Friday Memo 4/17/15
It has been a busy week in the Education Division. See important information below.
Doctorate Program
We were busy interviewing new students interested in the K-12 and Higher Ed doctoral program. I am excited about the quality of the candidates we interviewed. Through the interview process I learned that one candidate's passion for students with special needs and her role in her school district makes her a valuable asset to the CEEDAR team. We even discussed ways she may be able to design her dissertation around the work of the CEEDAR group, giving this candidate an opportunity to make an impact on educator preparation on a state-wide level. I also noticed a post on my facebook stream advertising the new MBU Higher Ed doctoral program. I am encouraged that our marketing department is utilizing social media to get the word out about our programs.
Faculty Meeting
This week's faculty meeting was enjoyable for me. I value the time we spend together, and I truly value your opinions and feedback. We had a great time of discussion as I solicited feedback about the agenda for the Teachers Education Advisory Council. In particular, we had a lively discussion about what makes MBU's Education Division unique. See the picture below of my chicken scratch summarizing what the group contributed. We also discussed the assignment for the final faculty meeting of the school year. We will be sharing Spartan Success Stories of the great activities faculty members are doing in their classes, based on data.
Teacher's Education Advisory Council
Yesterday the group met in the President's Board Room. We had a really good meeting discussing the changes in our program, state assessments, and most importantly we chatted about what ways new teachers are coming underprepared. Sue Pitzer, Head of Kirk Day School, commented that all of the MBU student teachers who have been at Kirk have been excellent! We then began discussing the issue of Christian school teachers being trained to teach through the lens of a biblical worldview. By God's design, the public school PK-12 folks invited to the meeting were not able to attend. However, Sue Pitzer and Keith Currivean, Superintendent of Living Word Christian School, were in attendance. Sue and Keith both commented that they wished their teachers understood how to teach through the lens of a biblical worldview. This information has not been an area of focus for us, primarily because most of our teacher candidates will be teaching in a public school. However, the information discussed yesterday has spurred me to consider that we have a population of students who will be teaching in private schools. I would like you all to consider how we can address this issue in our classes.
Open Faculty Positions
Mary Ann Conaway and I conducted a Skype interview with a candidate from Virginia. He is a strong candidate, and we are excited to bring him to campus in a few weeks to meet with the search committee. Due to Carl Holschen's retirement, we have an opening in the division. We have posted the position in a variety of places. We have received materials from 24 applicants. The search committee for this position has been given access to a google folder that contains the application materials of the candidates. We plan on bringing a few of the candidates in for an interview in the coming weeks.
USDLA Presentation
David Collum, Tim Delicath, and I met to prepare for the upcoming United States Distance Learning Association Conference that will take place in St. Louis in a few weeks. They will be presenting David's research on simulation based learning. Unfortunately, I will not able to attend because it is the same day as the faculty meeting.
Graduate Affairs
We met this week and the group approved the Singapore Math Summer Institute being offered for graduate credit. Click the Singapore Math Summer Institute link to see the main page that advertises Missouri Baptist University as one of the locations. Feel free to share this with any interested educators.
Apple Education Workshop
I went to Chicago on Wednesday to attend a workshop regarding mobile learning. I gained a lot of information regarding mobile learning. We heard from representatives from the University of Oklahoma who deployed a 1-1 ipad initiative in their School of Education. See the pictures below.
Senior Walk
One of the many awesome traditions that we have at MBU!
Digital Citizenship Professional Development
Our very own Sharon Sumner, MET Director, is presenting a professional development workshop on Digital Citizenship today at Twin Oaks Christian School. This is a perfect example of us working with local schools providing a valuable service to fellow educators. Way to go, Sharon!
Upcoming important dates:
Faculty Meeting Monday, April 20 3:30pm Recital Hall
CEEDAR Webinar Friday, April 24 9:00am
Division Faculty Meeting Tuesday, April 28 10:15am - 11:45am FLD Conference Room
Graduation Tuesday, April 28
In closing I would like to share some thoughts I gathered from the devotional book Jesus Calling. Jesus calls us to a life of thankfulness. Sarah Young writes in the voice of Jesus, "I want all your moments to be punctuated with thanksgiving. The basis for your gratitude is My sovereignty. I am the Creator and Controller of the universe."
1 Thessalonians 5:18 Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
Please know that my heart overflows with my thankfulness for each and every one of you. I am grateful to be blessed to work with you as we fulfill our purpose together.
Melanie
Doctorate Program
We were busy interviewing new students interested in the K-12 and Higher Ed doctoral program. I am excited about the quality of the candidates we interviewed. Through the interview process I learned that one candidate's passion for students with special needs and her role in her school district makes her a valuable asset to the CEEDAR team. We even discussed ways she may be able to design her dissertation around the work of the CEEDAR group, giving this candidate an opportunity to make an impact on educator preparation on a state-wide level. I also noticed a post on my facebook stream advertising the new MBU Higher Ed doctoral program. I am encouraged that our marketing department is utilizing social media to get the word out about our programs.
Faculty Meeting
This week's faculty meeting was enjoyable for me. I value the time we spend together, and I truly value your opinions and feedback. We had a great time of discussion as I solicited feedback about the agenda for the Teachers Education Advisory Council. In particular, we had a lively discussion about what makes MBU's Education Division unique. See the picture below of my chicken scratch summarizing what the group contributed. We also discussed the assignment for the final faculty meeting of the school year. We will be sharing Spartan Success Stories of the great activities faculty members are doing in their classes, based on data.
Teacher's Education Advisory Council
Yesterday the group met in the President's Board Room. We had a really good meeting discussing the changes in our program, state assessments, and most importantly we chatted about what ways new teachers are coming underprepared. Sue Pitzer, Head of Kirk Day School, commented that all of the MBU student teachers who have been at Kirk have been excellent! We then began discussing the issue of Christian school teachers being trained to teach through the lens of a biblical worldview. By God's design, the public school PK-12 folks invited to the meeting were not able to attend. However, Sue Pitzer and Keith Currivean, Superintendent of Living Word Christian School, were in attendance. Sue and Keith both commented that they wished their teachers understood how to teach through the lens of a biblical worldview. This information has not been an area of focus for us, primarily because most of our teacher candidates will be teaching in a public school. However, the information discussed yesterday has spurred me to consider that we have a population of students who will be teaching in private schools. I would like you all to consider how we can address this issue in our classes.
Open Faculty Positions
Mary Ann Conaway and I conducted a Skype interview with a candidate from Virginia. He is a strong candidate, and we are excited to bring him to campus in a few weeks to meet with the search committee. Due to Carl Holschen's retirement, we have an opening in the division. We have posted the position in a variety of places. We have received materials from 24 applicants. The search committee for this position has been given access to a google folder that contains the application materials of the candidates. We plan on bringing a few of the candidates in for an interview in the coming weeks.
USDLA Presentation
David Collum, Tim Delicath, and I met to prepare for the upcoming United States Distance Learning Association Conference that will take place in St. Louis in a few weeks. They will be presenting David's research on simulation based learning. Unfortunately, I will not able to attend because it is the same day as the faculty meeting.
Graduate Affairs
We met this week and the group approved the Singapore Math Summer Institute being offered for graduate credit. Click the Singapore Math Summer Institute link to see the main page that advertises Missouri Baptist University as one of the locations. Feel free to share this with any interested educators.
Apple Education Workshop
I went to Chicago on Wednesday to attend a workshop regarding mobile learning. I gained a lot of information regarding mobile learning. We heard from representatives from the University of Oklahoma who deployed a 1-1 ipad initiative in their School of Education. See the pictures below.
Senior Walk
One of the many awesome traditions that we have at MBU!
Digital Citizenship Professional Development
Our very own Sharon Sumner, MET Director, is presenting a professional development workshop on Digital Citizenship today at Twin Oaks Christian School. This is a perfect example of us working with local schools providing a valuable service to fellow educators. Way to go, Sharon!
Upcoming important dates:
Faculty Meeting Monday, April 20 3:30pm Recital Hall
CEEDAR Webinar Friday, April 24 9:00am
Division Faculty Meeting Tuesday, April 28 10:15am - 11:45am FLD Conference Room
Graduation Tuesday, April 28
In closing I would like to share some thoughts I gathered from the devotional book Jesus Calling. Jesus calls us to a life of thankfulness. Sarah Young writes in the voice of Jesus, "I want all your moments to be punctuated with thanksgiving. The basis for your gratitude is My sovereignty. I am the Creator and Controller of the universe."
1 Thessalonians 5:18 Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
Please know that my heart overflows with my thankfulness for each and every one of you. I am grateful to be blessed to work with you as we fulfill our purpose together.
Melanie
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