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Are We Still Listening? Talking with (Not Just About) Students in the Age of AI

The Robots Are Here. Now What?

Let’s be honest: education looks a lot different than it did even a couple of years ago. Tools like ChatGPT, AI writing assistants, and automated grading systems are popping up in classrooms everywhere—from high schools to graduate seminars. Whether we’re ready or not, artificial intelligence is now part of how we teach, how we give feedback, and how students ask for help.

But here’s the question that’s been gnawing on me: Are we still listening to our students? I mean really listening—not just skimming data dashboards or glancing at AI-generated summaries.

This post isn’t about banning AI or pretending it doesn’t exist (spoiler: it’s not going anywhere). Instead, it’s about exploring how we can stay grounded in human connection—especially as machines start playing a bigger role in our communication with students.

Fast Feedback Isn’t the Same as Feeling Heard

One of AI’s biggest selling points is speed. Feedback that used to take a few days can now happen in seconds. According to a 2024 UNESCO report, automated grading and assessment are the most common uses of AI in education today. Efficient? Yes. But also a little… robotic?

In a recent piece from Central Michigan University, students said AI-generated feedback often felt generic or impersonal. In fact, one of my students once told me (about another faculty member): “It was like my paper was graded by a robot—because it probably was.”

That hit me. I love a good rubric, but I also know that thoughtful, nuanced feedback—especially when it’s written with a student’s voice in mind—can be the spark that helps them grow. If all our comments sound the same, how can students tell we’re paying attention to them?

Office Hours Are Getting Quiet

In an August 2023 article from The Chronicle of Higher Education, one student shared that they’ve basically stopped going to office hours. Why? Because ChatGPT can answer their questions faster.

I get it. We’re all juggling a lot. But that convenience comes with a cost. Office hours aren’t just about explaining course material—they’re about building trust, showing up, and offering a space where students feel seen and supported. When students skip the conversation, they might get an answer, but they miss out on a relationship.

When the Data Gets It Wrong

Let’s talk about classroom dashboards for a minute. They can be helpful—especially for tracking attendance or identifying students who might be falling behind. But they’re not always accurate.

One student told EdSurge that a platform flagged them as disengaged during class. In reality? They were just quiet. Thinking. Processing. Not every student raises their hand or dominates the discussion—and that doesn’t mean they’re not tuned in.

And in an article from Fast Company, students who were falsely accused of using AI said they felt completely ignored during the process. One said, “I was talked at, not listened to.” That stings. When students feel judged without being heard, trust erodes fast—and rebuilding it takes time.

4 Ways to Keep Listening (Even When AI Is in the Room)

So, how do we stay connected in a world where bots are part of the learning experience? I don’t have all the answers, but here are a few strategies that have worked for me—and that might help you, too.

1. Check In After the Bot Checks Out

If you’re using AI to give feedback, try following up with a quick one-on-one. A simple, “How did that feedback feel?” opens the door for reflection—and reminds the student there’s a real person on the other end.

2. Build Listening Into the Routine

Create a “tech-free” time during the week—just a few minutes for students to share how things are going. You’d be amazed what they’ll tell you when the devices are down and the room feels safe.

3. Ask Students to Reflect on the Feedback They Receive

I’ve started giving prompts like, “What did you agree with in your feedback? What surprised you?” It helps students slow down and think critically about the input they’re getting—whether it came from me or a machine.

4. Believe Them First

This one’s big. If a student says, “I didn’t use AI,” and you believe them, say so. In that Fast Company article, students talked about feeling guilty until proven innocent. Our first response matters. Listening doesn’t mean agreeing blindly—it means giving them the dignity of being heard.

Let’s Keep the Conversation Human

I’m not anti-AI. I’ve used ChatGPT to brainstorm ideas and help me organize materials for a course. I’ve seen students light up when an AI tool helps them articulate something they’ve struggled to say. But I also believe that no matter how smart our tools get, they can’t replace the power of a genuine, present, empathetic conversation.

Listening is our superpower. Let’s not let it get automated away.

I’d love to hear your thoughts—how are you navigating the intersection of AI and student communication? Let’s keep the conversation going.

Want more resources or interested in becoming part of a community that cares deeply about listening? Visit the International Listening Association at www.listen.org.

Signature Block: I'm listening, Barbara

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Why Are My Online Classes So Quiet? Let’s Talk About It

If you’ve been teaching synchronous online classes lately, you might have noticed something strange: the silence. It’s not just a technical glitch; your students just aren’t speaking up. They’re not chiming in during discussions, and those “Any questions?” moments are met with… nothing. If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone.

Educators everywhere are grappling with this. A recent Newsweek article even called it “eerily silent.” And for a generation like Gen Z, who practically live online, it’s baffling. So, what’s going on? More importantly, how can we bring back the chatter that makes learning dynamic?

Let’s explore why students might be keeping quiet and, better yet, how we can help them feel more comfortable speaking up.

Why the Silence?

There are a few reasons why students might hesitate to speak up in online classes. Here are some of the big ones:

  • Camera Anxiety: Turning on a webcam can feel like stepping into a spotlight. Many students worry about how they look or who’s watching.
  • Lack of Connection: It’s tough to feel comfortable talking when you don’t really know the people on the other side of the screen.
  • Tech Frustrations: Delays, glitches or unfamiliarity with the platform can make participation awkward or intimidating.
  • Unclear Expectations: Without clear cues from the professor, students might not know when or how to jump in. (Do they just talk? Do they need to raise their virtual hand first? Are they supposed to respond in the chat?)

And let’s not forget the mental health challenges many students are facing. Anxiety and isolation have spiked since the pandemic, making it even harder to engage.

How to Get Them Talking

The good news? You can turn things around. Here are a few strategies to help students feel more at ease and ready to participate, with insights from Faculty Focus and other resources:

1. Set the Tone for Engagement

According to Faculty Focus, establishing a participatory culture early on is key. On day one:

  • Share your expectations for engagement clearly.
  • Use icebreakers to help students feel connected. (TIP: I start every class — not just the first one — with a question on the screen they can answer in the class chat as they arrive.)
  • Model vulnerability by sharing something about yourself, such as a quirky hobby or an embarrassing moment.

2. Use Technology to Support All Voices

Speaking out loud can be intimidating. Thankfully, online platforms give students other ways to join in:

  • Encourage the use of chat for quick responses or reactions during live sessions.
  • Use tools like Microsoft Teams’ Whiteboard or Padlet to facilitate collaborative brainstorming.
  • Experiment with polls or quizzes to make participation more interactive and less stressful. (TIP: I use Kahoot‘s poll/quiz feature about once a week to engage my students in a fun way.)

Faculty Focus also suggests the creative use of emojis and reactions in the chat to make students feel heard without the pressure of speaking aloud.

3. Design for Structured Interaction

Unstructured discussions can leave students unsure about when or how to contribute. Instead, provide structure:

  • Use breakout rooms for small group discussions. These are less intimidating and allow students to build confidence before returning to the larger class. (TIP: Pop into the breakout rooms on occasion to make sure things are going smoothly.)
  • Assign specific roles, like discussion leaders or note-takers, to give students a clear sense of purpose in the conversation.
  • Rotate participation duties so everyone has a turn without feeling singled out.

4. Normalize Mistakes as Part of Learning

Students often stay silent because they’re afraid of being wrong. Reframe participation as a process of learning, not a performance:

  • Encourage students to ask questions by modeling curiosity yourself. For instance, “I wonder what would happen if we applied this concept differently?”
  • Celebrate effort and contributions, even when they’re not perfect. Acknowledging the value of their ideas builds confidence. (TIP: Use their names when praising them.)

5. Make Engagement Rewarding

Participation doesn’t have to be tied to punitive grading. Instead, show students how their input matters:

  • Include their ideas in your lesson plan. For example, “Last week, Emma mentioned X, and it ties perfectly into today’s topic.” (TIP: I take a lot of notes during class sessions, using Notability on my iPad, for just this purpose.)
  • Highlight insightful contributions in follow-up emails or announcements.
  • Create collaborative rubrics for participation; ask your students what great engagement looks like, and evaluate them on that.

Looking Ahead

Online classes might feel quieter than usual, but that doesn’t mean it has to stay that way. With some thoughtful tweaks and a little empathy, it’s possible to create dynamic, engaging spaces where students feel comfortable participating. What works for one teacher might not work for another, but experimenting with different strategies can lead to those rewarding “aha” moments that make it all worthwhile.

What’s worked for you in encouraging student engagement? Share your tips—we’re all in this together.

Signature Block: Barbara is Listening

Resources

Best Practices for Synchronous Online Courses
The University of South Carolina’s Center for Teaching Excellence provides guidelines focusing on interaction and active participation in live online sessions.

University of South Carolina

Engaging Students in Structured Discussions in Synchronous Online Classes
The University at Albany offers strategies to ensure meaningful interactions during live online discussions.

University at Albany

Recommendations to Increase Student Engagement in Online Courses
Northern Illinois University provides tips to enhance student engagement, applicable to synchronous online settings.

Northern Illinois University

Engagement and Interactivity in Online Synchronous Learning
The University of Denver discusses key components of learner-instructor engagement crucial in online learning environments.

Office of Teaching and Learning

Synchronous Online Classes: 10 Tips for Engaging Students
Faculty Focus shares practical tips to increase engagement, participation, and accountability during virtual meetings.

Faculty Focus

NOTES

The framework of this article was inspired by ChatGPT.

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Reservations for Learning: Booking a Table at the Journal Article Café

I remember the first time I was asked (told) to use a “peer-reviewed article” in my research for a paper, I had no clue what the professor was talking about. I looked around the room, and the other students in the course were either nodding along or nodding off; no one looked confused, so I decided I wasn’t going to speak up and ask what she meant.

But I didn’t want to do poorly on the assignment, so I waited until after class and went up to ask.

Thank goodness I had a kind and caring professor who was much more interested in making sure her students learned than showing how intelligent she herself was. She told me that in general, it meant that the article came from an academic or professional journal (rather than something like a popular magazine) and that the article had gone through a rigorous review process before being published. It wasn’t just the writer and editor who decided it was good enough to print; other experts in the field provide their input. (There’s a lot more to it than that, but this was a clear enough explanation to get me started.)

When I got to the library (yes, I had to physically go to the library when I was an undergrad), I went to the periodical section and took a recent Public Relations Journal off the shelf. Flipping through the journal, I realized quickly that these articles were nothing like the ones in People or Newsweek. They were written in a much (much!) more formal way, a way that would take some serious getting used to. I pored over an article, trying to make sense of it.

Then, I had an a-ha moment.

Reading a journal article is kind of like going to a new restaurant.

Should we even go here?

Now, when we explore a journal article, we want to make sure it’s a trustworthy source. Think of it like checking out a new restaurant. We’ll look at things like the reputation of the journal (like checking online reviews), the authors’ credentials (are they renowned “chefs”?), and when the article was published (fresh ingredients or stale leftovers?). There’s not really a Yelp for academic journals, but maybe that would be a fun side gig for me. But I digress.

Read the menu

Before we dig in too deep, let’s start by giving the article a quick skim. Think of it as reading the menu to see if anything catches your eye. We’ll check out the title, abstract, and headings to get a sense of what the article is all about.

Eat dessert first

Despite what your parents and grandparents might have told you as a child, it’s 100% okay to eat dessert first, at least in terms of reading a journal article. A journal article is NOT a mystery novel. You won’t ruin anything by knowing how it ends before you start. Skip to the end of the article and read the limitations and conclusions right away to see if it supports or denies the claim you are trying to make in your own research paper. (NOTE: You will want to read articles on both sides of your claim.)

Taste the app

Now, the introduction is like the appetizer that sets the stage. We’ll find out why the authors decided to do the research, what questions they wanted to answer, and why it’s important. It’s like the first taste that gets our curiosity going. Still interested? Then . . .

Sit at the chef’s table

Time to get to the juicy parts! In the methodology section, we’ll learn how the researchers cooked up their study. We’ll look at the ingredients they used (research design), how they gathered data (like secret recipes), and how they analyzed everything. We want to make sure their approach is solid and follows the rules of the kitchen; it’s like sitting at the chef’s table in the restaurant kitchen, watching how things are prepared for the diners.

Dive into the main course

Ah, the results and discussion sections, the main course! This is where the researchers present their findings and start digging into the flavors. This is the meat of the article (see what I did there?). We’ll see charts, graphs, and analysis. Then, in the discussion, they’ll interpret those results, link them to previous research, and talk about any limitations. It’s like a chef explaining the unique flavors and how they relate to other dishes.

Try an intermezzo

At a restaurant, an intermezzo is a refreshing sip or bite of a palate cleanser between courses. Reading journal articles can be heavy. If you’re feeling like your brain is getting full, get up and walk around for five minutes or watch that TikTok that your best friend just sent you. Then get back to your table.

Savor the dessert

Finally, let’s enjoy the article’s takeaway. It’s time to indulge in our own thoughts and opinions. We’ll consider what we’ve learned, how it contributes to the field, and how it might inspire our own research or practice. And don’t forget, we’re here to discuss and debate, so feel free to spice things up with your own ideas!

Yelp it

Once you’ve finished with the article, you won’t want to forget what it was about. Take the time to make notes on the article, including all the required information for an APA citation (just in case you’ll actually use it in your research) and your own paraphrased thoughts about the article. I used to use the app EndNote to keep track of information like this — it was great when I was working on my Ph.D., as I could easily find articles I’d read for previous classes using it.

A question for you: do you remember what it was like reading your first academic journal article? What advice would you give students early in their college careers on how to read one?

NOTES

The analogy comparing reading a journal article to going to a restaurant was inspired by ChatGPT. Images were created using Adobe Firefly.

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Stocking Stuffers for Your College Student

Image Credit: "Christmas stocking for myself" by brookewill

In case Santa needs some ideas, here are a few thoughts about what college students might like to find in their stockings. All of these gifts are under $25.

What other things would you recommend that Santa put in college students’ stockings?

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25 Tips on How to Study for Final Exams

Image Credit: “a close reading of the text” by Kevin Rawlings

Final exams are approaching on college campuses around the world. Finals can be stressful, even for the most prepared students. Here are some tips to help you succeed:

Preparing for the Final

  1. Find out what your entire final_exam_fall_2011_12_schedule is so that you’ll know how many finals you will have on each day.
  2. Prepare a written schedule for yourself indicating when you will study for each test. Leave some time in your schedule for exercise and relaxation, too.
  3. If the professor offers a study guide, use it.
  4. If the professor offers a review session for the exam, go to it.
  5. If you study well in groups, form a study group.
  6. Know if the final is comprehensive (covering everything since the beginning of the semester or quarter).
  7. Find out what kind of exam it will be. You’d study differently for a multiple-choice (Scantron) final than an essay (blue book) one.
  8. If the final will be taken online, find out if you have to go to a specific computer lab on campus at a specific time, or if you’ll be allowed to take the final on your own computer. Also find out how many chances you will have to take the final. Assume it’s just one chance unless you hear differently from the professor.
  9. If you have your previous exams available, scour the exams for things that you think will be on the final. Flag your notes by highlighting or using Post-It notes.
  10. Don’t pull an all-nighter. (Though some people are successful with studying all night and then taking a test with no sleep, I wouldn’t recommend you try it for the first time on a final exam.)
  11. Calculate your grades in the class. Determine what score you will need to get the grade you’re hoping for in the class. You may discover that you can’t possibly get an A, no matter how well you do on the final, but to get a B, you only need to get a few questions right.
  12. If you’re an auditory learner, record yourself reading your notes aloud, then play the recording back several times.
  13. If the exam is an open-book exam, this does not mean that you don’t have to study at all. In fact, one of the most challenging exams I ever took as an undergrad was an open-book essay exam. Flag your textbook based on where you believe the questions will come from.
  14. Consider creating a detailed Final Exam Battle Plan.

On the Day of the Final

  1. Eat a meal and drink water.
  2. Don’t overdo it with the caffeine.
  3. Know what to bring with you to the final. Do you need a blue book? A Scantron? (And if you need a Scantron, which specific type do you need?) A pencil? A pen?
  4. Are food and drinks allowed in the classroom where your final will be? Sometimes, the rules are different for exam days than other days.
  5. Even if you don’t usually wear a watch, take one with you to the final. It’s unlikely you will be able to look at your cell phone to check the time during the final.

During the Final

  1. For a paper-based exam, read through the entire final exam before you start answering any questions at all. This way, you will know what you’re facing.
  2. If the final is an online exam, find out if you can revisit questions, or if after you click past a question you cannot go back to it again.
  3. If you’re using a Scantron and you skip a question to finish later, make sure you’re answering your questions next to the correct answers. (When I took my GRE to get into grad school, I skipped a question on the first page of the booklet, but never skipped a number on the Scantron. When I realized it, I only had 10 minutes to go back and put the answers with the correct questions. Talk about stress!)
  4. Keep a close eye on the time you have allotted.
  5. Some students benefit from answering the most difficult questions first, while others do better completing all the easier ones. Do what works for you.

After the Final

  1. Do not share with other students what was on the final exam. In most universities, this is a violation of the honor code at most universities.

Now it’s your turn: What final exam tips do you have to share? Please let us know through your comments below.

barbara_is_listening

[NOTE: Adapted from my blog for my First-Year Experience class, Making Connections: Facebook and Beyond, at Georgia Southern University]

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What Thanksgiving Dinner Has Taught Me About Being a Better Professor

Deep Fried Turkey by Demian, Heather, & Evelyn

As I sit here in the pre-dawn hours at my in-laws’ home in Biloxi, sipping my coffee in the dark, listening to nearly a dozen relatives snoring (mostly) quietly, I began to reflect on Thanksgiving and what it means to me. And inevitably, I started making connections between this traditional large family meal and my college classes. Why? I don’t know. But it popped into my head, so I went with it. I started thinking . . . what has Thanksgiving dinner taught me that has made me a better professor? And this is what I came up with.

Turkey: The best turkey I ever had was a deep-fried one. Mmmm. But boy oh boy can deep frying a turkey be a dangerous task. In my classes, sometimes I like to walk on the edge a bit with our discussions. I must always remember to keep the metaphorical fire extinguisher nearby, just in case of explosions.

Cranberry Sauce: It doesn’t all need to be sweetness and light in my classes. I can be tangy/tart and get some points across even better. I just need to watch for my snark level getting too high.

Dressing / Stuffing: Just like some folks prefer stuffing (cooked inside the turkey) and others prefer dressing (cooked outside), my students have preferred learning styles. If I want them all to learn, I need to offer both.

Rolls: At our house, the rolls were often an afterthought. Sometimes we baked them halfway through the meal and served them almost at the end. Great teaching ideas sometimes crop up last minute, too.

Gravy: The first time I had Thanksgiving with my in-laws, I saw my soon-to-be mother-in-law making hard-boiled eggs. When I asked, “What are the eggs for?” she looked at me quizzically and said, “For the gravy, of course.” It was that day that I learned that some of my preconceived notions about how things should be done were way off base. The gravy — hard-boiled eggs, gizzards & all — was wonderful. Sometimes I need to add something a colleague suggests, something that may seem off-base to me at first, into my classes just to mix things up a bit.

Green Bean Casserole: Has there ever been a tastier, yet less attractive, side dish? Sometimes the methods I use in my class may seem a bit slopped together, but I promise there is a method behind the madness, and it will all come out “tasting” wonderful in the end.

“Uncle Oscar”: I think everyone has that one relative — we’ll call him Uncle Oscar here — who you invite to dinner knowing full well he will attempt to monopolize the dinner conversation.  Consider making placecards and assigning seats for dinner. Whoever had the pleasure of sitting near Uncle Oscar last year gets to sit at the opposite end of the table this year. And in class, when I have an Uncle Oscar — the student who feels compelled to answer EVERY question I ask — I do my best to ask questions in a way so that Uncle Oscar doesn’t get the opportunity to answer first, at least. For example, I may say, “Let’s hear from two or three people who went to high school outside of the state of Florida,” knowing full well that Uncle Oscar is a local boy. Or “Let’s hear from the last person to take his or her seat in class today.” And many times, I’ll have whoever has just answered a question choose who answers the next question. This helps us hear from more voices and learn from more points of view than just Uncle Oscar, no matter how smart or sweet he is.

Black Olives: As I was growing up, my mother would always open a can of black olives and leave it in the fridge before Thanksgiving dinner. It always brought us into the kitchen so we could snitch an olive or two while she was cooking. Similarly, I leave a basket of candy in my office at all times. (I’m not confident my students share my affinity for black olives!) Some of the best conversations I have with my students are when they just happen to pop by for a Fireball, Nerds or a Snickers bar.

Dessert: My favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner is eating pie for breakfast the day after Thanksgiving. In my classes, I like starting with the fun stuff first, especially when the previous class (meal) was a bit on the heavy side.

Leftovers: With every Thanksgiving dinner, at least every Nixon one, comes leftovers. Lots and lots of leftovers. Well, we often have planned-overs (we cook extra of some of the food with intentions of having it for another meal later.) I frequently give students bite-size chunks of information on one day that I intend for them to repurpose another day in class. The key is getting them to remember the information from the previous day. If anyone has tips for this, please share!

So what has Thanksgiving dinner taught YOU about being a better professor — or better student?

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7 Things Professors Need to Know About Social Media NOW

As part of Southeastern University‘s Best Ideas series, I am leading a social media workshop on September 26.

7 Things Professors Need to Know About Social Media NOW

Bookmarks to sites mentioned in the presentation are listed in my Diigo (social bookmarking) account.

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What ARE They Thinking? A Look Into the Minds of Today’s College First-Year Students

Image Credit: "I'm Hot" by Chris Griffin

As a college professor — and a parent — I’ve long realized that it’s important to use relatable pop culture examples when talking with people, especially when the people are significantly younger than I am. If I tell a student to stop acting like Horshack in class today, I am met with the sound of crickets; 25 years ago, my students knew exactly what I meant.

Tom McBride and Ron Nief, two professors from Beloit College, have made it easier for folks like me to realize what’s going on in the minds of today’s college first-year students, at least in the United States, with their annual Mindset Lists. Just a few hours ago, McBride and Nief released the Mindset List for the Class of 2015. Below, I’ve cherry picked a baker’s dozen of my favorite items from the list. You can find the entire list at the Mindset List website.

  • They “swipe” cards, not merchandise.
  • Amazon has never been just a river in South America.
  • Some of them have been inspired to actually cook by watching the Food Channel.
  • Jimmy Carter has always been a smiling elderly man who shows up on TV to promote fair elections and disaster relief.
  • Unlike their older siblings, they spent bedtime on their backs until they learned to roll over.
  • Music has always been available via free downloads.
  • All their lives, Whitney Houston has always been declaring “I Will Always Love You.”
  • O.J. Simpson has always been looking for the killers of Nicole Simpson and Ronald Goldman.
  • Life has always been like a box of chocolates.
  • The Rocky Horror Picture Show has always been available on TV.
  • Video games have always had ratings.
  • McDonald’s coffee has always been just a little too hot to handle.
  • They’ve often broken up with their significant others via texting, Facebook, or MySpace.

I encourage you to go take a look at the entire Mindset List for the Class of 2015; you just might find some ideas in there that will help you relate to today’s first-year student.

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Essential Android Apps for Professors, Revisited

Samsung Epic 4G

At the end of last summer, I was first in line at my local Sprint store when the Samsung Epic 4G came out. I wrote a blog post about my favorite 15 Android apps right after that. Since I’ve had the phone for two semesters now, I thought it was time to revisit the post and update it. So here is my current list of favorite apps for professors.

  1. Attendance: My university has an attendance policy, and I used to make an Excel spreadsheet and manually track attendance each week. Then I found Attendance by Android for Academics. Love it. I just make a quick Google spreadsheet with the students’ first and last names and sync the spreadsheet to Attendance. I take roll reading names off my Samsung Epic now. The app tallies the dates and number of absences and tardies. Super easy.
  2. BlackBoard Learn: Though the BlackBoard app doesn’t allow me to do everything that my desktop program will do, I can read discussion items, create announcements, e-mail students, and more.
  3. Google Listen: I’m an avid podcast listener. I add the RSS feed of my favorite podcasts to my Google Reader, then I can easily download and play the podcasts using Google Listen.
  4. Evernote: Quite often I listen to podcasts while take my daily morning walk. When I hear (or come up with) an idea that I need to capture, I use Evernote’s Audio Note feature. (Typing/texting and walking don’t work well for me. But I definitely can talk and walk.)
  5. StopWatch & Timer: When students do presentations, I time them using this little app. I can have the app count up (with the StopWatch) or count down (with the Timer).
  6. TweetDeck: I confess. I am a tweetaholic. I use Twitter, for personal and professional reasons, many times a day. TweetDeck makes it easy to manage multiple accounts.
  7. Advanced Task Killer: To be sure that unneeded apps are not running and taking up precious battery power, try Advanced Task Killer. It will show you — at a glance — all the apps that are running, even those behind the scenes, and you can choose which ones to “kill.” You don’t want your Epic battery to die during your day on campus.
  8. Kindle: My husband and I share one Kindle. By having the Kindle app on my Samsung Epic, I can read books in our collection even when it’s his “turn” to have the Kindle. And it’s great to show my students how many free classic books are available in the Kindle store.
  9. Barcode Scanner: This little app works with your Android camera. It will scan both barcodes and QR codes. It’s fun to show students what those little square codes are for, and equally fun to show them how to do price comparisons while shopping.
  10. Shazam: When I can quickly refer to songs my students also listen to, it helps me relate to them better. I cheat a little using Shazam. To find out what “that song” is, use Shazam. It will listen to the song and determine title and artist.

So those are my current favorite Android apps for professors. Are there others you’d recommend?

(P.S. Though I love my Samsung Epic dearly, I am not a fan of its battery life. To help with this shortcoming, I’ve purchased two things: an extra battery to keep on hand and the Energizer XP4001 Universal Rechargeable Power Pack. I can’t tell you how many times the Energizer thingy has helped me. . . and my friends who needed a quick recharge, as it can charge two devices at once.)

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9 Things I Learned From My Students, Spring 2011 Edition

Image Credit: “teeter-totter” by Junichiro AOYAMA

Like all semesters, Spring 2011 had its ups and downs. Here are a few things I learned, in no particular order:

  1. I was impressed with the writing and design skills of many of my students with their blog assignments. Some of them went far above and beyond my expectations, notably Cindy Cromeans, Amber Sakis, Sarah Allen,  Kyle Ashcraft and Megan Getter. I must remember to share these outstanding examples with students in the fall.
  2. I should not bother to hold any office hours for the first 3/4 of the semester, and pack them all into the last 1/4 — as this is when most of my students decide to stop by. (Okay, I probably won’t do that. But I am tempted.)
  3. I may need to be more specific in my assignment directions. For example, even though we had multiple discussions in class about the assignments, some of them still had a hard time understanding that the “Topic of the Week” for their blogs was due during a specific week. (Any idea how I could be clearer in writing about this one?)
  4. I was beyond delighted when students would share links via Twitter or bring up current events or PR news in class. It didn’t happen often, but when it did, I was thrilled.
  5. I need to reinforce our department’s attendance policy several times, especially early in the semester, even though it’s plainly stated in the syllabus. Some students were “surprised” when their grades were lower than they had anticipated. Since so much of what we cover in my classes is based on class discussions, being physically (and mentally!) present is critical. It’s also good practice to show up to class just like they will have to show up to work once they graduate.
  6. I will need to be clearer that when I put a hyperlink in a blog post, it’s for a reason. That reason is to provide amplification or examples about the points I was writing about. I fielded many questions about information that I’d linked to.
  7. I need to remember that not all students in my PR classes are as passionate about public relations and social media as I am. (We have a combined PR/journalism major at my university, and many students are much more interested in the journalism side of the major than the PR side.)
  8. I should continue to attend students’ outside activities often. It was great seeing them notice when I showed up (often unannounced) for campus and non-campus events, including one wedding proposal!
And here’s one final thing I learned that I definitely need some help with.
  • 9. I may need to lower my expectations that students will be fully prepared for class by reading the assigned materials, listening to the assigned podcast or writing the assigned blog post. I need to come up with an alternate plan (other than dismissing the unprepared students or the entire class) when they are unprepared for the discussion I had expected to have.
    What are your thoughts about this one?