Dr. Jan's Blog

Cheating on the blog with Facebook

I am kind of embarrassed that my blog has gone pretty much ignored by me for the past couple of months.  Once my great passion, my blog is now my, "Oh yeah, what was the password to get on typepad and post?"

I can't seem to get around to reflecting about my life and times on my blog.  I have a lot of other ventures that are taking my attention and time.  Some things pay, some things don't; but the fact of the matter is that I am now entering a new phase in my life and times.

And, now I have begun investigating social networking.  I have a professional networking system through Linkedin although I haven't fully gotten into that yet.  But, what has really gotten my attention is Facebook.  When I first got on FB (as those of us in-the-know call it), I was just amazed that folks could really have over 100 friends (and some zeroing in on over 500 friends).  It's kind of like when I started on Ebay and wondered how anyone ever got over 50 on their feedbacks; and then I got to 675 and thought... really? 

Now, I sit with 161 friends on FB; and I am starting to get it.  You would be absolutely amazed how many friends you have that you don't even think of as friends (in fact, some you might have to defriend after you find that they... oh never mind).  I have even learned how to hide the constant musings of the friends who were once students of mine when I was a high school principal more than a decade ago.  One of my former graduates found me and then a whole slew turned up; and they are all leaders in the community and very successful (who woulda thunk it back when they were graffitting the Grant facilities, and I had to beat them up).  Gosh, these new millenials have potty pens (the designation for those who have potty mouths that they share in print).  I use to cuss like a sailor and do no more but have been punished for my former errant ways with a wide array of potty pens in my immediate vicinity.  Ah well.

So, in case you have missed me posting, it's because I have been cheating on my blog with my FB.  Let me see if I can get up to speed with my life.  I decided to retire this coming June and take up a full time career teaching college (I already teach for both Kaplan University and Southwest Baptist University); so I am just going to jump off the retirement cliff and hope something good happens.  Pat has taken over as interim principal at the very high school I reopened in 1994 (Southeast High).  He's planning to interview for the full time appointment when the position is posted; if he gets it, he stays... if not, he will retire.  So, retirement has become a big consideration in my life.  It's really yummy.

Bo finished his first term at OU and earned a B average.  Pat and I are right proud; as I had a .56 my first term at Auburn, so I didn't have near the expectations for him and was very proud with his accomplishments.  Joe also earned a B average which is flat amazing since he inherited Bo's mustang (Bo got a new one for college) and has hardly been seen since he vroomed off to be with friends and feminine type people. 

Westwood folks are a little shell shocked with my announcement, but they are-- as always--- supportive and hard working.  I announced my decision on FB (what would you expect from the new social networker?).  And, the news traveled like wild fire and everyone knew by the time I went back to school the next Monday. 

We are still working like crazy at Westwood because the kids matter and the teachers are total professionals.  But, I find myself weary of insanity; and when I come upon some, I tend to find myself shaking my head and wondering... really?  Really?  Really? 

Ten Ways to Prepare for Horse Ownership

My friends on TRG (Trail Riding Gals) shared this with me...

Ten Ways To Prepare For Horse Ownership

1.Drop a heavy steel object on your foot. Don't pick it up right away. Shout
"Get off,stupid! Get off!"

2.Leap out of a moving vehicle and practice "Relaxing into the fall". Roll
lithely into a ball, and spring to your feet!

3.Learn to grab your checkbook out of your purse/pocket and write out a $200.
check without even looking down.

4.Jog long distances carrying a halter and holding out a carrot. Go ahead and
tell the neighbors what you're doing.They might as well know now.

5.Affix a pair of reins to a moving freight train and practice pulling it to a
halt. And smile as if you are really having fun.

6. Hone your fibbing skills. "See hon, moving hay bales is fun!" and " I'm glad
your lucky performance and multi-million dollar horse won you first place - I'm
just thankful that my hard work and actual ability won me second place".

7.Practice dialing your chiropractors number with both arms paralyzed to the
shoulder, and one foot anchoring the lead rope of a frisky horse.

8.Borrow the US Army slogan; "Be all that you can be'...(add) bitten, thrown,
kicked, slimed, trampled."

9.Lie face down in the mud in your most expensive riding clothes and repeat to
yourself: "This is a learning experience, this is a learning experience,..."

10.Marry Money!

Cross posted at the TRG site:

Well, Keta and Dale and I met up with Bonnie, her adorable son Jacob, Cheryl,
and Patti at LCB. (And, Patti's new Bad Girl shirt and hoodie really was cool.)
The weather was fantastic and the friendship was outstanding. Bonnie came off
the trail with everyone to meet up with us right before the bridge and off we
went to the White trail. We rode slow, we rode fast, we rode all over the
place.

At one point, Keta and Dale and Jacob and I were on a mad dash gaiting and
loping and what not. At some point, I realized I was losing my seat and was
dangling off the side of my saddle when I heard my inner voice saying... let go
and tuck and roll or you are going to be a victim of this. So, I did just that
and then sprang back to my feet with a big flourish. Okay, maybe I stumbled to
my feet with a happy look upon my face that I seem to be mastering the tuck and
roll. And, if you are going to be riding horses and want to make ill advised
decisions about tack and riding too fast for your own good, then you better be
good at the tuck and roll! And, wearing your helmet too (which, thankfully, I
was).

Thanks, Bonnie for letting us hook up with you and Cheryl and Patti. And, a big
thanks to Jacob who taught us all a real cool trick about effectively backing
up.

Jan Borelli
from Horse Hill

Teaching online college classes: The Discussion Board

Teaching online can be an really, really great experience.  But, it can also be quite challenging.  Students who elect to take online courses have a myriad of reasons to do so; and one of the most prevalent reasons is a lack fo time to devote to full time graduate school study (so eliminating drive time and distance can give back valuable minutes).  Sometimes, this lack of time for full time professionals with full time parenting requirements and flt out exhaustion can interfere with even the most valiant student warrior. 

Therefore, online college professors must use a bunch of techniques and tools to make the students watn to/need to be participating members of the class.  One of the most key and critical parts of building a class synergy and culture is through the online discussion boards.  The professor posts a discussion question that students must respond to within the week.  The following are some things I have learned about building an engaging and interactive DB experience for the students AND the professor:

Last term was my first term to teach at Kaplan.  I had a small class, and several of the students just didn't post until the last moment.  Reports are generated if we, the professors, have discussion boards where we have posted less than some number (was it 10?).  It was a difficult situation because I felt like I was monopolizing the DB, and still the students didn't post until the last minute or not at all.

 

This term I decided I was going to attack this problem head on.  As we all do, I posted my expectations for the DB on announcements.  I used a rubric that Robin James had sent me last quarter that we got through emails and even (I think) through a faculty meeting:

 

DISCUSSION BOARD RUBRIC: You will be graded on the quality of your initial discussion board post and your responses to classmates. A high quality post includes: Initial discussion board question is accurate and detailed (0-6 points) Postings contain one or more critical thinking questions to stimulate interaction (i.e., advance the discussion). (0-6 points) Postings contain outside research for example, web links, articles, etc. (0-6 points) Responses to others (at least 2) are thoughtful and advance the discussions. (0-6 points) Postings and responses are respectful in tone. (0-3 points) Postings use appropriate APA format and writing mechanics.(0-3 points) Things to remember: 1. Enter the site at least 3 times per week to promote appropriate classmate discussion. 2. Respond to at least two classmates... 3. Make sure to add a reference list at the bottom of your original post and make sure to cite in the text of your post. Resources can be from outside internet sources. 4. Make sure to USE APA formatting. Do all these things and you are on your way to getting all possible points

 

Then, on the first week of posts, I began posting once in the morning and once in the evening (sometimes those posts were just emails that I sent to the students giving further directions).  I paid attention to each poster and encouraged them with discussion furthering probes.  And, those students who didn't post yet received an email from me telling them how many minutes that I had seen them on the Unit and was there anything I could do to help them get going. 

 

Now, remember, it's a lot easier to do nothing because it was like opening a can of worms with students sending me emails about new standards for DB as well as some folks not appreciating me "checking up on their minutes."  But, now they knew I did; but I tried to do so in a caring manner that told them I was all about not letting them get behind.

  

When I graded the DB I attached the rubric (just the grading part) and had a short comment after each section grade as to why I gave them that grade.  I was soon to discover that my class did not know very much about APA.  I actually spent most of one seminar showing the students how to use their APA manual to set up an APA reference.  This helped (but for only half the class because only  half were there).  Then, I found Diane Martinez at the Kaplan Writing Center, and she volunteered to come teach one of my seminars on APA; however, at this point, I was just able to give the students the link to the seminar she had done for the WC.  You can lead those students to the information, but they have to take the opportunity.

 

The next Unit, I used the rubric again and copied/pasted it to the comment window of the grade for the DB without comment.  I had to give them time to digest what I was writing to them, and I also wanted them to start using the rubric to figure out how they would grade themselves if they were in my position.  Some were not pleased that they received a lower grade for not advancing the discussion; I had to point out that if they were there (or at least only posted one day within minutes of each post) that they were not really advancing the discussion.   And, if they didn't post by Saturday evening, that they were not an active member of our community.  This wasn't really popular; but it did catch on.  Here's what the rubric looks like without all the other info:

 

DISCUSSION BOARD RUBRIC

· Initial discussion board question is accurate and detailed (0-6 points)

· Postings contain one or more critical thinking questions to stimulate interaction (i.e., advance the discussion). (0-6 points)

· Postings contain outside research for example, web links, articles, etc. (0-6 points)

· Responses to others (at least 2) are thoughtful and advance the discussions. (0-6 points.

· Postings and responses are respectful in tone. (0-3 points)

· Postings use appropriate APA format and writing mechanics.(0-3 points)

The next unit, I decide to up the ante, I wanted their discussions to not only be timely but to give us a greater depth of knowledge in our discussions.  Here's the email and announcement that I sent out in advance:

 

WE are now into Unit 5, we have been slowly building our DB expertise.  At this point in the process, here are some pretty general things that we should be seeing to fully address the DB rubric:

DISCUSSION BOARD RUBRIC:

· Initial discussion board question is accurate and detailed (0-6 points) Be sure and put those questions in the original assignment in your post so that you fully answer.  Use specific information to prove your point.

· Postings contain one or more critical thinking questions to stimulate interaction (i.e., advance the discussion). (0-6 points)  It's not enough to just compliment or agree with your colleagues, build on their information or offer a divergent point of view if necessary.  Sometimes serving as the devil's advocate can help get some really thoughtful discussions going.

· Postings contain outside research for example, web links, articles, etc. (0-6 points)  If all you are using is our textbook as your only reference, you are not going far enough.  If you have an interesting point to make, then find references and resources that assist you in making that point. 

· Responses to others (at least 2) are thoughtful and advance the discussions. (0-6 points) Don't stop at agreement; build upon what is given and ask questions!  If you are only going to the DB once or twice a week (or the last day of the week), you are very limited (and your grade will show it) in advancing the discussion.

· Postings and responses are respectful in tone. (0-3 points) You all have been wonderful at this.

· Postings use appropriate APA format and writing mechanics.(0-3 points) This is still a major problem for many of us.  It is necessary for you to go to the announcements board on our class and go to the APA Writing Workshop for an hour.  This will make a huge difference in this course and future courses at Kaplan.

 

Well, we are in Unit 5 now.  The discussions began early (in fact, they actually started before we got to Unit 5 because I started posting notices in the announcements--- got the idea on the new faculty Kaplan blog---on first poster rights and best posters).  I have to get to the DB every morning before my full time job and every evening when I get home to check on the progress.  In fact, I can hardly wait to get there (and I am pretty sure that the students feel the same).  It is now Sunday morning, and we have 86 posts.  It's very exciting.

 

However: at 3:30 A.M. (yes, I am a middle aged insomniac), I got this email from a concerned student:

 

Sent: Sunday, November 15, 2009 12:15 AM
To: Jan Borelli
Subject: Discussions

Dr. Jan,

Good Morning,

I have a question and I hope you understand what and why I am asking and I am asking with the utmost respect.

I'm just a bit concerned about our discussion boards.  I was not aware of and I don't see it listed anywhere that the first person to post wins anything.  I'm also concerned because somehow I am now feeling like this is a competition.  You wrote something about the winner of the "Best Poster".  Please explain this to me as I was not aware that this was a competition (competitions make me panic!).

Sincerely,
A Student

 

Here's what I wrote her:

 

Dearest Student,

No, there is no "official" competition.  However, I love to be able to give folks a "vision" of what excellence is.  How can you get better if you don't know what excellence looks like?  So, I chose two of the best posters for reasons of frequency, discussion extenders, etc.  I started the "first poster" where I awarded that distinction because I found that many waited until the end to participate thereby limiting the ability of us all to comment and spark further discussion; it was my goal to get everyone talking earlier... and it seemed to work.  I have never seen such quality and depth of discussions as we have had this week.  

Don't panic.  Nothing bad happens for not being the best; however, if you see some way of posting that is considered the best, then you can join in.  My dream for this class is that when you leave you remember this class as a very formative time for you... maybe when you learned how to effectively use APA or maybe where you learned how to engage in an online discussion that furthered your understanding or maybe where you learned how to connect with others through effective discussion or maybe where you learned how to operate a constructivist classroom.

 Haven't you found that there are some folks on our DB that you are connecting with?  I have.  To me, this is important because it is through this connection that we come to know each other and develop relationships that help us become more challenged and more engaged.

Now, I want you to place how we are using our DB within the context of a constructivism classroom.  We are making sense of what we know from what we have known to what we are learning.  We are telling stories that help us make sense of what we are learning.  We read each other's writings and then that sparks more discussion; and we are coming along.  Try to visualize these discussions taking place in real time where we are challenging each other to think and reason and further the discussion; we are making the most of being able to think it over and respond rather than having to snap out our responses.  (How many times have we gone home after a discussion and said, gee, I wish I had thought of that then... with asynchronous discussions... we actually can think of it then!)

I am trying to continually probe the nature of everyone's understanding.  And, the only way I can get there is by getting discussion and furthering discussion.  So, inspiring our class to think more and do more helps us.  Do you understand my reason?  I am trying to model for you how you will use this method with your own students.  And, while competition and high expectations can be a little daunting, it requires us all to be a part.  And, it gets some to question what we are doing and why we are doing it (like you are doing).

What say you?  I guess you can tell that I have serious issues with insomnia (lol)!

Jan G. Borelli, Ed.D.
Adjunct Professor
Kaplan University

Don't follow where the path may lead... go where there is no path & leave a trail.

 

Thank Heavens for EASYBIB

Well, as I have mentioned before (yes, yes, I am proud), I get to teach (adjunct) for Kaplan University.  Now it's been more than a couple of years since I got my doctorate from Vanderbilt (1986, to be specific-- I was a child).  Now, I am teaching graduate students in education about the incredibly wonderful field of education. 

And, in the time honored graduate exercises requirements, my students have to write research papers and do it RIGHT.  At Kaplan, that means no plagiarizing and always using APA formating and referencing.  I have had more than a few quick study sessions on APA, and I was bemoaning my fate to son Bo (a University of Oklahoma freshman) who told me about EASYBIB.  You gotta love 2009, if you are quickly stepping up to citing references and bibliographies in APA or Turabian or even MLA.  (And, if you don't know what all those things are then just forget about this post because it's something you don't need.) 

EASYBIB is this cool site (www.easybib.com) where you can go and type in the ISBN or titles or numerous ways to get your source and then bingo-bango, it gives the reference to you in the right format and even will prepare it for you to download to Word.  I am so tickled that some genius minds came up with this.  Now, I can write and research without the pain staking process of figuring out the nasty little details of correclty citing a source.  I can even check the sources that my students are using for accuracy.

I am one happy chick (or old lady depending upon your context).  Guess what it costs?  Nothing for MLA or just about $15 a year for APA (and you can switch among all the styles depending on what format you need). 

Here's to you EASYBIB!  I hope you guys are extremely successful and stay that way until I no longer need you.

Cowgirl Up!

I was feeling pretty smarty pants. I could hook up my trailer to my new old
truck and go just about anywhere. I like the feel of my big ole cummins diesel
truck... rumble, rumble.

Today, I had hubby drop me by the pasture, and I was tending my Buttercup and
Frosty and getting them all spiffy for our Draper Lake ride with Keta and her
hubby Dale. I carefully hooked up my truck to the trailer. I had gotten all
the fancy stuff that I read about in the magazines... an EZ Connector to insure
that my brake and lighting system would be perfect everytime and then this
really cool hitch that snaps your ball right into place with hardly any effort.
Oh yeah... I was all cowgirl upped.

Then, one of our buds in the adjacent pasture was having some
horse trailering issues. I strode up Horse Hill to give her a hand. After all,
I had all kinds of trailering problems initially with Buttercup; but I had
learned how to have her gladly hop onto the trailer and was just sure that my
skills would easily translate to Alex. I was wrong. Alex didn't take kindly to
my help; and I was lucky he didn't squash me like a fly.

The prideful stride up the hill was replaced by a more reserved meander down the
hill. I hopped in my truck and began to pull away; I was on my way back home to
pick up hubby who was glued to the set watching OU football (we won't go into
it... because all the play by play interpretation by hubby of our offensive line
needing something or other nearly bored me out of my skull... so why put you
through it?).

Anyway, within just 10 yards of pulling the trailer up the hill for the turn
around, a loud thunderous crash took place. I immediately put on my brakes and
got out. I don't know what I saw. It didn't look good. The trailer hitch was
sitting on the ground. I called hubby and pronounced a grievous situation that
I was not sure what it was... but it wasn't good. He was on his way, gratefully
relieved of watching the last moments of the game (that's my story and I am
sticking to it).

Then, Keta and Dale arrived merrily driving up Horse Hill to pick up their two
horses in their shining white heroic pickup truck with matching new horse
trailer. I was flailing my arms over my head and screeching about a tragedy.
Dale came right over and determined that I had not gotten the ball in the
hitch (remember it's a new fangled thing that's not easily interpretted). The
humiliation of that kind of thing was almost more than I could take (but I took
it because I was a little dazed from the whole event). I got the horses off the
trailer, Dale cranked everything up and down and got things right again. Then,
he determined that my emergency brake system on the trailer hadn't worked
(although some ACT OF GOD had) because the electric wires to the battery of the
emergency brake system were shot (and the ding dang trailer ain't even a year
old yet!).

Well, hubby got there and managed to provide some more bewildering comments
about my being in my right mind. But, we got everything fixed; and we went on
to Draper. Once out of eye and ear shot of Keta and Dale, I proceeded to wail
desperately about the humiliation and near death experience (okay, maybe not a
near death experience but let's accept that drama goes with the queen in my
name). There was only one cure... we went to the Krispy Kreme Donuts on I-240;
and I got some fresh donuts and diet coke. I immediately felt better. What
crisis in life can't be rendered much better with that kind of cure?

Anyway, back to the story. Hubby doesn't really like horse back riding like I
do. He is a golf fanatic; I hate golf. I haven't even tried to like it for
him. And, it turns out that though he has tried to like the horsey thing and is
way supportive; he doesn't really like riding horses (the jiggling is disturbing
to him). And, he's only ridden Frosty the hubby horse twice and both times he
was lucky not to fall off when first a bunny rabbit ran by spooking ole Frosty
and then today when Bendito freaked out over a concrete wall or something and
got everyone all spooked up. And, we rode a different part of Draper than usual
and were mostly on the road with very little up and down action.

So, we got back to the Marina, untacked the horses, and prepared for our
homeward journey (I won't even go into the crises on the trail like Frosty's bit
being upside down or my reins falling apart when we finished the ride). We
finally got home and then went to Walmart to get all kinds of gadgets, so hubby
could fix what was ailing the trailer after my episode of stupid. We are now
home... safe and sound except our 16 year old isn't home yet; and we are going
to kick his.... Um, that's another story, another day.

Anway, there's a moral to this story: Don't get cocky or you are sure to have
some crisis knock you back down to size.

Incredible, fantastic, FREE, web conferencing! DimDim

One of my colleagues (Jackie Gerstein, Ed.D.) at Kaplan University sent me an email with this news:

"FYI - had a cool seminar tonight using Dimdim - http://www.dimdim.com/ - a free Web Conferencing tool.  I was able to use my own video and audio, my students could easily use their audio (one choose to do so). I easily shared my screen (which included my PPT via Google Docs), URLs so I showed a Youtube video, and it  had a chat window - AND it recorded the session.  It was fun and interactive."

I tried it out.  I couldn't believe it.  It looks like Webex and Elluminate are outta here.  Who can compete with fun, easy, and free?!!

New Definition of Effective

I have always said that since we can't measure student academic growth reliably, then we simply give students academic tests and pray that what they say is somehow related to academic achievement.  It's kind of like needing to measure someone's weight and you measure their height instead because that's all you can do.  It may or may not predict weight.

Well, with this overwhelming need to measure administrative success, we (school administrators) are suddenly required to simply produce voluminous amounts of paperwork.  In my driven desire to succeed, I am now producing hundreds of pages of paperwork each week.  It's an obsession for me and those who haunt cenral office positions.  God help me!

Marzano and Interactive Whiteboard Technology... wowee!

My Kaplan Mentor, Dr. Robin James, and "warmly"

How do you sign off to emails with depth and understanding and friendliness?

Well, my supervisor and mentor at Kaplan University, Dr. Robin James, has this totally down.  With her simple "warmly," she can tell me anything; and I still feel encouraged and embraced.  Well, would that I could, I would steal her sign off.  But, I need my own. 

So, would you do me a favor and give me an opinion on the following Thesaurus provided synonyms? (Just leave a comment.)

1.  Kindly

2.  Harmoniously

3.  Charmingly

4.  Easily

5.  Cheerily

6.  Genially

7.  Pleasingly

Thanks!

Pleasantly,

Dr. Jan