It's almost Spring Break, so today I wanted to share something FUN and SIMPLE!
Want to change your flat, 2D images into something more interesting? Give this tool a try...
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We get a lot of questions about annotating electronically - whether it's to make "explainer" videos for asynchronous use, or for real-time use as an electronic whiteboard in a synchronous online environment.
In Part 1, we covered some low-stakes, quick-to-implement active learning strategies - this past week, in Part 2, we looked at some higher-order strategies, aimed at breaking down complex content, and allowing for differentiated instruction.
These strategies can be modified for any teaching modality (in person, asynchronous online, or synchronous online), but we model them in the synchronous online environment with Webex Meetings. The slides include some video links of tried & true sources that will take you through the approaches taken in other teaching modalities (in-person and asynchronous online).
In our Live Online...Live! sessions, we've realized that including a visual of doors that lead to different breakout rooms is helpful in making sure that students get to the activity that they've been assigned. Originally we pulled some door images from Pixabay, but I like the uniformity of the size and look that I get when I create my own doors using MS Word.
Watch this 2-minute video to see how easy it is to create objects (and give them a little bit of a 3D feel) in Word! This week I started out with a simple, fun tech tool recommendation for you - but then got carried away...
In this week's session, we shared several strategies for low- to mid-stakes active learning assignments. These can be modified for any teaching modality (in person, asynchronous online, or synchronous online), but we model a few of them in the synchronous online environment with Webex Meetings.
Active Learning Part 2 is coming up in two weeks, where we will share some higher-stakes, more complex strategies with you.
This afternoon, we'll be facilitating a session on active learning to engage your students with their peers and with the content in meaningful ways. In the meantime, here's a great Faculty Focus article, "Enhancing Student Engagement & Interaction with Online Digital Tools."
This one is a little bit of a Base Camp refresher - how to find free music for your projects!
TEACHING KUDOS! As you may recall, Jen Peterson and I sent out a call in December for faculty to share a survey with their students. 450 of your students responded to that survey.
Last week, we offered the "Survival Tips for Navigating Live Online" on Monday 1/11 for Faculty Convocation, and again on Wednesday 1/13 as part of CGCC's Week of Accountability offerings. Between the two sessions we had nearly 150 attendees! If you missed both of the LOL sessions, you can still get the info by watching the video in this blog.
So here we are, the last Tuesday of the Fall 2020 semester… Let’s face it, just the fact that you are still here (and reading my Tuesday message) is a major win! There is no teaching tip from me to you this week; instead I wanted to offer kudos to you, one and all, for surviving one heck of a year.
But as I was watching the first “Ditch Summit” video this morning (see last week’s Tech Tuesday post), one thing that stood out to me was the suggestion that perhaps it is time for us to gravitate toward the notion of thriving, rather than merely surviving, in this COVID-and-beyond environment. The more I considered it, the more I realized how much evidence there has been among my CGCC colleagues of growth (personal and professional), dedication to students and their learning, and continued excellence in spite of – or perhaps because of – the pandemic. So, I hope that you’ll allow me to share just a few of the positives that I’ve observed over these last nine months: Soooooooo… 2020 has been a long haul for all of us, and the last thing you are thinking about right now is professional development, but how often do you get the opportunity for a FREE Teaching Summit with dozens of available video presentations? And it all takes place over Winter Break, so you don’t have that old “I’m so busy… classes… students… meetings…” hanging over your head – you can just kick back and enjoy!
This week we had a whole lotta fun reading your Letters to Santa, sharing CTLA Staff Favorites (software, hardware, hi-tech, lo-tech and even a little no-tech). We talked tech, and tech-based teaching and productivity solutions!
This week's tip is short and sweet: take advantage of the resources on the CTLA website!
The Center for Teaching, Learning & Assessment at CGCC is constantly striving to include new and relevant resources to support our faculty. If you haven’t visited lately, you should – the home page is laid out so as to make it easy for you, the instructor, to find the help that you need at a glance! This week, The CTLA's own Kali Andrews, Instructional Designer, joined us to share one of her favorite tools - Padlet! Kali shared the basics of setting up Padlet, strategies/activities, two ways to include your live Padlet discussion wall within Canvas, and her thoughts on free (Padlet Basic) vs. paid (Padlet pro).
Are your students burned out on discussion boards? This afternoon everyone will have a chance to meet the newest member of the CTLA Team, Instructional Designer Kali Andrews! Kali will be sharing a favorite tool of hers AND mine... Padlet!
This week, two of our faculty members graciously volunteered to share their favorite webconferencing platforms for teaching: Webex Teams (Fanny Silvestri) and Zoom (Marie Huntsinger).
You all know that I am the biggest advocate ever for free tools, but this week I want to share one of the most-used tools in my arsenal, which did in fact cost me about $30 - TechSmith's SnagIt.
A lot of software companies these days work on a subscription basis, but the $29.99 education price pays for a license, not a periodic subscription fee (you will need to provide proof that you are an educator in order to take advantage of the education pricing). I use SnagIt pretty much on a daily basis, for many tasks:
This week we looked at recommended practices when creating presentation slides, AND gave three awesome resource sites for you to find ready-made slide templates! There are basic slide decks, slide decks for games, hyperdoc slide decks - you name it, you'll be able to find it!
This week's post is in response to a question that I received recently about the best hardware to use for recording. Anyone who knows me will be able to guess my response: "It depends!"
This week we were joined by guest presenter Chris Reider, who shared his use of FlipGrid within the Canvas LMS for his classes. Watch the 47-minute video below to find out why Flipgrid is such a favorite for Chris, how he uses it with his students, and how to directly integrate Flipgrid into Canvas.
Just so everyone knows, I won't be posting next week. Also, in lieu of a Live session next Tuesday afternoon, we encourage you to peruse the prerecorded sessions! DID YOU KNOW that the LOL content can be helpful for ANY class, in ANY teaching modality? Yes, we had fun with the name, but there are useful tips and tools for any instructor, whether they are teaching synchronously, asynchronously, hybrid, or - eventually - face-to-face. Click on any of the session icons below to watch the recording!
This week we followed up on last week's Webex Breakout Sessions by investigating activities and strategies (with a heavy emphasis on the use of Google Jamboard) for small groups in Webex! This 33-minute video contains ideas and resources so that you and your students can get the most out of Breakout Sessions.
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Awesome people who want to help you do awesome stuff in the classroom! Join the conversation here or in our Facebook Group: CGCC Center for Teaching, Learning, and Assessment Archives
October 2023
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