Heather Mitchell-Buck

teaching, technology, & medieval stuff

teaching

by Leave a Comment

continued adventures in ungrading

The past academic year has been a challenge for all of us!

COVID-19 has had a devastating effect on our world and on our learning communities, which is not something ANY of us would have wanted. But as it has forced us to rethink the ways that we teach and learn, I’ve been getting more questions from colleagues and friends about my ungrading process. So I thought I would share this video of a talk I gave on my home campus, Hood College, last fall (back when we could all safely get together for an in-person conversation, which now seems like another lifetime, doesn’t it?).

And yes, I am still happily ungrading!

Adventures in Ungrading

Why do we grade? Why shouldn’t we rethink this whole system and make it better for students AND teachers?

Slides

by Leave a Comment

learning, teaching, living

What I believe learning and teaching are – and ought to be

an incomplete, hastily-composed, and perpetually-under-consideration set of thoughts
inspired by Rajiv Jhangiani’s 5R’s for Open Pedagogy

image by Mediamodifier from Pixabay

ACTIVE…

Learning is not about absorbing something, letting something wash over you. It is about participating. For students, I want them to understand that they have agency, that they feel brave enough to take the lead and let their voices be heard (not all of the time, but at least some of the time). For me and for my fellow teachers, that means we can’t just let inertia get to us. We have to keep revising, reimagining what education is and what it should be.

HUMAN…

We are not brains in jars. We are whole people. This means we have good days and bad days. We have things outside the space of the classroom that cannot and should not be put aside when we enter. Each perspective, each voice is valuable – and for that to be fully true, we have to acknowledge and sit with each other’s humanity. Even and especially when it makes us uncomfortable or takes us and our ways of thinking out of the center of things.

COLLABORATIVE…

You can’t sit inside your bubble and not interact with others if you want to learn. You just can’t. You need other voices and other truths. You need to embrace the messiness of group work. You need to make space for others in your learning and you need to feel that others are making space for you. We should see ourselves as co-learners. Who’s a “teacher” and who’s a “student” can and should shift. These are not fixed roles, no matter what an institution or a contract may say.

INCLUSIVE…

Real life shit shouldn’t get in the way of anyone’s education. No voices or experiences should be excluded because of a lack of accessibility or inclusivity. If you are able-bodied, white, cis, straight, tenured (fill in the blank that puts you in a position of privilege) this means you have to do more work to make it possible or easier for others to learn. Suck it up. Your extra time is well-worth it and usually not much effort when compared to the barriers that your co-learners may be facing just to be there. Get over yourself.

EQUITABLE…

Meet everyone where they are at. Don’t make assumptions. Don’t roll your eyes about things that “aren’t the way they used to be” from your perspective. Embrace the broad range of learning styles and experiences that greets you when you step foot in a classroom. That diversity enriches our learning spaces and makes them stronger and more meaningful.

KIND…

In the Middle English sense, but also in the modern sense. Be true and real to yourself. Be naturally you. Treat others (and yourself) with grace and gentleness. This doesn’t always mean “being nice” or that people shouldn’t argue and butt heads and disagree. There’s nothing “kynde” about false smiles. Be genuine. Be sincere.

BRAVE…

This isn’t easy. It shouldn’t be.

Learning is about leaving your comfort zone. It should be a bit risky, like you’re standing at the edge of something. If it doesn’t feel that way, you’re doing it wrong.

This harder for some folks than others – and that shouldn’t be, either.

by Leave a Comment

iPad outreach!

I was honored to have the opportunity last week to speak to faculty at Jacksonville University about how the iPad has transformed learning in my classroom. Thanks to the faculty at JU for your kind welcome and to Apple for arranging my visit!

I believe that the iPad can help to make college students more accountable for and engaged in their education – and that it can help educators create a more equitable environment where all students are able to learn together.

If you’d like to know more, you can check out the video of the talk and the great discussion session that followed.

by Leave a Comment

my iPad advocacy

(final post in a 4-part series on why I teach with the iPad)

Following the success of my first iPad course at Hood, I started sharing my own best practices for using the iPad with my colleagues. As a member of the advisory board for our Center for Teaching and Learning, as well as a faculty representative on our campus academic technology and infrastructure committee, I’m the most vocal iPad advocate on campus. I’ve presented at faculty development workshops on using iPads in the classroom, and this semester, I’ve helped organize an “Appy Hour” series that provides opportunities for faculty to share the apps that have made a difference in our teaching.

As a campus, we’ve also been eager to share our use of the iPad with a broader community of educators. In 2013, I was one of six Hood faculty featured in a YouTube video series that highlights how we teach with iPads; we hope it will inspire others to find innovative uses for the iPad in their own teaching. More videos are currently in the works and are scheduled to be published to YouTube in Spring 2015. I was also the main writer for Hood’s successful Apple Distinguished School application last year, which will help us to spread the word about the exciting ways our students and faculty are using their iPads.

iPad group presearch

In addition to the outreach I’ve done with and at Hood, I’m working to share my successes on my own. I keep a list of recommended apps and information about my multimedia and online assignments here on my blog. I’ve also published videos with iPad tips and tricks on my YouTube channel, and my “How To Use Your iPad in College” video continues to be the top search result for “iPads in College,” with more than 45,000 views as of May 2015.

Some of my most effective iPad advocacy, however, happens face-to-face. I haven’t taken a laptop with me to an academic conference in three years. I always use Keynote on my iPad for presentations, and I always end up having a conversation with a few other professors who want to know how and why I use the iPad in my teaching and research. Usually, it only takes a few details before they’re convinced: I tell them that I can quickly put together a slideshow in a few minutes before class, that my students can take photos of our chalkboards after a lecture or brainstorming session to include in their notes, that I can grade and provide feedback even when I’m traveling.

In those conversations, as in these posts, there’s only so much that I can say about my daily pedagogical adventures with the iPad: a few details here, a success story about a timid student there. I believe that the iPad is revolutionizing the ways that we teach and learn, and I believe that it will continue to do so for some time to come. I’m thankful to have the opportunity to be part of that revolution, to be able to help my students—and have them help me—to be more active, collaborative, and risk-taking learners.