Communication Professor

Taking a Break

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Professor) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 13:39:00 +0000

So this is my 186th post since May of 2008. I've posted pretty regularly since that time, but I'm taking a break indefinitely. Part of it has to do with the fact that no one comments on my posts, and I'm feeling sorry for myself. But more than that, I've been so busy this semester, and I need to cut the things that I can to free up some more time. Plus I've got a few new things that I'd like to devote time to, and this may enable that to some degree. I may be back in a while, but I feel like I need a break.

Yesterday was a great day

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Professor) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 17:10:00 +0000

Yesterday, which is my longest day of the week, I felt like all three of my classes rocked. My first class, I had planned to show a video and then discuss, but at the last minute, I decided the video wasn't going to work. I switched to just discussing stuff, and the discussion was incredible. Really great students. The second class, which has moments where it seems to suck the life out of me, was really good also. The last class, which is my graduate class, had a lively discussion and really went well. Rather than feeling completely drained, I left after that marathon day feeling really charged. It was a great day.

I'm showing a video in at least one of my classes later this week called The Wave. Wow, what a great critical thinking exercise (though ethically questionable). If you haven't heard the story, click here to see the made-for-tv video on YouTube.

Opening Convocation

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Professor) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 18:44:00 +0000

Today was our opening convocation. I love the ceremony to start the year--I'm a big fan of organizational rituals overall, and this one communicates several key values that are important to the university. This year was, perhaps a slight letdown. I was under the impression that the songs sung by the concert choir were chosen based on tradition, and this year's selection deviated from what I remember (and liked) from the previous three. Also, the university did not host the typically outstanding lunch for visitors, faculty, and staff that they have in the past--probably understandable in light of budget cuts, of course. Perhaps I had just built it up in my mind from last year.

I was talking to colleagues in other departments that began their time here the same year that I did. We talked about how the fourth year is really different from previous years. It's not just that we're not "new" anymore--that's been over for a while now. It's more than we've made it past the first milestone of any importance. It's a neat feeling. We fit in now. A very cool place to be.

Other People Controling My Schedule

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Professor) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 21:36:00 +0000

I'm still not sure about other people having control of my schedule. It's easier than me having to do it myself, but it's never fun seeing an afternoon of meetings that I didn't schedule. But if I have to have these meetings, I guess this is a pretty efficient way of doing it.

Tomorrow, I'm meeting with graduate students to tell them to get going on their theses if they want to graduate. Kind of a kick in the pants type of thing. The two that I am directing specifically need to get going.

One week until the first deadline for international programs, which means I'll have a little bit of an idea about interest level in my summer program after next Monday. I have plans to do a big advertising push this week--standard stuff like posters at the top/bottom of stairs and in bathroom stalls (anywhere people have to look in a particular direction).

This week is going to be super busy (mostly because of meeting impinging on otherwise free time). Next week will be a catch-up week for all of the things in September that I wanted to get done, but haven't. Then, the big push toward NCA and toward the end of the semester starts.

A student came to my office wanting something but was dipping while talking to me. Granted, I surprised him in the hall and invited him in when I heard about his interest. That same student was cussing to his group during class today (not AT his group, but loud enough to be easily overheard). Impression management issues. What this student wanted is only barely within my control (depends on a committee of which I am only one voice), so the student didn't sink his chances or anything. But still, impression management.

Meeting Prospective Students

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Professor) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:00:00 +0000

Kind of fun. I started meeting prospective students for our graduate program this week. I kind of pictured me selling our program to them, but really they seem to think they need to sell themselves to me. So it's interesting that during each meeting, we're almost competing with each other to impress.

It's a busy time, but I feel good about things. I'm getting into the part of the semester when I'll have to spend time grading, so my time may be even less controllable.

The Public Calendar

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Professor) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 13:59:00 +0000

Last week started well, but fizzled in terms of productivity. I think Thursday was so intense that I just didn't have any motivation on Friday. Or Saturday. I am trying to readjust my expectations for those days as well as be more disciplined. We'll see how it goes.

Thursday was definitely intense. I definitely felt that one of my classes could have gone better. I like the material, but I have to find a way to convey that passion to students who have different interests. One awesome thing on Thursday--a couple of graduate students came to me for advice. It really made me feel like the graduate director, which was very cool.

This week begins the experiment with letting someone else post to my calendar. I have two meetings set up by this person (meetings with prospective students). I thought the week was mostly open until I saw those and another meeting that I'd committed to. But I'm still hoping that the week goes well in terms of productivity. Last fall, I felt like I had decent expectations and just couldn't get anything done. I'm worried that this past week is foreshadowing a similar semester.

Renewal and Preparation

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Professor) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 20:03:00 +0000

The weekend was great for renewal. I didn't really even think about work until Tuesday morning, which was probably great for me mentally.

This morning, I had an early morning meeting about my trip overseas next summer. The meeting was basically about how to interview and evaluate applying students. I'm starting to get very excited, but it's also in my nature to be particularly nervous until I have recruited enough students for the trip to make.

Now, I'm about to cook dinner for our graduate students, kind of a graduate director tradition. Class with these students was really neat last night.

Oh, and I'm submitting a new article. Actually, it's one that was rejected in June and then pseudo-rejected last month (the editor said it didn't fit the journal). So here goes again.

Labor Day

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Professor) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 16:58:00 +0000

No news today. I'm enjoying the day off.

Great Week

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Professor) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 16:56:00 +0000

It was a great first week of school. Thursdays are a little bit nuts, and I'll have to have low expectations for what I can get done on those days, but I think my students are great. Now, ask me later, and I may have a different story. But I like them so far.

Great students and barking dogs

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Professor) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:10:00 +0000

My dog barked for much of the night, and I'm a little bit delirious today. Not good on the first week with my hardest day of teach to come (tomorrow).

My students are great! I think the graduate class is going to be interesting because of how big the class is, but I have a great feeling about all of my classes.

This semester is probably going to be my busiest yet, but I have a good feeling about it.

First Day Hang Ups, but Great Students

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Professor) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 22:35:00 +0000

A busy first day, as usual. I didn't have the last minute students begging to be added that I've had in the past. But one class was in a classroom that is much too small (as in not enough chairs--count people) and I have 10 minutes for lunch (lesson learned--I think they asked me if my schedule was acceptable). But the students seem great. One class meets for the first time tomorrow, but I've already met all of those students. Ask me again once the semester gets rolling, but I think I've got great students this semester.

Two other really cool pieces of news. One, I got a revise and resubmit late on Friday. I looked through the review, and most of it will be really easy to fix. Things like "think about this a little more" or "flesh this out in the discussion." And I need to shorten the paper to get under the page limit. But all very fixable. The second cool news was I got a journal today that included an article of mine. The article had been accepted last fall, but it was cool to see it in print today. Woo Hoo!!!

Final Preparation

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Professor) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 18:34:00 +0000

Well, I'm in the final throes of preparation today. I've printed my copy of my syllabi, and posted the online versions for students. I've set up course management stuff. I'm finalizing and printing lesson plans. Put me on the starting line and turn me loose!

As I mentioned earlier, my university is pilot testing a new course management system, and I'm participating in that. It's called Sakai, and we're trying it out as an alternative to Blackboard. Kind of fun to be on the cutting edge, even though I still hate technology as a general rule.

Speaking of which, I've had to learn even more HTML as I work on a website for a friend. Yuck!

I feel pretty good about the research that I got done this summer. I would always love to get more done, but I feel pretty good.

I've got several projects in mind for the coming year, but I'm hoping to involve graduate students and other faculty in those so it's not just me doing all the work. And listening to other faculty's external grants at our retreat earlier this week made me really want to get one in the next year. Nose to the grind stone.

Today is our orientation for new graduate students. I led part of their discussion earlier this morning, and I've got a pretty big role in this afternoon. Kind of fun.

Lots to do

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Professor) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 23:32:00 +0000

Busy week, for sure. In addition to research and getting teaching ready and working grad student orientation, I'm working on a friend's web page. I hate html, but I'm trying to tweak a template for the page. Worked till my eyes burned yesterday on it. But it's a nice skill to improve.

More Retreat

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Professor) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 18:55:00 +0000

So whereas last week was my department's retreat to plan for the coming year, today was my college's retreat to do likewise. Challenges and calls for continued striving from administrators. Tour of a new campus addition. Overall a lot of fun.

Lots to do this week (hence the incomplete sentences). I'm still trying to move forward on some research stuff, but I've got to finalize syllabi, update the online course mgmt system that I'm using, and get some lesson plans together. Plus go to some student orientation things. I'm tired just thinking about it.

Finishing Up, Starting Anew

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Professor) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 14:53:00 +0000

I'm trying this week and next week to finish up some projects from the summer, and I'm making decent progress. And of course, I'm also working on getting lesson plans together. I've got several weeks of 2 of my 3 classes planned out, and I'm working on the 3rd. One class is a new prep, one is a class I've taught before but with a substantially different class size (so a little work there), and one is a class I've taught before, but I thought it would be cool to completely change the way I teach it (so basically a 50% new prep). Fun, fun, fun.

Retreat was nice

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Professor) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 14:54:00 +0000

So throughout the first two days of our department retreat, we shared the scholarly activity we've been working on, we shared teaching problems/tips, and we discussed recurring problems in our curriculum/class offerings in an effort to brainstorm solutions. It was a very effective time of meeting together. It's hard to stay in meetings for two straight days, but I felt like it was a great time to get to know my colleagues better and to address common problems.

Not only that, our tech person introduced some new teaching software options, and I raised my hand as interested in implementing the change this year. Me? Embracing technology? What? I feel like I don't even know the person in the mirror anymore.

Retreat Today

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Professor) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 17:38:00 +0000

Today, we began our annual retreat in my department. But as someone pointed out, the word "assessment" is not in the agenda anywhere, which is in stark contrast to previous years when it has been the only topic. It's nice to see the interim chair listening to suggestions. The morning session has been great so far, and I'm really looking forward to the rest (unusual for me).

"Last Day" of summer

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Professor) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 18:11:00 +0000

Yes, we don't start classes for a couple of weeks, but my department has a "retreat" two weeks before classes every fall, so I kind of think of that as the beginning of the fall semester. So today is officially the last day of summer break. Kind of sad. Yes, I'm really excited about students being back with all of that energy, and I'm pumped to get back in the swing of things. But I really like the way I can control my schedule more over the summer. And I really like that I don't have to do many meetings over the summer. And I really like the fact that I don't have to do much advising over the summer. So here's to you, Summer of 2009. I'll miss you!

Jury Duty all week

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Professor) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 19:36:00 +0000

I was selected as a juror, so I'm in jury duty all week. I had planned this to be a lighter week, and I'm still able to get a little done during breaks and lunches, so I won't fall too far behind. And it's kind of interesting to compare the real life process with Law and Order.

Jury Duty Today

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Professor) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 16:41:00 +0000

I'm on jury duty today. Definitely, I have that feeling like many people that there are other things I'd rather do with my time. However, I think that jury trial is such an important right that part of me feels proud to be here to do this.

Meetings start one week from today. Summer is almost done, and I've got quite a bit of stuff to do in the next few days. But overall, a good summer.

I got a pseudo-rejection letter over the weekend. The editor of a journal where I had submitted something a couple of weeks ago emailed me to tell me that this was not the best outlet for that paper. The editor said "don't think of this as a rejection of your work." That's why I say "pseudo" rejection letter.

How the Meeting Wednesday Went

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Professor) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 15:51:00 +0000

I met with someone Wednesday about analyzing communication in his organization. As I posted on Wednesday, I wanted to mention to him the idea in the New Zealand project about giving recorders to employees. I mentioned surveys, interviews, and observations, and he really liked those ideas. I mentioned the recording, and he just kind of smiled, so I don't know. But he's definitely gung ho about the study. After three years of practically begging people to let me study them, it's nice to have someone want me.

New Project Idea

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Professor) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 18:44:00 +0000

I blogged last week about my inspiration for a new project. A few years ago, I read an article by Janet Holmes in which she described the New Zealand Language in the Workplace Project. Basically, they gave recorders to people in workplaces and had them record conversations and meetings. Pretty cool, but what organizations are going to be willing to do that, right? Well, I'm meeting with someone today, and I'm going to at least mention the idea. Don't get me wrong. I'm not devaluing the insights that you can get with surveys--I still believe in the power of generalizeability. However, organizational discourse represents a great, complementary approach. And it's very trendy these days, so I think it would look good from that aspect. So we'll see. Fingers crossed.

Another Good Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Professor) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 13:42:00 +0000

Saturday, I focused on yardwork. Yesterday, I sold some stuff on ebay. In between, there was a lot of time for relaxation. It was a second recharging weekend, which was great after a summer of go, go, go. This should be a pretty laid back week. I'm working on data that was supposed to be part of my summer project but will now be worked on by students during the year. And I've got some of those engaged interviews. Only 2 weeks left until pre-semester meetings start.

New Project Idea, New Energy

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Professor) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 14:24:00 +0000

I'm not sure why, but the last few days have been very difficult in terms of motivation. Yesterday was particularly rough, and at the end of the day, I was tired and feeling down. Again, not really sure why. I was explaining the feeling and what I'd been working on all day to someone. As the conversation continued, this person got me really excited about a particular research project that I had hoped to do at some point in the future. But this person was encouraging me not to wait, but to pursue it now and gave me some tips for how to succeed, at least in the initial set up stage. By the end of the conversation, I was pumped about it, and I can feel that energy still today. I've got a little work to do early next week to get ready, and I've got a meeting Wednesday with someone that can really help me. It'll be interesting to blog after my conversation with that person to see what his reaction is.

new printer, updated vita

noreply@blogger.com (Blogging Professor) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 13:40:00 +0000

I got a new printer for home last night. Pretty exciting, lots of bells and whistles. I think it can do everything except make breakfast.

I got the article submitted that I wanted to get done on Monday. After I submitted it, I sent the editor an email about my identity-masking issue, so if there's a problem, I'm sure he'll let me know. It's kind of interesting. I've never submitted to this journal before. Even though it's not as high as some communication journals to which I've submitted in the new impact ratings, I think of it as the most prestigious journal for what I want to publish. I'm not entirely sure that it has a good chance. I think it's an important article and well done on most levels, but I'm not sure. We'll see.

By the way, I thought Tim Levine's post on impact ratings and subsequent re-rating was interesting. And it was nice to see some of the regionals thrown in.

I'm working on a theory piece that I've been doing all summer, and I'm continuing to look at data from this summer, data that I hope we're going to work on during the next semester. Still pretty busy, but has a relaxed feel to it.