Teaching and Learning Technologies
Need help filming yourself? No budget for a tripod? Kentucky artist and film teacher Kathleen Lolley and TLT’s Alea McKinley co-created a tutorial to teach you how to make a tripod for your cell phone using a paper towel roll. Safe, social-distancing was practiced during the collaboration.
SketchFab is the world’s largest platform for immersive and interactive 3D content. More than a million creators have created 3D models across a broad range of topics and categories, including Art & Abstract, Science & Technology and Cultural Heritage & History. You can view and upload models on Windows, Mac, iOS & Android devices. It even supports Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality!
The TLT Pumpkin was created by Instructional Technologist Jack Wolfe. Click the Play Button to view the model in 3D! Left Click & Drag to orbit around the model and use the Mouse Scroll Wheel to zoom in/out.
Want to share an existing 3D model with your course? Sketchfab supports embedding into OAKS!
TLT recently debuted a video at the New Faculty Orientation that introduces our heroic alter-egos in an homage to ABC’s Agents of Shield:
Be sure to also subscribe to our YouTube channel for more videos: http://youtube.com/teachandlearn1
Starting a new semester can be daunting but let us help you with our Start of Semester Checklist! This checklist gives you a list view of important tasks to complete to make sure your semester starts off smoothly, it also tells you how to complete most tasks. Some of the tasks and include: Verifying your course shell has been created, confirming your course start date, enrolling non-students into your course, cross listing, and building course content and student enrollment. Let us make it easier for you, click on our checklist!
Are you interested in learning about web building tools?
Do you want to learn how to create a custom website for your course?
If so, you’re going to LOVE this session!
Presenter: Paul Collins
Session Date: March 9th
Session Time: 1:30- 3:00 pm
Sitting down to build a website can seem an intimidating and daunting proposal. But, as technology advances make it easier and easier (not to mention cheaper) to have a web presence, it is worth exploring some of the tools that have become available to use in our classes. A number of pretty good tools have made it possible to build websites to help to support our teaching. Weebly and Wix are two of these. I have used both services to support both my classes and my professional practice. I will briefly present the websites that I have created, and discuss how each has been useful to my work both within the College and outside of it. I will then go ‘under the hood’ to show the customization tools at work.
In the second part of the workshop, participants will explore the interface of each of these services, and experiment with some of the tools that are available to the user. I will then give a tutorial in which participants will be able to build webpages that can be published on the web by the end of the session!
In order to ‘play along’ in the web-building part of the workshop, participants will need a laptop (as opposed to a mobile device), as the editing engines do not yet work on mobile platforms. The demonstration portion of the workshop will work equally well on laptop and mobile.
*Teaching, Learning, and Technology Conference brought to you by TLT and the FTI
TLT invites you to submit a proposal to present at The Teaching, Learning, and Technology Conference, the next generation of the FTI. This event is designed to bring together expertise from across campus, spotlight teaching excellence, and provide a space for idea sharing and networking. This TLT Conference will showcase the amazing teaching and learning that is happening on our campus, and we need you, the College of Charleston faculty, to help make it a success!
This new version of the FTI will have a conference style format with keynote speaker and faculty presenters throughout the 3 day event during Spring Break (March 8, 9, and 10).
Details about the conference are included below. The proposals are due November 5. Proposals may focus on anything you think other faculty would benefit from hearing about as we will have a wide variety of sessions on innovative and engaging approaches to teaching and learning.
If you would like to participate or propose an idea, but are unsure about filling an entire session, let us know and we will work with you to find a partner or a relevant panel discussion group.
If you are unable to present, we still hope that you will be able to attend! More information about the sessions and registration will be sent out in November.
What:
The Teaching, Learning, and Technology Conference is the next generation of the Faculty Technology Institute (FTI). Over the past fifteen years, the FTI has evolved into one of the most successful faculty development programs on campus. The Teaching, Learning, and Technology Conference will allow TLT to continue offering outstanding faculty development but to a broader audience. TLT is excited to provide this opportunity for greater campus discussion and collaboration about pedagogy and instructional technologies.
The new FTI will be delivered in a conference style format where participants will be able to choose sessions that are the most attractive and relevant to their own professional development. Session types will include panel presentations, spotlight sessions, working groups, and a keynote address. During and in-between sessions there will also be spaces where participants can continue the conversation with colleagues and reflect on their own teaching practices.
When and Where:
The Teaching, Learning, and Technology Conference will be held March 8, 9, and 10 2016 at the College of Charleston.
Proposal Form:
https://goo.gl/3vnHUl
More than one proposal from the same individual may be accepted based upon space availability.
As you prepare your proposal to present, please check all information for accuracy, completeness, spelling, and grammar. Information associated with accepted applications will be used for conference app and web content. If this falls outside of your past FTI 1-1-1 or PLC commitment you may be eligible for an honorarium.
Submission Deadline:
November 5, 2015
Submission notification:
On November 23, 2015 you will be notified about the status of your proposal.
Selection Process:
All applications to present will be selected by TLT based on the following criteria:
Interest to multidisciplinary conference attendees
Content of presentation
Quality of presentation
Completeness and accuracy of application
Faculty Open House
Friday, September 25
2-4 pm – Stop by anytime!
TLT Suite on JC Long 3rd Floor
Come enjoy light refreshments and enter for your chance to win fabulous prizes while also learning more about what TLT has to offer!
Join us as TLT’s Instructional Technologists showcase our services and demonstrate the latest and greatest educational technology tools. You will have the chance to experience Kahoot! and learn how you can utilize our 3D printer.
We hope to see you there! It’s a great opportunity to interact with people from across campus.
Fall Training Camp
October 19 and 20 (Fall Break)
Sessions offered all day
As you make your plans for the rest of the semester, keep in mind that TLT will be hosting Fall Training Camp over Fall Break. We will have two days of training sessions that focus on both teaching strategies and educational technology.
We will be offering 16 unique sessions in a flexible, conference-style schedule so that you can attend the sessions that interest you while still enjoying fall break! Each morning there will be online sessions you can participate in from the comfort of your living room. If you can make it to campus, you can join us for three additional face-to-face sessions each day. During the time slots, two training sessions will run concurrently, meaning that you have even more flexibility and choice in finding a topic relevant to your teaching needs. Session topics vary from demonstrating how to use technologies, including Blendspace and Evernote, to how to enhance your current teaching practices with new strategies, like gamification and concept mapping.
Lastly, don’t forget! We will be having another exciting school competition this fall! You may recall that the School of Sciences and Mathematics won the trophy for Spring Training earlier this year. It was a very close battle with the School of Education, Health, and Human Performance. Your attendance will help your school earn points in the competition. The school with the most points will win a trophy and other great prizes!
Visit http://tlt.eventbrite.com for a full list of sessions and descriptions. Space is limited so make sure you register soon to secure your spot.
Below are the five most mentioned teaching behaviors identified in the research and from the feedback of online instructors. The ranking begins with the teaching activity that involved the highest time commitment, and descends from there. This is not a scientific analysis, but I included the list to provide an overview of the most prevalent online teaching activities (Van de Vord & Pogue, 2012).
Following the principles of the GTD (Getting Things Done) Methodology, manage items as soon as you can. For online teaching, this means doing things in a regimented format. When emails come in, if an answer or action can be done in less than 5 minutes…do it now. If It needs deeper thinking and reflection, mark it in a follow up folder or category before closing it. While reading discussion boards, keep a spreadsheet open so that you can grade as you go and make notes while reading to help keep your students straight. Grade as items arrive and space out due dates to cut down on last minute or end of term grading. Create blocks of time during each day to work on a particular item. For example, Mondays from 10-11 am I work on items strictly for the mentors. Everyday from 830-930 am I answer emails from participants about course related issues. Thursdays from 1-4 are spend grading specified assignments. Making this set schedule for yourself will make sure that you are allowing ample time to focus.
If a student asks a great question via email, reply to them and ask them to post their question and the response to the class, but if more than one student has emailed about the same issue or set of instructions, then address the group as a whole with a news item, whole class email, or something else that will make sure that all students see the information. For example, if there is a procedural problem (students not knowing how to do something in a class) create a short video or screencast to walk them through the process.
If it’s something that a student won’t notice…don’t do it! If it’s something the students can do for themselves or with each other…delegate or provide opportunity to do it. For example, a Course Lounge or question forum will allow students the ability to answer each other. You can back this up by adding an “ask 3 before me” type policy so that you know they’ve tried to find help on their own first. To make this efficient, you need to mindfully not engage in what one professor called “Whack a Mole” facilitation, where as soon as a discussion post or a question comes up the professor logs in to answer it or replies immediately. Make sure you give your students that time to help each other or they will become accustomed to that immediate feedback and you’ll spend all your time responding to email.
Have your course follow a logical path so that not only you but your students also know exactly where to go and what to do. The easier it is to find something, the less time you spend looking for it! This is especially applicable to the syllabus. The more text heavy and exhaustive your syllabus, the less likely your students will be able to find what they need in the process. Try breaking your syllabus up into sections and bulleting information rather than using paragraph texts. Have your students engage in a scavenger hunt or quiz to show that they understand the key pieces of the document before the class gets too far underway. This will lead to less questions and less time emailing “it’s in the syllabus”.
Make sure that your workspace is organized and ready to go. This includes your computer! If you have a hard time finding files or folders on your machine, take some time to organize your files so that you can easily grab an item when it is needed. Keep a list handy of places you can go to for help. Obviously TLT is going to be number one (:)) but make sure that you add your librarian, CDS, CSL, and other campus resources and how to contact them.
There are a lot of moving parts in an online classroom. Some can be automated, some cannot. First, make a list of all items that you need to do (that you know of) and due dates prior to the course starting. Identify any weekly activities and blocks of time you’ll need to answer emails, grade, respond to discussions, etc. If an item can be automated (for example, a news item reminder about a test that you want to go out on a certain date) go ahead and create the wording and release conditions before the class starts. In the immortal words of Ronco…set it and forget it! For those items that can’t be automated, create calendar reminders or use a task management tool that contains reminders like Asana.
In honor of the TLT Lifetime DE Mentor award recipient Lancie Affonso, we bring you this most important tip. Unplug every now and again! Take some time away from the screen and technology to engage in the world. It is tempting to want to be logged in 24/7 when your students are in session, but taking some time to take care of yourself (and your eyes, back, and wrists) will benefit you in the long run as an instructor.
Technology can do so much to help with time and task management, as well as automating parts of your responses without losing that personal touch. Talk to your instructional technologist about some of the options to help you with time, task, grading, and communication management for your online class. Check out this article on how to go about choosing the right tool for your situation: https://blogs.charleston.edu/tlt/2014/03/05/plan-attack-implementing-technology-instruction/
“Each person has a daily cycle when he or she is most alert; schedule that time for online work. Determine the best time of day to check and respond to email. Flag and prioritize emails. Realize that what is an overload for some instructors is not for others. Before accepting teaching assignments, look at the other assignments already accepted for that semester and consider whether the workload is too heavy. Factor in family obligations and planned vacations when considering personal work capacity. When planning for the future record notes each week in a teaching journal identifying thoughts about revisions for the next semester. Some fixes like broken links can be done on the fly during the current run, but others, like the rewriting of a section, need to wait until the students are no longer present. At the end of the semester, reflect on the notes and adjust as needed.”
Because writing is a major channel of communication in an online class, the importance of clear and concise writing of the course materials cannot be over-emphasized. If one student finds a sentence unclear, the instructor will need to spend valuable additional time responding to clarify. Five or ten minutes of additional time for polishing a message or task instructions before distributing or publishing may save hours in clarifying later. Have someone who is not familiar with an assignment read the instructions and see if it makes sense or if they could do the assignment with the information you provided. Keep a list of frequently asked questions and your responses. You can then copy and paste your responses or keep a running list published in a Google Doc that would get updated in real time for your students and would be easy to search for keywords.
Too often faculty members will design an online course and then realise a semester later that they have a student with a disability in their courses that require accommodations (screen readers, subtitles, alternative formats, etc.) While it may take more time as you build the course, designing your course to be as accessible as possible from the start will save you more time (and you will reach more students) than trying to scramble after you get an accommodation request letter. Remember, it is easier to construct than to retrofit a class!
Teaching, Learning, & Technology is accepting applications for the Fall 2015 DE Readiness Course. Applications are due May 1, 2015.
In order to teach online for the College of Charleston, faculty must complete this 8-week online course which will run from September 16 to November 18.
The course guides faculty through best practices and technology tools in online education. Participants will progress through seven modules that examine course planning and design, content delivery, community formation, communication, and assessment. Every participant will create content that can be integrated into their future online courses and will receive feedback and guidance from fellow participants and faculty mentors.
To learn more about what to expect from the DE Readiness Course, please visit: blogs.charleston.edu/tlt/learning/distance-education/ This video will also provide an overview of the course:
To apply, please click here: blogs.charleston.edu/tlt/learning/distance-education/distance-education-de-readiness-course-application/
