Dwight hits the nail on the head.

I could get totally excited about this

For anyone who doesn't have major dealings in Austin, SXSW = South by Southwest, a conference that (I thought) has its roots in the "up and coming" music scene, with record label people and indie musicians taking over downtown trying to get promoted and/or signed. Then, it expanded to include a film fest, then the "interactive" with all the new and upcoming technology. Every year there's a big to-do about super secret shows by big names and pre-pre screenings of the next "big" movie with superstars wandering the downtown Austin scene.

I'll say it: I'm a nerd and I hate traffic. Even having a musician for a husband, he played SXSW once and it took forever just to wait on the curb for him to go and get his performers' wristband.

Well, this year there is something new added to the SXSW lineup. I got an email today from a colleague inviting us to SXSWedu, which is a 3-day series of speakers related to "modernizing teaching and learning". I'm totally interested in this  (But not in the $300 price tag!), so hopefully my department has some funds left for professional development and conference attendance. I'm all about increasing my knowledge and using that to be a better educator!

Brainy things

I'm in a shopping mood today... must be the hormones.

First stop: Etsy. Search "Brains". Weed out references to zombies.


Some potentially cool wall art:

This style of painting is neat:

And who could resist a jumbo magnet:

Serotonin molecule wall art:

It's good to know the internet is still funny.

Oh, thank goodness for Neuroscientist Ryan Gosling. I've been laughing all morning.

The light at the end of the tenure track...

I was reading a book this past week about faculty, tenure, and academic freedom (makes sense, since this is the type of job I'm trying to get). This cartoon was used with permission in the book, and it was a perfect illustration. The firing squad are the other academics...

Back in Business

The new semester started this week, and as usual, I am excited to get this show on the road. Currently, I've got two classroom sections of "Human Growth and Development" and one online section of "Adolescent Psychology".

I had an Honors Intro to Psych class scheduled for this semester, with an emphasis on brain research - I was going to have guest speakers from the local community who were involved in different kinds of psychology/neuroscience research - but it didn't make (only 4 of 15 possible slots). To be fair, I was up against two other Honors Psych classes for this semester. I will definitely try again for the Fall. I love the idea of getting to work with smaller class sizes and focus a little more on the research aspect of psychology.

Yesterday, I got my course evaluations back from the Fall semester and was rewarded for my effort with an average rating of "Excellent". I understand why the delayed feedback, but this was perfect timing to give me the extra boost for my new classes.

So, here we go again!

Syllabus Time!

I just got done editing and revising the syllabi and online content for my two online courses (Adolescent Psychology, and Human Growth and Development). I'm still getting used to the Moodle setup (we use Blackboard everywhere I've ever been), but so far, it's reasonably easy to use.

It feels good to get the ball rolling for the Spring semester. 6 more days until school starts! Are YOUR syllabi ready to go?