Tonia A. Dousay
Scholar | Educator | Leader
Category Archives: Daily Grind
How far have we really come?
Go ahead. Choose your excuse now. It’s because of COVID. Humans forgot how to behave in public. FALSE. It’s because “they” suffered an injury and don’t know any better. FALSE. I reject your excuse. End of story. Stop the excuses. Years ago, a senior member of my professional association made me feel uncomfortable. I was…
Who or what is a scientist?
Today, my preservice teachers had to breakthrough their preconceived notions of “what is a scientist.” I showed them Crystal Dilworth’s TED talk on the myth of the stereotypical scientist. We looked at The (UK) Science Council’s definition of a scientist and 10 types of scientists. At the end of the activity, they self identified which…
Project Management for Academics
It started with a Facebook post from Shit Academics Say. There’s so much truth in Dr. Kelly’s words, namely that few graduate programs formally address project management in their curriculum. When my faculty in the Texas A&M University College of Agriculture & Life Sciences encouraged me to pursue doctoral studies “one day,” they unanimously included…
From lily pads to mouse pads: The legacy of James Burnham Bossidy
![James B. Bossidy [1929-2018]](https://www.learninginterest.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Screen-Shot-2018-07-25-at-8.51.48-AM.png)
As I sit in traffic, waiting for the light to change, the numbness of the day washes over me and I begin to cry, again. The standard questions of grief come and go, passing by like wisps on the wind. Why? Why him? Why now? The reason of logic is gone. I know why. It…
A Lesson in Life, Love, & Humility
The past nine months have brought about a great change in my life, and I’d like to think a great lesson in life, love, and humility. To share my story, though, I must rewind the clock almost 23 years to the Christmas of 1994. I had just finished my first semester of college and was…
Wyoming House Bill 233 (2017)
As an assistant professor of instructional technology at the University of Wyoming, Wyoming House Bill 233 directly impacts me and my students. I am an educator of current and future educators. My responsibilities are 65% teaching, 25% research, and 10% service. I *should* be finishing up a manuscript for publication based on a research study I’m…
Google for Education Certified Innovators
Google for Education announced yesterday that the former Google Certified Teacher program is now called Google for Education Certified Innovators. With this name change comes a complete overhaul of the training and certifications available to educators. Perhaps most telling in the announcement is the first line of the message: Technology can help transform education, but only as…
Bringing the maker movement to your classroom
I strongly believe in the power of application. When we can connect theory to practice, the possibilities are endless. Coming from an Agricultural Education background, the concept of “making” seems naturally inherent when I look at the education landscape. So, it should be no surprise that I’ve set out to bring making to K12 and…
What is in a Rubric?
It would seem that yesterday’s Chronicle post on The Rise of the Helicopter Teacher has revealed a pervasive divide among academics. On one side, you have the author and those who agree vehemently that teachers and educators have succumbed to the coddling and hand-holding that has bred a generation of entitled underachievers. On the other, we…
My First T&P Experience
When you’re a graduate student, the concept of tenure and promotion (T&P) seems so incredibly foreign. It’s something that your professors have to deal with, but is shielded from you. If you read academic news outlets, such as Inside Higher Ed, you’ll occasionally see notices of universities who’ve granted tenure and the faculty members to…