Be Prepared!

As you will soon (VERY SOON!) discover, life on the ship is intense, fast-paced, and fun.

COME PREPARED for your teaching.

The days go by quickly, class time seems short, and there is very little time to linger between class days.

It's all very compressed.

So, bring your materials with you (little time to prepare things on the ship) on a flash drive, have your course mapped out, get as much as you can done NOW.

The next port will be here quickly!

See you soon.

Magic Tricks with Phones

Here are a couple of tricks with the iPhone (what?! You don't have an iPhone??) that can save you time and money while abroad.

Phone calls:

If you turn Airplane Mode on (thus, blocking any local companies from sending you things or allowing calls at exhorbitant international rates), and turn Wifi on, you can make Skype calls anytime you find a free wifi spot. Skype charges practically nothing when you use it on your phone (it's free from computer to computer, as you know) and the advantage is that you can call ANY number in the world (does not have to be another Skype number, can be landline or cell). And it is super cheap. Downoad the Skype App, set up an account (I'm still using the $10 I put on it last year) and gab away. This is MUCH cheaper than even the Intnational plans that the phone companies try to sell you.

Getting Around a New City/Country

There is a free App called Maps With Me that embeds maps into your phone. You need to download the countries you will be travelling to, then you have them without using phone minutes or internet. Very useful and very accurate (even gives restaurants, major buildings, etc.).

Also, the free App WhatsApp will allow you to do free texting with other WhatsApp users once you find a wifi site. Works brilliantly anywhere in the world (but your contacts must also have the App enabled).

There are other ways. These work for me.

I saw the equivalente of this sign in a coffee shop in Buenos Aires. Thought it's worth sharing.

See you soon.

Field Labs

30 days and counting....
And now a word about FIELD LABS

Field Labs are an important component of the course you are teaching. They constitute 20% of the course grade, so it is imperative that the students 1) show up, 2) are prepared for what they will experience, and 3) display proper etiquette during the 8-hour project.

I think it is crucial that students understand 1) how important the Field Lab is to the intellectual and academic nature of the course, 2) what they will see and experience during the day, and 3) what is expected of them in terms of behavior and academics.

YOUR ENTHUSIASM will set the students up for success. Take ownership of your Field Lab, be engaged and engaging, and let them know that you take the FL seriously.

Remember: NO ONE ELSE may join the FL. Excuses will surface (parents, friends, LLLs), tears shed, whines whined, threats made. But, ISE and UVa policy insists that the FL, as a component of the course, is not a tourist event, but an integral part of what has already taken place --and will take place-- in the classroom.

What to do is a student is (or claims to be) too sick to join the FL? Here is the ISE policy: "A student who believes that he/she is too sick to attend a field lab must be assessed at the medical clinic by the same morning as the departure of the field lab and not after the field lab returns. If the student is assessed as too sick to attend the field lab, the medical staff will notify the Registrar by email and the student will not be able to leave the ship for the duration of the field lab and may be required to comply with other restrictions assigned by the medical staff. The faculty member will work in conjunction with the Academic Dean and Registrar, as well as the student, to select a replacement lab and assignment in one of the upcoming ports. Should a student be too ill to go on the last field lab in the last port, the faculty member will develop additional assignments for the student to complete to make up the missing 20% of the course work."

Your ownership of the FL will make a difference. Your students will feel special, that they have been given a unique opportunity to learn something new and different. Prep them. Enjoy!

Teaching on a Rocking Ship!

You are all experienced teachers —that's why you were hired to join us on this extraordinary voyage— but teaching on a rocking ship with multiple distractions and frequently exhausted students brings challenges unlike those you face on your home campus.

With that in mind, I offer 10 tips here —accumulated wisdom— that will make your experience richer and more satisfying. Take a look, and consider incorporating them as you plan for the summer.

1. PLAN AHEAD. Come to the ship ready to go, with all (or most) of your lectures and activities in place. You will NOT have a lot of time to prepare on the ship.

2. Keep LECTURING to a MINIMUM. Students learn when they are engaged, and this is even more true on the ship. Keep it ACTIVE, allow students to participate. Use CREATIVE class activities.

3. Maintain your ACADEMIC STANDARDS, but do so with REASON. Keep the academic pressure on, but be mindful of the unique environment of the MV Explorer.

4. Be CLEAR about your expectations.

5. As much as possible, connect class work with the PORTS. We are involved in a comparative global education project.

6. POWERPOINTS: minimize text, use the upper 2/3 of the slide (see below).

7. Prepare students for your FIELD LAB. Explain what you want to accomplish, what the standards are (intellectual, behavior, timing, dress), what the work will be. Students will be engaged, not merely "hanging out." Why are you doing what you are doing? What are the research expectations? Remind students that 1) they must not schedule any other trip during this time, and 2) NO OTHER individuals may join them (not friends or parents or other guests).

8. In-country assignments: be engaged, be intentional, be rigorous, be respectful.

9. LENS CLASSES: teaching in the Union is an additional challenge. Make it FEEL small (have students sit up front, take attendance, engage them in small groups, no electronics)

10. Give them assignments EARLY in the course; this will enable you to set the standards, determine their levels, flag students who might need extra help.

Two sample POWER POINT illustrations (sorry for the cropping). Which is easier for the students to see?

Heathrow to Southampton

I've just booked our trip from Heathrow Airport to Southampton. If you're interested, here's what we did:

National Express coaches (bus) run from Heathrow's Central Station every couple of hours. The cost, if you book in advance, is about $34 per person, one way. It takes you NOT TO THE CRUISE TERMINAL (that bus only runs on Saturdays, and is much more expensive), but rather to Southampton Coach Station. From there, it's a 10-minute cab ride to the cruise terminal.

http://www.nationalexpress.com/home.aspx

If you will be staying in London for any time before you get to Southampton, there are trains and busses from there to Southampton. There are also private car services.

PLEASE READ the information in the emails coming from Joyce et. al. regarding the MY PASSPORT documents. It's all there.

(Southampton Cruise Port. We don't know yet exactly where we'll be).

Your Summer Home

Many of you have had the privilege of sailing on the MV Explorer, but many of you are new to this adventure. So, what does the ship actually look like? Herein, some pictures I've taken over the years that I hope will give you an idea of where you'll be spending some of your best-ever time.....

Overview: 7 decks
Deck 1: Not ours
Decks 2-4: Student rooms
Deck 4, center: Faculty "suites"
Deck 5: Timitz Square (Purser's Square, business offices, some faculty/guest cabins, main dining hall)
Deck 6: Classrooms, Library, Computer Lab, Bookstore, Campus store, informal dining, piano study lounge, Union)
Deck 7: Glazer Lounge (faculty, staff, lifelong learner quiet zone), pool deck, workout spaces, spa)

What will YOUR cabin look like? Most faculty members will be accommodated on Deck 4, center, in rooms that look like this: two twin beds (can be put together as a king), seating area, bathroom (shower), closet space, porthole window. They are comfortable, small, relaxing. Storage under the bed or in the closets (small, but adequate). Don't bring a lot of extra junk. You won't spent a lot of time in the cabin! Some faculty members (seniority, lottery) will be on Deck 5, with small balconies. (Please don't lobby - there is a system for the selection, and the Dean, alas, isn't the major player....).

SO, WHO'S EXCITED???!!!!

Counting down....

Lots of details to think about, lots of excitement being generated for this voyage. Herein, a few thoughts:

1. TEACHING MATERIALS

Faculty members will NOT be provided with desk copies of textbooks, nor does the library on the ship provide a reserve copy. Therefore, you MUST bring (or send ahead of time, see below) your teaching materials with you. Students will be in exactly the same position, so you might want to contact your students before the voyage to remind them to bring the required texts and materials with them. (You will be provided rosters of students sometime down the line).

Faculty members may ship a box of teaching materials ahead of time; this will be delivered to your cabin on the ship in Southampton. I believe you received a message from Kate Beach (March 18) with information about shipping the materials. The deadline is MAY 2, 2014 (that is, just over a month from now). I copy Kate's message here:
=========
A shipping container will be sent from Florida to Southampton for your embarkation on the Summer 2014 voyage. Because this container will leave tor Southampton at least 5 weeks before your voyage embarks, the deadline to have your materials at the address listed below is May 2, 2014. Materials arriving in Florida after May 2 will not make it into the container.

Please note that only educational materials are permitted to be sent in the container. No personal items should be included in any shipments.

Please save your receipts and send them to me after the voyage is over and I will process your reimbursement, up to $200.00. A container will not return to the US from Southampton after your voyage, but you may ship educational materials home and include those receipts along with those for sending materials to Florida. Any shipping costs above $200 total for getting materials to embarkation at the beginning of the voyage AND home after the voyage are at your own expense. You will not be reimbursed for any shipping expense unless you provide me with receipts after the voyage.

The deadline for shipments to reach the warehouse in Florida is May 2, 2014. Once you send your shipment, please be sure to record the tracking numbers on this form. Without a tracking number it is impossible to locate missing items.

All shipments for Summer 2014 require a commercial invoice because they are being sent overseas. We added a field to the shipment tracking form (linked above) for the user to upload a copy of this invoice. Alternatively, you can email it to Chris Ryan at cryan@isevoyages.org. UPS, FEDEX, etc should be able to generate this commercial invoice without any problem, but you will probably need to ask for it.

The address in Florida is a follows. Please use this exact address format when addressing your package.

SHIPPING ADDRESS
MV EXPLORER - SU14 SOUTHAMPTON
ATTN: NAME OF PERSON, NAME OF LOCATION ON SHIP TO BE DELIVERED
C/O Italian Seaways USA LLC
11725 NW 100 Rd Suite 1
Medley, FL 33178

EXAMPLE
MV EXPLORER - SU14 SOUTHAMPTON
ATTN: CHRIS RYAN, FACULTY
C/O Italian Seaways USA LLC
11725 NW 100 Rd Suite 1
Medley, FL 33178
=========

2. RUSSIA

Are we going to Russia?
Will the US State Department issue an advisory?
Will we be able to manage the complex (and expensive) Russian visa information?
Will Putin take his shirt off if we meet him?
WE DO NOT KNOW.
I am proceeding "as if," that is, planning to be in St. Petersburg on time. Some details:

Everyone who plans to touch foot in Russia needs a visa (this includes individuals who sign up for ship trips, since we will be there for longer than 72 hours). HOWEVER, if you need/want to avoid the hassle of the visas, you may STAY ON THE SHIP. But this means just that: you will need to stay aboard the entire time, and will not be allowed to go anywhere in St. Petersburg.

3. PACKING

What to take?
Start thinking now about what you need. Then, put half of it back in the drawers.
The ship is rather aggressively casual, so comfortable clothes are the rule. You might need one sport coat or similar getup, but don't overpack. Laundry is done on the ship (about $8 for everything you can stuff into a plastic bag). They will iron for a nominal extra charge. No dry cleaning.
Seriously, do NOT bring a lot of stuff you don't need.

4. NEXT POST: WHAT DOES THE SHIP LOOK LIKE? STAY TUNED......