Brewing Again!

Its been awhile (8+ years) since I last brewed a batch of beer. My good old friend Evan Roderick recently passed away and left me 2 cases of grolsch bottles and some malt extracts so I decided to brew up a batch in his honor. The only thing I screwed up was using over the counter sugar instead of brewing sugar so my Nut Brown Ale is a bit sweet, BUT very tasty.

It’s getting better by the day. Anyway…I’m enjoying my latest home brew and plan to make another batch next week. I find making beer to be very therapeutic - the only thing more therapeutic for me is drinking the stuff.  It’s Friday and I am in need of some serious therapy.

cheers!

The “BUZZ” In Distance Learning for NC

I returned from the NC3ADL Conference in Durham last night and am still “jazzed” from all the informative and engaging sessions I attended the past 2 days. Even though I’ve been working in the trenches over 10 years both teaching online (and developing) online classes and administering DL programs, I always pick up new and innovative ideas and techniques from the workshops, seminars and keynotes I attend. I also enjoy just networking with my Distance Learning colleagues across the state. In all honesty, it’s the casual conversations and informal discussions after the workshops (and at the bar) where some of the best networking, personal connections and even important decision making happens.

The BIG BUZZ for this particular conference was Moodle (CMS) and the millennials. As I’ve mentioned in previous posts I have challenged myself to learn and teach a class on Moodle just so I can educate myself and be in a position to train faculty IF for some reason we were to move away from Blackboard in the future. This by the way is NOT something I’m recommending for Carteret Community College, although it is always good to have a back-up plan if the NC Community College System were not to renew with Blackboard.

I particularly enjoyed the conference keynotes Dr. David Milliron and of course David Warlick . We hear it over and over again. The world of education is CHANGING and we as educators MUST be poised and ready to change and adapt with it. Both Dr. Milliron and David Warlick both addressed the importance of keeping the “human element” at the forefront of our teaching no matter how much technology we incorporate into our classes.

As I stated at the end of my presentation To Moodle or Not to Moodle - That is the Question - As we’ve heard again and again these past 2 days. The bottom line IS..it’s all about LEARNING. It’s all about VALUE. It’s about making a difference in the lives of each and every one of your students. Will students leave your class with more knowledge and understanding about your course content? I believe they will IF we as online instructors don’t lose sight of what is really important throughout the teaching and learning process. Its about the students. Its about good, solid, proactive and dynamic teaching and not really about the technology and/or course management systems we as educators use to deliver our course content.

on a side note…I had a really great time hanging out with Karianne Naughton and Sharon Della from Blackboard. Their hospitality and fun loving attitude was most appreciated as well as their willingness to help our distance learning faculty and administrators across the state with any issues and concerns regarding Blackboard.
btw…Dennis, you were missed!

Seana Downing, Karianne, yours truly and the infamous (party boy) Dennis Keough networking (yea right) after the Dl Alliance Conference in Ashville, April o7.

The Human Element

I’ve written a lot about “teaching with technology” and harnessing the power of the internet / computing into education. Lately I have been thinking back to when we didn’t have the internet, e-mail, cell phones or computers.

We taught our students in classrooms “face to face” without anything more complicated than overhead projections and slides. There’s no doubt in my mind that we as college teachers in 2008 are working harder and longer trying to keep up with the various software, hardware and course management systems that constantly are getting upgraded with new and more sophisticated versions. Sure, I’m a strong proponent of distance learning and incorporating technology into my photography and art courses, however I think it’s important for educators to step back every once in awhile and remember that our primary focus should always be on teaching students.  We’re dealing with human beings and it’s very easy to lose sight of the human element when we are all caught up (and stressed out) by the various dynamics and challenges of incorporating technology into our teaching.

I for one am a little nostalgic for the days when I spent hours in the darkroom and studio with my students - now I teach digital imaging, graphic design and commercial illustration (for the most part) via the internet and blackboard. So the questions is….HOW do we as instructors keep and nurture the HUMAN ELEMENT in our courses? That I believe is our challenge as we forge ahead in this new millennium.