1st Blog Assignment - ALL Classes

Well, the first week of the new semester is well under way, and I thought I'd post here the first "Blog Assignment" as well as some extra info about the blog. This will be true for all my classes, which means that all of you should have your blogs set up and emailed to me by Sunday. You can go through your Blackboard account, or go to http://www.blogger.com, and click "Create Your Account." Once you have your account, log in to Blackboard and then using the course email, send me an email with your Blog URL in the message. The URL will be found on the top of the screen, where you would type in a web address, and it will be in the following format: http://yourblogname.blogspot.com (replace "yourblogname" with your actual blog name). The easiest thing to do is to copy and paste the URL. Once I receive the blogs, I will link them to the main blog (this one), and you will be able to view and comment on your classmates' blogs.

As for the first blog assignment, blog about something you did this summer. We'll start off slow, so it can just be a few sentences, but you're welcome to blog a few paragraphs if you'd like!

Welcome to Fall 2010-1!

New semesters are always full of anticipation, nerves, and imagining the possibilities. New years, too, provide the same sense of beginning. This fall, it's both a new semester and a new academic year; everything is possible, so reach for it!

I'm looking forward to this semester and this academic year. The sense of newness it brings excites me, and I hope that together, we make the most and best of this semester. As you make your way through your classes, whether it's your first semester or your last, enjoy it and think about all that you can, and will, accomplish!

Happy new academic year!

New Semester, New Blogs

I'm getting ready for the upcoming semester, so in the next couple weeks I will be taking down the blogs from here to make room for the new classes. If you're still blogging on here and want to let me know, email me so I can follow your blog; or, if you like following someone's blog, make sure you officially "follow" the blog (there's an icon) because otherwise, you won't be able to track them once I take them off.

I hope you're enjoying what's left of the summer and wish you much luck in the upcoming semester!! :)

Ratemyprofessor.com

Wow. Well, I just took a peak over there and was quite surprised. It almost seems as if someone really didn't like me. And that's okay; I mean, I'm here to teach, not win a popularity contest. I just wish the comments would've been more specific. Actually, that applies to both positive and negative comments and for all instructors: if you're going to leave a comment, leave a detailed one of what worked or didn't work for that professor. Believe me, it's helpful!

I did want to clarify something, though. The title Assistant Professor, is just that - a title. It doesn't mean "assistant" in the sense of being an assistant to someone. When someone starts as a new faculty member (not an adjunct/part-time) with a Master's degree, one starts with that title, and as you all know, I began as a full-time Professor at BC in January. There's a range of titles for Professors: Instructor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Professor, and Senior Professor. They are all titles and usually are attributed to the professor's combination of experience and education.

I can't expect everyone to like me; heck, there are different learning styles and different teaching styles. While I try to do the best that I can, I am constantly learning, and by receiving constructive criticism as to what works or doesn't work helps me become a better instructor. I am a firm believer that we never start learning or modifying how we work, no matter the job, because when we do, we stop being effective.

Hope everyone's having a fun, and safe, summer!

New blog - for anyone that's interested

I wanted to share a new personal blog I created. It contains (or will contain) pictures and writings (poetry, fiction and nonfiction) that I take/do. I know some of you enjoy this stuff ;) so I thought I'd post it here for anyone that's interested.

http://musingsofwriterwannabe.blogspot.com/

Hope everyone's having an awesome summer!

Edwidge Danticat and Tananarive Due: Live at Historical Museum of SoFla

Hi guys,

I don't know how many of you are reading this, but I thought it would be interesting in case you are! In 1102, we read Edwidge Danticat's short story "Night Women," and it would be a wonderful opportunity to meet the author herself.

Here's the link http://www.hmsf.org/ and below is the info directly related to this event.

Event: African Diaspora Authors: Edwidge Danticat and Tananarive Due
Date/Time: Thursday, May 21/6:30 pm
Location: Historical Museum of Southern Florida
Address: 101 West Flagler Street, Miami 33130
Info/RSVP: For information, call 305.375.1492
Description: Miami is home to Black authors of diverse backgrounds. In this program, renowned novelists Tananarive Due, who grew up in Miami, and Edwidge Danticat, who lives here today, read from their best-selling works and discuss how living in South Florida has influenced their writing.

I hope you guys can make it!

The End of the Semester

Well, first of all I wanted to say thank you to all of you for a wonderful semester, craziness and all. You have welcomed me to the BC community and I thank you for that. I have truly enjoyed myself and I hope that you have as well, in between learning a few things here and there. ;)

My hope is that you've learned skills that will help you beyond ENC 1101 or 1102, skills that will help you in your future careers, not just in the rest of your academic stay at BC. These skills include critical thinking, following directions, incorporating research, preparing information, knowing audience and tone, and many more.

For those of you in ENC 1101, I hope that our readings and discussions (circle time anyone?!) were interesting and prodded you to think. After all, we should all be thinkers and not just follow a preset mold. You all have the ability to reason and think critically about topics - use it.

For those of you in ENC 1102, I hope that the selections of short stories and poems were interesting, too. I hope that the discussions we had helped you "read between the lines" and that they allowed you to have more focused strategy. I hope that you enjoyed the projects and that apart from skills discussed above, I was able to interest you (at least slightly!) in the lives and works of the authors we read. And I hope you found some enjoyment in Hamlet, especially when acting the scenes.

For both 1101 and 1102 students, believe it or not, the critical thinking that went into writing the in-class essays and out-of-class essays leaves in you specific skills that will help you in the future.

Thank you again, and in the words of Hamlet's Ghost: Adieu. Adieu. Adieu. Remember me.