Blog Entry #1

The tips provided in Chapter #2 (First Day) should prove to be very beneficial. Planning ahead and being prepared are important. Getting the class list is a great idea. I taught a class last summer and was able to get the class list. It would have been nice to find out their majors and year of school beforehand so the class could have been tailored somewhat to their needs. Knowing where the classroom is and how to use all the equipment is important. If a professor is late or cannot use the computer or other supplies, credibility can be lost early on. I like how Southern Utah University has some tips for first year professors. The sheet is titles Ecology 101, but can be used in other disciplines. The tips can be found at: http://www.indiana.edu/~halllab/GradRes/Wilson&Hampton_BESA.pdf

I believe it is important to dress professionally so students take the professor seriously. The class I taught was online, so I could wear pajamas if I wanted, but I feel when I do teach "live", I would feel better if I dressed a step above my students. I had a professor recently who dressed in jeans everyday, and I thought that was odd. Since the class I taught was an online class, student communicated with me by email. Lucky for me, the communication did not get out of hand. Students also had my cell phone number, but I did not give them guidelines related to when to call. I only received two calls from students regarding computer trouble while taking an exam. I now realize how important it would be in the future to provide clear guidelines to prevent over use and possible boundary issues.