About the Teaching-and-Learning Exchange Blog:
Why?
- Writing stories encourages reflection and analysis of experiences and emotions
- Sharing stories builds connections, gives perspective, and fuels creativity
What?
- You can share an anecdote of a single experience, link multiple experiences to a personal insight, write an essay, express an opinion, observe a trend, or express a concern – or a possibility not included here
Who?
- Any Kern CCD employee with a perspective to offer on ensuring learning may contribute. Although the focus is faculty, we know that many classified staff, management, administrators, and others may have important insights to share also
When?
- Now! Write something now! If you don’t have ideas right now, take a little time to think about it. Nothing yet? Okay, take a little more time. Anything? It’s okay, we can wait. We’re sure you have a good story in there somewhere.
How?
- Submit blog posts to us at taleblog@kccd.edu see ‘Editorial Guidelines’ for details.
We need your contributions!
Process:
New blog posts will be released periodically, pending submission and editorial review timings. The goal of the editorial team will be to release a new post at bi-weekly intervals. Sign up to receive notifications of new posts!
Blog posts will be either original submissions or by invitation from the editorial team (see below).
Editorial Guidelines:
Submissions to the blog will be reviewed by the TALE Blog’s editorial staff for timeliness, appropriateness, and content toward the objectives of the blog. Submissions must be by Kern CCD employees. While the focus is primarily faculty (full-time and adjunct) or staff in instructional support roles, any Kern CCD employees with relevant insights are welcome to make contributions.
Submissions should be approximately 500 to 2000 words plus a short biographical statement and current profile picture, and sent from a Kern CCD email address to: taleblog@kccd.edu. Submissions may include visuals as appropriate, but no more than two per submission. Visual aids must be submitted in digital format, ideally as PDF or jpeg files, attached to the same email as the submissions and should include alt-text or instructions for accessibility.
Individuals submitting proposed blog posts will receive an acknowledgement of receipt, followed by a notification of the acceptance, provisional acceptance with requested changes, or rejection of the submission. Rejection of any submission should not be reviewed as a rejection of the content, but may simply indicate that the content was not a good match for the needs of the blog and goals of the editorial staff at that time, or was similar to other posts or submissions already accepted. All accepted content published in the blog remains the intellectual property of the author(s).
Things to Do:
- Share your personal experiences and observations
- Link experiences to insights, to reveal how you came to do what you do in your role with students and ensuring learning
Things to Avoid:
- Avoid negativity, complaining about students, administrators, politics, etc. – the focus here is on personal and positive learning experiences that have informed your approach to your area
- Avoid anything that might jeopardize the privacy of individuals who were part of the experiences you describe, such as the inclusion of names or other details that might enable individuals to be identified who would not want to be so identified
TALE Blog Protocols for Use of Personal Names:
The goal of the TALE Blog is to share positive personal stories of learning and personal growth about teaching and the education profession, and such stories necessarily involve other people. When sharing a ‘teaching-and-learning’ story that involves individuals other than yourself, please use the following protocols to guide your decisions about how to refer to them.
Referring to others by name and position without permission is acceptable when:
- describing a public event
- referring to a public employee conducting their normal duties
- there is no intent to embarrass or criticize their performance or reputation
Permission to use other individuals’ names should be requested from those individuals when:
- Describing events or communications that occurred privately, such as a private meeting, conversation, or email exchange
- Telling a story that they may not wish to be shared
Stories involving other persons should keep their identify anonymous when:
- You are not comfortable asking the person for permission to tell the story or use their name, or to share the blog submission with them
- You are not able to ask the person for permission to tell the story or use their name, but have reason to doubt that they would be comfortable with the story
Protecting the basic integrity and dignity of others should always be paramount. You are free to critique and embarrass yourself all you like.
Editorial Team:
The TALE blog editorial team will consist of changing members of Kern CCD staff, representing different areas of the three colleges and the Kern CCD District Office. The editorial team should always have at least half of its membership from faculty.
The current editorial team consists of:
- Sonya Christian, California Community Colleges Chancellor & Former Kern CCD Chancellor
- Todd Coston, Kern CCD Associate Vice Chancellor, Planning Educational Technology
- Robert Simpkins, Professor, Porterville College
- Alex Rockey, Professor, Bakersfield College
- Rebecca Baird, Professor & Academic Senate President, Porterville College
- Reagen Dozier, Title V Director, Porterville College
- Chris Cruz-Boone, Professor, Bakersfield College
The TALE Blog 