Has School Become An Extracurricular Activity?
It seems to me that school has become the extracurricular activity as of late. I know that doesn’t make sense, but let me explain myself. In the past, school came first and then other activities were scheduled if they could be fit in around the demands of school....
What Do Employers Want? (Part 2)
Last week I addressed want students want out of their coursework. This week I will touch on what employers want. This is important to know if we are going to change the way we teach. Perhaps by incorporating more active learning and group work, and really embrace the...
My students can’t write! Part 3: Outlines and Models
My husband, Jon, likes Legos. A lot. I admit: building my very own Batmobile was pretty sweet. (You are welcome to come see it in my office any time.) But we diverge in our process for building. While I like to follow the directions, look at the diagrams, and compare...
Learning via Discussion
“I cannot teach anyone anything. I can only make them think” –Socrates My students impress me in so many ways, and one is in their verbal abilities. While working with students in a testing situation, I offer the opportunity to verbally explain answers to test...
Learning for Life
In my high school, there was a statement over the entrance way that read, “Learn not for school, but for life.” I think the best gift of being an educator is that we have the ability to learn from every student, every peer, every day. I know that is a journey that...
OER Pilot
OER = Open Educational Resources made freely and legally available on the Internet for anyone to reuse, revise, remix and redistribute. The Friday Forum held on November 7th, 2014 involved a discussion and review of OERs and the official introduction of the OER pilot...
From Captain Kirk to Gandalf the White; What’s An Educator To Do?
I grew up with a brother who was and is a Trekkie. On a normal day, after school and football practice, he was found glued to the TV set watching the most recent episode of Star Trek. Not only was he glued, but he ran with a crowd in our high school who were also...
Copyright Videos in Your Moodle Shell? Important Please Read
As we learn more about copyright and our responsibility at NMC to be in compliance, Educational Media Technologies has been working to develop a process for how copyright videos are used in courses. Because use of online materials falls under the TEACH Act, please see...
Promoting Student Engagement With Online Classes
I have found it difficult to have students interact with each other when I teach online. When I did the Teaching Solution Boot Camp, one of the assignments was to have a “teaching presence”. I learned that I should have a picture of me outside of the teaching role, so...
Tech Tips: Searching for Specific Emails on Gmail
A Quick Guide on Searching for Specific emails on Gmail Tired of looking through endless lists for that one email? “What did we decide in that email conversation?” Then look no more. Here is a quick guide on how to search for those particular emails. To find that one...