Lindsay Masland
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lindsaymasland.bsky.social
Lindsay Masland
@lindsaymasland.bsky.social
Executive Director of a Center for Teaching and Learning
Professor of Psychology
Queer in all the ways.
Opinions mine.
Building a world where teaching and teachers matter.
So that's the interesting thing. The person doing this? It's in a freshman seminar, and they're all doing REALLY WELL. That's why it's so captivating to me—it isn't supposed to work based on everything we know, and yet, it is . . . (but also, there are handouts, there are visuals, but on paper)
December 12, 2024 at 5:48 PM
Totally. That's why I'm thinking of this experiment in a very specific, not large course. So I can start to figure out what the "active components" of something like this might be, and can then figure out what can or can't be scaled up (if I were to ever recommend it to anyone other than me).
December 12, 2024 at 5:39 PM
...about the difference between a classroom that has a no-tech policy (not what I want) and a classroom where the instructor explains the experiment they want to attempt and then works with the students to build a world where this experiment could succeed (which may or may not bring back tech). 2/2
December 12, 2024 at 5:37 PM
And that's what would have kept me from letting my brain even consider this in the past.
But I'm realizing that attempting to remove tech doesn't mean I have to forget everything I know about UDL or building classroom trust or pivoting mid-semester when something doesn't work. I'm wondering... 1/2
December 12, 2024 at 5:37 PM
I can get on board with this.
December 12, 2024 at 5:08 PM
And a no-tech classroom seems like it could be, at least at this moment, the experiment in compassionate subtraction I'm looking for. It would require so much cutting out. So much making space. So much doing together instead of at home. And maybe we'd lose a lot with that, but maybe we wouldn't?/end
December 12, 2024 at 5:06 PM
And to clarify, I'm not anti-AI or anti-tech, but I am anti-too-much.

And that's what it feels like these days. There's just too much coming at us from every direction, so we can't ever really sit and listen and grapple. We're just managing the onslaught and hoping tech tools will help.
December 12, 2024 at 5:06 PM
I'm noticing I'm very drawn to the idea of trying this.😳

Because I keep finding myself in these spaces (like AI panic spaces) where my unplanned but frequent refrain is that we have to find what's magical about what we do here—the thing robots can't do—and we have to do as much of that as possible.
December 12, 2024 at 5:06 PM
It was someone who learned all the tech tools, happily used them, & is now getting rid of them. Including powerpoint. Including showing anything on a projector. Including typing anything in class. It's all dialogue & doing with hands.

She reports it's best *feeling* class ever. And I am CAPTIVATED.
December 12, 2024 at 5:06 PM
I'm co-facilitating a learning community this year & one of the profs off-handedly mentioned how they've tried to make their course as tech-free as possible.

Which is not a new idea, but it's interesting because of WHO said it. It wasn't someone who never learned tech tools in the 1st place ...
December 12, 2024 at 5:06 PM
OMG, this is so very great. You are so cool.

I also decided a while ago that I was done with academic writing. Which was tested when I got the first round of comments on an ungrading essay I wrote a year ago. But I said, "nope, every word in there is there on purpose." And it worked!
December 9, 2024 at 3:45 PM
Reposted by Lindsay Masland
When my wife posts on Bluesky, she calls it “fluttering,” and I think we should all go with that.
December 5, 2024 at 5:10 PM
Y'all, we need to work harder on including salary ranges in job posts.

And if you think there's a policy preventing that, ask questions of both HR & Finance to make sure that's really, really true. We used to not post them & now we do because questions were asked.

(And no, I'm not on the hunt. 😁)
December 5, 2024 at 5:27 PM
Reminder that the Gmail Snooze button is a handy tool this time of year.

Some things are getting snoozed till December 16 for a deep work retreat but a lot are snoozing till January.

I used to keep things in the inbox till handled, but switching to snooze has been a great anxiety management tool!
December 4, 2024 at 10:22 PM
As of now, I don't ever plan to leave academia BUT this piece still resonates cause I DID switch from full-time prof to full-time staff a few years ago, & at first, I was dazzled by all of the "pushes" I no longer dealt with. But you habituate to that, so you better have some "pulls" too!
November 21, 2024 at 5:43 PM
Oh goodness, thanks for sharing!
November 20, 2024 at 10:24 PM
Come work with me! And I mean really, really closely with me! 😁 Our team is the very best, and we'd love to have you join us. appstate.peopleadmin.com/postings/48673
Administrative Support to the Executive Director and Program Support to the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning for Student Success
Appalachian State University’s Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning for Student Success (CETLSS) is dedicated to growing excellence in teaching and learning, civic engagement, mentoring, and...
appstate.peopleadmin.com
November 15, 2024 at 5:51 PM
Looks like I was right about the theme after all!!!
November 13, 2024 at 10:20 PM
Reposted by Lindsay Masland
Tonight at the ARC bar, #POD24 friends! It's just a fun, clique-averse get-together to hang out and see each other. I'm just a bit too scattered to do all the PR for it. All are welcome!
#POD24 friends and colleagues: Don’t forget about the annual, not-very-well-organized-completely-unofficial POD hangout at the hotel bar at 8:00 on the Monday of the conference!
November 11, 2024 at 5:12 PM
And another thing I’m realizing is not only is shouting with your “loud voice” a problem for auditory accessibility, but my current, no -ideally-functioning nervous system is having an anxiety reaction to people who choose to yell instead of use the mic. Which obviously makes it harder to learn.
November 11, 2024 at 5:28 PM
I was sitting with my colleague @bryandoppel.bsky.social and we’ve already planned to add it to our Course (Re)Design Institute—every day, starting with us as panelists and moving it to faculty as panelists!
November 11, 2024 at 4:32 PM
Alright goofballs, here’s the POD Conference day 1 fit. Come find me! Even if we don’t know each other in real life! We can hug if you want! We are maximizing dopamine right now to prepare for whatever comes next in the fight.
November 11, 2024 at 2:09 PM
Haha, absolutely not. I honestly expect to be teary-eyed with joy about seeing all of you make joy for us.
November 11, 2024 at 1:32 PM
Hi #POD24 friends. Are you maybe a little tired this week (month..year..years) like I am?

If so, join me in making conference decisions that are about your joy/peace/other personally-meaningful noun. This is not a time to “get your money’s worth.”

Whatever comes next needs us rested and grounded.
November 11, 2024 at 1:16 PM
I WILL BE THERE FRONT ROW.
November 11, 2024 at 1:05 PM