William Harris

Discussion Comment

I try to make lectures an interactive experience - my presentations have pictures, video, and I always give a demo, but a lot of times when I ask a question - there is no response. Theses aren't hard questions, and there are usually no wrong answers, I think it's just that this group does not feel comfortable speaking in front of others, whether it be me or their peers. How do you make students feel comfortable enough to answer questions in class? What techniques would you use for this?

William Harris

Discussion Comment

You know what they say about first impressions...

In my first term I was a new hire as an ad-junct professor and brought on board the week before school started, on a building that was being remodeled. At the time I didn't have access to the online accounts or even a school email (as it takes three weeks to get fully on-boarded, and I was on week 2). Needless to say it was not the best first impression, and very hard to look anything but unprepared - but I soldiered on and tried to make the best of it. Has anyone ever had a class where you thought… >>>

William Harris

Discussion Comment

Are textbooks still a thing?

I know many courses require a textbook, and mine are no exception. However I've found that in my field (computer art) a lot of times textbooks can be technical, boring, or somewhat confusing. I don't think I've ever referred a student to the book when a question came up, finding face-to-face instruction and an animated visual demo succeeding far better than the written words. Does this happen for anyone else?

William Harris

Discussion Comment

Art in the Classroom

For me, I always tend to include a lot of images and videos in my presentations, lectures, and demos - as an art instructor I tend to use this more than most I would imagine. What images or videos, if any, do you include in presentations? Is there a go-to intro video for your class? Or an inspirational speech? I think Steve Job's 2005 Stanford Commencement speech (stay hungry, stay foolish) is a great way to start off a term.