Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Angel difficulties

A student cannot log onto Angel because the error message shows that she hasn't done the mandatory orientation. When I checked my settings, there were no blocks to her login, but she still can't log in. She will call the help desk.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Power of the Market - The Pencil

French Pension Reform Protest

Welcome to Hooverville

Today in Class-- October 21, 2010

In class today, we began with the following key terms:
  • Hawley-Smoot Tarrif
  • Hoovervilles
  • New Deal
  • Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
  • Wagner Act or National Labor Relations Act (NLRA)
  • Works Progress Administration
  • Social Security
You should be able to identify all these terms.

In class, we watched the following videos for context




New Deal Programs in Appalachia: CCC, WPA, and TVA


The 9:00 and 10:30 classes compared the TVA the Obama Health Reform Act to the New Deal's TVA within the context of changing the role of government in the marketplace.

The 2:00 class wrote on the debate around Mountaintop removal by coal mining companies in the Appalacians.

For the conservative position on government and the market see Milton Friedman's lesson of the pencil below



To compare U.S. and French attitudes toward labor rights, see French Protests against efforts to raise the retirement age in France below:

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Today in class: gender performance and urban diversity

We began class by watching the two videos below to illustrate changes in women's gender performance over time. Then, after discussing Robin D. G. Kelley's "Yo Mama's Difunktional" we did a writing exercise relating tropes about black and brown women's sexuality to kelley's critique of urban sociological findings that tend to reinforce existing stereotypes about diverse urban populations.

Sent from my iPad

Flappers of 1920s:- So granny, what did you do when you were a girl?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3svvCj4yhYc

The Victorian Guide to Women

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eO5AuYNWQGA

Monday, October 18, 2010

Do any of these apply to your writing?

  • Your writing shows a sound understanding of the book, but it sounds like you write the way you talk. Bear in mind, next time, that writing sounds different from talking. Next time, try writing it down the way you would normally say it. Wait a day. Then read it again for errors. After that, read it aloud, and listen for errors. You might want to seek help from an LSC resource. We have a variety of support services for online students at nhcounselor@lonestar.edu. Or you can just email me.
  • Your writing is sound; but next time, I'd like you to focus on just one question, and explore it in greater depth, using lots of evidence from the book and reflecting on it carefully at some length.

Warriors Don't Cry: General comments on disccusion paragraph.

  • Only respond to one question. Try to answer it as thoroughly as you can, using lots of evidence from the book.
  • Avoid long quotes. It takes time an effort to translate quotes into your own words, but that’s what writing is.
  • Be specific in the way you use evidence from the book. Page numbers are helpful, but what is more important is to explain the situation in the book you are referring to, and how that relates to your main point.
  • If this grade does not truly reflect your ability, it is possible that you need help with your writing, specifically with proofreading. There is writing assistance available at nhcounselor@lonestar.edu, or just email me.
  • Use lots of evidence from the book, and take some time to reflect on it at some length and depth.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Cabeza de Vace discussions, HIST 1302 online

I have enjoyed reading your paragraph responses to Cabeza de Vaca. I encountered in your replies some new ways of thinking about the questions I posted to you all, especially regarding the issue of cannibalism. There are points I'd like to make:

  1. I only intended for you to write one paragraph. Apparently, that wasn't clear in the instructions, so I graded with that in mind. When doing the Frederick Douglass assignment, choose one question and answer it as thoroughly as you can in one paragraph.
  2. Proofread carefully. It's okay to get help with proofreading. I have someone proofread everything I write (except this blog).
  3. Give some time and consideration to the question you are addressing. Think it through. Be careful that you don't just restate the question; rather, make a claim of your own. It doesn't have to be original, but it needs to be yours
My comments refer to this rubric:

1. Structure/organization, does the paragraph function as a unit of thought?
2. Evidence, does the paragraph draw specific references from the book as evidence to support the claim(s) made in your paragraph?
3. Analysis, does the paragraph explain logically how the evidence presented supports the claims made?
4. Proofreading, the paragraph should be free of grammatical errors and misspellings.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Volunteer Peer Leader Academy

The Center for Teaching and Learning is proud to present our first volunteer Peer Leader Academy. Peer leaders would donate their time to mentoring and tutoring their fellow students. In exchange for their time, they would be trained according to the College Reading and Learning Association requirements and receive an international certification upon successful completion of training and tutor/mentor contact hours. PLA students would function in a dual role on campus as volunteer mentors/tutors. PLA students will be divided in teams of five and mentor four EDUC 1300 courses.

We kindly request your assistance in recruiting students interested in becoming volunteer mentors/tutors in this academy.

Student requirements to prequalify are as follows:

1.) 3.0 GPA

2.) Grade of A or B in content area they are interested in tutoring

3.) Faculty Recommendation

4.) Orientation

5.) Commitment to 15 hours of training (10 hours tutor training and 5 hours mentor training)

6.) Commitment to tutoring and mentoring 50 hours per year (25 hours tutoring and 25 hours mentoring)

7.) Successful completion of at least one semester at LSC-North Harris