Some potentially dicey political thoughts...

I just posted about my friend Katie Raddatz's amazing work with mobile technology in her writing classroom.  For any of you that aren't writing teachers, know that the kinds of creativity, engagement and collaboration that are happening in her classroom are, like, lightyears ahead of what most writing teachers are able to offer (including ME!)

I think one takeaway for me is the amount that individual teachers are pushing things forward in terms of technology in higher ed.

One thing that's really sad for me is often how invisible this is within the institution.  In some ways, yes, it's true, invisibility buys us freedom to experiment.  And Katie did receive institutional support in terms of classroom resources.

However, all of her learning - playing with the iPad, consulting with other experts, reading and experimenting, is totally outside of what she's paid for as a non-tenure track (NTT) instructor.  That's right - she did this learning and prep unpaid.

 And for all the work she did and all the cool pedagogical work that's happening in her classroom, not only will Katie not be eligible for a raise or promotion (there is no designated career path for NTT faculty), but just like me, we aren't guaranteed work from semester to semester, (often losing classes because of enrollment at the last minute) and definitely not paid a Boston-level living wage.  Neither of us know if there will be work for us in the fall, and if so, how much.   Doing this kind of development might make us more "marketable" and sure, could lead to more or different kinds of work, (and clearly Katie's been recognized for her expertise within our university) but there's no built-in way to recognize instructors for doing stuff like what Katie's doing - and a lot of us are still living paycheck to paycheck - but still innovating just because we love it so freaking much.  


 How bass-ackward is that, higher ed?