Now, more than ever, residence life professionals are competing for students' time. Technological change has brought about a revolution of choice for self directing one's learning and a multitude options for one's use of free time. This is not a new phenomenon, but the competition has changed. Residence life and student activities have always had... Continue Reading →
Rubrics are tools that are used by educators to help evaluate the learning and performance of students. They are written documents, often presented in a chart format, that help define progress and achievement levels towards various goals and performance indicators. When developing learning goals and their constituent outcomes in a residential curriculum, rubrics can help. Rubrics ensure that... Continue Reading →
When evaluating programs and other educational interventions with students, it is important to make a distinction between two concepts: feedback and assessment. Although the types of questions you may ask in each of these categories may differ, the overall goal is how to design and execute effective experiences for students that are engaging and achieve educational... Continue Reading →
One of the most common and important features of modern software is the "tag." A tag is a short keyword or phrase that a user assigns to a piece of information that describes it in some way. You might also be familiar with hashtags, a form of tag used in social media (#thisisahashtag). Tags... Continue Reading →
I'm excited to share that I have a new chapter out in the most recent volume of New Directions in Student Leadership entitled, Going Digital in Student Leadership. The chapter I co-authored with Dr. Ed Cabellon, titled "Remixing Leadership Practices with Emerging Technologies," presents an overview of the historical trends in and the current state of technology in... Continue Reading →
The 2016 U.S. presidential election was one of the most divisive in recent history. In a recent poll by CNN, 85% of Americans reported believing that the country is more divided than in previous years. As we head into 2017, this division is likely to remain steady and perhaps increase. As a result, college campuses in... Continue Reading →
I'm pleased to share that the new volume of New Directions for Student Services that I've been collaborating on for the past year is finally available online! Engaging the Digital Generation, edited by Josie Ahlquist and Ed Cabellon, focuses on issues confronting college students and higher education professionals related to technology. The chapters in this volume... Continue Reading →
In doing my research I often come across great tutorials on social and digital technology as well as excellent examples of their use in higher education. Rather than keep them to myself, I decided to post them publicly to help others "get up to speed" on these tools and their uses. I've been doing this for... Continue Reading →
I am happy to finally make my entire final dissertation available for all to download and read. This document represents some of the first qualitative research into how traditionally aged college students use social media and its impact on their development and how they construct identities online. If you want a more detailed description, I've included the... Continue Reading →
I was SO pleased to have been the inaugural guest on the first episode of Jamie Piperato's #JPSPEAKS: Social Justice & Inclusion Podcast for Higher Education Professionals. Jamie and I had a great conversation about the new ACPA/NASPA Technology Competency for student affairs educators and some of the implications it has for issues of diversity, inclusion, and social justice. Jamie... Continue Reading →
I recently came across this graphic posted on TeachThought which comes from the minds of Sylvia Duckworth and Jennifer Casa-Todd (blog). The graphic highlights the distinction between two concepts: Digital Citizenship: Being a good neighbor and responsible ethical partner on the internet and Digital Leadership: Using the internet and social media tools to influence change and improve society Both concepts... Continue Reading →
Create an account! Sign in with your Amazon account! Connect your Facebook account…. Twitter account… Google account… Every day we encounter websites that ask us to create or connect our digital accounts. It is through these accounts that companies are able to provide “helpful” features, such as personalized discounts, detailed suggestions, and optimized experiences. Sometimes... Continue Reading →
From the creative minds of Tony Doody and Heather Shea Gasser, comes the HigherEdLive Contested Issues Live Debate. The debates took place at the 2016 ACPA Convention in Montreal and involved a series of pairs doing a live point-counterpoint on designated issues. I had the pleasure of going head-to-head with Ed Cabellon over the idea... Continue Reading →
I was excited to once again be taking the big stage at ACPA to give a PechaKucha presentation. For the uninitiated, PechaKuchas entail 20 slides, each set to advance every 20 seconds, while presenters speak over them. In the past, I did a more-serious research-focused PK, a PK that highlighted the fun story of my relationship with... Continue Reading →
https://youtu.be/GeAInHNlwcM I, along with a panel of my colleagues at both ACPA and NASPA, participated in a panel on the implications of the new Student Affairs Technology competency for higher education practice. (ACPA/NASPA Competencies for Student Affairs Educators) Above is the video of the ACPA session, while below you will find additional information and resources from... Continue Reading →
I'm pleased to be presenting the results of my dissertation research at ACPA this year. This presentation provides a broad overview of my study, its findings, and implications. This is one of the first times I am presenting this material in public and I am super excited about it. If you want to learn more,... Continue Reading →
Myself and a number of my colleagues from the ACPA Digital Task Force came together to propose a pre-conference session that is intended to help practitioners make sense of the new Technology competency area in the ACPA/NASPA Competencies for Student Affairs Educators. The following post gives a broad overview of the session as well as... Continue Reading →
Yesterday's post provided a preview of the tech-related sessions being offered at ACPA 2016, and today we move on to the NASPA Convention. Again, what strikes me about this list is the sheer number and diversity of programs. The topics presented are wide-ranging from faith development to online education. Every year the offerings get more... Continue Reading →
What a difference a year makes! When I started doing these blog posts in 2014 highlighting the tech-related sessions being offered at the ACPA and NASPA conferences, it required a lot more keyword searching and scrolling to compile these lists. Now that Technology exists as its own competency area, the process has become significantly more easy! Click,... Continue Reading →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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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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 →
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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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 →
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 →
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 →
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 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 →
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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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 →
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 →
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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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 →
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 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 →
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!
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 →
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 →
Craig Bidiman and I are combing forces for a program session at the 2015 NASPA International Convention. This session is intended for all levels of professionals who want to learn about how to utilize social media tools strategically to engage students. Come join us and/or follow the twitter back channel #SAsocial! Tuesday, March 24, 2015 10:00am - 10:50am... Continue Reading →
I am proud to be selected as one of this year's SAspeaks presenters. SAspeaks talks are similar in style to TEDtalks. They are meant to be short (no more than 15 minutes) and focus on one main idea. This year I am doing an SAspeaks based off of my continuing research on the impact of... Continue Reading →
Any of my good colleagues and friends who are doing research into college students and social/digital technology will tell you that the distinction between formal and informal learning is an important one to understand. Small and Vorgan (2011) state that technology has ushered in “a new culture of communication—no longer dictated by time, place, or even how... Continue Reading →
And now for part two of the yearly tradition, a run down of all the technology-related program sessions at the upcoming NASPA conference. I will be presenting/co-presenting a few (and by few, I mean six... lol). Check them out below. In case you missed the round-up from ACPA, it is here. See you in New... Continue Reading →
At the 2015 ACPA and NASPA National Conventions, we've brought together a group of four researchers (1 newly minted doctor and three soon-to-be) who study social media and technology and their effects on college students. In this panel, each researcher will present a brief overview of their work followed by a question and answer session.... Continue Reading →
Josie Ahlquist and I are proud to be collaborating on an exciting session for the upcoming 2015 International Convention of ACPA-College Student Educators International. This session is intended for all levels of professionals who want to learn about how to develop a positive digital presence online and leverage digital and social tools for professional development. This practical session... Continue Reading →
Ed Cabellon and I are excited to be offering up a new collaborative session at the 2015 ACPA Convention. We're both bringing our own unique spins on the topic of how institutions of higher education can ramp up and enhance their social media presences to engage students. Come for a very practical approach to the topic that... Continue Reading →
I am pleased to be presenting on blogging in higher education and student affairs with some amazing colleagues at the ACPA Convention this week and at the NASPA convention later in the month. To go along with our session, we’ve created a resource page. I’ve included it here, but you can point your browsers to SAwrites.com at... Continue Reading →
It's been a loooooong time coming... and keeping quiet about it was incredibly difficult... but the time is here to FINALLY announce a new book collaboration between Erik Qualman, myself, Dr. Laura Pasquini, Courtney O'Connell and Jason Meriwether: What Happens on Campus Stays on YouTube So what is this book about? Many of you might already be familiar with Erik... Continue Reading →
Time for the yearly tradition! A look at the 2015 ACPA conference schedule to identify all of the social media and technology related sessions on offer. There are a lot to choose from this year (including a few go my own... shameless plug). Click on the program titles to find out more. See you in... Continue Reading →
There is a lot of free professional development available online and ways you can grow your own personal learning network. The following slide deck comes from some of the presentations I give on this topic. Who says professional development has to cost? Enjoy.
Click to Expand I tried to capture some of the major publications in student affairs history as well as important moments in the growth of ACPA and NASPA. Think I should add something? Let me know in the comments below. UPDATE: Great feedback from everyone on the timeline. I'm thinking of creating an "Equitable Timeline of... Continue Reading →
Job searching in student affairs? A graduate student, new professional or otherwise? But this book: Job Searching in Student Affairs: Strategies to Land the Position YOU Want by Patrick Love I had the immense privilege to get a preview of this book while Patrick was writing it. I helped with some light editing, advice and... Continue Reading →
The Student Affairs Collective hosted an excellent Twitter Chat (#SAChat) on resumes last summer. Many of the tweets echoed the advice and thoughts that I've encountered in my teaching of Higher Education Masters students. Below you'll find a curated list of what I consider to be some of the "best tips" and thoughts. You can also... Continue Reading →
I had a lot of fun putting this together! You wouldn't believe how hard it is to get the poster visually right while trying to make sure it makes sense conceptually and theoretically. Too reductionist? Maybe. Areas for improvement? I'm sure. Let me know how you'd try arranging it in the comments below. BUY... Continue Reading →
Help pay back my student loans! Some people asked for it, so I made it available. BUY this as a poster or BUY this as on a mug! The paid version uses a sharper, higher resolution file. There are multiple price points, qualities, and sizes.... All proceeds go to my student loans. Thanks! MORE available in my store!
Semi-weekly, I try to highlight apps, web tools and websites that could be of use in the education space. The following is a review of all those highlighted in 2014. Follow along in the new year with new spotlights.
I had the pleasure of being on the Student Affairs Collective's Podcast series this week. Dustin and I talked about blogging, what I do here on this site, and few other things. It was super fun. Check it out below... (Original post here.)
You interact online and through social and digital media, but do you reflect about how, why and in what way you choose to use these tools? The following is from a new presentation I've developed that challenges college students to reflect on three questions: Who do you want to BE? How do you want to ACT?... Continue Reading →
Having a social media presence is increasingly becoming a requirement for any organization. I was interested in how the professional associations in higher education and student affairs engage online, so I decided to take a look at their Twitter presences and put together a ranking of the "most influential" associations. The metric I chose to... Continue Reading →
I have the pleasure of presenting at the NASPA Region I Annual conference today. The topic? How might we re-envision Student Development theory for the digital age. Below you will find an abbreviated version of my presentation. Some additional resources that might be of interest include: My past posts related to digital identity and identity... Continue Reading →
I had the immense privilege of being one of the keynote speakers at the 2014 ACPA Residential Curriculum Institute talking about how residence life professionals (and actually, any student affairs professional) can integrate social media into their student learning efforts. I wanted to provide a sample of the slide deck I used as well as some... Continue Reading →
When transitioning your residence life program to a residential curriculum model, it becomes increasingly important that you hire professional staff with the requisite skills and competencies to enact the curriculum. Although these skills are desirable in any residence life professional, they take on added importance in a residential curriculum. Some of the competencies required of staff... Continue Reading →
In honor of Careers in Student Affairs Month (CSAM), I asked my colleagues to complete the following sentence: I received approximately 100 responses. Doing a back-of-the-napkin qualitative coding and analysis for themes (completely non-scientific on a non-scientific sample), the chart below represents the most common responses. Not surprisingly, "learning and growth" and "making positive change" rose to... Continue Reading →
There are a handful books that I refer to as my "life changers," or works that had a profound impact on me and my thinking long after I finished reading them. One of these works is Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin Abbott. Flatland is not only wonderfully geeky and nerdy, but it also forces one... Continue Reading →
I have the immense privilege of serving alongside some incredibly talented individuals on the ACPA Digital Task Force. I wanted to share a recent post by a member of my subgroup, Jason Meriwether, of the "Informed and Responsible Engagement" team. Our goal is to develop resources for both students and educators on how to promote positive,... Continue Reading →
So you've recently started your journey towards a Master's degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs. CONGRATULATIONS! As an instructor in one of these programs, one of the topics I like to review with my students is how they can begin to network and gain valuable professional development... digitally... and often for free. Going digital... Continue Reading →
I'm excited to share that I will be one of the keynote speakers at the 2014 ACPA Residential Curriculum Institute alongside Karen Inkleas (of leaving learning program research fame) and Patty Perrillo (ACPA Past President). As one of the premier and most popular Institutes ACPA offers, the Residential Curriculum Institute (RCI) provides participants a step-by-step process... Continue Reading →
Back in July, I was honored to be asked to serve on ACPA-College Student Educators International's Presidential Task Force on Digital Technology. After meeting in person with many members of the team, I can say with confidence we're on to something new, exciting and different. In my role with this group, I co-chair the Informed... Continue Reading →
The viral rise of the ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) Ice Bucket Challenge on social media has started a lot of discussion about what social media activism campaigns mean and what they truly achieve (or don't). The ALS Challenge isn't the first of these types of campaigns to go viral and prompt discussion around these topics... and... Continue Reading →
I created this presentation back in 2008(?) for RA Training to help my RAs understand how the educational purpose of residence halls has evolved over time and where, as student staff, they fit into that history. I recently came back across it and thought I'd put it up on the web as a video for others... Continue Reading →
Miss the first day? See a twitter recap here. https://twitter.com/MikeLynch09/status/495172369372430336 https://twitter.com/ThomasAKelley/status/495177440411783168 https://twitter.com/satechBOS/status/495188651899645952 https://twitter.com/ammamarfo/status/495189651528114177 https://twitter.com/EdCabellon/status/495200372429185024 https://twitter.com/katie_collins/status/495206634738941952 https://twitter.com/KMcCarthy8185/status/495207229638070272 https://twitter.com/MikeLynch09/status/495207590092374016 https://twitter.com/ThomasAKelley/status/495209036959457280 https://twitter.com/katie_collins/status/495210610897211392 https://twitter.com/MikeLynch09/status/495213796127162368 https://twitter.com/jasonrobert/status/495226820112179200 https://twitter.com/EA_Clark/statuses/495232419801624576 https://twitter.com/jessmsamuels/status/495237504908656641 https://twitter.com/ammamarfo/status/495238978980044800 https://twitter.com/jasonrobert/status/495239535471906816 https://twitter.com/jasonrobert/status/495240156698660864 https://twitter.com/katie_collins/status/495240377809768449 https://twitter.com/KMcCarthy8185/status/495241267165822977 https://twitter.com/ammamarfo/status/495242048556265473 https://twitter.com/katie_collins/status/495242911622373377 https://twitter.com/jasonrobert/status/495242988436860929 https://twitter.com/ThomasAKelley/status/495244139316125696 https://twitter.com/katie_collins/status/495245011400024066 https://twitter.com/katie_collins/status/495245489307406336 https://twitter.com/KMcCarthy8185/status/495247354778648576 https://twitter.com/katie_collins/status/495247605597995010 https://twitter.com/katie_collins/status/495248061053300736 https://twitter.com/katie_collins/status/495248294210449408 https://twitter.com/satechBOS/status/495250309347037184
https://twitter.com/ThomasAKelley/statuses/494800374575161344 https://twitter.com/EdCabellon/status/494821667864985603 https://twitter.com/satechBOS/status/494839861518798848 https://twitter.com/Jim_Gresham/status/494841738322665472 https://twitter.com/ammamarfo/status/494893492037230592 https://twitter.com/paulgordonbrown/status/494893886142423040 https://twitter.com/ammamarfo/status/494894153374121985 https://twitter.com/paulgordonbrown/status/494894459197587456 https://twitter.com/AdamGismondi/status/494894866367664128 https://twitter.com/KMcCarthy8185/status/494896466394370048 https://twitter.com/katie_collins/status/494895639445389312 https://twitter.com/_mikefox/status/494897232135479296 https://twitter.com/saladbar15/status/494896976681779201 https://twitter.com/ammamarfo/status/494897410431537152 https://twitter.com/ValerieHeruska/status/494898484659896321 https://twitter.com/KMcCarthy8185/status/494898646165774336 https://twitter.com/AdamGismondi/status/494898693728792577 https://twitter.com/_mikefox/status/494899733492936705 https://twitter.com/saladbar15/status/494900120035786752 https://twitter.com/bethanytuller/status/494900208351051776 https://twitter.com/katie_collins/status/494900183063605248 https://twitter.com/ammamarfo/status/494901032091410432 https://twitter.com/paulgordonbrown/status/494901757802467328 https://twitter.com/reyjunco/status/494902748488663040 https://twitter.com/reyjunco/status/494907360914460672 https://twitter.com/KevinRGuidry/status/494913660641640448 https://twitter.com/paulgordonbrown/status/494904515351814144 https://twitter.com/ammamarfo/status/494903425357053952 https://twitter.com/katie_collins/status/494903608723656704 https://twitter.com/ammamarfo/status/494903761811562497 https://twitter.com/ammamarfo/status/494904934333427712 https://twitter.com/MikeLynch09/status/494905437729206272 https://twitter.com/katie_collins/status/494907475095592961 https://twitter.com/josieahlquist/status/494904135821443073 https://twitter.com/JoJo_Jac/status/494915937980936193 https://twitter.com/ammamarfo/status/494917898339885056 https://twitter.com/ammamarfo/status/494920247259176960 https://twitter.com/KMcCarthy8185/status/494920858893582336 https://twitter.com/katie_collins/status/494923674982825984 https://twitter.com/MikeLynch09/status/494926704797048832 https://twitter.com/trishofthetrade/status/494927180258754561 https://twitter.com/ammamarfo/status/494928786077790209 https://twitter.com/AdamGismondi/status/494933477243228161 https://twitter.com/_mikefox/status/494935014677970944 https://twitter.com/katie_collins/status/494936770971451393 https://twitter.com/paulgordonbrown/status/494939666010083328 https://twitter.com/SimmonsCollege/status/494941751979675648 https://twitter.com/ThomasAKelley/status/494927186823225344 https://twitter.com/Kristen_Abell/statuses/494945106797932544 https://twitter.com/ammamarfo/statuses/494945452958449664 https://twitter.com/ammamarfo/status/494949233947332609 https://twitter.com/ammamarfo/status/494952539247628288 https://twitter.com/ammamarfo/status/494953778823839744 https://twitter.com/EdCabellon/statuses/494950877720231936
When thinking about my own experience in developing a residential curriculum, I'm reminded of a wordsmithing session I had with some colleagues. We were attempting to set some broad learning goals for our curriculum and we wanted to ensure that our language encouraged critical reflection but also allowed for a diversity of viewpoints. It took us... Continue Reading →
Are you bored this 4th of July week, desperately counting down the days until vacation? I've got a distraction for you. I need... we need... your help! I was searching for a solid list of professional associations in the student affairs/higher education field for my students and couldn't find one. The field is vast, always... Continue Reading →
Tweet I've been searching for a one year part-time job while I finish off my dissertation (HINT, HINT) and I quickly came to the realization that I needed something to make me stand out. For the past couple of years I've been encouraging the students I teach in the Higher Education master's programs at Boston... Continue Reading →
My fellow Boston College Higher Education student, Adam Gismondi, is doing some really interesting research into social media and student engagement. (Check out his entire site. It’s full of fun thought-provoking tidbits.) I particularly enjoyed his new blog post on media literacy. Adam highlights an issue that I notice daily: clickbait. I recently put in place a personal rule when articles from the website Mashable come across my newsfeed: “No matter how interesting it looks, if it starts with a number, don’t click on it. It’s a waste of time.” It’s an odd thing. Numbers work in headlines, and admit that I also do it with my blog posts, but be wary, many sites don’t have the content to back it up. (Great title, Adam, very meta.) 🙂
[Upworthy Parody Headline via @UpWorthIt Twitter account]Next Time Someone Shows You Something, Show Them This.
— Up Worth It (@UpWorthIt) January 13, 2014
Do you believe article headlines that you read on your social media feeds? I’ve been asking this question of students as part of my dissertation research to begin my understanding of how students make sense of new media and elements of the world around them. I’ll admit, I’m not so sure how I would answer the question myself. Although I’ve been let down often by hyperbolic headlines that promise to “restore my faith in humanity,” I’m probably still a bit too trusting in terms of my expectations of news stories online. Is this relentless optimism or gullibility? Perhaps both.
Upworthy, Buzzfeed, Huffington Post, and a sea of others have all adopted the practice of writing sensationalized headlines that help to drive traffic to stories. “Clickbait” headlines…
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I had the incredible privilege of presenting on technology and social media to the student affairs staff at American University in Dubai (AUD) last week. Presenting internationally comes with its own set of opportunities and challenges, particularly as it relates to talking about social media and technology. I wanted to share three takeaways I had in... Continue Reading →
YikYak is a new social app released earlier this year that is quickly becoming popular amongst high school and college students across the United States. Its goal is to serve as "a local bulletin board for your area." It uses geolocation on one's smartphone to allow one to post short statements that are broadcast and searchable... Continue Reading →
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdemFfbS5H0 In the three months since it’s release, the video "#Selfie (Let Me Take a Selfie)" has been viewed nearly 100 million times on YouTube and has gone into heavy rotation. Although tongue-in-cheek, the video reveals some surprising nuggets of wisdom regarding social media engagement, particularly around Instagram. It also provides interesting insights into the underlying... Continue Reading →
"Digital Identity Isn't About (A Separate) Identity At All" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEaPb2NQqbE The video of my PechaKucha presentation on the big stage at the 2014 ACPA-College Student Educators-International Convention, is posted on YouTube! Woot! Check out the annotated slide version here. View it below. And see more from other presenters here.
I recently came back from the 2014 National Convention of ACPA-College Student Educators International... and it was AWESOME. The Convention Team really took to the challenge of "reinventing" the conference experience into something new. As a leader in the Association, I left the experience proud of what my colleagues had accomplished and excited that ACPA has become a... Continue Reading →
This year the Convention team did a major overhaul of the schedule and session types to bring a fresh approach to our professional development. Much of this innovation relates to technology, social media, and cutting edge practices. Below you will find general sessions related to technology as well as the new "Genius Labs." In addition to these... Continue Reading →
Being an instructor in the Higher Education Master’s programs at Boston College and Merrimack College, and as former Res Lifer, I’ve always been interested in how to advance student learning outcomes through the use of technology and social media in classroom and training environments. I’ll have the opportunity to present on both at the upcoming... Continue Reading →
The Future of Student Affairs in 6 Minutes and 40 Seconds... The Future of Higher Education in 6 Minutes and 40 Seconds... The Future of Anything in 6 minutes and 40 seconds... The "Future Series" is something I first conceived of back in the Summer of 2012. The Future series entails a diverse group of... Continue Reading →
I'm excited to have the privilege of speaking to and presenting a number of sessions at the Wisconsin College Personnel Association (WCPA) Fall Conference this week. For those of you that follow my blog and research, many of the topics I'm covering should be familiar to you. As I evolve, however, so do my presentations.... Continue Reading →
ACPA recently announced the keynote speakers for this year's Residential Curriculum Institute (RCI) and I'm excited to be a part of what's shaping up to be a great professional development opportunity. After attending the Institute for two years, I'm honored to be expanding my involvement by serving as a member of the presenting faculty. For those... Continue Reading →
I'm excited to be the opening keynote at this year's #SATechBOS Unconference. The event utilizes as a unique format that encourages peer-to-peer learning and interaction. It's a pretty interesting concept and a new take on the sometimes stale traditional conference format. Wikipedia describes it as follows: An “unconference“ is a participant-driven meeting. The term “unconference” has... Continue Reading →
Last week, StudentAffairs.com published a piece I wrote entitled, An Experiment Using Twitter in Teaching a Student Affairs Practicum Course, in their Journal of Technology in Student Affairs. (Please check it out and let me know what you think!) In one of the later paragraphs of the piece, I wrote about my plans for teaching... Continue Reading →
Last week I started an experiment called the “6 Degrees of Esther Lloyd-Jones Project,” a play on Six Degrees of Separation and the popular “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” game. I was motivated by the desire to see how small the student affairs profession is and discover the power of crowdsourcing on the internet. It’s... Continue Reading →
I was lucky enough to be in Texas and not back home in Boston during the explosions at the Boston Marathon, but of course my thoughts were immediately with my students, friends and family in the area. I also had the firsthand experience of having my cell phone pinged with texts and messages from those... Continue Reading →
The Six Degrees of Esther-Llyod Jones Project is a crowdsourced initiative I started to learn more about how current student affairs professionals can trace their lineage back to some of the founders of our profession. Click on the following link below to go to the page where you will find out more information about the... Continue Reading →
“Door decs” with your name on it… Crafting in the lobby… An icebreaker where you rhyme your name with a vegetable… you might be surprised by how a college Resident Assistant (RA) goes about building and maintaining community. Of course, the RA position is far more complex than the stereotype that often gets portrayed, or... Continue Reading →
In his 1989 work, The Great Good Place, Ray Oldenburg floated the idea of our needing a “third place.” Our first place is our home, where we live. Our second place is our work, where we spend a large portion of our time. Our “third place,” however, is an informal space that brings us together... Continue Reading →
I had the privilege of giving two presentations at the 2013 Dalton Institute on College Student Values at Florida State University in Tallahassee. The theme of this year's institute was "Character in an Age of Self-Promotion: Exploring the Role of Social Media on College Student Development." Obviously, perfectly suited for me and my research passions. 🙂 The abstracts and... Continue Reading →
As the details of the Newtown elementary school tragedy begin to come out, it’s caused me to reflect on my own experiences and calling as a student affairs educator. I work with a very different population of student, but the kinship I feel with the teachers of Sandy Hook is very much the same. I... Continue Reading →
The terms “residential curriculum” or “curricular approach” are used to describe an intentional specifically-structured way of promoting learning in college and university student affairs programs. Borrowing from techniques utilized by classroom-based teachers, the curricular approach to student affairs designs a series of successive learning and engagement opportunities for students that are measurable against defined objectives.... Continue Reading →
I remember first encountering the Residential Curriculum Model back in 2006. My supervisor at American University had just returned from the first annual ACPA Residential Curriculum Institute. It was love at first sight. It just made sense. Why hadn’t anyone thought of this approach before? What many don’t understand about a Residential Curriculum (That’s capital “R” and “C”)... Continue Reading →
This semester I am collaborating with one of the Boston College Higher Education faculty members, Ana Martinez Aleman, on a new technology e-learning project called “MediaKron” for her Higher Education in American Society course. MediaKron is an online multimedia platform that was developed at Boston College as a means of presenting and enhancing course content.... Continue Reading →
I currently serve as the American College Personnel Association’s (ACPA’s) Coordinator for Standing Committees. Standing Committees are organizations in ACPA that represent some of the social identities present in the student affairs profession and in our work with students. In my role, I represent, coordinate the work of, and advocate for the Standing Committees for/on... Continue Reading →
It’s that time of year! Time to train the staff, open the halls, and start welcome week. I wanted to share one of my favorite tools, Poll Everywhere, and give you some suggestions on how to use it in creative ways with your events, student staff trainings, educational sessions, and in the classroom. Poll Everywhere... Continue Reading →
On occasion I’m asked to sit down with student affairs professionals and departments to consult on their social media presence. What always strikes me about these conversations is that many view social media as merely a new form of advertising. Social media is actually far more complex and possesses a different set of rules in... Continue Reading →
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