I love Gmail. I use it for at least 80 percent of all my email purposes. In my heart, and in my mind, it’s value is inestimable. Yes, this could turn into a love letter to Google. However, I want to be sure that you give Gmail’s love a chance. If you follow this link, you will discover five great tips for improving your Gmail usage and productivity.

Please click this link, watch the video, and offer some feedback! Thanks!

As adjuncts, few of us are required to work on committees or engage in other non-teaching work. In many ways, this is a perk. It is nice to simply get paid for the work that we do. And, since we rarely get any benefits, it seems like a fair exchange that nothing else is expected of us.

However, if we are looking for full-time and/or tenured work, this approach is unlikely to be successful. Or so I have been told by a variety of tenured colleagues. Not doing any extra work means that we are not participating in committees, meeting with our tenured peers, and establishing important alliances. In turn they are not recognizing our faces nor witnessing, first hand, our passion for teaching. Most importantly, when we do not participate, when we do not engage in the uncompensated shadow work, we miss out on opportunities to understand how academic systems function.

In and of itself, experiencing and participating in the dynamics of committee and departmental work is far more instructive than pondering and contemplating it. Also, it quickly lets you know whether you are up to engaging in that kind of work.

When we do decide to volunteer, to participate in creating and sustaining a solid pedagogy that serves our students, our departments, and our institutions, it is vital that we determine where we want to volunteer. If we do not choose wisely, then it is possible that we may effectively sabotage any progress we have made at the institution, create blood feuds, alienate ourselves from adjunct colleagues, and summon much chaos in our personal lives. Given that working as an adjunct is already teaching on the edge, when choosing to engage academia further it is wise to select an area where we are comfortable.

Comfort and familiarity can be in the areas where we volunteer (within our department or expertise), the people who are on the committee (individuals who have shown understanding, compassion, and/or respect in the past), or a concern we are truly committed to. If I am not comfortable working in an area, I know my work is not as solid or as strong as it should be. Since I am probably working with others who will either review my work, consider me if there is an open position, or speak to my supervisors, I want to be in top form as often as possible. As such, I never volunteer or ask to work on committees involved with college governance, hiring of administrators, or program review. Why? Because I know I do not know enough about them, and my focus does not include any of these areas.

When we volunteer we are investing time in our future. We are investing in our professional development and understanding of academic systems. We are investing in the possible letters of reference we will receive. But we always know that we may not get any of these.

That is why, before we volunteer, it is critical to consider exactly how much time you are willing and able to give and what you expect to receive for it. Then ask, how will you respond if you don’t get what you expect? If you will be annoyed, upset, or angry, then don’t bother volunteering.

When we volunteer we need to think deeply and seriously before we nod our heads and say, “Yes.”

Instructor’s editions are piling up: what do I do?

Free books. They are just one of the perks of teaching. Many of my veteran colleagues get heaps of books for free without asking, but I, as a new adjunct, must request my own sample copies. This means going to a publisher’s site, filling out forms, and putting in requests. Then, within days or a week, new instructor’s editions are in my hands.

So far, no problem.

However, when I review the text I notice that several issues arise: a book is too pricey for my students; a book is designed for a year-long class when I only teach a semester course; the readings are tedious; the writing is tedious; key sections (like critical thinking) are missing; there is too much or too little emphasis on grammar; the layout is turgid; the graphics are abysmal; and so on and so on. Rarely, if ever, does a text tempt me enough to adopt it. For this reason alone, I order few review copies. Still, I order some.

This is where the problem comes in: what do I do with the books once I have rejected them?

Do I return them?

Publishers often send cards offering to pay return postage in order to keep the cost of textbooks down. This strikes me as a PR ploy, much like when the oil companies use advertisements on PBS to show how “green” they are. If publishers were so concerned about sending out and recovering extra copies in order to keep costs down, then they would not send out unsolicited texts by the thousands to entire departments, they would keep their mailing lists up to date and not send copies to faculty who no longer teach in the department, and they would not send double copies of the same book to many instructors. Please keep in mind that I like text publishers — this blog is supported by one — but few, if any instructors I know, are able to keep track of a little return postage postcard, much less put it on the box weeks later when they finally get around to looking at the book. Seriously. I cannot think of one person who opens a sample text, reviews it immediately, and then returns it with the postcard.

I know I am not going to return the book. Since I will probably not use the book, what do I do with it?

Do I sell it?

Many sites, like Half.com and eBay, explicitly ban selling instructor’s editions. Some people do it anyway. There are many other sites online where these restrictions do not apply. There are some book buying sites that even pay faculty for sample texts. All I have to do is enter in the ISBN, make sure the buyer wants the books, ship the books, and wait for the check.

Or, if I want to avoid going online, I can sell the books for pennies on the dollar to a local used book store. Then they will list the books online. Oh, did I forget to mention the traveling book buyers who visit my campus once or twice a term, who send the faculty emails, and who offer to buy our sample texts? I could simply save up my books for when they hit town, collect a few Jacksons, and pretend like I was never involved in the IE book trade.

Everyone, it seems, is interested in buying our books; sending them back to the publisher is just a pain.

Another option is do I hold out, ignore the cash, and donate the books?

Do I give them to other adjuncts?

They’ll probably not use them or they’ll sell them. When you’re broke and you know a book is an easy twenty dollars, it is hard not to sell it. If I don’t give the book to my colleagues, then should it go to the library? They’ll sell the books for a buck at the book sale and another book scout will hawk the item online and make that twenty bucks. Or do I give it to the local non-profit thrift store to make a little bit of cash? Perhaps they’ll make three dollars to help feed hungry kittens or prevent teen pregnancies.

In the end, there is little confusion here. In my mind at least. The publishers send out books to us so that we will consider ordering dozens, if not scores, of copies via our students. Publishers give a little to make a lot. What we do with those copies after they give them to us is, pretty much, our business. After all, those books are sample products.

Ethical issues arise when new instructors or broke instructors or immoral instructors order multiple copies of multiple books not in order to review them but in order to sell them. So, on our end, we should be cautious and patient about which books we order to preview. Honestly, we do not have the time to review multiple texts at one sitting — or at least to do a decent job of it.

I’ll happily give a text to a colleague if they have any possible use for it. If not, I’ll donate it or sell it for a quick buck. I’m still broke, and I don’t order books just to resell them. But if you send me books in the hopes that I’ll make you a profit, don’t act all surprised or indignant if I make a little profit too.

Instructors selling our editions are not the ones creating a crisis in textbook costs and pricing. If anyone is actually serious about the pricing of texts, then a close examination of publication values (full color printing; a new edition every year or two; absurd mandatory add-ons like CD-Rs; etc.), efficiency in distribution and mailing, and operating bookstores as cooperatives instead of for-profit businesses should take place. In the meantime, I have decided on a more personal tactic: unless I spot a text that is so tempting and brilliant and praised on high by my colleagues, I will not order a review text online. I will only order a review text if a publisher’s rep pitches it to me in person. If you want me to use your text, then show me you care and send a knowledgeable sales person to speak to me.

The software I’m using next term, and the texts, were sold to me in person by a rep. Person to person sales still work, and I believe that doing that could help resolve the instructor’s edition dilemma in a clear and simple fashion.

CompPile is an essential resource. For new instructors and adjuncts, CompFAQs is particularly informative and helpful.

This video says more in its 4 minutes and 44 seconds than I think any journal article could say in 5,000 words.

Thanks to Kairos, I found this horrifying video and article at ZD net. This supports my loathing of cell phones, pdas, and other hand-tech in the classroom. Given the continuing technological progression and shrinking of cameras, etc., I doubt that we will be able to identify and prevent this kind of thing without enacting martial law in our classrooms.

I really do not see any way to stop stuff like this from happening. Instead, it appears that the best solution is a good working relationship with students. However, there are folks who are malicious and, when given the chance, will create or generate videos like this. It is ironic to think that for decades teachers have been concerned about being controlled and observed by administration and other faculty; when surveillance manifests in the classroom it comes, surprisingly, from our students. It will be interesting to see how this impacts the shift of power in the classroom.

Still, I am horrified.

Fortunately, my employer has a policy for adjuncts that includes sick days. I have never needed to use one, but at least I know they’re there. Articulate Dad, author of the One Foot In / One Foot Out blog, is not so lucky. Be sure to check out his post where he contemplates the frustrating implications of being ill and being a freeway flier. How many of us deal with this every season, and yet we, the invisible army, are expected to maintain standards with substandard pay, no health coverage, and often unclear or non-existent policies?

And just what is it about teaching that makes so many us force ourselves to go above and beyond the call?

Have you ever wondered what goes on in the minds of the people in Human Resources? Click here if you want to really know…

Evil HR Lady has a very interesting and informative perspective that most instructors probably miss out on.

If you are interested in strategies that improve and “capitalize” on your relationships with HR, check out Guerilla HR. Although their tips are focused on the business world, they can, no doubt, be of use to academics.

Dr. Chris Anson is a University Distinguished Professor and Director of the Campus Writing and Speaking Program at North Carolina State University. He was also interim director of NCSU’s Ph.D. Program in Communication, Rhetoric, and Digital Media in 2005-2006. Once I discovered he was using a web-based tool, YackPack, to give his students oral commentary, I wanted to know more. Web 2.0 tools have great potential for teaching, but before I experiment I like knowing what others have found. Fortunately, Dr. Anson agreed to be interviewed about oral commentary and YackPack. Because oral commentary can provide meaningful and effective feedback in an efficient fashion, adjuncts should consider using it with their current feedback methods. But, as Dr. Anson indicates, it is a tool new adjuncts should use after they have practiced and developed their skills.

Do you use oral commentary more than written commentary?

I use them about equally. I save oral commentary for higher-stakes papers and projects but I typically write comments on lower-stakes, less formal, overnight papers, reading responses, learning logs, and the like. Oral commentary allows me to say far more about a student’s work than I can (or would) in writing. (If we were to transcribe five minutes of talk into writing, we’d have pages of text, compared with a few notes in the margins and a quickly penned final comment in writing.) It allows me to “give voice” to my comments, talk in a more personable, approachable way to students, and offer more advice than I can in writing. For novice writers — that is, when writing is the main focus — I can read sentences aloud or give a better explanation of my reading experience. Oral commentary allows something more like a conference, albeit one-way, and I believe that students listen to and take note of oral comments more than they do written marginal and end comments. I’ve written a couple of pieces explaining and justifying the method:

Anson, Chris M. “Talking About Text: The Use of Recorded Commentary in Response to Student Writing.” A Sourcebook on Responding to Student Writing. Ed. Richard Straub. Norwood, NJ: Hampton, 2000. 165-174.

Anson, Chris M. “In Your Own Voice: Using Recorded Commentary to Respond to Writing.” Assigning and Responding to Writing in the Disciplines. Ed. Peter Elbow and Mary Deane Sorcinelli. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1997. 105-113.

Anson, Chris M. “Responding to Writing.” Twelve Readers Reading: Responding to College Student Writing. Richard E. Straub and Ronald F. Lunsford. Cresskill, NJ: Hampton, 1995.

How do you think oral commentary can specifically benefit a new instructor — especially an adjunct?

It might benefit novice teachers, but I say this with a bit of caution. Although talking to students, even into a tape recorder, usually pushes us toward a friendlier and more student-centered style than written commentary does (which tends to display our prowess as writers and take on a more formal style), it doesn’t guarantee this. Sarcasm, excessive criticism, certain attitudinal problems — all can exist in oral commentary and maybe even be more obvious, so it may help very new teachers to get some orientation and practice first. More experienced teachers might benefit from a reduction in workload, but that will come from practice using the method, which tends to be time-consuming at first, until one develops strategies for focusing comments without sounding perfunctory.

What steps do you suggest that newbies go through in order to become more comfortable with giving oral commentary?

First, they need to choose the hardware. Cassette tapes are obsolete. Digital tape recorders can work but there can be serious problems conveying the files electronically (they take a lot of memory, for one thing, and it’s almost always the case that some students can’t open or download the files). It’s also time-consuming to convert files into formats that can be sent electronically, and it’s often necessary to compress the files — yet another step. New Web 2.0 technologies, however, are solving this problem. I use YackPack to do my comments; this is an email-based system but the oral recordings are held at a server. Classes can be set up as “yackpacks” and individual students can receive private commentary or a teacher can talk to the entire class. Students get an email announcing that a yack has arrived and then go to the Web site to listen to the comments. There is a six minute limit on each yack, which turns out to be a good “timekeeper” for teachers concerned about workload issues. If they need more time they can always record a second or third yack for a particular student. Almost all computers have built-in speakers but not all computers have built-in microphones, so sometimes this can be a problem. Microphones are really cheap. Most computers have jacks that allow headphones to be plugged in, and most students will already have headphones for their iPods or other devices. But all this hardware needs to be set up early in the course.

How do you advise new instructors to remain focused and efficient while giving feedback instead of wandering off and spending a lot of time on numerous issues?

I personally like to add a few unrelated comments, perhaps about something the student did well in class or on a previous paper, something coming up, or some detail that allows my commentary to begin in a more socially grounded way. But I do get quickly to the business at hand. I suggest using a timekeeper — turn on a digital counter on the computer, keep a watch on the desk, etc. YackPack forces teachers to limit commentary to six minutes. I also suggest reading a paper in full beforehand, and making a few marginal notes (in shorthand, for oneself) before recording.

What kind of response from peers and students have you received using YackPack and other online technology?

Overwhelmingly positive. However, I’ve heard two concerns from other teachers: first, some students are not good “aurally.” They need to see text next to text: a written comment that points to a bit of their writing, for example. I solve this problem by getting students to concentrate on a specific place in their paper, which I admonish them to have next to them as they turn on my voice: “OK, take a look at the second line in your third paragraph, the one that begins, ‘Earlier in the 20th century . . . .’” Or, “Find the sentence on page three, the fourth line down, that starts ‘With all the attention to global warming . . . .’ Got it? OK, I’m going to read this a couple of times slowly and I want you to hear what happens to me when I get to that comma about halfway through. Here goes. ‘With all the attention . . . .’”

Some people are also concerned about the “message” we send students if we ask them to write and then talk to them about their writing instead of write to them about it. I don’t share that concern. My students know that I write for dozens of hours a week (just as I am doing right now); I don’t need to “prove” to them that I care about written text. I explain that the method allows me to tell them far more about their writing than I could if I wrote to them, in less time, and that works for me because I’m an extremely busy person. They understand. Also, I direct a cross-curricular faculty-development program that focuses on both writing and speaking. I’d be the last person to privilege one medium over the other; rather, the choice of medium depends on one’s goals.

Would you suggest that new teachers leap right in, or is there a process leading up to the effective use of online tools like YackPack?

I have run some workshops on the use of oral commentary. Typically I ask the participants to read drafts of three fully contextualized student papers and jot down some thoughts about these drafts, either as first drafts or as final drafts submitted for grading. I then create groups of three. Each person chooses one of the three papers to comment on. They then have five minutes to talk to the imagined student, as if recording their commentary, in front of the other two members. Afterwards, the three group members discuss and critique the teacher’s oral commentary. The members take turns doing their commentary and getting feedback on it, and then we regroup and talk about the entire experience, teasing out some general principles for effective oral feedback.

For someone who doesn’t have access to this kind of faculty development, I’d recommend creating a teaching circle with a couple of peers and doing it on their own. In the absence of this possibility, I’d suggest practicing with YackPack by recording a few minutes of commentary to themselves, sending it, and then listening to it as if they were the student opening it up on their browser. They should practice with a few papers, then give it a shot on something relatively informal in an actual class. They should explain to students that they’re experimenting with the method, and then ask the students for feedback: what did they like or dislike about the method? What would they suggest for its future use? And so on.

Any final thoughts or comments about oral commentary?

Eventually I’d like to include video as well, perhaps a PIP box in the upper corner of the screen. Video conferencing is already possible using systems like Skype, but they are mostly live. It’s more difficult to record an audio-visual commentary and send it for future viewing (and most available methods are not private, e.g., YouTube). Password-protected podcasts might work, but again, the conversion technology is cumbersome. The best system would be one that allows for a live image of the paper with markup technology (similar to what can be done with an electronic pen on computer tablets), plus recorded voice and a digital video image. This would allow students to see their paper and listen to commentary about it while watching an electronic pen reference certain parts of the paper, show the process of revision or editing, and so on.