OOOooooOOoooOoooo Halloween fun????

Well Halloween is approaching. In case you haven't heard, it is a pretty big deal in downtown Kent the Saturday night immediately preceding Oct. 31st. It is something to take in!!

One Halloween I dressed as a two-headed, three-armed, and three-legged person. Pretty creepy. A bit different from my daily look as a Jerry Garcia doppelganger or a lost cast member from the musical Hair.

What was your favorite costume you wore during a Halloween past? Also if you can remember some of the activities you did for Halloween in grade school, please share. Maybe we can do a few at our Halloween ELC party.

So it's Homecoming... What's your opinion?

It's Homecoming Week and it's a big deal to some people here on campus. For some it's more important to those who have graduated many, MANY years ago.

So what is your take on Homecoming at the university? Good? Bad? Indifferent? What do you think?

What's your opinion of Homecoming for your high school now that you are no longer there?

Professor's point of view - A teachable moment?

After the "Teacher Panel" I had posted an email communicating a point of view as a professor and the coordinator of a community of individuals who had voluntarily requested to be a part of a "learning community".

There are a number of factors that contribute to being a learning community.... 1) an opportunity to reside together in close proximity to develop acquaintances and friends within the community sharing a common career goal; 2) taking some classes together to foster collaborative studying and mutual assistance; and 3) to have unique weekly programming to enhance professional development and community building/networking.

The process started with the blog during the summer to share some information and feel a part of the 2007 Education Learning Community.

The FYC and the weekly ELC programs provide opportunities and information that are not made available to other freshman education majors as an ongoing commitment of the College of Education, Health and Human Services.

A professor's position with respect to attendance is that "a student is responsible for attending all sessions of all classes and programs in which they enroll and in which there may be an assessment of the student's learning and/or participation." When part of a group or community, the group or community experience is dependent upon participating in the group or community.

Professors view studying as an important and critical activity of students. We also know that there are 168 hours in a week. You be the professor! Put yourself in my place.

Based upon the preceding, HERE IS THE BIG QUESTION....

Is studying a legitimate reason for not attending required classes or programs?

Or think about it in a little different way... you are a teacher.

You have spent several hours developing a lesson for a student who for the class period of instruction, skips it to go to a study hall to complete homework that was due yesterday. What would you do?

Five weeks in... How are you preparing for midterms?

Well we've passed our fifth week... the craziness of the first start-up weeks and the great weather have possibly delayed the reality of tests and assignments that seem weekly from week 4 to week 12 of the semester.

It's in the fifth week that you have to start looking ahead to midterms. Start organizing your notes, catch up on readings, and prepare some "test study aids". At this point as you study new material to prepare for class, review previous material so you can fit the new material in with the previous.

Well this is a blog and through it you can help each other.... Please share a study tip or strategy that you use.

What would make it better?

Well you've been through KSU's Week of Welcome (WOW) for new students almost a week ago and the first week of classes is almost over. I don't know which is harder to survive... new student programs and moving in OR the first week of classes?

The purpose of this post is to find out 1. what you liked during the new student program (Thursday thru Sunday), 2. what you didn't like, and 3. what would you have rather had as a program or event that you would have gone to?

Important!!!! How do you like your pizza?

Doc Z as always...

We are less that a week away (make that three days) from being on campus and meeting face to face. In case you are not aware, there will be many times when I will be ordering pizza for us as part of ELC activities. I need to know what you like on your pizza!

In Kent we have a number of chain pizza shops (viz. Papa John's, Pizza Hut, Domino's, Hungry Howies, Pizza Pan) and independents (viz. Bruno's, Loft, Guy's, Guido's) Who makes your favorite pizza?

As for the Doc, it's italian sausage, green pepper, mushroom and olives that does the trick. The best pizza I have ever had comes from Aurielio's Pizza south of Chicago.

Any words of wisdom?

Doc Z here....

Less than two weeks until we're all here at Kent and starting classes. There is a situation that I am sure many of you have found yourself in during the past year.... a parent, a relative, a teacher, or even a perfect stranger will have imparted some words of wisdom to you as you are getting ready to go off to college.

For me it occurred on a Greyhound Bus during the summer of 1970, a somewhat inebriated man seated next to me upon finding out that I was going to Indiana University for an interview for grad school said to me, "You know kid, it's nice to be nice to some people, some times."


Please post any words of wisdom that have been shared with you!

Myths and truths about going to KSU/college

Doc Z again....

We're about 4 and 1/2 weeks away from the start of school. I'm sure while in high school and as you made your choice to go to college, many people shared information about what it would be like and what you needed to do when you came to college. Your parents may have shared some of their experiences if they went to college (Not everything.... I think not!!!), older sibs, older friends, even relatives.

So let's deal with myths and truths.....

To start... Truth... a college experience is a very personal thing. Every one has their own college experience. And just because someone says something happened to them, doesn't mean it will happen to you.

Myth... college classes are harder than high school classes. You are going to have to study a lot.
Truth... you will have some easy classes that you will not have to study very hard for if at all. However, there will be courses that are rigorous and will have a lot of required reading and assignments. As for harder or more difficult.... the point is you wouldn't be here if you couldn't do the work. We tend to work harder and do better in subjects we "like". The one's we don't like, we don't work at and therefore don't do well in.

Myth... if your roommate dies during the semester, the university will give you all A's for your grades that semester.
Truth... there is no such policy at Kent. It doesn't happen.

Myth... greek organizations (viz. fraternities and sororities) are for those who need to "buy" friends or have an active "partying" / social life.
Truth... greek organizations provide a range of activities for members beyond "partying" and socials. Each greek organization has its own program of activities many which focus on its members. Being socially active is a big part of greek life, but socially active is not what you have seen portrayed in movies or tv. People go greek because they enjoy the company of other greeks, take advantage of the networking opportunities, and want the camaraderie of like minded people.

Myth... some buildings on campus require elevator passes.
Truth... no such thing.

Myth... doing extra credit can bring your grades up to an "A" in some classes.
Truth... check the syllabus. Many faculty will allow you to improve your grade by providing opportunities for extra credit. Not all faculty provide for extra credit. In fact some faculty, my self included, will allow extra credit to raise a grade from "D" to "C" or "C" to "B" only. No going from "D" to "B" and an "A" cannot be made through extra credit.

Myth... only greeks are allowed to paint the front campus rock.
Truth... it only seems like that. Anyone, group or individual, can paint the front campus rock. At times the coats of paint on the rock have been up to an inch thick. There have been times when the rock has been painted over four times in a single 24 hour period.

So have you heard something about KSU or college that you would like to know the truth about?
If I know I'll provide a response. If I don't know I'll get an answer for you. Ask away!

So what do you collect?

Doc Z again.....

For personal enjoyment (viz. too much time on my hands during the summer), I was building a model of a motorcycle over the past week. When I'm not working on the real thing, I work on models of them.

Model building is a hobby I have pursued since grade school. As is usually the case, I found several parts were missing... a couple of springs and tiny screws. So I had to hunt for substitutes. As I was rummaging through "stuff" in my house , I realized that not only have I had a variety of hobbies over the years but I also have collected things.

I think "collecting" things is something we do our whole lives. As young children, toy cars, dolls, comics, cards (i.e., baseball, magic, NASCAR, etc.), shells, and rocks fill our pockets, drawers and shelves. But at some point in time we switch to "serious" collecting.... we specialize. Items we collect have personal and monetary value, and we actually hunt for items for our collections. A Barbie or Matchbox car collection can be worth a lot of money. I have a friend that collected "penguins". He had plastic penguins, wooden penguins, penguin books, and even penguin pj's. His pride and joy was a small penguin carved out of ivory made by an Inuit. I know women who collect shoes and purses and men who collect ties. I have a friend that collects "old" musical instruments and learns to play them.

Here is a list of things that I collect and actually display or store.... (Note: To be included on the list, I actually purchased or added an item to the collection over the past three months.)

US Coins
US Stamps
Fetishes and amulets (Carved stone and bronze cast animals and figures)
Mask and face sculptures (Displayed on a wall in my living room)
Glass and ceramic craft art (Bowls, vases, mugs, etc.)
Dreidels (Silver, glass, and wood "tops")
Marbles
Kites
Pens
Harley Davidson Dealer Pins (Every HD dealer has a special pin for their store.)

My most prized item in all my collections is a ceramic jar made by and given to me by my high school art teacher.

So my big question for you to share with me is.... what do you collect? To qualify as a collection, you must have at least three items in your collection, you must have added an item in the last six months, and whenever you encounter an item that is collectible you think about acquiring it.

Finally... What is your most prized possession? It may be part of one of your collections OR not.

So what are you good at?

Doc Z again.....

I'm interested in knowing a few things that others might be interested in too.

1. What are you really good at that has nothing to do with "school"? Is it something you have been passionate about for a long time?

2. What was your worst subject? What made it so negative an experience?

3. What subject in school was your favorite and what made it your favorite? What subject did you do the best in? How did you do the work for that subject (what strategies did you employ)?

Welcome to the ELC Blog

Doc Z here.

I'd like to welcome you to our Education Learning Community blog.... A place where you can interact with other members of our learning community.

I know that this might seem silly because once school starts, you can just go down the hall and talk directly to them OR if you're like most everyone else, you'll call them on your cell phone even if they're in the room next door.

But this blog is special.... you can "talk" to everyone at the same time and "listen" to everything everyone is "saying" to everyone else. You can ask questions and anyone can answer. Even better.... there will be members of the ELC from previous years who will become part of our group and you can get answers from students who have been through their freshman and sophomore years and are still participating in the ELC. They will be available to you as peer mentors in the fall.

Now something you need to know about me...... I am not your parent! I will be very frank and honest with you. Possibly brutally honest.

Although I am a faculty member in the College of Education, Health and Human Services and am as old as dirt, I have lived in a residence hall for eight(8) years with undergraduates (viz., I know about sleeping late, roommate difficulties, and desire for privacy... 'nuf said) , I am a chapter and faculty advisor to a fraternity for over 15 years and often work the door at parties til 2 o'clock in the morning (viz., I am aware of underage drinking and every drinking game played in Kent), and I know that more often than not you will only work as hard as you need to in order to get the grade you will be satisfied with (viz., not read anything that you will not be tested on or do anything beyond the minimal requirement). I have worked with new students almost my entire career (32 years at Kent) and as best as I can figure, I have had close to 6,500 students in my classes.

I know that at this point in time during your first year, all the talk about studying and how to succeed as a student, the majority of the "Welcome Week" programs, and even the typical "orientation" class is a waste of your time because of priorities. You may be tempted to blow off parts of many of the programs and available activities based on the fact that other students may have told you that they are worthless.

THE THING YOU HAVE TO REALIZE IS THAT EVERYTHING THAT IS AVAILABLE TO YOU HERE IS UP TO YOUR CHOICE. That can really put a strain on the time that you have available.

You choose your program, you choose when you take your courses within some limitations, you choose whether to do the minimum, and only you know whether you have played the prof or not. [ For those of you that are interested.... this is called "impression management" and it is employed to establish how others view you. Particularly useful for employees to get the most from their bosees or for students to get the best out of their instructors and faculty advisors. Check out Erving Goffman.]

WHAT ARE YOUR PRIORITIES? Here are a few, in the typical order of importance....

Finding your way around this place so you can feel comfortable and not look like a fool.
Finding a circle of friends to have a social life.
Finding a significant friend for support and need as a confidante.
Finding out about parties, bars, eateries, entertainment, favorite activities for stress release or diversion.
By your senior year 88% of you will have gotten part time employment to help difray the cost of school OR to have money to pay for things you want to do or have.

Please note that in the above list there is no mention of classes or education or even studying. With those priorities where would you fit in the time for taking classes and studying?

As time passes every one of you will make choices that will be to enhance your ability to succeed in a particular career. Since you are members of the Education Learning Community, my guess is that you intend to become teachers. So you will need to make choices each semester and each year that will help you get your first teaching position. BUT THIS IS YOUR FIRST SEMESTER OF YOUR FIRST YEAR AND GETTING THAT JOB IS FOUR YEARS AWAY!!!!!!!!

Let me share an observation with you..... when you have no destination, you never know when you get there.

And another.... every student, every faculty member you meet was once a freshman!

So what are your thoughts? What do you want to know? What did you think of the latest Harry Potter movie or Michael Moore's Sicko?
Who do you plan to call in case of melt down? How can we help each other?