Robert Talbert

Teaching

Building Fall 2021: Discrete Structures

A work-in-progress report on my Fall 2021 classes, one month before launch.

Academia

Ungrading: A 3x3x3 reflection

Ungrading is gaining traction in K12 and higher education. Here's what I learned from a recent edited volume on this concept.

GTD

Nothing works without review

The last piece of the Summer Challenge is about making all the habits work via the review process.

Academia

Entering the feedback loop: My origin story with alternative grading

Sometimes all it takes to get started with a new idea is just to start and then follow through.

Academia

Two important questions about Inbox Zero

The Inbox Zero concept elicits a broad range of responses from academics, mostly negative. Here are the two most important questions we can ask about it.

GTD

My 2021 productivity setup: Part 2

Part 2 of an update on my GTD setup, focusing on the tactical side with an analog twist.

GTD

My 2021 productivity setup: Part 1

Part 1 of an update on my GTD setup, focusing on the digital/strategic side.

Academia

Working in context

So you made a Next Actions list. How do you decide which actions to do? The constraints on those actions give us a clue.

Academia

Working mindfully with projects

How do you give appropriate attention to things you want to do, that require multiple steps?

Academia

How much research has been done on flipped learning? The 2021 update

Updating the annual data on the number of peer-reviewed publications on flipped learning, this time with the numbers for 2020.

Balance

Clarifying what you captured

Anything that we capture in our attention needs clarification about what it means to us. Here's a process for doing that.

Technology

How to add captions to videos (including different languages)

I avoided captioning videos for a long time out of sheer laziness, but it turns out it's not that hard with the right workflow.

Summer Challenge

Building the habit of Capturing

We kick off the Summer Challenge by building the habit of ubiquitous capture.

Flipped learning

My video creation workflow for 2021

For almost 10 years, I've used and tweaked a peculiar workflow for making videos that balances quality with time requirements.

Academia

Introducing the Summer Challenge

This summer I'm starting a weekly series focused on building habits, practices, and mindsets to inoculate against burnout and exhaustion in the Fall.

Academia

How to write learning objectives

Writing clear, measurable learning objectives for lesson seems simple; it isn't. Here are some steps that can make it easier.

Academia

The semester that was, Part 2: A 3x3x3 reflection on Modern Algebra

Another 3x3x3 reflection on my Winter courses, this time my Modern Algebra class.

Academia

The semester that was: A 3x3x3 reflection on Calculus

What I learned, what surprised me, and what I still don't know about the Calculus class that just finished up.

Productivity

Survival

A public mapping-out of how I hope to make it through the next two weeks.

Academia

Is flipping an online course possible? (Throwback)

A throwback post from 2015, wrestling with the possibility of flipped learning in an online setting.

Academia

Using OKRs for better goal setting

The concept of OKRs (objectives and key results) is a healthier and more productive approach to goal-setting than traditional methods.

GTD

On building a practice of writing

Some thoughts on how to build a consistent practice of writing.

Education

Rebooting the final exam

Traditional final exams are so pre-pandemic. Here are some ideas for what to do instead.

Education

Double-flipped learning: What is it, and does it work?

A new article presents the concept of "double flipped learning" and tries it out in a calculus class. How did it go?

Course design

What I learned from an open-technology policy in my classes

In the fall, I instituted an open-technology policy in all my classes. I'm not going back.