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April 6, 2021
Take 5… open educational resources
Making resources freely available to students has its benefits – but there are also costs. Are the technologies used for these OERs accessible on mobile devices and/or require high-speed access, special browser plug-ins, etc.? Are faculty compensated for preparing the OER, for maintaining/updating the OER? How are current events and societal challenges making it into OER – or are they? The research shows there are clear benefits to students using OER and not having to purchase textbooks – but let’s look at the entire OER system to make sure it is accessible, fair, and sustainable for not only students but faculty as well.
January 26, 2021
Teaching tips for the Second Gentleman
Second Gentleman Emhoff, you are going to be exhausted (yes, from teaching) – but you’ll also find it one of the most rewarding opportunities in your lifetime. Allow us at AGU to serve as your gravity assist that you can pay forward to your students!
October 1, 2020
Remote student collaboration via Google Jamboard
Check out Google Jamboard for connection, creation, and collaboration among students in remote synchronous classrooms – useful for icebreakers, laboratory exercises, and more
July 30, 2020
Online is a good time to start calling the “office hour” by another name
Now, with social distancing in place and some university programs fully online, will even fewer students come to the office hours? And does calling it an office hour for incoming freshmen even make sense? There is alot to think about as we prepare for the fall semester – and we should not forget to think about office hours and what we will name them, how we will promote them, and how we will utilize them in a virtual environment.
March 11, 2020
Are your students prepared for a fully online course? Find out by asking them.
I have the tools to teach online – but do my students have access to learn online?
January 24, 2020
The Climate Trail – making a game of the climate apocalypse
I was teaching an introductory-level climate science course last semester, and a conference opportunity came up for me that would require I miss one day of classes. I decided to have students play The Climate Trail and write up a review of the game for an assignment.
December 10, 2019
Dr. G’s #AGU19 Spotlight – Invisible Rules in the Classroom
Enter the idea of “invisible rules”. We all thought we knew the boundaries of the task at hand, of the assignment in front of us… yet we were mistaken. If this is what we as experienced instructors think, imagine what our students think.
August 25, 2019
What it means to students when you can pronounce their names – and when you can’t
I don’t think we can over-emphasize the importance of learning student names and the correct pronunciation of their names in our courses. Our introductory-level geoscience classrooms are especially important for recruiting new majors and producing Earth science-literate citizens. If we don’t have a class identity as a supportive and inclusive community for learning and working together, what impact can and will that have for our departments, the discipline, and society as a whole?
August 5, 2019
Introducing students to Drawdown actions and solutions
Project Drawdown helps students see beyond the “doom and gloom” with climate change impacts and shows them how to take actions that move us towards reversing global warming
September 3, 2018
The 2018 Election and Nonpartisan Engagement with Students
Help students explore not only the grand challenges in Earth science during this election year with an exercise that explores where the candidates stand, but help contribute to campus efforts and conversations for the mid-term election
Laura Guertin is a Professor of Earth Science at Penn State Brandywine in Media, PA. Her research focuses on how technology can enhance teaching and student learning in introductory-level geoscience courses for non-science majors. Her blog focuses on geoscience education/outreach, science communication, and technology tools in the classroom, online, and in the field.