wish to emulate in so many ways.

Back in April, I attended an awesome session at the Sloan-C Blended Learning Workshop facilitated by Norm Vaughan. Norm created a wiki to store the ideas generated during the session so that participants could access it later on. We borrowed this idea from him and created a wiki to store our materials and insights generated our presentation sessions. If you're interested in checking out the materials and notes from our presentation, please visit our wiki at: http://morainelearningsummit.wetpaint.com/. As of today, we're still working on updating it, so please be patient as we continue to add materials.

I'm looking forward to continuing the discussions we began at the Learning College Summit. I'm also hoping that our team is able to attend conferences together in the future. What a great experience!!

Blackboard acquires Angel...

The BORG strikes again! Blackboard will now assimilate Angel. Resistance is futile.

Now don't get me wrong, I don't hate Blackboard (I actually like some of the tools it offers), but monopolies are bad for business and Blackboard is looking more and more like a monopoly to me. There are some awesome features in Blackboard, but there are some services and features that other solutions provide better. Unfortunately, if Blackboard keeps up its BORG-ish behavior, there won't be any other tool left!! Let's see how the D2L/Blackboard drama unfolds...

Still recovering from last week...

...the writing weekend, the Sloan-C workshop, trying to finish updating Ch. 3 of my dissertation (which I didn't quite do, but I sent it to my committee anyway), trying to catch up at work (after being gone for the workshop), and then a sick child and husband (strep throat--AGAIN!). Whew...!! What a week! It's Sunday, we're about to start a new week, and I'm still recovering from last week!

A Twitter friend (chrispenny) posted this quote today...

"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent; it is the one that is most adaptable to change." --Darwin

This is true at even the most basic level--just being able to adapt to the changes that occur in one week can be a most daunting task, but it's necessary for our very survival. The ability to adapt to change is almost its own special type of intelligence.