2013 – Page 11 – techKNOWtools

Have Conferences, Will Travel

January 29, 2013August 12, 2019 Laura Pasquini

Apparently when it rains, it pours – for conference proposal acceptances, that is. Since this semester is light on course work, heavy on dissertation proposal research, and I have a amazingly supportive supervisor/department, I will be fortunate enough to be able to attend a few conferences this term.

Here is the rundown for my tentative CONFERENCE travel schedule:

Dalton Institute 2013 http://studentvalues.fsu.edu/2013-Dalton-Institute
Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL January 30-February 2nd Follow: #dalton13 Invited Keynote: Student Development 2.0: Optimizing Social Media to Connect Your Campus

AHRD Conference http://www.ahrd.org/
Washington, DC Feb 13-17, 2013
Abstract paper: “A Review of Theoretical Frameworks Explaining Formal Mentoring Relationships”; Thanks to my co-author Mariya Gavrilova-Aguilar who will be presenting

iConference 2013 http://www.iconference.ischools.org/iConference13/2013index/
@iSchools & UNT Host, Fort Worth, TX February 12-15, 2013 Follow:#iconf13 Our #UNT Social Media Expo team (Andrew Miller, Leila Mills, Mark Evans & I) qualified for the grant from Microsoft Research FUSE Labs on our paper: “Towards a Methodology of Virtually Augmenting a Knowledge Sharing Community of Practice: A Case Study of the Local Food System of Denton, Texas”

South by Southwest (SXSW) Education Conference & Festival http://sxswedu.com/
Panel Discussion: Social Media in Higher Ed – where are we going? with @Bcroke, @tjoosten, & @bradpopiolek
Austin, TX March 4-7, 2013 Follow: #sxswEDU

Emerging Technologies for Online Learning – Sloan C http://sloanconsortium.org/conference/2013/et4online/welcome
Las Vegas, NV April 9-11, 2013 Follow: #et4online @et4online Conference Planning committee; graduate student instigator

Futures of Academic Publishing: UNT’s 4th Symposium on Open Access https://openaccess.unt.edu/symposium/2013

May 30-31, 2013 Dallas, TX

NACADA 2013 International Conference http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Events-Programs/Events/International-Conference.aspx
Maastricht, Netherlands June 5-7, 2013
Workshop: Communication 2.0 Plans: Effectively Engaging Students Online
*Possible poster and panel session involving the #AdvTech survey and Social Media in Higher Education research.*

10th Annual Sloan Consortium – Blended Learning Conference & Workshop http://sloanconsortium.org/conference/2013/blended/welcome

Milwaukee, WI July 8-9, 2013

Invited Workshop: Supporting Blended Learner’s Need to Develop Social and Connected Skills Through Digital Pedagogy

Let me know if you will be attending, presenting, or frequenting any of the above conferences. I expect to meet up with the usual [professional/scholarly] suspects I collaborate with, and I look forward to new colleague connections and learning during this conference season.

#phdchat, PhD

I’m Qualified… to Work on My Dissertation Proposal

January 29, 2013August 12, 2019 Laura Pasquini

Today I received the “official” paperwork letting me know that I am qualified to move onto the dissertation/thesis phase of my PhD. At the end of the Fall 2012 semester I defended my ATPI Portfolio, as part of my comprehensive or qualifying exams, and became a PhD Candidate.

This semester (much to my faculty advisor‘s surprise) I am not enrolled in any courses at UNT. The goal for this term is to concentrate on completing my dissertation proposal for a successful defense by the end of April 2013, if not before to be eligible for scholarship and/or other opportunities. Other than a few publications/projects, conference travel, and editing for the Learning and Performance Quarterly, you will probably see my nose deep in research methodology as I fine tune my literature review. Stay tuned…

Professional Development, Reflections

#oneword2013 = ACTION

January 28, 2013February 22, 2013 Laura Pasquini

It’s that time of year… time to consider the #oneword2013. I think I embodied my #oneword2012, fantabulous, so I thought I might as well give #oneword2013 a go. 2013 has a great deal in store for me – there are a number of projects, deadlines, objectives, and initiatives I want to accomplish this year. My one word will move beyond TO DO lists, goals, New Years’ resolutions, or even wishes [sorry Daruma doll!].

My #oneword2013 is ACTION! This word will remind me to be active and engaged in what I am doing. A little less conversation, a little more action. This means you should be seeing more verbs in my blog posts, such as researching, writing, moving, publishing, dancing, exploring, adventuring, trying, doing, completing, graduating, and challenging.

I have also decided to use the word ACTION to push me beyond my comfort zone. It’s time to visit new places, to try new things, and to enhance my learning and professional development. Whether it’s a road trip to a new location or learning a new sport (that involves a few bumps & bruises) – then why not? It’s a year for ACTION. Just do it!

What’s YOUR #oneword2013? Add yourself to the list.

Higher Education, Reflections, StudentAffairs

A Kinder Campus to Collaborate

January 27, 2013August 12, 2019 Laura Pasquini

There are a number of students, staff, and faculty in my life who I have gotten to know along my academic and professional journey – as colleagues and as friends. I have been fortunate enough to experience college/university life as a student, professional, and instructor at various types of institutions and in more than one country. Each new experience has afforded me to work with insightful colleagues, learn about effective practices, understand a variety of student populations, and consider innovative ways to support students, staff, and faculty.

In a recent Inside Higher Ed article I shared my thoughts on why our divisions in higher education need to think beyond their own areas. Some of the challenges ahead in higher education will require our departments/divisions to step our of their silos to collaborate and reach shared goals for our institutions. It does require some risk; however I think there are larger rewards for reaching out and conversing with others. In considering some of the opportunities and challenges in higher education – such as financial, legislative, staffing, and more – perhaps it is just the right time to sit down to chat and connect to others on campus. Institutional units will need to put their heads together to think creatively and collectively about some of these issues – if they are not doing so already.

Over the last few weeks, I have been thinking about what a “kinder campus” means in higher education. I am currently participating in a Collaborative Learning Community (CLC) at UNT that brings students, staff, and faculty together to work towards a shared solution to a problem/challenge at our institution [more to be shared on this later]. Since we have diverse representation on this CLC, as the co-chair with another faculty member we have been considering the following needs to keep our group moving forward:

introductions are important – find out what everyone “does” on campus
use common language and define terms
establish purpose and goals for the CLC
share and distribute information/facts that are not known
establish a meeting time/day of the week
create agendas to guide, not limit the conversation/sharing
record meeting minutes for those who might be absent
online space for resource sharing
flexibility and understanding for attendance is a must
define roles to guide actionable items & project initiatives
bringing food/treats is never a bad thing

Although cross-departmental meetings can be challenging, as it requires stepping outside our own domains and sharing across disciplinary boundaries, I have had some of the most productive conversations and ideas to emerge from these gatherings.

Are you part of a collaborative working group at your higher ed institution? What tips do you have to “be kind” and connect with colleagues outside your division/department?

#AcWri

#AcWriMo & Accountability to Write

January 17, 2013January 17, 2013 Laura Pasquini

Continuing with my blog “catch up” from the Fall 2012 semester theme…

I thought I’d share my #AcWriMo statistics for the month of November. In conjunction with #NaNoWriMo and #DigiWriMo, there are an avid group of academic scholars and early career researchers who “checked in” virtually to post their #AcWri goals and daily progress in a shared Google document.

So I decided to join in for #acwrimo in November to tackle a few writing projects and goals I had to hit by the end of 2012. This digital check in helped me track what I was doing. My goal was at least 750 words per day, as I found the 750words tool useful and a reasonable daily goal. In the end, my total number of words for the month of November 2012 = 60, 088 words!

I’m not sure if anyone really paid attention to what I was updating in the shared Google Excel doc, but using 750words.com and tracking my own word count in a public space did remind me that I was not alone in my #acwri and publishing goals. This #AcWriMo word count sharing helped me keep tabs on my progress, and I was able to focus my attention to small milestones I have had for the bigger writing tasks, i.e. grant research, conference paper proposals, manuscript submissions edits, etc.

If you’re impressed with my stats and you want to increase your word count these days, then perhaps a digital #acwrimo accountability is for you! A growing number of scholars continue to share #acwri goals and word count writing objectives each month here: Academic Writing Accountability 2013 spreadsheet. Forget New Years resolutions for #acwri intentions, and focus on some S.M.A.R.T. goals for your scholarly writing this year.