Workshop Descriptions
Blackboard Basics
Learn not only the basics of Blackboard, but also how the online learning program works at LPC. Included in this workshop is learning how to add items, folders, and announcements. There will also be information on how to add content that is accessible to students with disabilities.
Microsoft e-Learning
With the college's license with Microsoft, all faculty and staff have access to training online. This training includes to a variety of Microsoft products, including the latest for Office products like Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Training for older versions are also available. After registering here, access information will be sent to you.
eLumen
eLumen is a Student Learning Outcomes Management system. Learn how to enter your SLOs, add rubrics and assessments, and score your students.
Google Docs
Google Docs is software that lives online ("in the cloud") and gives you and your students the ability to create, store, share -- and collaborate on -- word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation files. Learn these techniques, along with creating forms, which can be used as surveys to collect data from students. Please set up a Google account prior to the workshop.
Contribute
Learn how to update your web site with this easy-to-use software. Requirement: you must have an existing site on the LPC domain, www.laspositascollege.edu. This software will not work if you have an instructional site on the LPC1 server.
Blackboard 9.1 SP7
Service Pack 7, which we will be upgrading to prior to Summer 2012, introduces a few new features and enhancements, namely interactive rubrics, auto-submission of timed assessments, and additional assignment activities in Needs Grading.
Appointment Descriptions
Blackboard Basics
Learn not only the basics of Blackboard, but also how the online learning program works at LPC. Included in this workshop is learning how to add items, folders, and announcements. There will also be information on how to add content that is accessible to students with disabilities.
Blackboard Assignments
The Assignments tool allows students to upload their submissions directly into Blackboard. Learn how to create an assignment, view student submissions, add comments, and grade the submission. Creating an assignment automatically generates a column in the Grade Center, saving you that step.
Blackboard: Blogs, Journals
A blog is an interactive writing tool in which students share their writings and work in a collaborative environment. Journals can be used by individual students for reflective writing and logging thoughts. Learn how to use these tools within Blackboard.
Blackboard: Building Content
Blackboard allows you to add a wide variety of content to your course. Learn how to upload files and how to add text items, links to other web site, images, sound files, and videos from YouTube. Also, you will learn how to create a Learning Module, a "blank" page, and other types of content.
Blackboard: Course Files
You can store files inside Blackboard for use in content areas of your course. Learn how to upload and manage files within your own directory in Blackboard, along with how to deploy that content in multiple places for student access.
Blackboard Early Warning System
The Early Warning System allows you to proactively monitor student performance based on a set of criteria that you determine. Among other things, it can tell you who's not logging into Blackboard often enough and who's not doing well on certain assignments. It also allows you to easily communicate with struggling students.
Blackboard: Elluminate
Elluminate is a web-conferencing tool within Blackboard that you and your students can access, courtesy of the California Community Colleges. It works essentially the same way as CCC Confer, allowing real-time interaction between you and students or among students themselves.
Blackboard: Facilitating Bulletin Board Discussions
This workshop will teach you not only the technical aspects of using the Discussion Boards feature in Blackboard, but it will also teach you the pedagogical techniques of facilitating a class discussion online. You'll learn the practical considerations for conducting class discussions online, and you'll have a chance to review a sample lesson plan.
Blackboard: Grade Center
This Grade Center in Blackboard works like Excel in that you can enter scores directly into the spreadsheet. It also has many other features that you will want to master.
Blackboard Online Quizzes
You'll learn how to create quizzes from within a content area, to create quizzes in the Test Manager, to create a pool of questions, and to randomize questions. Once done, you'll learn how to grade non-objective questions (Blackboard automatically grades objective questions). A brief discussion will then ensue on best ways to minimize cheating online.
Blackboard SafeAssign
SafeAssign is an anti-plagiarism service that is built directly into Blackboard. You create a "SafeAssignment", and students will upload their papers to SafeAssign, which will check it for originality. Learn how to use this tool.
Blackboard: Wikis
Wikis allow students to collaborate on producing a web page or web site. You can create a class wiki, or you can have groups of students work collaboratively on a wiki. There is even a built-in tool for grading participation.
Capturing screen movements: Camtasia
Camtasia allows you to demonstrate a process on your computer and capture it for student viewing. These processes are captured as digital videos --along with audio narration--and are converted into Flash movies played on the Web, including within your Blackboard course.
CCC Confer
CCC Confer is an online web- and/or phone conferencing tool that you can use for either office hours (if you are an online instructor) or one-on-one tutorial sessions with students. It's free for instructors and students in the California Community Colleges.
Clickers in the Classroom
Clickers allow students to use remote controls to answer an instructor's questions during lectures. Software compiles the answers, which get projected anonymously on the screen. The instructor can immediately see how well students are learning the content, all the while keeping students engaged in the lecture.
Creating Accessible Word Files
Make your Word documents accessible on the web to all students, including those with disabilities. Learn how to do this using Adobe Acrobat.
Creating Accessible PowerPoint
Make your PowerPoint presentations accessible on the web to all students, including those with disabilities. Learn how to do this using Adobe Acrobat.
Document cameras
Many LPC classrooms are equipped with document cameras that display documents and 3D objects onto the classroom screen for students to see. You can display handouts, book pages and maps, as well as objects like insects, coins, flowers, etc. Learn how to use a document camera.
EduStream Digital Video Service
EduStream is a streaming, digital video service that provides video on demand. After creating a playlist, you can choose from a variety of videos and video clips to play either in your face-to-face classroom or within Blackboard. The videos are already close-captioned.
eLumen
eLumen is a Student Learning Outcomes Management system. Learn how to enter your SLOs, add rubrics and assessments, and score your students.
Fillable PDFs
Create a fillable PDF form in which others can enter information and have that information saved. The resulting saved file can be stored or emailed to others.
Improving Teaching & Learning with Technology
Discuss with an instructional technologist how technology can help your students. Perhaps you are having trouble engaging students in a particular aspect of your course. We'll sit down and brainstorm methods of improvement, then develop a plan for designing materials and/or activities and implementing them.
Inspiration
Inspiration helps students comprehend information and concepts. Instructors can use this visual learning tool for activities such as concept mapping, critical thinking, brainstorming, diagramming, and outlining. Whether creating handouts for your students, overhead transparencies, or web pages, let Inspiration help organize your thoughts.
Mobile Learning
Mobile Learning allows students to bring course content with them wherever they go via a smart phone, iPad or other mobile device. Learn how you can provide students with narrated PowerPoints, podcasts, videos and interactive games that students can use on the go.
Narrating PowerPoints for the Web: Camtasia
Camtasia is a program that allows you to narrate your PowerPoint presentations for uploading to the web. It converts the presentation into a Flash file and includes links to each slide, allowing students to easily get the information they need.
Podcasts
Podcasts are digital audio recordings that have been adapted into a downloadable format that students can listen to on their computers or import into a mobile device. This workshop will provide an overview of best practices and pedgagoical applications of podcasts. We will use software to record an audio file, convert it to mp3 format and upload into your Blackboard course.
PowerPoint Basics
This workshop will teach you everything you need to create a basic PowerPoint presentation. You will learn how to navigate the PowerPoint menus and toolbars, create new slides, edit text and bullet options, and import images and clip art to make your presentations visually appealing.
StudyMate
StudyMate allows you to create interactive Flash lessons that serve as study resources, typically prior to exams. They can be posted online. Learn how to create these, as well as versions that are accessible to students with disabilities.
Teaching with PowerPoint
Once you learn the basic skills of PowerPoint, it's time to learn how to utilize PowerPoint for instructional purposes. Learn different techniques on how to do this.
Twitter with your students
Twitter is a microblogging service that allows you to communicate short messages to your students. Learn how to tweet your students and why tweeting them can be instructionally beneficial. You can post your Twitter link in Blackboard and even embed your Twitter feed in Blackboard.
Web Accessibility Overview and Basics
You will learn about the legal aspects of accessibility and where to find resources and tools to make websites accessible. In addition, you will learn who needs accessibility and why. Instructors will make web pages accessible, from labeling images to learning the best practices for creating links.
CafeScribe Digital Textbooks
CafeScribe is an online, digital textbook solution that includes annotations, note-taking, and read-out-loud features, along with incorporating social networking. Within Blackboard, you can create links to specific pages to your digital textbook.
