Week 12, Fall 2019

2019 Survey of Faculty Attitudes on Technology

Conference Surveys

Please take a few moments to complete the surveys if you attended the following professional learning opportunities:

• SDCCD Distance Learning Summit
• Can-Innovate 2019 Complete this survey by Wednesday, November 6th for a chance to win a free @ONE online course valued at $65.

Guest Blogger Interview

Dawn Diskin
CPA, MBA
Assistant Accounting Professor

What do you teach (and other roles) at Miramar? 

I teach Basic Accounting, Financial Accounting and Managerial Accounting. I am also the faculty advisor for the Miramar Business Club and serve on the Budget and Research Development Subcommittee. 

When did you start teaching online and why? 

I started teaching online in 2010 after my first semester of teaching face-to-face. I was asked if I wanted to try online teaching with no judgement for first try and there was a demand for an online section of the class that I was teaching, so I said yes and have never looked back.   It was trial and error the first semester, but after attending a few workshops and conferences I was able to pick up more ideas on how to be successful at teaching online.

What do you enjoy most about teaching online? 

I enjoy the flexibility and the communication with students. I have found that many students feel more comfortable corresponding via email and will open up more online than in person. I also believe it is the most efficient way for students to reach their goals faster is with a few online classes mixed in with their face-to-face classes. Online is so efficient, no driving, no parking issues and you can study when time is best for you.

What do you find challenging about teaching online? 

It is a tough when the student doesn’t have any familiarity with computers and technology. Sometimes in those cases a phone call can mean a lot to a student to help them through technological issues and then they know there is a real person at the other end of that darn computer that wasn’t cooperating with them. 

What is one tip you would give others teaching online? 

I learned the most about online teaching from taking online classes myself. I took many classes from @ONE, the online network of Educators. Their classes model what makes an online class engaging and effective. I really enjoyed the Humanizing Online Teaching and Learning and the 10-10-10 Communication that Matters courses. Here is a list of their courses @ONE Courses AND they count for Professional Advancement through Fresno Pacific University.

Canvas Hack: Getting Great Photos

Pixabay.com is a great source for free photos, illustrations, vectors, and videos. I use these in my Camtasia videos, Canvas modules, and to organize my Canvas dashboard by giving each section a little personality.

These are CCO (Creative Commons-0) and most require no attribution (although I put them in my credits reel when I used them in my videos).

Here are some current favorites:

 

Try This!

Lumyer App

Animate your photos with Lumyer! I use this free mobile app to create fun animated photos and videos that I add to my Canvas modules. 

Here is one I used most recently when students reached the end of Week 11: Celebrate!

Links & Resources

An Inside Higher Ed article worth reading, "Professors' Slow, Steady Acceptance of Online Learning: A Survey. 

Can-Innovate Archives are now available so you can view any session that you missed. I plan to view the archive on Quick Fixes Using Tools to Create Accessible Content. 

Did you know that we have access to Lynda online courses, trainings, and tutorials through the Vision Resource Center? This video walks you through the registration process.

We now have New Analytics turned on in Canvas. Learn about the features here: Canvas Guide: What is New Analytics?