my first class

Just a few thoughts after teaching my first class:

TIME: On our main campus in Malibu, classes usually begin on the hour, but my first class started here at 3:15.  Those extra 15 minutes threw me off a little bit. For one, there was no clock in the classroom, so I had to keep checking my phone for the time or looking for the time on my computer. UGH! I will definitely be asking if a small digital clock can be place at least on the lectern in the classroom. I usually let my students get up to stretch around X:50-X:55, but when I looked at the clock, it was 4:12! I couldn't understand why I had gone so over the hour before we took a break, but THEN I remembered that we started 15 minutes AFTER the hour! AHHHH!

TECHNOLOGY:  For future faculty, I highly recommend plugging your computer in beforehand and testing out the technology. Getting the right display settings up, connecting the right adaptors, etc. takes a bit of getting used to before teaching. There is a VGA adaptor which is probably fine for PCs, but for Mac users, you will need an adaptor, and the Jia also provides one but it is the one with the lightning bolt end. I brought a bag full of different adaptors so I had one that worked thankfully. The WiFi in the classroom is not very strong so I will not rely on YouTube or Google Drive when teaching.

AUDIO: I did not see any audio speakers in the large classroom where I taught my first class. I brought a small wireless Bluetooth speaker that has been very handy in class and when hanging out in the Sunshine Room with students or in the faculty apartment. (UPDATE: Gigi from the office informed me that they have speakers if faculty need them. Just ask the office.)

CLASSROOM SETUP: The classroom desks are set up in a traditional arrangement and they are too heavy to move. If you are used to a circular discussion setting, this will not be possible in these classrooms.

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