It's always tough to start an article with those trigger words. Realizing you are immediately lowering the chances of anyone reading your article. But, this is an important topic. As Assessment Coordinator, I get asked quite frequently, "Aren't my grades assessment?"...
4 x 4 x 16 Challenge Articles
Are We Doing Anything Important?
“Are we doing anything important today?” asks the early college student as she walks in to the classroom on a sunny afternoon. I am passing back assignments from last week’s class. I give her a puzzled look and ask her why she is asking the question; “well I have to...
Introducing the NMC Ed Tech Knowledgebase
This past summer, Educational Media Technologies put together a Knowledegbase to help faculty and students accomplish goals with the various technologies available at NMC. We're always available to answer emails, tickets and phone calls, but the Knowledgebase exists...
Document Design and You
Did you know that the way you format your course materials can affect how accessible they are to your students? In this age of technology, students have a wide range of tools and apps available to them to access online content. More and more we see students using...
A Little Furry Audacious Goal
While wrapping up my PowerPoint for a Professional Development Day presentation, I asked myself several probing questions. Why would anyone choose to attend my session? How can I make it relevant? What would attendees remember afterwards? What change, if any, might...
Humor Goes Awry in the Classroom
If “humor goes awry in the classroom” were a headline, we could all immediately imagine multiple scenarios based our own experiences or stories we’ve heard. Perhaps a student takes a teacher’s joke literally (e.g., a teacher saying “I want you to laminate these paper...
NMC Library Databases: The World at your Fingertips
Did you know you can access millions of books, magazines, news and scholarly articles from around the globe via the NMC library databases? Our databases aren’t just here for students, but are here for all the faculty and staff too! Database resources can add a...
You are Invited! 4×4 Writing Challenge
My friend, Todd Conaway, started the idea of a writing challenge several years ago at Yavapai College in Arizona. Todd has recently moved to Bethel, Washington and taken the idea with him to the Northwest. His idea is brilliant, yet simple as so many brilliant ideas...
Three tips to help you get smart about Smart Boards, Smart Notebooks, and Smart Projectors
Even for those of us who enjoy learning new technologies, there are times we resist adding a new tool to our repertoire. Such was my stance towards Interactive White Boards. It’s not that I didn’t understand the potential in using them, but…