Category: General
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Introducing the Faculty PLNNet (“planet”) project
In the Faculty PLNNET project we are beginning to explore how Faculty Professional Learning and Knowledge Networks can enhance teaching and learning at VIU in two complementary ways: develop student capability to engage in professional learning through knowledge networks, and enable faculty to advance their teaching activities ‒ and student learning ‒ by participation in…
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Book Review: The Courage to Teach
I have just read The Courage to Teach by Parker J. Palmer, an incredibly powerful text reflecting on the essential role of the teacher. The book calls for inward reflection on behalf of teachers to examine their own motives and intent when approaching their practice. Early in the text Parker notes; “Teachers possess the power…
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Kaltura Connect 2013: The Video Experience Conference
I was fortunately able to attend the annual Kaltura Connect conference this year held in New York City at Chelsea Piers, September 30th to October 1st, 2013. Connect brings together thought leaders and technologists for two days to talk about everything video in education, media and corporate. Key trends discussed this year included mobile &…
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To Tweet or Not to Tweet
As an emerging practitioner in higher education faculty development, I’m encouraged to tweet in order to cultivate my digital presence. This phrase, digital presence, it sounds so sleek, so haute couture, and so very 21st century. But why do I need to have a digital presence? Especially when I’m still working on my…what is the…
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Fast and Furious Learning – An Overview of Desire2Learn Fusion 2013 – Part 2
The Post Conference After three long days full or learning, there was still the Post Conference to look forward to. The Post Conference sessions offered two full days of interactive, in-depth sessions for all levels of Desire2Learn users. These sessions were just as interesting and engaging as the regular conference sessions. Here is an…
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Fast and Furious Learning – An Overview of Desire2Learn Fusion 2013 – Part 1
For the past few months I have been busy converting a multitude of courses from Moodle to Desire2Learn at VIU. When I heard that I was going to have the opportunity to go to Desire2Learn’s Fusion 2013 (Website).I was ecstatic! Not only was I going to learn a great deal I was going to have…
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Wiggio: Online Group Collaborative Learning Tool Coming to Desire2Learn
In March, Desire2Learn acquired the company, Wiggio (http://wiggio.com/). Wiggio creates a product to help students self-organize campus groups. Desire2Learn is working on integrating Wiggio into their Learning Suite, and are aiming to make Wiggio available to all clients in the Fall (although a specific date has not yet been given). So what exactly is Wiggio…
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Achieving Better Balance: Learning First, Technology Second
There is a better balance yet to be achieved – between technology and learning in higher education (well K-16 education for that matter). I don’t believe we are there yet. There is a lot of “technology talk” these days….. technology training, technology tweets, technology blog posts, technology spending, technology conference keynotes, technology hype, technology expenses,…
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Design Alchemy: Transforming the Way We Think about Teaching and Learning – in Online Courses
Review of Talk: EdMedia (Victoria, BC, June 2013) Keynote: Design Alchemy: Transforming the Way We Think about Teaching and Learning Presenter: Dr. Rod Sims (Senior Lecturer, Online Learning), University of South Queensland YouTube Capture of Keynote: One of my staff attended the EdMedia Conference and was telling me about this keynote talk. Wow…what a great…
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Technology-Mediated Student Feedback: Obtaining Formative Assessment
I developed a little one hour session on how to use 5 technology tools to get formative assessment – and used all 5 of them as a demonstration in a lab training environment. The trick was to not prepare ahead of time (oh horrors, I know but just wing it as it is part of…