My year in review.
Category Archives: education
Active Learning
I told a colleague about the topic of the class I was about to teach and she said, “That sounds really great. Can I sit in?” So she did, arriving for the second half of class on the first day of the term. By the time she arrived, we had already gone through a rangeContinue reading “Active Learning”
Future Colleagues
I used to take the train from Philly to Baltimore once per week to teach a 3-hour Special Topics in Journalism class. I was filling in for a pretty well-known person, the university’s Journalist-in-Residence, and it paid $5000 per semester. I bought 10-packs of tickets for $400 per set, three times per semester, so $1200Continue reading “Future Colleagues”
Sabbatical
On July 27, a few hours after defending my doctoral dissertation, I went to the pool to chill. I nearly fell asleep in the water. I had no idea how exhausted I was. It’s a good thing I was on sabbatical this year because I never would have been able to get the dissertation doneContinue reading “Sabbatical”
Teaching Journalism to Society
Back in 2007, during my first semester teaching the 300-student Journalism & Society class, I invited two journo friends to talk to the students. Josh Cornfield, then a hotshot young reporter covering city politics for The Metro, arrived on time and kindly responded to countless questions from me and the students. It was great. HeContinue reading “Teaching Journalism to Society”
Make Philly the Education Hub
Philadelphia should invite Cheyney University of Pennsylvania to return here, the county where that school was founded, and maybe even give them free or cheap land. Shoot, I’d even suggest throwing in a few buildings. And while we’re at it, the city should create an intercollegiate innovation campus where other Pennsylvania schools and colleges couldContinue reading “Make Philly the Education Hub”
August 12: Mookie & Kenzo
My son, Kenzo William Miller, was born 9 days early, arriving on August 12, exactly two years to the day after Mookie, my beloved little pup, passed away. I can’t decide if that’s just a crazy coincidence or something deeper. But I feel like there is a connection, and that has my brain spinning. InContinue reading “August 12: Mookie & Kenzo”
Everything Sucks Today
I know, I know: You are not happy. You are sad and annoyed, and maybe even a little angry. The last thing you want is an old dude telling you to chill out. But hey, chill out, young buck. Classes are going online and you didn’t get that tuition discount you wanted. You didn’t signContinue reading “Everything Sucks Today”
TL/DR: I Love Books & You Should Too
I once took a class in post-modern British literature and I became enamored with the idea of a lineage of writers. You know, a young Zadie Smith studied at Cambridge and likely read Kazuo Ishiguro, who was likely influenced by Julian Barnes, who was probably influenced by Kingsley Amis and Iris Murdoch, and so onContinue reading “TL/DR: I Love Books & You Should Too”
Things That Work While Teaching Online
Consider what you, the instructor, bring to the course. What are your strengths? Where is your comfort zone? Do those things align with the way students learn in the online world, and how they engage with the material? They should. Think about it: When a student complains that they “hate online teaching,” what does thatContinue reading “Things That Work While Teaching Online”
G.W. Miller III 