Teaching, Traveling, Etc.

My apologies for not posting in awhile, all. I am gratified by the amount of traffic this site gets, even when I’ve been away from the computer for awhile. So why have I been so quiet? First, I was out of town for the 2012 NewSpace Conference, which consumed a great deal of bandwidth, followed by a brief out-of-town vacation. And when I haven’t been doing that exciting stuff, I’ve been trying to keep up with my work for the Science Cheerleaders and to prepare for my upcoming English 300 course at University of Alabama-Huntsville. At least I can’t complain about being bored.

I should have my thoughts about NewSpace posted on the personal blog sometime later this evening.

As far as the teaching prep goes, I’ve been consulting with a variety of online, in-print, and in-person resources on how to go about this business. I will be drawing on some of my Disney University experience and the thoughts of my mentor-buddy who worked with me there. One thing she has been emphasizing with me is the need for a student- and activity-focused classroom. This will be a bit outside my usual “range,” as that will require me to tap my (occasional) inner extrovert. The trick seems to be to keep the activities or discussions moving in such a way that the class is actively learning without realizing they’re doing so. The magic of “infotainment?” Not entirely sure about that. There are some things–such as grammar and document format–that are what they are. Lecture- or teacher-centered action would seem to make sense in those situations. No doubt there are ways to make things more interactive or fun, I’ll just need to get creative.

I have some serious thinking, planning, and writing under way. I’m sure life will get even more interesting once my students start reading this blog. I expect to learn some things the hard way, which is normal for me.

Meanwhile, thanks for your readership and patience as I focus on the stuff that makes me money. I won’t neglect you entirely.

About Bart Leahy

Freelance Technical Writer, Science Cheerleader Event & Membership Director, and an all-around nice guy. Here to help.
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3 Responses to Teaching, Traveling, Etc.

  1. lin says:

    Will your ENG 300 course use a style guide?

  2. Most likely. That, or at least some general guidelines and a pet peeve/don’t-do-this-unless-you-want-to-irritate-me handout. 🙂

  3. Matthew Morgal says:

    As often as I try to use my blog to supplement my professional work experience and build a writing portfolio, I always find myself neglecting it because of the reason you state – doing professional stuff that makes money. Sometimes it’s tough to find time to even write one post a week, though I realize consistency is often useful.

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