Author Archives: Elizabeth Simpson

Call for Proposals Extended: LTDC Virtual Conference

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Virtual-ShowcaseThe UW System Learning Technology Development Council (LTDC) Showcase 2015 will be held virtually April 9-10, 2015. Faculty, teaching staff and learning technology support staff – please join us and submit a proposal to present or facilitate by February 13, 2015! Proposals may be submitted at the following website: Virtual Showcase 2015

This virtual conference offers an opportunity for sharing your successes and challenges in teaching with technology. This conference will provide you with the opportunity to virtually connect with other practitioners and requires neither travel expense nor a significant time commitment.

All presentations will be conducted virtually with technology training and orientation available prior to the conference. The presentations will be approximately 30 minutes in length with 15 min Q&A following. Proposals are sought in the following six general categories:

  1. Innovative Approaches (Hot Topics) – Tell us about how you’re working and teaching. Are mobile applications a part of your learning and knowledge portfolio? How have you taken traditional teaching and enhanced it through an innovative approach? Can you share a successful case study?
  2. Engagement of Students – How are your students connecting with each other and you? What works now or what do you expect might be a future method of engaging students? Can you share a successful case study?
  3. Faculty Development – How are you supporting your faculty? Are you facilitating learning communities? How are you engaging faculty to try new approaches to teaching and learning? Do you have a successful case study to share?
  4. “How To” and Resources – Do you have a skill to share? Have you created a wonderful set of resources for faculty and students? We’re interested in successful case studies; what can you share?
  5. Best Practices – Are you using a particular learning technology (or set of technologies) and know through evaluation that it definitively engages students and promotes learning?
  6. Emerging Topics – Do you have a proposal that doesn’t quite fit into the other topics?

We look forward to learning more about your teaching and learning experiences!  If you have any questions contact the Learning Technology Center.

Call for Proposals: LTDC Virtual Conference

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Virtual-ShowcaseThe UW System Learning Technology Development Council (LTDC) Showcase 2015 will be held virtually April 9-10, 2015. Faculty, teaching staff and learning technology support staff – please join us and submit a proposal to present or facilitate by January 30 February 13, 2015! Proposals may be submitted at the following website: Virtual Showcase 2015

This virtual conference offers an opportunity for sharing your successes and challenges in teaching with technology. This conference will provide you with the opportunity to virtually connect with other practitioners and requires neither travel expense nor a significant time commitment.

All presentations will be conducted virtually with technology training and orientation available prior to the conference. The presentations will be approximately 30 minutes in length with 15 min Q&A following. Proposals are sought in the following six general categories:

  1. Innovative Approaches (Hot Topics) – Tell us about how you’re working and teaching. Are mobile applications a part of your learning and knowledge portfolio? How have you taken traditional teaching and enhanced it through an innovative approach? Can you share a successful case study?
  2. Engagement of Students – How are your students connecting with each other and you? What works now or what do you expect might be a future method of engaging students? Can you share a successful case study?
  3. Faculty Development – How are you supporting your faculty? Are you facilitating learning communities? How are you engaging faculty to try new approaches to teaching and learning? Do you have a successful case study to share?
  4. “How To” and Resources – Do you have a skill to share? Have you created a wonderful set of resources for faculty and students? We’re interested in successful case studies; what can you share?
  5. Best Practices – Are you using a particular learning technology (or set of technologies) and know through evaluation that it definitively engages students and promotes learning?
  6. Emerging Topics – Do you have a proposal that doesn’t quite fit into the other topics?

We look forward to learning more about your teaching and learning experiences!  If you have any questions contact the Learning Technology Center.

 

Snackable Series: Group Assignments, November 19-20

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Snackable Bag Fall 2014The innovative use of technology in higher education continues to provide new possibilities for enhancing teaching and learning. The Learning Technology Center (LTC) Fall 2014 “Snackable Series” showcases three current approaches to leveraging technology to promote collaborative learning online. Feel free to bring a lunch, and join us!

Group Assignments: November 19-20, 2014

This session will focus on designing effective assignments for collaborative learning in the online environment and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches. In this workshop, we will explore pedagogical strategies and practice using Google Docs, D2L group dropboxes, and PeerMark.

Group Assignments Sessions:
Wednesday, November 19, 2014: Noon to 1 p.m.
Thursday, November 20, 2014: 11 a.m. to Noon
Location: iCIT Training Center, McGraw 112

To register for one or all of these “Snackable Series” sessions, please sign up at: http://signup.uww.edu Seating is limited.

If you have any questions regarding the Snackable Series and its sessions, please contact the UW-W Learning Technology Center.

Snackable Series: Group Meetings Online

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The innovative use of technology in higher education continues to provide new possibilities for enhancing teaching and learning.  Feel free to bring a lunch and join us!

Even the best designed online course will occasionally benefit from real-time conversation. Synchronous meetings can be used for office hours, for class meetings, and for student groups to communicate in real-time. This workshop will explore best-practices in using the tools, emphasizing hands-on practice.

Group Meetings Sessions:
Wednesday, October 15, 2014: Noon to 1 p.m.
Thursday, October 16, 2014: 11 a.m. to Noon
Location: iCIT Training Center, McGraw 112

To register this session, please sign up at: http://signup.uww.edu  Seating is limited.

If you have any questions regarding the Snackable Series and its sessions, please contact the UW-W Learning Technology Center.

Snackable Series: Fall 2014

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Snackable Bag Fall 2014The innovative use of technology in higher education continues to provide new possibilities for enhancing teaching and learning. The Learning Technology Center (LTC) Fall 2014 “Snackable Series” showcases three current approaches to leveraging technology to promote collaborative learning online. Feel free to bring a lunch, and join us!

Teaching Strategies and Tools: September 17-18, 2014
Collaborative learning can be a valuable experience for students, but the online facilitation can be challenge for any instructor. This session will explore common issues and concerns regarding collaborative learning, models for group work, and some simple tools for getting started with group assessment.

Teaching Strategies and Tools Sessions:
Wednesday, September 17, 2014: Noon to 1 p.m.
Thursday, September 18, 2014: 11 a.m. to Noon
Location: iCIT Training Center, McGraw 112

Group Meetings: October 15-16, 2014
Even the best designed online course will occasionally benefit from real-time conversation. Synchronous meetings can be used for office hours, for class meetings, and for student groups to communicate in real-time. This workshop will explore best-practices in using the tools, emphasizing hands-on practice.

Group Meetings Sessions:
Wednesday, October 15, 2014: Noon to 1 p.m.
Thursday, October 16, 2014: 11 a.m. to Noon
Location: iCIT Training Center, McGraw 112

Group Assignments: November 19-20, 2014
This session will focus on designing effective assignments for collaborative learning in the online environment and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches. In this workshop, we will explore pedagogical strategies and practice using Google Docs, D2L group dropboxes, and PeerMark.

Group Assignments Sessions:
Wednesday, November 19, 2014: Noon to 1 p.m.
Thursday, November 20, 2014: 11 a.m. to Noon
Location: iCIT Training Center, McGraw 112

To register for one or all of these “Snackable Series” sessions, please sign up at: http://signup.uww.edu Seating is limited.

If you have any questions regarding the Snackable Series and its sessions, please contact the UW-W Learning Technology Center.

Orientation Workshops: August 21, 2014

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Come join us on August 21, 2014 for two workshops by the Learning Technology Center.

ClassroomOnline Teaching: A Primer
August 21, 2014
9:30 – 10:30 AM, UC 259B

Many of the basic principles of teaching are universal; however, the online learning environment has some specific challenges for students and instructors. This session will address these challenges, explore the basics of online course design, and give practical suggestions to make the online learning experience better for both you and your students.

Evaluating Online Student Group Work
August 21, 2014
11:00 – Noon, McGraw 115

Group work can be a valuable experience for students, but evaluating group work can be a challenge for any instructor. This session will explore common issues and concerns regarding evaluating online student group work, models for group work, and some simple tools for getting started with group assessment. Specific tools include the D2L Dropbox, D2L Rubrics, and PeerMark.

To register for these sessions, please sign up at:  http://signup.uww.edu.  Seating is limited.

If you have any questions regarding these sessions, please contact the UW-W Learning Technology Center.

Distance Teaching and Learning Conference

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MononaTerraceCloseThe University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Division of Continuing Studies is pleased to announce the 30th annual conference on distance teaching and learning.  It will be held August 12-14 at the Monona Terrace of Madison, Wisconsin.

Explore the conference program and register today!

The conference will include 56 information sessions, 16 workshops, discussions, ePosters, and showcases.  Topics such as MOOCs, mobile learning, gamification, learning analytics, competency-based learning, and generational learning styles will be addressed.

Keynote speakers include:

  • Michael Quinn Patton, Founder and Director of Utilization-Focused Evaluation
  • Ray Schroeder, Associate Vice Chancellor of Online Learning, University of Illinois Springfield and Director, UPCEA Center for Online Leadership and Strategy
  • Jane Bozarth, ELearning Coordinator, North Carolina Office of State Personnel

For more information, visit the conference website: http://www.uwex.edu/disted/conference/

Universal Design: More than Just Curb Cuts…

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For this post, Eric Mueller from the Center for Students with Disabilities has joined the LTC Instructional Resources blog as a guest author.

Since 2002, students enrolling in at least one online class has increased 22% according to the Journal of Post-Secondary Education and Disability (2011). Due to this increase in online enrollment, it is imperative that faculty and staff understand the unique needs of all student learners, regardless of abilities.

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to participate in the UW-W Learning Technology Center’s 2014 Summer Institute, and I presented on Online Accessibility and Universal Design. During this presentation, I was able to demonstrate and promote the valuable components of Universal Design (UD) and Universal Design of Learning (UDL).

Participants in the 2014 Summer Institute also experienced disability simulations, and I demonstrated specific assistive technology that students at UW-Whitewater are utilizing to make online content accessible (ZoomText and Kurzweil 3000) and provided tips in creating accessible documents for students.

To view Eric’s presentation on Online Accessibility and Universal Design given at the 2014 Summer Institute, please watch the video below.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact the UW-W Learning Technology Center.

Snackable Series: Digital Badging

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A digital badge is an earned credential, which validates a person’s specific accomplishment, knowledge, or skill.  “Badging” can be used to supplement letter grades, combat grade inflation, instill motivation to advance their level of competency, and showcase learning outside of the formal classroom.

This presentation introduces the basic principles of badging, models of badging, and ways you can use badging in your course.