Tag Archives: teaching

SLIS director shares journey from high tech back to academics

Dr. Sandra Hirsh
Director, School of Library and Information Sciences

Dr. Sandra Hirsh, the director of the San Jose State  University School of Library and Information Sciences, was interviewed for the teacher’s blog “Teacher Certification Degrees,” about her move to full-time academia. Hirsh oversees the College of Applied Sciences and Arts Master of Library and Information Science and Master of Archives and Record Administration programs, two exclusively online degrees offered at the university. Hirsh is also involved in the San Jose Gateway Ph.D program, which offers a part-time, online doctoral program in partnership with Queensland University of Technology.

In the interview with the blog, Hirsh shares some of her job history, which includes teaching at the University of Arizona before moving her career to Silicon Valley. She worked for technology firms including HP Labs, Microsoft and LinkedIn before she took the position as a full-time director of the SLIS programs.

Read her answers on how her experience in the private sector influences her role as director of SLIS and more at http://www.teachercertificationdegrees.com/interviews/sandra-hirsh/

“Teacher Certification Degrees” is a resource to those looking to explore, start or expand a career in education, with interviews from current educators on their experiences.

Diversity in News & in Practice in Higher Education

by Bob Rucker

The U.S. Capitol in Washington is filled with more than 180 statues of giants of American history. Today, on what would have been her 100th birthday, Rosa Parks becomes  the first woman to receive this honor. See the CBS This Morning story at: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50141837n

Another timely diversity issue in America Chicago Tribune: “Religion a block for gays in pro football”

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/football/bears/chi-miller-religion-gays-locker-room-20130226,0,2832792.story

Helping educate SJSU students about how to understand complicated diversity issues remains an important challenge and duty for all who
educate and inform the campus community.

Find more of Professor Rucker at http://www.profbob.com

Here is a quick read on SJSU Diversity Policies. and some SJSU campus factiods.

MOSAIC Cross-Cultural Center at SJSU provide some excellent resources for students.

Flip the Script: 21st Century Teaching: Opportunities and Incentives Symposium at SJSU

 

On Monday, September 24, 2012, directed by the Provost’s Office, SJSU continued its commitment to digital innovation

21st Century Teaching: Opportunities and Incentives at SJSU

with a gathering of academics, professionals, and administrators at the 21st Century Teaching: Opportunities and Initiatives Symposium held at MLK Library on the SJSU campus.

The symposium came on the heels of the announcement of a major technology initiative to reinvent the academic experience for students on campus; an initiative highlighted by relationships with Adobe, Cisco, edX, OPI, Apple, and numerous other partners.

The morning began with an overview of the digital teaching space by  Dr. Candace Thille, Professor and Director of the Open Learning Initiative at Carnegie Mellon University, who presented, “Evidence-Based Innovation in Teaching & Learning: How faculty can leverage cutting-­edge online pedagogies to enhance student engagement and foster.”

Dr.  Thille covered a number of different areas in the digital teaching space including some techniques and tools that were expanded on during SJSU faculty presentations.

Most notably, the idea of the flipped classroom was showcased, where students watch traditional lectures outside the classroom and in-class time is devoted to group problem solving and critical thinking. The flipped classroom is enhanced with the use of learning management systems and other online tools. The idea challenges traditional approaches to pedagogy in terms of lecture and information delivery.

To ensure the dialogue continues at SJSU, faculty signed up for various technology-related Faculty Learning Communities (FLCs) groups (sponsored by The Center for Faculty Development) to explore the digital teaching landscape with colleagues.

What are Flipped Classrooms?

Jerry Overmyer from the University of Northern Colorado, a proponent of flipped classrooms, says on his site that, “The flipped classroom model encompasses any use of using Internet technology to leverage the learning in your classroom, so you can spend more time interacting with students instead of lecturing. This is most commonly being done using teacher created videos (aka vodcasting) that students view outside of class time.”

A link to an overview of flipped classrooms can be found here: The Flipped Class: What it is and What it is Not. A web link for resources can be found here at http://flippedclassroom.org/

An interesting video on flipped classrooms can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2H4RkudFzlc