I quite simply LOVE this quote. It comes from Sherry Turkle, a sociologist at MIT, writing for the Chronicle of Higher Education in 2004. Turkle is a well-known and respected scholar that has produced some amazing work on the evolving nature of human beings' relationships with technology. (See some of my favorite books of hers below.) The reason... Continue Reading →
Donna Swartwout, Ph.D. Current Position and Institution: Director, Office of Student Conduct, Champlain College First Position and Institution: Assistant Director of Student Life, Loyola University in Maryland I learned so much in my first year as the assistant director of student life at Loyola College in Maryland (now Loyola University). We were an entirely new... Continue Reading →
We all have one whether we want to or not. One's digital stamp, a term coined by Erik Qualman, is the sum total of everything about you in the digital domain. One's digital stamp, sometimes referred to as one's digital identity, is a key concept that we all must be aware of when we interact online.... Continue Reading →
Since I've been on a quote-kick for a little while lately, I wanted to share some of these gems from Twitter. They're Twitter tweets about Twitter and tweeting. You don't get much more meta than that. Enjoy. 😉
When I present to higher education professionals on college students and social media, I often begin by providing some basic statistics on social media platform use and adoption. My reason for sharing these statistics is to set the stage for our subsequent discussions. Age is by far the biggest determinant of overall social media use.... Continue Reading →
Cory Owen Current Position and Institution: Director of International Advisement, The Juilliard School First Position and Institution: Designated School Official, The English Language Institute at Texas A&M My first position was not planned at all. I graduated with a degree in English and needed to stay in the small college town for at least another year... Continue Reading →
LinkedIn is increasingly becoming an essential tool for maintaining professional relationships and networking. When I taught a course on the higher education job search, I tried to find a simple, comprehensive guide to creating a successful LinkedIn profile. There are a lot of them out there, but many are lacking in one area or another.... Continue Reading →
This American Life recently posted a podcast called "Status Update" that delved into the online behavior of three teenage girls who were entering high school. The girls spoke at length about Instagram and the complex rules that govern how they use it, how they maintain their social connections, and the "rules" of the "game" when... Continue Reading →
I came across this excellent Ted Talk by Juan Enriquez the other day. Titled, You Online Life, As Permanent As A Tattoo, this talk explores the idea that all of the digital data collected on you, and to which you contribute yourself through social media, is imprinting you with a permanent "digital tattoo." Traditional tattoos tell... Continue Reading →
I am immensely grateful to be hosted by the staff and students in residence life at the University of Dayton today. I will be giving two talks: one to the professional staff that outlines some of my research as well as tips for engaging students online, and a second one to the student staff members... Continue Reading →
Timothy Gordon Current Position and Institution: Dean of Students, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee First Position and Institution: Resident Director, Michigan State University As a bright-eyed and eager new professional I was excited to start my first post-Master's job working as a Resident Director at Michigan State University. I was assigned to work in a building that... Continue Reading →
It is amazing how quickly our work has evolved in such a short period of time. I came across the following animated GIF on social media the other day (it was originally produced as a video by the team at BestReviews) and it encapsulates this change perfectly. What struck me most is how so much of our lives... Continue Reading →
Don't want to spend the time reading through 300 pages of my dissertation work on college students, social media, identity, and selfhood? No problem. I pulled out 96 "quotable quotes" from the text. Consider it the "Reader's Digest of Dissertations." Wondering why 96 and not... 100...? I just went through the whole thing until I... Continue Reading →
I say this in my presentations over and over again. It is a message I repeat in various forms: Just because you use social media doesn't mean... you know how to use it well. you understand how it functions. you can use it to accomplish goals. you understand how it impacts yourself and others.... Continue Reading →
Ann Marie Klotz Current Position and Institution: Dean of Campus Life, New York Institute of Technology First Position and Institution: Residence Hall Director, Albion College I began my professional career two months after I graduated with my undergraduate degree. I knew that the financial obligations I had with my family meant that I could not survive on... Continue Reading →
All too frequently, we become enamored with the bells and whistles of technology without taking a step back to examine our goals for using it. Bill Ferriter, of the Center for Teaching Quality, created the following image to demonstrate how learning to use technology can be conflated with learning what technology can enable us to do. It provides... Continue Reading →
We've all seen them. We've probably all clicked on them. They're the articles that promise us "X number of ways to X!" or "X secrets of X revealed!" Blog post titles tend to follow a formula and they follow this formula because it works. While I'm not advocating for click-bait and sexy titles that lead... Continue Reading →
Recently, I was selected by LinkedIn to be a "featured follow" on their new app for my work in higher education and technology. As a result of this selection, I have been exploring and engaging on LinkedIn more than ever before. Although I have always been a big fan of the site, I don't... Continue Reading →
Qualitative research requires that one code text (or images, or video, etc.) for themes. Coding is a process whereby you find snippets of text, highlight and/or excerpt it, and tag it with a word or phrase. There are a number of different code types, such as close-text, in vivo, etc. Some can be categories and... Continue Reading →
The following "10 questions" are modified from a presentation I did last year with a number of higher education bloggers. If you're thinking of getting started blogging, or if you're early on in your journey, see if you can answer all of the following questions. Thinking about what you are doing and why you are... Continue Reading →
I came across this great SlideShare by OfficeVibe CEO, Dan Benoni, the other day. Not only does it represent impeccable slide design and narrative form, but it also provides a great message and some very tangible takeaways. The presentation is organized around the following six headings: 1. WHY knowing your purpose is crucial 2. Five powerful... Continue Reading →
Hello Friends... Do you want to contribute to a new book? After doing the #SATBT series on my blog, I was delighted with the wonderful stories shared and have received great feedback from others about how much they enjoyed reading them. It inspired me to think about collecting these into a print-on-demand paper book! The... Continue Reading →
The Holidays are a time for giving gifts to your special friends and loved ones. So, of course, when your friends and loved ones happen to be the social media team and staff at JetBlue, you send them blue gummy bears. 5-pound bags of blue gummy bears and the world's largest blue gummy bear (also 5-pounds), to... Continue Reading →
I was recently provided a copy of James Robilotta's new book, Leading Imperfectly: The Value of Being Authentic for Leaders, Professionals, and Human Beings. James is one of my "digital friends." A person I've connected to virtually, through shared goals, a shared outlook on life, and kismet. We've barely spoken in person, but he's one... Continue Reading →
When speaking about digital and social technology and the importance of leveraging it for career success, I often share this statistic that comes from John Bennett: 80% of jobs are landed through networking and personal relationships. Although I cannot vouch for the research behind it, it's not a statistic I find surprising. As I have... Continue Reading →
I came across this GREAT SlideShare from Wiley promoting their book by Joanne Broder Sumerson, Finish Your Dissertation, Don't Let It Finish You. Although I cannot vouch for the book itself, having not actually read it, this slick little piece of marketing material hits the nail on the head. If you or someone you love are... Continue Reading →
An important untapped resource for college student educators on social media is the act of "social listening." The term social listening is borrowed from the world of marketing where companies will search for their names and products via social media to find out what consumers are saying. Social listening on college campuses is very similar. It... Continue Reading →
Given that I speak on social media and college students, it's inevitable that the topic of YikYak on campus comes up. YikYak is an anonymous geosocial app that allows individuals to post and view posts within defined geographic areas. This geo-functionality is one of the reasons it has become so popular on college campuses and at... Continue Reading →
I came across these compelling images the other day and they immediately struck a chord with me. Thai photographer Chompoo Baritone posted them to his Facebook page. They demonstrate how Instagram photos often portray a selective view of reality--often a "perfected image" of life. In my research, I have found that one of the effects of... Continue Reading →
Connected learning holds the promise of re-invisioning what education can look like. In many ways, we have talked about the ideal of connected learning for years, but it wasn't until the advent of the internet and social media, in particular, that we have had the tools to make it a reality. The beauty of social technology... Continue Reading →
I have many many reasons to be thankful this Thanksgiving, but one of the many thanks I have to share is a thank you to the readers of this blog. It's thanks to your feedback and encouragement that my blog is approaching 500,000 views. If trends continue as they have, it will likely hit this... Continue Reading →
I don't know how I missed this the first time around, but I came across this lovely funny little piece by Niki Messmore and collaborators the other day. I know I've been guilty of a few of these in my past (particularly #2). The original post is linked at the bottom (complete with animated GIFs)... Continue Reading →
Although not the specific focus of my research, it nevertheless occurred to me that some of the behaviors I noticed students exhibiting in my research followed well known and well established developmental patterns. As a thought experiment, I tried to map some of these behaviors to the classic developmental theories of Marcia Baxter Magolda and... Continue Reading →
Every wonder what your favorite social networks looked like if they were translated into musicals? Probably not, but they exist anyways. Here are a few fun, funny and catchy musical numbers about Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr.. and as a bonus... Google. Facebook: The Musical https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2JhpNbe2Io Twitter: The Musical https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xr3Tl7T6fIQ Instagram: The Musical https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-waJH2lUJ5M Tumblr: The... Continue Reading →
I was SUPER pleased to join Tony D'Angelo on The Collegiate Empowerment Show this week. We had a great conversation about my career and life path, my experience with technology growing up and how I turned that passion into the subject of my research. I hope you'll find it an interesting listen. Tony is... Continue Reading →
On his way to class, Greg accomplishes many things. Buried in his smartphone, he dodges fellow students, almost trips up a set of stairs, and ducks a low tree lying tree branch (remember that next time). During his ten minute walk, Greg is listening to a TED talk by Sir Ken Robinson discussing how contemporary schools... Continue Reading →
A simple series of slides giving some pointers and tips that we need to educate student leaders on as it comes to social media. Feel free to use, share and distribute with attribution!
One thing I have come to appreciate through my research is the varied ways in which people use social media. Each person integrates and makes meaning of their social media presences in their own way. However, there also seem to be some trends in ways people interact. The following infographic struck me as surfacing... Continue Reading →
The Conversation Prism is a beautifully designed infographic, now in its fourth iteration, that provides an overview of social media sites and presents them as a taxonomy. Different sites are categorized according to their main purpose and/or use. Not only is the prism beautifully designed, but it also offers a great resource for individuals hoping... Continue Reading →
One of the important ancillary findings arising out of my research is the need to teach college students about choosing the best to communication method for the contexts they find themselves in and the goals they want to achieve. As the infographic above illustrates, different media have different levels of intimacy. They also allow for different ranges... Continue Reading →
I have the honor of presenting a webinar to the members of OSA, The Optical Society, today. Although the following presentation is geared towards professionals, engineers and researchers working in optics-related fields, the concepts presented here are relatively universal. If you're looking to enhance your network, share your expertise and increase your visibility online, the following... Continue Reading →
I feel as though we need our now set of "keep calm" memes... don't you?
Using social media is a great way to increase the attendance and engagement of students at your events. When I consult with colleges and universities, event promotion is one of the top ways in which social media is used. Unfortunately, however, many institutions are still using social media as just a replacement for the flier. Social media... Continue Reading →
I'm grateful to be joining the faculty of the LEAD365 Conference today to present to some exception student leaders and leadership educators. Designed for undergraduates, graduate students and professionals, Lead365 is committed to preparing collegiate leaders to effectively serve, producing individuals well-equipped for the work force, and inspiring service to humanity. So what am I... Continue Reading →
Myra M. McPhee Current Position and Institution: Director of Residence Life, Division of Student Affairs, Sarah Lawrence College First Position and Institution: Resident Coordinator, Community Development, La Salle University The career lesson I learned from my first job was the importance of having collateral assignments as a form of professional development. My primary role was to manage... Continue Reading →
Mike Arauz has a great presentation on SlideShare about the "spectrum of friendships" on social media. Specifically, he asks, "What can brands learn from people who are good at making friends on the internet?" This spectrum can also be applied to the world of higher education where institutions seek to promote students' sense of belonging and... Continue Reading →
This is what happens when I get bored and procrastinate...
A good friend and colleague, David Kasch, presented a paper at the ASHE conference back in 2011 where he attempted to analyze/categorize developmental theories by their narrative patterns. Some theories represent linear patterns, whereas others are continua, and still others follow intersectional or vector patterns. The above graphic is a modification of David's original concept, but should... Continue Reading →
David Armano put together this great graphic that sums up one of the main messages I give to college departments trying to ramp up their social media presences. Social media don't have to be just a replacement for the flier. It can be such more. (And should be.) Rather than thinking of social media as another broadcast... Continue Reading →
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRqAYToD-HQ Dan Maxwell Current Position and Institution: Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, University of Houston System Associate Vice President for Student Affairs, University of Houston First Position and Institution: Residence Hall Director, Office of Residence Life, Syracuse University >My first professional position was as a Residence Hall Director at Syracuse University, my alma mater. ... Continue Reading →
I have the privilege of sharing my time and space today with the staff and students at the University of Delaware. There are two workshops I'll be giving which are both revamped presentations with a lot of new content arising out of my research. Hopefully you will find the information helpful as well. In particular, one... Continue Reading →
I wanted to share this blog post from Adam Gismondi highlighting a previous effort from his alma mater (William & Mary) to use the Kickstarter crowdsourcing model to help fund undergraduate research. It’s an excellent example a way of using social media and digital technology to help engage students, alumni, and the broader public. Perhaps the most exciting aspect of the project is the ability for donors to see the direct results of their efforts.
Read on!
What do “social” web technologies look like in practice within higher education? This is a question that I often see posed within both online conversations and at conference educational sessions, but rare is the tangible answer that follows.
Earlier this month, I was down at my alma mater, William & Mary, for the annual Charter Day Weekend festivities. Each year, the College brings alums and current students together to celebrate the institution’s founding and honor distinguished alumni, and I was lucky enough to be down there representing the W&M Boston Alumni Chapter at the annual meetings. It was at these meetings that I was introduced to an innovative practice currently being used that combines several elements of the college experience in a unique way. Professor Joel Schwartz, Director of the Charles Center on campus, spoke about the Center’s Honors Fellows, students that apply for and receive special grants for research…
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Lisa Endersby Current Position and Institution: Experiential Learning Projects Coordinator, Career Services, Queen's University First Position and Institution: Student Experience Advisor, Student Experience Centre, University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) I can still vividly remember waiting to cross the stage at my Master’s graduation, having traveled back across the country (from Toronto to British... Continue Reading →
Fine Print: The original FERPA Chip recipe was developed by James Buckley in 1974 - but has been updated according to changing consumer tastes over multiple years. FERPA Chips utilize only Grade [redacted] potatoes (grades cannot be disclosed for FERPA Chips). FERPA Chips may or may not contain salt. FERPA Chips may or may not... Continue Reading →
I created the following SlideShare to review some of the contemporary changes, trends and cross currents happening in higher education. From open educational resources, to the rise of the MOOC, these slides provide a broad overview of what's happening as technology is disrupting educational delivery.
Cara D. Arena Current Position and Institution: Graduate Assistant, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro First Position and Institution: Coordinator of Student Activities, SUNY Sullivan Yes, that is a picture of me from my first professional student affairs position at Hogwarts…just kidding. On Halloween, our small community college in the Catskills of New York... Continue Reading →
I'm excited to be presenting at Boston Latin School today for a number of reasons... One. Boston Latin is the first and oldest public school in the United States. As an exam/application-based school, it recruits some of the best and brightest in the Boston area and boasts a number of notable alumni (Samuel Adams, Leonard... Continue Reading →
If you want to watch a master presenter, you have to see Zeb Davenport's PechaKucha talk from ACPA 2015. I've worked with the PechaKucha format a lot over the past few years, and I believe this is one of the most masterful uses of the format. PechaKucha as you may remember, is 20 slides, each... Continue Reading →
Tony Doody Current Position and Institution: Senior Director of Student Engagement, Rutgers University First Position and Institution: Facility Coordinator - Werblin Recreation Center, Recreational Services, Rutgers University I had just been selected to lead the grand opening and management of a $20 million recreation facility. I was 22 years old, fresh out of college, and... Continue Reading →
The folks behind Star Wars released a fun little tool that allows you to turn any text into the classic "opening scroll" found at the beginning of the movies. Playing around with some student affairs documents, I found the opening paragraph to the Student Learning Imperative to fit surprisingly well... it feels so dramatic! Click the... Continue Reading →
I was inspired by one of my friends/student affairs colleagues who recently released some songs with his band The VIr (Old Train Car... LOVE this song) and it had me wondering about what other student affairs professionals sing and/or perform in bands. I've always been in awe of people with musical talent (myself possessing none)... Continue Reading →
Todd Porter Current Position and Institution: Director of Residence Life, The Juilliard School First Position and Institution: Residence Director, The University of Vermont The most important lesson(s) that I learned as an entry-level are how to be effective in doing your job and recognizing your own limitations and capacity. First, realizing that I was new... Continue Reading →
Doreen Hettich-Atkins Current Position and Institution: Senior Assistant to the Associate Provost for Student Life, Ithaca College First Position and Institution: Residence Director, University of the Sciences in Philadelphia (formerly the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science) I was a year out of my undergraduate program and didn’t have a Master’s degree yet, but knew I... Continue Reading →
This series delves deeper into the new Technology competency recently added to the ACPA/NASPA Professional Competency Areas for Student Affairs Educators. Intended to serve as a resource for faculty and professionals to guide professional development and teaching, it provides a deeper understanding of the topics covered in the competency and provides resources for further education. Part 1: Overview Part 2: Themes On... Continue Reading →
Keith Edwards Current Position and Institution: Speaker and Educator First Position and Institution: Complex Coordinator, University of Delaware My first year was full of friendships, mistakes, learning, and growth. Frankly, it was a very tough experience for me, both personally and professionally. When I look back, I’m very glad I took a three-year approach to my... Continue Reading →
This series delves deeper into the new Technology competency recently added to the ACPA/NASPA Professional Competency Areas for Student Affairs Educators. Intended to serve as a resource for faculty and professionals to guide professional development and teaching, it provides a deeper understanding of the topics covered in the competency and provides resources for further education. Part 1: Overview Part... Continue Reading →
When I was starting a new job, one of my good friends who helped me process my first few days would always ask: What was your win today? It was one of those seemingly benign lines that stuck in my head for some reason. What was my win today? What was my win today? What... Continue Reading →
The internet is open. This is both the beauty and power of the internet and the ugly side of the internet. Part of its beauty is that it enables peer-to-peer learning, the facilitation of relationships and the organic building of community. Part of its power is that it democratizes conversation without needing to go through... Continue Reading →
A great piece from Laura Pasquini that provides a primer and overview of aspects of fair use, creative commons, and using/remixing content and images found online. For those of you teaching, creating presentations, or posting content online, the following provides a great overview of the basics.
Image from: Opensource.com
In planning my courses this term, the textbook for my LTEC 4000 course will be OPTIONAL. With a wealth of training and development resources digitally available online, in databases, from many professional organizations, and in our library system, I decided to have my three sections of my class be rhizomatic in their learning. (Thanks for modeling this learning approach for a few years now, Dave.) Learning is more than consumption. By encouraging my students to curate their own knowledge, I hope it will help contextualization how these course objectives are applicable for the world of work. This semester LTEC4000 will aggregate training and development content in a wiki. Here’s to giving ownership to the learning process through research inquiry, critical thinking, and content contribution. Wish me luck!
In thinking about digital curation and online literacy, I want my students to consider how they share, remix, and adapt…
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Keith Humphrey Current Position and Institution: Vice President for Student Affairs, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo First Position and Institution: Hall Director, Residence Life, The University of Arizona My first job was a wonderful experience that taught me even though I had my Master’s degree, I did NOT know everything. Career and life lessons came regularly.... Continue Reading →
I don't know if I lived under a rock when these originally came out, but I came across another AMAZING Jess Samuels infographic. Here she explains the signs and symptoms that indicate you may need a "student affairs detox." It originally appeared on the Student Affairs Women Talk Tech blog. Enjoy.
It's time for a yearly update! My advice for the digital #SAgrad of 2015... So you've recently started your journey towards a Master's degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs. CONGRATULATIONS! As a former instructor in a number of these programs, one of the topics I like to review with my students is how they can... Continue Reading →
I grew up with the Brady Bunch on re-runs after school, so for me, this article from the LEAD365 blog is the bees knees. As greg might day, it’s FAR OUT!If you aren’t familiar with LEAD365, you should check out their blog and their national conference. It includes an amazing slate of speakers and thought leaders. I was humbled… honored.. pleased… to be asked to be one of the contributing faculty members to it this fall.
Here’s the Story of a Lovely Lady – Leadership Lessons via The Brady Bunch
No, you aren’t crazy, the title DOES say, “Leadership Lessons via the Brady Bunch”. On Hulu, you can now watch The Brady Bunch in its entirety. You may have watched this show when you were a kid, I know I did. What I didn’t realize is that I really did see every episode back then and it has been wonderful reliving some of those moments all of these years later.
“Mom always says don’t play ball in the house!”
“Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!”
So what does a family sitcom that originally aired in 1967 and ran until 1974 (with lots of air time on channels like Nickelodeon in the 90s) have to do with leadership? Teamwork and team psychology most readily come to mind as far as leadership lessons go when I think about Tthe Brady Bunch
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Jason Meriwether Current Position and Institution: Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management & Student Affairs, Indiana University Southeast First Position and Institution: Residence Hall Director, Department of University Housing, Georgia Southern University After graduating from the University of Louisville in 2001, my first professional position was as a Residence Hall Director at Georgia Southern University, where... Continue Reading →
This series delves deeper into the new Technology competency recently added to the ACPA/NASPA Professional Competency Areas for Student Affairs Educators. Intended to serve as a resource for faculty and professionals to guide professional development and teaching, it provides a deeper understanding of the topics covered in the competency and provides resources for further education. Part 1: Overview Part... Continue Reading →
My good friend and filmmaker Brock Cravy posted this video of some kids and adults painting a fence in the hot Texas sun. He asked simple questions... Why are you doing this? And the results give you more than the simple question would seem to elicit. If you need a little inspiration in your day... Continue Reading →
I'm #superexcited to be presenting to the residential student leaders at UCLA today about living life to the fullest and the amazing thinks that happen when you're bold online and in your social media life. In my experience, a vast majority of people do not contribute or engage in ways that leverage the immense hidden power of... Continue Reading →
Okay... Okay... We all know I'm JetBlue obsessed. Well, for the first time, I'm flying in JetBlue's "Mint" cabin... their answer to first class... from JFK to LAX. I thought I'd share my experience so you can travel along with me. Not familiar with Mint? This video should help: https://player.vimeo.com/video/97246823 Waiting for the flight, I... Continue Reading →
One of the constant reminders I have to tell myself when designing slide decks is to remember that "simpler is better." Rather than trying to load my presentations with bells, whistles, and animations that are more likely to distract, I have to remember to takeaway. I designed this Slideshare (embedded below) to help illustrate the... Continue Reading →
Thea Zunick Current Position and Institution: Associate Director of Student Life, Stevens Institute of Technology First Position and Institution: Assistant Director of Student Development, Iona College I began my professional career at Iona College in New Rochelle, NY because it sung loud and clear “welcome back to the Northeast Thea”! It was time for me... Continue Reading →
After coming across this infographic below (from UMD's online MBA program), it got me thinking about the above questions. Although I do not believe that all student affairs professionals have high levels of emotional intelligence, I do think it's highly probable that people who are naturally skilled in this area are likely drawn to it... Continue Reading →
The folks over at the “Oh, No, It’s an Assessment Blog” posted this great little piece on the “messiness” of assessing student learning and distilled down five tips to help guide efforts in this area. They also include an excellent video (see below, highly recommended) form the folks at EDUCAUSE about why learning assessment can seem (and is) difficult.
My friends for the assessment revolution! My office is gearing up to take the next step in our learning outcomes assessment efforts. I’m VERY excited! It’s going to be fun, intellectually and professionally fulfilling, and (most importantly and hopefully) provide meaningful insight into the student experience. But in addition to excitement, I am also a bit nervous, because, as you’ve likely noticed, measuring for learning is messy – which is the largest part of its difficulty, but, also, its beauty. In my research about student learning and assessment over the past few years I’ve come to learn that it’s not just me who’s feeling this way:
In watching videos like the above and reading anything I can get my hands on, I’m hearing a few common themes (some old, some new) that I’m keeping in mind during this big year for our assessment efforts in the Career Center:
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It's an exciting time to be living when powerful self-publishing tools allow anyone to easily become an author. I was excited when Sinclair P. Ceasar III reached out to me to solicit a contribution to a free eBook he was making, Two Thousand Hours: Advice for a New Student Affairs Professional. Myself and a number of... Continue Reading →
I wanted to share this post from my good friend and colleague, Todd Porter. Todd brings up a point that I have often thought about but never quite articulated into words… certainly not as well as he does.
There seems to be an unwritten value (bias?) that higher education professionals place on larger schools. While there are certainly benefits to large schools, the diversified landscape of higher education, is one of its greatest strengths. Something that other countries have sought to replicate as education becomes more globalized, and we would be at a disadvantage to ignore these strengths when we seek jobs and seek to hire the “best” ‘right fit” talent. Success and value comes in many forms.
Check out Todd’s original piece below.
“I always assumed that working at a small school was like scraping the bottom of the barrel.”
The moment this was stated, I knew exactly what this graduate student was saying. It was a sentiment I have heard from various graduate students that I have connected with over the course of the summer. There seemed to be a growing mentality amongst these future professionals when thinking about their first position out of graduate school. They were reluctant to consider the opportunity of working at small schools as viable, prestigious or challenging experiences. Some gravitated towards small schools, primarily because they had attended similar institutions as an undergrad. This was the exception, not the rule. There were various reasons why the grads I spoke with indicated that small schools were not on their radar, including access to resources, opportunities for advancement, professional development, and the lack of name and reputation in…
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Patrick Love Current Position and Institution: Vice President for Student Affairs, New York Institute of Technology First Position and Institution: Residence Director, SUNY Albany The Importance of Critical Feedback: I received written feedback from the other residence directors on staff. All were extremely positive except one. My supervisor said I had a choice. I could easily... Continue Reading →
So this is how it started... I came across this article describing some social media craziness involving a man in the UK, who parlayed a rivalry between two mobile phone companies into the offer of free pizza for a year. So of course, knowing my relationship with JetBlue, I decided to be a bit funny and... Continue Reading →
I've been thinking a lot about this concept of fear in the workplace. What causes it? What are the signs and symptoms? How do you reduce it? A big part of positive organizational culture change involves "getting the fear out." But what is the nature of fear? Specifically in higher education? Fear is multi-dimensional, cultural, and... Continue Reading →
Student affairs has had a long history of women contributing to the profession that dates back to the turn of the century. This is something I feel too often goes under-appreciated. In many ways, women were almost wholly responsible for many of the values and principles we uphold in our work. Chief among them, the... Continue Reading →
Gavin Henning Current Position and Institution: Associate Professor of Higher Education, New England College First Position and Institution: Resident Director, University of New Hampshire The most important lesson I learned in my first position has been a guiding principle throughout my career. I learned as a residence hall director at the University of New Hampshire... Continue Reading →
I’m excited to let folks in on a little secret. I and a number of other folks will be contributing to an upcoming edition of the New Directions for Student Leadership (NDSL) Sourcebook Series titled… Going Digital in Student Leadership Co-edited by Lisa Endersby and Josie Ahlquist, the book will cover a variety of topics including how technology impacts all stages of... Continue Reading →
Integrating digital and social media tools into RA training programs can be an exciting and innovative way to hold your RAs' attention. Below are some useful sites, apps, and services that you can use and some examples of how to use them. Have other ideas? Poll Everywhere http://www.polleverywhere.com Poll Everywhere allows you to set up online polls... Continue Reading →
Managing up is the idea that the supervisory relationship is reciprocal. If you look out for your supervisor, they will be more understanding and supportive of you. It's about knowing your boss' style, what's important to them, and using that knowledge to get the outcome you want. The art of managing up isn't something we've... Continue Reading →
I'm excited to announce that I'm Joining the faculty of the Lead365 National Conference! I'm incredibly humbled to be working with a team that includes many of my treasured colleagues, mentors and friends as well as speakers I have admired for years. As Lead365 describes itself: "Lead365 is the sponsoring organization of the Lead365 National Conference... Continue Reading →
RA Training and residence hall opening is upon us and I wanted to share some videos I've used in training presentations that I think you might want to use too. There are a lot of AMAZINGLY talented folks out there who have put together some great videos, but it's hard to find the ones that... Continue Reading →
Yesterday, I came across this interesting infographic mashup that maps worker engagement onto the classic pyramid of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. (Thanks for sharing Dustin Ramsdell!) Given that I am job searching myself, while also attempting to build a culture of engagement at my current institution, this infographic really spoke to me. Much like Tuckman's theory... Continue Reading →
I've always been fascinated by how mobile communications are increasingly pushing us towards more visual forms of communication and expression. Memes, animated gifs, and, of course, emoji. With the beginning of the year upon us... RA training... residence hall opening... I thought it was appropriate to rework some of the emoji series I did last... Continue Reading →
I have the pleasure of presenting to the faculty, staff and students of Indiana University Southeast today on the impact of social media on college student development as well as college students and their digital reputations. Here are some additional resources that may be of use to those in attendance and others. For faculty and staff attendees: To... Continue Reading →
To say that I adored Amelia Bedilia growing up is an understatement. The folks over at LEAD365 put together this cute little post on the leadership lessons you can takeway from this timeless childhood classic.
As an early reader, I was constantly devouring books, taking special note of the ones that made me laugh and the ones that made me think. One of my early favorites? Amelia Bedelia. For those unfamiliar, the Amelia Bedelia book series was written by Peggy Parish as a a way to explain idioms and figurative language to kids. For example, when asked to make a sponge cake…she includes real sponges. When asked to draw the drapes, her boss returns to a picture of the windows, drapes still wide open. The bumbling housekeeper was endearing and hardworking, but never seemed to understand precisely what she should be doing. As I moved into a role where I got to call the shots, I realized that Amelia Bedelia and her misunderstandings are far more common than we could ever imagine. So how do you, as a leader or supervisor of students, ensure that…
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I have struggled with (and frequently get angry) at the ease with which “administrative bloat” is tossed around as a main contributor to rising costs in higher education. If we truly want universal access (and completion), it necessarily means we’re admitting students who have more complex needs. Students that may have traditionally been denied access or for whom the dream of a college degree never seemed possible. Who is to do the work of supporting these students? This is where I think the “bloat” argument goes horribly wrong. Where is the middle ground? If you think administrators are not educators or do not contribute to access and retention, then you don’t understand higher education.
The following post from Jodi Koslow Martin on the SAfeminists blog gives voice to some of these problematic issues…
by Jodi Koslow Martin
I am sensitive to a few issues in higher education. When I say “sensitive,” I mean there are a few matters in higher education that are incredibly important and incredibly challenging at the same time. From my own research, I’ve become sensitive to getting first-year students enrolled in classes taught by full-time faculty in their first semester of college. I’m sensitive to the needs in the lives of Resident Hall Directors; to live and work in the same place can make it really difficult to set essential personal boundaries. And, of late, I am extremely sensitive to the critique of higher education that the cost of college is so high because of administrative bloat. I already had an issue with the word ‘bloat’ for obvious reasons. The basis for my current touchiness to this word relates to my personal experience as a vice president at a…
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It might be happening sooner than you think...
There is a lot of fuss about grade inflation at colleges and universities, but are we correctly identifying the problem or just a symptom? I think that the real question we should be asking ourselves as educators is: What is the best way to measure and assess student learning? So what is grade inflation, exactly?... Continue Reading →
I'm a SUPER huge fan of Jess Samuels work. She has an *amazing* talent for capturing concepts (and funny things) visually. The infographic below, explaining "how working in reslife is like living in the STAR TREK universe," originally appeared on the Student Affairs Women Talk Tech blog. Enjoy.
It's been four great years, Boston, but it's time to say goodbye and move on to my next adventure. I've learned to love New England (particularly in the summer... ahem), and I thought the best way to say goodbye was through some pictures I took of this iconic city and amazing region... The iconic Fenway Park.... Continue Reading →
I always loved Curious George growing up… and this article from my friends at LEAD365 helps shed some light on why. In many ways, it reminds me of Steve Jobs’ famous quote to always “Stay hungry… stay foolish.” Taking delight and surprise in the world around me is what keeps me motivated. It’s something that I never hope I lose. Forever curious, George…
Yes, that one. The one you’re thinking of. Although it may not seem wise to follow the example of the monkey that ate enough of a puzzle to get sent to the ER, it might surprise you to realize just how many admirable leadership qualities that this mischievous monkey truly possesses.
Why is Curious George a great model for leadership development?
IMAGE CREDIT: KPBS
He uses his resources. The first time I thought about Curious George as a model for creativity and leadership, it was while watching a Valentine’s Day episode. George realizes that he wants to make valentines for many of his neighborhood friends, but is running short on time. He explores the empty apartment for tools to help speed up his work- utilizing things like blocks and his tricycle- before finally settling on sponges and an unplugged waffle iron (see left).
When we’re in positions of leadership, we…
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The following post originally appeared on the ACPA Digital Task Force Website. I'm excited to announce that I will be a part of round 2 of this effort. Specifically, I will be continuing my collaboration with Erik Qualman and others to develop educators guides and supplemental materials for the book to which we contributed,... Continue Reading →
Last Friday, I *gave* one of the four mini keynotes at the NEACUHO 2015 Annual Conference. Unfortunately I couldn't be there in person, but I did record the following to be shown in my absence. In it, I explore why, as educators, we seem to experience such paralysis and paranoia when it comes to... Continue Reading →
Last Fall, ACPA released an EXCELLENT website that walks through a history of student affairs and college student educator practice as told through the seminal publications of the Association. If you haven't had a chance to take a look, I encourage you to scroll through them. In many cases you can click to see their full text.... Continue Reading →
Over the weekend, I had the privilege of speaking to the New Student Orientation Leaders at Keene State College in New Hampshire. They were amazing, as orientation leaders always are, and made me feel welcome. (Even singing me a special birthday song!) In preparing to talk to these student leaders, I reflected on my own... Continue Reading →
If you aren’t following the NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers) blog, I highly encourage you to do so. You don’t even need to work in Career Services to benefit. There are great tips here for your own job search or general work with students. Check out the following post about writing LinkedIn summaries. Great stuff!
Ross Wade, assistant director, Duke University Career Center
Personal blog: http://mrrosswade.wordpress.com/
LinkedIn URL: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rosswade
Twitter: @rrwade
Blogs from Ross Wade.
Students understand more and more the power of LinkedIn, and the importance of not only being on LinkedIn, but also actually using it to successfully market themselves and connect with professionals. I feel like I’ve worked with a gazillion students on how to create an effective LinkedIn profile, and the one section that causes my students the most problems is that dang summary section! In advising sessions the following questions always come up: “Do I use first or third person?” “How long should it be?” “Should I discuss my passion for baking?” “Should I list skills…isn’t that redundant since there is that ‘Skills & Endorsements’ section already in my profile?” “Do I really even need a summary?”
Yes! Students should totally take advantage of the summary section!
Earlier this year…
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I loved the first post on "10 Tricks to Appear Smart in Meetings" from thecooperreview.com, but then they came up with this gem! Amazing! Go check out their site. It has some pretty great content. And you can buy a lot of the items on posters, mugs and such. BIG FAN!
"Look no further for the smartest and savviest bloggers in higher education." I'm excited to be joining the good company of my friends and colleagues on EdTech Magazine's 2015 Dean's List: 50 Must-Read Higher Ed IT Blogs. This is my first year making the list, but my perennial favorites are still there... Laura Pasquini, Josie Ahlquist,... Continue Reading →
As my friend Keith said, "The circle completes itself." When I started traveling and interacting with JetBlue on Twitter, I never intended nor thought my journey would take me here... and yet, nevertheless, this week had me heading to JetBlue's Long Island City headquarters to present to the crew members of JetBlue. I had the opportunity to... Continue Reading →
I came across this post from thecooperreview.com and it had me laughing with just how oddly accurate it is. So if you're attempting to appear smart in meetings, this infographic has got you covered! (UPDATE: They also have it in poster and mug form!)
This past semester while teaching in Merrimack College's Higher Education Program, I played around with a new assignment for my students. Instead of the standard end-of-the-year "lessons learned" presentation in my practicum class, I had my students do it in a PechaKucha-style format. As you may remember, PechaKucha is 20 slides set to automatically advance every... Continue Reading →
In the practicum course I taught in the Merrimack College Higher Education program this semester, I had the students experiment with the creation of online portfolios. Online portfolios can be an excellent opportunity to promote reflective practice as well as give students a leg up in the job search. They can follow you throughout your... Continue Reading →
I had the opportunity to present with #SAgrad superstar, Craig Bidiman, on how colleges and universities can leverage social media as a means of engaging their students. The following video comes from the 2015 NASPA conference and gives a broad overview of the philosophy, approaches, and mindset departments must take to go beyond seeing social... Continue Reading →
*but it can enhance it if used smartly. Usually, rants about how "social media is making us antisocial" and "social media is ruining our ability to enjoy the 'real' world" drive me INSANE. Unfortunately, many who take this track use it as an opportunity to assert some moral high ground.. that by giving up social... Continue Reading →
I had the pleasure of presenting with Dr. Susan Marine, one of my fellow faculty members at Merrimack College, on concepts of classroom flipping. What is flipping? Here's a useful definition from Wikipedia: Flipped classroom is an instructional methodology and a type of blended learning that delivers instructional content, often online, outside of the classroom and moves activities, including... Continue Reading →
My friend and colleague, Dr. Laura Pasquini, asked if I could do a quick video lesson for her students on how to design and deliver great presentations. The end result was the video below. Hopefully you will find this a practical, accessible, and easy how-to guide for your own work. Enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSRgO0qouA0
The following post comes from Laura Pasquini which shares an excellent model for determining how one should go about integrating digital technology into course content and deciding what are the most appropriate approaches given the content and context. Tony Bates’ SECTIONS model is a practical and useful tool to have in your digital teaching arsenal. Read on…
With so many possibilities for digital learning, selecting media and technologies for appropriate course instruction is a very complex process. Although there are a wide range of options in the ed tech realm, pedagogical considerations should always come first. Instructors should reflect on the learning objective and desired outcomes for their subject matter before identifying identifying technological applications for the course.
The SECTIONS model, developed by Tony Bates (2015), is a pedagogical framework for determining what technology, specifically how this technology will be appropriate for instructional approaches. This might include identifying and determining pedagogical characteristics of text, audio, video, computing, and social media. With this framework, Bates (2015) asks five critical questions for teaching and learning for technology and media selection:
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I first met Chris when he was interviewing for a job at one of my former institutions. Although the job didn't mutually work out, it was clear to me from the day we met that Chris was going places. He tweets about donuts, hockey, and running, and occasionally you'll find him on an #SAchat dropping some wisdom.... Continue Reading →
When I'm speaking and consulting, I frequently get asked by clients what the most platforms are and which one's they should be on. The question is actually more complex than just finding the most popular platforms. In part, your question should be: What do you want to do and what is the best social media... Continue Reading →
What do our college student development theories look like when we give them a digital update? How might social media be changing the ways students develop and understand themselves? What are the implications for college student educator practice? The following was originally presented at the 2015 NASPA Convention as a part of the SAspeaks series.... Continue Reading →
Ah yes. Those awkward teenage years. A period that spawned this meme--meant to approximate the sound of speaking through an orthodontic retainer. Interested in the history of the meme? Check out this entry in KnowYourMeme and the video below. When you're ready... it's time for ERMAHGERD! ITH THUDEN AFFUTH! Got your own? Through them in the... Continue Reading →
Blogging takes courage. It requires confidence. It requires you to put your thoughts and ideas out there for everyone to read. It requires that you be open to feedback, open to change, and open to exposing the sometimes messy process of your learning to the world. I've been blogging in earnest for the past three... Continue Reading →
Niki always puts out great content and is quick to provide an insightful thought or tweet. She has a very successful blog, Dances With Dissonance, which covers a number of topics both within higher education and outside of it, including social justice, feminism, life transitions, and professional issues. Consider giving her a follow! Follow @NikiMessmore This... Continue Reading →
A number of writers on the "Student Affairs Women Talk Tech" blog (Joise Ahlquist, Kristen Abell, and Jennifer Keegin) posted pictures of their desks and wrote posts describing their work space and how they personalize it and organize it for productivity. I decided to take a cue from them and share my own desk as well as... Continue Reading →
I was able to get a “sneak peek” at Hulu’s new original series “Resident Advisors” before it came out. (Check out Klout which gives you freebies and perks according to your level of influence on social media.) After watching the first episode, here are my initial thoughts:
- It’s not that funny. I struggled to make it past 10 minutes of the first episode.
- It really has nothing to do with being a RA and it doesn’t care (not that I think it should). Residence life is merely the setting. This could be any aspect of college life in the overdone “college movie” genre… swap greek life for residence life… an off campus apartment for a residence hall room… have it take place during spring break… etc.
- There *may be the opportunity for some video clips to use in RA training, although the parody is so over the top, it may be minimal.
- This series isn’t likely to last past the first season.
In my opinion, that pretty much sums up everything you need to know.I also wanted to share this blog post from the always-thoughtful and thought provoking Amma Marfo. Here’s her take:
“Our lives could be a TV show.”
IMAGE CREDIT: Doug Hyun
I can’t tell you how often I hear that remark from people at the office- and have heard it, regardless of where I’ve worked. Those pleas get answered in the most seemingly random of ways; It would appear that enough current and former RAs have verbalized this need that we received Resident Advisors, which premiered on Hulu this past Thursday.
In the interest of full disclosure, I am still warming to the humor. I’m working hard to give it a chance because, as is often the case, I am a fan of several of the people involved. And additionally, as someone who did have several ridiculous situations happen to her as an RA, its always nice to see how our lives get dramatized. But even as I continue to adjust to how the story is being told, I’ve…
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When I had the opportunity to take the big stage at a recent conference and discuss my philosophy on life, I knew I had to talk about my relationship with JetBlue! And now you can see it, too. It was titled, "My Improbable Love Affair with JetBlue, and What it Can Teach You About Loving... Continue Reading →
Today is the day! The "What Happens On Campus Stays on YouTube," the book to which I am a contributing author, is available for shipping! A great work geared towards college students that helps them understand their digital identity and the potentials and pitfalls of interacting online. You can order yours on Amazon now! Want a peek inside... Continue Reading →
Can Facebook get you fired? You bet it can. This is the story of Kevin Colvin, a bank intern. Kevin needed to "go out of town" suddenly and sent his boss the following email: Well, the "something that came up at home" was actually just a party that Kevin wanted to attend. He posted photos... Continue Reading →
It's been two years to the day since the bomb went off near the finish line of the Boston Marathon in 2013. As I reflect on the events of this day, I wanted to re-share the stories of the graduate students who were in the practicum course I was teaching at the time. They all represent... Continue Reading →
I have the pleasure of presenting to and consulting with the faculty, staff and students of Indiana State University today on the use of social media in engaging students. Here are some additional resources that may be of use to those in attendance and others. For faculty and staff attendees: To see examples of colleges and universities using... Continue Reading →
I appeared on a HigherEdLive broadcast along with co-guest, colleague, and friend, Vernon Wall, and host Heather Shea Gasser to talk about social media and its intersections with social justice and change. Vernon and I talked about our collaboration on a combined social justice and social media training as well as recent events in higher education surrounding the use of Yik... Continue Reading →
The following cross-post comes from the AMAZING, INCOMPARABLE Marci Walton. Marci and I recently collaborated with Josie Ahlquist and Renee Piquette Dowdy in presenting a session at the 2015 NASPA convention on blogging in higher education in student affairs. She's great people. Follow Marci on twitter. Originally posted at MarciWalton.com: Closing is upon us. The... Continue Reading →
It's time to move beyond the clichés and towards student learning centered work in our residence halls. The residential curriculum model offers promise for conceptualizing some of our tired old practices. It's time for a curricular reboot!
When you play the Student Affairs Game of Thrones... There is no middle ground. The end of the year comes with a flurry of activities and work for student affairs professionals. In that spirit, and in honor of the return of Game of Thrones this weekend, a variation on the "brace yourselves" meme... For the... Continue Reading →
Once a month I reblog a post from a colleague that I think deserves to be shared more widely. This month’s comes from Dr. Paul Eaton, who is researching similar topics as myself: the impact of social media and digital technology on the college student developmental process (or as Paul would describe it, “becoming”). Take a look at this great post from Paul on how one may integrate concepts of “digital identity” into traditional college student development courses. Some great resources here.
It is the start of spring semester here at Louisiana State University. I am fortunate, blessed, and honored to once again be co-teaching our Master’s Level Student Development Theory course, alongside Dr. Danielle Alsandor and Kristin Satterlee (pedagogically, team-teaching is an incredible opportunity to add diverse perspectives to a classroom).
We have decided to add discussions of ‘digital identity’ to our syllabus. This is an ethical responsibility, necessary and important for future leaders in our profession. If you are teaching student development theory this spring, or in the near future, consider adding this important new component to your syllabus.
Many synoptic texts do not currently have chapters dedicated to this topic, so here is a list and brief overview of some readings we are including this spring.
Becoming and Belonging
This chapter, by Rob Cover (2014), is part of an excellent edited text from the University of Wisconsin Press entitled
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I was pleased to be a part of this week's HigherEdLive broadcast along with my amazing collaborators and friends on ACPA's Presidential Task Force on Digital Technology. The video of our show is embedded below. I think there are some really great nuggets of wisdom in here. Laura Pasquini also curated a Storify of the backchannel.... Continue Reading →
Grades are not the only way of assessing student work. There are a number of colleges and universities that have experimented with alternative approaches to the traditional letter grade. One such college, Reed College in Oregon, provides students with more detailed feedback and assessment in addition to grades. As stated in their Guidebook, “Students' work... Continue Reading →
Researchers at the National Student Affairs Archives at Bowling Green State University recently uncovered notes revealing a missing "eighth vector" from Chickering's well known student development theory. The missing vector was developed by a mysterious third researcher. Many scholars of student development theory are aware of Arthur Chickering's work with Linda Reisser in 1993. An update to Chickering's... Continue Reading →
One useful tool I use in organizing myself and understanding my work is known as the Eisenhower Productivity Matrix. Detailed in my presentation below, it divides tasks into four quadrants with two variables: urgent and important. How do you or how might you apply these principles into your daily work?
I'm pleased to be one of four mini-keynotes opening this summer's NEACUHO Annual Conference. I'm doing a twist on some new content I've been working on. (See Below.) Unfortunately I won't be able to be there in person, but via video. I promise to share it after it's presented live.
The following post originally appeared on the ACPA Digital Task Force's website. I have been proud to serve alongside some amazing colleagues on the Task Force this year and the following represents the initial draft report of the group. Please consider giving your feedback on the original post so we can improve it. Video from ACPA... Continue Reading →
This panel started with a tweet. Christina Ferrari sent our a message asking if anyone wanted to collaborate on a session about leveraging digital networks for professional development. The result is an exciting collaboration involving a panel of presenters, many of whom have only previously met virtually. Come join us and/or follow the twitter back channel #SAconnect!... Continue Reading →
As someone who researches social media and the higher education environment, it is rare that I come across an example of something that points the microscope inwards towards the behaviors, actions, thoughts and attitudes of higher education and student affairs professionals themselves. At the NASPA conference this year, that exact thing happened. (It also happened... Continue Reading →
One of my fellow faculty members in the Merrimack College Higher Education Program, Susan Marine, and I collaborated to create a session about the concept of flipping learning environments. Susan is using an example from her teaching and I created an example for a training event. It is appropriate for both faculty and professions. Come join... Continue Reading →
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