tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57515427784041513252011-10-21T04:07:15.997-06:00SGnoreply@blogger.comBlogger271100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751542778404151325.post-19187568823648484762010-11-02T00:38:00.000-06:002010-11-02T00:38:29.436-06:00

Every year I think, "this will be the year I finish my novel." I've been saying this since I started my novel over 10 years ago. In fact, I think it's been so long that someone else has probably written my novel already. Perhaps it's time to start anew. But I find I need inspiration and a goal. Last year, I took a non-fiction writing class and found myself writing constantly. For one, I had to

SGnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751542778404151325.post-65213954600793550462010-10-12T05:30:00.002-06:002010-10-12T05:30:01.483-06:00

OK, so I realize it's been awhile since I've posted a blog. The truth is...I think this blog title is cursed. Let me explain... In choosing my blog title, I focused on what my students call me. They call me "Professor B." However, that name was taken. Interestingly enough, Professor B has not blogged since 2003 after she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. I didn't take it as a sign; I simply

SGnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751542778404151325.post-31085012968074542852010-05-29T09:00:00.001-06:002010-05-29T09:00:02.726-06:00

My students insist on using the Citation Tool in Word 2007; however, they assume that if they simply enter the material, it will be correct. However, the citation tool works just like spell-check: it doesn't fix everything and you still have to know what you're doing. The following video should help demonstrate to students how to correct the mistakes of the Citation Tool while still allowing them

SGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751542778404151325.post-1467469018241709702010-05-24T14:43:00.002-06:002010-05-24T14:52:00.394-06:00

My first Prezi Presentation. Presented at WyDEC 2010 in Sheridan, Wyoming at Sheridan College. A great conference! .prezi-player { width: 550px; } .prezi-player-links { text-align: center; } Essential E-learning Tools on Prezi Linked to a Google Site: https://sites.google.com/site/wydec2010/

SGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751542778404151325.post-49817883086987690272010-04-29T19:36:00.000-06:002010-04-29T19:36:42.703-06:00

I believe that students at the college level should be able to identify a properly formatted Works Cited page just by looking. Now, I'm not saying that they should be able to know if the source is from a journal, newspaper, or a database, etc.; rather, students should know what a proper Works Cited page looks like. Is it double spaced? Does it have hanging indentation? Do the entries end in

SGnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751542778404151325.post-40826074475015463302010-04-22T03:59:00.018-06:002010-04-24T00:50:09.015-06:00

As many of you know, I am working on my EdD in Instructional Technology. Typically, these courses are online, a perfect learning environment since I'm an online instructor. What better way to learn about online instruction than to be a student learning about online instruction?! It's fascinating seeing how other instructors organize and design their courses. What I have found is that many online

KBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02995314376039844549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751542778404151325.post-30809048723832640742010-04-07T06:00:00.003-06:002010-04-07T12:31:48.375-06:00

Have you heard about Digress.it? It used to be Comment Press, but changed its name in April 2009. It's been sitting in my Bookmarks for about that long, and today, I took some time to play with it. My first attempt at incorporating this in my online Literature course begins today. It's a little late...but I tend not to be an early adopter (for example, I am not in line to buy the ipad; I'll wait

KBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02995314376039844549noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751542778404151325.post-11667664732749102352010-04-01T14:05:00.005-06:002010-04-01T17:21:38.065-06:00

I have been teaching online for a number of years now and have toyed with video grading in the past. I hadn't adopted it because it took so much time. I would read the essay or outline, type up comments, and then record the video. Inevitably, I made some mistakes, so I would end up spending time editing in Camtasia. After a few videos, I gave up and would only record comments for those essays

SGnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751542778404151325.post-2812795669778257222010-03-30T12:07:00.003-06:002010-03-30T12:15:02.125-06:00

My first article went live today. Here is a piece of it. Follow the link for the entire article.eLearning Tools for English Composition30 New Media Tools and Web Sites for Writing TeachersBy Keri Bjorklund March 30, 2010I have been using technology to teach since I was a graduate student in 2001. I helped pilot the first hybrid English composition course while earning my MA, and I have been

SGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751542778404151325.post-2181647307992365652009-12-08T22:51:00.004-07:002009-12-08T23:17:48.009-07:00

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SGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751542778404151325.post-9355274753649252772009-09-08T22:38:00.004-06:002009-09-08T23:19:04.890-06:00

It happened one day when a friend sent a tweet that read, "I used crowdsourcing in my Calculus class and it's the best thing I've ever done." I had no idea what she was talking about, so I did a Google search.Crowdsourcing is a business term similar to outsourcing, but not exactly. It's like letting the customers do the work rather than hiring someone. The customers help create new and

SGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751542778404151325.post-43822478807919749882009-07-24T09:21:00.004-06:002009-07-24T09:49:15.992-06:00

As I'm taking an online class this summer, I was thinking about new ways to teach research. My students seem to have lost their natural curiosity about life around them, so it's been difficult to get them to find interesting subjects they'd want to research.In the past I'd ask them to write down at least five questions that they'd always wanted answered or that they were curious about. These

SGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751542778404151325.post-33776189742026812832009-05-19T13:54:00.002-06:002009-05-19T13:59:08.022-06:00

I have compiled a list of resources (online and software) for Distance Educators. This is for the Wyoming Distance Education Consortium Conference, which was held in Casper this week. Thank you to Liz for her help in developing these resources.Resources for Navigating the “Sharky” Waters:Successful Surfing of the Learner-Centered WavePresentation by Keri Bjorklund and Liz Skrabacz Dzabic WyDEC

SGnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751542778404151325.post-62186146693031820722009-04-28T15:10:00.003-06:002009-04-28T15:16:34.040-06:00

Teaching is often a thankless job, and it's no exception in higher ed. All too often I hear about how people hate English and how they think taking an English class in college is a total waste of time. Often I hear how "boring" the reading is and how the tasks I've assigned are "too hard." Once in a while I hear good news...about how I'm a great teacher and how much they have learned from me. I'm

SGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751542778404151325.post-43308904979046087422009-04-25T20:47:00.003-06:002009-04-25T21:09:23.247-06:00

Will writing some day become obsolete? I have read articles arguing for the end to handwriting instruction and argued against this because handwriting helps brain development and well, we still write checks, to-do lists, and other items by hand, so handwriting is still needed--besides it another tool we should not abandon for the sake of technology! OK, so enough of my soap box.Something else

SGnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751542778404151325.post-4104172888530058292009-03-23T14:17:00.001-06:002009-03-23T14:21:46.574-06:00

Like to know what's going on, but don't always have time to read the news? Check out the new news streaming site http://ohpan.com/. This site has stories streaming across the page. Star and open the ones you want to read, let the others go. You can even set your properties to view categories that only interest you.You do have to sign-in. Click on "existing user" to see if you can log in using

SGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751542778404151325.post-54821965949332750492009-02-25T10:20:00.005-07:002009-02-25T10:45:15.164-07:00

Yesterday I spent the afternoon learning about new software called freemind. This software has many new purposes. It's useful for students to create an essay outline, business folks to keep track of ideas & notes during a meeting, and for instructors to present material.I'm not a big fan of Power Point. I tend to focus on discussion and questions, and I use Power Point as a way to introduce

SGnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751542778404151325.post-29626195950397219602009-02-07T20:06:00.003-07:002009-02-07T20:18:38.919-07:00

This reference page came through our library. It's amazing. On one website, you can see the front page of over 700 newspapers worldwide. The site also contains an educator link that has lesson plans on how to use the front pages in a classroom. It's mostly for K-12, but it's still interesting. It's also an interesting way to see what's going on in many cities and states across the world. What

SGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751542778404151325.post-38793048500989512382009-01-09T23:19:00.002-07:002009-01-09T23:23:41.620-07:00

This is an interesting article from msn.com about what makes a good teacher. Some of the items in the list are rather general, but it's still rather interesting.

SGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751542778404151325.post-71539426726677756482009-01-05T12:51:00.004-07:002009-01-08T01:47:16.982-07:00

The ProblemThis past semester I was given the task of teaching a poetry and drama class online. This seemed simple enough: have students post discussions following the reading and write a number of small essays analyzing the reading. There was one catch, however. The class was meant to fulfill a performing arts requirement for AFA degree seekers. How was this to be accomplished in an online class

SGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751542778404151325.post-91051890821961542632008-10-21T00:00:00.000-06:002008-10-21T00:01:24.734-06:00

This is one of my favorite places to go to read about the abuses of the English language. http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/e/english_language/grammar/index.html

SGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751542778404151325.post-71093719774508200472008-10-20T23:56:00.000-06:002009-01-05T12:51:21.805-07:00

This is a New York Times article about doing away with certain clichés and other worn-out sayings. Let's try to oblige them! Check out the article:http://topics.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/20/cliche-watch-business-edition/

SGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751542778404151325.post-49620333201682531802008-09-21T18:31:00.000-06:002008-09-21T18:33:51.473-06:00

Lloyd Schwartz has written a new book about one of my favorite poets: Elizabeth Bishop. Listen to an interview on NPR with Schwartz about his experience meeting Elizabeth Bishop.

SGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751542778404151325.post-89703799404173885062008-09-21T18:05:00.000-06:002008-09-21T18:15:54.692-06:00

EyesAre you an old soulIn there;Watching over me;Listening;Being thereWhen I need you?Or are youJust aDogNeeding me?Keri Bjorklund

SGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751542778404151325.post-24643744831070088362008-09-21T18:02:00.000-06:002008-09-21T18:04:53.218-06:00

This will link you to the Favorite Poem Project’s videos: Americans reading their favorite poems. Each poem is introduced by a short prologue in which the reader explains why the poem is meaningful to her or him.Be sure to follow along with the text as the poem is read.

SGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751542778404151325.post-52614691331465848202008-09-19T10:11:00.000-06:002008-09-19T10:16:01.803-06:00

Listen to how this poem is read by the computer: click on "Listen Now."Hookby James WrightI was only a young manIn those days. On that eveningThe cold was so God damnedBitter there was nothing.Nothing. I was in troubleWith a woman, and there was nothingThere but me and dead snow.I stood on the street cornerIn Minneapolis, lashedThis way and that.Wind rose from some pit,Hunting me.Another bus to

SGnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5751542778404151325.post-55983606656351013752008-09-08T16:36:00.000-06:002008-09-08T16:41:29.922-06:00

Grammar errors seem to be a fact of life in the written world, like any mistake; yet, grammarians alike work so hard toward perfection. I guess it just shows that everyone, even the professional writers, are fallible.Follow this link for an explanation of common errors even made by the best of us . . .Enjoy!

SGnoreply@blogger.com0