Wallenberg Blog

At January's Wallenberg Hall Brown Bag Talk, SCIL Senior Research Scholar David Nordfors, Founder & Program Director, Innovation Journalism Program, coined the phrase "innovation journalism" in 2003 to describe journalism covering innovation where the process of innovation itself is the central concept, treating business, technology, politics etc. as nested components of a news story. David spoke at length about how the program has evolved since its inception and includes a well-respected fellowship program, annual conference and proceedings, and growing recognition and coverage nationally and internationally. For more on innovation journalism, check out the innovation journalism website at http://www.innovationjournalism.org/.

As Director of Development and Dissemination for the Stanford CTEL/CLAD Program Online, Veronica Fern-McElarney has multiple responsibilities as teacher, project manager, and entrepreneur of the Stanford Online Cross-Cultural Language and Academic Development (CLAD) Program for California Teachers of English Learners. Working to expand the program from California to other states where growing numbers of K-12 English learners are affecting schools, Veronica works closely with Stanford faculty Kenji Hakuta and Guadalupe Valdes. In her February talk for the Wallenberg Hall Brown Bag Series, Veronica invited the audience to participate and experience firsthand some of the pedagogical techniques she uses to engage students.

Ah, Spring Break at last.... the building is quiet, the campus is quiet, email and phones are quiet... NO they're NOT!! Spring Break does give me some relief from the hustle and bustle of an academic quarter, but it is also a time of intense activity. The first floor is being painted. Routine care and maintenance on the room technologies is taking place. Resources in the classrooms are being restocked. Calendars and card reader access for the next quarter are being updated. Faculty are finding their classrooms and getting room orientations from Dan Gilbert, our Academic Technology Specialist.

Tonight, we are hosting a dinner for SCANCOR, following a conference they are holding. The smell of dinner thankfully masks the smell of the paint drying. The Peter Wallenberg Learning Theater is being transformed into a dinner hall, with round tables and linens down to the floor. The movable tables from the room are stashed safely away in the side classrooms, and excess chairs are also stowed. That is the beauty of 'flexible furniture'. The lobby is set for the welcome reception, and is an ideal setting for the networking and socializing that is such an important aspect of conference events. Soon, the attendees will take their seats for dinner in the Theater. The lights are dimmed.

Tomorrow is another day... Friday.... just one full day away from the start of the Spring Quarter. The last chance for a final checklist of building technical and management issues. Spring Quarter is always an exciting session. The building is being very heavily used this quarter, with several challenging classes being hosted. We're going to be very busy......

I can't wait!!