Through a grant, we have a unique opportunity to bring a 2-day eLearning training workshop to our doorstep.  Whether you teach a traditional or online course (or something in between) you will leave this workshop with the practical knowledge you can apply right away.

Where:  Kirk Library, Centralia College

When:  July 17 – July 18  (July 17 is face-to-face, July 18 is flex — choice of online or f2f)

Reserve your spot:  Sue Gallaway, x304, sgallaway@centralia.edu

Check out the schedule:

Day One (f2f):

9:00-10:30 Introduction: Building an Architecture of Participation

1. Outline of the Weekend
2. Advantages and Limitations of eLearning
3. Difference between traditional and eLearning environments (a conversation)

10:45-12:00 Learning Management Systems: Teaching in the “Nearly Now”

1. Organizing a Course Presented Asynchronously
2. Creating Different Types of Content
3. Assessment and Gradebook

1:00-2:30 A Quality Online Classroom: Building in the Clouds

1. Audio: Skype, Audacity, and iTunes
2. Slideshare and Slidecasting
3. Flash Video: Youtube, Blip, Vimeo, & Viddler
4. Scribd: Maps & Documents

2:45-4:00 Synchronous eLearning: Playing to a Live Audience

1. A Continuum of Asynchronous and Synchronous Interaction?
2. Webinar Options: Elluminate, DimDim, Screencast, etc.
3. Tips for Running a Successful Session

Day Two (online):

9:00-10:30 Intellectual Property and Fair Use

1. Introduction to Copyright
2. Introduction to Fair Use
3. Best Practice for Educators

10:45-12:00 Open Educational Resources: Developing a Culture of Sharing and Receiving

1. Google is Flattening the World
2. MIT Opens its Doors
3. Separating the Wheat from the Chaff

1:00-2:30 Building Community in an Online Environment

1. Setting the Rules/Creating a Safe Space
2. Fostering Real Human Interaction
3. Remote Collaboration

2:45-4:00 Blogs, Wikis, and Syndication: The Virtual Classroom

1. Blogging as Independent Thinking
2. Wikis for Collaboration and Purpose
3. Serendipity and RSS: Finding by Design

Recently I was invited to talk to our probationary faculty about open educational resources.   I was happy to outline the context for why this is becoming an appealing option, not only to reduce costs for students and the college, but more importantly to improve teaching and learning.  You will hear more about this topic in the coming months.

Basically, open educational resources (OER) are digitally available resources that can be accessed, adopted, and adapted for use in diverse learning environments for little or no monetary cost.  These could be complete textbooks, learning modules, PowerPoint slides, movies, filmed lectures, etc. 

Whether you are faculty, a student, or just someone interested in learning about different topics, I encourage you to explore some of the material that is available, much of it high quality.   You can start by checking out these resources that Cable Green, the eLearning director at the state board, put together for a recent presentation on OER.

Got questions?  Leave a comment here.

We are just as surprised as everyone else in our state that Blackboard has purchased Angel.  Here is a message we received recently from Cable Green, the eLearning director at the state board for community and technical colleges.

As you know, Blackboard (Bb) has announced it is acquiring ANGEL. Twenty-nine of our system colleges have either moved to ANGEL or have plans to do so in the coming months (see below).

I spoke with ANGEL’s CEO on Wednesday and will speak with ANGEL and Bb’s CEOs next week. If you have any questions you’d like me to ask Michael Chasen (Bb CEO), please send them to me. For example, I am going to suggest he make ANGEL the main software and supplement it with the best of Blackboard’s features… and adopt ANGEL’s customer service models.

What happens now? Nothing changes in the short-term.

WashingtonOnline will turn off its Blackboard software license on June 30, 2009 and will complete its transition to ANGEL. We will proceed with existing ANGEL deployment plans, full integration with SMS, and faculty professional development activities. The WAOL technology fee remains the same low $4 / user / quarter (unlimited use).

We will closely watch (at least) six things over the next 1-2 years:

Does ANGEL technical (hosting and premium admin) support remain solid?

• When Bb bought WebCT, WebCT support waned. We will be monitoring this very closely.

Are there continued investments in the ANGEL platform re: functionality?

• … as evidenced in multiple substantive “dot” releases

Does Bb give our system representation on their highest advisory and product development councils?

• I have already requested a seat on Bb’s Client Advisory Council.

Will Bb commit to keeping our contract pricing stable after our 3-year contract expires?

• I will be pushing to drive our prices lower due to our systems’ online growth and increased use.

What does Bb signal about their short, mid and long term plans for ANGEL LMS and ePortfolio products?

• re: maintaining the product lines, end-of-life, and/or transition planning to Bb NG.

If Bb does merge ANGEL and Bb products, what are the ANGEL-to-new tool migration tools and paths?Blackboard’s words will mean little – we shall watch their actions and hold them accountable to the service terms in our contracts.

If Blackboard behaves well and meets our expectations, we’ll have a system conversation about renewing our contract. If they do not, there is nothing to stop us from running an RFP at the end of our contract (expires June 30, 2011). No one wants to migrate again / ever, but that is the power we have to demand excellent service and continued low pricing from Blackboard… and I shall remind them of it.

Regardless of what Blackboard does or does not do, we will be successful in bringing innovative online, hybrid and web-enhanced learning spaces to our students and faculty.

Feel free to call me with any questions, suggestions or comments.

Warm regards,

Cable

Cable Green, PhD

eLearning Director

SBCTC

Posted in eLearning ]]> http://centraliacollege.wordpress.com/2009/05/13/blackboardangel-update/feed/ 1 Sue Gallaway http://centraliacollege.wordpress.com/2009/04/20/educating-more-people-to-higher-levels/ http://centraliacollege.wordpress.com/2009/04/20/educating-more-people-to-higher-levels/#comments Mon, 20 Apr 2009 23:27:52 +0000 Sue Gallaway http://centraliacollege.wordpress.com/?p=225 ]]>

Have you seen the Strategic Technology Plan?  It is the culmination of an 18-month long analysis by the Technology Transformation Task Force of the state board and we’re already seeing results from that work.   Read below for an excerpt of the Executive Summary.  I mention it because I’m following HB 1946 (Regarding higher education online technology), which would, among other things, enable an audit of online technologies available statewide and subsequent methods for implementation of services.  It would require funding, so it’s hard to tell where it will go.  But it is inspiring to read the text of the bill.

Excerpt from Executive Summary of Strategic Technology Plan

Washington needs more people with higher levels of education and skill to sustain our prosperity, our democracy, and our diverse and innovative culture. To achieve this goal, we can no longer simply wait for people to enroll in our colleges; we must reach out to all those who can benefit from further education, and help them succeed at learning.

Community and technical colleges are at the center of this challenge. Our open door policy meets people wherever they are on their educational journey, whether they are high school dropouts, new immigrants, high school graduates seeking a college degree or job skills, or mid-career professionals retraining for new opportunities.

Fuller use of information technology is key to making education more accessible and user-friendly for every kind of learner. But we are late to recognize the educational impact and potential of the Internet, late to take advantage of the shift to open, student-centered, web-based applications, and late to listen to what our students and faculty are telling us about what they need to thrive in the 21st century.

Even though we are ahead of many other states in our use of online learning, we are far behind the level of technological sophistication of today’s workplaces, and far behind in mobilizing technologies that could help increase student learning, provide friendlier, faster student services, and improve administrative efficiency, data analysis, and accountability.

Centralia College announces the latest innovation in eLearning: eCorrespondence!  Once you’ve enrolled in an eCorrespondence class, you have the ultimate flexibility.  An eCorrespondence class is completely self-paced and you have two quarters to complete the course.  Also, you can register for an eCorrespondence class up through the 35^th class day, which is July 23^rd for summer quarter!

 eCorrespondence classes are accessible via the Angel Learning Management System.  If you’ve taken an online, hybrid, or web-enhanced class you may already be familiar with Angel.  eCorrespondence is different from online classes.  Online classes have due dates, you must regularly login to class every week, and you have to finish the course in one quarter.  With the addition of eCorrespondence, you have even more choices to help you balance your busy schedule.  

In eCorresondence, you can access your course materials, turn in assignments and access supplementary resources 24/7 from any computer with Internet access.  If you’d like to access your courses from the campus, you may do so from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. either in the computer commons in Washington Hall or in the library. 

Gloria Price has been teaching online and correspondence classes for almost ten years.  She is enjoying the change to eCorrespondence because it allows her to connect with all of her students, not only her face-to-face and online students.  She says,

 In eCorrespondence, I like that I can work directly with students without having to go through a coordinating office.  Using the Angel system, I can initiate direct contact, keep in touch with students regarding their course work, and easily communicate back and forth with every student.  It’s more personal.

To find out if eCorrespondence is right for you, ask your advisor, stop by the Counseling Center, or come by the eLearning office in the library building.

 eLearning can be contacted at x374 or elearning@centralia.edu

From Fall 2007 to Fall 2008, online enrollments at Centralia College increased a whopping 48.4%.  This far outpaces online enrollment growth in the state’s community and technical colleges which, for the same time period, grew 24%.  In the five year period prior to Fall 2007 Centralia College maintained steady enrollment numbers in online classes.  You may be be able to say that we’ve “caught up” to the state enrollment trends.  I suspect that we will see less dramatic increases in the next couple of years.  However, the trend in our state and nationally is for online enrollment to continue to grow at a faster pace than overall enrollment.