(Bringing back news you can talk about! Start a conversation about this with someone today–hopefully on the phone or, better yet, face-to-face, given the context of the topic. I haven’t tapped into general interpersonal talk in a while, and this piece has been on my mind, so here goes!). When you teach Communication, the subject of Facebook inevitably arises. From ’07-April ’11, I was absent from the Facebook scene and students did not let me hear the end of it. I told them, “I’m online all the time. I just don’t want my face in front of a computer any more than it has to be.” “Plus that,” I added. “I...
Read More(Pardon the two days late on my usual Word. Wednesday. post. Being gone all last weekend on the faculty retreat and having a book out there in the world has been a new source of wonderful and challenging in my life. Anyway, I’m combining Wednesday’s usual post with the great day of Friday. Thank you for having some patience with me as I find my groove again!) What’s the Word? (A phrase!) “Can I connect with you on…?” Many of you are coming to the end of school right now. Again, in the Pacific Northwest, our students have over a month left, but that’s beside the point. (Our summer weather starts almost in September, just so you...
Read More(Happy Monday, all! I’m blogging on a slightly different day and a slightly different schedule this week. It’s a big announcement week for me! After today, I’m going to be taking you on a journey with me. Curious enough? First, I know many of you are moving into M.S.T.: Major Study Time and finals. This seems like the right time to get a little academic and talk about study tips, which I haven’t discussed much in this blog. One of my degrees is in Post-Secondary Ed, so I’ll draw on that a bit as I offer up some possibly unconventional advice.) Did you know that your single best study tool is one that you may be overlooking? (And no,...
Read More(Check out my first week on my new site! Can you believe? This is my third post! I haven’t responded to a news item in a while, and I see that the continued discussion regarding Facebook, students and profs is not going anywhere. I covered this, myself, in this post called School Business on Facebook: Time for Some New Communication Rules. Here’s my response to a different idea on the subject… fresh from the Huffington Post.) I’ll just say up front. I don’t. And I won’t. Friend current students on Facebook, that is. I’m out of the classroom for a year working on the grant project I talked about earlier this week, and I’m...
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