21st Century Scholar

It’s an odd experience to write a dissertation. Almost by definition if you get to the Ph.D. dissertation writing stage you must have been a decent student. Take my own experience as an example. I liked writing; I got good grades. I had written a lot of term papers. I passed my quals and the [...]

This blog—the first of the academic year—now seems like an annual tradition. Over the past two years, I have started the year writing about my hopes and anticipations for the upcoming year. Today’s post is no different. Some feelings don’t change. For instance, there is nothing like the excitement of the first few weeks on [...]

by Randy Clemens You don’t know until you know. That’s one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned from being in a PhD program. And, if you do know, you probably aren’t doing it the right way. Earning a PhD is a struggle. There are ups and downs and downs and even more downs. When you [...]

by Randy Clemens Every night, I try to find at least 10 minutes to sit at my practice pad. I drill rudiments. I work on my double-stroke roll. I sight read–my least favorite exercise. If I have a little more time, I move to the drum set. There I work on some speed and coordination [...]

by Randy Clemens Last year, after attending AERA’s conference in Denver, I wrote about the need for a digital makeover. I made several suggestions for the meeting: (1), provide free wifi, (2), embrace microblogging, and (3), stream symposiums online. My blog was mainly focused on uses of technology to not just improve the experience but [...]

by Randy Clemens Last year, Bill and I tried using Twitter in our graduate-level class. It failed miserably. Only a few students tweeted and the others thought it was a chore to re-route their online traffic patterns. Halfway through the semester, we returned to full-time email use. What’s the lesson? We tried and we learned. [...]

by Bill Tierney I served on the search committee for the Provost this past fall.  One might think that the search for a provost is a very different undertaking than searching for an assistant professor, but that’s not the case.  Sure, there are some differences.  We used a search firm; confidentiality was crucial; the president [...]

by Randy Clemens Since the start of 21st Century Scholar, our entries have covered an array of education topics. My contributions have centered around public education reform and policy as well as life as a burgeoning researcher. The blog has provided a forum for both policy and research interests. It has even served as a [...]

Dear Former Students, I have spent a little over five years–sometimes successfully but most times not–trying to make education better for you and others. That is a short time compared to the lifetime that you’ve spent in inadequate schools, I know. I recognized that early on. After breaking my ankle two weeks into my teaching [...]

by Randy Clemens Bricolage (bree-kuh-lahzh), n. 1. a construction made of whatever materials are at hand; something created from a variety of available things. 2. (in literature) a piece created from diverse resources. 3. (in art) a piece of makeshift handiwork. 4. the use of multiple, diverse research methods. When I was an undergrad, some [...]