99 Motivators for College Success will soon have 200,000 Unique Site Visitors

Also in 2020, 99 Motivators was sent to hundreds of rising high school seniors as part of Randolph College's Book Award program (2016-present).

Thank you for your support. 
Perry  

Outstanding Article Award from ALSB

 

Honored to receive this award -- co-authors and JLSE journal editors improved the article immensely.

Just Published: The Entrepreneurs with No Garage Project

Entrepreneurs with No Garage is a team project in my Tech Law for Entrepreneurs course, focusing on the most common mistakes that people make when forming a business without legal counsel. In the assignment, students assume the role of a hypothetical business partner in a start-up with only $500 for initial legal costs. Students participate in exercises that allocate these funds; assess personal and company risk levels; draft a Shareholder Agreement entailing different roles and capital contributions; and write a Work for Hire agreement with a clause conferring intellectual property ownership. 
Click here for the journal article  

Ebay Review: 99 Motivators for College Success

Great College Prep Read: "99 Motivators for College Success" is a fantastic read for anyone in college. It makes a particularly great gift for high school seniors preparing to start their first year of college or even just considering it. The book is easy to read and humorous while providing incredibly accurate and valuable advice for how to make the most of attending college.
Click Here for Amazon Reviews

Moving Classroom Humor Online

Ten years ago, I wrote an article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Making a Case for Classroom Humor:
I never dreamed of being a college professor. Does anybody? When my third-grade teacher asked us about our dream job, Molly said, “Astronaut.” Evan, “An actor.” Perry: “Obtain a terminal degree and lecture on legal morasses.”  
Whether you teach third grade or nuclear physics, every student wants a good laugh. As teacher accountability objectives collide with shorter attention spans, laughter is the secret ingredient to keep everyone on task.

As we teach online, I am searching for ways to mirror humor and learning outside the classroom.  For example, I just conducted a virtual class meeting with headphones and a graduation gown since I have so many seniors in Internet Law. After posting this picture, I posed these questions to students: Does this photograph violate the university logo's copyright and trademark, or is it a "fair use?" More relevant, how badly does this picture tarnish the university's brand?!

Over the summer, I am teaching another class online. To me, the first day is the most important session because it sets the tone for the semester. I usually tell a story about visiting a student in jail late at night. He was wrongly imprisoned and frightened when I arrived but eventually I got him to smile (and got him an attorney). That story can be seen in this YouTube video (3 minutes), where the takeaway is that the law is serious business but we will learn about it with a little bit of humor. I would like to make my first virtual summer class equally impactful.

My question to all of the hard-working college professors and K-12 teachers currently teaching online: How are you making your class challenging, memorable, and of course, funny? Please post your success stories on Twitter: @Perry_Binder.

Speaking on #IP for STE(A)M Students

Great time as usual with #GSU students.
Dig the PPT/projector created white beard?

PERRY’S 10 L.I.G.H.T. B.U.L.B.S. for Teachers

For the new year, have you replaced your LIGHT BULBS?

PERRY’S 10 L.I.G.H.T. B.U.L.B.S. for Teachers

L. isten to all learners

I. nspire them with real world discussions

G. ive hope to everyone

H. eap compliments on students for quality work

T. each to your strengths

B. e available at all times, whether in person or electronically

U. nderstand that students may lack your life experience or knowledge

L. earn from your learners

B. e willing to walk in your students’ shoes

S. tay within yourself

10 Motivators for Professional Success in 2020

Posted on LinkedIn.  Happy New Year!

10 Motivators for Professional Success in 2020

1. Don't let anyone crush your professional dreams. However, the riskier your dream, the better your backup plan must be.

2. Live life with no regrets. Sometimes doing the “wrong" career thing may be the right thing for you. Just be prepared to deal with the consequences.
3. The most important thing during school …

Click here to continue reading 10 Motivators for Professional Success

10 Tips for Picking a Career Path in College a/k/a Don't Follow Walter White's Path

From my Huffington Post archives...

In the sage words of Yogi Berra, “if you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll be lost when you get there.”  Picking a career path boils down to a cost benefit analysis and a gut check.  It is a game of reality versus passion, and you can start blazing a meaningful path in college.  But hopefully you can appreciate that every career has an arc, and you are at the beginning of the curve.  Don’t be surprised if your career direction  changes significantly a few times before and after you reach the peak. With that message in mind, here are my 10 tips for picking a career path in college: 1.  Don’t let anyone crush your dreams.  However, the riskier your dream, the better your backup plan must be. Click to Continue Reading

Appeared: Business X Radio, WomenLead GSU & Management Consulting Club

A busy few weeks...

Fun time with my GSU students on the radio!

Great time speaking on hashtagIP for hashtagWomenLead hashtagGSU hashtagEntrepreneurs class with Dr. Isabelle Monlouis.

Speaking on 5 Most Common Law Mistakes when Starting a Business

Great time today speaking in GSU College of Arts Jeff Boortz #GraphicArts class on the 5 biggest law mistakes in starting a business. ⁦

Speaking on Law Essentials for Entrepreneurs

Looking forward to speaking this Fall on Law Essentials for Entrepreneurs for these GSU groups:
- WomenLead Entrepreneurs
- Management Consulting Club
- Graphic Artists class

My 10 Classroom Tips for Your First College Semester

As I head to GSU23 Freshman Convocation, here are:

My 10 Classroom Tips for Your First College Semester 

My "L.I.G.H.T. B.U.L.B." Moments for Teachers

I try my best to live up to this in class...

Closing Speaker at The Future of Education Conference in Florence

Speaking on one of my favorite topics: Using Social Media to Teach Justice Issues with a Teacher’s Passion Project Case

The Future of Education, Florence, IT

Universities Embrace Technology, But Distance Learning Faces Controversy

From the archives (New York Times, 1999):   Binder "couldn't tell an A drive from a C drive before 1995."

Universities Embrace Technology, But Distance Learning Faces Controversy
Although 1998 saw a flurry of new ventures promoting online distance learning for both college-level and graduate courses, it was also a year when faculty members in large numbers began questioning whether the computer screen was an adequate replacement for the classroom.

At the same time, technology became more embedded in campus life, affecting everything from how students apply to college to how professors conduct class discussions.

Expect more of the same in 1999.

Click here to continue reading

At 93 years old, she earned her college degree from Georgia State

Best graduation story of the year at my university!
Joyce Lowenstein had some health setbacks that delayed her degree, but it didn't stop her from achieving her dream.

At 93 years old, she earned her college degree from Georgia State

Motivational Graduation Speech for High School and College Graduates

Your Graduation Inspires Me

When I participate in graduation ceremonies, I often imagine delivering my own speech to the graduates, as if I were the commencement speaker:

Good morning chancellor, president, deans, faculty members, staff, students, friends, and family members.  And to the graduates:
Every one of you is special.
Every one of you is a productive member of society.
Every one of you is what inspires ME - because… 
Every one of you has a story to tell.
I just wish I had the time to hear every one of them, and to be there as your career paths unfold.

You have already accomplished a huge milestone on that journey.  The biggest step though was just showing up.  That’s it.  The secret most people don’t get until it’s too late.  Just showing up as young freshmen was a threshold event.  Trying something which may be hard for the first time.  Experiencing new things, even if it’s unknown whether the objective is attainable.

To me, the greatest barriers to success, however you define that, are a fear of the unknown, a fear of change, and a fear of failure.  But you need a game plan, and hopefully you can lean a little on what you learned in school to figure out that route.  No matter what you do in life, you always will have your education.

I hope you made some lifelong friends here.  Frankly, I learned more about life from my peers than from my professors.  And I hope you got more than knowledge from your profs because you can get that from a book.  I’m hoping you gained insight on whatever subject, and then stamped your own original perspective on how to resolve issues and solve problems.

Many times the things you do won’t work.  And you will fail at some things you try.  That’s just a fact of life.  Abraham Lincoln once said:  “My great concern is not whether you have failed, but whether you are content with your failure.” 

And you will make mistakes.  A lot of them!  Both in your careers and your lives.  That’s just another fact of life.  But that’s okay.  The trick is figuring out how to deal with setbacks.  Your family and friends will always be there for you.  And your education will continually serve as a foundation to get you back on track.

Franklin D. Roosevelt said: “We are not prisoners of fate, but only prisoners of our own minds.”  Graduates, each of you must unlock your mind and blaze a path built on reason and purpose.  Life is too short to spend it bouncing around like a random and aimless ball in a game of Pong.®  And whether you are 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, or 80 years young, it is never too late to test the boundaries of your dreams. 

Finally, I want all of you gathered in front of me to please lose the title of “former” student, because you will be my students for many years to come.  And I expect in return that I can become your student, as I learn about your professional successes, trials, and tribulations.

Every one of you is special.
Every one of you is a productive member of society.
Every one of you is what inspires me – because...
Every one of you has a story to tell.

What will your next journey be?

Excerpt from 99 Motivators for College Success