Dear Colleagues,
Everyone is welcome to attend the Google Docs workshop on Wednesday. If you can't come, but want to learn about Google Docs, let me know. I am excited about the article from Faculty Focus on engaging students. Please read it and check it out. Lastly, I share a great video on checking a website for accessibility. There is always lots to learn! Pick one of these and dive in.
Google Docs workshop
I will host a workshop on Google Docs on Wed. Feb. 8 from noon to 1 pm in UC 145. This is a computer lab – so you can use a computer there or bring your own. We will cover creating, editing, and sharing Google Docs, as well as converting Google Docs to and from Word, and using the revision history. I will also discuss Google Drive and why I depend on it for all my files.
See the Google Learning Center for more information on Google Docs and other Google applications.
Helping students track their progress
Faculty Focus provides an excellent idea for engaging students in their success in a course:
…enable them to assess their own performance and set goals as well as to ask questions of and provide feedback to the instructor. Instructors can give students this reflective opportunity through an online journal assignment.
Author Christina Moore suggests implementing this activity about 1/3 way into the semester. Students have an idea of the demands of the course and they have plenty of time to do the work necessary to achieve their grade. It's easy to implement this assignment in Blackboard with the assignment tool or the journal tool. Let me know if you give this a try and how it works.
I just completed an online course in accessibility. I learned more about making websites accessible. I already know about using alt tags for images, making sure there is adequate contrast between text and background colors. I avoid flashing gifs and now I know that they are not accessible. This video provides a good overview. You may need to watch it a few times.
Thank you,
Lee
Lee Maria Henrikson
Instructional Designer
907-786-4903
UAA Community and Technical College
Building Alaska's Workforce
