CTC Ed Tech News Dec. 13, 2014

Hi all,

Here are my final suggestions for the fall.  

Finishing the Fall

Finals are about done. Maybe you have grading to finish, maybe you are done.  Here are a few reminders about finishing the semester well:

1. Reflect. What went well and what would you do different next time? Write it down! One way to improve our teaching is to go through a reflection/action process. Even it's a small thing that you want to change, it sets a precedent of continuous improvement to make the change. From what I know about teaching,  striving to improve keeps the material fresh and alive for me.
2. Enter grades in UAOnline by 11:59 pm on Wed. December 17.
3. Make your Blackboard shell unavailable to students – when appropriate for your course- go to Control Panel > Customization> Properties > Item 3.

Getting Ready for Spring

Some people are prepping now, some work over break, some take a brain break and dive in in January.  Here are a couple items to ease the process:

1. AIE consulting and workshops. Schedule a one-on-one meeting with an AIE Instructional Designer on Dec 17–19, 2014 or Jan 5–16, 2015. Spring Bootcamp  is on Jan 7–9, 2015. Topics include: Blackboard, Blackboard Collaborate, Presentation Techniques, Screencasting and Google Apps.
2. If you want to learn more about Blackboard on your own, go to the Instructor Resources area in your new Blackboard shell.
3. Set up your Blackboard course
   1. Course copy materials from the Blackboard shell from a prior semester
   2. Learn more on the Instructors Getting Started page

Email Virus Update

Beginning on Monday December 8, University of Alaska Anchorage personnel were inundated with virus-infected spam emails, in many cases from colleagues with already infected computers. These spam messages had a .zip file attachment. Those individuals who opened the .zip file soon found out that they had unknowingly installed a virus on their computers.

In the cases this week, the usual anti-virus and anti-malware software remained one step behind these infections. IT professionals across campus worked many, many hours to repair the damage. Infected computers were re-imaged – which meant those persons were without their primary computer for some time.

Some .zip files are very dangerous and IT Services depends on each of us to be cautious with emails containing .zip attachments. What can you do?

1. Keep your anti-virus and anti-malware software up-to-date. Ask the Call Center for detail on anti-virus and anti-malware software at the university.
2. Pause and be suspicious before clicking on any link- especially .zip files- in an email message – including ones from me! Just because you know the sender, doesn't mean the email is safe.
3. Make sure your data is backed up.
4. Immediately call the Call Center or your IT person (if your department has one) if you suspect your computer has been compromised.

Happy Holidays, 

Lee

Lee Maria Henrikson

Instructional Designer

Community and Technical College

University of Alaska Anchorage

http://ak-lee.blogspot.com

907-786-4903

 

CTC Ed Tech News December 1, 2014

The semester is winding down, there's finally snow on the ground, and here are my offerings for today:

Join the Game! 

UAS Instructional Designers are hosting a 10-day online workshop on gamefication in learning called the "10 Day Faculty Challenge." You can still sign up if you want to see what it's all about- just click on the link for the form on the UAS Learning Spaces blog. 

This is a great way to explore the ideas of games and gamefication in learning. Skeptics are welcome along with the game believers. Me, I'm some of both. 

If you do join the game, let me know so I can get a badge for recruiting.

IDEA Survey

The IDEA survey is now open for students. Its open dates are November 25 - December 17. Students can access the survey via the Course Evaluation link in Blackboard. Please encourage your students to take the survey and then look at the data next semester to see if you want to make changes in the course based on the student feedback.  If you have fewer than 11 students, you will need to request the survey.

Finals are Next Week

December 8-13.  Remember, the finals time counts toward the contact hours for your class.  Here is the finals schedule. This Find My Final Exam form is probably more for students.

Sometimes Low Tech is Best

Here are two articles on low vs. high tech. The first, on reading books vs. eBooks, finds that readers comprehend more when they read actual, rather than ebooks. The sensory input of holding a book gives one a sense of progression through the book.  It's easier to flip between pages, too, in a real book. The second, Don't let e-mail become e-fail, addresses one of my pet peeves: using electronic communication when a phone call or short chat would be more effective. One of my rules is that if the email gets too complicated, it's better to have a conversation.

My next newsletter will be on Dec.12.