As our conference culminates with the Technology Summit today, we will take new ideas for exploration in our interactivities with colleagues and students. Next year this time, we will be talking about effects on student learning with at least one of the depositories, applications, or social sites. I have even collected poetry from the web describing actions upon the world as a result of living in the renaissance of virtual learning. The poem below, written by a screenwriter and librarian, does a good job of reflecting who we have become as consumers and users of the web. The poet incorporates links to each web resource that he references and his own website, lost here, but in the original post (CF footnote).
Barbara Glenn
“I’M PRETTY WELL CONNECTED”
(a Web 2.0 poem) by Gregory K.
I’m pretty well connected:
Facebook’s got my face.
I AIM and blog.
Of course I vlog.
Come see me at MySpace.
I Flickr, and I Twitter.
I wiki and Squidoo!
I’m Live. I Ning.
I’m there on Xing.
I’m really LinkedIn, too.
I Hulu, Yelp, and Google.
My YouTube channel’s hot.
I share Goodreads,
Have many feeds,
And Digg and link a lot.
Second Life and Classmates?
Xanga? RateItAll?
I’m on those four
And dozens more
Plus some I can’t recall
I’m pretty well connected:
My friends are EVERYWHERE.
I bet I’d meet
Them on the street...
If I’d just leave my chair.
Gregory K, Friday, September 19, 2008, as found at http://gottabook.blogspot.com/2008/09/im-pretty-well-connected-web-20-poeman.html, April 28, 2011.
Friday, April 29, 2011
"Dunno" Where Thursday Post Went: Here It Is Again!
My cat, Katie, took her annoying tummy perch earlier than usual this morning, alerting me to this day being Thursday and I’d better get my web log - she’s so technical -written before Leadership Council. Of course, I did not adhere; so, I’m late. Anyone who missed the Illinois Conference yesterday should be sure to delve into the archives, since they will be available for several months to us. Alied Health and Nursing faculty certainly got a variety of successful mobile device uses for instruction – from field work to case studies. I’m still thinking of how I can adapt the Google Maps scavenger hunt activity presented by both a librarian and Geography professor. In fact, I found a similar use in the Presidio Commons website for mapping the sites visited by an author, tracing the narrative events. From texting announcements to polling surveys with mobile devices, the uses are tremendously rich resources for us all. Session 6 is also a must. Although it will take me six months or more to explore the numerous “apps” introduced by the presenters and colleagues from around the country, I’m excited, and so will you be, as well.
Barbara Glenn
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Free Shots For Academic Influenza
The JSR Virtual Conference is providing rich resources for many of us that we may, or may not, have recognized. Some examples are the resources we have been given in our sessions to ease the tasks of professional tasks and discussions or engaging students with effective web storage sites and applications. A specific example is the set of resources for all of us during the times we chair committees, serve as program head or department chair, carry out a specific reassignment or professional development grant. During my tenure at Alabama, we used the phrase “academic flu” to describe the unforeseen loss of free time and heavy management tasks that accompanied these services. In bamaspeak (Alabama that is), it sounds like “ackardeema flew.” We really should no longer contract this “flew” as a result of this conference, as we have received more than sufficient injections in the form of web options these two weeks. An article on the Academia.com site summarizes the types of gems for these types of duties that we are meeting in this conference.
Barbara Glenn
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
The Bonuses Keep Coming
Congratulations to our JSRCC Leadership on seeing the need to award incentives to those who are embracing the “technology shift,” as Allison Cerra terms it, in CJ Bracken’s presentation today. Dr. Hashmi explained the details in her presentation today. We are seeing the views on the undeniable shift from Australia to Mexico to all around the USA. Are we open to change? Many feel we must be, but there are still those who are hesitant – not necessarily because they object, but because of budgetary concerns, as well as the question, do we really know what to do? Do we keep technology as a supportive thing? Are we headed to a “bring your own” culture? What do we want our classrooms to look like and should not the supportive technology be installed there?
Whatever the outcome, one thing is for certain – we have to be open for change (Michael McGrath), and we are at the beginnings of transitioning to using mobile devices to teach concepts, critical thinking, and applied learning activities. Right now, I have begun Bracken’s course focusing on these applications, ENROLL. At the same time I am reading Take Your iPad to Work. As my smart phone has such a small face, I’m turning to the Pad for better reading, tracking work completion, spreadsheet mobility, transmitting content in my hand to the larger screen for others to see during discussion and reporting, and other work related tasks. Here I have consolidated all my e-mail accounts, and when I make a change in a contact, it automatically changes on all my devices. When I rolled down the window to say hello to a colleague yesterday, she commented that she had set up her class attendance sheets on her iPad.
I thank the Center for Distance Learning for making available to us free tomorrow’s all-day International Online Conference 2011: “Going Mobile in Higher Ed.” (Shh! don’t tell anyone, but the conference would have cost us individually, close to $100 bucks.) Each session sounds informative to help us decide what may be best for us – not necessarily immediately, but certainly in the coming semesters: You will find out more about the Mobile Educational Landscape, Communication Strategies, Class work Uses, Assessable Delivery Tools, Assessment Uses, and even Top Education Apps. We are indeed fortunate to be in the JSRCC Virtual Conference.
Barbara Glenn
Whatever the outcome, one thing is for certain – we have to be open for change (Michael McGrath), and we are at the beginnings of transitioning to using mobile devices to teach concepts, critical thinking, and applied learning activities. Right now, I have begun Bracken’s course focusing on these applications, ENROLL. At the same time I am reading Take Your iPad to Work. As my smart phone has such a small face, I’m turning to the Pad for better reading, tracking work completion, spreadsheet mobility, transmitting content in my hand to the larger screen for others to see during discussion and reporting, and other work related tasks. Here I have consolidated all my e-mail accounts, and when I make a change in a contact, it automatically changes on all my devices. When I rolled down the window to say hello to a colleague yesterday, she commented that she had set up her class attendance sheets on her iPad.
I thank the Center for Distance Learning for making available to us free tomorrow’s all-day International Online Conference 2011: “Going Mobile in Higher Ed.” (Shh! don’t tell anyone, but the conference would have cost us individually, close to $100 bucks.) Each session sounds informative to help us decide what may be best for us – not necessarily immediately, but certainly in the coming semesters: You will find out more about the Mobile Educational Landscape, Communication Strategies, Class work Uses, Assessable Delivery Tools, Assessment Uses, and even Top Education Apps. We are indeed fortunate to be in the JSRCC Virtual Conference.
Barbara Glenn
Monday, April 25, 2011
Brainstorming Possibilities: Ripple Effect (s) of Virtual Conference 2011
Over a hundred years ago Ralph Waldo Emerson used the phrase, “concentric circles” to point out that our lives, deeds, and events affect our world. Today, we use “the ripple effect” as a similar metaphor. As we move into the second week of our online conference, we are beginning to look at how the conference presentations can affect our approaches to teaching and learning, mainly online, but concentrically in the physical classroom as well. What will our syllabi contain in the fall (summer is already upon us) as a result of this conference? How will interacting with students change? What new or revised opportunities can we make for students to learn by experiences online? What new or revised opportunities can we make for students to interact for learning from each other through Blackboard, strategies presented at this online conference or with a combination of these and various web 2.0 technologies not covered here? How might our professional dialogues be affected by what we absorb these two weeks? Last, but just as important, how will Institutional goals and objectives develop as a result of what we have learned?
As one of my esteemed colleagues often says, “Let me know what you think.”
Barbara Glenn
As one of my esteemed colleagues often says, “Let me know what you think.”
Barbara Glenn
Friday, April 22, 2011
What is a five-letter word that means "open content"?
If you go into downtown Richmond this weekend, you will see lots of pink and green!
“Free” is the word that comes to mind, especially after viewing Tasha Brown’s presentation on Open Content Resources. There are a variety of resources – course content, interactive learning modules, application software, etc. – available to us. Tasha has pointed us to many resources, some that I have heard of and have used such as MERLOT and MIT Open Courseware. Other resources I had not heard of or have not yet tried, such as Quandary and Hot Potatoes. Tasha (and Janice in her presentation on Going Global) encourages us to just get in there and try these resources. Great idea, but where can we find the time?
About two years ago, Joyce Barnes and I did a presentation, Working Smarter and Not Harder, on time management for instructors. We talked about ways to use the tools to keep from being overwhelmed by the demand for interaction. In just the two years since that presentation, the number of new resources that have become available is amazing. I think Tasha has given some good advice - just pick a few and try them. Later in the conference, Joyce will be sharing more suggestions for resources to tap in “Why Create It? It Might Be Out There”.
Next week you will have the benefit of a different perspective and a different voice in the conference blog. Be sure to check daily for comments by Barbara Glenn, Dean of Humanities & Social Sciences at JSRCC.
“Free” is the word that comes to mind, especially after viewing Tasha Brown’s presentation on Open Content Resources. There are a variety of resources – course content, interactive learning modules, application software, etc. – available to us. Tasha has pointed us to many resources, some that I have heard of and have used such as MERLOT and MIT Open Courseware. Other resources I had not heard of or have not yet tried, such as Quandary and Hot Potatoes. Tasha (and Janice in her presentation on Going Global) encourages us to just get in there and try these resources. Great idea, but where can we find the time?
About two years ago, Joyce Barnes and I did a presentation, Working Smarter and Not Harder, on time management for instructors. We talked about ways to use the tools to keep from being overwhelmed by the demand for interaction. In just the two years since that presentation, the number of new resources that have become available is amazing. I think Tasha has given some good advice - just pick a few and try them. Later in the conference, Joyce will be sharing more suggestions for resources to tap in “Why Create It? It Might Be Out There”.
Next week you will have the benefit of a different perspective and a different voice in the conference blog. Be sure to check daily for comments by Barbara Glenn, Dean of Humanities & Social Sciences at JSRCC.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Seeing is Engaging
If you haven’t already, see Ken Fairbank’s presentation and then join the discussion on Face 2 Face with Facebook: Connect With Your Students Where They Live! Ken has inserted a short video to encourage us to join with him in discussion. What a great way to grab your students’ (and your) attention and draw them (and you) into a discussion. In her presentation on using blogs in her composition class, Bev has a video that gives students screen by screen and mouse click by mouse click directions on setting up the blog as a homepage. Both of these are useful examples of how “seeing” can encourage students to engage.
Highlights of the keynote presentation by Dr. Hilyard: Acknowledging that the dropout rate in community college is too high, in her keynote comments, Dr. Hilyard suggested that we should take advantage of the advances in instructional technology to focus on “mastery learning by responding to a student’s knowledge base and taking them to the next step.” The technology supports things like scenario applications, use of adaptive software, sequential modules capped with quizzes, and other instructional strategies to help students “be involved in challenging learning environments where they can progress at their pace, continually learning new information and applying it”. Considering the desire of the millennial student for lots of engagement and the adult learner for practical, shorter, and focused study, Dr. Hilyard suggested that we are challenged to “create stimulating learning environments where one’s thirst for information and learning (curiosity) remains constant and the level of excitement for learning remains high … The challenge for us as teacher/creators of online courses is to build into our courses the stimuli that enable our students to be excited about their learning.”
Coming soon to the Virtual Conference: You will be able to view a short interview with Dr. Hilyard in which she shares more about her views on the future of distance education and teaching with technology.
Marian
Highlights of the keynote presentation by Dr. Hilyard: Acknowledging that the dropout rate in community college is too high, in her keynote comments, Dr. Hilyard suggested that we should take advantage of the advances in instructional technology to focus on “mastery learning by responding to a student’s knowledge base and taking them to the next step.” The technology supports things like scenario applications, use of adaptive software, sequential modules capped with quizzes, and other instructional strategies to help students “be involved in challenging learning environments where they can progress at their pace, continually learning new information and applying it”. Considering the desire of the millennial student for lots of engagement and the adult learner for practical, shorter, and focused study, Dr. Hilyard suggested that we are challenged to “create stimulating learning environments where one’s thirst for information and learning (curiosity) remains constant and the level of excitement for learning remains high … The challenge for us as teacher/creators of online courses is to build into our courses the stimuli that enable our students to be excited about their learning.”
Coming soon to the Virtual Conference: You will be able to view a short interview with Dr. Hilyard in which she shares more about her views on the future of distance education and teaching with technology.
Marian
Monday, April 18, 2011
Technology...Great When It Works
And I thought that I wouldn’t have anything exciting to blog about for the second day of the Virtual Conference. Well, I had problems viewing all of the keynote presentation. It turns out that there are some technical problems with the file. (That is why I always have a Plan B.)
It is 10:53 p.m. and I can’t just go to Patrick in the next office and ask for help. This experience is a great reminder of what students must feel like at 10:30 at night when they can not access files or view videos and there is no one to call.
However, I am looking forward to viewing the keynote. Dr. Hilyard has a very “laid-back” conversational style. Her presentation is basic, not lots of bells and whistles, but she talks in a practical way about how technology has changed the higher education landscape and has reduced the socio-economic barriers to higher education. She also talks about how, with the technology available, we can address the learning needs of both the millennial students and the adult learner.
Today, check out Cloud Computing in the Concurrent Sessions. While a presentation on "going to the cloud", this presentation is also a demonstration of Panopto, a lecture capturing system. Some instructors at Virginia Western and at Rappahannock ( maybe other colleges) are using this system to record what actually happens in the classroom lecture and offer it to their students for further review or if they missed the class. As you will see in this presentation, the lecture capture system does capture all of the instructor’s comments and whatever is projected. While this is a lengthy presentation, you can actually skip to any section that interests you and can replay any section.
Enjoy the day!
Marian
It is 10:53 p.m. and I can’t just go to Patrick in the next office and ask for help. This experience is a great reminder of what students must feel like at 10:30 at night when they can not access files or view videos and there is no one to call.
However, I am looking forward to viewing the keynote. Dr. Hilyard has a very “laid-back” conversational style. Her presentation is basic, not lots of bells and whistles, but she talks in a practical way about how technology has changed the higher education landscape and has reduced the socio-economic barriers to higher education. She also talks about how, with the technology available, we can address the learning needs of both the millennial students and the adult learner.
Today, check out Cloud Computing in the Concurrent Sessions. While a presentation on "going to the cloud", this presentation is also a demonstration of Panopto, a lecture capturing system. Some instructors at Virginia Western and at Rappahannock ( maybe other colleges) are using this system to record what actually happens in the classroom lecture and offer it to their students for further review or if they missed the class. As you will see in this presentation, the lecture capture system does capture all of the instructor’s comments and whatever is projected. While this is a lengthy presentation, you can actually skip to any section that interests you and can replay any section.
Enjoy the day!
Marian
Virtual Conference 2011 - Day One
Welcome to Day One of the 2011 Virtual Conference!
Today’s special focus is the keynote by Dr. Janice. Hilyard.
This year we have presenters from Alabama, Georgia, Maryland, and from Wytheville and Virginia Western Community Colleges. Also, a number of our JSRCC colleagues are presenting.
Take advantage of the ability to drop in on the conference at any time and be engaged for a short time (see Short Takes that begin Day Two) or for more extended presentations.
We hope that you will get into the conference spirit and introduce yourself to others in the conference, exchange “virtual” business cards, and enjoy the networking experience.
Enjoy!
Marian
Today’s special focus is the keynote by Dr. Janice. Hilyard.
This year we have presenters from Alabama, Georgia, Maryland, and from Wytheville and Virginia Western Community Colleges. Also, a number of our JSRCC colleagues are presenting.
Take advantage of the ability to drop in on the conference at any time and be engaged for a short time (see Short Takes that begin Day Two) or for more extended presentations.
We hope that you will get into the conference spirit and introduce yourself to others in the conference, exchange “virtual” business cards, and enjoy the networking experience.
Enjoy!
Marian
Friday, April 15, 2011
It's almost time!
I have to second Marian's declaration of this as "conference season." We're wrapping up New Horizons and ready to turn on the Virtual Conference. I hope you all will join us! If you have not yet registered, go to the conference page through the link on the left and click on the Register link.
This is my first New Horizons and it has been an amazing, rewarding experience! I've enjoyed the networking and informative sessions. The advantage is that we are "on the same page" in regard to systems, policy, and other requirements. That means that the focus can be on methods and tools that will actually work in our environment...unlike those national conferences where you get so many ideas that will not work with your situation. We're hoping that the Virtual Conference has the same benefit and is highly useful to participants.
I want to encourage you to visit the vendor sites through the Virtual Exhibit Hall. These vendors have provided some great prizes for which you will be eligible based on your selection at registration. We also need your feedback so we can continue to improve the Virtual Conference for the future. As participants, you are the ultimate judge!
Generally, we have 2 new presentations launching each day, which will be up for the week. At the end of the conference, the entire two weeks of presentations will be open for your review or first time viewing. We hope you will see them fresh and participate in the discussion on some of the topics
Join us on Monday!
Patrick Whitaker
This is my first New Horizons and it has been an amazing, rewarding experience! I've enjoyed the networking and informative sessions. The advantage is that we are "on the same page" in regard to systems, policy, and other requirements. That means that the focus can be on methods and tools that will actually work in our environment...unlike those national conferences where you get so many ideas that will not work with your situation. We're hoping that the Virtual Conference has the same benefit and is highly useful to participants.
I want to encourage you to visit the vendor sites through the Virtual Exhibit Hall. These vendors have provided some great prizes for which you will be eligible based on your selection at registration. We also need your feedback so we can continue to improve the Virtual Conference for the future. As participants, you are the ultimate judge!
Generally, we have 2 new presentations launching each day, which will be up for the week. At the end of the conference, the entire two weeks of presentations will be open for your review or first time viewing. We hope you will see them fresh and participate in the discussion on some of the topics
Join us on Monday!
Patrick Whitaker
Monday, April 11, 2011
The Virtual Conference 2011 begins in one week!
The Virtual Conference 2011 begins in one week!
I feel like we are in “conference season”. Last Friday I was in Charlottesville during the last day of the Region 2 NACADA conference. Even though I was not attending the conference, I still got some of the conference “fever”, the urge to pick up freebies from the vendors, to meet and chat with total strangers, to exchange business cards, and of course to play the “do you know”/”have you been to” game.
In fact I had the chance to have lunch at the Tavern (a Charlottesville experience where town, tourist and students meet) with several members of the planning committee. So… what does this have to do with the Virtual Conference???
At lunch I met the two bloggers (Allen and Calley Taylor) who designed and posted the technology blog for the Region 2 NACADA blog. These two techies write about some Web 2.0 technologies in plain English . They generously welcome all of us to check out their blog - http://nacadaregion2.blogspot.com/search/label/Tuesday%20Tech%20Talk.
For those, like me, who don’t tweet or own a smart phone, I especially recommend reading the Tuesday, February 15, 2011 blog post, Twitter (or, I can do it, so can you). Also, check out the Tuesday, February 8, 2011 blog post on RSS feeds (its about keeping up with what is new on your favorite websites and online journals and not about which restaurants have buffets).
This week it is on to New Horizons. Check out the Live Blog feature at http://nhlive.email.vccs.edu/.
Also, you can follow New Horizon conference tweets at #nh11.
M.Macbeth
I feel like we are in “conference season”. Last Friday I was in Charlottesville during the last day of the Region 2 NACADA conference. Even though I was not attending the conference, I still got some of the conference “fever”, the urge to pick up freebies from the vendors, to meet and chat with total strangers, to exchange business cards, and of course to play the “do you know”/”have you been to” game.
In fact I had the chance to have lunch at the Tavern (a Charlottesville experience where town, tourist and students meet) with several members of the planning committee. So… what does this have to do with the Virtual Conference???
At lunch I met the two bloggers (Allen and Calley Taylor) who designed and posted the technology blog for the Region 2 NACADA blog. These two techies write about some Web 2.0 technologies in plain English . They generously welcome all of us to check out their blog - http://nacadaregion2.blogspot.com/search/label/Tuesday%20Tech%20Talk.
For those, like me, who don’t tweet or own a smart phone, I especially recommend reading the Tuesday, February 15, 2011 blog post, Twitter (or, I can do it, so can you). Also, check out the Tuesday, February 8, 2011 blog post on RSS feeds (its about keeping up with what is new on your favorite websites and online journals and not about which restaurants have buffets).
This week it is on to New Horizons. Check out the Live Blog feature at http://nhlive.email.vccs.edu/.
Also, you can follow New Horizon conference tweets at #nh11.
M.Macbeth
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