New Faculty Workshops Have Begun

Kevin Mobbs has transitioned from music instructor and trombone player to developing and teaching workshops for the technically challenged. Using the newest technology to enhance education is something he has pursued throughout his career.

Kevin Mobbs

Here are a few comments and then details on upcoming Faculty Development Center workshops.

“I have long been interested in technology personally and its use in education. The field of music has always embraced technology. In the past, at UWG, in addition to trombone and other classes, I taught a Music Technology class, which was intensive in advanced technology skills. Recently, I developed an Online Music Appreciation class, which is ongoing this fall. While a move from music to a full-time position in distance education seems a stretch, educational technology has been a career long endeavor.” Kevin Mobbs

The UWG Distance and Distributed Education Center recently opened a new space dedicated to assisting faculty in distance education and online educational technology. The Faculty Development Center provides facilities for training sessions, meetings and individualized assistance.

The FDC is equipped with computers, software and staff to assist faculty in achieving instructional goals. Individuals, small groups or complete departments may request a custom session on many topics. The FDC staff will prepare and present requested workshops at the FDC or other locations as needed. Instructors are invited to visit the FDC to work on distance education and instructional technology projects.

In addition to individual and custom workshops, the FDC will host a series of workshops on various topics ranging from basic to the advanced called “Odd Workshops.” Sessions are presented on almost every odd-dated Monday and Thursday.

Contact Kevin Mobbs, Faculty Development Coordinator, for more information, to register for workshops or to request assistance at kmobbs@westga.edu or 678-839-5294. A calendar of workshops and webinars is located at www.westga.edu/~training. For distance education help, refer to www.westga.edu/~distance and dlhelp.blogspot.com.

Here is a schedule for the fall semester of Odd Workshops:

Creating Interactivity: Flash, Camtasia, Studymate, Impatica
10/19/2009, Monday; 3:30-5:30; Education Center 201: · Creating interactive modules and learning tools; · Examples of great Flash modules; · Flash authoring tools: Camtasia, StudyMate, Wimba Create, and others; · Getting started using Flash in your course; · Learning objects

Wimba Tools in CourseDen: New Ways of Communicating
10/29/2009, Thursday; 10:00-12:00; Education Center 201: · Wimba Classroom; · Wimba Voice tools: voice email; podcaster, voice board; · Synchronous and asynchronous activities; · Archived sessions; · Technical issues and troubleshooting

RSS Feeds: Reaching Out and Pulling In
11/5/2009, Thursday; 3:30-5:30; Education Center 201: · Using RSS feeds to stay in contact with students; · Adding RSS feeds from the Internet to add content; ·Other communication tools: Twitter, iTunes, and trends; · Innovative approaches to online communication and networking tools

Using HTML: Creating Better Access to Content
11/9/2009, Monday; 10:00-12:00; Education Center 201: · Reasons and advantages for using HTML; · Problems with non-HTML choices; · Using HTML authoring tools (Expression Web, Dreamweaver, and others); · Easy techniques for using HTML in CourseDen that will make you look like a genius.

Screen Capture: Creating and Using Videos in CourseDen
11/19/2009, Thursday; 3:30-5:30; Education Center 201: · Basic principles of creating videos and video lectures; · Screen capture (Camtasia, Snagit, and others); · Preparing videos for the web and CourseDen; · Using videos from other sources

Grade Book: Using CourseDen Grade Book for End of Semester Chores
11/23/2009, Monday; 10:00-12:00; Education Center 201: · Creating calculation columns in CourseDen; · Exporting and importing grades to CourseDen (using Excel to save time); · Backing up final grades; · Other Grade Book issues

CourseDen Basics and Course Copies: Getting Ready for Spring Semester
12/3/2009, Thursday; 3:30-5:30; Education Center 201: · Ways to save time with CourseDen; · Setting up a new course; · Copying an old course; · Overview of basic tools (assessments, assignments, discussions); · Best practices.

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