Over the Winter Break, I bought and read Walter Isaacson’s biography of Apple CEO Steve Jobs. Fascinating book, and also a brief history of “Silicon Valley.” I highly recommend the book. Steve Jobs never completed college. Neither did Bill Gates, of Microsoft. Mark Zuckerberg, the developer of Facebook, he dropped out of college, too. I…
In 2004 I began teaching my World Geography course online . That is to say, my course was fully 100% online. Many students expect faculty to use Blackboard at both institutions where I teach. Students expect to find at least a syllabus. Many students expect to find some semblance of notes, as well. From the…
Update: The following essay was written October 2011. On March 30th, 2013, the Atlanta Public Schools Superintendent and 34 other school officials were charged with running a “corrupt organization” (yes, just like the Mafia). The 35 individuals have been indicted for falsifying standardized test scores. (WashingtonPost) Let me begin by stating I am not going…
I honestly do not think our current National Education System is churning out people prepared to meet the world head-on. Some schools are doing a fine job in spite reduced parental support, reduced administrative support, reduced political support, and local, state, and federal support. Americans whine about jobs, but Education is the only true way…
And, it’s not the job you think. As an instructor, teacher, lecturer, coach, whatever the role, I honestly do have an interest in helping people be successful in their academic career. Helping students become successful hopefully results in successful people, resulting in a better, more educated, more productive society. Everyone wins! Not everyone begins college…
Why using a smartphone, netbook, or laptop in class can get you into real trouble. A few years ago, I was at in-service training for part-time lecturers at a local community college. Our facilitator was going over the process of syllabus creation, what to include, etc. She said, “you can even go so far as…
Whether one is a welder, a foreign diplomat, or a genetic engineer, being educated about the world makes a society better. The Chronicle of Higher Education ran a front-page piece detailing the educational efforts of our state legislators, “How Educated Are Our State Legislators?” Definitely some surprises. Arkansas, for example, ranks higher than Maine. I…
At this stage of iPhone/iPad application development, I would have a hard time recommending the iPad device for use in the GIS/RS environments. I qualify that statement by exempting application development from the critique. The iOS development environment is sufficiently robust to allow for an immense variety of quality applications. The scarcity of GIS,…
I’m sure most people under 65 have heard of “e-learning,” are so I hope. Perhaps not; “electronic learning,” or “e-learning,” refers to the use of technology for providing educational content. Not the same as “distance learning.” That, too, is a child of e-learning. Think of e-learning as an umbrella held by a parent. Distance…
Constant Geography 