Digital Commons Network^™

Masking Mentoring: Critical (Race) Care (For, From) Black Males In Special Education, Vonzell Agosto, Roderick Jones

Vonzell Agosto

This chapter addresses institutional racism as an impediment to the success of Black males in special education, whether they are students or faculty. Extrapolating from their personal narratives and relevant literature, the authors provide a counternarrative about the mentoring and care of Black males and by Black males that entails the practice of masking. The lenses of critical race theory (CRT) and care theory support the development of an ethical and moral leadership framework of what can be seen as critical (race) care, which includes ethics of care and risk and political clarity.

Battling Inertia In Educational Leadership: Crt Praxis For Race Conscious Dialogue., Zorka Karanxha, Vonzel Agosto

Zorka Karanxha

The purpose of this article is to illustrate how institutional racism is mediated by faculty negotiating power and privilege in the selection of Black (African American) women into an educational leadership preparation program. Critical race theory (CRT) praxis is used to analyze the faculty dynamics in the candidate selection process situated in a race neutral institutional culture. This reflective case study of an educational leadership department draws on qualitative data such as field notes from faculty conversations, experiential knowledge, memos, and quantitative data describing the disproportionate rejection of Black women applying to an educational leadership program in the US. Efforts …

On The Tenure Trek To Equanimity: ¡Oh, Cúan Lejos Llegarás!, Vonzell Agosto

Vonzell Agosto

This self-reflective inquiry into the hyphens between work-life, life-work, and life-world describes how I am crystallizing a way of walking in the world that feels good to me ethically, spiritually, and emotionally. I characterize this initial leg of my academic journey as being on the tenure trek to equanimity. My developing ideas about equanimity are framed in part as a culturally diverse discourse of thriving in academia that highlights central concepts in my educational philosophy and research program: culture, justice, and curriculum.

Prekindergarten Policy And Politics: Discursive (Inter)Play On Readying The Ideal Learner, Angela Passero, Carrie Gentner, Vonzell Agosto

Vonzell Agosto

This study uses assemblage policy as the theoretical framework and is situated amid concerns about neoliberal influences on policy negotiations concerning prekindergarten/ers. Key, exemplary, and authoritative policy texts are analyzed using a form of CDA called critical rhetorical analysis. Analysis of key and exemplary texts illuminate terms around which the attempt to persuade was strong: high quality, age appropriate progress, readiness, and literacy. Authoritative texts and early childhood education literature provide insight into related political negotiations. Findings suggest contradictory interplay between policy documents including creation of the term age appropriate progress, conveyance of a narrow band of meaning and associated …

Social Media- Wikipedia, Twitter,Blogs, Lists And Lis News-2000-2015, Kathleen De La Peña Mccook

Kathleen de la Peña McCook

Human rights, social justice, library engagement using discussion lists, blogs, twitter. Wikipedia as a librarian's work.

A Review And Evaluation Of Services And Resources To Engineers: A Case Study Of Outreach And Marketing, Assessment, And Future Directions In A Research Library, Matt Torrence

Matt Torrence

Engineering student and faculty populations present a beneficial and unique challenge to libraries and the information science community. The literature, activities, and resource needs of this group provide insight into a demographic that is often among the early-adopters of new technologies, tools, and methods of sharing information. Despite the often non-bibliographic nature of their research efforts, there are numerous elements of the traditional service model that remain relevant and integral to the engineering research patron base. New methods of live and virtual instruction, the improved promotion of research consultation, and data management are prime targets for efficient and effective service …

Trends In Special Education Case Law: Frequency And Outcomes Of Published Court Decisions 1998-2012, Zorka Karanxha, Perry A. Zirkel

Zorka Karanxha

Executive Overview • This article determines the frequency and outcomes of published court decisions under the IDEA for students from pre-K through grade 12, starting in January 1998 and ending in October 2012. • The frequency of these decisions trended upward during the 15-year period, particularly during the most recent five-year interval. • The conclusive outcomes favored districts on a 3:1 basis both overall and on relatively consistent longitudinal basis; however, the intermediate outcomes partially ameliorated this pronounced pro-district tendency. • The Second Circuit region (New York, Vermont, and Connecticut) had the highest volume of cases, and the Tenth Circuit …

Using Video In Contemporary Libraries, Claudia J. Dold

Claudia J. Dold

Video is an ideal tool for reaching many of today’s learners, especially when a process needs to be demonstrated and learned. Users can now access video to “see how it’s done”, offering information in visual and well as aural and textual formats. How-to videos have made inroads into everyday life: on airplanes they teach us how to prepare for take-off, in hardware stores, they demonstrate new attachments for electric tools, and DVDs now accompany products that explain the installation process.

Promoting Cultural Heritage Through Video, Claudia J. Dold

Claudia J. Dold

Cultural heritage is an ephemeral commodity: If it is not preserved, it will disappear. Capturing cultural heritage on video uses current technology that offers exciting opportunities for librarians. They may record, document, and preserve cultural heritage, including the local languages, in their archives.

The Hidden Curriculum: Candidate Diversity In Educational Leadership Preparation, Zorka Karanxha, Vonzell Agosto, Aarti Bellara

Zorka Karanxha

The authors describe a process of self-assessment attuned to equity and justice in the policies and practices that affect student diversity, namely, those associated with the selection of candidates. The disproportionate rate of rejection for applicants from underrepresented groups and the unsystematic process of applicant selection operated as hidden curriculum affecting the opportunities for the program to enhance meaningful relationships among diverse groups of students. The authors describe institutional and sociopolitical conditions, and individual actions reflecting a faculty’s will to policy. Faculty efforts supported and challenged systemic change to increase racial and ethnic diversity among aspiring educational administrators.

E-Book Platforms For Academic Librarians, Audrey Powers

Audrey Powers

No abstract provided.

Tablet Technology In Support Of Professional Productivity, Barbara Lewis, Drew Smith

Barbara Lewis

In 1987, Apple Computer, as it was then known, produced a five-minute video about potential human-computer interaction, set in a time approximately 25 years in the future (coincidentally, about the time in which these words are being written). The video depicted a university professor interacting with a touch-activated tablet-like device and a voice-activated artificial intelligence (AI) agent, communicating with students and colleagues, reviewing his daily agenda, and preparing a presentation for later delivery. It appears that the hypothetical “Knowledge Navigator” tablet device was imagined as a great aid to professional productivity.

In 2012, our reality involves the existence of touch-activated …

The Fox And The Hedgehog: Contrasting Approaches To Anticipating The Environment, Randy Borum

Randy Borum

This article uses the ancient metaphor of the fox and the hedgehog to discuss different ways of thinking about the global security environment. He suggests that that in a complex, interconnected and rapidly changing world, more agile, adaptive, intellectually diverse fox-like approaches will be needed to anticipate and adapt to what lies ahead.

Psychological Vulnerabilities And Propensities For Involvement In Violent Extremism, Randy Borum

Randy Borum

Research on the psychology of terrorism has argued against the idea that most terrorist behavior is caused by mental illness or by a terrorist personality. This article suggests an alternative line of inquiry – an individual psychology of terrorism that explores how otherwise normal mental states and processes, built on characteristic attitudes, dispositions, inclinations, and intentions, might affect a person’s propensity for involvement with violent extremist groups and actions. It uses the concepts of “mindset” – a relatively enduring set of attitudes, dispositions, and inclinations – and worldview as the basis of a psychological “climate,” within which various vulnerabilities and …

Cyber Intelligence Operations: More Than Just 1s & 0s, Randy Borum, John Felker, Sean Kern

Randy Borum

Today’s Coast Guard relies heavily on digital information and communication technologies. In fact, every aspect of Coast Guard operations and support relies upon network resources for function, sorting, analysis, storage, and communication. Cyber threats are often regarded as technical challenges. It is easy to forget that there are people behind the keyboards. Individual actors and groups have intentions, motivations, objectives, knowledge, and capabilities.

Scripted Curriculum: What Movies Teach About Black, Dis/Abled Males, Vonzell Agosto

Vonzell Agosto

This article examines the complexity of portrayals of Black (dis/abled) males that are scripted through dis/ability tropes and master-narratives of race and gender. Trends in these portrayals are juxtaposed with literature on how Black, (dis/abled) male students are treated in schools and society.

The Hidden Curriculum: Candidate Diversity In Educational Leadership Preparation., Zorka Karanxha, Vonzell Agosto, Aarti A. Bellara

Vonzell Agosto

The authors describe a process of self-assessment attuned to equity and justice in the policies and practices that affect student diversity, namely, those associated with the selection of candidates. The disproportionate rate of rejection for applicants from underrepresented groups and the unsystematic process of applicant selection operated as hidden curriculum affecting the opportunities for the program to enhance meaningful relationships among diverse groups of students. The authors describe institutional and sociopolitical conditions, and individual actions reflecting a faculty’s will to policy. Faculty efforts supported and challenged systemic change to increase racial and ethnic diversity among aspiring educational administrators.

Critical (Race) Media Literacy In The Curriculum Of Faculty Development: The Retreat To Teachable Moments, Vonzell Agosto, Zorka Karanxha, Deirdre Cobb-Roberts

Vonzell Agosto

This chapter illustrates a case study of a diversity committee and its co-chairs’ attempt to infuse critical theories of race and media literacy into the curriculum of professional development for faculty and graduate students. An aim of the co-chairs was to provide faculty and graduate assistants opportunities to engage in dialogue around critical incidents involving Blackface in connection to racial oppression in the development of critical media literacy as a theoretical and pedagogical tool.

Critical Information Literacy: A Model For Transdisciplinary Research In Behavioral Sciences, Claudia J. Dold

Claudia J. Dold

Librarians are instrumental in advancing the education of students and orientating tomorrow’s professions toward the world in which they will practice: rich in information, diverse in perspective, and latent with the opportunities for transdisciplinary research. Critical information literacy offers a model for orienting theory and practice to create an integrated learning experience for students in the behavioral health sciences. This paper examines how different disciplines may be included in a shared problem, using psychopathy as an example. The role of the librarian is discussed in terms of critical information literacy, as a means to conducting transdisciplinary research.

Using Video To Promote Your Library, Claudia J. Dold

Claudia J. Dold

This presentation was followed by a two-day workshop in which library staff got to know Camtasia software. Within four hours, each of the fourteen students had created a unique video, using stock components from a common file, and personalizing their videos with an introduction page, highlights, zoom features, background sound, color choices, and other features of Camtasia 8.0.

Providing Pathways To Coverage: A Case-Evaluation Of The Outreach And Enrollment Model At A Federally Qualified Health Center Network In South Central Florida., Florida Covering Kids & Families, Jodi Ray, Margeaux A. Chavez

Florida Covering Kids & Families

Objectives: Assess the outreach and enrollment strategies implemented by Florida Community Health Centers, Inc. (FCHC) to enroll eligible but not insured community members in Medicaid and other benefits programs.

Methods: Researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with 24 staff members and patients, conducted ethnographic observations, administered a short staff survey, and collected outreach related print materials for analysis. FCHC, Inc. provided enrollment numbers to compliment qualitative interview data about the program’s impact. Data were analyzed using Atlas.ti.

Results: Results suggest that FCHC’s outreach and enrollment model increases healthcare access for eligible, low-income and hard-to-reach patients in their service area who face barriers …

Scholar Commons @ Usf: Sharing Knowledge Worldwide, Carol Ann Borchert, Julie Anne Fielding

Carol Ann Borchert

No abstract provided.

Developing A Service Learning Course For Iep Students, Krista Bittenbender Royal, Justyna Kikowska, Kristen Mcgreger, Laura Murphy, Sangita Victor

Krista Bittenbender Royal

Service-learning is a great way for ELLs to get involved in the community, develop interpersonal communication skills, and do research on social issues, but it can be an overwhelming course to develop. This presentation will outline how one IEP successfully developed a service-learning course and offer tips for those who want to develop their own.

In Summer 2012, a team was organized to examine the ways in which service-learning could be implemented at our university’s IEP. This “Creative Team” explored both curricular and extra-curricular options, and after surveying students and examining other models of service-learning courses, the team decided to …

Criticality And The Pedagogical Reconstruction Of Leadership Standards In An Educational Leadership Classroom., William R. Black, Zorka Karanxha

Zorka Karanxha

The authors describe their attempt to develop students’ critical perspectives on the content and assumptions in the 2008 Florida Principal Leadership Standards (FPLS) through a reflective essay assignment in a class titled Ethics, Equity, and Leadership in Education. The authors conducted textual analysis of 92 student essays (a total of 922 pages) submitted in 5 sections of a class from the summer of 2008 through the spring of 2009. The authors describe ways students analyze knowledge claims in the FPLS in relation to the standards’ considerable silence around issues of ethics and equity, which were central to the class: 1) …

First Steps In Planning A College Department Curriculum To Incorporate Information Fluency, Claudia J. Dold

Claudia J. Dold

Creating an information fluency curriculum for a specific discipline requires preliminary work: assessing what students already know in their discipline; what they need to learn to be successful in their current course; and then what they will need to be functional in the field when they complete the remaining classes in their discipline, when they start working in their field, and/or when they move on to graduate school. This session addresses how one librarian approached faculty in a particular discipline, assessed the current teaching agenda, and planned to determine the information fluency demands of the courses.

Informing Lone-Offender Investigations, Randy Borum

Randy Borum

This article examines the current research on targeted violence by lone offenders to inform intelligence and criminal investigations. It begins by analyzing the definitions and nature of lone offender attacks, discusses the role of "radicalization," and the ways in which mental illnesses may or may not be relevant.

School Consolidation And The Politics Of School Closure Across Communities, Zorka Karanxha, Vonzell Agosto, William R. Black, Claudius B. Effiom

Vonzell Agosto

This case involves dilemmas for educational leaders who may face the process of school consolidation brought on by decreased funding and demands for accountability. We highlight the challenges and opportunities to collaborate within and across diverse communities and schools with varying expressions of cultural, political, ethical, and organizational power and interests. The teaching notes coincide with aspects of the case that involve principal responsibilities, equity concerns, and negotiations amid the demands of multiple constituencies. Theoretical frameworks highlighting asset-based approaches, leadership for social justice, and micropolitics are emphasized.

Public Acts Of Self-Deliberation: Preparation For Discursive Democracy In Education, Vonzell Agosto

Vonzell Agosto

This conceptual essay forwards self-deliberation as an act to be included in the preparation of educators and administrators. Self-deliberation is defined as a public act of deliberation that can be instigated pedagogically to prepare students for difficult dialogues on enduring issues in education. Self-deliberation provides another pedagogical method for preparing aspiring educators to participate in deliberative or discursive democracy. Narrative vignettes are used to illustrate the acts of self-deliberation performed by aspiring teachers of color as they consider controversial issues such as affirmative action, racial segregation, and culturally relevant education.

Narrativity And Involvement In Online Consumer Reviews: The Case Of Tripadvisor, Camilla Vasquez

Camilla Vasquez

Drawing on recent work on digital narratives of personal experience in online genres such as email, social networking sites, and blogs, the present study explores narrative features in 100 online consumer reviews of hotels. Focusing on negative reviews, or “Rants,” from popular consumer travel platform, TripAdvisor, the article examines both canonical and genre-specific structural features of narratives, as well as some of the discursive resources used by online narrators to engage their audiences, and to draw them into their stories. Specifically, the study explores the use of story prefaces and related forms of second person address, represented speech and mental …

The Role Of Librarians In Academic Success, Claudia J. Dold

Claudia J. Dold

Librarians address all levels of information needs for the university: its acquisition, its production, its storage, and instruction for its safe and gainful use. Most of today’s college students have a high degree of computer literacy but are weak in their abilities to determine the quality of the information that is so readily available. Students need to be taught to find, evaluate, and use information in an academically-oriented manner in order to solve complex problems. Good library skills are integral to academic success. In conjunction with research and teaching faculty, librarians create a framework for knowledge acquisition in the evolving …