tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38112169171180872492024-03-08T04:32:46.814-07:00Dr. Curry DiscussesThe musings of a simple man . . .John H. Curryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390744838396610309noreply@blogger.comBlogger143125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3811216917118087249.post-47242631765077116032021-01-19T11:45:00.003-07:002021-01-19T11:45:34.865-07:00Week One Create<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj27eT8LxhIx5xi1K6I_N_fgvyWaHu1vcgmmRCOTk4FHic8keRG-sVOLwhDUEMVEZa1GbV8SYUlnZKnNa5cMzwlucPK0w8eGEaB3y6R99S5_WG9QE-Bs7-h6zdVOm7P8YW5bVAoZL5u9aUD/s1280/wiley.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj27eT8LxhIx5xi1K6I_N_fgvyWaHu1vcgmmRCOTk4FHic8keRG-sVOLwhDUEMVEZa1GbV8SYUlnZKnNa5cMzwlucPK0w8eGEaB3y6R99S5_WG9QE-Bs7-h6zdVOm7P8YW5bVAoZL5u9aUD/s320/wiley.jpeg" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">To be honest, I didn't know what I was going to do for my week one CREATE assignment. My plan was to do something on the 5 R's using different baseball hats as the representations of the Rs.</p><p style="text-align: left;">But as I looked at what my students created, I saw that some of them were posting assignments that shared a favorite quote from the video. I figured I could do the same. The biggest problem I have is that I am graphics STUPID. I can do the technical aspects of Photoshop, InDesign, etc., but I can't make anything look pretty. I just don't have that graphic design sense. It ain't there, folks. So a fella has to play to his strengths, right? If you can't hit it past the sand traps, then you lay up and play from safety.</p><p style="text-align: left;">So I used some layers and added the quote as well as a photo I thought was cool of David as well as the OER graphic. It's not fancy; in fact, it's overly simple. But I think folks will get the sense of it.</p><p style="text-align: left;">At least I hope they do!<br /></p>John H. Curryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390744838396610309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3811216917118087249.post-19299840536406452392021-01-18T20:31:00.001-07:002021-01-18T20:31:08.774-07:00Introduction to Open Education Resources<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkg1ya59vkGsSN9ibwyO2NF2JTzeb7FwAZD1_GjZvDobsmiHtfQGmINxszC2yGZos2VAjRBs5iaorpxpBq7dF5n9Lhxr1vPsOggTuMPHM58O14WbqZGXHLJDM91rizEN7pFoZjJA-iPAjl/s1200/1200px-Global_Open_Educational_Resources_Logo.svg.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="124" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkg1ya59vkGsSN9ibwyO2NF2JTzeb7FwAZD1_GjZvDobsmiHtfQGmINxszC2yGZos2VAjRBs5iaorpxpBq7dF5n9Lhxr1vPsOggTuMPHM58O14WbqZGXHLJDM91rizEN7pFoZjJA-iPAjl/w186-h124/1200px-Global_Open_Educational_Resources_Logo.svg.png" width="186" /></a></div><p></p><h3 style="text-align: center;">Introduction to Open Education Resources (OER)</h3><div style="text-align: left;">So this semester I'm teaching a course at Idaho State University on Open Education Resources. The course is actually entitled Trends and Issues in Instructional Design & Technology, but what that really means is that we can teach on any topic we find relevant at the moment. Last year, we did a content analysis of <a href="https://www.springer.com/journal/11528" target="_blank">TechTrends</a>, an <a href="http://www.aect.org" target="_blank">AECT </a>journal that seeks to "[link] research and practice to improve learning." It was a good experience; we've almost got the journal article ready to go.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">This year I decided to teach it on OER. It's a relevant topic, and a lot of folks are looking to cut costs in education. OER is a great place to start. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Now I'm a lucky guy. I've come to know a lot of folks over the course of my (now) twenty-five year career. And one of the people I've known the longest is <a href="https://www.davidwiley.org/" target="_blank">Dr. David Wiley</a>. I can remember working the technology volunteer pool at AECT with David when we were both graduate students. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Well, David has gone on to become a BIG DEAL. First he made his name working on the concept of reusable learning objects, but where he has really made his mark is in OER. I mean, he's THE guy. He's been a tenured faculty member at two universities, and he's the co-founder of <a href="https://lumenlearning.com/" target="_blank">Lumen Learning</a>. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">When I contacted David and told him that I was teaching a class on OER, not only did he say that he would visit my class (virtually), but he also offered up all <a href="https://openeducation.us/2020/" target="_blank">his course materials</a> he uses when he teaches OER. And of course, it's all available and licensed under a<a href="https://creativecommons.org/" target="_blank"> Creative Commons</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/" target="_blank">attribution license</a>. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">For the first week, my students had to watch a video of David's TED talk:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Rb0syrgsH6M" width="320" youtube-src-id="Rb0syrgsH6M"></iframe></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Now, I'm painfully aware that my students had to watch the video and respond on their own blogs to the following prompts:</div><div style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="margin-left: 40px; text-align: left;"><i>In your blog post, you should react to Dr. Wiley's overall message about
OER. What do you agree with? What did he say that gives you pause?
What made you THINK? What follow-up questions would you like to ask him
about the presentation?</i></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">And I'm going to try to follow their assignments as well (sometimes). But this time, I just want to say this: David's work has had an impact on me, and by extension, my students. I haven't used textbooks in years, and I strive to either write my own content or find free and open resources online to supplement. I just remember sitting with David at the AECT Summer Research Symposium and David turned to me and said, "How can you expect someone to PAY for KNOWLEDGE?" It struck a chord with me.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">And that's a large part of why I do what I do.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Thanks, David, for thinking about these things, and in turn, making me think and opening my eyes.<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>John H. Curryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390744838396610309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3811216917118087249.post-30825457628032306122014-12-31T13:56:00.001-07:002014-12-31T13:58:03.776-07:00So what should 2015 bring?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So here we are: 2015 starts tomorrow. It's crazy. For the first time in a long time I look ahead, and I can't really see what my focus is going to be.<br />
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Why?<br />
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Well, most importantly, <i><b>the tenure thing is finally going to happen</b></i>. It's been A LOT of work and A LOT of years coming. And, just because I work in higher education, of course there were shenanigans. However, it's going to happen (just awaiting the Board of Regents' approval), so I don't want to give those shenanigans any more thought. It's over; I'm going to be here.<br />
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And I'm happy about that.<br />
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I'll for sure work for promotion to Full Professor, but that's still a bit away. Tenure doesn't go into affect until August. So I have seven months of . . . what? One of my colleagues calls this my "wasted year." It's because nothing I do counts for tenure and nothing counts for promotion. So it's just kind of . . . there.<br />
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But I don't want to just sit on my laurels and do nothing.<br />
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So here's what I plan on making this year about:<br />
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First of all, <b>FAMILY</b>. I've been gone so much so long under the pressure of working on tenure, that many thing have gone the way side. It's not that I haven't been there for concerts, ball games, etc., but more than anything, I haven't been <i>mentally</i> there.<br />
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I think of what I wrote in the dedication of my dissertation (back in 2005):<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>I dedicate this work to my wonderful wife, Lori, and my two children, John and Natalie. Thanks for putting up with all these years of school. Guess what?</i><br />
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<i>Daddy's coming home now . . . </i></blockquote>
So here we are ten years later, and I could write the same thing today.<br />
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I've got to get priorities all together.<br />
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Now don't get me wrong: I help coach my son's archery team, I'm going to coach his baseball team, and I volunteer in the schools. I'm on the Curriculum committee at the elementary school. But I can do better. And I will.<br />
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Next, <b>SPIRITUALITY</b>. It's not that I am not a spiritual person. I am. I attend church every week; I teach Sunday School. I try to pray and read my scriptures.<br />
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I want to be better at my scripture study this year. For Sunday School, I'll be teaching the New Testament, so I know I'll be reading that. But this year I want to read the entire <a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bible?lang=eng" target="_blank">Holy Bible</a> (we use the King James Version in <a href="http://www.lds.org/" target="_blank">the church I attend</a>). I've read the New Testament in it's entirety more than once. The Old Testament? Well . . . I've read <i>most</i> of it, many times. But never the whole thing. I also want to read (again) the entire <a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm?lang=eng" target="_blank">Book of Mormon</a>. I've read that many times as well. This year I want to read them all. That comes out to about four chapters a day.<br />
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If you'd like a free copy of the Holy Bible, <a href="http://www.mormon.org/free-bible" target="_blank">click here</a>.<br />
If you'd like a free copy of the Book of Mormon, <a href="http://www.mormon.org/free-book-of-mormon" target="_blank">click here</a>.<br />
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Like I said before: I've done well, but I can do better.<br />
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Next, I want to get <b>ORGANIZED</b>. I'm not talking all crazy organized, because that's just nuts.<br />
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But I just need to organize my thoughts and stuff I need to do. So what I've started doing, and it's helping is cataloging my projects and what I need to do according to the <i>Getting Things Done</i> method. I haven't read the whole book, but I had a student who used it as a framework for her dissertation (shout out to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/amymorganjohnson?fref=ts" target="_blank">Dr. Amy Johnson</a>).<br />
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I like the process, and it's helping me get organized. So that's good.<br />
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So I'm improving, but I can get better.<br />
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So all in all, what should 2015 bring? Hopefully a better me. I'm not a bad guy, but I can get better.<br />
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I believe <a href="http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/leader-biographies/president-thomas-s-monson" target="_blank">Thomas S. Monson</a> is a prophet of God. He's a prophet just like Moses, Abraham, Isaiah, or Jeremiah. <br />
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I like what he said:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_GTciCOGR-nBCHZ9bxz_hzAfhKWyKHQwG8qapuu9hyphenhyphenbq7x-fD21lDp5mM793n_pz_nRO2F7YbdxKnHK6GUI7WUn0peLKQUHylb1AZOSWrv9pB7IFZw1Vnl6EIbY_p7Nmiwq6-IxEwABmX/s1600/monson_tryagain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_GTciCOGR-nBCHZ9bxz_hzAfhKWyKHQwG8qapuu9hyphenhyphenbq7x-fD21lDp5mM793n_pz_nRO2F7YbdxKnHK6GUI7WUn0peLKQUHylb1AZOSWrv9pB7IFZw1Vnl6EIbY_p7Nmiwq6-IxEwABmX/s1600/monson_tryagain.jpg" height="196" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
So like President Monson says, and since I know I can always be better, 2015 is my year of "I'll try again tomorrow."<br />
<br />
I'm going to take my "wasted year" and make it my year of a better me. And if I mess up?<br />
<br />
I'll try again tomorrow.<br />
<br />
I hope your 2015 is successful as well. May God bless you, and may you have all you want and need.John H. Curryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390744838396610309noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3811216917118087249.post-79321565289769213712014-08-20T11:58:00.001-06:002014-08-20T11:58:17.209-06:00<h2 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>So funny!</b></span></h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8V78AdBkIrdJ9UN79HnYCL5KfbfHkPW0nTgF4sniuuZX9X97YoO6Fxxvuhv5Uh_mW3VOxl6LRV-t_o9RheYh6dH5yxbaivXAK9DSJ_FX3JVpJUBkodCYO8cuFoOD5h_7ZqbMMCucg71Cg/s1600/mama.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8V78AdBkIrdJ9UN79HnYCL5KfbfHkPW0nTgF4sniuuZX9X97YoO6Fxxvuhv5Uh_mW3VOxl6LRV-t_o9RheYh6dH5yxbaivXAK9DSJ_FX3JVpJUBkodCYO8cuFoOD5h_7ZqbMMCucg71Cg/s1600/mama.jpg" height="166" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />John H. Curryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390744838396610309noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3811216917118087249.post-29834506288339998272013-09-14T21:16:00.000-06:002013-09-14T21:31:24.949-06:00The Dirty Game: My take on the Sports Illustrated series on the Oklahoma State Cowboy football program<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbHI3Nfm-NJL9OPERIOTv9PSDX2SCKJHnTdIMssRGJexhY3253VAPQx-YCFSeei5_X9dO5_h4LKr77e2DHZloe2DN3E-44mIPF6zEQz5DTlC8oJcx4ZGYBWVUY8IXd1-pQ3vLKBPbDQ6aM/s1600/130910084327-oklahoma-state-t1-with-tabs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbHI3Nfm-NJL9OPERIOTv9PSDX2SCKJHnTdIMssRGJexhY3253VAPQx-YCFSeei5_X9dO5_h4LKr77e2DHZloe2DN3E-44mIPF6zEQz5DTlC8oJcx4ZGYBWVUY8IXd1-pQ3vLKBPbDQ6aM/s200/130910084327-oklahoma-state-t1-with-tabs.jpg" width="173" /></a></div>
<br />
If you don't follow college football or of you're just living under a rock, then you have no idea what the above image is all about. This past week Sports Illustrated ran a five-article series on the Oklahoma State Cowboys and their football program. The articles allege pay-for-play for the players, academic misconduct, a culture of drugs, and sex provided for recruits. Plenty of people (including an overwhelming majority of former players) have poked holes in the shoddy reporting and research, but strangely enough, I'm involved in the whole thing.<br />
<br />
How? Well, after the first article was released, I was flabbergasted. So I posted on the Oklahoma State University Facebook page:<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVDoyxXexGtjjnKENcSJPgGFUaXCTTuvSHJBJpGcYtUDq5GzRnF5cmN0-LIbdroYi3vSZ4U2gLZHd1-a9jggzqYy0y8Sooqn714JofuYhcW4FfrNqfnzcuyhgwawZMJvDf_O5a1Cd4TBi7/s1600/osu2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVDoyxXexGtjjnKENcSJPgGFUaXCTTuvSHJBJpGcYtUDq5GzRnF5cmN0-LIbdroYi3vSZ4U2gLZHd1-a9jggzqYy0y8Sooqn714JofuYhcW4FfrNqfnzcuyhgwawZMJvDf_O5a1Cd4TBi7/s320/osu2.png" width="297" /></a></div>
<br />
My life went CRAZYTOWN after that. It wasn't ten minutes later, and I was contacted by OSU Communications asking if I would be willing to share my story. I said yes, but I had no idea what that meant.<br />
<br />
That night, I got some nice <a href="http://www.orangepower.com/threads/one-professors-experience-teaching-the-osu-football-team.173185/" target="_blank">support for coming forward</a> from the folks on the <a href="http://www.orangepower.com/" target="_blank">OrangePower</a> message boards.<br />
<br />
The next day I was contacted by the ABC, CBS, and NBC affiliates in Oklahoma City, the Daily Oklahoman, and the Sports Animal, the major sports talk radio station in OKC. Everyone wanted to talk to me. At first, I was fine with that, but I just felt unsettled about it. I talked with my wife about it, and we decided that it was best not do to so. So I responded to the requests thanking them for the opportunity and I sent a written statement that was a variation of the above post. It read:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>I taught at OSU from 2005 to 2011, and I taught a
majority of the football players in that time frame. The only thing I
can speak to specifically is academics. I taught the majority of the
high profile
football players in that time. And I was NEVER pressured to pass them. I
never heard of another faculty member being pressured to pass an
athlete. In
fact, it was the exact opposite. If a player wasn't performing in the
classroom, I called the Academic Center AND the advisers or position
coaches, and in EVERY SINGLE CASE I was told, "If they're not doing the
work, then fail them. They need to learn." I worked closely with Terry
Henley, and the article's characterization
of him is not the same as mine. I always found Terry to be very above
board and expected rigor out of the student athletes. In addition, I had
Coach Gundy step in my class doing class checks to
make sure his players were there. I also observed in the Academic Center
the tutors working with the athletes. They never, EVER did the work for
them. Of the 50 or more players I taught and the numerous others I met, I
never met anyone I would characterize as functionally illiterate. In
short, my experience was the exact opposite of the article's
allegations. My time working with those young men and that staff was
just as academically rigorous as my time with non-student athletes. I
never saw athletes get special treatment.</b></blockquote>
<br />
After that decision, I felt much more settled, and as the requests came in, I just kept sending that email.<br />
<br />
Here's the result:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://kfor.com/2013/09/11/students-and-players-react-to-part-2-of-si-report-on-osu-football/" target="_blank">Students and players react to 'part 2' of SI report on OSU football</a> (video included!)<br />
<br />
I grew up watching Linda Cavanaugh, and it was weird to hear her talking about me. It would have been cooler if she could have pronounced my name correctly. It's CURRY, Linda. Like chicken CURRY. :)<br />
<br />
The next time I saw myself quoted it wasn't actually about the SI series, but rather how the University was using social media to respond.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://emergingmediastrategy.wordpress.com/2013/09/11/social-media-cowboys-how-oklahoma-state-university-is-handling-the-si-crisis-on-social-media/comment-page-1/#comment-112" target="_blank">Social Media Cowboys--How Oklahoma State University is handling the SI crisis on social media</a><br />
<br />
Again, just strange to see me on there . . .<br />
<br />
But the next day I was quoted in the <a href="http://newsok.com/associate-ad-in-charge-of-academics-at-osu-never-interviewed-by-sports-illustrated/article/3881772" target="_blank">Daily Oklahoman</a>. I was also quoted in the <a href="http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/505491/20130912/ncaa-football-oklahoma-state.htm#.UjUb17yE6Tz" target="_blank">International Business Times</a>. But it was KOCO Channel 5 who really surprised me:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.koco.com/sports/cowboys/former-osu-professor-speaks-out-against-sicom-article/-/12409306/21900552/-/hwwgpxz/-/index.html" target="_blank">Former OSU professor speaks out against SI.com article</a><br />
<br />
A whole article just on my statement! So that's everyone quoting me. It seems crazy, but don't think I tried to make myself part of the story. If you don't remember or if you don't read my blog (I don't post much, so that's fine), <a href="http://www.dctrcurry.com/2012/07/whereve-i-been.html" target="_blank">my time at Oklahoma State ended involuntarily</a>. I had people who could have spoken up for me (when I couldn't speak for myself), but they didn't. I swore I'd never stay silent when I could speak for someone. That's how I view this situation. I could speak up, so I did.<br />
<br />
My take on the articles? I know nothing about players getting paid, but I find it hard to believe that no one knew about it. Someone would have talked. And if all the starters and stars of that era are coming out and saying they never saw it or heard of it, then it probably wasn't what was going on. I'm not saying it didn't happen, but I think there would have <i>at least</i> been rumors. As for the academic allegations, you can see my response above. And what about the article on drugs? Some college students choose to take drugs. Do I think the football program was lax like the article alleges? Not in my experience with the athletes. I saw many of them dismissed from the team for it. What about the article alleging sex for players? Some gals chase jerseys. But I don't think the program pimped out the Orange Pride girls. I taught some of them, too, and they were fine young women.<br />
<br />
I think the entire series of articles smacks of poor journalism and a lack of research. It's too bad. But I know that the Oklahoma State family will be okay, because that's what we do. We keep riding.<br />
<br />
GO POKES! I might be living in Kentucky now, but I'm <span style="color: orange;"><b>FOREVER ORANGE</b></span>.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />John H. Curryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390744838396610309noreply@blogger.com288tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3811216917118087249.post-73943287232941305082012-09-03T14:44:00.002-06:002012-09-03T14:44:58.755-06:00Just because I'm bored: Last five songs playedI like these posts. They show what kind of mood I've been in. With that said, here are my last five songs:<br />
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<b>Who am I?</b> by Casting Crowns<br /><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/mBcqria2wmg?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<b>Be Still My Soul</b> by Selah<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/V0cBPV9PiPg?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<b>Praise You in this Storm </b>by Casting Crowns<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/MUWbmtbzDno?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<b>Will He Really Answer Me</b> by Michael McLean (not Janice Kapp Perry as the video says)<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/S971I72MXhI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<b>Stay with Me</b> by Liz Draper<br />
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So there you have it. Current feeling? Worshipful and thankful for a loving Father in Heaven and Savior.</div>
<br />John H. Curryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390744838396610309noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3811216917118087249.post-66284811024376226252012-07-26T13:59:00.002-06:002012-07-26T14:00:00.671-06:00Dollar Shave Club: Smooth as a baby's behind on the cheap<a href="https://www.dollarshaveclub.com/ref/3hqi/1o115ku" target="_blank">Dollar Shave Club</a>. Shave time, Shave money.<br />
<br />
Wait, what?<br />
<br />
First of all, you MUST watch <a href="https://www.dollarshaveclub.com/ref/3hqi/1o115ku" target="_blank">Dollar Shave Club</a>'s commercial. These guys spent next-to-nothing on it (all things considered), but it is <b><i>brilliant!</i></b><br />
<b><i><br /></i></b><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZUG9qYTJMsI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<b><i><br /></i></b><br />
I've got to tell you, I downloaded the video from YouTube and I keep it on my iPad. My kids quote it. Favorite line? "I'm no Vanderbilt, but this train? Makes Hay. *TOOT* *TOOT*" Even my three year old daughter, Emma, does the hand gesture!<br />
<br />
Now, I thought about it for months, and I finally decided to pull the trigger. I signed up. I generally use the Gillette Fusion, and I have for years. I'm heavy set, and my round face is kind of goofy to shave. I also have a very heavy beard that has a couple of cow-licks on my neck. It's quite the pain to get a shave I like. I've tried the cheap disposables, different electrics, and none of them have been perfect.<br />
<br />
So, like I said, I decided to pull the trigger. I <a href="https://www.dollarshaveclub.com/ref/3hqi/1o115ku" target="_blank">joined</a>, and I signed up for the 4X at $6 a month. I didn't know what to expect. Two weeks ago, here's what I got in the mail:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_P1EhguyDWDVVXe5lDRy-T2q6y14OrwSeI-wuqVbOxeoDacYsDvs75-XjyxJ7OE3SHZtj8YPGmaq-jqKpcLKAox3fkD0-EtpMpCW9mPFwcOPyVx1RTNdM4Ub09sQ1z-VoAY0Ij9W_W-q8/s1600/IMG_4615.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_P1EhguyDWDVVXe5lDRy-T2q6y14OrwSeI-wuqVbOxeoDacYsDvs75-XjyxJ7OE3SHZtj8YPGmaq-jqKpcLKAox3fkD0-EtpMpCW9mPFwcOPyVx1RTNdM4Ub09sQ1z-VoAY0Ij9W_W-q8/s320/IMG_4615.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I waited two weeks to see how I like it. And here goes:<br />
<br />
To begin with, the handle. It's magic. I love that it's hefty (has some weight to it), but it also is curved and padded. It fits nicely into my hand. I never really thought about the straight handles I was using on other razors, but I LOVE how this feels in my hand. It's awesome. The pivot head works just as well if not better than any other I've used. <br />
<br />
The blades: well, they're #$&^ing great, right? Actually, they do seem great. I get a great shave, and unlike my Fusion blades, the lubricant isn't all gone after one shave. It actually lasts. What savvy genius came up with that? Hey Mike! Give that guy a raise! <br />
<br />
So overall, what's my assessment? The handle gets an A+, and the blades get an A. My face does, in fact, feel like I get a better shave. I really, really do. Like the title says, as smooth as a baby's behind on the cheap. I love the fact that they are delivered to my door, and I'm orders of magnitude more pleased with them than I have ever been with any other razor I've ever used. <br />
<br />
Do they shave well? Yes<br />
Do they last longer? Yes<br />
Is the handle better? Oh, heavens yes<br />
Do they make me smarter? Probably not, but I feel like I am . . .<br />
<br />
And did I mention the fact that if you refer your friends you can earn free blades? Yep! Go to <a href="https://www.dollarshaveclub.com/ref/3hqi/1o115ku" target="_blank">Dollarshaveclub.com</a> to find out more.John H. Curryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390744838396610309noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3811216917118087249.post-78801574821189109682012-07-13T07:28:00.002-06:002012-07-13T07:28:43.606-06:00Last five songs playedI've been browsing my blog posts over the last--can you believe it--SEVEN years, and I ran across an old post telling you the last five songs I had listened to. Yep, it was an Internet meme at the time, and I rode the wave. <div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Now, on this rainy Friday the 13th in Kentucky, I thought I'd let you know what my last five songs played were. Here they are in order (randomly played from one of my 80s playlists):</div>
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Straight up, by Paula Abdul</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/El1kgCqD7Xk?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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My Perogative, by Bobby Brown</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/5cDLZqe735k?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Venus, by Bananarama</div>
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<object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://1.gvt0.com/vi/JH3WvI_S6-k/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/JH3WvI_S6-k&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/JH3WvI_S6-k&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
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Cruel Summer, by Bananarama</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/FGYNvx9lqDQ?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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Mad about You, by Belinda Carlisle</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/XmdtJWmR9zQ?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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So there you have it. But truth be told, today is a little more like this one, one of my all-time favorites:</div>
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<br /></div>
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Songs about Rain, by Gary Allan</div>
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<object width="320" height="266" class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="http://1.gvt0.com/vi/iEkQGa_O5tU/0.jpg"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/iEkQGa_O5tU&fs=1&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/v/iEkQGa_O5tU&fs=1&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
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What are your last five songs played?</div>
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Dr. C</div>
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<br /></div>John H. Curryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390744838396610309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3811216917118087249.post-1736814980754198492012-07-09T10:05:00.001-06:002012-07-09T10:06:30.327-06:00Where've I been?This post could go a couple of ways, so I'll do my best.<br />
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<br /></div>
<div>
We've moved to Morehead, Kentucky, and I now teach at <a href="http://www.moreheadstate.edu/" target="_blank">Morehead State University</a> in their <a href="http://www.moreheadstate.edu/fgse/" target="_blank">Educational Technology</a> program. I've been here six months, but I also taught as an adjunct for them last fall. I love it here, and the best thing I can say about it is that I forgot what it was like to go to work and be appreciated and have people support you.</div>
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So why did I leave Oklahoma State? Well, it wasn't by choice. The short answer is I didn't get tenure. Why? Well, that is a complicated question. Anyone who has worked in higher education knows that tenure is a tricky thing. Those with it can wield it over those who don't. Suffice it to say that a certain faculty member told me about four years ago that she would do everything in her power to see that I didn't get tenure. And she succeeded. Now, to be fair, there was plenty I could have done differently, but I had met the requirements, and I should have been awarded tenure. I went through the appeals and everything (I wasn't the only one who appealed that year), and the official answer I was given was, "We see exactly what she is doing and has done, but the tenure committee is sticking to a common narrative. We're sorry, but there's nothing we can do." So nevermind the fact that I had documentation that the tenure committee never even looked at my file (only the aforementioned faculty member) and my school head even admitted (I recorded our conversation and presented it as evidence as well) that he didn't look at it, he only read her recommendation, I had to go. So in reality, here's how I feel about it: I could have done more, yes, but I met (and according to the documents exceeded) the published guidelines. Yes, I had a tenured faculty member who marked me (for whatever reason--I've asked her repeatedly over the years what I did and asked how to fix it and she would never tell me. Even during my appeal the University asked what her beef was with me and she refused to answer). But I am most discouraged by the faculty members who are good people who told me in private they could see what she was doing, they knew about it, they had an opportunity to speak up and stand against, and didn't. Cowards. Every last one of them. </div>
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Am I bitter? I was. I was really upset. But then I came to this conclusion: If my Heavenly Father needed me to still be in Stillwater at Oklahoma State University, then there is nothing any of them could have done to keep me from being there. So that must mean that He needed me somewhere else. I have faith in His plan, so this must be part of it. And if it is part of it, then I will do no good being bitter or angry. So yes, I'm disappointed. Yes, it's been hard on my family. But I'm grateful to have a job in this economy, and not just any job, a better job than the one I had. I got a raise, and it is a very supportive environment. Most of all, I guess I feel sorry for her. How sad and lonely must a person's life be to make it your mission to try and destroy another? I hope she can get past it one day, but as far as I go, my conscience is clear, and I will let God judge the situation in His perfect way.</div>
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So there you have the VERY CONDENSED version. I'm healthy, the family is healthy, and we're happy. It took eleven months, but we sold the house in Oklahoma and we were able to buy the house we wanted here in Kentucky. It hasn't been easy, but I thought often of the story of Abraham and his going to sacrifice Isaac. Isaac kept asking what they were going to sacrifice, and Abraham kept responding that God would provide. I didn't know how my story would end, but I knew God would provide for me and my family. My job was to keep moving towards the top of the mountain and demonstrate faith in Him and His plan. I hope I passed the test in a way pleasing to Him.</div>
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With that said, I'm happy to have my new domain name: dctrcurry.com, and to have it linked directly to the blog here. I first started blogging when it was cool, and I wrote a lot. It came and it went a couple of times. But now I just want to write for me. So there will be random thoughts on anything I'm randomly thinking about: work, politics, pop culture, religion, family, etc. But they're just my thoughts. Those who know me personally know I can be pretty opinionated, but most of all, I just enjoy the conversation.</div>
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See you online!</div>
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jhc </div>John H. Curryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390744838396610309noreply@blogger.com6Morehead, KY 40351, USA38.2563616 -83.378938938.0568631 -83.694795899999988 38.455860099999995 -83.0630819tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3811216917118087249.post-78846550697928289522011-07-27T13:21:00.000-06:002011-07-27T13:24:50.052-06:00Social Media considerations<div>I use a lot of social media (<a href="http://www.facebook.com/john.curry">facebook</a> and <a href="http://goo.gl/WJ6ht">Google +</a> primarily), but I find these two articles to be relevant reviews of unspoken rules and practices with social media interactions.</div><div><br />
</div><a href="http://www.openforum.com/articles/7-unwritten-rules-of-social-media">7 Unwritten Rules Of Social Media </a><br />
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</div><div><a href="http://lateralaction.com/articles/9-responses/">9 Ways People Respond to Your Content Online</a></div><div><br />
</div><div>There's a bunch to consider, folks. It's like I try to teach my students (same as others do): Once it's there, it's there. We leave impressions of ourselves all over the Internet. The best thing we can do is try to keep it all positive and not detract from how we want to be perceived. But I agree with much of what's written here.</div><div><br />
</div><div>What do I think the most important lesson is here? I think it's what I'll call the "Jerry Rule." You see, when my wife and I were first married, we went to church with a guy named Jerry. Jerry never heard a question he couldn't answer. As a matter of fact, no one even tried to participate in the discussions in Sunday School, because Jerry would answer every question and <i>never shut up.</i> </div><div><br />
</div><div>Online is the same. Just because you post a lot of content doesn't mean it's good content or that everyone is excited to hear what you're saying. </div><div><br />
</div><div>As with any technology integrated, just be smart, ok?</div>John H. Curryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390744838396610309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3811216917118087249.post-47468434477207278622011-07-26T15:09:00.000-06:002011-07-26T15:09:59.526-06:00News: Killing Peer Review - Inside Higher EdSee article: <a href="http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2011/07/19/debate_over_whether_social_web_sites_can_replace_peer_review"><b>News: Killing Peer Review - Inside Higher Ed</b></a><br />
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</div><div>I have written about my thoughts on academic publishing <a href="http://dctrcurry.blogspot.com/2010/02/publish-or-perish-plague-of-academia.html"><b>before</b></a>. But I really think the idea behind this posting is interesting. I don't know if it would work, but it is interesting nonetheless.</div>John H. Curryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390744838396610309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3811216917118087249.post-525363021292758942011-07-22T21:24:00.000-06:002011-07-22T21:24:49.337-06:00Why the blogspot blog?Simple answer: I use everything else Google, so why not?<br />
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I'm tired of paying for a domain that I just don't think I'm getting my ROI on. <br />
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Simple enough.John H. Curryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390744838396610309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3811216917118087249.post-82900281871467632072011-03-31T00:43:00.000-06:002011-07-26T12:27:59.371-06:00Just an update from yesterdayFor any who read yesterday's post, I just wanted to publicly congratulate Dr. Mohamed Ibrahim on successfully defending his dissertation yesterday. Well done!John H. Curryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390744838396610309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3811216917118087249.post-25751030566595872292011-03-30T05:58:00.000-06:002011-07-26T12:27:59.371-06:00What I love about my job<img class="size-medium wp-image-273 aligncenter" title="library" src="http://effectivedesign.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/library-300x128.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="128" /><br/><br/> <br/><br/>What do I love about my job? Well, pretty much everything. I feel so incredibly blessed to work as an educator. I love everything about working on a college campus. Right now, as I type, I look out my window and watch students walking to class. I remember those days as a student. They were wonderful. Sure, I had classes I hated (hello, College Algebra!), but I loved being a student. It's probably one of the reasons why I kept going to school for so long.<br/><br/><a name='more'></a>And here I am now, fifteen (almost sixteen) years into my career, and I couldn't be happier. But what is it that makes it so great? You know, unless you have experienced it, it is kind of hard to articulate. But let me see how I do. Yesterday I was teaching my pre-service teachers, and it was all renewed in my mind. Now preservice teachers are great. For the most part, they are eager to be the best they can be, and they want to learn what they can do to better prepare for their future students. Currently, my students are working on a podcasting assignment. For a lot of students, it's an intimidating assignment. Podcasts are something they can download on iTunes, not something they are capable of creating. It's all magic, right? It's how they feel about a lot of the new technologies they encounter in my course. But I had my students in a new lab (I always teach in a lab, but this lab had both Macs and PCs), and we went over how to create a podcast. I did everything I was supposed to do: I demonstrated, I explained steps in the process, I broke the process down into smaller steps, I gave them the opportunity to practice and provided guidance. Let's face it folks, it was everything it was supposed to be. And you know what happened? IT happened.<br/><br/><img class="size-medium wp-image-272 aligncenter" title="MG_0715" src="http://effectivedesign.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/MG_0715-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /><br/><br/>I saw the look. Not just any look, <strong>THE </strong>look. The one where they get it and know that they get it. The look they get when they realize, "Holy cow, I can make a podcast!" AWESOME. That's what I love about my job. I love the look.<br/><br/>Later today I'll go participate in a dissertation defense for one of our doctoral students. And it's the same thing. We'll listen to his presentation, ask him about what he's done, you know, all that's involved with the defense, and hopefully, we'll shake his hand and the end and call him DOCTOR for the first time.<br/><br/>I think that's the great part of my job. Celebrating the students and the look. That's what makes it great. And every once in a while, someone says thanks. I got this letter from a student last semester:<br/><blockquote><em>Dear Dr. Curry,</em><br/><br/><em>I write you this message out of the sheer appreciation and gratitude I owe to you for the opportunity to serve as your student, but also to inform you of how you and your attitude toward learning and teaching have influenced my life.</em><br/><br/><em>On the first day when I walked into your classroom full of computers, I immediately thought to myself, “Oh this should be interesting, I wonder if he can keep my attention with a computer in front of me…” Indeed, I was quite skeptical, questioning your ability to actively engage students in an innovative, abstract, and applicable manner. I walked into your classroom on the first day of class as a skeptic who doubted you and your abilities and I left your classroom at the end of the semester a skeptic. A skeptic, yes, but this time it was much different than the first day, because I was a skeptic of knowledge, information, and life, but I left believing in you and your abilities and with you believing in me and my abilities.</em><br/><br/><em>A famous philosopher named Socrates once said, “I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think.” Likewise, a wise professor by the name of Dr. Curry once asked me, “What is a chair?” I will never forget that day in class and how dumbfounded I was. I replied with something to the effect of, “it is something that you sit on...” and then the conversation took off, continuing with you questioning my thoughts about it means to really be a chair. As a result, I began to question and think critically about everything I thought I knew. In addition to opening my mind to critical thinking, you also revealed the importance of thinking, and more than thinking- formulating my own opinions, beliefs, and definitions. You are one of the first professors that I have encountered who encouraged us to constantly question that which we think we know. I appreciate that more than you can imagine because what is life if you just accept it for what other people see it as, define it as, and experience it as? If we were to do that, all knowledge would be truth and everything will be accepted and we would be no better than glorified robots, unable to think or reason for ourselves. Thank you for preventing me from becoming a glorified robot.</em><br/><br/><em>All of this to say, you allowed me to think, you encouraged me to bring, as Jacob Bronowski would refer to it as the, “certain ragamuffin barefoot irreverence to [my] studies...not to worship what is known, but to question it.” More than that, you encouraged me to determine what I thought and more than what I thought, what I believe, and not to just believe it, but to live it with passion. When I think of how to describe you, passionate would most definitely be one of the many words that would be on the list. Through the passionate manner in which you teach, deeply caring and interested in each of your students, you change lives and open minds. I know you have changed my life; thank you for believing in me and encouraging me to become the best student and teacher possible. I cannot even begin to express what it means to me to have one of my professors express to me that he genuinely believes in me, thank you for that Dr. Curry. Your perseverance and dedication throughout the semester while dealing with your injured knee serves as a testament to the caliber of a teacher but also the sort of person that you are. Even when in pain, you showed up and always brought something intriguing for us to attempt to wrap our minds around. Thank you for your commitment to your students and also to learning and thinking.</em><br/><br/><em>Although the class title was “Educational Technology”, I walked away from your class with much more than an understanding of “Educational Technology”. Do not get me wrong, I did learn how to use technology in an educational setting in some extremely interesting ways, but I really think that you, in addition to the technology, were more of an “educational” experience than anything. I learned more about education, learning, and thinking critically than I have in any of my courses throughout my educational career.</em><br/><br/><em>In closing, please keep doing what you’re doing – turning the minds of students completely upside down and then starting from the ground up, causing them to view the world around them differently. Keep encouraging students to try new things that they might have never even heard of or been afraid to use. Lastly, I hope that you will remain passionate about learning and sharing your love of knowledge, instruction, technology, critical thinking, and life with your students. We need more teachers like you in the world that truly care about their students and encourage and push them to be the best they can be and most importantly, teachers that believe in them. You are an amazing professor and I know that you will make a difference in the lives of many more students in the years to come. Thank you for being the teacher that you are, for you are truly an inspiration.</em><br/><br/><em> Sincerely,</em><br/><br/><em><Name omitted></em></blockquote><br/>And that, Sports Fans, is why I love my job. Know what I mean?John H. Curryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390744838396610309noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3811216917118087249.post-55989851559409558042010-10-19T06:02:00.000-06:002011-07-26T12:27:59.371-06:00Testing iPhone BloggingIn anticipation for AECT next week, I'm trying the WordPress blogging app. I like to live blog the sessions I attend, so if this works, it would be helpful.John H. Curryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390744838396610309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3811216917118087249.post-8697649279012537052010-02-23T09:21:00.000-07:002011-07-26T12:27:59.372-06:00Scholarly communication must transformIn light of my last post on <a href="http://effectivedesign.org/blog/2010/02/22/publish-or-perish-the-plague-of-academia/">Publish or Perish: The Plague of Academia</a>, I ran across a ten part series called "Scholarly Communication Must Transform," written by <a href="http://gideonburton.typepad.com/">Gideon Burton</a>, an Assistant Professor in the English department at one of my alma maters, <a href="http://www.byu.edu">Brigham Young University</a>. In this series, Gideon discusses his views on the subject. Very interesting reads.<br/><br/>Here are his topics:<br/><ul><br/> <li>Scholarly communications must be <a href="http://www.academicevolution.com/2009/08/scholarly-communications-must-transform-2.html">open</a></li><br/> <li>Scholarly communications must be <a href="http://www.academicevolution.com/2009/08/scholarly-communications-must-transform-3.html">standards-compliant</a></li><br/> <li>Scholarly communications must be <a href="http://www.academicevolution.com/2009/08/scholarly-communications-must-transform-4.html">syndicated</a></li><br/> <li>Scholarly communications must be <a href="http://www.academicevolution.com/2009/09/scholarly-communications-must-transform-5.html">Integrated Into the Cyberinfrastructure</a></li><br/> <li>Scholarly communications <a href="http://www.academicevolution.com/2009/11/scholarly-communications-must-transform-6.html">will transform via Cybermetrics</a></li><br/> <li>Scholarly communications must be <a href="http://www.academicevolution.com/2009/11/scholarly-communications-must-transform-7.html">mobile</a>, and</li><br/> <li>Scholarly communications must be <a href="http://www.academicevolution.com/2010/02/scholarly-communications-must-transform-8.html">scalable</a></li><br/> <li>Scholarly communications in the <a href="http://www.academicevolution.com/2010/02/scholarly-communications-must-transform-9.html">Long Tail of knowledge</a></li><br/> <li>Scholarly communications must not wait for peer review.</li><br/></ul><br/>Enjoy!John H. Curryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390744838396610309noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3811216917118087249.post-39468236228724502392010-02-22T07:04:00.000-07:002011-07-26T12:27:59.372-06:00POI Week 2 ResponsesOK, here are the week 2 questions with my responses:<br/><div id="z_n"><br/><br/>1. How do you plan to design your online course to encourage free flow ideas and requests for clarification--discussion forums, email, chatrooms, team activities, other?<br/><br/><strong>I generally make use the discussion boards for clarification. I also generally set up a specific discussion board for clarification, and I will also set up one for general topics or off topics. I call it the Student Union or Watercooler. I generally let the students handle the topics in there and let it be "their space." I use synchronous chat for office hours. I have it open at certain times and students can come in and ask questions as needed. I use Facebook for the same thing.</strong><br/><br/>2. What thoughts do you have about timing access to different components of the lesson(s)--one-time dump, progressive access, access tied to specific assignments, allow students to work ahead or go back to catch up, other?<br/><br/><strong>I've done both, and it generally depends on the content. Some content lends itself to work-at-your-own-pace, and some doesn't. </strong><br/><br/>So there you have it. Nothing earth-shattering, but my opinions nonetheless. I'm actually kind of bummed about how this course is going. Not a whole lot of discussion going on, and everyone is waiting until the last minute to post and that makes it difficult for anyone to respond.<br/><br/>Yeah, you know what I'm talking about . . .<br/><br/></div>John H. Curryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390744838396610309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3811216917118087249.post-65309339150787927282010-02-22T06:53:00.000-07:002011-07-26T12:27:59.372-06:00Publish or Perish: The plague of academia<a href="http://effectivedesign.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/136481192_67c9af19fd.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-259 alignleft" style="margin: 15px;" title="136481192_67c9af19fd" src="http://effectivedesign.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/136481192_67c9af19fd.jpg" alt="" width="202" height="148" /></a><br/><br/>Over the last couple of weeks, there has been some discussion online about the worth of peer review. Is it valuable, or is it antiquated? As an Assistant Professor who goes up for tenure next fall, allow me to contribute my two cents.<br/><br/>I guess the real question behind this whole publish or perish (which leads to peer review) comes back to the idea that if a university is going to grant tenure to a faculty member, they want to ensure that the faculty member is actively participating in their field and contributing meaningfully to the field's body of knowledge.<br/><br/>Do we have a problem there? Not me, I'm good. I look forward to tenure and the security it affords me, so I can see it as a valuable right of passage for a faculty member.<br/><br/><a name='more'></a><br/><br/>The question behind publish or perish that I have a real problem with IS peer review. I agree with the questions that have been asked of late. Allow me to catch you up.<br/><br/>February 5, 2010 (my 41st birthday!): Cameron Neylon posts "<a href="http://cameronneylon.net/blog/peer-review-what-is-it-good-for/">Peer Review: What is it good for?</a>" The basic premise of the article is that the process needs to be more open. Journals should publish which articles have been submitted as well as reviewer's comments. He thinks reviewers should be held accountable for their part in the process so they aren't purposely blocking others' work. He also talks about the cost associated with rejecting an article. I found his take interesting. The transparency of the process isn't the problem I have with it. I review articles for a couple of journals, and I always try to be fair. I think we ought to HELP each other share our ideas rather than try to prevent others.<br/><br/>February 17, 2010: Terry Anderson responds with "<a href="http://terrya.edublogs.org/2010/02/17/journals-as-filters-and-active-agents/">Journals as Filters and Active Agents</a>." His article talks about the peer review process from a journal editor's perspective. It was actually very interesting. His main point: "<em>So Peer review is certainly not perfect and does consume scholarly resources, but it serves to both filter and to improve the materials we use to build knowledge within our disciplines and (at least open access journals) to expose these ideas to everyone. Neylon’s ideas of just relying on happenstance and popularity ratings of posts, seem to be a recipe for compounding, rather than solving the challenges of utilizing relevant, interesting and important works.</em>" Honestly, I can see that. We have to have some sort of bar to meet as far as quality goes. Not all research furthers the body of knowledge, and those of us who make this our profession should accept this. And, heaven forbid, if our work doesn't do it, then we need to change topics!<br/><br/>February 17, 2010: Steven Downes chimes in with "<a href="http://halfanhour.blogspot.com/2010/02/on-peer-review.html">On Peer Review</a>." First of all, I'll say that I'm a big fan of Steven's, and I appreciate his hard work compiling <a href="http://www.downes.ca/news/OLDaily.htm">OLDaily</a> and reading his <a href="http://halfanhour.blogspot.com">Half an Hour blog</a>. In his response to the peer review debate, Steven wrote: "<em>I don't think of knowledge and scholarship as static; I think of them as fluid, and therefore to me it seems counterintuitive to attempt to capture a paper and fix it as a definitive statement of fact (or knowledge, or findings, or however you want to represent it).</em>" Further, he contrasts what he does with his blogging to publishing in academic journals, saying: "<em>The difference between me, and an academic reviewer, is that I am held accountable for every harsh word, every appeal to an academic standard, every suggestion of a missing reference, every appeal to theoretical support. I can't secretly lobby for a certain theory, undercut an opponent or competitor, bias the evidential basis for a proposition, or any of the many other things that can and do happen in peer review.</em>" Well, AMEN, brother!<br/><br/>I guess this really all started coming to mind for me a couple of years ago when two posts I wrote on this blog, <a href="http://effectivedesign.org/blog/2008/02/19/have-we-reclaimed-instructional-design/">Have we reclaimed Instructional Design</a> and <a href="http://effectivedesign.org/blog/2008/02/11/instructional-design-in-academia-where-theory-and-practice-rarely-meet/">Instructional Design in Academia: Where theory and practice RARELY meet</a>,<strong> </strong>were <a href="http://www.downes.ca/cgi-bin/page.cgi?journal=effectivedesign.org">listed on OLDaily</a>. I remember being pretty excited about it--especially because Steven didn't completely rip on me! At any rate, I remember telling someone higher up than me here at the university about it, and the response I got was, "Well, it doesn't help you towards tenure!" So here something I had written was going out to 26,000 + readers, and these posts still get heavy traffic on my blog, but because they weren't in a refereed journal, they don't matter.<br/><br/>As many know, my major professor was David Merrill, and he always told me that one of the reasons he wrote so much was to be part of the conversation. He said he didn't mind writing something and having someone disagree, because he liked having to defend it. I think that blogging is just that--having to defend your thoughts and ideas. Now, I'm not in any way saying that blogging should be equivalent to refereed publications as far as tenure goes, but if something generates *real* conversation in some sort of quantifiable manner, then why not have some way to count it?<br/><br/>In his widely watched <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html">TED talk</a>, Sir Ken Robinson said, "If you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never come up with anything original." Well, I agree with him. And that is the whole problem. The academic system rewards people who reuse data sets incessantly, others who run meaningless research studies, and others who just know how to get things published. And yet, as Downes mentions, they never have to defend a word of what they write. But I guess that's the underlying problem with the whole academic system: it rewards those who know how to play the game.<br/><br/>And that, my friends, is why I believe that peer reviews and the whole publish and perish mentality are the plague of academia.<br/><br/>So let me have it . . .John H. Curryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390744838396610309noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3811216917118087249.post-65172485363957498112010-02-15T09:22:00.000-07:002011-07-26T12:27:59.372-06:00(POI) Week one responses to meSee my <a href="http://effectivedesign.org/blog/2010/02/15/preparing-online-instructors/">previous post</a> to see what my week one response was.<br/><br/>Here is what classmate N. responded:<br/><blockquote>I completely agree with you and I do not see why grading participation is so important. Obviously the ultimate goal is to teach the topics covered in a course effectively by enforcing critical thinking. As long as a student demonstrates that he/she has learned the topics introduced through his/her performace in exams and assignments why we should force an individual to participate in a discussion by assigning grades to participation. I think having a forum to exchange ideas is helpful but a lot of people can learn without participating or by passive participation (by just reading the posts that interests him/her) in a discussion group. My approach would be to provide all the learning tools available to the students and let them choose the most effective method themselves. As instructors our job is to measure the outcome.</blockquote><br/>To that, classmate J. responded:<br/><blockquote>I don't see that there are any secrets to the educational process. Students must interact with certain amounts of information in order to make it their own. Participation has been proven to improve the levels of comprehension and absorption for the kinds of things most graduate students are expected to learn in their programs. Yes there are some things that we can learn the first time we see or hear them, but most things take time. Maybe I miss the point of this discussion but some of this is the reason I think I will always prefer the face to face discussions for some subjects.</blockquote><br/>Here's what I wrote back:<br/><blockquote>The real issue is that the educational process is so variable. We can design, design, design to get effective educational materials and activities for our instruction, but we still can't account for the variability in humans as learners. We can design multiple entry points into the instruction (audio, video, verbal, etc.), but we'll still never hit all the learners.<br/><br/>As for your comment that "participation has been proven to improve the levels of comprehension and absorption for the kinds of things most graduate students are expected to learn in their programs," I'm gonna disagree with you on that, but it could just be semantics.<br/><br/>When I teach my instructional design courses, I spend an entire day discussing the question "what is the difference between information and instruction?" Answers are all over the place. Most instructors think they are providing instructional activities to their students, but in reality they are just disseminating information; they are regurgitating content. The difference between information and instruction is the ability to practice. Instruction will involve the ability for the learner to practice and receive feedback. Here is a link to a blog post I wrote on just that topic, with an example of what a grad student response to the question might be (mine from grad school is posted there).<br/><br/>If you take your quote and change it to "PRACTICE has been proven to improve the levels of comprehension and absorption for the kinds of things most graduate students are expected to learn in their programs", then I'd agree (thus my assertion that we just might be disagreeing on semantics.) Otherwise, I think your comment is an overgeneralization. Content is too variable.<br/><br/>I do agree with you that some content lends itself better for face to face instruction. Even as an instructional designer and educational technologist, I don't think everything should be taught online. It just doesn't work. Once I was an instructional designer for an online college algebra class. It was the hardest thing I've ever designed. The technology we have today wasn't available, and it was a nightmare. Now, with that said, online components and simulations can ENHANCE face to face instruction (as can be seen with this story about brain surgeons practicing on virtual brains), but I still want my doctors and pilots to have practiced and learned on someone else before I need their services.</blockquote><br/><div>So what do y'all think?</div>John H. Curryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390744838396610309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3811216917118087249.post-83384795823234448342010-02-15T09:18:00.000-07:002011-07-26T12:27:59.373-06:00(POI) Week one questionsThe book we are using is <em>Teaching online: A practical guide</em>, by Ko and Rossen. Week one had us reading chapters one and two. We then answered the following questions:<br/><br/><span style="font-family: Tahoma, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif;"> </span><br/><blockquote>Question #1: How would you implement online discussions in your course?</blockquote><br/><blockquote>Question #2: To help students become involved in an online course, what should be included in the syllabus to help guide the students toward active/successful participation?</blockquote><br/>Here is my (partial) response:<br/><blockquote><em>Well, before I get to my answers, I think it may help a little to give you my background so you'll have insight into how I got here.</em><br/><br/><em>I feel like a kid here at the university (I'm only 41), but all through grad school all of my research was in online learning. As a master's student I was selected to design and teach the first fully online course in the state of Utah. Also while a grad student I helped design the Syllabase online course delivery system (a precursor to products like D2L). I've probably either designed or taught almost 30 different online course during my career (I worked in faculty development at my last school--much like H. and K. here). My Ph.D. is in instructional design--specifically focused in this area. So if there is ANY WAY to screw up an online course, I'll be I've done it at least twice . . .. I put all this on the table because I find this stuff VERY interesting. I'm taking the course here to help myself be better, and to hopefully share some of what I've learned. So you can take all of this with a grain of salt, but here are my answers . . . </em><br/><br/><em>2) As I stated in my response to someone else, "participation" in an online course is a HORRIBLE criteria. It's extremely difficult to measure effectively, and it's very subjective. Some will think they participated well, and other's simply won't care. What you have to do is structure the assignments so that you take "participation" out of the equation when it comes to assessment. Either they did the assignments, or they didn't. There are plenty of ways to make sure that learners do this. I'm not a fan of counting posts. BOOOOO! There are actually a lot of published rubrics that evaluate the content of a post rather than the number. Think about it. Would you rather have a student in your face to face class who talked constantly (online: posts all the time), or would you rather have one who inputs meaningfully into the discussion, even if it is only one comment? I'll take meaningful discussion anytime. The trick is not letting your students get away with meaningless posts. I find when I teach online I spend a lot of time responding to students saying things like: "Do you really mean that?" or "Is that what you really want to say?" See, students, if they think they can get away without having to back up their comments, will say anything. In a f2f class, we'll question them and press them for follow up. It's harder and more time consuming to do in an online format, but I'd argue it's almost MORE important to do. So long story short (too late!) I never grade "participation" as a criteria. </em><br/><br/><em>As for what needs to be in the syllabus? DETAIL, DETAIL, DETAIL. You have to spell it out, brothe</em>r!</blockquote>John H. Curryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390744838396610309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3811216917118087249.post-70270139977407252092010-02-15T09:10:00.000-07:002011-07-26T12:27:59.373-06:00Preparing Online Instructors (POI)So I've been feeling the need to get back to blogging. It's been tough, though, as I go up for tenure this coming fall, and I've been focusing on getting my research published. Actually, I guess I've been more "micro-blogging" on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/john.curry">FaceBook</a>. But my heart has been here. I know there is a lot being written about the future of blogs like this, but I'll be honest with you: while it is really inspiring to hear from people who read this blog (even--especially--when they don't agree with me), my intended audience here is me.<br/><br/>As I said, I go up for tenure this coming fall, and that brings with it extra pressure. And last semester wasn't a good one. Yes, I got three publications, but my teaching wasn't to the level I'm accustomed to. And to make matters worse, while I research and design online instruction, they were all online courses, and I definitely didn't practice what I preach. So I figured I needed to "sharpen my saw." To do this, I enrolled in a course offered by the <a href="http://itle.okstate.edu/">faculty development</a> group here at <a href="http://www.okstate.edu">Oklahoma State University</a>. The title of the course? The title of this post: Preparing Online Instructors.<br/><br/>We're one week in, and I'm already feeling weird about taking the class. There is quite a range in technological expertise amongst the students, and an even broader range about pedagogy. To be honest, as an instructional designer and when it comes to online instruction, I feel that I'm more experienced than the instructors. Now that's not a knock on them, I just think I've done more. So as we've started discussions, I find I write a lot more detail--based on my experience--than the other learners. I'm afraid I'm going to come off looking like the "know-it-all," and I don't want that. But if you're going to ask me a question, you had better want my answer, because I'll give it to you.<br/><br/>I thought the course would be a good way to get back to blogging, so here's what I'm going to do. As I participate in discussions, I'm going to post my responses here. I don't really know why other than if I'm going to spend that much time writing, I'd like feedback on my ideas and thoughts from those within my field. So feel free to comment.<br/><br/>One more thing, I'll never identify a classmate by name. I'll use an initial.<br/><br/>Here we go . . .John H. Curryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390744838396610309noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3811216917118087249.post-77074953274827069512009-10-13T06:58:00.000-06:002011-07-26T12:27:59.373-06:00Instructional Designer QuestionnaireDo you work in the field of Instructional Design? If so, I'd appreciate you taking a moment and filling out a short, ten-question, questionnaire about what you do in your job and what you think is important for an instructional designer to know.<br/><br/><strong>The questionnaire has been closed. Thanks to all those who filled it out (119 of you!), and please be prepared for a follow up. </strong>John H. Curryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390744838396610309noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3811216917118087249.post-33902670642899993132009-03-04T04:44:00.000-07:002011-07-26T12:28:32.330-06:00EDTC 5753: Catching up and Moving ForwardJohn H. Curryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390744838396610309noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3811216917118087249.post-43842712886560390472009-01-14T01:55:00.000-07:002011-07-26T12:27:59.374-06:00Cammy Bean on instructional design<a href="http://envisionlearning.com/aboutus/team_cammybean.html">Cammy Bean</a> is the Manager of Instructional Design for <a href="http://envisionlearning.com/">Invision Learning</a> in Southborough, MA. The interview was done for my students in EDTC 5753: Introduction to Instructional Design. In it, Cammy discusses her background, how she came to the instructional design field, what her current day-to-day job as an instructional designer is like, what skills she feels are important for instructional designers, and what she feels the future of the field will be.John H. Curryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390744838396610309noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3811216917118087249.post-91546081266018367832009-01-12T10:29:00.000-07:002011-07-26T12:27:59.374-06:00Alan Young on Instructional DesignHere's an interview with Alan Young, Director of Curriculum Development at Brigham Young University-Idaho. The interview was done for my students in EDTC 5753: Introduction to Instructional Design. In it, Alan discusses his background, how he came to the instructional design field, what his current day-to-day job as an instructional designer is like, what skills he feels are important for instructional designers, and what he feels the future of the field will be.John H. Curryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01390744838396610309noreply@blogger.com1