Editor's Note: The following is an excerpt of the ebook Journey of Joy: Teaching Tips for Reflection, Rejuvenation and Renewal. Download the complete ebook here »

I am not a history buff and do not enjoy teaching or learning about history in general. So, as an instructor who is required to teach the history of my field, I have had a difficult time finding an interesting way of relaying the information. Needing a new approach, I decided to see if I could adapt the Family Involvement Model. This research-based model found that when family members are involved in the courses of Latino college students, their persistence and success in higher education improves. The model is based on the idea of including family to promote students’ education and as such supports the old premise that you really don’t understand something unless you can convey that knowledge to another person.

Three new teachers at the front end of academic careers, about to face their first classes as teachers, want to know from somebody at the back end, “What’s most important for new teachers to know?” I don’t hear myself saying anything very coherent. I don’t want to give what new teachers frequently get: pat answers and banal suggestions that seem to be helpful without actually being so.

After a refreshing summer break, which included professional development and time to reflect on the mistakes and successes of the last academic year, the start of a new semester is, at least for me, an exciting time.

There is little argument that reflective writing is a good way to foster critical thinking, encourage self expression, and give students a sense of ownership of their work (Chretien et al. 2012, Kennison and Misselwitz, 2002). This generation of college students has been doing reflective writing since elementary school so they are familiar with the process, even if not all enjoy it. Almost every academic discipline includes content on which learner reflection is appropriate; so the problem, typically, is not in creating the assignment but rather in assessing the work. How do we place a fair and equitable grade on an assignment that has so many variables? What are we looking for in our students’ work that we can reward and encourage with a good grade?

I have a lot of apps. That is not surprising because as anyone knows, few apps are capable of doing everything they promise much less doing everything well. So, given the number of note-taking apps I already own, why am I still looking for that perfect note-taking app? Well, I have a confession to make: my penmanship is not the best but, at least, I can read it and what I am really after is an app that makes my handwriting on the iPad look and feel like what I write using pen/pencil and paper. That, more than anything else, has been the biggest impediment to me making the switch to total electronic note-taking.

Oh, a few of the apps I already use do a great job of note-taking and some even have a conversion tool; however, Noteshelf’s intuitive feel, the natural free flowing ink, and the very normal feel to writing is truly remarkable! What can you do with Noteshelf? Frankly, just about anything you can do with traditional pen and note pad. But best of all, writing in Noteshelf feels very much like writing on paper. My electronic notes look like my usual scribble or chicken scratches on paper and that is really important to me. The “no difference” feel and look is what sets Noteshelf apart from other note-taking apps. Other notable features include: the bookshelf look for all my many note pads; the self-adjusting wrist protection for my palm (a feature that automatically adjusts as you write), and a simple but functional toolbar that provides access to all of the app’s features.

Noteshelf, like other similar apps, has a close-up writing mode that allows you to write in a larger format on the bottom half of the screen but have your notes appear in a normal size. There is also a guide that tracks your writing from left to right and down the page as well. Noteshelf allows you to adjust the thickness of the line or text and moving from page to page is a cinch. You can use a keyboard to enter text into Noteshelf, but I really prefer to use the app more for note taking and creating the occasional drawing, because what I am after is an app that simply allows me to make notes anytime, anyplace, and provide a look and feel of the pen and paper that I have been using for so many years!

Summary:
Noteshelf does not claim to be all things, but it is a functional replacement for traditional note taking. It’s an electronic substitute that saves you the trouble of having to look for pen and paper whether you need to take a lot of notes, jot down a to-do list, draw and label a diagram, or simply make entries into a diary. Up until Noteshelf I was uncertain that I could ever ditch my attachment to pen and paper. Now I know I really can and I will be able to do it without feeling like I am missing anything.

Some of Noteshelf competition include: Penultimate ($0.99); Notes Plus ($4.99 a more comprehensive package that I use alongside Noteshelf); and Notebook for iPad ($8.99). I really do not have anything to complain regarding Noteshelf’s ability to do what I expect of it because it gives me the feel of writing on paper and providing a look to my scribbles similar to what would normally be created using a traditional pen and paper.

Dave Yearwood is an associate professor and chair of the technology department at the University of North Dakota.

Discussion boards are often viewed as the heart of online courses, and for good reason: the students can interact with one another 24/7, sharing, debating, and offering ideas, insights, suggestions, and information that stimulate the learning process. Yet challenges do happen in discussion, and these can be formidable. Left alone, they can quickly limit the effectiveness of any discussion and create problems throughout the online course.

An online course is like walking into a foreign land with an entire map laid out, but having no sense of the land’s origin or how to navigate the terrain. How the instructor formats and interacts with the class will ultimately determine the student’s travel experience. The purpose of this article is to provide an understanding of how the elements of an online course are integrated such that they form a cohesive whole that creates easy travel based upon instructor presence, appropriate feedback, and easy navigation for students.

Grading participation presents a number of challenges. If instructors rely on their sense of who participated, how often, and in what ways, that can be a pretty subjective measure. After all, besides noting who’s contributing, the instructor needs to listen to what the student is saying, and frame a response while keeping the larger discussion context in mind. Is the discussion staying on track? Are there points that have yet to be made? If instructors opt for a more objective system, they face the cumbersome task of comment counting during the actual discussion. While listening to the student, the instructor must find the student’s name and record the comment. It requires a challenging set of multitasking skills.