iDevelop – NSCC’s Faculty Professional Development eNewsletter (4/5/2021)

Welcome to iDevelop, a weekly eNewsletter providing faculty with information about professional development opportunities at NSCC. The intent of this eNewsletter is to spotlight the various professional development events for faculty in one convenient location as well as share best practices, resources and tips related to the teaching practice. iDevelop is being brought to you by the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Innovation (CTLI).  

  

  
20 Minute Online Professional Development
The Monday Morning Mentor series will be available over the spring semester to bring you professional development in twenty minute snippets. The topic for the week of April 5th is How Can I Gauge Online Learning Through Engaging Activities and Assignments? The presentation is available Monday at 10:00am and is accessible through Sunday of that week. For information on accessing the presentation and supplemental materials, please view the Bulletin or the email version of iDevelop.

More information about this session (including description, topics, and learning goals) is available at https://www.magnapubs.com/product/program/how-can-i-gauge-online-learning-through-engaging-activities-and-assignments/. The complete spring 2021 schedule of Monday Morning Mentor sessions is available at http://nscclets.blogspot.com/2020/12/20-minute-mentor-online-faculty.html. 

Looking for transcripts of past Monday Morning Mentor sessions? Please email ctli@northshore.edu with the session title and we can provide you with the transcript and supplementary materials. 

Other Professional Development Opportunities

• Salem State University Earth Day Events. The Salem State Earth Days Planning Committee has extended an invitation to the NSCC community to participate in their Earth Days events. Their theme this year is “There is No Planet B.” The schedule of free events and registration information is available on the Earth Days webpage at https://www.salemstate.edu/earthday. 
• 45th Forum on Tolerance. This spring, the Forum on Tolerance is focusing on "Black Lives Matter: the U.S. Journey towards Justice and Healing Part 2" and will take place in individual segments that will be broadcast over Zoom Monday, April 12th through Friday, April 16th. A schedule of events as well as the links to register for each segment is available at http://www.northshore.edu/tolerance/.
• Digital Teaching Symposium 2021. Blackboard is sponsoring this free virtual event focusing on best practices for what’s next in digital teaching on Friday, April 16, 2021. More information as well as the registration link is available at https://events.bizzabo.com/DTS2021/home.
• 2021 NSCC Visiting Writer Event. Visiting Writer and North Shore alumnus John R. Nelson will present a slide show and read from his book Flight Calls: Exploring Massachusetts through Birds, described as "somewhere between a personal memoir, a true-life adventure, and a birder's personal journey." This event will take place on Zoom on Tuesday, April 20, 9:30-10:45 AM and Wednesday, April 21, 9:30-10:45 AM. More information will be available soon on the 2021 Arts in April page, https://www.northshore.edu/arts-in-april/index.html.
• 2021 Northeast OER Summit. Registration is now open for the 4th Annual Northeast OER Summit. The Summit is free and will take place Monday, May 24 – Wednesday, May 26, 2021 virtually through University of Massachusetts Amherst Conference Services. If you are interested in attending, you can register at https://umass.irisregistration.com/Site/OER.    
• Dis/Misinformation: Perspectives and Pedagogies for Educators in the Post-Truth Era. Harvard University's Global Studies Outreach Center is offering their 9th annual free summer educator workshop virtually over a two-week period: July 26 - August 6. Participants can join for all or some of the sessions offered over those two weeks. More information is available at https://globalstudiesoutreach.harvard.edu/. 

Upcoming Webinars of Interest

• Learn 10 Social Media Strategies to Connect with Online Students (Contact North webinar) on Tuesday, April 6, 2021 from 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM EST. ”As COVID-19 continues to upend the normal social connections between students and professors — casual interactions during office hours, pre-class conversation, post-class questions — social media is emerging as a tool to maintain and improve those connections that are vital for student retention, academic development, diversity and inclusion. In this webinar, participants learn how to: 1. Use social media to complement traditional communication, 2. Find the platform of choice, 3. Stay on brand, 4. Recognize we’re all #InItTogether, 5. Target the “whole” student, 6. Use social media to engage students, 7. Cross-promote their institution, 8. Build a discipline co-educational space, 9.Share discipline-specific content, and 10. Share student successes.” (webinar description) More information and registration link available at https://teachonline.ca/webinar/how-use-social-media-retain-and-connect-students-shift-online-education.
• Flipping the Online Classroom (Campus Compact Fusion Webinar) on Thursday, April 8, 2021, 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM EST. “This session will focus on designing and implementing courses with high levels of student interaction, engagement, and community-based learning. We will introduce strategies and approaches for enhancing students' skills in leadership, teamwork, and problem solving through supportive learning communities, student-led activities, and student-directed learning. We will discuss strategies for balancing and effectively utilizing both synchronous and asynchronous class time in order to make courses meaningful, relevant, and content-rich. Participants will leave the session with concrete plans and goals to support students' online learning experiences with a "flipped" mindset and approach.” (webinar description) Presented by: Audrey Falk - Merrimack College. More information as well as registration link available at https://events.compact.org/fusion-webinars.
• Open Pedagogy in Practice - Faculty Perspectives (New England Board of Higher Education weibar) on Monday, April 12, 2021 from 10 AM to 11 AM EST. "Open pedagogy, OER-enabled pedagogy, Open educational practices -- you may have heard these terms in passing or maybe you’ve heard a lot about them but still find yourself asking the question, “but what does this actually look like in practice?” Listen to New England college and university open education leaders Dr. Robin DeRosa from New Hampshire, Dr. Jennifer Van Allen from New York, and Dr. Heather Miceli from Rhode Island share what Open pedagogy looks like in their classrooms, lessons learned they’ve learned along the way, and why their praxis is ever-changing." (webinar description) Registration available at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Vlq4oiSgQZa_NlKmW3MSEw.

Interesting Articles and Resources

• Using Social Media to Retain and Connect with Students in the Shift to Online Education, https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/online-education/online-student-engagement/using-social-media-to-retain-and-connect-with-students-in-the-shift-to-online-education/
• Strategies for Antiracist and Decolonized Teaching, https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/equality-inclusion-and-diversity/strategies-for-antiracist-and-decolonized-teaching/
• Teaching Online: STEM in the Time of COVID, https://onlinelearningconsortium.org/read/teaching-online-stem-in-a-time-of-covid/
• Digital Texts in the Time of COVID: Educational Resources in U.S. Higher Education, 2020, https://www.bayviewanalytics.com/reports/digitaltextsinthetimeofcovid.pdf
• 21 Ways to Structure an Online Discussion, Part Two, https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/online-education/online-student-engagement/21-ways-to-structure-an-online-discussion-part-two/

Update on Upcoming Maintenance for Blackboard Collaborate Ultra

Blackboard has scheduled a maintenance window for the Collaborate Ultra v21.06 update. On Thursday, April 8th between 2:00 AM EST to 6:00 AM EST, Collaborate Ultra users will experience intermittent availability.

Share Your Teaching Resources and Professional Development Opportunities

If you have any teaching resources that you would like to share with other NSCC faculty or know of any other professional development opportunities that NSCC faculty might be interested in, please feel free to send them to ctli@northshore.edu and we will share them in the upcoming issues of iDevelop.

We hope you have enjoyed this weekly eNewsletter and would love your input. Please let us know if you have any feedback on the format, content, and resources or if there is anything else you would like to see in the eNewsletter.

Thank you,
CTLI 

3 Steps to Video Excellence

Over the last few months I've been presenting in several classrooms where faculty were looking to introduce students to instructional technology of some sort, which usually fall into the category of digital or face-to-face presentations.  In preparing and developing for these classes, I let my mind wander a bit on how to do this in a way that balanced the students' need to understand the tools, exciting enough for them to want to use the tools, and manageable for them to actually integrate the tools.  Here is the triangulation that I developed that can be done with using nothing more than your computer (an maybe an external microphone if you don't have an internal one) and little knowledge of basic programs.  In total, this entails creating a presentation that can be engaging and easily moved into a video for later use.

This process requires 3 programs--all of which are web-based (and free).  The only obstacles are that two require registration (Google and Prezi--though if you have a North Shore Community College account that is your Google account and Prezi offers an Educational License that is free when you use your school email account) and the video can be no longer that 15 minutes.  But for videos that are going in an online environment (for either face to face or online teaching), this is good because it helps the instructor or student keep focus on what they need to communicate is a confined time.

Step 1:  Google Slides (Presentation Tool)

We're talking primarily about Google Slides here, but Powerpoint works just as well for this part.  Either way, you'll need to opt to select "Download as a Powerpoint" when you are done with the Google Presentation in order to integrate it into Prezi.   For a good primer on Google Slides, check out their help feature which has really good information.

In Google Slides, you can compose your  specific content and information.  This might include images, videos, and text.  You can think of them as your "scenes" and what you want to convey in each scene.  When completed with the content, this is also a good time to work through the presentation to get a sense of how long it will take you and the flow of it.   

Step 2:  Prezi  (Optional)
Once you have  content settled into scenes in Google Slides, you'll want to download it as a Powerpoint file (pptx).  (If you've been using Powerpoint; you are all set).  Then you'll want to go to Prezi.com and create an account.  Be sure to sign up for an educational license if you are a college student or instructor.   This will provided you with additional benefits.  Like Google, Prezi has great support and guidance for learning the tool and for something like this, you don't need to know much about Prezi beyond the basics.  

Once you have created an account, and started a new Prezi, you'll want to select the "Insert" menu and choose "Powerpoint."  You'll be given the option of how many of your slides you want to import as well as the design you want to use.  Those are aesthetic choices you will need to consider in terms of what the information is you are conveying and how it should look laid out on Prezi.  

When you have sequenced and aligned your scenes in a way that works for you, you'll want to run through the sequence from start to finish at full screen.  This will benefit you in two ways.  The first is that it will make sure everything runs smoothly.  It will also give you another opportunity to pace through it and see how it works in terms of time.  

It should be noted that this is an optional step and one that you might not be ready to tackle with your first video or two.  Prezi can be a little overwhelming if you haven't used it much or are still not comfortable with Web 2.0 tools.  However, if you're just importing your entire Powerpoint and not necessarily manipulating much of the content besides cleaning it up any glitches in the transfer, it can be easy to do in an hour or so (at least the first time).  I've added it as a step here because the moving and fading tool features allow for your Powerpoint to come alive a bit more than just a typical Powerpoint.   We'd also recommend you check out our previous post on Prezi to get a better sense if the tool if you haven't used it before.  

Step 3:  Screencast-o-matic 
 Once you have created an excellent Prezi, now you can get ready to make a video of it with the use of Screencast-O-Matic.   We're big fans here of Screencast-O-Matic as we've mentioned before. Screencast-O-matic is a free tool that only requires a brief and easy installation of a browser applet in order to run.  The program will record what's on your screen (screencast) and whatever sound you create (or you can keep it mute).  

At this point, you'll want to have a tab on your browser to open up the Screencast-O-Matic tool while also having a tab open on your browser with your Prezi that you want to record.  Set your Screencast-O-Matic to capture the full screen and then set your Prezi to full screen.  When you are ready, press the big red button on Screencast-O-Matic and begin recording.  

3 Notes about recording:

1. Don't expect to get it right the first time.  You'll probably need to restart at least once.
2. Don't aim for perfection.  Look for a conversational voice and don't worry about a few mistakes.  If you aim for perfection, you will lose your mind and lots of time trying to get it "just right."
3. Do your best to prepare a script that you work from.  This is useful not just for you to follow along but you can make the script available so that it meets accessibility requirements for your students. 

Storage
This is not so much a step but a consideration. Now that you've made a great video, the question is where to put it.  You can certainly store it in your ANGEL course.  However, I find it useful to upload it to my Google Drive and then embed it into an ANGEL page.  This allows me to also share the video out with other people and places as I see fit.  If comfortable, you can also put it on YouTube.  The one challenge if you are going to use YouTube is that you would need to create a separate account since your NSCC account can't be used for Youtube accounts. 

Here is an example of a video (also reiterating much of what's in this blog post). 

Have you tried any of these tools?  How do you like them?  What challenges have you run into?  Have you produced any interesting content that's available to see (share the link below!)?

More Infographics To Think About: Part 2

There are a lot of great infographics out there about technology and education, despite the concerns and issues that some have identified with education-based infographics.  Here are a few more to review and think about.

These two infographics look at the use of technology by college students.  The "2012 Students and Technology" infographic is based on an annual survey of undergraduate students by EDUCAUSE and presents information on student technology ownership and student uses of technology in their college experiences.

Click to see full graphic. Source: http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ERS1208/EIG1208.pdf

 The "Technology Use on College Campuses" infographic presents similar data on how students are using technology and what their technology preferences are.

Click to see full graphic. Source: https://s3.amazonaws.com/infographics/Techonology+Divide.png

These two infographics provide information on ways faculty are using social  media in the classroom.  The "Teachers' Guide to Social Media" infographic presents ideas on how social media can be used in classes to "connect, notify, teach, and currate". 

Click to see full graphic. Source: https://s3.amazonaws.com/infographics/Teacher-Guide-Social-Media-800.png

The "How Today's Higher Education Faculty Use Social Media" infographic presents the results of research by Pearson Learning Solutions and Babson Survey Research Group on the various personal, professional and teaching uses of social media by faculty.

Click to see full graphic.  Source: http://www.pearsonlearningsolutions.com/assets/downloads/pdfs/pearson-social-media-infographic-2012.pdf

The "Blended Learning: A Disruptive Innovation" infographic examines what blended learning is.  Even though the focus is K-12, it does provide some good background information and a general overview on blended learning models.

Click to see full graphic.  Source: http://knewton.marketing.s3.amazonaws.com/images/infographics/blended-learning.jpg

The "Status of Online Education" infographic is based on survey data from the Babson Survey Research Group and presents data on online education as seen by chief academic officers at institutions across the country.

Click to see full graphic.  Source: http://www.pearsonlearningsolutions.com/assets/downloads/reports/changing-course-survey.pdf

The "Flipped Classroom" infographic presents information on what the flipped classroom model is and how it is implemented.

Click to see full graphic.  Source: http://knewton.marketing.s3.amazonaws.com/images/infographics/flipped-classroom.jpg

The "State of Digital Education" infographic looks at the impact of the Internet on education.

Click to see full graphic.  Source: http://knewton.marketing.s3.amazonaws.com/images/infographics/state-of-digital-education.jpg

And the "Envisioning the Future of Education Technology" infographic examines a variety of emerging technologies and what their impact might be on education.

Click to see full graphic.  Source: http://edudemic.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/envisioning-the-future-of-education-technology_50291a3e6125d.png

These are all infographics on technology and education.  What infographics are you seeing relative to your disciplines?  Do you see a use for infographics in the classroom?  Has anyone considered infographics as an output for a student research project?

Mobile Devices in the Classroom

This blog post was developed by the ITD Team (Andrea Milligan, David Houle, Lance Eaton and Pat Lavoie).

Though we should be deliberate in how we embrace mobile technology, what are some of the ways in which it can enhance our classroom experiences and student learning? In mid-January, the Instructional Technology and Design team facilitated a conversation with faculty on this topic during a Mobile Devices in the Classroom workshop. Potential benefits and challenges were explored along with a discussion around potential useful classroom applications.

When it comes to mobile devices in the classroom, it is clear that they can provide some great advantages to making it a more rewarding experience.  Mobile devices can be used to

• Provide students with instant access to the world in the classroom. This is great for looking up words that they are unfamiliar with, translating words they do not know, incorporating data into the discussion, doing research on a topic being discussed in class and communicating with experts.
• Provide students with opportunities to engage, interact, and create in a classroom environment and beyond that may not have been previously possible.  Students can create presentations on the fly, develop videos encapsulating a conceptual process, manipulate interactive course materials, or work together on writing something within the class without hovering over each others' shoulders.

However, there are definitely challenges to consider and overcome: 

• Access to mobile devices:  Not every student will have access to a mobile device.  One way of overcoming this is having students work in groups around an activity that uses a mobile device.  Another way is to plan ahead and give students choices about doing the work in class or on their own in the computer labs or at home.
• Cost of apps:  If you are going to be using various mobile tools, be careful about requiring students to purchase apps.  While students may be able to get financial aid for books, money for apps is likely to come out of their own pocket.  An alternative to this is to focus on free apps (of which there are plenty) or work with web-based free programs (e.g. Poll Everywhere).
• Cost of data plans:  Be careful about how much demand you put on the students' mobile devices in terms of the data they need to use.  Some students pay per individual text or have limited texting plans and others may have smart phones but with limited data plans.  A good approach to this would be to remind students that they can log onto the school's Wi-Fi to avoid using their own data plans (texting charges would still apply).
• Platform plurality:  There are many different platforms when it comes to mobile devices--it is not just Android, Apple, & Windows, but we are also dealing with smart phones, tablets, and laptops.  When you are looking to employ mobile devices in the classroom, it is important to find strategies that are platform agnostic in that they can be used on all platforms.  This might require some additional research to provide options for people on different platforms.  A tool like EdShelf allows you to seach for tools by platform.  Or, when trying to find particular apps, look beyond the platform-specific app store as many apps are available on multiple platforms.
• Technical support:  Students are going to have technical issues with their devices and the software employed.  Be sure to have a reference guide for the different types of support (e.g. the school's Helpdesk, the app's support link, etc). 
• Physical tech support:  It is important to think about battery life and access to power sources.  Some mobile devices will not last more than 3-4 hours of continued use.  Students will need to be aware of where the power outlets are.  You may need to consider different seating accomodations during a project to allow for access to power outlets.  You might also want to consider providing students with advance notice, if possible, of a mobile activity so they can come to class with their devices charged.
• Printing support:  Be sure to direct students to this link so they know that mobile printing has now been enabled for certain mobile devices in certain locations on NSCC's campuses.  This would come in handy, particularly, for students using their mobile devices to write papers.
• Projection support:  Depending on the device, you may or may not be able to hook it up to classroom projector (if in a smart classroom).  Additional cables might be needed to hook up your mobile device to the projector so you will want to think about this ahead of time and look at the nature of the classroom to determine what you should have. 
• Instructional support:  Students' do not intuitively know what to do with the mobile devices for instructional purposes and they may not full understand what is expected of them in using a mobile device inside or outside of class.  As an instructor, you will want to provide clear guidelines about how students will be using the mobile devices and the means by which they can achieve "success" when using them in your course. 
• Familiarity:  Some students are likely to be neophytes to the particular app or usage of technology that you are employing for class.  A good way to help students avoid feeling overwhelmed by mobile device use is to give them some time to play with the particular tool/app/device and gain some familiarity with it.  Additionally, you might create a low-stakes assignment for them to do so they will gain some confidence with the device.
• Appropriate usage:  As tools, mobile devices can do wonderful things, but students are likely to be easily distracted by them so it is important to prepare for such challenges within the class.  Several recommendations for making mobile devices useful but not a distraction would include:
• Clear guidelines and expectations about proper usage added into the syllabus and/or covered in class.
• Direct work on mobile devices towards a particular goal or project (that is, require a "finished product" as proof of their usage).
• Identify a particular window of time in which they can use the device and provide them with a challenge to accomplish in that limited time.

Resources:  Here are some great resources to consider for different ways of using mobile devices for the purposes of learning. 

Engage

• Poll Everywhere - "Instant audience feedback" - on the web, via Twitter, or via text messaging
  http://www.polleverywhere.com/
• TED - "Riveting talks by remarkable people, free to the world."
  http://www.ted.com/
• VoiceThread - "Conversations in the cloud" around media.
  http://voicethread.com/
• StudyBlue Flashcards - "Make, study and share online flashcards, study guides and quizzes."
  http://www.studyblue.com/

Create

• Evernote - "Makes it easy to remember things big and small from your everyday life using your computer, phone, tablet and the web."
  http://evernote.com/
• Skitch - "Get your point across with fewer words using annotation, shapes and sketches".
  http://evernote.com/skitch/
• Web Clipper - "From interests to research, save anything you see online—including text, links and images—into your Evernote account with a single click."
  http://evernote.com/webclipper/ 
• Evernote Peek - "Turn your notes, audio and image in Evernote into study materials with Evernote Peek."
  http://evernote.com/peek/ 
• EduCreations - "Teach what you know. Learn what you don't."
  http://www.educreations.com/ 
• Prezi - "A presentation tool that helps you organize and share your ideas."
  http://prezi.com/

Collaborate

• Google+ - "Share the right things with the right people."
  http://plus.google.com
• Google Drive - "Do more than just store your files. Share files with exactly who you want and edit them together, from any device."
  http://drive.google.com
• DropBox - "A service that lets you bring your photos, docs, and videos anywhere and share them easily."
  https://www.dropbox.com/
• Trello - "A collaboration tool that organizes your projects into boards. In one glance, Trello tells you what's being worked on, who's working on what, and where something is in a process."
  https://trello.com/ 
• inClass - "Organize your schedule.  Share your notes."
  http://www.inclassapp.com/

Research

• Side by Side - "A multiple-window reader/browser with offline reading and note taking capabilities."
  http://leibao.webs.com/Apps_by_Bao_Lei/Side_by_Side.html 
• OverDrive - "eBooks and audiobooks for libraries and schools."
  http://www.overdrive.com/ 
• Google Translate - "Online language translation service instantly translates text and web pages."
  http://translate.google.com/
  http://www.google.com/mobile/translate/

For More

• iTunes App Store
  https://itunes.apple.com/gb/genre/ios/id36?mt=8 
• Educational Apps for Apple
  http://www.apple.com/education/apps/ 
• Windows 8 App Store
  http://www.windows8apps.com/ 
• Educational Apps for Windows 8
  http://www.windows8apps.com/apps/education/ 
• Google App Store
  https://play.google.com/store/apps 
• Educational Apps for Google
  https://play.google.com/store/apps/category/EDUCATION

You can also check out our Prezi presentation:


We would love to hear from you.  Are you using mobile devices in the classroom?  If so, how are you using them?  What benefits or challenges do you see around using mobile devices in the classroom?  What apps are you or your students using?

Upcoming Workshops

Welcome back from break!  

Next week, Academic Technology will be sponsoring a series of workshops on a variety of topics around integrating technology into the teaching and learning environment. The workshops will take place Monday, January 14th through Thursday, January 17th in Danvers Berry 202 (unless otherwise noted). Check out the Workshop descriptions.

If you are interested in attending any of the workshops, please RSVP.

Monday, January 14th

9:00am-10:15am, Introduction to Clickers in the Classroom, DB304
10:30am-12:00pm, New to ANGEL
1:00pm-3:00pm, ANGEL Assessments and ANGEL Drop Box

Tuesday, January 15th
9:00am-10:15am, ANGEL Rubrics
10:30am-12:00pm, ANGEL Discussion Forum
1:00pm-3:00pm, McGraw Hill Campus
6:00pm-7:00pm  Smart Classroom Basics, DB304

Wednesday, January 16th
9:00am-10:15am, ANGEL Gradebook
10:30am-12:00pm, Using Prezi to Make Your Presentations Sizzle
1:00pm-3:00pm, Google Docs and Google Sites
5:00pm-7:00pm, Demonstration of ANGEL and Google Suite

Thursday, January 17th
9:00am-10:15am, Mobile Devices in the Classroom, DB304
10:30am-12:00pm, Social Media Learning Tools (Google Hangout and Blogger)
1:00pm-3:00pm, Best Practices in the Smart Classroom, DB304

Please let us know if you have any questions. We look forward to seeing you at the workshops! 

What workshops are you planning to attend?

Extending the Classroom with Google+

Recently, Information Services made two new Google tools available through our northshore.edu Gmail accounts.  These tools, Google+ and Blogger, were implemented at the request of several faculty who wanted to experiment with them in their classes.  One of the benefits of having access to these tools from within our NSCC Google suite is that faculty and students will not have to sign-up for a separate Gmail account with an additional username and password.

Google+ is Google's social networking platform.  Faculty, staff, and students now have access to this tool from within our Google suite by clicking on the +You (or +Your Name) option in the black toolbar at the top.

Google+ has several features and one of them is Google Hangouts which is a tool that allows for video conferencing with up to ten people.

Here are just a few uses of Google Hangouts inside and outside of the classroom:

• Hold small group meetings with faculty, staff or students
• Conduct virtual office hours
• Share computer screen to walk through a web site or demonstrate a software program
• View and discuss YouTube videos
• View and/or edit Google Documents collaboratively for writing workshops or group projects
• Bring in a guest lecturer

To use Google Hangouts, you do need to set up a Google+ profile within your northshore.edu Gmail account.  You can do one-on-one video conferencing without a Google+ profile.

 

Note: When entering your birth date, make sure you do not select a year that will make you 13 years or younger. This will lock your North Shore Gmail account.

 

For more information on social media in the classroom and using Google+, please take a look at these resources:

• Social Media as a Teaching Tool
• 3 Ways to Hack Your Class with Google+ 
• 31 Ways to Use Google+
• Ways for Faculty to Use Google+
• 30 Ways Colleges Are Using Google+ Right Now

Please do not hesitate to contact us at itd@northshore.edu to brainstorm ideas for integrating Google+ and other social media into your teaching or for assistance in using any of these tools.

• Do you see a use for Google+, especially Google Hangouts, in the teaching and learning environment?  What goals might this tool help you meet?
• What challenges do you see to using Google+?
• What role, if any, does social media play in the classroom?

 

Social Media & Teaching at NSCC

Social Media & Teaching at NSCC

Social Media:

• Can foster student to student, student to faculty, and student to content interactions.
• Can facilitate communication expediently.
• Can encourage informal learning and the development of personal information networks for students.
• Can aid in developing meaningful connections with students.

When to Use Social Media in the Classroom:

• To encourage informal discussions between students and faculty.
• To identify and share new or recently-discovered content that is course relevant.
• To provide a voice for those who find classroom settings intimidating or challenging.
• To make education accessible in unique ways the classroom inhibits.
• To collaborate on a piece of media (text, image, sound, video, etc) for meaningful discussion that can be captured and reproduced in other settings.

Different Social Media & Potential Assignments or Projects

Blogger Student journals Faculty observations & students comment Course blog where all students contribute relevant posts related to the course Collaborative note-taking Group blogs based upon different course-topics

Google Hangouts Student-faculty video conferences Student group conferences Collaborative work space Office hours Peer reviews Small-group workshops with students and faculty

Twitter News-tracking for different disciplines Live classroom question forum Encouraging dialogue with professionals within a given field Collaborative note-taking Tweeting live events

Diigo Social bookmarking Organize online course readings Collectively annotating course material Research space for project/paper Develop a collection of supplemental resources that can be reproduced for the next course.

Recommendations for Using Social Media in the Classroom

We always encourage faculty to contact the Instructional Technology and Design Team - Andrea Milligan (amilliga@northshore.edu), Lance Eaton (leaton@northshore.edu), David Houle (dhoule@northshore.edu), & Patricia Lavoie (plavoie@northshore.edu) for help in addressing some of the following concerns:  

• Gaining familiarity with the tool.
• Aligning usage of social media with course goals and objectives.
• Making the tool accessible and easy to learn for students.
• Developing guidelines about the ways in which the tool will be used (and how students will be evaluated with regards to its usage).

For More Information

Please visit the ITD Social Media Resources page at: https://sites.google.com/a/northshore.edu/itd/technology-tools/social-media

GETTING STARTED WITH BLOGGER

1. Log into North Shore Gmail (http://gmail.northshore.edu).
2. Click on More in the black toolbar across the top of the screen.
3. Click on Blogger.
4. You will be prompted to create a profile.  Select Create a Limited Profile for Blogger.
5. You will then be prompted to select a Display Name.  This is the name that will show up when you post on Blogger.

Once in Blogger:

1. Select New Blog to create a new blog.
2. Provide your blog with a name.
3. Create a name for your Blog's address (often an abbreviated version of your blog's name)
4. Select a Design Template for your Blog (how you want the blog to appear--this can be changed later on).
5. Select Create blog!
6. You will be returned to your Dashboard where it will list your blog.  To start composing a blog, click  Start posting or the pencil icon under your blog's title.

GETTING STARTED WITH GOOGLE+

1. Log into North Shore Gmail (http://gmail.northshore.edu).  
2. To set up your Google+ account with the northshore.edu domain:  
1. Click on the +You in the black toolbar across the top of the screen.  
2. Click on the down arrow next to your email address and then the Join Google+ button. 
3. In step 1 (Upgrade):  
1. You will need to check off the box that reads: “I understand the changes to Picasa Web Albums”.  
2. We recommend that you uncheck the box that reads: “Google may use my account information to personalize +1s content”. 
3. Click the Upgrade button. 
4. In step 2 (Add people):  
1. You can just click the Continue button at this point.  You do  not need to add any people.  
2. Click the Continue button at the “Follow interesting people and pages” screen.  
3. Click the Continue anyway button at the “you might be lonely...” screen. 
5. At step 3 (Be awesome):  
6. Click the Finish button.  You do not need to add a photo or fill out the rest of the information (unless you want to). 
7. Once you have set up your Google+ account, you will see +Your Name in the black toolbar across the top of the screen instead of +You.

Once in Google+:  

1. Click on the Start a hangout button (on your Google+ home page) to create a video conferencing space.  
2. Enter in the email addresses of students or colleagues to invite to the hangout.  
3. Provide your hangout a name (for example: CPS100 Office Hours)  
4. Click the Hang out button.

Note: Google+ is available on iPhones, iPads, and Android devices.  Also, use of Google+ and Blogger fall under NSCC’s Computer Use Policy (http://www.northshore.edu/legal/computer_use.html).  For full Social Media Guidelines, visit: http://www.northshore.edu/legal/social-media-guidelines.html.