#like the entire class is based on a ONLINE textbook where all the homework is submitted and it’s sooooooo fucking dumbbbbbbbb

[bibleofficial]

i HATE that this stupid fucking spanish class weighs homework as 25% like bro … i didn’t do that shit it was annoying !!!! so i’m looking at like a C+ for the grade bc the exams & compositions are all As 😭😭😭

#stream #this shit is so DUMB #like the entire class is based on a ONLINE textbook where all the homework is submitted and it’s sooooooo fucking dumbbbbbbbb #like why BOTHER #like bitch what the FUCK !!!!!!! #but the class is IN PERSON WHICH IS THE FUCKING KICKER #i HATE vhl so fucking MUCH #id RATHER just turn in physical pieces of paper

[georgetownuniversitypress]

Darcy Lear: What will you take back to the face-to-face language classroom post-pandemic?

Like so many educators who’ve moved first to emergency remote teaching then to something more like online teaching, I have been overwhelmed by the information coming at me. At first, I eagerly attended all the Zoom workshops I could to get over the learning curve. Then I settled into a holding pattern that fit within my comfort zone for the online venue. Now I try limit my time on Zoom to the hours I am teaching or otherwise engaging with students.

Once the clutter and confusion cleared a bit, I was able to start to look ahead toward a return to face-to-face teaching. And what I’ve realized is that emergency remote teaching reminds me of some of the most important basics of language education—things I want to take back to the in-person classroom as soon as that is possible.

Here are a few of the things I am doing now that I want to keep doing post-pandemic:

1.     Keep it simple—technology edition

Just because you can doesn't mean you should. And just because a technology exists, doesn't mean you should incorporate it into your classes—especially during forced online teaching due to a pandemic.  

I have necessarily added the online teaching platform used by my campus: Zoom. Otherwise, students and I are using the same tech we've always used—the campus online learning system and the publisher's online textbook and workbook materials.  I know Flipgrid and Flippity and Padlet and Panopto and Quizlet and twelve different recording and transcribing options exist. I believe that some are great pedagogical tools and have true potential in the language classroom. But not now. There have been enough learning curves during the pandemic.

Takeaway Don't use bells and whistles gratuitously. Identify your problem first, then solve it using technology if and only if it meets your needs.

2.     Keep it simple—curriculum edition 

Simplify, simplify, simplify. Are high-stakes tests feasible in the new venue? Do I really need 8-10 course components? Are my own pedagogical materials consistent across different documents and platforms? 

The first two questions were a pleasure to address when we were first forced online in spring 2020: high-stakes chapter tests and the final exam were eliminated and replaced by low-stakes daily online quizzes (this is stuff we've known is better for a long, long time). These were 5-10 item assessments closely tied to content covered in that day's class. I told students, "If you can't complete those quizzes without resources, that's a red flag for you. Did you miss class and so it makes sense that it was hard? Do you need to brush up on a grammar point? Do you need to meet with me outside of online class? Did you forget to do the online homework (from which some quiz items are copied and pasted)?" This is what assessment is for—to measure student progress and see if they are ready to move on.

In the meantime, students’ course-long blogs and research projects formed the kind of project-based portfolio assessment we also have known for a long, long time is a better way to assess student learning than a lot of our old-school achievement tests (the kinds of tests people are fretting over how to administer securely online while ‘monitoring cheating’).

I folded some course components, such as recorded TalkAbroad conversations, into students’ portfolio projects so that students reported on them within the regular blog posts they were doing instead of in separate assignments.  

By the time the spring 2020 course started, there were three major course components: textbook content, an online blog, and a research project. There were a total of 5 grading categories: daily quizzes, daily blog posts, in-class mini-presentations, a course-long research project, and a final presentation of the research project.

A single thread ran through the entire course so that the work to prepare for class led smoothly into the synchronous class period, which was followed by homework and assessments that reviewed all the content before repeating the cycle. Even though this is how it’s supposed to always work, it felt more focused and streamlined than any face-to-face course I've taught in recent memory.

In cleaning up my pedagogical materials, I developed a kind of check list: Do I even need to keep this content? Is there a way to fold this material into something else (portfolio assessments, online quizzes)? Do I use the names I have for assignments consistently? Do they make sense? Why were assignments described as "personal readings" in course documents and grade book columns years after they'd become "blog entries" in practice? Ditto for "documents 1-5" that were really "research project" components. Getting ready to engage in emergency remote teaching forced me to revisit a lot of content that worked inside my own head but didn't make a lot of sense to anyone else, something I know is an issue when designing pedagogical materials, writing instructions, writing academic articles—you name it!

Takeaway Can I simplify logistics for students? Can the various bits and pieces be streamlined so it makes more sense to students and flows better for all of us?

3.     Keep it simple—classroom edition

As the teacher, do most of your work outside of class. With emergency remote teaching, most of my time was dedicated to planning before class, then grading and meeting with students after. In the online class sessions, I mostly just set up activities for students then hang out and listen to them interact. Occasionally, I interrupt to correct or explain, but mostly I wait for students to self-correct or reach out to me for clarification. I’ve noticed a lot more self-correction when I gave students the time and space to do it—well, Zoom did that for me.  

This experience has reminded me of the kind of planning and preparing required of a novice teacher.  I set up my lesson plan, re-visit it after a day or so, then run through it before class starts to make sure I have everything ready to go on my laptop: 

Is the ebook opened to the first page I'll     reference? 

Do students have the link to the Google doc I'll     ask them to use? 

Do I have the PDF opened and ready to click     on? 

Is the PowerPoint presentation launched?

Do I know when I'm going to use breakout rooms     and how many I will need?

At the beginning of each class, I share my screen to show students the lesson plan and run through the major topics as well as assignments that are due soon. It begs the question: why haven’t I been sharing my lesson plans with students all along?

Getting everything set up seems to take more time and energy than the Zoom session itself, but in the Zoom session I also shed the novice teacher and settle into the role of experienced teacher.  

As soon as a Zoom class ends, I go back into planning mode—I post the day's lesson plan and homework online for students to reference, then I prepare the first draft of the next session's lesson plan.  Before I polish the next plan, I spend a lot of time grading—reading/watching students' work, making individual comments on it, and checking their progress with online activities and assessments. In the process, I make sure the homework and quizzes align well with the class sessions (something I haven't dedicated enough time to in face-to-face teaching over the past decade or so). 

Takeaway Be transparent with students. Make most of your work happen in the prep and follow-up so class time can focus on smooth student activities.

4.     Let students learn by doing: Be the guide on the side, not the sage on the stage

Zoom is a horrible venue for "teacher at the front of class soliciting responses from individual students"—but so is a classroom if your goal is for students to build communicative competence in the language. But in classrooms it's very easy to fall into old-school patterns of the teacher doing too much of the talking. Online teaching—where everyone is disembodied and there are awkward pauses combined with people talking over each other—forces me to abandon any remnants of the Atlas complex. If I'm talking on Zoom it's very obvious I'm delivering a lecture or a teacher presentation.

I do talk to the whole group at the beginning and end of each Zoom session, with some teacher-like explanations peppered throughout the entire course. But most of the time spent on Zoom has been students in breakout rooms interacting with each other in Spanish—sometimes discussing textbook content in groups, sometimes preparing brief presentations to give to the whole class, sometimes with student discussion leaders who are formally assessed on their performance. I pop in but try to leave myself on mute.  

Takeaway Find a way to put myself "on mute."

5.     Be flexible and go easy on yourself and others 

Right now we’re in a pandemic, but in "normal times" there are always some individuals who are navigating crises. We don't need to know the details, but we can make interactions with us easier instead of harder—extend deadlines, take late work, allow students to make up tests, and be understanding when they have to miss class. 

Takeaway Nobody needs a punitive work or learning environment—ever. Be flexible. Go easy on yourself and others.

Darcy Lear has a PhD in Foreign and Second Language Education from the Ohio State University and teaches Spanish at the University of Chicago. She regularly gives presentations on teaching strategies to departments around the country and has developed languages for special purposes courses at several institutions. Lear is also a career coach, helping people to position themselves to use their language skills in rewarding careers. She is the author of Integrating Career Preparation into Language Courses.

#language learning #language teaching #pedagogy #new books #language acquisition #actfl #online teaching #teaching online #pandemic #covidー19 #covid lockdown

[pravasichhokro]

Schooling Then & Now...

During the closure of schools due to pandemic from March 2020 till date (End Oct 2020), I have heard how classes are being held and attended from home at least in Metros. I am reminded of my school days during1954-66 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

My first school was a family run primary school in the residential complex that we lived. I studied there as it was convenient to attend and my elder sister also went to the same school. It was housed in a bungalow with four to five rooms, each housing one standard. It was from 11 am to 5 pm. It was a traditional school with standard syllabus. The school was co-ed and we sat on floor. Our school bag had a book or two and a slate (black stone) and white chalk. We walked to the school. The medium of instruction was Gujarati

Then I went to a special primary school run by Sarabhais (Vikram Sarabhai’s family). The school had four classes, one each for one standard. Each class had 10-12 students only. The school started at 8.30 am and till 4 pm. On arrival all children would be given a glass of milk and then academic lessons would start till lunch at 12 noon. The children brought roti/chapati from home but all else was served by the school-Dal, Rice, Vegetables, Papad, pickles etc. Children from class 4 normally managed the lunch service, though food was cooked by others. School was co-ed and we hardly carried any books or other items in the school bag except a box of roti/chapati. I travelled by the city bus to commute to school. The medium of instruction was Gujarati.

After lunch, the non-academic activities were the main focus. These included music (mainly folk), folk dance (garba/dandiya), painting, carpentry, stitching/tailoring etc. the teachers of high caliber came to teach these special skills or hobby. Our music teacher was an AIR (All India Radio) artiste. We also undertook projects of a long duration. For example, in carpentry class we built Sam’s Cabin on the treetop (the school had a large area). We also staged plays in open air once a year. Each and every student must participate in the play and hence they were selected accordingly. One was “Alibaba and Forty Thieves”, and another was “Gulliver’s travel to pigmy land” (a shadow play).

The school also imparted general knowledge in the most effective way. We once slept in the school so that we could be taken to an observatory at 3 am to see the sky and the stars. We were once taken to the Municipal office to see the model of Nehru Bridge under construction (before1960) followed by a visit to the riverbed to see the construction. Children were encouraged to explore and most of us would sit on the wall (on the riven bank) just watch the Sabarmati river in flood. We were allowed to climb trees and play with our teachers. I found it to be a good place for an all around development.

Then I was admitted to a popular Gujarati medium school which boasted of the large area (I think 300 acres or more) and it followed Gandhian philosophy. Our uniform was from Khadi. The trust was Jain. The school was co-ed and I commuted by city bus or walked the 3 km short route on some days with other students and a teacher. Theschool was from 10.40 am to 5.10 pm with two short breaks. Saturday was half day- 7.30 am to 11 am.

The middle school (std 5 to 7) was in a separate building about 500 meters from either entry. We sat on floor with a wooden stool in front. The school bag had textbooks, notebooks and a pencil box along with a snacks box. In addition to academic classes we had optional selected non-academic courses. Music was compulsory and my weakest subject. One could choose from music, painting, stitching/tailoring or agriculture. I opted for agriculture. I was given a piece of land (5 x 10 ft) and allowed to grow vegetables etc. The vegetables were available for sale and I used to take some home.

The high school (std 8 to 11) was in a larger building near the main gate. The compass box was added to books and notebooks. We used to write with an ink pen.The classes had a bench. Between these buildings was a huge playground for volleyball, kho-kho and kabaddi etc.We had a prayer hall covered but open from sides where all students would gather first thingin the morning and pray. At this gathering, we were also able to enjoy cultural programs based on the festivals and some speeches by leading persons- politicians, writers, thinkers, and ex-students.

During the entire school years, I attended classes regularly and was not permitted to attend any private tuition, In any case private tuition was not so popular then, My father insisted that I asked all my doubts to the teachers in the class or after class in the teachers (staff) room. I hardly recall any parents’ teacher meeting. Strangely I had not spoken to any girl student at my school or class throughout the eleven years, though it was co-ed. I loved outdoor games and in the eight standard I joined a hockey coaching center (outside) run by an ex-India player. This led me to go for state school level hockey tournament and participated in all India school meet in Shillong in Feb,1966.

My daughter went to an international school in Japan and her experience was different than schooling in India. She walked to school everyday for 20 minutes and carried only an umbrella and lunch on some days. She played basketball, hockey, and volleyball. She would go ice skating or on over night trips to gain knowledge not just from textbooks but from experiences. When she came back to study in India, she found the education system hard and competitive and teachers had minimal interest in teaching except for scoring high marks.

I now will attempt to compare the above school life with present day school life in metros before COVID-19 (March 2020). Though I have no first-hand experience of it, I have gathered it from parents of school going kids. Most of these go to a private school and not municipal or govt school in various parts of the globe.

Before COVID-19 struck, the school time was 8 am to 2 pm and probably five days a week. Kids must carry a huge/heavy school bag containing water bottle, books, notebooks, compass box, lunch box (for two breaks). Kids do use ball point pen or gel pen. The school bag weighs a lot and there are complaints of kids, but no solution seems to be in sight. Most kids go to school by school bus or auto-rickshaw or dropped by parents. Hardly anybody walks to school. A lot of focus is on academic work and homework. Most schools lack a playground. Some schools do encourage extra-curricular activities, but most kids take up extra-curricular activities because of the parents or peer pressure. Some govt or municipal schools run two shifts to make maximum use of the infrastructure- school building. Most classes have 50 children in each room.

Many of the schools have annual day and they are a huge burden on parents both in terms of time and expenses. Most items on annual day celebrations lack heritage or folk influence on dance or music or singing.  Most kids (also their teachers) do watch tv and are influenced by its content. Many kids have the luxury of travel domestically or internationally with their parents on holidays. I do not see many activities among school going kids in residential complexes. Rural schools might still be following the historical timing (11 am to 5 pm) and the syllabus with almost poor teachers.

After March 22, 2020 the schools were closed, and students and teachers were encouraged to attend online classes. In last six months (till Oct end) the schools are closed and online classes have become the routine.

In metros, many private schools are actively following the online class concept. I understand the online class can be attended provided one has a laptop or a tablet or a smart mobile with adequate data and speed for Wi-Fi connection. The classes are for four hours a day. The homework is also given online and submitted online. In most cases projects given seem to be done by parents and not children which is not the best way to learn. While writing exams adults at home keep prompting the child to ensure high score /marks are achieved. Teaching a child short cuts or to cheat is not beneficial in the long run. Parents forget that getting marks above 90% should not be the only aim for the child.

Many families are facing the shortage of hardware as the parent or parents attend office from home (WFH) and they need the same hardware- laptop or tablet and a strong WiFi connection. If there is more than one child attending class/school from home the shortage of hardware and infrastructure is felt more and is also a financial burden too.

Poor people are finding it hard to attend classes online. My domestic help has three children going to school and that is either municipal or govt school. They also hold classes online. But the poor family has only two mobiles and only one is smart. Her husband is a driver but has lost his job.

I dare not imagine what is happening at rural schools and their classes with no infrastructure like WiFi connectivity or smart mobile at home. Some may not have even electricity at home. I hope that large IT firms instead of running schools in rural India under the name of NGO’s should have ensured a good e-learning system but that seems like a dream. This would have been helpful during these times and need not depend on poor quality teachers.

In all the above activities the major problem is that children have lost physical touch with school, class, and teacher. They surely miss outdoor activities (sports etc.) with their classmates. They also must be missing the cultural activities on the festivals.

The mental stress of being confined to a residence for so long must be very real and parents must be finding it difficult to attend to it among their children and themselves.

Conclusion…….

I do believe that old time classes at school and freedom to mingle/play with classmates and children from neighborhood were great contributors to develop a child’s all faculties. The emphasis was outdoor activities and non-academic interests to be followed. The child was not stressed with pressures from parents, siblings, or peer day in and out.

Prior to lockdown due to pandemic, the metro school going kid was stressed with many issues- get up early, catch the bus or transport or do homework or dress properly with or without makeup for girls, etc. Parents were also stressed to see that their child is not lagging only in academic pursuit but also otherwise.

After lock down the situation has worsened for the child. The child is confined to the four walls of the residence with same family members and has no chance to go outdoors. (recent relaxation may permit going out but many parents do not want to take the risk). Outdoor activities are almost none and 24x7 the child is using handheld devices –Laptop, tablet, or smart phone to do schoolwork and to play games, also to see cartoons or other entertaining content on TV.

I pray for early release of restrictions due to COVID-19 and restoration of schools to normal working in general and in rural areas in particular.

#school #online school

[theancientgeekoroman]

While this might not be your area of expertise could you lend any advice to a high school senior (almost college freshman) planning on going into History, looking at a masters in museum studies? I’m a bit over whelmed and not entirely sure I know where to start

Hi, Nonny!

Okay, I did actually get an MA in Museum Studies from the University of Oklahoma, so I do have some experience there :3 I work in a museum professionally at the moment as well.

For History in general at the university level is a lot of analysis and reading and a lot of papers. If you’re in the US, I would suggest looking into CLEP exams for the introductory courses (History 101, 102), depending on your university, if you want to skip over the beginning courses. CLEP will help you test out of courses before you go into courses and can save you money in the long run. (If you’re not in the US, you can always look into an equivalent program that lets you test out of lower-level courses in your country if your university system works that way).

One of the things I’d suggest before going to your university is to e-mail the professors in the history program (look up and see what courses they teach) and express your excitement of working with them. You can also see if they list any of their syllabi online to get an idea of the kind of workload they assign and what textbooks they expect you to have for their courses. One of the most useful thing I did as a history major was keep all my textbooks because I needed them again - one of my undergraduate textbooks I had in 2015 I ended up needing this year for graduate school! So, you never know.

The other thing I did was I color-coded my notes/highlighter for different eras for my classes. It helped a lot because my ancient history was always yellow, Medieval was blue, Renaissance was orange, etc. That worked for me, but remember that you have to try and figure out what works best for you.

I know that my history homework (in 3-credit American courses) always had about three hours per course each day I had class - so if I had it three times a week, I was reading about 9 hours a week. I have dyslexia and ADHD, so I had to make my schedule to accommodate for that, so the three hours, depending on the day, it might take me 6 hours for something that would usually take half that time. Make sure you take a lot of breaks during the readings because it can really get overwhelming. Stand up, stretch, get a glass of water, and if you have trouble concentrating on one of the readings, don’t be afraid to change which homework you’re focusing on.

As I’ve said with other advice, remember to talk to your professors. This is especially important in history because it can be overwhelming. One of my favorite professors was a Medieval professor, and I kept in touch with him well into graduate school. As you go through the program, don’t just meet with your assigned advisor, but talk to all of your professors. A lot of them will be good for recommendations in the future, and a lot of them give invaluable advice about how to proceed in your career.

Here’s the thing about Museum Studies degrees that I didn’t realize before I was already halfway through my program: the field is exceptionally over-saturated with people with museum degrees. However, having said that, if you want to get the degree, I wouldn’t blame you. I got mine because I wanted it and then I decided to pursue my MA in Classical Studies. So, I’m going to give you a couple of options because I know this is overwhelming, but remember, you still haven’t even started university yet, so grad school is still a bit away for you, and there might be even better options once you’re graduating!

The first thing I would suggest is that if you can, over the summer, try to volunteer at a local museum and see if they’ll let you float over different departments to see what you like best. Related places like local art galleries are also an option! A lot of places also have internships, but you might need a little bit more experience before an internship (high school internships happen, but it’s been my experience that many museums prefer interns that are enrolled in college already). 

Most universities have galleries and museums so you can volunteer there, too. Some university museums have front desk paid positions for students, so check that out as well! 

Museum Studies isn’t the only graduate degree to consider when you’re thinking about working in a museum after graduate school. Another thing to consider is getting a graduate degree with a Museum Studies graduate certificate to complement it could be an option for you. 

If you’re thinking about working in a science-based museum, multiple different science degrees would be applicable. One of the jobs I looked at ended up requiring an Entomology degree, so you never know! Other degrees that might help would be a graduate degree in Anthropology, Art Conservation, Art History, Education, History, etc. One of the things you should do is look at the museums you would like to work at and see the educational background of the current employees and the openings there to see which is the best route to take. (Additionally, if you have an MA in any of those fields, depending on where you live, you could also teach community college in addition to or while you’re searching for a museum position). 

Another degree to consider that I think is applicable is a Master in Library Science, some degree programs of which have a Museum Studies specialization (such as the one at Kent State University: https://www.kent.edu/iSchool/museum-studies). The good thing about pursuing an MLIS with a focus on museums is that you can apply to public and academic libraries as well as museum libraries, which gives a little more flexibility.  

The reason why I give you all these other options (I know it’s a lot) is that I didn’t get a museum job until six months after I got my BA degrees and moved across the country - twice. This was also after having an apprenticeship, several internships, and uncountable volunteer hours as well. So, that’s a lot to consider. Once I got to where I live now, though, I got a museum job almost two weeks after I moved here, so you have to take where you live into account, too. Las Vegas is a pretty transient city, and a lot of people here don’t have Museum Studies MAs, so it’s a rarity. Other places that I lived (like Chicago) have so many people vying for the same jobs, it’s difficult to get your foot in the door. But, that’s why the volunteering, internships, and networking is so important. Professors are part of your networking, so keep that in mind, too. If your university has an art history club or history club or museum club, join it/them. Go to the museum and gallery openings at your university and talk with the people there. Usually, they have a lot of the professors and upperclassmen there, as well as local museum professionals. Go to events at local museums and art galleries, too! One of the things I wish I had done before I did that was make business cards that I could give to the people I met there, which is what I do at my current place of work when I meet people who want to keep in touch with me. Small things like that could go a long way. 

I would spend some time researching the schools that you’re interested in for graduate school (as I assume you’ve already chosen which university you’re going to next year already) and compare their programs. While you’re an undergraduate, try to take one course in other fields that might interest you. A lot of times you can take courses in Anthropology or Art History for general education requirements and sometimes they’ll count towards a history major. Don’t be afraid to explore outside of your comfort zone. 

The last thing I would recommend is after you do all this research, and you still want to go to graduate school specifically for Museum Studies, then you should do it. I loved my program, and although everyone told me once I graduated that I would not see a good ROI (return on investment), I had wasted my time. But one of the things I did during my program was an internship at a museum on the same campus where I would get my first full-time benefitted position. I learned how to run a museum. I learned best practices and how to curate. I learned basic exhibition design. I learned art and museum law. There was a lot that was covered in the program that was generalized that will help me in any museum I work at in the future, which is part of why I liked the program. The MA in Classical Studies was my next move because I would like to be a curator of Ancient Greek and Roman art eventually. 

Just remember, take a deep breath, and you don’t have to worry about graduate school quite yet, but if you want to make sure you’re keeping up with the job market, keep an eye out and follow positions you want on sites like Indeed.com so you can see what people are looking for and begin to gain skills in those areas. 

Also, and this is weirdly important for a history major, but I have seen current university students not know how to do it - learn to write and read cursive, in your native language and the language of any historical figure you might be studying. Somehow this has become a special skill, but I know it because we were required to use it in Catholic school. 

I hope this wasn’t too overwhelming, and if you want to ask me more about my MA in Museum Studies, feel free to do so. Let me know if you want any clarifications on what I’ve outlined here; I know it was a lot. 

All the best,

Tychon, the Ancient Geeko-Roman

#history #museum studies #ask #asks #academia #anon #anonymous #long post #Anonymous

[mortior]

In which Dirk is a porn star and Jake is a broke college kid who needs the $$$ (Chapter 2)

@jaboody wanted “Dirk teaching Jake how to dom him” for her birthday, so I wrote a continuation of her previous gift! It was a fun challenge, and came out twice as long as the first part. Includes contrived plot devices and an experienced sub teaching a fledgling dom, which imo should be more of a thing because *justright.jpg* and also half of it is smut. [AO3 link]

Dirk’s business card sits on your nightstand for three days.

You forget about it most of the time, only remembering when it catches your eye while setting the alarm clock or retrieving your glasses in the morning. It’s not that you don’t want to contact him, but there’s a chance he might be upset that you dragged your feet about it, not to mention it would be awfully embarrassing if he’s forgotten about you entirely. Especially since you’ve been thinking about him so often. Sometimes you dream about that day at the studio, with all the irrational additions and embellishments of dreams. Even your waking fantasies are affected, where before you pictured nameless, faceless women who acted out whatever racy scenario your imagination conjured for those lonely moments in bed or in the shower, but now you’ve got a face and a name, and a pattern of freckles you can’t forget.

You can’t stop yourself from typing the name of the studio on his business card into your web browser’s search engine. The link appears at the top of the results, and you click past the welcome page and scroll down, then nearly slam your laptop shut at the first row of video thumbnails. A few hours later, after you’ve had something to eat and done a bit of cleaning around your dorm room to work the nervous jitter out of your hands, you sit down and open the laptop again, just long enough to close the web browser (and with it, the oversized video preview on the front page with you on your back, pants off, and Dirk’s head between your legs).

The money you got from that shady (though not entirely unpleasant) tryst is more than enough to pay the grocery bills, and you spend the rest of the week catching up on the movies and TV shows you missed during the semester, while paying half-attention to the homework for your online classes - mostly dry textbook readings and short quizzes, although your intro to physics course is a different beast, and you ultimately concede defeat and put it off until later. Now there’s a half-finished text idling in your phone under Dirk’s contact number. You’ve been picking at it like a scab, adding words here and deleting some there, never satisfied with it.

On Thursday, you revisit the website on Dirk’s business card. There’s a row of links at the top, allowing you to navigate the site without subjecting yourself to the “featured video” thumbnails on the home page. Most of the content seems to be video-based and restricted to paying customers, but there’s also a photo album with preview images and video stills, and you’re given the option to sort by tags. Some of these tags include names. The image thumbnails are small and confusingly obscene, but a familiar figure eventually catches your eye. Clicking on his tag brings up a new page, and a sudden twinge of guilt.

You’re not particularly well-versed in things like kinks and fetishes. It was hard enough making the transition from homeschooling to a new country and an overwhelming number of people, and it wasn’t long before you identified with the words “introvert” and “social anxiety.” You’ve adjusted over time, but sex and romantic relationships always felt like an unrealistic fantasy - something that happens to other people or characters in books and movies. There are a few things you’re...curious about, but only in theory, much like you’re curious about ancient Mayan ruins or the rings of Saturn.

Now, after clicking Dirk’s name, you’re presented with hundreds of pictures that seem to rouse that repressed interest. You’re not bold enough to click any of them, as you gradually scroll down in speechless fascination. Some of the set-ups look like borderline torture, or at least supremely uncomfortable. He seems to be the primary recipient of the studio’s BDSM subject matter, particularly regarding the first letter of the acronym. You’re especially drawn to the pictures that focus on Dirk’s face, along with various methods of restraint that you’d be fascinated to learn more about, if this didn’t already feel like a paradoxical invasion of privacy. You bookmark the webpage, then delete it, then bookmark it again, but name it something innocuous and school-related.

It’s Friday morning, and you’re lounging in bed with some daytime soap opera-turned-infomercial at low volume on the TV. You’ve worked the overdue text message into a casual but friendly greeting, a quick apology for waiting so long, and a tentative offer for Dirk to meet you at the cafe this afternoon if he’s free and still interested, but the send button proves to be a formidable foe. The phone rests by your pillow while you distract yourself, flipping through various channels until ultimately settling on a nature documentary. Finally, you bite the proverbial bullet and tap the send button, then focus with all your might on the natural beauty and grace of Asia’s carnivorous wildlife.

The reciprocal “ding” occurs about fifteen minutes later with a jolt to your gut, and your phone stays face-down for another minute or two, before you can’t stand it any longer. The TV is temporarily forgotten as you read Dirk’s reply. He’s accepted the offer for this afternoon, and you allow yourself a silent, victorious fist pump.

You send him the cafe’s address, then agonize for the next hour over what you’re going to wear. Everything in your dresser seems far too casual for a first date, but you keep telling yourself it’s only an outing to the local coffee shop. After a long shower and a quick shave, you finally settle on an outfit that would make a good second impression, but won’t sacrifice comfort in the process (namely, your other favorite T-shirt and a pair of cargo shorts). For the first time ever, you linger in the bathroom and fuss with your hair in the mirror.

The remaining hours pass, and soon you’re walking down the street on a beautiful sunny afternoon with the occasional fellow student out for a stroll, though it’s still significantly less populated than it is during the school year. The cafe is on the southwest corner of campustown, no more than a quick taxi ride away from your dormitory, but you’re anxious and grateful for the excuse to walk off some energy before meeting your date (who happens to be an exceptionally attractive gent...and with whom you’ve already had a rather intimate encounter).

You arrive at the cafe with its little row of outdoor tables and flower boxes on the patio, and elect to wait inside where the lounging chairs are a measure more comfortable. Despite getting here on foot, you’re still ahead of the agreed-upon time, so you ask the barista for a cup of water and claim a spot that faces the glass door and windows of the shopfront. You twiddle your thumbs and check your phone, and try not to look as nervous as you feel.

Dirk arrives right on time. You catch sight of him before he enters the cafe, wearing a tasteful pair of black slacks and a white shirt that betrays his muscled physique, and...a rather unusual pair of sunglasses. He pushes them up onto his head, and when his eyes find yours, you momentarily forget how to breathe as memories of your previous encounter run through your mind like a tactile slideshow. At the last moment you remember to smile, and quickly stand to greet him. You trade hellos before leading him to the countertop to order your beverages, and it’s only a titch awkward (he hasn’t said much yet, and it’s hard to take your eyes off of him, even while he’s scanning the menu and talking to the barista).

When you’ve got your drink in hand (a pumpkin spice chai latte - they were nice enough to retrieve the flavor from the back room, even though it’s not technically in season yet), you return to your chair. Dirk takes the seat next to you and ventures a tentative sip of his chosen beverage (caramel mocha with an extra shot of espresso). The cafe is virtually empty, so you’ve got a nice spot to sit and chat.

“Sorry again, about waiting so long to get in touch,” you offer, hoping he doesn’t think ill of you for it, but he shrugs it off.

“Three days ain’t bad. I’m impressed you went through with it.” You’re relieved at the touch of humor in his voice, as he takes another sip of his coffee. His gentle demeanor is a balm on your frazzled nerves, and you’re momentarily distracted by his lips on the rim of his cup.

“Hah,” you let out an awkward laugh, “well, I meant what I said, and I am...glad to see you again.” You fumble for a moment. “How, uh...how’s your week been?”

During the following hour, you learn quite a lot about Dirk. It turns out he’s also a student at the university, though he’s dual majoring in computer science and mechanical engineering. He rents a house near the edge of campus with his younger brother, who just started as a freshman last year and is majoring in film studies. He asks about your major, and you confess an interest in anthropology, though at the moment you’re undeclared and just trying to get the core requirements out of the way.

There’s a lull in the conversation, and you sheepishly ask about work, hoping you didn’t create any undue problems from that rather odd misunderstanding, but he puts your fears at rest. In the process, you learn about Dirk’s history with Cal, the large, brutish fellow from the studio. He’s not too much older than you, but he was never a student at the university. He and Dirk first met and started dating when Dirk moved to the area for college, and that apparently didn’t last very long (and Dirk doesn’t go into detail), but they had a few similar interests, including adult entertainment and business entrepreneurship. Dirk runs the website in his spare time and participates in some of the videos and photoshoots, while Cal handles the miscellaneous duties and logistics that come with running a small business.

“He’s terrible at it,” Dirk explains, “but he made the initial investment, so we’re all kinda stuck with him.”

“That’s unfortunate,” you muse, taking another sip from your beverage, now lukewarm and nearly empty. You’re keenly aware of the fact that Dirk already finished his drink. “Does he make a habit of, ah...misleading you? In regards to certain things?”

Dirk lets out a frustrated breath, and you detect a touch of embarrassment. “Yeah, sorry about that. He doesn’t do it much anymore, but like I said, he’s an asshole.”

“Forgive me if I’m wrong, but...” You fiddle with the lid on your cup, trying to sound concerned and inquisitive rather than judgemental. “That doesn’t sound like a very good work environment.”

Dirk shrugs. “Cal’s bark is worse than his bite. He throws his weight around and micromanages to a stupid degree, but everyone just ignores him and does their job. You get used to it.”

You hum at his explanation, marginally convinced, but willing to take his word for it. You’re both nursing empty cups at this point, and the conversation inevitably peters out when you can’t think of anything more to say that isn’t school or work-related. It’s been a pleasure talking to him, but you’re not sure how to tell him that without making it sound like you’re trying to excuse yourself, even as he stands and offers to take your cups to the garbage.

Outside on the sidewalk, you pause to lean on the ornate faux-iron rail in front of the cafe, reluctant to bid him farewell so soon. You weren’t necessarily expecting more, or maybe you hadn’t allowed yourself to hope for intimacies beyond a pleasant conversation over coffee, but the thought of parting ways with him now leaves you feeling disappointed, and guilty for it.

“I had fun,” he says, soft and genuine. He’s already put his sunglasses back on, and it’s quite possible he’s the only person in the world who could pull off that unusual ensemble. His face is naturally (and achingly) handsome, and he somehow still manages to look fetching with his eyes covered by sharp glass. “I don’t get out much, so this was cool.”

“You certainly are a busy fellow,” you smile, trying your hardest not to sound anxious at the coming farewell. “Thank you again for meeting me on such short notice. I hope I didn’t keep you from anything important.”

“Nah, I’ve got weekends off.” He shrugs. “Bet those online classes are keeping you busy, though. Isn’t it almost summer midterms?”

You exhale an awkward laugh. “Yes, indeed. I don’t mind the electives, but these core science classes are really putting me through the wringer.”

“Yeah? Which ones?” He asks with sudden interest.

“Uhm...just physics, actually. The introductory course. It’s so much math, and I understood it better when it was just gravity and friction, but now we’re doing circuits and resistors, and all manner of confusing little diagrams with wires, and I swear it’s all a bunch of blasted logic puzzles,” you trail off with a huff.

“Do you need help? I don’t have any plans tonight,” he offers, then quickly backpedals. “I mean, if you want. It’s cool if you’d rather call it a day, or text me some other time, or whatever.”

“Oh! Well, yes, of course, I-I’d be grateful for the help,” you stumble, grasping at the chance to spend more time with him, and caring little for the homework you’ll presumably get done in the process.

The walk back to your dormitory is pleasant, compared to the awkward trek you were expecting. Dirk seems to know his way around campus, and you don’t need to direct him beyond the name of your dormitory building. He opts for the stairs instead of the elevator, and it occurs to you halfway up that you haven’t been very mindful about keeping the place clean since your roommate left for the summer, so you mutter apologies while pushing past Dirk once your door is open, grabbing an armful of dirty clothes after making a frantic detour to toss last night’s frozen dinner into the garbage.

“I’m so sorry about the mess, I wasn’t expecting company,” you apologize, while throwing your clothes into the hamper. Dirk says nothing at first, but when you turn around, he’s got a small, amused smile.

“No worries, man. You should see my place.” He clips his sunglasses to his shirt and wanders around a bit as you finish racing to tidy up, as much as one can wander about within fifteen square feet of space. He lingers in thoughtful consideration of the posters that adorn every square inch of the wall over your desk, then seems to notice the far less decorated living space on the opposite side of the room. “You got a roommate?”

“I do, but he’s staying with family for summer break.” You straighten out the covers on your bed, then offer Dirk a soda from the mini fridge, which he politely declines. Your tiny dormitory-furnished desk isn’t really big enough for two, especially with only one chair in the room (those tuition dollars at work), so you apologise again and ask Dirk if he’s alright with sitting on the floor, and he’s already making himself comfortable before you can finish the question, so you fetch your laptop and join him.

Dirk, it turns out, is a natural at explaining difficult concepts. He borrows a notebook from your desk and writes out a series of basic formulas, along with a small flowchart showing you where to replace certain variables depending on the situation. You go over the practice questions together as he explains how to translate each question into mathematical equations and plug the numbers in, and it’s the first time this stuff has made any sense. Next, you tackle the online quiz that had given you such a headache earlier. He lets you complete each question on your own, and once you have an answer, tells you if it’s correct or points out the step at which you made a mistake and has you redo it more carefully. It’s a relief to finally understand the material and not spend several hours ripping your hair out only to get a marginally passing score. It's a strange end to your date, but you're not complaining in the slightest.

“I used to be a TA before I got busy with the studio,” he explains when you compliment him on his teaching skills. “Can’t say it was my favorite gig, but it gave me something to do.”

“Well, you are very good at it.” You submit the quiz and open the next homework assignment, although it’s not due for a few more days. “I bet it didn’t pay too well, though.”

Dirk snorts, and it’s somehow the most charming thing you’ve ever seen. “Peanuts. But I wasn’t in it to pay the bills.”

“Well, I think you might have just saved my behind...again,” you give a small, nervous laugh. “I really can’t thank you enough. For this, and for…earlier this week, too.”

He shrugs a little, and his pale complexion betrays the pinkish tint to his face, as he focuses with sudden intensity on the laptop’s screen. “You started this one yet?”

“Ah, yes-” you stumble out of the awkward pause, “or tried, rather. It’s actually from the next chapter.”

“Do you have the textbook? It’ll make way more sense with the diagrams.”

You nod and direct him to a small closet packed with winter clothing and a few boxes that belong to you and your absent roommate, telling him to check the one on top. Later, you’ll blame what happened on how distracted you’ve been lately, and berate yourself for refusing to label things properly, although you’ll come to be grateful for it. Dirk gets up and makes his way to the closet to follow your instructions, and you’re busy focusing on the first homework question when the sound of ripping tape and cardboard triggers the horror of a forgotten memory.

Last year during the winter semester, your roommate was enrolled in a history class that assigned homework and essays and required them to be submitted online. Your roommate John is a nice enough fellow, though he’s far more outgoing than you and comes from a well-off family, so he spends most of his time hanging out with friends and whatnot. One weekend at the end of November, there was an assignment due in his class. He complained about going to the campus library’s computer lab, and for reasons unbeknownst to you, he never bothered to purchase his own laptop, so he asked to borrow yours. You consented, and he sat at your desk while you watched a televised marathon, paying little attention to any impending shenanigans such as him taking the underhanded opportunity to browse your internet history. You’ve explored all manner of websites at one time or another, and one of those websites happened to sell things related to those kinks and fetishes that you’re only curious about in theory. You had “bookmarked” a laundry list of fascinating but confusing implements by adding them to the site’s online shopping cart for the purpose of later research, but had forgotten about it since then. It was on that fateful day your roommate got it into his daft head to snoop around in your browser history and, with your birthday coming up, decided to order every item on that list, pay for it himself, and have it shipped to the dormitory. He even wrapped it for you, and laughed hysterically at the expression on your face when you opened the box before shoving it into your closet, where it would stay hidden in exile. Needless you say, you’d forgotten it was sitting on top of your box of textbooks, and now your date, who is an absolute gent of a fellow you’ve only met twice, is staring down at its contents with a blank expression.

“Ah! Not that one, that’s-...” you trail off, biting your knuckle as he lifts a tangled mess of black leather and metal. You place your laptop on the floor and stand up, practically wringing your hands together. “It’s not….well okay, maybe it is mine, but-”

Dirk finally seems to notice the state you’re in, and quickly drops the obscene items back in the box. “Hey, woah, it’s okay dude. I’m the last person who’s gonna judge you for this stuff.”

You laugh weakly, trying to hide the nervous tremor in your voice. “A-hah...well, my roommate actually purchased all that, you see. For my birthday, as a sort of...joke, I think.”

He frowns at that, turning back to the box and rummaging around inside. “Seriously? This is like...several hundred dollars worth of gear.”

“It is?” You pale a bit, then wonder vaguely why you didn’t try to sell it sooner, before the thought of selling such objects to complete strangers quickly puts that idea out of your head. “Well, it’s just a mess of things I don’t know what to do with. I haven't a clue how any of it works.”

“Really? ‘Cause I could, uh…” Dirk trails off suddenly, then seems to regain his train of thought. “I mean, we’re kinda doing a lesson already, and if you want to learn about this too, I can at least show you how the gear works.”

You don’t really know what to say to that. Dirk shrugs at your wide-eyed expression like he’s suggesting a casual review of some academic subject.

“Uhm...sure, ok.” You surprise yourself with the answer. He picks up the cardboard box and carries it to the foot of your bed, while you sit down on the edge of the mattress and try very hard to relax.

“Alright...we’ll start with…” he rummages around in the box and produces some manner of sinister leather collar from its depths. “This. It’s called a spider gag.”

“A what?” You make a face at the device, as he unbuckles the strap and sits next to you. “You're saying that contraption is supposed to go in your mouth? It looks...terribly uncomfortable.”

Dirk seems amused at that, as he holds it out for you to observe. “Yeah, well, that’s kinda the point. Depends on what you’re into. This is actually one of the nicer ones I've seen.” He taps his finger against the metal ring in the center. “Gotta be careful not to chip a tooth, but it’s better than a ring gag. The hooks keep it from flipping over. Want a demonstration?” he asks while already unbuckling the leather straps, and you nod vacantly as he starts fitting the thing into his mouth like he’s done this a hundred times.

You watch in quiet fascination as he adjusts the straps and pulls it tight, and you're left at a loss for words when he’s finished. Whoever invented this bizarre contraption was a genius of the highest caliber. The ring does a marvelous job of parting his lips and holding his mouth open, and all while leaving enough room between his teeth that you can already imagine the raunchy sequiturs to such a situation. There’s no denying the sudden heat on your face, as he pauses so you can take it all in.

“That is…” you struggle to find words, “...really...something. I-I think...I might have seen it before? But didn’t quite know what it was. I mean, from what little searching around I’ve done on your website- that is-” Dirk blinks, as you stammer in panic at the slip-up. “I saw the website on your card, and I...I swear didn’t watch the videos, but the photographs...and they were free, and you had a tag, so I...I should have asked permission first, I’m so sorry-” Dirk makes an incoherent noise in his throat, the gag preventing him from responding to your shameful confessions as he quickly starts fumbling with the buckle behind his head. “It was wrong of me to invade your privacy like that. I knew it was wrong, but I went and snooped around like a thoughtless cad when you trusted me with that card, and-”

“Jake, it’s okay,” he interrupts, after finally freeing himself. “If I didn’t want people to see that stuff, it wouldn’t be on the website. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Are you sure? I feel so awful,” you confide, hoping the sting in your eyes isn’t noticeable.

“I’m sure, don’t worry about it.” He drops the gag back into the box and focuses those stunning eyes on yours, his expression sincere. “I’m just…happy you still wanted to do this.”

“Really?” you ask, allowing yourself a deep breath of relief when he nods. “Thank goodness. I thought I’d really gone and mucked this all up.”

“You didn’t muck up anything. This is the best date I’ve been on in years.” He smiles, and it somehow reaches your face too. “I’m into this stuff because I like it, and I’m...glad you like it too.”

You laugh at that, though it’s more out of embarrassment. “Yes, well, I don’t think I’d ever wear those things myself, but on you, it’s...I-I mean, you’ve clearly had lots of experience.” You bite your lip at the almost-admission of how obscenely good he looked in that gag, and then, after a moment to think it over, you admit it in a small, quiet voice. “It looked...very fetching on you.”

“Yeah?” he smiles, matching your soft tone. The air feels heavier, and the tone of his voice stirs a familiar flock of butterflies in your gut. “We can keep going, if you want. Here, pick whatever looks interesting.” He slides the box closer to you across the floor.

You take a moment to bend down and rummage through the box’s unfamiliar contents, trying to hide the betraying flush to your cheeks. The only item that doesn’t appear partway tangled up in everything else is a metal bar with a suspicious leather cuff on either end.

“This looks a bit like handcuffs,” you venture, hoping you’ve picked something fairly innocuous. Dirk accepts it when you hold it out to him.

“Close,” he smiles. “It’s called a spreader bar.”

“Huh,” you murmur, watching him fiddle with it. He loosens something, and slides the bar away from itself in the middle.

“Collapsable, nice,” he says. “The cuffs go around your legs to hold them apart. Sometimes they attach to handcuffs or collars, depending on how much restraint you want. They can get pretty extreme when you mix and match.”

“Oh. But this is...one of the simpler ones?” you wonder aloud, and Dirk nods.

“Yep. This one comes with thigh cuffs, but ankles are more typical.” He unbuckles the cuffs and scoots back on the bed to give himself room, before placing the bar halfway up his thighs and securing the cuffs around his pants. He leans back when he’s done, and you consider the result thoughtfully.

“So it keeps your legs apart,” you conclude, and he nods, “and it can pull you all sorts of ways too, if you’ve got handcuffs and collars and all that?”

“Pretty much. It’s easy to get creative.” He grins, and you don’t bother trying to hide the flush on your face this time. “Pick something else.”

“Oh, ok,” you fumble, keenly aware that he’s making no effort to remove the spreader bar. You return to the box at your feet, searching for something you can identify this time. “I assume these are the handcuffs?” You lift the pair of leather cuffs connected by a short, sturdy metal chain.

“Nope. Ankle cuffs.”

“Dagnabbit,” you mutter, and Dirk practically chokes on his laughter.

“It was a good guess.” He takes them from you and undoes the buckle on each cuff. “They can be identical to handcuffs, but these are bigger and don’t have any padding.” He bends down with some difficulty and has to cross his feet to make them fit, but manages to buckle the cuffs just above each ankle. When he’s finished, the combination of the cuffs with the spreader bar keeps his legs bent apart at the knees.

“Isn’t that uncomfortable?” you ask, concerned for his posture.

“Not really. These are kinda loose. You can shorten the chain if you want to. See the clip?” He leans over and taps one of the ankle cuffs where the chain connects to it, and you notice that one of the links is actually a sort of metal clip.

“That’s nifty,” you remark, pleased by the discovery. When you look up, he’s already watching you with a fond smile, and you return it bashfully.

“Got anything else for me?” He tilts his head at the box. You return to the trove of unfamiliar objects only a little flustered, as he waits patiently for your next selection. You eventually settle on a relatively large implement that appears to be some sort of leather corset, if you had to guess.

“I don’t suppose this is meant to go over your clothes…” you venture, hopefully getting the implication across that you’re not asking him to undress (although you won’t protest if he suggests it himself). He takes the item from you with a lopsided grin.

“It’s an armbinder. Way more effective than handcuffs if you want to restrain someone.”

“Ah, that’s...helpful, I suppose,” you add, unsure of what to say to that. Dirk spends a moment tugging at the laces, before handing it back to you.

“I’ll need your help with this one,” he says, turning his back to you and holding his arms out behind him. You stutter briefly, then wrestle with your embarrassment and figure to hell with it, before guiding his arms into the thing and adjusting it into what seems like the most natural position. There doesn’t appear to be an opening at the bottom for his hands.

“Now tighten the laces, then the straps go over my shoulders,” he instructs casually. You do as he says, hoping you aren’t pulling them too tight, but it’s not entirely unfamiliar - a bit like lacing a shoe. When you’re finished, he turns back around so you can fasten the large straps at the top. They remind you of suspenders from the chest up.

“Nice,” he says, testing his range of motion when you’re done, and managing only to shift his arms a little. “You’re a natural.”

“Oh, please,” you laugh, feeling giddy at the compliment. “You’re just a very good teacher.”

He gives you a wink, before wiggling a bit and shifting even further back on the bed. “Now I’ll show you the best part about combining multiple pieces of gear.” He manages to turn himself towards you, before leaning backwards and falling down on his back with his arms trapped beneath him. You stand to give him more room, and he looks up at you with an air of mischief. “I’m pretty much stuck like this now, although I could roll off the bed if I really wanted to. Won’t do me much good, though.”

You nod slowly, distracted by the sight of him as that pesky swarm of butterflies migrates lower, until you’re grateful for the baggy cargo shorts. Something about the sight of his legs held apart, and the way his arms keep his shoulders back, accentuating the rise and fall of his chest…the moment comes to a grinding halt, as he watches you and the silence stretches on, conspicuous and heavy.

“Like it?” he asks quietly, his smile turned soft and almost shy. You nod, and your face feels hot.

“You are...just...absolutely beautiful,” you whisper, forgetting to filter your thoughts before speaking. Dirk seems caught off-guard by the compliment.

“Thanks,” he eventually murmurs, as your traitorous eyes move to the strip of exposed skin where his shirt is riding up. “You know you can touch, if you want to.”

Your eyes dart up like you’ve been caught stealing cookies from the jar. “Oh! Ah...w-well, I, uh…” you stammer at his gentle amusement. A polite refusal would be the proper thing to do, but you’re suddenly distracted by his hair, remembering how soft and delicate it felt between your fingers, and how last time you didn’t really get a chance to touch him otherwise. He seems to be inviting you now, in no uncertain terms. You wet your lips nervously. “Are you sure?”

His smile widens. “Yeah. You don’t have to, but...it kinda looks like you want to.”

You don’t have a good response to that, so you nod at the astute observation, not trusting your voice at the moment.

“Go ahead,” he offers, and you decide in a moment of philosophical clarity not to overthink it. Your hand lifts, then hesitates, not sure where to start. Eventually, your fingers are drawn to the delicate strands of hair framing his brow, and Dirk seems oddly surprised by your choice.

You gently trace across his forehead, careful and unsure at first, then sit down next to him on the bed and run your fingers through his hair in earnest. He’s watching you too, as you admire that spattering of freckles across his nose and take note of a faint scar on his upper lip. Your heart is working its way up to a flutter, as you gather enough courage to smooth your thumb across his cheek and down the handsome curve of his chin, then your fingers drift to his neck, feeling the faint pulse under his jaw. Your eyes are drawn to his throat when he swallows, and you’re struck by a sudden knowledge of what you want.

“Can I kiss you?”

Dirk nods at your whispered question, his half-lidded eyes never leaving yours. You lean down, aware again of his immobility, and something about that fact makes you slide your fingers into his hair and grip two handfuls of it as your lips meet. You press harder than you’d intended, and he responds by sliding his mouth against yours and scraping his teeth against your lower lip in approval, and it stokes an undeniable heat below your waist.

You pull back, keeping a centimeter of distance between your lips, just enough to meet his bottle-brown eyes and echo his heavy breathing.

“Damn,” he whispers, his mouth quirking up on one side.

“Was that...good?” you ask. “Did I do it right?”

“I ain’t complainin’,” he says, sounding almost tipsy. There’s a hint of an accent under his voice that you’ve been subconsciously trying to place since you met him, and it’s definitely got a southern lilt to it now that he’s unguarded. You lean in again, this time rubbing circles where you’d pulled his hair before, apologetic, but still addicted to the feeling. He chuckles into the kiss and does that thing with his teeth again, but this time his tongue gets involved, and your head almost spins at the feeling.

“God,” you breathe, pulling away for a moment to catch your breath. There’s a heated look in his eyes, and you can’t stop running your fingers through his hair.

“Too much?” he whispers, and you shake your head.

“No, it’s...I’ve never...well, besides earlier, I’ve never done this before. You were my first kiss, you know.”

“I wish I’d known,” he mutters. “Wish I’d made it better. Gotten you started off right, not...coerced into it for money.”

“But you did make it right, and I am so, so very glad I met you,” you reassure him, kissing the bridge of his nose, then along the freckles beneath his eyes, before leaning back to look at him, “And I did need the money. But I’ve learned my lesson, and will be keeping a tight budget this year, you mark my words.”

He chuckles, the corners of his eyes crinkling handsomely. “Shoulda majored in accounting.”

“Nonsense. You know better than anyone by now that I’m rubbish at math.”

“I’ve seen worse.”

“I doubt that very much.” You can’t help leaning in to kiss him again, and he hums into it, before sucking gently on your lower lip, and you almost gasp at the feeling - hot and wet, with just a teasing hint of tongue.

“Just takes practice,” he mutters against your lips. “Everything does.”

“Are we still talking about math?” you mumble back, smiling at the thought.

“Anything you want,” he whispers, taking in a quick breath through his teeth when you experimentally tighten your grip in his hair, and you decide it’s the best sound you’ve ever heard. There’s a definite tent to the front of his pants now, all the more obvious with his legs held apart and the fabric pulled tight. “Do whatever you want. Or nothing. We can stop, but...I’m down with whatever, if you wanna keep going.” He swallows and licks his lips, his voice rough and maybe a bit nervous, and if you hadn’t fallen for him already, you certainly would have now.

“Anything I want?” you hum mischievously, amazed at your own confidence. It helps that he’s bound and trussed up like a Christmas goose.

“Yeah,” he breathes as you kiss him again, this time taking the lead with your newfound confidence and moving to kneel over him on the bed. There’s just enough room to plant your knees on either side of his waist, and you wind up tucking your calves beneath his knees, since he can’t quite lay them flat with the ankle cuffs keeping his feet together, and the result is surprisingly comfortable.

“What, um...what do you want me to do?” you ask, briefly second-guessing yourself now that you’re on top of him.

“The surprise is the best part,” he drawls softly. “Anything else in the box you wanna try?”

You think it over, then lean down to make a quick final pass through the box’s contents, and finally manage to find something you can positively identify. Dirk grins at the blindfold, looking very pleased with your selection.

“A classic.”

It’s the sort that could double as a sleep mask, you think, and fortunately there’s nothing to fasten or tie in the back. You carefully lift Dirk’s head and slip the blindfold over his face, then take a moment to remove the sunglasses still clipped to his shirt and relocate them to the bedside table. When you lean back to take it in, you spend an extra moment just admiring the sight before you. Dirk’s lips are parted slightly as he takes slow, deep breaths, aware of your attention. You reach out and run your fingertips down the enticing curve of his neck, tracing a path from beneath his ear to the center of his clavicle, then along one collarbone until you’re pushing the neck of his shirt aside to reach his chest and shoulders. Your hand slips under the fabric, and you marvel again at how impressively fit he is.

“You’re the most handsome bloke I’ve ever seen,” you tell him, meaning every word of it and feeling relaxed now that his eyes are covered, like it’s taken the pressure off. “I bet you get plenty of exercise.”

“I work out when I can,” Dirk’s voice is soft and amused as you push up his shirt from the bottom, wanting to see more of him and unsatisfied with the little taste you’ve had so far. You sit back on his lap to give yourself more room, and lose your train of thought for a moment at the feeling of something firm beneath you. Dirk is breathing faster now, and he holds his breath when you lean forward, shifting your weight. His muscles tense under your fingers, now exploring the smooth skin of his stomach and the sparse curls of hair below his navel. You push his shirt up as far as it will go, then run your greedy hands over his pectorals and down his sides. He shifts beneath you with his limited range of motion, making you aware of the reciprocal tent in your own pants. If you just moved down a bit more...

But you’re not quite ready for that yet, you think, even if...rubbing against him like that is the stuff of private nighttime fantasies. Instead, you decide to satisfy your curiosity, and reposition yourself to sit between his knees just below the spreader bar, with your feet resting on either side of his chest. It’s a bit awkward, but you’re able to lean forward and undo the button on his pants. He makes an odd sound in his throat.

“Jake…” he murmurs like he’s out of breath, “you don’t have to-”

“I know,” you reassure him, pleased that your fingers are only shaking a little as you pull his zipper down, “but I do remember you saying I could do whatever I wanted.”

He gives a breathy laugh at that. You’re limited in how far you can pull his pants down with the cuffs around his thighs, but not so much that you can’t expose the most important part. He’s wearing a pair of briefs with an elastic band at the top. You leave those in place for now, reaching out and pressing your hand against the conspicuous bulge in the center, and feeling it twitch under your palm as Dirk lets out a stuttered breath.

You’re grateful for the blindfold, as you’re still trying to decide how to feel about touching an erection that isn’t your own. Come to think of it, it’s...actually for you. He got like this because you kissed him. You can even feel it getting bigger, just because you’re touching him through his underwear. If you had any doubt that he was genuinely into you, there’s no question of it now. Flattered isn’t the word for it - you’re flustered and excited. Using both hands, you pull down his briefs and expose the blunt head of his dick.

After taking a moment to fold his briefs down as far as they’ll go, you manage to expose him all the way to the crinkled blond hair around the base of his shaft. He’s a bit smaller than you, surprisingly, but not by much, and his skin down here is strikingly pale. You rub his hips with both hands, remembering how good it felt when he did something similar for you. Once you’ve gathered enough courage and reminded yourself that he can’t see what you’re doing, you press your thumb against his shaft and begin rubbing up and down, just getting a feel for it, and when you finally wrap your hand around it, he pushes up into your grip with a breathy gasp.

“Oh wow,” you murmur, realizing how far along he is already.

“Hhah…” he sighs, gritting his teeth. “Sorry. Fuck.”

“It’s okay,” you reassure him, smoothing your other hand over his stomach and admiring the sight of his chest heaving. The thought briefly crosses your mind that he might be hamming it up, but that hardly seems like something he’d do. “You’re...really into this.”

He hums wordlessly, then grits his teeth and curses when you push both thumbs against the spot just beneath his glans, rubbing in firm little circles. His legs shift restlessly against the bindings.

“Jake, uh...I’m not gonna last much longer if you keep doing that,” he breathes out in a rush.

“That so?” you wonder aloud, feeling giddy and mischievous. Watching him and listening to him is giving you a light feeling in your head, almost like a pleasant buzz. You’re breathing faster, too. That might be it. You can feel him twitching in your hands, and when you push one thumb up to smear the little bit of precum at the tip, he sounds like he’s running a marathon.

“Is that a good spot?” you ask, knowing he can probably hear your cheeky grin. He answers you with a string of quick curses when you decide to keep rolling your thumb over and around the blunt head of his glans, using the other hand to squeeze his shaft and hold it still. An idea occurs to you, and you stop for a moment to wet your thumb in your mouth, figuring it’ll feel better that way, but he misunderstands the interruption.

“Please,” he whispers, and the shaken tone of his voice sends a flood of heat through your body. “Please, fuck...Jake…” he chokes on your name, his legs starting to shake when your grip returns to his dick, now remarkably flushed. You press your thumb against the tip where it was before, now wet with your own spit. This time you keep it light, rubbing in circles and falling absolutely in love with the sounds he’s making - high-pitched and honest, like he’s trying to keep quiet, but can’t help himself. He’s arching up into your hand a moment later, twitching and spilling onto his stomach before you can react, and it makes a truly stunning picture with him all trussed up and straining like he can’t control himself. His head falls back against the bed as he catches his breath.

“Fuck it’s so much better when it’s real,” he exhales under his breath.

“What’s that?” you ask, but he shakes his head blindly from side to side.

“Nothin’.” He lets out a quiet, exhausted laugh, and you quickly decide to get up and find a tissue, wanting to do for him what he did for you when the roles were reversed. The tent in your own pants is an afterthought at this point. You clean him up, but not before running a finger through the mess, just for the scandalous novelty of touching another man’s spunk, and when you’re finished, you toss the tissue and sit next to him on the bed, taking a moment to pet his sweat-dampened hair before pushing the blindfold up. “Hey,” he whispers.

“Hello there,” you smile, surprised at the sudden return of your own bashfulness. He’s still catching his breath, and it’s hard to meet his eyes with the look he’s giving you, because that smouldering fire in your gut hasn’t exactly gone out yet. His gaze flicks down and up while you’re distracted, then something in his expression changes, and he twists away from you onto his shoulder.

“Help me out?” he asks, with a hint of strain. You catch on quickly, and he holds that position while you undo the armbinder’s laces, then remove the implement and drop it back into the box. The moment his hands are free, Dirk sits up and pulls you into a kiss. It starts out with a simple caress of lips, and progresses into his tongue slowly pressing and rolling against yours after coaxing your lips apart. He’s not all worked up like before, but you find yourself making a few small, embarrassing sounds in your throat. Your own breathing has gone ragged by the time he pulls back enough to speak, and his soft words light your face on fire. “Can I get you off?”

You stammer at the question, and he gives you more time to think about it by leaning in and sliding his lips across yours a few more times, which isn’t entirely fair. You’re unsure of yourself again, now that he isn’t all trussed up and blindfolded, but then his mouth is at the side of your neck, leaving a slow trail of warm, gentle kisses. He has always been so very careful with you.

“Alright,” you whisper, not sure what he’s got in mind, but willing to take the leap. He doesn’t move right away, and when he does, it’s only to lie down on the bed like before. He retrieves your pillow and uses it to prop his head up, then reaches out to tug at your waist by the belt loops on your shorts.

“C’mere,” he drawls with a suspicious smile. He coaxes you onto the bed, then directs you to place your knees on either side of the pillow, until you’re practically sitting on his chest. He pulls your zipper down, and you bite your lip as he frees you from the confines of your undergarments, but instead of touching you outright the way you’d expected, he hooks his arms beneath your legs and pulls you closer. You obligingly scoot a few inches forward, but he isn’t satisfied with that and keeps on pulling, until you’ve got both hands on the headboard of your bed and can’t see much else besides the top of his head between your legs. Then something warm and wet - his mouth, that obscenely talented mouth of his - finds the tip of your cock, which has been sorely neglected up until now.

You immediately stuff a knuckle between your teeth, gripping the headboard with your other hand and trying your damndest not to thrust into his mouth like a feral animal. You’re gloriously, breathtakingly sensitive after ignoring your own needs for so long, and his tongue and lips pay special attention to that spot at the tip, like he knows it’ll drive you mad right out of the gate, and you are infinitely glad that you’re the only student currently residing on this floor. You’re close to drawing your own blood before you give up on keeping quiet, and instead grip the headboard with both hands like your life depends on it.

When your self-control slips, which doesn’t take long, he encourages your jerking half-thrusts by pulling at you with his arms around your legs, the message clear. The depth doesn’t bother him, and you know that, but it’s the principal of the thing. You try to pull out enough so that you’re at least not bumping the back of his throat, but that only gives his wicked tongue more room to work, and your eyes roll back at the feeling. It’s extremely unfair how good he is at this. You’re not even sure what he’s doing anymore, the sensations all coming together in a dizzying, heavenly combination of heat and tight, wet friction.

You’re fighting an unnecessary (and losing) battle, trying to keep your hips still and making shallow thrusts into his greedy, welcoming mouth when you can’t. You abandon the headboard to bury your fingers in his hair again, finally giving in to the coaxing pull of his arms and letting out a relieved moan when you push in deep. You were a downright fool to resist this. It feels even more incredible when you start to thrust in and out, giving in to that instinctual urge. He clearly wanted you to fuck his mouth, so you oblige him and do it.

Compared to last time at the studio, this position makes a lot more sense, given what you’ve learned about him. He’s beneath you with his legs still bound, and you’ve got his head trapped between your legs and your hands buried in his hair, giving you the lion’s share of control and making him, temporarily, into something for you to get off on. You’re not cruel, and you’ve never thought of other people as possessions or objects, but the moment your mind touches on that concept, it goes straight to the fire under your skin like kindling.

For the first time, you’re not shy about gripping his hair and pulling his head against you, holding him while you thrust into that irresistible vice. You lean forward and change the angle, pushing his head into the pillow and practically riding his face for a few glorious moments, before throwing your head back with a startled gasp as your orgasm blindsides you, shaking and spilling into his mouth as he eagerly swallows. You try to rise up on your knees so he doesn’t choke, but his head follows, keeping you trapped in the constricting heat of his throat as you moan and pant while he drains you with long, slow sucks, not letting go until you’ve ridden out every last little wave of your orgasm. You’re a complete mess by the time he’s finished.

After you’ve caught your breath and made doubly sure you didn’t choke him, you free Dirk from the remainder of his bindings and return the box of unconventional implements to the closet. He sits with his back against the headboard, and you wind up sideways with your legs over his lap because there isn’t quite enough room to fit next to him comfortably on the bed.

“I swear, on my grandfather’s grave, god rest his soul, that I had no ulterior motives when I asked for help with my homework,” you tell him, sharing your amusement at the cliche implications. He’s taking small sips of the soda he passed up earlier, his shirt wrinkled on one side and his hair still mussed on top. He looks like he’s just stepped out of a photoshoot for some racy, sex-charged advertisement, and you think he’d probably have a lucrative career as a professional model, if he ever cared to. He gives you that charming, lopsided smile.

“Technically speaking, I’m the one who offered.”

“I hope…” you start after a long pause, “I hope I didn’t...get too carried away, or hurt you, or anything like that.”

“Nah, you’re good. I mean...it was really good,” he says, making you blush at the honest affection in his verdict. Then he leans his head back and gives you a long, searching look. “This is gonna sound shitty, but I’m so fuckin’ glad you went broke.”

You give an indignant laugh, then smack him playfully across the leg. “Cheeky!”

“I’m serious. It sucks that you ran outta dough, but I don’t think we would’ve met if you hadn’t.”

“Well, in that case, I suppose it was an outright godsend,” you tell him, meaning every word of it. He grins at you over the rim of his soda, and you distract yourself by searching for the TV remote in your disheveled bed. “I think there’s a science fiction marathon tonight, if you’ve got an extra hour or two.”

“I’ve got all the time you want,” he says. It won’t strike you as an odd thing to say until later, but by then you’ll have wedged yourself next to him and dozed off halfway through the third movie with your head on his chest. Later, you’ll wake up to find that he stole your glasses and placed them next to his on the bedside table, before switching the TV off and falling asleep himself. He’ll accept your offer of an early breakfast at the cafeteria, though you’ll suspect he’s not a morning person judging from his bleary eyes and reluctance to leave your bed despite the sunlight creeping through your window, but you’ll have breakfast with him and make plans for next weekend, and even though it started out as one of the worst experiences of your life, in your new boyfriend’s own aptly put words, you really are glad you went broke.

#mfiction #dirkjake #homestuck fanfiction #are they still called pumpkin patch lmao #ran outta time to post this before work yesterday

[thinkingaboutyoungroyals]

We Keep This Love In A Photograph

 (This one-shot request is from an anon and is based on some of my headcanons. This is also available to read on AO3. Hope you like it, anon!)

Locker doors opened and shut. Feet shuffled against the cold but clean linoleum floor. Students chattered left and right, hugging, giving each other high-five’s, and exchanging stories from their summer vacation. A couple expressed their lament about the end of the summer, but others were thrilled that they could see their friends every day again.

Amidst the throng of excited students, Cyrus stood in front of his locker, eyes trained on the neatly-arranged books and notebooks. He made sure they were all arranged according to his class schedule for easy access. Satisfied, he turned his attention to the back of the locker door. It was bare for now. 

Cyrus reached into his book bag and took out a mini pouch of fun-looking magnets, post-it notes, and a single photo.

With his lips jutting out in concentration, he neatly arranged the magnets in a line. Above them, he stuck 3 stacks of post-it notes in yellow, pink, and green. And above those, his class schedule, already color-coded. Then, he took the photo and placed it underneath the line of magnets before taking one of the said magnets (one with a bright smiley face on it) and used it to hold the photo in place.

TJ’s signature smirk stared back at him, his arm around a smiling Cyrus throwing a peace sign. They had taken it during one of their many dates at the park.

Cyrus sighed, sadly. God, he missed TJ.

He thought he would be able to handle his boyfriend’s absence in school a bit better. But, now that that day had finally come, he realized that it just felt too strange and odd not to have TJ waiting for him with a chocolate chocolate chip muffin or meeting him at his locker so he could walk Cyrus to homeroom. 

His chest was all tight and he kind of felt like crying, but he had to try and remain strong. He promised TJ that he would be fine and he would do his best to be. He couldn’t rely on his boyfriend always being there to give him the push he needed. It was time to do that, himself.  

“Hey, Cy! Ready for class?” 

Andi and Buffy walked up to him, all smiles and cheer. But, seeing Cyrus’ face, their excitement turned worried.

“Are you okay?” Andi asked.

Cyrus cleared his throat and nodded, forcing a smile. “Of course! Why wouldn’t I be? I get to see you guys every day now!”

He turned back to his locker to grab his things for the day, still smiling. But, when he moved to close his locker, his eye caught the photo. His smile disappeared again and he sighed before he could stop himself.

Quick as lightning, Andi and Buffy sidled up to his sides and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, offering comfort.

“It’s okay, Cy,” Buffy said. “You guys will meet up again.”

“Yeah,” Andi agreed. “And for the record, I miss Jonah too. So I totally get it.”

Cyrus suddenly felt sheepish, realizing that she, too, must be feeling forlorn. Jonah had also graduated (though, he was going to a different high school than TJ.)

“Sorry,” he said to her, feeling guilty at forgetting. 

“Don’t be,” Andi reassured him with a smile. “We all miss our boys.”

Buffy snorted. “Your boys. Not mine.”

Andi looked offended. “Oh, come on, admit it. You miss them too.”

“I miss that I can’t beat TJ on a one-on-one in front of the entire team anymore. That’s what I miss.”

At that, Cyrus felt himself laughing for the first time all morning. Buffy would never admit it but she probably missed her frenemy more than she realized. After all, no one else in school challenges her competitive side more than TJ did. (Except maybe Marty from the party but they didn’t talk about him much anymore.)

 Like always, his friends always knew how to make him feel better.

“Thanks, guys,” he said to them, gratefully. “Let’s take a selfie to commemorate this day! We’re 8th graders!”

With a cheer, Cyrus took out his phone and handed it to Buffy, who had the longest arm among the three of them. 

“Say, baby taters!” he said.

“Baby taters!”

Buffy took the photo and Cyrus immediately posted it online, captioning it: “8th Grade! Will be a blast with the GHC! #friendship #GoodHairCrew #Squadgoals.”

As he clicked on “post”, he got a sudden idea. He opened up a text window and typed, “First day of 8th grade! Feels weird without you. Miss you! *kiss emoji* *sad face emoji* *heart emoji*”

Satisfied, he sent it to TJ. He hoped it would make him smile on his first day of the oh-so-scary new environment called high school.

Taking one last glance at the photo on his locker and smiling at it, he closed the locker, grabbed his things, and linking arms with his best friends, they walked to class.

......................

A mile or so away, in Jefferson High School, TJ was also at his locker. He had taped his schedule to his locker door, taking the tip from Cyrus to color-code it so he could keep track of what he needed for the day. 

A ghost of a smile appeared on his lips as he thought of his boyfriend, only a couple of miles away yet he felt even farther than just the 20-minute walk between the two schools. He knew he could still see Cyrus during weekends but it was different seeing him every day, walking him to class, eating lunch with him, and doing homework with him... and, maybe, sneaking in a kiss behind a locker door or a book when no one was looking.

Well, one thing was for sure, his first year of high school was not going to be fun. He had gone to Middle School with some of the students here, but it wasn’t like they really talked to him back then. 

Before Cyrus, he was just an unapproachable bully whose only saving grace was being captain of the basketball team. And after he and Cyrus started hanging out and eventually dating, he mostly hung out with him and his friends. But, obviously, the GHC were all still in 8th grade and Jonah Beck had gone to a different school that had an ultimate frisbee team. 

Great. He missed Cyrus AND made himself feel even more like a lonely loser who had no friends.

Just as he closed his locker door with a loud ‘slam’, his phone ping-ed with a text. It was from Cyrus.

His lips twitched into a smile as he opened it up. A photo of his Cyrus, Andi, and Buffy stared back at him. They were all smiles but he could see that his boyfriend’s smile wasn’t up to his ears.

“First day of 8th grade! Feels weird without you. Miss you! *kiss emoji* *sad face emoji* *heart emoji*”

TJ’s chest felt warm as he giddily texted back: “I miss you too. *cry emoji* *broken heart emoji*”

It was a simple exchange, but he felt his mood improve and he felt more ready to start the day. Cyrus had a way of doing that.

God, he really missed him.

........................

Every day, for the entire week, Cyrus would start his school day by staring at TJ’s smirking self on his locker door before taking out his cell phone and taking a selfie. Then, he would send the selfie to TJ with a cute text about missing him and how he hopes he has a nice day at school.

He kind of felt silly doing it so much, but he couldn’t help it. He just really, really, really missed TJ. They couldn’t even meet after school because apparently, high school meant having a lot of homework in the first week so TJ had been staying after school working with his Math teacher since they hadn’t found a tutor for him yet.

On Wednesday, TJ had sent him a photo of his locker. TJ’s middle school locker had been bare except for his books, but this time, it wasn’t. Tacked on to the metal door was his class schedule (specially color-coded by Cyrus himself), a pad of post-it notes, and, Cyrus’ favorite, a photo of the two of them. It was one they had taken at TJ’s graduation dinner at the Spoon with the GHC and Jonah. Cyrus had wrapped his arms around TJ’s neck and tucked his head onto his shoulder, both sporting tooth-y smiles as they looked at the camera. It was one of Cyrus’ favorite photos of the two of them and now, clearly, one of TJ’s as well.

Thursday came and went with nothing remarkable happening. Except for when he got hit in the head with a basketball during Gym class. He told TJ this, who, in turn, told him that they would continue working on his basketball skills.

(”I’m a lost cause! You know this!” Cyrus had said to him on the phone. 

“No, you’re not, we can work on it,” TJ had replied, calmly.)

And before he knew it, it was Friday.

The week couldn’t have ended faster. Cyrus just wanted Friday to end so Saturday could start and he could see TJ again.

And, finally, finally, FINALLY, the final bell rang. Cyrus joined his fellow classmates in heading out the door and to their lockers. Andi fell into step beside him. Buffy didn’t have the same last class as them so they would have to meet her at her locker.

“So, are we going to the Spoon today?” Cyrus asked. “Since we survived our first day of 8th grade, I think it’s a cause for celebration with some baby taters, and milkshakes! What do you say?”

Andi flashed a smile. “Yes! Of course! Meet with Buffy at her locker?”

Cyrus gave a thumbs up and headed for his locker while Andi broke away so she could run to hers. (Why must their lockers be on separate floors?!)

Opening his locker, Cyrus’ eyes immediately locked on the photo there. He smiled, touching the image of TJ’s face, softly. He couldn’t wait to see him. Maybe he should text him and see if he could meet them at the Spoon later.

So, he took out his phone and sent a quick text before putting it away and gathering all of the things he needed for the weekend. He didn’t have much homework. His teachers were merciful this first week.

Ready for the weekend, Cyrus strolled through the halls towards the first floor where Buffy and Andi’s lockers were. Andi was already there, chatting with Buffy. She caught sight of him and waved him over.

“Hey, guys, ready to go?” he asked, smiling with excitement.

“Actually, I think I need a minute, I can’t find my Science textbook,” Buffy said, pouting.

“Oh, do you need help looking? Maybe you left it somewhere.”

“Yes, we’ll help, definitely!” Andi piped.

Buffy looked through her locker once before sighing. “I think I might have left it in the Science lab. Or in homeroom. Or maybe the library. I’m not sure.”

“Oh, I know! I can look in the Science lab and Buffy can look in homeroom. Cyrus, why don’t you look in the library?”

Cyrus furrowed his eyes in confusion, wondering why they just couldn’t look together. Nonetheless, he shrugged and headed back up the stairs towards the third floor, Buffy trailing behind him. The Science Lab was on the first floor and Buffy’s homeroom was on the second.

He scanned the library tables, in between bookshelves, and even rummaged through the “return” box, but Buffy’s science book was nowhere to be found. He thought about getting on his hands on the floor and check the gap under the bookshelves when Buffy sent him a text, saying that she found it in the lost and found and to meet them outside.

By then, there were barely any students left. A few had stayed behind for extracurriculars but otherwise, the halls were empty.

Finally, he made it out of the school and he was more than ready to just head to the Spoon and indulge. Just as they said, Buffy and Andi were waiting outside.

“Ready to go?” he asked them.

The two girls flashed each other mysterious looks before Andi looked down at her phone. 

“Actually, can we wait here for about 2 more minutes?” she asked.

Cyrus frowned. “Why? Are we waiting for someone?”

“Yes, yes we are,” Buffy said with a smirk.

Confused, Cyrus just said, “O... kay?”

All of a sudden, Andi let out a squeal. “He’s here!”

“He?”

Buffy grinned. “Cyrus, turn around.”

Still confused, Cyrus obeyed, slowly turning on his heels. At first, he wasn’t sure who or what he was supposed to be looking at. But, the sight of familiar light brown hair bobbing in the air had him gasping in shock and surprise. He blinked several times to be sure he wasn’t imaging things.

But, sure enough, there was TJ, in the flesh, running up to them, his backpack hanging loosely from one shoulder. 

Cyrus was no athlete but he felt his legs willingly move forward, breaking into a run towards the high schooler who had now stopped in his tracks and dropped his backpack on the ground. Cyrus, with all the little strength he had, practically leaped into TJ’s waiting arms, wrapping his own arms around the older boy’s neck.

“You’re here!” Cyrus cheered, happily as TJ’s hold on his waist tightened. “You’re here! I missed you! I missed you so much! You have no idea!”

At his ear, TJ let out a laugh, making Cyrus’ heart skip a beat. How he missed that sound too!

“I think I have a fair idea,” the older boy said, teasingly. “I missed you too, Underdog. Really, really missed you.”

Cyrus wasn’t sure how long they stood there, hugging. But, he was perfectly content staying like that. TJ’s hug. TJ’s smell. TJ’s little chuckles. They were all overwhelming his senses, he was afraid his knees would buckle.

But, all good things had to end, sometimes.

“Come on, you gross lovebirds! Aren’t we getting baby taters and milkshakes?” Buffy called out, sounding annoyed.

“Yeah! And Jonah is already there waiting!” Andi added, a bit more playfully.

Reluctantly, Cyrus pulled away from TJ, but refused to move more than a step away from him. He had missed him so, therefore, he would invade his personal space until Cyrus was satisfied.

Buffy pretended to throw up as she linked her arm through Andi’s and began to tow her away from the sickeningly sweet couple.

Meanwhile, TJ had picked up his backpack from the ground and swung it onto his shoulder. With a soft smile just for Cyrus, he held out his hand to him.

“Shall we, my kind sir?” he asked, politely.

Cyrus felt proud as he slipped his hand into it, linking their fingers. “Lead the way, my gallant knight.”

Together, they followed after the two girls, hands swinging playfully between them.

Even though Cyrus knew that they were going to be apart again, at that moment, all that mattered was that TJ was right there next to him, holding his hand. And he wasn’t planning on letting go any time soon.

#tyrus #tyrusdrabble

[shirleyseducationaltechnolo-blog]

Lecture 3: Instructional Software tools & how they are used in the classroom

This is the third week of Educational Technology. Before the lecture start, I saw the topic for today’s lecture, Instructional software tools. This is a term that I have never encounter before in my life and I honestly have no idea what it is. However, I felt very curious about today’s lecture and I started to check the meaning of the term on google.

         I could notice from this lecture is that, the students are the educator today as we are given a topic which is the branch of Instructional Technology. The definition of instructional software is programs designed to instinct or aid or delivery of innovation. After the explanation of the five instructional software functions by my lecture, we had a group activity where we are given a task and are required to think and come out with a class plan. My lecture needed us came out our topic and target age for the class planning. The time for the class are 30 minutes. My group members and I have our own ideas so we decided to elaborate our ideas to every members for choosing the best idea. We have decided our age group is 4-6 years old. Considering that the children is at 4-6 years old, we thought it would be the best to educate them with instructional games by using flash card. The flash card can be download from website in our electronic device. After educating the children with flash card, we decided to play a tutorial which is a video from Youtube for them. The content of the video is baby rhyme songs which can help the children to pronounce the alphabet words correctly. The reason that we choose this method is because we as a group member agree that with the limited time provided to educate the children to pronounce and understand the alphabet words is the best way. After the activity, the students are asked to share the ideas to the entire class. While doing so, I realize that all of the students are starting to think as an educator and the fact that the students are able to think creatively, critically and have the capability to evaluate the pros and cons of each idea is amazing and considering the limited time. The reason is because even without proper introduction and guidelines, the students are able to come out with ideas that might be shared by other group or even ideas that are extraordinary.

        As a conclusion, I definitely learned something new for me in this module. I would say that this lecture open up my mind to see educational technology in different perspective in education field. As a future educator, the knowledge that I obtained today will be very handy in the future as I am able to understand what I should do for my students besides the new technique that I learnt today.

 Instructional software

·      Program designed specifically to deliver instruction or assist with delivery of instruction

 Five Instructional Software Functions

1.   Drill and Practice – Work problems or answer questions and get feedback

·      Flash-card activity

Ø  Giving students a set of questions at one time and the student would be receiving feedback be it positive or negative

·      Chart fill-in activities

Ø  Students are given a set of questions by filling the blank

Ø  To test student’s fluency

·      Selecting Good Drill and Practice Software

Ø  Appropriate feedback for correct and incorrect answer

·      Benefits of Drill and Practice

Ø  Immediate feedback

Ø  Motivation

Ø  Saving teacher time

·      Limitations of Drill and Practice

Ø  Perceived misuses (only practicing the ones that are familiar by the students)

·      Using Drill and Practice in Teaching

Ø  Classroom integration strategies for drills functions

Ø  Supplement or replace worksheets and homework exercise

Ø  Prepare for tests

 2.   Tutorial – Acts like a human tutor by providing activities needed to learn

·      Linear Tutorial (explanation, practice and feedback to the student regardless the performance)

·      Selecting Good Tutorial Software

Ø  Extensive interactivity (good tutorial, good teachers and frequent respond to enhance students learning)

Ø  Appropriate pedagogy (sufficient explanation)

·      Benefits of Tutorial Software

Ø  Immediate feedback

Ø  Motivation

Ø  Time savings

Ø  Self-contained & self-paced unit of instruction

·      Limitations of tutorial

Ø  Lack of good (quality) products

Ø  Reflect only one instructional approach

·      Using Tutorial in Teaching

Ø  Guidelines for using tutorials

     i.         Assign individually

     ii.         Use learning stations or individual check out

 3.   Simulation – Models real or imaginary systems to show how the work

·      Simulations that teach about something

Ø  Physical simulations (allow students to manipulate and process what is presented o screen)

Ø  Iterative simulations (speed up or slow down process for students)

·      Selecting Good Simulations Software

Ø  Good accompanying documentation

·      Benefits of Simulations Software

Ø  Slow down processes

Ø  Get students involved

Ø  Make experimentation safe

Ø  Make impossible possible

Ø  Repetition with variations

Ø  Observation of complex processes

·      Limitations of Simulations Software

Ø  Criticism of virtual labs

Ø  Accuracy of models

·      Using Simulation in Teaching

Ø  Guidelines for using simulations

      i.         Pairs of groups

      ii.         Problem solving case or scenario

 4.   Instructional games  - Motivates by adding game rules to drills

·      Selecting Good Instructional Games

Ø  Appealing formats and activities

·      Benefits of Instructional Games

Ø  High interest

Ø  Engagement

Ø  Appeals to innate desire to complete and play

·      Limitations of Instructional Games

Ø  Learning versus having fun

Ø  Inefficient learning

Ø  Classroom barriers

·      Using Instructional Games in Teaching

Ø  Guidelines for using Instructional Games

     i.         Use sparingly

     ii.         Involve all students

     iii.          Emphasize the content-are skills first

5.   Problem solving – Teaches steps in solving problems or skills on solving various kinds of problem

·      Selecting Good Problem-Solving Software

Ø  Interesting and challenging

Ø  Clear link to developing specific problem

·      Benefits of Problem-Solving Software

Ø  Improved interest and motivation

Ø  Prevents inert knowledge by illustration situations in which skills apply

·      Limitations and Problems related  to Problem-Solving Software

Ø  Software claims versus effectiveness

Ø  Transfer

·      Using Problem Solving in Teaching

1.   Guidelines for using Problem Solving

       i.         Directed teaching

       ii.         Constructivist strategies

 6.   Integrated learning systems – Online learning platform that provide both computer-based information instruction and helps students gauge their progress

·      ILS Management System Component

Ø  Online quizzing of textbook material

Ø  Electronic flash cards

·      Benefits of ILS

Ø  Easier access online

Ø  Personalized instructions meet the needs

·      Limitation and Problems related to ILS

Ø  Costly

List of Reference 

Nevid, S and Gordon, J. (2018) ‘Integrated Learning Systems: Is There a Learning Benefit?’. Sage Journals [online] 45 (1), 340-345. available from < https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0098628318796920> [20 February 2019

Source: YouTube

Video:  Designing Instructional Technology for Diverse Learners

List of Reference

Gunnin, A. (3 November 2015) Designing Instructional Technology for Diverse Learners [online] available from < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XznbkmYXwco> [20 February 2019]

Source: YouTube

Video:  Instructional Software

List of Reference

Wentworth, C. (25 June 2013) Instructional Software [online] available from <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWBGz0d_Tf4> [20 February 2019]

[limmeihui3205]

Blogpost 8: Edutainment or a Distraction? (Lim Mei Hui, A0204184M)

In Pelletier’s work (2018), she addresses the incorporation of games into educating the younger generations of today. Digital technology has enabled the clever infusion of games into education, which aimed to allow learners to exercise more agency and attain more pleasurable and thus, motivating forms of learning. Pelletier moves on by using Žižek’s notion of interpassivity to examine how games could be educational in four different versions of cyberspace. According to Žižek, interpassivity occurs when the activity of one entity allows for the passivity of another; the object tends to be active instead of the subject, who is passive. As summarised in its name, Pelletier subsequently examines the four versions of cyberspace classified as emancipatory (games as pain relievers), conservative (games as sensual temptations), postmodern (games as replicas of virtual life), and Žižek’s version concerning his notion of interpassivity (games as dramatic stages for reality construction).

Overall, Pelletier conveyed a positive stance towards incorporating games into education and I agree with her to a large extent that gamification is effective in conjuring pleasure and thus motivation towards learning.

The thought of ‘game’ would instantly light up the minds of people of all ages. This word has been primed to be positively associated with ‘fun’. Yet, the thought of examinations and tests would shun people away because it is commonly associated with stress. Especially in the case of Singapore where education is immensely and unreasonably competitive, learning becomes a challenge where students are consistently pressurized by educational institutions to ace.

Infusing fun into learning, however, has seen Singaporean students becoming even more engaged in their studies. Educational games keep these kids immersed in learning concepts to pass these game levels. Local educational portals like MC Online and GenieBook, developed by our MOE and other players in our tech industry, now facilitate learning by engaging students through mini-games. Coined as Edutainment, these games aim to make learning enjoyable and allow students to take responsibility for their learning. Resonating with Pelletier’s first version of cyberspace, these games liberate children from stress and make use of their familiarity with technology to maximise learning productivity.

What Edutainment has been defined to be

In my experiences, my school annually held E-learning days where students are given a day off from physical schooling to do home-based learning instead. I vaguely remember the websites used, but I remember the feeling of exhilaration as e-learning day approaches. These simple games were effective in retaining my attention throughout the duration. I was incentivised by levelling up and the concepts I learnt through these games created visual images that stuck better with me compared to blatant texts of knowledge. Back in the days where textbooks were mainly the source for knowledge, us students were thrilled with these mini interactions with such online platforms, be it at home or during lessons. However, I also recall how teachers had to lecture us because we were too competitive or distracted by these games and interrupted the class.  

Therefore, I disagree to a certain extent that such gamification is entirely beneficial because games are naturally addictive, which counters the purpose of productive learning. Pelletier did not address how gamification could vary according to the different learning styles of humans. Although it is generalized by her to have a positive effect on the schooling population, it becomes ineffective when some learners lack the discipline to utilize these games properly. Moreover, the fact that kids nowadays are familiarised with technology since birth also means that they could come up with ways to cheat in games, which was the case with this boy who succeeded in hacking his maths homework. Wouldn’t this defeat the purpose of gamification for learning purposes?

Overall, gamification has undoubtedly changed education as it strives to enhance the efficiency of learning, but it also serves pitfalls that requires consistent revampments and supervision given the volatile developments in educational technology.

#NM3205 #TW3 #play #submission

[kitaboosoftware-blog]

Is Online Education Better than Traditional Education

Educational institutes have been practicing the traditional teaching method since ages. Most of us are familiar with the traditional model where one teacher is teaching fifty students at a time. No-one knows if those fifty students are able to understand what is being explained or if they are even paying attention to the lecture. This style of teaching is not considered very effective today. Students have access to new technology which helps them learn and retain information in a far better manner. Which means, it is time for educational institutes to bring some changes to its teaching methods. A popular alternative to traditional education is online education or eLearning.

The online education model is basically trying to overcome the disadvantages of the traditional education system, while also providing additional benefits. In a traditional teaching model, students listen to long lectures, take notes, and usually resort to rote memorization. This leaves little or no room for active interaction in the classroom. Online education, on the other hand, encourages participation in classroom activities and peer-to-peer collaboration. With the availability of various forms of online study resources, students are able to engage with their courseware and gain knowledge in a much more engaging manner.

Here are few ways how online education impacts traditional education:

1) Students Can Learn at Their Own Pace

Students have complete control over their lessons. Meaning, they can now learn as per their own pace and learning capacity. Each student learns and memorizes differently. Some might be quick learners, while some might take time to understand a certain topic. In a classroom environment, the teacher explains concepts and answers doubts, but there’s only so much that they can do. There could be students whose doubts remain unanswered. Some students might feel that the teacher’s pace of teaching is too fast for them. It’s not possible for a teacher to pay individual attention to each student.

Online education addresses this issue by offering additional information and explanations via eBooks and other forms of online resources. Students do not have to wait for the teacher to start/finish a chapter, they can do it themselves. Online learning allows them to take control of their own learning process. They can go through the content, re-read chapters, listen to audio-books or take help from external links. This helps them undertake courses as per their learning capacity and convenience. Online education helps students in becoming active learners, rather than passive learners, while taking full responsibility of their own studies.

2) Reduces Dependence on Teachers

When students have an online learning option available to them, the dependence on teachers for more information or notes reduces. They can get additional information all by themselves with the help of online libraries. With easy access to internet, students can browse through thousands of online learning content. This would better prepare them for their examinations, as they have access to not only their own courseware that the institute has recommended, but also external and additional information. Online learning thus reduces dependence on teachers for notes and explanations.

3) Cost Effective Learning Materials

If you compare the cost factor, you would find that online education is way more affordable for students than traditional education. This is because of the difference in the creation of online course materials and printed textbooks. A paperback book is costlier because it involves a lot of process in its making. From cutting down trees, to production of paper, to printing, packaging and shipping. All these processes add to the cost of each printed book. Whereas eBooks are created on an online software and is digitally published and distributed. Hence, the cost of eBooks is always cheaper than the combined cost of traditional textbooks for the academic year. Moreover, you get all the learning materials at one place. Students do not have to buy different books for different subjects, unlike traditional education demands. Thus, online education is environment and student friendly.

4) More Social Interaction and Collaboration

The traditional education model allows students to interact with each other in and outside of school. But those are mainly face-to-face or telephonic interactions. Online learning model allows further interaction by providing an online platform for discussions. eBooks can be embedded with sharing features, where students can share content and comment on other student’s posts. With most students being active social media users, this kind of an interactive platform encourages them to share, like and comment on course contents. Students can post doubts and queries on the online platform, starting a discussion thread with teachers and other students. Teachers may prefer to continue the discussion in classrooms, enabling everyone to share their views and opinions, and understand others’ perspectives as well. It thus helps in having in-depth and engaging classroom discussions.

5) Easy to Assess and Give Feedback

Teachers usually spend a good amount of time in correcting papers, grading students, checking assignments etc. There’s too much paperwork involved in the traditional education approach. Introducing online course modules will help in reducing this time. The teachers could instead spend more time in creating an interactive learning environment in the classroom with activities, discussions etc. Online assignments are comparatively easy to assess. Students submit their tests or assignments online and teachers can view the answers and evaluate them anytime and anywhere. They don’t have to sit with a bunch of paper for review. As online content can be viewed on mobile based platforms, they can do it while waiting for the bus, taking a break in between lectures etc. And they can also give feedback to students via the same platform. So, online education makes life easy for students as well as teachers.

6) Analyse the Learning Pattern

Traditional education system has no means to gauge the interest levels of students. You can’t really tell if the students have finished reading a particular chapter. An analytics tool can give in-depth report about every student’s performance. It enables you to measure the engagement level of the entire class. Teachers can look into the course delivery and consumption patterns, such as the number of chapters read, progress rate, tests attempted etc. This information helps teachers to design their classes as per the learning patterns of students.

7) Encourages Students to Talk Rather Than Listen in Classrooms

The flipped classroom approach has gained popularity in recent times for its ability to reverse the traditional teaching model. Which means teachers now encourage students to do their ‘homework’ in school and do the reading and studying part at home. Students are asked to read online content or watch video-based learning content at home and the same is discussed in the classroom. This approach helps in creating an interactive classroom where students learn by solving problems in class with their peers and teacher around them. This makes for a more effective learning technique. With a flipped classroom approach, teachers are aiming to provide more knowledge to students by encouraging them to ask questions, perform individual or group activities etc. Thus, the reverse learning model encourages teamwork and collaboration, leading to an engaging learning experience.

8) Students Can Revisit the Classes That Were Missed

Students sometimes tend to miss out on a few lectures, either because they are unwell, or they find it too dull and boring to attend. In either case, it is not possible for the teacher to conduct the same lecture again for a couple of students. Because doing so would be unfair to the other students in class. But, with the help of online courses, students can go through the courseware at their convenient time or when they feel they are in an attentive state. As online notes can be shared with peers, students would also have access to any extra information provided by the teacher in class. They no longer have to fear missing out on topics and chapters. Because even if they miss out on a few topics, they can catch up with the help of online tutorials and other links. Some universities also record their lectures for students to view later. Online education, thus ensures, that students never miss any topics covered in the classroom.

9) Interactive Content

While online education promotes classroom interaction, it also enables students to interact with their courseware. With features like drag and drop and click and reveal, online learning allows students to engage with their learning material. The courseware is designed in a responsive fashion so that students can easily access them on any platform and device of their choice. And the content is also embedded with multiple interactive elements such as external links, videos, audio etc., for better engagement. Educational publishers and institutes also include gamification and interactive quizzes and assessments to make the course module more challenging for the students. When the course contents become interactive, it helps students to retain information faster.

Traditional teaching has been around for thousands of years. We don’t recommend shutting down schools and colleges and conducting only online courses. Traditional method has its own benefits like face-to-face interaction and developing inter-personal skills and group learning, which are essential skills for an overall development of a student. But, it can’t be denied that technology, if used wisely, can play a powerful role in teaching. So, instead of replacing formal education with online education, they can be merged together to create a more effective, efficient and interactive learning experience.

#learning platform

[corpasa]

What is Actively Learn and Why Should I Try it?

Actively Learn is a freemium online education platform that allows students to read a book (or some other document), make comments, answer questions posed by the teacher, and even collaborate with others. Quickly, it is becoming the close reading tool of choice for teachers because of its ease of use, differentiation of needs, depth of tools, and variety of resources.

What is Actively Learn

Actively Learn is a high-functioning ereader for ELA, social studies, and science students in grades 2-12. It provides reading resources either uploaded by the teacher or selected from the platform’s library of thousands of fiction and nonfiction books (some free; some through Prime plans), Common Core-aligned lesson plans, videos, or simulations. These are filtered by topic, grade, length, reading level, keyword, or standards (i.e., CCSS) and can include embedded questions, scaffolded notes, and topical media. These can be targeted to select groups, individuals, or the entire class, providing scaffolding for some and enrichment for others.

While reading the ebooks, students can take notes, highlight, jot down questions, share ideas with each other, and respond to the comments of classmates. They can look up words they don’t understand and translate the text into a long list of languages that may be their native or a secondary language they are learning.

Actively Learn is becoming recognized as an effective inclusive tool that involves all students–from gregarious to shy–in student-centered, student-led discussions.

How do you get started

Once teachers create an account, they set up their classrooms either by importing student lists from Google Classroom, Microsoft, Clever, or Edmodo, or by providing the class join code to students. Assignments are created and made available to individuals, groups, or the entire class and teachers can monitor progress, check the gradebook, respond to student questions, review student input, and view class data through their teacher dashboard.

Students, too, have their own dashboard where they access teacher-assigned materials and more. If this is the first time they’ve logged in, they can start with a quick how-to on using Actively Learn.

Things I really like

This is a feature-rich platform but I want to highlight a few I found particularly useful:

Students can read the text or have it read to them, a step to address equity among all learners.

Teachers can add ‘knowledge checks’ within assignments to confirm that students understand what they’re reading. These nicely replace the quick formative assessments that are currently so popular (and time-consuming) in classes.

The Actively Learn library includes short stories, textbooks, poems, primary sources, plays, novels, and non-fiction, as well as materials specific to the science and social studies content areas.

I like that student research done through Actively Learn can be merged into Google Docs. In fact, Actively Learn integrates fully with Canvas, Google Drive, and Google Classroom.

Actively Learn is compatible with any device, any web browser because it’s web-based. Students can start on one device at school and smoothly transition to a completely different one at home.

Students must answer assigned questions in the reading assignment before advancing to the next level. This is a great way to be sure they understand content.

Because teachers can upload a single article from a magazine or website, this minimizes student distraction from unrelated content.

Teacher notes on resources can include images or videos as well as text.

Reading can be chunked by adding questions at points throughout the reading. For some students, this is a great way to improve comprehension and keep them focused.

Actively Learn includes a Professional Development corner (with the Prime plan) where teachers get slideshows, samples, and demonstrations on topics such as “Ask higher-order questions”, “Facilitate discussion”, “Encourage strategic annotation”, “Model close reading”, and more.

Educational Applications

In chatting with colleagues about Actively Learn, here are some ways they use this flexible and adaptable platform:

to facilitate teacher-led small and whole group instruction

as homework or independent reading

in the library as a research tool 

in a flipped classroom to upload texts, articles, and multimedia resources

for foreign language classes

by taking advantage of the Open Dyslexic font and the text-to-speech tool for reading-challenged students

to share a lesson plan with other teachers across the school, team, or district (this depends upon the plan you have in your school)

to find science labs in the Actively Learn catalog.

For a longish overview (about five minutes) of Actively Learn, check out this video:

Note: This is a robust platform with lots of resources. To see which are free, which on the Prime or Unlimited subscription plan, click here.

I have to say, I didn’t know much about this platform before I reviewed it and now I can’t believe what I have been missing. There are a ton (really) of teachers who love this program and use it as a cornerstone for their ELA and reading programs. Do yourself a favor and try this out!

Questions? Feel free to check out Actively Learn’s website.

–Though this is a sponsored review, my opinions and conclusions are my own.

@activelylearn

More reading resources

33 Resources for Read Across America Day

How to Celebrate World Read Aloud Day

Is Orton-Gillingham Right For Your Students?

Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice, CSTA presentation reviewer, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, contributor to NEA Today, and author of two tech thrillers. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.

What is Actively Learn and Why Should I Try it? published first on https://medium.com/@DLBusinessNow

[evnoweb]

What is Actively Learn and Why Should I Try it?

Actively Learn is a freemium online education platform that allows students to read a book (or some other document), make comments, answer questions posed by the teacher, and even collaborate with others. Quickly, it is becoming the close reading tool of choice for teachers because of its ease of use, differentiation of needs, depth of tools, and variety of resources.

What is Actively Learn

Actively Learn is a high-functioning ereader for ELA, social studies, and science students in grades 2-12. It provides reading resources either uploaded by the teacher or selected from the platform’s library of thousands of fiction and nonfiction books (some free; some through Prime plans), Common Core-aligned lesson plans, videos, or simulations. These are filtered by topic, grade, length, reading level, keyword, or standards (i.e., CCSS) and can include embedded questions, scaffolded notes, and topical media. These can be targeted to select groups, individuals, or the entire class, providing scaffolding for some and enrichment for others.

While reading the ebooks, students can take notes, highlight, jot down questions, share ideas with each other, and respond to the comments of classmates. They can look up words they don’t understand and translate the text into a long list of languages that may be their native or a secondary language they are learning.

Actively Learn is becoming recognized as an effective inclusive tool that involves all students–from gregarious to shy–in student-centered, student-led discussions.

How do you get started

Once teachers create an account, they set up their classrooms either by importing student lists from Google Classroom, Microsoft, Clever, or Edmodo, or by providing the class join code to students. Assignments are created and made available to individuals, groups, or the entire class and teachers can monitor progress, check the gradebook, respond to student questions, review student input, and view class data through their teacher dashboard.

Students, too, have their own dashboard where they access teacher-assigned materials and more. If this is the first time they’ve logged in, they can start with a quick how-to on using Actively Learn.

Things I really like

This is a feature-rich platform but I want to highlight a few I found particularly useful:

Students can read the text or have it read to them, a step to address equity among all learners.

Teachers can add ‘knowledge checks’ within assignments to confirm that students understand what they’re reading. These nicely replace the quick formative assessments that are currently so popular (and time-consuming) in classes.

The Actively Learn library includes short stories, textbooks, poems, primary sources, plays, novels, and non-fiction, as well as materials specific to the science and social studies content areas.

I like that student research done through Actively Learn can be merged into Google Docs. In fact, Actively Learn integrates fully with Canvas, Google Drive, and Google Classroom.

Actively Learn is compatible with any device, any web browser because it’s web-based. Students can start on one device at school and smoothly transition to a completely different one at home.

Students must answer assigned questions in the reading assignment before advancing to the next level. This is a great way to be sure they understand content.

Because teachers can upload a single article from a magazine or website, this minimizes student distraction from unrelated content.

Teacher notes on resources can include images or videos as well as text.

Reading can be chunked by adding questions at points throughout the reading. For some students, this is a great way to improve comprehension and keep them focused.

Actively Learn includes a Professional Development corner (with the Prime plan) where teachers get slideshows, samples, and demonstrations on topics such as “Ask higher-order questions”, “Facilitate discussion”, “Encourage strategic annotation”, “Model close reading”, and more.

Educational Applications

In chatting with colleagues about Actively Learn, here are some ways they use this flexible and adaptable platform:

to facilitate teacher-led small and whole group instruction

as homework or independent reading

in the library as a research tool 

in a flipped classroom to upload texts, articles, and multimedia resources

for foreign language classes

by taking advantage of the Open Dyslexic font and the text-to-speech tool for reading-challenged students

to share a lesson plan with other teachers across the school, team, or district (this depends upon the plan you have in your school)

to find science labs in the Actively Learn catalog.

For a longish overview (about five minutes) of Actively Learn, check out this video:

Note: This is a robust platform with lots of resources. To see which are free, which on the Prime or Unlimited subscription plan, click here.

I have to say, I didn’t know much about this platform before I reviewed it and now I can’t believe what I have been missing. There are a ton (really) of teachers who love this program and use it as a cornerstone for their ELA and reading programs. Do yourself a favor and try this out!

Questions? Feel free to check out Actively Learn’s website.

–Though this is a sponsored review, my opinions and conclusions are my own.

@activelylearn

More reading resources

33 Resources for Read Across America Day

How to Celebrate World Read Aloud Day

Is Orton-Gillingham Right For Your Students?

Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice, CSTA presentation reviewer, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, contributor to NEA Today, and author of two tech thrillers. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.

What is Actively Learn and Why Should I Try it? published first on https://medium.com/@DigitalDLCourse

[inpeaks]

A wise man once said, “It’s not who I am underneath, it’ what I do that defines me.” Even though the wise man is the caped crusader from Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins, nobody can deny the aptness of this statement. Interestingly, this applies to you as well (even if you don’t fight crime in a spandex suit). Your habits do define you.

Talking about habits, students are often accused of developing certain habits that affect their studies. The worst part is that students don’t even realise the impact of these habits until it’s too late. If you are trying to identify which study habits are good for your academics and which aren’t, this blog can serve as the roadmap to your quest.

Here are the most common study habits that have a major influence on a student’s academic career:

Leaving everything for the eleventh hour:

Procrastination does not require any introduction. We are all guilty of giving in to this habit every now and then. And since it seems rewarding in the beginning, most students fall for it right away. How many times did you have to skip your sleep to finish your assignment? Probably, too many times. You wouldn’t have to sacrifice your naptime if you could just start early.

Today, you have the option to avail assignment help on the internet and finish the paper before the deadline. However, an early start is always a better option between the two. Prepare a time table and try to stick to it. This will remind you of all the things you need to do by the end of the day.

Relying heavily on the internet:

Thanks to the expansion of the internet, accessing necessary information has gotten a lot easier. Students don’t need to visit the library and spend hours to look for research materials. They can simply do a keyword search and get the information in just a few seconds. However, there’s a downside to this practice.

The Internet is an open platform where anyone can post anything. So, there is no guarantee that everything that’s found on the internet is true. If you use online data to support your arguments without verifying its authenticity, your assignment may lose its credibility. It is always recommended to verify the source of information before using it for research, especially if it’s from the internet.

Skipping classes for fun:

I don’t want to sound like your grumpy old teacher, but skipping classes is not as cool as you might think. If you have another engagement or in case you are feeling under the weather, then you are allowed to take the day off. However, if you just want to chill with your buddies instead of attending the school/college, it might not be great for your academics.

What most students don’t realise is that a majority of the questions for the final exams are mostly based on the lectures. So, if you skip the class on a regular basis, you may miss out on a lot of things that can help you score better in the finals. Also, the professors often share insights about certain topics in the class that you cannot find in the textbook.

Finishing all the chapters in one night:

Since most students have the tendency to procrastinate until the last minute, they often need to finish the entire syllabus at one go. That way, they might be able to cover the whole paper in one night, but a human brain can only remember a limited amount of information. If it is flooded with new information at once, it only remembers the information in bits and pieces.

Unless you have an eidetic memory like Dr Sheldon Cooper, your last-minute effort is not going to save you during the exams. It is better if you study one chapter a day. It is also useful if you study different subjects on alternate days. Obviously, you need to start early for that. Otherwise, you will be risking your grades.

Favouring multi-tasking:

Multitasking is a useful skill that can save a lot of time. However, it is not beneficial for the students. A study done by the researchers at the University of Michigan suggests that multitasking can slow down productivity by a significant amount. Unfortunately, most students are oblivious to the fact, and they pursue multitasking anyway.

You may have found yourself checking your mobile phone while studying. That’s a common thing for millennials. While you may think you deserve the break (which isn’t wrong), checking the phone too many times can disrupt your concentration. That is just one example of multitasking. It will be better if you dedicate your focus on one task at a time, and then go to the next one.

Not asking questions in the class:

Most teachers complain that students don’t ask questions in the class. It’s not that the students aren’t inquisitive. It is the fear of embarrassment that stops them from asking questions. Most students are convinced that asking a question can make them look stupid in front of the whole class. So, they prefer to stay quiet. And that has turned into a habit now.

If you have a genuine query regarding the lecture, you should clarify it by talking to your professor. Also, students don’t clarify their doubts in the class because they are guided by the assumption that the internet has all the answers to their queries. If you really want a better understanding of the lessons, have a little faith in your teachers and communicate with them.

To conclude,

“Old habits die hard.” And it is going to be harder to get rid of them if you do not recognize them in the first place. I am not of the opinion that all study habits are bad. There are plenty of common habits that boost the academic performance of a student. However, the bad ones are more prevalent. Now that you know all about the common ones, I hope that you will work on them to build a better future for yourself.

PS: Author provides students with CPM Homework help

The post 5+ Common Study Habits of Most Students appeared first on Digital Education.

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[callmemoprah]

Why University Sports athletes Shouldnt be Paid

Educational facilities can be paid by forms of brand names just like: Adidas, Nike, along with Under Armour. Schneider proceeds to claim that there has been this sort of massive alternation in what sort of earth is effective that these rules could be outdated as well as inadequate now. The actual base line is always that a player should only be paid by means of an organization. To ensure the following revenue season with as well as year out there, higher education sportsmen are hoped for to do at the very good level-which means that educational institutions mentors (who seem to employed to quit settled) help make large incomes, in particular when their teams are usually identify challengers (Edelman, This year). This debate has held up for over a hundred years and the advantages of this particular notion never carry mineral water ever again.

College some athletes usually are not professional

The scholarships involves education costs, textbooks, food, plus property. Robert and also Amy McCormick, not one but two regulation teachers during Ohio Express Higher education condition here which, “These people are usually laboring within incredibly rigorous and also challenging disorders, so one of these tend to be people with regard to the natural requirements in it while they’re also seeking to head to college as well as having to head to university.” This kind of opinion is a vital thought of its controversy as well as the disagreement associated with Mister. Purchase your entire ideas into communities and also compose primary details to build unique groups along with subcategories. Shelling out a college university student would likely have a large amount of the following pride plus a sense togetherness apart since they happen to be taken away from technically by way of the component with repayment. In case various clubs have been removed quite a few university student would’ve absolutely no sporting events and all their own efforts will be absolutely thrown away.

How to produce a powerful argument

The scholarship features educational costs, ebooks, food, in addition to houses. Then there are lots of different issues: Would certainly athletes earn otherwise with regards to the hobby people participate in? How can you measure the genuine valuation on an advanced athletics staff, in particular when it’s building the teachers additional well-known general along with attracting plenty of scholars? Exactly where would certainly your money even come from? As the general athletics industry grows over time so would the college sports surroundings. There exist a new brand concerning becoming an amateur as well as a specialist according to this specific kind of reaction by the NCAA. Over generations, Split My partner and i some athletes have already been tipping its basis into their sport activity many people previously worked so hard pertaining to every day, each and every time. Therefore, undergraduate sportsperson should not be settled.

This percentage should pertain to virtually all participants, even going to those on full sports activities help me write a thesis scholarships and grants. NCAA expresses that an individual is never entitled to sports activity if someone have got ever obtained cost or maybe stated that (Fifty-eight). Paying off the university athletes may perform a lot of very good, even if it had been just some lodging, getting on and also foodstuff allotments each month in exchange for their work specifically its abilities and abilities. Order your whole concepts in groupings in addition to create simple information in order to create distinct areas in addition to subcategories. could make annually. Accusations are actually produced upon individuals getting repayment. “Should College or university Student-Athletes Get paid?” U.Azines News Digital camera Weekly, Some Economy is shown, This year.

Any decimal summarize is another well-known file format, as well as it’s really the same as the subject matter one particular. Sporting events isn’t finer quality than lecturers. Inside of a acreage the place equitability plus value are usually highly valued, you have to question why apparently school sports athletes are most often having the shorter conclude of your cling. Even now, colleges and universities employ their particular sports achievement to market his or her education plus tempt possibilities job seekers. It is a advantage to discover the possiblity to perform for the collegiate place, not to say always be awarded an athletic scholarship. The experts , once additionally pronounc that the NCAA can be somewhat insecure meaning their “age-old” foibles will be worked out with the top echelon associated with gamers as soon as scams emerge from several battler having unbalanced positive aspects. The debate displayed by simply NCAA in which good agreement instituted at the beginning of the period, the particular sports athletes obtain scholarships and grants seeing that reimbursement will never be renegotiated causes it to become extremely hard with the scholars being paid.

This content in addition claims that a college can certainly current market its good results with activities for you to alumni as well as donors to ensure that the crooks to get money for first time methods in campus. In certain instances, professors might require you to such as a bibliography, specifically when crafting an outline as the academics mission. It may be pricey, thus a school scholarship is really a kind of fee for school athletes as well as their exclusive an opportunity to acquire informed. “Should College or university Some athletes Get paid to learn.” Different, 2011. As Hartnett (2014) information, as being a college or university sportsman is more than just a full-time occupation.

A issue outline demands one to create this quick time period and also phrase to spell out every area.

People shouldn’t shell out individuals should they aren’t prepared to get the job done.

Capitalized letters;

College sports entertainment aren’t the roles since they are merely certain things to do;

Start your homework.

Persuasive composition on the key reason why school runners really should be paid

College sporting events aren’t the jobs simply because they’re simply just specific actions;

A theme summarize requires you to definitely generate this short word or perhaps concept to spell it out every portion.

Even if this supplier most likely are not scholarly, the content mcdougal gifts can be legit because of his level of schooling. One example is, no person will pay some sort of journalist when he establishes job interviews in a university radio stations section. This system associated with school player can also be looked after an essential element regarding informative enter in such a way the fact that undergraduate sports athletes explore your student’s community. The actual colleges as well as sportsmen be more competitive as the years move down creating greater activities plus much more profits generation. This particular susceptibility can result in those to be http://www.ucdenver.edu/academics/cuonline/OnlineCourses a little more prepared to change their particular procedures in the near future.

How to streamline this crafting process

The particular games are generally classified below institution sporting events the place individuals would be the individuals to participate in these types of functions. Nowadays, complete scholarships or grants tend to be granted towards the many talented sports athletes instead of the desperate undergraduate who cannot afford college degree; colleges and universities appeal as a result of specific sport packages which makes it more difficult to attain the grant (“Federal pupil aid” a par Half-dozen). Here’s a quick look at each side. When studying with the university, students not simply will get the chance to play the favored sporting more detail events at a much better level but will also make a college education.

College sportsmen are certainly not professional

This argument provides lasted for over a millennium along with the reasons for this particular idea usually do not maintain water any further. The larger the earnings a lot more likely a coach will continue which has a college since funds speaks. Being a university student-athlete is really a full-time career, bouncey between the weight room, the actual court/field, instruction, and film sessions. In the usa, scholars pay back around 10,500 per semester. Students admittedly be aware that even if people disobeyed the teachers many people still gotten being compensated a ton of money. Players perform difficult to bring sales revenue to the university still they aren’t paid value. That’s exactly why pupils shouldn’t get paid for actively playing athletics within their institution.

The actual creators of these studies in this exploration are typically not less than college degree college students. A new graduate pupil bakes an close supplemental 1 million additional within their life. The following distinguishes your contests on the skilled activities. If and when they elect to pay out its players, there will be very very little still left in order to aid the opposite courses. As an example, your “Flutie effect” is utilized to spell it out a blast at the in class programs following a massive activities win. A post posted online in ncaa.web claims that scholarship grants an average of have ended 100,500 a year (The Sport Break up, 2002-2010). These include significant concerns the particular school will facial area that could lead to the specific sport divisions associated with educational institutions turning out to be firms as an alternative to helping runners experience an education.

How to create a powerful argument

I feel that it will be incredibly difficult with the teachers to help impress self-control after learners that happen to be getting covered their services over the keep track of maybe in the sector. This variety of format requires anyone to compose a brief word to go into detail each individual major thought and also theme sentence. What will the NCAA are saying with this arrangement? The National School Athletic Connection, which in turn claims that the item “is a member-led corporation specializing in your well-being as well as life long good results of faculty athletes” (NCAA, 2018), simply proposes of which undergraduate players are students-not staff members, understanding that activities including the big-money-making bonanza that’s the NCAA contest never oblige the same “students” to miss classes for region public video game titles which pull in big advertisement sales for your schools. Most persons imagine that colleges and universities help to make out of cash with aid from sports entertainment.

Disadvantage to be able to modest universities

Most of us enjoy for your a person activity as soon as all the hours of exercising bond along with the play will be sleek. The institution assists the gamers as a section of staff through providing these grants therefore producing education cost-effective. The talk with paying out institution runners has elevated the headlines for many decades in addition to keeps growing a result of the increased gross income your fresh players generate for their educational institutions along with the global financial rate of growth evidenced in the industry generally. In addition, the kids purchase the privilege traveling all over the world. All of us have fun with to the a single game if every one of the hrs with training agree as well as our own play is usually sleek. Analysis: That source is a well-liked origin as a result of lack of information within the supplier along with the lack of knowledge from the article writer.

Source: http://mobimatic.io/2019/03/26/why-university-sports-athletes-shouldnt-be-paid/

[zipgrowth]

EdSurge HigherEd Year in Review: Our Top Higher Education Stories of 2018

As students and faculty alike take some well-deserved rest and reflect over the holidays, we’re taking a look back at what stories you read and shared the most over the last year.

While not quite the “Year of the MOOC,” 2018 saw a resurgence in interest around the ways these massive open online courses are delivering free (and more often these days, not free) online education around the world, and how these providers are increasingly turning to traditional institutions of learning.

These stories also show that innovative teaching was top of mind this past year, from shaking up the way instructors teach online, to talking about race in the classroom, to experimenting with augmented and virtual reality.

Of course, even our favorite stories don’t end up in front of the most readers. That’s why we’ve also highlighted a few here that we don’t want you to miss, from complicated community college turnarounds to where IKEA and edtech overlap.

2018’s Top 10 Countdown: HigherEd Edition

10. EdX Quietly Developing ‘MicroBachelors’ Program

Massive open online course providers gained momentum and attention by claiming to offer a free alternative to traditional degrees. Now, MOOC providers like edX and Coursera are looking towards new (and sometimes paid) offerings, as well as so-called “MicroBachelors” degrees designed to break up undergraduate credential into discrete components.

9. 4 Augmented and Virtual Reality Projects That Point to the Future of Education

It’s still unclear just how, and how much, augmented and virtual reality will shape learning in the future. But that uncertainty hasn’t stopped some tech-savvy and curious educators from bringing in AR/VR headsets to their classrooms and curriculums. Here’s a peek at four projects highlighted by Justin Hendrix, the executive director of the NYC Media Lab.

8. Cheating on Chegg? How the Company Aims to Catch Tutoring Requests That Go Too Far

It’s no surprise that students would ask for help on platforms like Chegg, which offer digital textbooks as well as tutoring and homework help. But what happens when those requests for “help” look more like requests for someone to do the work for them? Here’s a look at how the education company is responding.

7. How Blockbuster MOOCs Could Shape the Future of Teaching

The “Year of the MOOC” is long behind us. But these massive open online courses still continue to shape the way people around the world learn and access education. So what do the top courses on MOOC platforms like edX and Coursera tell us about where teaching is heading? Here’s one hint: some of these courses are bringing in serious money.

6. Beyond Design Thinking: Why Education Entrepreneurs Need to Think in Systems

Design thinking, that buzzword that often gins up images of Post-It notes and collaborative brainstorming, has been in vogue for years. But there’s a new kid on the block, says EdSurge columnist Amy Ahearn, and it’s called “systems thinking.” According to Ahearn, who builds online courses, “Systems thinking offers a necessary antidote to some of design thinking blind spots by taking a holistic view of complex social challenges—rather than just building new solutions that address symptoms of a problem, but not root causes.”

5. This New 2-Year College Is Unlike Any Other. And That Could Be Its Biggest Challenge.

Unlike most higher-ed institutions that put academics at the forefront, Wayfinding Academy, a new nonprofit two-year program in Portland, Ore., focuses on helping students figure out what they want to do with their lives. What does that look like? For starters, the school started by offering only one degree: an associates in Self & Society. The school’s 41-year-old founder has big dreams for the college, some magical even. Take a look inside the school and where it’s headed.

4. How Classrooms Can Start Talking About Race in Just 6 Words

School can be the most diverse setting that some students experience in their entire lives. And that’s why former NPR host Michelle Norris sees it as an important, if not crucial opportunity to get students talking about race. It’s not often an easy subject to tackle in class, where students come from a mix of backgrounds and experiences with race. But the former NPR host has found one way— and the results can be both powerful and revealing.

3. How Many Times Will People Change Jobs? The Myth of the Endlessly-Job-Hopping Millennial

Headlines and news feeds frequently flash statistics about how millennials—more than any group before it—are more likely to switch jobs and careers several times in their lifetime. A LinkedIn executive estimated they’ll do this at least 15 times. But these numbers appear to be misleading, or in some cases, simply wrong. According to Doug Weber, an associate professor of economics at Temple University: “The notion that the number of jobs that people are going to have throughout their life is increasing drastically is actually false.”

2. What’s Next for Pearson? (Not Buying Your Education Startup.)

The digital era has rocked the once-steady foundation for education kingmakers like Pearson. In 2016, the company reported its largest loss in its history, down $3.3 billion. But after cutting assets ranging from the company’s stake in The Economist to PowerSchool, a student information system, Pearson finally reported a profit again in 2017. Here’s what’s next for the world’s largest education company, according to its CEO John Fallon.

1. Andrew Ng Is Probably Teaching More Students Than Anyone Else on the Planet. (Without a University Involved.)

MOOCs offer the opportunity for university professors to reach learners across the world (and expand their school's brand). But it turns out that three of the top 10 courses on MOOC provider Coursera aren’t from a college or university at all. They’re offered by a company, called Deeplearning.ai, and are taught by the company’s (and Coursera’s) co-founder, Andrew Ng. “In other words,” writes EdSurge writer Jeffrey R. Young, Andrew Ng probably teaches more people than anyone else on the planet.”

Editor’s Picks

A Billionaire Benefactor, a Disputed Ballot Issue and a Community College Turnaround

Since 2012, Texarkana College has overhauled its curriculum, advising and student services—and the changes are becoming apparent. Graduation rates tripped between 2008 and 2016, and the school boasts one of the highest four-year graduation rates among community colleges in the state. But that progress has been uneven, as achievement gaps persist among students. Read about the progress and what lies ahead in EdSurge’s three-part series on the college turnaround. (Here’s part two and three also.)

How an Experimental Online Course Helped One Anthropology Department Keep a Professor and a Half

When budget cuts threatened to close the anthropology department at Kansas State University, one professor, Michael Wesch, fought back—by changing up his teaching. He decided to create a new kind of online course that involves a free online textbook, dispatching teaching assistants around the world to create videos, and a series of “challenges” instead of traditional assignments. As with most experiments, not everything went according to plan. Here’s what happened, and what he learned.

Are You Still There? How a ‘Netflix’ Model For Advising Lost Its Luster

The notion of a “Netflix for education” is as popular among companies as it is with college campuses. In 2011, a Tennessee university implemented a custom tool made by a professor that would recommended courses—and even majors—for students based on their previous courses and grades. Once praised for its novelty and innovation, the tool now receives little attention, and student retention at the university has dipped. We visited the school to find out what happened.

Does Online Education Help Low-income Students Succeed?

Online learning once promised to increase access to quality education for students around the world, regardless of their income or background. But increasingly that’s not the case, says Robert Ubell, vice dean emeritus of online learning at NYU’s Tandon School of Engineering. The EdSurge columnist writes: “If virtual education fails to succeed with poor students, then it will merely replicate the severe economic imbalance that is already the shame of the nation’s campuses.”

What Do Edtech and IKEA Have in Common? Persuasive Design.

Technology shapes our behavior everyday. Algorithms dictate what photos we see first on social media, what search results come up on Google, and what kinds of ads we are served on websites. This kind of persuasive technology, which intends to push and pull us in different directions, is intentional. And edtech is no stranger to it. Read (or listen) to what both curious and skeptical experts have to say about that.

EdSurge HigherEd Year in Review: Our Top Higher Education Stories of 2018 published first on https://medium.com/@GetNewDLBusiness

[gethealthy18-blog]

6 Favorite Practical Homeschool Resources (My Kids Love)

New Post has been published on http://healingawerness.com/news/6-favorite-practical-homeschool-resources-my-kids-love/

6 Favorite Practical Homeschool Resources (My Kids Love)

You all probably know by now that we homeschool (yes, I’m one of those) and I’m often asked about my favorite homeschooling resources. Of course our homeschooling set-up evolves as the kids get older and lately I’ve been using several online tools that my kids love and that are making my life easier.

Even if you don’t homeschool, these tools and resources may help make school easier for your own children and speed up the learning (and homework) process.

My Top 6 Homeschool Resources

Thanks to the age of the Internet, homeschoolers have many more options than they once did and you can learn almost anything online!

While many of these aren’t true homeschool curriculum, they are resources that in my view teach some of the most valuable skills kids should learn. (P.S. These are also great for adults who want to learn these skills!)

Most of these homeschool resources are free, but the paid ones are well worth the cost.

1. How to Learn Speed Reading

I’ve mentioned in passing several times that I learned to speed read in middle school and that to this day it is one of the most valuable skills I’ve learned.

This is one of the top skills I’m working with my kids on because it makes all of the others so much easier. The best part is that really anyone can learn it. I have a photographic memory and learned this a little differently, so I had trouble teaching my kids until I found a computer program that makes it super simple.

The program is called Spreeder, and it un-teaches bad reading habits and retrains you to read quickly and efficiently. There is a free app version that only works online, but I’d highly recommend the inexpensive premium version that allows you to speed read practically anything. We have the paid version and it has already been well worth it.

Spreeder also allows you to copy and paste many formats of text into the program and it makes it easer to speed read through it. You can put e-books, articles and even blog posts (like mine!) you’ve been meaning to read in there and you’ll be able to read them at 300 words per minute when you are just starting out!

My kids love this because it is on the computer and seems like a game to them. They can even somewhat “compete” on how many wpm (words per minute) they can read.

Check out Spreeder here and learn how the system works.

The same company that makes Spreeder also has several other great learning programs that we use:

2. Online Piano Teacher

Our favorite piano teacher retired earlier this year, and I’ve been struggling to find another local teacher. A friend told me about Hoffman Academy that teaches the basics of piano online for free. I was skeptical at first, but have been really impressed with how easy it is to follow along and learn. (I might not have quit piano myself as a kid if I had this instead of a grumpy teacher who smacked my knuckles whenever I messed up!)

Fair warning- my kids love this and our house is a constant chorus of the Star Wars theme song and “Tomorrow” from Annie right now, but they are really enjoying it. As much as I do love their beautiful music *ahem*, we just got a keyboard with headphones for them to practice on when the baby is napping and the real piano is too loud.

3. Easiest Way to Learn a Language

In school, when given the chance to learn languages, I picked Greek and Latin. As you may imagine, this was certainly helpful on the SAT, but hasn’t been quite so useful in daily life.

I picked up a little bit of Spanish while traveling several years ago, but never became fluent. Since we’re homeschooling, the kids are learning Spanish and French, and I’m learning as well alongside them using a free online tool called DuoLingo which makes learning languages a game. They are retaining what they learn much more than when it was just bookwork, and the program is really fun.

The best part?

It has an app for phones and tablets as well. When we are out and about, I can let the kids do a lesson on my phone in the car or while waiting for a sibling at sports practice.

4. Online Homeschool Curriculum Options

As someone who carried a 40+ pound backpack to high school, it still amazes me there are literally entire courses and curriculums online. I’ve looked through a lot of them and found several that are very high quality and meet my high academic criteria.

Some are free, though my favorite ones are not. Still, they are much less expensive than private school and I really like using them as a supplement.

Ron Paul Curriculum

This tool isn’t free, but it has been a lifesaver for me over the past year and is really inexpensive compared to other programs available online. The Ron Paul Curriculum has online classes for all of the core subjects including reading, math, and history. We use it as a supplement to our regular curriculum, and the kids especially like the history curriculum.

I love it because it doesn’t require any textbooks or extra materials. The courses are taught by college professors via video lectures and I am really enjoying watching and learning too. They also focus quite a bit on writing and have students write weekly essays starting in 4th grade. I’m a tad bit biased, but writing has been an incredibly useful skill for me and I’m happy to see my kids learning solid writing skills as well!

The curriculum also focuses on critical thinking and uses original sources whenever possible.

Khan Academy

Khan Academy is another great all-in-one homeschool curriculum online. We use several of the courses supplementally. Their math programs are very interactive and my kids especially love the coding and computer animation classes right now. They offer advanced classes all the way up to calculus and even test prep for all major tests. Did I mention it is free?

Academic Earth

Mainly for older kids, Academic Earth offers advanced classes from many collages for free. You don’t get the college credit for the classes, but if you are just interested in the information, it is an incredible way to learn. If you’ve heard of the free classes from Harvard and MIT available online, this is where to find them.

iTunes U

If you’ve ever wanted to sit in on college lectures from some of the top professors and universities in the country, iTunes U gives you that ability. It’s a free app that you can download for your computer, tablet, and smart phone, and offers over 350,000 lectures and courses from many top universities, including: Harvard, Yale, MIT, Stanford, and many others.

What’s great about this resource is that it’s audio (and sometimes video) based, so the kids and you can listen to the lectures while on the go. It’s like getting a degree from an Ivy League school, without actually having to pay tuition!

5. How to Learn to Code

In an increasingly technological world, computer science skills are extremely marketable. In fact, I know of several high school students who learned to code and who are saving for college or to start a business by doing freelance coding work. Though I have a rough understanding of HTML and CSS code after all of the years of blogging, I certainly don’t know enough to teach it.

We use Codecademy for online instruction on how to code. It is easy to understand and interactive. Any student who is able to read can start learning many different coding languages on this site.

6. Kids Cook Real Food e-Course

I’m sure you’ve heard me talk about this one, but I had to add it here because my kids have learned so much from it. Not only do they know how to prepare a healthy meal in the kitchen (something that’s just a little close to my heart), it helps the younger ones practice measuring, fractions, and following directions.

It’s all online and teaches kids knife skills, how to follow a recipe, and more.

Other Educational Resources for Homeschooling

Check out this comprehensive list of homeschooling resources from The Pioneer Woman for some age-specific free resource recommendations.

I’m testing out Tom Woods’ recommendations in this Wellness Mama podcast episode on critical thinking. I’ll update here if I find any new favorites!

Do you use online tools to help your kids learn? What homeschool resources do you love? Share your best tips below!

Source: https://wellnessmama.com/126933/homeschool-resources/

[statrano]

Study.com Makes the College Dream a Reality for Lots of Students

In a world where college fees go up every year, where the cost of campus-based classes invariably includes expensive extras, where the time commitment to complete college classes often can’t be balanced with work and family needs, Study.com stands out. These web-based classes offer motivated students a self-paced, self-directed path to achieving their college dreams in an affordable, flexible, quality ecosystem that prepares them for future careers in fields they love.

Study.com (formerly called Education-Portal) is a distance learning portal that provides over 70,000 lessons in fifteen subjects (including algebra, calculus, physics, chemistry, macro- and microeconomics, and more) aligned with popular textbooks. The engaging video summaries of textbook material provide access to more than a thousand full-length college courses.

Students sign up for a Study.com membership (there are three options) and take as many classes as they’d like each month. Depending upon the level of service subscribed to, students can view videos, take practice quizzes and exams, and get credit for classes passed through a proctored exam. All they need is an internet connection and a webcam (for proctored exams). Each course has about a hundred videos, each 5-10 minutes in length. In the College Accelerator membership, subscribers earn college credits that can be transferred to any one of over two thousand participating colleges and universities.

Study.com also offers a special (fee-based) Teacher Edition where educators can set up five virtual classrooms with up to 50 students in each, share class-themed videos, assign lessons and quizzes as homework, grade student work, print out worksheets, and get detailed reports on student progress.  Lessons can be pushed out to the entire class or specific students. They can be uploaded to Google Classroom, Schoology, Blackboard, and a selection of other LMSs. Students join with a free Study.com account that can be accessed with mobile apps (with the exception of proctored exams).

How to get started

For individual students:

Sign up for Study.com.

Choose and enroll in the classes that interest you. Search classes by sorting by education level and topic and then picking from the hundreds of videos on offer. You may also receive suggestions from your Study.com coach.

Work through the videos, PDFs, and other materials.

Take quizzes and proctored exams available in your subscription.

Complete the course by going through all of the lessons (and videos) and taking all required exams.

Receive a certificate or college credit, depending upon your subscription.

For teachers:

Sign up for Study.com’s Teacher Edition.

Create a classroom (in about ten seconds).

Invite students via email, a unique URL, class code, or by manually adding names.

Assign work, collect homework, grade submittals, track overdue work, and more from the Teacher Dashboard. These can be pushed out as links to Google Classroom, Blackboard, Schoology, and other LMSs.

Here’s what your Teacher Dashboard will look like (well, yours will have more classes!):

Great stuff

Videos are 5-8 minutes, highly visual, engaging, and often hit exactly the details where students are stuck.

Study.com allows multiple attempts to pass quizzes and exams, something I’ve been doing for years. It encourages students to learn the material, relearn weak areas, and removes the fear-of-failure brain freeze that many students experience on test day.

The Instant Answers feature enables students to connect with their tutor for quick answers to questions they struggle with.

On student dashboards, they can set personal goals with email and SMS reminders. This helps students to organize their learning and finish coursework in accordance with personal goals.

If you’re taking Study.com classes through Thomas Edison University, no homework or textbooks are required–it’s all provided through Study.com. Here’s more information on that option.

Study.com includes standards alignment in the Collection Details that can be found under the Syllabus tab. If you’re looking for Common Core, a selection of videos and quizzes are specifically designed to supplement Common Core instruction for grades 8-12.

Things to know

The two-hour proctored final exam (required for college credit) must be completed on a computer rather than a mobile device or tablet. The webcam recording is submitted with the final exam.

This is online learning and as such, without the social engagement (good or bad) that comes hand-in-hand with traditional universities and colleges.

Study.com classes require a familiarity with technology–playing videos, signing up for a subscription, and a few more details.

Education applications

While the most popular reason for signing up at Study.com is to complete a degree, many students and educators have different goals. Here are some:

Use Study.com’s animated videos and worksheets to supplement classroom material.

Push out Study.com videos to specific students as intervention or enrichment.

Make Study.com courses available to highly-motivated homeschoolers who want more depth in studies or college credit while in high school.

Provide course materials for a flipped classroom.

Find course materials for a traditional classroom as an alternate way to explain complicated concepts.

Avail lifelong learners to new skills.

Prepare for the Praxis Exams,  NES Exams (National Evaluation Series), California’s CSET or CBEST Exams, TExES Exam, and the FTCE Exam.

Take Study.com courses through your employer for continuing education and professional development.

Provide students with self-paced, student-driven learning

For students pursuing Independent Study, Study.com offers Custom Courses where they can design up to ten courses with up to 50 lessons each.

Teachers can use the Custom Courses feature to customize a series of videos for a class not perfectly aligned with an offered course. These are treated exactly like any other lesson under the Teacher Edition guidelines.

There is a whole set of Enterprise solutions that Study.com addresses for the workplace but those are outside the scope of this review.

Here’s a quick video to simplify understanding of this website (especially for visual learners):

And here’s an example of a Study.com video:

Bite-sized learning that can take place anywhere with an Internet connection, anytime, at your own pace, Study.com goes a long way toward mitigating the cost, time constraints, and confusion of college, making it accessible to more students than ever before.

More on college prep:

How to Prepare for the SAT

UWorld’s Unique SAT Prep Site

How to Prepare for the SAT Essay

Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 25 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-8 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, webmaster for four blogs, an Amazon Vine Voice reviewer, CAEP reviewer, CSTA presentation reviewer, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, and a weekly contributor to TeachHUB. You can find her resources at Structured Learning. Read Jacqui’s tech thrillers, To Hunt a Sub and Twenty-four Days.

Study.com Makes the College Dream a Reality for Lots of Students published first on https://seminarsacademy.tumblr.com/