And text messaging?

A good article to read about text messaging, from a few years ago.

What would happen......

If you did not check your work email, or long onto social media, until after lunch?

The Smartphone Dystopia

Don't believe me--lowly social work professor--about the dangers of smartphones and other technologies that you use on a daily basis? No worries, how about the inventors and innovators who design these tools, once evangelists of their emancipatory qualities, and now, some of their most ardent critics?

Read this article by Paul Lewis, Our Minds Can be Hijacked: The Tech Insiders Who Fear a Smartphone Dystopia.  Hopefully, it strikes a bit of fear in you, or at least trepidation, about technologies that are deigned based-upon the latest research in biobehavioral psychology. This is a good place to explore the role that technology plays, and can play,  in the lives of writers and scholars.

Technology and Writing

Over the least couple of years, I have become increasingly aware of how important it is to help scholars figure out how their technology serves them, and how they serve their technology. I am going to write a few posts in the coming weeks about this work, and hopefully provide scholars some food-for-thought that might help their writing productivity, and enhance the quality of their lives.

I Love Teaching Freshman

I love teaching freshman. I just do. Yesterday, was the start of our quarter here @UWT, and for about 25 of my 35 students in Introduction to Social Work, I was their professor of their first college class. How cool is that!? While they may forget my name, they will never forget this day (or at least not for a long time!).

So, what tone did I try to set? That education is serious business, an opportunity that will shape them over their lifetime. Yet at the same time, that we can and will have fun. That they can be both safe and brave. I tell, them, and show they, that we will laugh, we will make mistakes, we will all grow. We get to be who we are today, we don't have to know exactly what the future will bring. We get to stay in the process of learning growing being. 

They don't have to be perfect, but they should care, try, and I will help them care and help them to try.

There are times when I get sick of the grind of teach; let's feel about them when it comes time to grade!! I have been in the classroom twenty years. Yet, days like yesterday, with "my" freshman, hep me remember the magic of teaching, of learning, of being alive.

Online Workshop-Practical Tips for Writing Your Dissertation

Struggling with your dissertation? Stuck? Want to work with Rich? 

A 8-week online workshop, January 5^th – March 10^th, 2018, through the Taos Institute. Open to all PhD students and candidates at any university. All disciplines welcome!

This online workshop is designed for doctoral students to help develop the skills needed to successfully complete a high-quality dissertation. It begins with an exploration of the nature of dissertations, including an analysis of the traditional dissertation architecture and the nature of each section. It examines the nature of quality in scholarly writing, helping developing scholars engage in an examination and critique of each other’s writing. Participants will practice methods of writing productivity, using each technique to push their agenda writing forward. Finally, the workshop helps doctoral students understand the psychosocial barriers that inhibit scholars, perhaps the most important and unique aspect of this workshop.

This online workshop will be a combination of readings, videos, writing, learning partner dialogues, and online conversations. There will also be a live conference call each week. Participants should be available for the live conference calls, and have up to 6 hours a week available for the assignments and weekly dialogue partner conversations.  

Dates: Live calls on Wed mornings.

Registration Fee: $500 for students, $600 others

Registration link, http://www.taosinstitute.net/practical-tips-writing-diss-reg-form1

Website: http://www.taosinstitute.net/practical-tips-for-writing-your-dissertation

Email: info@taosinstitute.net for registration questions (Registration starts soon. Limited to 20, and we will fill up!)
(Rates good before December 15th. After Dec. 15th, add $100.) 

A Month of Writing Tip Haiku: Processing

Well, less than a month ago I gave myself the challenge of writing 30 "writing tip haiku" by the end of the month. In spite of not being sure if I really wrote a great deal that would help others, I pressed onward. However, I don't get to know my impact, really. I have explored before that our jobs are to follow our passions and commitments, push forward, and do our work. When we worry about our impact while we are engaged in projects it rarely helps us. Our brains are good for engaging in our work, but not much help when evaluating ourselves and what we offer.

It was nice to get back to a consistent stretch of blogging. After five plus years, it can be challenging to figure out what to write about. This feels like a nice reboot.