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Open education has been my passion for a number of years now so when I was invited to write a short piece on why open matters for Teaching Matters I was happy to oblige. Before trying to explore this question, let me explain what I mean by open education. Open education is a broad catch-all term that includes open education resources ( OER s), massive open online courses ( MOOC s), open education practice, open assessment practices (e.g.
Last night I had the first of my lasts (or at least the first last that I was conscious of): my last Hope Bible study at Pillar Church. I haven’t even gone to that many of these Bible studies, but I still somehow feel so connected to them – probably because of the huge love I have for and receive from so many of the people who are there each week.
A key part of the University of Edinburgh’s commitment to experiential learning and community engagement is Innovative Learning Week , which takes place in February each year. We invited a student filmmaker, Perry Jonsson , to capture some footage of different events that took place this year and to talk to staff and students about their experiences.
It is often said that a pet becomes part of the family: a companion, a friend. For many for homeless and vulnerably-housed people, animal companions are often the most significant other for their owners – a strong example of the human-animal bond and a source of stability and continuity in often-difficult lives. All4Paws is a new, student-led community project in the Vet School providing ‘pop-up’ vet clinics for homeless and vulnerably-housed people and their animals.
[The following is adapted from a talk I gave to colleagues who provide library instruction for first-year college writing courses, but have never taught one themselves. I thought similar librarians might be interested in the research essay from an instructor’s perspective.]. A little bit about my background with writing instruction. I started teaching writing, or rhetoric as it’s called there, at the University of Illinois in 1992.
The day I was leaving for Spring Break I took my final driving test. Not like in Europe it had two parts in the U.S. During the first part, I had to park the car in three different positions at the parking slot between the cones. In order to move on to the next part, which is the actual driving in the city, I had to pass this one first. The first part of the driving skills test: parking between the cones.
My friends and I went to Florida for Spring Break, but we drove. It was about 16 hours, 1110 miles long drive from Holland to Jacksonville. For us it was better to drive because we needed a car in Florida, so we could visit different places. On the other hand, the ride was very long. In the beginning it was fun. We talked a lot about different things, but after Atlanta it really got tiring.
My friends and I went to Florida for Spring Break, but we drove. It was about 16 hours, 1110 miles long drive from Holland to Jacksonville. For us it was better to drive because we needed a car in Florida, so we could visit different places. On the other hand, the ride was very long. In the beginning it was fun. We talked a lot about different things, but after Atlanta it really got tiring.
During our Spring Break we did a lot amazing things. One of them was a trip to the city called St. Augustine. The City of St. Augustine is considered as the oldest city in the United States of America. It was founded in September 1565 by Spanish colonists and it is truly beautiful. It was for the first time when I was walking in the city in the U.S. and I felt like was in Europe – Spain to be more specific.
If there’s one thing I miss the most about home, it’s being able to cook in my own kitchen. You know how it feels when you are so used to a place that when even when you leave for a while and come back, you still feel right at home? It’s not that I can’t cook my own food at my house here on campus, but there’s something about the familiarity of the stove I use, the shelf in cabinet where the flour is, or why I can always find the vanilla extract behind the bottle of ground cinnamon.
Readers, I hope you had the greatest Easter! It was truly a time to celebrate, especially in Dublin. Let me explain. 100 years ago in Dublin on the day after Easter, the first shots of the Easter Rising rang out. This was the significant event that led to Ireland gaining their independence just a few years later. Since I’m still learning about the Rising, I’m not the best one to be explaining it to you so here’s the full story if you want more background.
This is not meant to discredit my philosophy teacher in any way but rather commend his unconventional teaching habits; his weird phrases often stick to my mind and help me remember the material. The post’s purpose is a good laugh so enjoy! Based on a true story. Oh cow, why are you so beautiful. Is it because you have reached actuality? Out of Context: “Take the cow.
Today, with the help of my friends, I made a great discovery in the Phelps Dining Hall. I found out that they serve Nutella at the sandwich counter. I think everyone loves Nutella, so here are top 5 recipes that one should try with Nutella. You will be very surprised how creative you can be with Nutella. I did not believe how many different combinations, that I would have never thought about are possible.
Over the past weekend the tradition called Dance Marathon took place in the Dow Center. As a freshman I had no clue what should I imagine under the dance marathon. Should I imagine a lot of students running? Should I imagine a big dance performance? Nevertheless, it was neither of it. For those who do not know what the Dance Marathon is, like I did not know before Friday 7 p.m., the Dance Marathon is a charity event for less fortunate children.
In the early 1990’s, it became clear that music needed to be more accessible across the community. Thus, Professor Nigel Osborne set up Music in the Community in 1991. Music in the Community aims to inform the scientific understanding and practical application of music as an educational, therapeutic, artistic and social tool. Students undertake a two year programme of training, which includes a supervised weekly placement in a community setting.
Last night, I went to see Dance 42 , an annual show put on by the Dance Department of Hope College. I wish I had photos to share, but unfortunately photography was not allowed. Last year, it was called Dance 41 and next year it will be called Dance 43. You get the picture, it’s been going on for a while. Above is a video from Dance 37, the only one that I could find online.
When I found out I would be living in my own room for the year, I started planning in my head what I wanted my room to look like. I, like many of you I’m sure, turned to Pinterest, YouTube tutorials, Tumblr and other blogs to find some DIY inspiration. I knew I didn’t want to go out and spend a lot of money on decorations, so I went through what I had from living in the dorms the previous years.
As of Monday, Hope’s campus has come back to life. The snow has melted, students are studying in the Pine Grove on blankets or in hammocks suspended between trees, frisbees are flying, and students have said good bye to winter parkas and hello to shorts and t-shirts. Little signs of spring are popping up around campus. While the outdoors are pleasant and inviting with its 60-degree weather and sunshine, the demands of this time of spring semester can be pretty stressful and all kinds of bu
My first semester, I lived in Scott Hall , which meant I had to eat in the Phelps Dining Hall. Phelps Dining Hall is mostly for freshmen and sophomores. The second semester I moved to Cook Hall, so I gained an access to Cook Dining Hall. In order to be able to eat in Cook Dining student needs to have certain amount of credits or to live in Cook Hall.
When we started the Smart Data Hack in 2013, the premise was simple: take a bunch of tech-savvy students, challenge their imaginations and coding abilities with problems and data from ‘the real world’, then sit back and see what happens over the five days of Innovative Learning Week. The results were mind-expanding, for the students, for the sponsors, and for us, the organisers.
Dance Marathon is coming up this Friday. Last year, I participated as dancer for the full 24 hours. This year, I will be a “moraler” for an eight hour shift on Friday night. Orange Leaf , a frozen yogurt shop downtown Holland, has been running a competition this year to see who can earn the most money in receipts for Dance Marathon. Part of the purchase goes to the fundraiser and the winner gets $500 donated to their team page at the end.
The last place I visited on my mid-term break was Northern Ireland. Leaving Austria on Wednesday and flying out of Munich Airport in Germany on Thursday, it was a crazy week already. Then right on the tail end of leaving my parents in Germany (not to be seen for another seven weeks) the IES program took us to Northern Ireland. Truthfully, I underestimated just how much traveling I would do during break, and how jam-packed this trip would be.
The annual International Food Day will be held on February 25 in Maas Center Auditorium from 6 to 8 p.m. The public is invited. The food will be available in exchange for tickets that will be sold at the door. Entry is $5 which will pay for 5 tickets; extra tickets cost 50 cents. This is what everyone else saw. An enjoyable, easy-going evening with a bunch of friends and foods from around the world, courtesy of Hope’s students.
Yesterday, I went to apply for a Michigan Driver’s License. I was quite excited about it because only 3 years ago, I was in progress of getting the Czech Driver’s License, so I was wondering about the difference. I went to the Secretary of State offices in Holland, a place where people apply for driver’s license and other vehicle related things like a license plate.
In my current English class ( English 113 ), which is also required to take in order the graduate from Hope College, we got an assignment to write a personal essay. Firstly, I did not know what to write about, so my first couple paragraphs were about the European migrant crisis. Since I am an European it could be considered “personal” to me that a lot of refugees and economic migrants move to my homeland.
There are less than 70 weeks of classes left of my time at Hope. That’s the timeline facing any current sophomore that is graduating in four years. We’re almost halfway there. And it’s kind of scary. There are a lot of things that I have no idea about that I need to figure out over the next two years: What kind of internships should I apply for?
Teaching Matters is the University of Edinburgh’s website for debate about learning and teaching, for sharing ideas and approaches to teaching, and for showcasing our successes, including academic colleagues who are leading the way in delivering brilliant teaching. Every month we take a theme and explore it through a video feature highlighting one of our ‘4*’ teachers, articles , a ‘ Focus on a School ’, and a number of blog contributions over the month.
Having a church to go to every Sunday is a little bit like having a home team, I think. A church can be a community of love, support and faith outside of the college context. Up until recently, I’ve only attended Hope’s Chapel and Gathering services. One of my best friends, Rachel, and I decided that we want to find a traditional church in the Holland area to attend.
Hope’s campus is filled once again and bursting with life, especially now that the sun is out. Yet I feel a little bit lost and in the wrong, all because I’m not in New Jersey with the 12 other people I spent the last week with. Last Saturday, our group left bright and early to drive over to New Jersey. We drove all day, finally making it to Highland Park, NJ, that night.
Over Spring Break I had the chance to go to Ft. Myers , Florida, with my parents and my friend Heather who is studying to be an ASL interpreter at RIT in New York. It was so nice to get away, soak up some sunshine, and relax with only some guilt at not making any progress on my school work to-do list. One day we decided to check out this ice cream place we had heard about called The Love Boat.
Click to view slideshow. I’m a food connoisseur – not just because I’m a college student – but also because I’m a, well, hungry college student. I lived my first two years in the downtown strip of Holland, running triathalons between JP’s, Jimmy John’s and Lemonjello’s- but this third year, I discovered there’s so much more to explore.
Wow, friends, what a weekend! As you know from my last post, it was St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland on Thursday. However, since it’s Ireland, the city was abuzz with events all weekend. There was so much to do we had to choose the events we went to wisely to get the most out of our weekend. Here’s a little peek at what we did! Thursday: St.
Well, readers, today’s the day we’ve all been waiting for: St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland. It’s only 8 a.m. here, but the city is already abuzz with excitement and I’m so excited to tell you all about what I do today! The simple fact that I’m here in Ireland for St. Paddy’s Day is something many people wish to check off their bucket list at some point in their lives.
Last Monday, I and my two other friends volunteered and we were coaching children and adults to skate and play ice hockey. The first hour the children from ages 5 to 12 had lessons. It was great to give back to the community, but also I realized how hard learning to skate and play hockey is. Since I played ice-hockey for 15 years a lot of things come for granted.
Last week was a bad week. They happen. I was kind of expecting it. By Friday morning I was convinced I was going to make myself feel better. How? I basically just did a bunch of things that I always want to do but consistently tell myself I don’t have the time for it. I bought Ben & Jerry’s ice cream at the Kletz. I finally registered for the 10K I want to run at Kennywood Park over the summer.
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