Putting Educational Innovations into Practice.

GRAPE Camp Orientation Winter/Spring 2019

Please introduce yourself here. You can share more about what you teach, what your research interests are, and even your interests outside of academia. We want to build a community of Peer Reviewers to enable you to interact.

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Carmen King Ramirez on February 1, 2019 at 10:47am

Hi Cathy! It looks like I am the only person doing GRAPE camp in Spring 2019. I'm almost done with all of the modules so I'll be starting the evaluation soon (hopefully this weekend). I really liked the first modules and the laid-back presentation style. I look forwarding the finishing the training.

Permalink Reply by Cathy Swift on February 1, 2019 at 2:54pm

Hi, Carmen,

You're not the only one. The others just haven't participated. I'm glad you did. Your very close to becoming a MERLOT Peer Reviewer.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Permalink Reply by Pedro Vasquez on February 4, 2019 at 9:47am

Hi my name is Pedro Vasquez. Currently studying in Binghamton University, SUNY. I am from El Salvador and I have worked with college students and teenagers as well.

Permalink Reply by Cathy Swift on February 4, 2019 at 12:51pm

Hola, Pedro,

Bienvenides a MERLOT! I just heard this morning about the election of Bukele to the presidency. Hopefully, he can bring about some changes.

What are you studying?

Permalink Reply by Pedro Vasquez on February 6, 2019 at 1:54pm

Hi Cathy, Yes Bukele was just elected as the new president in El Salvador. We are very excited about this new phase. We are expecting new and positive changes for the good of the people. I am studying an MA in TESOL .

Permalink Reply by Cathy Swift on February 7, 2019 at 8:37pm

Wonderful!

Permalink Reply by Kimberly Sweigart Grotewold on February 8, 2019 at 8:13am

Hello, all.

I recently began my role as the Education Librarian at Texas A&M University San Antonio in July of 2018. I moved to San Antonio from Pennsylvania, where I am originally from, although I have lived in Texas before including in San Antonio, many years ago. It's amazing to see the amount of growth San Antonio has experienced in the years since I was making regular visits.

I currently support the instruction and research of the faculty and students at A&M-San Antonio's College of Education and Human Development, and I am enjoying going into classrooms to do information literacy and research instruction, particularly in the graduate education and counseling programs. I am currently experimenting with doing onsite office hours in the building where most of the education and counseling classes take place. I'm taking myself out to the students rather than expecting them to come to the library to see me. So far, this seems to be increasing my engagement with education faculty more than students, but that is still a benefit!

In the past, I have done some qualitative research on the role of peer-to-peer learning in students' technology skill development. Currently, I am not working on any specific projects but I have an idea related to a particular framework for teaching students how to use researched information (J. Bizup's BEAM, 2008) and its intersection with students' quantitative literacy.

Outside of work, most of my time is occupied by walking and playing with my dog (which is the sole member of my family living with me currently) and talking, messaging, and Face-timing with my husband and son (still in PA) until they can move to Texas and join me. Come on, June 2019!

Bizup, J. (2008). BEAM: A rhetorical vocabulary for teaching research-based writing. Rhetoric Review, 27(1), 72–86.

Permalink Reply by Cathy Swift on February 14, 2019 at 7:03am

Hi, Kimberly:

Welcome. Out of curiosity, where in Pennsylvania were you located? I'm from Pittsburgh originally. We're happy to have you interested in MERLOT Peer Reviewing.

Permalink Reply by Kimberly Sweigart Grotewold on February 15, 2019 at 11:04am

I was in Lancaster County, about 60 miles slightly north and west of Philadelphia.

Take care,

Kim

Permalink Reply by Cathy Swift on February 19, 2019 at 10:34am

Other side of the state. :-)

Permalink Reply by Paula Bedoya on February 9, 2019 at 7:47pm

Dear all,

How are you? My name is Paula Bedoya. I am a TESOL student at Binghamton University. NY. I have worked as an EFL teacher for several years. I like teaching adults. My first language is Spanish.

Permalink Reply by Cathy Swift on February 14, 2019 at 7:05am

Hola, Paula:

Welcome to MERLOT. I think the Spanish language is beautiful and have been learning (and forgetting much) since I was 11 years old.

I think it's wonderful that your class is participating in the Peer Review Orientation.