Aug 20
Today is the big day. Classes start at my new institution. I have been working like crazy to get all my instructional materials prepared. Alas, I am almost ready. I still have a few assignments to complete, but I have most of the deliverables in my courses squared away.
In other news, I will be restarting my work on e-portfolios here at UNCW. Unlike my previous research, we are going to be looking at both pre-service teachers and first-year teachers to determine whether their e-portfolios are a relevant aspect of their professional careers.
That’s all for now. I have to get ready for class 
Aug 10
Sometime in July, my website was hacked and malicious code (specifically a Trojan) was inserted onto my website that would attempt to download malware via Javascript commands (silly uneval command). I identified and removed the malicious code immediately, changed my passwords, and contacted my web hosting company. I have also wrote some code to track my logs. Unfortunately, Google had already detected the malware using its bots and tagged my site as dangerous in their databases.
This concerns me as when my name is searched it is paired with this negative image. Anyway, for anyone that had noticed this, the problem was taken care of, and I am going to more proactively address these threats from hence forth by implementing a few more security procedures. Thankfully, after a month, Google no longer tags my site as malicious. I wonder if anyone else has experienced this. Further, though Google states that it may not be the site owner’s intent, I also wonder how other people feel about Google tagging our online identities as ‘malicious’. This practice, though in the best interest of the online community, can be potentially damaging to our reputations.
Aug 06
Today, I completed the new faculty orientation at UNCW. It was a great 3-day program. The first day, we listened to many different administrators from across the campus, and some spoke in learning workshops. That evening we went to the Chancellor’s Reception, which was also very nice. On the second day, we traveled to Jacksonville, NC (funny that it was Jacksonville) to visit Camp Lejeune and one of the research/community centers. On the third day, we went through the benefits program. I especially enjoyed meeting other new faculty from around the college. Here is what I learned:
1. UNCW takes collaboration among disciplines seriously. They even put their money where their mouth is when it comes to this.
2. UNCW does great scholarship within the region. The scholarship is rigorous, relevant, and regional it meets the needs of the local region and the world at large.
3. There is currently a pot of money for developing high quality online courses. I think this would be an excellent opportunity for the instructional technology program to grow its online offerings to a program level.
4. I also learned that UNCW has rigorous academic programs and has a strong commitment to its strategic plan. This pleases me as many other institutions have plans but act in opposition to those plans. Unity in vision is helpful. Also, UNCW is the third most competitive for admissions in the state of North Carolina (only behind Chapel Hill and NC State).
Anyway, the orientation has reinforced my decision to join the UNCW community. It is going to be a busy year!