All posts by Dippel, Jennifer R.

Faculty, General, Professional Development

April 24, 2017 Research Forum: Save the Date!

On behalf of the COE Faculty Development and Research Committee (FDRC), we would like to thank those of you who submitted a proposal to present at the COE Research Forum on April 24, 2017 from 2:00-4:00 PM in the Chesapeake Rooms at the Union. The afternoon promised to be a time to celebrate, share and learn from all of the important scholarly work taking place in the COE.

The annual Research Forum takes place during the regularly scheduled April COE meeting. For those of you not presenting a schedule and abstracts of the presentations will be emailed to you a week before the Research Forum for you to peruse and select the sessions you would like to attend. Refreshments will be served and a raffled for exciting TU door prizes will be conducted!!

 

Faculty, General, Special Events, Students

Speaking Up and Speaking Out

Join local poet and Towson alumna, ANN BRACKEN for a poetry reading from her latest poetry collection,

No Barking in the Hallways: Poems From the Classroom

Hawkins Hall Room 305
Wednesday, April 19, 2017 11 a.m – 12:15 p.m.

Ann Bracken is the author of two collections of poetry, No Barking in the Hallways: Poems from the Classroom (2017) and The Altar of Innocence (2015), both published by New Academia Publishing, Scarith Imprint, and she serves as the deputy editor for Little Patuxent Review. Her poetry, essays, and interviews have appeared in anthologies and journals, including Bared: Contemporary Poetry and Art on Bras and Breasts, New Verse News, Reckless Writing Anthology: Emerging Poets of the 21st Century, and Women Write Resistance: Poets Resist Gender Violence among others. Ann’s poetry has garnered two nominations for the Pushcart Prize. She offers poetry and writing workshops in prisons and schools.

Faculty, General, Staff

Important Notice: Hawkins Hall Renovations

As you have heard by now, Hawkins Hall will be undergoing several large renovation projects over the summer that will necessitate moving all faculty and staff from the building. The projects scheduled to be completed are the installation of a sprinkler system throughout the building, replacement of old ceiling tiles and light fixtures, renovation of the bathrooms, replacement of windows, replacement of remaining old doors, and removal of the automatic door closers. I understand the huge inconvenience of having to pack up office and storage areas and truly appreciate everyone’s time and effort. In an attempt to make this as easy as possible, we have been working closely with facilities management to organize the move.

Continue for more details

Faculty, General

Book Discussion

Book group: There will be a lunch and book discussion for those who read Chris Emdin’s For white folks who teach in the ‘hood on March 31st in HH 305 at 12pm, lunch will be provided

Lunchtime Presentation: Dr. Simone Gibson, scholar from Morgan State, will come to present her research on effective teaching in racially and ethnically diverse classrooms on April 17th at 12pm. Lunch will be provided. 

Please rsvp to jshiller@towson.edu.

Doctoral Programs, General

Dissertation Defense: Alexandra Bayne-Greenwood

Student’s Name: Alexandra Bayne-Greenwood
Dissertation Advisor: Dr. David Wizer
Committee Members: Dr. William Sadera, Dr. Todd Kenriech, and Dr. Scot McNary  

Title of Dissertation: Patterns of Educator Learning Management Systems Use in a Secondary School: A Description of Use and Comparison between Educator Subgroups. 

Date of Defense: 03/28/2017
Time of Defense: 10 a.m.
Location: Hawkins Hall 110  

Abstract: Today, more than ever before, technology is defining the field of education. In fact, technology is growing so quickly that secondary classrooms are finding it difficult to keep up with its rapid changes. Tools such as Learning Management Systems (LMS) have become common in most secondary classrooms, but because of the increase in the quantity of technology flooding the classroom, guidelines have not been set to aid educators in the design and implementation process of technological tools. Furthermore, educators do not know if their educational choices benefit the students. Descriptive research was used to identify the current uses of LMS in secondary classrooms and educator perceptions of their use. Educators were categorized into subgroups by grade level, content area, years of experience, perception of LMS, frequency of use, and course ability levels. Correlational analyses were used to identify associations between educator subgroups and course homework submission and scores. Data was collected for 22 weeks in one middle school. Although LMS are tools used to connect the school environment to home, educator use was found to be associated with time spent in school, not away from it. Grade six educators were the grade level educators who were found to use the LMS most frequently. Mathematics educators were the content area educators who were found to use the LMS most frequently. While there was no correlation between total educator use and course homework submission and scores, content area use, specifically mathematics, displayed LMS use which increased course homework submission and scores. The findings encourage more transparency between educators about classroom technology use. Professional development that is structured, led by educators, held in small groups, and personalized will help educators to use big data in order to design and implement LMS into the secondary classroom.

Early Childhood, Faculty, General, Professional Development

Dean’s Sabbatical Lecture Series

Supporting New and Early Career Teachers in Maryland Public School Systems: Perceptions, Reality, and Finding Communities of Support​

Dr. Janese Daniels

March 15 2017, 1–2 p.m.
Towson Room, Cook Library

Dr. Janese Daniels, associate professor in early childhood education will present a lecture titled Supporting New & Early Career Teachers in Maryland Public School Systems: Perceptions, Reality, and Finding Communities of Support​.

Light refreshments will be served.

About the Presentation

In this sabbatical presentation, findings from an exploratory study on the needs of new and early career teachers will be discussed. This study explored the needs of early career teachers regarding their perceived needs for support during the pre-tenure period, what types of support they received, and what they would like to have received to ensure that they remained in the profession beyond the pre-tenure period. Early findings indicate that early career teachers want multiple mentoring models, access to faculty in colleges of education from institutes of higher education, and that they seek a sense of professional community early in their careers. Recommendations for partnerships between IHE and local public school systems to help support new and early career teachers will be shared.

Faculty, General, Technology

Blackboard “Town Hall” Meeting

Both Matt Wynd (Director of Information Technology Support Centers) and Tricia Halstead (Manager, Blackboard Administrator) from OTS will be hosting a “Town Hall” meeting on March 13th from 1:00pm-2:00pm in 305 HH for the purpose of gathering feedback around your experiences with and use of Blackboard.  This is an initiative from the Academic Committee on Technology and is part of an effort to ensure the investments TU has made in instructional technologies (in this case Blackboard) are, in fact, enhancing and improving  the learning experience.  They are acting as part of a subcommittee tasked with better understanding when, how and why faculty choose to use, or not to use, Blackboard in their courses.

Feedback from you at this meeting on March 13th, will help determine recommendations as to how best to promote and support Blackboard to better meet the needs of both faculty and students.  To that end, they have a short list of questions that will be sent out before the meeting.  You may use the questions as talking points or are invited to write out answers to the questions and either send them to OTS or bring them to the meeting.  Their intent is to listen and learn from you.  Since all colleges (and even the departments within) can vary widely in their needs, we are also interested in issues that may be specific to only your classes.

General

Dean Mullen Announces Appointment of New Department Chair

After consulting with the department’s faculty, I am pleased to announce the appointment of Janese Daniels as department chair in the Department of Early Childhood Education beginning July 1, 2017.  Dr. Daniels joined the Department of Early Childhood Education in 2006 as Assistant Professor. She earned tenure and promotion in 2013 when she assumed her current role as Director of Early Childhood Graduate Programs.  She holds a Ph.D. in Education-Human Development from the University of Maryland, an M.A. in Education-Instructional Systems Development from UMBC, and a B.S. in Psychology from Morgan State University. She has spent her entire career in service to public education, beginning as an elementary school teacher in Baltimore City Public Schools in 1992.  Dr. Daniels looks forward to the opportunity to continue her service to the Department of Early Childhood Education, the College of Education, and Towson University.

Dr. Ocie Watson-Thompson is completing her 10th year as department chair in the College of Education.  She will return to faculty and is looking forward to new challenges. Dr. Watson-Thompson shared the following regarding her 10 years as department chair: “I am so proud that I have been instrumental in continuing the legacy of excellence and leader in the preparation of early childhood educators. I have diligently worked to mentor and promote the leadership of a diverse faculty who are highly qualified and committed to all children, families and communities.”

Please join me in thanking Dr. Watson-Thompson and in welcoming Dr. Daniels as the new department chair in the Department of Early Childhood Education.