Hello NMC Faculty!  Welcome to the 2021 Fall semester! It is my sincerest hope that you were able to spend some time this summer relaxing and rejuvenating. Now as we move full speed ahead into a new academic year I am pleased to share some professional development opportunities from the Educational Technology Organization of Michigan (ETOM). What is ETOM? It is a non-profit organization dedicated to the use of instructional technology in higher education and in particular, online learning. The organization is not just for folks like myself or members of my Ed Tech team, but faculty as well. As a current Executive Board member, I’m happy to share some upcoming events you may be interested in presenting at or attending.

ETOM Virtual Annual Conference – Friday, November 5, 2021

• Theme – Charting a New Path Forward
  • What can we adopt that went well during this time of COVID? What can we leave behind that didn’t contribute to student success? What should we be prepared for in the future?
• Interested in presenting – Deadline is October 5th https://forms.gle/z4XVrwmVtDnVoGjV9 
• Interested in attending? Registration will open later this month, so keep an eye on the ETOM website.

ETOM Meet-ups – Beginning on September 15, 2021, and continuing on the 3rd Wednesday of every other month from 12-12:45 pm. Here is the preliminary schedule:

• September 15 – “Checking In!” – What’s happening; what’s going well so far this semester and what isn’t? A discussion of peers. 
• November 17, January 19, March 16, May 18 – Topics TBA
• Meeting URL: https://zoom.us/my/etomconnect
  Meeting ID: 234 661 1201
  Passcode: meetup

If you’d like to get regular updates from ETOM, contact Garry Brand, the Executive Director at garry@etom.org. In addition to being the ETOM Executive Director, Garry is a full-time faculty member at Grand Rapids Community College and teaches ETOM’s Online Teacher Certification courses.