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Originally Posted by Jason Dunn
In light of my new gig, I wanted to ask the teachers out there what sort of software they're using on their Pocket PC to assist them being a teacher. Lesson planning? Marking? What sorts of software should I be looking at loading up to make the most of my classroom experience? Oh, and any advice for first-time college teachers is welcome. :mrgreen:
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This isn't because *I* think it'll be a problem, but some issues you should be aware of at least. I'm actually surprised that they allowed Ashley to be in your class. While there's the more "obvious" concern that she'll get a break in your class "I know she really knows this...", there's actually other issues involved. Like potentially, you being harder on her because "she should know better" or to prove you're *not* giving her a break. And just the fact that she has more access to help than anyone else in the class. Even if those aren't actually issues for you, they may *appear* to be to the other students, which can cause trouble in the class. So just be aware, and prepared to deal with any trouble that might come up.
As for software... In the past I've only used PowerPoint (to make lecture slides - I use a computer projector) and Excel for grading (side note - Americans call "marking" "grading"). Anyway - the university I'm at now has some special course software to keep track of enrollment and grades. Unfortunately, while I can ENTER grades (and see nice distributions and stuff), I can't SUBMIT them through this program. I think I have to fill out a scan-tron sheet. I'll find out soon - my final exam is on Monday.
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So here's some general advice, some of which may work for you, some of which may not. Teaching style is very personal. Oh, and a lot of this will be rambly, as I'm thinking of things as I go.
As for class - know the type of students you'll be getting. In other words, are these undergrads? Mostly people *returning* to college? It affects how much "push" you generally need to give. For example, returning students and graduate students are usually a little more self-motivating than undergrads, frequently because they're more focused on it and/or they're paying for it (instead of parents).
Remember that everyone's human. If you say something isn't going to count towards their grade, most students won't do it. Also, most people won't do the homework or study for exams until the last minute. This can be better with returning students and grad students, but not always.
Make a late policy up front, and stick to it unless they have a doctor's note or a note from a funeral director. If you let ONE student get by for a slightly less compelling reason, then you basically have to let EVERYONE get by for less compelling reasons. Better to have the penalty either be small (potentially increasing as the number of days pass), or give a pre-determined amount of freebies to everyone, with the understanding that they won't get any more so they should spend them wisely.
Don't be upset when not everyone attends every class.
Wait until you've finished grading the exams or the homeworks before getting depressed (it's easy to notice only the really bad scores and think the whole class did poorly when that's in fact not true).
Treat every question as if its valid, even if it isn't. It's really hard in many cases to get students (especially ugrads) to ask questions in class. You don't want to discourage them.
Write big enough on the board (use a big enough font in PowerPoint). Remember, students tend to sit in back.
Cheating is bad. Giving the answer is cheating too. Personally, I give 0s to both cheaters and cheatees on whatever assignment/exam/etc. has the cheating. And they know up front that this is one of many possible punishments (most of which are worse, like failing, going through academic dishonesty procedures, etc).
It's okay to be funny, but let them know you can be serious too, and will follow through on your policies.
If students know they can turn stuff in late, they probably will.
You will spend FAR more time outside of class preparing/grading/etc. than in class lecturing. At least, usually. It's actually rather surprising.
It usually takes longer to write a good homework or exam than to do/take it. But the students won't appreciate this.
(You can complain to Janak and I if you want).
When possible (and it isn't always possible), have homeworks resemble actual projects/situations that could occur, so the students can relate what they're learning in class to what happens outside of class. This is probably going to be obvious with your course, but can take a lot of effort in other courses (like with something Janak or I might teach).
Try to keep learning fun. Or, at the very least, interesting.
Even if you think it's fun, not everyone in the class will. You won't reach all the students. Not all the students will get the full benefit of your course. You can but try - a lot of it is up to them. (But, remember my earlier note about needing to "lead" some students more... It takes effort on both your parts for this to work).
While it may seem that I'm insulting undergrads, that's really not the case. Frequently it's that they're still making that transition from high school to "real world" where things don't get done unless you do them yourself. Other times, it's excitement at being away from home and having fewer "rules" (and learning they need to make their own).
Damn, I sound old.
Anyway - I'm sure I'll think of more later.
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