Category Archives: Instructor

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Instructor, News

What is a “Post”?

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I often ask you to write “posts.” There are a couple ways to approach this task, but usually it should take less than 10 or 15 minutes to actually write the post (reading and viewing course material takes longer, of course!).

When you write your post, think about the kind of things you are most likely to read on the internet. You can use posts for this class as a way to practice and apply strategies that will capture the audiences you want to reach.

I set up a “Post” page with some guidelines for writing your posts. But in truth, there’s no one right way to do it, as long as you aim for these goals:

  • thinking it through
  • sharing your ideas
  • demonstrating your knowledge

(and you should include an image, picture, graph, drawing, etc.)

by Nina Paley
Instructor, News

REPLY REQUESTED – California Bicycle Summit

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We have been invited to present at the California Bicycle Summit in Sacramento in the first week in October!

I need volunteers to attend the conference with me! We’ll drive up on Thursday morning (10/5) and spend the day at the conference. In the evening, there is a dance party at — wait for it — the California State Railroad Museum that evening, but we’ll only stay for that if everyone wants to.

SO this means that you might need to miss a Thursday class, but you get an opportunity to share your ideas with bike advocates from around California!

You don’t have to give a speech or TED talk or anything — we’ll make some posters and share them, kind of as described here:

I am not going to post a video of what a dance party for bike advocates at a railroad museum might look like. It’s not gonna be pretty.

Email me with questions (or post a comment below).

Instructor, Module 2

Panhandle Debates

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slide showing photos of the path and users, indicating unauthorized use and poor pavement conditions
Slide presenting evidence about the pedestrian path in San Francisco’s Panhandle.

We’ve been studying the Panhandle, and it turns out other people have been studying it too.

Over the past 100 years, the Panhandle has changed from a parkway for automobiles to a car-free extension of Golden Gate Park. The streets bordering the Panhandle, Fell and Oak, have changed from quiet neighborhood streets to wide, high-speed expressways.

Now there are plans for further changes–but what should those changes be? Like our class, different groups have been trying to collect information that will help us make the best decisions.

Read this post on Streetsblog San Francisco about the controversies that have arisen. Post a comment here — thinking particularly about evidence, how would you address this problem?

 

Instructor, Module 1

BY MONDAY Fourth Task for Class 9/12: Create Two Questions

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In class on Tuesday, September 12th, we’ll visit the offices of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition at 1720 Market Street. We’re scheduled to meet with Executive Director Brian Wiedenmeier at 2 p.m.

We’ll learn a bit about the history of the SF Bicycle Coalition, its current projects, and its future plans.

Based on what you know (or would like to know) about bikes and public speaking, create two questions for Brian Wiedenmeier. I’ll share some of these questions with him in advance, and you’ll have the opportunity to ask some of them at the meeting.

A good structure for a question is:

“In class, we read about _______________. What is your opinion/ what is the position of the Bicycle Coalition on this issue?”

You can also ask questions that are specific to Mr. Wiedenmeier’s role. For example, “What are the main duties of an Executive Director in a non-profit?” or “What changes have you seen in San Francisco since you started here?” or …..

Post these questions to your blog. If your blog isn’t up and running, post your questions in the comments (below).

Sample questions:

We watched Dr. Fred Rivara’s TEDx talk, where he argues ______________ about bicycle helmets. What is the position of the Bicycle Coalition about helmets?

We read about establishing credibility with audiences. How do you, as Executive Director, establish credibility?

Instructor, Module 1

Second Task for Class 9/12: Read These 3 Things

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Aerial view of Panhandle, 1938. Photo Lun Esex. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/

The previous post asked you to join the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. Did you do it? Post a comment (below) and let me know.

For class on Tuesday 9/12, I’ll also ask you to read a few short selections and watch a few videos. As before, your goals are to:

  1. understand the main ideas of the readings individually
  2. connect ideas across readings & videos
  3. apply concepts from course materials to real life

Continue reading Second Task for Class 9/12: Read These 3 Things →

Instructor, speakingofbicycles

Giro di San Francisco

Every Labor Day (the first Monday in September), San Francisco hosts a bike race called the “Giro di San Francisco.” Giro is the Italian word for “tour” — in years past, the race went through North Beach, an historically Italian neighborhood.

Once upon a time, the race was known as the San Francisco Gran Prix, and some of the world’s greatest pros came to SF to suffer on the steep hills of Fillmore Street.

The Giro is now a relatively flat “criterium” race (meaning a lot of short, fast laps, which is great for spectators).

The Giro has caught the attention of Funcheap:

http://sf.funcheap.com/il-giro-de-san-francisco-bike-race/

The race promoter’s event flyer is here:

http://www.ncnca.org/sites/default/files/07/14/2017%20-%206%3A15pm/FL_2017-2356-Giro%20di%20SF_OKED.pdf

Lots of folks take video while in the race: