Sustainability in the Classroom

Sustainability in the Classroom

Today, I worked on a survey for students to evaluate the active learning space - I do need to come up with a better name for these kinds of spaces here at Auburn University -- happy to hear suggestions.

For other information -- I heard back from the Interior Designer who worked with me on this project -- she sent me data on sustainability of the furniture and carpet in the room.  Here some of that information:

Interface is the company we got the carpet from, and their information on recycled materials and such can be found at https://www.interfaceflor.com/default.aspx?Section=2&Sub=3&Ter=3.

Please also see the links below for environmental info about the furniture products

http://www.izzyplus.com/environment.aspx

http://www.steelcase.com/en/company/sustainability/pages/products.aspx

http://csr.steelcase.com/

http://www.steelcase.com/en/company/sustainability/pages/our-perspective.aspx

Also, because the glassboards last much longer and perform better than whiteboards, we are saving lots of whiteboards from being landfilled after end-of-life. The glassboards will last the life of the building and be able to be moved to any future building—and will still keep on performing!

So, that may not make this room LEED certified (it is, after all, in the building on campus that had the first air conditioning on campus, which, unfortunately translates now into one of the more ineffective systems on campus), but it is good to see that today's companies take these challenges seriously.

Incubator classroom, Day 2

Well, it looks like we may have lost one class because the monitors are too high up and/or too small, so statistical procedures and problems are too difficult to read.  We have started the discussions on how to adjust the monitor locations so that this is less of an issue.

Clickshare USB deice, aka hockey puck

In case you were wondering what I meant by Clickshare -- this is the device that plugs into laptops so that students can connect their laptops to the monitors.  The corresponding app allows for iOS and Android devices to do the same thing, although the laptop sharing is more flexible.

Incubator Classroom

Today is the big day -- classes are starting in the incubator classroom here at Auburn University.  Last night, the almost final touches were added to it, so that folks will be able to connect via laptop through HDMI and via wireless through Clickshare.

The colors of tables and chairs are really nice, and the touch screen in the room corresponds with the colors of the tables to make the controls hopefully more intuitive.

Incubator Classroom

Faculty have been working in groups to rethink the classes they teach in here, and we will have ongoing discussions this semester how these changes are working, to improve the classroom experience and to help future faculty think about issues.

Star date:  5-7-2013

Having just spent a couple of hours reading articles about MOOCs, I am stunned by the voices who worry that the students who sign up for MOOCs, who participate, are not who they say they are.  I know, it comes out of the discussion to give credit for such courses, but what seems to be missing in this discussion is the glory that the tools are there to connect interested people with great content and interactive tools so that they can learn, discuss, create new ideas that otherwise they may not be able to do on their own.  Is this a substitute for the traditional classroom -- not 100%.  Is this a feasible alternative for folks who do not have access to education otherwise -- absolutely.  Is this disruptive innovation -- of course as the folks who have little or nothing now have more than before, and over time these offers will change what is happening in the traditional classroom -- and hopefully for the better.

I am not saying anything new here, obviously.

And completely different -- still trying to MOOC -- and what I am realizing is that while I was fine in the course the first couple of times I went in, the fact that the course did not change, did not, on the surface, reflect my progress, as the home page did not change to reflect that I am at a different moment in time, at a different moment in learning, makes it difficult for me to pick up where I left off.  I am not sure how that can be helped, unless one uses the course stream or the module or syllabus and assignment view.  maybe the first page only needs to be up for a couple of weeks and then it needs to be shifted to a different view to allow for a better reflection of the progression for the student.

Star Date 5.3.2013 -- watching myself being an online student makes me realize that when I teach online I will need to focus on such things as
 -- small assignments that will make students interact with the content in the course -- larger, longer assignments will just foster procrastination, with the final disaster as almost certainty.
 -- ensuring ways that students can connect effectively with each other -- again, small things need to happen -- it may be a group task or an ongoing monitored discussion.  Otherwise, though, an individual student will never be able to join the community.

I know that this is not ground breaking new stuff, but it is always different to read about it and then to experience this oneself.

Star Date 4.26.2013 -- so falling behind in my classes, no surprise there.  Here my student lesson for the day, though.  I am wondering if having a visual representation, like a map, of the course orientation, would help folks -- and I am also wondering if there is a better way to show in Canvas what part of what module a student has already visited, dealt with, covered.

Star date:  4.22.2013
Second week in the MOOC experiment -- what tips can I give to students who may want to go this route:
First one:  set up routines -- check the online environment on a regular schedule to learn about new posts, new assignments, new discussions.  Even if Canvas tells you that there is new stuff happening, changes are you will not be able to get to this right then and there, so a scheduled participation, like attending a class, is a must.
Second:  do not procrastinate -- as easy as it is to do in a self-paced, independent learning environment, it will come back and haunt you.  This becomes especially for required or suggested readings.