MCC Takes on the White City

Submitted by the MCC Sociology Department

Twenty- two of us boarded the MCC mini busses on April 10, 2011 to spend a day looking at Chicago in a different way. We traveled back in time to 1893, the year of the “World Columbian Exposition.” Our interest was to explore the exhibition grounds, the remnants of the White City, and life during this period.

The MCC Sociology Department, along with Kathy Hayhurst, put together a phenomenal expedition to draw a closure for the first book of “The One Book One College” program, Devil in the White City.  This vignette of the late 1800s included a trip to The Hull House museum, The Parthenon restaurant in Greektown, the Midway Plaisance (site of the first Ferris Wheel), Jackson Park to see the replica of “The Republic,” The Museum of Science and Industry (originally The Fine Arts Building), and the Osaka Gardens on the Wooded Island.

Some of the group at the Hull House museum



On the Midway

 

At the Museum of Science and Industry

 

Inside at the Museum of Science and Industry



At Osaka Gardens

At Osaka Gardens



At Osaka Gardens



Eating at the Parthenon

At The Republic statue



The Sociology team with Kathy H.

Identifying Learning: A Discussion Starter

Below are some discussion-leading ideas and questions from contributor Dawn Wagner, Instructor of International Business and Marketing at MCC. Read them over and then reply with your best attention grabber or student motivator. Anyone posting their comments between today and the end of day on Thursday, April 21 will have their entry published and will be entered into a drawing to receive a gift certificate to our very own MCC cafeteria! Either enter your comment below or email it to Laura Power.

"Does every blank stare mean that our students aren't paying attention, or are they really doing what we want: listening, learning, and synthesizing? And what can we tell by the way they text, take notes, talk to the person next to them, and eat Doritos?

How can we teach, model, apply, and reflect every day in both our online as well as in our traditional classrooms? What are you doing that works?"

Teaching Professor, April Issue--Online!

Have you checked out the latest issue of The Teaching Professor? April's articles include topics about plagiarism prevention, group work models, and writing lab reports. And that's not all--read this teaser for "Expediting Feedback to Students."

If you never signed up last Fall as part of MCC's group subscription, contact Laura Power for quick and easy instructions, and then enjoy your fill from April's issue or any issue in the online archives.

Texting in the Classroom

By contributor Laurie Riggin, Instructor of Art at MCC

Is frequent text messaging in class harmful to students’ educations? In this digital age of technology, constant information, and multi-tasking, students can engage in constant communication with others but this practice may actually encourage scattered concentration, distraction, and disengagement with course material. Many students have a difficult time withdrawing from technology--the phone becomes more interesting than the real world. Recent studies have shown that constant texting leads to anxiety, distraction in school, falling grades, and sleep deprivation.  As an educator, I worry that students are not developing the social skills they need to succeed in school and beyond the classroom.

I make it clear to students at the beginning of each semester that I have zero tolerance for texting in my classroom. If they are caught using their phone, they will be asked to leave and will receive a “0” for that day’s activities. Students also sign a “promise statement” that they will turn off and refrain from using their phone during scheduled class time. Throughout the semester, I also provide reflective periods as a way to create a level of relaxation, awareness, and concentration. In the spring and fall, I have my students spend quiet time near the pond or in MCC's zen garden. For several minutes, they close their eyes and concentrate on hearing the “smallest” sound: frogs croaking, a distant bird chirping, the wind. This exercise encourages contemplation on the immediate world. It also inspires the imagination, as well as creative and compelling thinking. As a result, students are more focused on course material and they engage with their classmates in a more direct way.